Mount for bottle or can, adapter and related methods and assemblies

Abstract

An assembly to support other elements in a construction set, for example a game including supporting slotted cards (50, figure 6). The assembly includes a bottle mount 20, comprising a first portion c

Description

There may be occasions when it is desired to provide a stand or platform to support a structure or item above the level of the support surface, e.g. a table top or floor, and a dedicated, purpose made stand may be too bulky or expensive. For instance, the stand may be used as part of a toy construction set or in game play. One solution may be to make use of everyday items in assembling the stand. However, these may be intended for a very different purpose and not be suitable as is for being made into a stand. The present invention aims to mitigate these and other problems. Summary of Invention In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a bottle or can mount for supporting a structure, the mount comprising a first portion configured to fit into a bottle or clip over the top of a can, and a second portion configured to attach to and support a base plate on which a structure is assembled. Thus, the mount can be used with a bottle or can, i.e. an everyday, common item, to elevate a structure above the support surface, e.g. a table top, and provide a base plate which forms a platform for a structure to be assembled on top. This minimizes the elements that have to be provided in, say, a game or construction kit, thereby keeping down costs and materials used. The mount is preferably removable from the bottle or can for storage and the like and when next needed can be assembled on another bottle or can (or the original ones if still to hand). In a second aspect, the present invention relates to an adapter for adapting the bottle mount to clip over a can or for adapting the can mount to attach to a bottle. Thus, a kit can be provided comprising the bottle mount and can adapter or can mount and bottle adapter, rather than having to provide both a bottle mount and can mount to cater to both use cases (i.e. having the flexibility to be used with both a bottle and a can). This may be useful where a particular attachment mechanism is used to attach the base plate to the bottle mount or can mount, e.g. a magnetic connection. In this case, the attachment mechanism need only be provided once in either the bottle mount or can mount, and an adapter then used to configure the mount for use with the other type of support. Thus, the kit can adapt to different support structures, e.g. bottles and cans, increasing the likelihood that a suitable bottle or can for use in providing the stand will be to hand. In a third aspect, the present invention relates to an assembly to support other elements in a construction set, the mount comprising: a bottle mount, comprising a first portion configured to fit into a bottle and a second portion configured to attach to and support a base plate; a can adapter, comprising a base adapted to fit over the top of the a can and a hollow configured to receive the first portion of the bottle mount. In a fourth embodiment, the present invention relates to an assembly to support other elements in a construction set, the mount comprising: a can mount, comprising a base adapted to fit over the top of the a can and a second portion configured to attach to and support a base plate; a bottle adapter, comprising a first portion configured to fit into a bottle and a second portion in the form of a plate shaped like the top of a can configured to be received by the base of the can mount. In an embodiment, the portion configured to fit into a bottle comprises plural resilient fins and / or the portion configured to fit to the top of the can comprises lips adapted to engage the edges of the can. Thus, the portion can be pushed into the top of the bottle with the resilient fins deforming to help grip the inside surface of the bottle and keep it in place. The fins also help the mount adapt to bottles with different size openings. Preferably the portion with the resilient fins depends from a main body portion of the mount which has a surface that butt up against the top surface of the bottle opening when fully inserted to help level and stabilize the mount attached to the bottle. The body may also have a portion that extends laterally beyond the bottle top to aid gripping the mount to insert / remove it from the bottle. This surface may also be knurled or the like to help grip. Similarly the can mount may have lips arranged to engage with the edges of the top of the can to help keep it in position. The fins may for instance be arranged to compress by at least 25% from their unconstrained extent. In an embodiment, the fins are arranged to accommodate mouth openings of between at least 16 mm to 24 mm, so as to fit most common bottle sizes (e.g. a typical wine bottle may have a mouth opening of approx. 18 mm and a common 2I PET water bottle may have an opening of 21.8 mm). However, it will be appreciated the adapter can be provided for any bottle opening, or range of bottle openings. For instance, if the adapter is intended to fit only a single bottle type having a standard diameter mouth opening, the resilient fins may not be needed and a simple press fit could be provided. In an embodiment, the second portion comprises a magnet to attach to a metal portion of the base plate. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the magnet and metal portion may be reversed between the parts. Thus, a removable connection can be made between the two parts. The magnet strength may be chosen to give a particular holding force to the plate. For instance, where the assembly is for building a structure as part of a game, the size of the top of the bottle or can mount and the magnet can be chosen such that the base plate falls off the mount once a particular level and direction of destabilizing force is applied. In an embodiment, the assembly comprises a base plate having one or more slots around its periphery; and plural sheet elements each having a periphery that comprises plural corners, each sheet element having plural slots around its periphery, wherein the corners are receivable in the slots such that branches of one or more sheet elements may be suspended from the base plate. Thus, structures can be formed radiating out from the base place in a branch like form. In an embodiment, the assembly is a construction set. In an embodiment, the assembly is part of a game. In an embodiment, the sheet elements and slots on the base plate are categorized indicated by a respective colour or symbol, and the gameplay comprises a rule that only matching sheet elements may be added to a branch. In an embodiment, at least one sheet element is heavier or lighter than other sheet elements. In an embodiment, the bottle mount has a flared base with knurling or other high grip surface to aid inserting and / or removing the mount from the top of a bottle. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a base plate having one or more slots around its periphery and a metallic central portion for locating the base plate on a magnet of a bottle or can mount comprising a magnet, and optionally plural sheet elements each having a periphery that comprises plural corners, each sheet element having plural slots around its periphery, wherein the corners are receivable in the slots such that branches of one or more sheet elements may be suspended from the base plate. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of assembling the assembly of any preceding claim, comprising: one of: i) attaching the mount to a can or bottle, or ii) attaching the adapter to a can or bottle and attaching the mount to the adapter; and attaching the base plate to the mount. In an embodiment, the method comprises: adding plate elements to the base plate and / or other plate elements to create a structure supported by the bottle or can. It will be appreciated that any features expressed herein as being provided “in one example” or “in an embodiment” or as being “preferable” may be provided in combination with any one or more other such features together with any one or more of the aspects of the present invention. Brief Description of Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an example of a bottle mount according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows an example of a can adapter according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 shows an example of a base according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 shows an example of a sheet element according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 shows the can adapter and bottle adapter in combination; Figure 6 shows an example of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 show in cross section a first arrangement of the assembly; Figure 8 shows in cross section a second arrangement of the assembly; Figure 9 shows an end view of the adapter of Figure 1; Figure 10 shows the assembly in use with a can; and Figure 11 shows example of a can mount and bottle adapter according to embodiments of the invention. Detailed Description The assembly 10, as shown by Figure 6, may comprise of a bottle mount 20, can adapter 30, base 40 and a plurality of sheet elements 50 supported by a bottle 5 placed on a table 2. Figure 1 shows a bottle adapter 20 comprising a top section 26 of generally circular cross section which houses a magnet 28, middle section 22 which is elongated compared with the top section such that at least one dimension extends beyond the top section, and a bottom section 24 where plural resilient curved fins 25, e.g. preferably between 3 and 6, extend outwards from a central hollow boss 29 depending from the middle section. The top section 26 may comprise a cavity for the magnet 28 which his sealed with a cap over the top of cavity to keep the magnet in place. The top section 26 may be approx. 20 mm diameter. Figure 9 shows the bottom section 24 end on. The fins are arranged such that they can be pushed into the top of bottles 5 of various sizes, i.e. with the resilient fins being compressed in the mouth of the bottle and gripping the inner surface of the mouth. For instance, the fins may be extend radially outwards approximately 12.5 mm when unconstrained and be compressible to approx. 7.5 mm, thus fitting into bottles having a mouth opening diameter of between 25 mm and 15 mm. The bottom section 24 may be made from a different material from the top and middle sections, e.g. being a more resilient, less rigid plastics material, and may be fastened together with plastic welding, adhesive or a screw fixing, etc. Thus, as shown by Figures 6 to 8, the bottle mount 20 is securely mounted to the top of the bottle 5 with the middle section 22 butting up against the top surface of the bottle opening and extending laterally beyond it so it can be gripped for inserting / removing the mount. The fins may extend, for instance, between 15 mm and 30 mm deep into the neck of the bottle. The top section and middle section are knurled or otherwise given a textured or high grip surface 23 to aid in gripping the mount for inserting / removing the mount, e.g. by twisting it into / out of position. As shown by Figure 4, the base plate 40 is circular and may be metal or may comprise a metal element 44 such that it can be placed on the top section 26 of the bottle mount 20, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, whereupon the magnet 28 helps hold it in position. (In other examples, the base plate 40 may comprise a magnet and the bottle mount 20 may comprise a metal element to achieve the same effect). Thus, the base plate 40 is thus elevated by the mount 20 and bottle 5 on top of the surface 2 - i.e. typically a table - on which the bottle stands. The base plate 40 has a plurality of slots 42 near its edge and spaced around its circumference. Each slot can receive the corner 51 of a sheet element 50a so the sheet element is suspended from the base extending outwards in a relatively flat configuration. As