Cool Cup

Abstract

A Cool Cup comprises an open top beverage volume, a sealable chiller volume and an end seal adapted to make a water tight seal with said chiller volume. The interior wall of said beverage volume is substantially cylindrical. The exterior vertical wall of said chiller volume is also substantially cylindrical. The diameter of the chilling volume is at least 60% of the diameter of the Cool Cup. The top of said chiller volume is a rounded dome shape. Ice and optionally cold water may be added to the chiller volume to help cool a beverage and keep it at a constant preferred serving temperature. The ice can be immediately replenished if it melts by removing the end cap, dumping the melted water and adding new ice. Thus a Cool Cup can be used all day without having to be refrozen.

Description

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material to which a claim for copyright is made. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but reserves all other copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The inventions described herein are generally in the field of open top personal beverage containers.

BACKGROUND

There is a long felt need for beverage containers that can keep liquids cold for an extended period of time without causing dilution of the beverage from melting ice or safety hazards associated with leaking gel packs. FIG. 1A presents FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 544,219 by Lucien G. Godet entitled “Decanter for Cooling Liquids” (Godet). All letter indicia are from the original figure. All three digit numerical indicia and associated open headed arrows are added by the Applicant to facilitate discussion. Godet shows a large glass decanter 100 with a beverage volume 102 for holding a beverage and a chiller volume 104 for holding ice. The beverage volume is open at the top for receiving and dispensing said beverage. The chiller volume is open at the bottom for receiving ice and disposing of melted ice. The bottom is sealable by a metallic plug 106.

FIG. 1B presents FIG. 2 from U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,486 to David M. Meneo entitled “Beverage Container with Ice Compartment Filled by Inverted Scooping” (Meneo). All two digit numerical indicia are from the original figure. All three digit numerical indicia and associated open headed arrows are added by the Applicant to facilitate discussion. Similar to Godet, Meneo shows a large container 110 with a beverage volume 112 for holding a beverage and a chiller volume 114 for holding ice. The beverage volume is open at the top for receiving and dispensing said beverage. The chiller volume is open at the bottom for receiving ice and disposing of melted ice. The bottom is sealable by a cap 116.

Godet and Meneo illustrate that there is a lot of freedom in how the shapes of large beverage dispensers can be modified to provide chiller volumes. This freedom does not exist, however for open top personal beverage containers such as mugs, tumblers, cups, glasses, and steins. A stein has an open top when the beverage is consumed. Open top personal beverage containers are constrained in size and design so that a typical person can conveniently consume a standard serving size of beverage. The addition of a chiller volume must not interfere with these constraints.

FIG. 2A illustrates an adult male hand 202 holding a conventional glass mug 204 commonly used to consume beer or soft drinks. In order to be functional, the diameter 206 of the glass mug has to be small enough so its curvature will create a channel for pouring beverage into a typical person's mouth without beverage spilling around the sides of said person's mouth. If the diameter is too large, beverage will spill around the person's mouth. The diameter of the mug, however, can't be too small or a person will not be able to place his or her upper lip over the rim, make a seal with the beverage therein, and sip. A suitable range in diameters for open top personal beverage containers therefore is 3 to 3.5 inches. Larger diameters may be used for jumbo cups but these often come with lids and/or straws. Smaller diameters may be used for children's cups since children have smaller mouths than adults.

Open top personal beverage containers may be provided with removable lids for convenience (e.g. coffee cups lids). They are nonetheless “open top” in the sense that they are designed to be drunk out of with the lid removed. Bottles, such as water bottles, are not open top containers since they are designed to have the entire opening placed in a person's mouth. Pitchers and carafes are not open top personal beverage containers since the diameters of their openings are too large for a typical person to drink out of without spilling around the corners of said person's mouth.

The height 208 of a glass mug with a handle is constrained by the need for the handle to accommodate the hand of the user. Mugs are commonly used to consume beer and beer is commonly consumed by adult males. Hence mugs are commonly designed to conform to the size requirements of a typical adult male's hand. To accommodate the width of a typical adult male's hand, the opening in the mug handle may be about 3.4 inches. To accommodate the grip of an adult male's hand, the diameter of the mug handle may be 0.5 to 0.7 inches. The handle, therefore, may span 4.8 inches. Additional clearance is required above and below the handle to accommodate a person's thumb and side of hand. A suitable height for a mug, therefore, is about 6 inches.

