DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING THE DEGRADATION OF A CONSUMABLE LIQUID
A sealing device for reducing the degradation of a consumer liquid within a container. The sealing device includes an inflation source, a bladder, and a flexible tubing connecting the inflation source to the bladder. The bladder is configured to reside on a surface of the consumable liquid and has a first state and a second state. In the first state, the bladder is configured to enter the container. In the second state, the bladder forms a seal with the container at the search of the consumable liquid.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/333,872, filed on May 12, 2010, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to a device and method of preventing the degradation of a consumable liquid and, more particularly, to the oxidation of a bottle of consumable liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSome consumable liquids, such as wine or carbonated beverages, often suffer a loss of quality, taste, and composition due to oxidation. Oxidation is generally a chemical reaction in which oxygen and/or other elements in the air impregnate the consumable liquid, rendering it unappetizing to a consumer. Manufacturers of consumable liquids understand this process and implement several procedures to preserve the quality of the consumable liquid until it is ready to be consumed. For example, manufacturers will select a suitably sized and shaped container for the consumable liquid so that the container is mostly filled with the consumable liquid with little-to-no air space within the container above the consumable liquid. Additionally, manufacturers may include a seal at an opening of the container, with or without pressurizing the air within the air space that is residing between the consumable liquid and the seal.
However, there exists the problem of preserving the quality of the consumable liquid after the container has been opened and at least a portion of the consumable liquid remains. Several conventional devices and methods have been developed to reduce and/or prevent the oxidation of consumable liquids after the container has been opened. For example, one conventional method includes placing a cover or seal over an opening of the container of the consumable liquid. However, the air space is still present in that container. In fact, the volume of the air space increases after at least a portion of the consumable liquid is removed from the container. The increased volume of air space furthers the process of oxidation and the degradation of the consumable liquid.
Another conventional method includes freezing the consumable liquid after the container has been opened and the consumable liquid has been initially exposed and/or partially consumed. However, this method is also undesirable as it takes considerable time for the consumable liquid to be thawed or otherwise unfrozen. Furthermore, the freezing and thawing process may lead to degradation of the consumable liquid through mechanisms other than oxidation.
Still another conventional method includes transferring the consumable liquid to a smaller container. However, this method requires the user to maintain a supply of containers of various sizes. Moreover, an exact match of any particular container to the amount of consumable liquid is rarely, if ever, achieved.
Another conventional method includes replacing the air within the air space of the container with an inert gas and/or evacuating the air from the air space with a pump. In the former, air is introduced into the container during the time it takes to remove the source of the inert gas from the opening of the container and placement of the seal. The former method also does not allow the user to visually inspect or otherwise determine whether that air within the air space of the container has been fully displaced. In the latter method, a vacuum is unattainable, particularly with vacuum pumps available for consumer use. Thus, it is inevitable that significant amounts of air will remain within the container.
Therefore, there remains a need for a device and method of preserving consumable liquids that overcomes the above-mentioned deficiencies of the conventional methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention overcomes the foregoing problems and other shortcomings, drawbacks, and challenges of preventing the degradation of a consumable liquid. While the invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. To the contrary, this invention includes all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a sealing device is described. The sealing device is configured to reduce the degradation of a consumable liquid within a container and includes an inflation source, a bladder, and a flexible tubing connecting the inflation source to the bladder. The bladder is configured to reside on a surface of the consumable liquid and has a first state and a second state. In the first state, the bladder is configured to enter the container. In the second state, the bladder forms a seal with the container at the surface of the consumable liquid.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a sealing device is described for reducing the degradation of a consumable liquid within a container. The sealing device includes a collapsible bladder and an actuator. The collapsible bladder has an expanded state and a collapsed state. The actuator transitions the collapsible bladder between the expanded and collapsed states. When the bladder is in the collapsed state, the bladder is configured to enter the container. In the expanded state, the bladder is configured to form a seal with the container at the surface of the consumable liquid.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a method of preserving a consumable liquid within a container is described. The method includes inserting an expandable bladder through an opening of the container. The expandable bladder is directed to a surface of the consumable liquid within the container and expanded so as to form a seal with an inner surface of the container at the surface of the consumable liquid.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description thereof.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Turning now to the figures, and in particular to
As is shown, a seal (not shown) of the container 10 that was positioned by the manufacturer for shipment of the container 10 has been removed and at least a portion of the liquid has been removed and/or consumed. As a result, the volume 20 within the container 10 is largely comprised of air space 22 in additional to some liquid 12.
Turning now to
The inflation source 26 may be, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the pump bulb 26 may include a novelty shape that is associated with the liquid 12 to be preserved. For exemplary purposes only, if the liquid to be preserved is wine, the pump bulb may be shaped as a cluster of grapes, or if the liquid to be preserved is a carbonated beverage (such as an orange flavored soda pop), then the pump bulb may be shaped as a wedge of an orange. However, these novelty shapes are not necessary to the function of the pump bulb and the invention should be not be so limited to a particular shape as described or illustrated herein.
The valve 28 coupled to the opening 40 of the pump bulb 26 is configured to couple the flexible tube 32 to the pump bulb 26. In some embodiments, the valve 28 may include a pressure release 42 having an open state and a closed state. The pressure release 42 may be constructed from a metallic, plastic, or other suitable materials and may include a screw-type or push button operation. In the closed state, each compression of the pump bulb 26 forces the expelled air through the opening 40 in the pump bulb 26, through the pressure release 42 and the valve 28, and into the flexible tube 32; in the open state, the expelled air from each compression of the pump bulb 26 may be otherwise diverted away from the flexible tube 32.
