Abstract:
A foldable caddy is usable to store containers, for example condiment bottles, in an inverted orientation. In this manner, speed of dispensing is improved and waste is reduced. The caddy is foldable via a scissoring movement to open for use and to close for storage or transport.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/772,219 entitled “BOTTOMS UP CADDY” and filed Mar. 4, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to storage, and in particular to storage of dispensing bottles to reduce product waste. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many thick and/or viscous substances, for example condiments, glues, and/or the like, are difficult to dispense. Flexible containers can aid in dispensing, for example by permitting squeezing, but depending on the container design, much of the material remains in the container and is eventually wasted. Accordingly, improved storage and/or dispensing techniques and materials remain desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an exemplary embodiment, a folding caddy system comprises a first caddy portion, and a second caddy portion pivotably coupled to the first caddy portion via a pin. The first caddy portion comprises a pair of legs, at least one support loop configured to receive, when the folding caddy system is in an open position, a portion of a container in an inverted position, and a bar. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a method of using a container comprises positioning a folding caddy in an open position, inserting the container into the caddy in an inverted orientation, removing the container from the caddy to dispense material from the container, and reinserting the container into the caddy in an inverted orientation. 
     The contents of this summary section are provided only as a simplified introduction to the disclosure, and are not intended to be used to limit the scope of the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary folding caddy system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate a caddy portion of an exemplary folding caddy system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 2C  illustrates a close-up view of part of a caddy portion of an exemplary folding caddy system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 2D  illustrates a caddy portion of an exemplary folding caddy system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 2E  is a block diagram of an exemplary folding caddy system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 2F  is a block diagram of an exemplary folding caddy system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIGS. 2G and 2H  illustrate an exemplary folding caddy system in an opened position in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; and 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a method for using a folding caddy in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is of various exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. Rather, the following description is intended to provide a convenient illustration for implementing various embodiments including the best mode. As will become apparent, various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described in these embodiments without departing from principles of the present disclosure. 
     For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques for materials handling, molding, fasteners, liquid storage, and the like may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical folding caddy system. 
     Prior approaches for storage and dispensing of liquids, particularly highly viscous liquids, suffer from various deficiencies. For example, a significant amount of residue is often left, unused, within a rigid bottle or container. Additionally, the time to dispense the liquid can be excessive, particularly when waiting for a desired amount of the liquid to exit the container under the influence of gravity. 
     In contrast, these and other shortcomings of existing approaches may be overcome by utilizing principles of the present disclosure, for example as illustrated in various exemplary embodiments. For example, by utilizing a foldable caddy to hold liquid containers in an inverted position, residue is reduced, and dispensing times are improved. 
     As used herein, a folding caddy system may be any system configured to facilitate inverted storage of liquid and/or fluid containers. “Inverted” is utilized herein to mean an orientation of a container such that the cap, nozzle, or dispensing portion of the container is located below the rest of the container and/or facing at least partially downward. For example, an “inverted” position of a conventional ketchup bottle would be with the bottle cap lower than the bottom of the bottle. It will be appreciated that inverted can mean a declined angle, as well as a complete vertical inversion. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, and with reference to  FIG. 1 , a folding caddy system  100  generally comprises a frame component  100 A and a pivot component  100 B. Frame component  100 A is configured to provide structural support to folding caddy system  100 . Frame component  100 A is also configured to at least partially support at least one container in an inverted position. Pivot component  100 B is coupled to at least one frame component  100 A and is configured to allow frame component  100 A to move, deform, and/or pivot, for example in a scissoring manner, in order to achieve an opened and/or closed orientation for folding caddy system  100 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, with reference now to  FIGS. 2A through 2H , an exemplary folding caddy system  100  (for example, folding caddy system  200 ) comprises a pair of frame components  100 A (e.g., caddy portion  210 ) coupled by pivot component  100 B (e.g., pin  220 ). Via operation of pivot component  100 B, folding caddy system  200  may be positioned in a “closed” position (e.g., where frame components  100 A are disposed roughly parallel to one another) and an “open” position (e.g., where frame components  100 A are disposed at an angle to one another, ready to accept a container at least partially therebetween). Moreover, folding caddy system  200  may comprise any suitable components and/or configurations for supporting a container in an inverted position. 
