Wine-Bottle Accessory Holder

Abstract

A wine-bottle accessory holder is used to hold an accessory adjacent to the neck of a wine bottle, wherein the accessory is preferably a bottle cork. The wine-bottle accessory includes a holder body, which is the structural body of the wine-bottle accessory holder. The holder body includes a neck sleeve and an accessory pocket. The neck sleeve is fitted around the neck of a wine bottle. The accessory pocket receives and stores the cork for a wine bottle, which prevents losing the cork.

Description

[0001] The current application claims a priority to the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63 / 778,093 filed on Mar. 26, 2025.

[0002] The current application is also a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of the U.S. design application Ser. No. 30 / 003,095 filed on May 9, 2025.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention generally relates to a storage device for the cork of a bottle. More specifically, the present invention is a sleeve made of an elastic material that attaches to a bottle and holds a detached cork against the bottle.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An objective of the present invention is to provide a way to keep the cork that was taken out of a bottle from being thrown out or from rolling around on a table that may have food or crumbs on the cork and then having to put it back into the bottle, if bringing home the unused portion within the bottle. The present invention also keeps the cork from being thrown into a bag with several other corks from other bottles as there is very little chance that you receive the same cork back that came out of your bottle. Any of the corks in that bag will then be handled by several waiters / waitresses who will eventually need to give those corks out to customers because a waiter / waitress no longer have the cork that originally belonged to their bottle.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention has a fabric body with an open-ended portion and a closed-ended portion, and the open-ended portion slips over the neck of a bottle leaving the closed-ended portion of the fabric to hold in place a cork of the bottle. Since the fabric body is elasticized, the open-ended side clings to the bottle, and the closed ended side keeps the cork secure and close to the bottle so that the cork does not fall out when pouring the liquid out of the bottle.

[0006] The fabric body is preferably made of neoprene fabric, therefore, allowing the fabric body to stretch over the neck of the bottle. The neoprene fabric also allows different size corks to be held. For example, a champagne bottle cork and a wine bottle cork are different sizes. Also, the neoprene fabric absorbs any liquid that might drip when pouring the liquid out of the bottle.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is a top-front-left perspective view of the present invention.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a bottom-rear-right perspective view of the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a front view of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 4 is a top-front-left perspective view of the present invention mounted onto the neck of a wine bottle as its cork is being moved into the accessory pocket.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a top-front-left perspective view of the present invention mounted onto the neck of a wine bottle as its cork is within the accessory pocket.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0013] The present invention is a wine-bottle accessory holder, which is preferably used to mount and store the cork of a wine bottle next to its neck. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention comprises a holder body 2, which is the structural body of the present invention. The holder body 2 comprises a neck sleeve 4 and an accessory pocket 16. The neck sleeve 4 is preferably shaped as a straight cylindrical tube. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the neck sleeve 4 is also configured to sleeve around a wine-bottle neck, which mounts the present invention to the wine-bottle neck. The accessory pocket 16 is preferably shaped as a straight cylindrical tube but can alternatively be shaped as a flat tube (i.e., two flexible panels being stitched together along two opposing lengthwise edges and one widthwise edge leaving the other widthwise edge open to receive and store an item). As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the accessory pocket 16 is also configured to receive and store a wine-bottle cork but can alternatively be configured to receive and store a shot glass. Moreover, a lumen diameter of the neck sleeve 4 is preferably longer than a lumen diameter of the accessory pocket 16 because the width across a wine-bottle cork is the same width as a wine-bottle opening but is a smaller width across than a wine-bottle neck. Moreover, the holder body 2 is made of a liquid-absorbent elastic fabric material, which allows the neck sleeve 4 to stretch yet tightly hold onto a wine-bottle neck, allows the accessory pocket 16 to stretch yet tightly hold in place a wine-bottle cork or another item, and allows the accessory pocket 16 to absorb any excess wine coating the wine-bottle cork. The liquid-absorbent elastic fabric material can be, but is not limited to, neoprene.

