Retractable bottle retaining holder

A retractable drinking bottle includes a reel, and a cord which ties a bottle to the reel. In the retracted position the bottle is placed side-by-side to the reel housing, and when the user desires to take a drink the bottle is grasped and pulled away from the reel. Thereafter, the bottle is retractable back to the reel. The reel preferably includes a housing that contains a retraction mechanism and a spool upon which a flexible line is wound. The preferred housing also includes a clip for attaching the reel to the user's clothing or to a vehicle such as a bicycle. An elastic cord is releasable attached to the end of the reel line, and the cord is formed into a loop. The bottle includes indentations sized to be received inside the loop of the cord. The bottle is also formed such that in the retracted position it nests inside the reel housing. The bottle is retractable to the holder after taking a drink, and the bottle is retained by the holder and cannot be dropped. The holder secures the bottle such that it will not vibrate or move about, and a drink is procured while exerting little force on the bottle. An alternate embodiment consists of a retractable reel and an adapter that retains an elastic cord that holds a conventional, cylindrical drinking bottle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to a receptacle and cooperative 
holder for carrying liquids during periods of exercise. More particularly, 
the present invention relates to a retractable drinking bottle attached to 
a user directly or to a vehicle such as a bicycle. 
2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
Walking or running, bicycling and other similar activities are all popular 
forms of exercise. During such sustained physical activities the 
participant often desires a refreshing beverage such as water. Having a 
water bottle conveniently available ensures the participant's vital body 
fluids are replenished, without the need to interrupt the physical 
activity. 
Cage bottle holders are well known for bicycles. These simple wire 
cage-like holders for conventional plastic cylindrical bottles are 
typically mounted to the bicycle frame below the level of the user's seat. 
When the cyclist becomes thirsty, he or she grasps the bottle from the 
holder, takes a drink, and then must replace the bottle inside the cage. 
Although such cage holders have proven generally suitable for their 
intended purposes, they possess inherent deficiencies which detract from 
their overall effectiveness and desirability. During the time when the 
cyclist is physically manipulating the bottle, especially when he or she 
is replacing the bottle in the cage, the cyclist is distracted and may be 
off balance. This occurs because the cyclist must briefly look at the cage 
holder and lean towards it to reinsert the bottle inside. As a result, 
accidents can and do happen when the cyclist fails to see an approaching 
hazard ahead or falls off the bicycle. Other types of bottle mounts 
similarly require positioning and alignment of the bottle prior to 
reattaching it to the mounting portion of the device. 
Worse yet than the rider being momentarily distracted or off balance, the 
rider could loose control of the bottle and drop it, in which case it 
would need to be retrieved or would be lost. Either stopping to get the 
bottle or leaving it in the road could pose a safety hazard for that 
rider, and other riders in the vicinity. 
Another problem with cage bottle holders is invariably the cage is too 
tight or too loose. When the cage is too loose the bottle may vibrate and 
fall out of the holder, e.g. if the rider hits a big bump in the road. If 
the cage is too tight, it requires greater force to remove the bottle from 
the holder and reinsert the bottle back into the holder, which could cause 
the rider to loose his or her balance and fall. Additionally, scraping or 
rubbing the bottle against the cage usually damages the ornamental colors 
painted on the exterior of the bottle. 
Although the prior art has recognized to a limited extent the shortcomings 
of such cage-like holders and other bottle holders, the proposed solutions 
have, to date, been ineffective in providing a satisfactory remedy. For 
example, drinking apparatus have been proposed for bicyclists and runners 
which include an elongate straw running from a restrained bottle. The 
elongate straw may be rigid and fixed such that one end resides in the 
bottle and the opposing end extends towards the user's mouth where it is 
convenient to sip a drink. Alternatively, the elongate straw may be 
flexible such that it is pushed back into the bottle after use, or 
retractably wound or self wound using memory flex tubing. 
One problem with such devices having elongate straws is that considerable 
suction is required to drink from the bottle. This may prove exhausting 
for an athlete who is already tired by exercise. Additionally, the long 
straw is open on one end meaning the contents of the bottle are subject to 
contamination. Solutions have been proposed including placing one-way 
valves in a mouthpiece at the end of the tube extending to the user's 
mouth, but these systems are complex and expensive. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art as outlined above, it is an 
object of the present invention to provide a bottle that is retractable to 
a holder, such that it is unnecessary to position and align the bottle to 
replace it in the holder after taking a drink. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle that is 
retractable such that the bottle is always retained by the user and never 
dropped or lost. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle holder that 
will securely retain the bottle, yet allow the user to easily procure a 
drink with little force being exerted to move the bottle. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable bottle 
that is held securely such that it will not vibrate or move about. 
