Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct – Drinking device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2001-09-18
Pollard, Steven (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
Drinking device
C220S705000, C220S714000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290090
ABSTRACT:
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
Carbonated beverages are supplied in aluminum cans, bottles or other containers for consumption. As soon as the can or bottle is opened, the fluid starts deteriorating and becomes flat in short time thereafter. If supplied in bottles, the beverage is normally poured into a cup for immediate drinking, while the rest is kept under pressure in the bottle for future use by a screw cap. Aluminum cans, however, are commonly opened by pulling away a peace of the top closure and cannot be closed thereafter. This means that the fluid needs to be consumed more or less immediately after opening. Also when poured from a bottle into a cup the amount may be too much for immediate consumption and someone may want to use it over an extended period of time. In prior art solutions it became apparent that no pressure can be maintained in a so called non spilling cup or handheld container and does not prevent spilling of fluid, while in action with carbonized or hot fluids.
The object of the invention is thus maintaining the beverage carbonized in a container that is in use, while access to the fluid is easy and spilling is prevented during motion, under all positions of the container. The same applies for hot drinking fluids, thereby keeping the fluid inside the cup or container, while the air pressure rises due to expansion of the enclosed air.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drinking cups and handheld containers with leak tight top-covers, combined with dripless spout and air vent are provided throughout the years in many shapes and forms, in order to prevent spilling of the liquid, contained therein for temporarily storage. The spout and vent are provided with valves that enable fluid to be withdrawn from the container or cup, when suction is applied to the spout. The reduction in fluid content in the container is replaced by air that flows through a second opening in the cover. This air vent holds a control valve that opens when the pressure sinks below the atmospheric outside pressure, due to the suction action at the spout. As an example; a drip less feeding training container of this nature has been described by Belanger in U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,013; U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,670 by Morano; U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,347 by Freeman etc. For all these inventions the application was primarily made for babies and toddlers with the objective of eliminating spillage of the fluid by throwing over the cup or container and while drinking during movement. In the above patent descriptions other references are made to other inventors, all with the same or similar goals in mind of eliminating spillage of fluid.
The thus described applications are suitable for non-carbonized fluids and cold drinks only. If carbonized fluids are applied, the pressure in the container will built-up thereby pushing the valve open and leakage and spilling is not prevented. The same applies for hot drinking fluids, whereby the air above the fluid is heated and expands, causing the pressure in the container to rise and will push out the fluid, if not held in the upright position. Spilling could be prevented, however, by using a stronger resilient valve material in the case of Morano U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,670 or a stronger spring in the case of Belanger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,013. The draw back, however, is that suction to the spout has to increase appreciably, even beyond human capacity and opening of the valve would be impossible or at least cumbersome.
For beverage cans, as nowadays are commonly available to the consumer with carbonized drinking fluids, adapters are provided that clips onto the top of the can to close off the beverage can after opening and/or make drinking easier than directly from the can. Such features are provide for in the following descriptions: U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,774 by Nabinger; U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,776 by Patton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,192 by Krugman; U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,042 by Esposito, U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,324 by Palinchak, EP 0870 685 A1 by Igor etc. These applications have the disadvantage that the pressure is immediately released from the can after opening and in the shortest possible time the carbon dioxide is released from the fluid and becomes flat and much less attractive to drink.
This means that all previous described applications are not suitable for carbonized beverages or hot drinking fluids.
The present invention overcome all these problems as well as for beverage cans as for closed non-spilling drinking cups combining a number of advantages over prior art solutions, in the same application being: Maintaining the gas pressure to keep the fluid carbonized; easy transport of partially filled containers and no fluid is spilled while drinking and used in action. For the beverage can the present invention has an additionally advantage of being more hygienic than using a beverage can closure and/or drinking adapter as provided for in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,192 of Krugman and other inventions thereafter.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a flow control element with a spout for sucking fluid from a pressurized cup, metal beverage can or handheld container, whereby the fluid is a carbonized beverage or hot drink such as coffee or tea. The flow control element is activated by sucking on the spout, whereby a membrane type element lifts a valve that closes off the inside of the container from the outside. The inside of the container normally has a higher gas pressure than the atmospheric outside pressure caused by the carbonized fluid or expanding air that is heated by a hot drinking fluid within the confinement of the drinking cup. The flow control element comprises a spout, gas tight connected to a housing, a spring, a centrally perforated membrane shape element connected to a valve stem, which is hollow in nature to enable fluid to flow from the container to the spout through the opening in the membrane; a valve stem guide with valve seat, which is an extrude part of the housing and a valve of soft resilient material. The valve is held firmly in the closed position by a spring that pushes onto the membrane and valve stem, towards the valve seat. As the valve is connected through the valve stem with the membrane, movement of the membrane in axial direction, results in the same movement of the valve. By reducing the pressure on one side of the membrane by suction on the spout, the membrane will displace the valve thereby opening up the inside of the container and allowing fluid to flow. The fluid flows from the container through a thin flexible tube in the form of a straw inside the container, that reaches from the bottom of the container to the valve opening, through the valve stem, through the membrane into the spout to the mouth. The valve closing area is substantially smaller than the active surface area of the membrane. A small suction pressure difference over the membrane will result in a relative large force to open the valve against the pressure of the spring, that normally keeps the valve closed. The combination of the valve, spring and membrane is therefore an essential part of the invention enabling the flow control element to work. The housing of the flow control element is either gas tight fit in a hole in the cover of an aluminum beverage can or is an integral part of a gas tight cover of a drinking cup. The lower side of the membrane is held at atmospheric pressure by an opening in the housing of the flow control element. When the pressure in the can or cup sinks below atmospheric pressure by the reducing fluid level, an air vent is provided in the valve guide, that only opens when this is the case, to replace the reduced fluid amount.
By so described, the flow element closes off the inside of the handheld container from the outside under all circumstances and position of the container when not in use for drinking.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4579257 (1986-04-01), Brandlein
patent: 5282541 (1994-02-01), Chen
patent: 5462194 (1995-10-01), Barnwell
patent: 5651471 (1997-07-01), Green
patent: 5908126 (1999-06-01), Wang
patent: 6079586 (2000-06-01), Hanneman
p
ENPROS Holding B.V.
Essebaggers Jan
Pollard Steven
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