POP-UP BOTTLE TOPPER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional patent application US 63/704,771, filed on October 8, 2024, a copy of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the pop-up bottle topper of the present disclosure and related inventions includes a collar having a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end, and a pop-up structure attached to the first open end of the collar. The pop-up structure and collar can simultaneously move between a first, folded position and a second unfolded position and the second open end of the collar is configured to be placed over the neck of a bottle.

In another embodiment, the pop-up bottle topper includes a collar having a first open end opposite a second open end, and a pop-up structure attached to the first open end of the collar. The pop-up structure and collar can move between a first, folded, substantially flat position and a second, unfolded, upright position, and the second open end of the collar is operable to be placed atop the neck of a bottle.

In still another embodiment, the pop-up bottle topper includes a collar having a first open end opposite a second open end, a first pop-up structure attached to the first open end of the collar, and a second pop-up structure attached to the second open end of the collar. Each of the collar, the first pop-up structure, and the second pop-up structure can move between a first, folded, substantially flat position, and a second, unfolded, upright position, and the second end of the collar is operative to be placed over the top of a bottle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper (in an unfolded state) with bottle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 with Pop-Up Bottle Topper removed from bottle.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 1, without bottle

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3

FIG. 5 is a front view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 9 - 14 are various pieces of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 3, in a folded position.

FIG. 16 is a right side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a left side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 is a top view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 15.

FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 15.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of the present invention, in an unfolded position.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21, atop a bottle.

FIG. 23 is a left side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21.

FIG. 25 is a right side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21.

FIG. 26 is a top view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21.

FIG. 27 is a bottom view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21, in a folded position.

FIG. 29 is a left side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a front view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a right side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 28.

FIG. 32 is a top view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 28.

FIG. 33 is a bottom view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 28.

FIGS. 34 - 40 are various pieces of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 21.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper, in an unfolded position.

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 41 with first pop-up removed from second pop-up.

FIG. 43 is a front view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 41.

FIG. 44 is a top view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 41.

FIG. 45 is a bottom view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 41.

FIG. 46 is a close-up of FIG. 44 from the perspective of line 6-6.

FIGS. 47 - 55 are various pieces of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 41.

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper, in an unfolded position, atop a bottle.

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56 with a first pop-up removed from a second pop-up.

FIG. 58 is a close-up view of a portion of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 57.

FIG. 59 is a perspective view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56.

FIG. 60 is a front view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56.

FIG. 61 is a left side view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56.

FIG. 62 is a top view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56.

FIG. 63 is a bottom view of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56.

FIGS. 64 - 77 are various pieces of the Pop-Up Bottle Topper of FIG. 56.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Current gift packaging options for bottles are limited to bottle-sized gift bags or a flat tag or decorative sign attached around the neck of the bottle. The pop-up bottle topper (“bottle topper”) of the present disclosure and related inventions is a novel way to gift a bottled beverage (or other bottled matter or material) to a recipient. The bottle topper can take on many different shapes and sizes and may be specifically designated for a specific event such as a birthday, wedding, or other celebratory or congratulatory event. The various embodiments of this invention range from simple to complex.

The pop-up structures described in relation to the present disclosure and related inventions, include a plurality paper elements or panels that are folded, coupled, and intersected to create a three-dimensional pop-up structure. The pop-up structures are assembled using various folds, notches cutouts, slots, and tabs on various the pop-up panels. The pop-up structures can be of any type including, but not limited to, parallel, pop-out, v-fold, slice form, box or cylinder, floating layer, or cut-out.

Each of the four (4) exemplary embodiments of the bottle topper 100, 200, 300, 400 disclosed herein and shown in the Figures, include a pop-up structure that can move between a first position, where the pop-up is in a folded, stacked, substantially flat configuration and a second position, where the pop-up is in an unfolded, upright, 3D configuration. When the bottle topper is in the first position, it can easily be placed into an envelope for storage or for mailing. When the bottle topper is in the second position, it can be placed over the top of a bottle as a decorative topper. The bottle topper is also reusable as the bottle recipient can remove the bottle topper and store it in the first, folded position until needed for a fun, celebratory addition to any bottled gift. The pop-up panels of each pop-up structures have an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. Both the inner and outer surfaces may contain printing thereon, such as, for example, text sentiment, drawings, photos or any other conceivable printed matter, which may be themed or have a design appropriate for a particular holiday or event. Printing on both the inner and outer surfaces allows for the bottle topper to be seen and enjoyed from any angle. The edges of each pop-up panels may have a decorative or ornate shape which may include linear and non-linear portions and may contain one (1) or more cutouts CO thereon. Each pop-up panel may be shaped differently from all the other pop-up panels, or they may all have the same shape, or some may have the same shape while others do not.

