WO2010134848A1

WO2010134848A1 - Ice sticks for cooling of bottled and canned beverages

Info

Publication number: WO2010134848A1
Application number: PCT/RU2010/000233
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aleksandr Nikolayevich GRЕСHUKHIN
Original assignee: Gr Hukhin Aleksandr Nikolayevich
Priority date: 2009-05-20
Filing date: 2010-05-07
Publication date: 2010-11-25
Also published as: RU2009118852A; EA201101562A1

Abstract

Ice sticks of certain volume and the form of cross-section are used to cool beverages in bottles and aluminum cans. To hold ice sticks inside their containers with the aim of preventing them from getting into the mouth, bottle tops with small holes and openers of SOT tops are used. The optimal volume of ice sticks is proposed to cool all bottled and canned beverages; it allows cooling a ready-to-drink beverage well, without the loss of their taste properties and fit into any bottle and aluminum can without pouring into another vessel. The size and shape of the cross- section of ice sticks are optimized for beverages in bottles and aluminum cans with SOT tops. Ice generators and plastic trays can be used for manufacturing of ice sticks of desired shape and volume.

Description

Ice Sticks for Cooling of Bottled and Canned Beverages The Description of the Invention

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of food industry and can be used for the cooling of beverages in bottles and cans with SOT tops.

Background Art

The method of the cooling of bottled and canned beverages in household and trade refrigerators is a common knowledge. Bottles and cans take a lot of room of a household refrigerator and hinder to put other foodstuffs there. Due to a wide range of goods, time is often not enough for required drinks to be cooled in trade refrigerators. Ice produced by ice generators in the shape of tube ice, cubes, crushed ice, and decorative ice from ice tray in the shape of sticks, bullets, etc (1, 2) is known. However, lump ice of standard size in the shape of tube ice and cubes do not fit into the openings of cans and bottles with drinks; it is difficult to put crushed ice through those openings; formed ice of small sizes does not allow to reach optimal ratio between cooling and the dilution of a ready-to-drink beverage and can be easily got into the breathing passages and cause suffocation.

Technical Problem

All methods of the cooling of beverages without adding some ice have an essential shortcoming: they do not contain water from melted ice. Water from melted ice is the generator of cheerfulness, health and longevity; it is considered that it contains energy that is released during the transition from a solid substance into liquid one; such water has a regular structure

(3). At present that resource is mainly used by bar clients and inhabitants of highland regions remarkable for their longevity. Beverages in bottles and cans have no advantages of water from melted ice.

However, the use of food ice to dilute beverages has problems, too. Usually, to prepare cocktails, concentrated beverages (40% alcohol, 100% juices, etc.) are used; therefore dilution with ice cubes influences the taste of a beverage to a small degree and even improves it. Another matter is with bottled and canned beverages. They are beverages ready to drink or diluted up to desirable concentration which taste is known to the consumer. Uncontrolled addition of ice can seriously change the recipe and taste of ready-to-drink beverages.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is the cooling of bottled and canned beverages with ice added directly into the beverages, the taste of a ready-to-drink beverage being preserved and protection against getting pieces of ice into the mouth or into the breathing passages is being provided. To attain that purpose, special ice sticks are used, their volume is chosen with regard to the volume of a beverage to be cooled, the cross-sectional area of the sticks is chosen with regard to the size and form of the opening of the bottleneck or the can top. Ice sticks are closed inside bottles with bottle caps with small holes and inside cans with openers of SOT tops. Ice generators and plastic moulds can be used for manufacturing of ice sticks of desired shape and volume.

I. New principles of the cooling of bottled and canned beverages

Existing ice generators manufacture lump ice by weight in the range of 5 to 35 grams. Those standards were developed to make and cool beverages in bars and beverages in containers with a wide neck. To cool ready-to-drink bottled and canned beverages, it is necessary to introduce new standards for alimentary ice.

1. The amount of lump ice for cooling ready-to-drink beverages should be standardized by its volume, not by its weight. It is known that the dilution of a ready-to-drink beverage by 10% is tasted as weak dilution and the dilution of a beverage by 3% to 5% is not tasted by most of consumers.

