GB2539682A

GB2539682A - Beverage receptacle with perforated partition

Info

Publication number: GB2539682A
Application number: GB1511077.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jean Paterson Caroline
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-06-23
Filing date: 2015-06-23
Publication date: 2016-12-28
Also published as: GB201511077D0

Abstract

A beverage container 2c, 3c, 4c with a perforated partition 7c extending internally upwards from or near the base 2c of the container. The perforated partition 7c has a lip 9c protruding towards a chamber intended to hold ice or garnishes 6c. The lip 9c inhibits ice 6c from passing over the top of the perforated partition 7c. The perforated partition 7c separates the ice 6c from the drinking passage 10c but the perforations 8c allow liquid to pass through forming an unobstructed drinking passage 10c that allows liquid to level out before being consumed. The perforations may be sized and shaped to form letters, numbers of patterns (see figure 4).

Description

BACKGROUND AND RELATED ART

Ice is added to some beverages to take heat away from the liquid, consequently cooling the drink. This process aims to make the drinking experience more refreshing and pleasurable in terms of temperature. When drinking from a vessel ice can obstruct the flow of liquid into the consumer's mouth and can often enter or contact the mouth of the consumer making it uncomfortable, particularly for people with sensitive teeth. If an ice cube falls from the top of the stack (or rushes from the bottom of the container) when tipped it can cause splashes which may exit the beverage onto the persons face or clothing, again making the experience frustrating.

This issue has been addressed in prior art whereby a number of ice retaining devices have been invented for insertion into a beverage container. An example of which is U.S.Pat. No. 08/993,761 published on 29/12/1998 which describes (according to abstract) An ice retaining apparatus for use in a drinking vessel comprises a generally semi-circular surface which defines a plurality of orifices there through' (M. Galluzzo, 1997).

There have also been inventions which are integrated into the vessel to address these issues. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 12/801,722 published on 22/12/2011 which describes (according to the field of invention) an 'ice flow dam disposed integrally therewith and extending at least partially about the upper, inner circumference of the container' (B. Gatta, 2010).

Another issue arises in that a clear drinking passage is needed in which the liquid has time to level into a steady flow before being consumed. The previously mentioned device (U.S.Pat. No. 12/801,722) has an ice flow dam situated on the upper, inner circumference of the container, so the ice is present in the liquid when tipping which means ice could rush towards the top potentially splashing over or through the serrations and changing the speed of the liquid flow. The current invention separates the ice from the liquid for the drinking phase towards the end of the beverage when spillages from ice are most likely. This separation towards the end of a beverage also allows the liquid to drain from the ice to allow for full consumption.

SUMMARY AND ADVANTAGES

The beverage receptacle with integrated perforated partition is designed to combat the aforementioned issues. Two or more chambers are formed by the perforated partition/s allowing ice to be contained in one or more chambers and liquid to flow between the chambers through the perforations. One chamber must not have ice or garnishes within it to allow a clear drinking passage. The perforated partition can be of any shape for example straight or curved and extends from or near the base of the receptacle towards the rim of the receptacle. The partition can be fully or partially attached to the base and wall of the beverage receptacle. The perforated partition is intended to finish lower than the rim of the receptacle to not interfere with the consumer's upper lip or nose but above the intended fill line for the beverage to ensure ice cannot freely move over the top of the perforated partition.

One or more lips are to be located along the perforated partition facing towards the chamber/s containing ice and garnishes. Lips can be placed on both sides of the perforated partition to limit filling mistakes by consumers or bar staff who place ice into the wrong chamber. The lip/s is to stop the solids spilling over the top when tilted, especially towards the end of a drink. It is recommended that a lip be placed at the top of the perforated partition to perform this function at (but not limited too) a right angle from the perforated partition finishing slightly curved down towards the base of the receptacle. The lip can be of any suitable size depending on the use of the beverage receptacle and amount of ice and garnishes intended for use. It is also advantageous for the perforated partition to be angled toward the chamber holding ice to make it harder for the ice to move up the perforated partition when tilted. The perforated partition separates the ice from the liquid towards the end of the drink which is usually prime time for ice to slosh down the receptacle being carried by the liquid and can cause spillages. The ice being elevated above the liquid by the perforated partition allows for the liquid to drain through too allow all the liquid to be consumed.

