US20060231717A1

US20060231717A1 - Holder for a beverage-containing vessel that is adapted for wall mounting in lavatories and public restrooms

Info

Publication number: US20060231717A1
Application number: US11/199,877
Authority: US
Inventors: Scott Coren
Original assignee: Coren Inc
Current assignee: Coren Inc
Priority date: 2005-04-14
Filing date: 2005-08-09
Publication date: 2006-10-19

Abstract

A holder for a cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel. The holder is arranged to be permanently secured to a vertical surface in a lavatory or public restroom and is an integral unit including a cylindrically shaped chamber, a mounting plate and a neck portion securing the two together. The mounting plate has an inner surface arranged to confront the vertical surface in the lavatory or public restroom to mount the holder in place. The chamber has a bottom wall and is arranged to receive the cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel therein. The bottom wall includes plural apertures therein.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/671,070, filed on Apr. 14, 2005.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

“Not Applicable”

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

“Not Applicable”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to holders for beverage containing vessels and more particularly to such holders particularly arranged for mounting on the wall of a public restroom or lavatory.
2. Description of Related Art
Various beverage container holding devices for use in public restrooms in bars, restaurants, stadiums, arenas, amusement parks, airports, clubs, casinos, rest stops, malls, gyms/health clubs, spas, movie theaters, golf courses, etc. are commercially available and many are disclosed in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,239 (Smith) discloses a beverage container support for supporting a beverage upon a component of a flush valve for use in public restroom facilities includes a support surface upon which a beverage container could be placed as well as a depending skirt that can be used as a display surface for advertisements. Other patents disclosing beverage container holders for mounting on a flush valve of a toilet in a public restroom of similar facility are: U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,885 (Lopez-Torres, Jr.), U.S. Application No. 2003/0136890 (Smith), U.S. Application No. 2001/0013144 (Lopez-Torres Jr.), U.S. Application No. 2005/0050631 (Rifkin), and U.S. Application No. 2004/0177434 (Sputh).
Other patents and patent applications disclose other types of beverage container holders. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,780 (Wenkman et al.) discloses a beverage container holder kit which can be mounted hanging adjacent the edge of a horizontal surface, hanging from a vertical surface, mounted on a horizontal surface, or hanging from a narrow object, wall or panel, as desired. The kit includes a receptacle element, a support bracket and a mounting element.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,618 (Lancaster) discloses a container holder adapted to be mounted within a vehicle interior compartment is provided comprising a housing which mounts at least one pivotable arm having a sector-like floor portion. The arm is pivotable between a retracted and an extended position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,148 (Gospodarich) discloses a wheel chair and a cup holder which is adapted to be secured to the vertical tubular support member of the wheelchair for supporting various sizes beverage containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,802 (Fowler) discloses a beverage holder having an adjustable mounting system includes a cylindrical-shaped cup member and a clamp assembly which are secured together using a threaded fastening member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,257 (Gradei et al.) discloses a holder for carrying beverage containers that includes a bracket for releasably mounting the holder on a support and having a generally C-shaped clamp bracket, a generally U-shaped swing bracket depending from the clamp bracket, and adjustable clamping screw associated with the clamp bracket.
U.S. Application No. 2005/0006547 (Exler) discloses a holder for receiving a liquid-containing device and mounting it onto a magnetic accepting support or surface.
U.S. Application No. 2004/0108346 (Pablo) discloses a beverage bottle holder includes a pair of arcuate ribs and an interior arcuate portion for holding therein a beverage bottle and a clip portion that has a pair of spaced-apart legs for sliding onto a waistband or belt.
U.S. Application No. 2004/0173719 (Mitchell) discloses a beverage container holder which includes a magnet within the sleeve of a beverage container holder. The beverage container holder, along with any beverage container placed in the beverage container holder, may be magnetically mounted on any ferrous material mounting surface.
U.S. Application No. 2004/0118860 (Leopold et al.) discloses a holder for a beverage container that includes a receptacle, a gripping device having holding jaws which are capable of being pressed resiliently away and project into the and sideways by means of which the holding jaws are mounted.
U.S. Application No. 2003/0197104 (Heybl et al.) discloses an improved cup holder that is fully adjustable and gimbaled and also insulates the beverage it is holding.
U.S. Application No. 2003/0098402 (Kaupp) discloses a holder for a beverage container has two holding arms which engage around an insertion opening for the beverage container and are mounted so that they are pivotable in a lateral direction about pivot axes as pincers.
U.S. Application No. 2002/0109062 (Fowler) discloses a beverage holder having an adjustable mounting system includes a cylindrical-shaped cup member and a clamp assembly which are secured together using a threaded fastening member.
While the aforementioned beverage container holding devices are generally suitable for their intended purposes they never the less leave something to be desired from one or more of the standpoints of simplicity of construction, ease of mounting and use, ability to be maintained in a sanitary stage, thermal insulating ability and resistance to condensation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a holder for a cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel. The holder is arranged to be secured by either an adhesive or by threaded fasteners, e.g., screws, to a vertical surface, e.g., a wall or stall, in a lavatory or public restroom.
The holder is an integral unit, e.g., molded of a plastic, and includes a cylindrically shaped chamber and a mounting plate. The mounting plate has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface is arranged to confront the vertical surface in the lavatory or public restroom when the holder is mounted on that surface. The chamber projects outward from the outer surface of the mounting plate. The chamber includes a circular side wall and a bottom wall. The side wall has an inside diameter sufficiently large to receive the cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel therein with the cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel resting on said bottom wall. The bottom wall includes plural apertures therein.
In accordance with one preferred aspect of this invention the holder is formed of a flame retardant plastic.
In accordance with another preferred aspect of this invention the holder is formed of a plastic including an anti-bacterial agent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one exemplary embodiment of a cup holder constructed in accordance with this invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the cup holder shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the cup holder shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cup holder shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 in FIG. 1 a beverage-container, e.g., cup, holder constructed in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of this invention. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the holder 20 is preferably constructed as a one piece unit, e.g., it is molded of any suitable polymeric material, such as ABS. Any suitable molding technique may be utilized, e.g., injection molding, etc., to form the holder.