Bottles and cans are filled with beverages by volume in ml or fl.oz, so the size of lump ice must be also calculated by volume: in cubic centimeters. For instance, the optimal volume of a lump of ice for a beverage with volume of 250 ml must be 12.5 cm³ (5% of beverage volume). A lump of ice with such volume is optimal as regard to three indicators: 1. It cools a beverage well, taking into account that the freezing temperature of ice is -20⁰C or lower.

2. The taste of a beverage remains unchanged or almost unchanged for most of consumers.

3. Ice volume of 12.5 cm³ is less than the empty space in bottles and cans with drinks and is easily placed into bottles and cans without pouring into another vessel. Ice with volume of 12.5 cm³ weighs about 11.25 g, which corresponds to the weight of a middle-sized ice cube. An ice stick with volume about 12.5 cm³ capable to cool a ready-to-drink beverage with volume of 250 ml can be taken as the base of a standard, the beverage being diluted by 5% by volume approximately, IS250 (Ice Stick for 250 ml).

2. The size of lump ice should be standardized according to the size of bottlenecks or can openings. For example, the most common glass bottles for drinks have the least bottleneck standard BPF/PCO 28 mm with the inner diameter of 17-18 mm.

Plastic bottles have the inner diameter of a bottleneck equal to 21 mm. Most of aluminum cans have SOT tops with an oval opening 16x25 mm (including the opener). Cans containing energy drinks often have SOT tops with an opening of the middle size of 15x17 mm and semi- oval form.

There also exists insignificant percentage of cans with openings of very small size and of triangular and rectangular forms in SOT tops. It is clear from the above that an ice stick of round cross-section with diameter of 16 mm will easily pass through the neck of bottles of all types (glass and plastic). The length of such a stick for the cooling of bottled beverages with optimal volume of 12.5 cm³ will be 62 mm. It is an example of one of ready variants of ice sticks.

Ice sticks with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a circle with a diameter of 17 mm can be considered as multipurpose ice sticks for cooling all bottled beverages.

To cool beverages only in plastic bottles, variants of ice sticks with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a circle with the diameter of 21 mm can be used.

To cool beverages in aluminum cans with big SOT openings, variants of ice sticks with cross-section of any shape within an oval of 16x25 mm can be used. To cool beverages in aluminum cans with openings of the middle size, variants of ice sticks with the cross-section of any shape within a semi-oval of 15x17 mm can be used.

The latter dimension type is multipurpose one. The sticks of that dimension type will easily pass through openings of all the above-mentioned sizes of bottles and cans. Together with the standard volume of 12.5 cm³ it can give a multipurpose ice stick for optimal cooling of all bottled and most of canned beverages.

All ice sticks of the above-mentioned dimension sizes can be of different volumes within 10% of beverage volume or standard volumes, but standard volumes make sticks more convenient in use. The most common volumes of beverages in plastic bottles are volumes about 0.5 1 (0.43- 0.5-0.6 1), so ice sticks with volumes of 25 cm³ (dilution of 5%), standard IS500 (Ice Stick for 500 ml), with the cross-section of any shape within a circle with a diameter of 21 mm can be used only for beverages in plastic bottles. Common standard IS500 can be used for beverages in plastic and glass bottles with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a circle with the diameter of 17 mm. This standard suits all plastic bottles but not all beverages in glass bottles. Sticks of such size do not go into glass bottles with volumes less than 0.5 1 without pouring into another vessel and a whole lump of ice of a big size and diameter in glass bottles of 0.5 1 for beer makes the gap of a bottleneck narrower and sometimes "shoots" with foam.

The description does not mention the length of ice sticks of different variants of use deliberately, as that length folly depends on the shape of stick cross-section. Ice sticks can be of cross-section of any shape (round, oval, square, shaped, etc.) within the mentioned dimension types, depending on the fantasy of a designer and possible adjustments of ice generators. However, the most rational shape is the shape that repeats the outlines of corresponding openings in bottles and cans. Any deviation of the shape of cross-section from those outlines inevitably leads to longer sizes of ice sticks, which can increase their breakability.

