Glass and bottle holders

Abstract

A holder for transporting and/or displaying bottles and/or glasses is disclosed. The holder preferably includes a base having at least one slot, the slot terminating in an opening. In an alternative embodiment, the base may rest on a flat surface at an angle to display a bottle.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of Provisional Application No. 60/490,130 filed Jul. 24, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for holding and transporting bottles and glasses. Specifically, the present application discloses a holder including slots which may be used to easily and safely transport a number of glasses, such as wine glasses. The holder also may be adapted to secure a bottle or bottles, such as a wine bottle.

2. Description of the Related Art

Transporting beverages contained in bottles or other containers and multiple glasses often requires numerous trips. For example, if an individual carries a bottle in one hand, he or she likely cannot carry more than one or two glasses, such as wine glasses, in the other hand. It is often desirable to carry numerous glasses and/or bottles from one location to another in one trip to save time. Waiters and waitresses often accomplish this task by using a flat tray. The bottles and glasses are balanced on the tray and the waiter or waitress balances the tray on his or her hand. This method of transport has several drawbacks. First, waiters and waitresses are often traveling in crowded spaces and, if another person knocks into the waiter or waitress, he or she may drop the tray, breaking the glasses and/or bottles thereon. In addition, it is difficult to carefully balance a flat tray for a long distance. Thus, articles on the tray may tip over and break, even if the tray does not hit an unanticipated object. Moreover, these trays are normally not used to hold beverages, such as wine in bottles, at their final destination.

Therefore, a holder for glasses and/or bottles which provides easy and safe transport of these articles and can be used to display a bottle would be of great benefit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiments of the holder of the present invention have several features, no single one of which is solely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the holder as expressed by the claims, its more prominent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments,” one will understand how the features of the preferred embodiments provide advantages, which include easy and safe transport of glasses and/or bottles and the display of a bottle or bottles.

A preferred embodiment of the holder of the present invention includes a base unit. The base unit preferably includes a plurality of slots having a first diameter. Each slot preferably terminates in an opening which may be used to secure a glass in an upside down orientation with respect to the ground.

In another preferred embodiment, the base includes a handle and/or retractable feet. The handle may be used to transport the base as well as the plurality of glasses and/or bottles. The handle may also be used to assist in displaying a bottle. The base may also include one or more retractable feet which can be extended to assist in the display of the bottle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the glass and/or bottle holder, illustrating its features, will now be discussed in more detail. These embodiments depict a novel and nonobvious holder shown in the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. These drawings include the following figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the holder of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of another holder of the present invention having a handle; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the holder of FIG. 1, illustrating the holder in a bottle display position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a glass and/or bottle holder 8 is illustrated. Preferably, the holder 8 includes a base 10 having an edge 12. The base 10 may be manufactured from one of a variety of materials including, but not limited to, plastics, wood, metals, and other materials known to those of skill in the art. Preferably, the edge 12 is rounded so that an individual coming in contact with the base 10 will not be injured by a sharp corner of the base 10. The base 10 preferably includes a plurality of slots 14 which preferably terminate in openings 16. Many glasses, such as wine glasses, typically have a stem and a base. The stem is often more narrow than the base in diameter. In order to hold and transport glasses in the holder 8, the stem of the glass (not shown) is slid through the slot 14 until the stem is surrounded by the opening 16. As will be understood by those of skill in the art, the opening 16 is preferably smaller in diameter than the diameter of the base of the glass to be carried. Therefore, when the base 10 is lifted, the base of the glass will rest in the opening 16 but not pass therethrough. Moreover, preferably the diamter of the slot 14 is smaller than the diameter of the opening 16 to prevent glasses and/or bottles from sliding off the base 10 during transport.

The holder 8 of the present invention may also be adapted to carry one or more bottles (not shown in FIG. 1). A bottle, such as a wine bottle, often includes a neck and a cork. In many instances, the cork and/or the width of the bottle is often larger than the diameter of the neck. Therefore, in a similar fashion to the glasses discussed above, the neck of a bottle may be slid through slot 14 until it enters opening 16. Preferably, the diameter of the slot 14 and of the opening 16 are larger than the diameter of the neck of the bottle, but smaller than the diameter of the width of the lip or cork of the bottle. Therefore, once the neck of a bottle is slid through slot 14 to opening 16 and the holder 8 is lifted, the width and/or cork of the bottle will not permit the bottle to pass through the opening 16.

