Bottle Carrier
The bottle carrier (10) grips and releases the necks (N) of a series of bottles (B) so that the bottles (B) can be conveniently carried and selectively released. The bottle carrier (10) includes a base plate (12) with a plurality of bottle clearance passages (24). In the first embodiment, bottle neck clamps (28a, 28b) automatically grip the necks (N) of the bottles (B) when the bottles (B) pass through the bottle clearance passages (24). The bottles (B) may be selectively released by an actuating a handle (60) that is separate from the carrying handle (50).
The present invention relates generally to handheld article carriers and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bottle carrier that enables the user to simultaneously pick up a plurality of full or empty bottles (e.g., beer, soda, etc.) carry them to a destination point, and then release them in a single actuation of the handle.
BACKGROUND ARTThe use of bottles for the containment of beverages for individual consumption is an extremely common practice, with glass and plastic bottles perhaps being more popular than cans for such individual use. Such bottles are generally supplied. in groups of six contained in the well-known “six-pack” carton, with four such six packs being provided in a twenty-four bottle case. General practice is for consumers to purchase such beverages by the six-pack, and for beverages to be handled at the retail level (consumer sales and restaurants, etc.) by the six-pack before individual bottle sales to customers at the restaurant level. In some instances, smaller packs of four bottles in a two-by-two matrix are provided, with the carton essentially being a shortened configuration of the conventional six-pack carton.
The six-pack cardboard carton enables persons to carry six or fewer bottles at a time using a single handle. However, such six-pack containers still require the person carrying the assembly to remove the bottles individually from the six-pack carton for individual sales, consumption, or discard, in the case of empty bottles. Moreover, individual bottles must be returned to the six-pack carton or container individually and sequentially for carriage in the six-pack container. While this is no more than a minor inconvenience for individuals in the home, it can be a somewhat more critical factor in the restaurant industry where staff persons are often simultaneously carrying several items and attempting to accomplish further multiple tasks with one free hand.
Consequently, there is a need for a device capable of simultaneously picking up more than one bottle, transporting the bottles, and releasing the bottles. Thus, a bottle carrier solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONThe disclosure is directed to a bottle carrier. The bottle carrier has a base plate with a plurality of bottle clearance passages. First and second side portions of the bottle carrier define a centrally disposed carton handle clearance slot that extends for one end of the bottle carrier to the other. A bottleneck gripping mechanism is positioned atop the base plate. The bottleneck gripping mechanism is disposed about each of the bottle clearance passages. A carrying handle support structure extends upwardly from the base plate. A carrying handle is disposed atop the carrying handle support structure and spaced apart from the base plate. A bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle is positioned between the carrying handle and the base plate. The actuation handle communicates with each of the bottleneck gripping mechanisms to grip and release bottles.
The disclosure is also directed to a bottle carrier that includes bottleneck clamps. The bottle carrier has a base plate with a plurality of bottle clearance passages that extend through the base plate. A carrying handle support structure extends upwardly from the base plate. A carrying handle is disposed atop the carrying handle support structure and spaced apart from the base plate. A bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle is disposed between the carrying handle and the base plate.
The bottle carrier includes a plurality of bottleneck clamps. Each of the clamps has first and second clamp elements as well as first and second hinges. The hinges are positioned atop the base plate and pivotally attach to the first and second clamp elements on opposite sides of a corresponding bottle clearance passage. First and second springs urge the corresponding first and second clamp elements toward one another to close about the neck of a bottle inserted through the corresponding bottle clearance passage. The clamp elements extend upwardly from the base plate and have a generally arcuate configuration that includes an upper bottleneck grip edge. Corresponding pairs of clamp elements form a generally conical configuration over each of the bottle clearance passages. A linkage connecting assembly depends from the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle and a flexible bottleneck clamp release linkage extends from each pair of the bottleneck clamps to the linkage connecting assembly.
In operation, corresponding bottleneck clamp elements automatically push open independently of the other bottleneck clamps when the neck of a bottle is inserted through any one of the bottleneck clearance passages. When the bottle neck is fully inserted, the upper bottleneck grip edges of the corresponding clamp elements automatically grip the bottleneck. To release the bottles, the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle is lifted relative to the carrying handle so that the first and second clamp elements pull apart from one another and thereby release the bottles.