Furthermore, it easier to mark sticks according to their shape of cross-section - round, oval, semi-oval. The widest freedom of choice of shapes of stick cross-section is permissible only for beverages in plastic bottles with a big diameter of the opening - 21 mm.

II. Methods of the cooling of beverages with ice sticks

The place for location of ice sticks is empty processing spaces in bottles and aluminum cans left for foam formation and temperature expansion of beverages. They are different for bottles and cans of different volumes.

The cooling of beverages in glass bottles

The volume of empty space in glass bottles with capacity for 0.25 1 is 20 cm³, that is sufficient for placing one stick IS250 of bottle size, i.e. with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a circle with the diameter of 17 mm and volume of 12.5 cm³ or of multipurpose size, i.e. of bottle and can size with the cross-section of any shape within the area of the semi-oval of 15x17 mm and volume of 12.5 cm³. To cool beverages in bottles of 0.33 1 (the volume of empty space is 20 cm³, Absenter and others), one ice stick IS250 of bottle or multipurpose size with the volume of 12.5 cm³ is also used.

To cool beverages in glass bottles of 0.5 1 (the volume of empty space is from 31 cm³, Bavaria, to 35 cm³, Pilsner) two ice sticks of IS250 with total volume of 25 cm³ are used.

The cooling of beverages in plastic bottles

To cool beverages in plastic bottles of 0.5 1 (the volume of empty space is 43 cm³, Coca- Cola and other drinks) or about 0.5 1 (0.43 - 0.6 1), it is sufficient to use two ice sticks of IS250 of bottle or multipurpose sizes with the volume of 12.5 cm³ each or one stick of a bottle size IS500, i.e. with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a circle with the diameter of 17 mm and volume of 25 cm³, or one stick IS 500 for plastic bottles, i.e. with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a circle with the diameter of 21 mm and volume of 25 cm³.

The cooling of beverages in aluminum cans

To cool beverages in aluminum cans of 0.25 1 (the volume of empty space is 20 cm³, Red Bull and other drinks) one multipurpose ice stick IS250, i.e., with the cross-section of any shape within the area of a semi-oval of 15x17 mm and volume of 12.5 cm³ is used.

For beverages in cans of 0.33 1 (the volume of empty space is 14.5 cm³, Pepsi-Cola and other drinks) one multipurpose ice stick with the volume of 12.5 cm³ is also used.

To cool beverages in aluminum cans of 0.5 1 (the volume of empty space is 32 cm³, beer and low-alcohol drinks) two multipurpose ice sticks IS250 with the volume of 12.5 cm are used.

The use of standards IS250 or IS500 can demonstrate that manufacturers of beverages take care of supplying the consumer with sufficiently cooled and not too much diluted beverages that preserve the taste of their trade mark. If the consumer wishes to drink a more cooled or more diluted beverage, he will be able to use any number of ice sticks at his own will. To prevent ice lumps from getting into the mouth, it is necessary to close big openings of bottles and cans with contrivances with openings of smaller diameter.

Threaded caps of flip-top type (they have small holes with a cross piece) or telescopic caps that have a narrow opening of ring form or other similar caps will ideally do for beverages in plastic bottles. In aluminum cans with SOT tops, it is sufficient for that to turn the SOT opener to 180 degrees and drink the beverage through a small hole in the opener.

For glass bottles, cheap plastic pourers can be used. Multipurpose pourers for plastic and glass bottles (with universal thread, soft extension piece, etc.) can also be made. It is more convenient to drink through plastic pourers and it is safe to teeth.

A smaller opening has a preventive purpose, as when bottles and cans are turned over ice sticks turn across the opening and come to the surface of beverages, somewhat farther on from the oral cavity. However, a bottle neck is funnel-shaped, so ice sticks can be sucked into the mouth, if openings are not decreased. Openings of aluminum cans are not funnel-shaped, so ice sticks practically do not go out.

Advantageous Effects

- Ice sticks allow to considerably save place in refrigerators. Beverages can be cooled with ice sticks without putting them into refrigerators.

- Ice sticks allow to free trade space from refrigerators for drinks. Beverages will be kept in utility rooms and use the space previously occupied by refrigerators more effectively. - The use of ice sticks will considerably save electric power. One ice generator or a freezer for making ice sticks can cool more beverages than ten and more refrigerators and they consume electric power many times less .

