Attachable coaster-detailed description

Abstract

The invention is a coaster being for attaching to a stemmed vessel or other stemmed drinking glass, to support said stemmed vessel when resting on a supporting surface, absorb moisture, and prevent water damage and/or scratches on the supporting surface, as well as for remaining attached to the stemmed vessel should the stemmed vessel be lifted, moved, carried or put into motion in any way, enabling the stemmed vessel to be distinguished from other stemmed vessels, due to the unique color, pattern, size, shape, material or other visible differences or combinations thereof of said coaster. The coaster of this invention may be detachable, and/or reusable, and/or disposable.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to a coaster. More particularly, the invention relates in a preferred embodiment to a coaster that is attachable to a stemmed beverage glass, or other stemmed vessel, and is able to remain attached to the glass or vessel, should the glass or vessel be lifted, moved, relocated or carried in any way. In a preferred embodiment, the invention may be detached from the glass or vessel manually, at any time. In coaster sets consisting of two coasters or more, where each coaster is distinct from the others due to its unique color, pattern, size, shape, material or other visible differences, or combination thereof, the invention will aid in distinguishing the attached glass or vessel from other glasses or vessels.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A coaster is a small mat, tray, plate or dish that is placed under a vessel such as a beverage glass to protect the underlying surface from moisture such as condensation and/or protect the surface from scratching. Often, coasters are constructed from heavy materials, such as wood, stone, marble or heavy plastic, thus potentially making them inconvenient to move from one location to another. Other coasters may be constructed from materials such as cork, paper, cardboard or light plastic and may be prone to creating a partial vacuum with the bottom of a vessel that is placed upon them. Such coasters may be lightweight enough to remain attached to the vessel if the vessel is lifted, moved, carried, or is otherwise in motion, until the partial vacuum is released. At this time, such coasters often then fall to a position other than their original position, typically, the floor or lap of the vessel user.

Vessels such as stemmed beverage glasses are often used in situations where a user intends to lift, carry or otherwise cause the glass to move from one location to another. Frequently, the user leaves the coaster used in the first location behind, and must either use a second coaster in the second location, or no coaster at all. The second coaster may or may not have already been in use by another vessel user, thus creating the possibility for confusion and/or ill will. Using no coaster can leave water stains or scratches on the supporting surface. Returning to retrieve the original coaster wastes time and can be inconvenient. Additionally, multiple coasters of the prior art used in close proximity can still lead to confusion as to which vessel on which coaster belongs to which user.

To distinguish beverage glasses or vessels from one another, a user may currently use a drink clip or wine identification tag. These items are visibly distinct from one another, usually in color or shape, and can be attached and detached from beverage glasses or vessels. When in use, a user can then distinguish one glass or vessel from another due to the differences visible in the clip or tag. This method of identification, however, adds cumbersome accessories to glasses or vessels that can fall into the beverage or on to the floor, get in the way of drinking and/or get in the way of holding the glass or vessel. It is desirable to have a method of distinguishing and identifying glasses and vessels that does not have these drawbacks. It is furthermore desirable to have one invention that serves all the purposes of a coaster, as well as the purposes of a drink clip or identification tag. To date, no invention has been patented that is suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a coaster that is selectively attachable to the base of a stemmed beverage glass or stemmed vessel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a coaster that in a preferred embodiment is attachable to the base of a stemmed beverage glass or stemmed vessel by means of two or more straps.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coaster for use particularly in situations where two or more glasses or vessels may be in use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachable coaster that is also detachable, and reusable or disposable, depending upon the material from which it is made.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coaster that is relatively compact and easy to store.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coaster that is sufficiently durable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coaster that is portable, especially when in use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coaster that is inexpensive to mass-produce.

It is an object of the invention to provide a coaster that supports a liquid carrying vessel, and effectively protects a surface it is placed upon from liquid damage.

It is another object of the invention that the coaster, in a preferred embodiment, absorbs liquid in a top layer and isolates the absorbed liquid from the furniture surface with a bottom layer.