It would be readily understood that alternative embodiments of inflation sources 26 may also be used. For example,
In yet another alternative embodiment, and as shown in
Returning again to
Referring still to
The inflatable bladder 36 may be constructed of various elastic polymeric materials, and it may be advantageous to construct the inflatable bladder from a guayule-based rubber material. In still other embodiments, the inflatable bladder may be constructed from a natural rubber, latex, MYLAR, YULEX, VYTEX, polyisoprene synthetic rubber or other like material.
Further, while not required, the pump bulb 26 and/or the inflatable bladder 36 may be manufactured to be a color that is similar to the liquid to be preserved. For example, the pump bulb 26 and the inflatable bladder 36 may be a dark red or purple color for red wines, while the pump bulb 26 and the inflatable bladder 36 may be a light yellow or greenish color for white wines.
The connector 38 is shaped and sized to be received by an opening 62 of the inflatable bladder 36 and to extend between the second end 34 of the flexible tube 32 and the inflatable bladder 36. In some embodiments, the connector 38 may be permanently coupled to the opening 62 of the inflatable bladder 36 or to the second end of the flexible tube 32.
Referring now to
When the user desires to further consume or otherwise dispose of the liquid 12, the pressure release 42 may be opened. In this way, the air within the inflatable bladder 36 may be expelled from the inflatable bladder 36 and the fluidic-pressure within the inflatable bladder 36 decreases. With sufficient pressure release, the inflatable bladder 36 returns to a deflated state and is easily removed from the surface 64 of the liquid 12 and from the volume 20 within the container 10 via the opening 18 of the container 10.
Turning now to
In an alternate embodiment, though not shown, the O-ring shape of the compressible bladder 90 is coupled to the flexible tube 32 (
In
In use, the compressible bladder 100 operates in a manner that is similar to an umbrella. That is, the compressible bladder 100, in a closed state, is lowered into the container 10 and to the surface 64 of the liquid 12. The compressible bladder 100 would then be moved to an open state from an external mechanism (not shown) that would slide the runner downwardly along the tube 106, which radially expands the collapsible stretchers and forces the plurality of ribs 102 outwardly until the film 104 contacts the inner surface of the container 10. Removing the compressible bladder 100 would include reversing the operation such that the runner is advanced upwardly along the tube 106 (i.e., toward the opening 18 of the container 10), which releases the collapsible stretchers and plurality of ribs to the closed state.
Turning now to
In this particular embodiment, three rods 96′ are shown and that are coupled directly to the outer tube 92′. The three rods 96′ are configured to be retracted and extended with respect to a tube 112 in order to compress, or otherwise collapse, the outer tube 92′ to a dimension that allows the outer tube 92′ to be inserted through the opening 18 of the container 10. The rods 96′ may also be used to position the outer tube 92′ within the volume 20 of the container 10, to advance the compressible bladder 110 to the surface 64 of the liquid 12, to position the collapsible bladder 110 within the container 10, and to remove the collapsible bladder 110 as was described above.
Various embodiments of a device and method for preventing the degradation of a consumable liquid have been described and may be used to reduce and/or prevent the degradation and/or or oxidation of gelatinous materials, solid materials, or gaseous materials. Moreover, one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the invention may be used in other shaped containers and should not be limited to the particular shaped container illustrated or described herein.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments, and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The various features of the invention may be used alone or in any combination depending on the needs and preferences of the user. This has been a description of the present invention, along with methods of practicing the present invention as currently known. However, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A sealing device for reducing the degradation of a consumable liquid within a container, the sealing device comprising:
- an inflation source;
- a bladder configured to reside on a surface of the consumable liquid within the container, the inflatable bladder have a first state and a second state; and
- a flexible tubing connecting the pump to the inflatable bladder,
- wherein the bladder in the first state is configured to enter the container and in the second state forms a seal with the container at the surface of the consumable liquid.
2. The sealing device of claim 1, wherein the inflation source is one of a pump bulb, a compressed air source, or an air pump.
3. The sealing device of claim 1, wherein the inflation source further comprises:
- a pressure release configured to retain a fluidic-pressure within the bladder and the flexible tubing.
4. The sealing device of claim 1, wherein the bladder includes a balloon or an outer tube.
5. A sealing device for reducing the degradation of a consumable liquid within a container, the sealing device comprising:
- a collapsible bladder having an expanded state and a collapsed state; and
- an actuator coupled to the collapsible bladder and configured to transition the collapsible bladder between the expanded and collapsed states,
- wherein the bladder in the collapsed state is configured to enter the container and in the expanded state forms a seal with the container at the surface of the consumable liquid.
6. The sealing device of claim 5, wherein the actuator includes one or more rods extending away from the collapsible bladder.
7. A method of preserving a consumable liquid within a container, the method comprising:
- inserting an expandable bladder through an opening and into the container;
- directing the expandable bladder to a surface of the consumable liquid within the container; and
- expanding the expandable bladder so as to form a seal with an inner surface of the container at the surface of the consumable liquid.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the expandable bladder is inflatable and expanding the expandable bladder further comprises:
- pumping air into the expandable bladder.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein pumping air into the expandable bladder includes a actuating a pump bulb, releasing air from a cylinder of compressed air, or activating an air pump.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the expandable bladder is compressible and the method further comprises:
- compressing the expandable bladder to a first, collapsed state so as to direct the expandable bladder through the opening; and
- releasing the expandable bladder to a second, extended state to form the seal.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
- releasing the seal by collapsing the expandable bladder; and
- removing the expandable bladder from the volume within the container.
Type: Application
Filed: May 2, 2011
Publication Date: Nov 17, 2011
Inventor: Eric D. Corti (Mason, OH)
Application Number: 13/098,673
International Classification: B65D 53/00 (20060101);