Abstract:
Tools for inserting containers into ice are disclosed herein. An embodiment of a tool includes a first end and a second end. A ring is located proximate the first end. The ring has having a hole, wherein a container is receivable in the hole. The tool has a first state when no container is received in the hole and a second state when a container is received in the hole. At least one sheet extends between the ring and the second end, the sheet forms a substantially conical shape when the tool is in the first state and a less conical shape when the tool is in the second state. An opening is located proximate the second end, wherein the container exits the tool via the opening.

Description:
[0001]    This patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/691,251 for TOOL FOR INSERTING CONTAINERS INTO ICE, filed on Aug. 20, 2012, which is incorporated for all that is disclosed therein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Crushed or cubed ice is used to cool containers, such as beverage containers. The containers include metal cans and glass bottles. A bin is at least partially filled with ice and the containers are placed into the ice by hand. Inserting containers by hand is very time consuming and painful for the person inserting the containers. In addition, the ice may become contaminated by the person inserting the containers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    Tools for inserting containers into ice are disclosed herein. An embodiment of a tool includes a first end and a second end. A ring is located proximate the first end. The ring has a hole, wherein a container is receivable in the hole. The tool has a first state when no container is received in the hole and a second state when a container is received in the hole. At least one sheet extends between the ring and the second end, the sheet forms a substantially conical shape when the tool is in the first state and a less conical shape when the tool is in the second state. An opening is located proximate the second end, wherein the container exits the tool via the opening. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a top isometric view of a tool for inserting containers into ice. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a top isometric view of the tool of  FIG. 1  with a container partially inserted therein. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a top isometric view of the tool of  FIG. 1  with a container fully inserted wherein the tool is positioned to insert the container. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a tool for inserting containers into ice. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the tool of  FIG. 4  with a container being inserted into ice. 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is an embodiment of the tool of  FIGS. 4 and 5  with the ring split into two portions. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    Embodiments of tools for inserting containers into ice are disclosed herein. The ice may be located in bins, coolers or other storage devices. The ice may be in cubed form or crushed form. The containers may be cans, bottles, or other devices of any shape. The tools described herein enable a user (the person inserting the container into the ice) to insert the container into the ice without having to physically contact the ice. Therefore, the user does not contaminate the ice and does not have to insert his hand into very cold ice. In addition, the tools described herein provide for orderly placing of the containers into the ice, which is difficult or impossible using manual techniques. 
         [0011]    A top isometric view of an embodiment of a tool  100  for inserting a container into ice is shown in  FIG. 1 . The tool  100  has a top end  104  and a bottom end  106 . The top end  104  has a ring  110  with a hole  112  located in the ring  110 . The hole  112  is sized to receive the container (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) that will be placed into the ice (not shown). The ring  112  may be a plastic that is substantially rigid. In some embodiments, the ring  112  is slightly flexible. 
         [0012]    Additional reference is made to  FIG. 2 , which is a top isometric view of the tool  100  with a can  122  located therein and  FIG. 3 , which is a top isometric view of the tool  100  depositing a can  122  in ice. The tool  100  has sides sheets  120  that extend between the ring  110  and the bottom end  106 . When no can is located in the tool  100 , the side sheets  120  form a cone with a vertex located at the bottom end  106  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The embodiment of  FIGS. 103  has two side sheets  120  that are attached or otherwise coupled to the ring  110 . The two side sheets  120  are referred to individually as the first sheet  126  and the second sheet  128 . The side sheets  120  are formed so that they roll onto each other to form the cone of  FIG. 1 . Therefore, the side sheets  120  are shaped as shown in  FIG. 1 . However, when a container  122  is forced through the opening  112  in the ring  110 , the side sheets  120  are temporarily deformed as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  and as described below. 
         [0013]    The side sheets  120  have edges that extend from the ring  110  to the bottom end  106 . In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-3 , the first sheet  126  has an edge  129  and the second sheet  128  has an edge  130 . In some embodiments, a piece of flexible material (not shown), such as cloth extends between the edges  129 ,  130 . The flexible material prevents ice from entering into the tool  100  from the side, but does not interfere with the insertion of the container  122  into the tool  100 . 
         [0014]    The side sheets  120  are shown as being attached to the peripheral of the ring  110 . The side sheets  120  are flexible enough to be able to move while being adhered or otherwise attached to the periphery of the ring  110 . In some embodiments, the side sheets  120  may be more rigid so that they are pivotally attached to the ring  110 . In such embodiments, the side sheets  120  pivot relative to the ring  110 . 
