EP4247225A1

EP4247225A1 - Drinking system

Info

Publication number: EP4247225A1
Application number: EP22801793.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rudolf Ernst
Original assignee: August Toepfer & Co & Co Kg GmbH
Current assignee: August Toepfer & Co & Co Kg GmbH
Priority date: 2021-11-10
Filing date: 2022-10-13
Publication date: 2023-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2042-10-13
Also published as: DE102021129285A1; WO2023083557A1; CN118785835A; EP4247225C0; EP4461167A1; EP4247225B1

Abstract

A drinking system (1) is disclosed which comprises a drinking vessel (2) with a receiving chamber (3) for a liquid. A drinking straw (5) is arranged in the drinking vessel (2) and is guided into the receiving chamber (3). Furthermore, the drinking system (1) comprises a fragrance reservoir (9, 9') which is loaded with fragrance and has an inflow opening (10) for air and an outflow opening (11) for air enriched with fragrance. The drinking straw (5) is connected or is connectable to the outflow opening (11) in order to suck in air which is enriched with fragrance and exits from the outflow opening (11) of the fragrance reservoir (9). According to the invention, an injector pump arrangement (12) is provided in the drinking system (1), which injector pump arrangement (12) is connected to or integrated into the drinking straw (5) and is connected to a suction channel (8) of the drinking straw (5) by way of a main flow path which is surrounded by an outer wall, or is a constituent part of the suction channel (8). The injector pump arrangement has an intake opening (17) which is guided through the outer wall and is connected or is connectable in flow terms to the outflow opening (11, 11') of the fragrance reservoir (9, 9'). It further comprises the following components: a drive nozzle (14), an expansion chamber (15) which is connected directly downstream of the drive nozzle (14) in flow terms and into which the intake opening (17) opens, and a collector nozzle (16) which is connected directly downstream of the expansion chamber (15) in flow terms.

Description

hydration system

The present invention relates to a drinking system with the features of the preamble of claim 1 .

In the prior art, drinking systems are described that enable the consumption of water mixed with fragrances introduced into the air, which then occurs as a result of a sensory perception of what is known as retronasal smelling, in which the fragrances transported in the air via the mouth and pharynx are olfactorily sensory perceived but interpreted by the brain as a taste, appears to have a different taste from the taste of pure water. Depending on the selection of the fragrance, the drinking water seems to taste like orange, peppermint or something similar, although the substance consumed as a drink is still just drinking water.

Such a drinking system is disclosed, for example, in WO 2019/01 6096 A1. A drinking system developed by the inventors named in this disclosure based on the principles disclosed there is available on the market under the brand name Air Up®. A component of this drinking system is a drinking container, there in the form of a drinking bottle, into which a drinking straw protrudes, starting from a drinking opening at an upper end, up to or close to a bottom located at a lower end of the vessel. In a portion that is close to the drinking opening, an opening of smaller diameter compared to a cross section of the drinking straw is provided in an outer wall of the drinking straw. Another component of the drinking system is a fragrance reservoir that can be placed on the drinking container or fixed to it, which has an inflow opening and an outflow opening. The fragrance reservoir is loaded with a fragrance which is delivered to the air flowing through the fragrance reservoir from the inflow opening to the outflow opening. If the fragrance reservoir is arranged on the drinking vessel, the outflow opening is fluidically connected to the opening in the outer wall of the drinking straw. If a user of the drinking system sucks on the drinking straw, thereby triggering a flow of the drink contained in the drinking vessel, namely water, a negative pressure is created at the opening in the outer wall of the drinking straw, through which air is sucked in via the fragrance reservoir, which when flowing through of the fragrance reservoir is loaded with the fragrance and then reaches the mouth and throat area of the user together with the sucked-in water, where it causes the aforementioned effect of sensory perception through retronasal smelling and thus the desired taste impression determined by the type of fragrance.

Even though the known drinking system functions in principle, there are problems and disadvantages which lead to a feeling of drinking or drinking behavior when using the known drinking system that is perceived as unpleasant by the users. Users describe the feeling of drinking when using the well-known Air Up® bottle as "bubbly" or also as a feeling "like drinking through a straw with a hole".