As best seen in FIG. 1, the beverage-containing holder 20 is particularly suited to be readily, permanently mounted on a vertical surface 10 in a public restroom, e.g., a bar, restaurant, stadium, arena, amusement park, airport, club, casino, rest stop, mall, gyms/health club, spa, movie theater, golf course and portable restroom. The vertical surface 10 on which the holder 20 may be mounted is any surface within the restroom where a patron would wish to conveniently place his/her beverage while attending to some personal need. Examples of such surfaces are walls adjacent a sink, privacy panels or stalls adjacent a urinal or commode, etc. Since the beverage container holder 20 is arranged to be mounted on a vertical surface, it can be used virtually any place in a public restroom, in contrast to some of the beverage holders of the prior art which are limited to mounting on a flush valve of a urinal or commode.
Turning now to FIG. 1 the details of the construction of the beverage container holder 20 will now be described. It should be noted that this embodiment is merely one example of numerous holders that can be constructed in accordance with this invention. Thus, the shape, configuration and size shown and described herein are merely exemplary and other shapes, configurations and sizes are contemplated. As can be seen the beverage container holder 20 basically comprises a cylindrically shaped chamber 22, a mounting plate 24 and a neck portion 26 interconnecting the chamber and the mounting plate. The holder 20 is an integral unit that is preferably molded as a one-piece unit of a polymeric material. As will be described later an antibacterial or similar sanitary agent may be incorporated into the holder in the interest of sanitation. Moreover, the holder is preferably formed of a flame retardant material, e.g., ABS plastic, so that it should not present a fire hazard if persons misuse it as an ashtray instead of a beverage container holder.
If desired the holder can be fabricated out of individual components that are fixedly secured, e.g., glued, welded, etc., together. The chamber 22 includes a circular side wall portion 22A and a bottom wall portion 22B (FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 22A is somewhat conical in shape, e.g., it tapers slightly from its top edge 22C to its bottom edge 22D. This arrangement facilitates the placement of the beverage container within the hollow interior of the chamber 22. It should be noted that the side wall 22A may, if desired, be a right circular cylinder. In any case, the bottom wall 22B is located at the bottom edge 22D. The bottom wall serves as the support for the bottom of the beverage holder placed within the chamber 22. The side wall of the chamber 22 may be of any suitable inner diameter that is sufficiently large to receive the cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel therein. One particularly suitable size for the beverage container holder 20 is approximately 4.25 inches round at the top, approximately 4 inches round at the bottom and approximately 4 inches in height. The mounting plate 24 is approximately 4.5 inches wide and approximately 5 inches in length.
As can be seen in FIG. 4 the bottom wall includes a plurality, e.g, eight, of holes 22E therein. These holes 22E enable air to flow therethrough. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the flow of air through the holes will have a cooling effect to help maintain the cold temperature of most typical beverages, beers, mixed spirit drinks, soft drinks, etc., that are to be held within the holder. Moreover, the holes 22E serve as drainage holes to prevent the accumulation of any liquid spills or condensation (e.g., beverage “sweat”) inside the chamber 22. This helps maintain the sanitary nature of the holder by preventing the build-up of liquid within the container. Such a liquid build up is not only unsightly, but may serve as a growth medium for bacteria, etc. In the further interest of sanitation, as mentioned above, the holder may include an anti-bacterial agent. The antibacterial agent may be incorporated into the material, e.g., the plastic, making up the holder or may be applied in the form of a coating to the entire holder, or to any desired portion thereof. The holes 22E are arranged in a circular pattern centered about the center of the bottom wall. Each hole is approximately ¼ inch in diameter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the number, size and location of the holes 22E as set forth above is merely exemplary.
The mounting plate 24 basically comprises a generally planar member of any peripheral shaped profile. In the embodiment shown the mounting plate is shown being generally rectangular in shape, with slightly rounded corners. This is merely exemplary and the plate may be of any other regular shape, e.g., square, circular, triangular, etc., or any irregular shape. In any case, the mounting 24 plate includes an inner surface 24A which is arranged to engage the vertical surface 10 on which the holder 20 is to be mounted. The exemplary embodiment 20 shown contemplates permanent mounting of the holder onto that vertical surface by either use of an adhesive and/or by use of screws or other threaded fasteners, e.g., anchors, molly bolts, etc. To facilitate the adhesive securement of the mounting plate to the vertical surface 10, the inner surface 24A of the mounting plate 24 includes a plurality of recesses 24B. In the exemplary embodiment shown the recesses are in the form of undercut elongated channels running from the top edge to the bottom edge of the mounting plate. These recesses serve to receive the adhesive therein, so that the adhesive has a larger surface area to bond to, thereby aiding in permanently securing the holder to the vertical surface 10. Any suitable type of adhesive can be used for mounting the beverage container holder to the vertical surface 10, such as an epoxy or acrylic mastic glue adhesive.
The mounting plate 24 also includes a pair of vertically aligned slots 24C and 24D extending through the plate contiguous with its top and bottom edges as best shown in FIG. 3. These slots are arranged to receive the threaded fasteners for mounting the beverage container holder 20 onto the vertical surface 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown the slots are sized to accommodate two #8 screws with alligator wall anchors, although other size slots can be used. The screws and wall anchors allow for beverage container holder to be securely mounted on tile, concrete, drywall, brick, cinder block, masonry, wood, stucco or flake board. The molding action of the Alligator wall anchors bonds the anchors to the wall enabling the holder to absorb shock and vibration.
The neck portion 26 serves to hold the chamber 22 slightly away from the mounting plate 24 and basically comprises a wall-like member projecting perpendicularly out from the outer surface of the mounting plate. In the interest of weight reduction, the neck portion 26 may be hollow.
The exemplary embodiment of the beverage container holder 20 as described is strong enough to hold up to 5 pounds and large enough to hold any beverage cup, glass, bottle or can up to 4 inches wide.
The outer surface of the chamber 22 of beverage holder provides a very convenient and readily visible space or location for advertising and/or promotional materials, e.g., logos, etc. Such materials may be in the form of indicia 28 that is applied to the chamber by a waterproof label or screen-printing. Alternatively, the indicia may be in the form of an embossment or debossment in the outer surface of the chamber.
As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art the beverage container holders of this invention can go a long way to eliminate broken glass and spills on restroom floors and safety hazards that make maintenance difficult. In particular, the subject holders provides a better alternative to placing bottles, glasses, cans or cups atop wet and unsanitary slippery toilet tanks, urinals sinks and dirty restroom floors. The beverage container holders of this invention can be permanently mounted in restrooms and the like, yet maintain their sanitary condition, while being readily cleanable when necessary without necessitating their removal. Another advantage of the beverage container holders of this invention is the fact that they can provide premium advertising space on their front or sides for eye-level product placement. In particular, advertisers can display their company or product logo on the beverage container holder in front of a “captive” audience (e.g., persons relieving themselves, washing their hands, etc.) The wall-mounted beverage holder gives the benefit of a direct advertising campaign and lets advertisers reach customers that other media often miss or do not reach effectively.
Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others, made by applying current or future knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

