US3830270A

US3830270A - Leather encased flask

Info

Publication number: US3830270A
Application number: US00312116A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Hagert; J Sanderson
Original assignee: BOTA OF BOULDER
Current assignee: BOTA OF BOULDER
Priority date: 1972-12-04
Filing date: 1972-12-04
Publication date: 1974-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 1991-08-20

Abstract

A flask having good heat insulating characteristics includes a generally kidney-shaped vessel, commonly referred to as a bota, a cap assembly having a base cap with a relatively narrow passage therethrough and an auxiliary cap for selectively closing the narrow passage in the base cap whereby liquid in the vessel can be discharged through an opening in the vessel or through the relatively narrow passage in the base cap. A removable outer skin or casing of a flexible material fits tightly around the vessel and has a slotted neck portion covered by a flexible tongue through which the vessel can be removed from or inserted into the casing. The outer casing is secured to the vessel by a lace which is threaded across the tongue and releasably secures the vessel in the casing. An adjustable carrying strap is affixed to the casing to facilitate carrying the flask.

Description

United States Patent Hagen-t et al.

[ Aug. 20, 1974 1 LEATHER ENCASED FLASK [75] Inventors: Robert D. Hagert; James L.

Sanderson, both of Boulder, C010.

[52] US. Cl 150/52 E, D9/60 [51] Int. Cl B6501 65/04 [58] Field of Search 150/52 R, 52 E; 215/12,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,032,086 7/1912 Sayer 150/52 E 1,541,658 6/1925 Polik 150/52 R 1,897,438 2/1933 Mykol 150/53 R 2,376,064 5/1945 Knapp 215/13 R 2,670,776 3/1954 Benner 150/52 R 2,884,151 4/1959 Biederman 215/73 2,923,450 2/1960 Darkenwald 150/52 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 149,598 8/1920 Great Britain 215/12 R 157,290 10/1939 Germany 215/12 13 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Gifts and Decorative Accessories March, 1966; page 49, Bota.

publication,

Primary Examiner-Herbert F. Ross [57] ABSTRACT A flask having good heat insulating characteristics includes a generally kidney-shaped vessel, commonly referred to as a bota, a cap assembly having a base cap with a relatively narrow passage therethrough and an auxiliary cap for selectively closing the narrow passage in the base cap whereby liquid in the vessel can be discharged through an opening in the vessel or through the relatively narrow passage in the'base cap. A removable outer skin or casing of a flexible material fits tightly around the vessel and has a slotted neck portion covered by a flexible tongue through which the vessel can be removed from or inserted into the casing. The outer casing is secured to the vessel by a lace which is threaded across the tongue and releasably secures the vessel in the casing. An adjustable carrying strap is affixed to the casing to facilitate carrying the flask.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to portable liquid containers and more particularly to a new and improved flask type container having an inner vessel of an insulating material and a flexible skin tight insulating casing.

For years there has been a demand for portable liquid containers that can be hand carried for use in connection with various outdoor activities. However, it has proved difficult to devise a container that is entirely satisfactory insofar as having heat insulating qualities to maintain the temperature of the liquid inside and at the same time being light, convenient to carry-and aesthetically pleasing. Probably the most conventional commercially available portable container that provides good heat insulating qualities for temperature maintenance is the thermos or vacuum bottle. The typical thermos, however, is normally relatively heavy, awkward to carry and fragile. Other portable liquid containing devices, such as the so-called wine skins, are convenient to carry but lack adequate temperature maintenance qualities desirable for use in connection with outdoor activities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been designed to satisfactorily maintain the temperature of liquids, such as wine, within the container, to be easy and convenient to carry, and to be aesthetically pleasing in appearance.

As will be further appreciated from the detailed description hereinafter, the container or flask is particularly well suited for carrying liquids during numerous outdoor activities such as skiing, boating, picnicking, spectator sports, and the like.

