Patent Publication Number: US-2020299021-A1

Title: Attachment for gardening equipment for storing fluids

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application relates to, and claims priority from, U.S. Prov. Pat. No. 62/821,560, filed on Mar. 21, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to an attachment for gardening equipment for storing fluids, and more particularly, for an attachment that includes a reservoir for containing fluid (e.g., fuel or beverage). 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Gardening and lawnmowing often involve the use of specialized machinery, such as, handheld stick equipment (e.g., string trimmers, edgers, and shaft hedge trimmers). Such equipment typically uses fuel such as gasoline. As the machinery often has high rates of fuel consumption and relatively small fuel tanks, when operating such machinery on large plots of land, refueling may be necessary prior to the completion of a job. 
     In addition, because gardening and lawnmowing is relatively labor intensive, the operators of the machinery exert a lot of energy. As with any labor-intensive activity that is physically strenuous, it is important to remain hydrated. However, carrying beverages while also needing to have one&#39;s hands available to operate the machinery may be difficult or inconvenient. 
     The presently disclosure addresses the above discussed disadvantages of the conventional art. 
     ASPECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An attachment for a gardening equipment may include: a cylindrical structure, including: a housing including a hollow interior defining a reservoir for storing fluid; a channel formed along a length of the housing; a pair of protrusions including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, each of the first and second protrusions being juxtaposed relative to one another and extending along a length of the channel; and wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion defines a gap therebetween, the gap defining an unbiased width and a second width which is greater than the first width during placement of the cylindrical structure of the gardening equipment within the channel formed along the length of the housing. 
     The housing is formed from a material that is capable of small deflections such that when the cylindrical structure is inserted into the channel, the channel flexes to accommodate the cylindrical structure and grips the cylindrical structure. The housing may have a unitary structure. 
     A pair of opposing protrusions may extend lengthwise along a length of the channel, the pair of opposing protrusions configured to secure the cylindrical structure within the channel when the cylindrical structure is placed within the channel. The channel may define an arc defining a nadir. The partially hollow interior may define a reservoir for storing fluid is positioned adjacent to the nadir of the arc and does not extend along opposing sides of the arc. The housing may include a pair of tapered surfaces at opposing ends of the channel, the pair of tapered surfaces tapering toward a midpoint of length of the channel, thereby providing surfaces that may be grasped when removing the attachment from the gardening equipment to facilitate a quicker detachment therefrom. 
     These and other aspects of the present disclosure are more fully described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a string trimmer showing a fluid storage holder in accordance with the present disclosure partially secured thereto. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a fluid storage holder in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2B  is a side view of the fluid storage holder of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of another fluid storage holder in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3B  is another perspective view of the fluid storage holder of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cap configured to releasably cap an opening of the fluid storage holders of  FIGS. 2A-3B . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention. Wherever possible, same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. The drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. 
     Embodiments of fluid storage holders  100 , and the use thereof, are described with respect to  FIGS. 1-4 . Said fluid storage holders are referred to generally as fluid storage holders  100 . A first embodiment of a fluid storage holder  100 A is shown in  FIGS. 2A-2B  and a second embodiment of a fluid storage holder  100 B is shown in  FIGS. 3A-3B . The fluid storage holders  100 A and  100 B include many of the same features and only differ in the ways that are discussed herein. 
     Handheld stick equipment, such as a string trimmer  10  which is shown in  FIG. 1  typically include an elongated, tube-like or cylindrical structure  11  onto which the presently disclosed fluid storage holder  100  may be releasably coupled. Other examples of such handheld stick equipment may include edgers and shaft hedge trimmers. 
     As discussed, the fluid storage holders  100  are configured to be releasably secured to a tubular structure. Any structure having an appropriate configuration (e.g., dimension and shape) corresponding to attachment means of the fluid storage holder  100  may be utilized for releasably coupling the fluid storage holder  100  to the gardening equipment. As discussed above, the gardening equipment  10  include tubular structures  11  and such structures may be a suitable spot for which to secure the fluid storage holders  100  to the gardening equipment  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1A-1B . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a conventional lawnmower  20  is shown which includes a frame  22  which may have a tubular or cylindrical shape to which the fluid storage holder  100  may be releasably secured. 
     A first embodiment of a fluid storage holder  100 A is described with respect to  FIGS. 2A-2B . As shown best in  FIGS. 2A-2B , the fluid storage holder  100 A includes an annulus  102  which leads to the hollow interior or reservoir of the fluid storage holder  100 A. 
