WO2002023103A1

WO2002023103A1 - Drinking vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2002023103A1
Application number: PCT/AU2001/001144
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher Lyle Masters
Original assignee: Popov, George
Priority date: 2000-09-12
Filing date: 2001-09-12
Publication date: 2002-03-21
Also published as: WO2002023103A9; WO2002021980A1; AUPR007700A0

Abstract

A mould (10) for forming a drinking vessel (29) partly made of frozen liquid (28), the mould (10) including a container (12) having a bottom wall (13), a side wall (15) having a top edge (20), and an open top (18), the container (12) providing a cavity (16), and a lid (14) configured for engaging said container top edge (20), the lid (14) having a projection (24) to extend into the container cavity (16), and wherein the projection (24) is configured to form an interior cavity (25) of said drinking vessel (29) when said liquid (28) is frozen in the container cavity (16).

Description

Drinking Vessel

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a drinking vessel for small volume drinks such as "shots" of alcoholic beverages.

Background of the Invention

Glasses used for shots of alcohol ("shot glasses") are small glasses, having a capacity of 30 to 40 ml. Due to their size, they are easily and commonly stolen from alcohol serving establishments.

To overcome the above problem, it is known to provide shot glasses made entirely of ice. An example of a mould for such shot glasses are sold under the trademark "ShotRoc ", as can be seen in the website www.shotrock.com.

The ShotRock mould includes a tray having upward projections which form the shape of the interior of the shot glass. A frustoconical wall member then placed on top of each projection. The wall member, which has an open top, is filled with water. The mould is then placed in a freezer. After freeing, the tray is peeled off and the frozen drinking vessels ("ShotRocks") are pushed out of the wall members. The main disadvantage of the ShotRocks is that they come into contact with the fingers of the person serving the alcoholic beverage before being given to the customer. Further, the ice leaves an undesirable pool of water on a table when it melts. Even if the ShotRock is retained in the wall member, the open ends of the wall member, which includes the base thereof, will not prevent the ice from leaving a pool of water.

Object of the Invention

It is the object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art.

Summary of the Invention In one aspect, the present invention provides a mould for forming a drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the mould including: a container having a bottom wall, a side wall having a top edge, and an open top, the container providing a cavity; and a lid configured for engaging said container top edge, the lid having a projection to extend into the container cavity, and wherein the projection is configured to form an interior cavity of said drinking vessel when said liquid is frozen in the container cavity.

The lid is preferably adapted to provide an insulative effect to liquid adjacent the

5 lid relative to liquid spaced from the lid when freezing said liquid. In one form, the lid is formed from a different material to that of the container to provide said insulative effect.

Alternatively, the lid is formed thicker than said container to provide said insulative effect.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a mould for forming a plurality l o of drinking vessels partly made of frozen liquid, the mould including : a tray having a plurality of spaced cavities formed therein, and a lid having spaced projections, wherein the lid is configured for engaging said tray and each projection is positioned to extend into a corresponding one of the tray cavities, each projection is configured for forming an interior cavity of each said drinking vessel when the liquid is frozen in the corresponding tray cavity.

Preferably, frangible portions are located between the cavities and projections such that the drinking vessels can be separated from each other.

The lid is preferably adapted to provide an insulative effect to liquid adjacent the 20 lid relative to liquid spaced from the lid when freezing said liquid. In one form, the lid is formed from a different material to that of the tray to provide said insulative effect. Alternatively, the lid is formed thicker than said tray to provide said insulative effect.

Preferably, the lid is formed of a suitable material such that it can be easily removed from the drinking vessel to expose said interior cavity. 25 The mould can be made of any suitable material such as paper or plastic.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the drinking vessel including: a container having a bottom wall, a side wall having a top edge and an open top, the container providing a cavity; 30 a lid engaging said container top edge, the lid having a projection extending into the container cavity; and a liquid frozen in the container cavity, the lid projection forming an interior cavity of said drinlcing vessel.

Preferably, the lid is formed of a suitable material such that it can be easily 35 removed from the drinking vessel to expose said interior cavity. In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming a drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the method comprising: pouring liquid into the cavity of a container having a bottom wall, a side wall with a top edge, and an open top; placing a lid on top of said container which engages with the container top edge, the lid having a projection which extends into the container cavity, the projection forming an interior cavity of said drinking vessel when said liquid is frozen in the container cavity.

The method preferably includes the step removing the lid to expose said interior cavity.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a mould according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the mould shown in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a multiple mould according to the present invention; and

Fig. 4 shows a cross-section through the multiple mould shown in Fig. 2.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments Fig. 1 shows a mould 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The mould 10 includes a container 12 and a lid 14. The container 12 includes a bottom wall 13, a side wall 15 having a top edge 20, and an open top 18. The container

12 provides a cavity 16. The lid 14 includes a peripheral portion 22 and a projection 24.

In use, any desired liquid 28, such as water or fruit juice, is poured into the container cavity 16 until the container 12 is about half-full. As shown in Fig. 2, the lid 14 is then placed onto the container 12, with the projection 24 extending into the cavity 16. The lid peripheral portion 22 engages the container top edge 20. Preferably, the mould 10 is fully sealed by the lid 14. The projection 24 forces liquid 28 in the container 12 to be pushed up against the side wall 15. Any excess liquid 28 overflows over the top edge 20. The mould 10 is then placed in a freezer in order to freeze the liquid 28. It can be seen that the projection 24 is configured (shaped and dimensioned) to form an interior cavity 25 of the drinking vessel 29 when the liquid 28 is frozen in the container cavity 16. In use, when the liquid 28 is frozen, the lid 14 is removed from the drinking vessel 29 to expose the interior cavity 25. The drinking vessel 29 is thus formed by the container 12 and the frozen liquid 28. The lid 14 is thus preferably made from a suitable material to allow easy removal from the drinking vessel 29. Any desired alcohol can then be poured into the cavity 25 which will be chilled by the frozen liquid 28.