It is another object of the invention that the coaster, in a preferred embodiment, be visibly distinctive from other coasters in its set, be that through the use of unique colors, patterns, sizes, shapes, materials or other visible elements or combinations thereof for each coaster, so as to aid in distinguishing one coaster from another, and thus aid in distinguishing the stemmed glasses or vessels to which they are attached.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a set of attachable coasters, each coaster being for attaching to a stemmed drinking glass or other stemmed vessel, to support said stemmed drinking glass or stemmed vessel when resting on a supporting surface, absorb moisture, and prevent water damage and/or scratches on the supporting surface, as well as for remaining attached to the glass or vessel should the glass or vessel be lifted, moved, carried or put into motion in any way. A coaster of this invention may be detachable, and may be reusable or disposable. When said coaster of this invention is used with one or more additional coasters of this invention, and each coaster is distinct from the others due to the coaster's unique color, pattern, size, shape, material or other visible differences or combinations thereof, the invention will aid the user in distinguishing the attached glass or vessel from other glasses or vessels.

In a preferred embodiment, a coaster may include two or more straps extending across the top of the coaster which would be able to be placed over the top of the base of a stemmed drinking glass or stemmed vessel. Preferably, a coaster of this invention may have a bottom layer that is water resistant or water repellent to isolate liquids from the furniture surface; such a coaster may or may not also have a top layer that is more absorbent than its bottom layer. One embodiment of a coaster of this invention may also have an interior molding that is made from a flexible material such as plastic, primarily to aid in retaining the intended shape of the coaster. Alternative embodiments of this invention include a coaster that has more than one top layer, and/or more than one interior molding, and/or more than one bottom layer.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims to be listed in the non-provisional patent pertaining to this invention. It will be appreciated that the drawings may not be necessarily to scale, and that certain features may be exaggerated in proportion to other feature for emphasis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of a coaster of this invention with straps in color ‘A’ and the coaster base in color ‘B’.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of a second coaster of this invention with straps in color ‘B’ and the coaster base in color ‘A’.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of a coaster of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of a second coaster of this invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a coaster of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of a stemmed vessel having a coaster of this invention attached thereto.

FIG. 7 is a side perspective exploded view diagramming where coaster straps may be attached.

FIG. 8 is a side perspective exploded view diagramming where coaster straps may be attached to the coaster base.

It will be appreciated that the drawings may not be necessarily to scale, and that certain features may be exaggerated in proportion to other features for emphasis. It will also be appreciated that the color patterns depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are merely two examples of a multitude of visible differences that may be rendered to achieve some of the objects of this invention.

From the foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a coaster of the present invention represents a substantial improvement over conventional coaster devices as well as conventional drink clip and wine identification tag devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a coaster, that accomplishes the goals of moisture absorbance, protection of supporting surfaces from moisture stains or scratches, and has the ability to support a stemmed glass or vessel, the ability to be attached to a stemmed glass or vessel, is portable with the stemmed glass or vessel, has the ability to be detached from a stemmed glass or vessel, and is in either reusable or disposable form. In coaster sets consisting of two coasters or more where each coaster is distinct from the others due to its unique color, pattern, size, shape, material or other visible variations or combination thereof, the invention will aid the user in distinguishing the attached glass or vessel from other glasses or vessels.

This invention aims to provide protection of any supporting surface underlying the coaster and the increased convenience of having the ability to keep the coaster attached to a glass or vessel throughout the use of the coaster, thus continuing to serve the purposes of a coaster, regardless of where the drink vessel is resting, carried, moved and/or placed. Coasters of this invention used in a set of two or more, where each coaster is unique in color, pattern, shape, size, material or other visible variation or combination thereof also provide a convenient means of distinguishing the vessels to which they are attached from other vessels and/or similar objects.

