BEVERAGE CONTAINER
A beverage container or flask that includes a removable panel. The removable panel is configured to include fasteners that allow a user to selectively lock the panel in place and to remove it from the remainder of the flask. When the removable panel is locked in place on the remainder of the flask, the panel provides a leak proof seal such that a liquid may be contained in the flask without escaping. When the removable panel is detached from the remainder of the flask, access to an interior volume or compartment of the flask is provided, which facilitates simplified and more effective cleaning of the flask.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to beverage containers and more particularly to beverage containers that include a removable panel that provides access to an internal compartment to facilitate easy cleaning of the containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beverage containers come in numerous shapes and sizes. Many beverage containers include a body portion having a hollow interior volume, a neck portion coupled to the body portion that is substantially narrower than the body portion, and a mouth or opening coupled to a top portion of the neck portion that is operative to permit passage of liquid between the interior of the body portion and the external environment. For many beverage containers, washing the interior of the body portion after use may be a difficult task since the relatively small opening and neck portion of the container may severely limit access to the interior portion of the container.
The present invention is directed a beverage container or flask that includes a removable panel or sidewall. The removable panel is configured to include fasteners or “locks” that allow a user to selectively fasten the panel in place and to remove it from the remainder of the flask. When the removable panel is locked in place on the remainder of the flask, the panel provides a leak proof seal such that a liquid may be contained in the flask without escaping. The removable panel feature of the flask permits access to an interior volume or compartment of the flask, which facilitates simplified and more effective cleaning of the interior of the flask. This is in contrast to flasks or beverage containers in which the only access to an interior compartment is through a relatively small mouth or opening. As an example, a user may detach the removable panel from the remainder of the flask and then insert both pieces of the flask into a dishwasher for efficient and effective cleaning thereof.
An exemplary embodiment of a flask 10 according to the present invention is depicted in the figures. Referring initially to
The flask 10 also includes a cap 70 that is removably coupled to a cylindrical neck portion 26 (see
As shown in
As shown in
Similar to the left removable panel 50, the right removable panel 40 comprises a substantially rectangular vertical surface 46, a beveled edge 44, and a seal coupling portion 42 configured to be coupled to a seal 48. Referring to
Referring now to
As may best be viewed in
As shown in
During assembly, once the screw 80A has been inserted into the counterbore 58A and cylindrically shaped channel 61A of the left removable panel 50, the plate 100A may then be coupled to the screw 80A. This is accomplished by inserting the key portion 108A of the plate 100A into the keyway aperture 92 of the screw 80A and tapping the pin 120A through the apertures 110A and 112A of the plate and into an aperture 101A (see
The components of the bottom locking assembly (designated with the letter “B”) may be assembled in the same manner as those of the top locking assembly (designated with the letter “A”) described above. That is, the screw 80B may be inserted into a bottom counterbore 58B and cylindrically shaped channel 61B of the left removable panel 50 and secured to the plate 100B using the pin 120B as described above with reference to the top locking assembly.
As discussed above, the flask 10 is configured to permit the removable assembly 51 to be selectively locked onto the body portion 12 of the flask to form the fluid-tight first compartment 15 operative to contain a liquid therein. With reference to
As shown in
In contrast, when the plates 100A are 100B are in the locked position (see the top plate 100A shown in
To achieve a fluid tight seal, the ridges 32A-D may be positioned on the interior surfaces 18A and 20A of the front panel 18 and back panel 20, respectively, at a location that requires a user to exert a small force on the assembly 51 when rotating the screws 80A and 80B, thereby compressing the seal 64 slightly to form a leak proof seal around the seal engagement portion 22 of the body portion 12. In other words, the plates 100A and 100B may not be inserted into the body portion 12 fully past the ridges 32A-32D unless a force sufficient to compress the seal 64 (thereby moving the plates 100A and 100B inward toward the body portion 12) is applied.
The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).
It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A beverage container, comprising:
- a body portion having one or more panels that form an interior volume configured for receiving a liquid therein, the body portion comprising a first opening configured for allowing removal of a liquid stored within the interior volume, the body portion further comprising a second opening having a size larger than the first opening; and
- a removable panel configured for selective attachment to the body portion at a position that covers the second opening of the body portion, thereby providing a leak proof seal between the body portion and the removable panel.
2. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein the body portion comprises a panel engagement portion, and the removable panel further comprises a lock portion configured to engage with panel engagement portion to removably fasten the removable panel to the body portion.
3. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein the beverage container includes a front panel, a back panel, and two opposing side panels, wherein one of the side panels comprises the removable panel.
4. The beverage container, comprising:
- a body having a first portion that forms a first compartment, a second portion that forms a second compartment, and a divider portion that separates the first compartment from the second compartment, the first compartment being configured for receiving a liquid therein and having a first opening configured for allowing removal of a liquid stored within the first compartment, and a second opening having a size larger than the first opening, the second compartment having an opening therein;
- a first removable panel configured for selective attachment to the first portion at a position that sealably covers the second opening of the first compartment, thereby providing a leak proof seal between the first portion and the removable panel; and
- a second removable panel configured for selective attachment to the second portion at a position that covers the opening of the second compartment.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 19, 2011
Publication Date: Jul 19, 2012
Inventor: Andrew C.F. Wahl (Seattle, WA)
Application Number: 13/009,752
International Classification: B65D 25/04 (20060101); B65D 90/00 (20060101);