US20110186264A1

US20110186264A1 - Beverage Bottle and Can Chilling Device

Info

Publication number: US20110186264A1
Application number: US12/696,874
Authority: US
Inventors: George Gomez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-01-29
Filing date: 2010-01-29
Publication date: 2011-08-04

Abstract

A device attachable to a beverage container such as a bottle or can that serves to increase the rate at which a beverage contained within the bottle or can is chilled from room temperature to a cooler temperature suitable for consumption. The device is a semi-rigid disc having a serrated edge that facilitates gripping of the device. One side of the disc includes two structures designed to receive and retain the top portion of alternately either a beverage bottle or a beverage can. A circular depression receives and retains a bottle top structure while a concentric circular wall receives and retains the disc on the top of a beverage can. Once the disc is placed on top of the beverage bottle or can, the assembly may be immersed in an ice bath and rotated, or spun, using the serrated edge of the disc as a means for imparting the spinning motion. In addition, a finger recess or aperture may be positioned on a top surface of the disc to further facilitate the manner of imparting a spinning motion to the disc. Surfaces on the disc, especially an upper surface, may be used for the placement of advertising or promotional indicia.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to attachments and accessories for beverage containers. The present invention relates more specifically to devices that facilitate the rapid cooling of beverages held in standard sized containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many large and small scale systems available that are intended to chill or cool beverages for consumption. Most of these systems require a period of time for the thermal energy (heat) to be removed from the room temperature or warmer beverage containers and thereby reduce the temperature of the beverage to the point that it might be suitable for refreshing consumption. These beverage and beverage container cooling systems typically take one of two forms; actively powered systems, such as refrigerators, or passive systems such as ice chests and coolers filled with ice or ice/water combinations. In either case, but especially with passive devices, it generally takes an extended period of time for the thermal energy to be removed from the beverages and beverage containers to a point where the beverage is sufficiently cooled to be enjoyed as a cold drink. The length of time that it takes to cool a beverage and beverage container down from room temperature to a point to where it is suitable for consumption can be a significant problem in a number of environments. It would be desirable if there were a way to increase the rate at which a beverage within a standard sized beverage container might be cooled within one of the various active and passive cooling systems described.
Problems associated with the rate at which a beverage and beverage container can be cooled down are most frequently associated with passive cooling devices such as ice chests and ice coolers. These passive devices typically include an insulated enclosure within which is placed a quantity of crushed or block ice and often a quantity of liquid water to facilitate cooling. While the presence of both ice and water in an ice chest or cooler allows for cooling of the beverage more rapidly than might be possible with only ice (with only air space around the ice), an ice water bath still provides a relatively slow means for reducing the temperature of a beverage intended for immediate consumption.
The problems associated with having unchilled beverages will frequently arise in two common situations. In a first situation, it may be desired to consume beverages at a point in time before or immediately after their placement into the passive cooling system (the ice chest). In a second situation, it may be that after a number of chilled beverages are consumed, it becomes necessary to re-stock the passive cooling device (the ice chest) with room temperature beverages that must then be reduced in temperature over a period of time. In each of these situations, it would be desirable to have a mechanism whereby the cooling of a beverage and beverage container could be achieved more rapidly, such that consumption of the beverage could be initiated sooner.
The above described problems associated with the rapid cooling of a beverage and beverage container are essentially problems of optimizing heat transfer from the beverage through the walls of the container into the surrounding environment that is presumably cooler than the beverage is initially. Heat transfer is a function of a number of variables including the temperature differential and the thermal conductivity of the material through which the heat transfer is to occur. It is known in general that the movement of a fluid material (a gas or a liquid) across a surface where heat transfer is to occur can accelerate the transfer of heat. This is the principal behind the use of fans, for example, to move air across a surface to facilitate the cooling of that surface. The fluid material that is in contact with the heat transfer surface may receive a certain quantity of heat energy from the surface and in the process may serve to cool the surface and reduce the temperature of the warmer substance contained within the confines of the heat transfer surface. Moving the fluid material that has absorbed this quantity of heat from the surface away from the point of heat absorption allows it to be replaced by cooler fluid material that is ready to receive more heat energy from the surface. This movement across the heat transfer surface will serve to accelerate the rate at which heat energy is removed from the heat transfer surface and therefore from the substance contained within it.
In the case of beverage containers, the principles set forth above may be translated into a manner of moving the beverage container within the cooling fluid material that may surround it within the passive cooling device. When the beverage container is moved within the cooling mixture (the ice water bath), the rate at which the temperature of the beverage within the container drops is greater than the rate when the beverage container remains static within the cooling mixture. Some efforts have been made in the past to provide mechanisms for either moving the beverage container within the cooling mixture or moving the cooling mixture around the beverage container. In all instances, these prior efforts have been overly complex, expensive, and difficult to implement, especially with a large number of beverage containers at the same time. It would therefore be desirable to have a simple and convenient method for instilling motion to a beverage container within a cooling fluid mixture so as to accelerate the process of heat transfer from the initially room temperature beverage through the walls of the beverage container and out into the cooling mixture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore provides a device attachable to a beverage container such as a bottle or can, that serves to increase the rate at which a beverage contained within the bottle or can is chilled from room temperature to a cooler temperature suitable for consumption. The device comprises a semi-rigid disc having a serrated or corrugated edge that facilitates gripping of the disc by the user's hand. One side of the disc includes two structures designed to receive and retain the top portion of either a beverage bottle or a beverage can. A centralized circular depression is sized and shaped so as to receive and retain a bottle top structure and thereby position and hold the disc device to the top of the bottle. A second, concentric structure provides a rim or circular wall that matches the diameter of a typical beverage can and may thereby serve to retain the disc on top of the beverage can. Once the disc is placed on top of the beverage bottle or can, the beverage container may be immersed in an ice bath and rotated, or spun, using the serrated or corrugated edge of the disc as a means for imparting the spinning motion. In addition, a finger aperture or recess may be positioned on the upper surface of the disc to further facilitate the manner of imparting a spinning motion to the disc and the beverage container that it is attached to. Surfaces on the disc, especially the upper surface (opposite the surface associated with attachment of the beverage container) may be used for the placement of advertising or other promotional indicia.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top of the disc device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the disc device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the upper surface of the disc device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the lower surface of the disc device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the disc device of the present invention shown attached to a typical bottle beverage container.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the disc device of the present invention shown attached to a typical can beverage container.

