MACHINE INDEPENDENT METAL SAFETY BOTTLE

Abstract

A metal bottle for holding pressurized content includes a metal receptacle to hold the pressurized content and a safety plug configured to vent the pressurized content from the metal receptacle at a pre-determined level of pressure.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application: 61/628,813, filed Nov. 7, 2011, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bottles generally and to safety features for metal bottles with pressurized content in particular.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many different bottles available on the market for use with home soda machines. These may come in different shapes and materials, typically plastic or glass. As all bottles are subject to cracking or even explosion under pressure, home soda machines are typically configured with built-in safety functionality such as protective sleeves and methods for limiting pressure buildup during the carbonation process, such as pressure relief valves within the machine.

Metal bottles have been known to be used with home soda machines and are generally more durable than their glass/plastic counterparts. Theoretically, metal bottles may be manufactured with a very thin wall thickness in order to withstand the internal pressures generated by a standard carbonation process, typically up to 8 atmospheres. However, metal bottles with a very thin wall thickness are easily deformed during standard handling and/or by the application of light external pressure, not unlike the manner in which a standard soda can may be easily crushed by a typical adult when empty. Therefore, in the interests of durability, a reusable metal bottle must have thicker walls which as a consequence are capable of sustaining significantly higher internal pressure, e.g. greater than the 8 atmospheres required for standard carbonization. Accordingly, in the event of some form of failure during the carbonation process in which uncontrollable excess pressure is applied to the bottle, the internal energy built up inside the bottle can possibly exceed 8 atmospheres causing the bottle to explode with potentially high if not fatal consequences. Therefore due to these concerns their use is limited. Thus bottles for use with home soda machines are mainly manufactured in glass/plastic and typically may be designed to withstand pressures of around 20 atmospheres. Glass/plastic bottles may still explode under some conditions; however the resulting damage may be considerably less than that of an exploding metal bottle, thus the need for extra safety considerations when using a metal bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

There is provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a metal bottle for holding pressurized content. The metal bottle includes a metal receptacle to hold pressurized content and a safety plug configured to vent the pressurized content from the metal receptacle at a pre-determined level of pressure.

Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal bottle includes a means to attach the bottle to a home carbonation machine.

Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the safety plug includes a membrane set to rupture at the pre-determined level of pressure and an assembly to connect the membrane to the metal receptacle.

Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the assembly includes a body and a cover having holes evenly sized and evenly spaced apart to evenly disperse gas and liquid from the receptacle after the rupture of the membrane.

Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pre-determined level of pressure is lower than a rupture pressure level of the metal receptacle.

Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal bottle includes a window in the metal receptacle.

Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal bottle also includes a float.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a machine independent safety bottle, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a safety plug to be implemented in the bottle of FIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a machine independent safety bottle with a window, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a machine independent safety bottle with a float, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

Applicant has realized that there is room on the market for a metal bottle that can be used with a home soda machine if it takes into account various safety measures. Assuming that such safety measures may reduce the dangers of explosion, there may be many advantages to using a metal bottle over plastic/glass. For example, they may be more durable. Furthermore, as will be discussed hereinbelow, such safety measures may free a metal bottle from reliance on the built-in-safety measures of the home soda machine itself, thus rendering it safe to use with different types and/or other brands of home soda machines.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which is a cross sectional diagram of a metal bottle 100 to be used with a home soda machine. Bottle 100 may comprise mouth 10 to connect the bottle to the home soda machine and safety plug 20 situated at the base of the bottle. It will be appreciated that the indentation design at the base of the bottle may facilitate the implementation of the safety plug within bottle 100.

It will be appreciated that currently home soda machine bottles may rely on sensors within the home soda machine to monitor mounting pressure during carbonation. This can be problematic if it is not known to what pressure a bottle can stand. For example, a glass bottle may be manufactured to withstand a pressure of 20 bars. However, a slight scratch or chip may render it vulnerable to explosion at 2 bars or even lower, whereas the carbonation process may expose it to 8 bars or more.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 which is an expanded view of safety plug 20. Safety plug 20 may comprise a burst disk 30, a burst disk assembly body 40, a burst disk assembly cover 50 and an O-ring 60. It will be appreciated that the purpose of safety plug 20 may be to prevent bottle 100 from being pressurized above 15 bars. It may be designed to relieve excess pressure by releasing gas and fluid from bottle 100 in a safe and orderly manner.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the membrane of burst disk 30 may be configured to rupture whenever the pressure in bottle 100 exceeds a set pressure point, for example a threshold pressure of 15 bars, thusly allowing the release of both gas (carbon dioxide) and fluid through the ruptured burst disk 20 to prevent an uncontrolled explosion of the entire bottle 100. It will be appreciated that burst disk 30 may be manufactured from metal with a thickness that is thinner than the walls of bottle 100. It will further be appreciated that the threshold pressure point may be determined to ensure that at the set pressure, only the membrane of the burst disk will rupture and not the walls of bottle 100. Thusly, burst disk 20, also provides a solution for dealing with rising pressure during an uncontrollable carbonation process when, for whatever reason, the process continues past safe limits.

