Abstract:
A beverage bottle holder is adapted to hold a cylindrical beverage bottle and comprises a bottom seating member adapted to accept the bottom surface of the beverage bottle; a top grasping member adapted to exert compressive forces against the outside surface of the beverage bottle to firmly holding the bottle in a stable configuration within the bottle holder; and, a handle member. The beverage holder is adapted for easy grasping and manipulation of beverage bottles by persons have weakened hands and lessened motor skills.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to the field of hand manipulated handling devices and more specifically a handling device adapted for holding beverage bottles.  
           [0003]    2. Discussion of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    There are many infirmities related to aging, injury and disease which result in a reduction of motor skills and limb strength particularly in the arms and hands. For example, arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome, and injury induced paralysis often restrict the ability of individuals to grasp and firmly hold objects such as bottles containing soft drinks, water or milk. Furthermore, the large height, diameter and weight of containers, such as liter-sized beverage bottles, make it difficult for weakened individuals to manipulate such things safely.  
           [0005]    The prior art discloses a number of devices that are designed to aid individuals to grasp, lift and carry bottles and like containers. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,904 “Bottle Lifting Device” issued to Smith on Sep. 15, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,232 “Bottle Carrier” issued to Tipp on Dec. 9, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,169 “Reusable Bottle Handle” issued to Grzych on Feb. 2, 1993; and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,924 “Reusable Bottle Holder” issued to McCumb on Apr. 30, 2002. However, all of these devices are not well adapted for use by persons who have diminished strength and motor skills due to age, injury or disease. Furthermore, these devices do not facilitate the safe manipulation of beverage bottles by such persons.  
           [0006]    Therefore, there continues to be a need for a beverage bottle holder that is able to conveniently hold and permit carriage and manipulation of a beverage bottle by an individual with reduced or weakened arm and hand strength.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In light of the disadvantages noted above, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a beverage bottle holder that overcomes the deficiencies noted above.  
           [0008]    Another object of this invention is to provide a beverage bottle holder that is specifically designed for individuals that have reduced arm and hand strength due to age, injury or disease.  
           [0009]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a beverage bottle holder that is comfortable and safe to use by persons with weakened arm and hand strength.  
           [0010]    It is yet another object of the invention to provide a beverage bottle holder that is lightweight, easy to manufacture and inexpensive to purchase.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The objects are achieved by providing a beverage bottle holder adapted to hold a cylindrical beverage bottle having a diameter, a bottom surface and an outer surface. The beverage bottle holder comprises: a bottom seating member adapted to accept the bottom surface of the bottle; a top grasping member adapted to exert compressive forces against the outside surface of the bottle thereby firmly holding the bottle in a stable configuration; and, a handle member, having a top end and a bottom end, the handle member disposed between the bottom seating member and the top grasping member. The handle is adapted for grasping and manipulating the bottle holder. The handle member is rigid and has an inherent acclivity from the vertical to facilitate the positioning of a human hand between the handle and the bottle.  
           [0012]    The bottom seating member comprises a circular sleeve portion that includes a waist having an inner surface, outer surface, an upper surface and a bottom surface. The waist further includes a flange member depending downwardly and inwardly from the waist inner surface. The flange includes a curved surface adapted to accept the curved bottom surface of the bottle.  
           [0013]    In the preferred embodiment, the bottle holder is injection molded from light weight and resilient plastic materials capable of maintaining their resiliency at cold temperatures.  
           [0014]    The invention further comprises a projection extending horizontally from the bottom of the handle member. The projection is integral to the bottom of the handle and adapted to stabilize the base of the beverage bottle holder and prevent tipping in the horizontal direction of the projection.  
           [0015]    The top grasping member comprises a first arcuate arm and a second arcuate arm that are congruent and incurvate upon each other. Each of the arms has a front end and a back end. The back end of the arms is attached to the top of the handle member. The front end of each of the arms includes a tip and the tips of each arm are positioned opposite each other and define a gap between them.  
           [0016]    The arms define a bore having inner diameter less than the diameter of the cylindrical body of the beverage bottle, so that when the bottle is inserted between the arms, the arms flex outwardly, creating a compressive force against the bottle thereby holding the bottle firmly between them.  
           [0017]    The top grasping member further includes a projection protruding horizontally from the back of the top grasping member. The projection connects the top of the handle member and fixes the top grasping member to the handle in a rigid and horizontal configuration. The projection further includes a notched upper surface and an upwardly curved bottom surface. The notched upper surface is adapted to accept the thumb pad of a human operator so that the human operator may firmly grasp and manipulate the beverage bottle holder. The curved bottom surface is adapted to accept the first finger of a human operator.  
