Double barrel drinking vessel

Abstract

The present invention is drawn to a drinking vessel or “glass” comprised of two separate chambers. The glass is designed for two separate liquids to be contained within the glass yet held separate until the time that the user of the glass drinks the liquid. The two chambers are of the same height as the vessel to ensure that liquids held within are not combined until they enter the users mouth.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drinking vessel used for consuming two different types of beverages at one time. This vessel is specifically designed for aiding in the serving and consumption of alcoholic beverages (i.e.) shots but is not limited to the same.

History has dictated that the most common way to do a shot is to have one small glass, normally a shot glass, filled with alcohol and then have a larger beverage glass filled with a chaser. Chasers are more often than not a glass or bottle of beer that you drink out of to make the shot go down easier.

However, like any other industry, the consumer has become more demanding of innovative ways for a bartender to pour a shot and the combinations of alcohols and chasers has increased as well. The classic order of “a shot and a beer” has evolved to more colorful drink names such as a “Jager Bomb” or “Energy and Vodka” to name a few of many. For these types of drinks the traditional two glass serving method has become obsolete and other ways to pour drinks have been sought after by bartenders, alcohol vendors, and consumers.

There are a few different shot glasses that have made their way to market to help keeps drinkers interested, all of which either solve a different problem or are designed specifically for certain types of shots. These glasses come in different sizes and shapes. One of the more popular models is the Quaffer. The Quaffer is an hourglass shape. It is prepared by filling the bottom chamber with chaser and the top with alcohol. The alcohol sits on the chaser and then when you drink it (i.e. shoot it) the chaser follows the alcohol into your mouth. However, problems have arisen with the Quaffer due to the size of the glass as a whole and the size of the opening at the top often causing coughing or choking by the inexperienced shooter or at least an unfortunate spillage of alcohol.

Another form in the market is a glass in the shape of a test tube. This is prepared by filling the tube with whatever you are drinking, and the liquids mix together in the tube before consumed. The test tube shot is also a popular embodiment due to its attractive shape but is limited to drinks that can be combined immediately when poured. Another problem with the test tube shot is that the shot cannot be set on the table until consumed due to the curved bottom of the glass. Therefore the shot must be immediately consumed when acquired under the pressure of the person who served the shot.

A third embodiment seen is a glass that looks like a low ball but has a shot glass attached in the middle called the Hurricane Shooter. This is used for shots that have traditionally been prepared by dropping a shot glass into a beer and then consuming the beverage all at once. While consuming, the two beverages mix together in the glass before entering your mouth due to the different heights of the two chambers in the glass. Published Patent Application #20060065659 describes a glass similar to this in that there are two chambers varying in height so that the beverages mix in the glass before actually entering your mouth. While a good idea, problems occur when drinking out of vessels such as these as many drinkers prefer the shot to combine after entering the mouth thus getting the taste and effect of doing a traditional shot with a chaser.

The fourth and final embodiment of a shot glass we have seen on the market is the split shot glass. This is a glass of traditional shot glass size and shape that has a split curving down the middle, dividing the glass exactly in half. This glass limits the drink prepared to be exactly a 1:1 ratio of two beverages. This ratio is rarely used in the preparation of a shot as there is generally more of one liquid called for than the other to provide optimum taste and ease of drinking.

The invention described in this application eliminates the above problems associated with the other shot glasses currently used in the art to provide an attractive drinking vessel capable of delivering a shot size portion of a mixed shot in a commonly used ratio that combines no earlier than entry into the mouth.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Our solution to the above mentioned problems associated with other glasses used in the art is the Double Barreled Drinking Vessel. This drinking vessel is similar in overall shape to the test tube style shot glass yet has a divider, flush with the very top of the vessel, forming two separate chambers in a 2:1 ratio. The overall shape is longer and more slender than a traditional shot glass yet flat at the bottom so it can safely sit on a flat surface. The opening at the top of the vessel (mouthpiece) is much smaller in circumference to a regular shot glass so that the mouthpiece is the perfect size to fit into the user's mouth eliminating spills and procuring the end result of the two liquids staying separate until they are actually poured into the mouth.

This unique shape is superior to the shape of the Quaffer in that it serves a smaller portion of beverages therefore eliminating the issue of choking on or spilling the contents of the shot. It still, however, gives the user the same effect of having a shot with a chaser without having to drink as much as if a Quaffer was used due to the vertical divider separating the two chambers.

The vertical divider also solves the problems associated with the original test tube shot. Our drinking vessel embodies a long, slender shape such as the test tube shot but also allows the beverages poured to remain separate and not mix until the user decides to drink the shot. This allows for more variation in the combinations of shots that can be prepared. Our vessel also differs from the test tube shot in that it is flat at the bottom. Therefore the user can safely sit the drink on the table and drink it at his or her leisure.