This effect, which can be observed when using the Air Up® drinking system, is based on the following causes: In the known Air Up® brand drinking systems, the opening (suction opening) in the outer wall of the drinking straw provided for sucking in the air laden with the fragrance (suction opening) is located about 220 mm above the lower end of the drinking straw protruding into the drinking vessel. For example, when the bottle is almost completely empty, eg with a residual filling level of about 10 mm, there is a negative pressure at the suction opening which is generated by a 210 mm water column.

This corresponds to a pressure of about 2.1 hPa.

If the drinking vessel (drinking bottle) of the Air Up® drinking system is filled to the maximum level specified there as the maximum filling level, the filling level is 150 mm above the inflow opening at the lower end of the drinking straw, and the corresponding counter-pressure acts in the drinking straw . In this case, this reduces the negative pressure of the water column, which acts at the position of the intake opening for sucking in the air laden with fragrance, to about 680 hPa.

This results in a difference of around 310% between the negative pressure acting at the suction opening for the fragrance-laden air at the minimum and maximum level of the drinking bottle of the Air Up® drinking system, based on the minimum value. This is a very high value.

The effect of the static negative pressure acting on the suction opening in the Air Up® drinking system is also reflected in the fact that a user tries to drink liquid from the drinking bottle by sucking on the drinking straw without a scent reservoir fixed to the drinking bottle, only sucking in air through the suction opening can, but not liquid from the drinking bottle. This is due to the static negative pressure, already explained above, which prevails at the intake opening. This is so large that the suction power of a normal drinking user cannot overcome it.

The designers of the Air Up® drinking system solved this problem by making the inflow and outflow openings of the fragrance reservoir each have a very small diameter of between 0.5 and 1 mm. Included the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir consequently has a diameter that corresponds to the suction opening in the drinking straw. In this system, the fragrance reservoir thus represents a throttle which causes a pressure drop in the flow of the air laden with the fragrance. This pressure drop in the throttle compensates for most of the static negative pressure at the intake opening, so that a state of equilibrium is established which determines the ratio in which the air laden with the fragrance and the water sucked in from the drinking vessel mix.

However, since the static negative pressure in the drinking straw fluctuates greatly as the filling level changes, the mixing ratio of air and water changes as the bottle is emptied. So the system is unstable.

The Air Up® drinking system in its current design tries to counteract this problem by tapering the cross section of the drinking straw, starting from the lower end, where the liquid to be drunk is sucked in, to the suction opening for the scented air. The cross-section of the straw then remains constant in the further course, measuring approx. 18 mm in length, i.e. from the suction opening to the upper end of the drinking straw from which the user drinks. The reduction in cross-section from the bottom opening of the drinking straw to the section where the suction opening is located is around 65% with the Air Up® drinking system. The area of the cross-section of the drinking straw is reduced to about a third. This reduction in the cross-section causes a reciprocal increase in the flow rate, i.e. threefold. As a result of this increase in the flow speed, a dynamic negative pressure is generated in the liquid to be drunk, which is added to the static negative pressure prevailing at the suction opening.

With an assumed flow speed of 10 meters per second in the tapered end of the drinking straw, assuming constant drinking speed, a dynamic mixer negative pressure of around 450 hPa. This dynamic negative pressure is relevant in relation to the static negative pressure that acts in the drinking straw at the suction opening for the air laden with fragrance.

When the drinking bottle is filled to the maximum, the above value of the dynamic negative pressure in the drinking straw of the Air Up® drinking system is around 65%, or about 2/3, of the minimum static negative pressure in the drinking straw at the suction opening. With a minimally filled drinking bottle, on the other hand, this value is around 25% or 1/4 of the static negative pressure prevailing at the suction opening in the drinking straw.

The fact that, in contrast to the static negative pressure, the dynamic negative pressure is constant when drinking uniformly, means that the negative pressure acting at the inflow point of the perfumed air fluctuates less, namely not by the approximately 310% determined above for a drinking straw with a constant cross-sectional area, but only by 220%, in each case based on the minimum value.

However, when used by a user, the flow rate of the fluid in the drinking straw is not constant. Rather, this increases from zero to a maximum value at the beginning of the drinking process and falls from the maximum value back to zero at the end of the drinking process. The flow rate also fluctuates between two swallowing processes by the user. In this respect, the narrowing of the cross section of the drinking straw also contributes to the instability of the known drinking system.

