COVER FOR A BOTTLE WITH A RETENTION FEATURE

Abstract

Disclosed is a cover for a bottle that includes a retention feature to allow a user to hold the bottle using a single digit of the user's hand once the cover is in place. Preferably the cover is designed so that it can be slipped over a bottle containing e-liquid for refilling of electronic cigarettes. The cover is a form fitting sleeve and permits visualization of the fluid level in the bottle through openings in the sleeve or by using a semi-transparent material for the sleeve. The retention feature, preferably, can be shaped into a loop shape by the user and allows a user to slip at least one digit through the retention feature thereby permitting the user to simultaneously hold the bottle and a cartridge, cartomizer or clearomizer in one hand and to use the other hand to fill the cartridge, cartomizer or clearomizer of the electronic cigarette with the e-liquid.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/019,507, filed on Jul. 1, 2014.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

NONE.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to a cover for use with bottles, preferably with bottles that are used to refill cartridges of electronic cigarettes; the cover includes a retention feature to enable a user to hold the bottle and the cartridge to be refilled in one hand while filling the cartridge using the other hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly more popular as new users discover them and many cigarette smokers convert to use of them as opposed to tobacco cigarettes. These products are also known as e-cigs, personal vaporizers (PV), and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Throughout the present specification the term electronic cigarette will be used to refer to all of these devices. Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered vaporizers that vaporize a liquid to produce a vapor that resembles smoke. The liquid is generally a mixture of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine and a flavor. Some liquids are sold that do not contain nicotine and some contain polyethylene glycol 400. The liquids are known by various names such as e-liquid, e-juice, smoke juice, and eliquid. Throughout the present specification and claims the term e-liquid will be used to refer to these liquids. The three major components of an electronic cigarette are the battery portion, an atomizer, and a cartridge. The battery portion contains the battery, the circuitry for the device, an airflow sensor, usually an on/off button, and an LED light to indicate that the unit is in use. Some battery portions are designed to be automatic and are turned on as a user draws on the electronic cigarette, thus an on/off button is not required. The atomizer contains the heating element that is heated by the battery to convert the e-liquid from a liquid into a vapor that is inhaled by a user. It also usually includes a wicking material to pull the liquid from a cartridge into the atomizer. The cartridge is used to hold the e-liquid. In a “cartomizer” style device the atomizer and the cartridge are a single unit wherein the cartridge part surrounds the atomizer and includes some form of a wicking material, generally a polyfoam of some sort, that surrounds the atomizer and an air passage. In another variation a “clearomizer” style device is a combination of a clear tank to hold the e-liquid and an atomizer that is inserted into the tank. The atomizer includes a wicking material to pull e-liquid into the atomizer. In use, the battery is activated by the user or by the air flow sensor as the user draws air through the device. The battery very rapidly heats the heating element in the atomizer which vaporizes the e-liquid brought to it by the wicking material and the vapor is delivered to the user.

As the electronic cigarette is used the e-liquid is consumed and eventually depleted. Many of the cartridges, the cartomizers, and the clearomizers can be refilled multiple times with additional e-liquid. Many suppliers sell bottles of e-liquid for use in refilling cartridges, cartomizers and clearomizers. The bottles generally range in capacity from 5 milliliters to 120 milliliters, most commonly from 15 to 30 milliliters. The bottles have a lid that may include a built in eyedropper for transferring the e-liquid from the bottle to the cartridge, cartomizer, or clearomizer. Other bottles require utilization of a syringe and needle to transfer the e-liquid from the bottle to the cartridge or include a tip to deliver the e-liquid. Simultaneously manipulating the cartridge, bottle and transfer device can be difficult for users. It is desirable to provide a method and device which would enable a user to more easily hold and manipulate these three components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, this invention provides a cover that can be slipped over an e-liquid bottle and that holds the bottle securely. The cover allows for visualization of the fluid level in the bottle of e-liquid. This is accomplished through use of openings in the cover or by virtue of the at least semi-transparent nature of the cover. The cover further comprises a retention feature that, in one embodiment, can be shaped into a loop shape and that allows a user to slip at least one digit of the user's hand through the retention feature thereby permitting the user to easily simultaneously hold the bottle and a cartridge, cartomizer or clearomizer in one hand and to manipulate a transfer device with the other hand to fill the cartridge, cartomizer or clearomizer.