The beverage volume of a mug has to be at least a standard serving volume. In the United States, a standard serving volume is 12 fluid ounces. Other regions may have different standard serving volumes. The beverage volume of the mug must also have a certain amount of excess volume to allow for foaming of the beverage and to allow a certain amount of tilting of the mug without spillage. An excess volume of 1.5 fluid ounces is suitable. A suitable beverage volume in a mug, therefore, is about 13.5 fluid ounces.

In order to place a chilling volume in a mug, the chilling volume must not substantially interfere with the above referenced dimensional requirements. FIG. 2B presents FIG. 2 from U.S. Pat. No. 2,075,137 to Jack H. Rosen entitled “Drinking Vessel” (Rosen). This illustrates how a chiller volume has been applied to a beer mug. All two digit numerical indicia are from the original figure. All three digit numerical indicia and associated open headed arrows are added by the Applicant to facilitate discussion. Rosen shows a mug 210 (Rosen mug) with a beverage volume 212 for holding beer and a chiller volume 214 for holding a chilling substance. The chilling substance in this case is dry ice. The chiller volume is closable by a cap 216. Said cap does not seal said chiller volume since provision must be made for the carbon dioxide that sublimates from the dry ice to escape into the ambient air. The relatively small chiller volume necessitates that a substance with high volumetric cooling capacity must be used. Dry ice is suitable. Water ice is not. There is not enough volumetric cooling capacity in water ice for the small chiller volume. It is especially not suitable for use with ice cubes. Ice cubes have a lot of empty space around them when dumped into a given volume. This further lowers their volumetric cooling capacity.

A further disadvantage of the Rosen mug, is it that it cannot maintain beer at a preferred serving temperature. The book “Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink”, by Randy Mosher, for example, recommends that pale lager and pilsner beers be served at 38° F. to 45° F. There is no way to determine beforehand if the Rosen mug will maintain beer at this temperature. Dry ice sublimates at −109.3° F. at atmospheric pressure. The Rosen mug will certainly make the beer colder, but it could potentially freeze it, especially around the walls of the chiller volume. The same is true of more modern gel mugs. Gel mugs have a low freezing point gel in their walls. The mugs are frozen in a person's freezer typically at 0° F. As will be discussed in more detail below, this causes the gel mugs to potentially cause freezing of the beer against their chiller volume walls or at the very least causes the beer as a whole to fall well below the recommended serving temperature.

There is need therefore, for an open top personal beverage container design that comprises a chiller volume that is suitable for use with ice cubes and which does not substantially change the beverage container's dimensional requirements.

There is more particularly a need an open top personal beverage container design that comprises a chiller volume that will keep beer at a relatively constant serving temperature in the range of 38° F. to 45° F.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Summary of the Invention is provided as a guide to understanding the invention. It does not necessarily describe the most generic embodiment of the invention or all species of the invention disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term “about”, “substantially” or other synonyms mean plus or minus 10% of a given value unless specifically indicated otherwise.

FIG. 3 is a cross section of an open top personal beverage container 300. The beverage container comprises a beverage volume 302, a sealable chiller volume 304 and an end cap 310 adapted to make a water tight seal with said chiller volume. The interior wall 352 of said beverage volume is substantially cylindrical. The exterior vertical wall 354 of said chiller volume is also substantially cylindrical. The exterior diameter 332 of said cylindrical chiller volume is at least 60% of the interior diameter 322 of said cylindrical beverage volume. The top 358 of said chiller volume is a rounded dome shape. This reduces splashing of the beverage when the container is filled relative to a flat top. The end cap 310 may be made of polypropylene or polyethylene so that it is flexible enough to form a seal with the opening of the chiller volume.