The narrowing of the cross section replaces the large change in the static pressure conditions that gradually occurs as the bottle is emptied by the superimposition of the dynamic negative pressure and a relatively smaller change that is obtained in this way. However, the dynamic pressure and the pressure conditions in the drinking straw at the suction opening are superimposed by pulsations that are caused by transient processes and irregularities in the flow speed. In addition to the influence of the pressure conditions described above, the drinking behavior of the Air Up® drinking system is also affected by another phenomenon, which the inventor here calls the "soap bubble effect". Water bubbles, the diameter of which is significantly larger than the diameter of the inflow point. The size of the air bubbles at this point depends on the flow velocity and the surface tension at the interface between water and air. In fact, with the Air Up® hydration system, this is where it occurs Formation of very large air bubbles, which can even fill the entire cross-section of the drinking straw.

The air bubbles, which are also irregular in their size and extent, also lead to further instability of the system due to the fluctuations in the mean density of the water column caused by the air bubbles above the intake opening and thus the effective static negative pressure.

Proceeding from the prior art described above and the problems identified, it is the object of the present invention to improve a drinking system of the type mentioned at the outset, in particular to obtain a more stable and more pleasant drinking behavior.

This problem is solved by a drinking system with the features of claim 1 . Advantageous developments are specified in the dependent claims 2 to 12.

A drinking system according to the invention initially includes a drinking vessel. This drinking vessel includes a receiving space for a liquid. Furthermore, the drinking system contains a drinking straw which is arranged on the drinking vessel and is guided into the receiving space. The drinking straw has a first end at which it has an inlet opening. The drinking straw protrudes with this first end in the direction of a base of the receiving space. The drinking straw also has a second end at which it has a drinking opening. In the area of the second end, the drinking straw protrudes from the drinking vessel. A suction channel is formed in the drinking straw between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. The drinking system also includes a fragrance reservoir loaded with fragrance and having an inflow opening for air and an outflow opening for air enriched with fragrance. The drinking straw of the drinking system is connected or can be connected to the outflow opening for sucking in fragrance-enriched air emerging from the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir.

If the drinking system according to the invention still corresponds to the previously known drinking system in terms of features, the special thing about the drinking system according to the invention is that it has an injector pump arrangement that is connected to the drinking straw or integrated into it. The injector pump arrangement has a main flow path which is surrounded by an outer wall and is connected to the suction channel or is part of the suction channel. The injector pump arrangement also has a suction opening which is guided through the outer wall and which is fluidically connected or can be connected to the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir.

In any case, the injector pump arrangement provided according to the invention has the following components integrated in the main flow path in a direction pointing towards the second end of the drinking straw:

• a driving nozzle,

• an expansion chamber immediately downstream of the motive nozzle in terms of flow and

• a catch nozzle immediately downstream of the expansion chamber in terms of flow.

The suction opening opens into the expansion chamber of the injector pump arrangement.

According to the invention, the fragrance-enriched air flowing in from the fragrance reservoir is not sucked in through a simple hole in the drinking straw, as is the case in the prior art. Rather, this is done by the injector pump arrangement, which functions in the manner of a water jet pump and is formed with the elements of driving nozzle, expansion chamber and catching nozzle. When sucking on the second end of the drinking straw, liquid in the receiving space, typically water, is sucked in and passes through the propulsion nozzle into the expansion chamber. There, air enriched with fragrance is drawn in from the fragrance reservoir via the suction opening due to the resulting negative pressure. This air, enriched with fragrance, flows into the expansion chamber at this point and is entrained by the flow of liquid. The catching nozzle, which directs the flow of liquid into or into the suction channel of the drinking straw, is connected to the expansion chamber. This catching nozzle helps to stabilize the pressure conditions in the drinking straw and thus improves the drinking experience.

An inlet funnel which tapers conically towards the driving nozzle can be upstream of the driving nozzle in terms of flow technology. Such an inlet funnel causes the propulsion nozzle to act as a throttle in the liquid flow at the same time and thus creates a constant resistance that overlays the pressure drop caused by the inflow of the fragrance-enriched air through the suction opening and thus creates an improved, because more uniform, drinking experience for the user .

