Abstract:
A beverage bottle holder forms a hollow sleeve, which is contoured to surround the bottle and a portion of the bottle neck. The holder has a transverse member extending about a bottom opening of the holder for frictionally engaging at least a portion of the bottle bottom. Grooves and ridges formed in the upper part of the holder facilitate engagement of the bottle neck by the insulating sleeve.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to beverage bottle holders, and more particularly, to an insulated beverage bottle holder adapted for receiving bottles with tapered or straight necks and for retaining contents of the bottle at a desired temperature for a discreet period of time.  
         [0002]     Many beverage containers, whether bottles or cans, are specifically designed to retain beverages that are preferably dispensed in a cold condition. However, when the beverage and bottle are cooled and then held by a warm hand, the condensation forms on the outside of the container, making the exterior surface of the container slippery and uncomfortable to hold. Additionally, the user may desire to retain the beverage inside the container cold as long as possible, but holding the container gradually warms up the liquid. In some cases, the users prefer to use a paper napkin wrapped around the container that to some degree insulates the container from the exterior temperature. However, the napkin may become soggy from the condensation and tends to slip making the napkin unusable in a short period of time.  
         [0003]     Another problem that is associated with cold beverages is that users tend to place the bottles or cans directly on polished furniture, resulting in unsightly stains created by condensation. Some users prefer placing a coaster under the container, thereby creating a physical barrier between the bottle and the furniture.  
         [0004]     To solve the problem with canned beverages, the industry developed an insulated tubular holder that has a generally cylindrical opening, where a user inserts the can. However, such holders are not easily adaptable for use with bottles, which have a narrow neck and sometimes an irregular bottom. There exists, therefore, a need for a bottle holder that can be used for retaining bottles in an insulated condition while the user drinks the contents of the bottle.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an insulated bottle holder that can be used with bottles containing soda drinks or beer while retaining the bottle within the container.  
         [0006]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulated bottle holder that forms a resting surface and allows the bottle to be retained upright when the bottle is placed on a horizontal surface.  
         [0007]     These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of through a provision of an insulated holder for beverage bottles, which is contoured to surround and conform to the shape of the bottle and the bottle neck. The holder carries a cap on the lower end thereof for forming a resting surface for the holder and for preventing contact of the bottle bottom with furniture. A support ring extends inside the cap; the ring has flexible resilient tabs separated by notches, allowing the bottle to be inserted from the bottom of the sleeve.  
         [0008]     The upper part of the sleeve has a slimmer diameter opening for receiving a portion of the bottle neck. The opening is defined in part by a wall, which is provided with ridges and grooves to allow for flexible engagement of the bottle neck by the sleeve. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designed by like numerals, and wherein  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the insulated holder in accordance with the present invention showing a step-by-step process of positioning the bottle inside the holder.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the bottle holder of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a longitudinal sectional view of the bottle holder taken alone lines A-A of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a temperature profile for bottled beer comparing the temperature of the bottle contents when using the holder of the instant invention with a standard cylindrical thin foam holder and without any holder.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is differential temperature profile for bottled beer comparing the temperature of the bottle contents when using the holder of the instant invention with a standard cylindrical thin foam holder and without any holder. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]     Turning now to the drawings in more detail, numeral  10  designates the bottle holder of the present invention. The bottle holder  10  comprises a main body portion  12  having an open top  14  and an open bottom  16 . The body  12  has a central opening, which forms an interior cavity  18 . The central opening  18  has a lower portion  20 , a middle portion  22 , and an upper portion  24 . The lower portion  20  is defined by substantially cylindrical wall configured for frictional engagement of cylindrical portion  26  of a bottle  30 . The middle portion  22  of the opening  18  is configured to fit over a rounded wall  27  of the bottle  30 .  
         [0015]     The upper portion  24  of the opening  18  is configured to engage at least a lower portion of a neck  32  of the bottle  30 . The internal wall of the body  12  defining the opening portion  24  has grooves and ridges, which are designed to confirm to various shapes and sizes of the necks  32  of beverage containers. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the upper portion  24  of the central chamber  18  is formed with a pair of grooves  34  and  36  and a ridge  38  formed between the grooves  34  and  36 . The uppermost edge  40  of the holder  10  is configured to tightly fit over at least a portion of the neck  32  of the beverage container  30 . The neck  32  of the bottle  30  may be straight or tapered. The upper portion  24 , by snugly fitting over the bottle neck, facilitates retention of the bottle content in a desired cool condition, preventing escape of the cool air and introduction of warm ambient air into the interior of the holder  10 .  
