Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
U~9
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a case,
particularly designed, for receiving and carrying beer
bottles or cans which are stacked in a single file, end to
end relationship to one another in the case.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, in order to carry a number of
beverage containers, such as beer cans and/or bottles at
one time, one must load the containers in a standard case
or box which is awkward to handle. Not only are these
cases or boxes heavy to carry by hand, leaving only one
hand for other uses, but in addition, they are cumbersome
from a storage standpoint. Moreover, the standard
carrying case has no insulating capacity to keep the
containers cool and to assist in preventing damage
particularly to bottles carried in the case.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention provides a case for holding
r beverage containers in an end to end rather than a side by
side fashion, as has been found in the past. The case,
itself, comprises an elongated flexible body portion for
receiving the beverage containers in a single file stacked
relationship to one another, and releasable closure means
for opening and closing the body portion, the flexibility
and shaping of which makes it much more easily carried and
stored than a conventional beer carton or case.
~5
~ `` 12S3~
-- 2
1 In a preferred embodiment of the present
invention the case of the present invention is further
provided with internal flexible insulation which not only
helps to reduce temperature changes to containers carried
in the case ie. keeps cold containers cool and heated
containers warm, but also provides added protection for
those containers.
BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above, as well as other, advantages and
features of the present invention will be described in
greater detail according to the preferred embodiments of
the present invention in which;
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an
individual carrying a beverage case according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the
beverage case of Figure 1 with one end of the case open.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the beverage case
of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the interior
insulation insert from the beverage case of Figure 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The preferred form of the beverage case,
generally indicated at 1, comprises a main hollow tubular
body 3 having a carrying handle in the form of a shoulder
strap 5. This enables the case to be carried in a quiver
like form, as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings.
-- 3 --
1 From a constructional standpoint, as seen in
Figure 3 of the drawings, the main tubular body comprises
an outer durable cover material 17, such a vinyl or even
leather in a more expensive version of the case, with an
internal soft foam insulation 19. This insulation may be
formed as a separate insert, as seen in Figure 4, which
would enable its insertion and removal relative to the
cover for cleaning or replacement purposes.
The flexibility of the overall construction,
including both the cover and the insulation, makes it
extremely comfortable from a carrying standpoint when
resting against ones back or shoulder and further enables
the case, particularly when empty, to be fitted into
relatively tight storage space.
The shape and size of the main body is designed
to receive a plurality of end to end stacked and single
file containers, such as beer bottles or beer cans, as
shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. The insulation, which
is protected by the outer cover, is effective in
maintaining either a hot or cold temperature of the
container and also acts as a padding which is particularly
important when the case is loaded with glass bottles. The
case can be manufactured in different desired lengths
according to the number of containers to be carried, which
will preferably not exceed about a half a dozen cans or
bottles, otherwise the weight of the case, when full,
makes it uncomfortable to carry.
The interior diameter along with the resiliently
compressible and high friction material of the insert are
such that the cans or bottles fit snuggly within the case
~Z53~39
-- 4
so that it does not have to be completely filled to
prevent the containers from shifting or sliding internally
of the case.
A very unique feature of the present invention is
found in the means for gaining access to the interior of
the case. More particularly, the main body portion is
provided with releasable closure means at the opposing
ends 7 of the case. Each closure means is identical in
construction so that the case does not have a particular
up or down end positioning.
Each of the releasable closure means comprises an
end cap 9 which is formed from th outer durable cover and
the interior insulation. A part of the end cap is
permanently and flexibly secured via a cover portion 17a
to the main part of the body portion. The remaining part
of the end cap is held in a closed position by means of
zipper 15 extending around the main body portion other
than that connected at portion 17a. Therefore, although
each end cap can be quickly and easily opened by using the
zipper it always remains attached to the case so that the
end caps will not be lost and are always in a position to
be quickly and easily placed back in the closed position.
As will be seen in Figure 3, part of the
insulation, as indicated at l9a, remains with the end cap
as it is opened and closed. This acts as an effective
buffer and packing material at each end of the case when
it is completely filled, as shown in Figure 3, to further
add to the tight fitting of the containers within the case.
The provision of closure means at each end of the
holder is important from the standpoint that a full
ZS~8~
- 5
container can be pulled from one end while an empty
container can be replaced in the other end of the case, as
shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. Accordingly, the empty
containers never block access to a full container, thereby
making it much more desirable to carry rather than litter
the empty containers.
As will be seen from the description above the
case of the present invention while not only being unique
and appealing in appearance is extremely effective as a
comfortable means for carrying an otherwise heavy load of
full beverage containers. Moreover, because it is
designed as an elongated back pack, free of any pressure
points against the back due to its single file padded
construction, the carrying case of the present invention
is not hand held but rather uses the shoulder and back, a
much stronger body area, for carrying a relatively heavy
load and leaving both hands free for other purposes.
~û
Although various preferred embodiments of the
invention have been described detail, it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations
may be made without departing from the spirit of the
invention or the scope of the appended claims.
