EP4154771A1 - Beverage container - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a beverage container (2) having a cup (4) with an inner wall (6) which delimits a receiving space (8) for liquid that is open on an upper side (O) of the cup (4), the cup (4) also has an outer wall (10), wherein between the inner wall (6) and the outer wall (10) there is an intermediate space (12) open at the top (O) and a cover (14) which is placed on the top (O) of the Cup (4) is arranged so that it can be removed in such a way that it seals a receiving space opening (16) and an intermediate space opening (18) in a fluid-tight manner, with a sensor unit (20) being arranged in the cover (14) which is set up in such a way that it can be connected to a mobile end device (28 ) of the user to form a data connection and to transmit the detected amount of liquid to the user's mobile terminal device (28) for evaluation, the sensor unit (20) also being set up to detect organic pollutants, in particular bacteria and/or viruses in the saliva of the user and/or or at least to record a vital value that can be derived from the user's saliva.

Description

The invention relates to a beverage container.

Beverage containers, particularly reusable beverage containers, are becoming increasingly popular.

Nowadays such beverage containers are available and can be used in many configurations, in many colors and also personalized. They also make it possible to take both hot drinks, such as coffee or tea, and cold drinks, such as water or soft drinks, leak-proof and consume them almost anywhere.

Such a beverage container usually has a cup with a wall that delimits an interior space. The interior is used to hold the drink. Furthermore, known beverage containers have a lid that is removably arranged on an opening of the cup.

Due to the age of so-called fitness health apps and so-called sports tracking, there is an increasing need for collected fitness or "health" data in order to enable users of such apps to carry out a detailed evaluation of their lifestyle, in particular their diet . In addition to vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure or oxygen saturation, fitness data can also include the amount of liquid consumed over a certain period of time.

With regard to the last-mentioned aspect in particular, it is often necessary for the user to enter the amount of liquid drunk manually before the applications determine whether enough or too little liquid has been consumed.

As prior art can U.S. 2016/088960 A1 , U.S. 2020/029714 A1 , DE 20 2017 000580 U1 and CN 110 680 150A to be named.

Proceeding from this, the invention is based on the object of specifying a beverage container with the aid of which a user is able to record the amount of liquid consumed in a simple and, in particular, automated manner.

The object is achieved according to the invention by a beverage container with the features of claim 1. Advantageous configurations, developments and variants are the subject of claims 2 to 10.

Specifically, the task is solved by a beverage container that has a cup and a lid. In this case, the cup has an inner wall which delimits a receiving space for liquid which is open on an upper side of the cup. The cup also has an outer wall, with an intermediate space which is also open at the top being formed between the inner wall and the outer wall. In other words, the cup is double-walled.

The lid is arranged on the upper side of the cup so that it can be removed in such a way that it seals an interior opening and an intermediate space opening in a fluid-tight manner, so that no liquid can escape during transport or if the filled beverage container falls over.

In the context of this application, the term “liquid” can be understood to mean beverages in general and, for example, but not restrictively, the hot or cold beverages mentioned at the outset.

According to the invention, a sensor unit is arranged in the cover. The sensor unit is used to record the amount of liquid removed from the cup by a user. In other words, the sensor unit detects the amount of liquid drunk by the user.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the beverage container has a wireless communication unit which is set up in such a way that it forms a data connection with a mobile terminal device of the user and transmits the detected amount of liquid to the mobile terminal device of the user for evaluation.

In this context, the mobile terminal can generally be understood to mean an electronic communication device or a (portable) computer. Specifically, the mobile terminal is, for example, a mobile phone (smartphone), a tablet or a personal digital assistant (PDA). The data connection can be, for example, a known short-range data connection, such as Bluetooth. This enables the greatest possible compatibility of the beverage container and the user's mobile end devices.