     In certain exemplary embodiments, a frame component  100 A and a pivot component  100 B may be integrally formed, for example via 3D printing, injection molding, and/or the like. In these exemplary embodiments, a frame component  100 A having an integrally formed pivot component  100 B may be coupled to another frame component  100 A lacking an integrally formed pivot component  100 B, for example via a snap fit, press fit, and/or the like. In various exemplary embodiments, folding caddy system  200  may be comprised entirely of a single material, for example thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, acetal plastic, ABS plastic, and/or the like. 
     Caddy portion  210  comprises a rigid component configured to support a container in an inverted position. With reference now to  FIGS. 2A through 2D , in an exemplary embodiment, caddy portion  210  comprises a pair of legs  212 , at least one support loop  214 , and a bar  216 . In another exemplary embodiment, caddy portion  210  comprises a pair of legs  212 , at least one support loop  214 , and a pin  220 . Caddy portion  210  may be monolithic; alternatively, caddy portion  210  may be formed from a combination of components and/or materials. In an exemplary embodiment, caddy portion  210  comprises a thermoplastic material. In other exemplary embodiments, caddy portion  210  comprises a metal alloy. In still other exemplary embodiments, caddy portion  210  comprises a molded composite material. Caddy portion  210  may comprise any suitable rigid or semi-rigid material, for example plastic, metal, and/or the like. 
     Legs  212  are configured to support folding caddy system  200  against a surface, for example a countertop, a shelf, and/or the like. Legs  212  may be configured with padding and/or slip-resistant material on the bottom thereof in order to facilitate a sturdy and/or stable placement for folding caddy system  200 . 
     Support loop  214  is configured to at least partially support a container. In various exemplary embodiments, support loop  214  is configured with an inner hole roughly the size of a condiment bottle. Support loop  214  may be angled, curved, and/or otherwise shaped to fit and/or accept a container or containers desired for storage in an inverted position. Moreover, support loop  214  may be configured to allow a container to rest thereon, for example at an angled and/or inverted position. In various exemplary embodiments, folding caddy system is configured such that a first support loop  214  disposed on one side of folding caddy system  200  is configured to receive a container at least partially therethrough, while a second support loop  214  disposed on a pivotably opposable side of folding caddy system  200  is configured to allow a container to rest thereon. In this manner, a container may be held securely in an inverted position in folding caddy system  200 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, caddy portion  210  comprises three support loops  214 . In other exemplary embodiments, caddy portion  210  may comprise two support loops  214 , four support loops  214 , and/or any other suitable number of support loops  214 , for example depending on a desired size of folding caddy system  100 , a space available on a refrigerator shelf, and/or the like. Support loops  214  may be similarly sized to one another; moreover, a caddy portion  210  may be configured with support loops  214  of differing sizes, for example in order to accommodate containers of different sizes and/or shapes. Support loops  214  may be linked to one another, for example as illustrated in  FIG. 2D , or separate, for example as illustrated in  FIG. 2B . 
     A portion of a support loop  214  may extend to become (and/or be considered to be) a leg  212 , for example as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Moreover, support loop  214  may be coupled to and/or integrally formed with bar  216 , pin  220 , and/or other components of caddy portion  210 . 