The disclosure is further directed to a bottle carrier with bottle gripping slide plates. The bottle carrier has a base plate with a plurality of bottle clearance passages. First and second side portions of the bottle carrier define a centrally disposed carton handle clearance slot that extends for one end of the bottle carrier to the other.
The bottle carrier also includes first and second slide plates disposed atop the base plate. The slide plates are disposed parallel to each other on opposite sides of the carton handle clearance slot. Each of the slide plates has a plurality of bottleneck gripping passages corresponding to the bottle clearance passages in the base plate. A carrying handle is disposed atop a carrying handle support structure that extends upwardly from the base plate so that the carrying handle is spaced apart from the base plate. A bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle depends from the carrying handle. The actuation handle is disposed between the carrying handle and the base plate. A lateral pivot depends from the carrying handle. The lateral pivot pivotally secures the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle beneath the carrying handle. A spring is disposed between the carrying handle and the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle. The spring urges the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle away from the carrying handle. A first and a second slide plate actuating arm extends from the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle, and communicates respectively with the first and second slide plates.
In operation, the slide plates move toward the second end of the base plate when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle is pivotally actuated toward the carrying handle, thereby closing the bottleneck passages defined by the slide plates and base plate about the necks of any bottles positioned therein to grip the bottlenecks. Conversely, the slide plates move toward the first end of the base plate when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle is released, thereby opening the bottleneck passages defined by the slide plates and base plate to release any bottles placed therein.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTIONThe bottle carrier is a device for grasping the necks of one or more conventional bottles, and picking up and carrying the bottles as desired. A bottleneck grip control handle is actuated to either grip or release the necks of the bottles, depending upon the embodiment. The device comprises a base plate having a series of passages therethrough for the upper portions of the bottles. A corresponding series of bottleneck gripping devices secures about the necks of the bottles, whereby the bottles may be lifted from their supporting surface (carton or case, tabletop, etc.) and carried to the desired destination by means of the upper handle of the carrier. An elongate slot or passage for clearing the conventional raised handle of a six-pack carton may be provided, thus enabling the carrier to be used to lift bottles from a six-pack carton or container without first removing the bottles from the carton.
The device enables the user to pick up a plurality of bottles simultaneously using only one hand, carry those bottles to the destination desired, and release the bottles simultaneously using only one hand. The device in its various embodiments greatly reduces the workload of servers and other staff in the restaurant and bar industries, where the removal of bottles from six-packs and cases and the retrieval of empty bottles is a fairly substantial portion of the workload.
Each of the bottle clearance passages, e.g., passages 24a through 24c, includes a bottleneck gripping mechanism 26 disposed thereabout atop the base plate 12. In the embodiment of
A spring urges each bottleneck clamp 28a, 28b toward the center of its respective bottleneck clearance passage to close about the neck N of a bottle B placed through the clearance passage. Most of the springs comprise a light coil spring 34 disposed about the pivot point of an opposed pair of fingers 36 with the springs 34 each having opposed ends S that urge their respective fingers apart from one another, as shown in
A carrying handle support structure extends upwardly from the base plate 12, with the carrying handle support structure comprising the connector plate 40 at the first end 20 of the device and a series of handle connector rods 48 extending upwardly from the opposite second end 22 of the device. The connector plate 40 joins the first end 20 of the base plate 12 to a carrying handle 50, which extends over the remainder of the device from the first end to the opposite second end and is spaced apart therefrom for clearance of the tops of the bottles and carton handle. The handle connector rods 48 connect the second end of the handle 50, i.e., the end opposite the connector plate 40, to the second end 22 of the base plate 12, as well as supporting the spring support crossmembers 42a and 42b.
The carrying handle 50 is generally “H” shaped, with the two opposed parallel members or ends 52 and 54, respectively, joining the upper end of the connector plate 40 and the upper ends of the handle connector rods 48. The two end members 52, 54 have widths substantially equal to the widths of the base plate 12 and connector plate 40. The first and second handle end members 52, 54 are joined by a relatively narrow central handgrip portion 56, which forms the crossmember of the “H” configuration. A supplementary handle 58 extends laterally across the second end member 54 of the handle 50, over the second end 22 of the base plate 12.
