JPS645935B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to devices for providing carbonated beverages, and more particularly to devices for carbonating beverages immediately prior to consumption. Commercial production of such carbonated beverages typically uses liquid carbon dioxide gas that is contacted under pressure with good mixing in a chilled container. However, such commercial methods require sophisticated and complex equipment and are not typically or traditionally available for use in homes or beverage consumption locations. Accordingly, a number of beverage carbonation techniques suitable for home use have been developed in the prior art. One such technique utilizes carbon dioxide-containing molecular sieves that release carbon dioxide upon contact with an aqueous solution, thereby providing a carbonated beverage. This technique is all described in US Pat. No. 4,147,808, US Pat. No. 4,110,255, US Pat. (all incorporated herein by reference) Other techniques use chemical "conjugates" to generate carbon dioxide in situ within the beverage to be carbonated. Such a combination usually consists of a compound of inorganic carbon dioxide and an edible food acid.
Contact between these types of compounds in aqueous solutions creates gaseous carbon dioxide formation and food acid salts. This chemical combination is usually added to the liquid to be carbonated in the form of a dry powder or tablet.
All such techniques are described in U.S. Patent No. 2,851,360;
No. 3480403 and No. 3476520.
(all incorporated herein by reference). However, this technique is undesirable in that the food acid salts impart a salty taste to the beverage. Insoluble components of reactants and products often generate particulate matter,
This gives the drink an opaque appearance. Furthermore, when the beverage is consumed, this particulate matter is ingested with the beverage. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to apparatus for serving carbonated beverages. The device comprises a cup containing a quantity of liquid to be carbonated, such as water. The carbonated material is contained within a selectively permeable envelope that communicates with the fluid within the cup. The carbonated material consists of crystalline inorganic carbonic acid and crystalline food acid, which form carbon dioxide gas and substantially water-insoluble salts in the presence of water or other liquids, such as water, containing other substances. React together below. The selectively permeable envelope is permeable to carbon dioxide gas, but the liquid is substantially impermeable to crystalline inorganic carbonic acid, crystalline food acid, and insoluble salts. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved beverage carbonation system. Another object of the present invention is to provide a beverage carbonation device that produces carbonated beverages without saltiness. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a beverage carbonation device that produces clear beverages without ingesting substantially any insoluble materials. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a further study of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that in the drawings, the same elements are numbered the same throughout all of the several views, and that there is a beverage cup 10 containing a quantity of liquid beverage. Dew. The cup 10 has a generally conical side wall 12 and a flat bottom 14.
Contains. Beverage cups or glasses are well known in the art, and the shape of the cup is not critical to the present invention. Since the cup 10 is expected to be discarded after use, the cup is preferably made of treated paper, plastic, or other similar materials known for use for such purposes. The most important feature of the wall 12 and bottom 14 is that they are impermeable to the beverage to be placed within the cup. An envelope 16 containing a quantity of carbonated material is placed at the bottom of the cup 10. This envelope 16 is
The cup 10 includes a flat bottom 14 and a selectively permeable membrane 18 sealed to the flat bottom around the circumferential edge 20 of the flat bottom. The carbonated material is
It is placed within a compartment 22 formed between the flat bottom 14 of the cup 10 and the selectively permeable membrane 18. The envelope thus includes a hemispherical portion and a flat annular portion, the hemispherical portion containing the carbonated material, and the annular portion providing strength to the envelope and attaching it to the bottom of the cup. We have measures in place. Although the casing has been described as including the flat bottom of the cup, the casing may be attached to the bottom of the cup by mechanical means, using a suitable adhesive or the like, in two separate attachment steps. It is also conceivable that it could be made of any material. In this method, the bottom of the cup does not need to be used to contain the carbonated material. The carbonated materials contained within the envelope contain chemical "bonds" that react together in the presence of water during the acid neutralization reaction, thereby producing carbon dioxide gas. As used in this application, the terms water and liquid are used interchangeably and shall mean other liquids in which H ₂ O and water are present in a major percentage. In order to initiate a chemical reaction, the water contained within cup 10 must be introduced into compartment 22. Membrane 18 is therefore permeable to water. Similarly, the carbon dioxide produced by the chemical reaction in compartment 22 must be introduced into the water in cup 10. Therefore, this membrane 18 is permeable to carbon dioxide gas. To prevent particulate matter from contaminating the water in the cup and thereby creating an opaque beverage, the membrane 1