         [0016]     The main body  12  is provided with a bottom cap  42 , which engages the bottom circumferential edge of the body  12 . The cap  42  has a vertical wall  44  which engages a bottom of an outside wall  46  of the main body  12 , and a horizontal portion  48 , which extends around the bottom edge of the main body  12 . A vertical inner portion  52  extends transversely to the horizontal portion  48  and contacts the bottom internal wall of the body  12 . The horizontal portion  48  is integrally formed with the outside vertical portion  44  and the inner vertical portion  52 .  
         [0017]     A flexible resilient support member  50  extends into the opening  18  from the inner vertical portion  48 . The support member  50  defines the opening  16  in the bottom of the holder  10 . The support member  50  is formed as a transversely expanding member, providing support for the bottom  54  of the bottle  30 . The support member  50  comprises a plurality of flexible resilient tabs  58  divided by notches  56 . The notches provide substantial flexibility for the tabs  58  to bend inwardly when the bottle  30  is positioned in the holder  16 .  
         [0018]     The holder  10  is constructed of a flexible expandable, resilient material, for instance neoprene, resin or porous insulating material, such as closed cell foam. The body  12  is allowed to flex and expand when the bottle  30  is inserted into the opening  18  even if the bottle is slightly larger in diameter than the opening  18 . Resiliency of the body  12  allows the holder  10  to frictionally engage the bottle  30  and retain the bottle  30  without slipping.  
         [0019]     The cap  42  forms a steady, non-slippery support for the bottle  30  and prevents condensation from the bottle from touching a piece of furniture and forming a wet stain. At the same time, the bottle  30  is prevented from slipping outside of the holder  10  by the support member  50 .  
         [0020]     The longitudinal dimensions of the body  12  are less than the length of the bottle  30  allowing the top of the bottle neck to be seen by the user for easy identification of the contents of the bottle. The bottle  30  is supported in a generally upright orientation when resting on the cap  42  while not substantially increasing the width of the bottle  30 , such that the user can comfortably grasp the holder when drinking from the bottle  30 .  
         [0021]     In operation, the user inserts the neck  32  of the bottle  30  into the bottom opening  16  of the holder  10 . The user pushes the bottle towards the open end  14 , forcing the neck  32  to extend outwardly from the body  12 . During the insertion process, the tabs  56  tend to bend inwardly into the opening  18  when the widest cylindrical portion  26  of the bottle  30  passes into the opening  18 . Once the bottom  54  of the bottle  30  clears the tabs  58 , the tabs return to their transverse orientation in relation to the longitudinal axis of the bottle  30 . The tabs  58  resiliently spring back to their original position forming a ring about the bottom  54  of the bottle  30 . The support member  50  facilitates retention of the bottle  30  within the holder  10 .  
         [0022]      FIGS. 4 and 5  compare the temperature of the contents of the bottle, in this case bottled beer, when using the holder  10  of the present invention, when using a standard cylindrical thin-walled foam holder, and when no insulating holder is used. The slow increase in temperature when using the holder  10  is shown in the graphs of  FIGS. 4 and 5  by a graph line  70 ; the temperature line of a thin-walled insulating holder is shown by a graph line  72 , and the temperature of the contents of the bottle when no insulating holder is used is shown by a graph line  74 .  
         [0023]     As can be seen in the graphs, the temperature of the bottle content using the holder  10  rises much slower in the first 10 minutes when the starting temperature of cooled beverage is below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the contents remains substantially unchanged for the first 10 minutes, and then gradually increases. The same tests demonstrated that the contents of the bottle heat up during that time much faster when conventional cylindrical holder effect or no holder effect is evaluated.  
         [0024]     The material for which the holder  10  is manufactured can be selected from a number of conventional available insulating materials, such as a resin, neoprene, closed cell foam, and the like. The exterior of the holder  10  can be imprinted with colorable indicia, advertising indicia, or clearly ornamental design. The holder  10  may be used for holding baby bottles, if desired. In such case, the holder  10  will retain the bottle contents warm, while the baby drinks from the bottle.  
         [0025]     Many changes and modifications may be made in the design of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.