Easy grip water bottle for athletes

Abstract

The invention is directed to an easy grip water bottle for athletes. The bottle provides a bell-shaped configuration for easy gripping and handling. A large central aperture provides ridges and grooves which comfortably fit the user's fingers and thumb, and a flat bottom enables the user to place the bottle in a standing position. The bottle further provides a transparent construction, enabling the user to easily see how much water is left in the bottle, and an anti-drip sports lock cap.

Description

This application relates back to, and claims the priority of Provisional Patent Application No. 62/567,166 filed on Oct. 2, 2017.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to sports equipment and accessories, and in particular to an easy grip water bottle for athletes. Millions of Americans have experienced the frustration of being involved in intense physical activity such as running or cycling, needing a drink, and dropping the water bottle. Due to a combination of fatigue, perspiration, condensation, and the user's physical activity, a conventional cylindrical water bottle can be difficult to grip.

A search of the prior art reveals various devices which have been developed to address this set of problems, or related problems. None are closely related to the present invention, but several include features which resemble those of the present invention. Each has proven to be less than satisfactory for the present purpose in its own way.

Easy grip bottle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,285 (priority Jun. 5, 1990), provides a bottle with two essentially identical indentations on essentially opposite sides for gripping and manipulating the bottle. The indentation are designed to provide for the same gripping feel whether gripped front or the back. The indentations are also designed to accept a thumb and one to four fingers. The positive gripping with the same grip feel allows the bottle to be used in either hand. This decreases the number of times that a bottle must be handled during use. It also decreases the likelihood that the bottle will be dropped while being handled.

Comfort grip bottle holder, U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,891 (priority Jan. 6, 2003), provides an artificial nursing system intended for use in the feeding of an infant animal. The nursing system comprises a feeding bottle, a nipple and a sleeve. The feeding bottle has a top end and a bottom end, the top end of the feeding bottle is attached to the nipple. A sleeve envelopes the feeding bottle, the sleeve comprises a first section made from an elastic material, wherein the elastic material constricts around the feeding bottle and a second section fixedly attached to the first section, the second section is made from a scent accepting fabric and surrounds the nipple. The first and second sections allow the infant animal to grip the feeding bottle and nipple and the constriction of the first section of the sleeve attaches the sleeve to the feeding bottle.

Grip bottle, Japanese Patent No. JP2006008190A (priority Jun. 25, 2004), provides a bottle which is comprised of a mouth, a trunk, a bottom, and two grip recesses formed on the trunk. Each grip recess has a bottom wall, a circular peripheral wall which slopes toward the inside of the bottle while extending from the trunk to the bottom wall, and a connection which connects the bottom wall to the peripheral wall. The bottom wall widens outwardly of the bottle as the bottom wall extends downwardly of the bottle, and connects to the connection.

Biaxial-orientation blow-molded bottle-shaped container having opposed recesses and grooves for stable gripping and anti-buckling stiffness, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,565 (priority Jan. 6, 2003), provides a blow-molded bottle-shaped container of biaxially oriented thermoplastic synthetic resin includes a pair of recesses depressed inwardly on the right and left side parts of a rear half portion substantially at the central height position of a cylindrical container body to form a grip to be grasped by one hand. The bottle-shaped container can enhance the buckling stiffness of an integrally molded grip by providing parallel grooves and/or reinforcing ribs in and around the grip.

Bottle with integrated grip portion, U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,713 (priority Dec. 7, 1998), provides a bottle for storing and dispensing contents comprises a grip portion for improving a user's grip on the bottle. The grip portion is situated on a side of the bottle and extends at least partially along the height of the bottle. The grip portion comprises a recessed panel having a concave shape, formed in the first side of the bottle and adapted to receive the user's fingers. In addition, the grip portion further comprises a grip panel situated on the recessed panel and comprising a plurality of ribs projecting radially outward from the recessed panel. The ribs are oriented substantially vertically to improve the vertical strength of the bottle in the area of the grip portion and spaced-apart so as to form depressions therebetween to receive the user's fingers.