A bottleneck gripping actuation handle 60 depends beneath the central handgrip portion 56. First and second actuating handle guide rods 62 and 64 depend respectively from the first and second handle end members 52 and 54, with the first and second ends 66 and 68 of the actuation handle 60 having guide rod passages 70, 72 formed therethrough. The actuation handle 60 thus slides upwardly and downwardly on the two guide rods 62, 64 in a linear motion, remaining parallel to the central handgrip portion 56 of the handle assembly 50 at all times.
First and second lateral lift rods 74 and 76 extend respectively from the first and second ends 66, 68 of the movable actuating handle 60. A rigid linkage connecting assembly or frame 78 is rigidly suspended from the lift rods 74 and 76, and moves vertically with the vertical linear movement of the actuating handle 60. The linkage connecting assembly 78 includes a series of lateral linkage connector rods 80 thereacross, with a flexible bottleneck clamp release linkage 82 (e.g., swivel links and openable chain links, or other flexible linkage as desired) connecting each of the first and second bottleneck clamps 28a, 28b to the linkage connector rods 80, and thus to the linkage connecting assembly 78 and to the movable actuating handle 60.
The bottle carrier 10 is used by lowering the bottle clearance passages 24a, 24b, etc. of the device over one or more standing bottles B. The flexible bottleneck clamp release linkages 82, particularly when openable chain links are used, allow the bottleneck clamps 28a, 28b to be pushed open or spread as the bottlenecks N are pushed upwardly therethrough, without any actuation or motion of the bottleneck grip actuation handle 60. Thus, the user need only grasp the central handgrip portion 56 of the handle assembly 50, and lower the device 10 over the bottles to be picked up. When the device has been lowered to the point that the wider mouth of the bottle extends beyond the upper bottleneck grip edges 32 of the bottleneck clamps 28a, 28b, the clamps are pushed closed due to the springs 34 and 38 and fingers 36, with the bottleneck grip edges 32 of the clamps 28a, 28b catching beneath the larger external diameter of the mouth of the bottle. When the device 10 is lifted, the bottle(s) B are lifted as well by the means described immediately above, generally as shown in
The bottles B may be arranged in a conventional six-pack configuration, i.e., closely spaced in a three by two matrix, or other arrangement. The bottle carrier 10 is capable of picking up one or more bottles, up to the number of bottle clearance passages and bottleneck clamps provided, in any arrangement of the standing bottles. Thus, if bottles are spread across a table or bar, the carrier 10 may be used to pick them up singly by means of the independent operation of the opening of the clamps 28a, 28b due to their flexible connection to the actuating handle 60, rather than requiring that the bottles be picked up simultaneously in a group. For bottles B resting within a six-pack carton C, the clearance slots 18, 44, and 46 respectively of the base plate 12, first end connector plate 40, and second end spring base crossmembers 42, provide clearance over the conventional carrying handle H of the six-pack carton C, thus allowing the device to pick up an entire six-pack of full or empty bottles B without need for the bottles first to be removed from the six-pack carton.
When it is desired to release the bottles, the user need only extend his or her fingers around the bottleneck grip actuation handle 60, and lift or pull the handle 60 toward the underside of the carrying handle assembly 50. This draws up the slack in the bottleneck clamp release linkages 82, causing them to pull the first and second bottleneck clamps 28a, 28b to more upright positions, thereby spreading their upper bottleneck gripping edges 32 apart from one another for corresponding clamps. This allows the wider external diameter of the mouth of the bottle(s) B to pass between the bottleneck gripping edges of each pair of bottleneck clamps 28a, 28b, thereby releasing the bottle(s) B from the device 10.
