WO2006075322A2

WO2006075322A2 - Tiltable beverage bottle holder

Info

Publication number: WO2006075322A2
Application number: PCT/IL2006/000042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moshe Lavi
Original assignee: Moshe Lavi
Priority date: 2005-01-11
Filing date: 2006-01-11
Publication date: 2006-07-20
Also published as: IL166247A0; WO2006075322A3

Abstract

The holder comprises a base member (16) supporting at each spaced-apart side a first portion of a pivot (18). There is a bottle grip element (22) provided with a pair of spaced-apart second pivot portions (18B) complementary to the first portions to complete the pivots and allow an inserted bottle to swing between a substantially upright position and by light finger pressure to reach a sloped downward position allowing controlled pouring of a beverage into a driking vessel.

Description

TILTABLE BEVERAGE BOTTLE HOLDER

FILED OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the serving of beverages.

More particularly, the invention provides a tiltable holder for a large beverage bottle useful for filling a drinking receptacle such as a cup or glass.

Presently soft drinks, carbonated and non-carbonated, are being marketed in containers ranging from personal size (250 cc to half liter) to commercial size containers. The present invention relates to the popular family-size 1.5 - 2 liter containers, which are intended for use at the table.

A 2-liter bottle of soft drink has a body diameter of almost 10 cm and when full weighs over 2 kg. Such bottles - and to a lesser extent the 1.5 liter bottles - are difficult to grasp in one hand. Furthermore it is difficult to control the flow therefrom. Handicapped and elderly people are likely to forgo the drink when faced with a 2-liter bottle. Children are less likely to pass an opportunity to quench their thirst, but will often require adult help for pouring out the desired beverage, and are liable to cause spillage if left to serve themselves.

While extensive work has been done to design better cup holders for boats and land vehicles, see for example US Patents 4,324,381, 4997,156 5,423,508 6,779,770 B2 and many other disclosures, surprisingly little effort has been devoted to holders for large bottles of soft drinks. Where bottle holders have been disclosed, the devices are unsuited for table use, for example US Patent no. 4,8676,358 to Bennis and Des. 347,365 to McKay arranged to be attached to the user's clothing and US Patent no. 4,997,156 arranged to be clamped to a chair leg. Further known holders are for attachment to a bicycle. P-7524-PC

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to fulfill a clear requirement for a bottle holder suitable for table use which will enable both children and adults, even if handicapped, to readily fill a drinking receptacle from a family-size bottle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bottle holder, which can be folded for compact storage.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable bottle holder to be suitable for different sizes of bottles.

Yet a Final object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable bottle holder which will enable the opening of a bottle just by one hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a tillable holder for a beverage bottle of at least 1.5 liter capacity, said holder comprising a base member supporting at each spaced-apart side a first portion of a pivot, a bottle grip element being provided which is readily attachable to the body of said bottle and readily removed therefrom, said bottle grip element being provided with a pair of spaced-apart second pivot portions complementary to said first portions to complete said pivots and allow an inserted bottle to swing between a substantially upright position and by light finger pressure to reach a sloped downward position allowing controlled pouring of a beverage into a drinking vessel such as a cup or a glass.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a tiltable holder wherein said bottle grip element is adjustable to match the body diameters of various bottle capacities. P-7524-PC

In a even more preferred embodiment the inner side of the grip element will be provided with a rubber strip or the like. Like wise the base part could be provided with small rubber supports.

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a tiltable holder, which can be collapsed for compact storage. An arrangement for this purpose is described where said bottle grip element is removably and revolvably supported by spaced-apart pivots attached to side structures, and wherein after removal of said bottle grip element, said side structures each carrying a first portion of said pivot may be folded downwards in proximity to said base member.

Yet further embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter.

It will thus be realized that the novel support of the present invention serves to hold the bottle so that its contents may be poured by any user into a drinking vessel. This is achieved irrespective if the bottle is full and only requires a small change in bottle angle or if the bottle is almost empty and a large angle of rotation is required.

In some embodiments the device may be collapsed for compact storage.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent by example preferred embodiments of the invention. Structural details are shown only as far as necessary for a fundamental understanding thereof. The described examples, together with the drawings, will make apparent to those skilled in the art how further forms of the invention may be realized.

In the drawings:

FIG. Ia is a perspective view of an embodiment of the bottle holder according to the invention, the broken lines showing the bottle being tilted;

FIG. Ib is a perspective view of a bottle grip element for a larger bottle; P-7524-PC

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bent wire embodiment provided with band circumference clamping to grip bottles of varying size;

FIG. 3 is a view of an embodiment wherein the U-shaped frame is a plastic molding;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a bottle grip element for clamping and releasing the bottle; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a tillable holder which can be collapsed; and

FIG. 6 is a view of a tillable bottle holder folded for compact storage.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the bottle holder.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the bottle holder in a compact storage position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

There is seen in FIG. Ia a tillable holder 10 for a beverage bottle 12 of at least 1.5-liter capacity. The holder 10 comprises a U-shaped base member 14 supporting at each spaced-apart side 16 a first portion 18a of a pivot 18, which in the present embodiment is a pair of semi-circular bearings.

In an embodiment not shown, one of the bearings is complete and the opposite bearing is a half-open bearing. The shown embodiment is formed from sheet metal, preferably stainless steel.

The height of the pivots 18 above the base member 14 exceeds half the height of the largest bottle 12 to be supported, thereby leaving room for a receptacle 20 when the bottle

12 is tilted.

A bottle grip element 22 is provided which is readily attachable to and removable from the body of a 1.5-liter soft drink bottle 12. In the present embodiment, the grip element comprises a metal band 24, which can suitably be made of stainless steel or plated steel.

