BOTTLE WITH FLEXIBLE LOOP HANDLE
A bottle has bottom wall and a wall extending from the bottom wall defining an interior space. A flexible strap is movable between a first position and a second position. When the strap is in the first position the strap is positioned adjacent the wall of the bottle over substantially the entire length of the strap and when the strap is in the second position a loop is formed by the strap that extends away from the bottle.
Vessels such as water bottles typically comprise a bottle dimensioned to be carried by a user for personal use. The bottle may be closed by a removable cap such that the bottle may be refilled, and reused, fn some bottles a rigid handle may be provided to facilitate use of the bottle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn some embodiments a bottle comprises a bottle having a bottom and a wall extending from the bottom defining an interior space. A strap has a first end movable relative to the bottle between a first position and a second position. When the first end is in the first position the strap is positioned adjacent the wall of the bottle over substantially the entire length of the strap and when the first end is in the second position a loop is formed by the strap that extends away from the bottle.
An opening may communicate with the interior space. The strap may be flexible. The strap may comprise one of silicone, TPE, nylon, woven fabric and unwoven fabric. The strap may comprise a relatively long, thin flexible member. A second end of the strap may be fixed to the bottle. A ring at the second end of the strap may be configured to fit over a neck of the bottle. The ring may be positioned in a groove formed in the neck. The first end of the strap may be inserted through a restraining member that allows the first end of the strap to move relative to the bottle. The restraining member may extend from the wall and creates a passage that receives the strap. The first end of the strap may be formed with an enlarged stop that engages the restraining member. The stop may be formed integrally with the strap as a protrusion that extends from the strap. The stop may be formed integrally with the strap out of a molded elastomer. A removable cap may close the opening. A second end of the strap may be fixed to the cap. A ring at the second end of the strap may be configured to fit into a groove formed m the bottle. The ring may be made of a harder material than the strap. The ring may be connected to the strap by a connector. The ring may be insert molded to the strap.
In some embodiments a bottle comprises a bottle having a bottom wall and a wall extending from the bottom wall defining an interior space. A flexible strap is movable between a first position and a second position. When the strap is in the first position the strap is positioned adjacent the wall of the bottle over substantially the entire length of the strap and when the strap is in the second position a loop is formed by the strap that extends away from the bottle.
Embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which different embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that, this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will folly convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc, may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited, by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first, element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more-of the associated listed items.
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” or “top” or “bottom” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another element as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
Referring to
The side wall 4 together with the top wall 6 and bottom wall 2 define the interior space 8 of the bottle 1. The bottle 1 may be made in a variety of sizes such that the interior space 8 may be designed to retain a variety of liquid volumes. In some embodiments the bottle 1 may be dimensioned such that a typical user may grasp the side wall 4 in one hand such that the bottle may be manipulated for drinking and refilling. In some embodiments the bottle 1 may be made of multiple components such as a bottom portion 1a and top portion 1b to facilitate molding of the bottle 1 where the portions are permanently joined together to complete the bottle 1. In some embodiments the bottle may have an insulated construction such that the bottle may for example, have an insulated double wall construction. The bottle 1 may be made of any suitable material including plastics such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), copolyester, polypropylene or the like, or metal such as aluminum, stainless steel or the like, or glass, or other suitable materials or combinations of materials.
An access opening 10 is provided into the interior space 8 of the bottle 1 to allow the bottle to be filled and refilled with liquid and for liquid to be dispensed from the bottle. In one embodiment the access opening 10 is formed in the top wall 6 of the bottle although the access opening may be provided in the side wall 4. The access opening 10 may comprise a neck 12 that extends from the top wall 6 and that defines a passage 14 from the exterior of the bottle to the interior space 8. The neck 12 may comprise a generally cylindrical tube having a distal end 12a that defines the opening, in one embodiment the neck comprises screw threads 16 that threadably engage mating screw threads on a cap 18 such that the cap may be releasably secured over the opening 10 to close the opening and create a liquid tight seal as shown in
In order to facilitate the carrying of the bottle a handle 20 is provided that allows a user to grasp the handle 20 with the fingers of a hand or to hang the bottle by the handle. The handle 20 is configured such that the handle may be extended away from the bottle such that it forms a loop 21 that may be grasped by a user (
The handle 20 comprises a flexible strap 22 that is mounted such that the strap may occupy a first storage position where the strap 22 is positioned against or closely adjacent to the bottle 1 (
In one embodiment a ring 28 is formed at the second end 24 of the strap 22. The ring 28 is dimensioned such that it can fit over the neck 12 of the bottle 1 to retain, the second end 24 of the strap 22 in a fixed position relative to the bottle 1. The neck 12 of the bottle may be formed with spaced flanges 30 that form a groove 32 for receiving the ring 28 such that the ring is secured to the bottle. The strap and/or bottle may be made of a pliable material such that the components may be deformed to fit the ring over the neck 12. In other embodiments the second end 24 of the strap 22 may be connected to the bottle 1 using a mechanical connector, adhesive or the like. For example, an eyelet may be molded into the bottle adjacent the neck 12 that is secured to the second end of the strap.