Still another object of an alternate embodiment of the present invention is 
to provide an adapter attachable to a retractable reel, the adapter 
configured to hold a conventional cylindrical sports bottle. 
Further objects of the present invention will become apparent from 
consideration of the drawings and ensuing description of selected 
embodiments of the invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the 
above-mentioned deficiencies associated with the prior art. More 
particularly, the present invention is a retractable drinking bottle 
including a reel, and a cord which ties a bottle to the reel. In the 
retracted position the bottle is placed side-by-side to the reel housing. 
The bottle may be grasped and pulled away from the reel when the user 
desires to take a drink. Thereafter, the bottle is retractable back to the 
reel. 
The reel includes a housing that contains a spool upon which a flexible 
line is wound. Preferably inside the spool is an automatic retraction 
mechanism, to reel in the line when it is unwound. The housing also 
preferably includes a belt clip or other mounting clip to attach the reel 
to the user's clothing or to a vehicle such as a bicycle. A cord is 
releasable attached to the end of the line, preferably by a small spring 
clip. The cord is preferably elastic, and formed into the shape of a loop. 
The bottle includes indentations sized to be received inside the loop of 
the cord. Moreover, preferably there are a multiplicity of such 
indentations such that the bottle is easily grippable by the user. The 
bottle is also preferably formed such that in the retracted position it 
nests inside the reel housing. That is, multiple surfaces of the bottle 
are in contact with the reel housing, such that the bottle is securely 
held and will not move around. 
The present invention also encompasses an alternate embodiment consisting 
of a retractable reel, and an adapter that retains an elastic cord that 
holds a conventional cylindrical drinking bottle. The adapter preferably 
consists of a casing which opens to accept the middle portion of the 
elastic cord, and closes to create a pair of loops which can be utilized 
to hold the bottle. 
The present invention provides a bottle that is retractable to a holder, 
such that it is unnecessary to position and align the bottle to replace it 
in the holder after taking a drink. The bottle is always retained by the 
holder and cannot be dropped or lost. The bottle holder secures the bottle 
such that it will not vibrate or move about, and allows the user to easily 
procure a drink while exerting little force to move the bottle. The 
alternate embodiment provides an adapter attachable to the retractable 
reel, the adapter configured to hold a conventional cylindrical sports 
bottle. The invention is simple and inexpensive. 
These, as well as other advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from the following description and drawings. It is understood 
that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made 
within the scope of the claims which follow without departing from the 
spirit of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended 
drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred 
embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only 
forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The 
description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for 
constructing and utilizing the invention in accordance with the 
illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same 
are equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different 
embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and 
scope of the invention. 
The retractable bottle retaining holder of the present invention is 
illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 which depict presently preferred embodiments of 
the invention. 
Referring first to FIGS. 1-5, a retractable drinking bottle 10 generally 
includes a reel 12, an elastic cord in the shape of a loop 14, and a 
grippable sports bottle 16. The bottle 16 may be fully retracted to lie 
side-by-side with the reel 12, or it may be extended away from the reel 12 
to facilitate taking a drink from the bottle 16. The bottle 16 is shown in 
the retracted position in FIG. 1, and the loop 14 is shown slightly 
extended from the reel 12 in FIG. 3. The bottle 16 can be pulled 
approximate ly four feet away from the reel 12. 
The reel 12 preferably includes a housing 18, which contains a spool 20 
upon which flexible line 22 is wound. Attached to the outside of the 
housing 18 is a clip 24, for mounting the reel 12 to the user's belt and 
shown in FIG. 1, or for mounting the reel 12 to a vehicle such as a 
bicycle (not shown). Inside the spool 20 is a conventional automatic 
retraction mechanism 26 such as a spring, which operates to automatically 
rewind the flexible line 22 upon it being extended outside the reel 
housing 18. 