The container includes a light, preferably' molded plastic kidney-shaped vessel having an opening which is selectively closed or opened with a cap assembly that includes a base cap with a reduced diameter passage therethrough and an auxiliary cap removably attached to the base cap for closing the reduced diameter passage. In this manner the liquid in the vessel can be removed in either one of two flow patterns by pouring through the opening in the vessel or squirting in a confined manner through the relatively narrow passage in the base cap. A flexible outer skin tight casing of a leather-like material tightly surrounds the vessel and has an elongated closure portion that can be selectively opened or closed so that the vessel can be removed from or inserted into the casing. In the preferred form, the closure portion is an elongated slotted opening with a tongue secured to the casing adjacent one end of the slotted opening so as to bridge the opening. A lace is used for connecting the casing across the slotted opening in a releasable manner. The casing is also provided with a carrying strap which is adjustable and may be used to pass over the shoulder of the user. Additionally, an attachment strap connects the auxiliary cap to the outer casing so that either the auxiliary cap or the base cap can be opened and will remain secured to the casmg.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flask having an inner insulating vessel and a flexible skin-tight outer insulating casing with a slotted opening through which the vessel can be inserted into or removed from the casing and including lace means for closing the slotted opening to secure the vessel within the casing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable liquid container made of an insulating material and having a cap assembly including a base cap with a reduced diameter passage whereby liquid can be dispensed from the container in either one of two flow patterns.

RIEFPE PB O TH AWING-.-

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the flask or portable liquid container 10 of the present invention is seen to include a vessel or inner container 12, a closure cap assembly 14 for the vessel and an outer skin or casing 16 surrounding the vessel.

The vessel 12 is substantially kidney-shaped having a main body 18 and a relatively narrow neck 20. The main body 18, when viewed from the side as in FIG. 1, is somewhat oval shaped with the neck 20 extending substantially tangentially upwardly from the rear 18a of the main body. The rear 20a of the neck extends straight downwardly to the rear 18a of the main body, but the front 20b of the neck diverges downwardly forming a concave intermediate portion 12a of the vessel which is continuous through a reversing curve into a rounded convex bottom 12b of the vessel that is continuous with the straight rear 20a of the neck 20. As best seen in FIG. 2, the side faces of the vessel are slightly bulged so as to be fullest in the main body 18 of the vessel and taper inwardly and upwardly to the uppermost end 21 of the neck which is substantially cylindrical. The side faces 120 of the vessel establish broad arcuate surfaces that are continuous around a relatively narrow arcuate periphery 19 of the vessel. This configuration of the vessel allows the container 10 to lie confortably at ones side when carried as will be pointed out later.

The vessel 12 is hollow and opens through a circular opening 22 in the uppermost end 21 of the neck 20 allowing the free flow of liquid therethrough. The vessel is preferably made of a material having insulating properties whereby the temperature of the liquid within the vessel will be maintained for a reasonable period of time. For example, the vessel may be composed of identical opposing blow-molded half-segments of a light plastic material heat sealed along a peripheral seam. The plastic material should be somewhat rigid so that the vessel will normally maintain its configuration, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but can be temporarily deformed or squeezed, such as, by applying manual pressure against the side faces, and when released will immediately return to its normal configuration.

As seen in FIG. 3, the uppermost end 21 of the neck 20 of the vessel 12 has a reduced diameter cylindrical extension 24 which has external threads 26 for releasably securing the cap assembly 14 to the vessel. The cap assembly 14 can be seen to include a generally cup shaped base cap portion 28 opening downwardly and having internal threads adapted to mate with the external threads 26 on the extension 24 of the vessel. The base cap portion 28 of the cap assembly has a raised centrally located externally threaded head portion 30 with a narrow axial passage 32 therethrough. A circular sealing washer 31 of cork or other suitable material is seated in the base cap to effect a fluid-tight seal between the base cap and the vessel. An auxiliary cap 34, similar in configuration to the base cap 28 has internal threads 36 adapted to mate with the external threads on the head portion 30 so that the narrow passage 32 is closed when the auxiliary cap 34 is screwed onto the externally threaded head portion. The auxiliary cap has an upwardly extending rib 38 with a horizontal opening 40 therethrough, the horizontal opening being provided for attachment of an attachment strap or thong 42 to the auxiliary cap as shown in FIG. 1 for a purpose to be explained later.