The band 24 slightly larger than the bottle diameter and has an L-shaped extension 26 to support the bottle base. The advantage of holding the bottle 12 loosely is that replacement of an empty container is fast and easily carried out. The bottle grip element 22 carries a pair of spaced-apart second pivot portions 18b, which are a pair of circular-section stub projections of a diameter slightly smaller than the hollow of the first portion 18a semi-circular bearings. The stub projections (= the second P-7524-PC

pivot portions 18b) are preferably attached to the bottle grip element 22 at a position slightly above the center of gravity of the beverage bottle 12. Thus in use, whether the bottle 12 is full or almost empty, the bottle will naturally swing back to its normal veilical position. Also, the high suspension point is necessary if the receptacle 20 rests on the same flat surface as the holder during pouring.

In use, a consumer places a drinking receptacle at a position where the beverage will be poured after the bottle is tilted, and applies hand pressure to the bottle 12. When empty, the bottle is withdrawn and a new bottle inserted. As seen with regard to FIG. Ia, in the present embodiment two bottle grip elements 22, 22a are provided, one to hold a 1.5-liter bottle and a second separate grip element 22a for 2-liter bottles.

With reference to the rest of the figures, similar reference numerals have been used to identify similar parts.

Seen in FIG.2 is a tillable holder 28 wherein the base member 30 and the pivot supports 32 are constructed of bent metal wire, welded at the joints 34. Wire diameter is typically about 3 - 5 mm, suitably stainless steel or plated steel. This type of construction is suitable where limited quantities are to be manufactured. With regard to the bottle grip element 36, a prior-art latch clamp 38, or the more common worm gear drive clamp (both are illustrated in "MACHINE DESIGN" November 1989 p 538) is used to hold the bottle 12 and to allow for different bottle diameters within the range to be covered by the holder. Clamping the bottle 12 firmly has the advantage that the L-shaped extension 26 seen in the previous figure supporting the bottle base is neither provided or needed.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is depicted a tillable holder 40 wherein the base member 42, which could have four "legs" 43 covered with rubber to provide a better grip and stability of the holder, as well as both sidewalls 44, is a unitary plastic molding. For mass-production quantities, this is the lowest-cost manufacturing option.

FIG. 4 shows a detail of a further embodiment of the tillable holder 46 wherein the bottle grip element 48 is adjustable to match, within a limited range, the body diameters of P-7524-PC

various bottle capacities. The bottle grip element 48 comprises a metal band 50, which can be tightened or loosened by means of the fixed screw 52 and revolvable hand-nut 54. The inner side thereof may be provided with a rubber strip or the like to provide better holding of the bottle. There are known other arrangements, which could be used for different sizes of bottles.

FIG. 5 illustrates a collapsible tillable holder 56 made of bent metal wire. The four struts 58 forming the side structure and supporting the bottle grip element 22 are hinged to the base structure 60 at a lower extremity and provide a bearing 62 at their upper extremity, The holder 56 can be collapsed for compact storage, as seen in FIG. 6.

Seen in FIG. 6 is a collapsed tillable holder 64 wherein the bottle grip element 22 is removably and revolvably supported when assembled by pivot bearings 62 attached to side struts 58. After the removal of the bottle grip element 22, the side struts 58 may be folded downwards by means of hinges 66 connecting the side struts 58 to the base structure 68 to rest in proximity thereto.

The L-shaper extension 70 if used maybe connected to the bottle grip element 22 by a pivot pin 72.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the preferred embodiment being a collapsible holder comprising a bottle grip element 22 made of springy material provided with an adjustable fastener 38. A pair of two U shaped element are pivotably conected to said grip element 22 and a bottle base support member 26 forming the structure. As can be understood the holder could be made of bent metal wire or partly of plastics.

While all embodiments described are tilted by hand pressure directly applied to the bottle, the present inventors are aware that a lever could be attached to the proximate pivot shaft and the bottle can then be tilted by hand pressure on this lever, at a cost of some extra material, bulk and manufacturing expense.

The scope of the described invention is intended to include all embodiments coming within the meaning of the following claims. The foregoing examples illustrate useful P-7524-PC

forms of the invention, but are not to be considered as limiting its scope, as those skilled in the art will be aware that additional variants and modifications of the invention can readily be formulated without departing from the meaning of the following claims.

Claims

P-7524-PCWE CLAIM:

1. A tillable holder for a beverage bottle of at least 1.5 liter capacity, the holder comprising a base member supporting at each spaced-apart side a first portion of a pivot, a bottle grip element being provided which is readily attachable to the body of the bottle and readily removed therefrom, the bottle grip element being provided with a pair of spaced-apart second pivot portions complementary to the first portions to complete the pivots and allow an inserted bottle to swing between a substantially upright position and by light hand pressure to reach a sloped downward position allowing controlled pouring of a beverage into a drinking vessel such as a cup or a glass.

2. The tiltable holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the height of the ph'ots above the base member exceeds half the height of the bottle.

3. The tiltable holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottle grip element is arranged to be attached to the bottle at a position slightly above the center of gravity of the beverage bottle.

4. The tiltable holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base member is constructed of bent metal wire.

5. The tiltable holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base member is constructed of a plastic molding.

6. The tiltable holer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base member is provided with rubber supports.

7. The tiltable holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottle grip element is adjustable to match the body diameters of various bottle capacities.

8. The tiltable holder as claimed in claim 2 wherein the inner side of said grip element is provided with a rubber strip or the like. P-7524-PC

9. The tillable holder as claimed in claim 1, which can be collapsed for compact storage.

10. The tillable holder as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bottle grip element is removably and revolvably supported by spaced-apart pivots attached to side structures, and wherein after removal of the bottle grip element, the side structures may be folded downwards in proximity to the base member.