FIG. 7 is a partially schematic view of the manner in which the disc device of the present invention is may be attached to a beverage can, inserted into an ice bath, and rotated within the ice batch for the purpose of cooling the beverage.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the disc device of the present invention along section line A-A′ shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is made first to FIGS. 1 and 2 for a description of the basic construction of the beverage container spinner device of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows in a perspective view the top side of the disc shaped device as it would be used in conjunction with a beverage container to be placed within an ice bath within an ice chest, a cooler, or the like. In this view, the components of the disc that facilitate the spinning of the device by the hand of the user are most clearly shown. Beverage container spinner 10 is a circular disc preferably made from a semi-rigid plastic or rubber compound 12 that is defined at its perimeter edge by an array of serrations or corrugations forming serrated grip assist edge 14 intended to facilitate the user's grip on the device. In addition to the grip assist edge 14, the top surface 18 of beverage container spinner 10 incorporates a circular recessed depression forming finger spin assist cavity 16 that is sized to allow the user to place a finger within the depression and thereby further facilitate a spinning motion that may be imparted to the disc and to the beverage container to which it is attached.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the beverage container spinner 10 showing in greater detail the manner in which two different types of beverage containers may be alternately attached to the disc (or more specifically, the disc to the beverage containers). The serrated grip assist edge 14 of the disc is further shown as it is structured in the view shown in FIG. 1. The lower disc surface 20, however, is configured with two structures designed to alternately receive two of the most typical sized beverage containers currently in use. Bottle top insertion cavity 22 is shown centrally positioned on the lower disc surface 20, while a can top insertion cavity is defined by a concentric raised ring or ridge wall 24 positioned around the central bottle top insertion cavity 22. In this manner, the cooling spinning disc of the present invention may be alternately utilized with either a bottle shaped beverage container or a can shaped beverage container.
FIGS. 3 and 4 provide views similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and exhibit the manner in which the structures of the upper surface of beverage container spinner 10 (FIG. 3) are different from the structures on the lower surface of beverage container spinner 10 (FIG. 4). It is noted that in FIG. 3 the upper surface of beverage container spinner 10 incorporates a large surface area 18 that is amenable to the placement of advertising or promotional indicia on the device. This large area for trademarks, logos, designs, sports team names, and so on, allows the device of the present invention to be utilized as a promotional item by any of a number of different businesses that may or may not be associated with the beverage industry or with industries where beverages may be frequently consumed. The manner of imparting the indicia onto the semi-rigid rubber/plastic material 12 within the surface area 18 shown may vary according to the composition of the disc and the manner of printing or otherwise embellishing the surface with the design elements.
FIG. 3 discloses the top view (looking down) that the user would have of the device once attached to the beverage container and immersed within the cooling ice bath. The material composition 12 of the beverage container spinner 10 of the present invention is preferably a material that, when attached to a beverage container full of a beverage, allows the combined assembly to float on an ice bath such that the disc itself remains accessible to the user for spinning the assembly within the ice bath. There are any number of different semi-rigid rubber/plastic materials that would suitably meet such requirements.
FIG. 4 shows again the structures of the device that are positioned on the lower disc surface 20 to receive the top structures of typical beverage containers, namely a bottle or a can. In this view, bottle top insertion cavity 22 is most clearly seen as having a circular configuration while can top insertion cavity wall 24 is defined by a circular ridge sized to just fit and grip the external edge of the top of a typical aluminum beverage can. Some resiliency to the material from which the beverage container spinner is constructed is preferable in order to allow for both the insertion of the beverage container into the appropriate aperture or ridge, and the gripping of that beverage container by the appropriately sized aperture edge. The preferred structures of these gripping edges are shown in more detail in FIG. 8 below.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 and 6 for a description of the manner in which the device of the present invention is attached to the two primary types of beverage containers currently in use. FIG. 5 provides the beverage container spinner 10 in a configuration suitable as an attachment for a typical beverage bottle 30 for use in cooling the bottled beverage down for consumption. In this view, the bottle top rim 32 of bottle 30 is shown positioned tightly within bottle top insertion cavity (not visible in this view) preferably with sufficient tightness so as to allow the user to place the bottle 30 and beverage container spinner 10 into an ice bath within an ice chest, a cooler, or the like, and thereby impart the necessary spinning motion to the disc and the bottle.
