GB2331230A - Ground-engaging support for drink container - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid container support comprises a support post 6 one end of which is adapted for connection to a collar 8 for accommodating a liquid container and the other end of which 2 is adapted for insertion into the ground. The post has a stepped portion 4 providing, in use, support for a liquid container located within the collar. The post is formed of two longitudinally extending parallel web members interconnected by a third web member to provide two channels on opposite sides of the third web member. One of the web members is discontinuous at position 13 to provide longitudinal entry into at least one of the channels in a direction towards the end connected to the collar. The stepped portion 4 has an extension 7 to provide additional support for the base of a container. The collar 8 may comprise two resiliently-flexible arms forming an incomplete circle which is expansible to accommodate larger containers. Means may be provided whereby the support can be hung on a vertical structure, Figures 7 to 41. Several, eg four, of the supports may be hung on a support member so that they can be carried as a unit, Figures 42 to 48. The pointed end 2 of the support may be stood in a tube which has been inserted in the ground, Figures 5 and 6.

Description

2331230 RECEPTABLESUPPORT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a support for liquid containers such as beverage cans lightweight containers or bags. The invention provides support or stability to such articles which might otherwise be prone to topple over on an uneven surface or in other unstable conditions, for example, on open ground or in restricted areas such as a car, caravan or boat.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

For years, people have eaten and drunk outside in circumstances where conventional table and chairs are not available. For example at family picnics, more formal official gatherings such as garden parties and sporting/concert events when the norm is to sit on the ground and glasses, beakers and other drinks' receptacles can easily topple over. Similarly, collapsible picnic furniture is often used and the table, if one is present, is either too far away or at an inconvenient height, hence the drink is placed on the ground with the potential for spillage. In different circumstances, but with a similar result, some people occasionally remain in the car to enjoy a drink but most cars do not have flat surfaces on which to place the drinks receptable and this can be most inconvenient. Likewise when in a small boat or caravan, where the space is limited and there may be motion to contend with, the likelihood of an spillage/breakage is great. Carrying several drinks on a tray which is often slippery needs care and, where the terrain is uneven, can also produce dire results.

Whenever these circumstances exist mishaps can occur and the even is often marred to some degree by the drink falling over creating considerable discomfort when discovered and, in some cases danger in the instance of broken glass.

There have been a number of attempts to address the problem. All have their 30 limitations and can be used in only very restricted circumstances. The proposed invention seeks to prevent accidents occurring in the various ways described above.

1 Although the proposed invention has these primary purposes its application is exceedingly broad and is not restricted to the uses listed here.

STATEMENTS OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a liquid container support comprising a support post one end of which is adapted for connection to a collar for accommodating a liquid container and the other end of which is adapted for insertion into the ground, said post having a stepped portion providing, in use, support for a liquid container located within said collar, said post being formed of two longitudinally extending, parallel web members interconnected by a third web to provide two channels on opposite sides of said third web member, one of said longitudinally extending web members being discontinuous at said stepped portion to provide longitudinal entry into at least one of said channels in a direction towards said one end.

Preferably said collar comprises two arms, each arm extending from said post and together at least partly define a space for accommodating a liquid container.

Preferably said collar is resiliently formable so as to accommodate liquid containers of varying diameters and ideally said collar is provided with a recess on an outer surface thereof for accommodating in tight fit manner said one end of said post whereby movement of said collar with respect to said support post is restricted.

Preferably said collar is a polygon or hexagon or heptagon or octagon.

Preferably said stepped portion of said support post includes a substantially longitudinal extension to said stepped portion providing additional support to said liquid container.

Preferably said extension is level with said stepped portion.

2 Preferably said extension in use, is inclined upwardly.

Preferably said support flirther includes a post receiving element into which said post may be located said post receiving element being provided with means for permanent 5 or temporarily attachment to a substantially flat or vertical surface.

Preferably the length of said post receiving element is substantially commensurate with the distance between the end of said post adapted to connect your collar and the stepped portion.

Preferably said support is capable of slidingly engaging with said post receiving element, ideally said post receiving element being provided with a blocked end so that the post abuts said end in an assembled form.

Preferably said support further includes means for linking together in a spatially apart arrangement at least two supports.

Preferably said second support member comprises a disc, a plate or an element of cruciform or stellate shape.

Preferably the means for linking together at least two supports is wholly or partially detachable from said supports.

Preferably said liquid container support is adapted to support take away meals and other light weight bags, the liquids support being in the form of an isolated support posts fitted into a fixed or temporary channel member located in or on a car.

The present invention forms a cradle (collar) and stem (support post) which is adaptable for use in a number of the circumstances described above. The first part (support post) is a ground engaging angled stem fitted with an open ring (collar)', to form a cradle for a can or beaker, one end of the post being adapted to insert into the 3 ground and prevent the can from toppling over. The cradle can also be fitted to a variety of adapters (post receiving elements) which are specifically designed as part of the whole invention. Such adapters enable the cradle to be used in different circumstances which are, nevertheless, familiar to most people.

