ATTACHABLE CONTAINER WITH AN ADJUSTABLE WALL

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus comprising an attachable container with an adjustable wall. The attachable container comprises a storage shell. The storage shell comprises an opening to receive items for storage, and a bottle-adaptable attachment to attach to a bottom of a bottle. The attachment comprises a ring of material configured to press against a bottom portion of a bottle and one or more set screws to press against the ring of material. The storage shell further comprises a ball detent and a base coupled to a bottom of the storage shell, wherein the base supports an adjustable wall that surrounds an outside of the storage shell and is rotatably coupled to the storage shell.

Claims

1. An attachable container, comprising: a storage shell, the storage shell comprising: an opening to receive items for storage; a container-adaptable attachment to attach to a bottom of a container, the container-adaptable attachment comprising a ring of material configured to press against a bottom portion of a bottle and one or more set screws to press against the ring of material; and a ball detent; and a base coupled to a bottom of the storage shell, wherein the base supports an adjustable wall that surrounds an outside of the storage shell and is rotatably coupled to the storage shell.

2. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the adjustable wall is configured to reveal the opening of the storage shell when an opening of the adjustable wall is rotated to align with the opening of the storage shell.

3. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the adjustable wall comprises a hole and the adjustable wall is configured to lock into a fixed position relative to the storage shell by rotating the adjustable wall to align the hole with the ball detent of the storage shell.

4. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the container-adaptable attachment is affixed to a top side opening of the storage shell.

5. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the adjustable wall ranges between 1 to 3 inches and an outer diameter of the adjustable wall ranges between 3 to 3.25 inches.

6. The attachable container of claim 2, wherein an opening of the adjustable wall is between 1 to 3 inches in width and between 1 to 4 inches in height.

7. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the container-adaptable attachment ranges between 1 to 3 inches and an outer diameter of the container-adaptable attachment ranges between 3 to 4 inches.

8. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the storage shell surrounds the an outside of the adjustable wall.

9. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the ring of material is held by a groove in the container-adaptable attachment.

10. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the ring of material comprises aluminum, leather, fabric, or plastic.

11. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the storage shell comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion includes the bottle-adaptable attachment, and the lower portion includes the opening to receive items for storage.

12. The attachable container of claim 11, wherein the upper portion is chamfered in a first part, such that the first part of the upper portion of the storage shell is angled with respect to a second part of the upper portion of the storage shell.

13. The attachable container of claim 12, wherein the upper portion has a different size from the lower portion.

14. The attachable container of claim 1, wherein the base is affixed to the bottom of the storage shell by a screw or bayonet mechanism.

15. An apparatus, comprising: an attachable container, comprising: an adjustable wall configured to lock into a closed position; a storage shell configured to attach to a container and to hold items, wherein the storage shell comprises a container-adaptable attachment configured to attach the attachable container to the container; and a base coupled to a bottom of the storage shell.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the adjustable wall is configured to reveal an opening of the storage shell when in an open position.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the adjustable wall comprises a hole and the adjustable wall is configured to lock into a closed position relative to the storage shell by rotating the adjustable wall to align the hole with a ball detent of the storage shell.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the storage shell comprises a top side opening and a lateral side opening to receive items for storage, wherein the bottle-adaptable attachment is disposed on the top side opening and the lateral side opening.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the storage shell further comprising a bottom side opening configured to couple with the base.

20. An apparatus comprising: an attachable container comprising: a storage shell configured to attach to a container and to hold items, wherein the storage shell comprises: a first opening coupled with a container-adaptable attachment configured to attach the attachable container to the container and to hold items, a second opening, opposite to the first opening, coupled to an attachable base, and a third opening, lateral to the first opening to receive items for storage; and an adjustable wall rotatably coupled to the storage shell that surrounds the storage shell and is configured to lock into a closed position that covers the third opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The technology disclosed herein, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments of the disclosed technology. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosed technology and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability thereof. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

