WO1999028201A1

WO1999028201A1 - Bottle

Info

Publication number: WO1999028201A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/025269
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karen J. Downs
Original assignee: Downs Karen J
Priority date: 1997-12-01
Filing date: 1998-11-25
Publication date: 1999-06-10
Also published as: AU1609099A

Abstract

A beverage bottle (10) is disclosed herein having a cylindrical body (11) terminating at one end with a bottom (12) and having a conical or reduced opposite end (13) terminating with a dispensing or access opening (15). A lid or cap detachably couples with the reduced end to close the opening. Immediately adjacent to the reduced end (13), the body is provided with an open-ended passageway (16) defined by compound curved walls (17) integral with the body whereby a novelty article (20) may be inserted into the passageway and, via interference fit, be held in releasable position. The interference fit may be a reduced passageway midsection (18), an oval midsection or a dimpled construction. Fluid conduits (22, 23) are defined on opposite sides of the open-ended passageway (16).

Description

BOTTLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of beverage bottles and, more particularly, to a bottle known as a sports bottle which will readily accept, display and release a novelty item or article such as a miniaturized ball, coin or the like.

2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In the past, it has been the conventional practice to place liquids into a cylindrical bottle with a cap and means for introducing a straw into the inte- rior for withdrawal of the contents. For promotional, souvenir or novelty purposes, articles associated with a particular sport or activity such as labels or stickers are generally carried on the external surface of the bottle and, in some instances, such articles are attached to the bottle by strings, adhesive or other attachments means. In any event, such display of promotional and advertising articles is external of the bottle and does not depend upon any particular shape or size of the bottle in order to cooperate as a retention or mounting means for the article.

Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a beverage bottle which incorporates a wall construction suitable for insertably receiving novelty articles of a promotional or souvenir nature that will releasably retain the article so that it can be displayed until removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided or ameliorated by the present invention which provides a beverage bottle having a cylindrical container or body defined by a continuous wall which is closed at one end and includes an opposite end of reduced dimension which provides an access opening. The continuous wall construction includes an open- ended passageway defined between two parallel conduits interconnecting the opposite ends of the body together. The open-ended passageway includes a reduced midsection so as to insertably receive an article in an interference fit for releasable retention therewith. The interference fit may be achieved by providing the passageway midsection with an eliptical configuration, a reduced configuration, an oval configuration, or by a dimpled or detent means in cooperation with the article. The wall construction defining the open-ended passageway is of a pliable composition so that the wall will distort or yieldably engage with the exterior surface of the article inserted into the passageway in order to provide a releasable retention. The cross- section of the passageway at its midsection may comply with the configuration of the article to be inserted so that a mating relationship results between the shape of the article and the configuration of the passageway midsection. Fluid contents in the bottle may be dispensed readily from the interior via the pair of parallel conduits on opposite sides of the passageway and through the access opening.

Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a novel beverage con- tainer that will readily and releasably retain a promotional or souvenir article in a position for display and wherein access to the article may be achieved from opposite sides of the bottle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel beverage container of the sports bottle type which includes an aperture or passageway for insertably receiving and releasably holding a promotional or souvenir article without restricting the flow of the beverage or fluid within the bottle to its access opening.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel sports bottle having a passageway of reduced midsection so as to releasably retain a promotional or souvenir article and wherein the article may readily be displayed without preventing the flow of beverage or fluid within the bottle from reaching the access opening.

Another object of the present invention resides in providing a sports bottle with means for insertably receiving a promotional, novelty or souvenir article which relates to a particular sport or activity and which releasably holds the article in position for manual release.

A further object resides in providing a sports beverage bottle with a lateral, open-ended passageway separating a pair of conduits for conducting either fluids or solids such as ice through the bottle past the passageway to an access opening.

A still further object resides in providing a lateral, open-ended passageway in a sports beverage bottle having concave entrances at opposite ends of the passageway separated by a reduced dimension midsection with a pair of conduits separated by the passageway in fluid communication with the interior of the bottle.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be understood best with reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the inventive beverage bottle incorporating the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, of the beverage bottle shown in FIGURE 1 as taken in the direction of the arrows along line 2-2 therein;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the beverage bottle shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, illustrating the reduced midsection of the open-ended pas- sageway for releasably retaining a promotion or souvenir article;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the beverage bottle shown in FIGURE 3 as taken in the direction of the arrows along line 4-4; FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view, in front elevational orientation, illustrating another version of the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the beverage bottle shown in FIGURE 5 as taken in the direction of the arrows along line 6-6;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the beverage bottle as taken in the direction of the arrows along line 7-7 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of the beverage bottle shown in FIGURE 8 as taken in the direction of the arrows along line 9-9 therein .

