Seating System Shaped Like a Beverage Container
Embodiments of the present invention include seating systems shaped to look like various types of beverage containers, such as for promotional, advertising, sponsorship, spectator viewing, broadcasting, announcing, novelty, or other purposes. Among other things, the seating system includes a body portion and two end portions, where the body portion is typically decorated to look like a specific beverage container and the end portions are configured to look like the top and bottom portions, respectively, of that specific beverage container.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/654,536 entitled SEATING SYSTEM SHAPED LIKE A BEVERAGE CONTAINER filed Jun. 1, 2012, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to a seating system shaped like a beverage container.
The foregoing features of embodiments will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Embodiments of the present invention include seating systems shaped to look like various types of beverage containers, such as for promotional, advertising, sponsorship, spectator viewing, broadcasting, announcing, novelty, or other purposes.
Among other things, the seating system includes a body portion and two end portions, where the body portion is typically decorated to look like a specific beverage container and the end portions are configured to look like the top and bottom portions, respectively, of that specific beverage container.
Thus, for one example, a seating system can be made to look like a can-shaped beverage container (e.g., soda can, beer can, juice can, keg, etc.), with one end configured to look like the top of the can (e.g., with a pop-top design) and the other end configured to look like the bottom of the can.
For another example, a seating system can be made to look like a bottle-shaped beverage container (e.g., a water bottle, sports drink bottle, soda bottle, liquor bottle, wine bottle, milk bottle, juice bottle, insulated bottle, etc.), with one end configured to look like the top of the bottle (e.g., tapered with a spout and cap) and the other end configured to look like the bottom of the bottle.
Such seating systems can be made to look like other types of beverage containers, such as, for example, cartons.
The bottom and/or top of the seating system may be (and typically are) removable/exchangeable end sections that attach to a separate body section, e.g., using bolts or other fasteners. In such embodiments, for example, a body section may be reused, e.g., in a can configuration in one instance and in a bottle configuration in another instance, i.e., by attaching the appropriate top and bottom sections to the body section. The top and/or bottom sections of the seating system can be made from any of a variety of materials. For example, the end sections of a can-shaped seating system may be fabricated from plastic or fiberglass, while the end sections of a bottle-shaped seating system may be inflatable plastic elements (since bottle tops and bottoms generally have larger and more complex geometries than can tops and bottoms); however, the present invention is not limited to any particular material for the top and bottom end sections. The decorations on the body section are typically designed to mimic a specific beverage container (e.g., a specific produce) are typically designed to be quickly and easily changed to allow for changes in promotional, advertising, sponsorship, novelty, or other purposes (e.g., the decorations may include decals, stencils, signage, holders for posters or other bills, electronic media, etc.).
Thus, the body section of the seating system may be substantially cylindrical as in many can and bottle configurations or may be other shapes, such as, for example, substantially square as in certain cartons or liquor bottles. A base portion of the body section may include a flat surface so as to rest more easily on the ground or other surface.
The seating system typically includes at least one opening through which people can enter and exit. This opening may be in the body section and/or in one or both of the end sections. The opening may or may not be provided with a door or other covering (e.g., a walk-through screen).
The body section of the seating system includes a number of seats (e.g., a number of stadium seats of the type that might be used in sports stadiums, or perhaps specialized seating that might be an upgrade over other stadium seats) and optionally may include other amenities, such as, for example, an audio/video system (e.g., one or more flat screen TVs), a gaming system, a climate control system (e.g., heating, air conditioning), food storage/vending system (e.g., a refrigerator), food and beverage holders, a bathroom, etc.
The body section typically (but not necessarily) includes an opening through which people seated inside of the seating system can view events happening outside of the seating system, such as, for example, sporting events, parades, etc. The opening may or may not have a door or other covering (e.g., glass, plastic, screen, mesh, etc.). In some cases, a screen or mesh covering can be decorated on the outside to match the specific beverage container while still allowing people inside of the seating system to see out.
