Patent Publication Number: US-9408779-B2

Title: Bottle and cup holder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/646,442 filed on May 14, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a sports ball bottle holder for retaining a bottle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sports ball bottle holder including a skin cover, a foam insert having a central cavity therein, and a pouch lining within the central cavity. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Although many healthcare professionals believe that breastfeeding is preferable to bottle-feeding, breastfeeding may not be possible or preferable for all mothers. For these mothers, the alternative requires bottle-feeding their baby stored breast milk or formula. A baby bottle is a bottle with a nipple to drink directly from. It is typically used by infants and young children when a mother does not breastfeed, or if someone cannot (as conveniently) drink from a cup, for feeding oneself or being fed. A baby bottle includes a vessel commonly made of polycarbonate, a teat commonly made of liquid silicone rubber or natural rubber, and a coupling which couples the vessel to the teat in a leak-proof manner. When a child reaches the age when he can grasp an object, he is encouraged to hold his own bottle when he is feeding in a high chair, stroller or car seat. 
     In today&#39;s culture, society has an enormous interest in ball-related sports. In pursuit of these ball sports, it is a common intention to introduce the next generation into the familial culture of the particular chosen ball sport. The novelty of affection for sports will enhance relationships between family members as they follow the development of the infant into his own particular sports interests. The sibling and family rivalry of favoring a particular ball sport may also result in the newborn having multiple selections of sports bottle ball from which to become exposed, which will further enhance the kindred experience. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a sports ball bottle holder for retaining a bottle. The sports ball bottle holder includes a skin cover forming the outermost layer of the bottle holder. A foam insert having a central cavity therein and opening at one end to receive the bottle is disposed within the skin cover. A shoulder bushing is disposed within the opening and extends into the central cavity to receive the bottle. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a sports ball bottle holder for retaining a bottle. The sports ball bottle holder includes a skin cover forming the outermost layer of the bottle holder. A foam insert having a central cavity therein and opening at one end to receive the bottle is disposed within the skin cover. A pouch lining is disposed within the central cavity for receiving the bottle. A shoulder bushing is disposed within the opening and extends into the central cavity to receive the bottle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The structure, operation, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures (FIGs.). The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, or illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a “true” cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity. 
       In the drawings accompanying the description that follows, both reference numerals and legends (labels, text descriptions) may be used to identify elements. If legends are provided, they are intended merely as an aid to the reader, and should not in any way be interpreted as limiting. 
         FIG. 1  is a front, three-dimensional view of a sports ball bottle holder being held by a toddler, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front, three-dimensional view of a sports ball bottle holder, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a front, three-dimensional view of a sports ball bottle holder complete with the bottle, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded front, three-dimensional view of a sports ball bottle holder, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a sports ball bottle holder, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a front, three-dimensional view of an alternative embodiment of a sports ball bottle holder, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a front, three-dimensional view of an alternative embodiment of a sports ball bottle holder with a bottle, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded front, three-dimensional view of an alternative embodiment of a sports ball bottle holder with a bottle, in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the description that follows, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations of these specific details are possible while still achieving the results of the present invention. Well-known processing steps are generally not described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obfuscating the description of the present invention. 
     In the description that follows, exemplary dimensions may be presented for an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The dimensions should not be interpreted as limiting. They are included to provide a sense of proportion. Generally speaking, it is the relationship between various elements, where they are located, their contrasting compositions, and sometimes their relative sizes that is of significance. 
     In the drawings accompanying the description that follows, often both reference numerals and legends (labels, text descriptions) will be used to identify elements. If legends are provided, they are intended merely as an aid to the reader, and should not in any way be interpreted as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a front three-dimensional view of the sports ball bottle holder (hereafter “bottle holder”)  10  being held by a toddler  12 . The bottle holder  10  is a sports ball shaped bottle holder adapted for retaining bottles including but not limited to baby bottles and toddlers cups, with the authentic feel of a ball, such as for example, a football, basketball, baseball, or soccer ball. The principal object of the bottle holder  10  is to provide children, including babies and toddlers, with an advanced development in hand strength, grip, and familiarity with various sports balls. The bottle holder  10  has been designed to progress the development of the child&#39;s hands, sports comprehension, and awareness while bottle feeding or drinking from a toddler cup. The bottle holder  10  accomplishes these objects by providing a bottle holder in shape and overall appearance of a sports ball. Moreover, the bottle holder  10  is scaled to fit standard sizes of baby bottles and to be comfortably gripped by the toddler  12 . 
       FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  illustrate a front three-dimensional view of the bottle holder  10 . The bottle holder  10  may have the appearance of any desired sports ball. A football shaped embodiment  14  has been illustrated in  FIG. 2 , but any desired sports ball, such as a soccer ball, baseball, softball, cricket ball, golf ball, tennis ball, volleyball, or basketball shaped embodiment  16 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5  may be utilized. The shape of the bottle holder  10  is not necessary spherical, as with most sports balls, but the shape can be ellipsoidal like that of a football shaped embodiment  14 . Furthermore, the bottle holder  10  is in a scaled size appropriate to be manufactured, constructed, or otherwise built so as to receive a range of standard baby bottle  18  sizes. For example, the football shaped embodiment may have a length between about four inches and twelve inches. 