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGURE 1, the novel beverage bottle of the present invention is indicated generally at 10 and includes a cylindrical body 11 having a hollow interior for holding a quantity of fluid. One end of the body or member 11 is closed at its bottom, preferably by a cap 12, while the opposite end is provided with a reduced portion 13 which terminates in a threaded nozzle 14 having an opening 15 for dispensing the fluid carried by the body 11. The opening 15 provides access to the interior of the bottle so that a straw or the like may be introduced into the inte- rior for extracting the fluid. The opening 15 may be closed by a suitable cap or cover (not shown) such as a sports bottle cap.

It is to be noted that the body 11 of the container or bottle 10 is provided with an open-ended passageway, indicated by numeral 16, which includes a sidewall 17 that reduces to a midsection 18 having a diameter of lesser dimension than the openings at either end of the passageway.

Referring now in detail to FIGURE 2, it can be seen that the passageway 16 is open-ended so that a souvenir or promotional article 20 may be introduced through one of the open ends of the passageway and urged against the reduced midsection 18 of the pas- sageway for retention purposes. The frictional grip of the passageway with the exterior surface of the article 20 is an interference fit which is releasable and yieldable so that the article may be manually removed at any time. However, the article is visible through the open ends of the passageway and therefore the passageway functions as a display for the article as well as a carrier or holder for the article. It is to be noticed that the wall 17, including the midsection 18, is composed of a flexible material so that the article causes the material to flex or deploy when forced between the opposing surfaces of the passageway. As illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, the promotional or souvenir article 20 is a sphere which may be a baseball so that it complies with the round cross-section of the passageway 16 so that it fully occupies the passageway at the midsection 18.

It is noted in FIGURE 2 that the passageway 16 extends on a lateral axis normal to the central longitudinal axis of the sports bottle or body. The entrances at the opposite ends of the passageway are concave and are defined by the outer wall 17. The entrances may be defined as being compound curves wherein the walls are integrally formed by a molding method of fabrication.

With respect to the illustration in FIGURE 3, it can be seen that the midsection 18 is reduced by making the passageway oval. Such a configuration is one means of reducing the midsection so that only a portion of the exterior of ball 20 will press against the pliable material of the wall of the passageway when inserted in order to provide retention. As the ball is continually forced into the passageway, the flexible or pliable wall 17 will bring the surface into contact with the exterior of the ball so that it is firmly held in place. It is to be noted that the interior of the body 11 is hollow and available for storing a fluid and that the passageway 16 progresses through the body 11 from one side to the other. A straw 21 is illustrated as being positioned through the access opening 15 so that the contents of the bottle may be readily withdrawn. Referring now to FIGURE 4, it can be seen that either side of the passageway 16 includes a pair of hollow ducts as identified by numerals 22 and 23, respectively. The opposing walls 17 of the passageway 16 are integrally formed with the wall defining the bottle or body 11 so that the entire assembly is integral and may be molded as a single unitary construction. Also, FIGURE 4 illustrates that the midsection 18 of the passageway is deformable by the presence of pliable wall material so as to provide interference with the external surface of the article when it is forced into the passageway. Such a deformation is indicated by numeral 24.

Ducts or conduits 22 and 23 are separated by the passageway 16 and extend in parallel spaced apart relationship joining the interior lower portion of the body closed by bottom 12 with the interior upper portion of the body adjacent to the access opening. The ducts are normal with respect to the lateral passageway 16. The diameters or sizes of the ducts are sufficient to permit passage of fluids or solids such as ice cubes or the like.

Referring now in detail to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein the passageway is not round or oval, as previously described, but is configured in the shape of a "football". The bottle is indicated by numeral 30 and the article displayed and retained within the passage- way 31 is indicated by numeral 32. In this instancae, it is noted that the configuration of the passageway is substantially similar to the configuration of the article 32 so that a cooperating and mateable relationship is provided. As illustrated in FIGURE 6, the passageway 31 wall is indicated by numeral 33 and the midsection is pliable, as noted by numeral 34, so that the oversized diameter of the article 32 will force a deformation in the pliable material of the wall defining the passageway. However, it is contemplated that the midsection, as indicated by numeral 34, may include a depression or detent for receiving the mateable configuration of the article. In this latter instance, the wall thickness is less pliable than in the instances where deformation of the sidewall is necessary to obtain an interference fit.

Conversely, as shown in FIGURE 7, the article itself may include a projection or detent which is mateable with the sidewall 34 of the passageway 31.

In this instance, such a detent may be provided at the extreme ends of the article 32, as represented by numerals 35 and 36.

Referring now to FIGURES 8 and 9, another version of the invention is illustrated wherein the article to be stored has a disk shape such as a hockey puck 40, and the disk is inserted into the passageway 41 so as to be retained by the passageway sidewall 42. The sidewall is pliable so that it deforms to the configu- ration of the perimeter of the disc 40. The beverage bottle body is indicated by numeral 43.

