Abstract:
An insulating and securable object holder comprising a solid insulator for holding the object coupled with a flexible material that extends downwardly past the rubber insulator protruding radially to form a flexible skirt. The holder protects, insulates, and secures differently-sized objects to smooth and semi-smooth non-porous surfaces by a vacuum created when the holder is firmly pressed down onto a non-porous surface.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This is a non-provisional application relating to the content of, and claiming priority to, U.S. Patent Application No. 60/695,523, filed Jun. 30, 2005, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates to an insulating object holder that is securable to a surface. The object holder may hold an object, such as a cell phone or a drink container, in an upright position and allow for the object to be removed from the holder at the user&#39;s convenience.  
         [0004]     2. Background Information  
         [0005]     Numerous inventions have been directed to devices for keeping a beverage a desired temperature while not spilling the beverage. The prior art in this area, however, is replete with limitations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,764 discloses a two-part device that comprises a cylindrical sleeve and a flexible base, both made of nitrile. The tubular and flat flexible base is removably attached to the outside wall of the cylindrical sleeve, thus allowing the device to float in an aqueous environment. The device, however, is not securable to prevent spilling of contained fluids or to prevent the loss of an object held thereby.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,575 teaches a cylindrical sleeve with a suction cup disposed thereunder. The sleeve is the same size as the base, which reduces stability. Moreover, the suction cup is positioned at the bottom center of the container holder instead of the side of the bottom sidewalls. The placement of the suction cup is obscured by the legs and does not allow for easy removal.  
         [0007]     U.S Pat. No. 6,571,976 discloses an insulated container sleeve with a suction base. The sleeve contains a flexible concave base that extends downward past the edges of the sleeve. This device allows for a container to be placed inside the sleeve. Once the container is placed inside the sleeve, the base can be pressed firmly against a surface to force the air from the base and create a vacuum. The device, however, cannot maintain a vacuum when the container is removed from the sleeve.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,374 contains the same limitations as the preceding patent. The device has an opening through a flexible material extending from the top to the bottom thereof. Inserting an object into the top of the device creates a seal at one end. The other end comprises flexible lips at the bottom that, when pressed against a surface, create a sealed suction chamber. Because the seal is formed using the container, once the container is removed, the vacuum is lost and the stability of the device is reduced.  
         [0009]     The present invention addresses these and other problems apparent from prior art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention, a securable insulating object holder, helps to maintain beverage temperature by surrounding an object with foam insulation. Moreover, the invention may be secured to a non-porous surface to provide stability during transport (e.g., road travel or boat travel).  
         [0011]     The holder&#39;s wider base provides greater stability than the prior art. Moreover, the holder also offers the added protection of adhering to a surface by creating a vacuum. According to one embodiment, the holder can maintain the vacuum without the need for a beverage container being inserted into the cylindrical insulator like other similar devices. These features help prevent the loss of the object when the individual places the holder down without a container inserted. The holder is not limited to containing beverage containers, as other objects may also be held thereby. The holder may be removed after the vacuum has been created with the surface by lifting the flexible skirt, thus breaking the seal between the holder and the surface.  
         [0012]     The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a hollow cylinder having a closed bottom with a skirt encircling and affixed to the perimeter of the cylinder, the skirt defining a sealable chamber. The skirt is affixed to the cylinder by an adhesive, stitching, or other means sufficient to form a seal therebetween so that a vacuum created within the sealable chamber will be maintained.  
         [0013]     One feature of the invention includes a passage through the closed bottom from inside the cylinder into the chamber. The passage must be sealed for the vacuum to form, although the passage may be plugged by the held object (e.g., a drink can) or an insertable plug.  
         [0014]     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cylinder is made of foam rubber and the skirt from neoprene, although any materials sufficient for forming and maintaining a seal between the holder and a surface may be used.  
         [0015]     According to another embodiment of the invention, the object holder further comprises a cylindrical bottom member with a side surface attached to the inner surface of the cylinder. In this embodiment, the bottom member serves to close off one end of the cylinder. Similar to the preferred embodiment, the bottom member may further comprise a passage therein extending from inside of the hollow cylinder to the sealable chamber.  
