Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Infusors
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-01
2003-05-20
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Infusors
C099S323300, C116S201000, C116S323000, C116S279000, C116SDIG001, C116SDIG003, C040S444000, C040S445000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564696
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to improved methods and apparatus concerning providing signs or symbols to indicate the contents of beverage pitchers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically in the prior art an individual serving coffee for themselves from someone else's coffee pot or pitcher does not know whether the coffee is regular coffee, i.e. non-decaffeinated, or decaffeinated coffee. Typically the only way to find out is to ask the individual who made the coffee which may be inconvenient, difficult or not possible. In commercial settings, coffee houses may place regular or non-decaffeinated coffee in, for example, a red colored pitcher or red colored coffee pot and decaffeinated coffee in a differently colored pot, such as a blue colored pitcher or blue colored coffee pot. At a residence an individual may have to go through the inconvenience of posting a sign or post it note to indicate whether the coffee is non decaffeinated or decaffeinated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention in one or more embodiments discloses an apparatus comprising a beverage pitcher and a display device. The display device can be placed in a first state or a second state. In the first state the display device provides a first visual indication of a first type of beverage which is within the beverage pitcher. In the second state the display device provides a second visual indication of a second type of beverage which is within the beverage pitcher. The first and second type of beverages differ and the first and second visual indications differ.
The display device may be comprised of a sliding member which is connected to the beverage pitcher and which can be slid to a first position to allow a first designation of the first type of beverage to be seen and which in the first position covers and prevents from being seen a second designation of the second type of beverage. The sliding member may also be slid into a second position to allow a second designation of the second type of beverage to be seen and which in the second position covers and prevents from being seen the first designation of the first type of beverage.
The beverage pitcher in one embodiment is a coffee pot. Pitcher is a broad term, which includes for example, a decanter or a thermos. The first type of beverage may be decaffeinated coffee and the second type of beverage may be non decaffeinated or regular coffee. The first and second designations of the first and second type of beverages may each be comprised of least one alphanumeric character.
The present invention also discloses a method comprising the steps of fixing a display device onto a beverage pitcher wherein the display device can be placed into the first state or the second state previously described.
The present invention in various embodiments allows one to determine whether or not the contents of a single pot, or a single decanter contains non-decaffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee.
REFERENCES:
patent: 490164 (1893-01-01), Ready
patent: 4794877 (1989-01-01), Pollard-Smith
patent: 5094153 (1992-03-01), Helbling
patent: 5509349 (1996-04-01), Anderson et al.
patent: D404250 (1999-01-01), Midden et al.
patent: 6431054 (2002-08-01), Reid
Alexander Reginald L.
Tencza Jr. Walter J.
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