BEVERAGE GLASS WITH INTERNAL DECANTING, FILTERING,MIXING AND AERATING CELL

Abstract

A drinking container for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage. The drinking container comprises a bowl having an upper opening and an aerating cell having a wall, an upper opening along the top of the cell and at least one perforation through the wall. The cell is attached to and within the bowl, to decant, filter, mix and/or aerate a beverage that is poured through the bowl upper opening and into the cell upper opening, and subsequently flows through the at least one perforation into the bowl.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to beverage glasses, particularly, wine glasses, containing an internal cell for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating the beverage as it is poured into the glass.

2. Description of Related Art

A wine glass is generally composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot. Glasses for red wine are characterized by a rounder, wider bowl with a larger opening, which permits the wine to breathe. The shape of the bowl concentrates the flavor and aroma to emphasize particular characteristics of the wine.

Beverages made from fruit often contain small solid particles from the skin or seeds of the fruit which may settle to the bottom of the beverage container. Wine, in particular, often contains these particles which may be transferred with the wine to the wine glass.

Wine glasses have been made with internal structures to enhance the swirling and mixing of the wine with air after it has been poured into the glass, for example, as shown in U.S. Patent Publication No. US2006/0032855. Other devices for decanting wine as it is poured are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US2007/0256568. None of these devices provide a structure within the wine glass itself to permit the decanting, filtering, mixing and aerating of the wine as it is poured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a beverage glass for aerating a beverage upon pouring the beverage into the beverage glass.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a beverage glass having internal means for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage upon pouring the beverage into the beverage glass.

A further object of the invention is to provide a beverage glass for changing or maintaining the temperature of a beverage.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a beverage glass having an interior cell for holding and mixing a flavored liquid with a beverage.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

The above and other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to a drinking container for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage. The drinking container comprises a bowl having an upper opening and an aerating cell having a wall, an upper opening along the top of the cell and at least one perforation through the wall. The cell is attached to and within the bowl, to decant, filter, mix and/or aerate a beverage that is poured through the bowl upper opening and into the cell upper opening, and subsequently flows through the at least one perforation into the bowl.

Preferably, the cell includes a plurality of cell perforations in at least a portion of the cell wall and more preferably the cell perforations are all located a distance above a bottom of the bowl a distance sufficient to permit a desired volume of the beverage to flow therethrough and into the bowl. Alternately, the cell perforations extend to a bottom of the bowl.

The drinking container may include a plurality of perforations in only a portion of the cell wall and may include a lower end supported above a bottom of the bowl a distance designating a desired volume of the beverage to be held in the bowl. The cell may be supported above a bottom of the bowl. Preferably, the drinking container is a wine glass having a base and stem supporting the bowl.

The drinking container may include a cell which is removably attached to the bowl. Alternately, the cell may have a lip supported by a rim along the bowl upper opening.

The drinking container may include a cell having an upper opening with a width less than half that of the bowl upper opening. Alternately, the cell upper opening may have a width greater than half that of the bowl upper opening.

The drinking container may include a cell having a separate, removable filter basket. The drinking container may have the bowl opening larger than the user's mouth.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of using a drinking container for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage. The method includes providing a drinking container having a bowl with an upper opening and, within the bowl, an aerating cell having a wall, an upper opening along the top of the cell and at least one perforation through the wall. The method includes providing a beverage, pouring the beverage through the bowl upper opening into the cell upper opening and permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl, thereby decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating the beverage.

Preferably, the method includes the cell having a plurality of cell perforations in at least a portion of the cell wall and more preferably the cell perforations are all located a distance above a bottom of the bowl a distance sufficient to permit a desired volume of the beverage to flow therethrough and into the bowl. The method includes, in the step of permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl, terminating the pouring upon the beverage level reaching about the level of the cell perforations. Alternately, the cell perforations extend to a bottom of the bowl whereby a first beverage is poured into the cell and a second beverage is then poured into the bowl, initiating mixing of the first and second beverages and the step of permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl includes terminating the pouring upon the beverage level reaching about the level of the cell lower end.