     The scale of each bottle holder  10  may be increased or decreased in size to accommodate a plurality of popular baby bottle  18  sizes, such as five-ounce or nine-ounce bottles, both of which are two primary standard baby bottle sizes available. The diameter of the bottle older is such that a toddler can comfortably hold the bottle holder, as seen in  FIG. 1 . Further, bottle holder  10  can accommodate toddler cups (not shown). For example, a golf ball shaped bottle holder  10  would be increased from its normal size to a scale suitable for one of the baby bottle sizes mentioned previously. Similarly, a basketball shaped embodiment  16  is reduced from its normal size to a scale fitting one of the baby bottle sizes mentioned previously. A baby bottle includes a vessel  20  commonly made of polycarbonate, a teat  22  commonly made of liquid silicone rubber or natural rubber, and a coupling  24  which couples the vessel to the teat in a leak-proof manner. It is within the terms of the embodiment that a specifically designed baby bottle  18  accompanies the bottle holder  10  in sale. 
     Regardless of the shape and size of the bottle holder  10 , the elements that form the bottle holder remain the same.  FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded, partial view of the bottle holder  10 , including a skin cover  26 , an elliptically shaped foam insert  28  with a central cavity  30  therein to secure a baby bottle or toddlers cup, a pouch lining  32 , and a plastic shoulder bushing  34 . While only half of the bottle holder  10  is illustrated, it is understood that the bottle holder is shaped as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The skin cover  26  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as synthetic leather, or a plastic polymer. The skin cover  26  of the bottle holder  10  serves as the outermost layer, which reinforces the overall structure of the bottle holder. The skin cover  26  can serve as a decorative layer that includes graphic indicia or textual indicia or a combination thereof. It may have a variety of cosmetic designs or colors that embody the ball design. As seen in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the football shaped embodiment  14  of the bottle holder  10  may have a dimpled texture that resemble the dimpling pattern found on a conventional football and synthetic brown leather, complete with white laces  36  to resemble an authentic football. 
     The skin cover  26  envelopes the elliptically shaped foam insert  28 . Elliptically shaped foam insert  28  provides the shape and substance of the bottle holder  10 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , there is a bottom portion  28   a  and a top portion  28   b  of the elliptically shaped foam insert  28 . The bottom portion  28   a  has the shape of a traditional football, and comes to a point  28   c , to resemble a conventional football. The top portion  28   a  has a circular opening  38  to receive the bottle  18  to be secured within the bottle holder  10 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . The diameter d of the circular opening  38  may be a range of 1.5 inches to 4.5 inches. The diameter must be large enough to allow standard baby bottle  18  or toddler&#39;s cup to fit with the bottle holder  10 . 
     A central cavity  30  is formed within the elliptically shaped foam insert  28  and extends from circular opening  38  to a location approximately halfway down the length of the foam insert to a closed bottom end  30   c . The baby bottle  18  is placed and temporarily stored within the central cavity  30  of the foam insert  28  until the entire body of the baby bottle is completely encompassed by the bottle holder  10 . The central cavity  30  is of circular shape and may be either uniform diameter through the length of the central cavity, or may have a plurality of differing diameters, as in  FIG. 4 . As illustrated, there is a first section  30   a  extending from the bottom end  30   c  towards the circular opening  38  and a second section  30   b  of the central cavity  30  which extends between first section  30   a  and the opening  38 . Sections  30   a  and  30   b  are separated with a shoulder  30   d . Second section  30   b  has a slightly larger diameter d 1  than the diameter d 2  of the first section  30   a.    
     A pouch lining  32  lines the interior of the central cavity  30 . Pouch lining  32  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as a flexible plastic. Pouch lining  32  is designed to grip the baby bottle  18 , such that a variety of disparately sized baby bottles may be accommodated within the bottle holder  10 . Further, pouch lining  32  serves to provide a surface that is easy to clean and wash. Should there a spill or leak from the baby bottle  18 , pouch lining  32  protects the foam insert  28  of bottle holder  10 , which is not designed to absorb liquids. 
     It is within the terms of the invention that the pouch lining  32  has insulating qualities, such that the liquid within the baby bottle  18  will maintain its temperature longer while inserted in bottle holder  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a plastic shoulder bushing  34  is inserted through opening  38  and secured against the inward facing surface  30   c  of second section  30   b  of the central cavity  30 . To secure the plastic shoulder bushing  34  within the second section  30   b , the bushing may be force fitted, secured thereto with an adhesive such as glue, or any other appropriate method. Plastic shoulder bushing  34  is designed to secure the pouch lining  32  in place by placing an open end of the pouch lining between the outer surface  34   b  of the bushing and the surface  30   e  of the second section  30   b . Further, plastic shoulder bushing  34  grips the baby bottle  18 , and temporarily secures it within the bottle holder  10 . There is a lip  34   a  about the top circumference of the plastic shoulder bushing  34  to hold the bushing in place within the central cavity  30 , as seen in  FIG. 5 . 