To achieve these ends, structural elements such as straps are used to allow the coaster to be attached to the base of a stemmed drinking glass or stemmed vessel. When used in sets of two or more, variations in color, pattern, size, shape, material or other visible aspects of a coaster of this invention or combinations thereof, allow for such a coaster to be used to differentiate and aid in identifying glasses and/or vessels. In one non-limited embodiment, the invention is composed of a base, which can be of various materials and dimensions, and two or more straps, which can also be of various materials and dimensions.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring more specifically to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, there may be seen an attachable coaster, that has two parallel straps reaching across the top of the coaster base. Each end of each strap is attached to the coaster base, leaving the middle portion of each strap detached from the base, and sufficient space between the straps so that one strap can be placed over the base of a stemmed vessel, and the other strap can be placed over the base of the vessel on the opposite side of the vessel stem to the first strap. Although FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate coasters with two straps that are identical and parallel, the straps on each coaster of this invention may not be identical and/or may not be parallel, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, there may be more or less than two straps attached to each coaster without departing from the scope of this invention.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, as seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the bottom layer of the coaster may be made from a variety of materials, provided that the materials are light-weight enough to be attached to a stemmed vessel or glass without diminishing its portability. Although FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a coaster bottom that is substantially disk-like in shape, a wide variety of shapes may be used to form the coaster bottom. In addition, the coaster bottom may consist of a variety of combinations of colors, patterns or size variations. Preferably, it should be lightweight enough so as to be able to remain suspended from the vessel base without the force of gravity on the weight of the whole coaster to cause the vessel to break. Such a material or materials may also be water resistant or water repellent so as to protect supporting surfaces from any liquid or moisture resulting from use of the vessel.

To form the coaster base, the outer edge of the coaster bottom may be attached by thread, glue or other means of affixing to the outer edge of a coaster top of the same shape that is made from a material that may be identical to the coaster bottom material or may be a more or less absorbent material. In some embodiments of the invention, the entire coaster bottom may be attached to the entire coaster top using glue and/or other fixatives. Additionally, in some embodiments of the invention, the coaster top and/or interior molding may be omitted without straying from the scope of the invention. Where there is only one layer used to manufacture the coaster base of this invention, it will be referred to in this document as the coaster bottom. Preferably, the coaster bottom, interior molding and coaster top will together form the coaster base as seen in FIG. 6. The primary purpose of the interior molding as seen in FIG. 5 is to retain the manufacturer's intended shape of the coaster, be that circular, or any other shape that has the capacity to rest on a surface and support an object, such as a glass or vessel, atop it. At the same time, the interior molding may provide some flexibility in the coaster base when attaching the coaster to a stemmed glass or stemmed vessel. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the interior molding may be made from a material such as but not limited to plastic or rubber that could bend when forces are exerted upon it, but also would have the capacity to return to and retain its original shape. In some embodiments of the invention, the interior molding may be attached to the bottom of the bottom layer or the top layer without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The interior molding may be formed as a solid shape, such as, but not limited to a disk, or may not be solid, such as but not limited to a ring.

In a preferred embodiment, each of two straps may be attached to the coaster base by attaching each end of each strap to the coaster base as seen in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8. It should be noted that in a preferred embodiment, the middle of the straps are not attached to the coaster base. The method of attaching the straps may depend on the materials chosen to construct this invention. The straps may be made from any number of materials, including but not limited to natural or man-made fabrics or a blend thereof, elastic, plastic, various types of paper or fibrous materials, or rubber. For a coaster of this invention made entirely from fabric of any kind or a variety of other materials or combinations thereof, the straps may be attached or sewn either with a sewing machine, or by hand or other means to the coaster base, so that the ends of each strap are secured between the coaster top and bottom as in FIG. 7. For a coaster of this invention made from cardboard, paper, metal, wood, plastic, ceramic, glass, bamboo, fiberglass, bone or other materials, or the coaster base only consists of a coaster bottom or top or interior molding or combination thereof, each strap may be attached at each end to the top of the coaster base with glue or another means of affixing as in FIG. 8, leaving sufficient space between the middle of each strap and the coaster base to slip over the base of the vessel on opposite sides of the vessel stem. Whereas one preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated with two parallel straps as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it should be noted that more or less than two straps can be used. It should also be noted that straps may be attached in a non-parallel manner without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, three straps may be used attached at 60-degree angles to one another, or multiple straps may be attached in a parallel manner. The strap or straps may also be of varying widths and other dimensions and may or may not be identical in color shape, size, pattern, material or other aspects. It should also be noted that the strap or straps may be affixed permanently or may be temporarily attachable using means such as, but not limited to Velcro, buttons, or snaps, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Where coaster sets are comprised of two or more coasters that are visibly distinct from one another in terms of color, shape, size, pattern, material, or another visible variation or combination thereof, such as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 which are distinct from one another in terms of color and pattern, when one or more coasters are each attached to a glass or vessel, parts of the coaster straps and parts of the coaster base should remain visible to the vessel user and/or other observer, thus enabling the user or observer to distinguish one coaster with a vessel attached from other vessels or glasses. The variations illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are one of many possible embodiments of rendering visible variations on each coaster of a set for the purposes of achieving some of the objects of this invention. More or less than two colors may be used in any combination that results in visibly unique coasters where the coasters are of the same set, and/or numerous combinations of a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes, patterns, materials and/or other visible variations or combinations thereof may be used to create visibly distinguishable coasters.