It can, therefore, be appreciated that when the cap assembly 14 is removed from the vessel 12, liquid within the vessel can be poured through the opening 22 in the neck but when the cap assembly, including the auxiliary cap 34, is screwed'onto the neck, liquid within the container is prevented from escaping. If, however, it is desired to obtain a confined relatively high velocity flow of liquid from the vessel, the vessel can be inverted whereby the neck points downwardly and the auxiliary cap 34 removed so that the liquid within the vessel will flow through the narrow passage 32 in the base closure cap 28 by gravity, or can be forced therethrough by squeezing and thereby depressing the side faces of the vessel. As previously mentioned, the body 18 of the vessel will return to its normal configuration when the pressure thereon is released.

Looking more particularly now at the outer casing 16, it can be seen to comprise a tight form-fitting skin or covering for the vessel 12. Preferably, the casing 16 is composed of a flexible leather-like material so as to readily conform to the configuration of the vessel and provide an insulating cover for the vessel. The casing 16 is shaped in conformity with the configuration of the vessel 12. It has an open top 44 and a closure portion extending across the concave intermediate portion 12a of the vessel. In the preferred form, the closure portion comprises a rectangular slotted opening 46 extending along the front 20b of the neck 20 of the vessel and continuing over the intermediate portion 12a of the vessel. The slotted opening 46 is defined by spaced substantially parallel side edges 48 and a bottom edge 50 that crosses the relatively narrow arcuate periphery 19 of the vessel near the forwardmost extent of the vessel so that the distance from the location at which the edge 50 crosses the periphery to the rear 18a of the main body of the vessel is at least as great as the maximum width dimension of the vessel so that the vessel can be removed from or inserted into the casing through the slotted opening. The slotted opening opens through the open top of the casing which is sized to recieve the neck 20 of the vessel.

In the disclosed form, the outer casing 16 is comprised of two identical half-segments 52 that are connected by a seam strip 54 which passes along the relatively narrow arcuate periphery of the vessel 12. The seam strip 54 is also composed of a flexible leather-like material that is somewhat heavier than the material from which the half-segments are made giving added strength along the narrow periphery 19 of the vessel. A tongue is affixed to the underside of the outer casing 16 along the bottom edge 50 of the slotted opening 46 and extends upwardly along the intermediate portion 12b and the front 20b of the neck to the open top 44 of the casing so as to bridge the opening between the spaced parallel edges 48. Spaced eyelets 58 are affixed in each half segment 52 of the casing adjacent to and along the side edges 48 so that a lace member 20 can be threaded through the eyelets 28 and releasably connected to secure the vessel 12 within the casing.

Strap loops 62 are affixed to the seam 54 at peripherally spaced intervals so as to lie transversely to the narrow periphery of the vessel and are adapted to retain a carrying strap 64 which is passed beneath the strap loops 62 and thereby passes around the narrow periphery 19 of the vessel. The carrying strap has an adjustable buckel 66 whereby the effective length of the strap 64 can be selectively adjusted as desired. For example, the strap can be lengthened to provide a large loop that can pass over the head and shoulders of a user whereby the container will be suspended along the users side or the strap may be shortened to thereby serve as a handle so that it can be carried in the hand of the user.