The bottle gripping mechanism 126 of the bottle carrier 110 comprises a first slide plate 128 and second slide plate 130, disposed respectively atop the first portion 114 and second portion 116 of the base plate 112. Each slide plate 128 and 130 has a first end 132 and opposite second end 134 and is essentially congruent with its respective base plate portion 114 and 116, except that the shorter first ends 132 of the slide plates 128 and 130 allow clearance from the remainder of the structure of the device when the slide plates 128, 130 are actuated. Each slide plate 128, 130 include a series of bottleneck gripping passages 136 therethrough, corresponding to, and in general alignment with, the bottle clearance passages 124 of the base plate 112. Each of the bottleneck gripping passages 136 preferably has the shape of a circular sector, generally as shown in
A carrying handle support structure extends upwardly from the base plate 112, with the carrying handle support structure comprising the connector plate 140 at the first end 120 of the base plate 112 and a plurality of handle connector rods 148 extending upwardly from the opposite second end 122 of the base plate 112. The connector plate 140 joins the first end 120 of the base plate 112 to a carrying handle 150, which extends over the remainder of the device from the first end 120 to the opposite second end 122 and is spaced apart therefrom for clearance of the tops of the bottles and carton handle. The handle connector rods 148 connect the second end of the handle 150, i.e., the end opposite the connector plate 140, to the second end 122 of the base plate 112. The connector plate 140 includes a carton handle clearance slot 144 therein, aligned and contiguous with the base plate slot 118. The above-described carrying handle support structure will be seen to be generally similar to the corresponding structure of the first bottle carrier embodiment 10 of
The carrying handle 150 is generally “H” shaped, with the two opposed parallel members or ends 152 and 154 respectively joining the upper end of the connector plate 140 and the upper ends of the handle connector rods 148. The two end members 152, 154 have widths substantially equal to the widths of the base plate 112 and connector plate 140. The first and second handle end members 152, 154 are joined by a relatively narrow central handgrip portion 156, which forms the crossmember of the “H” configuration. Thus, the configuration of the carrying handle 150 is similar to that of the carrying handle 50 of the first bottle carrier embodiment 10 of
A bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle 160 depends from the carrying handle 150, between the central handgrip portion 156 thereof and the underlying base plate 112 and slide plates 128 and 130. The actuation handle 160 is pivotally attached to the underside of the carrying handle 150 by a lateral pivot 162, which, in turn, is carried by a pair of spaced apart ears or lugs 164 depending from the underside of the carrying handle 150. A spring 166 is disposed between the actuation handle 160 and the carrying handle 150, urging the actuation handle 160 away from the carrying handle 150. The actuation handle 160 includes parallel, spaced apart first and second slide plate actuating arms 168 and 170, respectively, depending from the pivotal end of the actuation handle generally normal thereto to form a general “L” configuration with the actuation handle 160. The distal ends of the two actuating arms 168, 170 are pivotally connected to the respective first and second slide plates 128, 130 by attachment lugs and lateral pivots 172 and 174.
The bottle carrier 110 of
At this point, the spring 166 between the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle 160 and carrying handle 150 urges the actuating handle 160 downwardly relative to the carrying handle 150, thus swinging the two slide plate actuating arms 168 and 170 arcuately to the left, as shown in
When it is desired that the bottles B be picked up, the user need only squeeze the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle 160 toward the overlying carrying handle 150, compressing the spring 166. This action pivots the actuating handle 160 about its pivot 162, thus also causing the two slide plate actuating arms 168 and 170 to pivot. The distal ends of the two actuating arms 168, 170 are pivotally pinned to their respective slide plates 128 and 130, thus causing the slide plates to slide from their position shown in
It will be noted in
When the bottles B have been relocated as desired, the user need only release the grip on the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle 160. This allows the spring 166 to pivot the actuating handle 160 and its extension arms 168, 170 to move the slide plates 128, 130 back toward the first end 120 of the base plate 112, as shown in
Each of the bottle clearance passages, e.g., passages 224a through 224c, includes a bottleneck gripping mechanism 226 disposed thereabout, atop the base plate 212. In the embodiment of
A spring urges each bottleneck clamp 228a, 228b toward the center of its respective bottleneck clearance passage to close about the neck N of a bottle B placed through the clearance passage. The springs each comprise a light coil spring 234 disposed about the pivot pin or axis of the two opposite leaves of each hinge 230. The springs 234 each have opposed ends that urge their respective hinge leaves apart from one another, as shown in
A carrying handle support structure extends upwardly from the base plate 212. The carrying handle support structure comprises a plurality of handle connector rods 248 extending upwardly from the opposite first and second ends 220 and 222 of the carrier 210. The upper ends of the handle connector rods 248 attach to a carrying handle 250, which extends over the remainder of the device from the first end to the opposite second end and is spaced apart therefrom for clearance of the tops of the bottles and carton handle. The carrying handle 250 is generally “H” shaped, with the two opposed parallel members or ends 252 and 254 joining the upper ends of the handle connector rods 248. The two end members 252, 254 have widths substantially equal to the width of the base plate 212. The first and second handle end members 252, 254 are joined by a relatively narrow central handgrip portion 256, which forms the crossmember of the “H” configuration.
