Patent Application
20220039576
The present disclosure relates to an assembly for holding a beverage container, and to a beverage holder for holding a beverage container.
Beverage holders, also known as drink holders or cup holders, are widely used. The purpose of a beverage holder is to store in a stable fashion an open beverage container, such as a cup of coffee or a soda can, while a person performs some other task without having to hold the open container at the same time.
With this in mind, it is typical when in a boat or other marine vessel to enjoy a beverage such as a soda or the like. Therefore, it is generally known to use beverage holders when drinking on a boat. For example, a beverage holder may be integrally formed in the gunwale of a boat.
Rowing boats, however, are one type of boat that typically do not include beverage holders. Wire-type beverage holders do exist for rowing boats, but require the drilling of holes into the boat.
It would therefore be useful to provide an alternative, efficient means of integrating a beverage holder with a marine vessel, especially a rowing vessel.
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an assembly for holding a beverage container, comprising: a beverage holder comprising a base and one or more sidewalls extending from the base and defining with the base a space for receiving a beverage container, wherein the base comprises: a recess formed in the base; and an aperture extending from the recess to an exterior of the beverage holder; and a fastener for inserting through the aperture.
The fastener may be configured to be inserted through an oarlock socket.
A shank of the fastener may have a diameter of about ½ inch.
The fastener may be a carriage bolt.
The recess may be configured such that, when the fastener is inserted through the aperture from within the space for receiving the beverage container, a head of the fastener sits at least partially, or wholly, within the recess.
The base may be a circular base, and the one or more sidewalls may comprise a cylindrical sidewall extending from the base.
The base may further comprise a drain hole formed therein. The drain hole may extend from the recess to an exterior of the beverage holder.
The aperture may be rectangular-shaped.
The assembly may further comprise a washer for receiving the fastener.
The assembly may further comprise a locking device for locking the fastener to the beverage holder. The locking device may comprise a wingnut. The locking device may comprise an elongate member for passing through an aperture formed within a shank of the fastener.
The assembly may further comprise instructions for fastening the beverage holder to an oarlock socket.
The assembly may further comprise an oarlock socket. The oarlock socket may comprise a bore extending therethrough, and the bore may be configured to receive the fastener.
The assembly may further comprise a spacer comprising an aperture extending through the spacer. The aperture extending through the spacer may be for receiving the fastener when inserted through the aperture of the base.
In a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a marine vessel comprising: an oarlock socket; and a beverage holder for receiving a beverage container, wherein the beverage holder comprises a base attached to the oarlock socket.
The marine vessel may be a rowing boat.
In a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of incorporating a beverage holder with a marine vessel having an oarlock socket, comprising: attaching a base of the beverage holder to the oarlock socket.
The method may further comprise, before attaching the beverage holder to the oarlock socket, removing an oarlock from the oarlock socket. It is not unusual for a rowing boat's oarlock sockets to remain unused and therefore available for retrofitting with a beverage holder as described herein, since many rowing boats are fitted with motors.
In a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an assembly for holding a beverage container, comprising: a beverage holder comprising a base and one or more sidewalls extending from the base and defining with the base a space for receiving a beverage container, wherein the base comprises an aperture formed in the base and extending from an interior of the beverage holder to an exterior of the beverage holder; and a fastener for inserting through the aperture.
In a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a beverage holder for holding a beverage container, comprising: a beverage holder comprising a base and one or more sidewalls extending from the base and defining with the base a space for receiving a beverage container, wherein the base comprises: a recess formed in the base; and an aperture extending from the recess to an exterior of the beverage holder.
In another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an assembly for holding a beverage container, comprising: an oarlock socket; and a beverage holder for receiving a beverage container, wherein the beverage holder comprises a base configured to be fastened to the oarlock socket.
In another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an assembly for holding a beverage container, comprising: an oarlock socket; and a beverage holder comprising: a base; and one or more sidewalls extending from the base and defining with the base a space for receiving a beverage container.
Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
The present disclosure seeks to provide an assembly for holding a beverage container, and to a beverage holder. While various embodiments of the disclosure are described below, the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and variations of these embodiments may well fall within the scope of the disclosure which is to be limited only by the appended claims.
The word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” or “including” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
The terms “coupled”, “coupling” or “connected” as used herein can have several different meanings depending on the context in which these terms are used. For example, the terms coupled, coupling, or connected can have a mechanical or electrical connotation. For example, as used herein, the terms coupled, coupling, or connected can indicate that two elements or devices are directly connected to one another or connected to one another through one or more intermediate elements or devices via an electrical element, electrical signal or a mechanical element depending on the particular context. The term “and/or” herein when used in association with a list of items means any one or more of the items comprising that list.
