Support device for holding a bottle in suspended relationship

A bottle support is provided to hold a bottle in suspended relationship and in such a manner as to be locked to the bottle so that the contents of the bottle can be poured without detachment occurring between the bottle and the support. To enable a mounting of the support atop the bottle, the support is provided with a keyhole-like opening having a first section which is an enlarged lobe which permits the penetration of the neck of the bottle through opening in the support and a second section which is smaller and permits engaging beneath an annular rib which is located on the neck of the bottle. To permit a tilting of the skirt of the support as the support is being mounted on the bottle, the skirt is provided with a cut away portion adjacent the handle which is provided on the skirt.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to devices for manipulating bottles and more 
particularly to devices for holding bottles in suspended relationship 
while permitting the emptying of the contents thereof with optimum 
facility. 
BACKGROUND 
There are currently being employed bottles manufactured of relatively 
flexible plastics such as P.E.T. (polyethylene terephthalate). While the 
contents of these bottles remain fully stored within the same, the bottles 
are relatively rigid and shape maintaining. However as the contents are 
emptied from such bottles and replaced by air, these bottles become easily 
deformable and thus make manual grasping of the same much more difficult. 
In fact this deformation may increase to such a degree that such bottles 
will frequently slip from the grasp of the user, thus causing the spilling 
of the remainder of the contents and other like inconveniences. 
Some bottle holders are known such as, for example, that shown in U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,961,112 and that shown in Des. Pat. 184,673. These holders and other 
similar holders support the bottles from the bottoms thereof, and in this 
respect differ markedly from the type of holder provided in accordance 
with the invention and to be disclosed in detail hereinbelow. 
The bottom supporting type of bottle holder has the disadvantage relative 
to the top engaging type of holder in that the weight of the liquid 
contents of a bottle tend to move towards the top of the bottle during a 
pouring operation. This tends to dislodge the bottle from a bottom 
engaging type of holder, whereas such movement of the liquid contents of a 
bottle tends to move the bottle more snugly into engagement with the top 
engaging type of holder as will become apparent hereinbelow. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide improved bottle support for 
various types of bottles such as, for example, soda bottles and other 
types bottles containing liquids such as juices and the like. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a top engaging type of 
bottle holder which reinforces the structure of the bottle which is being 
supported and which is particularly useful in connection with flexible 
types of bottles such as those manufactured from P.E.T. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle 
holder which is readily engaged and disengaged from an associated bottle, 
and which accordingly is easily moved from bottle to bottle when the 
bottle contents are exhausted and a new bottle is employed. 
In achieving the above and other objects and advantages of the invention, 
there is provided in accordance with the invention a bottle supporting 
device for supporting a bottle which includes a body, a neck atop said 
body, and an annular rib encircling said neck. The device according to the 
invention comprises a skirt adapted for encircling the body of the bottle, 
the skirt having a shape adapted to engage the bottle at the top thereof 
and being further adapted to accommodate the above-mentioned neck. 
Furthermore, there is provided a handle on the skirt to permit the 
manipulation of the bottle. According to a feature of the invention the 
skirt is provided with a keyhole-like opening (i.e., adjacent holes of 
unequal size opening into one another) to permit the penetration of the 
neck and above-mentioned annular rib and to secure the skirt beneath the 
rib. 
According to a further feature of the invention the above mentioned keyhole 
shaped opening includes first and second connected sections, the first 
section being larger than the second section to permit penetration of the 
annular rib as the device is mounted on the top of the bottle, said second 
section being small enough to prevent passage of the rib and thus to 
prevent disengagement of the skirt from the bottle. 
As will be shown in the detailed description which follows hereinbelow, the 
above-mentioned skirt and second section of the opening are concentric. 
The first section of the opening is displaced from the second section and 
constitutes an enlarged lobe. The handle and first and second sections are 
rectilinearly aligned. The skirt moreover has a cut-away portion so that 
the skirt can be tilted while being mounted on the bottle whereby the neck 
and annular rib pass through the above-mentioned first section of the 
opening. 
A significant feature of a preferred embodiment of the invention is an 
inwardly directed rib section provided on the skirt and at least partly 
defining the above-mentioned second section. This rib is engageable 
beneath the annular rib on the neck of the bottle. 
According to the invention, the bottle is of relatively flexible material 
and the skirt and handle are of a material which is relatively rigid with 
respect to the material of the bottle. Moreover, the bottle has a fixed 
height and the above-mentioned skirt is of a shape which is adapted to 
extend along at least 1/4 of the height at a position opposite the handle. 
As a result, it becomes possible to support the bottle, during the pouring 
out of the contents thereof, with maximum effectiveness. 
The bottles which are supported in accordance with the invention generally 
have liquid contents of a determinable weight. Accordingly, the skirt and 
handle are designed to be of a material having sufficient strength to 
support the bottle in suspended relationship. It will be seen that the 
above-mentioned handle extends beyond the skirt at the cut-away portion. 