As noted, a preferred embodiment of this invention comprises of an attachable coaster, possibly used in sets or two or more, with each coaster being for attaching to a stemmed drinking glass or other stemmed vessel, to support it when resting on a supporting surface, absorb moisture, and prevent water damage and/or scratches on the supporting surface, as well as for remaining attached to the glass or vessel should the glass or vessel be lifted, moved, carried or put into motion in any way. A coaster of this invention may be detachable, and may be reusable or disposable. When one coaster of this invention is used with one or more additional coasters of this invention, and each coaster is distinct from the others due to its unique color, pattern, size, shape, material or other visible differences or combinations thereof, the invention will aid the user or other observers in distinguishing the attached glass or vessel from other glasses or vessels.

The inventive features that permit this to be accomplished include, but are not necessarily limited to:

1. The use of two or more straps to attach the coaster to the base of a stemmed glass or stemmed vessel, and remain attached should the glass or vessel be lifted, moved, carried or otherwise put into motion.

2. The use of visible variations among all the coasters in a set, such as but not limited to differences in color, shape, size, pattern, material, or other visible aspect or a combination thereof, so as to aid in distinguishing and identifying each glass or vessel to which each coaster may be attached, regardless of where each glass or vessel may be moved.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined herein except insofar as limited by the prior art. This invention is intended to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the related claims or the equivalent thereof.

Claims

1. A coaster comprising:

i) a bottom base element.

ii) means for attaching said bottom base element to the base of a stemmed drinking vessel, whereby the said attaching means will keep the bottom base element attached to said stemmed drinking vessel.

1b) A coaster set comprising:

i) a coaster as described in claim (1), and at least one additional coaster as described in claim (1) comprising visually identifying means by which said first coaster can be visually distinguished from said additional coaster, so as to distinguish a stemmed drinking vessel to which the coaster may be attached, from other stemmed drinking vessels.

2. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is selectively attachable to the base of a stemmed beverage glass or stemmed vessel.

3. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is attachable to the base of a stemmed beverage glass or stemmed vessel by means of straps.

4. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is used particularly in situations where two or more glasses or vessels may be in use.

5. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is attachable and/or detachable.

6. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is reusable, depending upon the material from which it is made.

7. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is disposable, depending upon the material from which it is made.

8. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is relatively compact and easy to store.

9. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is sufficiently durable.

10. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is portable, especially when in use.

11. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is inexpensive to mass-produce.

12. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster supports a liquid carrying vessel, and effectively protects a surface it is placed upon from liquid damage.

13. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster absorbs liquid in a top layer and isolates the absorbed liquid from the furniture surface with a bottom layer.

14. A coaster of claim (1) wherein said coaster is visibly distinctive from other coasters in its set, be that through the use of unique colors, patterns, sizes, shapes, materials or other visible elements or combinations thereof for the coaster, so as to aid in distinguishing the coaster from other coasters, and thus aid in distinguishing the stemmed vessel or glass to which said coaster is attached.

15. A method for visually distinguishing a stemmed drinking vessel from other stemmed drinking vessels and providing the utility of a coaster comprising using one or more coasters that each has a means of functioning as a coaster, as well as a means of attaching said coaster to a stemmed drinking vessel and visually distinguishing said stemmed drinking vessel with attached coaster from other stemmed drinking vessels due to the attached coaster's visible distinctiveness.

16. A method for distinguishing a coaster from other coasters and providing portability of said coaster as an attachment to a stemmed drinking vessel.