The evaluation can be carried out, for example, by a fitness or health app, which puts the recorded value in relation to a recommended amount of liquid and informs the user accordingly whether and/or if he has drunk enough. The user thus always knows how much liquid he has already consumed per unit of time, for example per day, and how much he should possibly still be drinking. Furthermore, the evaluation can also be designed in such a way that the user is reminded to drink by notification. This detection and evaluation takes place fully automatically while the user is drinking from the beverage container, since the amount of liquid drunk previously flows through the sensor unit. The user therefore does not have to record or enter the amount drunk manually.

In addition, the sensor unit is also set up to detect organic pollutants, in particular bacteria and/or viruses and/or at least one vital value that can be derived from the user's saliva. In this context, the wireless communication unit is also set up to transmit this recorded data to the user's mobile terminal device for evaluation.

The detection of such organic pollutants is based on the idea of warning the user if the saliva contains an increased level of pollutants (eg an increased number of bacteria and/or viruses). This can be a sign of an impending illness, for example. The user can be evaluated and warned, for example, by means of and through the above-mentioned fitness health app, which is stored on the user's mobile device.

The at least one vital sign can, for example, not be limited to the (blood) sugar level, the detection and evaluation of which is very relevant for diabetics in particular. Rather, however, other similarly derivable vital values can also be recorded.

The advantage of this refinement lies in the expanded detection of parameters that enable the user to obtain information about his state of health and/or his diet in a simple manner.

In a further embodiment, the cup and/or the lid has an electrical energy store. The electrical energy store, which is preferably in the form of a rechargeable battery, is used to supply the sensor unit and/or the wireless communication unit with electrical energy.

According to a further embodiment, the cup has a charging element for wired and/or wireless charging of the electrical energy store. In this context, the term “wireless charging” can be understood to mean, for example, inductive charging. The charging element can be arranged in the bottom of the cup, for example, so that the beverage container is placed on an inductive charging station for charging, similar to the inductive charging of today's smartphones.

As an alternative or in addition to this, the charging element is designed for wired charging of the electrical energy store.

This enables the electrical energy store to be charged easily.

In order to visualize a current state of charge of the electrical energy store, the cover has a display element for displaying the state of charge of the electrical energy store. In the simplest case, this can be an LED that lights up green, for example, when the state of charge of the electrical energy store is still sufficient. For example, if the LED is red, this is an indication of a low charge condition and the beverage container should be charged according to the options above.

Alternatively or in addition to this, the state of charge of the electrical energy storage device can also be transmitted to the wireless communication unit be transmitted to the user's mobile device so that the user can check the state of charge of the electrical energy storage device on the mobile device.

Furthermore, as an alternative or in addition, the established data connection can also be visualized by the display element, ie when the beverage container has been successfully connected to the mobile terminal device. For this purpose, the display element can light up in another color, for example blue.

In one embodiment, the cover has a tubular mouthpiece in which the sensor unit is arranged. The mouthpiece makes it easier to drink from the beverage container and to record the amount of liquid drunk.

Furthermore, in a further embodiment, the cover has a cover flap and a folding mechanism. In the simplest configuration, the folding mechanism is a hinge. The cover flap is pivotally mounted on the folding mechanism from a closed position to an open position and vice versa. By “folding up” the cover flap, the mouthpiece becomes accessible, for example, so that the user can drink through it. Furthermore, the mouthpiece is protected from dirt by the folded-down cover flap, e.g. when transporting the beverage container.

According to one development, the folding mechanism and the communication unit are designed in such a way that the data connection with the user's mobile terminal device is established when the cover flap is pivoted from the closed position into the open position. As a result, on the one hand, the data connection is only established when it is also intended to transmit recorded values and, on the other hand, the service life per charging of the electrical energy store is extended, since the data connection is not permanently active.

In one embodiment, the sensor unit has a turbine sensor or an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the amount of liquid removed. With a turbine sensor, the liquid flows through a turbine-like component that is rotatably mounted. By the As the liquid flows through, the turbine-like component rotates and activates a counter that uses the number of revolutions to determine the amount of liquid that has flowed through the sensor. Flow sensor types of this type for detecting amounts of liquid are available on the open market in various variants and configurations, which simplifies the construction or configuration of the beverage container.

