EP1994862A1

EP1994862A1 - Aeration wine glass

Info

Publication number: EP1994862A1
Application number: EP08251781A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mangano Joy
Original assignee: Ingenious Designs LLC
Current assignee: Ingenious Designs LLC
Priority date: 2007-05-22
Filing date: 2008-05-22
Publication date: 2008-11-26
Also published as: CA2631912A1; CN101310651A; JP2008289887A; US20080290102A1; KR20080052534A

Abstract

A drinking glass (10) having a bowl (12) with a protrusion (20) on the inner surface of the bottom end. The drinking glass may be a wine glass. The wine glass may aerate and enhance the bouquet of wine contained therein while providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The protrusion (20) may also include a hole to allow wine to flow therethrough for further aeration.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to a drinking vessel such as a wine glass configured to enhance the aeration of wine.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Numerous wine glasses have been developed for the drinking and tasting of wine. Some of these glasses are designed to enhance the bouquet of the wine. Riedel^™ has developed wine glasses where the bowl is shaped to match a particular type of wine, as discussed in the "Background" section of U.S. Publication No. 2003/0189055 .
Beverage containers have been made having various centrally disposed protrusions, frequently for artistic or visual effect, such as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,028,035 ; Des. 405,316 ; Des. 363,854 ; and Des. 343,990 . Protrusions have also been used to improve the mixing action of shakers for preparing mixed drinks, for instance, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,208,431 .
More recently, protrusions have been employed in wine tasting vessels to increase the release of the bouquet of a wine as a sample of wine in the vessel is swirled, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,644,846 and 6,409,374 .
These patents teach a protrusion having a platform which extends across the top of the protrusion and is described as extending to and continuing down the side, forming what might be viewed as a vertical rib or fin protruding from the protrusion. This protrusion is employed in combination with a rib on the interior surface of the vessel positioned opposite the platform, to constrict the flow of the swirled liquid in order to provide a venturi effect to promote release of the bouquet. This geometry would appear to provide most of the disturbance beneath the surface and, unless the swirling were very violent, would not notably aerate the wine, thereby limiting the effectiveness in enhancing the bouquet. Furthermore, the rib is an integral part of the sidewall of the glass and thus interferes with the visual observation of the clarity and color to the wine which contributes to the tasting experience.
U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2006/0032855 shows a bouquet enhancing wineglass that has a central circular or spiral protrusion extending vertically into the bowl of the glass. This publication teaches a protrusion that takes up a large portion of the volume of the bowl and may extend from the center of the liquid, disrupting the aesthetic appearance.
Thus, there is a need for a wine glass which is effective in aerating and enhancing the bouquet of the wine contained therein, while not substantially changing the general appearance of the glass and the wine within the glass, so as not to interfere with the visual observation of the clarity and color to the wine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The present application relates to a drinking vessel, such as a wine glass configured to enhance the aeration of wine.
In accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, a drinking vessel or glass may comprise a bowl having a top end and a bottom end. The bowl can have an opening at the top end and a conically shaped protrusion integrally formed on an interior surface of the bottom end thereof. The protrusion may be formed such that when the bowl is moved the protrusion creates turbulence to increase oxygen flow to enhance aeration of the wine.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention a wine glass may comprise a bowl having a top end and a bottom end. The bowl can have an opening at the top end and a conically shaped protrusion integrally formed on an interior surface of the bottom end thereof. The protrusion may have at least one hole extending therethrough. The protrusion may be formed such that when the bowl is moved the protrusion creates turbulence to increase oxygen flow to enhance aeration of the wine.
The invention may be embodied by numerous other devices and methods. The description provided herein, when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses examples of the invention. Other embodiments, which incorporate some or all steps as taught herein, are also possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a wine glass as may be employed in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a top view of the wine glass of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a front view of a wine glass as may be employed with other embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 4 shows a top view of the wine glass of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 shows a front view of a wine glass as may be employed in accordance with still other embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a drinking vessel or glass and, particularly, an aeration wine glass that enhances the flavors of the wine when the wine is swirled.
For example, when sampling wine, by swirling the wine glass, the taster mildly agitates the wine to enhance the bouquet of the wine before it is sampled. The agitation is accomplished by swirling the wine glass roughly in a horizontal plane and imparting an essentially circular motion. This motion results in the wine being carried up the sides of the glass. When the swirling is stopped, the wine settles back. This motion of the surface of the wine relative to the air captive in the glass enhances transfer of the bouquet of the wine to the air, which in turn increases the flavor perceived by the taster upon tasting the wine. The present application allows for greater aeration of the wine than a normal wine glass would allow.
Referring initially to Figs. 1-2, the wine glass 10 includes a bowl 12, a stem 14, and a foot 16. The bowl has an opening 18 at the top end for drinking. The bowl has a protrusion 20 at the bottom end, above where the stem 14 meets the bowl 12. In the example, the protrusion 20 is generally conically shaped with a rounded top surface; however, other shapes (e.g., circular, oval, square, rectangular, star, etc.) may be used, and alternatively the conical may have a pointed tip or apex. Although only one protrusion 20 is shown, any number of protrusions (i.e. one or more) may be provided to enhance aeration. When one protrusion is present, the protrusion is suitably disposed about the central axis of the bowl 12, for example, along the axis of the stem 14. When more than one protrusion is present, one of the protrusions may be disposed about the central axis of the bowl 12. Multiple protrusions may be symmetrically disposed about the central axis of the bowl 12 at the bottom end of the bowl 12.
As the wine is swirled by the taster, the liquid is forced to flow around the protrusion 20, thus creating turbulence to enhance the flow of oxygen to aerate the wine. Conveniently, the one or more protrusions are sized so as not to have a detrimental impact on the colour, clarity and general appearance of the wine (or other liquid) within the glass. In this way, the overall tasting experience is not adversely affected by the presence of the one or more protrusions. Thus, the one or more protrusions conveniently have a height of less than 50% of the depth (i.e. the vertical distance between the top and bottom ends) of the bowl 12. Suitably, the one or more protrusions have a height of less than approx. 30%, more suitably less than approx. 20% and, in some embodiments, less than approx. 10% of the depth of the bowl 12. Advantageously, for tasting, wine may be filled to above the height of the one or more protrusion. Thus, a relatively small quantity of liquid, for example, 30%, 20% or even 10% of the volume of the bowl may be sufficient to cover the one or more protrusion.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present application, as seen in Figs. 3-4, the wine glass 310 may include a protrusion 320 having a hole 322. The hole 322 may extend through the protrusion 320 to form a generally tubular bore. Hole 322 can allow the wine to flow therethrough. Consequently, as the wine is swirled by the taster, not only may turbulence be created by the protrusion 320, but the wine can also travel through the hole 322 to further enhance aeration.
Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which multiples holes 522 can be used. In the example of Fig. 5, the protrusion 520 has multiple holes 522a, b, c which extend parallel to each other. Although the holes extend parallel to one another in this example, other arrangements may be used. For example, any number of holes may be used and these holes can be arranged perpendicular and/or diagonal to each other, such as by intersecting at one or more points.
It is noted herein above that this invention contemplates any number of holes to allow for aeration of the wine. Moreover, although the holes are shown as being horizontal, they can alternatively and/or additionally extend at an angle to the horizontal plane, so that gravity assists with the aeration process.
The term "glass" as used in the phrase "drinking glass" or "wine glass" should not be taken to imply that the drinking vessel is necessarily made from glass. Thus, the wine glass described herein above can be composed of any suitable materials, but is preferably composed of glass, plastic, metal, or lead crystal. The bowl and the stem can be made as one integral piece or can be designed as two detachable pieces for easier storage. Similarly, in some embodiments, the protrusion may be formed separately to the bowl and attached to the interior surface of the bowl by any convenient method thereafter. Although the present invention is discussed with respect to wine, any liquid can be placed inside the bowl.
The shape of the bowl may be altered to suit the liquid that is placed inside. Traditionally, white wine is served in narrower glasses with an approximately cylindrical shaped bowl, and red wine is served in wider glasses with an approximately spherical shaped bowl. Champagne is typically served in a glass called a flute, which has a narrower and taller bowl than that used for white wine. A traditional wine glass has convex sides, which allows for the glass to be wider at the base to improve the wine-air interface, and narrower at the top to concentrate the aromas to the nose of the taster. The bowl of this invention may have a range of shapes including spherical and cylindrical, and may have convex sides, concave sides, or straight sides. The protrusion and hole(s) can improve the aeration, so that even in a glass that is narrower at the bottom of the bowl, the air-wine interface may be greater.
While the present invention is described with respect to particular examples and preferred embodiments, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to these examples and embodiments. The present invention as claimed therefore includes variations from the particular examples and preferred embodiments described herein, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