shown in Figure 3, each sheet element 50 is a rectangular, thin, "card-like" element with a slot 52 adjacent the middle of each edge. As shown in Figure 6, each slot 52 can itself receive a corner 51 of another sheet element 50b such that that sheet element 50 is in turn suspended in a relatively flat configuration. Thus a tree like structure of sheet elements can be constructed branching out from the central plate 40 each sheet element being 50b suspended in turn from the preceding sheet element 50a or plate 40. As the branch extends, the weight tends to bow the branch such that the outermost sheet elements remain in a relatively flat configuration so further sheet elements can be added. As shown in the cross section of Figure 7, the corner of a new sheet element 50b can be inserted through the slot of an existing sheet element 50a from above. In addition, as shown by Figure 8, a new sheet element 50b can be added to a branch by moving it such that the corner 51 of the existing sheet element 50a moves through a slot 52 of the new sheet element 50b from above. Additionally, branches may be terminated by hanging a new sheet element 50c from the end of the branch such that the end 51 of the existing sheet element 50b is inserted from below through the slot 52 in the new sheet element 50c, whereupon it is suspended vertically. The assembly 10 may be used as part of a game, in which players take in turns to add a sheet element to the structure without the structure collapsing. If not all sheet elements fall, i.e. one or two, then the player must replace the elements on the structure and the game continues. If the entire structure including base plate falls, then that player loses the game. It will be appreciated that when the cumulative weight of the structure becomes unbalanced, the magnetic bond between the plate and adapter may be overcome and the structure collapse. Similarly, each individual branch may collapse if the weight becomes unbalanced or overloaded. If all sheet elements are successfully added to the structure, then players may take turns removing an element from the end of a branch and replacing it elsewhere on the structure until the structure collapses. Rules may dictate how the structure is formed. For instance, each slot in the base plate may be associated with a different colour or other identifier and only sheet elements with a matching colour or other identifier may then be added to that branch. Different sheet elements may be provided. For instance, some sheet elements may be playable anywhere, others may be heavier than usual or lighter than usual or otherwise have different properties to add interest to the gameplay or structure building. Other shapes of element and numbers and configurations of slots are possible. Figure 2 shows an adapter 30 for a can 7. This comprises a base 32 with downwardly extending lips 34 to hook over the top edge 8 of the can 7 (as shown in Figure 10). For instance, the lips may be spaced apart to fit over a standard beverage having a diameter of 52.4 mm across the top. Different sized can be provided if required, e.g. in the range of 40 mm to 80 mm. The base 32 also a central upwardly extending boss 36 flanked by two upwardly extending shells 38a,38b. As shown by Figure 5, the bottom portion 24 of the bottle mount 20 can fit into space defined by the shells 38a,38b with the boss 36 being received in a hole 29b in the boss 29 of the mount. In the example depicted in Figures 1 to 10, the bottle mount 20 is configured to support the base plate 40, and an adapter 30 is provided to adapt the bottle mount 20 to attach to a can. In other examples, such as shown by Figure 11, a can mount 130 may be provided which attaches to a can 7 and which has a top section 126 for attaching to the base plate 40, and a bottle adapter 120 is provided to adapt the can mount 130 to attach to a bottle. For instance, the can mount 130 may be similar to the bottle mount 20 in Figure 1 in having a top section that houses a magnet 126,128 except the lower portion 24 is replace by a base plate 132 and lips 134 as per the can adapter 30 shown by Figure 2, whilst the bottle adapter 120 may have a top 122 section in the form of the top of a can, and a lower portion 25 similar to the lower portion 24 of the bottle mount shown in Figure 2 having resilient fins 125 for fitting inside the top of a bottle. Thus, the can mount may be clipped over a can, or with the bottle adapter installed in a bottle, the can mount may be clipped the bottle adapter with the lips engaging with the top portion 122 of the can mount and the base plate 40 installed on top of the can mount. Thus, a kit may be provided at low cost such that the assembly can fit onto different objects, i.e. a can and a bottle and / or different types of can and bottle (having different opening / top diameters), increasing the likelihood of a suitable object being to hand for use in constructing the stand. The bottle and can may be empty of the liquids they originally contained. In this case it will be appreciated that relatively heavy objects may be preferred to lend stability to the structure, e.g. glass bottles. Nonetheless, it will be appreciated that an empty bottle (e.g. made from plastics material) or can may be re-filled, e.g. with water, to act as ballast to stabilize the structure. As the can mount / adapter clips over the top of the can, it can be used without being opened, i.e. still full. The mount and adapter are preferably made from plastics material with a magnet insert. The base plate is preferably metal, e.g. powder coated steel. The sheet elements are also preferably plastic, e.g. PVC coated plastic, and may be approximately playing card size, e.g. rectangular with long sides of between 5 and 10 cm and short sides between 3 and 6 cm, although other sizes and shapes are possible. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with particular reference to the examples illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the examples described within the scope of the present claims.

