RE-USABLE HOLDER FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINER

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is in the technical field of beverage containers, and more specifically relates to a re-usable holder for a beverage container.

BACKGROUND

Over the last few years many different sizes and types of refillable and reusable beverage containers have been introduced the the public. These containers are available in several forms: from seal-able sports bottles to open-top containers to 64-ounce growlers designed for transporting beer. The construction of these containers has increased in sophistication in the last few years with such containers evolving from thin plastic single-wall construction to vacuum-sealed insulated double-wall steel construction. These containers have become ubiquitous, and are intended for repeated, long term use often in harsh conditions. The sophisticated construction of these containers is designed with the intention of reducing heat transfer between the liquid inside the container and the exterior environment, including heat from the hand of the user.

Nevertheless the majority of these containers are designed and manufactured without handles, rendering the containers often times more difficult to carry and in every instance reducing the benefit of the temperature-insulating design by forcing the container wall to come into contact with the hand of the user during transport and thereby causing undesired heat transfer.

Several after-market handles or holders, as they will be referred to hereinafter, have been invented which may be attached to beverage containers in some manner and solve the above problem to some degree. These holders provide a handle and allow the containers to be secured to a backpack or other such baggage or transport item.

These holders are typically comprised of a handle section, joined, coupled, or affixed to an attachment device such as one or two full or semi-circular attachment ring(s) and made of a silicone or rubber material.

However these holders are typically designed for plastic beverage containers and are not intended for the long-term use typically associated with insulated double-wall steel construction beverage containers. Consequently these holder designs suffer from many design drawbacks that reduce the lifetime of the holder and make day-to-day use difficult.

Among the drawbacks of the existing holder designs are structural weak points that manifest at the points of joinery among the holder assembly elements. These weak points contribute to the eventual failure of the holders, thereby significantly reducing the lifetime of the holder.

When viewed in cross-section these holders typically have a rectilinear profile. The rectilinear profile results in lower tolerance for stress along the length of the holder thereby reducing the capacity of the holder for load bearing and in turn reducing the lifetime of the holder.

Another drawback is the difficulty in pulling the attachment rings typically found in these holders over the ends of the target beverage containers. The attachment rings are typically designed to be constructed of flat rubber or silicon. The inner surface of the attachment rings are typically flat. This flat surface makes adjusting the attachment rings along the length of the target beverage container difficult.

Another drawback is that the current holders are designed to be manufactured using materials that limit the range of sizes of beverage containers to which the holders may be applied.

Therefore, a need exists in the field for a novel holder for beverage containers designed for long-term durability, easy re-use, high stress tolerance under load, flexibility and convenience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a re-usable holder for a beverage container comprised of a single length of durable elastic material, circular in cross-section, fashioned to form a first loop, a second loop, and a middle section of sufficient length to accommodate a handle assembly. The loops are sized to be smaller in diameter than a target beverage container. The holder is attached to the target beverage container by stretching the first loop around one end of the container and then stretching the second loop around the opposing end. The middle section is encased in two concentric pliable layers that provide enhanced stability and allow the handle to be molded to fit the user's specifications. The holder is manufactured from a combination of resilient, durable materials and is designed to endure years of repeated stress from extensive use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, where like designations denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder for a beverage container shown attached to an insulated beverage container;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the holder described in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the holder described in FIG. 1 made at point Si on FIG. 2;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this inventions belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has an individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

A new holder for a beverage container is discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

The present invention will now be described by referencing the appended figures representing preferred embodiments. A holder for a beverage container includes a single length of durable, elastic material, circular in cross-section, fashioned to form a first loop, a second loop, and middle section reinforced with two layers of moldable material to comprise a customizable handle.

The first and second loops are sized to be smaller than a target beverage container. The holder is attached to the target beverage container by stretching either the first or second loop around one end of the beverage container and then stretching the other loop around the opposing end of the beverage container. The holder can then be used as a handle to easily transport the beverage container, or to secure the beverage container to something such as a backpack. The holder is made from an assembly of materials all of which are rugged, durable, and highly resilient to allow the holder to be re-used on containers of various dimensions.

Referring now to the invention in more detail, in FIGS. 1-3 there is shown a holder 101 having a single continuous length of durable, elastic material 102 (the “Length of Material”) (FIG. 2), circular in cross section 309 (FIG. 3), fashioned to form a first loop 103 (FIG.1), a second loop 104 (FIG. 1), a handle assembly 105 (FIG. 1) bound with at least one fastener 106 (FIG. 2), and encased in a semi-rigid pliable membrane 107 (FIG. 2); the membrane is encased in a semi-rigid pliable grip 108 (FIG. 2).

In more detail, still referring to the invention of FIGS. 1-3, the Length of Material 102 is of sufficient length to fashion the loops 103 and 104 and the section supporting the handle assembly 105. In the most preferred implementation, the Length of Material 102 has a total length, before fashioning the loops 103 and 104, of 660-720 millimeters. In the most preferred implementation, the loops 103 and 104 are fashioned with diameters D1 (FIGS. 2) and D2 (FIG. 2) in approximately identical dimensions, and both diameters smaller than the diameter of the target beverage container, such as the insulated beverage container 100 shown in FIG. 1. The holder 101 is placed on the beverage container by stretching the first loop 103 over one end of the beverage container and then stretching the second loop 104 over the opposing end, resulting in the configuration shown in FIG.

