US2896812A - Coaster and holder for beverage can - Google Patents

Description

- J. PAPROCKI COASTER AND uoz'maka FOR BEVERAGE cm July 21s, 1959 Filed April 26, 1957 MENTR Edward J Paproclr/ Affomey United States Patent O M 2,896,812 I COASTER AND HOLDER FOR BEVERAGE CAN Edward J. Paprocki, Holliswood, N.Y. Application April 26, 1957, Serial No. 655,305 1 Claim. Cl. 220-455 Generically, the invention relates to a useful and ornamental drinking device, and specifically it encompasses a combined coaster and holder for the conventional beer or beverage can, to facilitate drinking from the can and to additionally provide an accoutrement for the can which has aesthetic and artistic worth.

The beer and soft drink can as sold today has become increasingly popular, because of its relatively low cost, ease of storage and handling and because beverages can be stored virtually indefinitely. The cans are sold individually, in handy carry packages and by the case in every supermarket, delicatessen and grocery store in the United States, many drug stores vend them' and there are numbers of distributors who cater to direct-to-home delivery.

Drinking the beverage from the can in the home and elsewhere is subject to several major disadvantages. When the can is placed on furniture in the home it tends to stain the table or other top, due to the moisture condensation on the bottom rim of the can when the liquid has been refrigerated. Another disadvantage is that with several people gathered in the sitting or other room drinking from the can, the cans are unsightly, and many prefer, for that reason, to pour from the can into a glass, and drink from the latter. But actually, drinking from the can is preferable because the beverage tastes cooler.

I have invented a combined beverage can holder and coaster, the principal object of which is to provide a combined coaster and can holder which is attached with the utmost ease to the can and when attached, becomes an ornamental, useful and artistic object which makes drinking from the can a pleasurable undertaking. Another object is the provision of a built-in coaster which protects furniture and the like from staining.

Another object envisions an article which is in itself a work of art and can be used as a candle holder or a decorative object.

Still another object contemplates a combined coaster and holder which when attached to a beer or other beverage can becomes, in efiect, a stein with an attractice hinged or snap up top, a graceful, arcuate-like handle, and the body portion the can itself.

These and other objects will be manifest after a perusal of the subjoined specification and claim.

Briefly described, my invention includes a curved, flexible handle portion attached at its lower end to a rimmed coaster, while the upper end carries an attractive hinged or snap type top.

Several of these used by the family or social gathering makes drinking from the can an enjoyable social pastime. Furniture is protected, the steins or Steinettes. enhance the decor of the room, and when the cans are removed from the coaster and holder to be discarded, the invention is a decorative piece in and of itself.

In the specification, where reference is made to beer I intend that any beverage adapted to be sold in a can is intended to be included in the inventive concept. However, since beer drinking is indulged in by a vast device.

2,896,812 Patented July 28, 1959 multitude of people, my invention is particularly adaptable for converting beer cans into a stein instantaneously and can be used by brewers to advertise theirwares to great advantage.

It is further within the inventive concept, that not only beverage cans are intended to be used with my invention, but containers of aluminum, glass, metal, plastics or any other man-made materials which may be held by my of course, the beverage may be poured directly into the glass or the like and consumed.

Fig. 1 shows an elevational view of the coaster and Fig. 4 shows a fragmentary view of the bottom portion 7 of the beer can holder applied to a beer can.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the top clamping element.

Fig. 6 shows a modification ot the top clamping element. I

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of amodification of the holder presenting a modified coaster and manner of attaching the handle.

Fig. 8 shows a top view of another modification .of the top clamping element. I

With reference to the drawings, in carrying out the invention 5 denotes the combined coaster and holder, with numeral 6 denoting the handle portion which may be formed of a strip of'mild spring steel, or any suitable flexible material having the desired inherent strength and resiliency, particularly in an endwise direction. Handle 6 is made of sufliciently wide strip, for example, /8" so that its upper inturned flange 7 provides ample gripping surface for the bead or rim of the conventional beverage can. From flange 7 handle 6 extends outwardly and downwardly in a graceful curve to form the main portion 8 terminating in lower end 9 which is bent and extends through an opening 12 in upper rim 12 of coaster 10, extends across embossing 20 and is soldered, brazed or otherwise secured to and supports the bottom of recessed cup 11 of the coaster.