In order to reuse the beverage container and to be able to transport it more easily, the cup and/or the lid has a plastic or the cup and/or the lid is made of a plastic. This can be a plastic that is customary in the beverage industry and specifically in the production of beverage containers. By using plastic, the beverage container is also better protected against damage (e.g. by hitting the ground) than fragile materials such as porcelain.

In order to be able to transport the beverage container more easily and in a more manageable manner, the cup has a volume with a value in the range from 0.2 l to 1.5 l, preferably in the range between 0.5 l and 1 l and in particular with a value of 0.75 l.

Another aspect within the scope of this application is a beverage cup,
a filling liquid and removable filling elements being arranged in the intermediate space.

The filling liquid can be, for example, a liquid that insulates against heat and/or cold, so that liquids filled into the cup are kept warm or cold.

The filling elements are, for example, optically appealing figures that the user can use to individualize the beverage container. The filling elements are arranged interchangeably in the filling liquid. In this case, the density of the filling elements preferably has a value through which they neither drift to the surface, ie in the direction of the opening, nor to the bottom of the cup. In other words, the filling elements “float” in the filling liquid.

Furthermore, the outer wall of the cup is transparent in one embodiment, so that the filling elements are visible from the outside.

In one embodiment, the filling elements are designed differently in terms of their shape and/or their size, which leads to a greater possibility of variation for the user.

Fig. 1

einen Längsschnitt durch einen erfindungsgemäßen Getränkebehälter bei geschlossener Deckelklappe sowie

Fig. 2

einen Längsschnitt durch einen erfindungsgemäßen Getränkebehälter bei geöffneter Deckelklappe.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. These show in a partially greatly simplified representation:

1

a longitudinal section through a beverage container according to the invention with the lid closed and

2

a longitudinal section through a beverage container according to the invention with the cover flap open.

Components with the same effect are always shown with the same reference symbols in the figures.

In 1 a longitudinal section through an embodiment of the beverage container 2 according to the invention is shown. The beverage container 2 has a cup 4 with an inner wall 6 . The inner wall 6 delimits a receiving space 8 for liquid, which is open on an upper side O of the cup 4 .

Furthermore, the cup 4 has an outer wall 10 . Between the inner wall 6 and the outer wall 10 there is also an intermediate space 12 which is open at the top O.

Furthermore, the beverage container 2 has a lid 14 which is arranged on the upper side of the cup 4 so that it can be removed in such a way that it closes a receiving space opening 16 and an intermediate space opening 18 .

A sensor unit 20 is arranged in the cover 14 for detecting the amount of liquid removed from the cup 4 by a user.

In 1 the cover 14 is also shown in a closed position. For closing and opening, i.e. transferring the cover 14 from a closed position to an open position, the cover 14 has a cover flap 22 and a folding mechanism 24 (which is only shown in the figures in a greatly simplified manner as a hinge), the cover flap 22 being pivotably mounted on the folding mechanism 24 in order to be able to assume the aforementioned positions.

Furthermore, the cover 14 has a wireless communication unit 26, which is only shown as a rectangle for the sake of simplicity. The wireless communication unit 26 is set up in such a way that it forms a data connection with a mobile terminal device 28 (likewise only shown in simplified form as a rectangle) of the user. The data connection is shown or indicated schematically in the figures by the dashed arrow. The wireless communication unit 26 and the data connection formed by it are also used to transmit the detected, withdrawn amount of liquid to the user's mobile terminal device 28 for evaluation.

In the embodiment according to 1 the cover 14 has an electrical energy store 30, which is likewise shown in simplified form as a rectangle. The electrical energy store 30 serves to supply the sensor unit 20 and/or the wireless communication unit 26 with electrical energy.

In order to charge the electrical energy store 30 , the cup 4 has a charging element 32 which, in this exemplary embodiment, is designed as a wireless charging element for inductively charging the electrical energy store 30 . In addition or as an alternative to this, the cup 4 or the lid 14 can also have a charging element 32 for wired charging of the electrical energy store 30 . In the exemplary embodiment, the charging element 32 is arranged in the base of the cup 4 so that it is sufficient to simply place the cup 4 on an inductive charging station provided for this purpose in order to charge the electrical energy store 30 .

