Patent Application
20060208442
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to a water bottle container for stacking, storing and transporting water bottles between remote locations.
2. Prior Art
The storage of filled water cooler bottles before use and the subsequent storage of empty water bottles after use pose a problem of ready access and aesthetic appearance. Filled water bottles are sometimes delivered to users as individual bottles, or alternatively, in stackable crate-like holders. Such crates are not interconnected and hence are easily slidable relative to one another, making the crates unstable and a possible source of injury.
In addition, such holders are unsightly and are frequently relegated to closets and other storage areas remote from the location of the water cooler. Thus, the space in the closet can no longer be used to store other items in more need of that space. Furthermore, this results in full (and hence heavy) water bottles having to be moved from their place of storage to the water cooler location. Similarly, the empty bottles must be moved back to the storage area.
It is also common practice to store full and empty water bottles in the garage. Although the bottles no longer occupy valuable space in the house, a user must now carry the heavy bottle from the garage to the house, which is a time and energy consuming process. Furthermore, garage temperatures are generally not under the control of the home's air conditioning system. Thus, when the full bottles are stored therein, the water has the same temperature as the ambient temperature, which is usually warmer than desired by a user.
Accordingly, a need remains for a water bottle container in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a water bottle container that is easy to use, provides convenient storage, is sturdy in design, and has aesthetic appeal. Such a container will be available in different styles so that a consumer can conveniently choose the one best suiting his/her needs. The water bottle container advantageously saves space by providing a designated area for water bottles to be stored instead of being strewn about the kitchen or office. Such a container also advantageously prevents dirt and dust from settling atop the bottles. The water bottle container is a useful storage solution appreciable not only by home owners, but also businesses, office workers, and others.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a water bottle container. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are provided by a portable container for stacking and transporting water bottles between remote locations.
The portable container includes a first body that has a plurality of monolithically formed sidewalls sized and shaped for defining a storage cavity therein. Such a first body further has an open front face for conveniently providing direct access into the cavity. The first body includes a plurality of monolithically formed shelves vertically spaced and equidistantly registered between a top and bottom end portion of the first body such that the shelves define a plurality of partitioned regions within the cavity.
Such partitioned regions are proportionally juxtaposed along a plurality of horizontal planes respectively wherein a plurality of 5-gallon water bottles can conveniently be directly passed through the open front face and removably nested into a corresponding one of the partitioned regions during loading and unloading procedures. The partitioned regions are uniformly situated within the cavity for advantageously assisting the user to deposit and retrieve one 5-gallon water bottle without moving other ones of the 5-gallon water bottles during loading and unloading procedures. Such partitioned regions are preferably coextensive.
Each shelf includes a plurality of monolithically formed flange portions protruding upwardly therefrom and along a substantially vertically plane. Such flange portions are equally spaced apart along a horizontal length of a corresponding shelf. Each such shelf further has a concave bottom surface for defining a beveled arcuate shape intermediate of the flange portions and on which the 5-gallon water bottles are supported.
A plurality of access doors are pivotally attached to the first body and selectively adaptable between open and closed positions. Each access door has a fulcrum axis defined along a substantially vertical plane extending between the top and bottom end portions respectively. Each fulcrum axis is equidistantly spaced apart from a central portion of the body and maintains a fixed relationship along opposite ones of the sidewalls such that the access doors can conveniently be articulated along independent arcuate paths as desired by the user. The access doors preferably include coextensive and rigid outer frames and coextensive and transparent panels centrally conjoined within the outer frames such that the user can conveniently maintain an unobstructed line of sight between an exterior of the body and the cavity respectively.
The portable container may further include a plurality of caster wheels operably conjoined to the bottom end portion of the first body and extending downwardly therefrom for advantageously allowing a user to quickly and readily roll the container along a ground surface.
In an alternate embodiment, the container may further include a second body coextensively dimensioned with the first body. In such an embodiment, one of the sidewalls may be chamfered and provided with a plurality of rectilinear grooves extending between a rear face and the front face of the first and second bodies. Another sidewall is preferably provided with a plurality of monolithically formed rib portions extending downwardly therefrom and proportionally registered with the grooves such that the first and second bodies can conveniently be vertically stacked along a vertical plane and maintained at a substantially stable position during transit.
It is noted the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the true scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the figures and prime and double prime numbers refer to alternate embodiments of such elements.
The apparatus of this invention is referred to generally in
Referring initially to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
In particular, with respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the present invention may include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation. The assembly and use of the present invention are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art.