The inlet funnel can preferably be made very short with a steep cone angle. In particular, the inlet funnel can have a length which is 50% to 150% of the diameter of an inflow opening located at an inflow end. The diameter of this inflow opening can advantageously be 2.5 to 4 times as large as the diameter of the driving nozzle, in particular 3 to 3.5 times as large, for example about 3 times as large.

In a design as described above, the effect of the inlet funnel described above is particularly good.

The drinking system according to the invention can furthermore have a mixing chamber downstream of the catching nozzle in terms of flow, in particular directly, which has a larger diameter than the suction channel adjoining this mixing chamber. In such a configuration, the mixture produced in the injector pump arrangement set forth above is the liquid taken from the receiving space and the air enriched with fragrance are swirled in a mixing chamber in that the flow separates when it enters the mixing chamber and is thereby converted from a laminar to a turbulent flow. As a result of the turbulence in the mixing chamber, smaller air bubbles are formed from the large air bubbles formed by the air sucked in through the intake opening, which are present in a correspondingly larger number and distributed uniformly in the liquid flow. This also leads to an improvement in the feeling of drinking when using the drinking system according to the invention.

The mixing chamber can be designed to taper conically, in particular in the direction of the second end of the drinking straw, in particular with a cone angle of 3 to 15 degrees. The length of the mixing chamber can be between 5 and 10 times the diameter of the catcher nozzle. In such a configuration, the mixing chamber has proven to be particularly effective in breaking up and finely dispersing the air bubbles emerging from the intake port.

For mixing the sucked-in air charged with the fragrance and the sucked-in liquid, typically the water, another device can optionally be provided as an alternative or in addition, namely a static mixer. Such a static mixer is formed by an insert integrated into the drinking straw, more precisely into the flow channel formed in this, or such an installation, or a structure integrated there in the form of an interrupted helix. Such a structure also converts a laminar flow into a turbulent flow and thus promotes the above-described effect of reducing the size of the air bubbles entrained in the liquid and distributing them homogeneously in the liquid flow.

In principle, the injector pump arrangement provided according to the invention can be provided at any point in the longitudinal extent of the drinking straw. This can advantageously be arranged at the first end of the drinking straw, preferably including an optionally provided mixing chamber. With such an arrangement, there is the advantage that static in the expansion chamber Positive pressure acts and not static negative pressure, as is the case with the construction of the Air Up® system known from the prior art at the location of the suction opening provided there in the outer wall of the drinking straw. When the injector pump arrangement is placed at the first end of the drinking straw, as proposed, it effortlessly overcomes the static excess pressure acting in the expansion chamber.

When placing the injector pump arrangement at the first end of the drinking straw, it is advantageous to arrange a non-return valve between the intake opening of the injector pump arrangement and the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir, e.g. in the air line connecting these two openings, which allows the air enriched with fragrance to flow through only in the direction of the suction opening allowed. It can thus be prevented that liquid can get through the intake opening to the scent reservoir and penetrate into it. Such a non-return fitting can advantageously be designed as a mushroom valve, in particular made of silicone. Such a mushroom valve opens in that an edge of a mushroom disk of the valve is stretched in the circumferential direction and folded up.

The advantage of a solution as described last above is particularly stable and pleasant drinking behavior with the formation of very small bubbles that mix very well in the drinking straw. However, the drinking straw including the injector pump arrangement must first be emptied at the beginning of the drinking process, i.e. the volume must first be drunk by the user of the drinking system without the supply of air enriched with fragrance, so that the taste experience is delayed.

Further advantages and features of a drinking system according to the invention result from the following description of possible design variants with reference to the attached figures. show:

Figure 1: a schematic representation of a drinking system according to the invention in a possible embodiment variant;

FIG. 2: a schematic representation of a drinking system according to the invention in an alternative possible design variant; FIG. 3: in a schematic representation and enlarged, an injector pump arrangement of a drinking system according to the invention with an upstream inlet funnel and downstream mixing chamber;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a drinking system according to the invention in a further possible embodiment variant;

Figure 5 in two representations a. and b. enlarges the section labeled V in FIG. 4 to illustrate the valve arranged there, once in the closed (FIG. 5a) and once in the open (FIG. 5b) position;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the drinking system shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 in two representations a. and b. enlarges the section labeled VII in FIG. 6 to illustrate the inflow opening provided there and the associated air volume regulator in two different positions;

FIG. 8 shows a representation comparable to FIG. 4 of a further embodiment which is modified compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 by the addition of a static mixer; and

9 in three representations a. to c. increases the insert used in the static mixer in the form of a broken helix.

