Patent Application
20210085110
The present disclosure deals with an insulating device or “cooler” for a canned or bottled drink with an attached handle that itself accommodates a cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object. A cigarette lighter or the like may be stored in the handle.
Can and bottle coolers are well known in the prior art. Usually they are comprised of at least one cylindrical layer of insulating material that is removably applied over the outside of the can, bottle, or cup to keep the contents of the can, bottle, or cup chilled while drinking. Variants are known in the prior art that feature pockets and the like formed in the insulating material. Variants are also known in the prior art that include handles attached to the insulating material.
What is needed however is a variant that comprises an attached handle that can accommodate a cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object such as a cigarette lighter.
Also, what is needed is a variant that comprises a handle that can accommodate a cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object such as a miniature flashlight or penlight.
Generally, the present invention provides a first cylinder of insulating material, closed or unclosed at the bottom and open at the top, capable of accommodating and insulating a can, bottle, or cup containing a chilled or warmed beverage while the user is consuming the beverage. The first cylinder may be constructed of ridged or flexible insulating foam or cloth or a fabric shell filled with insulating material such as foam or cloth. The first cylinder may be constructed using a glued construction technique, sonic welding, or molded as a unitary structure. Other commonly employed construction methods may be employed.
Generally parallel to the first cylinder, and affixed to it by means of a continuous ridge or a multiplicity of segments of strap material, is a smaller second cylinder, closed or unclosed at the bottom and open at the top, capable of receiving and holding a small cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object such as a cigarette lighter or a small flashlight or penlight. The second cylinder may be constructed of ridged or flexible material such as plastic, cloth, or fabric.
The invention is used as follows: First, the user places a can, bottle, or cup containing a chilled or warmed beverage inside the first cylinder. Next, the user places a small cylindrical or rectilinear object such as a cigarette lighter or a flashlight or penlight in the second cylinder. Next, the user drinks the beverage. The cigarette lighter or a flashlight or penlight is conveniently stored in the user's hand while holding the can, bottle, or cup and drinking the beverage.
Referring now to
The bottom end 102a is closed. Bottom end 102a may be constructed of ridged or flexible insulating foam or a cloth or fabric shell filled with insulating material such as foam or cloth. Bottom end 102a may also be solid material such as plastic. In an alternative embodiment the bottom end 102a is not closed. Accordingly, a can, bottle, or cup may pass completely through first cylinder 101. In this alternative embodiment the diameter of the inside 102 of first cylinder 101 must closely approximate the diameter of the can, bottle, or cup to be stored inside first cylinder 101.
Generally parallel to first cylinder 101, and affixed to it, is a smaller second cylinder 103, closed or unclosed at bottom 104a and open at the top, capable of receiving and holding a small cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object 106 such as a cigarette lighter or a small semi-cylindrical or rectilinear object such as a flashlight or penlight on its inside 104. First cylinder 101 may be constructed of flexible material such as foam rubber, rubber, plastic, cloth, or fabric covered variants of all of these. Also, second cylinder 103 may be constructed of flexible material such as foam rubber, rubber, plastic, cloth, or fabric covered variants of all of these. Second cylinder 103 is affixed to first cylinder 101 by means of two narrow affixing flexible straps 105. In an alternative embodiment second cylinder 103 is affixed to first cylinder 101 by means of two wider affixing flexible straps 105a. In an alternative embodiment second cylinder 103 is affixed to first cylinder 101 by means of a continuous affixing flexible strap 105b.
The strap segments or “flexible straps” are constructed of flexible material such as: cloth covered foam rubber, foam rubber, rubber, leather, or any other type of resilient, flexible material that may be formed into narrow, wider, or continuous strands of material. These straps are flexible in all three dimensions, i.e. they may be stretched to varying degrees in all dimensions. These strap segments may be constructed in any cross-sectional form including, for example: rectangular, square, circular, triangular, ovoid, or any other polyhedron. Because flexible straps 105, 105a, and 105b are flexible, and may be moved in all three dimensions, the generally parallel orientation of first cylinder 101 and second cylinder 103 may be varied from generally parallel to a multitude of other arrangements. In other words, while flexible straps 105, 105a, and 105b position first cylinder 101 and second cylinder 103 so that they are parallel to one another in the axis of flexible straps 105, 105a, and 105b at rest, they may be manually deformed such that first cylinder 101 and second cylinder 103 are no longer generally parallel with one another.
In an alternative embodiment the bottom 104a is not closed. A small cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object 106 such as a cigarette lighter or a small flashlight or penlight therefore may pass completely through second cylinder 103. In this alternative embodiment the diameter of the inside 104 of second cylinder 103 must closely approximate the diameter of the cigarette lighter or a small flashlight or penlight to be stored inside second cylinder 103.
The invention is used as follows. First, the user places a can, bottle, or cup containing a chilled or warmed beverage inside 102 first cylinder 101. Next, the user places small cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object 106 such as a cigarette lighter or a flashlight or penlight inside 104 second cylinder 103. Next, the user picks up the can, bottle, or cup and drinks beverage from it. Small cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or rectilinear object 106 such as a cigarette lighter, a flashlight, or a penlight is conveniently stored in the user's hand while holding the can, bottle, or cup and drinking the beverage.
All obvious variants are included within the scope of the present invention particularly the breadth of items that may be stored in the rectilinear cylindrical handle. Such items are implicitly included in the scope of the present invention. Such items are exemplified by, but not limited to, a tube of lipstick, a tube of lip balm, a remote control, a cell telephone, and the like.
This patent application takes benefit of U.S. Prov. Pat. Apps. No. 62/789,365 filed Jan. 7, 2019 and 62/799,706 filed Jan. 31, 2019 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/423,547 filed May 28, 2019 and incorporates all three of them, in their entirety, by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62789365 | Jan 2019 | US | |
| 62799706 | Jan 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16423547 | May 2019 | US |
| Child | 17108025 | US |
