KOOZIE FOR ACCOMMODATING AND THERMALLY INSULATING VARIOUS SIZE BEVERAGE CONTAINERS

Abstract

Disclosed is an insulated koozie for accommodating different size beverage containers therein. The koozie includes an insulated double walled vessel defining an interior cavity in which a sizing insert is located. The sizing insert defines a central passageway and includes flexible peripheral portions configured to engage portions of the periphery of the sidewall of a beverage container located within the central passageway. The double walled vessel includes a bottom portion configured to support the bottom of a long beverage container, and an inwardly directed shelf configured to cooperate with the sizing insert to support a short beverage container thereon.

Claims

1. A koozie for receiving and accommodating various size beverage containers therein to thermally insulate the contents of each beverage container, each of the beverage containers having a bottom portion and sidewall having an outside diameter, said koozie comprising: a) a vessel having an interior cavity having an open top end and a bottom portion; and b) a sizing insert located and held within said interior cavity, said sizing insert including a sidewall defining a longitudinally extending passageway for receipt of any one of the various size beverage containers, said sizing insert being in communication with said open top end of said insulating vessel, said sidewall including a portion configured for location within said bottom portion of said thermally insulating vessel, said sidewall also including peripheral engagement portions that are directed inward and configured to engage portions of the sidewall of any one of the various size beverage containers disposed within said longitudinally extending passageway.

2. The koozie of claim 1, wherein said peripheral engagement portions are configured to flex, if necessary, to engage portions of the periphery of the sidewall of any one of the various size beverage containers disposed within said longitudinally extending passageway.

3. The koozie of claim 2, wherein said sizing insert includes an upper end portion and a lower end portion, and wherein one of said peripheral engagement portions is located at said upper end portion and another of said peripheral engagement portions is located at said lower end portion.

4. The koozie of claim 1, wherein said vessel includes a shelf located adjacent a bottom portion of said vessel, said shelf extending inward, whereupon said interior cavity is of a lesser internal diameter at said shelf than above said shelf, and wherein said sizing insert includes a peripheral portion configured to be seated on said shelf, said peripheral portion and said shelf being configured to support the bottom portion of a short beverage container thereon.

5. The koozie of claim 4, wherein said shelf slopes downward.

6. The koozie of claim 1, wherein said vessel includes an inwardly directed annular flange defining said open top end of said interior cavity, and wherein said sizing insert includes a top edge portion configured to be located immediately below said inwardly directed annular flange and a bottom edge portion configured to be disposed adjacent said bottom portion of said thermally insulating vessel.

7. The koozie of claim 1, wherein said vessel is a thermally insulating vessel that comprises an outer vessel and an inner vessel, said outer vessel having sidewall including an inner surface, said inner vessel having a sidewall including an outer surface and an inner surface, said inner vessel being disposed within said outer vessel with said outer surface of said inner vessel spaced from said inner surface of said outer vessel to form a hollow isolated interior space therebetween.

8. The koozie of claim 7, wherein said outer vessel includes a bottom portion having a port in communication with said interior space and through which a vacuum can be drawn to create a vacuum in said hollow isolated interior space.

9. The koozie of claim 8, wherein said bottom portion comprises a disk which is secured to a bottom portion of said sidewall of said outer vessel by a generally cup-shaped base.

10. The koozie of claim 9, wherein said generally cup shaped base includes a bottom surface to which a resilient base member is secured.

11. The koozie of claim 7, wherein said inner surface of said inner vessel defines said interior cavity.

12. The koozie of claim 1, wherein said bottom portion of said vessel is configured to support the bottom of a long beverage container thereon.

13. The koozie of claim 12, wherein said bottom portion of said thermally insulating vessel is convex.

14. The koozie of claim 7, wherein said bottom portion of said thermally insulating vessel is configured to support the bottom of a long beverage container thereon.

15. The koozie of claim 7, wherein said inner vessel includes a shelf located adjacent a bottom portion of said thermally insulating vessel, said shelf extending inward, whereupon said interior cavity is of a lesser internal diameter at said shelf than above said shelf, and wherein said sizing insert includes a peripheral portion configured to be seated on said shelf, said peripheral portion and said shelf being configured to support the bottom portion of a short beverage container thereon.

16. The koozie of claim 15, wherein said shelf slopes downward.

17. The koozie of claim 7, wherein said inner vessel includes an inwardly directed annular flange defining said open top end of said interior cavity, and wherein said sizing insert includes a top edge portion configured to be located immediately below said inwardly directed annular flange and a bottom edge portion configured to be disposed on said bottom portion of said thermally insulating vessel.