FIG. 6 shows a use similar to that of FIG. 5 but with a beverage can 34 positioned within the cavity defined by can top insertion cavity wall 24. In this view, the typical aluminum beverage can 34 incorporates a rigid top lip 36 that provides the stable circular top to the can suitable for insertion to the semi-rigid/resilient wall structure 24. In this manner, the beverage container spinner 10 of the present invention may be readily attached to the typical beverage can by snapping the disc down onto the top of the can in a manner that provides an assembly that may be easily moved into the ice bath and thereafter spun by the user by grasping the serrated grip assist edge 14 of the disc.
Reference is next made to FIG. 7 for a detailed description of the manner in which the device of the present invention may be placed on a typical beverage container (beverage can 34 in this case) and immersed in an ice bath 40 for the purpose of imparting a spinning motion to the assembly so as to facilitate a more rapid cooing of the beverage contained within the beverage container. As indicated above, it is anticipated that the material from which the disc device of the present invention is constructed is such as to impart a floating capability to the assembly so that the user my easily access the corrugated/serrated ridges 14 on the perimeter edge of the disc and spin the assembly within the ice bath 40. In this manner, cooling of the beverage within the beverage container may occur much more rapidly than if the beverage were simply permitted to remain static within the ice bath.
Reference is finally made to FIG. 8 for a description of the cross-sectional structure of the beverage container spinner 10 of the present invention as viewed along section line A-A′ shown in FIG. 3. Included in FIG. 8 is a dashed outline representation of a typical beverage can in association with the device of the present invention. In this view, beverage container spinner 10 is shown to have a generally flat disc cross-section with the perimeter serrated grip assist edge 14 on either side. Finger spin assist cavity 16 is shown positioned on upper disc surface 18. Lower disc surface 20 is shown to include the two structures suitable for receiving and retaining the two types of beverage containers. Can top insertion cavity wall 24 is shown in cross-section as is the structure of bottle top insertion cavity 22.
In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 8 the manner in which each of the two types of beverage containers are releaseably retained in conjunction with the disc shaped device of the present invention is more clearly demonstrated. In the case of a beverage bottle container (not shown in this view), the bottle top of the container may be inserted into bottle top insertion cavity 22 with the bottle top grip edge 44 following the contours of the bottle top and thereby facilitating its retention in conjunction with the disc of the present invention. In a similar manner, can top insertion cavity wall 24 is configured with can rim lip channel 42 that is sized and structured to receive and retain the ring rim or lip typically constructed on the top of most aluminum beverage cans. In this manner the beverage containers may be releaseably attached to the beverage container spinner 10 of the present invention with sufficient firmness as to allow spinning of the disc to translate into spinning of the beverage container.
The structure of the present invention is such as to be configured not only for the placement of advertising indicia and the like as described above, but also to serve as a beverage container coaster and a bottle opener. The resilient material from which the device is made facilitates the gripping of a bottle top in such a manner as to direct the rotation of the device (in one hand while gripping the bottle in the other) and thereby facilitate the removal of the bottle top from the bottle. When inverted such that the top surface of the device is placed on a table or other flat surface, the device may serve as an appropriately sized coaster for either the beverage bottle or the beverage can. These alternate uses of the device therefore make possible the placement of promotional designs or other indicia on the inside or underside of the device in addition to the top surface of the device as described above.
Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with the above preferred embodiments, this description has been provided by way of explanation only and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications to the structure of the device that might accommodate alternate types of beverage containers. Such modifications to the structure, size, geometry, and even the specific placement of the attachment components, where such modifications are coincidental to the types of beverage containers being utilized, do not necessarily depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A device attachable to a beverage container to facilitate the rapid cooling of a beverage within the beverage container, the device comprising:

