Straight-finned flying beverage bottles

Abstract

Disclosed herein are beverage bottles having fins incorporated within the wall of a bottle body providing for aerodynamic guidance in a direction defined by a vector passing through the neck, each of the fins defining a plane passing through the substantial center of each fin, the defining vector locatable within each of the planes of each fin such that the intersection of each of the planes and the defining vector is a line. Those bottles may incorporate a base section adapted for transport in a track or conveyor of bottling machinery; aerodynamic noses and nosecones, attachable to the neck or bottom of a bottle or other location, optionally holding an object, prize or additive, and a production sleeve permitting transport through a track or conveyor. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.

1 . A finned throwable beverage product, comprising:
 a bottle body having a wall and an interior, and wherein said body interior is capable of holding a beverage;   a neck incorporated in said bottle body, said neck including an opening through which a beverage may be placed into or removed from said interior;   fins incorporated within the wall of said bottle body, said fins providing for aerodynamic guidance of said body as said body travels through the air in a direction defined by a vector passing through said neck, wherein each of said fins define a plane passing through the substantial center of each fin, further wherein said defining vector is locatable within each of the planes of each fin such that the intersection of each of said planes and said defining vector is a line;   a cap portion having a seal fitted to seal said neck and provide enclosure for said interior; and   a nose, said nose being separable and attachable to said bottle body, said nose providing for a covering of said bottle body when attached to said bottle body.   
     
     
         2 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose is adapted to attach to an uncapped bottle. 
     
     
         3 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 2 , wherein said nose is adapted to attach to an uncapped bottle using threads. 
     
     
         4 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 3 , wherein said nose includes said cap portion, and further wherein said nose when attached on said neck, acts as a cap. 
     
     
         5 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose is adapted to attach to a capped bottle. 
     
     
         6 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 6 , wherein said nose is adapted to attach to a capped bottle using an attachment method selected from the group consisting of slip-fit, friction fit and detents. 
     
     
         7 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said body includes an attachment feature, whereby said nose is adapted to attach to said body using said attachment feature, wherein the attachment feature is selected from the group consisting of a lug, a ridge and a flute. 
     
     
         8 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose is adapted to cover said neck of said bottle body when attached to said bottle body. 
     
     
         9 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein in the throwing configuration of said product, said nose has a mass that biases the balance of said product toward the nose. 
     
     
         10 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a pliable material. 
     
     
         11 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a stiff material. 
     
     
         12 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , further comprising an object, wherein said nose includes a cavity for holding said object. 
     
     
         13 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 12 , wherein said object is selected from the group consisting of prizes, toys, messages, identifiers, beverage additives and colorants. 
     
     
         14 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said body further includes recesses, wherein said body has a stackable configuration whereby two of said bodies may be stacked together, and further wherein in that stacking one of the fins of one of said bottles fits into said recess formed in the other of said bottles. 
     
     
         15 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose is attachable to the bottom of said body. 
     
     
         16 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein the attachment of said nose to said body is selected from the group consisting of threads, snaps, ridge and flutes, lug and hole, adhesives and friction fits. 
     
     
         17 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 1 , wherein the shape of said nose is selected from the group consisting of pointed, rounded and flattened shapes. 
     
     
         18 . A finned throwable beverage product, comprising:
 a bottle body having a wall and an interior, and wherein said body interior is capable of holding a beverage;   a neck incorporated in said bottle body, said neck including an opening through which a beverage may be placed into or removed from said interior;   fins incorporated within the wall of said bottle body, said fins providing for aerodynamic guidance of said body as said body travels through the air in a direction defined by a vector passing through said neck, wherein each of said fins define a plane passing through the substantial center of each fin, further wherein said defining vector is locatable within each of the planes of each fin such that the intersection of each of said planes and said defining vector is a line;   a cap portion having a seal fitted to seal said neck and provide enclosure for said interior;   a nose, said nose being separable and attachable to said bottle body, said nose providing for a covering of said bottle body when attached to said bottle body; and   a production sleeve adapted for transport through a track or conveyor, said sleeve being further adapted for insertion of said bottle body in a fins-first position whereby said neck is held in a fixed external position relative to the outside of said production sleeve.   
     
     
         19 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 18 , wherein said production sleeve further comprises a feature configured to prevent the rotation of said bottle body in said sleeve. 
     
     
         20 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 19 , wherein said feature is selected from the group consisting of ribs, channels, pins and separators.