The primary cradle comprises an angled spear with a loop, or ring, on its top. The point of the spear enters the ground and the next part is bent at right angles to it, to provide a stepped portion/platform. An upright support post is formed at right angles to the platform or stepped portion, so that the platform length from the ground engaging spear to the upright is equal to the radius of the loop, or ring of the collar. The platform is extended by an extension or a small "ski- jump" to cause the receptacle to lean towards the upright. The loop, or ring, is attached to the toe of this upright to provide lateral support for the receptacle. The ring can be circular or, for preference, polygonal.

The upright support post is provided with a slot which enables it to be connected to a variety of post receiving elements to facilitate its use in different circumstances.

The ring is removable but, so that the ring is located squarely above the platform, a means of locating the ring to the stem is created to prevent the ring, or loop, rotating freely through 360' which would be undesirable. (This may be achieved by use of a stem with a T shape section it being formed by one longitudinal web and the third web member or by specific compatible location slots in the relevant parts). The loop or ring can be transferred to a position in the location of 180% thereby using the ground as the platform but still performing its prime function of lateral restraint to prevent the toppling of a glass or can.

The ring is split in its vertical line in order that it may expand to enable the invention to accommodate items of various diameters. At the base of the upright, on the extreme edge of the bottom of the platform, there is a slot which allows operation with bracket members or other supporting brackets.

4 According to this invention, the support is manufactured in two parts for ease of manufacture and distribution. It is assembled for use and is capable of being dismantled when not in use or for travel or storage purposes.

The plastic ring is of such dimensions as to allow simple "personalisation" with the printing of company logos and advertising slogans on it.

Adaptations are as follows:- 1. Where the ground is so soft as to be unstable, for example dry sand, a tube can be inserted into the ground creating greater resistance to movement away from the upright position. The tube is hollow throughout thus receiving the lateral resistance of the sand on all surfaces. The base point of the invention is then placed into that tube to provide the requisite stability.

Where the cradle is to be used in a vehicle, three adapters are envisaged:- i) A box or secondary bracket in a rigid form in that the upright of the primary bracket slides into it and is then supported by the secondary bracket as if it were located on the ground. The secondary bracket can be secured to the vertical surface of the vehicle by screws or strong adhesive. This application is suitable for any vehicle, car, van, lorry, caravan, open boat, cockpit of large boat, public transport or any other situation where drinking can take place and there is an area which is reasonably vertical on which to secure the secondary bracket.

ii) A secondary flexible adapter for fixing on a temporary basis into an area of the car, particularly, but not exclusively, where there is no area which is sufficiently vertical or whose appearance would be marred by the permanent fixture of the first adapter. The adapter takes the form of a square shaped hook, in that one side fixes behind any convenient point of the car, such as a the side-screen or ventilator grill, and the other side is provided with a slot which receives the upright of the primary bracket. The two sections of the hook are separated by a flexible area.

iii) A fold-up strip which, when assembled, forms a bracket which can be fitted to a vertical surface.

3. An adapter to facilitate the use of primary bracket with a picnic chair or other upright of tubular section where, by attaching the primary bracket to it, would remove the necessity of sitting in reach of a table. Similarly the primary bracket can be attached to upright poles of frame tents allowing jars containing insect repellent to be supported off the ground.

4. A tray in the form of a flat disc of circular or multifaceted design along whose perimeter are located slots into which the primary bracket is fitted for the purpose of carrying the receptacles which contain the liquid. A spar is slotted into the disc to prevent the primary bracket passing all the way through and also to provide additional support. The spars are made and supplied separately to facilitate sale and storage.

5. A cruciform support with the attachment of arms which are formed in such a way as to be able to hold the primary bracket, thus, in a similar way to 4, above, enables the transport of drinks over short distances. The various components of the carrier are removable for easy storage.

6. A further use of the primary cradle in conjunction one of the brackets for use in a car is to use the stem only as hook for supporting small lightweight carrier bags, typically for such things as "take-away" meals.

The invention, as designed, is expected to be constructed in plastic but can be created in other materials.