Beverage bottle with grip, WIPO Patent Appl. No. WO1992012901A1 (priority Jan. 17, 1991), provides a bottle containing a beverage comprising a main body with a neck extending therefrom terminating in an opening with a releasable cap thereon. The opening is semi-circular with an inverted V-shaped portion to make it convenient to drink the beverage directly from the bottle. The base of the bottle has a cap opener built in consisting of a well designed to retain the cap taken from another identical bottle. The outer surface of the bottle is ribbed for ease of holding the bottle.

A bell-shaped water bottle, with a large aperture in the center, has proven to provide much easier handling under these circumstances. The flat bottom enables the user to stand the bottle up, and the large central aperture enables numerous gripping techniques and hand positions. If a water bottle could provide this configuration, combined with other features that have proven to be effective for active users, such a device would be useful, and would be well received. An easy grip water bottle for athletes, which provides a bell-shaped configuration for easy gripping and handling, would resolve this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention is directed to an easy grip water bottle for athletes. The bottle provides a bell-shaped configuration for easy gripping and handling. A large central aperture provides ridges and grooves which comfortably fit the user's fingers and thumb, and a flat bottom enables the user to place the bottle in a standing position. The bottle further provides a transparent construction, enabling the user to easily see how much water is left in the bottle, and an anti-drip sports lock cap.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification. They illustrate one embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the first exemplary embodiment, displaying the bottle 10, and the sports lock cap 14.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment, displaying the bottle 10, the aperture 11, the ridges 12, and the sports lock cap 14.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the first exemplary embodiment, displaying the bottle 10, the aperture 11, the ridges 12, the grooves 13, and the sports lock cap 14.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment, displaying the bottle 10, the aperture 11, and the sports lock cap 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the invention in more detail, the invention is an easy grip water bottle 10 for athletes.

The first exemplary embodiment is comprised of a semi-rigid, transparent drinking bottle 10 which provides a bell-shaped configuration for easy gripping and handling. A large central aperture 11 provides ridges 12 and grooves 13 which comfortably fit the user's fingers and thumb, and a large, flat bottom surface enables the user to place the bottle in a standing position. The bottle 10 further provides a transparent construction, enabling the user to easily see how much water is left in the bottle 10, and an anti-drip sports lock cap 14.

To use the first exemplary embodiment, the user may remove the sports lock cap 14, fill the bottle 10 with water or some other beverage, replace the sports lock cap 14, and carry the bottle during physical activity such as running or cycling. When a drink is needed, the user may grip the bottle 10 from any angle, using the central aperture 11 and its ridges 12 and grooves 13 as desired.

The bottle 10 and the sports lock cap 14 are preferably manufactured from semi-rigid, durable materials, such as plastic. Components, component sizes, and materials listed above are preferable, but artisans will recognize that alternate components and materials could be selected without altering the scope of the invention.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is presently considered to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should, therefore, not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. An easy grip water bottle for athletes, comprised of a semi-rigid drinking bottle which provides a bell-shaped configuration for easy gripping and handling, with a large central aperture which provides ridges and grooves which comfortably fit the user's fingers and thumb, and a large, flat bottom surface enables the user to place the bottle in a standing position.

2. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the bottle further provides a transparent construction, enabling the user to easily see how much water is left in the bottle.

3. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the bottle further provides an anti-drip sports lock cap.

4. The bottle of claim 1, the user may remove the sports lock cap, fill the bottle with water or some other beverage, replace the sports lock ca, and carry the bottle during physical activity such as running or cycling.

5. The bottle of claim 1, wherein when a drink is needed, the user may grip the bottle from any angle, using the central aperture and its ridges and grooves as desired.

6. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the bottle and the sports lock cap are preferably manufactured from semi-rigid, durable materials, such as plastic.