The Cool Cup has the surprizing advantage of being able to keep a beverage at a constant preferred serving temperature for extended periods of time. Other prior art mugs either let the beverage get too warm, or over chill the beverage. The Cool Cup can also have its ice immediately replenished and used all day. Other chilling mugs, such as gel mugs, need to be refrozen once they thaw.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A Prior art decanter

FIG. 1B Prior art pitcher

FIG. 2A Conventional glass mug

FIG. 2B Prior art beer mug

FIG. 3 Exemplary embodiment of a Cool Cup

FIG. 4A Exemplary embodiment of a Cool Cup

FIG. 4B Conventional glass mug

FIG. 5 Graph of performance of Cool Cup relative to a glass mug and a gel cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description discloses various embodiments and features of the invention. These embodiments and features are meant to be exemplary and not limiting.

FIG. 3 is a cross section of a design for a “Cool Cup” 300 that is suitable for use with ice cubes 350. The Cool Cup comprises a beverage volume 302 and a chiller volume 304. A mug embodiment with a handle 306 is shown. The design is applicable to other open top personal beverage containers, such as tumblers and steins. The principles of the design can also be applied to bottle type personal beverage containers such as bottles and sippy cups for toddlers. The overall mug dimensions and beverage capacity are substantially the same as a conventional glass mug such as the one illustrated in FIG. 2A.

The overall width of the Cool Cup 322 is about 3.25 inches. The overall height 324 is about 6 inches. The beverage volume is about 13.5 fluid ounces. The interior chiller volume is about 6.7 fluid ounces. The chiller volume corresponds to an ice cube capacity of roughly 3 to 4 ounces depending upon the actual shape and dimensions of the ice cubes loaded at any given time and the particular configuration they fall into. A typical ice cube dimension is 1.25 inches by 1.25 inches by 2 inches. Cold water can be added to the chiller volume to fill the spaces between the ice cubes and improve the uniformity of the heat transfer to the chiller wall. Uniform heat transfer is important for keeping the beverage at a constant preferred serving temperature. This will be discussed in the example below. A small head space volume of air 362 is acceptable after water is added to the ice.

Solid pre-frozen plugs of ice in the same shape and the chiller volume can also be loaded. The chiller volume can also be filled with water before hand and the entire Cool Cup placed in a freezer to freeze the water. A fill line 352 may be inscribed in the interior of the chiller volume to indicate an appropriate fill level for ice and/or water. The fill line should be far enough away from the opening of the chiller volume to allow for expansion of the water as it freezes.

The end cap should be easily removable and provide a water tight seal. A suitable end cap comprises coarse threads 314 of about 5 threads per inch over a range of about two thread cycles or about 0.4 inches. This allows the end cap to be removed or inserted with just a few turns. The end cap may comprise a sealing surface 316 that provides a water tight seal when the cap is tightened. The sealing surface may be beveled to provide a progressive seal as the end cap is tightened. Alternative sealing means, such as O rings or elastomeric washers, may also be used. A recessed handle 312 may be provided in the end cap to facilitate turning. The end cap should be sufficiently deep so that a person can grip the recessed handle with comfort and provide good screwing or unscrewing force to the cap. A suitable overall depth 338 is about 0.75 inches.

A suitable shape for the chiller volume is generally cylindrical with a rounded top. A suitable overall length 334 of the chiller volume is about 3.7 inches. A suitable diameter 332 for the chiller volume is about 2.2 inches. The top of the chiller volume should be sufficiently far below the rim of the Cool Cup so that a typical adult will not hit the top of the chiller volume with his/her nose when drinking. A suitable minimum distance 336 between the top of the chiller volume and the rim of the Cool Cup, therefore, is 1.5 inches.

The diameter of the chiller volume should be as large as possible to maximize ice capacity without sacrificing total beverage volume. The diameter of the exterior wall of the chiller volume should be at least 60% of the diameter of the interior wall of the beverage volume. This will help insure a constant temperature over time for beverage in the gap 346. It is surprising how much beverage capacity there is in the gap. With an outside wall that tapers from 0.12 inches at the bottom 342 to 0.06 inches at the top 344, and a wall thickness of about 0.06 inches for the chiller volume, the gap 346 is only about 0.5 inches. Yet for a chiller volume that is 3.73 inches long, there is about 7.7 fluid ounces of beverage capacity in the gap. That's more than half of a typical 12 ounce serving. The beverage in this gap will be the last to be consumed but will have the greatest heat transfer contact with the chiller volume. Hence it will use the chilling power of the ice most efficiently and effectively.