The method may include providing a plurality of perforations in only a portion of the cell wall and the cell may include a lower end supported above a bottom of the bowl a distance designating a desired volume of the beverage to be held in the bowl. The cell may be supported above a bottom of the bowl. Preferably, the drinking container is a wine glass having a base and stem supporting the bowl and the beverage is a wine.

The method may include providing a drinking container having a cell which is removably attached to the bowl wherein the cell is removed after permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl. Alternately, the cell may have a lip supported by a rim along the bowl upper opening wherein the cell lip is placed in contact with the bowl rim prior to pouring the beverage through the bowl upper opening into the cell upper opening

The drinking container may include a cell having an upper opening with a width less than half that of the bowl upper opening. Alternately, the cell upper opening may have a width greater than half that of the bowl upper opening.

The drinking container may include a cell having a separate, removable filter basket and the filter basket may be removed after permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl. The drinking container preferably has the bowl opening larger than the user's mouth.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a drinking container for changing or maintaining beverage temperature. The drinking container comprises a bowl having an upper opening and a sealed cell within the bowl containing a substance for cooling or heating the beverage in the glass without diluting the beverage. The cell has an upper end marking a desired volume of beverage within the bowl.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The figures are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. The invention itself, however, both as to organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a beverage glass according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a beverage glass showing the flow of the beverage through an integrated internal cell according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a beverage glass having a removable perforated cell and volume indicator.

FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of the beverage glass according to the present invention

FIG. 5 is a third embodiment of the beverage glass according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a fourth embodiment of the beverage glass according to the present invention

FIG. 7 is a beverage glass having a removable screen filter in the internal cell.

FIG. 8A is an exploded view of another embodiment of the beverage glass having a removable decanting cell according to the present invention.

FIG. 8B is a collapsed view of the beverage glass shown in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a beverage glass having an integrated internal cooling cell according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a beverage glass having an integrated internal cell for a flavoring liquid according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

In describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made herein to FIGS. 1-10 of the drawings in which like numerals refer to like features of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a beverage drinking container or glass 10 includes a bowl 20 having a wide opening 24 at the top, preferably a glass bowl similar to that of an ordinary wine glass, an elongated lower stem 50 and a foot or base 52 for supporting the beverage glass on a flat horizontal surface. The beverage glass includes within the bowl a smaller internal cell or compartment 30 of cylindrical configuration having a side surface or wall 31, an upper opening 32 and at least one, and preferably multiple, perforations 34 distributed evenly on and extending through the side wall(s) thereof. The perforated internal cell provides decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating of a beverage upon pouring the beverage into the bowl beverage glass through the opening of the bowl. The internal cell or pod 30 is supported within the interior of bowl 20 by a support structure or stem 36 such that the top of the cell is no higher than the top opening 24 of the bowl, and the bottom of the cell is above the bottom of the bowl.

A method of using the beverage glass 10 for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating of a beverage is shown in FIG. 2. The wine 62 is poured from a wine bottle 80 through bowl opening 24 into the upper opening 32 of cell 30. As the cell fills with the wine, gravity forces the wine to flow through the plurality of perforations 34 and into the bowl 20, filtering any particle present in the wine which drops below the perforations or is too large to pass through the perforations. As wine stream 62′ exits the perforations, the surface area of the wine exposed to the atmosphere is increased and allows for more efficient aeration of the wine than would be provided by pouring the wine directly into the wine glass bowl.

Preferably, the method includes providing the beverage glass having a bowl, an aerating cell having an exterior surface, an upper opening along the top of the surface and a plurality of perforations on the surface integrated within the bowl of the beverage glass. The method includes pouring the beverage into the upper opening 32 of the aerating cell 30 and allowing the beverage to permeate through the perforations of the exterior surface 31. The method decants, mixes, aerates and/or filters the beverage 62 flowing through the cell 30 and into the glass bowl 20 outside of and below the cell.

FIG. 3 shows additional features of the self decanting beverage glass 10′ which includes a removable aerating portion 30 which is attached and connected to the support structure 36. The support structure 36 may be removably or permanently integrally attached to the lower surface of bowl 20 or to a top end of stem 50. Preferably the support structure 36 fits slidingly in a support socket 38 whereby cell 30 may be easily inserted or removed from the socket. Volume indication line 22, which is etched in or otherwise applied to the bowl to indicate a standard portion or pour of wine or beverage, is at the same level and coincides with the lower end 33 of cell 30. A specific volume value may additionally be indicated along line 22.