The holder 8 also preferably includes at least one handle 18 shown in FIG. 2. In use, an individual may hold the holder by the handle 18 and thereafter slide the glasses and/or bottles into the holder through slots 14 as described above. The bottles and/or glasses may then be safely transported from one location by merely holding the handle 18. The person transporting these articles does not need to make numerous trips or carefully balance the holder 8. In fact, gravity will assist in securely holding the articles in the holder. Once the individual arrives at the final destination, the glasses and/or bottles may be easily removed from the holder 8 by sliding each glass and/or bottle out of the opening 16 through slot 14.

The base 10 may also include a central opening 30. This opening is preferably larger than the cork, lip and neck of a wine bottle, but smaller than the body of the bottle. In use, the opening 30 may be slid over the top of an upright bottle and the holder 8 may rest on the bottle. Wine glasses may then be inserted on the holder as discussed above. The glasses are preferably shorter than the bottle, and thus, would hang from the holder 8. Therefore, the bottle and glasses are ready for quick transport by lifting the top of the bottle protruding through opening 30.

Once a bottle of wine is opened for consumption, it is often desirable to display the bottle. It is also advantageous to display the bottle at an angle to let a wine breath. Referring to FIG. 3, the holder 8 of the present invention may also be used to display a bottle 20 on a table or other flat surface. The base 10 may include one or more retractable arms 24 in a bottom surface of the base 10. The retractable arms 24 may terminate with a foot 26. A bottom edge of the base 10 may also include a bevel or cut-out 22 so that the base 10 securely rests on a table or other flat surface 28 when the arm 24 is in an extended position as shown in FIG. 3. The bevel or cut-out surface 22 may include a rubber or high friction coating to prevent the base 10 from sliding on table 28.

Once the arm or arms 24 are extended, the holder 8 is securely positioned on a table by use of the contact of the feet 26 and edge 22 of the holder 8. As will be easily understood by those of skill in the art, the edge 22 is not necessary to use this feature of the invention. Likewise, the feet 24 may be permanently positioned and not rotate into a cavity in the bottom surface of the base 10. Alternatively, the base 10 may be triangular in shape from a side elevational view, eliminating the necessity for the legs 24, feet 26 and edge 22.

A bottle 20 may be placed on the top of the base 10 to be held at an angle to permit easy viewing of the bottle and to permit the fluid therein to breath. The bottle 20 may be rested against handle 18 so that the bottle 20 does not slide off of the base 10. The base 10 may also include a groove (not shown) in the top surface of the base 10 so that the side of the bottle 20 can rest in the groove and be securely placed on the holder 8 at an angle, as shown in FIG. 3. Advantageously, when the bottle 20 is at the angle illustrated in FIG. 3, the area of contact between the fluid in the bottle 20 and the air is larger than if the bottle were to sit upright. In addition, by holding the bottle 20 in the position shown in FIG. 3, fluid within the bottle cannot spill out of the bottle 20.

Thus, the present invention provides an easy way to transport bottles and/or glasses and may be used to display and hold a bottle or bottles at the location of consumption of the fluid in the bottle.

In addition to the embodiments illustrated, the base 10 may be configured in any one of a number of configurations and include any one of a number of slots 14 and openings 16. Thus, instead of a base being provided for transport of four glasses and/or bottles as shown in FIG. 1, fewer or more slots and openings may be provided to carry a smaller or larger number of glasses and/or bottles. Moreover, additional cavities may be incorporated into the base 10 to hold various articles, such as a bottle opener, a utensil or a writing implement. These cavities may be advantageous for waiters and waitresses using the holder 8 of the present invention.

When not in use, the holder 8 may be easily cleaned and stored. The holder may be dishwasher safe.

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

The above presents a description of the best mode contemplated of the holder and manner of using the holder, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the holder. The holder is, however, susceptible to modifications and alternate constructions from that discussed above that are fully equivalent. Consequently, the holder described above is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, the present invention covers all modifications and alternate constructions coming within the spirit and scope of the glass and/or bottle holder as generally expressed by the following claims, which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of the present invention.

Claims

1. A holder for a plurality of glasses and/or bottles, said holder comprising:

a base, said base including at least two slots, each slot terminating in an opening adapted for holding a glass and/or bottle, said base including at least one handle for transporting said holder.

2. The holder of claim 1, further comprising at least one leg secured to said base.

3. The holder of claim 2, wherein said leg may be rotatably received in a cavity of said base.