WO2007098528A1

WO2007098528A1 - Improved beverage container

Info

Publication number: WO2007098528A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/000205
Authority: WO
Inventors: George Nemer
Original assignee: Tip Top Dry Cleaners Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-03-03
Filing date: 2007-02-23
Publication date: 2007-09-07

Abstract

A beverage container including two integrally formed portions, both of which are adapted to hold a portion of the beverage to be contained within the beverage container, and a cleft dividing the two portions, via which the beverage container can be removably attached to a users clothing.

Description

IMPROVED BEVERAGE CONTAINER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a beverage container, in particular a container of a disposable type, which a user may wish to carry about their person.

BACKGROUND ART

It has long been known that people engaged in outdoor activities wish to carry beverages with them. It is increasingly acknowledged that consumption of adequate fluids during outdoor activities is necessary for health. These outdoor activities may be of a recreational or employment nature. Recreational activities may be specifically for exercise purposes, such as jogging, or may simply be for entertainment or enjoyment, such as attendance at outdoor concerts.

In all cases it is more convenient to carry the beverage about a user's person. In many cases this is in fact the only practical way of ensuring convenient access to beverages.

Conventionally, the way in which beverages have been carried about the person is by the use of refillable containers able to be conveniently carried. These containers have either had devices for attaching them to a user's person or have been adapted for use with other devices for holding the container about a user's body. This has avoided the obvious inconvenience of carrying the beverage container by hand.

These prior art methods have been as various as placing bottles in backpacks in the simplest case to the purpose built military style canteens with complex and adjustable webbing.

These prior art solutions have all had the problem that the container must be filled, usually by the users at home, and carried from the place where it is filled to the outdoor activity. Further, since the container and/or its method of attachment to the user is not considered disposable, the empty container must then be carried, after the beverage has bean consumed, until the user returns home.

Beverages, in particular bottled water, are now commonly available in disposable packaging at the site of outdoor activities. This obviates the need for beverages to be brought from a users home. That a great many users prefer this method of supply is obvious from the large use which is made of such disposable container beverages.

However, this then returns the problem that the user is forced to carry the beverage container, while it has some remaining contents, usually in a hand.- This is obviously inconvenient, and in the case of sporting activities, may make the carrying of the beverage impractical.

Various harnesses have been proposed for use with such disposable bottles, but these simply return the problem of carrying the harness from the user's home and returning the empty harness to the user's home.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage container that overcomes or at least substantially ameliorates the problems associated with the beverage containers of the prior art.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In one form of the invention there is provided a beverage container including an integrally formed means for removably attaching the beverage container to a users clothing.

In preference, the beverage container includes two integrally formed portions, both of which are adapted to hold a portion of the beverage to be contained within thθ beverage container.

In preference, the two integrally formed portions are a clip portion and a main portion.

In preference, in the alternative, the two integrally formed portions are two identical clip portions.

In preference, the clip portion is defined by a cleft dividing the clip portion from the other portion.

In preference, the cleft is longer than half the height on the container.

In preference, the cleft extends from the bottom of the beverage container towards its top.

In preference, the beverage container is made from a plastic material.

In preference, the beverage container is blow moulded.

In preference, the beverage container is a bottle haying a resealable closure.

In preference, the beverage container has a wall, which defines the two integral portions and the cleft.

In a further form, the invention may be said to reside in a beverage container including two integrally formed portions, both of which are adapted to hold a portion of the beverage to be contained within the beverage container, and a cleft dividing the two portions.

In a further form, the invention may be said to reside in a beverage container including a wall defining an integrally formed means for removably attaching the beverage container to a users clothing.

In a further form, the invention may be said to reside in a beverage container including a wall defining two integrally formed portions, and a cleft dividing the two portions. In a further form, the invention may be said to reside In a method of attaching the beverage container described above to the users clothing, including the steps of inserting a portion of a piece of the users clothing into the cleft between the two portions of the beverage container so that this portion is captured between the two portions and the beverage container is removably attached to the clothing.

In preference, the portion of the piece of the users clothing includes any one of a collar, a pocket, a waste band or a belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTHE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a side perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the beverage container of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a further perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a rear three-quarter bottom view of an embodiment of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5a is a top view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5b is a bottom view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a side view of a further embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a yet further embodiment of the invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUTTHE INVENTION

As shown in Figures 1 to 5 there is a beverage container 10. The container is adapted to be capable of engaging with a user'$ clothing or equipment. In particular it is able to be attached to a waistband, belt or webbing. It may also be conveniently attached to the lip of a pocket or to any substantially outwardly facing edge of clothing such as the neck of a t-shirt.

