Insulated Bottle Rack Apparatus for Bicycles

The present invention relates to a liquid bottle rack apparatus for bicycles and more particularly to one of an insulated configuration.

Bicycle water bottle racks, commonly referred to as bottle cages, are typically made from a rod or heavy wire metal material bent into shape similar to that shown in the drawings. This shape permits a properly sized plastic bottle could be frictionally forced into the rack or cage while the rack is attached to a bicycle either by deforming slightly the wire rack, by deforming the bottle, or both.

Of course insulated containers are not new. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,568 to Southwick which shows an insulated container for a bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,525 to Sommers shows an insulated container connected to a bicycle for receiving beverage containers, such as soft drink cans for keeping them cold.

Bicycle water bottle cages have become standardized to accept a 20-ounce standard shaped bottle. One manufacturer of such equipment offers a neoprene cover that fits over a standard shaped water bottle and this manufacturer contends that the bottle and insulated cover will still both fit into a standard bottle cage. There is a question, however, whether there can be both adequate insulation and freedom to get such insulated bottle easily into and out of a standard water bottle cage.

Consequently, there exists a need for an improved insulated bottle rack apparatus for bicycles.

The present invention relates to an insulated bottle rack apparatus for bicycles having a rack or cage with a bottle receiving area and including a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, whereby the first and second sides tightly hold against a bottle disposed therein. A foam rubber sleeve extends around the exterior of the rack for insulating a bottle being held by the rack. Structure is also provided for connecting the bottle holding rack to a bicycle.

An object of the present invention is to provide an insulated bottle rack apparatus for bicycles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure for insulating bicycle water bottles by adapting an insulated sleeve to fit over standardized bottle holding racks or cages.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an insulating sleeve of the aforementioned type which instead of merely having a bottle or container therein, has a bottle holding rack therein for selectively receiving a water bottle.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an insulated sleeve of the aforementioned type which will fit nearly any pre-existing bicycle bottle rack and can therefore be purchased for addition to an already existing bottle holding rack or it can be purchased in combination with a brand new bottle holding rack or cage.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a bicycle having a preferred embodiment of the present invention attached thereto and also showing in dashed lines an alternate position where such apparatus can be attached to the bicycle;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in an exploded form;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the insulating sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the insulated sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the insulated sleeve of the present invention showing a bottom therein with a drain vent disposed therein;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the insulating sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of just the bottom insert of the water bottle rack insulator;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the bottom;

FIG. 9 is perspective view of the bottom insert;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing how the bottle is removed from the insulated rack of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the present invention showing the front and top thereof and showing how it is attached to a bicycle frame member; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the valve member of the bottle.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows an insulated bottle rack apparatus (10) with a bottle therein attached to a bicycle frame member (11). It is also shown in FIG. 1 that the insulated bottle rack apparatus (10) can be attached to structural member (12) instead of to structural member (11) if desired.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 11, it is noted that a metal wire cage or rack (13) is bent into a configuration having a first side with brackets (14) welded thereto and having a plastic member (15) attached thereto to prevent damage to the bottle (16) as it is forced into and out of the rack (13). The other side of the rack has a portion (17) thereon and the rack (13) also has bottom members (18) as can readily be seen in FIG. 11. It is to be noted that this rack or cage (13) shown in the drawings is a standard cage or rack (13) which can be commercially purchased. The rack (13) forms a part of the present invention in combination with the other elements recited in the claims, most notably a foam rubber sleeve (20) having a foam rubber bottom (21).

The foam rubber sleeve (20) and bottom (21) are preferably constructed of a non absorbent foam rubber such as a closed cell polyvinylchloride or a polyester urethane foam. This sleeve (20) and bottom (21) can of course be constructed of other insulated materials, but they should be of a material which is durable and is flexible enough to tightly be received around the bike cage or rack (13) while at the same time having good insulating properties.

The sleeve (20) has a pair of openings (22) therein so that the bolts (23), shown in FIG. 10, can extend through openings (19) in the brackets (14) and be threadably received into the structural tube (11) of the bicycle shown in FIG. 1. It is to be understood of course that other structures for attaching the cage (13) to the bicycle tubes (11) or (12) are fully equivalent to the structure shown. For example, instead of using bolts (23), straps that extend around the tubular member (11) can be tightened down and attached to the cage or rack (13) by brackets similar to the brackets (14).

Optional cut-out portions (24) in the top of the foam rubber sleeve (20) are provided for easily gripping the bottle (16) in the manner shown in FIG. 10. Also, a drain slot (25) is optionally provided in the bottom of the insulator bottom (21) for allowing condensation to drain from the insulated sleeve (20).

While bottles having tops of various configurations can be used, the bottle (16) is of a typical configuration that has a cap (26) frictionally engaged over the lip (28) of the bottle (16) and a reciprocating valve member (27) can be moved from the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 12 wherein the valve (27) is closed, to a position shown in solid lines in FIG. 12 wherein the valve is opened to allow liquid therein to flow in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 12. This cap configuration is a prior art structure not developed by the Patentee herein, but this type of water bottle cap is of the type used in combination with bottles for bicycle cages or racks (13) because someone riding a bicycle can easily use such a water bottle without fear of spilling the contents therein.

In operation, the sleeve (20) is placed around a standard water bottle cage or rack (13) in the manner shown in FIG. 2 whereby the openings (19) are aligned with the opening (22) in the foam rubber sleeve (20). The bottom (21) can be affixed to the sleeve (20) either before or after the sleeve (20) is placed around the water bottle cage or rack (13). The drain hole (25) should be positioned as shown in FIG. 1 so that it is at the bottom to drain water from condensation at the lowest part of the foam rubber sleeve (20).

Once the insulated sleeve (20) and cage or rack (13) are secured to bicycle frame members (11) or (12), the bottle (16) can be filled with water or any other liquid desired and inserted into the cage or rack (13) in a conventional fashion by deforming the container (16), the wire cage or rack (13), or both. The cage or rack (13) has a certain degree of spring-like resiliency in that it can be deformed slightly and it will return to its original condition to frictionally hold the water bottle (16) in place.

When it is desired to use the water bottle (16) to drink therefrom, the bottle (16) can be grasped at the slots (24), as is shown in FIG. 10, and the bottle is merely pulled out of the rack (13). It can then be reinserted after use or after refilling thereof.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the preferred embodiment disclosed herein does indeed accomplish the aforementioned objects. Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise that as specifically described.