US2955722A - Versatile container closure cap and coaster - Google Patents

Description

2,955,722 VERSATILE CONTAINER CLOSURE CAP AND COASTER Filed Sept. 25, 1959 0ct.11, 1960 A. J. ANTONIOUS V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ANTHONY J. ANTON/GUS INVENTOR.

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A TTORNEY A. J. ANTONIOUS 2,955,722 VERSATILE CONTAINER CLOSURE CAP AND COASTER Filed Sept. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0&1 11, 1960 FIG. 5.

B h m l Patented Oct. 11, 1960 ice VERSATILE CONTAINER CLOSURE CAP AND COASTER Anthony J. Antonious, 3608 Cedar Drive, Baltimore 7, Md.

Filed Sept. 23,1959, Ser. No. 341,726

8 Claims. (Cl. 215-100.5)

This invention relates to a versatile device suitable for use as either a coaster or a closure cap for containers. In one aspect, it relates to a coaster of the variety generally used to receive and support a drinking container, such as a tumbler, goblet, or the like, to afford protection to a surface, such as a table top, upon which the coaster and container are set to rest. In another aspect, the devicecan be effectively put to use as a closure cap for containers to provide a seal when such containers are used to preserve certain foods in home refrigerators. In a further aspect, the device is provided with means for removing closure caps from bottles and the like.

Coasters generally comprise an open receptacle having a flat bottom and a low rim circumscribing the bottom for receiving and supporting various types of drinking containers. When a container, suchtis a glass turnbler, for example, is filled with a cool beverage, moisture condenses on the outer wall of the tumbler and flows downwardly and collects in the bottom of the coaster. With the tumbler set to rest in the coaster, some of the condensate adheres to the bottom of the tumbler. When the tumbler is raised from the coaster, the adhering con-' densate drips onto the persons clothing which is'not only disturbing but quite oftenstains the clothing.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide a device which overcomes the prior art objections. It is also an object to provide a device which is multi-functional in serving as a coaster and container closure cap. These objects are realized by providing a device comprising a disk having an upright peripheral wall and a plurality of concentrically arranged spaced lugs projecting vertically from said disk. When employed as a coaster, a drinking container is set to rest on the tops of the projecting lugs out of contact with the condensate which collects on the bottom of the device. When used as a closure cap, the rim of the mouth of a vessel is frictionally engaged by the spaced lugs whcih exert tension on the rim to provide an effective seal.

The invention is illustrated by reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is 'a perspective view of the device made according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device in use as a coaster and supporting a tumbler.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device in use as a closure cap for a tumbler.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing the relative position of a cap remover.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is partly in section and illustrates the cap remover in the process of removing a crown cap from a bottle.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a fiat circular plate or disk 10 having obverse and reverse sides 11 and 12 respectively. The sides are preferably fiat and smooth and such smoothness is particularly applicable to the reverse side 12 so that it will not mar furniture surfaces, such as the tops of tables, on which the device may be placed in use as a coaster. An upright wall 13 is integrally formed with the periphery of the disk, the upper edge of which is elevated relative to the other portions of the device. The sides of the wall are preferably corrugated which flare upwardly and outwardly from the disk. Such corrugations permit expansion and contraction when the walls. are formed of suitable resilient material. v

A plurality of spaced rows of lugs 14 are disposed within the confines of the upright wall and project vertically from the obverse side of disk 10. The lugs are preferably formed of a resilient material in order that they may yield to the pressure involved in forcing the rim of a container into the spaces therebetween and there after resume their shape when the container is withdrawn therferom. In Figs. 1 and 4 there are shown fourrows of lugs but it is to be understood that the number of rows is not a limitation on this invention. The lugs are disposed in spaced apart relationship within the respective rows and are aligned in files, one behind the other, radiating outwardly from a point somewhat removed from the center of the disk. Each lug is correspondingly arranged with the equi-radial lugs so as to form theoretically a plurality of concentric rings. Such arrangement permits the use of the device as a cap for various containers having mouths of different diameters. j

The lugs 14 may assume any upright form, but a preferred form is shown in the drawings, particularly Fig. 1. As shown, the lug is provided with a thick base 15 which gradually tapers from its midportion 16 and terminates in an upper portion 17 having. a truncated vertex in a plane parallel to the obverse surface of the disk. The

tapered lug is effective in guiding the rim of themouth of a container into the spaces between the respective lugs,

y when the device is used as a closure cap, as shown in Fig.

3. When forced into full position, the rim of the container fits snugly into the spaces between the respective sides of the lug bases and thereby provides an efficient seal. Giving a flat surface to the vertex of the lugs permits a container to set evenly when the device is employed as a coaster, as shown in Fig. 2.