In one embodiment the present invention is a cover for a bottle comprising: a sleeve, the sleeve having a top opening and at least one of a side opening and a bottom opening, the sleeve capable of accepting and securely retaining an e-liquid bottle within the sleeve; the sleeve formed from a material comprising a textile, an elastomeric material, a semi-flexible plastic, a leather, or a mixture thereof; and the sleeve further comprising a retention feature capable of forming a loop, a size of the loop being adjustable and for accepting at least one digit of a user's hand.

In one embodiment the present invention is a cover for an e-liquid bottle comprising: a sleeve having a top opening and at least one of a side opening and a bottom opening, the sleeve having an interior contour shaped to conform to an exterior shape of a portion of an e-liquid bottle, the sleeve for accepting and securely retaining an e-liquid bottle within the sleeve; the sleeve formed from a material comprising a textile, an elastomeric material, a semi-flexible plastic, a leather, or a mixture thereof; and the sleeve further having a retention feature comprising a projection and a hole.

In one embodiment the present invention is a cover for an e-liquid bottle comprising: a sleeve having a top opening and at least one of a side opening and a bottom opening, the sleeve having an interior contour shaped to conform to an exterior shape of a portion of an e-liquid bottle, the sleeve for accepting and securely retaining an e-liquid bottle within the sleeve; the sleeve formed from a material comprising a textile, an elastomeric material, a semi-flexible plastic, a leather, or a mixture thereof; and the sleeve further having a size adjustable retention feature comprising a strip of material capable of forming a loop, the loop for accepting at least one digit of a user's hand thereby securing the sleeve to a user's hand.

These and other features and advantages of this invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description are described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side view of an assembly of a bottle with a cover according to one embodiment of the present invention on the bottle;

FIG. 1B is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 1A rotated 90 degrees;

FIG. 2 is a tilted side view of the assembly of FIG. 1A to show a bottom opening of the cover;

FIG. 3A is a side view of an assembly of a bottle with a cover according to another embodiment of the present invention on the bottle and shows a retention feature formed into a loop;

FIG. 3B is a view of FIG. 3A showing the retention feature not formed into a loop;

FIG. 3C is another side view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3B; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the assembly shown in FIG. 3A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed toward a cover for a small bottle generally having a capacity of from 5 to 120 milliliters, and most especially for a bottle of an e-liquid. The cover holds the bottle in a secure fashion, permits a user to see the level of a fluid in the bottle, and includes a retention feature to allow a user to hold the bottle using a single digit of the user's hand. The cover allows a user to simultaneously hold the bottle and an e-cigarette cartridge, cartomizer, or clearomizer in one hand while filling the cartridge, cartomizer, or clearomizer with e-liquid from the bottle using the other hand. The retention feature is adjustable to fit a user's digit(s) and is readily releasable. The cover also provides protection to the bottle in the event that the bottle is dropped.