18. The koozie of claim 7, wherein said inner vessel and said outer vessel are each formed of steel.

19. The koozie of claim 1, wherein said sizing insert is formed of thermoplastic polyurethane.

20. The koozie of claim 10, wherein said resilient base member is formed of a rubber-like material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0024] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one exemplary insulating koozie constructed in accordance with this invention shown holding a conventional bottle, e.g., a 12 oz. long neck beer bottle, therein to thermally insulate the bottle and thus keep its contents cold;

[0025] FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of the insulating koozie shown in FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 3 is an enlarged a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

[0027] FIG. 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of the sectional view of FIG. 3 shown within the broken circle designated by the reference number 3A therein;

[0028] FIG. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of the sectional view of FIG. 3 shown within the broken circle designated by the reference number 3B therein;

[0029] FIG. 4 is an exploded isometric view of the various components making up the koozie of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0030] FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric view an outer wall member making up one of the components shown in FIG. 4;

[0031] FIG. 6A is an enlarged isometric view an inner wall member making up another of the components shown in FIG. 4;

[0032] FIG. 6B is an isometric view in longitudinal section of the inner wall member shown in FIG. 6A;

[0033] FIG. 7A is an isometric view of a vacuum plate member making up another component of the components shown in FIG. 4;

[0034] FIG. 7B is an isometric view of the vacuum plate member of FIG. 8A but taken from a different angle;

[0035] FIG. 8A is an isometric view of a base member making up another component of the components shown in FIG. 4;

[0036] FIG. 8B is an isometric view of the base member of FIG. 7A but taken from a different angle;

[0037] FIG. 9A is an isometric view of a rubber-like base member making up another component of the components shown in FIG. 4;

[0038] FIG. 9B is an enlarged side elevation view, partially broken away, of the silicone base member of FIG. 9A;

[0039] FIG. 9C is a sectional view taken along line 9C-9C of FIG. 9B;

[0040] FIG. 10A is an isometric view of a resilient sizing insert component making up another component of the components shown in FIG. 4;

[0041] FIG. 10B is an isometric view of the resilient sizing insert of FIG. 10A, but taken from a different angle;

[0042] FIG. 11 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 11, but showing the koozie of FIG. 1 holding a conventional 12 oz. beverage can therein; and

[0044] FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIGS. 11 and 12, but showing the koozie of FIG. 1 holding a conventional slim can therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 one exemplary embodiment of a koozie 20 constructed in accordance with this invention. The koozie 20 basically comprises a thermally insulated vessel 22 and a sizing insert 24. The thermally insulated vessel 22 will be described shortly, as will the sizing insert. Suffice it for now to state that the thermally insulated vessel 22 includes a hollow interior chamber or cavity 26 in which the sizing insert 24 is disposed. The interior cavity 26 and the sizing insert 24 cooperate so that when the sizing insert is in place in the cavity the koozie can accommodate within it various size beverage containers whose body has an outside diameter within the range of approximately 2.25 inches to approximately 2.75 inches. Some examples of such containers are: 12 oz. aluminum cans or glass bottles, 12 or 16 oz. plastic bottles, 12 oz. or 16 oz. plastic, paper, or glass cups or tumblers. In any case with the beverage container located within the koozie 20, the koozie will hold the beverage contents of the container either cold or hot (depending upon the beverage). In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 the beverage container shown is a conventional 12 oz. long neck bottle 10, such as a beer bottle, having a cylindrical sidewall 10A and a bottom wall OB.

[0046] As best seen in FIG. 3, the thermally insulated vessel 22 includes an outer vessel 28, an inner vessel 30, and a vacuum disk or plate 32. The outer vessel 28 is composed of two components, namely, a cylindrically shaped body 28A and a cup-shaped base 28B. The cylindrically shaped body 28A is best seen in FIGS. 2-5 and basically comprises a hollow member having a cylindrical sidewall which is a body of revolution extending about a central longitudinal axis A. The sidewall 28A has a top edge 34 (FIG. 3A), a bottom edge 36 (FIG. 3B), and a concave inwardly directed annular recess 38 extending about the periphery of the sidewall 28A a short distance above the bottom edge 36. The outer vessel can be formed of any suitable material, in this exemplary embodiment it is formed of stainless steel. The cup shaped base 28B is best seen in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 8A and 8B and basically comprises a generally planar bottom wall 40 from which a circular sidewall 42 projects upward. The inner diameter of the sidewall 42 is equal to or very slightly greater than the outer diameter of the bottom portion of the sidewall 28A, so that the bottom portion of the sidewall 28A can be disposed within the bounds of the sidewall 42, with the top edge 44 of the cup shaped base located within the annular recess 38, as best seen in FIG. 3B. The sidewall 42 of the cup shaped base member 28B is fixedly secured, e.g., welded, to the bottom portion of the sidewall 28A at the interface thereof.

