Ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container holder which provides floatation, insulation and stability to a beverage container in water

Abstract

This is a floating beverage-container-holder which is ballasted and neutrally buoyant. It provides floatation, insulation and stability to a beverage-container in water. The holder includes a beverage-container receptacle, a floatation member to provide buoyancy and vertical stability, and a weighted ballast chamber containing sufficiently dense material to offset the buoyant force of the portion of beverage container and ballast chamber, which are submerged. The flange of the receptacle has holes to allow the entire holder to be tethered via clips and tether material to the user or any object.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container-holder comprising:
 (a) a beverage holder receptacle body including a receptacle side wall having a top edge and bottom edge and defining a substantially inverted, truncated, cone-shaped or cylindrical surface which is centered vertically and sized to accommodate most commonly available beverage containers while also providing an insulating barrier between the water and beverage container and   (b) a ballast chamber positioned below the above described receptacle which contains dense material to serve as a ballast to provide stability by ensuring the center of gravity is always below the water line, with or without a beverage container in the receptacle so that it remains upright in the water and   (c) a floatation member retained to said receptacle body, with said floatation member having a sufficient vertical height, being buoyant in water to provide stability for the neutrally buoyant receptacle body and ballast chamber and to provide sufficient buoyancy to cause receptacle and ballast chamber to float in water when receptacle contains a full beverage container and   (d) a tether of adequate length attached to the receptacle which when used will keep the beverage-container-holder within reach of the user and of sufficient elasticity to allow usage while swimming, floating, boating, fishing or engaging in other water-based activities.   
     
     
         2 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bottom wall provides a water-tight closure. 
     
     
         3 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bottom wall described above in  claim 2  is designed with an elevated rib to prevent a vacuum seal from being formed between the drink container and the receptacle walls. 
     
     
         4 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said ballast chamber contains dense material to offset buoyancy and provide stability. 
     
     
         5 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container-holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for retaining said floatation member on said receptacle body is compression friction between floatation member and receptacle body and vertically restricted by a perpendicularly protruding flange. 
     
     
         6 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container-holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for vertically retaining said floatation member by a perpendicularly protruding flange which also contains a plurality of perforations to attach a tether. 
     
     
         7 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the ballast chamber is enclosed with a sealed cap. 
     
     
         8 . A ballasted, neutrally buoyant floating beverage-container holder as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said ballast chamber contains sufficiently dense material to offset the buoyancy force created by submerged portions of the ballast chamber and receptacle body.