In a first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 - 20, the pop-up structure POP1 is of the slice form variety, having a plurality of pop-up panels P1 arranged in an interlocking arrangement. Each pop-up panel P1 contains at least two (2) slots thereon, one slot being an upward-facing slot (open end at a higher elevation than the closed end) SU1 and one slot being a downward facing slot (open end at a lower elevation than the closed end) SD1, which facilitate the interlocking connection of the pop-up panels P1. Some pop-up panels P1 may also contain slots which are interior to the panel P1 but do not extend to the edges of the panel P1. When connected, the pop-up panels P1 intersect, creating an interlocking, 3D, pop-up structure POP1, shown in FIG. 3. The pop-up panels P1 interlock by placing a downward facing slot (inverted U-shaped) SD1 of each panel P1 onto an upward facing slot (U-shaped) SU1 of another panel P1. The pop-up panels P1 may be separate, distinct panels, or they may be part of a single, unitary panel which is divided into separate panels by folding the panel along one or more fold lines F. The interlocked panels P1 of the pop-up structure 100 create at least one square-shaped structure at the center thereof, as shown in FIG. 7, which is formed by the intersecting pop-up panels P1. The constructed pop-up structure POP1 is attached to a collar C1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 14, which facilitates attachment of the bottle topper 100 to a bottle B, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The collar C1 has an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. Both the inner and outer surfaces may contain printing thereon, such as, for example, text sentiment, drawings, photos or any other conceivable printed matter, which may be themed or have a design appropriate for a particular holiday or event. The collar C1 has a first side S1 opposite a second side S2 and a third side S3 opposite a fourth side S4. The first and second sides S1, S2 are equal in length while the third side S3 is shorter than the fourth side S4, creating a substantially wedge-shaped panel. Each of the edges may be linear or non-linear, such as, for example, the scalloped edge shown in FIG. 14. The collar C1 is assembled by attaching the first side to the second side (using tab T), creating a cone-like structure having a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end, with the first open end being larger than the second open end. The edge of the second, smaller, open end of the collar C1 contain a plurality of downward facing (inverted U-shaped) slots SL thereon which provide flexibility in inserting the collar C1 over differing sized bottle B tops. At the closed end of each slot SL is a small circular aperture A which prevents each slot SL from ripping or tearing into the collar C1. The pop-up structure POP1 is attached to the first open end (wider opening) of the collar C1. As noted above, the second open end of the collar C1 is operative to be placed over the top of a bottle B, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Also noted above, the pop-up bottle topper 100 can be folded flat, as shown in FIGS. 15 - 20. Applying pressure to opposing sides of the collar C1 moves the pop-up into the unfolded, upright position, shown in FIG. 3. One of the pop-up panels P1 may contain a notch N1 thereon with which a separate pop-up panel P1 may engage (see FIG. 15) to keep the pop-up 100 in the open position. Removing said panel P1 from the notch N1 and gently applying pressure to the collar C1 allows the pop-up 100 to return to the folded position. One or more auxiliary panels A may be attached to the pop-up structure POP1 as added ornamentation. This can be done by inserting tabs T on the auxiliary panels A into open slots SL on the pop-up.

