INFINITE DRINKING BOARD

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to drinking board and a connector to connect together two drinking boards.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Example embodiments relate to drinking boards which may be connected to one another by one or more connectors.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 is a view of a Shotski board 100 as is well known in the art. Shotski boards often resemble conventional skis having cutouts 110 into which shot glasses may snugly fit. In FIG. 1 two cutouts 110 are shown, however, the Shotski board 100 may actually include more than two cutouts 110. In use the shot glasses are placed in the cutouts 110 which are then filled with a beverage, for example, whisky, vodka, or rum. One or more users then pick up the Shotski board 100 and align themselves with the shot glasses. The Shotski board 100 is then rotated as the users attempt to simultaneously drink from their respective shot glasses.

SUMMARY

The inventor notes that Shotski boards are generally limited in length which limits the number of users who may wish to participate in a drinking event. One solution to this problem is to simply manufacture longer Shotski boards. However, the portability of such boards is often prohibitive. Thus, the inventor set out to solve this problem which resulted in a novel drinking board which may be connected to multiple drinking boards by multiple connectors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a prior art drinking board;

FIG. 2 shows a drinking board in accordance with example embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a view of a connector in accordance with example embodiments;

FIG. 4 are various views of the example connector in accordance with example embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a view of two drinking boards and a connector;

FIG. 6 is another view of the two drinking boards and connector;

FIG. 7 is a view showing two drinking boards connected by a connector;

FIG. 8 is another view showing two drinking boards connected by a connector;

FIG. 9 is a view of a drinking board arranged near two connected drinking boards; and

FIG. 10 shows various views of a system using drinking boards and connectors to support a plurality of liquid containers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are not intended to limit the disclosure since the disclosure may be embodied in different forms. Rather, example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity.

In this application, when a first element is described as being “on” or “connected to” a second element, the first element may be directly on or directly connected to the second element or may be on or connected to an intervening element that may be present between the first element and the second element. When a first element is described as being “directly on” or “directly connected to” a second element, there are no intervening elements. In this application, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In this application, spatially relative terms merely describe one element's relationship to another. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the structure. For example, if a first element of a structure is described as being “above” a second element, the term “above” is not meant to limit the disclosure since, if the structure is turned over, the first element would be “beneath” the second element. As such, use of the term “above” is intended to encompass the terms “above” and “below”. The structure may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Example embodiments are illustrated by way of ideal schematic views. However, example embodiments are not intended to be limited by the ideal schematic views since example embodiments may be modified in accordance with manufacturing technologies and/or tolerances.

The subject matter of example embodiments, as disclosed herein, is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different features or combinations of features similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other technologies. Example embodiments relate to drinking boards and a connector for connecting the drinking boards.

FIG. 2 is a view of a drinking board 200 in accordance with an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the drinking board 200 resembles a flat board which, in one embodiment, has a rectangular cross-section. Like the conventional Shotski board 100, the drinking board 200 of example embodiments includes cutouts 210 into which shot glasses (an example of a liquid container 400) may snugly fit. While only two cutouts 210 are shown in the drinking board 200, it is understood the drinking board 200 of example embodiments may include more than two cutouts 210 allowing the drinking board 200 to accommodate more than two shot glasses. Unlike the conventional Shotski board 100, the drinking board 200 of example embodiments includes a first aperture 220 and a second aperture 230 which may be used to connect the drinking board 200 to a connector 300 which in turn can connect to another drinking board 200.

The inventive concepts include the design and use of a connector 300 to connect one drinking board 200 to another drinking board 200. FIG. 3 is an exemplary connector 300. The exemplary connector 300 may include a C-shaped cross-section having a receiving space 305 to receive ends of the inventive drinking boards 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving space 305 may be defined by a main connector body 310 from which two webs 312 extend. Turning in from the webs 312 are in turned lips 314. The in turned lips 314 help retain the drinking boards 200 in the receiving space 305.

FIG. 4 illustrates different views of the exemplary connector 300. In order to accommodate the inventive drinking boards 200 the distance DW between the webs 312 is about the same as a depth DS of the drinking board 200 and a distance DL between the connector body 310 and the in turned lips 314 is about the same as a thickness TS of the drinking board 200. It is understood DW may be slightly larger than DS and that DL may be slightly larger than TS.

In example embodiments, the connector 300 may include a first aperture 320 and a second aperture 330 which are alignable with a first aperture 220 of one drinking board 200 and a second aperture 230 of another drinking board 200 when the drinking boards 200 are inserted into the receiving space 305 of the connector 300.