'To bolster the lugs in bearing theweight of a large container heavily laden with liquid, there may be provided a plurality of spacedupright supportingmembers 18 concentrically arranged within the 'innermost ring of lugs. As shown clearly in Fig. 1,-thesesupports may assumethe shape of a truncated cone which are of a height at least equal to said lugs.-

When the device is used as a coaster, as shown in Fig. 2, a tumbler 19 is supported primarily on lugs 14 and bolstered by upright supports 18. Any condensation which forms on the wall of the tumbler will collect in the bottom of the device out of complete contact with the base of the tumbler. By providing the device with the vertical lugs, there is created a basin or reservoir, which is of sufficient depth to retain substantial quantities of condensate without Wetting the bottom of the tumbler as it is seated on the raised lugs.

The lugs 14 are duo-functional. In addition to serving as container supports when the device functions as a coaster, they provide means for sealing a container when the device is used as a closure cap as shown in Fig. 3. The rim 20 'of a mouth of a suitable container 21 is inserted into the spaces between the lugs which frictionally engage'and forceably hold the rim and thereby provide an effective closure for the container. By providing the device with a plurality of lugs and arranging them in concentric relationship with the equi-radial lugs, the device maybe used as a closure cap for containers having mouths of various diameters. It is particularly adaptable as a cap for ordinary tumblers or refrigerator jars to preserve unused portions or left-over edible perishable foods in home refrigerators.

In another embodiment of the invention, the device is provided with an integral bottle cap remover lying diametrically across the device, shown generally at 2.2 in Fig. 4. It comprises an elongated fiat metal plate having an inverted V-shaped central portion defining a fulcrum 23. Prying members 24 and 25 are disposed on each side of the fulcrum and are slanted in a plane parallel to the respective sides of the fulcrum. Flat end portions or wings 26 and 27 extend outwardly from each of the prying members toward the wall 13. The opener is secured to the device by embedding the end portions within the body of the disk. The opener may be fabricated from a single strip of metal plate by bending the central portion thereof to form the inverted V-shaped fulcrum, scoring and punching out sections on each side of the fulcrum and raising these portions to the desired plane to form the respective prying members.

To remove a cap from a bottle, reference is made to Fig. 6. The device is inverted, the crown cap 28 is engaged by its edge with prying member 25 and brought to rest against fulcrum 23. Pressure is thereafter applied downwardly to the opposite side of the device which pries the cap upwardly and disengages it from the bottle 29. Either of the prying members may be so operated thereby providing two cap removers to the device.

As thus described, the device may serve as a coaster or closure cap with or Without cap removing means. A variety of materials may be utilized in its fabrication, such as metals or polymeric materials, such as polyethylene, either clear, colored or opaque. When produced from plastic materials, the device may be integrally made from a single mold and the cap remover may be inserted during the molding operation. Suitable ornamentation or decorative schemes, such as applying advertising indicia on the reverse side, may be added without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a disk, an upright wall integral with the periphery of said disk, and a plurality of spaced rows of lugs projecting vertically from said disk, said lugs being spaced apart Within the respective rows and aligned in files radiating outwardly a distance from the center of the disk, the lugs being arranged with the corresponding equi-radial lugs to form concentric rings.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the lugs are formed of resiliently yieldable material.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the lugs is tapered to form a truncated vertex having a plane parallel to the surface of the disk.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the upright wall is corrugated and flares upwardly and outwardly.

5. A device of the class described comprising a disk, an upright wall integral with the periphery of said disk, a plurality of spaced rows of lugs projecting vertically from said disk, said lugs being spaced apart within the respective rows and aligned in files radiating outwardly from a point somewhat removed from the center of said disk, said lugs being arranged with the corresponding equi-radial lugs to form concentric rings, and a plurality of concentrically arranged spaced upright supports disposed within the innermost ring of lugs, said supports being of height at least equal to said lugs.

6. A device of the class described comprising a disk, an upright Wall integral with the periphery of said disk, a plurality of spaced rows of lugs projecting vertically from said disk, said lugs being spaced apart within the respective rows and aligned in files radiating outwardly from a point somewhat removed from the center of said disk, said lugs being arranged with the corresponding equi-radial lugs to form concentric rings, and a bottle cap remover disposed in the central port-ion of said disk.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the bottle cap remover is formed integrally of an elongated plate having an inverted V-shaped central portion defining a fulcrum, a prying member disposed a distance on each side of the fulcrum, said prying members being slanted in a plane parallel to the respective sides of the fulcrum, and flat end portions extending outwardly from the respective prying members, said end portions being embedded within the body of the disk and thereby securing the cap remover to the device.

8. A device of the class described comprising a disk, an upright outwardly flared corrugated wall integral with the periphery of said disk, a plurality of spaced rows of lugs projecting vertically from said disk, said lugs being spaced apart within the respective rows and aligned in files radiating outwardly from a point somewhat removed from the center of said disk, said lugs being arranged with the corresponding equi-radial lugs to form concentric rings, a plurality of concentrically arranged spaced upright supports disposed Within the innermost ring of lugs, said supports being of height at least equal to said lugs, and a bottle cap remover disposed in the central portion of said disk.

No references cited.

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