Various possible design variants of the invention are shown in schematic representations in the figures. These representations are not necessarily true to scale and also not true to detail. Rather, they serve to illustrate and explain the principle according to the invention in more detail and show the elements that are essential to the invention.

In Figures 1 and 2, two possible design variants of a drinking system according to the invention 1 (Figure 1), and 1 '(Figure 2) are shown. These two design variants have largely the same structure and can therefore be described together in the following. The respective drinking system 1, 1' includes a drinking vessel in the form of a drinking bottle 2. The drinking bottle 2 encloses a receiving space 3, in which a liquid, typically water or drinking water, can be received, indicated in FIG. 1 by a slightly wavy filling level line. The drinking bottle 2 is closed with a lid 4 at an upper end.

A drinking straw 5 extends into the receiving space 3, which protrudes with a first end 6 in the direction of a base of the receiving space 3, thus in the direction of a bottom of the drinking bottle 2, and with a second end 7 through the lid 4 of the drinking bottle 2 protrudes. Between the two ends 6, 7, a suction channel 8 is formed in the drinking straw.

Part of the drinking system 1 is also a scent reservoir 9, which is formed by a container in which a scent is stored. The scent reservoir 9 has an inflow opening 10 and an outflow opening 11 .

Furthermore, an injector pump arrangement 12 can be seen, which is arranged near the bottom of the drinking bottle 2 at the first end of the drinking straw 5 in the design variant shown in FIG. This injector pump arrangement has a driving nozzle 14 which is connected to an inlet funnel 13 on the inflow side. This has an expanded inlet opening that tapers conically down to the narrowed diameter of the driving nozzle 14 . The inlet opening of the inlet funnel 13 has a diameter which is approximately three times the diameter of the propulsion nozzle 14.

The propulsion nozzle 14 is followed by an expansion chamber 15, which in turn tapers conically towards a catching nozzle 16 with a reduced diameter. The catching nozzle 16 is followed by a mixing chamber 18 which widens conically in a first section and narrows again conically in a second section to a diameter which approximately corresponds to the inner diameter of the suction channel 8 in the drinking straw 5 . The cone angle of the mixing chamber 18 can in particular be between 3° and 15°. The length of the mixing chamber 18 can in particular be between 5 times and 10 times the diameter of the catching nozzle 16 .

A suction opening 17 is formed in the wall of the injection pump arrangement 12 in the area of the expansion chamber 15 . The suction opening 17 is in each case fluidically connected to the outflow opening 11 of the fragrance reservoir 9 . In the case of the drinking system 1 according to FIG. 1 shown in FIG. In the case of the drinking system 1' according to FIG a fluidic connection results, which can also be understood as indirect.

However, the two variants shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the basic structure and the effect of the injector pump arrangement 12 in common:

When a user of the drinking system 1 or the drinking system 1' sucks on the second end 7 of the drinking straw 5, the negative pressure thus generated ensures that liquid, typically water, located in the drinking bottle 2, in the receiving space 3, flows through the Insertion funnel 13 is sucked in. The liquid is then guided through the propulsion nozzle 14 and accelerated at this point due to the narrowing of the cross section. The liquid accelerated in this way then enters the expansion chamber 15, in which the accelerated jet of liquid creates a negative pressure. This negative pressure acts on the intake opening 17 so that air is sucked in through it, which then flows out of the fragrance reservoir 9 and is correspondingly enriched with the fragrance taken up there. This air is entrained by the liquid flowing through the expansion chamber 15 and flows together with the liquid through the catching nozzle 16 and into the mixing chamber 18 behind it. There the liquid flow first widens and then narrows again to about the cross section of the suction channel 8 of the Drinking straw 5, into which the liquid laden with the scented air then passes. In this passage through the mixing chamber 18 takes place a fine mixing of the liquid with the air takes place, starting from a few larger air bubbles in the liquid, many small such bubbles are formed.