Such savings in the scope of a state can be very significant. The problem is only one of the capabilities of the industry to manufacture millions of ice generators in order to meet demand of all retail outlets. .

- The use of ice sticks allow to get an increase of many times in the range of cooled beverages. It is of special importance for small trade where the choice of cooled beverages is limited by the capacity and cooling rate of the only refrigerator.

- The use of ice sticks according to a common standard allows getting cooled beverages of invariable standard taste. Furthermore, the use of ice sticks of multipurpose standard sizes allows unifying the process of beverage cooling in bottles and in most of aluminum cans.

- Ready-to-drink bottled and canned beverages will acquire curing properties of water from melted ice. Industrial Applicability

Ice sticks for cooling of bottled and canned beverages will be find use in trade and everyday life as an alternative variant of beverage cooling. To manufacture ice sticks, it is sufficient to replace standard trays of ice generators with another type sizes. The replacement and change of trays in ice generators is common practice. It will be possible to produce plastic trays for ice stick manufacturing in trade and household freezers according to proposed sizes.

List of References

1. ΦopMa ΛΠH npHrσroBneHHa

"IIaiiOTKH^ιr 6 κy6nκoB http://www.linkgroup.ru/english/search.htm?keyword=%2001100

2. ΦOPMOHKH fljia jibfla. http://www.ekabu.ni/l 9294-foπnochki-'dlja-lda.html

3. IlejieόΗue CBOHcraa TOJIOH BO/JM. http://w\vw.o8ode.ru/article/tawa/celebnve cvoictva taloi vodv.htm

Claims

The Claims

1. Ice sticks for cooling of bottled and canned beverages are ice sticks of alimentary ice differing in that they are designed to cool beverages inside bottles and cans with beverages and are of volume and the form of the cross-section that depend on two parameters: the volume of ready-to-drink beverage and the form of an opening in containers; max. volume of ice sticks can reach 10% and optimal volume 5% of a beverage to be cooled and the cross-section of ice sticks can be of any form within the four following type sizes: a) a circle with the diameter of 21 mm; b) a circle with the diameter of 17 mm; c) an oval with the size of 16x25 mm; d) a semi-oval with the size of 15x17 mm, which correspond to the sizes of type openings in bottles and cans; at that bottle caps with small holes and openers of SOT tops are used to lock up ice sticks inside their containers with the aim of preventing them from getting into the mouth.

2. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that the variant of the ice sticks volume of 12.5 cm³, which is 5% of beverage volume of 250 ml (standard volume) is taken as a unit of the volume of ice sticks for any beverages in bottles and cans.

3. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that the variant of the ice sticks volume of 25.0 cm³, which is 5% of beverage volume of 500 ml is taken as a unit of volume of ice sticks for beverages in plastic and glass bottles with the volume of 0.51. or about 0.5 1 (0.43 - 0.61).

4. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that a type size of ice sticks within the circle with the diameter of 21 mm is designed to cool beverages in plastic bottles.

5. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that a type size of ice sticks within a circle with the diameter of 17 mm is designed to cool beverages both in plastic and glass bottles.

6. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that a type size of ice sticks within an oval of 16x25 mm is designed to cool beverages in aluminum cans with big openings of SOT tops.

7. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that a type size pf ice sticks within a semi- oval of 15x17 mm is designed to cool beverages in bottles and most of aluminum cans (multipurpose type size).

8. Ice sticks according to Claim 7 and Claim 2 differing in that ice sticks of the multipurpose size within a semi-oval of 15x17 mm and of standard volume of 12.5 cm³ can serve as multipurpose ice sticks for the optimal cooling of all beverages in bottles and most of beverages in cans with SOT tops.

9. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 and Claim 2 or Claim 3 differing in that parameters of the volume of ice sticks within 10% of the volume of a beverage to be cooled and parameters of the cross-section within one type size can have different values depending on process possibilities of production, design and purposes of ice sticks.

10. Ice sticks according to Claim 1 differing in that the length of ice sticks is formed depending on volume parameters and a size of the cross-section of a particular variant of an ice stick.