These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
With reference to
The side wall 18 has an opening 22 or aperture near the bottom end 16 of the container 12. The opening 22 allows the liquid 19 to be dispensed to the rider. Secured to the side wall 18 at the opening 22 is a closable spigot 24 for dispensing the liquid 19 contained in the container 12 without having to tip the bottle 10. The closable spigot 24 prevents liquid 19 leaking from the opening 22 in the container 12.
The bottle 10 further comprises at least one indentation 28 in the side wall 18 between the top 14 and bottom 16 ends for placement of a rider's fingers for holding the bottle 10 in a generally upright position. The indentations 28 are preferably located on the middle of the side wall 18 to allow a rider to easily grasp the bottle 10. As shown in
The filling means 20 at the top end 14 of the container 12 comprises a closable orifice that is sized for filling the container 12 with liquid 19. As shown in
The side wall 18 of the bottle 10 can be of a flexible material to allow a rider to easily squeeze the bottle. Materials usable for making the bottle 10 include, for example PVC, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Other usable materials will be recognized by those skilled in the art. The bottle 10 can contain a variety of liquids including, for example, water, juice, soda and the like.
The closable spigot 24 is located near the bottom end 16 of the container 12. Preferably, in an embodiment where the side wall 18 is flexible and squeezable, the spigot 24 is a one-way valve 34 that opens to allow liquid 19 out of the bottle 10 when the container 12 is squeezed, as shown in
Optionally, the spigot 24 can be a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in, as shown in
Additionally, as shown in
Optionally, the spigot 24 is a bite valve where the passage of liquid 19 is triggered by pressure from the rider's teeth on the spigot. An example of a bite valve is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,767 to Gardner et al., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Another valve usable with the present invention is the “kicker valve” by Ultimate Direction U.S.A, in Louisville, Colo. Some spigots 24 are self venting. Alternatively, the sidewall 18 or filling means 20 may contain a vent (not shown) for increasing fluid flow through the valve.
In an exemplary version of the invention, the bottle 10 is preferably from about 2 to about 5 inches in diameter and more preferably from about 2½ inches to about 3 inches in diameter. Additionally, the bottle 10 is preferably from about 6 to about 14 inches in height and more preferably from about 8 to about 10 inches in height. These dimension allow the bottle 10 to be easily inserted into most standard existing bottle holders attached to bicycles. As shown in
As shown in
Preferably, the tapered portion is rounded to fit the contours of a rider's face. Preferably, the spigot 24 is moveable to a closed position proximal the tapered portion 40 so that when in the closed position the spigot 24 does not extend outside an untapered portion of the sidewall.
A rider uses the bottle 10 by placing the bottle 10 in a holder 42 on the bicycle 44, as shown in
As shown in
The bottle 10 has many applications where it can be used. In addition to being used on a bicycle, it may be used in other vehicles of transportation, including automobiles, airplanes, boats, scooters, motorcycles, unicycles, tandem bicycles, and other vehicles where a rider needs to maintain a focus on a path.
In addition to the advantages discussed above, the bottle 10 of the present invention has many advantages over prior art bottles. For example, the bottle's design is lightweight. Additionally, use of the bottle requires minimal muscle movement thereby saving energy.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstracts, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means” for performing a specified function or “step” for performing a specified function, should not be interpreted as a “means” for “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112.