As a precautionary measure and to prevent loss of the cap assembly 14, the attachment strap or thong 42 is secured to the uppermost strap loop 42, adjacent the upper rear portion of the outer casing 16, and is passed through the horizontal passage 40 in the rib 38 on the auxiliary cap 34 and knotted so that the auxiliary cap, and the base cap 28 when connected to the auxiliary cap, are secured to the outer casing 16. In this manner, when the auxiliary cap 34 is removed from the base cap, it will simply dangle from the outer casing, or when the base cap 28 is removed from the vessel with the auxiliary cap connected thereto, it will similarly dangle from the casing until it is again screwed onto the vessel.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that a flask or portable liquid container has been described which is light, easy to manage, has insulating properties to maintain the temperature of the liquid retained therein and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It should be noted that due to the generally flattened configuration of the container, it is easily carried and will hang flat against the side of a user when the carrying strap is passed over the users shoulder and the casing includes a selectively operable closure portion to allow insertion or removal of the vessel into or out of the casing.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In an insulated portable container for carrying liquids in which a substantially kidney-shaped vessel includes a main annulus of generally oval-shaped configuration and a neck tapering away from one end of the annulus, said neck having a concavo-convex surface portion forming a continuation of one peripheral surface portion of the annulus and a tangentially extending surface portion defining a continuation of the opposite peripheral surface portion of the annulus, the said neck terminating in an open end, and a cap releasably connected to the open end of the neck, the improvement comprising:

a removable outer flexible, but non-elastic casing form-fitting the said vessel, said casing comprising an elongated slot along the said concavo-convex surface portion of the neck and extending from near the open end of the neck to near the point of maximum width or apex of the vessel through which the vessel can be releasably inserted into the casing;

a tongue flexibly connected to the said casing at the end of the elongated slot near the said apex and extending to the neck end of the said slot, said tongue being slightly wider than said slot such that the tongue can selectively bridge the slotted opening;

ing near the said apex and just below the end of the said elongated slot and secured at the other end to the midpoint of the tangential section of the said neck of the casing, said carrying strap being adapted to pass over the shoulder of a user.

2. In an insulated portable container according to claim 1 wherein said casing is leather and comprises two identical half-segments on opposite sides of the vessel connected by a seam strip.

3. In an insulated portable container according to claim 1 wherein said vessel is composed of an insulating molded plastic material.

4. In the insulated portable container of claim 1 wherein said releasable cap comprises:

a base cap with a passage therethrough of reduced diameter relative to the said opening in the neck with one end being releasably threaded to the terminal end of the neck and the other end having a threaded connector member;

an auxiliary cap with one end releasably threaded to the said connector member and the other end affixed to an attachment strap; and

an attachment strap connecting the auxiliary cap to the said casing.

Claims

1. In an insulated portable container for carrying liquids in which a substantially kidney-shaped vessel includes a main annulus of generally oval-shaped configuration and a neck tapering away from one end of the annulus, said neck having a concavo-convex surface portion forming a continuation of one peripheral surface portion of the annulus and a tangentially extending surface portion defining a continuation of the opposite peripheral surface portion of the annulus, the said neck terminating in an open end, and a cap releasably connected to the open end of the neck, the improvement comprising: a removable outer flexible, but non-elastic casing form-fitting the said vessel, said casing comprising an elongated slot along the said concavo-convex surface portion of the neck and extending from near the open end of the neck to near the point of maximum width or apex of the vessel through which the vessel can be releasably inserted into the casing; a tongue flexibly connected to the said casing at the end of the elongated slot near the said apex and extending to the neck end of the said slot, said tongue bEing slightly wider than said slot such that the tongue can selectively bridge the slotted opening; a plurality of spaced eyelets on each side of the said elongated slot; lacing means interconnecting the said eyelets whereby the ends of the lacing means can be releasably secured to positively interconnect the opposite edges of the casing on both sides of the elongated slot such that the said tongue is firmly seated between the vessel and the lacing means; and a carrying strap secured at one end to the outer casing near the said apex and just below the end of the said elongated slot and secured at the other end to the midpoint of the tangential section of the said neck of the casing, said carrying strap being adapted to pass over the shoulder of a user.

4. In the insulated portable container of claim 1 wherein said releasable cap comprises: a base cap with a passage therethrough of reduced diameter relative to the said opening in the neck with one end being releasably threaded to the terminal end of the neck and the other end having a threaded connector member; an auxiliary cap with one end releasably threaded to the said connector member and the other end affixed to an attachment strap; and an attachment strap connecting the auxiliary cap to the said casing.