Beltclip mounted beverage holder

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/178,735, filed Jan. 28, 2000.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention generally relates to beverage holders. and more particularly, to a free-hanging beverage container holder assembly that easily and conveniently attaches to a person's belt. The beverage holder employs a spring loaded clip to securely fasten the beverage holder to the belt.

[0005] 2. Description of Related Art

[0006] Enjoying a refreshing beverage is frequently hampered by the need to place the beverage in a convenient location while the consumer is not drinking. If the consumer is moving around from one location to another and leaves the beverage behind, it becomes necessary to return to the location where the beverage was left each time he/she wishes to imbibe. This scenario is both inconvenient and time consuming.

[0007] In public areas (shopping malls, amusement parks, etc.) the usual practice forces the consumer to hand-carry a beverage, which is awkward, restrictive, and potentially messy should the beverage spill. Furthermore, hand-carrying a beverage requires the constant attention of the person carrying the drink, therefore, the enjoyment of any activity is greatly diminished.

[0008] The prior art describes a number of clothes-attachable holders that are used to hold a variety of items. For example, a ball holder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,338, issued on May 26, 1981 to B. F. Sichel. The ball holder is capable of retaining one or two balls and can be easily attached to a person's clothing. The ball holder consists of a vertical strut member, an upper planar ball retaining member extending outwardly from the upper edge of the strut member, a lower planar ball retaining member extending outwardly from the lower edge of the strut member, and a cylindrical ball retaining member joined to the central portion of the strut member and lying between the upper and lower planar ball retaining members.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,273, issued on Nov. 24, 1987 to B. T. Grant, describes a container holder that is attachable to a person's belt. The container holder can support an open drink container in an upright position so that the container can be removed to consume its contents. The holder consists of a structure for receiving an open drink container in a supporting relationship so that the container is maintained in a substantially upright position and can be withdrawn to consume a drink, and a structure for attaching the container receiving structure to a belt.

[0010] An insulated belt-attached beverage can holder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,951, issued on Apr. 21, 1998 to J. Jack. The beverage can holder consists of a receptacle unit, a receptacle lid unit, a belt clip unit, and a tether/hinge unit. The belt clip is operatively attached to the beverage receptacle unit and the tether/hinge unit forms the operative attachment between the receptacle unit and the receptacle lid unit. The tether/hinge unit also provides an auxiliary belt retention member should the belt clip unit be dislodged from the belt or experience a structural failure.

[0011] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose the instant invention as will subsequently be described and claimed.

[0012] The present invention comprises a hands-free holder assembly which supports a beverage container in an easily accessible location. The holder assembly of the present invention employs a spring loaded clip to fasten and secure the body portion of the holder to a person's belt or waistband. A pivotally mounted bracket disposed near the base of the body portion receives a beverage container. The bracket is designed to assume a pendular motion which, allows the wearer of the holder assembly to move about in an unrestricted manner.

[0013] The holder assembly comprises an irregular shaped body portion and a detachable receptacle. The receptacle has a posteriorly-disposed, elongated handle or clip that inserts into a slot defined in the pivotally mounted bracket. The structural integrity of the receptacle is maintained by a plastic sub-frame or skeleton. The receptacle has an expandable neoprene or “koozie” type body which serves to keep hot beverages hot and cold beverages cold.

[0014] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a holder assembly for a beverage container that is convenient and easy to use.

[0015] It is another object of the invention to provide a holder assembly which functions to maintain the temperature of the beverage either hot or cold.

[0016] It is a further object of the invention to provide a holder assembly for a beverage container, which holder assembly is easily secured to a person's belt or waistband.

[0017] Still another object of the invention is to provide a holder assembly for a beverage container, which holder assembly can accommodate different beverage container sizes.

[0018] It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.

[0019] These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is an environmental, front view of a beltclip-mounted holder assembly according to the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the holder assembly according to the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view of the holder assembly according to the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 4A is a front view of a beverage container receptacle showing an expandable joint according to the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 4B is a rear view of the beverage container receptacle showing the outline of a plastic sub-frame according to the present invention.

[0025] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

[0026] The present invention, as depicted in FIGS. 1-3, 4A, and 4B, is a beltclip mounted holder assembly, generally indicated at 100, for holding a beverage container 106. As best seen in FIG. 1, holder assembly 100 is mounted on belt 108 and supports beverage container 106 therein. Holder assembly 100 conveniently attaches to belt 108 (or waistband) by way of a spring-loaded clip 118 (FIG. 2 and 3). Beverage container 106 is within easy grasp of a person's hand 105. As indicated above, the hands-free holder 100 frees a user from the tedious and laborious task of continuously holding a container 106.

[0027] Attention is now directed to FIGS. 2 and 3 which illustrate a more detailed showing of holder assembly 100. Holder assembly 100 comprises a flat plate 102 which may be fabricated from any suitable material (plastic, metal, etc.). Although shown as polygonal, plate 102 may assume any desired configuration. A hinge 110 is fixed at the top end of plate 102. Hinge 110 is provided, with respective front and rear heads 115, 115a. A clip 118 is spring-loaded to hinge 110 and extends downward a pre-determined length along the rear surface of plate 102. The pre-determined length of clip 118 will be at least equal to the width of a standard size belt. A pin 116 is fixed on the lower front surface of plate 102. A bracket 114 is pivotally attached to pin 116 such that bracket 114 may freely move in a pendular fashion. Bracket 114 is provided with a slot 113 for a purpose which will be explained below.

[0028] Holder assembly 100 is provided with a detachable beverage container receptacle 104. Receptacle 104 has a neoprene body or exterior 109 disposed on a plastic endoskeleton or sub-frame 120 (FIG. 4B). The neoprene body 109, which functions to insulate container 106, may be mounted on sub-frame 120 in any convenient and efficient manner (sewing and the like). A vertical expansion joint 122 (FIG. 4A) is formed in body 109 to allow the body to expand and accommodate different container sizes. The body 109 is generally cylindrical with an open top. The plastic sub-frame 120 has a substantially vertical support band integral with a substantially horizontal, semi-cylindrical support band. An elongated clip 112 is fixed to the top of body 109 at a point diametrically opposite to expansion joint 122. Clip 112 is provided with a free end 112awhich is spaced a slight distance from the exterior surface of body 109.

[0029] In use, the plate 102 is engaged to a wearer's belt merely by pressing heads 115, 115ato pivot clip 118 away from the rear surface of the plate. Clip 112 is inserted into slot 113 defined in bracket 114 such that receptacle 104 is pivotally mounted at the base of plate 102. As indicated above, the pivoted bracket 114 allows receptacle 104 to move with a pendular motion which, in turn, permits the wearer to insert beverage container 106 therein and move around in an unrestricted manner.

[0030] This modular construction allows for easy cleaning of the holder assembly 100. Furthermore, only plate 102 or receptacle 104 need be replaced if either is damaged or wears out. Thus, a person can take a drink of his/her favorite beverage, insert the beverage into the receptacle, and have his/her hands free for various activities while his/her beverage remains cold/warm and close at hand.

[0031] The preferred embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations of the present invention, as well as alternative embodiments of the present invention may be contemplated. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.