In a second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 21 - 40, the pop-up bottle topper has a pop-up POP2 which is a parallel pop-up structure with a plurality of pop-up panels P2 arranged in a layered, parallel arrangement. The pop-up POP2 is attached to a circular platform PL2. In an exemplary embodiment, the pop-up panels P2 include a center panel CP2, and two sets of identical panels P2A, P2B. The center panel CP2 is positioned at the center of the circular platform PL2 and is the largest or tallest panel. Each of the two sets of identical panels P2A, P2B are positioned on the circular platform PL2 with one of each of the identical panels P2A, P2B positioned on one side of the center panel CP2 and one of each of the identical panels P2A, P2B are placed on the opposite side of the center panel CP2 in decreased order of height. The panels CP2, P2A, P2B are placed onto the circular platform PL2 in a spaced apart, parallel arrangement, which together with the descending height of the panels CP2, P2A, P2B creates a three-dimensional visual effect. The pop-up panels CP2, P2A, P2B are, in addition to being attached to the circular platform PL2, are each also attached to an adjacent pop-up panel. This connection is made via a plurality of struts ST2 which connect two adjacent panels. The plurality of struts ST2 may be separate elements, or they may be a partial cutout from the pop-up panels P2, as shown in FIGS. 34 - 37. The circular platform PL1 (with pop-up structure POP2 attached) is attached to a collar C2 (as described above with respect to the first embodiment) at the first (wider) open end thereof. The collar C2 additionally contains two (2) side locks at opposing sides thereof (see FIG. 38). When the pop-up bottle topper 200 is in the open (unfolded), the user can press inward on each of the side locks L2 to maintain the bottle topper 200 in the open (unfolded) position In one embodiment, the collar C2 may contain an additional inner construct including two, foldable reinforcement panels RP2, shown in FIG. 40, which are attached to the inside surface of the collar C2. The second open end (smaller) of the collar C2 is operative to be placed over the top of a bottle B. One or more auxiliary panels A may be attached to the pop-up structure POP2 as added ornamentation. This can be done by inserting tabs T on the auxiliary panels A into open slots SL on the pop-up.

In a third embodiment, shown in FIGS. 41 - 55, the bottle topper 300 is slightly larger and more complex that the first 100 and second 200 embodiments, described above. This embodiment 300 includes two (2) pop-up structures POP3A, POP3B, a lock mechanism L3, and a collar C3. The two (2) pop-up structures POP3A, POP3B are of the slice form type, having a plurality of pop-up panels P3 arranged in an interlocking, grid-like arrangement, as described above with respect to the first embodiment 100. The collar C3 is also the same collar as described above with respect to the first embodiment 100. The pop-up panels P3A, P4B of both the first and second pop-up structures POP3A, POP3B interlock with one another by placing the downward facing slot (inverted U-shaped) SD3 on one pop-up panel P3A, P3B onto an upward facing slot (U-shaped) SU3 of different panel P3. Some of the pop-up panels P3A, P3B contain slots SL3 which are interior to the panel P3A, P3B but do not extend to the edges of the panel P3A, P3B. The pop-up panels P3A, P3B may be separate, distinct panels, or they may be part of a single, unitary panel which is divided into separate panels by folding the single, unitary panel along one or more fold lines. The interlocked panels P3 of the pop-up structure POP3 create at least one square-shaped structure (shown in FIG. 44) at the center thereof which is formed by the intersecting pop-up panels P3. The second pop-up structure POP3B of the third embodiment 300 is also of the slice form variety, as described above. The second pop-up structure POP3B additionally includes a locking mechanism L3 that intersects with one or more of the interlocking pop-up panels P3B. The locking mechanism L3 contains a notch N3 on an upper edge thereof which facilitates “locking” or maintaining the pop-ups POP3A, POP3B in the unfolded or upright position. The locking mechanism L3 moves along with the pop-up structure POP3B such that when the pop-up structure POP3B is in the unfolded, upright position, the notch N3 catches on one of the pop-up panels P3B and supports the pop-up structure POP3B in the open position (see FIG. 46). When the second pop-up POP3B is moved to the folded, flat position, the locking mechanism L3 slides through the intersection to lie flat between the panels P3B of the pop-up structure POP3B. To construct this bottle topper 300, the first pop-up structure POP3A (attached to the collar C3) and the second pop-up structure POP3B must be placed in the unfolded, upright position. The second pop-up structure POP3B is placed atop the first pop-up structure POP3A with one or more pop-up panels P3B of the second pop-up structure POP3B engaging with one or more panels P3A of the first pop-up structure POP3A. For example, as shown in FIG. 41, a connection tab CT3 on one of the pop-up panels P3B on the second pop-up structure POP3B is inserted into a connection slot CS3 on one of the pop-up panels of the first pop-up structure POP3A. To deconstruct, the second pop-up structure POP3B must be removed from atop the first pop-up structure POP3A and both the first and second pop-up structures POP3A, POP3B may be moved into the folded, flat position by gently placing pressure on opposing sides thereof. One or more auxiliary panels A may be attached to one or both of the pop-up structures POP3A, POP3B as added ornamentation. This can be done by inserting tabs T on the auxiliary panels A into open slots SL on the pop-ups.

