STEMWARE ANCHOR

Abstract

A stemware anchor that includes a plate having various surfaces and edges and a notch that is used for anchoring a piece of stemware on top of an external surface, such as a table. On the lower surface of the plate are one or more protruding members that are used for releasably gripping the external surface. When the base of a piece of stemware is slipped within the notch, the plate securely restrains the glass on the tabletop.

Claims

1. A stemware anchor comprised of: a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, two opposing side edges, and a bottom edge; a notch in the plate; at least one surface-connecting member that protrudes from said lower surface.

2. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface-connecting member is magnetic.

3. The stemware anchor of claim 2, wherein the surface-connecting member has an angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.

4. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface-connecting member is a suction cup.

5. The stemware anchor of claim 4, wherein the surface-connecting member has an angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.

6. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein a multiplicity of surface-connecting members protrude from the lower surface.

7. The stemware anchor of claim 6, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members are magnetic.

8. The stemware anchor of claim 7, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members each have an angled lower surface that i not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.

9. The stemware anchor of claim 6, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members are suction cups.

10. The stemware anchor of claim 9, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members each have an angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.

11. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the notch has a beveled edge.

12. The stemware anchor of claim 11, wherein the beveled edge is also present on at least part of the bottom edge of the plate.

13. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the notch has a chamfered edge.

14. The stemware anchor of claim 13, wherein the chamfered edge is also present on at least part of the bottom edge of the plate.

15. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the notch is U-shaped.

16. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the plate contains a marking that identifies the anchor.

17. A stemware anchor comprised of: a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, two opposing side edges, and a bottom edge; a notch in the plate; a multiplicity of surface-connecting protrusions attached to the lower surface of the plate, wherein the surface-connecting protrusions each have their own angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate;

18. The stemware anchor of 17, wherein the surface-connecting protrusions are magnetic.

19. The stemware anchor of claim 17, wherein the notch has a beveled edge.

20. A stemware anchor comprised of: a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, and a bottom edge; a U-shaped notch disposed within the bottom edge of the plate, wherein the U-shaped notch has a beveled edge along the entire length of the notch; a first magnetic disc that is located in the area defined by the first edge of the plate, the bottom edge of the plate, and the notch, wherein the first magnetic disc protrudes from the lower surface of the plate; a second magnetic disc that is located in the area defined by the second side edge of the plate, the bottom edge of the plate, and the notch, wherein the second magnetic disc protrudes from the lower surface of the plate; wherein the first magnetic disc and the second magnetic disc are not immediately adjacent to the notch, and wherein of the said magnetic discs has its own angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate; and wherein the top surface of the plate contains a marking.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a bottom view of one embodiment of the stemware anchor.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of an edge portion of the notch of an embodiment of the stemware anchor.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a top view of an embodiment of the stemware anchor.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows an isolated, standalone side view of the stemware anchor.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a side view of the stemware anchor as it might appear when it is in contact with an external surface such as a tabletop or counter.

[0021] FIG. 6 shows a side view of the stemware anchor as it might appear while in use restraining a piece of stemware.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0022] FIGS. 1-6 are provided in order to further describe the embodiments of the present invention in more detail. Embodiments of the stemware anchor 100 hereby disclosed are illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 are illustrations of the anchor 100 by itself from different vantage points. FIG. 2 shows a closeup view illustrating the beveled edge of the curved U-shaped notch 8. FIG. 5 shows a side view of an embodiment of the stemware anchor 100 in use while placed on an external surface 14 such as a table or counter. FIG. 6 shows a side view of the anchor 100 in use while placed on an external surface 14, such as a table or counter while restraining a piece of stemware.

[0023] An embodiment of the stemware anchor 100 is illustrated in the drawings. The stemware anchor 100 is comprised of a plate 1 having an upper surface 2, a lower surface 3, a top edge 4, a bottom edge 5, and two opposing side edges 6. The bottom edge 5 of the plate includes an opening 7 in communication with a U-shaped notch 8 that will be slightly narrower than the diameter of the base 9 of most conventional pieces of stemware SW illustrated in FIG. 6 (it should be noted that pieces of stemware SW are only workpieces of the invention, and it is further noted that the piece of conventional stemware SW illustrated in FIG. 6 only illustrates the base 9 and a portion of the stem 10 of a piece of stemware SW). A downwardly chamfered edge 13 at the opening 7 that extends around the length of the notch 8 facilitates slipping the base 9 of a piece of stemware SW into the opening 7 and underneath the plate 1 when the user wishes to temporarily restrain the piece of stemware SW on top of an external surface 14.

[0024] The plate 1 may be constructed with a food-grade, polypropylene plastic or a similar durable, UV-resistant material. To the extent that such plastics or other polymers are used, the material would be a waterproof plastic or polymer that could be cleaned and disinfected in a typical fashion without degradation of the material. However, it is also possible to construct the plate 1 from wood or metal. To the extent the plate 1 is made from wood, the wood surfaces may be coated with a clear hard coat such as a varnish or polyurethane that provides a waterproof and non-reactive surface for use in connection with various beverages and for the purposes of cleaning.