a cylindrical disc having a perimeter edge, a top surface, and a bottom surface, the bottom surface comprising at least one beverage container attachment structure configured to receive and releaseably retain the beverage container in association with the cylindrical disc;

wherein attachment of the cylindrical disc to the beverage container creates an assembly that may be placed within an ice water bath in an orientation that allows an individual to grasp the perimeter edge of the disc and to impart a spinning motion to the assembly thereby directing the beverage container to spin within the ice bath and, as a result, increase the rate of thermal energy transfer from the beverage within the container into the ice water bath.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the perimeter edge of the cylindrical disc comprises a high friction gripping surface.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the high friction gripping surface comprises an array of ridges forming a corrugated perimeter edge.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one beverage container attachment structure comprises a recessed circular surface and recessed perimeter walls together defining a generally cylindrical cavity centrally positioned on the bottom surface of the cylindrical disc into which the beverage container may be received and releasably retained.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the recessed perimeter walls are angled with respect to the recessed circular surface so as to define a generally cylindrical cavity that is wider at its opening.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the recessed circular surface and recessed perimeter walls together defining a generally cylindrical cavity incrementally smaller in diameter than the diameter of a typical beverage bottle top.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein the recessed circular surface and recessed perimeter walls together defining a generally cylindrical cavity incrementally smaller in diameter than the diameter of a typical aluminum beverage can top.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one beverage container attachment structure comprises a raised cylindrical wall defining a generally cylindrical enclosure centrally positioned on the bottom surface of the cylindrical disc into which the beverage container may be received and releasably retained.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the raised cylindrical wall comprises a perimeter lip so as to define a generally cylindrical channel on the interior of the raised cylindrical wall.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the raised cylindrical wall defines a generally cylindrical enclosure incrementally smaller in diameter than the diameter of a typical beverage bottle top.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein the raised cylindrical wall defines a generally cylindrical enclosure incrementally smaller in diameter than the diameter of a typical aluminum beverage can top.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one beverage container attachment structure comprises:

(a) a recessed circular surface and recessed perimeter walls together defining a generally cylindrical cavity centrally and coaxially positioned on the bottom surface of the cylindrical disc into which a bottle type beverage container may be received and releasably retained, the generally cylindrical cavity incrementally smaller in diameter than the diameter of a typical beverage bottle top; and

(b) a raised cylindrical wall defining a generally cylindrical enclosure centrally and coaxially positioned on the bottom surface of the cylindrical disc into which a can type beverage container may be received and releasably retained, the generally cylindrical enclosure incrementally smaller in diameter than the diameter of a typical beverage can top;

wherein the attachment structure may alternately be used in association with either a beverage bottle or a beverage can.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the recessed perimeter walls are angled with respect to the recessed circular surface so as to define a generally cylindrical cavity that is wider at its opening.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the raised cylindrical wall comprises a perimeter lip so as to define a generally cylindrical channel on the interior of the raised cylindrical wall.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the top surface of the cylindrical disc further comprises a recessed wall defining a finger cavity near the perimeter edge of the cylindrical disc, the finger cavity sized as to receive a finger therein to further facilitate the user imparting a spin to the cylindrical disc when attached to the top of a beverage container.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the top surface of the cylindrical disc further comprises promotional indicia imprinted thereon.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottom surface of the cylindrical disc further comprises promotional indicia imprinted thereon.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical disc comprises a semi-rigid resilient material that facilitates a firm receipt and retention of the beverage container in association with the cylindrical disc.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical disc comprises a material having a density sufficiently low as to facilitate the floating of the combination of the cylindrical disc and the beverage container in an ice and water mixture.