8 is substantially impermeable to the salts and chemical conjugates formed by the neutralization reaction. The membrane 10 thus creates a mechanical barrier against unwanted particulates that would otherwise contaminate the beverage and eventually be ingested. Many chemical "conjugates" are known that undergo acid neutralization reactions. Such "conjugates" include inorganic carbonates and edible food acids. However, not all such chemical "conjugates" are effective in the present invention. Only inorganic carbonates and edible food acids that react to substantially form water-insoluble salts are useful in this invention. As used herein, substantially water-insoluble means that the neutralization product, ie, the salt, is soluble to the extent that it does not adversely affect the taste of the beverage. Generally, a solubility of less than 1 gr salt per water does not adversely affect the taste of the beverage and is considered substantially insoluble. The chemical "binds" useful in the present invention are solid and/or crystalline calcium carbonate and acharite. It is also contemplated by the prior art to react calcium carbonate and avalanate acid together in the presence of water to produce calcium avalanate which is substantially insoluble in water. Membranes 18 that are selectively permeable must have pores of suitable size to provide the selective permeability described above. Furthermore, the pore size of the membrane is ideally such that carbon dioxide permeates through the membrane at the molecular level, but at such a size, water typically does not pass through the membrane. If the pores of the membrane 18 are too large, carbon dioxide gas will form large bubbles and thus escape from the beverage. If the pores are too small, water will not pass through the membrane. In general, in accordance with the present invention, conventional laboratory filter paper is an effective material for the selectively permeable membrane of the present invention. Preferred filter papers useful in the present invention include Filpaco
Industries, Inc. trademark, Filpaco #463TH
and Kimberly Clark
Schweitzer #855-45-2A and #855-46
-2A included. Typical properties of FILPACO #463TH filter paper are as follows. Typical characteristics Grams (weight basis) 28.0g/m ² 16.5lbs/
t ² TAPP ₁ T-410-OS-68

【table】

[Table] mm, cross
(cross)Heating speed 423cm〓S)
Typical properties of Schweitzer filter paper are as follows.

It is believed to be within the prior art to select other filter papers and other selectively permeable membranes that have the permeability properties described above and are also useful in the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4 in detail, it will be seen that according to the invention there are two cups 10a, 10b, with cup 10b being accommodated within cup 10a in a conventional stacking manner. As shown in FIG. 4, when the cups are stacked, a space 24 is formed between the base 14b of cup 10b and the base 14a of cup 10a. It would therefore be inferred from these prior art techniques that the location of the wrapper at the bottom of the cup is particularly suitable for utilizing the space between the bases of stacked cups. It is contemplated that flavor bases may be included in the present invention. Flavor bases are known in the art and are discussed in US Pat. Nos. 4,041,185 and 3,966,994, incorporated herein by reference. The flavor base can be combined with the beverage liquid in one or more of the following ways. That is, this flavor base can be added separately to the carbonated water in the cup 10. This flavor base is membrane 18
can be included on the outer surface of. This flavor base can be incorporated into the inner wall 12 of the cup. The flavor base may be contained within the wrapper 16 or other suitable means known in the art. In this way, both carbonated and flavored beverages can be provided. The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the invention. Example 1 A paper cup according to the invention capable of holding 10 ml of water and having a filter paper wrapper is made.
The capsule contains 1.0 grams of calcium carbonate and 1.5 grams of acharite acid. Both calcium carbonate and acetate are in powdery crystalline form. Add 10 ml of water to the cup. Water permeates the selectively permeable membrane of the envelope and contacts the carbonated material therein. Calcium carbonate and saltic acid react together in the presence of water.