The first end 26 of the strap 22 is inserted through a restraining member 34 that allows the first, end 26 of the strap 22 to move relative to the bottle from the first position of
In one embodiment the strap 22 comprises a flexible member made of a molded, resilient, pliable material such as silicone, TPE, nylon or other material where the end stop 38 is formed integrally with the strap 22 as a protrusion that extends from the strap. The strap 22 may also comprise a woven or non-woven fabric, cord, cable or the like where the stop 38 may be formed as a knot 39 tied at the end of the strap as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment the strap 22 and stop 38 are made of a deformable material such as an elastomer such that the strap may be inserted into the passage 36 front a first direction (arrow A) but cannot be easily removed from the passage 36 in the second direction (Arrow B). To facilitate assembly of the strap 22 to the bottle X, in one embodiment, the stop has an inclined face 44 that may be inserted into the passage 36 in the first direction A as shown in
The strap 22 is arranged such that in the retracted position when no loop 21 is formed, the strap 22 extends toward the bottom of the bottle 1. The strap 22 hangs by gravity such that the strap 22 is disposed against or closely adjacent to the top wall 6 and/or side wall 4 of the bottle over substantially the entire length of the strap. The strap may be disposed closely adjacent to the top wall 6 and the side wall 4 or only adjacent the side wall 4 depending upon the location of the second end 24 of the strap relative to the side wall and top wall and the shape of the bottle. In this manner when the strap is not being used, as a handle the profile of the bottle Is very close to the profile of the bottle without the strap such that a rigid handle does not project from the bottle or the cap.
In the embodiment of the bottle of the invention shown in
In use the handle may be stored as shown in
Although specific embodiments have been shown and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement, which is calculated to achieve the same purpose, may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that the invention has other applications in other environments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described herein.
Claims
1. A bottle comprising:
- a bottle having a bottom and a wall extending from the bottom defining an interior space;
- a strap having at least a first end movable relative to the bottle between a first position and a second position such that when the first end is in the first position the strap is positioned adjacent the wall of the bottle over substantially the entire length of the strap and when the first end is in the second position a loop is formed by the strap that extends away from the bottle.
2. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising an opening communicating with the interior space.
3. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the strap is flexible.
4. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the strap comprises one of silicone, TPE, nylon, woven, fabric and unwoven fabric.
5. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the strap comprises a relatively long, thin flexible member.
6. The bottle of claim 1 wherein a second end of the strap is fixed to the bottle.
7. The bottle of claim 1 comprising a ring at the second end of the strap, the ring being configured to fit over a neck of the bottle.
8. The bottle of claim 7 wherein the ring is positioned in a groove formed in the neck.
9. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the first end of the strap is inserted through a restraining member that allows the first end of the strap to move relative to the bottle.
10. The bottle of claim 9 wherein the restraining member extends from the wall and creates a passage that receives the strap.
11. The bottle of claim 9 wherein the first end of the strap is formed with an enlarged stop that engages the restraining member.
12. The bottle of claim 11 wherein the stop is formed integrally with the strap as a protrusion that extends from the strap.
13. The bottle of claim 11 wherein the stop is formed integrally with the strap out of a molded elastomer.
14. The bottle of claim 2 further comprising a removable cap for closing the opening.
15. The bottle of claim 14 wherein a second end of the strap is fixed to the cap.
16. The bottle of claim 15 comprising a ring at the second end of the strap, the ring being configured to fit into a groove formed in the bottle.
17. The bottle of claim 16 wherein the ring is made of a harder material than the strap.
18. The bottle of claim 17 wherein the ring is connected to the strap by a connector.
19. The bottle of claim 17 wherein the ring is insert molded to the strap.
20. A bottle comprising:
- a bottle having a bottom wall and a wall extending from the bottom wall defining an interior space; a flexible strap movable between a first position and a second position such that when the strap is in the first position the strap is positioned adjacent the wall of the bottle over substantially the entire length of the strap and when the strap is in the second position a loop is formed by the strap that extends away from the bottle.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 3, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 9, 2016
Inventor: John Kenneth Michie (Kalamazoo, MI)
Application Number: 14/559,128