Universal bottle base cup

Abstract

A reusable base cup for removable attachment to the outside exterior base of a bottle in order to prevent the bottle from tipping over when pressurized. Several inner facing flexible tabs are situated along the circumference of the top edge. Each tab is permitted to flex and conform independently to the shape of the outside wall of the bottle base while exerting a constant force. The base cup can be securely attached to different bottles with slightly varying base diameters by manually pressing the bottle base into the base cup. The base cup will remain attached to the bottle base and can be manually removed for reuse with another bottle.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from provisional patent application number 60/519,828 having a filing date of Nov. 13, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to bottle base cups, and in particular to bottle base cups that can be attached to the outside exterior base of a bottle in order to prevent the bottle from tipping over when pressurized.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

A relatively thin walled plastic bottle with a flat bottom base is not well suited to store a liquid under pressure. An increase in air pressure within the bottle header space will typically cause the base to bulge outward forming a concave shape making it very easy for the bottle to tip over. It is recognized that placing a matching base cup onto the base of a pressurized bottle will prevent the bottle from tipping over when stored in the upright position. Typically, the matching base cup is custom made to fit the outside diameter of the bottle. In some embodiments, the matching base cup is glued or bonded on to the base of the bottle.

One drawback from this arrangement is that the base cup cannot be used on other bottles with slightly varying diameters. To exemplify further, the inside diameter of the base cup must fit securely to the outside diameter of the base of the bottle to from a firm and accurate fit. If the base cup is not fit properly to the matching bottle base, an undesirable effect will be achieved as the bottle may slant or tilt to one side when placed upright.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

It is a principle object of the present invention to provide an improved bottle base cup that can be attached to the base of a bottle in order to prevent the bottle from tipping over when pressurized with air.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bottle base cup that has inner facing flexible fingers in order to conform to various bottle base diameters.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved bottle base cup that will not easily fall off the base of the bottle.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved bottle base cup that can be attached to the base of a bottle without the use of glue, bonding agents, or the like.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bottle base cup that can be attached to the base of a trigger sprayer bottle in order to adapt and convert the bottle in to a pressure resistant bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a bottle base cup and includes a hollow cylinder that is open on one side and closed on the other. Flexible fingers are positioned around the circumference of the top open portion. These flexible fingers bend slightly inward in the relaxed state. When the cup is pressed onto the base of a bottle, the flexible fingers will bend out to conform and adjust to the shape of the base of the bottle. When the bottle base cup is fully pressed on, the fingers may exhort constant force against the bottle's external wall to grasp and prevent the bottle base cap from falling off.

When thin walled plastic bottles with flat bases are pressurized with air, the tendency is for the bottom to bulge outward causing the base of the bottle to become rounded. If an attempt is made to stand the bottle up on its base, tipping or falling over is likely to happen. Thus most plastic bottles with flat bases are not designed to be pressurized. A standard bottle with a flat base can be converted into a pressure resistant bottle simply by manually pressing on the bottle base cup on to the base of the bottle. Since pressurizing the bottle will cause the base to bulge, the bottle will not tip because the bottle base cup will allow the bottle base to bulge outward within the inside cavity of the bottle base cup as the flexible fingers center and secure the bottle.

One clear advantage is that one bottle base cup can conform to several off the shelf bottles with varying bottle base dimensions. If the outside diameter of the base of the bottle is smaller than the general inside diameter of the base cup, the flexible fingers will bend inward to exhort force and grasp and center the bottle. In addition, some off the shelf bottles have ribs that circumference the outside diameter near the base such as the case with most cylindrical trigger sprayer bottles. When the bottle base cup is pressed on, the flexible fingers will flex out and over thus clearing the ridges as the bottle travels downward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan of the bottle base cup;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in section of the bottle base cup;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view in section of the bottle base cup with the flexible fingers in the relaxed state and a side elevational view of the exterior of a bottle directly above the bottle base cup;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view in section of the bottle base cup with the flexible fingers extended outward and a side elevational view of the exterior of a bottle as it is partially attached to the bottle base cup;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view in section of the bottle base cup and a side elevational view of the exterior of a bottle with the base cup fully attached;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view in section of the bottle base cup and a side elevational view of the exterior of a bottle while the bottle is pressurized causing the base to bulge;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view showing the exterior of the bottle base cup and a side elevational view of the exterior of the bottle while fully attached to the bottle base cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the description which follows, like parts are indicated throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts have been exaggerated to better illustrate operation of the invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a bottle base cup contains flexible fingers 10 which follow the circumference of the top portion of the bottle base cup. FIG. 2 illustrates a top portion 20 of flexible fingers 10 and a pivot point 15 at the bottom portion of the flexible fingers 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an inside cavity 40 towards the base of the bottle base cup is surrounded by step 35 which follows the inside circumference of the base of the bottle base cup. A ledge 30 follows the outside circumference of the base of the bottle base cup. FIG. 1 illustrates slots 45 spaced between fingers 10.