The lid 14 is preferably adapted to provide an insulative effect to liquid 28 adjacent the lid 14 relative to liquid 28 spaced from the lid 14 when freezing the liquid 28. In one form, the lid 14 is formed from a different material to that of the container to provide the insulative effect. Alternatively, the lid 14 is formed thicker than the container 12. The insulative effect is to allow liquid 28 spaced from the lid 14, such as near the base 13, to freeze before liquid 28 adjacent the lid 14 freezes. This will substantially ensure that the liquid 28 freezes uniformly in the container 14. Without the insulative effect, liquid 28 adjacent the lid 14 may freeze at the same time as liquid adjacent the base 13. This may allow air pockets or unfrozen liquid at the middle portion of the frozen liquid 28 to be formed, which may cause cracks in the frozen liquid 28.

In the drinking vessel 29, the frozen liquid 28 is retained in the container 12 and does not come into contact with the serving person's fingers or the user's fingers at any time. Further, as the frozen liquid 28 always remains inside the container 12, even if the frozen liquid 28 melts, it will not leave an undesirable pool of water. A further advantage of the present invention is that the mould 10 can be fully sealed by the lid 14. This will avoid any contamination to the liquid 28 when freezing same and will allow easier handling than the prior art. Further, the drinking vessel 29 remains substantially fully sealed up to the moment of use. Even if the lid 14 is pushed away from the container 12 by the expansion of the liquid 28 when freezing, the lid 14 remains attached to the frozen liquid 28 and substantially seals same.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a mould 30 for forming multiple drinking vessels according to the present invention. The mould 30 includes a tray 32 having a plurality of spaced cavities 34 formed therein. A lid 36 associated with the tray 32 includes multiple spaced projections 38. In use (see Fig. 4), similarly to the mould 10, a desired liquid 28 is poured into the cavities 34. The lid 36 is then placed onto the tray 32, with each projection 38 extending into a corresponding one of the cavities 34. Any excess liquid 28 will pour over the top edges of the cavities 34. The mould 30 is then placed in a freezer such that the liquid 28 inside the mould 30 freezes. Each projection 38 forms an interior cavity 35 of each drinking vessel 39 when the liquid 28 is frozen in each tray cavity 34. The tray 32 and lid 36 include frangible lines 40 between the cavities 34 and projections 38, such that the frozen drinking vessels 39 are separable from each other. The drinking vessels 39 are thus formed by portions of the tray having the cavities 34 and the frozen liquid 28. The portion of the lid 36 for each drinking vessel 39 can be removed from the drinking vessel 39 when using same.

Although preferred forms of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that other modifications can be made to the above embodiments or that the invention can be embodied in other forms.

Claims

The claims:

1. A mould for forming a drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the mould including: a container having a bottom wall, a side wall having a top edge, and an open top, the container providing a cavity; and a lid configured for engaging said container top edge, the lid having a projection to extend into the container cavity, and wherein the projection is configured to form an interior cavity of said drinking vessel when said liquid is frozen in the container cavity,

2. The mould of claim 1 wherein the lid is adapted to provide an insulative effect to liquid adjacent the lid relative to liquid spaced from the lid when freezing said liquid.

3. The mould of claim 2 wherein the lid is formed from a different material to that of the container to provide said insulative effect.

4. The mould of claim 2 wherein the lid is formed thicker than said container to provide said insulative effect

5. A mould for forming a plurality of drinking vessels partly made of frozen liquid, the mould including: a tray having a plurality of spaced cavities formed therein, and a lid having spaced projections, wherein the lid is configured for engaging said tray and each projection is positioned to extend into a corresponding one of the tray cavities, each projection configured for forming an interior cavity of each said drinking vessel when the liquid is frozen in the corresponding tray cavity.

6. The mould of claim 5 wherein frangible portions are located between the cavities and projections such that the drinking vessels can be separated from each other.

7. The mould of any one of claims 5 and 6 wherein the lid is adapted to provide an insulative effect to liquid adjacent the lid relative to liquid spaced from the lid when freezing said liquid.

8. The mould of claim 7 wherein the lid is formed from a different material to that of the tray to provide said insulative effect.

9. The mould of claim 7 wherein the lid is formed thicker than said tray to provide said insulative effect

10. The mould of any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the lid is formed of a suitable material such that it can be easily removed from the drinking vessel to expose said interior cavity.

11. The mould of any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the mould is made of paper or plastic.

12. A drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the drinking vessel including: a container having a bottom wall, a side wall having a top edge and an open top, the container providing a cavity; a lid engaging said container top edge, the lid having a projection extending into the container cavity; and a liquid frozen in the container cavity, the lid projection forming an interior cavity of said drinking vessel,

13. The drinking vessel of claim 12 wherein the lid is formed of a suitable material such that it can be easily removed from the drinking vessel to expose said interior cavity.

14. A method of forming a drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the method comprising: pouring liquid into the cavity of a container having a bottom wall, a side wall with a top edge, and an open top; placing a lid on top of said container which engages with the container top edge, the lid having a projection which extends into the container cavity, the projection forming an interior cavity of said drinking vessel when said liquid is frozen in the container cavity.

15. The method of claim 14 further including the step of removing the lid to expose said interior cavity.

16. A mould for forming a drinlcing vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the mould substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A drinking vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

18. A method of forming a drinking vessel partly made of frozen liquid, the method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.