     It is within the terms of the embodiment that there be an insert  15  to be inserted within the central opening  38  so as to close the central opening and form a complete football, so as to resemble a conventional football, as seen in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  illustrate the basketball shaped embodiment  16  of the bottle holder  60 . In this embodiment, bottle holder  60  is spherical in nature.  FIG. 8  illustrates an exploded, partial view of the bottle holder  10 , including a skin cover  40 , an spherically shaped foam insert  42  with a central cavity  44  therein to secure a baby bottle or toddlers cup, a pouch lining  46 , and a plastic shoulder bushing  48 . A baby bottle  50  is also shown in  FIG. 7 . While only half of the bottle holder  10  is illustrated, it is understood that the bottle holder is shaped as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     The skin cover  40  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as synthetic leather, or a plastic polymer. The skin cover  40  of the bottle holder  10  serves as the outermost layer, which reinforces the overall structure of the bottle holder. The skin cover  40  can serve as a decorative layer that includes graphic indicia or textual indicia or a combination thereof. It may have a variety of cosmetic designs or colors that embody the ball design. As seen in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , the basketball shaped embodiment  16  of the bottle holder  60  may have a smooth texture that resembles the pattern found on a conventional football and synthetic orange leather, to resemble an authentic basketball. 
     The skin cover  40  envelopes the spherically shaped foam insert  42 . Spherically shaped foam insert  42  provides the shape and substance of the bottle holder  60 . As seen in  FIG. 8 , there is a bottom portion  42   a  and a top portion  42   b  of the spherically shaped foam insert  28 . The bottom portion insert  42   b  has the shape of a traditional basketball, and is circular, to resemble a conventional basketball. The top portion  42   a  has a circular opening  52  to receive the bottle  50  to be secured within the bottle holder  10 , as seen in  FIG. 7 . The diameter e of the circular opening  38  may be a range of 1.5 inches to 4.5 inches The diameter must be large enough to allow standard baby bottle  50  or toddlers cup to fit with the bottle holder  60 . 
     A central cavity  44  is formed within the spherically shaped foam insert  42  and extends from circular opening  52  to a location approximately halfway down the length of the foam insert to a closed bottom end  44   c . The baby bottle  50  is placed and temporarily stored within the central cavity  44  of the foam insert  42  until the entire body of the baby bottle is completely encompassed by the bottle holder  60 . The central cavity  44  is of circular shape and may be either uniform diameter through the length of the central cavity, or may have a plurality of differing diameters, as in  FIG. 8 . As illustrated, there is a first section  44   a  extending from the bottom portion insert  42   b  towards the circular opening  52  and a second section  44   b  of the central cavity  44  which extends between section  44   a  and the opening  52 . Sections  44   a  and  44   b  are separated with a shoulder  44   d . Second section  44   b  has a slightly larger diameter e 1  than the diameter e 2  of the first section  44   a.    
     A pouch lining  46  lines the interior of the central cavity  44 . Pouch lining  46  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as a flexible plastic. Pouch lining  46  is designed to grip the baby bottle  50 , such that a variety of disparately sized baby bottles may be accommodated within the bottle holder  60 . Further, pouch lining  46  serves to provide a surface that is easy to clean and wash. Should there a spill or leak from the baby bottle  50 , pouch lining  46  protects the foam insert  42  of bottle holder  60 , which is not designed to absorb liquids. 
     It is within the terms of the invention that the pouch lining  46  has insulating qualities, such that the liquid within the baby bottle  50  will maintain its temperature longer while inserted in bottle holder  60 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , a plastic shoulder bushing  48  is inserted through opening  52  and secured against the inward facing surface  44   c  of second section  44   b  of the central cavity  44 . To secure the plastic shoulder bushing  48  within the second section  44   b , the bushing may be force fitted, secured thereto with an adhesive such as glue, or any other appropriate method. Plastic shoulder bushing  48  is designed to secure the pouch lining  46  in place by placing an open end of the pouch lining between the outer surface  48   b  of the bushing and the surface  44   e  of the second section  44   b . Further, plastic shoulder bushing  48  grips the baby bottle  50 , and temporarily secures it within the bottle holder  60 . There is a lip  48   a  about the top circumference of the plastic shoulder bushing  48  to hold the bushing in place within the central cavity  44 , as seen in  FIG. 8 . 
     It is within the terms of the embodiment that there be an insert to be inserted within the central opening attached to the bottle holder  60  adjacent to the second section  44   b  of the central cavity  44 . The function of this insert is to form a complete basketball, so as to resemble a conventional basketball. 
     It is within the terms of the embodiment that there be an insert  49  to be inserted within the central opening  52  so as to close the central opening and form a complete basketball, so as to resemble a conventional basketball, as seen in  FIG. 6 . 
     Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain preferred embodiment or embodiments, certain equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (assemblies, devices, etc.) the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more features of the other embodiments as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.