Claims

1. A can mount for supporting a structure, the mount comprising a first portion configured to clip over the top of a can, and a second portion configured to attach to and support a base plate 5 on which a structure is assembled.

2. An assembly to support other elements in a construction set, the assembly comprising:a bottle mount, comprising a first portion configured to fit into a bottle and a second portion configured to attach to and support a base plate;10 a can adapter, comprising a base adapted to fit over the top of the a can and a hollowconfigured to receive the first portion of the bottle mount.

3. An assembly to support other elements in a construction set, the mount comprising:a can mount, comprising a base adapted to fit over the top of the a can and a second15 portion configured to attach to and support a base plate;a bottle adapter, comprising a first portion configured to fit into a bottle and a second portion in the form of a plate shaped like the top of a can configured to be received by the base of the can mount.20 4. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein the portion configured to fit into a bottlecomprises plural resilient fins and / or the portion configured to fit to the top of the can comprises lips adapted to engage the edges of the can.

5. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the second portion comprises a 25 magnet to attach to a metal portion of the base plate.30 07 256. An assembly according to any preceding claim, comprising a base plate having one or more slots around its periphery; and plural sheet elements each having a periphery that comprises plural corners, each sheet element having plural slots around its periphery, wherein the corners are receivable in the slots such that branches of one or more sheet elements may 5 be suspended from the base plate.

7. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the assembly is a construction set.10 8. An assembly according to any preceding claims, wherein the assembly is part of agame.

9. An assembly according to claim 8, wherein the sheet elements and slots on the base plate are categorized indicated by a respective colour or symbol, and the gameplay comprises a 15 rule that only matching sheet elements may be added to a branch.

10. An assembly according to claim 8 or 9, wherein at least one sheet element is heavier or lighter than other sheet elements.20 11. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the bottle mount has a flaredbase with knurling or other high grip surface to aid inserting and / or removing the mount from the top of a bottle.

12. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the base plate has a metallic central portion for 25 locating the base plate on a magnet of a bottle or can mount.30 07 2513. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the sheet elements are set of cards, each card having a plurality of slots around its periphery, wherein the cards have comers, wherein the corner of one card can fit into a slot of another card to suspend it from that cards such that branches of cards can be build radiating out from a base point514. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the cards may be colour coded or otherwise tagged such that only cards of the same type can be linked in a branch.

15. A method of assembling the assembly of any of claims 6 to 14, comprising:10 one of:i) attaching the mount to a can, orii) attaching the adapter to a can or bottle and attaching the mount to the adapter; andattaching the base plate to the mount.1516. The method of claim 15, comprising:adding sheet elements to the base plate and / or other sheet elements to create a structure supported by the bottle or can.

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