The perforations are small enough to block ice and other garnishes from crossing through which allows a clear drinking passage to be created within the receptacle. The perforations can be of any size, shape, pattern or word/s and be placed at any point or points on the partition but it is beneficial to have at least one perforation at or near the bottom to allow liquids to pass under or through towards the end of a drink. One chamber needs to be big enough to comfortably place ice (and other solids for instance garnishes such as lemon or lime) in.

The beverage receptacle refers to any type, shape or size of container that is primarily used for drinking, for example, a pint glass or tumbler. Any suitable material can be used to create the beverage receptacle and integrated perforated partition, including lip/s, such as glass, plastic or metal. The beverage receptacle with integrated perforated partition and lip/s can be of any suitable thickness, colour, translucency or shade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figure 1 illustrates a side on perspective view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with perforated partition and lip in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a side on perspective view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with perforated partition and lip in accordance with the present invention being tilted to show the ice being restricted from the drinking passage.

Figure 3 illustrates a side on perspective view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with a semi-circular perforated partition and lip in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a front on perspective view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with perforated partition and lip in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by the following non-limiting examples: Figure 1: a perspective side on view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with integrated perforated partition and lip, designated as la in the illustration. The illustrated embodiment consists of a beverage receptacle made up of a closed base 2a, internal wall 3a and upper rim 4a. The receptacle including perforated partition and lip illustrated is similar to that of a generic pint glass but the invention can be applied to any form of drinking receptacle and can be made of any suitable material including glass, metal and plastic. The receptacle including perforated partition and lip/s can be of any colour, shade, tint or translucency or a combination thereof.

The perforated partition 7a is formed along the closed base 2a extending towards the rim 4a, segmenting the internal cavity of the receptacle, and providing two chambers one to hold ice or garnishes 6a and the other to allow the consumer an unobstructed drinking passage 10a. The perforated partition 7a generally finishes below the rim 4a of the receptacle to ensure the perforated partition 7a and or lip 9a does not cause discomfort to the user's upper lip or nose. The perforated partition 7a finishes above the 'intended' fill line 12a for the liquid 5a to ensure that the ice and garnishes do not flow freely over the top of the perforated partition 7a into the drinking passage 10a. A lip 9a protruding from the top of the perforated partition 7a towards the chamber holding ice ha is designed to prevent ice and garnishes 6a spilling over the perforated partition 7a, especially towards the end of the beverage when the receptacle la is tilted towards the users mouth. The perforations 8a in the perforated partition 7a allow the liquid 5a to move through into the drinking passage 10a but are small enough to impede ice or garnishes 6a from passing through.

Figure 2: is a perspective side on view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with integrated perforated partition, designated as lb in the illustration. The illustrated embodiment consists of a beverage receptacle made up of a closed base 2b, internal wall 3b and upper rim 4b. The perforated partition 7b is formed along the closed base 2b extending towards the rim 4b, segmenting the internal cavity of the receptacle, and providing two chambers one to hold ice and/or garnishes 6b and the other to allow the consumer an unobstructed drinking passage 10b. The perforated partition 7b generally finishes below the rim 4b of the receptacle lb too allow room for the consumer's nose but above the 'intended' fill line 12b for the liquid 5b.