Claims

1. A holder for a cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel, said holder being arranged to be secured by either an adhesive or by threaded fasteners to a vertical surface in a lavatory or public restroom, said holder being an integral unit comprising a cylindrically shaped chamber and a mounting plate, said mounting plate having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surface being arranged to confront the vertical surface in the lavatory or public restroom when said holder is mounted on said surface, said chamber projecting outward from said outer surface of said mounting plate and comprising a circular side wall and a bottom wall, said side wall having an inside diameter sufficiently large to receive the cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel therein with said cup, glass, can, bottle or other beverage containing vessel resting on said bottom wall, said bottom wall comprising plural apertures therein.

2. The holder of claim 1 wherein said holder is formed of a plastic material.

3. The holder of claim 1 wherein said holder is flame retardant.

4. The holder of claim 1 wherein said holder is formed of a flame retardant plastic.

5. The holder of claim 4 wherein said plastic comprises ABS.

6. The holder of claim 1 wherein said holder includes an anti-bacterial agent.

7. The holder of claim 6 wherein said holder is formed of a plastic including an anti-bacterial agent.

8. The holder of claim 1 wherein said inner surface of said mounting plate includes plural recesses for receipt of an adhesive to facilitate the securement of said holder to the vertical surface by an adhesive.

9. The holder of claim 8 wherein said plural recesses comprise plural slots disposed parallel to one another.

10. The holder of claim 1 additionally comprising a least two openings in the mounting plate through which threaded fasteners may be extended to secure said holder to the vertical surface.

11. The holder of claim 1 additionally comprising indicia thereon.