The Length of Material 102 is preferably made of any durable, elastic material, having a roughly circular cross-section 309 (FIG. 3) that enables the loops to easily stretch to accommodate beverage containers having a variety of diameters. Any durable, elastic material or combination of materials, man-made or naturally occurring may be employed. One specific example that may be used is bungee chord manufactured from natural or synthetic rubber and encased in layer(s) of cotton or nylon yarn.

The Length of Material 102 that fashions the loops 103 and 104 overlaps itself as shown in FIG. 2 in the handle assembly 105 and is bound together by at least one binder 106 (FIG. 2). The number and type of binder used to bound the Length of Material may vary. At a minimum one binding element must be used. The binder 106 may be made of aluminum, but any other material such as high strength plastic or metal or the like providing sufficient binding strength to bound the Length of Material may be used.

The dimensions for the holder 101 vary as needed to accommodate a range of different sizes and shapes of beverage containers. For use with insulated beverage containers as shown in FIG. 1 the diameter D3 (FIG. 3) of a circular cross-section 309 (FIG. 3) of the Length of Material 102 is in the range of 5-10 millimeters. The diameter of the Length of Material 102 can vary to accommodate larger sizes of beverage containers.

The loops 103 and 104 should have approximately the same diameter and length, but the holder 102 will still function with slightly differing dimensions between loops 103 and 104. In one specific implementation such as the manner depicted in FIG.1 the diameter D1 (FIG. 2) of loop 103 (FIG. 2) is in the range of 45-50 mm, while the diameter D2 (FIG. 2) of loop 104 (FIG. 2) is in the same range. The length of loops 103 and 104 can vary to accommodate multiple sizes of beverage containers.

The dimensions of the binder 106 (FIG. 2) vary as needed to sufficiently bound the Length of Material. For use with the holder as shown in FIG.1 the inner diameter D4 (FIG. 3) of the fastener 106 (FIG. 3) is 10 millimeters.

Referring now in more detail to the invention as shown in FIG. 2 there is shown the handle assembly 105 wherein the Length of Material 102 is bound by the binder 106. The handle assembly 105 is comprised of the middle section 110 (FIG. 2) of the Length of Material 102 having length L1 (FIG. 2); encased in a semi-rigid pliable membrane 107; which is in turn encased in a semi-rigid pliable grip 108.

The width of the handle assembly 105 may vary depending on the size and shape of the target beverage container. For use with insulated beverage containers as shown in FIG. 1 the width W1 of the handle assembly 105 (FIG. 2) is in the range of 30-40 mm and the height H1 (FIG. 3) is in the range of 18-25 mm. The length L1 (FIG. 2) of the handle assembly 105 can vary depending on the size of the target beverage container. For use with insulated beverage containers as shown in FIG. 1, the length L1 of the handle assembly is in the range of 100 to 150 mm. These measurements provide a handle assembly 105 of sufficient dimensions to fit comfortably and securely in the hand of the average adult user.

The semi-rigid pliable membrane 107 is preferably made from a resilient material that allows the handle assembly 105 to bend based on the preferences of a user but still maintain sufficient rigidity when combined with the entirety of the holder 101 to support the weight of a beverage container. The thickness of the membrane may vary depending on the desired rigidity of the handle assembly. For use with insulated beverage containers as shown in FIG. 1 the thickness T1 of the membrane 107 (FIG. 3) is in the range of 1-2 mm. Any suitable resilient material may be used. One specific example of suitable resilient material is thermoplastic polyolefin, which once sufficient heat is applied, is shrunk wrapped to bound the handle assembly 105.

The semi-rigid pliable grip 108 is preferably made from a resilient material that allows the handle assembly 105 to bend based on the preferences of a user but still maintain sufficient rigidity when combined with the entirety of the holder 101 to support the weight of a variety of sizes of beverage containers fully loaded with fluid. The thickness of the grip may vary depending on the desired rigidity of the handle assembly as well as the desired thickness to facilitate gripping. For use with insulated beverage containers as shown in FIG. 1 the thickness T2 of the grip 108 (FIG. 3) is in the range of 5-10 mm. Any suitable resilient material may be used. One specific example of suitable resilient material is nylon Type III kemmantle rope, otherwise referred to as parachute cord, paracord, or 550 cord. The cord is woven around the semi-rigid pliable membrane 107 until the entire handle assembly 105 is encased in cord, thereby forming the semi-rigid pliable grip 108.

The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation: 1) construction from a single length of elastic material removes the need to attach, couple, join, or affix the handle section of the holder to the portion of the holder that affixes it to the target beverage container, thereby removing structural weak points present in the prior art; 2) an extruded circular cross section 109 (FIG. 3) construction provides an efficient shape to resist axial loading, adding enhanced structural stability along the length of the holder, reducing wear due to stress typically found at corners or at any points of joinery, and thereby increasing the lifetime of the holder; 3) encasement in the semi-rigid pliable membrane along the handle assembly 105 provides enhanced stability in the handle assembly, significantly reducing warp-age along the handle assembly 105 when used to carry a load and, the handle assembly 105 may be molded and adjusted to suit the user's specifications; and, 4) the semi-rigid grip exterior grip 108 adhered along the length of the handle assembly 105 provides enhanced ergonomic fit for gripping as well as another layer of stability to resist deformation caused by repeated loads.

In broad embodiment, the present invention is an article of manufacture comprised of a single length of durable elastic material, fashioned to form a first loop, a middle section comprising a handle assembly, and a second loop.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.

RE-USABLE HOLDER FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINER

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