[0008] FIG. 1A is a side perspective view of the attachable container, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0009] FIG. 1B is a side perspective view of the attachable container, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0010] FIG. 2A is a side perspective view of the storage shell, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0011] FIG. 2B is a side perspective view of the storage shell, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0012] FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of the storage shell, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0013] FIG. 3B is a front perspective view of the storage shell, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0014] FIG. 3C is a rear perspective view of the storage shell. in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the adjustable wall, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic of multiple side perspective views of the adjustable wall, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a schematic of multiple side perspective views of the storage shell, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0018] FIG. 7A is an example perspective view of the attachable container attached to a bottle, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0019] FIG. 7B is an example perspective view of the attachable container attached to a bottle, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0020] FIG. 7C is an example perspective view of the attachable container attached to a bottle, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0021] The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the disclosed technology be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0022] As noted above, in some cases it may be cumbersome for a user to carry different personal items in addition to a bottle to different locations. Many activities do not require many items to be carried. For example, someone visiting a gym may only need to carry a limited number of items: a water bottle, phone, car keys, cash, and credit cards. They may bring a gym bag, a purse, a wallet, and/or or place such items in their pockets. However, these methods may be cumbersome. A bag may be too big to hold just a few items. A pocket may be inappropriate to store items while working out. Moreover, items may come out of a pocket while working out. In another example, someone needing to take pills that cannot be taken on an empty stomach may not have space to store food and the pills. Someone hiking, walking, running, or jogging may face similar problems.

[0023] Implementations described herein are directed to addressing these and other problems. To this end, embodiments described herein relate to an attachable container with an adjustable wall. In accordance with implementations, the attachable container may include: a storage shell and an adjustable wall. The storage shell may include a bottle-adaptable attachment (also referred to as a container-adaptable attachment) to attach to a bottle or other object. In some embodiments, the object can be a container suitable to hold materials in liquid, solid, or gaseous states. While implementations of the attachable container will primarily be described in the context of a container that is adapted to attach to the bottom of a bottle, it should be noted that the attachable container may be used in other applications to attach to other objects.

[0024] FIGS. 7A-7C show example perspective views of an attachable container attached to a bottle, in accordance with one implementation of the disclosure. Attachable container 100 includes storage shell 120 that includes an opening for receiving items and provides a storage space to store items. For example, storage shell 120 may store ear buds, lip balm, money, credit cards, keys, snacks, or other items. In this example, storage shell 120 also includes bottle-adaptable attachment 110 attaching attachable container 100 to a bottom of bottle 702. In this example, bottle 702 is a reusable bottle. In other implementations, bottle 702 may be a disposable bottle.

[0025] Attachable container 100 further includes adjustable wall 130 that may rotate with respect to storage shell 120 to cover or reveal an opening of storage shell 120. During operation, a mechanism may be used to secure adjustable wall 130 into a fixed position relative to storage shell 120. For example, the mechanism may use a ball detent attached to storage shell 120 and a hole in adjustable wall 130 to secure the ball detent in at least one position. Examples of these structures are discussed in more detail below.

[0026] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate different perspective views of an assembled attachable container 100, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein. For example, attachable container 100 may be adapted to removably couple to the bottom of a bottle as illustrated by FIGS. 7A-7C. In some embodiments, attachable container 100 may be adapted to removably couple to bottles of various sizes and shapes.

[0027] As illustrated in the example of FIGS. 1A-1B, attachable container 100 comprises: bottle-adaptable attachment 110, groove 112, storage shell 120, ball detent 122, storage space 140, storage shell opening 124, adjustable wall opening 134, adjustable wall 130, hole 132, and base 150. Attachable container 100 may be made of metal, plastic, rubber, cloth, or other materials. For example, part of attachable container 100 may be made out of anodized aluminum. The anodized aluminum may be bead blasted or otherwise finished.

[0028] Storage shell 120 may be cylindrical, rectangular, or another shape. Storage shell 120 may define storage space 140, in part. Storage shell 120 may include bottle-adaptable attachment 110. Bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may be cylindrical, rectangular, or other shapes. Bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may use one or more set screws to press directly against a bottle (not shown). In another example, bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may use one or more set screws to press against a material which might produce more even pressure against the bottle (not shown). The material may be of various sizes or shapes. For example, the material may be plastic, metal, rubber, cloth, and/or some other material. The size and shape of bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may be a different size and shape than storage shell 120. Bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may define storage space 140, in part.

