BOTTLE CARRYING DEVICE

Abstract

A bottle carrier for permitting an individual to carry a bottle of fluid. A bottle of fluid is placed within a mesh bag. The mesh bag has a plurality of holes. A drawstring is weaved through the plurality of holes of the mesh bag. Loops are formed into the drawstring. An individual can carry the bottle of fluid by inserting his fingers into the loop and lifting the bottle of fluid upward. In a preferred embodiment, a decorative clothing cover is inserted over the bottle of fluid so that the loops are still accessible to the individual. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle of fluid is a wine bottle filled with wine.

Description

The present invention relates to devices for carrying bottles, and in particular, to devices for carrying individual bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wine totes are known in the prior art. A wine tote is a device used to carry a bottle of wine. It typically includes a bag portion (where the wine bottle is contained) and a handle portion (where an individual can grab and carry the wine bottle). Prior art wine totes, however, tend to be unattractive, overly cumbersome and expensive.

What is needed is a better wine tote.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bottle carrier for permitting an individual to carry a bottle of fluid. A bottle of fluid is placed within a mesh bag. The mesh bag has a plurality of holes. A drawstring is weaved through the plurality of holes of the mesh bag. Loops are formed into the drawstring. An individual can carry the bottle of fluid by inserting his fingers into the loop and lifting the bottle of fluid upward. In a preferred embodiment, a decorative clothing cover is inserted over the bottle of fluid so that the loops are still accessible to the individual. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle of fluid is a wine bottle filled with wine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a knot being tied in the drawstring.

FIG. 3 shows a completed knot tied in the drawstring.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred decorative clothing cover inserted over the wine bottle.

FIG. 5 shows an individual carrying a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a preferred weave pattern through the mesh bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Wine bottle 1 has been inserted into mesh bag 2. Drawstring 3 has been threaded through the top of mesh bag 1 and pulled tight as shown. A user can carry the wine by placing his fingers through the loops 4 of drawstring 3.

FIG. 2 shows the user tying knot 5 at the top of wine bottle 1. The knot functions to hold mesh bag 2 tight and secure against wine bottle 1 while the decorative clothing is placed over the mesh bag. Also, loops 6 and 7 are created. As with loops 4 shown in FIG. 1, the user can use loops 6 and 7 to carry the wine bottle 1 by looping his fingers through loops 6 and 7.

FIG. 3 shows another view of wine bottle 1 after knot 5 has been tied and loops 6 and 7 have been created. If the user prefers, he can now use loops 6 and 7 to carry the bottle.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred decorative clothing cover 8 that has been slid over the top of mess bag 2 of wine bottle 1. Decorative clothing cover 8 serves the important function of providing a very attractive feature that improves the appearance of wine bottle 1 and mesh bag 2. Decorative clothing cover 8 is preferably placed over wine bottle 1 as shown. Wine bottle 1 can then be given as a gift to an individual. Decorative clothing cover 8 identifies wine bottle 1 as a gift plus it eliminates the need for the gift giver to buy a separate gift bag or wrapping for the wine bottle. The receiver of the gift then has the option of keeping decorative clothing cover 8 on wine bottle 1 or removing the decorative clothing cover and using just mesh bag 2 with drawstring 3 as shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 shows that the user can untie knot 5 and carry wine bottle 1 with decorative cover 8 by using loops 4 in a fashion similar to that shown in FIG. 1.

Preferred Mesh Bag

The mesh bag protects the bottle of wine if it is dropped. Also, because it is mesh, it allows for easy viewing of the wine bottle itself. In a preferred embodiment, mesh bag 2 is 40 mm wide and contains 24 diamond-shaped expandable holes around its circumference. The bottom of mesh bag 2 is sealed by heat. The length can be varied to accommodate different bottle sizes. In a preferred embodiment mesh bag 2 is comprised of a mixture of polyethylene plastic and ethylene vinyl acetate chosen to provide the best combination of flexibility, ease of expansion, and strength. For example, in one preferred embodiment mesh bag 2 is a mixture of 70% polyethylene (PE) and 30% ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), extruded at a weight of 40 gm/square meter of mesh fabric. The 70/30 mixture of PE and EVA provides an ideal trade-off between elasticity and strength.

Significance of 70% Polyethylene (PE) and 30% Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Mixture

PE/EVA mixtures that deviate substantially from the preferred 70/30 mixture lack either sufficient elasticity, tensile strength or rebound shape adherence for the wine tote application, or is too stiff for the average person to apply. The 70/30 mixture permits the mesh to adhere to both the bottle and the bottle neck despite the differences in their diameters, yet is expandable enough for the tube to be pulled over the bottle by an average-strength woman.

For example, standard expanded polyethylene (EPE) is a puffier plastic often used to protect glass objects and fruit from damage during shipping, but our experiments showed that EPE does not have sufficient tensile strength for use as a wine tote. In contrast, the tensile strength of the preferred PE/EVA 70/30 mixture at 40 gm/square meter is sufficient to allow a full bottle to be suspended from the draw strings looped through every other mesh hole without tearing the mesh even with vigorous swinging of the bottle.

Preferably, mesh bag 2 is extruded in a tubular pattern at un-stretched diameters ranging from 40 to 60 mm for traditional red, white and champagne-sized bottles. Mesh bag 2 is sealed on one end by heat melting, and inverted so that when stretched over a bottle the end seal is inside the tube.