It will also be seen that the skirt and handle are monolithic and are of a 
plastic having a tensile strength in the order of magnitude of 3,500 
p.s.i. Such a material is a copolymer polypropylene with a specific 
example being given hereinbelow. The material from which the support of 
the invention is made should be adapted to retain a flexural modulus to 
provide elasticity under refrigerated conditions. 
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will 
be found in the detailed description which follows hereinbelow as 
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
One specific purpose for which the bottle support of the invention is 
suitable is as a soda bottle holder for one, two, and three litre P.E.T. 
soda bottles. The support or holder of the invention provides the consumer 
with an adaptable handle which is easily installed on any bottle of the 
above-noted type. The invention is, however, not limited to soda bottles 
of the above indicated type since, as will be seen, the invention is 
readily adaptable to various types of bottles and other containers without 
departing from the scope of the invention. 
When applied, the soda bottle support of the invention will facilitate 
one-hand lifting of a bottle and the pouring out of the contents thereof. 
The structure of the invention provides excellent handling control and, 
moreover, the structure of the invention will be reusable and very 
durable. The product may be injection molded with F.D.A. approved 
polypropylene or polystyrene plastic resin. A variety of colors and 
finishes may be employed. For example, the holder or support of the 
invention may be black and provided with a textured sand blast finish. 
It will be noted that the structure of the invention permits bulk packing 
with the holders or supports of the invention being readily nestible one 
inside of the other for facilitating shelf storage. 
Referring next to FIGS. 1-4, it is seen that a bottle support of the 
invention comprises a skirt 10 and a handle 12. The skirt 10 is a shaped 
wall of a generally circular cross-section to conform to the circular 
cross-section of the bottle to which it is to be attached. The skirt 
generally also has a shape which is configured to conform to the shape of 
the bottle. Thus, the skirt 10 has a neck portion 14 and a shoulder 
portion 16 which engages the neck portion with the body portion 18 which 
is of an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the bottle 
with which the support is to be associated. 
As one of the features of the invention, the structure of the invention is 
provided with a keyhole-like opening indicated at 20. The keyhole-like 
opening 20 includes a first section 22 and a second section 24 connected 
therewith. The first section 22 is an enlarged lobe having a diameter 
which permits the passage of the neck of the bottle with which engagement 
is to be made as well as to permit the passage of an annular ring or rib 
which is usually located on the neck of the bottle. For purposes of 
convenience and with the taking of a slight liberty the radius of this 
lobe or section is indicated at R1. The second section 24 is of a smaller 
diameter or radius. This radius is indicated at R2. R1 exceeds R2 by at 
least about 25%. There can be a small connecting section as is indicated 
at 26, as it is required in accordance with the invention that the 
sections 22 and 24 be connected for reasons which will become apparent 
hereinafter. 
The skirt 10 is provided with a partial snap rib indicated at 28. The 
purpose of this rib will also be made apparent hereinbelow. It will also 
be observed that the skirt is provided with a cut-away portion 30. Thus, 
the skirt has its minimum height at the position indicated at 32 and has 
its maximum height at a position indicated at 34. It will be noted also 
that the height of the skirt 10 at the position indicated at 36 is 
substantially greater than at position 32. The purpose of the cut-away 
portion is to permit the skirt and its axis 38 to be tilted relative to 
the axis of the bottle on which the support is to be mounted. This will 
serve a purpose to be explained hereinbelow. 
The edge which connects 34 to 36 enables an effective hold to be achieved 
relative to the bottle which is to be supported in vertical and inclined 
and horizontal attitudes of such bottle. 
The handle 12 of the bottle support of the invention has a rounded section 
indicated at 46 merging into a supporting section indicated at 48. The 
handle 12 is monolithic with the skirt 10 and the one piece structure is 
fabricated of a suitable plastic having appropriate refrigerated-condition 
characteristics. Polypropylene or polystyrene may be employed as has 
already been indicated and, in particular, there may be employed a 
copolymer polypropylene having, for example, a tensile strength at yield 
of 3,500 p.s.i. and an elongation at yield of 13%. The material may have 
preferably a notched Izod impact 1/8th inch specification of 1.9 ft. 
lbs./in. The copolymer shall preferably be FDA approved since it will 
normally be used with foodstuffs. Such a copolymer may be identified as 
Pro-fax SB 751 available through Himont USA Inc. of Wilmington, Del. This 
material can be injection molded and will have the properties required to 
satisfy refrigeration conditions and will have a flexural modulus to 
provide elasticity and ductility for the snap lock feature of the 
invention as will be seen. It also will provide a suitable range of 
application to a variety of sizes. 