Generally, according to embodiments of the disclosure, there is described an assembly for holding a beverage holder, to be used with a rowing boat. Rowing boats typically include oarlocks (also known as rowlocks or gates) that are used hold the oars about respective fulcrums in relation to the boat. An oarlock is mounted to the boat by means of an oarlock socket. An oarlock socket generally comprises one or more flanges, brackets, or other supporting members that are used, for example with screws, to attach the oarlock socket the gunwale of the boat. The oarlock may then be inserted into a bore formed within the oarlock socket, and is attached to the oarlock socket. An example of an oarlock socket is shown in
According to embodiments of the disclosure, a beverage holder may be fastened or otherwise attached to an existing oarlock socket. In particular, if an oarlock is fastened to an existing oarlock socket, the oarlock is first removed from the oarlock socket. The beverage holder may then be fastened or otherwise attached to the oarlock socket, instead of the oarlock. For example, the beverage holder may include an aperture formed in its base. A fastening or attachment device, such as a fastener, is then inserted through the aperture and into the bore of the oarlock socket. The fastener may then be secured using, for example, a wingnut or similar locking device. Thus, the oarlock socket, when not being used to support an oarlock, may be used as a stable platform for supporting the beverage holder.
Turning to
A depth of recess 31 may be about 7 mm, and a depth of aperture 38 may be about 8 mm from the bottom of base 32 to the bottom of recess 31. Of course, according to other embodiments, these dimensions may be suitably varied and may be different from the ones indicated herein.
Turning to
First, if oarlock socket 40 is coupled to an oarlock, then the oarlock is decoupled and removed from oarlock socket 40. Subsequently, fastener 20, which in the present embodiment is a carriage bolt (for example a stainless steel carriage bolt), is inserted through aperture 38 of beverage holder 30 and through bore 46 of socket 44. In order to fasten or otherwise secure beverage holder 30 to oarlock socket 40, fastener 20 is locked using washer 50, such as a split/lock washer, and wingnut 60. Once locked, beverage holder 30 is held in secure engagement with oarlock socket 40, with base 32 in contact with oarlock socket 40. Beverage container 10 may then be inserted into beverage holder 30 and may rest on annular base surface 35.
According to the present embodiment, fastener 20 is a ½″×4″ 13 UNC carriage bolt, and wingnut 60 is a ½″ UNC wingnut. However, as would be recognized by the skilled person, other types of fasteners and wingnuts may be used.
Once beverage holder 30 is fastened to oarlock socket 40, a head 22 of fastener 20 sits wholly within recess 31. In some embodiments, a portion of head 22 may protrude out of recess 31 into space 33. This may be acceptable, for example, in the case of beverage container 10 being an aluminium beverage can or some other container having a concave base 12 that may provide a space for head 22 to be received within.
Drain hole 36 provides a means for outflow of any liquid that may have flowed into beverage holder 30. This may be useful, for example, during periods of cold weather, since freezing water, unless allowed to flow out of beverage holder 30, may cause damage to beverage holder 30 when it expands.
While assembly 100 uses wingnut 60 to lock beverage holder 30 to oarlock socket 40, other locking devices may be used. For example, instead of wingnut 60, a user may use a locking nut such as a nyloc nut, or may drill a hole through the shank of fastener 20 and then insert therethrough an elongate member such as a piece of wire to act as a locking device. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, washer 50 may be dispensed with.
While oarlock sockets may be attached to different points of a boat, and thus the general shape of an oarlock socket may vary depending on how and where it attaches to the boat, oarlock sockets in general have a bore with a diameter of about ½ inch. Therefore, in the embodiment described above, fastener 20 has a shank diameter of about ½ inch, in order to be inserted through oarlock socket 40. However, whatever the diameter of the bore of the oarlock socket, the diameter of the fastener is selected appropriately in order to enable the fastener to fit into the oarlock socket's bore.
Beverage holder 30 may be sized according to the type of beverage container that the user wishes to use. The present embodiment is described in the context of a 500 mL beverage can, but other types and sizes of beverage containers are contemplated within the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the size, diameter, and/or shape of beverage holder 30 may be suitably varied to accommodate different types and sizes of beverage containers.
Furthermore, while the means for securing beverage holder 30 to oarlock socket 40 has been described in the context of a carriage bolt or similar fastener, other fastening or attachment devices or mechanisms may be used.
Some manufacturers recess a vessel's oarlock below the top of the gunnel. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the assembly may be provided with a spacer 39 as can be seen in
The assembly may be provided in unassembled form. For example, the assembly may be provided in the form of a beverage holder, a fastener, and locking means such as a washer and a wingnut, ready for assembly. Such an assembly may additionally include instructions for explaining to a user how to retrofit an existing oarlock socket with the beverage holder. According to some embodiments, the assembly may further include an oarlock socket for attachment to a boat. According to some embodiments, only the beverage holder may be provided.
Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the event of for example an emergency, the beverage holder described herein may be removed from the oarlock socket and the oarlock may be re-attached to the oarlock socket.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and that alterations, modifications, and variations of these embodiments may be carried out by the skilled person without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It is furthermore contemplated that any part of any aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented or combined with any part of any other aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification.