Therefore, in view of the foregoing, it can be seen that the beverage bottle of the present invention is a unitary construction having an interior for hold- ing a quantity of fluid or ice cubes with a passageway extending from one side of the bottle through to its opposite side. By passing through the central longitudinal axis of the body, a pair of fluid ducts are created on opposite sides of the passageway and access to the interior is available through a top opening.

The promotional, novelty or souvenir item intended to be displayed and carried by the bottle is inserted through one open end of the passageway and forced inwardly in the passageway until the reduced midsection or detents or other means engages with the article to releasably hold the article in position between the opposite ends of the passageway. At any time, the user of the bottle may force the article from its restricted position in the passageway by using a finger or other implement to force the article from its retained position. Therefore, it is understood that the retention means for the article may take the form of pliable sidewalls which are deformed under pressure of the article being forced into the passageway or the article may be compressed itself as it is forced into the narrow midsection of the passageway or, if desired, detents may be placed on either the sidewall or on the article itself in order to provide an interference engagement between the sidewall and the article.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A beverage bottle comprising: a cylindrical body having a closed end and an open end separated by a midsection; said midsection having an open-ended passageway extending laterally across said body; a pair of parallel ducts separated by said passageway communicating said closed end with said open end; an article for releasable display and retention within said passageway; and retention means disposed in said passageway between its opposite open ends for yieldably holding said article within said passageway.

2. The invention as defined in Claim 1 wherein: said retention means includes said passageway defined by a sidewall having a reduced midsection between said opposite open ends releasably engageable with said article.

3. The invention as defined in Claim 2 wherein: said sidewall is composed of a deformable and pliable material responsive to forced engagement of said article to provide an interference fit.

4. The invention as defined in Claim 3 wherein: said article is of greater dimension than the diameter of said passageway midsection.

5. The invention as defined in Claim 3 wherein: said article includes detents projecting therefrom adapted to engage said sidewall in an interference fit .

6. The invention as defined in Claim 3 wherein: said cylindrical body further having a pair of conduits separated by said passageway and joining a body lower portion with a body upper portion; and said conduits effective to conduct either fluid or solid materials therethrough.

7. The invention as defined in Claim 6 wherein: said body includes an access opening for communication with said body upper portion exteriorly of said body.

8. The invention as defined in Claim 7 wherein : said opposite open ends of said passageway being larger than said passageway midsection for accepting introduction of said article into said passageway .

9. The invention as defined in Claim 8 wherein: said large open ends to said passageway constitute entrances separated by said midsection.

10. A sports beverage bottle for holding and displaying a novelty sports item comprising: an elongated body having a lower internal storage area and an upper internal storage area; said lower and said upper areas connected together in fluid communication by a pair of parallel spaced apart conduits separated by a laterally extending open-ended passageway; said conduits and said passageway defined by integral sidewalls establishing concave entrances leading into said passageway from opposite ends of said passageway; said passageway having a reduced midsection separating said entrances at opposite ends of said open-ended passageway; and a sports item releasably carried in said reduced midsection of said passageway.

11. The invention as defined in Claim 10 including: an interference retention means cooperatively disposed between said passageway midsection and said sports item to yieldably hold said sports item in said passageway.

12. The invention as defined in Claim 11 wherein: said interference retention means is selected from one of the following: a. an oversized sports item with an undersized passageway midsection; b. an undersized sports item with an oversized passageway midsection; or c . detent means carried on said sports item and said passageway midsection mateably aligned and joined together to releasably secure said sports item.

13. The invention as defined in Claim 12 wherein: said passageway midsection and said sports item are of similar shape and configuration.

14. The invention as defined in Claim 13 wherein: said interference retention means includes said sidewall defining said passageway midsection being of pliable, resilient and deformable material.

15. In a sports bottle having an elongated body separating a closed end with an open end, the improvement which comprises : an hourglass passageway, in cross-section, provided in said body laterally extending normal to the longitudinal axis of said body; said passageway having open opposite ends of concave configuration constituting entrances leading into a passageway midsection of reduced dimension as compared with the dimension of said entrances; and a sports item releasably disposed in said passageway midsection by an interference fit.

16. A bottle comprising: a body having a first end and a second end separated by a midsection; said midsection having a passageway extending across said body; a duct communicating said first end with said second end; and retention means disposed in said passageway for holding an article within said passageway.

17. A bottle comprising: a body; a midsection; and retention means disposed in said midsection for yieldably holding an article.

18. A bottle for holding and displaying an item, the bottle comprising: an elongated body having a lower internal storage area and an upper internal storage area; said lower and said upper areas connected together in fluid communication by spaced-apart conduits separated by a laterally extending open-ended passageway; said conduits and said passageway defined by integral sidewalls establishing entrances leading into said passageway from opposite ends of said passageway; said passageway having a reduced midsection for releasably carrying an item, said midsection separating said entrances at opposite ends of said open- ended passageway.