[0047] As best seen in FIGS. 3B and 8A the planar bottom wall 40 of the cup shaped member 28B includes a central planar depression or recess 46 of circular shape. A disk 48 of a resilient material, e.g., silicone, like shown in FIGS. 9A-9C is fixedly secured within the recess 46. The disk 48 provides a non-slip surface for the bottom of the koozie.

[0048] The vacuum disk or plate 32 is best seen in FIGS. 3, 3B, 4, 7A and 7B, and basically comprises a circular concave conically shaped central portion 32A having an annular flange 32B projecting downward from the periphery of the central portion. The nadir of the central portion includes a dome like projection 32C having an aperture (not shown) in the center thereof. The flange 32B abuts the inner surface of the sidewall 28A immediately adjacent its lower edge 36 and is fixedly secured, e.g., welded, thereto, so that it forms a bottom interior wall of the outer vessel 28.

[0049] Turning now to FIGS. 3, 3A, 3B, 6A and 6B, the details of the inner vessel 30 will now be described. The inner vessel 30 is also a hollow member formed of any suitable material. In this exemplary embodiment it is also formed of stainless steel. In any case the inner vessel 30 has a cylindrical sidewall 30A which is a body of revolution extending about the central longitudinal axis A. The top of the sidewall 30A is in the form of an outwardly extending planar flange 30B. A portion 30C of the outer vessel located immediately under the flange 30B is of smaller outside diameter than the sidewall portion 30A. The lower end of the sidewall 30A is in the form of a sloping ledge or shelf 30D, which terminates in a cylindrical sidewall portion 30E forming the bottom portion of the inner vessel. The shelf 30D is located approximately three quarters of the distance down the interior cavity 26 and extends inward, whereupon the interior cavity 26 is of a lesser internal diameter at the location of the shelf than above the shelf and the sidewall portion 30E is of a lesser internal diameter than the sidewall portion located above the shelf.

[0050] As will be described later the sizing insert 24 includes a peripheral portion configured to be seated on the shelf 30D, whereupon that peripheral portion and the shelf cooperate to enable the koozie to accommodate a short beverage container, with the bottom of that container being disposed on the peripheral portion of the sizing insert that is seated on the shelf. Thus, as will be seen later with respect to FIG. 12, the angled shelf 30D elevates conventional 12 oz. cans at a resting position within the koozie which is higher than the resting position of bottles within the koozie like shown in FIGS. 11 and 13.

[0051] A convex or dome shaped wall 30F is located at the bottom edge of the sidewall portion 30E of the inner vessel 30 and thus forms the bottom surface of the inner vessel and the bottom surface of the interior cavity 26. The undersurface of the flange 30B at its peripheral edge is fixedly secured, e.g., welded, to the top edge 34 of the sidewall 28A of the outer vessel 28 as best seen in FIG. 3A. The outer surface of the sidewall 30A is smaller in outside diameter than the inner surface of the sidewall 28A of the outer vessel to thereby create a hollow interior space 50 between the inner vessel and the outer vessel. That hollow interior space 50 also includes the portion of the vessel 22 that is located between the conical surface 32A of the disk 32 and the bottom wall 30F of the inner vessel 30. That portion is in communication with the interior space located between the sidewalls of the inner and outer vessels. Thus, the interior space 50 forms a thermally insulating barrier completely surrounding the interior cavity 26. To further the thermally insulating property of the interior space 50, it is configured to be placed under vacuum, i.e., air removed from it. That action is accomplished after the inner and outer vessels are secured, e.g., welded, together, by applying a vacuum through the aperture (not shown) in the dome like projection 32C to evacuate the air from the interior space 50. Once the air has been removed from the interior space 50, the aperture in the projection 32C is sealed, thereby maintaining the vacuum within the interior space.

[0052] With the inner and outer vessels assembled as described above the upper portion of the resulting insulated vessel 22 forms an inwardly directed annular flange or retaining shelf 30G surrounding a central opening 30H. The central opening 30H forms the open top end or mouth of the koozie. That mouth serves as the entrance to the koozie's interior cavity 26 and is thus in communication with the interior of the cavity. It is through the mouth 30H that the particular beverage container to be insulated and held by the koozie is introduced. After use of the koozie with that beverage container, the container can be removed from the cavity via the mouth.