The arrangement according to the invention significantly improves the feeling of drinking for a user of the drinking device 1 or 1' compared to the known prior art. This is due to various aspects. For example, the inlet funnel 13 causes the propulsion nozzle 14 not only to accelerate the flow of the incoming liquid and thereby generate a vacuum that is created at the suction opening 17 . The propulsion nozzle 14 is also used as a throttle in the liquid flow by the inlet funnel 13 and thus creates a constant resistance which superimposes the pressure drop due to the inflow of the air sucked in from the scent reservoir 9 and subjectively ensures an improved, more uniform drinking experience. The catching nozzle 16 arranged at the end of the expansion chamber 15 also contributes to stabilizing the pressure conditions in the drinking straw 5 and thus also improves the feeling of drinking.

The mixing chamber 18, which in the manner described above brings about a reduction in the size of the air bubbles entrained with the liquid flow and an intensive and uniform mixing of the air bubbles with the liquid, contributes to an improvement in the drinking experience.

FIG. 3 shows a possible embodiment variant of an injector pump arrangement 12 with an upstream inlet funnel 13 and a downstream mixing chamber 18 in an enlarged view. The above-described components of the injector pump arrangement 12 can be seen. Furthermore, a permanently formed line socket can be seen, which opens into the suction opening 17 and to which, for example, one of the air lines 19 or 20 can be connected.

Figures 4 to 7 show another possible embodiment of a drinking system 1 ". This is largely identical in structure, at least formed analogously to the drinking systems 1 and 1 'according to Figures 1 and 2. In this respect, reference can be made here to the above description and referenced become. In the following, the deviating configurations and features are explained in particular.

The drinking system 1″ also has an injector pump arrangement 12 as a central component with the individual components as described above. The injector pump arrangement 12 of the drinking system 1″ also works according to the principle described above. However, in the injector pump arrangement 12 of the drinking system 1″, the suction opening 17 is connected to the outflow opening 11′ of the fragrance reservoir 9′ via a line section 24 that is designed with a short flow path, in particular a significantly shorter flow path compared to the flow paths in the drinking systems 1 and 1′, thus largely without an air line 19 or 20 arranged in between, as provided in the embodiments of the drinking systems 1 and 1'. In order to achieve this, the fragrance reservoir 9 ′ in particular has a different shape and is arranged here directly on the side wall of the drinking bottle 2 . For this purpose, the fragrance reservoir 9' can, for example, be firmly connected to the side wall and fitted with a cartridge carrying the actual fragrance or flavoring substance or a similar component via an inspection opening (not shown in detail here). When the fragrance has been exhausted, this cartridge or the similar component can be replaced or refilled with a fragrance.

Due to the fact that the line section 24 is now significantly shorter in the drinking system 1" compared to the air lines 19 and 20 in the drinking systems 1 and 1', a significantly smaller dead volume is formed, so that when drinking the fragrance is more immediate or without a time delay is supplied to the drinker with the absorbed liquid.

Furthermore, the drinking system 1" is provided with various valves to prevent backflow or to ensure that air flows in when drinking. For example, a ventilation opening 25 is provided in the lid 4 of the drinking bottle 2 of the drinking system 1" through which air can flow into the Recording space 3 of the drinking bottle 2 can be tracked if there is a negative pressure. This ventilation opening 25 is closed with a valve 26, the example Can have the form of a so-called mushroom valve, as shown in the enlarged representation in FIG. The valve body of the valve 26 is made of an elastic material, for example silicone or another plastic, and in the normal state is in a closed position as shown in FIG. 5a, in which it closes the ventilation opening 25. If there is now a certain negative pressure in the receiving space 3, as occurs when sucking on the drinking straw 5, the valve body of the valve 26 is drawn into the receiving space and deforms in such a way that it releases the ventilation opening 25 and air can flow into the receiving space 3 .

A similar valve 27 is arranged on the outflow opening 11' of the fragrance reservoir 9'. This opens when there is a negative pressure in the line section 24 due to the effect described above in connection with the explanation of the injector pump arrangement 12 also used here, so that air can flow through the fragrance reservoir 9' and thereby absorb and carry fragrance. On the other hand, the valve 27 serves as a non-return valve, closing when there is overpressure in the line section 24 or when there is a negative pressure in the fragrance reservoir 9' compared to the line section 24, and thus prevents liquid from penetrating the receiving space 3 into the fragrance reservoir 9'.

