BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract

A beverage container comprising a lower bottle portion and an upper bottle portion configured to contain a liquid beverage. The lower bottle portion includes a concave groove that provides a gripping means for improved holding and maneuvering of the beverage container.

Description

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The present invention was made with no government support.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a beverage container and, more particularly, to a beverage container that includes one or more grooves for improved gripping of such container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typical beverage containers are formed of plastic or glass materials. The construction of beverage containers is often lacking in providing the user adequate grip to maintain control of the container. This is particularly problematic in the case of glass bottles. Several bottle accessory products exist to improve bottle gripping, such as Koozies® and other gripping products that must be purchased separately from the beverage bottle. Although such accessories may be helpful in resolving the bottle gripping problem, they are typically not readily at-hand and accessible in most situations where a user find himself consuming a beverage (i.e., at a restaurant or bar). Providing a grippable beverage container design would overcome the problem of mishandling a beverage container and would obviate the need for a separate accessory to improve the user's ability to grip and handle a beverage container.

The problem of beverage containers being difficult to grip and handle is now solved in a very unique manner. In the present invention, there is provided a gripping means for a beverage container whereby the container is gripped from opposing points of its body (i.e., from the front and rear or from opposing sides) and the unique shape of the beverage container engages the user's thumb and fingers in a manner that allows for secure gripping and handling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention meets the foregoing needs and provides a beverage container having a gripping means that provides for secure handling of the beverage container and that provides the advantages apparent from the discussion herein.

The following is a summary of the invention that should provide to the reader a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify critical components of the invention, nor in any way to delineate the scope of the invention. The sole purpose of this summary is to present in simplified language some aspects of the invention as a prelude to the more detailed description presented below.

The present invention is directed to a beverage container which can be easily gripped and handled with a high degree of confidence that the user's grip on the bottle will be secure. The design actually allows the user to intuitively grip the beverage in a safety-optimized manner.

In an embodiment of the beverage container of the present invention, the gripping means is a concave sweep on the front face of the container that curves in an upward manner and on the opposing side of the container a concave sweep that curves in a downward manner. An alternative embodiment provides a similar gripping means that protrudes from the surface of the bottle, as opposed to a concave sweep or groove.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a bottle comprising a lower body portion, an upper portion that is narrower than the lower body portion, the lower body portion having a gripping means comprised of a concave sweep on the front face of the container that curves in an upward manner and on the opposing side of the container a concave sweep that curves in a downward manner.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container is a glass bottle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container is a plastic bottle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container is a glass jar.

Accordingly, in one aspect of an embodiment of the invention, a beverage container comprises a lower body portion having a sidewall and bottom portion configured to hold liquid. The beverage container further comprises an upper portion having a sidewall, a neck and a spout or orifice through which liquid may be dispensed. The beverage container has a concave sweep or groove that spans the entirety of the outer surface of the sidewall. When holding the beverage container, the user's thumb and fingers engage the concave sweep, thus providing for a firm grip on the bottle. More specifically, when the user grips the beverage container, the user's thumb can be placed to rest within the concave sweep, while one or more of the user's fingers may rest within the concave sweep on the opposite side of the beverage container. Another embodiment may provide a protrusion, rather than a concave sweep, to engage the user's thumb and fingers for an improved grip of the beverage container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is perspective view of the lower body portion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of preferred embodiment of the present invention having multiple concave grooves.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention having multiple concave grooves.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention having multiple concave grooves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to and should not be interpreted to limit the embodiments described herein. Although particular embodiments are described, those embodiments are merely exemplary implementations of the present invention. The following descriptions herein should be considered illustrative in nature, and thus, not in any way limiting the scope of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize other embodiments are possible and all such embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. It is the intent to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents that embody the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

It is also to be understood that the disclosure uses terminology for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and such terminology is not intended to be limiting.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which is applicable to this disclosure.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the embodiments described herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated or combined with features of any of the other possible embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The present invention is directed to a beverage container having a unique gripping means. Standard beverage containers, such as beer bottles and the like, may sometimes be somewhat difficult to grip. This is particularly so, for example, when condensation forms on the outside of the container, making it difficult for a person to grip and maneuver the container. The present invention resolves this problem and provides for a convenient and positive technique for gripping a beverage container and for maneuvering it as the user consumes the beverage or dispenses the liquid from the beverage container. The advantage is apparent for both the consumer of the liquid product inside the container, as well as the handling of the container both prior to, during and subsequent to the consumption of the liquid by the consumer.