[0014] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, reference components for the present invention are required to define the arrangement of some of its functional components. Thus, the neck sleeve 4 comprises a first sleeve open end 6, a second sleeve open end 8, an outer sleeve surface 10, and an inner sleeve surface 12. The first sleeve open end 6 and the second sleeve open end 8 allow a wine-bottle neck to enter through one open end of the neck sleeve 4 and exit through the other open end of the neck sleeve 4. The outer sleeve surface 10 is preferably an annular exterior surface of the neck sleeve 4, and the inner sleeve surface 12 is preferably an annular interior surface of the neck sleeve 4 that makes physical contact with a wine-bottle neck. Moreover, the accessory pocket 16 comprises a pocket open end 18, a pocket closed end 20, an outer pocket surface 22, and an inner pocket surface 24. The pocket open end 18 allows a wine-bottle cork or another item to enter the accessory pocket 16, while the pocket closed end 20 allows the wine-bottle cork or the other item to be situated within the accessory pocket 16. The outer pocket surface 22 is preferably an annular exterior surface of the neck sleeve 4, and the inner sleeve surface 12 is preferably an annular interior surface of the neck sleeve 4 that makes physical contact with a wine-bottle cork.

[0015] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the general configuration of the aforementioned components allows the present invention to efficiently and effectively hold an alcohol-drinking accessory off to the side of a wine-bottle neck. The accessory pocket 16 is laterally connected along the neck sleeve 4, which preferably allows a wine-bottle cork to be held next to a wine-bottle neck and allows the wine-bottle cork to be readily available to close off a wine-bottle opening. The pocket open end 18 is positioned coincident with the first sleeve open end 6, and the pocket closed end 20 is positioned coincident with the second sleeve open end 8. This arrangement between the first sleeve open end 6, the second sleeve open end 8, the pocket open end 18, and the pocket closed end 20 shapes the holder body 2 in such a way that the neck sleeve 4 is able to structurally support the accessory pocket 16 along its entire length and consequently support a wine-bottle cork along a wine-bottle neck. Moreover, a pocket central axis 26 of the accessory pocket 16 is positioned parallel and offset to a sleeve central axis 14 of the neck sleeve 4, which allows the weight of a wine-bottle cork held within the accessory pocket 16 to be evenly supported along the entire length of the neck sleeve 4.

[0016] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the holder body 2 may further comprise an elongated web 28, which is used as a connection interface between the neck sleeve 4 and the accessory pocket 16. The elongated web 28 comprises a first lengthwise web portion 30 and a second lengthwise web portion 32, which are the opposing lengthwise sides of the elongated web 28. The elongated web 28 is positioned parallel to the sleeve central axis 14 and the pocket central axis 26 in order to maintain the accessory pocket 16 being evenly supported along the entire length of the neck sleeve 4. Thus, the first lengthwise web portion 30 is connected onto the outer sleeve surface 10, and the second lengthwise web portion 32 is connected onto the outer pocket surface 22, which allows the elongated web 28 to act as an offsetting connection interface between the neck sleeve 4 and the accessory pocket 16.

[0017] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention may further comprise a plurality of sleeve grip features 34, which allows a user to better grasp the present invention around the neck sleeve 4 in order to lift up a wine bottle by its neck or in order to separate the neck sleeve 4 from a wine-bottle neck. The plurality of sleeve grip features 34 is laterally distributed about the neck sleeve 4, which allows a user to grasp any exterior portion of the neck sleeve 4. Each of the plurality of sleeve grip features 34 is also connected onto the outer sleeve surface 10 so that a user can better grasp the neck sleeve 4 around the outer sleeve surface 10. Moreover, the plurality of sleeve grip features 34 is preferably a plurality of gripping nubs that are made of a friction-inducting rubberized material.

[0018] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention may further comprise a plurality of pocket grip features 36, which allows a user to better grasp the present invention around the accessory pocket 16 in order to lift up a wine bottle by its neck or in order to remove a wine-bottle cork or another item held within the accessory pocket 16. The plurality of pocket grip features 36 is laterally distributed about the accessory pocket 16, which allows a user to grasp any exterior portion of the accessory pocket 16. Each of the plurality of pocket grip features 36 is also connected onto the outer pocket surface 22 so that a user can better grasp the accessory pocket 16 around the outer pocket surface 22. Similar to the plurality of sleeve grip features 34, the plurality of pocket grip features 36 is preferably a plurality of gripping nubs that are made of a friction-inducting rubberized material.

