US20220400884A1

US20220400884A1 - Floating tray assembly

Info

Publication number: US20220400884A1
Application number: US17/845,160
Authority: US
Inventors: Troy Turbeville
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-06-21
Filing date: 2022-06-21
Publication date: 2022-12-22

Abstract

A floating tray assembly for holding containers, such as beverage glasses, wherein the floating tray assembly can withstand the turbulence in water preventing the containers from toppling. The floating tray assembly includes a platform, the platform has a central aperture and a plurality of receptacles in the platform, wherein each receptacle is configured to receive a container, wherein a center of each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles is equidistant from a center of the central aperture.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from a U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. No. 63/259,123 filed on Jun. 21, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a floating tray assembly, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a floating tray assembly for holding beverage containers.

BACKGROUND

Floating trays and lounges are quite popular for recreational activities in water bodies, such as swimming pools. The floating tray remains afloat in water and can act as a table for holding the drinks and like containers. People can have drinks while enjoying in water. The known floating trays have stability issues in turbulent waters. Many known floating trays have accommodation and stability issues. Many known floating trays are limited in their ability to securely hold drink containers of varying sizes, in particular larger drink containers. Many known floating trays are unable to hold larger drink containers—even in calm water—without losing stability and flipping over. Moreover, many of the known floating trays also experience failure in water when experiencing turbulence, even when holding smaller containers that may be held stable on them when water is calm. Generous size containers easily tip off from the floating tray creating a mess. Large size containers cannot securely hold without flipping over even in calm water. Moreover, the known floating tables have difficulty functioning in water whether experiencing turbulence or not. The known floating tables have limited ability to house a variety of drink container sizes.
A need is therefore appreciated for a novel floating tray assembly that can accommodate a wide range of drink container sizes while remaining stable and can maintain this stability even when experiencing water turbulence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present invention to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The principal object of the present invention is therefore directed to a floating tray assembly to stably hold containers in turbulent waters.
It is another object of the present invention that the floating tray assembly can hold many different containers that vary in shape and size.
It is still another object of the present invention that the floating tray assembly can stably hold beverage glasses in turbulent waters.
It is a further object of the present invention that the cupholders on floating tray assembly can be adapted in size in order to securely hold containers of varying sizes.
It is an additional object of the present invention that the floating tray assembly can hold containers of large sizes.
It is still an additional object of the present invention that the floating tray assembly remains afloat in water and can act as a stable holder for drink containers in a wide range of sizes, even when experiencing water turbulence.
In one aspect, disclosed is a floating tray assembly that includes a platform, the platform has a central aperture and a plurality of receptacles in the platform, wherein each receptacle is configured to receive a container, wherein a center of each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles is equidistant from a center of the central aperture, wherein the platform is configured to float in water. The plurality of receptacles comprises three receptacles. A wall of each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, near an open-top of the receptacle, extends outwards and then upwards to form a step. The floating tray assembly further comprises a plurality of adaptors, wherein each adaptor is configured to fit onto the step of the respective receptacle, wherein the adaptor is configured to securely hold the container. The central aperture further comprises a step in a wall of the central aperture, wherein the floating tray assembly further comprises a cap configured to be seated on the step of the central aperture; and a rope that has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the rope is coupled to the center of the cap, the distal end is configured to couple to an anchor. The central aperture is further configured to receive the plurality of adaptors as stacked for storage. The platform has a top layer and a base, wherein the top layer is bonded to the base. A front portion of the platform is arched. The step can be perpendicular or beveled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the present invention and to enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the floating tray assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a platform of the floating tray assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the platform of the floating tray assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an environmental diagram showing the floating tray assembly in a water body, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as apparatus and methods of use thereof. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.
The terminology used herein is to describe particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting to embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely to illustrate the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent.
The following detailed description is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details may be set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject innovation. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatus are shown in block diagram form to facilitate describing the subject innovation. Moreover, the drawings may not be to scale.
Disclosed is a floating tray assembly for holding containers, such as beverage glasses, stably in a water body, such as a pool. The disclosed platform withstood turbulence and splashes in the water to prevent the containers from tipping or losing the containers held on the floating tray assembly. Referring to FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the disclosed floating tray assembly 100 that includes a platform 110, a tether cap 120, a rope 130, and one or more adapters 140. Platform 110 can include a central aperture 112 to diffuse the turbulence when the floating tray assembly is afloat in a water body. The central aperture can be a pass-through hole in the platform, preferably positioned at the center of mass of the platform. The central aperture can also be used to mount accessories on the platform, such as an add-on accessory table and/or shade umbrella kit. The central aperture can act as a stabilizing element for the assembly, accessories can be mounted to the central aperture, and the central aperture can act as a storage location for the adaptors. It should be noted that the central aperture is critical for maintaining the desired stability in turbulent waters. When things, such as the adaptors are stored in the central aperture, the functionality of the central aperture in the turbulent waters is not affected. The central aperture can still offer an area for displacement of turbulence when it occurs in the water.
The platform can include receptacles 114, such as cup holders to receive the containers. The receptacles are cavities in the platform that can accommodate the containers, such as cups and glasses. Each receptacle has a wall and a bottom defining the inner volume of the receptacle. FIGS. 1 and 2 show three receptacles 114 around the central aperture 112, however, the number of receptacles can vary without departing from the scope of the present invention. Moreover, the shape and size of the receptacles can vary without departing from the scope of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows the bottom of platform 110 which can be plain and the central aperture 112 can also be seen. In a preferred embodiment, the center of each receptacle can be equidistant from the center of the central aperture. The centers of the receptacles can intersect an arc of an imaginary circle that has its center coinciding with the center of the central aperture.
The platform can be made from a base and a top layer, as shown in FIG. 1 . The base can be broad while the top layer can be thinner. The top layer can have cutouts that correspond to the receptacles made in the base. The diameter of the cutouts in the top layer can be larger than the diameter of the receptacles made in the base. As shown in FIG. 1 , a small portion of the top of the receptacle within the base can also have a cutout to form a continuous step 116. The cutouts in the top layer and the base can be the same in diameter and continuous. The continuous step 116 can seat an adapter 140 for stably holding a container within the receptacle. FIG. 1 shows the adapter 140 which is similar to a ring made from soft materials, such as rubber, silicone, and foam. The adapters can also be used to accommodate smaller-size containers. When not in use, the adapters can be stacked in the central aperture. The central aperture can be configured to accommodate the three adapters 140 and the cap 120.
The central aperture 112 can also have a step 116 and the cap 120 can fit into the central aperture 112 seated on the respective step. The assembly 100 can further include a tether 130 wherein one end of the tether can be coupled to the center of the cap 120 while the other end can be coupled to an anchor.
Referring to FIG. 4 shows an environmental view in which the disclosed floating tray assembly 100 is shown in a water body and a beverage glass is placed within a receptacle of the floating tray body. FIG. 4 further shows the floating tray assembly withstanding near proximity turbulence. The beverage container can be seen upright despite experiencing near proximity turbulence.
Again, refer to FIG. 2 the disclosed floating tray assembly 100 includes a front portion in a shape of a nose 117 and a flat rear side. Convex-shaped side walls extend from the nose front to the ends of the flat rear side. In one implementation, the maximum length of the platform can be about 19-21 inches, the maximum width of the platform can be about 14-16 inches, and the thickness can be about 2-3 inches. The receptacle can have a diameter of about 3-4 inches at the step portion and about 0.5 inches less below the step portion. The height of the step can be about 0.5 to 1.0 inches. The depth of the receptacle can be about 2-3 inches from the surface of the platform. The distance between the center of the central apertures and the center of the receptacle can be about 4-5 inches. It is, however, understood that the dimensions of the platform can vary without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The disclosed floating tray assembly can be particularly useful as a holder for drinking containers, even when holding uneven loads or against turbulence. Using the adapters, the disclosed floating tray assembly can accommodate narrow drink containers, such as skinny cans, bottles, stemless flutes, and the like. The adapters can be made to have a tapered opening to better accommodate containers having tapering walls. Similarly, the step of the receptacle can be made beveled.
In one implementation, the disclosed platform can be made from closed cell and cross-linked Polyethylene™ Foam, such as XLPE. However, any other suitable material is within the scope of the present invention. The top layer 118 and the base 119 can be heat laminated, wherein the top and the base can be the same or distinct colors, and the top and the base can be manufactured in a range of colors. The top layer and base can be made from different materials.
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A floating tray assembly comprising:

a platform, the platform has a central aperture; and

a plurality of receptacles in the platform, wherein each receptacle is configured to receive a container, wherein a center of each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles is equidistant from a center of the central aperture, wherein the platform is configured to float in water.

2. The floating tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of receptacles comprises three receptacles.

3. The floating tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein a wall of each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, near an open-top of each receptacle, extends outwards and then upwards to form a step.

4. The floating tray assembly according to claim 3, wherein the floating tray assembly further comprises a plurality of adaptors, wherein each adaptor is configured to fit onto the step of the respective receptacle, wherein the adaptor is configured to securely hold the container.

5. The floating tray assembly according to claim 4, wherein the central aperture further comprises a step in a wall of the central aperture, wherein the floating tray assembly further comprises:

a cap configured to be seated on the step of the central aperture; and

a rope that has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the rope is coupled to the center of the cap, the distal end is configured to couple to an anchor.

6. The floating tray assembly according to claim 5, wherein the central aperture is further configured to receive the plurality of adaptors as stacked for storage.

7. The floating tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein the platform has a top layer and a base, wherein the top layer is bonded to the base.

8. The floating tray assembly according to claim 7, wherein a front portion of the platform is arched.

9. The floating tray assembly according to claim 3, wherein the step is perpendicular.

10. The floating tray assembly according to claim 3, wherein the step is beveled.