This illustration shows the function of the perforated partition and lip 7b whilst the receptacle lb is being tilted for the user to consume the last bit of liquid 5b. When the receptacle lb is tilted the perforations 8b allow the liquid 5b to flow towards the lower side of the receptacle wall 3b creating a steady flow towards the mouth. Ice can move more easily when it is aided by a flow of liquid, the present invention separates the ice 6b from the flow of liquid 5b when the receptacle lb is tilted towards the end of a drink stopping the ice rushing within the liquid towards the consumer's mouth which can cause spillages. The lip 9b on the top of the perforated partition 7b acts as a block to stop the ice and or garnishes from spilling over the top. Lips 9b can be integrated at any position on either side of the perforated partition 7b to prevent ice 6b from flowing over the top. Lips 9b can be placed on both sides of the perforated partition 7b if necessary to avoid mistakes from people putting ice 6b in the wrong chamber. The lip/s 9b are intended to protrude from the perforated partition 7b at a right angle with slight curve towards the base 2b of the receptacle lb but the lip/s 9b can be of any angle, shape and size as long as they fulfil their function of prohibiting ice or garnishes 6b from spilling over when the receptacle lb is tilted.

Figure 3: is a perspective side on view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with integrated perforated partition and lip, designated as 2c in the illustration. The illustrated embodiment consists of a beverage receptacle made up of a closed base 2c, internal wall 3c and upper rim 4c. The perforated partition 7c is formed along the closed base 2c extending towards the rim 4c, segmenting the internal cavity of the receptacle, and providing two chambers one to hold ice or garnishes 6c and the other to allow the consumer an unobstructed drinking passage 10c. The perforated partition 7c generally finishes below the rim 4c of the receptacle lc too allow room for the consumer's nose but above the 'intended' fill line 12c for the liquid Sc. The perforated partition 7c in figure 3 is of a semicircular formation and includes ellipsoid shaped perforations Sc. The perforated partition can be of any shape, size, angle or number providing it still fulfils its function of creating at least one chamber for holding ice and garnishes and at least one unobstructed drinking passage. The partition should extend from or near the base of the receptacle 2c. The perforated partition 7c is angled away from the drinking passage 10c to make it harder for ice 6c to move up the partition towards the lip 9c when the receptacle is tilted and therefore less likely to spill over the partition.

Figure 4: is a perspective front on view of an embodiment of a beverage receptacle with integrated perforated partition and lip, designated as ld in the illustration. The illustrated embodiment consists of a beverage receptacle made up of a closed base 2d, inwardly curved internal wall 3d and upper rim 4d. The perforated partition 7d is formed along the closed base 2d extending towards the rim 4d, segmenting the internal cavity of the receptacle, and providing two chambers one to hold ice or garnishes and the other to allow the consumer an unobstructed drinking passage 10d. The lip 9d at the top of the perforated partition 7d overhangs the chamber intended to hold ice and other garnishes. Figure 4 shows an example of how the perforations 8d may be used within the structure of the perforated partition 7d. In this illustration the perforations form the word 'word'. There may be any number of perforations on the partition. The perforations may be of any shape, size, pattern, letter/s or number/s and be placed at any point on the partition as long as they fulfil the role of allowing liquid to pass and obstructing solid objects such as ice and garnishes within a beverage receptacle. It is recommended that one or many perforations are near the bottom of the perforated partition to allow liquid to pass through or under towards the end of a drink.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but includes all embodiments within the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1) Perforated partition/s integrally formed within a beverage receptacle, comprising: a beverage receptacle that comprises an internal wall, closed base and upper rim defining an open space; and at least one integrally formed perforated partition extending from or in close proximity to the closed base with at least one lip formed at a point on said partition's; a) The device of claim 1 where in the beverage receptacle, perforated partition/s and lip/s are made of glass b) The device of claim 1 where in the beverage receptacle, perforated partition/s and lip/s are made of plastic c) The device of claim 1 where in the beverage receptacle, perforated partition/s and lip/s are made of metal d) The device of claim 1 where in the beverage receptacle, perforated partition/s and lip/s are made of a combination of materials e) The device of claim 1 where in the beverage receptacle, perforated partition/s and lip/s are of colour f) The device of claim 1 where in the perforated partition has at least one perforation at, near or underneath the bottom of the partition g) The device of claim 1 where in the lip/s overhang a chamber intended to hold ice h) The device of claim 1 where in the perforated partition is angled.