         [0015]    Having described the tool  100 , its operation will now be described. The user inserts the bottom end  106  of the tool  100  into ice (not shown). The ice may be crushed or cubed ice wherein the conical shape of the tool  100  moves the ice to form a conical opening in the ice. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the user then inserts a container  122  through the opening  112  in the ring  110 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the container  122  is a beverage can. As the container  122  is forced through the opening  112  it contacts the side sheets  120 . The force of the container  122  against the side sheets  120  causes the side sheets  120  to unravel or otherwise open as shown in  FIG. 2 . In doing so, the ice on the exterior of the tool  100  is pushed away to form an opening in the ice that is the shape of the container  122 . 
         [0016]    When the container  122  reaches the bottom end  106  of the tool, the side sheets  120  have opened enough to enable the container  122  to pass through the bottom end  106  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The ice has been moved enough to form a hole in which the container  122  is deposited. In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the hole is cylindrical because the container is a beverage can. The tool  100  is lifted out of the ice and the container  122  is left behind. In some embodiments, the side sheets  120  have low friction surfaces relative to the container  122 , which prevent the can from being lifted out of the ice as the tool  100  is removed from the ice. 
         [0017]    A similar tool  200  to the tool  100  is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The tool  200  is substantially similar to the tool  100 , except for the side sheets  220  on the tool  200 . The embodiment of the tool  200  has two side sheets  126 ,  128  that extend to form a cone as shown in  FIG. 4 . The side sheets  220  are referred to individually as the first side sheet  126  and the second side sheet  128 . The side sheets  220  do not wrap around each other as the side sheets  120  on the tool  100 . Rather the side sheets  220  extend to a vertex at the bottom end  206  of the tool  200  to form a cone. 
         [0018]    As with the tool  100 , the tool  200  as a ring  210  that forms an opening  212 . The side sheets  220  extend from the ring  210 . The side sheets  220  have edges  229 ,  230  that are attached to the ring  210 . The edges  229 ,  230  of the side sheets  220  may abut or overlap when the tool  200  does not have a container located therein. In some embodiments, a small gap  232  may extend between the edges  228 ,  230 . In some embodiments, a flexible material (not shown) may extend between the edges  229 ,  230  to fill the gap  232  and prevent ice from entering the tool when in use. 
         [0019]    The use of the tool  200  is substantially similar to the use of the tool  100  described above. In use, the gap  232  expands as a container  122  is inserted into the tool  200 . The tool  200  is then removed from the ice and the container  122  is left behind. The side sheets  220  of the tool  200  tend to move rather than unravel in order to form an opening in the ice to insert the container  122 . 
         [0020]    In some embodiments, the side sheets  120 ,  220  are pivotally attached to the rings  110 ,  210 . In other embodiments, the side sheets  120 ,  220  are attached to the rings  110 ,  210  by a hinge mechanism (not shown) that allows the side sheets  120 ,  220  to rotate relative to the rings  110 ,  210 . In some embodiments, a handle or the like is attached to the rings  110 ,  210  or formed into the rings  110 ,  210 , wherein a user manipulates the tool  100 ,  200  by using the handle. The handle further prevents the user from contacting the ice. The handle enables a user to manipulate the tool  100 ,  200 . In some embodiments, the ring  110  may have raised portions that a user may grab during use of the tool  100 ,  200 . 
         [0021]    The tools  100 ,  200  are shown as being used to insert a single container  122  into ice. However, the tools  100 ,  200  may be used to simultaneously insert a plurality of containers into ice. For example, the side sheets  120 ,  220  may extend the length of several containers. The tool is inserted into ice and several containers are inserted through the rings  120 ,  220  before the tools  100 ,  200  are removed from the ice. The result is that several containers are inserted into the ice and stacked one on top of another. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments, the tools  100 ,  200  have openers for containers attached thereto or formed therein. With reference to the container  200  of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the ring  210  may have a bottle opener attached thereto. A user may grasp the ring  210  of the side sheets  220  to locate the bottle opener onto the container. The ring  210  or side sheets  220  may provide sufficient leverage to open the bottle. In other embodiments, the side sheets  120 ,  220  are rigid enough to have an opening formed therein that functions as a bottle or container opener. In yet other embodiments, the opener may be affixed to the side sheets  120 ,  220  and extend beyond the rings  120 ,  220 . 
         [0023]    The rings  120 ,  220  have been illustrated as being separate items. In some embodiments, the rings  120 ,  220  may be integral with the side sheets  120 ,  220 . Accordingly, the rings  120 ,  220  may be members of the side sheets  120 ,  220  that form the holes  112 ,  212  in which the containers are inserted. An embodiment of the rings  302 ,  304  that may be in two portions is shown in  FIG. 6 , which is a modification of the tool  200  of  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The portions  302 ,  304  are connected by hinge devices  308  that pivotally connect the portions  302 ,  304 . In some embodiments, the hinge devices  308  are spring loaded in order to force the tool into the configuration of  FIGS. 4 and 6 . 
         [0024]    While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.