Bi-stable handle for a container

Abstract

A bottle handle assembly includes a neck engagement portion including a neck ring defining a central aperture, a handle portion coupled to the neck engagement portion, and a plurality of tabs extending radially inward from the neck ring. The plurality of tabs includes a first grouping of tabs separated from a second grouping of tabs, each tab of the plurality of tabs having a width that is approximately five millimeters to approximately six millimeters.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bottle handle assembly comprising:
 a neck engagement portion including a neck ring defining a central aperture;   a handle portion coupled to the neck engagement portion; and   a plurality of tabs extending radially inward from the neck ring, wherein the plurality of tabs includes a first grouping of tabs separated from a second grouping of tabs, each tab of the plurality of tabs having a width that is approximately five millimeters to approximately six millimeters.   
     
     
         2 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first grouping of tabs and the second grouping of tabs are positioned on opposing sides of the neck ring. 
     
     
         3 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the neck ring includes an inner circumference that defines a boundary of the central aperture, and wherein the first grouping of tabs is spaced from the second grouping of tabs by a portion of the inner circumference that does not include any tabs. 
     
     
         4 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a width of a first tab of the plurality of tabs is different than a width of a second tab of the plurality of tabs. 
     
     
         5 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the width is the same for each tab of the plurality of tabs. 
     
     
         6 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each tab includes a first side separated from a second side by a connecting face, a first shoulder connecting the first side to the connecting face, and a second shoulder connecting the second side to the connecting face, wherein at least one of the first shoulder and the second shoulder forms an orthogonal angle between the side and the connecting face. 
     
     
         7 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the handle portion includes a first arm and a second arm each extending from opposite ends of the neck ring and a gripping portion that connects a distal end of the first arm and a distal end of the second arm. 
     
     
         8 . A bottle handle assembly comprising:
 a neck engagement portion including a neck ring defining a central aperture;   a handle portion coupled to the neck engagement portion; and   a plurality of tabs extending radially inward from the neck ring, wherein the plurality of tabs includes a first grouping of tabs separated from a second grouping of tabs, wherein the first grouping of tabs includes seven total tabs, and the second grouping of tabs includes seven total tabs.   
     
     
         9 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 8 , wherein each tab has a width that is approximately five millimeters to approximately six millimeters. 
     
     
         10 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 8 , wherein each tab includes a first side separated from a second side by a connecting face, a first shoulder connecting the first side to the connecting face, and a second shoulder connecting the second side to the connecting face, wherein at least one of the first shoulder and the second shoulder forms an orthogonal angle between the side and the connecting face. 
     
     
         11 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first shoulder and the second shoulder includes an arcuate shape. 
     
     
         12 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 8 , wherein each tab includes a first side separated from a second side by a connecting face, a first shoulder connecting the first side to the connecting face, and a second shoulder connecting the second side to the connecting face, wherein the first shoulder forms a first orthogonal angle between the first side and the connecting face, and wherein the second shoulder forms a second orthogonal angle between the second side and the connecting face. 
     
     
         13 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the first grouping of tabs and the second grouping of tabs are positioned on opposing sides of the neck ring. 
     
     
         14 . A bottle handle assembly comprising:
 a neck engagement portion including a neck ring defining a central aperture;   a handle portion coupled to the neck engagement portion; and   a plurality of tabs extending radially inward from the neck ring, wherein the plurality of tabs includes at least ten tabs.   
     
     
         15 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of tabs extend around a portion of the central aperture. 
     
     
         16 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of tabs includes at least fourteen tabs. 
     
     
         17 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the neck ring includes an inner circumference that defines a boundary of the central aperture, the plurality of tabs extend around a portion of the inner circumference. 
     
     
         18 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of tabs are separated into a first grouping of tabs and a second grouping of tabs, each grouping of tabs having the same number of total tabs. 
     
     
         19 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the first grouping of tabs and the second grouping of tabs are positioned on opposing sides of the neck ring. 
     
     
         20 . The bottle handle assembly of  claim 14 , wherein each tab includes a first side separated from a second side by a connecting face, a first shoulder connecting the first side to the connecting face, and a second shoulder connecting the second side to the connecting face, wherein at least one of the first shoulder and the second shoulder forms an orthogonal angle between the side and the connecting face.