[0053] As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the double walled insulated nature of the vessel 22 serves to thermally insulate the beverage container located within the cavity from the ambient atmosphere surrounding the koozie. Thus, any type of liquid, e.g., cold beer, water or soda, hot tea or coffee, etc., that is held within a beverage can or bottle located within the koozie's cavity will be thermally insulated to maintain its temperature. It should be noted at this juncture, that while the exemplary preferred embodiment of the koozie 20 makes use of a double walled insulated vessel 22, such an arrangement is not necessary within the context of this invention. Thus, the insulated vessel need not be a double walled vessel, but can be a solid walled body formed of any suitable thermally insulated material having an interior cavity in which a sizing insert is located to enable the interior cavity to accommodate various size beverage containers.

[0054] Attention shall now be directed to the sizing insert 24. As stated above it is the sizing insert which enables the koozie to accept or hold various sizes of beverage containers within its interior cavity. To that end, the sizing insert is located within the koozie's interior cavity 26. Turning now to FIGS. 3, 4, 10A and 10B it can be seen that the sizing insert basically comprises a hollow tubular body, preferably formed of a suitable flexible or resilient material, e.g., TPU. The tubular body can be formed from a sheet of such material which is rolled up so that its longitudinal marginal edges 24A are disposed immediately adjacent each other, like shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. Alternatively, the tubular body can be formed, e.g., molded, into the tubular shape so that it needn't be rolled up to form the tubular body. In any case the tubular body includes a sidewall 24B defining a longitudinally extending passageway 24C for receipt of any one of the various size beverage containers the koozie can accommodate. Thus, when located within the cavity 26 the longitudinally extending passageway 24C of the sizing insert is in communication with the mouth 30H of the koozie. In particular, the upper end portion of the sizing insert 24 is in the form of a cylindrical ring 24D which is disposed immediately under the inwardly directed flange 30G. The lower end portion of the sidewall of the sizing insert is in the form of cylindrical ring 24E which is disposed closely adjacent the bottom wall 30F of the inner vessel 30. The portion of the sidewall 24B located immediately below the upper ring 24D is in the form of an inwardly directed arcuate annular projection 24F, whose inner diameter is substantially less e.g., approximately 2.33 inches, than the inner diameter e.g., approximately 2.83 inches, of the sidewall 24B. The projection 24F forms an upper peripheral engagement portion of the sizing insert. In a similar manner the portion of the sidewall 24B located slightly above the lower ring 24E is in the form of an inwardly directed arcuate annular projection 24G, whose inner diameter is substantially less e.g., approximately 2.13 inches, than the inner diameter e.g., approximately 2.76 inches, of the sidewall 24B. The inwardly directed arcuate annular projection 24G forms a lower peripheral engagement portion of the sizing insert.

[0055] As best seen in FIG. 3, the upper portion of the inwardly directed arcuate annular projection 24G is configured to mate with and fit on the downwardly sloping shelf 30D of the inner vessel 30. Accordingly, the sizing insert 24 will be trapped or held within the interior cavity 26 between the undersurface of the inwardly directed flange or retaining shelf 30G and the downwardly sloped shelf 30D. If desired, the sizing insert 24 may be constructed or configured to be removed from the interior cavity 26.

[0056] Being flexible the upper peripheral engagement projection 24F is configured to be flexed from its normal unconstrained state, like shown in FIG. 3, to a flexed state. In the flexed state it will engage the peripheral portion of the sidewall of any one of the various size beverage containers disposed within the longitudinally extending passageway 24C confronting the projection if the outer diameter of that peripheral portion of the beverage container is greater than the inner diameter of the projection. For example, the peripheral engagement projection 24F is configured to flex, if necessary, like shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, to engage portions of the periphery of the sidewall of any one of the various size beverage containers disposed within the longitudinally extending passageway 24C of the sizing insert. The lower peripheral engagement projection 24G operates similar to the upper peripheral engagement projection 24F to engage other peripheral portions of the sidewall or bottom wall of any one of the various size beverage containers disposed within the longitudinally extending passageway 24C, like shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, if the outer diameter of that peripheral portion of the beverage vessel is greater than the inner diameter of the annular projection 24G. Accordingly, the upper and lower peripheral engagement portions of the sizing insert enable the koozie to accommodate various sized beverage containers. In particular, as best seen in FIG. 11, a conventional long necked beverage bottle 10 can be located within the koozie, whereupon the bottom 10B of the bottle 10 will rest on the convex bottom 30F of the inner vessel 30, while the lower peripheral engagement projection 24G flexes to engage the oppositely disposed peripheral portions of the sidewall 10A of the bottle adjacent the bottom of the bottle. At the same time the upper peripheral engagement projection 24F flexes to engage the oppositely disposed peripheral portions of the sidewall 10A of the bottle adjacent the middle portion of the bottle.

