Bottle holder

A bottle holder comprises a handle manually graspable by a user, a cap remover carried by the handle for receiving, gripping and removing the cap of the bottle, an attachment member fixed to the handle, open at one end, and having internal threads at the opposite end for threading onto the external threads of the bottle neck, a closure pivotally mounted to the attachment member either to a closed position closing its open end or to an open position, and an operator carried by the handle and mechanically coupled to the closure to enable the operator, when operated by the user, to move the closure to either its open position or to its close position with respect to the open end of the attachment member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a bottle holder for use with conventional 
bottles, particularly plastic bottles, filled with carbonated beverages or 
other liquids. 
Plastic bottles are increasingly being used for beverages and other 
liquids. In order to dispense the contents of the bottle, the user must 
grip the bottle, remove the cap, and then dispense its contents. This 
requires both hands and is somewhat awkward, particularly with the larger 
size bottles which can be difficult to hold. Moreover, the normal bottle 
cap is frequently difficult for the user to remove, and to be reapplied 
with a good seal. 
A number of arrangements have previously been proposed, as illustrated for 
example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,046,804, 2,447,146 and 3,185,332, to facilite 
the removal of the normal bottle cap and for recapping it, but such 
arrangements do not include any means for conveniently holding the bottle 
when dispensing its contents. Other arrangements have been proposed, as 
illustrated for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,311, for holding a 
container in order to dispense its contents, but such arrangements are not 
designed particularly for bottles, and/or do not include means for 
removing the bottle caps. 
An object of the present invention is provide a bottle holder having 
advantages in the above respects. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the present invention, there is provided a bottle holder for a 
bottle having a neck formed with external threads for receiving a cap, the 
bottle bolder comprising: a handle manually graspable by a user; a cap 
remover carried by the handle for receiving, gripping and removing the cap 
of the bottle by rotating the handle about the axis of the bottle neck; an 
attachment member fixed to one end of the handle, the attachment member 
having internal threads at one end for threading onto the external threads 
of the neck of the bottle, and being open at the opposite end; a closure 
movably mounted to the attachment member either to a closed position 
closing the open end of the attachment member, or to an open position with 
respect thereto; an operator carried by the handle and mechanically 
coupled to the closure to enable the operator, when operated by the user, 
to move the closure to either its open position or to its closed position 
with respect to the open end of the attachment member. 
In one preferred embodiment of the invention described below, the operator 
is a push-button carried by the handle, and the closure is pivotally 
mounted to the attachment member. In that described embodiment, the cap 
remover for receiving, gripping and removing the cap of the bottle is 
formed at the end of the handle. 
In a second preferred embodiment described below, the operator extends 
substantially parallel to the handle and is pivotally mounted thereto 
about an axis substantially perpendicularly to but laterally of the axis 
of the neck of the bottle. In that described embodiment, the cap remover 
includes a gripping surface formed at an intermediate portion of both the 
handle and the operator engageable with the opposite sides of the cap, 
when the operator is operated by the user, to grip the cap and thereby to 
facilitate its removal.

THE EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 1-4 
The bottle holder illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 comprises a handle, generally 
designated 2, which is manually graspable by a user, and an attachment 
member 4 fixed to one end of the handle. Attachment member 4 is formed 
with internal threads 6 at one end for threading onto the neck of a bottle 
8. The opposite end of attachment member 4 is open and is circumscribed by 
a conical socket 10. 
A closure 12 is pivotably mounted to attachment member 4 by a pin 14 
extending perpendicularly to, but laterally of, the bottle neck axis 15. 
Closure 12 further includes an arm 16 connected at 18 to an operator 20 
passing through the upper end of handle 2. The outer end of operator 20 
carries a button 22 depressable by the user when holding handle 2, such 
that depressing the button pivots closure 12 from the illustrated closed 
position with respect to attachment member 4, to an open position. 
Closure 12 is normally urged to its closed position as illustrated in FIGS. 