FIG. 1A is a side view of an assembly 10 of a bottle 30 with a cover 20 over the bottle 30. The cover 20 includes a sleeve 22 that has at least one opening 24 in the side. The opening 24 permits a user to see the level of a liquid in the bottle 30 and can also serve as a way to slip the cover 20 onto the bottle 30. Preferably the sleeve 22 includes two openings 24 opposite each other on the sides. The sleeve 22 can also include a design such as a logo 26. Depending on the material of the sleeve 22 the logo 26 can be embedded into the sleeve 22, embossed onto the sleeve 22, or applied to the outside of the sleeve 22. The sleeve 22 includes an opening 28 in the top of the sleeve 22 to allow the bottle 30 and a lid 32 to protrude from the sleeve 22. In the embodiment shown the lid 32 includes a built in eye dropper 34 to serve as a transfer device to transfer liquid from the bottle 30 to another location. The bottle 30 can also be provided with a lid 32 not having a built in eye dropper 34, in these embodiments a separate transfer device is required. This separate transfer device can take the form of a tip on the lid 32 that allows for flow of the e-liquid out of the bottle 30 or a separate syringe and needle to allow a user to withdraw e-liquid from the bottle 30. FIG. 1B shows the assembly of FIG. 1A from a rotated view. FIG. 2 shows a tilted side view of the assembly 10 of FIG. 1A. The view in FIG. 2 shows that preferably the sleeve 22 includes a bottom opening 29. The bottom opening 29 in combination with the top opening 28 permits a bottle 30 to be inserted into the sleeve 22 from the bottom opening 29. In other embodiments the sleeve 22 may have a closed bottom with no bottom opening 29. In these embodiments the bottle 30 is inserted into the sleeve 22 using the side opening 24 and top opening 28.

The sleeve 22 can be formed from a large variety of materials including any textiles, elastomeric material, semi-flexible plastics, leather and mixtures of these. The sleeve 22 is sized to fit the specific bottle 30 size. In one embodiment the sleeve 22 is formed from an elastomeric material comprising silicone rubber, a polyisoprene, polybutadiene, polyisobutylene, polyurethane, neoprene rubber, ethylene acrylic copolymer, butyl rubber, styrene butadiene copolymer, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene copolymer, ethylene propylene diene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polyacrylic rubber, and mixtures thereof. The sleeve 22 needs to be flexible enough to allow the bottle 30 to be inserted into it and to hold the bottle 30 securely. Textiles can include cloth, hemp, canvas, and faux leathers. If the sleeve 22 is formed from a semi-flexible plastic the plastic has to have enough give to allow for insertion of the bottle 30. The bottom opening 29 can be sized and shaped to include a small lip as shown in FIG. 2 to ensure that whatever the material of the sleeve 22 it will hold the bottle 30. Preferably the sleeve 22 is formed from an elastomeric material so that the sleeve 22 is easily moldable and that it has sufficient give to allow for insertion of the bottle 30 and then a return to its original size to hold the bottle 30 securely. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 4, the sleeve 22 has an interior contour that mirrors the outer contour of the portion of the bottle 30 retained inside the sleeve 22. Thus, the sleeve 22 form fits the bottle 30. This matching of the shape of the bottle 30 to the sleeve 22 enables the sleeve 22 to conform to the shape of the bottle 30 and to hold it securely. As discussed above the outside of the sleeve 22 can include a logo or design. The design might be a company logo, an advertisement, a customer ordered design, or other promotional designs. Depending on the nature of the sleeve 22 material the design can be embossed, painted, silkscreened on, or applied in another fashion as known in the art. The sleeve 22 can also be designed with no openings 24 on the sides. In such an embodiment the bottle 30 is inserted into the sleeve 22 through the bottom opening 29. In this embodiment preferably the sleeve 22 is formed from a material that is at least semi-transparent or fully transparent to allow a user to see the level of fluid in the bottle 30.