Member 6 is so formed that when that suflicient resilient pressure in an endwise direction is applied to the top bead of the can to cause the can, when wedged into coaster 10, to be held securely therein.

Coaster 10 is provided with upper rim 12, which may be rounded, the inner periphery of which flows into and forms recessed cup 11, embossed as at 20 and the coaster so formed is adapted to securely receive, hold and support the bottom of beverage can C, which is usually similarly embossed.

For aesthetic purposes the outer periphery of rim 12 merges with outwardly flared supporting portion or skirt 13.

Inwardly of the inturned upper flange 7 of handle 6 is pivoted as at 19, a cap or top 15 having outwardly and upwardly extending depressor or thumb lever 16 afiixed thereto, by soldering, brazing, or other suitable means. Cap 15 may be bell shaped with a plurality of circumferentially disposed rims 17 and rounded top 18 for artistic, aesthetic and utilitarian purposes.

In the presentation herein cap 15 is shown frusto-bell shaped but I contemplate that other shapes may be employed-for example, the top may be flat or any other suitable configuration, the purpose of the cap or top 15 being to open and close the top of the beverage can C by manipulation of the thumb lever 16. And in this connection I may have a spring wire coiled at a pivot 19 to When containers other than cans are employed,

reclose the cap-15 when thumb lever 16 is depressed and cap 15 opens, although this'isnotessential, as the top 15 is held open manually when the lever 16 is pressed down and the handle. grasped.

his a simple matter to place the beverage canwith' its upper edge: placed under depending inturnedfiange 7'; then with mildpressure on the can exerted by handle 6 it wedges itself with the lower rim securely held in em ployed. The gripping element may assurne'the shape of a double grip 21, the handle 6' may be tubular (not shown), and while one preferredform of the device is fabricated of metal, I contemplate manufacturing from plastics or any man-made material having the desired characteristics;

The handle 6 may be attached to the coaster element'- 23 as shown in Fig. 7, by afiixing to the outside thereof, and this coaster 23 is made more rigid by curliiig' or beading the lower edge 24 as shown in Fig. 7. And the. handle may be ribbed or of any form giving the desired resiliency.

Finally, and importantly I contemplate using any con tainers other than cans with my invention, such as glassware, aluminum, plastics or any other man-made materials. Alsoto grip the rims of such containers 1' may employ the modification shown in Fig. 8 with the trifurcated grip 25 to assure holding of the upper rim. I reserve the right to make other changes or modifications.

I claim:

A combined coaster andlhold'er for releasably and resiliently holding a cylindrical container which has a rim on its opposite ends, a bottom including a recessed cup provided with an upstanding rim with an opening therein, said cup of the coaster being adapted to receive and hold the bottom of thecontainer therein, the coaster also having an outwardly flared and downwardly extending supporting skirt, a bell-shaped top, a curved resilient spring handle member extending between the top and coaster, the upper end portion of the handle terminating in a downturned flange, the top being pivoted to an upper end portion of the handle adjacent the downturned flange,

the lower end of thelhandle extending through the opening and having a part thereof extending t-herebeyond, the said extending part of the handle being rigidly affixed to an underside adjacent portion of the bottom of the coaster,

a finger engageable means mounted on the top, the lowermostedge of the skirt beingin a lower plane. than the s'aid'extending part of the handle,the skirt thus forming a firm support for the. combined coaster and holder,

and the container being resiliently and releasably held by the handle and bottom when the flange of the'upper end of the handle is extended overan adjacent upper portion of the container and when the lower portion of the container is seated in the recessed bottom of" the coaster.

I References Cited in the file-of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. l54,588 Collins .July 26, 1949 1,166,209 Hofiman Dec. 28, 1915 1,446,474 Mahnken Feb. 27,, 1923. 1,505,369 Brown- Aug. 19, 192 2,801,743 Geen Aug. 6, 1957'- V FOREIGN PATENTS 277,569 Great Britain Sept. 22', 1927

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