Holder for a container

Description

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/296,577, filed Jan. 20, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of drink holders in vehicles and boats and more particularly for holders in the vehicles and boats for vacuum bottle or similar type containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Holders for items in a vehicle have greatly increased in the past few years. Holders for items such as cup, maps, change, etc. are found in most cars. These holders have not however expanded into vehicles for the work environment such as construction equipment and commercial truck. The reason for this is that the holders must be specifically designed for the type of vehicles and must meet the working man's need. Applicant has specifically designed a holder for the construction industry and commercial truck. The holder is designed to hold a vacuum bottle or similar container that is commonly used to carry coffee and other drinks by construction workers. Regular cup holders are not sufficient in a work environment. The applicant has designed a holder for a container that can be used for a vehicle in the workplace. The holder can be easily attached to a vehicle by a set of screws or other securing means. The holder has been designed to be easily manufactured and inexpensive. It can be made out of plastic by vacuum forming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The article of manufacture is a holder for a container that is normally used in a vehicle. The holder has a base with a ridge that almost completely encircles the base. The ridge almost completely encircles a cavity in the base. Along the side of the cavity, C shaped clamping devices are attached. The C shaped clamping devices are of sufficient strength so that when a container is placed within the cavity the container will be held securely within the cavity by the C shaped clamping devices. The base is attached to a vehicle by screws passing through openings in the bottom of the base.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the features of the inventions.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with the container within the cavity.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view features of the invention with a container within the cavity.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention.

FIG. 3A is a top view of features of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4A is a sectional view along the line A-A of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the C shaped clamping device.

FIG. 6 is a view of the C shaped clamping device attached to the invention at point A-A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the lines B-B of FIG. 3 and a sectional view along line C-C of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7A is a sectional view along the lines B-B of FIG. 3A and a sectional view along line C-C of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8A is a sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of additional features of the inventions.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view with a container within the cavity.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

This invention is directed to a holder for a container such as a vacuum bottle. The holder is designed to be used primarily in vehicles. The features of the invention will be more completely understood by referring to the attached drawings in connection with the following description.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 shows the base 10. FIG. 1 also shows the C shaped clamping devices 12 and 14. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention with a container 16 held within. FIG. 1 shows the base 10 shape. The holder can be used with a variety of different containers. For the sake of explanation, however, a vacuum bottle style container is used as a representative container. It should be understood that other types of containers can be used with the invention. In the preferred embodiment, base 10 is molded from a single sheet of plastic. In the preferred embodiment base 10 is molded by vacuum molding. Base 10 shows a ridge 26 that nearly encircles the base 10 around its perimeter. The ridge 26 nearly encircles a container shaped cavity 18. The container shaped cavity 18, which is molded in base 10, is in the shape of the container to be secured in the holder 1. The cavity 18 should engage at least the sides of the container to assist in retaining the container in the holder. The cavity does not, however, engage the container to an extent that makes it difficult to remove the container from the holder. Ridge 26 encircles three sides of the thermos shaped cavity 18. C shaped clamping devices 12, 14 can be positioned on either side of the cavity 18. Ridge 26 does not enclose the end 20 of the cavity 18. A flange 24 extends from the end of the base 10 that is spaced apart from the ridge 26. The flange provides a wider surface for the holder 1 to improve the stability when the holder is positioned on a surface. As shown in FIG. 2 when the container 16 is placed in the cavity 18 the top of the container 16 can extend beyond the end 20 which enables an individual who wishes to remove the container from the holder to easily grip the vacuum bottle by its cap and remove the vacuum bottle 16 from the holder 1. The C shaped clamping devices 12, 14 are disposed to releasably engage the container 16. The C shaped clamping devices are designed to retain the container in the cavity 18 until it is desired to remove the container. The C shaped clamping devices 12, 14 are made of resilient material and can be displaced to allow the container 16 to be positioned in and removed from the cavity 18.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1A shows the shape of the base 11. FIG. 1A also shows the C shaped clamping devices 13 and 15 that are the same as and function in the same way as previously described C shaped clamping devices 12, 14. FIG. 2A is the perspective view of the second embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1A with the container 16 held within. As in the first embodiment base 11 is molded from a single sheet of plastic. In the preferred embodiment base 11 is molded by vacuum molding. Base 11 shows a ridge 27 that completely encircles the base 11 around its parameter. Ridge 27 completely encircles cavity 19. The difference between the first and second embodiments is that ridge 27 completely encircles the shaped cavity 19 in the second embodiment. The holder shown in FIG. 1A has a flange 25 that extends from the base 11 in the same manner as the flange 24 described with respect to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a top view of the second embodiment. FIGS. 3 and 3A shows on the bottom of the cavity 18, 19 are two openings 28 and 30. Through these openings 28 and 30 screws or other securing devices are placed to attach the holder 1 to the interior of a vehicle. Other securing devices such as Velcro, magnets, two sided tape or other suitable securing means can be used to secure the holder 1 to a vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows sectional views along the lines A-A of FIG. 3 for the first embodiment and FIG. 4A shows sectional views along the lines A-A of FIG. 3A for the second embodiment. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 4A the shape of the section A-A in both FIGS. 4 and 4A are exactly the same. The bottom 36 of the cavity at section A-A is flat. The sides 38 of the cavity 18, 19 at section A-A extend upward diagonally for a short distances shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A openings 50 and 52 in the side 38 of the cavity 18, 19. The openings are positioned to allow bolts 46 or other securing means to extend through the C shaped clamps 12-15 to secure the C shaped clamps to the base 10, 11. The openings 50, 52 are positioned on each side of the cavity 18, 19 and the C shaped clamping devices can be positioned on either side of the cavity. The top 40 of the sides of the cavity 18 and 19 at section A-A then extend vertically. FIGS. 4 and 4A shows the shape of the cavity 18, 19 at the point at which the C shaped clamping devices 12 and 13 are attached. The shape of the cavity 18, 19 at the point where the C shaped clamping devices 13 and 15 are attached is the same as the shape of the area of the cavity 18, 19 where the C shaped clamping devices 12 and 14 are attached.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the C shaped clamping device 12 which is exactly the same shape as C shaped clamping devices 13, 14 and 15. The C shaped clamping device 12 has a flat bottom 42 that fits against the bottom 36 of the cavities 18 or 19 at section A-A as shown in FIGS. 4 and 4A. FIG. 6 shows a side view of the C shaped clamping device 12 that is attached to the cavity 18, 19 along sectional line A-A. From the flat bottom 42 the C shaped clamping device a side 44 extends upward diagonally to match the shape of the cavity 18, 19, and diagonal side 38 of the base 10. The C shaped clamping device fits against the bottom 36 and side 44 tightly. The diagonally upward section 44 of the C shaped clamping device has an opening 22. Through this opening 22 a screw or bolt 46 is placed. The screw or bolt is also placed through openings 50 and 52 in the side 38 of the cavity 18, 19 as shown in FIG. 6. A nut 47 is tightened on the threaded area of the screw 46 to hold the C shaped clamping devices 12, 13, 14, and 15 securely in place against the cavity. The C shaped clamping devices 12, 13, 14, and 15 extends from the side 44 generally away from the cavity 18, 19 in a curved shape 54. At the very end of the curved shaped clamping devices 12, 13, 14, and 15, that is spaced apart from the cavity 18, 19 the C shaped clamping devices 12, 13, 14, and 15 form a hook 56. The hook 56 provides a surface that can be used to hold the clamp to assist in the placement and removal of the container 16 with respect to the holder. In the preferred embodiment the C shaped clamping devices 12, 13, 14, and 15 are made of plastic however they can be made of any substance that has sufficient strength and flexibility to hold a container 16 within the cavity 18, 19. In the preferred embodiment, two C shaped clamping devices 12, 13, 14, and 15 are disposed within the cavity 18, 19 as described above. One or three clamps could also be used. As openings 50, 52, for mounting the C shaped clamps 12-15, are positioned on each side of the cavity, the C shaped clamps can be secured to either side of the cavity. The choice of position for the C shaped clamp increases the flexibility of where the holder can be positioned and still be conveniently used.