In order to display a state of charge of the electrical energy store 30, the cover also has a display element 34 designed as an LED in the exemplary embodiment.

Furthermore, and with reference to a further aspect of the present invention, a filling liquid (not shown in the figures) is arranged in the intermediate space 12, in which filling elements 36 that can be removed are arranged. The filling elements 36 are visualized in the figures as crescents. The filling elements 36 serve a Individualization of the beverage container 2 and are visible due to a preferably transparent, ie translucent design of the outer wall 10. When the cover 14 is completely removed, the filling elements 36 can be removed from the filling liquid and, for example, replaced by other filling elements 36 in order to enable the above-mentioned individualization.

In 2 is also the longitudinal section through the embodiment of the beverage container 2 according to the invention 1 shown. Essentially, this representation corresponds to the illustration already described above, so that in the following, to avoid repetition, only the differences are referred to.

Again 2 can be seen, the cover 14 and in particular the cover flap 22 is in the open position. In other words, the cover flap 22 is shown in FIG 2 unfolded upwards.

As a result, a mouthpiece 38 is visible, which is arranged on the cover 14 . According to the 2 embodiment shown, the sensor unit 20 is arranged in the mouthpiece 38 .

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. On the contrary, other variants of the invention can also be derived from this by a person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all of the individual features described in connection with the exemplary embodiments can also be combined with one another in other ways without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

• Ausführungsform 1:
  Getränkebehälter aufweisend:
  • einen Becher mit einer Innenwand, die einen an einer Oberseite des Bechers offenen Aufnahmeraum für Flüssigkeit begrenzt, wobei der Becher ferner eine Außenwand aufweist, wobei zwischen der Innenwand und der Außenwand ein an der Oberseite offener Zwischenraum ausgebildet ist sowie
  • einen Deckel, der derart auf der Oberseite des Bechers abnehmbar angeordnet ist, dass er eine Aufnahmeraumöffnung und eine Zwischenraumöffnung fluiddicht verschließt,
  wobei
  • in dem Deckel eine Sensoreinheit angeordnet ist, zur Erfassung einer aus dem Becher von einem Nutzer entnommenen Flüssigkeitsmenge, und
  • der Deckel eine drahtlose Kommunikationseinheit aufweist, die derart eingerichtet ist, mit einem mobilen Endgerät des Nutzers eine Datenverbindung auszubilden und die erfasste Flüssigkeitsmenge zur Auswertung an das mobile Endgerät des Nutzers zu übermitteln.
• Ausführungsform 2:
  Getränkebecher nach Ausführungsform 1,
  wobei die Sensoreinheit ferner dazu eingerichtet ist, organische Schadstoffe, insbesondere Bakterien und/oder Viren im Speichel des Nutzers und/oder zumindest einen aus dem Speichel des Nutzers ableitbaren Vitalwert zu erfassen.
• Ausführungsform 3:
  Getränkebehälter nach Ausführungsform 1 oder 2,
  wobei der Becher und/oder der Deckel einen elektrischen Energiespeicher aufweist.
• Ausführungsform 4:
  Getränkebehälter nach Ausführungsform 3,
  wobei der Becher ein Ladeelement zum kabelgebundenen und/oder drahtlosen Laden des elektrischen Energiespeichers aufweist.
• Ausführungsform 5:
  Getränkebehälter nach einer der Ausführungsformen 3 oder 4,
  wobei der Deckel ein Anzeigeelement zum Anzeigen eines Ladezustands des elektrischen Energiespeichers aufweist.
• Ausführungsform 6:
  Getränkebehälter nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei der Deckel ein Mundstück aufweist, in dem die Sensoreinheit angeordnet ist.
• Ausführungsform 7:
  Getränkebehälter nach einer der vorgehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei der Deckel eine Deckelklappe und einen Klappmechanismus aufweist, an dem die Deckelklappe von einer geschlossenen Stellung in eine offene Stellung und umgekehrt schwenkbar gelagert ist.
• Ausführungsform 8:
  Getränkebehälter nach Ausführungsform 7,
  wobei der Klappmechanismus und die drahtlose Kommunikationseinheit derart ausgebildet sind, die Datenverbindung mit dem mobilen Endgerät beim Schwenken der Deckelklappe von der geschlossenen Stellung in die offene Stellung auszubilden.
• Ausführungsform 9:
  Getränkebehälter nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei die Sensoreinheit einen Turbinensensor oder einen Ultraschallsensor zur Erfassung der entnommenen Flüssigkeitsmenge aufweist.
• Ausführungsform 10:
  Getränkebehälter nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei der Becher und/oder der Deckel einen Kunststoff aufweisen.
• Ausführungsform 11:
  Getränkebehälter nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei der Aufnahmeraum ein Volumen mit einem Wert im Bereich von 0,2l bis 1,5l, vorzugsweise im Bereich zwischen 0,5l und 1l und insbesondere mit einem Wert von 0,75l aufweist.
• Ausführungsform 12:
  Getränkebehälter aufweisend:
  • einen Becher mit einer Innenwand, die einen an einer Oberseite des Bechers offenen Aufnahmeraum für Flüssigkeit begrenzt, wobei der Becher ferner eine Außenwand aufweist, wobei zwischen der Innenwand und der Außenwand ein an der Oberseite offener Zwischenraum ausgebildet ist sowie
  • einen Deckel, der derart auf der Oberseite des Bechers abnehmbar angeordnet ist, dass er eine Aufnahmeraumöffnung und eine Zwischenraumöffnung fluiddicht verschließt,
  wobei in dem Zwischenraum eine Füllflüssigkeit sowie entnehmbare Füllelemente angeordnet sind.
• Ausführungsform 13:
  Getränkebehälter nach Ausführungsform 12,
  wobei die Außenwand transparent ausgebildet ist.
• Ausführungsform 14:
  Getränkebehälter nach Ausführungsform 12 oder 13,
  wobei die Füllelemente in ihrer Form und/oder Größe unterschiedlich ausgebildet sind.