         [0016]     When the object holder is pressed firmly against a flat or semi-flat surface, air is forced from the chamber defined by the closed bottom, the skirt, and the surface, which creates a vacuum within the chamber that secures the object holder to the surface due to the pressure differential between the chamber and atmospheric pressure. When the holder creates this differential, the seal is continuous. According to one aspect of the invention, the vacuum is maintained when objects are added or removed, but can be broken by lifting the skirt and breaking the seal.  
         [0017]     The holder may be secured by a vacuum to smooth and semi-smooth surfaces. The surface does not need to be flat for the device to contort and still create a vacuum. However, the surface must be non-porous for the holder to be secured thereto by means of the created vacuum. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     The present invention, as well as further objects, aspects; and features thereof, are more clearly and fully set forth in the following description of the preferred embodiment, which should be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of the present invention with a beverage container therein;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  depicts a side view of the present invention with a cellular phone therein;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the present invention along Line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  shows a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  depicts a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention along Line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 6 ; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  shows a top view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]      FIG. 1  illustrates the present invention, a securable insulating object holder  1  that comprises a hollow cylinder  3  and a flexible skirt  5  that protrudes radially outwardly past the base of the cylinder  3 . The holder  1  contains a soda can S while secured to a surface  10  with the skirt  5  fully extended so that the sealing surface  18  of the skirt  5  substantially contacts the surface  10 . As shown by  FIG. 2 , the holder may hold a cell phone C or other objects therein.  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  show the cylinder  3  of the preferred embodiment having a closed bottom  20  and an opened top  22 , in addition to an inner surface  24  and an outer surface  26 . The skirt  5  encircles and is affixed to the perimeter of the cylinder  3 , partially defining a sealable chamber  28  from which air will be forced to form a vacuum therein, and which is further defined by the bottom surface  30  of the cylinder  3 . The skirt  5  may be affixed to the outer surface  26  by adhesive or stitching, or any other means suitable to prevent air from entering the chamber  28  at the junction of the skirt  5  to the cylinder  3 .  
         [0027]     As shown by  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , an alternative embodiment of the holder  1  further comprises a cylindrical bottom member  4  having a side surface  32  shaped to attach to the inner surface  24  of the hollow cylinder  3 . The altitude, or thickness, of the bottom member  4  is less than the altitude of the cylinder  3 . To maximize holding space of the holder  1 , the base of the bottom member  34  is substantially flush with the bottom surface  30  of the cylinder  3 .  
         [0028]     In this embodiment, a passage  36  extends through the bottom member  4  into the sealable chamber  28  and the inside of the cylinder  3 . To be secured to the surface  10  (not shown) when the holder  1  is pressed downwardly to force air from the chamber  28 , the passage  36  must be filled, either by a portion of the object being held (such as the soda can S or the cellular phone C shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , respectively) or by a plug  38  that may be inserted into the passage  36  to prevent air from flowing there through.  
         [0029]     Ideally, the cylinder  3  is made from foam rubber, although other insulating and non-porous materials may be used. In an embodiment comprising a bottom member  4 , foam rubber is also an ideal material for manufacture of the bottom member  4 , although other insulating and non-porous materials may be used. The skirt  5  is preferably neoprene, but, as with the cylinder  3  and bottom member  4 , other non-porous materials may be used.  
         [0030]     Although dimensional variations of the present invention may exists, according to one embodiment, the inner surface  24  of the cylinder  3  has a diameter of six to seven centimeters, and the cylinder  3  itself an altitude of between nine and ten centimeters. These dimensions provide a snug and effective fit for a standard-sized soda can, as shown in  FIG. 1 . Moreover, according to this embodiment, the skirt  5  is sized to provide a sealing surface  18  of between one and two centimeters in width that completely encircles the cylinder  3  when the cylinder  3  has been secured to a surface  10 , although generally a larger width of the sealing surface  18  increases stability of the holder  1  due to more surface area contacting the surface  10 .  
         [0031]     When the object holder  1  is pressed firmly against a flat or semi-flat surface  10  (shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ), air is forced from the chamber  28  defined by the skirt  5 , bottom surface  30 , and surface  10 , which creates a vacuum within the chamber  28  that secures the object holder  1  to the surface  10 . When the holder  1  forms a vacuum, the seal is continuous, but can be broken by lifting the skirt  5  and breaking the seal.  
         [0032]     The present invention is described above in terms of a preferred illustrative embodiment in which a specifically described securable insulating object holder is described. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative constructions of such an object holder can be used in carrying out the present invention. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings, along with the appended claims.