0.44 grams carbon dioxide, 0.18 grams water and 1.88
Produces grams of calcium chlorite. The filter paper prevents calcium chlorite from escaping from the package and contaminating the beverage. Calcium saltate is substantially insoluble in water. The beverage thus has a clear appearance and no salty taste. 0.44 grams of carbon dioxide produced by a chemical reaction is equivalent to 224 ml of carbon dioxide as a complete gas at standard temperature and pressure. This carbon dioxide gas passes through the membrane and is dissolved by the 100 ml of water in the cup. Therefore, this beverage has a relatively high level of carbonation. In particular, it is also contemplated that the invention can be used where liquids containing other food acids, such as citric acid, are added to the beverage container. In such cases, all the calcium carbonate is a substantially water-insoluble salt, rather than reacting with the food acid in the liquid to form a soluble salt that undesirably affects the taste of the beverage. Reacts with the abalite acid within the capsule to form calcium phosphate. Thus, conventional flavor bases containing other food acids can be used in the present invention. Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made thereto while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined above and in the appended claims. will be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the disclosed embodiment of the invention, with a portion of the cup wall cut away to reveal the interior of the cup. 2 is a plan view of the cup bottom shown in FIG. 1; FIG. Figure 3 is the second
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cup bottom shown in the figure taken along line 3-3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the two cups shown in FIG. 1, stacked on top of each other. 10...cup, 12...wall, 14...bottom, 1
6... envelope, 18... membrane, 22... compartment.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A beverage carbonation device for use in combination with a beverage cup for containing a liquid, comprising: a carbonic acid disposed within the cup and having an amount of carbonic acid sufficient to carbonate the liquid within the cup; means in communication with the liquid for containing a carbonating material, the carbonating material comprising crystalline calcium carbonate and crystalline azalea acid, which react together in the presence of water to produce carbon dioxide gas and producing a substantially water-insoluble salt, and said container means being permeable to water and carbon dioxide gas, but substantially impermeable to said crystalline calcium carbonate and said crystalline acharite acid. A beverage carbonation device characterized by: 2. The container means comprises a filter paper having pores, and the pores of the filter paper are of sufficient size to pass water and carbon dioxide gas, and the pores of the filter paper are large enough to pass water and carbon dioxide gas. 2. A beverage carbonation device according to claim 1, wherein the device is small enough to prevent passage of the salt therethrough. 3. A beverage carbonation device according to claim 1, wherein said container means is located at the bottom of said cup. 4. Claim 1, wherein the container means further comprises a powdered non-carbonated beverage powder dissolved in the liquid to impart the desired color and taste to the liquid.
Beverage carbonation device as described in section. 5. A beverage carbonation device according to claim 4, wherein the beverage powder is formed in a layer on the outer surface of the container means. 6. A cup for containing a large quantity of liquid beverage; and an envelope placed in the inner bottom of the cup, wherein the envelope contains crystalline calcium carbonate and crystalline azalea acid, which are react together in the presence of to produce carbon dioxide gas and a substantially water-soluble salt;
The envelope is permeable to water and carbon dioxide, but
A beverage carbonation device comprising: impermeable to the crystalline calcium carbonate, the crystalline acetate, and the salt. 7. A cup for holding a quantity of water; a selectively permeable container for a carbonated material, where the container communicates with the water in the cup; the carbonated material contains crystalline calcium carbonate and crystals; and the selectively permeable container is permeable to carbon dioxide gas and water, but substantially impermeable to crystalline calcium carbonate, crystalline mineral acid, and calcium mineral salt. A beverage carbonating device characterized by comprising: 8. A cup for containing a quantity of water, wherein the cup has a circular bottom and an inner diameter extending upwardly from the circumference of the bottom and flaring outwardly from the bottom and having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the bottom. an annular rim, by which the cup can be stacked with another of the cups, and a space is formed between the bottoms of the stacked cups; and a fixed capsule, wherein the capsule includes crystalline calcium carbonate and crystalline azalearate, and the capsule is permeable to water and carbon dioxide; A beverage carbonation device comprising: impermeable to said crystalline chlorite and calcium chlorite.