Beverage Can Protection Device and a System Therefor

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The disclosure relates to devices for holding beverage cans and more particularly pertains to a new beverage can protection device for protecting beverage cans from impact damage from objects adjacent a beverage can due to shaking or jostling during transport in or on a vehicle over rough surfaces. For example, when transporting cans in a cooler full of ice on the back of a land vehicle, such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), or watercraft, such as a jet ski, the beverage cans may be jostled around and impacted by one another or by objects in or part of the cooler, such as ice, bottles, and the walls of the cooler, thereby causing the beverage cans to be dented and possibly ruptured.

The prior art relates to devices for holding beverage cans. The prior art, as best understood, does not disclose a beverage can protection device includes a housing, a lid, and a mating assembly detachably connecting the housing and the lid, wherein the housing includes a non-insulating material to permit exchange of heat through the housing and cooling of a beverage can in the housing, and wherein the housing and the lid enclose and protect a beverage can from impact damage from objects adjacent a beverage can due to shaking or jostling during transport in or on a vehicle over rough surfaces.

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above in a beverage can protection device generally comprising a housing, a lid, and a mating assembly. The housing has a substantially cylindrical cavity designed to receive and removably store a beverage can therein, wherein the housing includes a non-insulating material to permit exchange of heat through the housing and cooling of a beverage can in the housing. The lid removably covers an open end of the cavity such that the housing and the lid enclose and protect a beverage can from impact damage from objects adjacent a beverage can due to shaking or jostling during transport in or on a vehicle over rough surfaces. The mating assembly detachably connects the housing and the lid.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular tothereof, a new beverage can protection device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeralwill be described.

As best illustrated in, the beverage can protection devicegenerally comprises a housing, a lid, and a mating assembly(see) that detachably connects the housingand the lid. The housinghas a substantially cylindrical cavitydesigned to receive and removably store a beverage cantherein, wherein the housingincludes a non-insulating material to permit exchange of heat through the housingand cooling of the beverage canin the housing. As best shown in, the lidremovably covers an open end of the cavitysuch that the housingand the lidenclose and protect the beverage canfrom impact damage from objects adjacent the beverage candue to shaking or jostling during transport in or on a vehicle over rough surfaces.

The housingincludes at least one orificeto permit viewing of the beverage canin the housingand passage of air or water to cool the beverage canin the housing. The orificeallows a user to see the caninside the housingso the user knows what beverage is inside the can, as well as allow for additional cooling. An example of the orificeis shown in, wherein there are two triangular openings in a side wallof the housing. In at least one possible embodiment, the orificesmay be omitted and the side wallis solid.

As best shown in, the housinghas a height less than a height of the beverage cansuch that a mouth portion of the beverage canprojects out of the housingwhen the beverage canis in the housing. This design allows the user to drink from the beverage canwhile still in the housing, as mentioned above. The beverage can protection devicefurther includes gripping projections positioned on an outer surface of the housing. As shown in, the gripping projections are elongated ribs, and each of the elongated ribsincludes a first portionpositioned on the housingand a second portionpositioned on the lid. The elongated ribsare just one example of a gripping projection and other designs, such as spirals, partial spheres, crosshatch patterns, or other patterns or shapes, could be used and are within the scope of the disclosure.

As best shown in, the housingincludes a base portionand a lip portionconnected by the side wall, which extends from the base portionto the lip portion. As best shown in, the base portionsupports the beverage canthereon. As shown in, the mating assemblyincludes a first mating memberpositioned on an outer surface of the lip portionand a second mating memberpositioned on an inner surface of the lid. As shown in, the beverage can protection devicecan have a plurality of the first mating membersand a corresponding plurality of the second mating members. For purposes of clarity, if multiple identical structures, like the plurality of first mating members, are shown in a figure, only one of the identical structures is marked. In the exemplary embodiment shown in, the first mating memberis in the form of a taband the second mating memberincludes a slotand a retaining projectionin the slot, wherein the tabis selectively engaged and disengaged with the retaining projectionand the slotby relative rotation of the lidand the housing. While a tab-and-slot connection is shown, other types of detachable connections, such as screw threads and buttons, are within the scope of the disclosure. As best seen in, the lidalso includes within the slota chamfered surface. The chamfered surfaceengages with a mating chamfered surfacepositioned on the first mating member. The first mating memberslides along the slotand the chamfered surfaces,come together via friction to further lock the lidto the housing.

The beverage can protection devicefurther includes a securing member designed to detachably connect the beverage can protection deviceto a support structure, which will be discussed further below. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, such as in, the securing memberis disposed on the base portion, though the securing membercould be located elsewhere on the housingor even on the lid, depending on the support structure. The securing memberis not only designed to detachably connect the beverage can protection deviceto a support structure but is also designed to matingly engage with the second mating memberof the lid. As shown in, this design allows a user to temporarily store the lidon the base portionwhen the lidis disconnected from the lip portion, such as while the user is drinking from the beverage caninside the housing. In other words, the housingcan have a similar design at each end thereof such that the lidcan be detachably connected to either end of the housing, namely, to the lip portionto close the housingand to the base portionto temporarily hold the lid. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the securing memberis in the form of a tab, like the first mating member, which can engage with the slotof the lid. Also, like the first mating member, there can be a plurality of the securing membersthat correspond to the plurality of the first mating members.

