Adapter for receiving rectangular beverage containers

An adapter for receiving a rectangular beverage container such as a "juice box" or the like and supporting the same stably within a cylindrical recess or circular aperture of a beverage holder comprises a cylindrical lower section for resting within the beverage holder, a transition section, and a rectangular upper section including a rectangular recess for receiving the rectangular beverage container. The adapter may be inexpensively molded as a tubular member of plastic material. The adapter may be supplied in connection with a cap adapted to be releasably affixed to the adapter, to provide a squeeze-preventing shell for a juice box or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to an adapter for receiving a rectangular beverage 
container and for securely supporting the rectangular beverage container 
in a circular aperture or cylindrical recess. 
2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
In recent years, automobile manufacturers have increasingly tended to 
provide beverage holders in automobile and truck interiors. Aftermarket 
accessories including such beverage holders are also sold for use in 
automobiles and trucks. Such beverage holders are commonly provided in 
planar horizontal surfaces, in drawers, or in folding shelves. The 
beverage holders may comprise circular apertures in horizontal planar 
members (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,058 to Nakayama). Alternatively, such 
beverage holders may be partly circular apertures in horizontal members 
(see U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,018 to Parker), or cylindrical recesses in 
horizontal members (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,061 to Plavetich et al). 
Such beverage holders are generally sized to receive snugly a conventional 
12 ounce beverage can approximately 25/8 inches in diameter, or a conical 
cup of approximately the same mean diameter. Such beverage holders are 
convenient, particularly to the parents of small children; in particular, 
spillage of the beverage during driving is reduced if the consumer places 
the beverage container in the beverage holder when not drinking from it. 
However, such beverage holders are only useful when the beverage container 
of interest fits snugly within the beverage holder. 
In recent years it has become increasingly popular to sell fruit juices and 
other such drinks in rectangular disposable containers of waxed paperboard 
or similar materials. Such containers are referred to commonly and herein 
as "juice boxes". Such juice boxes are typically rectangular containers on 
the order of 41/4 inches high, 15/8 inches deep and 25/8 inches long. 
Typically a small aperture in the material of the upper surface of the 
juice box is covered only with foil, and a drinking straw is packaged with 
the juice box. A child or parent can then puncture the foil at the 
aperture with the straw, allowing the child to drink the beverage. Such 
juice boxes are conveniently sized for small children and are very 
popular. However, their dimensions are such that they do not fit within 
the typical beverage holders provided as part of many modern automobiles 
or as aftermarket accessories. 
One defect of juice boxes is that by squeezing the box, the child can 
squirt juice out the aperture provided for the straw or out the straw if 
one is provided. Obviously this can be messy and if not cleaned up 
promptly may leave a permanent stain. Accordingly, there have also been 
sold juice box "shells", which are typically two-piece plastic enclosures 
adapted to receive a juice box. The plastic of the shell is sufficiently 
rigid to resist squeezing by a child. In use, the parent opens the shell, 
inserts the juice box, closes the shell by snapping a cap shut or placing 
an upper shell portion over a lower shell portion, and inserts the straw 
through the foil. Such juice box shells are particularly useful with 
younger children. 
While such juice box shells are useful to reduce spillage of beverages by 
squeezing a juice box, their use exacerbates the inability of typical 
beverage holders to receive a juice box, as the juice box shell increases 
the overall dimensions of the juice box by at least the thickness of the 
walls of the juice box shell. Thus, spillage due to squirting of the juice 
from the juice box may be eliminated by using a juice box shell, but 
spillage due to tipping over of the juice box may still occur due to the 
inability of the typical beverage holder to receive a juice box, with or 
without a shell. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an adapter whereby 
the conventional beverage holder of an automobile or the like may receive 
a rectangular beverage container, such as a juice box, with or without a 
juice box shell. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide an adapter as specified 
above in combination with a cap, the combination comprising a juice box 
shell, so that the adapter can be supported in the conventional beverage 
holder of a typical vehicle and also prevent spillage of the beverage due 
to squeezing of the juice box. 
The adapter of the present invention may comprise a tubular molded plastic 
member having a cylindrical lower section for fitting within a beverage 
holder, a transition section and a rectangular open upper section for 
receiving a juice box. The transition section may comprise a conical 
portion for being snugly received within cylindrical apertures varying 
somewhat in overall diameter. The adapter may be supplied with a cap 
having a generally rectangular cross section for fitting over the 
rectangular open upper section of the adapter so that the adapter and the 
cap together serve as a juice box shell. The cap and the adapter may 
comprise cooperating finger-actuated catches to retain the cap on the 
adapter when used as a juice box shell.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 indicates at 10 a conventional beverage holder of a vehicle, 
comprising a fold down shelf having two circular apertures 12 and 14 
therein. As is well known, such beverage holders may also comprise 
cylindrical recesses or partly circular apertures, as shown in the Parker 
patent referred to above. 
The adapter 16 according to the invention is a generally tubular member 
having a lowermost cylindrical section 18 typically of about 25/8 inches 
diameter to fit within the aperture 12 of a typical beverage holder 10. 
The adapter 16 includes a transition section 20 which may include a lower 
conical section 22, to ensure a snug fit in circular apertures varying 
somewhat in diameter, and an upper round-to-rectangular section 24. The 
adapter 16 also includes an upper rectangular section 26 sized to receive 
snugly a conventional juice box 28, which may be contained within a 
conventional juice box shell (not shown). Typical internal dimensions of 
the upper rectangular portion 26 may be 17/8 inches long by 27/8 inches 
wide. 
The rectangular section 26 of the adapter 16 should be sufficiently deep to 
allow a juice box 28 to rest securely therein; the typical depth of the 
rectangular section 26 of the adapter 16 may be approximately 11/2 inches. 
The adapter 16 may include internal ledges 40 on which the juice box 28 
may rest, preventing the juice box 28 from becoming wedged into the 
adapter 16. 
If it is desired to enclose the juice box 28 entirely, so as to form a 
shell resisting squeezing of the juice box 28, a cap member 30 may also be 
provided together with the adapter 16. The cap member 30 is also 
rectangular in section, and is sized to fit over the rectangular section 
26 of the adapter 16. The cap 30 may be provided with catches 32 mating 
with retainers 33 on the opposite sides of the rectangular section 26, so 
that a small child will be prevented from removing the cap 30 and removing 
the juice box 28 from the adapter 16. 
The assembly is completed by a straw 34 inserted through an aperture 38 in 
the outer container of the juice box 28 and through a mating aperture 36 
in the cap 30, if used. Typically the aperture 38 in the juice box 28 will 
be covered by foil so as to be readily punctured by the straw 34. 
The adapter 16 and the cap 30, if used, may both be manufactured 
inexpensively of low cost plastic materials. The adapter 16 may be 
marketed separately or in conjunction with the cap 30. Parents with 
younger children may wish to employ the cap 30 to prevent squeezing of the 
juice box 28 whereas parents with older children may not find this 
necessary. Of course, the combination of the adapter 16 and the cap 30 may 
be used simply as a juice box shell, that is, other than in conjunction 
with a beverage holder 10 of an automobile or the like. 
Having described preferred and alternative embodiments of a new and 
improved adapter for receiving rectangular beverage containers, it is 
believed that other modifications, variations and changes will be 
suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings set forth 
herein. In particular, the specific dimensions given above are exemplary 
only and are not to be taken as limitations on the invention. It is 
therefore to be understood that all such variations, modifications and 
changes are believed to fall with the scope of the present invention as 
defined by the appended claims.