A bottleneck gripping actuation handle 260 depends beneath the central handgrip portion 256. First and second actuating handle guide rods 262 and 264 (shown most clearly in
First and second lateral lift rods 274 and 276 extend respectively from the first and second ends 266, 268 of the movable actuating handle 260. A rigid linkage connecting assembly or frame 278 is rigidly suspended from the lift rods 274 and 276, and moves vertically with the vertical linear movement of the actuating handle 260. The linkage connecting assembly 278 includes a plurality of lateral linkage connector rods 280 thereacross, with a flexible bottleneck clamp release linkage 282 (e.g., swivel links and openable chain links, flexible cable, ball chain, or other flexible linkage) connecting each of the first and second bottleneck clamps 228a, 228b to the linkage connector rods 280, and thus to the linkage connecting assembly 278 and to the movable actuating handle 260.
The bottle carrier 210 of
The bottles B may be arranged in a conventional six-pack configuration, i.e., closely spaced in a three-by-two matrix, or other arrangement. The bottle carrier 210 is capable of picking up one or more bottles up to the number of bottle clearance passages and bottleneck clamps provided, in any arrangement of the standing bottles. Thus, if bottles are spread across a table or bar, the carrier 210 may be used to pick them up singly by means of the independent operation of the opening of the clamps 228a, 228b due to their flexible connection to the actuating handle 260, rather than requiring that the bottles be picked up simultaneously in a group. For bottles B resting within a six-pack carton C, the clearance slot 218 between the base plate 12 and inwardly disposed handle connector rods 248 provides clearance over the conventional carrying handle H of the six-pack carton C, thus allowing the device to pick up an entire six-pack of full or empty bottles B without need for the bottles first to be removed from the six-pack carton.
When it is desired to release the bottles, the user need only extend his or her fingers around the bottleneck grip actuation handle 260, and lift or pull the handle 260 toward the underside of the carrying handle assembly 250. This draws up the slack in the bottleneck clamp release linkages 282, causing them to pull the first and second bottleneck clamps 228a, 228b to more upright positions, thereby spreading their upper bottleneck gripping edges 232 apart from one another for corresponding clamps. This allows the wider external diameter of the mouth of the bottle(s) B to pass between the bottleneck gripping edges of each pair of bottleneck clamps 228a, 228b, thereby releasing the bottle(s) B from the device 10.
The bottle carrier in any of its embodiments is well suited for picking up and delivering fresh, unopened beverage bottles from one point to another, and for picking up used or empty bottles for disposal as well. It will be seen that in most environments, it would not be desirable to use the same carrier for the delivery of new, unopened bottles as has been used for carrying used, empty bottles. While the carrier could be washed between uses, it would likely be more efficient to provide different bottle carriers for use in carrying new, unopened bottles and used empty bottles. These different carriers could be designated by color coding the structure (interiors of the bottleneck clearance passages, exterior of the base plate and/or handle, etc.), and/or designating the bottle carriers with appropriate notation 300, e.g., the word “NEW” for the carriage of new, unopened bottles or the word “USED” for the carriage of used, empty bottles. Thus, the bottleneck clamps and other structure of the “NEW” carrier would never come in contact with or be contaminated from material from used bottles.
In conclusion, the bottle carrier, in any of its embodiments, will greatly facilitate the labor involved in unpackaging, distributing, and gathering beverage bottles in the restaurant or bar environment. The bottle carrier serves to reduce the workload of the typical staff person in restaurants and bars, not only by means of the mechanizing of the handling of bottles, but also by obviating the need for the staff person to remove the bottles from a six-pack carton before the device can be used to pick up the bottles. Thus, the bottle carrier will be greatly appreciated by waiters and other staff members in dining and drinking establishments where the handling of large quantities of bottled beverages is accomplished.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A bottle carrier, comprising:
- a base plate having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first side portion, and a second side portion opposite the first side portion, the first and second side portions defining a carton handle clearance slot disposed centrally therebetween and extending from the first end to the second end, the base plate having a plurality of bottle clearance passages defined therethrough;
- a bottleneck gripping mechanism atop the base plate disposed about each of the bottle clearance passages;
- a carrying handle support structure extending upwardly from the base plate;
- a carrying handle disposed atop the carrying handle support structure and spaced apart from the base plate; and
- a bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle disposed between the carrying handle and the base plate, the actuation handle communicating with each of the bottleneck gripping mechanisms.
2. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, said bottle gripping mechanism further comprises:
- a plurality of bottleneck clamps, each of the clamps having first and second clamp elements, first and second hinges pivotally attaching the first and second clamp elements to opposite sides of a corresponding one of the bottle clearance passages atop the base plate, and first and second springs urging the corresponding first and second clamp elements toward one another to close about the neck of a bottle inserted through the corresponding bottle clearance passage, the clamp elements extending upwardly from the base plate and having a generally arcuate configuration including an upper bottleneck grip edge, corresponding pairs of the first and second clamp elements forming a generally conical configuration over each of the bottle clearance passages;
- a linkage connecting assembly depending from the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle; and
- a flexible bottleneck clamp release linkage extending from each pair of the bottleneck clamps to the linkage connecting assembly;
- wherein: corresponding bottleneck clamp elements automatically push open independently of the other bottleneck clamps when the neck of a bottle is inserted through any one of the bottleneck clearance passages, the upper bottleneck grip edges of the corresponding first and second clamp elements automatically gripping the bottleneck therebetween; and the first and second clamp elements pull apart from one another when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle is lifted relative to the carrying handle to release the bottleneck secured therebetween.
3. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, wherein said bottle gripping mechanism further comprises:
- a first and a second slide plate disposed atop the base plate, the slide plates being disposed parallel to each other on opposite sides of the carton handle clearance slot, each of the slide plates having a plurality of bottleneck gripping passages defined therein corresponding to the bottle clearance passages of the base plate;
- a lateral pivot depending from the carrying handle, the lateral pivot pivotally securing the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle beneath the carrying handle;
- a spring disposed between the carrying handle and the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle, urging the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle away from the carrying handle; and
- a first and a second slide plate actuating arm extending from the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle, and communicating respectively with the first and second slide plates;
- wherein: the slide plates move toward the second end of the base plate when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle is pivotally actuated toward the carrying handle, thereby closing the bottleneck passages defined by the slide plates and base plate about the necks of any bottles positioned therein to grip the bottlenecks; and the slide plates move toward the first end of the base plate when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle is released, thereby opening the bottleneck passages defined by the slide plates and base plate to release any bottles placed therein.
4. The bottle carrier according to claim 3, wherein each of the bottleneck gripping passages of the slide plates comprises a circular sector having an apex disposed toward the first end of the base plate.
5. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, wherein the carrying handle has mutually opposed first and second ends and the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle has first and second guide rod passages defined therein, the bottle carrier further comprising first and second actuating handle guide rods depending from the carrying handle adjacent the first and second ends thereof, the first and second guide rods passing through the guide rod passages and restricting the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle to linear motion between the base plate and the carrying handle.
6. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, wherein the carrying handle has mutually opposed first and second ends having widths substantially equal to the base plate and a narrow handgrip portion joining the first and second ends.
7. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, further including supplementary lighting disposed within the carrying handle, the lighting selectively illuminating the base plate.
8. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, further including a message board removably disposed thereon, the message board having a message sheet selectively disposed thereon.
9. The bottle carrier according to claim 1, wherein each side of the base plate includes three bottle clearance passages in a linear array, the bottle clearance passages comprising six total passages in a three-by-two matrix.
10. A bottle carrier, comprising:
- a base plate having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first side portion, and a second side portion opposite the first side portion, the base plate having a plurality of bottle clearance passages defined therethrough;
- a carrying handle support structure extending upwardly from the base plate;
- a carrying handle disposed atop the carrying handle support structure and spaced apart from the base plate;
- a bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle disposed between the carrying handle and the base plate;
- a plurality of bottleneck clamps, each of the clamps having first and second clamp elements, first and second hinges pivotally attaching the first and second clamp elements to opposite sides of a corresponding one of the bottle clearance passages atop the base plate, and first and second springs urging the corresponding first and second clamp elements toward one another to close about the neck of a bottle inserted through the corresponding bottle clearance passage, the clamp elements extending upwardly from the base plate and having a generally arcuate configuration including an upper bottleneck grip edge, corresponding pairs of the first and second clamp elements forming a generally conical configuration over each of the bottle clearance passages;
- a linkage connecting assembly depending from the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle; and
- a flexible bottleneck clamp release linkage extending from each pair of the bottleneck clamps to the linkage connecting assembly;
- wherein: corresponding bottleneck clamp elements automatically push open independently of the other bottleneck clamps when the neck of a bottle is inserted through any one of the bottleneck clearance passages, the upper bottleneck grip edges of the corresponding first and second clamp elements automatically gripping the bottleneck therebetween; and the first and second clamp elements pull apart from one another when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle is lifted relative to the carrying handle to release the bottleneck secured therebetween.
