Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – With receiver support – guide means – or shield
Patent
1997-12-15
2000-06-20
Douglas, Steven O.
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
With receiver support, guide means, or shield
141 64, 141 63, 141 21, 141 22, 141100, 141102, 141104, 220202, 22020301, 22020305, 22020306, B65B 104
Patent
active
060765704
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention involves apparatus and method relating to beverages and finds a particular, although not exclusive, application in the carbonating or recarbonating of beverages in a domestic environment where the beverage is contained in a bottle or like container. The beverage may be of an intoxicating or alcoholic type, such as sparkling wine, or may be of a type referred to commonly as a "soft drink", being non-alcoholic. Indeed the invention herein finds a primary, but not exclusive application in relation to any drink where there may be benefit in it being carbonated or further carbonated prior to its complete consumption.
It is common for such drinks to be sold or supplied in containers, for example PET bottles, of a size which may allow for their consumption over a relatively extended period and on several different occasions. A problem encountered with such drinks, however, is that once the seal or closure of the bottle has been opened the level of "fizz" is reduced and the drinks can become "flat". This lessens the appeal of the drink and can frequently lead to wastage.
It is appreciated in this invention that a cause of this undesirable decarbonating or flattening of such beverages is due to the escape of gas from the liquid and, subsequently, from the bottle. When the beverage is adequately carbonated the pressure in the bottle is greater than atmospheric pressure, and thus gas naturally escapes when the bottle is opened and reopened over a number of occasions. Also, once the closure on a bottle has been opened for a first time the integrity of the seal is diminished and not usually fully recovered upon reclosing the bottle top.
In the past it has been known to attempt to provide apparatus for mitigating the escape of carbon dioxide from carbonated beverages using an air pump which may be integral or attachable to a bottle closure. Such apparatus typically provides a valve in the bottle closure which allows for the intake of pumped or compressed air. The intention with such devices is that by repressurising the internal volume of a beverage containing bottle, gas dissolved in the liquid is caused to remain so dissolved. Examples of such devices are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,010 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,802. These and similar devices have been found non practical and cumbersome. Further, they are not adapted to increase the carbonation of a beverage, but rather merely slow the process of the beverage decarbonating.
Further disadvantages of devices adapted to pressurise the gap or space between the beverage and the top of the bottle with air include that they are expensive to manufacture and they encourage the contact of air with the beverage which may diminish product life, particularly in respect of wines or fruit drinks.
Another manner by which some have attempted to overcome this recognised problem involves the provision of an adaptor or other connecting device intended to enable, via a sealed fluid channel, the passing of carbon dioxide from a pressure cylinder containing such gas into the beverage containing bottle. Examples of such connectors may be examined in U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,896 and British Patent Application GB 2 175 681. Again, however, such designs have not proven satisfactory as, in use, adaptors can be lost or inconvenient, and the process of "setting up" the equipment both tedious and awkward.
An object of the present invention is to provide simple, convenient and practical apparatus in the form of a container closure for enabling a drink to be carbonated or recarbonated; the apparatus additionally or alternatively being appropriate for the mixing of other fluids, whether gaseous or liquid, in a beverage.
It is also herein observed that past attempts to provide apparatus comprising a means for storing a fluid in a container closure and separately from a second fluid in the container has required, in use, the rupturing of part of the closure to release the first fluid and enable the two fluids to be mixed together. A disadvantage associated with the partial rupturing of the clo
REFERENCES:
patent: 4934543 (1990-06-01), Schmidt
patent: 5348060 (1994-09-01), Futagawa et al.
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