           [0018]    The handle member further includes gripping means to facilitate gripping of the handle member by a human operator. In one embodiment of the invention, the gripping means is configured as a pistol grip.  
           [0019]    The waist of the sleeve is inwardly beveled creating a chamfer that is adapted to facilitate the tipping forward of the bottle contained in the bottle holder so that contents may be poured from it while preventing overall instability during a pouring operation.  
           [0020]    The invention is adapted so that a person who lacks sufficient grasping strength can still manipulate the bottle held within the invention by inserting a hand under the handle member and between the grip and bottle and balance the beverage holder on the top surface of the hand.  
           [0021]    The height of the arms is such that the centre of gravity of the bottle and contents is always below the centre line of the arms thereby maintaining a stable configuration regardless of the amount of beverage contained in the bottle.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessary to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention,  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5 is a view of one embodiment of the invention holding a bottle showing gripping by a human hand.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6 is a view of one embodiment of the invention holding a bottle showing the holder suspended by the back of a human hand.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]    Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention ( 10 ), being a beverage bottle holder, comprising a bottom seating member ( 12 ) a top grasping member ( 14 ) and a handle member ( 16 ) between the top grasping and bottom seating members. The handle member is rigid and controllable in the hand of an individual. In the embodiment shown there is indicated a hand gripping means ( 15 ) adapted to comfortably confirm to the fingers of a human hand to facilitate manipulation of the invention. The bottom seating member ( 12 ) comprises a circular sleeve ( 18 ) having a waist ( 20 ). For orientation purposes, the invention ( 10 ) has a front ( 9 ) and a rear ( 8 ). The waist ( 20 ) has an inner surface ( 21 ), and outer surface ( 23 ), an upper surface ( 22 ) and a bottom surface ( 24 ).  
         [0030]    Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the waist has a uniform height designated at ( 25 ) as “h” about its circumference. The waist further includes a flange ( 26 ) depending downwardly and inwardly from the inner surface ( 21 ) of waist ( 24 ). The flange ( 26 ) has an upper bearing surface ( 30 ) adapted to conform to the curved shape of the bottom of a typical beverage bottle. The circular sleeve ( 18 ) is adapted to seat the bottom portion of a beverage container so that the inner surface ( 21 ) of waist ( 24 ) is in abutting contact with the outside surface of the bottom portion of a bottle and so that the upper surface ( 30 ) of the flange ( 26 ) is in an abutting contact with the bottom curved portion of the bottle. The above-identified features of the circular sleeve ( 18 ) are adapted to hold the bottom of a beverage container firmly once in placed therein and permit easy insertion and removal of the beverage container from the circular sleeve by a person with diminished hand strength.  
         [0031]    The device may be injection molded using light weight and resilient plastic materials that are capable of maintaining their resiliency when under cold temperatures. Injection molding permits easy and inexpensive manufacturing of the invention.  
         [0032]    Referring now to FIG. 3 there is shown the bottom surface ( 24 ) of the circular sleeve ( 18 ) and the bottom surface ( 41 ) of the flange ( 26 ). Flange ( 26 ) defines a bore ( 42 ) that leaves the majority of the bottom of the bottle held within the sleeve exposed. The width ( 28 ) of the flange ( 26 ) is adequately wide to support the bottom of the bottle. The flange ( 26 ) prevents slippage of the bottle through the bottom of the sleeve ( 18 ) and acts as a contact point to inform the user that the bottle is properly seated within the sleeve.  
         [0033]    Still referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a projection ( 46 ) extending horizontally from the back ( 8 ) of the sleeve ( 18 ). Projection ( 46 ) is integral to the sleeve ( 18 ) and connects the lower seating member ( 12 ) to the handle member ( 16 ). The projection is sufficiently sized to provide for stability of the combined bottle holder and bottle and prevents tipping motions in the rearward direction.  
         [0034]    Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the features of the top grasping member ( 14 ) are identified. The grasping member ( 14 ) comprises a first arcuate arm ( 50 ) and a second arcuate arm ( 52 ). The arms are congruent and incurvate upon each other. The back ( 8 ) portions of the arms are mounted to the top of the handle member ( 16 ) by way of projection ( 70 ). The tips ( 58 ) and ( 60 ) respectively of arms ( 50 ) and ( 52 ) are not joined but are in a confronting relation and extend sufficiently to create a gap ( 62 ) between them. The inner diameter ( 51 ) between the arms is smaller than the diameter of the bottle it is intended to hold. As a result, the first arcuate arm ( 50 ) and the second arcuate arm ( 52 ) have an operative relationship to each other so that when a bottle is placed between the arms the arms will have an inherent tendency to flex outwardly to accommodate the diameter of the bottle and then exert a compressive force against the outside surface of the bottle once the bottle is seated within the holder thereby firmly grasping it. The inside surfaces ( 68 ) and ( 66 ) of arms ( 50 ) and ( 52 ) respectively are adapted to firmly grasp the bottle once it is inserted between them. Projection ( 70 ) protrudes horizontally from the back ( 8 ) of the grasping member ( 14 ). The projection is adapted to connect the upper grasping member ( 14 ) with the handle member ( 16 ) and maintain the top grasping member ( 12 ) in a rigid and horizontal configuration. The projection member ( 70 ) is notched ( 71 ). Notch ( 71 ) is adapted to accommodate the curved profile of a human thumb pad to facilitate grasping and manipulation of the beverage bottle holder.  
