Patent Application
20190020207
The present invention relates generally to the field of beverage container sleeves, and more particularly, to a beverage container sleeve comprising a power cell to charge external mobile devices.
With an increasingly mobile population and the prevalence of mobile, rechargeable devices, it has become commonplace for people to find themselves with many devices, gadgets, and objects to carry while on the move. Such people include commuters, concert goers, shoppers, students, and those in many other walks of life. For example, many commuters find themselves on the move with more mobile objects and devices than they have means to carry. In addition to these challenges and frustrations, people on the move may find that a device they need has lost the charge in its battery, or that it was never recharged. One solution to this problem is to carry a portable recharger, sometimes called a portable power cell or power station. However, this simply adds yet another device to the collection of items already in tow by the user.
There have been many prior attempts to reduce the number of such mobile objects, such as by combining beverage containers, tumblers, and cups with various other devices, such as radios, MP3 players, temperature sensors, and other components. However, these prior devices do not meet some of the needs of a modern mobile population.
The present device seeks to overcome at least some of these problems by combining a beverage container sleeve with a portable power bank configured to recharge portable electronic devices.
The present device is a beverage container sleeve that comprises a beverage container compartment, a power bank compartment, and a power bank or mobile device charger. The power bank compartment is attached to the bottom of the beverage container compartment. The power bank compartment has a charging port, which is preferably disposed in a sidewall of the power bank compartment.
The power bank has one or more mobile device charging plug receptacles for removably receiving a plug or adapter attached to the end of a mobile device power cable. When the power bank is inserted into the power bank compartment, the power bank is disposed such that at least one of the plug receptacles is aligned in communication with the charging port in the power bank compartment. The power bank comprises a rechargeable power cell capable of receiving an electric power charge through a cell charging port, storing the power charge, and then discharging the power charge via the plug receptacle to charge a mobile device. It is preferred, but not required, that the power bank is cylindrical in shape, having a diameter that is approximately the same diameter as the type of beverage container intended for insertion into the beverage container compartment.
The sleeve may comprise a divider disposed between the beverage container compartment and the power bank compartment. In one embodiment, the divider is disposed in proximity to the attachment interface between the beverage container compartment and the power bank compartment. In this embodiment, it is preferable, but not required, that the divider is a circular or substantially circular panel having a circumferential edge with a fixed portion and a free portion, the fixed portion being attached to the inside of either the beverage container compartment or the power bank compartment such that the free portion of the circumferential edge enables the divider to be drawn into an open position to enable the removable insertion of the power bank into the power bank compartment. The fixed portion could be a portion of the circumferential edge that is sewn or otherwise attached to the inside of the sleeve.
As an alternative, the sleeve could comprise a hard, durable material that forms an exterior shell. In this embodiment, the power bank compartment is attached to the beverage container compartment by a connection mechanism, which could comprise a threaded connection, a clip assembly, or another suitable mechanical attachment mechanism.
With reference to the drawings, the beverage container sleeve will now be described with regard for the best mode and the preferred embodiments. In general, the device disclosed herein is a beverage container sleeve having a power bank for recharging mobile devices. The embodiments disclosed herein are meant for illustration and not limitation of the inventive scope. An ordinary practitioner will appreciate that it is possible to create many variations or combinations of the following embodiments without undue experimentation.
Referring to
One embodiment of the power bank compartment 20, shown in
Referring to
The power bank 25 comprises a rechargeable power cell (not shown) capable of receiving an electric power charge through a cell charging port 27, storing the power charge, and then discharging the power charge via the plug receptacle 26 to charge a mobile device. A typical mobile device could be a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a portable Bluetooth speaker, or a similar portable or hand-held electronic device having a rechargeable battery. It is preferred, but not required, that the power bank 25 is cylindrical in shape, having a diameter that approximately the same diameter as the type of beverage container intended for insertion into the beverage container compartment 10. For example, as shown in
In one embodiment of the sleeve 1, the sleeve 1 comprises a divider 15 disposed between the beverage container compartment 10 and the power bank compartment 20. Certain embodiments of the divider 15 are shown in
As yet another alternative, referring again to
In any of the foregoing embodiments of the divider 15, the sleeve 1 could further comprise a shelf 30 disposed around the inside of the sleeve 1 in an annular orientation, the shelf 30 configured to support the divider 15, and specifically the free portion 29 of the divider's 15 circumferential edge 19.
In any of the foregoing embodiments of the sleeve 1, it is preferred, but not required, that the sleeve 1 and its components, excluding the power bank 25, are substantially constructed from materials comprising foam, neoprene, foam rubber, or another suitable material. Such materials should be flexible, with ample elastic properties.
As an alternative, the sleeve 1 could comprise a hard, durable material that forms an exterior shell 31 (See
In another embodiment, shown in
To release the power bank compartment 20 from the beverage container compartment 10 in this embodiment, a button 40 on the arm 34 is depressed, thereby causing the arm 34 to bend toward the interior of the shell 1 and disengaging the barb 35 from the recess 39. The power bank compartment 20 is then pulled away from the beverage container compartment 10, thereby removing the arm 34 and the barb 35 from the receiving slot 38. In this embodiment, it is advantageous, but not required, that clip assemblies 33 are disposed on opposite sides of the sleeve 1 such that the release buttons 40 can be depressed with equal and opposite forces, thereby maintaining stability of the sleeve 1 as the power bank compartment 20 is detached.
An ordinary practitioner will appreciate that in an embodiment of the sleeve 1 having a hard shell 31, connection mechanism 32 could comprise a variety of clips, clasps, clamps, release tabs, or other mechanisms, all of which are contemplated within the scope of the connection mechanism 32 described herein.
The foregoing embodiments are merely representative of the beverage container sleeve and not meant for limitation of the invention. For example, persons skilled in the art would readily appreciate that there are several embodiments and configurations of the divider, the power bank compartment, and other components will not substantially alter the nature of the beverage sleeve container. Likewise, elements and features of the disclosed embodiments could be substituted or interchanged with elements and features of other embodiments, as will be appreciated by an ordinary practitioner. Consequently, it is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements and components set forth above are part of the invention described herein, and the true scope of the invention is set forth in the claims below.