[0029] In the illustrated example, bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may include groove 112. Groove 112 may be used to hold an o-ring in place. Set screws (not shown) may directly press against the o-ring from the outside. As the set screws press against the o-ring from the outside, the o-ring may grip a bottle (not shown), such that attachable container 100 is attached to the bottle (not shown). Groove 112 may also be used to hold an aluminum ring in place, such that the aluminum ring may directly press against the bottle (not shown). Other materials may also be used in groove 112, such as leather, fabric, or plastic.

[0030] In the illustrated example, storage shell 120 includes an opening 124 along its lateral or side surface. Opening 124 may align with an opening 134 of adjustable wall 130, such that a user may place items in or remove items from a storage space 140 provided by the storage shell. Storage shell 120 may also include an opening along a top or bottom side (e.g., along end with a bottle-attachment 110) that may attach to the bottom of a bottle.

[0031] The boundaries of storage space 140 may be defined by storage shell 120, a bottle (not shown), adjustable wall 130, or other objects. Storage space 140 may store lip balm, keys, credit cards, headphones, identification cards, food, or other items.

[0032] In some implementations, storage shell 120 may have walls completely surrounding stored items, except for two open sides (e.g., a lateral side with opening 124 and a top side with bottle-adaptable attachment 110). During use of attachment container 100, a bottle (not shown) may cover the first open side and the adjustable wall 130 may cover the second open side. In some implementations, the second un-surrounded side may be opposite the first un-surrounded side.

[0033] In other implementations, storage shell 120 may have walls completely surrounding the items, except for three open sides. A bottle (not shown) may cover a first open side (e.g., top side opening) and adjustable wall 130 may be able to cover a second open side (e.g., lateral side opening). The third open side may be opposite the first open side. For example, the third open side may be the bottom of the container 100. The third open side may be closed off by base 150. Base 150 may be metal, plastic, rubber, cloth, or another material. For example, base 150 substantially conforming to the size and shape of the third open side may be press fit onto the third open side. Base 150 may be screwed, twisted, or otherwise attached onto the third open side (e.g., via a screw or bayonet mechanism). Base 150 may support adjustable wall 130. In some implementations, base 150 may be permanently attached to the third open side (e.g., by welding, gluing, or other means). The second open side may be opening 124 in storage shell 120.

[0034] Storage shell 120 may have a lower portion having a first size, shape, color, material, or other considerations. The lower portion of storage shell 120 may include opening 124. Storage shell 120 may have an upper portion having a second size, shape, color, material, or other considerations. The upper portion of storage shell 120 may include bottle-adaptable attachment 110. The lower portion may be different from the upper portion. In some embodiments, the upper portion may be chamfered, in a first part, such that the first part of the upper portion of the storage shell 120 may be angled with respect to a second part of the upper portion of the storage shell 120.

[0035] Adjustable wall 130 may be adjusted (e.g., rotated) to close or open an open side of storage shell 120. The open side may be opening 124 in storage shell 120. Adjustable wall 130 may include opening 134. Opening 134 may align with opening 124 when the container 100 is opened. In the illustrated example, adjustable wall 130 may be secured in a closed position by hole 132 engaging ball detent 122. Ball detent 122 may be used to fix the adjustable wall in a closed position. Ball detent 122 may be attached to storage shell 120. The position of ball detent 122 may align with a hole 132 of adjustable wall 130. When ball detent 122 aligns with hole 132, adjustable wall 130 may lock into a closed position. Adjustable wall 130 may have an opening 134. In some embodiments, adjustable wall 130 rotate to close off open sides of the attachable container 100. Adjustable wall 130 may surround the exterior of storage shell 120. When ball detent 122 is pressed below a threshold, adjustable wall 130 may be able to rotate into an open position or a closed position.

