Floating Beverage Holder With Ballast Arm for Buoyancy Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage container holding apparatuses lack stability when floating in water and on rigid surfaces, and fail to maintain buoyancy as the liquid volume changes during consumption.
Innovation Solution
A beverage container holding apparatus featuring an L-shaped ballast arm and ballast weight that allows for deployment and stowage, providing stable buoyancy and preventing overturning, while also being insulating and adaptable for use on both water and rigid surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a beverage container holding apparatus is designed to float in water, then it provides convenient beverage holding during water activities, but it lacks stability and may overturn when liquid volume changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a ballast weight attached to a ballast arm that extends below the bottom wall of the holding apparatus. This ballast weight acts as a counterweight to compensate for the changing weight of the beverage container as liquid is consumed, maintaining stable buoyancy and preventing overturning. The ballast arm can be selectively positioned to deploy or stow the ballast weight, allowing the system to adapt to different stability requirements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a beverage container holding apparatus uses a ballast system to maintain buoyancy stability, then it prevents overturning, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic ballast arm that can be selectively moved between deployed and stowed positions. This dynamic positioning allows the ballast weight to be deployed only when needed for floatation stability, simplifying the overall device structure compared to a permanently extended ballast system. The ballast arm rotates about a pivot point, enabling easy deployment and stowing without complex mechanisms.
3Weight of moving object
If the ballast arm is made extendable to provide leverage for lightweight ballast, then it improves buoyancy efficiency, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the ballast arm in a downward direction below the bottom wall of the holding apparatus, utilizing the vertical dimension to create leverage. This extended arm position allows a lighter ballast weight to generate sufficient counterbalancing force by increasing the moment arm length, thereby improving buoyancy efficiency without requiring a heavy ballast.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus ensures stable floatation and prevents overturning of the beverage container as liquid is consumed, while allowing secure placement on surfaces, with the ballast weight configuration providing leverage for lightweight and effective buoyancy.
Implementation Method 1
beverage container holding apparatuses configured in accordance with embodiments of the present invention limit the potential for the beverage container holding apparatus and a beverage container held therein to overturn and to exhibit floatation (i.e., buoyancy) stability
Implementation Method 2
the ballast weight configuration providing leverage for lightweight and effective buoyancy
Implementation Method 3
the beverage container holding apparatus additionally serves to insulate the contents of the beverage container held therein
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a beverage container holding apparatus that floats in water. More specifically, the beverage container holding apparatus is configured for being floated in water and being supported by a rigid support surface such as, for example, a countertop or table. Advantageously, such a beverage container holding apparatus is configured for limiting a potential for the beverage container holding apparatus to overturn and to exhibit floatation stability as a volume of liquid with in the beverage holding container changes such as through consumption thereof. Preferably, such a beverage container holding apparatus additionally serves to insulate the beverage container held therein.