A fourth embodiment 400, shown in FIGS. 55 - 77, is similar to the third embodiment 300 (described above), in that it includes two pop-up structures POP4A, POP4B, a lock mechanism L4 and a collar C4. The collar C4 is the same collar as described above with respect to the first 100, second 200, and third 300 embodiments. The first pop-up structure POP4A is of the slice form variety, having a plurality of pop-up panels P4 arranged in an interlocking arrangement (as described above with respect to the first embodiment 100). Each pop-up panel contains at least two (2) slots thereon, one slot being an upward-facing slot SU4 and one slot being a downward facing slot SD4 , which facilitate the interlocking connection of the pop-up panels P4. Some panels P4 may also contain slots S4 which are interior to the panel P4 but do not extend to the edges of the panel P4. When connected, the pop-up panels P4 intersect, creating an interlocking, 3D, pop-up structure POP4A. The pop-up panels P4 interlock by placing a downward facing slot (inverted U-shaped) SD4 of each panel P4 onto an upward facing slot (U-shaped) SU4 of another panel P4. The pop-up panels P4 may be separate, distinct panels, or they may be part of a single, unitary panel which is divided into separate panels by folding the single, unitary panel along one or more fold lines. The interlocked panels P4 of the first pop-up structure POP4A create at least one square-shaped structure at the center thereof, as shown in FIG. 57, which is formed by the intersecting pop-up panels P4. The first pop-up structure POP4A has a lock mechanism L4 inserted through the center thereof. The lock mechanism L4 also contains a slot SL4 thereon to facilitate attachment of the second pop-up structure POP4B to the first pop-up structure POP4A. The second pop-up structure POP4B can be any type of pop-up structure. In an exemplary embodiment shown in the Figures, the second pop-up POP4B is a slice form variation having two groups of pop-up panels P4A, P4B . A first group of pop-up panels P4A include a plurality of vertical, spaced apart, parallel pop-up panels P4A and a center panel CP4. A second group of pop-up panels P4B include a plurality of horizontal, spaced apart, parallel pop-up panels P4B which intersect with (via slots SL4 on the second group of pop-up panels P4B) and are perpendicular to the first group of panels P4A. The first group of pop-up panels P4A are attached to a base structure B4 with the center pop-up panel CP4 attached to the base structure B4 along a bisecting fold line FL4. Folding and unfolded the base structure B4 along the fold line FL4 causes the second pop-up structure POP4B to move between a first, folded, flat position and a second, unfolded, upright position. A connection tab CT4, shown in FIG. 60, is attached to a lower surface of the center pop-up panel CP4 and is inserted through a slot SL4 on the base structure B4 positioned over the bisecting fold line FL4. To connect the second pop-up structure POP4B to the first pop-up structure POP4A, the connection tab CT4 on the second pop-up structure POP4B is inserted into the slot SL4 on the locking mechanism L4 located on the first pop-up structure POP4A. A portion or edge of the base panel B4 can also be inserted into a slot SL4 on one of the pop-up panels P4 on the first pop-up structure POP4A to make the structure more stable. One or more auxiliary panels A may be attached to one or both of the pop-up structures POP4A, POP4B as added ornamentation. This can be done by inserting tabs T on the auxiliary panels A into open slots SL on the pop-ups.

In each of the embodiments described above, the bottle topper can be moved between a first position, wherein it is in a substantially flat or folded and closed position, and a second position wherein the bottle topper is in an unfolded or open, three-dimensional configuration. Also, in some embodiments, a novel lock mechanism can be used to retain the bottle topper in the second or open position. In some embodiments, simply squeezing the stem portion of the bottle topper together activates the lock mechanism, thereby maintaining the bottle topper in the second or open position. In other embodiments, the lock mechanism may have to be moved into place to secure the pop-up in the open position. Although specific pop-up structures have been described herein and shown in the Figures with respect to the exemplary embodiments, any type of pop-up structure may be used.

The foregoing embodiments of the present invention have been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. These descriptions and embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principle of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in its various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the invention be defined by the following claims.