It will be appreciated that the spacing and size of the holes within burst disk assembly body 40 and assembly cover 50 may be thermodynamically designed to evenly disperse fluid and carbon dioxide emissions from bottle 100. This may minimize the buildup of ice created endothermically by the carbon dioxide emissions when released. This even spacing of the holes may prevent the creation of a single chunk of ice that could plug the flow of liquid from bottle 100 and thus cause a further buildup of pressure within bottle 100. It will further be appreciated that the uniform dispersion of fluid from bottle 100 while it is still attached to the home soda machine, may serve to stabilize bottle 100 and prevent it from leaning to one side and potentially toppling over the home soda machine and causing damage.

It will also be appreciated that safety plug 20 may be built into the bottle 100 to prevent external tampering which may cause the membrane of burst disk 30 to break or not function properly.

It will be appreciated that an optimal amount of fluid may be defined for bottle 100 for the carbonation process. Too much fluid may result in an overflow during/after carbonation; whereas not enough fluid in the bottle during the carbonation process may cause an excess buildup of potential energy within bottle 100. It will further be appreciated that as opposed to the glass/plastic of the prior art, metal bottle 100 may be opaque, such that a user may not be able to verify that an optimal amount of fluid is in bottle 100 before attaching it to the home soda machine. Reference is now made to FIG. 3. In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the current invention, bottle 100 may also comprise window 70 in order to gauge fluid level within the bottle

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the current invention, bottle 100 may also comprise a float to gauge fluid level within the bottle. FIG. 4, to which reference is now made, illustrates bottle 100 configured with a float assembly 80 to indicate when an optimum amount of fluid may be in bottle 100. Float assembly 80 may comprise a level indicator rod 85 which may be configured to rise above mouth 10 as the level of fluid in bottle 100 approaches an optimum level for carbonation. It will be appreciated that float assembly 80 may be removable to facilitate washing between uses.

It will be appreciated that since metal bottle 100 has its own built in safety element, it may be manufactured with thinner walls than the prior art discussed in the background, without the danger of an uncontrolled and potentially fatal explosion due to excess high pressure during the carbonation process. This indeed may render the bottle more portable and may provide opportunity for the manufacture of aesthetically designed bottles such as sports bottles. It will be further be appreciated that since metal bottle 100 has its own built in safety element it may be used with competitor home soda systems since it does not need to rely on any other in built safety measures.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that safety plug 20 may also be implemented in a plastic bottle. Due to the cost of manufacture of safety plugs vis-a-vis the cost of manufacturing of plastic bottles, this option may not economically viable; however there may be situations wherein such a configuration may be deemed cost effective. It will be even further appreciated, that implementation in a glass bottle may not be feasible due to the possibility of scratches in the glass affecting the threshold of pressure the bottle walls may withstand as described hereinabove.

While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A metal bottle for holding pressurized content comprising:

a metal receptacle to hold said pressurized content; and

a safety plug configured to vent said pressurized content from said metal receptacle at a pre-determined level of pressure.

2. The metal bottle according to claim 1 and comprising means to attach said bottle to a home carbonation machine.

3. The metal bottle according to claim 1 and wherein said safety plug comprises:

a membrane set to rupture at said pre-determined level of pressure; and

an assembly to connect said membrane to said metal receptacle.

4. The assembly of claim 3 and also comprising a body and a cover having holes evenly sized and evenly spaced apart to evenly disperse gas and liquid from said receptacle after the rupture of said membrane.

5. The metal bottle according to claim 3 and wherein said pre-determined level of pressure is lower than a rupture pressure level of said metal receptacle.

6. The metal bottle according to claim 1 and also comprising a window in said metal receptacle.

7. The metal bottle according to claim 1 and also comprising a float.