11. The bottle carrier according to claim 10, wherein the carrying handle further includes mutually opposed first and second ends having widths substantially equal to the base plate and a narrow handgrip portion joining the first and second ends.
12. The bottle carrier according to claim 10, wherein the carrying handle has mutually opposed first and second ends and the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle has first and second guide rod passages defined therein, the bottle carrier further comprising first and second actuating handle guide rods depending from the carrying handle adjacent the first and second ends thereof, the first and second guide rods passing through the guide rod passages and restricting the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle to linear motion between the base plate and the carrying handle.
13. The bottle carrier according to claim 10, further including supplementary lighting disposed within the carrying handle, the lighting selectively illuminating the base plate.
14. The bottle carrier according to claim 10, further including a message board removably disposed thereon, the message board having a message sheet selectively disposed thereon.
15. The bottle carrier according to claim 10, wherein each side of the base plate includes three bottle clearance passages in a linear array, the bottle clearance passages comprising six total passages in a three-by-two matrix.
16. A bottle carrier, comprising:
- a base plate having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first side portion, and a second side portion opposite the first side portion, the first and second side portions defining a carton handle clearance slot disposed centrally therebetween and extending from the first end to the second end, the base plate having a plurality of bottle clearance passages therethrough;
- a bottleneck gripping mechanism having first and second slide plates disposed atop the base plate, the slide plates being disposed parallel to each other on opposite sides of the carton handle clearance slot, each of the slide plates having a plurality of bottleneck gripping passages defined therein corresponding to the bottle clearance passages of the base plate;
- a carrying handle support structure extending upwardly from the base plate;
- a carrying handle disposed atop the carrying handle support structure, the carrying handle being spaced apart from the base plate;
- a bottleneck gripping mechanism actuation handle depending from the carrying handle, the actuation handle being disposed between the carrying handle and the base plate;
- a lateral pivot depending from the carrying handle, the lateral pivot pivotally securing the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle beneath the carrying handle;
- a spring disposed between the carrying handle and the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle, urging the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle away from the carrying handle; and
- a first and a second slide plate actuating arm extending from the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle, and communicating respectively with the first and second slide plates;
- wherein: the slide plates move toward the second end of the base plate when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle is pivotally actuated toward the carrying handle, thereby closing the bottleneck passages defined by the slide plates and base plate about the necks of any bottles positioned therein to grip the bottlenecks; and
- the slide plates move toward the first end of the base plate when the bottleneck gripping mechanism actuating handle is released, thereby opening the bottleneck passages defined by the slide plates and base plate to release any bottles placed therein.
17. The bottle carrier according to claim 16, wherein each of the bottleneck gripping passages of the slide plates comprises a circular sector having an apex disposed toward the first end of the base plate.
18. The bottle carrier according to claim 16, wherein the carrying handle has mutually opposed first and second ends having widths substantially equal to the base plate and a narrow handgrip portion joining the first and second ends.
19. The bottle carrier according to claim 16, further including a connector plate joining the first end of the base plate to the carrying handle, the connector plate further including a carton handle clearance slot therein aligned and contiguous with the carton handle clearance slot of the base plate.
20. The bottle carrier according to claim 16, wherein each side of the base plate includes three bottle clearance passages in a linear array, the bottle clearance passages comprising six total passages in a three-by-two matrix.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 30, 2007
Publication Date: Dec 24, 2009
Inventor: Timothy B. Myrsten (Richmond, VA)
Application Number: 12/310,498
International Classification: B65B 21/18 (20060101); B65D 71/00 (20060101);