The center line 50 will also indicate that the handle 12 and sections 22 
and 24 of the keyhole-like opening 20 are rectilinearly aligned. The axis 
38 of the structure is also the axis of section 24. Thus section 24 and 
the skirt 10 are concentric. The first section 22 is offset there from by 
an amount indicated at W. For a skirt having a diameter of for example 
4.657 inches the displacement W may be for example 1.050 inches. 
Other dimensions which may be noted include the thickness T of the rib 28. 
This may be for example a dimension in the order of magnitude of 0.112 
inches. 
As will also be seen in the drawing the handle may have an effective 
thickness, for example and as shown at B in FIG. 4, of 0.500 inches. It 
will be noted that the handle extends a dimension C from and beyond the 
point 32 of the skirt 10 which is equal for example to about 1.550 inches. 
The diameter of the neck portion of the skirt 10 is indicated at F in FIG. 
3(c) and is, in one example for a two liter bottle, equal to about 1.658 
inches. The diameter of the second section 24 is indicated at G and may be 
for example 1.055 inches with the total height of the skirt being 
indicated at L and being equal, for example, to about 5.191 inches. 
A version of the support of the invention appears in FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein 
also appears a bottle 60 which may, for example, be a 1, 2, or 3 liter 
bottle in which the contents may be a carbonated beverage or soda. The 
skirt is indicated at 62 constituting the handle 64 of a bottle support 
provided in accordance with the invention. The axis of the support is 
indicated in FIG. 5 at 66. If the axis 66 were to be aligned with the axis 
68 of the bottle and the support were to be moved vertically downward it 
would not be possible to place the support of the invention on the bottle. 
To avoid this problem, the support in Figs. 5 and 6 is provided with a 
keyhole-like opening 70 such as has been described hereinabove as 
including a first section 72 and a second section 74. 
Since the support is provided with a cut-away portion 78 it is possible by 
manipulating the handle 64 to tilt the axis 66 to a position relative to 
the axis 68 as shown in FIG. 5. This brings the section 72 of the 
keyhole-like opening 70 into vertical registration with the neck 88 of the 
bottle which may then penetrate along with the annular rib 90 through the 
first section 72 so that the skirt 62 comes to bear against the shoulder 
section of the bottle. The bottle support of the invention is then 
manipulated by means of the handle 64 so as to bring the axes 66 and 68 
into coincidence (FIG. 6) whereupon the section 74 is brought into 
concentric relationship with the axes 66 and 68 which now coincide also 
with the axis of the skirt 62. The support is brought into engagement 
under the annular rib or ring 90 of the bottle 60 thereby firmly engaging 
the support with the bottle 60. The support is now trapped between the 
annular ring 90 and the shoulder portion 84 of the bottle and will not 
become dislodged therefrom until action is taken through manipulation of 
the handle 64 to displace the bottle support into the tilted posture 
illustrated in FIG. 5. 
A detachment of the bottle support of the invention from the associated 
bottle will not accidentally occur. First of all, when the bottle is in 
its vertical position, the bottle support of the invention is entrapped 
between the ring 90 and the shoulder 84 as mentioned hereinabove. When the 
bottle is tilted into horizontal attitude for purposes of pouring out all 
or a part of the liquid contents thereof, the fluid within the bottle will 
move into the shoulder portion of the bottle and will tend to hold the 
bottle more firmly engaged within the support. Only a conscious and 
intentional effort to dislodge the support from the bottle will result in 
an accomplishment of this purpose. Thus the invention provides for a 
firmly engageable support which is capable of holding a bottle in 
suspended relationship and is further capable of enabling the bottle to be 
handled in various postures thereof without the bottle support of the 
invention becoming detached. The bottle is as has been noted possibly of a 
relatively flexible material. On the contrary, the skirt and handle are of 
a material which is relatively rigid relative to the material of the 
bottle. Thus the skirt and indeed the bottle support of the invention are 
adapted to maintain the conformation of the associated bottle and to tend 
to prevent the same from becoming deformed. In any event the bottle 
support of the invention constitutes a handle by means of which the 
consumer may readily manipulate the associated bottle without fear of the 
bottle's slipping from the hand of the consumer. The bottle has generally 
a fixed height and the skirt of the invention is of a shape which is 
adapted to extend along at least about 1/4 of this height at a position 
opposite the handle. This permits supporting the bottle during the pouring 
out of the contents thereof. The bottle also has contents which will be of 
a determinable weight. The skirt and handle are generally and preferably 
of a material having sufficient strength to support the bottle in 
suspended relationship. For bottles of the type indicated above, the wall 
thickness of the skirt and other portions of the bottle support of the 
invention may be in the order of magnitude of 0.078 inches. This dimension 
is variable within wide limits within the scope of the invention. 
There will now be obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications 
and variations of the structure set forth hereinabove. These modifications 
and variations will not depart from the scope of the invention if defined 
by the following claims.