6 The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following figures:- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS receiving element; Figure 1 represents a side perspective view of the liquid container support according to the present invention; Figure 2 represents a side perspective view of Figure 1 in the instance where the collar is raised from the support post; Figure 4 represents a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 5 represents an alternative embodiment of Figure 1 additionally comprising an extension tube; Figure 6 represents a plan view of an extension tube of Figure 5; Figure 7 represents a rear view of one embodiment of a post receiving element; Figure 8 represents a front view of Figure 7; Figure 9 represents a side view of Figure 7; Figure 10 represents a front end view of Figure 7; Figure 11 represents a side view of a liquid container support in accordance with the invention in position in a post receiving element; Figure 12 represents a front view of Figure 11; Figure 13 represents a rear view of Figure 11; Figure 14 represents a plan view of Figure 11; Figure 15 represents an underneath view of Figure 11; Figure 16 represents a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a post Figure 17 represents a underneath view of Figure 16; Figure 18 represents a front view of Figure 16; Figure 19 represents a rear view of Figure 16; Figure 20 represents a side view of Figure 16; Figure 21 represents a front view of a support post and post receiving element; 7 Figure 22 represents a rear view of Figure 2 1; Figure 23 represents the post receiving element of Figure 16 in use in a vehicle; element; post; Figure 24 represents an unfolded post receiving element of Figure 16; Figure 30 represents a yet further alternative embodiment of a post receiving Figure 31 represents a plan view of Figure 30; Figure 32 represents an end view of Figure 30 in assembled form; Figure 33 represents a front view of Figure 32; Figure 34 represents a rear view of Figure 32; Figure 35 represents a side view of Figure 32; Figure 36 represents the post receiving element of Figure 32 with a support Figure 37 represents a yet further alternative embodiment of a post receiving 15 element side view; Figure 38 represents a plan view of Figure 37; Figure 39 represents a plan view of Figure 37 including a liquid container support; Figure 40 represents a underneath view of Figure 39; Figure 41 represents a side view of Figure 39; Figure 42 represents a plan view of a support bracket; Figure 43 represents a side view of Figure 42; Figure 44 represents a detailed part of Figure 43; Figure 45 represents an alternative embodiment of Figure 42 in plan view; Figure 46 represents the central cross section location together of component parts of Figure 45; Figure 47 represents the post receiving element of Figure 46; Figure 48 represents a further detailed portion of Figure 46; Figure 49 represents a side view of a support post for use with 30 accommodating a plastic bag (side view); Figure 50 represents an alternative embodiment of Figure 49; 8 Figure 51 represents an alternative embodiment of Figure 49; Figure 52 represents an alternative embodiment of Figure 49; PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION With reference to Figure 1 liquid container support 1 is shown in side view, support or vertical post (6), having a point at its lower end (2) sufficient to be pushed into receptive ground, bent at right-angles (3) to form a horizontal platform (4) and then at a specified distance (5) bent again to form a vertical post (6). (Although the drawings show an "T" section stem (1), any section is equally effective and can have certain advantages.) The horizontal platform (5) is extended (7) beyond the spike (2) which can be level or in the form of a "ski-jump" thus providing a greater area for the base of the receptacle.

With reference to Figure 2 collar or ring (8) being of any diameter and circular or multi-faceted, is provided with a connection to one side (9) which fits onto the top of the post (6). The post (6) is shaped in such a way as to prevent the ring (8) sliding down the length of the post (6) by the creation of a shoulder (10) and the top of the connector (9) is also fitted with a closer (11). The ring is prevented ftom rotating through 360' but as the section of the upright which connects to the ring is square, the ring can be placed in a position where it is 180' from the platform.

With reference to Figure 4 the ring (8) is split vertically (12) to accept receptacles of various diameters. The material from which the ring is constructed must, therefore, have flexibility as well as resilience.

On the underside of the platform (4) at its outer edge a slot (13) is provided to facilitate the use of the cradle with other apparatus.

The diameter of the inside of the ring (8) is anticipated to be ideally 65nim. The height of the ring (8) above the platform (4) is expected to be between 50min and loomm.

9 With reference to Figures 5 and 6 to facilitate operation in insecure ground, (eg dry sand) a simple tube (14) is supplied to extend the length of the point (2). The internal dimensions of the tube (14) are slightly larger than the external dimensions of the spike (2) which fits into it. The tube will have the effect of having greater applied resistance when pushed into sand as the lateral forces will operate on both the inner and outer surfaces. Alternatively a socket with its point in cruciform section could be utilised.

With reference to Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 channel member or bracket (15) is designated in such a way that, when it is fixed to a vertical surface, the stem (1) can be supported without being pushed into the ground. The method of fixing to the vertical surface is by adhesive or screw fixing. The bracket (15) is anticipated to be used in motor vehicles, caravans, boats of all varieties, and similar circumstances. Although the bracket is designed to be a separate part of such vehicles, it can be part of the integral design of the vehicle.

With reference to Figures 11 - 15, the bracket is formed in a "U" section (16) such that it is capable of receiving the upright part (6) of the stem (1). The length of the bracket (15) is the same as, or slightly shorter than, the vertical part of the stem (1), up to the shoulder (10). to prevent the stem (1) falling through the bracket (15), a closer (17) is located at the bottom of the bracket. Manufacture is anticipated to be in extruded plastic or metal with the closer (17) being a separate operation in the manufacture.