     Bar  216  is configured to provide structural support to caddy portion  210 , and to at least partially govern and/or configure an angle for an opened position of folding caddy system  200 . When a pair of caddy portions  210  are rotated with respect to one another via operation of pin  220 , a bar  216  on the first caddy portion  210  comes into contact with a leg  212  on the second caddy portion  210  (or other suitable component of the second caddy portion  210 ), preventing further rotation of the two caddy portions  210  with respect to one another, and thus establishing an “open” configuration for folding caddy system  100 . Bar  216  (and/or leg  212 ) may be sized, angled, and/or configured, as desired, in order to obtain a desired angle and/or orientation between caddy portions  210  when folding caddy system  200  is in an open position. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, pin  220  is configured to link at least two caddy portions  210  to one another in a pivotable manner. Pin  220  may comprise metal, plastic, and/or other suitable rigid material. Pin  220  may be coupled to caddy portions  210  in any suitable manner. In an exemplary embodiment, pin  220  is coupled to and/or passes through a series of notches  215  formed in support loops  214 . Pin  220  may also provide structural support to caddy portion  210 ; stated another way, pin  220  may replace bar  216  in certain exemplary embodiments. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, pin  220  is integrally formed (for example, via molding) with a caddy portion  210 . In these exemplary embodiments, a caddy portion  210  having pin  220  may be directly coupled to a caddy portion  210  lacking pin  220 , for example via a snap fit, press fit, and/or the like. Stated another way, with momentary reference to  FIG. 2G , folding caddy system  200  may comprise a pair of complementary caddy portions  210 -A (having pin  220 ) and  210 -B (having a series of notches  215  to receive pin  220 ), snappable together to form folding caddy system  200 . 
     It will be appreciated that in folding caddy system  200 , for example as illustrated in  FIGS. 2F through 2H , a first caddy portion  210  may be configured with a bar  216  and notches  215 , while a second caddy portion  210  may be configured with a pin  220  (instead of a bar  216 ). 
     When coupled via pin  220 , it will be appreciated that caddy portions  210  may be slightly offset from one another. Stated differently, caddy portions  210  may at least partially interlock and/or pass between portions of one another when folding caddy system  200  is in a “closed” (i.e., folded) position. In this manner, folding caddy system  200  may be made more compact when folded, for example having an overall thickness less than twice the thickness of a caddy portion  210 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, folding caddy system  200  is configured to fit on a refrigerator shelf. In this embodiment, folding caddy system  200  is configured with folded/closed dimensions of about ¼ inch width, 7 inches in height, and 8 inches in length. In this embodiment, folding caddy system  200  is configured with unfolded/opened dimensions of about 4.5 inches in width, 5 inches in height, and 8 inches in length. Moreover, folding caddy system  200  may be sized, as desired, for example in order to fit into a selected location (e.g., a shelf, countertop, nook, and/or the like) and/or to accommodate a certain size of container or containers. 
     In operation, folding caddy system  200  is openable and closable in a scissor-like fashion. With reference now to  FIG. 3 , in an exemplary embodiment, a method  300  for using a folding caddy system comprises opening the folding caddy system and placing the legs in contact with a surface (step  310 ). A container is inserted into the folding caddy system in an inverted position (step  320 ), allowing the contents of the container to move, over time, toward the cap for more efficient and quicker dispensing. The container may be removed from the folding caddy system to dispense the contents (step  330 ). When dispensing is complete, the container may be reinserted into the folding caddy system (step  340 ), in order to allow the contents to again collect at the cap side of the container for efficient dispensing. Steps  330  and  340  may be repeated, as desired, for example until the container is empty or nearly empty. For transportation, cleaning, and/or the like, the container(s) may be removed from the folding caddy and the folding caddy may be moved to the folded or “closed” position. 
     While the principles of this disclosure have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, the elements, materials and components, used in practice, which are particularly adapted for a specific environment and operating requirements may be used without departing from the principles and scope of this disclosure. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The present disclosure has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification is to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Likewise, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. However, benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element. 
     As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Also, as used herein, the terms “coupled,” “coupling,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a physical connection, an electrical connection, a magnetic connection, an optical connection, a communicative connection, a functional connection, and/or any other connection.