As seen in FIG. 3, a bottle 55 is pressed against top portion 20 of finger 10. At this point finger 10 is in the relaxed state. Rib 60 follows the outside circumference of bottle 55. As shown in FIG. 4, as bottle 55 is pressed down, rib 60 will force fingers 10 to flex outward at pivot point 1 5. In FIG. 5, bottle 55 is pressed all the way down into the bottle base cup until the bottom corners of bottle 55 touches step 35. At this point, fingers 10 are now flexed inward and the top 20 of fingers 10 makes contact to the outside surface of bottle 55. Fingers 10 surround the circumference of the top of the base cup and each finger 10 is separated from the other by groove 45 allowing each finger to flex independently. The tension of each finger 10 may vary depending on the outside diameter of the base of bottle 55. The tension created by fingers 10 create sufficient resistance to secure the bottle and base cup effectively and to not allow the bottle base cup to fall off easily.

When thin walled plastic bottles with flat bases are subject to pressure, the tendency is for the bottom to bulge outward. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bottle is pressurized and capped 50 with bulge 65 illustrated at the base of bottle 55. Cavity 40 which is located within the inside circumference of step 35 provides sufficient area for bulge 65 to expand without making contact to the inside base of the bottle base cup. At this point the bottle can be pressurized without pushing or forcing the bottle base cup down while fingers 10 evenly exhort pressure and resistance at top 20 to center and hold the bottle in place making it difficult to remove the base cup. As shown in FIG. 7, fingers 10 are flexed slightly inward.

Claims

1. A device that can be attached to the base of a container comprising:

a hollow cup with an upper and lower portion; wherein said upper portion is open and said lower portion is closed; one or more flexible tabs positioned along the circumference of said top portion; one or more slits vertically dividing said tabs, wherein each said tab is permitted to flex inward or outward in an independent manner.

2. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the said lower portion of said cup has one or more steps situated at the inside corner base of said cup.

3. A device as recited in claim 2, wherein the centrally located space of said lower portion between said steps provides a second open cavity that is lower and narrower than the upper cavity.

4. A device as recited in claim 3, wherein said tabs flex inward towards the center of the said cup.

5. A device as recited in claim 4, wherein combination with a bottle, said tabs exhort force onto the outside of the wall of said bottle.

6. A device as recited in claim 5, wherein said tabs grasp and place said bottle in a position relative to the center of the said cup.

7. A device as recited in claim 6, wherein said bottle is a plastic bottle.

8. A device as recited in claim 6, wherein said bottle is a trigger sprayer bottle.

9. A device that can be attached to the base of a container comprising:

a hollow container with an upper and lower portion, wherein said upper portion is open and said lower portion is closed; one or more flexible tabs positioned along the perimeter of said container; one or more slits vertically dividing said tabs, wherein each said tab is permitted to flex inward or outward in an independent manner.

10. A device as recited in claim 9, wherein the said lower portion of said container has one or more steps situated at the inside corner base of said container.

11. A device as recited in claim 10, wherein the centrally located space of said lower portion between said steps provides a second open cavity that is lower and narrower than the upper cavity.

12. A device as recited in claim 11, wherein said tabs flex inward towards the center of the said container.

13. A device as recited in claim 12, wherein combination with a bottle, said tabs exhort force onto the outside of the wall of said bottle.

14. A device as recited in claim 13, wherein said tabs grasp and place said bottle in a position relative to the center of the said container.

15. A device as recited in claim 14, wherein said bottle is a plastic bottle.

16. A device as recited in claim 14, wherein said bottle is a trigger sprayer bottle.