In FIG. 3, the perforations 34 extend vertically all along the side of cell 30 between the bottom 33 and top 32. FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the beverage glass wherein the perforations 34 are disposed only on the upper half of cell 30′, with the lower half of the cell being solid and free of perforations. In this embodiment, cell 30′ provides a decanting feature to prevent sediment from flowing from cell 30′ to glass bowl 20. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 include perforations 34 disposed only on the lower 20% of the cell 30″, with the upper 80% of the cell side walls being solid and free of perforations. The internal cell may be made with any desired vertical portion of the side walls having perforations therein, with the remainder of the side walls being solid. The perforations may be located in the bottom wall of the cell, in addition to or as an alternative to perforations in the side walls. In the embodiment where the glass is used for aeration and/or filtration of the beverage, the lowermost perforations should be above the bottom of the bowl a sufficient distance for the desired volume of the aerated or filtered beverage to be contained within the bowl.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of the aerating cell 30′″ which may be shallower and wider than those of FIGS. 1-5. The aerating portion 30′″ is attached and connected to the top of the support structure 36, includes perforations 34 in the lower wall of the cell, and provides a larger upper opening 32′ so the wine poured from the bottle is less likely to bypass the aeration cell. In this embodiment, the width or diameter of cell 30′″ is greater than half of the width or diameter of the opening 24 of the bowl 20.

In another embodiment of the beverage glass shown in FIG. 7, the aerating cell 30 includes a separate, removable filter basket 70 for improved filtering of the beverage. In addition, the filter basket includes a handle 72 which allows easier insertion and removal into and from the aerating cell 30. This also allows for easier disposal of any particles or sediment filtered from the wine.

In another embodiment of the beverage glass shown in the exploded view of FIG. 8A, an aeration cell 100 or cup may be disposed on the rim 104 of a beverage glass 20 and supported by a lip 102 on the periphery of the upper opening 106 of the cell. The aeration cell 100 also includes a bottom wall 104 and a side wall 108 extending between the upper opening and the bottom wall. The side wall 108 includes perforations 34′ spaced at least distance d from the bottom surface 104. The perforations are preferably spaced from the bottom surface a distance sufficient to allow particles and sediment in the wine to accumulate on the bottom surface without passing through the perforations 34′ and into the bowl 20.

FIG. 8B shows aeration cell 100 in position on the bowl 20 of the beverage glass and a beverage 62 being poured therein. As the beverage level in the aeration cell reaches the perforations, the beverage begins to flow through the perforations and into the bowl 20. Lip 102 may be made to fit the rims of a variety of beverage glasses.

FIG. 9 shows a wine or beverage glass 12 for changing or maintaining a desired temperature of the beverage. The beverage glass includes a bowl 20′, a sealed temperature cell or pod 90, a stem 50 and a foot 52. The temperature cell or pod 90 contains a solid, liquid or gel substance for cooling the beverage in the glass without diluting the beverage and is disposed inside the bowl 20′. The substance is sealed within the pod 90 so the beverage is not contaminated thereby. Alternatively, the substance may also be used to heat the liquid in the bowl. Preferably, the highest point on the pod marks a specific volume of beverage, such as a standard portion or pour of wine, and is at the same level as volume indicating mark 22 on bowl 20′.

FIGS. 1-9 include embodiments of beverage glass of the present invention which work particularly well with wine, although they may be used with other beverages as well. The characteristics of red wine improve after the wine has been properly aerated and the features of the above embodiments provides for efficient aeration as well as decanting and filtration of particles which may be present in many bottles of wine.

