System for holding a container

Abstract

A system for holding at least one container, comprising: at least one holder configured to grip said container; and a retracting mechanism having a base portion mountable to a fixed location, and a distal end connectable to said holder; wherein said holder is displaceable by said retracting mechanism between a normally retracted position and an extended position, so that the length of said retracting mechanism is increased more at said extended position than the length at said retracted position.

Claims

1. A system for holding a container, comprising: a housing cover comprising a bottom member, wherein a first opening is formed in the bottom member of the housing cover; a holder configured to grip and hold said container in an upside down orientation, said holder having a holder bottom and one or more side walls extending from the holder bottom to defining a holder interior space configured for receiving a bottom portion of said container so as to grip said container in the upside down orientation; a pour spout mountable to an opening of said container, and configured to control flow of content stored in said container at least when said container is in said upside down orientation; a retracting mechanism comprising: a spring wound reel enclosure constituting a base portion and at least partially located within the housing cover, the spring wound reel enclosure having a spring wound reel therewithin; a cable wrapped on said spring wound reel, a distal end of the cable configured to extend through said first opening and being attached to said holder; wherein said holder is displaceable by the cable of said retracting mechanism between a retracted position and an extended position, so that a length of the cable of said retracting mechanism is increased more at said extended position than the length at said retracted position; and wherein the holder bottom is located within the first opening in the retracted position.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein at the extended position said holder is spaced from the base portion to an extent greater than at said retracted position.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the housing cover constitutes a fixed location.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said stopping elements is configured for delimiting movement of the holder with respect to the housing cover when being displaced from the extended position to the retracted position.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said stopper horizontal bottom surface is planar.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said distal end is attached to a center of said holder bottom.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said holder comprises a gripping mechanism for securing said container to said holder.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein each of said one or more side walls has an internal surface constituting said gripping mechanism by having a shape and size configured to correspond to a shape and a size of the bottom portion of the container and by having a friction coefficient configured to grip the container in the upside down orientation.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said holder interior space has a first sub-space in proximity to said holder rim and having a first diameter D1 and a consecutive second sub-space having a second diameter D2 which is smaller than the first diameter D1.

10. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting arrangement extending from the housing cover for mounting the housing cover to an external element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a system for holding a container according to one example of the presently disclosed subject matter;

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of a holder of the system of FIG. 1, without a container received therein;

(4) FIG. 3A is an upper isometric view of a system according to another example of the presently disclosed subject matter;

(5) FIG. 3B is a bottom isometric view of the system shown in FIG. 3A;

(6) FIG. 3C is an upper isometric view of the system shown in FIG. 3A, with its housing cover being transparent;

(7) FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view of the system shown in FIG. 3A taken along a plane D-D;

(8) FIG. 4A is another example of a holder, in accordance with another example of the presently disclosed subject matter; and

(9) FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the holder of FIG. 4A taken along a plane E-E.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(10) Reference is now made to FIGS. 1 and 2 in which a system 1 for holding a container in the form of a bottle 10 is shown, in accordance with one example of the presently disclosed subject matter.

(11) The system 1 comprises a holder 20 configured to grip the bottle 10 at an upside down position, and a retracting mechanism 30 connected to the holder 20. The bottle 10 contains an alcoholic beverage, and the system 1 can be used by a bartender in a bar above a workspace (not shown) and the sightline of the bartender. When the bartender is willing to use the bottle 10 in order to serve its liquid, he can pull the bottle 10 together with its holder 20 by his hand towards the workspace, and then to use the bottle. The bottle 10 is configured with a pour spout 50 mounted to an opening 12 thereof in order to control the flow of the liquid from the bottle 10 when being used by the bartender. Once accomplishing serving the liquid, the bartender can lift and release the bottle 10, which in turn will automatically revert to its normally retracted position by the operation of the retracting mechanism 30, as explained below.

(12) The holder 20 is a structure of a peripheral round side wall 21 extending from a holder bottom 22 to a perimetric holder rim 23, and defining together a holder interior space 25. The interior space 25 is configured for receiving a bottom portion (not shown) of the bottle 10 via the holder rim 23, so as to grip the bottle 10 at its upside down position by a gripping mechanism 26.

(13) The gripping mechanism 26 is a friction based mechanism consisting of an internal surface 21a of the side wall 21, characterized by a high friction coefficient and is shaped and sized corresponding to the shape and the size of the bottom portion of the bottle 10. This structure of the gripping mechanism 26 prevents the bottle 10 from slipping out of the holder 20 while gripping the bottle 10. For example, the gripping mechanism 26 can be made of a rubber material.

(14) The retracting mechanism 30, shown in FIG. 1, has a base portion in the form of an enclosure 31 mountable to a fixed location (not shown), and a cable 33 extending from the housing and having a distal end 32 connected to the holder 20. In particular, the distal end 32 is connected to a center of the holder bottom 22. The enclosure 31 has a spring wound reel (not shown) enclosure 31 on which the cable 33 is wrapped.

(15) The holder 20 is displaceable by the cable 33 and the spring wound reel of the retracting mechanism 30 between a normally retracted position (shown in FIGS. 3A-3D with respect to three of four containers) and an extended position (shown in FIG. 1). As is clearly understood from the drawings, the length of the retracting mechanism 30 is increased at the extended position more than the length at the retracted position. In particular, at the extended position, the holder 20 is spaced from the enclosure 31 to an extent greater than at the retracted position.

(16) In accordance with another example of the presently disclosed subject matter shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, there is provided a system 100 which includes a plurality of systems 1. Instead of holding only one bottle by a single holder as suggested by the system 1, the system 100 is provided with a plurality of holders 20a-d for holding a plurality of bottles 10a-d, respectively, while each of the holders 20a-d is displaceable between a retracted position and an extended position.

(17) The system 100 has a housing 110 (best seen in FIG. 3C), constituting a fixed location to which a plurality of enclosures 31a-d are mounted.

(18) The housing 110 comprises a rigid cage 111 (shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D) and a stopping element 114 received therein and supported by the rigid cage 111. The rigid case 111 is structured of rigid frame members and a top member 115.

(19) The stopping element 114 has a plurality of openings 112a-d with interior spaces 113a-d defined by the openings 112a-d, for accommodating the holders 20a-d together with the bottles 10a-d, at their retracted position. The interior spaces 113a-d have respective stopper bottom surfaces 114a-d configured for delimiting movement of the holders 20a-d when being displaced from their extended position to their retracted position. The stopping elements 114a-d are made of a soft material, such as soft foam, which functions as a shock absorber for the holders 20a-d, when they come in contact with the stopping element 114 and enter into their corresponding interior spaces 113a-d. #

(20) The top member 115 has a plurality of passages 118a-d extending between an exterior of the top member 115 and the stopper bottom surfaces 114a-d, so that enclosures 31a-d are disposed above the top member 115 and the cables 33a-d pass through the passages 118a-d.

(21) The system 100 further comprises a mounting arrangement 130 extending from the top member 115 of the housing 110 for mounting the system 100 to an external element such as a ceiling (not shown).

(22) The system 100 further comprises a housing cover 140 that surrounds the housing 110. The housing cover 140 constitutes a decorative element, the exterior surface of which can be used for advertising or any other informing purposes.

(23) Reference is now made to FIGS. 4A and 4B, showing another example of a holder 220 configured with an interior space 225 having a first sub-space 225a in proximity to a holder rim 223 and having a first diameter D1 and a consecutive second sub-space 225b having a second diameter D2 which is smaller than D1. This structure of two sub-spaces allows using a single holder 220 for holding two types of bottles having two different diameters, i.e., of a diameter D1, and of a diameter D2.