GB2363057A

GB2363057A - Drinks vessel stacking device

Info

Publication number: GB2363057A
Application number: GB0110235A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Andrew Taylor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-05-20
Filing date: 2001-04-26
Publication date: 2001-12-12
Also published as: GB0110235D0; GB0012128D0

Abstract

A drinks vessel stacking device 2, 3 comprises oppositely-facing support surfaces 4, 5, 6, 7 to respectively be placed on top of one vessel 20 and support another vessel 18, the vessels being confined and located by means such as oppositely-extending annular walls 10, 11, 12, 13. Two such devices 2, 3 may themselves be releasably interconnected, for storage or during use, by engagement of an annular wall 12 of one within an annular wall 11 of the other due to those walls being of slightly different diameter. Use of such a device reduces risk of damage to the rims of stacked vessels.

Description

2363057 DRINKS VESSEL STORAGE DEVICE This invention relates to drinks

vessel storage devices, in particular but not exclusively, to drinks vessel stacking devices.

The storage of domestic drinks vessels often involves the stacking 5 drinking vessels due to limited storage space. When the drinks vessels are stacked one on top of another damage to the rims of the drinks vessels often results, which is unattractive and creates a site for microorganisms to thrive. The present invention aims to alleviate these problems.

10 According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a drinks vessel stacking device comprising a first support surface and a second support surface, the support surfaces being provided with associated first location means and second location means respectively, the first support surface and the second support surface face generally outwardly from the 15 device and substantially in opposite directions, the arrangement being such that in use, the device is placed on a first drinks vessel, the orientation in which the device is placed on the first drinks vessel being chosen so that the first support surface or the second support surface is presented outwardly of the first drinks vessel, a second drinks vessel is 20 then positioned on the outwardly presented support surface, the location means of the outwardly presented support surface acting to confine the second drinks vessel within a predetermined area on said support surface.

Preferably the area in which a drinks vessel is confined by the first location means on the first support surface is greater than the area in 25 which a drinks vessel is confined by the second location means on the second support surface, when the drinks vessel is in an upright condition.

The location means preferably comprises a wall portion which extends perpendicular to the respective support surface.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a drinks vessel stacking assembly comprising two drinks vessel stacking devices 5 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the devices being adapted to be detachably connected together.

Preferably a location means of one of the stacking devices is dimensioned so as to engage with a locating means of the other stacking device so as to enable the devices to be detachably connected together.

10 Some drinks vessel stacking devices in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is a schematic exploded perspective view of a drinks vessel stacking assembly comprising two detachably connectable 15 stacking devices in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the drinks vessel stacking assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the drinks vessel stacking assembly shown in Figures I and 2; 20 Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a drinks vessel stacking device being positioned on a cup; Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of two cups which have been stacked using a drinks vessel stacking device; Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of two cups and a glass which have been stacked using two drinks vessel stacking devices; Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of two cups which have been stacked using two detachably connected drinks vessel stacking 5 devices; and Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of a glass and a cup being stacked using a drinks vessel stacking device.

With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is illustrated a drinks vessel stacking assembly I which comprises two drinks vessel stacking devices 10 2 and 3, the devices 2 and 3 being adapted to be detachably connected together.

The devices 2 and 3 comprise first support surfaces 4 and 7 respectively and second support surfaces 5 and 6 respectively. The first support surface of each drinks vessel stacking device faces in a direction which is 15 outwardly of the device and moreover in a direction which is opposite to the direction.in which the second support surface of a device is facing. Each support surface is provided with an associated location means, the location means for each support surface comprising a respective annular wall which extends perpendicular to and surrounds the support surface.

20 Specifically, support surfaces 4, 5, 6 and 7 are provided with annular walls 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively.

The annular wall 10 is coaxial with the annular wall 11, and the annular wall 12 is coaxial with the annular wall 13.

The diameter of the annular walls 10 and 13 is greater than the diameter 25 of the respective annular walls I I and 12. In other words, with regard to device 2 the area enclosed by the annular wall 10 is greater than the area enclosed by the annular wall 11. and with regard to device 3 the area enclosed by annular wall 13 is greater than the area enclosed by wall 12.