1 and 2 by a pair of springs 24 interposed between opposite sides of 
attachment member 4 and the closure. As shown particularly in FIG. 2, each 
of the springs 24 is carried on a pin 26 passing through an enlarged 
opening 28 formed in the attachment member 4, and threaded into the 
closure 12. Each spring is interposed between a face of attachment member 
4 and an enlarged head 30 formed in the pin 26. As also shown in FIG. 2, 
closure 12 is formed with a depending stem 32 of conical configuration, 
and also carries an O-ring 34 seatable on the conical seat 10 of the 
attachment member 4 in the closed position of the closure under the 
influence of the springs 24. 
Attachment member 4 further includes a sealing ring 36 carried by the lower 
face of its conical seat 10. Sealing ring 36 is engageable with the bottle 
neck 8 to which the holder is attached, in order to provide a sealed 
closure of the bottle when the attachment member is so applied. 
The end of handle 2 opposite to that carrying attachment member 4 is 
provided with a socket 40 containing a cap remover device for receiving 
and gripping the conventional bottle cap in order to facilitate removing 
it from a bottle. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, socket 40 
includes two cap gripping sockets 41, 42, of different diameters, in order 
to accommodate different size caps. FIG. 3 illustrates one of the 
cap-gripping sockets 41, it being appreciated that the other cap-gripping 
socket 42 is of identical construction but of larger diameter. 
Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, cap-gripping socket 41 includes a metal ring 
formed with a serrated inner edge 41a for gripping the conventional bottle 
cap when inserted into the ring. The conventional bottle cap is made of 
aluminum or other relatively soft metal, whereas ring 41 (as well as ring 
42) is made of a relatively hard metal so that when the bottle cap is 
inserted into the ring, the serrated edge 41a of the ring bites into the 
cap and firmly grips it. This enables the user to use the handle 2 to 
remove the cap from the bottle. 
The manner of using the device illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings 
will be apparent from the above description. Thus, the end of the handle 2 
formed with the socket 40 may first be used to remove the normal cap of a 
bottle. This is done by inserting the capped end of the bottle into the 
socket so that the cap is engaged and tightly gripped by the respective 
metal ring 41 or 42, depending on the size of the bottle cap, and then 
turning the holder about the longitudinal axis of the bottle neck. When 
the cap has been removed, the attachment member 4 at the opposite end of 
the holder is threaded onto the threaded neck of the bottle. Closure 12 of 
the attachment member 4 is normally urged to its closed position by 
springs 24 (FIG. 2). 
Whenever it is desired to dispense liquid from the bottle, handle 2 is 
gripped by the user, and push-button 22 is depressed. This pivots closure 
12 about pin 14 to its open position, thereby permitting the user to pour 
out contents from the bottle while still gripping handle 2. As soon as the 
user releases push-button 22, springs 24 return closure 12 to its normal 
closed position, tightly closing the open end of attachment member 4. 
FIG. 4 illustrates a variation in the cap remover at the end of the handle, 
therein designated 102. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the cap remover is in 
the form of a conical socket 140 having an open spiral spring 142 of 
conical shape. The inner end 142a of the spring is fixed, whereas the 
outer end is free. Thus, upon insertion of a bottle containing a cap, the 
cap will firmly engage the spring at the portion thereof corresponding to 
the diameter of the cap; and upon rotation of the holder, the spiral 
spring will close to firmly grip the cap and thereby facilitate its 
removal. 
THE EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 5-7 
FIGS. 5-7 illustrate another bottle holder constructed in accordance with 
the invention. The bottle holder illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 includes a 
handle 202 graspable by the user, and an attachment member 204 fixed to 
one end of the handle and having internal threads 206 for threading onto 
the externally threaded neck of a bottle 208. The opposite end of 
attachment member 204 is open and is formed with a conical socket 210. A 
closure 212 is pivotally mounted by a pin 214 to attachment member 204, 
and is connected to an operator 222 which is operated by the user to move 
the closure to either its open position or its closed position with 
respect to the open end of the attachment member 204. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the operator 222 extends 
substantially parallel to the handle 202 and is pivotally mounted thereto 
about an axis, defined by pin 214, which is substantially perpendicular to 
but laterally of the longitudinal axis 215 of the bottle neck. As shown in 
FIG. 5, operator 222 complements the general outer configuration of handle 
202 but is slightly longer than the handle, so that the handle can nest 
within the operator 222 when both the handle and the operator are squeezed 
towards each other by the user. The operator 222 is urged by a spring 224 
to the position illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein the closure 212 is in its 
closed position, i.e., firmly seated within the bottle neck. 