With reference to Figures 16-24 for the same purpose as above and in similar situations, a less permanent support or temporary channel member (18) is designed whereby the essential means of support of the stem (1) is the same. A variation is to be found in the method of construction. The manufacture is in one piece of plastic with an elongated "T" slot (19) along part of its length. By bending the flat piece at the points (20) and (21) a bracket is formed which is capable of receiving the cradle (1). This bracket is designed to fit over the door frame of a vehicle between the door (22) and the window (23). It can equally fit into any slot which may be found in a vehicle (such as the ventilator grills).

With reference to Figures 30-35 using the same method of manufacture as para 7 above, a flat strip, hinged to form a long piece (24), followed by a short section (25), a long section (26) and then a short section (27), is envisaged. A longitudinal slot (28) is cut in the first length (24) and a wider lateral slot (29) is cut at right-angles in section (25) (to form an uninterrupted "T" slot as in para 7 above). Section (26) is provided with holes for fixing screws. When the strip is folded at its hinges in such a way as to allow the lugs (28) at the end of section (27) to located in the holes (29) in the face of section (24) a bracket is formed, similar to para 6, above into which the primary cradle slides.

With reference to Figures 37-41, the basic bracket, can be permanently fixed to the steel frame of a camping chair, or similar, by means of screws or rivets. for a less permanent fixing, and by utilising the same essential design of the bracket (15), the stem can be attached to a tubular framed chair or other post. This would be effected by the addition of an open-sided expanding (3) which would be capable of gripping a tubular pole. The clip (3) would have a diameter of about 12mm would be open for about one-third of its circumference.

With reference to Figures 42-44 there is shown a second support member 31 comprising a plate circular or multi-sided form with slots (32) formed within the perimeter capable of receiving the basic cradle (1). A forked spar and support, (33), manufactured separately is fitted within the underside of the plate (31) in order to provide additional support for the basic cradle (1) during transit over short distances. The stems (1) are easily withdrawn from the slots (32) to allow each to be used in the conventional way.

11 Within the surface of the plate (3 1) are 4 holes (34) spaced at convenient locations so that the plate (31) is capable of being carried in one hand with the fingers inserted through the holes.

With reference to Figures 45-48 the second support member comprises a central hollow cruciform (35) into which horizontal arms (36), are pushed. These can be secured by a simple graduated restricted of the receiving part (37) or by restricting with a nut and bolt the volume within the boxsection (37) (not shown). the boxsection centre piece would probably be manufactured in two parts and welded together. The arms extend to form a downwards dog-leg which, by the incorporation of the primary bracket, provides a support for the primary cradle thus allowing up to four receptacles to be carried without them falling over.

12 2.

Claims (1)

1, A liquid container support comprising a support post one end of which is adapted for connection to a collar for accommodating a liquid container and the other end of which is adapted for insertion into the ground, said post having a stepped portion providing, in use, support for a liquid container located within said collar, said post being formed of two longitudinally extending, parallel web members interconnected by a third web member to provide two channels on opposite sides of said third web member, one of said longitudinally extending web members being discontinuous at said stepped portion to provide longitudinal entry, into at least one of said channels in a direction towards said one end.

A support according to Claim 1 wherein said collar comprises two arms each extending from said post and together at least partly define a space for accommodating a liquid container.

A support according to either Claim 1 or 2 wherein said collar is resiliently deformable so as to accommodate liquid containers of varying diameters.

4. A support according to any preceding claim wherein said collar is provided with a recess on an outer surface thereof for accommodating in tight fit manner said one end of said post, whereby movement of said collar with respect to said support post is restricted.

5. A support according to any preceding claim wherein said post includes a substantially longitudinal extension to said stepped portion providing additional support to said liquid container.

6. A support according to Claim 5 wherein said extension, in use, is inclined upwardly.

13 A support according to any preceding claim and flirther including a post receiving element into which said post may be located, said post receiving element being provided with means for permanent or temporary attachment to a substantially flat and vertical surface.

8. A support according to any preceding claim wherein the length of said post receiving element is substantially commensurate with the distance between the end of said post adapted to connect to a collar and the stepped portion.

9. A support according to any preceding claim further comprising a tube for insertion into the ground and of sufficient internal diameter to accommodate the end of said post adapted for insertion into the ground.

10. A support means substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A support according to Claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

12. A support assembly including a plurality of supports according to any preceding claim and further including means for linking together in a spatially apart arrangement at least two supports.

13. An assembly according to either Claim 12 wherein said linking means comprises a disc, a plate, or an element of cruciform or stellate shape.

14. An assembly according to either of Claims 12 or 13 wherein said linking means comprises a cruciform element being formed of hollow arms and, for each arm, a right angled bracket member for interconnecting said cruciform element with a support, 14