Moreover, the diameter of annular wall I I is so dimensioned that the 5 wall 12 may be inserted into the space bounded by the wall I I and the frictional engagement between outer surface 15 of wall 12 and inner surface 14 of wall I I is such as to ensure that the device 2 is detachably connectable to the device 3, as shown in Figure 2.

Examples of the devices 2 and 3 in use are now considered. Figure 4 10 shows the device 2 being positioned on the rim of an upright cup 17, so that surface 21 of device 2 is supported by rim 22 of the cup 17. Once the device 2 is so positioned a second upright drinks vessel (not shown) may then be placed on the support surface 4.

Figure 5 shows two upright cups 18 and 20 which have been stacked 15 using the device 2. The device 2 has been positioned on the cup 20 so that the support surface 4 is presented outwardly of the cup 20 and the cup 18 sits on the support surface 4.

Figure 6 shows two cups 25 and 26 and a glass 23 which have been stacked using the devices 2 and 3. The device 3 sits on the rim of the 20 glass 23 with the support surface 7 presented outwardly of the glass 23.

The cup 25 sits on the support surface 7 and the device 2 is positioned on the rim of the cup 25 on the support surface 4 of which the cup 26 is supported.

Figure 7 shows two cups 28 and 29 which have been stacked using the 25 devices 2 and 3 in the detachably connected condition shown in Figure 2.

The devices 2 and 3 are supported on the rim of the cup 29 by the downwardly facing support surface 7 of the device 3 and the cup 28 sits on the upwardly facing support surface 4 of the device 2.

Finally, Figure 8 shows the glass 23 which is to be stacked with cup 30 using the device 2. In this instance the orientation of the- device 2 5 relative to the cup 30 is such that the support surface 5 is presented outwardly of the cup 30. Since the base of the glass 23 is of relatively small diameter, the annular wall 11, being of smaller diameter than that of the annular wall 10, will better serve to confine the glass 23 and restrict the degree of lateral movement of the glass across the surface 5.

10 The principal advantage of the inventive devices 2 and 3 is that drinks vessels may be stacked with a much reduced risk of damage to the rims of the stacked drinks vessels.

The provision of two annular walls having different diameters on each device allows for drinking vessels with a range of basal cross-sectional 15 areas to be stacked.

The feature of the devices being detachably connectable together conveniently allows the devices to be kept together, in both storage and in use.

It will be appreciated that when an inventive device 2 or 3 or the 20 inventive assembly comprising the device 2 and the device 3 is offered for sale instructions for use will be provided.

Claims

1 A drinks vessel stacking device comprising a first support surface and a second support surface, the support surfaces being provided with associated first location means and second location means respectively, 5 the first support surface and the second support surface face generally outwardly from the device and substantially in opposite directions, the arrangement being such that in use, the device is placed on a first drinks vessel, the orientation in which the device is placed on the first drinks vessel being chosen so that the first support surface or the second support 10 surface is presented outwardly of the first drinks vessel, a second drinks vessel is then positioned on the outwardly presented support surface, the location means of the outwardly presented support surface acting to confine the second drinks vessel within a predetermined area on said support surface.

15

2. A drinks vessel stacking device as claimed in claim I in which the area in which a drinks vessel is confined by the first location means on the first support surface is greater than the area in which a drinks vessel is confined by the second location means on the second support surface, when the drinks vessel is in an upright condition.

20

3. A drinks vessel stacking device as claimed in claim I or claim 2 in which the location means preferably comprises a wall portion which extends perpendicular to the respective support surface.

4. A drinks vessel stacking assembly comprising two drinks vessel stacking devices as claimed in any of claims I to 3, the devices being 25 adapted to be detachably connected together.

5. A drinks vessel stacking assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which a location means of one of the stacking devices is dimensioned so as to engage with a location means of the other stacking device so as to enable the devices to be detachably connected together.

6. A drinks vessel stacking device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A drinks vessel stacking assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.