Abstract:
Two slidable plates are provided which can be moved to first positions for providing expanded passages for receiving the necks of bottles and to second positions to provide contracted passages for engaging and holding the necks of the bottles. A spring biased mechanism is provided for releasably securing the plates in the first and second positions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to slidable plates for releasably holding bottles of the type having a narrow neck and an enlarged head. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The following U.S. Pat. Nos. disclose different types of bottle holders: 2,287,731; 2,337,243; 2,386,101; 2,395,755; 2,407,529; 2,442,636; 2,457,027; and 4,037,766. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a new and useful bottle holder of the type having slidable plates with a spring biased mechanism for releasably securing the plates in first positions to provide expanded passages for receiving the necks of bottles and in second positions to provide contracted passages for engaging and holding the necks of the bottles. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the apparatus of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the plates located in a position such that the bottle receiving passages are in expanded positions. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the plates located in a position such that the bottle receiving passages are in contracted positions. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along lines 4--4 thereof. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along lines 5--5 thereof. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, the bottle holder and carrier of the invention is identified by reference numeral 21. It comprises a flat top plate 23 and a fiat bottom plate 25. The top plate 23 has six round bottle neck receiving holes 31A-31F, two finger gripping holes 33A and 33B, three apertures 35, 37, and 39 extending therethrough, and a tab 41 extending in the plane of the plate. The bottom plate 25 has six round bottle neck receiving holes 51A-51F, two finger gripping holes 53A and 53B, and three apertures 55, 57, and 59 extending therethrough, and a tab 61 extending transverse to the plane of the plate. As shown in FIG. 5, plate 25 is longer than plate 23; however, both plates have the same width and the same thickness. 
     The plates 23 and 25 have inward facing sides 23(I) and 25(I) and outward facing sides 23(O) and 25(O) with the inward facing sides 23(I) and 25(I) adapted to face and engage each other as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The plates 23 and 25 can slide relative to each other in opposite directions to first and second positions as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Securing members 91 and 93 located in apertures 35 and 55 and 39 and 59 are used to slidably hold the plates together for movement to first and second positions. In the first positions, apertures 31A-31F are exactly aligned with apertures 51A-51F to form expanded passages to receive the neck 71, a larger portion 73 and a cap 75 of a bottle 77 as shown in FIG. 4. In the second positions, apertures 31A-31F are partially aligned with apertures 51A-51F to form contracted passages to allow the walls of the plates 23 and 25 forming openings 31A-31F and 51A-51F to engage opposite sides of the necks of the bottles but preventing the enlarged head portions 73 from passing through to allow the apparatus to hold the bottles for carrying purposes. 
     In the first positions of the plates, the finger gripping openings 33A and 33B are partially aligned with openings 53A and 53B respectively as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and in the second positions of the plates, the finger gripping openings 33A and 33B are completely aligned with finger gripping openings 53A and 53B as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. 
     Members 91 and 93 are used to hold the plates 23 and 25 together for slidable movement to the first and second positions. The member 91 has a cylindrical shank 91S which extends through apertures 35 and 55. Enlarged heads 91HU and 91HL are connected to the opposite ends of shank 91S. The member 93 has a cylindrical shank 93S which extends through apertures 39 and 59. Enlarged heads 93HU and 93HL are connected to opposite ends of shank 93S. The apertures 35 and 39 are cylindrical such that the shanks 91S and 93S cannot move laterally in these apertures. The apertures 55 and 59 are elongated allowing the shanks to move laterally in these apertures thus allowing the plates 23 and 25 to move lateral in the first and second opposite directions as described above. The shank 91S can be screwed to head 91HL and the shank 93S can be screwed to head 93HL. 
     A locking number 101 is employed for removably locking the plates 23 and 25 together when the passages of openings 31A-31F and 51A-51F are in their contracted positions. The locking member 101 comprises a cylindrical shank 101S with an enlarged head 103 at one end and an enlarged head 105A, 105B at the other end. The aperture 37 is cylindrical preventing the shank 101S from moving laterally in the aperture 37 but allowing the shank 101S to move upward and downward in the aperture 37. A washer 107 is located around the shank 10IS on the outside of the plate 23. A coiled spring 109 is located around the shank 101S and has one end seated against the head 103 and an opposite end seated against the washer 107 which urges the shank 101S and heads 103, 105A, and 105B in an upper position. The aperture 57 has a narrow portion 57A and an enlarged portion 57B. The enlarged head portion 105A can fit into the enlarged portion 57B of the aperture 57 but the enlarged head portion 105A cannot fit into narrow portion 57A of the aperture 57. The enlarged head portion 105B cannot fit in either portions 57A or 57B of the aperture 57. 
     When the plates 23 and 25 are in the positions as shown in FIG. 4 wherein the passages of the openings 31A-31F and 51A-51F are in their expanded positions, the shank 101S is in aperture 37 and in the narrow portion 57A of aperture 57 with the enlarged head portion 105A engaging the outside of the plate 25, causing the head 103 to compress the spring 109. The bottle necks can be fitted into the expanded passages from the bottom side of the plate 25 and by gripping tabs 61 and 41, the plate 23 can be slid to the right as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 relative to plate 25 until the enlarged head portion 105A enters the enlarged hole portion 57B contracting the bottle passages and locking the plates together as seen in FIG. 5. The spring 109 urges the member 101 upward maintaining the enlarged head portion 105A in enlarged hole portion 57B. The plates 23 and 25 and bottles 77 are carried by gripping the gripping apertures 33A, 53A, and 33B, 53B. When it is desired to release the bottles, the head 103 is pushed downward, moving the enlarged head portion 105A out of the enlarged hole portion 57B and the plate 23 is slid to the left as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 relative to the plate 25 to expand the bottle passages as shown in FIG. 4 to allow the bottles to be removed from the plates. 
     In one embodiment, the plate 23 has a length of about 8 inches, a width of about 5 inches, a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch. The plate 25 has a length of about 81/2 inches, a width of about 5 inches, and a thickness of 1/8 of an inch. The plates 23 and 25 can be formed of a suitable plastic. It is to be understood that the dimensions of the plates and apertures and the number of bottle receiving apertures may be different from those listed above depending on the number and size of the bottles to be held. The shank 101S may be screwed into threaded aperture 105C of head member 105A, 105B, to hold the member 101 in place. 
     The holes 31A-31F and 51A-51F may have diameters of about 16/16 inches depending on the type of bottles the apparatus is intended to hold.