FIG. 7 shows sectional views along the lines B-B and C-C of FIG. 3 for the first embodiment and FIG. 7A shows sectional view along the lines B-B and C-C of FIG. 3A for the second embodiment. FIG. 8 shows sectional views along the lines D-D of FIG. 3 for the first embodiment and FIG. 8A shows sectional views along the lines D-D of FIG. 3A for the second embodiment. Section B-B is almost exactly the same as section A-A. Section C-C has a round bottom 60 and the bottom 60 is higher than flat bottom 36 of section A-A shown in FIGS. 4 and 4A. FIGS. 8 and 8A also show round bottom 60 being higher than flat bottom 36. The reason for this is flat bottom 36 contains openings 28 and 30 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A for screws to attach the invention to the interior of a vehicle. The elevated position of round bottom 60 cause the thermos 16 to be elevated above the flat bottom 36 so as to not make contact with the screws that fit within openings 28 and 30.

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 shows another feature of the invention where a single clamp 72 is positioned on the base 10, 11 of the holder 1. The single clamp 72 extends along a significant portion of the container 16 and functions in the same manner and has the same basic shape as the C shaped clamp 12-15 previously described. The single clamp 72 is held in place on either side of the base 10 11 with securing means that use the same openings 50, 52 as previously described. The end of the single clamp 72 has a hook 76 that is similar in shape and function as the hook 56 described for clamping devices 12-15. The sides 76 of the cavity 18, 19 have a larger recess 70 to accept the larger one piece clamp 72. In operation the holder 1 is secured to a vehicle using the securing means that pass through openings 28, 30 in the bottom of the cavity 18, 19. Once the holder is secured in place, a container 16 is positioned in the cavity 18, 19 by displacing the C shaped clamps 12-15, 72. The side 38 of the cavity and the C shaped clamp engage the container and removably secures the container on the holder. To remove the container 16, it is necessary to displace the C shaped clamp to release the container from the recess. The C shaped clamp can be displaced by gripping the container and applying a displacing force against the C shaped clamp with the container. Alternatively, the hook 56, 76 on the end of the C shaped clamp can be engaged to displace the C shaped clamp away from the container to allow the container to be removed from the holder. The positioning and removal of the container on the holder can be repeated to satisfy the needs of the user. The cavity and C shaped clamping device releasably secures the container 16 on the holder 1 with sufficient force that the holder can be mounted in any orientation on a vehicle. The ability to position the holder in different positions greatly enhances the usability and convenience of the holder. The above detailed description of the present invention is given for explanatory purposes. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the whole of the foregoing description is to be construed in an illustrative and not a limitative sense, the scope of the invention being defined solely by the appended claims.