The Double Barrel Drinking Vessel is also designed to provide a different drinking experience than the Hurricane Shooter and other shot glasses with more than one chamber in which to separate liquid. The divider in the present invention is flush with the top of the glass. This embodiment ensures the liquids in the vessel remain separate until they combine in the mouth. This is a different function than the Hurricane Shooter or the vessel described in Published Application #20060065659. Both of those have two separate chambers of varying heights with the purpose of combining the liquids before they enter the mouth, likely upon tipping the glass. This type of shot provides a completely different drinking experience due to this small detail because the drink is already mixed before it is consumed. Thus, these types of vessels do not function to provide a shot and a chaser but rather an ordinary mixed drink.

The “split shot glass” described in the section above is perhaps the closest comparison to the present invention in that the divider in the glass is flush with the top of the glass. However, there are three key differences. First, the aforementioned “split shot glass” is shaped more like a traditional sized shot glass with a wide opening at the top. The wide opening makes it difficult to consume the contents in the glass as a shot because it increases the risk of spilling or liquid seeping out and getting on the user's clothes, face, etc. . . . The present invention's narrow mouthpiece eliminates this problem as it easily fits into the mouth of the drinker leaving no margin for embarrassing spills.

The second key difference is in the way the two chambers are divided. The “split shot glass” provides a 1:1 ratio between the chambers. This limits the types of shots that can be prepared in this type of vessel because there are very few recipes known in the art where the alcohol and the chaser amounts are exactly equal. The present invention embodies a 2:1 ratio (likely chaser:alcohol) which makes it more versatile and useful for bartenders because the majority of true mixed shots are poured in a 2:1 ratio. This ratio is preferred because it improves the taste of the shot and allows it to go down more smoothly.

The third difference between these two vessels is the shape of the divider. The “split shot glass” has a curved divider giving an aesthetic swirling effect when liquid is poured into the chambers. Although aesthetically pleasing, this curved divider slows the time that it takes to consume the drink thus dragging out the process of doing the shot. In the present invention the divider is straight. When it is used, the liquid easily flows out of both chambers to combine in the mouth efficiently and smoothly making it a one step process and completely eliminating the chance of having to tip the vessel again to get all the contents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows the vessel as standing straight up and down. The top of the vessel is visible showing the dividing wall connected to the top rim of the vessel at two points. Placement of the dividing wall forms two chambers in the vessel which have a volume ratio of 2:1.

FIG. 2 shows the vessel at a slight tilt. The shading of this figure depicts the difference in volume between the two chambers formed by the dividing wall. This said volume is shown to be in a ratio of 2:1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a conical shaped drinking vessel with two separate chambers. One end of the vessel is completely closed forming a flat surface functioning as the bottom of the vessel. The other end of the vessel is open or not enclosed, functioning as the top of the vessel. A dividing wall runs run the entire length of the vessel forming two internal chambers within the vessel. The dividing wall is placed within the walls of the vessel to give the internal chambers a 2:1 volume ratio. The dividing wall is flush with the top and bottom of the vessel giving both chambers equal height with each other and with the vessel as a whole.

The drinking vessel can be made out of any non-soluble, non-permeable, hard material capable of keeping its form when filled with liquid.

The best mode of the present invention is described as follows. The optimal volume for this drinking vessel is 75 mL. This volume provides a drink or “shot” of perfect quantity to be comfortable to the user of the vessel for liquid combination in the mouth and then swallowing. The ratio of the chambers formed by the dividing wall in the vessel should be 2:1, thus one chamber is 25 mL and the other 50 mL. The measurements for this best mode are approximately 33.5 mm in diameter and 130 mm in height. The dividing wall is set approximately 22.3 mm from one point on the rim of the glass and 11.2 mm from the point on the other side of the rim of the glass exactly 180 degrees from the first said point.

Claims

1. A conical shaped drinking vessel comprising two chambers formed by a dividing wall starting flush with the rim of the top of the vessel and running the entire length of the vessel thus connecting to the bottom of the vessel, said dividing wall connecting to the rim of the top of the vessel at two points and the bottom of the vessel at the same two points, the volume of the two said chambers having a ratio of 2:1 but being exactly equal in height, said top of the vessel being open except for the top of the dividing wall and said bottom of the vessel being completely enclosed.

2. The drinking vessel of claim 1 wherein the vessel is comprised of glass, plastic, pottery, or another form of non-permeable material.

3. The drinking vessel of claim 1 wherein the height of the vessel is approximately 130 mm, the diameter of the vessel is approximately 33.5 mm in diameter, the volume of the larger chamber is 50 mL and the volume of the smaller chamber is 25 mL.

4. The drinking vessel of claim 1 wherein the diameter of the vessel is consistent at every height of the vessel, from the top to the bottom.

5. The drinking vessel of claim 1 wherein the said top of the vessel and said bottom of vessel are completely flat.

6. The drinking vessel of claim 1 wherein the top of said dividing wall is continuous with the top of said vessel and the bottom of said dividing wall is continuous with the bottom of said vessel.