Handle 202 is formed, at an intermediate position thereof, with a circular 
cut-out 232 of a size slightly larger than the diameter of the 
conventional bottle cap. Cut-out 232 includes a radially-extending metal 
pin 234 aligned with another radially-extending metal pin 236 carried by 
the operator. Both pins serve as gripping surfaces which are engageable 
with the opposite sides of the bottle cap, when the handle and operator 
are squeezed together, to grip the cap and thereby to facilitate its 
removal by rotating the handle and operator about the axis 215 of the 
bottle neck. 
Closure 212 carried by the operator 222 includes a stem 239 received within 
the neck of the bottle. A sealing ring 240 is applied to the outer surface 
of this stem so as to effect a seal between it and the inner face of the 
bottle neck when the stem is received therein. 
As shown particularly in FIG. 7, sealing ring 240 is received within an 
annular groove 242 formed at the lower end of stem 239. In addition, the 
underface of sealing ring 240, namely the face facing the interior of the 
bottle when the closure stem 239 is inserted into the bottle neck, is 
formed with an annular recess 240a, which defines an outer flexible skirt 
240b engageable with the inner face of the bottle neck. When the closure 
stem 239 is received within the bottle neck, and the interior of the 
bottle is pressurized (by the carbonizing gas therein), skirt 240b of the 
sealing ring 240 is deflected outwardly by the pressurized gas, thereby 
enhancing the seal between the closure stem 239 and the bottle neck. 
As also shown in FIG. 7, the attachment member 204, attachable via its 
internal threads 206 to the external threads of the bottle neck, is formed 
with an annular shoulder 204a engageable with the outer tip of the bottle 
neck to limit the threading of the attachment member onto the bottle neck. 
The surface of attachment member 204 just underlying shoulder 204a is of 
conical configuration, as shown at 204b, to enhance the seal between the 
attachment member and the bottle neck. 
The bottle holder illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 may be used in the following 
manner: 
First, in order to remove the conventional bottle cap from the bottle, 
handle 202 and operator 222, both gripped by the user, are applied in a 
horizontal position over the bottle cap, with the cap received within the 
circular opening 232 formed in the handle. The handle and operator are 
then squeezed to cause the gripping pins 234 and 236, on opposite sides of 
this opening, to tightly engage the bottle cap, whereupon the handle and 
operator are rotated about the axis 215 of the bottle neck, to loosen and 
then remove the bottle cap. 
After the bottle cap has thus been removed, the attachment member 204 is 
threaded around the bottle neck until the outer surface of the bottle neck 
engages annular shoulder 204a (FIG. 7) of the attachment member. During 
this procedure, operator 222 and handle 202 are squeezed together, so as 
to move the closure stem 239 away from the neck of the bottle; and when 
the bottle is firmly attached, the operator is released, whereupon spring 
224 firmly moves the closure stem 239 into the bottle neck. In this closed 
position of the closure stem 239, a good seal is effected by sealing ring 
240, this seal being enhanced by the pressure within the bottle which 
tends to deflect skirt 240b of the seal outwardly against the inner face 
of the bottle neck. 
Whenever it is desired to dispense liquid from the bottle, handle 202 and 
operator 222 are grasped by the user and squeezed, whereupon the operator 
pivots about pin 214 to move the stem 239 of closure 212 out of the neck 
of the bottle, thereby permitting contents of the bottle to be dispensed 
while the bottle is conveniently held by handle 202 and operator 222. 
Release of the operator 222 will move the closure stem 239 back into the 
bottle neck by virtue of spring 224. 
FIG. 4 illustrates a variation wherein the sealing ring, therein designated 
340 is formed with a central membrane portion 340a receivable over the end 
of the stem 339, in addition to the annular recess 340a and flexible 
skirt 340b which is pressed against the inner face of the bottle received 
in the attachment member 304. This variation move positively assures a 
good seal between the cap stem 339 and the bottle. 
While the invention has been described with respect to several preferred 
embodiments, it will be appreciated that many other variations, 
modifications and applications of the invention may be made.