The beverage container is a disposable container made of any suitable material by processes suitable to that material.

In particular it is made from a resilient pliable plastic, which is, blow molded. However any other suitable molding or shaping process may be used.

The bottle is sold already filled with a beverage which may be fruit juice or drink or indeed an alcoholic beverage. However in the most preferred arrangement, the container is used for bottled water.

The beverage container 10 allows the user to have his or her hand free during physical activities such as walking, running or bicycling as the container is clipped onto the clothing so that the user has fluids available for ready acqess without impeding the use of the hands.

The beverage container is able to be clipped to the clothing by means which are integrally formed within the container. The container 10 is deeply divided by a clθft 11 into a clip portion 12 and a main portion 13. Both the clip portion 12 and the main portion 13 are filled with the beverage.

The beverage is retained within the container by a lid 14.

It can be seen particularly in Figures 2 to 4 the main portion and the clip portion of the container form a unified three dimensional shape except where interrupted by the cleft 11. This unified shape may be the shape of any existing bottle type or any suitable bottle shape.

As can be seen particulars particularly in Figures 3, 4 and 5b, the clip portion of the container is narrower than the main portion and is hence adapted to be pushed behind a belt or waistband.

As can be seen from Figure 1 the clip portion is curved. This, when combined with the resilience of the plastics material, allows a degree of spring effect in order to hold the bottle to the waistband.

However the deeply divided nature of the container means that even in the absence of any spring effect, the bottle will retain well to any substantially outward facing edge.

Normally the clip is of sufficient size that, when placed over the waistband or other edge of clothing, friction wfth the user's inner clothing or body will be sufficient to retain the container in place.

With the exception of the cleft 11, the bottle is conventionally shaped. As shown in Figure 4 this may include the provision of moldings 15 which increase the rigidity of the body and allow it to stand on its base.

The cleft may be placed at any position across the diameter of the body. In one embodiment the cleft is central across the diameter of the container as shown in Figure 6. The container 60 is divided by a cleft 63 into two portions 61 and 62 each of which are able to be filled with liquid. Either of these may be the clip portion which is placed inside a belt or waistband.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in Figure 7 the clip portion 70 is minimised, with the main portion 71 being very substantially larger than the clip portion. As can also be seen in Figure 7 the container may be of any convenient shape including this approximately flat sided shape.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognised that departures can be made within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details described herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the appended claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Claims

1. A beverage container including an integrally formed means for removably attaching the beverage container to a users clothing.

2. The beverage container includes two integrally formed portions, both of which are adapted to hold a portion of the beverage to be contained within the beverage container.

3. The beverage container as in claim 2, wherein the two integrally formed portions include a clip portion and a main portion.

4. The beverage container as in claim 2, wherein the two integrally formed portions includes two identical clip portions.

6. The beverage container as in either of claims 3 or 4, wherein the clip portion is defined by a cleft dividing the clip portion from the other portion.

6. The beverage container as in claim 5, wherein the cleft extends from a bottom of the beverage container towards its top.

7. The beverage container as in claim 6_T wherein, wherein the cleft is longer than half the height on the container.

a. The beverage container as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage container is made from a plastic material.

9. The beverage container as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage container is blow moulded.

10. The beverage container as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage container is a bottle having a resealable closure.

11. The beverage container has a wall, which defines the two integral portions and the cleft.

12. A beverage container including two integrally formed portions, both of which are adapted to hold a portion of the beverage to be contained within the beverage container, and a cleft dividing the two portions.

13. A beverage container including a wall defining an integrally formed means for removably attaching the beverage container to a users clothing.

14. A beverage container including a wall defining two integrally formed portions, and a cleft dividing the two portions.

15. A method of attaching the beverage container as described in any one of the preceding claims to a beverage container, to the users clothing, including the steps of inserting a portion of a piece of the users clothing into the cleft between the two portions of the bottle so that this portion is captured between the two portions and the beverage container is removably attached to the clothing.

16. The method as in the preceding method claim, wherein the portion of the piece of the users clothing includes any one of a collar, a pocket, a waste band or a belt.