Finally, another valve 28 is arranged in the area of the inflow opening 10' of the fragrance reservoir 9'. This normally closes this inflow opening 10' and can thus in particular also prevent volatile fragrance from escaping from the fragrance reservoir 9' through the inflow opening 10', in particular if the drinking system 1" is not used for a longer period of time. If a user sucks on the second end 7 of the Drinking straw 5 creates a vacuum at suction opening 17 due to the effects described above, this also acts on scent reservoir 9' and thereby opens valve 28.

Another special feature that is realized in the drinking system 1", but which - just like the design with one or more of the valves 26, 27 and 28 - can also be implemented in otherwise differently designed drinking systems, such as the drinking systems 1 and 1', is an air quantity regulator 29, which is provided in the area of the inflow opening 10'. This air quantity regulator is formed by a plate 30 which is rotatably attached to the fragrance reservoir 9' and on which a handle lever 31 for turning the plate 30 is arranged. Starting from an axis of rotation, the plate extends in different widths, with a varying diameter, here with a continuously tapering diameter. The dimensions of the plate 30 are selected and the plate 31 is arranged in such a way that in a suitable rotational position it completely covers the inflow opening 10' in areas with a large diameter, in a modified rotational position with areas with a smaller diameter the inflow opening 10' partially or also released in its entirety. Thus, the inflow opening 10' can not only be closed and opened with the air volume regulator 29, but an opening cross section and thus the inflowing air volume can also be regulated. This can be used in particular to regulate the amount of fragrance carried along in the stream of liquid sucked in at the second end 7 of the drinking straw 5 when sucking and thus to influence the intensity of the fragrance experience or the taste experience simulated by retronasal smelling and to determine.

In addition to the fact that such an air volume regulator 29 can also be used in connection with other implementations of the drinking system, other structural designs can also be selected here, e.g. in the form of sliders covering the inflow opening with varying overlap or the like.

Finally, Figures 8 and 9 show a further embodiment variant of a drinking system 1" according to the invention. In terms of the essential design features, this corresponds to the embodiment variant described above with reference to Figures 4 to 7, so that reference can be made to the above description of these figures, which accordingly also applies to the variant shown in FIGS. The difference between the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 consists in a static mixer 32 provided here in addition to the mixing chamber 18, which is integrated into the flow channel or the suction channel of the drinking straw or is directly connected to it. This static mixer 32 is an insert placed in the flow channel or an installation integrated there in the form of an interrupted helical baffle 33, as shown in FIGS. 9a to c in three views, a three-dimensional view (FIG. 9a), a side view (FIG. 9b) and a view from above, ie in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the flow channel with the baffle wall 33 inserted (FIG. 9c). This mixer 32 is therefore referred to as "static" because it has no moving parts. A laminar flow entering this static mixer is converted into a turbulent flow by the helical segments of the baffle 33, so that in this mixer 32 a separation of the larger air bubbles entrained in the liquid flow and taken up via the injector pump arrangement 12 into a higher number of smaller air bubbles and a homogeneous mixing of these air bubbles with the liquid flow is achieved, even if the static mixer 32 is shown here as an additional element to the mixing chamber 18 and the latter arranged downstream is, this can also be used instead of the mixing chamber 18 or in a mixing chamber 18 upstream arrangement.

In the embodiment variants shown according to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 8, the injector pump arrangement 12 is shown arranged in each case on the first end 6 of the drinking straw 5 and as an independent part. However, the injector pump arrangement 12 can also be arranged at a different position of the drinking straw 5, in particular near its second end 7, or can be integrated into the drinking straw at any desired position. The optionally provided mixing chamber 18 can also be integrated at a position remote from the injector pump arrangement 12 . The only important thing is that a possible mixing chamber 18 is arranged behind the expansion chamber 15 or behind the catching nozzle 16 in terms of flow technology. The embodiments described above and shown in the figures are only to be understood as possible examples. Other configurations that also satisfy the principle of this invention and benefit from its advantages will come to mind for those skilled in the art.