The invention also includes the following embodiments:

• Embodiment 1:
  Beverage container comprising:
  • a beaker having an inner wall defining a liquid receiving space open at a top of the beaker, the beaker further having an outer wall, an open-topped space being formed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and
  • a lid that is detachably arranged on the top of the cup in such a way that it fluid-tightly closes an accommodation space opening and an intermediate space opening,
  whereby
  • a sensor unit is arranged in the lid for detecting a quantity of liquid removed from the cup by a user, and
  • the lid has a wireless communication unit which is set up in such a way that it forms a data connection with a mobile terminal device of the user and transmits the detected quantity of liquid to the mobile terminal device of the user for evaluation.
• Embodiment 2:
  beverage cup according to embodiment 1,
  wherein the sensor unit is also set up to detect organic pollutants, in particular bacteria and/or viruses in the saliva of the user and/or at least one vital sign that can be derived from the saliva of the user.
• Embodiment 3:
  Beverage container according to embodiment 1 or 2,
  wherein the cup and/or the lid has an electrical energy store.
• Embodiment 4:
  beverage container according to embodiment 3,
  wherein the cup has a charging element for wired and/or wireless charging of the electrical energy store.
• Embodiment 5:
  Beverage container according to one of the embodiments 3 or 4,
  wherein the cover has a display element for displaying a state of charge of the electrical energy store.
• Embodiment 6:
  Beverage container according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the lid has a mouthpiece in which the sensor unit is arranged.
• Embodiment 7:
  Beverage container according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the lid has a lid flap and a folding mechanism on which the lid flap is pivotably mounted from a closed position to an open position and vice versa.
• Embodiment 8:
  beverage container according to embodiment 7,
  wherein the folding mechanism and the wireless communication unit are designed in such a way that the data connection with the mobile terminal device is established when the cover flap is pivoted from the closed position into the open position.
• Embodiment 9:
  Beverage container according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the sensor unit has a turbine sensor or an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the amount of liquid removed.
• Embodiment 10:
  Beverage container according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the cup and/or the lid comprise a plastic.
• Embodiment 11:
  Beverage container according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the receiving space has a volume with a value in the range from 0.2l to 1.5l, preferably in the range between 0.5l and 1l and in particular with a value of 0.75l.
• Embodiment 12:
  Beverage container comprising:
  • a beaker having an inner wall defining a liquid receiving space open at a top of the beaker, the beaker further having an outer wall, an open-topped space being formed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and
  • a lid that is detachably arranged on the top of the cup in such a way that it fluid-tightly closes an accommodation space opening and an intermediate space opening,
  a filling liquid and removable filling elements being arranged in the intermediate space.
• Embodiment 13:
  beverage container according to embodiment 12,
  the outer wall being transparent.
• Embodiment 14:
  Beverage container according to embodiment 12 or 13,
  wherein the filling elements are designed differently in their shape and/or size.