The materials of construction for a Cool Cup may be any food safe material that is suitable for use in a mug. Plastic and metal are both suitable materials. Polyethylene and polypropylene are very effective materials for forming a water tight seal between the body of the cup and the end cap. This eliminates the need for an elastomeric sealing material. Acrylic materials make a very clear mug. Stainless steel or other metals make a very rugged mug. Glass may also be used.

There is a surprising benefit to making the Cool Cup from a transparent material. With the narrow uniform gap 346 between the cylindrical chiller volume and cylindrical outside wall of the beverage volume, any indicia printed on the chiller volume will be magnified when a transparent beverage, such as water, light colored soda, white wine, or beer, is placed in the cup. The indicia will appear to span the entire outside wall of the mug when viewed from the side. This can provide novelty and promotional value for the indicia.

Another surprising benefit of the design of FIG. 3 is that a certain amount of leakage can be tolerated in the chiller volume without causing significant melt water loss or mess. If the chiller volume is loaded with ice and then the end cap sealed, then the total volume of melt water plus ice in the chiller volume will decrease as the ice melts. This will cause a slight vacuum inside the chiller volume and help minimize melt water leakage even if the seal is not perfectly water tight.

To show how a Cool Cup compares with a conventional glass mug, drawings from photos of each are shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B respectively. FIG. 4A shows a Cool Cup 400 made according to FIG. 3. The hidden chiller volume 402 is shown as a dotted line. FIG. 4B shows a conventional glass mug 410 with the same intended use. Both are being held by the same adult male's hand. Both have about the same overall dimensions and beverage capacity.

EXAMPLE 1

A Cool Cup was made from plastic according to the dimensions described above. The chiller volume was loaded with ice cubes and topped off with cold water. The end cap was put on and sealed. A glass mug according to FIG. 4B was also provided at room temperature, 70° F. A gel mug with a 12 oz capacity was also provided. It was placed in a freezer and frozen overnight. The gel mug had an outer wall about ½ inch thick filled with a freezable gel. The Cool Cup, glass mug and gel mug were each filled with 12 ounces of beer at an initial preferred serving temperature of 42° F. They were then set out at room temperature, 70° F., and the temperature of the beer in the mugs was monitored over time.

FIG. 5 presents the results of the temperature test. The temperature of the beer in each mug is shown versus time. The preferred serving temperature for pale lager or pilsner beer, 38° F. to 45° F., is also shown.

The temperature of the beer in the Cool Cup remained exceptionally stable and well within the preferred serving temperature for more than 60 minutes. The beer in the glass mug rapidly warmed and exceeded the recommended serving temperature in less than 10 minutes. The beer in the gel mug had the opposite problem. Its temperature fell to near freezing in less than five minutes and stayed there for over an hour. Thus the Cool Cup was substantially and surprisingly better at keeping beer at its preferred serving temperature than either a conventional glass mug or a freezable gel mug.

CONCLUSION

Whereas various particular embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to different applications, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how various elements of the different embodiments can be applied to a variety of applications in accordance with the requirements of said applications.

Claims

1. An open top personal beverage container, wherein said beverage container comprises a beverage volume, a chiller volume and an end cap adapted to make a water tight seal with said chiller volume wherein:

a. the interior wall of said beverage volume is substantially cylindrical;

b. the exterior wall of said chiller volume is substantially cylindrical; and

c. wherein the diameter of said cylindrical exterior wall of said chiller volume is at least 60% of the diameter of said cylindrical interior wall of said beverage volume.

2. The open top personal beverage container of claim 1 wherein the top of said chiller volume is at least 1½ inches below the rim of said beverage volume.

3. The open top personal beverage container of claim 1 wherein the top of said chiller volume is a rounded dome shape.

4. The open top personal beverage container of claim 1 wherein said end cap comprises polypropylene or polyethylene and said end cap comprises a sealing surface for sealing to a corresponding sealing surface in said chiller volume.

5. The open top personal beverage container of claim 1 which further comprises a removable lid.

6. The open top personal beverage container of claim 5 wherein said removable lid is a plastic lid.

7. The open top personal beverage container of claim 1 wherein said container is a stein.