DRINK CADDY

• US 3,761,044 A
• Filed: 05/26/1972
• Issued: 09/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl W. Ahmer
• Original Assignee: Carl W. Ahmer
• Inventors: Ahmer, Carl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Foss, J. Franklin
• Application Number:
  US05/257,306
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 248/311,304,305,306,318,339,340,215,303 211/113,119,71,74,75 114/188 24/236,237
• US Class Current: 248/311.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 23/0225 attachable to a plate, table, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2400/086 Self-levelling
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 29/12 Self-levelling mountings

Abstract

A portable holding device embodying an open top wire-formed basket coupled to a rigid hanger assembly having detachable connection with the lifeline of a ship or boat to provide substantially universal pivotal support of the basket such that a drinking vessel positioned in the basket is maintained in a generally upright attitude regardless of ship movements.

Claims

1. A portable drink holding device for shipboard use comprising:

an open top basket portion receptive of a drinking vessel, hanger means extending upwardly of one side of said basket portion and having a single hook portion located at the outer end thereof and provided with an open side located substantially centrally over said basket portion and facing the latter, said hook portion being loosely receptive of a lifeline; and

resilient latch means normally removably obstructing the open side of said hook portion whereby to positively couple the device in pendulum fashion to the lifeline for limited multi-axis gyratory movements thereabout.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said latch means is manually operable and comprises an elongated cantilever mounted body having spring-like resiliency, the outer end of which body is normally resiliently biased thereby across the open side of said hook portion beneath the lifeline.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said latch means comprises an elongated body of spring metal having a base portion rigidly affixed to said hanger means and a latching finger comprising the outer free end thereof, said body being normally spaced from said hanger means and said finger being operably movable away from the open throat of said hook portion by manually depressing said body toward said hanger means.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said basket portion has generally cylindrical open sides formed by a plurality of wire rod members comprising parallel circumferentially spaced arm members forming the open sides thereof, radially extending legs interjoining the lower ends of said arm members and arranged to intersect substantially centrally of the bottom of said basket portion, and a rim member rigidly affixed circumferentially about the upper ends of said arm members and defining the diameter of said basket portion.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said hanger means and certain of said arm members and legs of said basket portion are integrally formed.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said arm members are located at a common radial distance about the central axis of said basket portion and radially inwardly of said rim member in circumferentially spaced arrangement whereby a plurality of the caddy devices having basket portions of like diameter may be coaxially internested for storage purposes with the said arm members of the nested devices lying in a common circumference.

7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said rim member defining the diameter of said basket portion is open on one side opposite a circumferential space between two of said arm members to permit the storage of a handle equipped vessel in said basket portion.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said hook portion comprises an S-shaped swivel hook means rotatably mounted over the free end of said hanger means for relative movement therebetween about an axis generally perpendicular to a lifeline on which the device is mounted, with said latch means interengaging said swivel hook means and operating to resiliently dampen said relative movement.