FIG. 5 illustrates two drinking boards 200 arranged near a connector 300. FIG. 6 is another view showing two drinking boards 200 arranged near a connector 300. As one skilled in the art would readily appreciate, a first drinking board 200 may be inserted into the receiving area 305 of the connector 300 so that its first aperture 220 aligns with the first aperture 320 of the connector 300. A conventional fastener, for example, a cotter pin, may then be used to secure the first drinking board 200 to the connector 300 by inserting the fastener (or a portion of it) through the first aperture 220 and the second aperture 330. The second drinking board 200 may then be inserted into the receiving area 305 of the connector 300 so that its second aperture 230 aligns with the connector's second aperture 330. A conventional fastener, for example, a cotter pin, may then be used to connect the second drinking board 200 to the connector 300. These operations form a substantially unitary structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 which is twice as long as a single drinking board 200 and may accommodate twice as many players. This process may be repeated again, as indicated in FIG. 9 to build and even longer structure to accommodate even more players. As one skilled in the art would readily appreciate, this process may be carried out over and over again to build an extremely long drinking board.

It is understood the connector 300 may be embodied in various ways and the exemplary connector 300, while useful, is not intended to limit the invention. For example, one drinking board 200 may be connected to another drinking board 200 by another type of connector such as a bar and/or plate or a plurality of bars and/or plates. Furthermore, while a connector that removably connects two drinking boards together, for example, by a cotter pin, has certain advantages (for example, quick assembly and disassembly), example embodiments also allow for connectors that can more permanently attach two drinking boards 200 together. For example, rather than using a cotter pin to connect one drinking board 200 to a connector 300, screws may be used to more permanently connect the drinking board 200 to the connector 300. Further yet, in example embodiments the exemplary connector 300 may not require cotter pins and screws to connect two drinking boards 200 together. For example, in another embodiment the connectors 300 may be made from a somewhat resilient material allowing the drinking boards 200 to insert therein and retain the drinking boards 200 by friction. In this latter embodiment the drinking boards 200 are not required to have the aforementioned first aperture 220 and second aperture 230. The connector 300, as yet another embodiment, may be fabricated as a clamp rather than as a structure having ends into which ends of drinking boards 200 may insert.

FIG. 10 shows a plurality of drinking boards 200 connected to each other by connectors 300. Though three drinking boards 200 are shown in the FIG. 10, it is understood there may be only two drinking boards 200 connected together or more than three drinking boards 200 connected together. Also shown in FIG. 10 are liquid containers 400 which may be shot glasses or cups as is well known in the art. The containers 400, for example, may be configured to hold around 1.25 oz to about 1.5 oz, but the containers 400 may hold less than 1.25 oz or more than 1.5 oz. In one embodiment, the containers 400 are intended to hold between 1 oz and 2 oz and the cutouts 210 are configured to hold such containers 400. The liquid containers 400 may be inserted into the cutouts 210 of the drinking boards 200 so that the plurality of drinking boards 200 may support a plurality of liquid containers 400. This allows the plurality of drinking boards 200 to be picked up by a plurality of drinkers who may then simultaneously drink from the plurality of liquid containers 400 by rotating the plurality of drinking boards 200.

Claims

1. A drinking board comprising: a body having a plurality of cutouts for receiving a plurality of liquid containers;a first aperture configured to align with a first aperture of a first connector; anda second aperture configured to align with a second aperture of a second connector.

2. The drinking board of claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid containers are shot glasses.

3. The drinking board of claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid containers are a plurality of containers configured to hold 1 to 2 oz of liquid.

4. A system comprising: a first drinking board having a plurality of cutouts for receiving a plurality of liquid containers;a second drinking board having a plurality of cutouts for receiving a plurality of liquid containers; anda connector connecting the first drinking board to the second drinking board.

5. The system of claim 4 where the pluralities of liquid containers are shot glasses.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the pluralities of liquid containers are a plurality of containers configured to hold 1 to 2 oz of liquid.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the connector includes a receiving space for receiving ends of the first and second drinking boards.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the first drinking board has a first aperture aligned with a first aperture of the connector and the second drinking board has a second aperture aligned with a second aperture of the connector.

9. The system of claim 4, further comprising: the first plurality of liquid containers in the first plurality of cutouts; andthe second plurality of liquid containers in the second plurality of cutouts.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising: one of a cotter pin and a screw through the first aperture of the first drinking board.