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Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container for beverages having a hollow container body and an additional element located in its recess, which is a further improvement of the existing containers of this type.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention, resides, briefly stated, in a container for beverages, comprising a hollow container body having an outer surface with a circumferentially extending recess; an additional element which is removably insertable in said recess; and a retaining element, wherein said retaining element is formed as a transparent or translucent end which band element circumferentially outwardly surrounds said additional element and holds the latter in said recess of said outer surface of said hollow container body, said band element being removable so that when it is removed, the additional element can be removed from said recess, and if needed replaced with a new additional element.
When the container for beverages is designed in accordance with the present invention, the band element retains the additional element in the recess of the hollow container body, and at the same time, it can be removed from the container body so that the additional element can be replaced with the new additional element which is inserted in the recess, and then the band element is placed again around the new additional element to retain the same.
Another feature of the present invention resides, in that the band element is composed of silicon.
A further feature of the present invention resides in that the additional element has at least one radially outwardly projecting portion, and an intermediate element is located between said additional element and said band element and has an opening in which said at least one projecting portion engages.
A further feature of the present invention resides, in that the additional element has at least three projecting portions spaced from one another in a circumferential direction, the intermediate element has three openings spaced from one another in the circumferential direction and each formed so that a respective one of the projections can engage in respective one of the openings.
A further feature of the present invention resides, in that the additional element is an element provided with at least one message.
A further feature of the present invention resides, in that the additional element is an electronic or electrical device which electronically or electrically produces message displayed on the additional element.
A further feature of the present invention resides, in that the band element has an inner diameter substantially corresponding to the outer diameter of the container body so that it is tightly located on an outer circumference of said hollow container body.
A further feature of the present invention resides, in that the band element is an elastic element and has an inner diameter which is somewhat smaller than an outer diameter of the hollow container body, so that said band element can be fitted on the hollow container body with an elastic stretching.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container for beverages in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view of the container for beverages of FIG. 1 in assembled condition;
FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a view of the container of FIG. 4 in assembled condition;
FIG. 6 is a view showing a cross section of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a view of a portion of the container of FIG. 6.
A container for beverages in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention has a hollow container body which is identified with reference numeral 1 and is configured for containing a beverage. It can be formed for example as a bottle for beverages.
The hollow container body 1 has a recess provided in its wall and extending from its surface radially inwardly over a part of a circumference, as identified with reference numeral 2.
The container for beverages in accordance with the present invention further has an additional element which is identified with reference numeral 3. The additional element 3 has a shape which is substantially congruent with the shape of the recess 2. In other words, it can extend over a periphery of the hollow container body over substantially the same circumferential length as the recess.
It also can have a thickness in a radial direction substantially corresponding to the depth of the recess 2 so as to be fully inserted into the recess, so that the outer surface of the additional element 3 could be a continuation of an outer surface of a remaining part of the hollow container body 1. It can also have end projections 4 insertable in depressions 5.
An intermediate element 6 is arranged between the additional element 3 and a wall of the container 1 and can be provided with a text, images, etc.
The container for beverages in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention has an electronic device 7 which is also insertable in the recess 2 and produces images, such as a text, a picture image, a running light, etc, electronically, for example with the use of LED, OLED, etc. It has a slightly protruding display 8 and control buttons 9. A frame element 10 having openings 11 and 12 for the protruding display 8 and the protruding control buttons 9 is a further provided and also inserted in the recess on top of the device 7.
Finally, a retaining element 13 is provided for retaining all additional elements in the recess 2 of the container body. The retaining element is formed substantially as a band element. The band element can be placed circumferentially over the elements so as to hold them in the recess 2 of the container body. The retaining element can be composed of a silicon material, for example PDMS.
The band element can have an inner surface with a diameter substantially corresponding to the diameter of the container body 1 so that it snugly passes over the outer surface of the container body and fits over the additional element and the remaining portion of the container body.
On the other hand the band element can be composed of an elastic material and can have in this case an inner diameter which is smaller than the outer diameter of the container body. In this case the band element can be stretched radially outwardly when it moves over a surface of the container body and onto the outer surface of the additional element and the remaining circumferential portion of the container body.
While the additional element can be formed as a single element provided with some text on it outer and inner surfaces to be visible from outside and from inside, it can be also formed as an electronic or electrical device, in which messages can be produced electrically or electronically. Such an additional element is identified with reference numeral 7.
It can have some protruding parts such as controlled buttons 8 and 9 on both sides, and a display on its middle area which slightly protrudes radially outwardly. For this embodiment of the additional element, an intermediate element 10 is provided.
The intermediate element can be composed of plastic. It is provided with openings 11 and 12. The openings 11 are formed so that the protruding parts with the buttons can engage into them, while the opening 12 is formed so that the protruding display engage into it.
The band element is placed circumferentially over the intermediate element, the protruding parts of the additional element, and the remaining part of the container body.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the type described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a container for beverages, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.