Beverage bottle carrying case

Abstract

A beverage bottle carrying case having a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, each side wall having a bottom edge that is attached to the bottom wall to define a sealed interior space, and a divider provided in the interior space and connected to the bottom wall and the side walls. The bottom wall, the side walls and the divider are all made of a leakproof material.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to beverage accessories, and in particular, to a carrying case for use in carrying a plurality of beverage bottles.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Good beverages have always been an important part of any social or outdoor event. People commonly carry varying types of drinks and beverages to different social and outdoor events, and as they go about their daily routines. In addition, beverage holders are provided in vehicles so that the driver or passengers can keep a cup of beverage handy in the vehicle during a long trip. Certain types of beverages, such as beer and bottled water, are provided with carrying cases so that someone can carry a plurality (e.g., six) of bottles of the desired beverage.

[0005] One potential drawback experienced by many of these conventional carrying cases is that they cannot keep the beverage in these bottles cool. For example, a six-pack of beer is typically sold with a cardboard carrying case. The six-pack of beer is usually keep in a refrigerator at the liquor store or convenience store to keep the beer cool. However, when a person purchases the six-pack, the beer will slowly adapt to the outside environment temperature unless the person places the six-pack into an ice-cooler or other refrigerated device. If a person does not have an ice-cooler in the car, then the six-pack of beer will slowly adapt to the outside environmental temperature, which means that the beer must be cooled again before it can be enjoyed. However, ice-coolers can also be bulky and thereby making it inconvenient to place them inside a vehicle at all times.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage bottle carrying case that can keep the beverage stored therein cool.

[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive beverage bottle carrying case that can keep the beverage stored therein cool.

[0008] In order to accomplish the objectives of the present invention, the present invention provides a beverage bottle carrying case having a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, each side wall having a bottom edge that is attached to the bottom wall to define a sealed interior space, and a divider provided in the interior space and connected to the bottom wall and one or more of the side walls. The bottom wall, the side walls and the divider are all made of a leakproof material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of two identical carrying cases according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a carrying case from FIG. 1.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a carrying case from FIG. 1.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a carrying case from FIG. 1 shown in use with six bottles stored therein.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a side plan view illustrating the carrying cases of FIG. 1 being stacked together for storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates two identical beverage bottle carrying cases 10 according to the present invention placed in a side-by-side manner. Since both carrying cases 10 are identical, the following description will only focus on one carrying case 10, as shown in FIGS. 2-4. Even though each carrying case 10 is shown as having four side walls 12, 14, 16 and 18, any number of side walls can be provided for the carrying case 10 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each side wall 12, 14, 16, 18 has a bottom edge that is connected to a bottom wall 20 to create a sealed interior space 22. Each side wall 12, 14, 16, 18 can have the same height, and the side walls 12, 14, 16, 18 together define a generally rectangular or square outer configuration for the carrying case 10.

[0016] A planar divider 24 can be provided in the middle of the interior space 22 to divide the interior space 22 into two separate rows, with each separate row adapted to hold a plurality of bottles 36 (see FIG. 4). The divider 24 can be provided in the form of one planar piece, or two planar pieces to define a gusset 32 (as explained below) on the bottom wall 20. Regardless of whether the divider 24 is provided in the form of one planar piece or two planar pieces, each planar piece extends to a height that is higher than the height of the top edges 26 of the side walls 12, 14, 16, 18. A scallop-shaped opening 28 is provided adjacent the top of each planar piece of the divider 24 to define a gripping handle so that a user can insert his or her fingers into the opening 28 to grip the divider 24, and thus, the carrying case 10 when carrying the carrying case 10 from one location to another.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the divider 24 can be provided in the form of two planar pieces 44 and 46 that are attached to each other along their top edges, and which then extend at an acute angle with respect to each other until their bottom edges attach to the bottom wall 20 in a manner that defines a space S between the bottom edges of the planar pieces 44 and 46. In other words, the planar pieces 44 and 46 assume a generally inverted V-shaped configuration. The space S is adapted to receive the upper portion of the divider 24 of another carrying case 10 to facilitate space-saving stacking of a plurality of identical carrying cases 10. In this embodiment, the side walls 12, 14, 16, 18, the bottom wall 20, and the planar pieces 44, 46 can all be provided together in one piece.

[0018] The side walls 12, 14, 16, 18, the bottom wall 20, and the planar pieces 44, 46 are preferably made from a leak-proof and inexpensive material, such as plastic. The leak-proof nature of the material allows for ice to be placed inside the interior space 22 without the fear of leakage. In addition, it is important to provide the carrying case 10 with a material having a price point that is not significantly higher than the price point of a conventional cardboard carrying case so that the carrying case 10 of the present invention can compete effectively against the conventional cardboard carrying cases in the market place.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, three beverage bottles 36 can be placed in each row on either side of the divider 24. Ice can then be poured into the spaces around the bottles 36 so that the beverage inside the bottles 36 are kept cool. Even if the ice melts, the liquid will be cool, which will still function to keep the beverage cool. When the user arrives at his or destination (e.g., a social or outdoor event), the beverage in the bottles 36 are consumed, and then the ice (or melted liquid) inside the interior space 22 can be poured into a sink or on to the ground. The carrying case 10 can then be washed in a dishwater and stacked with other carrying cases 10 (as described below) for storage until its next usage.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows how two identical carrying cases 10a and 10b can be stacked for storage. The upper portion of the divider 24 of a first carrying case 10a is inserted into the space S of a second carrying case 10b so that the divider 24 of the first carrying case 10a is nested inside the divider 24 (i.e., the planar pieces 44, 46) of the second carrying case 10b. This nesting of the high-profile dividers 24 minimizes the vertical space occupied by a stack of nested carrying cases 10a, 10b.

[0021] Thus, the carrying case 10 according to the present invention offers a number of important benefits. First, the leak-proof material allows ice to be placed inside the interior space 22 to keep the beverage in the bottles 36 cool. Second, the carrying case 10 can be re-used, thereby minimizing refuse when compared with the conventional cardboard carrying cases that are usually discarded after use. Third, the nestability of the carrying cases 10 means that a stack of nested carrying cases 10 will require minimal storage space.

[0022] While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A beverage bottle carrying case, comprising:

a bottom wall;

a plurality of side walls, each side wall having a bottom edge that is attached to the bottom wall to define a sealed interior space; and

wherein the bottom wall and the side walls are all made of a leakproof material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material is plastic.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a divider provided in the interior space.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the divider defines a handle portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further including a gosset provided in the bottom wall.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the divider is positioned inside the interior space and has two planar pieces that define the gosset.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall and the side walls are made in one piece.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the divider has an opening at its upper end.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each side wall has a height, and the divider has a height which is greater than the height of the side walls.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the divider defines an inverted V-shaped space.

11. A beverage bottle carrying case, comprising:

a bottom wall having a gosset provided therein;

a plurality of side walls, each side wall having a height, each side wall having a bottom edge that is attached to the bottom wall to define a sealed interior space;

a divider provided in the interior space and connected to the bottom wall and the side walls, the divider having an upper end, and a height that is greater than the height of the side walls, with an opening provided at the upper end; and

wherein the bottom wall, the side walls and the divider are all made of a leakproof material.