Claims

A drinking glass configured to hold a liquid therein, comprising:
a bowl having a top end and a bottom end, the bowl having an opening at the top end; and

a conically shaped protrusion integrally formed on an interior surface of the bottom end of the bowl,
wherein the protrusion is formed such that when the bowl is moved the protrusion creates turbulence to increase oxygen flow to enhance aeration of the liquid.
The drinking glass of Claim 1, which is a wine glass and/or wherein the liquid is wine.
The drinking glass of Claim 1 or Claim 2, further comprising a stem having a top and a bottom, the stem extending from the bottom end of an exterior surface of the bowl for supporting the bowl thereon.
The drinking glass of Claim 3, further comprising a foot connected to the bottom of the stem for supporting the stem and bowl thereon.
The drinking glass of any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the protrusion is symmetrical.
The drinking glass of any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the protrusion has at least one hole extending therethrough.
The drinking glass of Claim 6, wherein the at least one hole extends along a horizontal plane.
The drinking glass of Claim 6, wherein the at least one hole extends at an angle from a horizontal plane.
The drinking glass of any of Claims 6 to 8, further comprising a plurality of holes formed in the protrusion.
The drinking glass of Claim 9, wherein the plurality of holes are parallel to each other.
The drinking glass of Claim 9, wherein the plurality of holes intersect with each other.
A wine glass for holding wine, comprising:
a bowl having a top end and a bottom end, the bowl having an opening at the top end; and

a conically shaped protrusion integrally formed on an interior surface of the bottom end of the bowl, the protrusion having at least one hole extending therethrough,
wherein the protrusion is formed such that when the bowl is moved the protrusion creates turbulence to increase oxygen flow to enhance aeration of the wine.
The wine glass of Claim 12, further comprising a plurality of holes formed in the protrusion.
The wine glass of Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein the protrusion is symmetrical.
The wine glass of any of Claims 12 to 14, further comprising any of the features of Claims 2 to 11.