[0057] Turning now to FIG. 12, it can be seen that a conventional 12 oz. metal beverage can 12 can be located within the koozie 20, whereupon the bottom of the can 12 will rest on the upper portion of the lower peripheral engagement projection 24G located on the shelf 30D, while the upper peripheral engagement projection 24F flexes to engage the oppositely disposed peripheral portions of the sidewall 12A of the can adjacent the upper portion of the can.

[0058] Turning now to FIG. 13, it can be seen that a conventional tall-boy or slim metal beverage can 14 can be located within the koozie 20, whereupon the bottom of the can 14 will rest on the convex bottom 30F of the inner vessel 30, while the lower peripheral engagement projection 24G flexes to engage the oppositely disposed peripheral portions of the sidewall 14A of the can adjacent the bottom of the can. At the same time the upper peripheral engagement projection 24F flexes, if necessary, to engage the oppositely disposed peripheral portions of the sidewall 14A of the can adjacent the middle portion of the can.

[0059] It must be pointed out at this juncture, that while the sizing insert 24 described above is formed of a resilient material, it may be constructed in other ways in accordance with this invention to accomplish the same goal of engaging portions of the beverage container disposed within the koozie's interior cavity. Thus, for example, the sizing insert can be formed of a non-resilient material, so long as it includes at least one peripheral engagement portion for engaging a peripheral portion of the beverage container held within the interior cavity of the koozie. Moreover, that peripheral engagement portion may be in the form of any shape that is configured to be flexed into engagement with peripheral portions of the beverage container. Thus, for example, the at least one peripheral engagement portion may be in the form of plural inwardly (e.g., radially) directed flexible fingers. Moreover, irrespective of the construction of the peripheral engagement portions, the subject invention contemplates the use of any number of such peripheral engagement portions, be it one, two or more than two.

[0060] Exemplary sizes of the components of the koozie 20 are as follows. The height of the outer vessel 28 is approximately 4.53 inches, the maximum outside diameter of the outer vessel is approximately 3.46, the maximum outside diameter of the inner vessel 30 above the shelf 30D is approximately 3.02 inches, while the internal diameter of the cylindrical sidewall portion 30E below the shelf 30D is approximately 2.58 inches. The height of the interior cavity 26 is approximately 4.3 inches. The inner diameter of the open top or mouth 30H of the vessel 22 is approximately 2.8 inches. The height of the sizing insert 24 is approximately 3.77 inches. The inner diameter of the passageway 24C of the sizing insert at the upper peripheral engagement portion 24F is approximately 2.33 inches. The inner diameter of the passageway 24C of the sizing insert at the lower peripheral engagement portion 24G is approximately 2.13 inches. The inner diameter of the passageway 24C of the sizing insert between the upper and lower peripheral engagement portions 24F and 24G, respectively, is approximately 2.76 inches. The height of the upper peripheral engagement portion 24F is approximately 0.77 inches. The height of the lower peripheral engagement portion 24G is approximately 0.59 inches. The outside diameter of the upper ring portion 24D of the sidewall of the sizing insert is approximately 2.95 inches. The outside diameter of the lower ring portion 24E of the sidewall of the sizing insert is approximately 2.3 inches. The outside diameter of the sidewall 24B of the sizing insert is approximately 2.95 inches. The thickness of the sidewall 24B of the sizing insert between the upper and lower peripheral engagement portions 24F and 24G, respectively, is approximately 0.1 inches.

[0061] It should be pointed out at this juncture that the foregoing description of the embodiment 20 is not a description of the invention itself, but only of one exemplary preferred embodiment of the invention. Thus, this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiment and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the insert can be constructed differently than shown providing that it includes flexible portions which can engage portions of the periphery of the beverage container disposed within the chamber. Moreover, the insert need not be formed of a resilient material, providing that the portions which will engage portions of the beverage container can flex into good engagement therewith. Thus, all such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, as used in this specification and claims, the terms for example and such as, and the verbs comprising, having, including, and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.

[0062] As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art koozies constructed in accordance with this invention will not only provide their users with the basic function of holding containers of cold or hot beverages, but will do so with a universal body able to accommodate various sizes of beverage containers, all the while providing a structure that is resistant to damage and highly effective in its insulating properties.

[0063] Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate our invention that others may by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.