Mesh bag 2 is preferably cut to lengths from 27 to 38 mm to accommodate the various bottle sizes. When stretched over a bottle, the mesh expands and adheres tightly to the bottle and bottle neck due to the elastic properties of the PE/EVA mixture. The PE/EVA mixture at the weight used provides superior protection against bottle breakage in the event of collision with a hard surface, and in most cases from a fall from table height to a hard floor.

The PE/EVA mesh material can be produced in limitless color variations via chemical coloring agent additions during the liquid stage. The Pantone® Color Chart is used to communicate and verify color additive choices during the manufacturing process. Pantone is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc. and refers to a color matching system.

Decorative Clothing Cover

As shown above, mesh bag 2 can be used alone as a carrying device without attaching decorative clothing cover 8 or decorative clothing cover 8 can be slid over wine bottle 1. Many designs of the decorative clothing cover are possible. For example, one design is that of a miniature Chinese women's gown, the cheong sam. The cheong sam used in this preferred design is made from four different Chinese silk brocades with a single gold and orange threaded jacquard fabric used as trim on all four colors. Gold-colored fabric is used on all four dresses on the neck as piping and as edging trim on all the jacquard fabric as well as on the sleeves.

Other preferred decorative clothing covers include women's western cocktail dresses, golf clothing, baseball uniforms and other clothing types. The bodies of the costumes are preferably 14.5 cm wide at the waist and 16.5 cm wide at the bottom to accommodate differing wine bottle widths. The sleeves of the decorative clothing covers vary according to costume type.

Drawstring Cord

In a preferred embodiment, drawstring 3 is approximately 96 mm. It can be made of various colors. Preferably it is woven through the diamond shaped openings of mesh bag 2 at the fourth level from the top, providing a drawstring carrying handle of sufficient strength to comfortably suspend and support the weight of an un-opened 750 ml wine bottle.

Preferred Drawstring Cord Weave

A preferred weave pattern of every other mesh hole is shown in FIG. 6. By weaving the cord of the handle alternate directions into every other diamond-shaped hole around the circumference of the mesh at the fourth level from the top, the weight of approx. 750 ml of liquid is distributed equally to each of the 12 loci of mesh that support the cord. Should any segment of mesh fail, the weight would be re-distributed to the surviving 11 holes horizontally while still maintaining 3 rows vertically as an additional safety margin.

Carrying Loops

By loosely tying the two ends of the drawstring 3 together, with the resulting crossed loops 6 and 7 placed on the top of the wine bottle cap, the user is able to insert his index finger down through the neck of the costume, securing the cords in place on the bottle top while slipping the dress over the bottle and the underlying mesh bag. The cords are then pulled through the opening in the neck to successfully suspend the bottle and dress as a wine tote.

Although the above-preferred embodiments have been described with specificity, persons skilled in this art will recognize that many changes to the specific embodiments disclosed above could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A bottle carrier for permitting an individual to carry a bottle of fluid, said bottle carrier comprising:

A. a mesh bag for receiving said bottle of fluid, said mesh bag having a plurality of holes,

B. a drawstring weaved through said plurality of holes of said mesh bag, and

C. at least one loop formed into said drawstring,

wherein said at least one loop allows finger access to the individual to permit the individual to carry said bottle of fluid.

2. The bottle carrier as in claim 1, wherein said bottle carrier further comprises a decorative clothing cover inserted over said bottle of fluid and over said mesh bag, wherein said at least one loop extends upward through the top of said decorative clothing cover to allow the user finger access to said at least one loop.

3. The bottle carrier as in claim 1, wherein said bottle of fluid is a wine bottle filled with wine.

4. The bottle carrier as in claim 1, wherein said mesh bag is comprised of a mixture of polyethylene plastic and ethylene vinyl acetate.

5. The bottle carrier as in claim 4, wherein said mixture of polyethylene plastic and ethylene vinyl acetate is a mixture of 70% polyethylene (PE) and 30% ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and wherein said mesh bag is extruded at a weight of 40 gm/square meter of mesh fabric.

6. The bottle carrier as in claim 1, wherein said drawstring is weaved through alternating holes of said plurality of holes of said mesh bag.

7. The bottle carrier as in claim 1, wherein said at least one loop is two loops.

8. The bottle carrier as in claim 1, wherein a knot is tied into the top of said drawstring forming said at least one loop.

9. The bottle carrier as in claim 8, wherein said at least one loop is two loops.

10. A bottle carrier for permitting an individual to carry a bottle of fluid, said bottle carrier comprising:

A. a mesh bag for receiving said bottle of fluid, said mesh bag having a plurality of holes, wherein said mesh bag is comprised of a mixture of 70% polyethylene (PE) and 30% ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and wherein said mesh bag is extruded at a weight of 40 gm/square meter of mesh fabric,

B. a drawstring weaved through said plurality of holes of said mesh bag,

C. at least one loop formed into said drawstring, wherein said at least one loop allows finger access to the individual to permit the individual to carry said bottle of fluid, and

D. a decorative clothing cover inserted over said bottle of fluid and over said mesh bag, wherein said at least one loop extends upward through the top of said decorative clothing cover to allow the user finger access to said at least one loop.