Protective sleeves for containers

• US 8,579,133 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermos LLC
• Original Assignee: Lifefactory Incorporated (Thermos LLC)
• Inventors: Joy, Daren Edward, Marcus, Pamela Wong
• Primary Examiner(s): Stashick, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLLADO, CYNTHIA FRANCISCA
• Application Number:
  US12/204,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20090057257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 215/11.6, 215/11.1, 215/12.2, 215/392, 206/459.5, 206/466, 220/62.12, 220/737, 220/739, D32/29, D32/65, D75/07, D75/23, 229/403, 428/157
• US Class Current: 215/11.6
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 23/02 Glass or bottle holders serving trays with openings for carrying glasses or bottles A47G23/0641; bottle racks A47B73/00; for feeding-bottles A61J9/06; in vehicles B60N3/10
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 23/0241 for bottles; Decanters
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/08 Protective covers for bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/001 Supporting means fixed to the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/0871 Stretched over the bottle B65D23/0892 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/20 External fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/022 Containers made of shock-absorbing material B65D81/03 takes precedence; for thermal insulating purposes B65D81/3813
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/03 Wrappers or envelopes with shock-absorbing properties, e.g. bubble films for thermal insulating purposes B65D81/3888
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24488 Differential nonuniformity at margin

Abstract

Aspects of the invention include a sleeve or wrap for protecting a container. In certain embodiments, the sleeve or wrap is a protective encasement for protecting a container, such as a bottle. In certain embodiments, the sleeve or wrap includes a body with a lumen, wherein the body is configured for holding and/or containing the container. For instance, in one embodiment, the protective sleeve includes a tubular body and at least a first opening in the protective body that is adapted for receiving the container. In certain embodiments, the body of the sleeve includes silicone. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the sleeve is a protective silicone sleeve that is adapted to hold and/or contain a container, thereby protecting the container from damage (e.g., breaking). Also provided is a system for protecting a container that includes a protective sleeve, as described above, and a container that is configured for being associated, e.g., fit within, the protective sleeve.

Claims

1. A protective sleeve for holding a container, comprising:

a protective sleeve comprising a molded tubular body configured for holding a container, said tubular body defining (a) a first opening at a first end of said tubular body adapted for receiving the container, (b) a second opening opposite said first opening at a second end opposite said first end, (c) a lip adjacent to the second opening, and (d) a main body between said first opening and said lip, wherein said second end and said lip are configured to surround and extend over a bottom edge of the container and to cover at least a portion of the bottom surface of the container to thereby facilitate retaining of the container,

wherein said tubular body comprises silicone and

wherein said first opening of said tubular body, when said tubular body is not holding the container, has a cross section that is smaller than all parallel cross sections along a length of said main body of said tubular body.

2. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said second opening is circular.

3. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said tubular body comprises one or more gripping elements.

4. The protective sleeve of claim 3, wherein said one or more gripping elements comprises a member selected from the group consisting of an indentation, a groove, ribbing, and a raised surface element.

5. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said main body comprises one or more holes configured for allowing one to see at least partially through said tubular body.

6. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said tubular body comprises an exterior and an interior surface, wherein said interior surface comprises a coating layer.

7. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said tubular body is elastic.

8. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said sleeve further comprises a carrying mechanism.

9. The protective sleeve of claim 1, wherein said first end of said tubular body is configured to stretch and retract between a non-extended, original position and an extended position, wherein said first opening is in said extended position to receive the container, wherein said first opening is unable to receive said container when said first opening is in said non-extended position, and wherein said first opening is in said non-extended position with the container in said tubular body that prevents removal of the container from said tubular body without placing said first opening in said extended position.

10. The protective sleeve of claim 5, wherein said one or more holes comprise one or more elongated holes each running along a portion of said main body.

11. The protective sleeve of claim 5, wherein said one or more holes comprise a pattern of circular holes.

12. A sleeve for holding a container, comprising:

a molded tubular body comprising an elastic material and defining a space to hold a container;

said tubular body defining a first circular opening at a first end of said tubular body configured for receiving the container;

said tubular body defining a second circular opening at a second end of said tubular body that is opposite said first end of said tubular body, wherein said first circular opening is in a first plane and a second circular opening is in a second plane that is parallel to said first plane, said second end configured to prevent any portion of the container from passing through said second circular opening; and

said tubular body defining a plurality of three or more holes in a pattern that extends from said first end of said tubular body to said second end of said tubular body, wherein the three or more holes are configured to allow visual access through said sleeve.

13. A bottle and a sleeve for holding the bottle, comprising:

a bottle comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, a middle portion extending between said top portion and said bottom portion, wherein said top portion comprises a bottle opening and said bottom portion comprises a bottom edge and a bottom surface opposite said bottle opening; and

a molded elastic tubular sleeve comprising silicone and having a middle section extending along an outside of said middle portion of said bottle, wherein said tubular sleeve further comprises a bottom portion that extends over an outside of said bottom portion of said bottle and at least partially over said bottom edge of said bottle and defines an opening in a plane parallel to said bottom surface of said bottle, and wherein said tubular sleeve comprises a top portion that tapers inward relative to said middle section when said bottle is absent from said tubular sleeve;

wherein said tubular sleeve comprises a plurality of holes along said middle section, wherein said holes are sized and positioned to enable visual observation of contents within the bottle.

14. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said tubular sleeve has a length that is substantially the same as a length of a side of the bottle.

15. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said bottom portion of said tubular sleeve conforms to a shape of a bottom of the bottle.

16. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said tubular sleeve comprises a first end and defines a first opening at said first end for receiving said bottle and wherein said first end is configured to expand to enable said first opening to receive the bottle, and to retract and conform to a shape of said bottle near said first opening, thereby preventing removal of the bottle from said tubular sleeve without first stretching said tubular sleeve near said first opening.

17. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said plurality of holes comprises at least one elongated hole.

18. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said plurality of holes comprises a pattern of circular holes.

19. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said tubular sleeve conforms to a shape of said bottle and is snugly fit about said bottle.

20. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13 wherein said bottle comprises a glass bottle and wherein said sleeve has a thickness sufficient to protect said glass bottle.

21. The bottle and sleeve for holding the bottle of claim 13, wherein said bottle comprises a baby bottle.