Reference List

hydration system

2 drinking bottle

3 recording room

4 lids

5 drinking straw

6 first end

7 second end

8 suction channel

9, 9' fragrance reservoir

10, 10' inflow opening

1 1 , 1 1 ' outflow opening

12 injector pump assembly

13 inlet funnel

14 driving nozzle

15 expansion chamber

16 catcher nozzle

17 intake port

18 mixing chamber

19 air line

20 air line

21 free end

22 headspace

23 pipe sockets

24 line section

25 ventilation opening

26 valve

27 valve

28 valve

29 air flow regulator

30 plates

31 grip lever

32 static mixer

33 helical baffle

Claims

Expectations

1 . Hydration system (1, 1', 1") with

• a drinking vessel (2) defining a receiving space (3) for a liquid,

• one arranged on the drinking vessel (2), leading into the receiving space (3), with a first end (6) having an inlet opening protruding in the direction of a base of the receiving space (3) and with a second end (7) having a drinking opening and with a drinking straw (5) which has a suction channel (8) between the inlet opening and the outlet opening and protrudes from the drinking vessel (2),

• a fragrance-loaded, an inflow opening (10, 10 ') for air and an outflow opening (1 1, 1 1') for fragrance-enriched air having fragrance reservoir (9, 9 '), wherein the drinking straw (5) for sucking from the outflow opening (1 1, 1 1 ') of the fragrance reservoir (9, 9') exiting, air enriched with fragrance is connected or connectable to the outflow opening (1 1, 1 1 '), characterized by an injector pump assembly (12), the connected to the drinking straw (5) or integrated in it and connected to the suction channel (8) with a main flow path surrounded by an outer wall or is a component of the suction channel (8) and which has a suction opening (17) guided through the outer wall, which with the outflow opening (1 1 , 1 1 ') of the fragrance reservoir (9, 9') is or can be connected in terms of flow, with the injector pump arrangement (12) in any case following in a direction pointing towards the second end of the drinking straw (5), in the main flow path has integrated components:

• a driving nozzle (14),

• an expansion chamber (15) immediately downstream of the driving nozzle (14) in terms of flow and

• a catching nozzle (16) immediately downstream of the expansion chamber (15) in terms of flow, the suction opening (17) opening into the expansion chamber (15). Drinking system (1, 1', 1") according to Claim 1, characterized in that the injector pump arrangement (12) has an inlet funnel (13) which tapers conically towards the driving nozzle (14) upstream of the driving nozzle (14) in terms of flow. 1', 1") according to claim 2, characterized in that the inlet funnel (13) at an inflow opening located at an inflow end has a diameter which is 2.5 to 4 times, in particular 3 to 3.5 times, as large is like a diameter of the driving nozzle (14). Drinking system (1, 1', 1'') according to claim 3, characterized in that the inlet funnel (13) has an axial longitudinal extension taken in the direction of the suction channel (8) of 50% to 1 50% of the diameter of the inflow opening. Drinking system (1, 1', 1") according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a mixing chamber (18) which is downstream of the catching nozzle (16) in terms of flow, in particular directly, and has an enlarged diameter compared to the suction channel (8) adjoining it. Drinking system (1 , 1', 1") according to claim 5, characterized in that the mixing chamber (18) tapers conically in the direction of the second end (7) of the drinking straw (5). Drinking system (1, 1', 1") according to claim 6, characterized in that the mixing chamber (18) tapers conically with a cone angle of 3° to 15°. Drinking system (1, 1', 1") according to one of the claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the mixing chamber (18) has an axial longitudinal extension taken in the direction of the suction channel (8) between 5 and 10 times the diameter of the catching nozzle (16). Drinking system (1, 1', 1" according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a static mixer (32) being provided in the suction channel (8) or connected to it in the same longitudinal extension, with an impact wall element ( 33). Drinking system (1, 1', 1") according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the injector pump arrangement (12) is arranged in the region of the first end (6) of the drinking straw (5). Drinking system (1, 1'). , 1 ") according to claim 10, characterized by a non-return fitting (28) arranged between the suction opening (17) of the injector pump arrangement (12) and the outflow opening (1 1 , 1 1 ') of the fragrance reservoir (9. 9') which allows a flow through with the air enriched with fragrance only in the direction of the intake opening (17). Drinking system (1, 1', 1") according to Claim 1 1, characterized by a mushroom valve, in particular made of silicone, as the non-return fitting (28).