The bottle 16 and reel housing 18 are configured to be in contact with each 
other when the bottle 16 is in the retracted position. Specifically, the 
reel housing 18 includes a recess 28, which corresponds to a recess 30 in 
the bottle 16, such that multiple surfaces of the reel housing 18 and 
bottle 16 are nested together when the bottle 16 is in the retracted 
position. This serves to securely hold the bottle 16 against the reel 12, 
such that the bottle 16 is not freely flopping around. The loop 14 of 
elastic cord is preferably releasably attached to the free end of the 
flexible line 22 by a conventional spring clip 32, of a size small enough 
not to interfere with the nesting of the bottle 16 to the reel 12 
described above. The spring clip 32 must also be of a large enough size so 
as not to be wound inside the opening of the reel housing 18. 
The drinking bottle 16 includes a multiplicity of indentations 34 about 
portions of its outside surface. The indentations 34 are sized to receive 
the loop 14 of elastic cord. The indentations 34 also serve another 
purpose, that being to make the bottle easily grippable by the fingers of 
the user in grasping the bottle. 
As shown in FIG. 5, the cap 36 of the bottle 16 is removable for filling 
the bottle 16 with liquid such as water. Also, the spout 38 of the cap 36 
is extendable (as shown in FIG. 5) to allow liquid to flow through the cap 
36 and to the user, upon turning the bottle 16 over or squeezing the 
bottle 16. 
Now we turn to FIGS. 6 and 7, an alternate embodiment is shown which 
includes an adapter 40 attached to a reel 12. The adaptor 40 also holds a 
conventional, cylindrical sports bottle (not shown). The adapter 40 is 
shown in the open position in FIG. 6. A loop 42 of elastic cord is placed 
between a pair of upstanding walls 44, such that a pair of smaller loops 
46 are formed. Then the adapter 40 is closed shut, and the pair of loops 
46 may be stretched around opposing ends of the sports bottle. A 
conventional spring clip 32 is again used to make the attachment to the 
free end of the flexible line 22 of the reel 12. 
Now having described the structure of the preferred embodiments of the 
present invention, it is possible to describe the operation, function and 
use of the same. The reel 12 is first attached via the clip 24 to the 
user's belt, or the reel 12 is mounted to the frame of a bike (not shown). 
The flexible line 22 is retracted inside the reel housing 18, and only a 
portion of the spring clip 32 protrudes outside the housing 18. 
The cap 36 of the bottle 16 is removed, and the bottle 16 is filled with 
liquid such as water or some other refreshing beverage. The cap 36 is 
replaced and the loop 14 of elastic cord is placed around the bottle 16. 
To attach the bottle 16 to the reel 12, the user grasps the spring clip 32 
and pulls it a short distance away from the reel housing 18. Then the user 
opens the spring clip 32, and places a portion of the elastic cord 14 
therein. Then the user releases the bottle 16, which is retracted towards 
the reel housing 18 as the flexible line 22 is automatically rewound 
inside the reel housing 18. The bottle 16 comes into contact and nests 
against the reel housing 18, at the corresponding recesses 28, 30 of the 
reel housing 18 and the bottle 16, respectively. The bottle 16 is securely 
retained against the reel 12. 
When the user decides to drink from the bottle 16, the user grasps it with 
his or her fingers lying in the indentations 34 in the bottle 16. The user 
pulls the bottle 16 towards his or her mouth, which causes the flexible 
line 22 to unwind and extend away from the reel housing 18. The user is 
free to invert the bottle 16 and dispense water through the open spout 38. 
Thereafter, the user closes the spout 38, and simply releases the bottle 16 
guiding it in the general direction of the reel 12. The user need not look 
at the reel 12 to precisely position the bottle 16 for attachment thereto, 
or need not worry about losing control of the bottle 16 or dropping it to 
the ground. 
The alternate embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 is similarly useful for adapting 
the retractable reel 12 to a conventional sports bottle (not shown). The 
adapter 40 is open about its hinged connection on one side, and the 
elastic cord 42 is inserted between the pair of upstanding balls 44. Then 
the adapter 40 is closed which creates the pair of smaller loops 42 for 
holding the sports bottle. Both of the smaller loops 46 are stretched 
around opposing ends of the bottle. Then the adapter 40 is attached to the 
spring clip 32 of the reel 12. The conventional bottle may be pulled 
towards the user to get a drink, and then is automatically retracted to 
the reel 12. 
It is understood that the embodiments described herein and shown in the 
drawings represent only presently preferred embodiments of the invention. 
Indeed, various modifications and additions may be made to such 
embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
These and other modifications and additions may be obvious to those 
skilled in the art and may be implemented to adapt the present invention 
for use in a variety of different applications.