FIG. 10 shows a beverage glass for mixing a beverage with a liquid flavoring. The preferred beverage glass 14 comprises a conical bowl 20″, a flavoring pod 96, an elongated stem 50 and a base 52. The flavoring cell or pod 96 is preferably a fluted cell having a wider upper opening 98 and a plurality of upper perforations 94 and lower perforations 92 disposed on the side walls. Cell 96 is preferably non-removably integrated within the bowl of the beverage glass, but alternatively may be made to removable therefrom. The perforations alternately may be disposed only on the upper portion of the cell, or only on the lower portion of the cell, rather than on both portions. Beverage glass 14 is particularly useful for martinis, where a flavoring liquid may be introduced into cell 96 and subsequently mixed with the vodka or gin in the bowl.

Although the drinking container is described herein as a glass, in the preferred embodiment it also encompasses cups, tumblers and other beverage containers having bowl openings larger than an individual user's mouth and intended for serving an individual portion of a beverage. The drinking container along with the internal cell may be made of a material other than glass, for example, acrylic or other plastic, and may be transparent, translucent or opaque.

Thus, the present invention provides an improved beverage glass having an internal cell for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage upon pouring the beverage into the beverage glass. The invention also provides an improved beverage glass with an internal cell for changing the temperature of a beverage, or for holding and mixing a flavored liquid within a beverage.

While the present invention has been particularly described, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims are not limited to the specific preferred embodiments disclosed herein and will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drinking container for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage comprising:

a bowl having an upper opening; and

an aerating cell having an wall, an upper opening along the top of the cell and at least one perforation through the wall, the cell being attached to and within the bowl, the cell being adapted to decant, filter, mix and/or aerate a beverage that is poured through the bowl upper opening and into the cell upper opening, and subsequently flows through the at least one perforation into the bowl.

2. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell has a plurality of perforations in at least a portion of the cell wall.

3. The drinking container of claim 2 wherein the cell perforations are all located a distance above a bottom of the bowl a distance sufficient to permit a desired volume of the beverage to flow therethrough and into the bowl.

4. The drinking container of claim 2 wherein the cell perforations extend to a bottom of the bowl.

5. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell has a plurality of perforations in only a portion of the cell wall.

6. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell is supported above a bottom of the bowl.

7. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell has a lower end supported above a bottom of the bowl a distance designating a desired volume of the beverage to be held in the bowl.

8. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell is removably attached to the bowl.

9. The drinking container of claim 8 wherein the cell has a lip supported by a rim along the bowl upper opening.

10. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell upper opening has a width less than half that of the bowl upper opening.

11. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell upper opening has a width greater than half that of the bowl upper opening.

12. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the cell further includes a separate, removable filter basket.

13. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the drinking container is a wine glass having a base and stem supporting the bowl.

14. The drinking container of claim 1 wherein the bowl opening is larger than the user's mouth.

15. A method of using a drinking container for decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating a beverage comprising:

providing a drinking container having a bowl with an upper opening and, within the bowl, an aerating cell having a wall, an upper opening along the top of the cell and at least one perforations through the wall;

providing a beverage;

pouring the beverage through the bowl upper opening into the cell upper opening; and

permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl, thereby decanting, filtering, mixing and/or aerating the beverage.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the cell has a plurality of perforations in at least a portion of the cell wall.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the cell perforations are all located a distance above a bottom of the bowl sufficient to permit a desired volume of the beverage to flow therethrough and into the bowl and the step of permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl includes terminating the pouring upon the beverage level reaching about the level of the cell perforations.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the cell has a lower end supported above a bottom of the bowl a distance designating a desired volume of the beverage to be held in the bowl and the step of permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl includes terminating the pouring upon the beverage level reaching about the level of the cell lower end.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the cell is removably attached to the bowl and the cell is removed after permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the cell has a lip supported by a rim along the bowl upper opening and the cell lip is placed in contact with the bowl rim prior to pouring the beverage through the bowl upper opening into the cell upper opening.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the cell further includes a separate, removable filter basket and the filter basket is removed after permitting the beverage to flow through the at least one perforation and into the bowl.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the drinking container is a wine glass having a base and stem supporting the bowl.

23. A drinking container for changing or maintaining beverage temperature comprising:

a bowl having an upper opening; and

a sealed cell within the bowl containing a substance for cooling or heating the beverage in the glass without diluting the beverage, the cell having an upper end marking a desired volume of beverage within the bowl.