Patent Application
20240130549
The present invention relates to cocktail drink accessories and, more particularly, a cocktail garnish holder designed to prevent a garnish from moving freely in a cocktail drink, while the cocktail garnish holder enables promotional opportunities.
Cocktail garnishes are decorative ornaments that add character or style to a mixed drink, most notably to cocktails. They even can be used to complement and enhance the flavors in a drink by stimulating the special nerve cells in the nose and mouth. Thus, cocktail garnish can be an important part of enjoying a cocktail; unfortunately, they have downsides. For one, garnish moves freely in cocktail drinks and so can bother or distract consumers as they are enjoying the drink. Relatedly, cocktail garnish can potentially pose a choking hazard. In other situations, consumers can not enjoy the entire drink due to the garnish sinking to bottom of the glass creating a blockage for the rest the drink. In short, currently mixologists just put the garnish in the drink and leave it up to the consumer to deal with the associated annoyances; and as a result, the garnish moves freely in the drink diminishing the consumers experience and possibly slowing the flow as they sip the drink.
As can be seen, there is a need for a cocktail garnish holder designed to prevent a garnish from moving freely in a cocktail drink, while the cocktail garnish holder enables promotional opportunities.
The cocktail garnish holder provides a dull upward hook and a sharp downward hook, wherein the sharp downward hook secures the cocktail garnish holder to the cocktail glass, and wherein the dull upward hook is adapted to maintain a garnish in a fixed position relative to the cocktail garnish holder. The cocktail garnish holder provides an indicia surface that can be used for promotional purposes. The present invention holds the garnish to the wall of the cocktail glass preventing it from moving around or sinking to the bottom, thereby the cocktail glass maintains a smooth drink flow.
In one aspect of the present invention, a cocktail garnish holder providing the following: a distal hook having a curved throat; a proximal hook having an angular throat, wherein the distal and proximal hooks are facing opposite directions; and wherein the distal hook and the proximal hook share a transition portion, wherein the transition portion is a distal end of the proximal hook and a proximal end of the distal hook.
In another aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned cocktail garnish holder further provides wherein the curved throat is defined by a continuous curvature, wherein the angular throat is defined by a first angle and a second angle, wherein the first angle is approximately a right angle and wherein the second angle is an obtuse angle, wherein the obtuse angle is defined by the transition portion relative to flat bend portion, wherein the right angle is defined by a proximal member spaced apart from the transition portion, and further including an indicia structure depending on the proximal member, wherein the indicia structure has a front surface providing one or more indicia, wherein the one or more indicia is an engraving, and wherein the opposite directions are upward and downward.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of preventing a garnish from moving around in a cocktail glass, the method further including providing the above-mentioned cocktail garnish holder; engaging the proximal hook on a rim of the cocktail glass so that the front surface is facing away from the rim; and placing the garnish on the curved throat of the distal hook, wherein the cocktail glass is a martini glass, and wherein the obtuse angle is approximately complementary of an angle of a bowl portion of the martini glass relative to a supporting surface of the martini glass.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description, and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cocktail garnish holder designed to prevent garnish from moving freely in a cocktail drink, while enabling promotional opportunities. The cocktail garnish holder provides a dull upward hook and a sharp downward hook, wherein the sharp downward hook secures the cocktail garnish holder to the cocktail glass, and wherein the dull upward hook is adapted to maintain a garnish in a fixed position relative to the cocktail garnish holder. The cocktail garnish holder provides an indicia surface that can be used for promotional purposes.
Referring now to
The cocktail garnish holder 10 provides a dull upward hook 18 and a sharp downward hook 12, wherein the sharp downward hook 12 removably secures the cocktail garnish holder 10 to a rim a beverage container 26 (such as a cocktail glass), while the dull upward hook 18 is dimensioned and adapted to hold/engage a garnish 24/44 in a fixed position relative to the sharp downward hook 12.
The directional term ‘upward’ is made in reference to the figures, wherein a gap of the relative hook portion is facing upward during use so that gravitational force pushing on the garnish 24/44 assists in maintaining the garnish 24 within the throat of said hook portion or slid on the distal end of the upward hook 18. The directional term ‘downward’ is made in reference to the figures, wherein a gap of the relative hook portion is facing downward during use so that the mass of the cocktail garnish holder 10 gravitationally urges the throat of said hook portion against the rim of the beverage container 26. The term ‘dull’ is defined by a gradual, preferably continuous curvature of the relative throat's bend, while the term ‘sharp’ conveys that the profile of the hook's throat is define by two angles, each of which are an approximate right angle and/or an obtuse angle. The obtuse angle may be approximately one hundred to one-hundred and ten degrees. Note, the degrees of the above-mentioned angles are defined relative the flat “bend” portion 13 of the sharp downward hook 12 (though it is understood that the “bend”, in this case, is discontinuous and angular because of the two defining approximately right angle and obtuse angle that defines this “bend”).
The obtuse angle is defined by a transition portion 20 relative to the “bend” of the sharp downward hook 12. This transition portion 20 also defines a portion of the shank and/or bend of the dull upward hook 18. The transition portion 20 is the proximal portion of the dull upward hook 18 and the distal portion of the sharp downward hook 12. A distal end of the dull upward hook 18 may be defined by two verging tapers 28. The obtuse angle of the transition portion 20 facilitates its engagement with the inner surface of a bowl portion of that beverage container 26, such as a martini glass. In certain embodiments, the obtuse angle may be adjustable by moving the transition portion 20 so that the obtuse angle may be approximately a right angle to facilitate engagement with a vertical bowl portion of the beverage container 26.
The proximal end of the sharp downward hook 12 may be joined to an indicia structure 15 by way of a proximal member 25, which also defines the right angle. The indicia structure 15 may have a front surface 14 and an opposing rear surface 16. It is understood that the term ‘front’ is in reference to
A method of using the present invention may include the following. The cocktail garnish holder 10 disclosed herein is provided. A user would hang the sharp downward hook 12 on the rim of the beverage container 26 wherein the inside surface of the transition portion 20 engages the inner wall of the bowl portion of the beverage container 26, whereby the front surface 14 of the indicia structure 15 is facing away from the same wall of the bowl portion. The user then places a garnish 24 on the dull upward hook 12, e.g., the throat thereof, as illustrated in
As used in this application, the term “about” or “approximately” refers to a range of values within plus or minus 10% of the specified number. And the term “substantially” refers to up to 80% or more of an entirety. Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “aligned” means parallel, substantially parallel, or forming an angle of less than 35.0 degrees. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “transverse” means perpendicular, substantially perpendicular, or forming an angle between 55.0 and 125.0 degrees. Also, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “length” means the longest dimension of an object. Also, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “width” means the dimension of an object from side to side. For the purposes of this disclosure, the term “above” generally means superjacent, substantially superjacent, or higher than another object although not directly overlying the object. Further, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “mechanical communication” generally refers to components being in direct physical contact with each other or being in indirect physical contact with each other where movement of one component affect the position of the other.
The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments or the claims. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed embodiments.
In the following description, it is understood that terms such as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” and the like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms unless specifically stated to the contrary.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