[0036] In other embodiments, adjustable wall 130 may be secured in a position by screwing adjustable wall 130 onto storage shell 120, by press fitting adjustable wall 130 onto the bottom of storage shell 120, or using some other mechanism.

[0037] In some implementations, adjustable wall 130 may be adjusted to reveal the storage space 140 through a bottom or base side of the attachable container. Adjustable wall 130 may be adjusted to close the bottom of attachable container 100. When adjustable wall 130 is adjusted to reveal storage space 140, items may be added to or taken from storage shell 120. When adjustable wall 130 is adjusted, to close storage space 140, items may remain secure within storage space 140 bounded by walls of storage shell 120, adjustable wall 130, and the bottom of a bottle (not shown).

[0038] In some embodiments, adjustable wall 130 may be the same shape as storage shell 120. As illustrated, adjustable wall 130 may surround the outside of storage shell 120. In alternative implementations, storage shell 120 may surround the outside of adjustable wall 130. Adjustable wall 130 may be rotated to cover or open opening 124 of storage shell 120. Adjustable wall 130 may be secured into a position using ball detent 122, panels (not shown) of adjustable wall 130 corresponding to hollow portions in storage shell 120 (not shown), or other mechanisms. Storage space 140 may be defined, in part, by adjustable wall 130.

[0039] FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate different perspective views of a storage shell, and FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate different side views of the storage shell, in accordance with implementations of the disclosure. Storage shell 120 may be a cylindrical shape, rectangular shape, or other shape. Hole 122 may align with a ball detent (not shown) or other mechanism in an adjustable wall (not shown). Storage shell opening 124 may align with an opening in adjustable wall (not shown). The adjustable wall (not shown) may cover a side opposite of where a bottle (not shown) may be placed. The adjustable wall (not shown) may cover opening 124, as well as opening 202. A base (not shown) may cover opening 202. Storage shell 120 may have a lower portion having a first size, shape, color, material, or other considerations and an upper portion having a second size, shape, color, material, or other considerations. The lower portion may be different from the upper portion.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the adjustable wall, in accordance with implementations of the disclosure. Adjustable wall 130 may be a cylindrical shape. Hole 132 may align with a ball detent (not shown) or other mechanism in a storage shell (not shown). Adjustable wall 130 may surround the outside of the storage shell. Opening 134 may align with an opening in the storage shell (not shown). The adjustable wall 130 may cover an opening of the storage shell (not shown) in a position, such that opening 134 of adjustable wall 130 does not align with an opening of the storage shell (not shown). Opening 402 may be covered by the storage shell (not shown), base (not shown), or another mechanism. Opening 404 may be covered, in part, by a bottle (not shown).

[0041] FIG. 5 is a schematic of multiple side perspective views of the adjustable wall, and FIG. 6 is a schematic of multiple views of the storage shell, in accordance with one embodiment of the technology described herein. As illustrated, adjustable wall 130 may have an inner diameter of between 1 and 3 inches and an outer diameter of between 3 and 3.25 inches. Opening 134 may range from 1 to 3 inches and the height of the adjustable wall may range between 1 to 4 inches. As illustrated, bottle-adaptable attachment 110 may have an inner diameter ranging from 1 to 3 inches and an outer diameter ranging from 1 to 4 inches. In one embodiment, opening 124 may be about 2.5 inches across and be about 3 inches tall. These values are not meant to be limiting and instead present one embodiment of the adjustable wall.

[0042] While various embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the disclosed technology, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the disclosed technology. The disclosed technology is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but the desired features can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning and configurations can be implemented to implement the desired features of the technology disclosed herein. Also, a multitude of different constituent components names other than those depicted herein can be applied to the various partitions. Additionally, with regard to flow diagrams, operational descriptions and method claims, the order in which the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order unless the context dictates otherwise.

[0043] Although the disclosed technology is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosed technology, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the technology disclosed herein should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0044] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term including should be read as meaning including, without limitation or the like; the term example is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms a or an should be read as meaning at least one, one or more or the like; and adjectives such as conventional, traditional, normal, standard, known and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

[0045] The presence of broadening words and phrases such as one or more, at least, but not limited to or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.

[0046] Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.