As mentioned above, the securing member, whether on the base portionor elsewhere on the housing, is designed to detachably connect the beverage can protection deviceto a support structure. The support structure could be one of several different types of structures and objects, such as a mount for a vehicle or a tray insert for coolers or bags. The support structure could even be other beverage can protection devices, wherein the beverage can protection devicesare connectable to one another in pairs or in groups in order to form a stable pack of beverage can protection devices, much like a six-pack of cans connected by plastic rings. To be clear, a support structure is not required, as the beverage can protection devicescan be used individually and free of any support structure, such as loose inside a cooler or bag. The securing memberthough allows the user to connect the beverage can protection deviceto a support structure to keep the beverage can protection devicein a secure and stable position to minimize movement of the beverage can protection deviceand thus further protect against impacts.

In that regard,show one possible embodiment of a support structurefor use with the beverage can protection devices. In, the beverage can protection deviceis part of a system that includes the support structureand a securing assembly detachably connecting the beverage can protection deviceto the support structure. In the embodiment shown, the securing assembly includes the securing memberpositioned on the base portionof the housingand another securing memberpositioned on the support structure, which securing members will be referred to in the following as the first securing memberand the second securing member, respectively, for clarity. The system includes a plurality of the beverage can protection devicesand the securing assemblies, and the support structureincludes a plurality of receptacles. Each of the beverage can protection deviceshas one or more of the first securing memberspositioned on an outer surface thereof and each of the plurality of receptacleshas one or more of the second securing memberspositioned on an inner surface thereof. In the example shown in, the first securing memberis in the form of the taband each of the second securing membersis in the form of the slotwith the retaining projection, much like the connection between the base portionand the lid. The support structureincludes mounting projectionsto detachably mount the support structureto a vehicle or to support the support structureon the bottom of a portable container for transporting the beverage cans. For example, the mounting projectionscould clamp or snugly fit onto a rear portion of an ATV or jet ski to secure the support structure. The support structurecould also be inserted into a portable container, such as a cooler or bag, to provide support for the beverage can protection devices.

In one possible embodiment, each of the securing assemblies further includes an adapter structure, such as shown in, that is insertable between and to detachably connect the first securing memberand the second securing memberwhen its corresponding base portionis smaller in diameter than its corresponding receptacle. For example, the receptaclesin the support structurecould all be one size, whereas the beverage can protection devicescould be of different sizes corresponding to different sizes of beverage cans, such 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans or skinny and regular cans. The adapter structurecould be used to adapt a smaller base portionto a larger receptacle such that one support structurewith one size of receptaclescould securely hold beverage can protection devicesof different sizes. In the example shown in, the adapter structureincludes both tabsand slotsand retaining projectionsto permit connection between the base portionand a corresponding receptacle. Again, while the tabs, slots, and retaining projectionsare shown inand in the other figures, other types of connecting structures, such as prongs, snaps, clasps, buttons, and other such structures, are within the scope of the disclosure.

In one possible embodiment, each of the beverage can protection deviceshas multicolored design elements on the lidto indicate at least different types of beverage cans in each of the beverage can protection devices. These could assist the user in knowing what type or size of beverage is in each of the beverage can protection devices.

shows an alternative design of the beverage can protection devicewherein there are multiple orificesin the side wallof the housing. In addition, there are interior guide structuresthat support the sides of a beverage can. The spaces in between the guide structuresfunction as flow channels to allow for cooling air or water to travel and contact a substantial portion of the surface of a beverage can inside the beverage can protection device. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the side wallis larger than the outer diameter of a beverage can, and the interior guide structuresproject to make up that difference and securely hold the beverage can. In one possible embodiment, the interior guide structuresare omitted and more orificesare included across the side wall.

Generally speaking, the beverage can protection deviceis used to protect the beverage canfrom impact damage when transported in or on a vehicle over rough surfaces. For example, a user may want to ride an ATV outdoors over rough terrain. The user may also want to transport beverage cans in a cooler to be kept cold for consumption later. Since the ride on an ATV over rough terrain can be very bumpy and jarring, the beverage cans inside the cooler could be impacted by items inside the cooler, such as ice or other cans, and thereby could become dented and possibly rupture. To prevent this impact damage, the user places each beverage can in the beverage can protection device. The housingprotects the cans from impact damage. In addition, since the housingincludes non-insulating material, cold air, water, and ice inside the cooler is also allowed to cool the beverage can via heat transfer. The beverage can protection devicescould also be connected to a support structure, such as shown in.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.