Reference List

2

beverage container

4

A cup

6

inner wall

8th

recording room

10

outer wall

12

space

14

Lid

16

recording room opening

18

gap opening

20

sensor unit

22

cover flap

24

folding mechanism

26

wireless communication unit

28

mobile device

30

electrical energy storage

32

loading element

34

display element

36

filling element

38

mouthpiece

O

top

Claims (13)

Beverage container (2) having: - A cup (4) with an inner wall (6) which delimits a receiving space (8) open to a top (O) of the cup (4) for liquid, the cup (4) further having an outer wall (10), wherein between the inner wall (6) and the outer wall (10) there is an intermediate space (12) open at the top (O) and - a lid (14) which is arranged on the upper side (O) of the cup (4) so that it can be removed in such a way that it closes a receiving space opening (16) and an intermediate space opening (18) in a fluid-tight manner, whereby - A sensor unit (20) is arranged in the cover (14) for detecting a quantity of liquid removed from the cup (4) by a user, and - the cover (14) has a wireless communication unit (26) which is set up in such a way that it forms a data connection with a mobile terminal device (28) of the user and transmits the detected amount of liquid to the mobile terminal device (28) of the user for evaluation, whereby the sensor unit (20) is also set up to detect organic pollutants, in particular bacteria and/or viruses in the user's saliva and/or to record at least one vital sign that can be derived from the user's saliva. Beverage container (2) according to claim 1,
wherein the cup (4) and/or the lid (14) has an electrical energy store (30). Beverage container (2) according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the cup (4) has a charging element (32) for wired and/or wireless charging of the electrical energy store (30). Beverage container (2) according to one of claims 2 or 3,
wherein the cover (14) has a display element (34) for displaying a state of charge of the electrical energy store (30). Beverage container (2) according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the cover (14) has a mouthpiece (38) in which the sensor unit (20) is arranged. Beverage container (2) according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the cover (14) has a cover flap (22) and a folding mechanism (24) on which the cover flap (22) is pivotably mounted from a closed position to an open position and vice versa. Beverage container (2) according to claim 6,
wherein the folding mechanism (24) and the wireless communication unit (26) are designed in such a way that the data connection with the mobile terminal device (28) is established when the cover flap (22) is pivoted from the closed position into the open position. Beverage container (2) according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the sensor unit (20) has a turbine sensor or an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the amount of liquid removed. Beverage container (2) according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the cup (4) and/or the lid (14) comprise a plastic. Beverage container (2) according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the receiving space (8) has a volume with a value in the range from 0.2l to 1.5l, preferably in the range between 0.5l and 1l and in particular with a value of 0.75l. Beverage container (2) according to one of the preceding claims,
a filling liquid and removable filling elements (36) being arranged in the intermediate space (12). Beverage container according to claim 11,
the outer wall (10) being transparent. Beverage container according to claim 11 or 12,
wherein the filling elements (36) are designed differently in terms of their shape and/or size.

Images