[0025] The anchor 100 is further comprised of two discs 11. On the lower surface 3 of the plate 1, between each side edge 6 of the plate 1 and the notch 8, is a disc 11 for releasably gripping an external surface 14 when the anchor 100 is in use. Each disc 11 includes an angled lower surface 12 such that the anchor 100 will not lie flat on an external surface 14 when the anchor 100 is firmly but releasably attached to the external surface 14. The angled lower surface 12 of each disc 11 will firmly stabilize the plate 1 while elevating its lower surface 3 as depicted in FIG. 4 to facilitate insertion of a piece of stemware SW. The angled lower surface 12 of each disc 11 and the angle provided in relation to the plate 1 is probably best depicted in FIG. 5. When the base 9 of a piece of stemware SW is slipped beneath the plate 1 and positioned such that the stem 10 rises through the notch 8, the entire plate 1 is elevated in relation to the external surface 14 as can be understood when viewing FIGS. 5 and 6. The angled lower surface 12 of each disc 11 is slightly elevated so as to apply a downward force to the plate 1 thereby securely restraining the stemware SW on the external surface 14.

[0026] In one embodiment, each disc 11 is a magnetic disc for releasably gripping a ferromagnetic or iron alloy external surface 14. The anchor 100 may thereby be magnetically bonded to the ferromagnetic/iron-alloy surface 14 and will firmly hold the base 9 of the stemware SW to that external surface 14, preventing it from being “tipped over” by unanticipated or unintentional sideways or vibrational forces. To the extent that magnetic discs are used as the discs 11 for the anchor 100, and to the extent that they are offset at an angle from the plate, they will apply rotational force to the anchor 100, holding a piece of stemware SW down on an external surface 14 even more forcefully. As can be understood when considering all of the drawings together, the downwardly chamfered edge 13 when combined with the angled effect provided by the angled lower surface 12 of the discs 11 when the anchor 100 is attached to an external surface 14 will jointly facilitate slipping the base 9 of a piece of stemware SW into the opening 7 and underneath the plate 1 very easily when the user wishes to temporarily restrain the piece of stemware SW on top of an external surface 14 using the anchor 100. Likewise, these features facilitate the easy removal of the piece of stemware SW from underneath the plate 1 when the user wishes to take a drink of a beverage that is contained within the bowl of the stemware.

[0027] In another embodiment each disc 11 is comprised of a suction cup for releasably gripping a smooth external surface 14. This is useful to the extent that the external surface 14 may not be ferromagnetic or an iron alloy.

[0028] The material from which the anchor 100 is made can incorporate a marking 22 that is located on the top surface 2 of the plate 1, which may be an individualized designs, words, phrases, numbers, and the like in order to identify separate anchors 100. Thus, persons may easily be able to identify which piece of stemware SW belongs to which person. Likewise, the marking can also be comprised of advertising, designs, logos, slogans, and the like that serve not only an identification purpose, but also a marketing purpose. Thus, the marking 22 shown in FIG. 3 is comprised of the trademark “TIPSY ANCHOR”, but it could just as easily be the name or logo of a restaurant, bar, club, or the like where the anchor 100 might be used, and thus it is possible to incorporate their advertising onto the anchor 100.

[0029] It should be noted that the chamfered edge 13 discussed above may be replaced with a downwardly beveled edge or any other similarly suitable downwardly angled or curved surface that would facilitate insertion and removal of the base 9 of the stemware SW. Furthermore, although the above description has discussed discs 11 that protrude from the lower surface 3 of the plate 1, and although the drawings illustrate circular discs 11, it should be understood that the term “discs 11” and the drawings actually only describe certain specific embodiments of the invention. It is more accurate to refer to “surface-connecting protrusions” that are located on the lower surface 3 of the plate 1, and it should not be understood that the description and illustrations providing for “discs” does necessarily mean that circular or round shape is critical to those structural elements in every embodiment. In fact, the members referred to above as “discs 11” in some embodiments could have square or polygonal shape, or any other suitable shape, in other embodiments. For this reason, the term “surface-connecting protrusions” is used in the appended claims as that term more completely encompasses all structures that would come within the ambit of the invention.

[0030] Likewise, the above description and the drawings disclose a notch 8 in the bottom edge 5 of the plate 1, wherein the notch 8 is described as “U-shaped”. However, while a U-shaped notch 8 is certainly part of the embodiments that have been described and illustrated, the reality is that any shaped notch would be encompassed within the scope of the invention so long as the stem 10 of a piece of stemware SW can pass upwardly through the notch 8 while the base 9 of the stemware SW is positioned below the plate 1 during the time that the stemware SW is being restrained by the anchor 100 on top of an external surface 14.

[0031] The embodiments and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention may be best understood and appreciated with reference to the drawings, descriptions, and claims. Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “distal”, “proximal”, “lateral”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “central”, “first”, “second”, “third”, “inside”, “internal”, “outside”, “opposing”, “external”, “end”, “ends”, “side”, “sides”, “edge”, “edges” and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that, unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise made specifically clear by context, these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings, and such terms are utilized in order to facilitate describing the invention and in order to facilitate a better understanding of the invention.

[0032] The above-described device is not limited to the exact details of construction and enumeration of parts provided herein. For example, though the device has been primarily described as using magnets to grip a tabletop, the device could include suction cups for use with any other nonmetal surfaces. Furthermore, the size, shape, and materials of construction of the various components can be varied without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Moreover, although there has been shown and described preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.