The gripping means provided by the present invention is advantageous because it allows for the gripping of a beverage container without the need for the user to exert more than minimal squeezing action. Moreover, the present invention allows for adequate gripping of a beverage container that is naturally slippery or that may be rendered slippery due to other factors, such as condensation forming on the surface of the beverage container, grease on the user's hand, etc. The design allows the user to grip the beverage in a manner that minimizes the likelihood of an accidental release, ultimately resulting in safety to the consumer and public. Further, the described gripping means is novel and unique, which provides a marketing advantage and value to the manufacturer(s).

In FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown the front and back, respectively, of an embodiment of a beverage container 1 according to the present invention. This preferred embodiment is a standard long-neck beer bottle. The present invention is not limited to the form shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and may be formed in the shape of any type of beverage bottle or container that is of sufficient size to be handled and maneuvered by a user's single hand. In FIG. 1, the beverage container 1 is shown to have a front wall surface 2 on a lower body portion 3 and an upper portion 4 located above a shoulder 5. On the top of the beverage container 1 is a spout 6 through which liquid beverage may be dispensed. The front 2 of the body portion of the bottle is defined by side edges 7 and a lower edge 8.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a concave groove 9 is provided. The concave groove 9 in the embodiment shown has a shape that resembles a sinusoidal wave, sweeping upwardly on the front face of the beverage container, as shown in FIG. 1, and sweeping downwardly on the rear face of the beverage container, as shown in FIG. 2. The concave groove 9 forms a gripping indentation or recess in which the user's thumb and fingers may rest when the user is holding and maneuvering the beverage container 1. Although the concave groove 9 of the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is sinusoidal in shape, the concave groove may be otherwise shaped in any manner that is suitable to allow for the gripping action described herein. The surface of the concave groove 9 may be enhanced by mini, side-by-side protrusions (not shown) creating a dimpling effect on the otherwise smooth concave surface on the bottle.

The ideal depth of the concave groove 9 is approximately ¼ “. However, the depth of the concave groove 9 may preferably be anywhere within the range of ⅛” to ⅜″ or otherwise sized to adequately engage the user's thumb and fingers for improved gripping of the container 1 of the invention. Moreover, the width of the concave groove 9 is preferably roughly the width of an adult's finger or thumb, but in any event can be any width that allows for the groove 9 to engage the user's thumb and fingers in a manner that improves the user's grip of the container 1.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1-7 has a single concave groove 9, any number of concave grooves 9 may be provided on the beverage container 1 of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8-10, another preferred embodiment of the present invention may have multiple concave grooves 9′, which could be of varying shapes, widths and depths, as the grooves 9 are generally described herein. Further, the present invention may include a protrusion (not shown), rather than a concave groove 9. Such a protrusion would resemble the groove 9 shown in FIGS. 1-10, except instead of curving inward and forming a concave groove on the container 1, the protrusion would be curved outwardly from the container surface, forming a convex protrusion along the surface of the container 1. The protrusion may be sinusoidal in shape, similar to the shape of the concave groove 9 as described herein, or may otherwise be shaped in any manner that is suitable to allow for the gripping action described herein.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Since the right and left sides of the beverage container 1 shown are virtually identical, FIG. 2 can also be considered illustrative of the right side of the beverage container 1. In this view, it is shown how the upward sweep of the concave groove 9 on the front of the beverage container 1 is connected to the downward sweep of the concave groove 9 on the rear of the beverage container 1.

The beverage container 1 of the present invention may be constructed of essentially any material suitable for containing a liquid beverage, including but not limited to glass, plastic, ceramics, metals, metal alloys or any other known materials used to make drinking bottles or containers. The beverage container 1 can be transparent or opaque. If the beverage container 1 is plastic, it can be constructed of polyethylene terephthalate or high-density polyethylene, for example. Other polyenes, such as polypropylene, polyisobutylene, vinyl acetate and polyene copolymers such as polyethylene-vinyl acetate may also be used to construct the beverage container of the present invention.

Currently available glass making equipment and techniques may be employed to construct a beverage container 1 of the present invention that is a glass bottle. Beverage containers of the present invention that are plastic may be constructed by way of blow molding or any other suitable known method for producing plastic bottles or containers.

Having described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, any number of changes, variations and improvements which may be apparent to those skilled in the art are within the scope of the invention claimed and described herein.

Claims

1. A beverage container comprising:

A lower bottle portion configured to hold a liquid;

An upper portion including a drink spout at the upper end thereof

wherein the lower bottle portion having at least one contoured groove that engages a user's fingers for improved gripping of said beverage container.

2. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein said beverage container is a glass bottle.

3. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein said beverage container is a plastic bottle.

4. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein said contoured groove is substantially sinusoidal-shaped.

5. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein said lower bottle portion has two or more contoured grooves.

6. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein said contoured groove curves in an upward manner on one side of the beverage container and curves in a downward manner on the opposing side of the container.