In typical embodiments, the body section of the seating system is modular so that it can be shipped or stored in pieces and then assembled as needed, although the body section alternatively may be fabricated in one piece.
As shown in the cross-sectional view (E), the body section includes an outer shell (e.g., made of aluminum) and a floor with underlying floor supports to support the seating.
It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention may be designed or adapted to accept or include an elevation package to elevate the container-shaped seating system, e.g., if needed for proper or improved viewing or display. The elevation package may include extra stairs.
It should be noted that, while the embodiments shown in the figures generally have the container-shaped seating system in a horizontal position, alternative embodiments may have the container-shaped seating system in a vertical (i.e., upright) or other position.
It should be noted that seating systems can be fabricated as stand-alone structures (e.g., for situation in a field, stadium, parking lot, etc.) or can be portable, such as, for example, by placing the seating arrangement on a trailer or vehicle. It should be noted that the inventor considers trailers or vehicles having seating systems of the types described herein to be alternative embodiments of the present invention.
It should be noted that, in addition to (or in lieu of) having the top and/or bottom sections of the seating system configured to look like the corresponding top and bottom sections of a specific beverage container, the top and/or bottom sections may include other decorative features, such as, for example, an element configured to look like a straw, an element configured to look like beverage pouring out of the beverage container, an element configured to look like lips drinking from the beverage container, etc. Similarly, the body section may include other decorative features, such as, for example, an element configured to look like a hand holding the beverage container, an element configured to look like ice cubes cooling the beverage container, etc. Such decorative features typically would be added to the generic seating system (e.g., an inflatable attached to the section) although some may be integral with the fabricated body section and/or end section.
It should be noted that any dimensions shown in the drawings are exemplary only. Seating systems can be made in virtually any size.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the true scope of the invention, and numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the teachings herein. Any references to the “invention” are intended to refer to exemplary embodiments of the invention and should not be construed to refer to all embodiments of the invention unless the context otherwise requires. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive.
Claims
1. A beverage-shaped seating system having an outer portion shaped like a beverage container and an interior having a number of seats.
2. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 1, comprising:
- a body section including the seats;
- a top end section; and
- a bottom end section.
3. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 2, wherein the top end section and/or the bottom end section are removable/exchangeable such that the body section can be used with a variety of top end sections and bottom end sections.
4. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 2, wherein the body section is modular.
5. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 2, wherein the top and bottom end sections are configured to look like the top and bottom sections of a can.
6. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 2, wherein the top and bottom end sections are configured to look like the top and bottom sections of a bottle.
7. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 2, wherein the body section is substantially cylindrical.
8. A beverage-shaped seating system according to claim 2, wherein the body section is substantially square.
9. A reusable body section for a beverage-shaped seating system, the reusable body section attachable to removable top and bottom end sections and including seating.
10. A portable seating system comprising a trailer or vehicle including a beverage-shaped seating system having an outer portion shaped like a beverage container and an interior having a number of seats.
11. A portable seating system according to claim 10, wherein the beverage-shaped seating system comprises:
- a body section including the seats;
- a top end section; and
- a bottom end section.
12. A portable seating system according to claim 11, wherein the top end section and/or the bottom end section are removable/exchangeable such that the body section can be used with a variety of top end sections and bottom end sections.
13. A portable seating system according to claim 11, wherein the body section is modular.
14. A portable seating system according to claim 11, wherein the top and bottom end sections are configured to look like the top and bottom sections of a can.
15. A portable seating system according to claim 11, wherein the top and bottom end sections are configured to look like the top and bottom sections of a bottle.
16. A portable seating system according to claim 11, wherein the body section is substantially cylindrical.
17. A portable seating system according to claim 11, wherein the body section is substantially square.
Type: Application
Filed: May 30, 2013
Publication Date: Dec 5, 2013
Inventor: Scott F. Suprina (E. Northport, NY)
Application Number: 13/905,731
International Classification: A47C 1/00 (20060101);