Patent Publication Number: US-2003222086-A1

Title: Beverage bottle carrying case

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to beverage accessories, and in particular, to a carrying case for use in carrying a plurality of beverage bottles.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art  
       [0004] Good beverages have always been an important part of any social or outdoor event. People commonly carry varying types of drinks and beverages to different social and outdoor events, and as they go about their daily routines. In addition, beverage holders are provided in vehicles so that the driver or passengers can keep a cup of beverage handy in the vehicle during a long trip. Certain types of beverages, such as beer and bottled water, are provided with carrying cases so that someone can carry a plurality (e.g., six) of bottles of the desired beverage.  
       [0005] One potential drawback experienced by many of these conventional carrying cases is that they cannot keep the beverage in these bottles cool. For example, a six-pack of beer is typically sold with a cardboard carrying case. The six-pack of beer is usually keep in a refrigerator at the liquor store or convenience store to keep the beer cool. However, when a person purchases the six-pack, the beer will slowly adapt to the outside environment temperature unless the person places the six-pack into an ice-cooler or other refrigerated device. If a person does not have an ice-cooler in the car, then the six-pack of beer will slowly adapt to the outside environmental temperature, which means that the beer must be cooled again before it can be enjoyed. However, ice-coolers can also be bulky and thereby making it inconvenient to place them inside a vehicle at all times.  
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
       [0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage bottle carrying case that can keep the beverage stored therein cool.  
       [0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive beverage bottle carrying case that can keep the beverage stored therein cool.  
       [0008] In order to accomplish the objectives of the present invention, the present invention provides a beverage bottle carrying case having a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, each side wall having a bottom edge that is attached to the bottom wall to define a sealed interior space, and a divider provided in the interior space and connected to the bottom wall and one or more of the side walls. The bottom wall, the side walls and the divider are all made of a leakproof material. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009]FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of two identical carrying cases according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0010]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a carrying case from FIG. 1.  
     [0011]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a carrying case from FIG. 1.  
     [0012]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a carrying case from FIG. 1 shown in use with six bottles stored therein.  
     [0013]FIG. 5 is a side plan view illustrating the carrying cases of FIG. 1 being stacked together for storage. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0014] The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.  
     [0015]FIG. 1 illustrates two identical beverage bottle carrying cases  10  according to the present invention placed in a side-by-side manner. Since both carrying cases  10  are identical, the following description will only focus on one carrying case  10 , as shown in FIGS.  2 - 4 . Even though each carrying case  10  is shown as having four side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 , any number of side walls can be provided for the carrying case  10  without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each side wall  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  has a bottom edge that is connected to a bottom wall  20  to create a sealed interior space  22 . Each side wall  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  can have the same height, and the side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  together define a generally rectangular or square outer configuration for the carrying case  10 .  
     [0016] A planar divider  24  can be provided in the middle of the interior space  22  to divide the interior space  22  into two separate rows, with each separate row adapted to hold a plurality of bottles  36  (see FIG. 4). The divider  24  can be provided in the form of one planar piece, or two planar pieces to define a gusset  32  (as explained below) on the bottom wall  20 . Regardless of whether the divider  24  is provided in the form of one planar piece or two planar pieces, each planar piece extends to a height that is higher than the height of the top edges  26  of the side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 . A scallop-shaped opening  28  is provided adjacent the top of each planar piece of the divider  24  to define a gripping handle so that a user can insert his or her fingers into the opening  28  to grip the divider  24 , and thus, the carrying case  10  when carrying the carrying case  10  from one location to another.  
     [0017] Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the divider  24  can be provided in the form of two planar pieces  44  and  46  that are attached to each other along their top edges, and which then extend at an acute angle with respect to each other until their bottom edges attach to the bottom wall  20  in a manner that defines a space S between the bottom edges of the planar pieces  44  and  46 . In other words, the planar pieces  44  and  46  assume a generally inverted V-shaped configuration. The space S is adapted to receive the upper portion of the divider  24  of another carrying case  10  to facilitate space-saving stacking of a plurality of identical carrying cases  10 . In this embodiment, the side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 , the bottom wall  20 , and the planar pieces  44 ,  46  can all be provided together in one piece.  
     [0018] The side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 , the bottom wall  20 , and the planar pieces  44 ,  46  are preferably made from a leak-proof and inexpensive material, such as plastic. The leak-proof nature of the material allows for ice to be placed inside the interior space  22  without the fear of leakage. In addition, it is important to provide the carrying case  10  with a material having a price point that is not significantly higher than the price point of a conventional cardboard carrying case so that the carrying case  10  of the present invention can compete effectively against the conventional cardboard carrying cases in the market place.  
     [0019] As shown in FIG. 4, three beverage bottles  36  can be placed in each row on either side of the divider  24 . Ice can then be poured into the spaces around the bottles  36  so that the beverage inside the bottles  36  are kept cool. Even if the ice melts, the liquid will be cool, which will still function to keep the beverage cool. When the user arrives at his or destination (e.g., a social or outdoor event), the beverage in the bottles  36  are consumed, and then the ice (or melted liquid) inside the interior space  22  can be poured into a sink or on to the ground. The carrying case  10  can then be washed in a dishwater and stacked with other carrying cases  10  (as described below) for storage until its next usage.  
     [0020]FIG. 5 shows how two identical carrying cases  10   a  and  10   b  can be stacked for storage. The upper portion of the divider  24  of a first carrying case  10   a  is inserted into the space S of a second carrying case  10   b  so that the divider  24  of the first carrying case  10   a  is nested inside the divider  24  (i.e., the planar pieces  44 ,  46 ) of the second carrying case  10   b . This nesting of the high-profile dividers  24  minimizes the vertical space occupied by a stack of nested carrying cases  10   a ,  10   b.    
     [0021] Thus, the carrying case  10  according to the present invention offers a number of important benefits. First, the leak-proof material allows ice to be placed inside the interior space  22  to keep the beverage in the bottles  36  cool. Second, the carrying case  10  can be re-used, thereby minimizing refuse when compared with the conventional cardboard carrying cases that are usually discarded after use. Third, the nestability of the carrying cases  10  means that a stack of nested carrying cases  10  will require minimal storage space.  
     [0022] While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.