     The fluid storage holder  100 A may include a channel  112  that extends along the length of the fluid storage holder  100 A. The channel  112  may have a semi-annular shape such that when a tube or cylinder (e.g., a tube or cylinder of gardening machinery or device such as the gardening equipment  10  or the lawnmower  20 ) is placed within the channel  112 , the channel  112  approximates the shape of the tube or cylinder of the gardening machinery or device. The fluid storage holder  100 A may be formed from a plastic or polymer or metal and may be integrally formed. Preferably, the material forming the fluid storage holder  100 A is capable of small deflections such that when the tube of the machinery is pushed within the channel  112 , the channel  112  flexes to accommodate the tube and snuggly receives the tube within the channel  112 . Preferably, the dimension of the channel  112  may be slightly smaller than that of the tube such that during insertion of the tube into the channel  112 , the channel  112  flexes and squeezes the tube therein as the channel  112  is biased toward its initial slightly smaller dimension, thereby tightly securing the fluid storage holder  100 A along the length of the tube. 
     In addition, a first protrusion  114  and a second protrusion  116  may extend along the length of the channel  112  such that during insertion of the tube, the tube pushes against the first protrusion  114  and the second protrusion  116  and causes a gap between the first protrusion  114  and the second protrusion  116  to increase somewhat in width. Upon urging of the tube of the machinery to enter the channel  112 , the tube of the machinery ultimately clears the protrusions  114 ,  116 , approximates the channel  112  (i.e., lies relatively flush against the curve of the channel  112 ), and the gap between the first and second protrusions  114 ,  116  lessens as the material forming the channel biases the first and second protrusions  114 ,  116  back toward the initial, undeformed state. 
     The fluid storage holder  100 A may be shaped generally or partially as a polygon having a plurality of sides  104 ,  106 ,  108 , and  110 ; however, other shapes or configurations are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The edges between the sides  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  may be rounded such that there are no sharp edges for both aesthetic and safety reasons. The shape of the fluid storage holder  100 A, as well as other visual indicia such as color may provide an indication as to the contents of the fluid or liquid contained within the fluid storage holder  100 A. In addition, or alternatively, the first storage holder  100 A may be partially or entirely formed from a clear or translucent material such that both the type and volume of the contents contained therein can be readily ascertained. 
     Another fluid storage holder  100 B, as shown in  FIGS. 4A-4B , except that surfaces  118  and  120  at opposing ends of the holder  100 B (i.e., the surface  120  is near a proximal end P and the surface  118  is near a distal end D) may be tapered or be angled from the proximal end P and the distal end D in a direction toward the center of the fluid storage holder  100 B. These tapered surfaces  118 ,  120  may provide a distinguishing shape from the other fluid storage holder  100 A and may also provide surfaces on which a user may provide a pulling force to disengage the fluid storage holder  100 B from the tube of the gardening machinery to which the fluid storage holder  100 B had been secured. 
     As discussed, both the fluid storage holder  100 A and  100 B have substantially or partially hollow interiors or reservoirs in which fluid or liquid may be contained and include an annulus  102  (which may be of any shape) which serves as an inlet/outlet to/from the hollow interior or reservoir. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a cap  122 , which has a corresponding shape to the annulus  102  is illustrated; the cap  122  may be releasably secured to the annulus  102 . 
     In some embodiments, the fluid storage holders  100 A and  100 B may be partially hollow to form the reservoir and/or may include an internal lining that lines the reservoir walls or a separate bottle disposed within the housing and contained within the reservoir. For example, the reservoir may be lined with a plastic or a glass lining or another lining for hygienic reasons. For example, the lining may have antimicrobial properties when drinking fluids or stored therein or for example, in cases where fuel may be stored, the lining may have anticorrosive properties or may serve to strengthen or prevent puncture of the reservoirs. 
     In some embodiments, the hollow interior forming the reservoir may be disposed in a position that is adjacent relative to a nadir of the channel  112  such that when the channel  112  is flexed, flexing of the reservoir is minimized such that, for example, in cases where there may be a glass or plastic or other lining, the lining is not weakened over time from such usage and flexing of the channel  112 . In other words, as shown in  FIG. 2B , the housing may be divided into an area above line A-A which defines the reservoir within the housing and another area along the sides of the channel  112 , thereby minimizing flexing of the reservoir and the potential for damage to any lining or glass which may be lining the reservoir. 
     During use, the fluid storage holder  100 A,  100 B may be snap fit onto a suitable tubular or cylindrical structure of the gardening machinery or equipment to releasably secure the fluid storage holder  100 A,  100 B to the equipment. Pulling on fluid storage holder  100 A,  100 B effects or causes disengagement of the fluid storage holder  100 A,  100 B from the equipment. A plurality of fluid storage holders  100 A,  100 B may be releasably secured to the same piece of gardening equipment and visual indicia, such as coloring, may be provided to provide an indication of the type of fluid contained within each of the fluid storage holders  100 A,  100 B such that a user or gardener G would readily determine which fluid storage holder  100 A,  100 B contains, for example, water and which contains, for example, fuel. 
     Having described at least one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent to those skills that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various modifications and variations can be made in the presently disclosed system without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.