As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, preferably the cover 20 includes a retention feature 40. Preferably, the retention feature 40 is adjustable by a user and designed to accommodate one or more digits on a user's hand. The retention feature 40 allows a user to hold the bottle 30 and other items such as a cartridge, cartomizer, or clearoimzer on one hand while using a transfer device in the other hand to transfer e-liquid from the bottle 30 into the cartridge, cartomizer, or clearoimzer. Preferably the retention feature 40 is formed from the same material as the sleeve 22. Preferably the sleeve 22 and the retention feature 40 are molded as a single piece as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. The retention feature 40 shown in FIGS. 3A-3C includes a strip 42 having a plurality of beads 44 on the strip 42 and at one end of the strip 42 a hole 46 located in a projection 47, preferably molded into the sleeve 22. As shown, the projection 47 and hole 46 form a portion of the retention feature 40. The diameter of the hole 46 is close to, and preferably less than, that of a diameter of the beads 44 and the diameter of the strip 42 to provide resistance to movement of the beads 44 and strip 42 through the hole 46. The retention feature 40 is secured at one end to the sleeve 22 as shown and is adjusted and used by inserting an end of the strip 42 into the hole 46 and then the beads 44 hold the strip 42 in the hole 46 to form the strip 42 into the shape of loop as shown in FIG. 3A. The diameter of the beads 44 and strip 42 relative to the diameter of the hole 46 provides resistance to removal of the strip 42 from the hole 46. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A the strip 42 includes only a single hole 46. The retention feature 40 could also be designed as a more traditional beaded cable tie design as known in the art wherein a hole and a slot are used instead of just a single hole 46 in the retention feature 40. In such design, the hole has a larger diameter than the diameter of the beads and the strip 42 is first inserted into the hole. Then a part of the strip 42 between two beads 44 is pressed into the slot to hold the beaded cable tie in place at the desired length. Such a design could be used in place of the design shown in FIG. 3A-3C. In another embodiment the retention feature could comprise a strip 42 having a hook and loop fastener arrangement such as Velcro® for closure purposes. In such a design the strip 42 could include both the hook portion and the loop portion or one of the portions could be located on the outside of the sleeve 22. In another embodiment the strip 42 could include a snap closure, again the strip 42 could include both portions of the snap closure or one portion could be located on the sleeve 22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the only difference from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C is that the hole 46 and projection 47 are in a different orientation from that shown in FIGS. 3A to 3B. This means the loop formed by inserting the strip 42 into the hole 46 has a different orientation from that shown in FIG. 3A. Either embodiment provides the desired user adjustable retention feature 40 with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A being more preferable. As described above, the strip 42 in FIG. 4 could also be a more traditional beaded cable tie design using a hole and a slot for retention of the strip 42. In another embodiment the retention feature 40 could be permanent and non-adjustable. Such a retention feature 40 could be molded into the sleeve 22 or comprise a strip 42 of material permanently attached to the sleeve 22. This type of retention feature 40 is generally less desirable than the adjustable version.

In use of the cover 20 a user would first insert the bottle 30 into the sleeve 22 to retain the bottle 30. When using the bottle 30 and sleeve 22 combination to fill a cartridge, cartomizer or clearomizer a user would use the retention feature 40 and one or more digits of the user's hand to secure the bottle 30 in the user's hand. After securing the retention feature 40 the user would open the bottle 30 and use either the included eye dropper 34 or another transfer device in the opposite hand to transfer e-liquid from the bottle into the cartridge, cartomizer, or clearomizer which is held in the same hand as the bottle 30. The cover 20 provides a quick, secure and reliable way to manipulate the multiple items needed to refill a cartridge, cartomizer, or clearomizer of an electronic cigarette.

The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and do come within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.

Claims

1. A cover for a bottle comprising:

a sleeve, said sleeve having a top opening and at least one of a side opening and a bottom opening, said sleeve capable of accepting and securely retaining an e-liquid bottle within said sleeve;

said sleeve formed from a material comprising a textile, an elastomeric material, a semi-flexible plastic, a leather, or a mixture thereof; and

said sleeve further comprising a retention feature capable of forming a loop, a size of said loop being adjustable and for accepting at least one digit of a user's hand.

2. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 1, wherein said sleeve is formed from an elastomer comprising at least one of silicone rubber, a polyisoprene, polybutadiene, polyisobutylene, polyurethane, neoprene rubber, ethylene acrylic copolymer, butyl rubber, styrene butadiene copolymer, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene copolymer, ethylene propylene diene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polyacrylic rubber, and mixtures thereof.

3. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 1, wherein said bottle has a capacity of 120 milliliters or less and wherein said sleeve has an interior contour that matches an exterior contour of a portion of said bottle.

4. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 1, wherein said sleeve material is at least semi-transparent and permits visualization of the contents of said bottle when said bottle is retained in said sleeve.

5. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 1 wherein said retention feature comprises a strip of material and includes a hook and a loop attachment feature to form said loop.

6. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 5, wherein said strip of material includes one of said hook and said loop attachment feature and said sleeve includes the other of said hook and said loop attachment feature.

7. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 5, wherein said strip of material includes both of said hook and said loop attachment feature.

8. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 1 wherein said retention feature comprises a strip that includes a plurality of beads, a first end and a second end; said first end having a hole and being attached to said sleeve; said second end for threading through said hole and said beads providing resistance to removal of said strip from said hole thereby forming said loop.

9. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 8, wherein said strip comprises a beaded cable tie and wherein a slot is located adjacent to said hole, said hole for threading said second end of said cable tie through and said slot retaining said cable tie at a desired length in the shape of a loop.

10. A cover for an e-liquid bottle comprising:

a sleeve having a top opening and at least one of a side opening and a bottom opening, said sleeve having an interior contour shaped to conform to an exterior shape of a portion of an e-liquid bottle, said sleeve for accepting and securely retaining an e-liquid bottle within said sleeve;

said sleeve formed from a material comprising a textile, an elastomeric material, a semi-flexible plastic, a leather, or a mixture thereof; and

said sleeve further having a retention feature comprising a projection and a hole.

11. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 10, wherein said sleeve is formed from an elastomer comprising at least one of silicone rubber, a polyisoprene, polybutadiene, polyisobutylene, polyurethane, neoprene rubber, ethylene acrylic copolymer, butyl rubber, styrene butadiene copolymer, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene copolymer, ethylene propylene diene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polyacrylic rubber, and mixtures thereof.

12. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 10, wherein said bottle has a capacity of 120 milliliters or less.

13. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 10 wherein said retention feature comprises a strip that includes a plurality of beads and wherein a first end of said strip is connected to said projection, wherein a second end of said strip is threaded through said hole and said beads provide resistance to removal of said strip from said hole thereby forming a loop having an adjustable size and being capable of accommodating at least one digit of a user's hand.

14. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 13, wherein said strip comprises a beaded cable tie and wherein in a slot is located adjacent to said hole, said hole for threading said second end of said cable tie through and said slot retaining said cable tie at a desired length in the shape of a loop.

15. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 10 wherein said retention feature further comprises a loop of a material having a fixed diameter and being secured to said projection through said hole.

16. A cover for an e-liquid bottle comprising:

a sleeve having a top opening and at least one of a side opening and a bottom opening, said sleeve having an interior contour shaped to conform to an exterior shape of a portion of an e-liquid bottle, said sleeve for accepting and securely retaining an e-liquid bottle within said sleeve;

said sleeve formed from a material comprising a textile, an elastomeric material, a semi-flexible plastic, a leather, or a mixture thereof; and

said sleeve further having a size adjustable retention feature comprising a strip of material capable of forming a loop, said loop for accepting at least one digit of a user's hand thereby securing said sleeve to a user's hand.

17. A cover as recited in claim 16 wherein said retention feature further comprises a hook and a loop attachment feature to form said loop from said strip of material.

18. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 16 wherein said retention feature further comprises a strip of material that includes a plurality of beads, a first end and a second end; said first end having a hole and being attached to said sleeve; said second end for threading through said hole and said beads providing resistance to removal of said strip from said hole thereby forming said loop.

19. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 18, wherein said strip of material comprises a beaded cable tie and wherein a slot is located adjacent to said hole, said hole for threading said second end of said cable tie through and said slot retaining said cable tie at a desired length in the shape of a loop.

20. A cover for a bottle as recited in claim 16 wherein said retention feature further comprises a strip of material that includes a snap closure, said snap closure forming a loop from said strip of material when said snap closure is closed.