         [0035]    Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a top view of the invention ( 10 ). The invention comprises a bottom seating member ( 12 ), a top grasping member ( 14 ) and a handle member ( 16 ) between the top grasping and bottom seating members. The bottom seating member ( 12 ) comprises a top surface ( 22 ) and a waist having an outer surface and an inner surface ( 21 ). Flange ( 26 ) curves downwards and inwards from the waist in a curvilinear manner forming curved surface ( 30 ) adapted to conform to the outside bottom surface of a beverage bottle. The inner circumference of flange ( 26 ) defines a circular opening ( 42 ). Projection ( 70 ) with thumb notch ( 71 ) is shown connecting the arcuate arms ( 50 ) and ( 52 ) to the top of handle member ( 16 ). The tips ( 58 ) and ( 60 ) of the arms ( 50 ) and ( 52 ) respectively define a gap ( 62 ) between them. The diameter ( 51 ) between the arcuate arms is equal to the diameter ( 57 ) defined by the top surface ( 22 ) of the lower seating portion ( 12 ).  
         [0036]    Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown one embodiment of the invention with a bottle ( 90 ) shown mounted in the beverage bottle holder ( 10 ). The bottle ( 90 ) is a typical beverage bottom manufactured from light plastic material. The curved bottom ( 92 ) of the bottle ( 90 ) sits within the lower seating portion ( 12 ) of the invention ( 10 ) so that the curved bottom portion of the bottle ( 90 ) abuts against the curved inside surface ( 30 ) of supporting flange ( 26 ). The bottom portion of the sleeve ( 18 ) is inwardly beveled creating a chamfer ( 80 ) that extends backwards and downwards around the curved circumference of the sleeve. The chamfer facilitates tipping forward of the bottle contained in the bottle holder so that contents may be poured from it. Projection ( 46 ) is shown extending rearwardly from the sleeve ( 18 ) to provide additional supporting and stabilizing base area for the invention. Handle member ( 16 ) depends upwardly from the rear of the bottom seating portion ( 12 ) and joins top grasping member ( 14 ) by way of projection ( 70 ). Notch ( 71 ) is shown accommodating the placement of the operator&#39;s thumb pad ( 94 ). Gripping means ( 15 ) is illustrated extending upwards from a mid-portion of the handle member ( 16 ) to the top of the handle member where it joins projection ( 70 ). As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the inside surface ( 77 ) of projection ( 70 ) is curved in a concave fashion to accommodate the shape of the first grasping finger ( 96 ) of hand ( 98 ).  
         [0037]    Still referring to FIG. 5, the height ( 105 ) of the grasping member ( 14 ) above the surface upon which the invention ( 10 ) sits is adapted to always remain above the centre of gravity ( 108 ) of the bottle and contents contained within the invention. This keeps the invention and bottle combination stable and reduces the tipping hazards associated with such tall containers.  
         [0038]    Still referring to FIG. 5, in this embodiment of the invention, the height ( 82 ) of the arms ( 50 ) and ( 52 ) is generally the same as the height ( 25 ) of the sleeve ( 20 ) and sufficiently sized to create sufficient contact between the inside surface of the arms and the bottle ( 90 ) contained therein. The handle member ( 16 ) has an acclivity ( 99 ) away from the vertical that creates a void ( 101 ) between the inside surface ( 92 ) of the handle ( 116 ) and the outside surface ( 103 ) of the bottle ( 90 ) contained within the invention ( 10 ) to permit the fingers of a grasping hand ( 98 ) to grasp the handle.  
         [0039]    Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown one embodiment of the invention ( 10 ) from a top view. The invention balances the beverage bottle when carried in a horizontal configuration so that the grip ( 15 ) of the handle member ( 16 ) is in contact with the top surface ( 110 ) of hand ( 98 ). This is particularly advantageous for persons with weak gripping strength. The invention and the bottle can be manipulated into and out of a refrigerator without having to grasp the handle member.  
         [0040]    Although this description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention by merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiment of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.