Patent Application
20060091141
The invention generally relates to a weighted drink holder. More specifically, the invention relates to a weighted drink holder for holding a can, cup, glass, or other container in a body of water.
A popular way to enjoy beverages is to drink them straight from a can. Countless beverages are sold in cans, which offer convenient portion sizes, preserve the freshness of the beverage until opened, and are easily held by hand. A common problem with drinking beverages from a can, cup, or glass, however, is that cold beverages quickly warm up and hot beverages quickly cool down when exposed to room temperature, a process which is further hastened when the container is in direct contact with the user's hand.
A number of manufacturers have created foam-insulated beverage holders to help slow temperature changes and prolong the desired temperature range of beverages. One well known example is the Koozie®, which generally comprises a foam cylinder that may be slid around an individual can, or even around a cup or a glass. The Koozie® has enough thickness to provide insulation from the atmosphere and the user's hand. A circular foam plug or floor is typically inserted into the bottom of the Koozie® to close its lower end. The foam plug usually has a small hole through which air may pass to facilitate insertion and removal of the beverage container.
Unfortunately, one of the more popular places to enjoy a beverage is in the water, such as at a swimming pool, and the beverage container would immediately tip over and spill if released in the water. Although a conventional foam insulator may provide buoyancy, this does not prevent the container from tipping over. This limits the enjoyment of the person drinking the beverage, who must either continuously hold the container while in the pool, or else make repeated trips to the pool's edge where he or she can set the beverage down on the pool deck. It is more difficult, for example, for the drinker to mingle with other pool guests while enjoying the beverage, and to enjoy the full expanse of the pool. It is even more difficult for the user to enjoy a beverage at a lake, for instance, where there may not be a convenient flat surface on which to set down the beverage. An improved insulated drink holder is therefore desired which may enhance enjoyment and freedom of use while in the water.
In one embodiment, a drink holder holds a drink container upright in a body of water. The drink container includes an upper end, a lower end, and a housing extending between the upper end and the lower end. The drink container, such as a can, cup, or glass, is for containing liquid and selectively passing liquid from the drink container through an opening at the upper end. The drink holder comprises a sleeve including an interior, an upper opening to the interior, and a lower opening to the interior. The upper opening receives the drink container at least partially into the interior. A floor at least partially closes the lower opening of the sleeve, and includes a through hole passing to the interior. An annular weight is at least partially supported on the sleeve or the floor, and preferably has a density greater than 1 g/cm3 and/or a weight of between 5 and 10 ounces. A foam collar positioned above a lower end of the sleeve substantially encircles the exterior of the sleeve and extends radially outwardly.
The drink holder 12 comprises a sleeve 22 that has an interior 24, an upper opening 26 to the interior 24, and a lower opening 28 to the interior 24. The lower opening 28 to the sleeve 22 is nearly fully closed by (and in other embodiments is at least partially closed by) a floor generally indicated at 30. The floor 30 includes a through hole 32 passing to the interior 24 so that the lower opening 28 is not fully closed and air can pass to and from the interior 24. The upper opening 26 receives the drink container 12 at least partially into the interior 24. The interior surface 25 of the sleeve 22 is preferably snug with the drink container 12 to retain the drink container 12. This snug fit may limit air from passing between the container 12 and the sleeve 22. As the container 12 is inserted into the sleeve 22, however, pressure between the container 12 and the sleeve 22 may equalize via the through hole 32.
It is desirable for the sleeve 22 to provide insulation to the drink container 12. The sleeve 22 and/or the floor 30 therefore typically comprise foam, such as closed cell foam, which provides insulation. Closed cell foam may also desirably be elastic, which helps the sleeve 22 snugly fit around the drink container 12. Closed cell foam may also allow the sleeve 22 to conform somewhat to the drink container 12, which is especially desirable for irregularly-shaped containers such as hourglass-shaped plastic soda bottles. Yet another advantage of using foam is that foam generally is buoyant in water, which helps keep the drink container 12 afloat when placed in a body of water. In less preferred embodiments, the sleeve 22 and/or floor 30 may alternatively comprise vacuum-sealed insulating walls, such as used in insulating beverage holders made by Thermos®.
In
Under typical conditions, water has a density of approximately 1 g/cm3. It is therefore preferable for the annular weight to have a density greater than 1 g/cm3. This allows the weight to pull the lower end 23 of the sleeve 22 downward as discussed above. An annular weight having an average density of at least 3 g/cm3 is desirable. In some embodiments, particularly in embodiments having proportions similar to that of a Koozie®, an annular weight weighing between 5 and 10 ounces is effective to keep the drink holder 10 upright. The annular weight 34 or 36 is vertically positioned less than ½″ from lower end 23 of the sleeve 22.
As further shown in
In combination, the annular weight 34 and the foam collar 36 work cooperatively to keep the drink holder 10 substantially upright and prevent the drink container 12 from tipping over. The annular weight 34 does its job as described above to pull the lower end 23 downward, while the foam collar does its described job to pull the upper end 21 upward. This embodiment includes both a weight (e.g. annular weights 34 or 40) and a foam collar (e.g. collars 36 or 38). In some embodiments, however, only a weight or a collar will be included, such as to simplify manufacturing and reduced costs.
The buoyancy of the foam collar is a function of its volume, which is itself a function of both the collar's axial length (e.g. the distance between points 61 and 63) and the collar's radial thickness (e.g. the distance between points 63 and 65). The foam collar preferably has a radial thickness of at least ¼″, and preferably between ⅜″ and 1″. The foam collar preferably has an axial length of between ¼″ and 2″.
Axial positioning of the foam collar 36, 38 is also important. As shown in
The embodiment of
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein in some detail, this has been done solely for the purposes of explaining the various aspects of the invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow. Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment shown and described is exemplary, and various other substitutions, alterations, and modifications, including but not limited to those design alternatives specifically discussed herein, may be made in the practice of the invention without departing from its scope.
