Collapsible Container Holder

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of container holders, and more particularly to container holders that are collapsible and suitable for multiple uses.

II. Description of the Prior Art

It is well known in the prior art to support a container with some type of a pouch-shaped holder. However, none of the prior art container holders provide the combination of ease of use, ease of construction, collapsibility, and adjustability which is represented by the present invention.

The present invention is a container holder that is used to hold a variety of sizes of beverage containers; is durable and light weight for use during physical activities such its jogging, walking, or hiking; and is collapsible for easy storage and transport. The container holder comprises a vertical member of a flexible strap type material which is folded along its width to form a J-shape with a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one horizontal member made of the same material attached to both legs of the J-shaped vertical member at substantially a right angle and forming a round opening to accept beverage containers. The horizontal member or members have means for adjusting the circumference of the opening in order to accept containers of varying dimensions. The container holder has a loop at the top of the proximal end of the vertical member in order to allow for support from an ordinary belt. This loop can be adjustable in order to allow for other mounting arrangements.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container holder of the present invention shown with one horizontal member unhooked;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the container holder in use;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the container holder, with two horizontal members, ready to accept a container;

FIG. 4 is a broken away top view of a horizontal member showing the points of intersection with the vertical member and the positioning of the hook and loop fastening surfaces in order to allow for adjustment of the horizontal members for accepting containers of varying dimensions; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, FIG. 1 illustrates in a perspective view the collapsible container holder 10 of the present invention. Container holder 10 includes a vertical member 11 which is preferably constructed of woven, nylon strapping approximately one inch wide. The vertical member 11 is formed by taking a single ply piece of the strapping and attaching one end to the other to form a two ply member. The point where the ends meet is attached to the other ply near the middle of the member so that both ends of the member are made up of folded strapping. Throughout the body of the member the two plies are tacked together face to face in positions along the length of the member in order to form loops 12a and 12b where the two plies are unattached. The vertical member 11 has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end hits the auxiliary loop 12a which provides a point for attaching external support. This auxiliary loop 12a can be made adjustable by means of a hook and loop fastening system. The container holder 10 can be supported externally in a variety of ways, and typically from either the waist or the shoulder of the user. The vertical member 11 is formed into a J-shape with a reentrant leg at the distill end and a main leg at the proximal end. The two legs of the vertical member 11 are formed by folding the vertical member 11 along its width in at least one place along the length of the vertical member 11. The reentrant leg at the distal end holds the horizontal members in two places at the same height on the main and reentrant legs of the vertical member 11.

The primary loops 12b, which result from the two layers of the vertical member 11 being unattached in certain sections along the length of the vertical member 11, support the horizontal members 13 on the two legs of the J-shaped vertical member 11. The primary loops are positioned so as to align vertically one loop to another with one loop positioned on the main leg and the other loop positioned on the reentrant leg of the J-shaped vertical member 11. In this manner the horizontal members 13, when fed through the loops 12b, are positioned at substantially a right angle to the vertical member 11.

The horizontal members 13 are preferably made of a single ply of woven, nylon strapping about one inch wide with a hook fastening surface 14a on one side of a distal end and a loop fastening surface 14b on the opposite side of a proximal end. The horizontal members 13 provide support for the vertical member 11 and grip the container to hold it in place. In the open position as illustrated by the top horizontal member 13 in FIG. 1, the horizontal members 13 are positioned on the container holder 10 such that the proximal end of the horizontal member 13 is fastened to the loop 12b in the vertical member 11 and the distal end is loose and equipped with the hook fastening surface 14a on the inside. In order to place the horizontal members 13 in the closed position, the distal end of the horizontal member 13, which has the hook fastening surface 14a, is fed through the loops 12b as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 and attached along the loop fastening surface 14b. In this manner, the circumference of the circle formed by the horizontal member 13 in the closed position can be adjusted. Upon placing the top horizontal member 13 in the closed position, the container holder 10 has a top round opening formed which receives the container 15 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). When all of the horizontal members 13 are in the closed position, the horizontal members support the vertical member 11 and surround the container 15.

In an alternative embodiment, the vertical member can be single ply with the horizontal members permanently attached to the two legs of the vertical member by means of a bar tack. In this embodiment, the loop 12a is formed by extending the vertical member at the proximal end and folding the extension to form a loop. The extension would have a proximal and a distal end with the distal end being attached to the back of the vertical member to form the loop. This loop can be made adjustable by means of a hook and loop fastening system. Also, in another alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the loops 12b on the distal end of the vertical member could be replaced with a permanent attachment such as a bar tack 16. The other loops 12b on the proximal end would remain on the container holder in this embodiment in order to allow for the adjustability of the horizontal members. As in FIG. 5, the proximal end of the vertical member has an auxiliary loop 12c which can be made adjustable by means of a hook and loop fastening system. In this configuration loop 12c is shown with the hook portion 17 attached thereto for connection with the loop portion (not shown) attached to the rearmost portion of the main leg of the vertical member.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 which illustrates in a side elevation view the container holder 10 holding a container 15 which has been placed into the holder through the top receiving opening. The horizontal members 13 are positioned snugly over the container 15 by means of the fastening surfaces 14a and 14b on each horizontal member 13.

FIG. 3 illustrates in a side elevation view the placement of the container 15 into the collapsible container holder 10 wherein the holder is a shortened version having two horizontal members 13, as opposed to a larger number of the horizontal members as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. It should be noted that the number of horizontal members may vary depending on the use to which the holder is put.

FIG. 4 illustrates, in a broken away top view, the fastening surfaces 14a and 14b at the distal and proximal ends of the horizontal member 13 which allow for the adjustment of the container holder 10 in order to accept a variety of containers with different dimensions.

Various modifications may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and which are set forth in the appended claims.