FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to drink holders, and is particularly, though not exclusively, applicable for use with cans or bottles of cold drinks such as beer. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Insulating drink holders are commonly used during social events in hot- climate countries in order to preserve the temperature of cold drinks whilst being consumed. They also serve a secondary purpose in preventing discomfort which may result from direct prolonged contact between the cold drinking vessel and the drinker's hand. Such drink holders are known colloquially in Australia as "stubby holders" or "stubby coolers" after the type of beer bottle they are commonly used to house, although other types of bottle, and indeed cans, may be accommodated by a suitably sized and shaped stubby holder.

Stubby holders are usually manufactured from neoprene or other synthetic materials. In one common form, a rectangular sheet of neoprene is formed into a cylindrical enclosure by gluing and/or stitching the opposed shorter edges. A circular disc made from an insulating material (usually also neoprene) may optionally be affixed at one end to form a base. The outer surface of the enclosure often carries printed text and/or images, usually for promotional purposes. It may also be formed with a three-dimensional surface texture or shape.

At barbecues, parties, and other social occasions it is customary for the participants to enjoy audio and/or video entertainment provided by a radio, digital music player, television, DVD player and like audiovisual devices. From time to time the host or another person, whilst enjoying a drink, may be required to change the music or video that is being played or to switch it off altogether. This may necessitate the drinker physically moving to the device playing the music or video in order to operate it, and this may be inconvenient if there is a large crowd present. Alternatively, the device may be operable by remote control, but this would again require the drinker to either physically travel to the remote control or to carry it on their person. In either case there is inconvenience caused to the drinker. It is therefore desirable to provide a device which allows a person to enjoy the consumption of beverages whilst facilitating the provision of audio and/or visual entertainment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a drink holder including a thermally insulating enclosure shaped to receive a drinking vessel at an open end, and a base located at an end opposite the open end, wherein the base includes at least one device for controlling and/or generating audio and/or video signals.

By conveniently providing means for controlling audiovisual entertainment within the drink holder itself, the invention allows a person to continue enjoying an activity, such as mingling at a party, without substantially interrupting the activity in order to exercise said control.

If the device is also, or alternatively, capable of generating audio and/or video signals it may itself serve as an audiovisual entertainment device in situations where it may be impractical to carry external devices, for example when camping or attending a sporting event.

In one embodiment, the device transmits radio, microwave or infrared signals for controlling one or more external devices which produce said audio and/or video signals. Preferably, the device is a universal remote control. A universal remote may be incorporated at relatively low expense in order to provide control over several different devices at once. It will also be appreciated that higher-end universal remote controls, such as programmable remotes, may be used with the present invention.

The device incorporated within the base of the drink holder may include means for wirelessly connecting to a computer or a computer network, such as a wireless adapter operating according to the IEEE 802.1 1 b, 802.1 1 g or 802.1 1 η or Bluetooth wireless communication standards. The wireless connection may be used to control playback of audio or video stored on the computer or network. For example, the playback could be achieved through peripheral devices connected to the computer or network (speakers, monitors, projectors and so on), or by transferring the audio or video data back to the device. In another embodiment, the device includes a speaker for generating the audio signals. The device may also include an AM and/or FM radio receiver. A person enjoying a drink outdoors may thus also simultaneously enjoy a radio broadcast without the inconvenience of carrying a separate radio receiver.

The thermally insulating enclosure is preferably made of a flexible material.

In some embodiments, the enclosure may include an insulating inner portion housed in a substantially rigid outer casing. The outer casing may be metallic, plastic or any other suitable material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a drink holder;

Figure 2 is a cross section through the base of the drink holder of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the drink holder;

Figure 4 is a bottom cutaway view of the drink holder;

Figure 5 schematically shows part of the assembly process for another embodiment of a drink holder;

Figure 6 shows an assembled drink holder;

Figure 7 is a sheet of material used to form an outer portion of a drink holder;

Figures 8 and 9 show two views of a drink holder assembled using the sheet of Figure 7;

Figure 10 shows another embodiment of a drink holder; and

Figure 1 1 shows a close-up of the base portion of the drink holder of Figure 10.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 4, there is shown a drink holder 10 having an outer casing 25 and a thermally insulating inner portion 20 acting as an enclosure for a drink bottle or can (not shown) which is received by opening 22. The inner portion 20 acts as a sleeve and will generally be sized so as to fit snugly around the bottle or can.