[0019] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention may further comprise a plurality of neck grip features 38, which allows the neck sleeve 4 to better grip a wine bottle around its neck and consequently prevents the neck sleeve 4 from slipping off the wine bottle's neck. The plurality of neck grip features 38 is distributed within the neck sleeve 4 so that the plurality of neck grip features 38 is able to evenly grip around a wine-bottle neck. Each of the plurality of neck grip features 38 is also connected onto the inner sleeve surface 12 so that the neck sleeve 4 can better grip a wine-bottle neck with the inner sleeve surface 12. Moreover, the plurality of neck grip features 38 is a plurality of gripping strips that are made of a friction-inducing rubberized material.

[0020] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention may further comprise a keyring 40 and a ring tether 42, which allows the present invention to be used as a key-chain. The keyring 40 is used to attach at least one key and / or at least one other keyring to the present invention. The ring tether 42 is used to separate the holder body 2 from the items attached to the keyring 40. Thus, the ring tether 42 comprises a proximal tether end 44 and a distal tether end 46. The proximal tether end 44 is pivotably connected to the holder body 2, and the distal tether end 46 is pivotably connected to the keyring 40, which prevents items attached to the keyring 40 from regularly coming into contact with the holder body 2 and consequently damaging the holder body 2.

[0021] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A wine-bottle accessory holder comprising:a holder body;the holder body comprising a neck sleeve and an accessory pocket;the neck sleeve comprising a first sleeve open end, a second sleeve open end, an outer sleeve surface, and an inner sleeve surface;the accessory pocket comprising a pocket open end, a pocket closed end, an outer pocket surface, and an inner pocket surface;the accessory pocket being laterally connected along the neck sleeve;the pocket open end being positioned coincident with the first sleeve open end;the pocket closed end being positioned coincident with the second sleeve open end;a pocket central axis of the accessory pocket being positioned parallel and offset to a sleeve central axis of the neck sleeve; andthe holder body being made of a liquid-absorbent elastic fabric material.

2. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1 comprising:the holder body further comprising an elongated web;the elongated web comprising a first lengthwise web portion and a second lengthwise web portion;the elongated web being positioned parallel to the sleeve central axis and the pocket central axis;the first lengthwise web portion being connected onto the outer sleeve surface; andthe second lengthwise web portion being connected onto the outer pocket surface.

3. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1 comprising:a plurality of sleeve grip features;the plurality of sleeve grip features being laterally distributed about the neck sleeve; andeach of the plurality of sleeve grip features being connected onto the outer sleeve surface.

4. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of sleeve grip features is a plurality of gripping nubs, and wherein the plurality of gripping nubs is made of a friction-inducing rubberized material.

5. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1 comprising:a plurality of pocket grip features;the plurality of pocket grip features being laterally distributed about the accessory pocket; andeach of the plurality of pocket grip features being connected onto the outer pocket surface.

6. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of pocket grip features is a plurality of gripping nubs, and wherein the plurality of gripping nubs is made of a friction-inducing rubberized material.

7. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1 comprising:a plurality of neck grip features;the plurality of neck grip features being distributed within the neck sleeve; andeach of the plurality of neck grip features being connected onto the inner sleeve surface.

8. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plurality of neck grip features is a plurality of gripping strips, and wherein the plurality of gripping strips is made of a friction-inducing rubberized material.

9. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1 comprising:a keyring;a ring tether;the ring tether comprising a proximal tether end and a distal tether end;the proximal tether end being pivotably connected to the holder body; andthe distal tether end being pivotably connected to the keyring.

10. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid-absorbent elastic fabric material is neoprene.

11. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lumen diameter of the neck sleeve is longer than a lumen diameter of the accessory pocket.

12. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the neck sleeve is shaped as a straight cylindrical tube.

13. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory pocket is shaped as a straight cylindrical tube.

14. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the neck sleeve is configured to sleeve around a wine-bottle neck.

15. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory pocket is configured to receive and store a wine-bottle cork.

16. The wine-bottle accessory holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory pocket is configured to receive and store a shot glass.

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