The drink holder has a base portion indicated generally by 30, which has a number of button interfaces 31 -35 intended to be pushed by a person holding the drink holder to operate a device housed within the base portion. In the embodiment shown, the button interfaces are for the buttons of a universal remote control.

The base portion 30 is shown in more detail in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2. Here the inner and outer walls 20, 25 of the drink holder are indicated in dotted outline for ease of understanding. The base includes an annular housing 40, for example of foam rubber, and a bottom layer 44 so as to create a seat for the buttons 1 31 -135 and circuit board 140 of the universal remote. The base also includes a protective layer 42 to prevent the ingress of moisture due to condensation from a cold can or bottle. When the drink holder is assembled, the button interfaces 31 -35, which are located on the outer surface of outer wall 25, overlie corresponding buttons 131 -135.

The protective layer 42 is preferably applied as a waterproof seal, for example in the form of a waterproof membrane, over the top of buttons 31 -35 and circuit board 140 to prevent moisture damage to electronic components contained within base 30. It may also be affixed to the inner surface of inner wall 20 prior to insertion of base assembly into the drink holder 10.

The annular housing 40, bottom layer 44 and protective layer 42 can be affixed to the inner and/or outer walls by any suitable means, for example by heat sealing.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, there is shown a bottom perspective view of a drink holder having a rigid or flexible thermally insulating enclosure 220. The enclosure 220 has apertures 301 , 302, 303 for accommodating buttons or knobs 31 1 , 312, 313 of an AM/FM radio which includes circuit board 240 and speaker unit 245. Buttons or knobs 31 1 , 312, 313 may be used to select between the AM and FM bands, power the radio on and off, and scan between radio stations, for example. Enclosure 220 also has an aperture 304 to allow passage of the male end of a cable (for example a 3.5 mm mono or stereo jack) for a set of earphones or external speakers to connection 314.

Once circuit board 240 and speaker unit 245 are housed within the annular housing 40, they may be placed within the enclosure 220 in abutment with a protective layer (not shown) within the enclosure, and fixed in place using a disc member 244, for example by heat sealing or by push fitting disc member 244 into a correspondingly shaped annular groove on the inner surface of the enclosure 220.

Disc member 244 may optionally include holes 245 formed therein, either before or after fitting to the drink holder, to allow for better transmission of audio signal from speaker unit 245.

In Figure 7, there is shown a sheet 400 of thermally insulating material, for example neoprene, which can be used to form a drink holder 10' having an aperture 22' to receive a can or bottle, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The sheet carries a design 410 and button interfaces 401 , 402 on one surface. The sheet 400 may be wrapped around a base assembly 30 as shown in Figure 2, the base assembly being fixed to the sheet by any suitable means, ensuring that button interfaces 401 , 402 align with the appropriate buttons of base assembly 30. The short ends 405 of the sheet may then be joined by stitching 420 in order to form the completed drink holder 10'.

Figures 1 1 and 12 show yet another embodiment of a drink holder 500 having an outer wall 525. In this embodiment, the base assembly 530, which houses a radio controlled by buttons 531 and power/volume wheel 532, is not located within the drink holder itself. Instead, it is affixed to the base of the drink holder, for example by push fitting a metal casing 535 containing the radio onto the bottom of the drink holder.

It will be appreciated that many modifications and variations may be made to the above embodiments whilst still falling within the scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the inner wall 20 and outer wall 25 may each be either rigid or flexible. Outer wall 25 need not be a thermal insulator, but it may be made of a thermally insulating material if so desired.