U.S. patent application number 11/273731 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-17 for sealed water-filled container with ice cube features.
Invention is credited to Bennet Karl Langlotz.
Application Number | 20070107447 11/273731 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38039345 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070107447 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Langlotz; Bennet Karl |
May 17, 2007 |
Sealed water-filled container with ice cube features
Abstract
A fluid-filled container having a tray with a number of
recesses. The tray has an upper rim, and the receptacles contain a
freezable fluid. A closure element is removably sealed to the rim
to contain the fluid. The closure element may be a flexible film,
and the seal may be tamper evident and non-reseal able. Seals may
be provided among the recesses to segregate some recess from the
others.
Inventors: |
Langlotz; Bennet Karl;
(Genoa, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Langlotz Patent Works, Inc.;Bennet K. Langlotz
Patent Attorney
P.O. Box 759
Genoa
NV
89411
US
|
Family ID: |
38039345 |
Appl. No.: |
11/273731 |
Filed: |
November 14, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/66 ;
62/340 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 1/18 20130101; F25C
1/243 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/066 ;
062/340 |
International
Class: |
F25C 1/00 20060101
F25C001/00; F25C 1/22 20060101 F25C001/22 |
Claims
1. A fluid-filled container comprising: a container portion
defining a plurality of receptacles; the receptacles containing a
freezable fluid; and a closure element removably sealed to the
container portion to enclose the fluid.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein the container portion is a
transparent plastic.
3. The container of claim 1 wherein the receptacles have a shape in
the form of distinct indicia.
4. The container of claim 1 wherein the container portion is a
foldable tray, with a hinge line having a first plurality of the
receptacles on one side of the hinge line, and a second plurality
of the receptacles on one side of the hinge line.
5. The container of claim 4 wherein the container portion is
operable to be folded to a folded position in which a first film
portion associated with the first plurality of receptacles overlays
a second film portion associated with the second plurality of
receptacles, such that the film is protected when the container
portion is in the folded position.
6. The container of claim 1 wherein the closure element is a
flexible sheet.
7. The container of claim 1 wherein the freezable fluid is water
that has been processed to provide clear ice when frozen.
8. The container of claim 1 wherein the freezable fluid is water
that has undergone a process selected from the group of processes
including degassing, vacuum treatment, heating, and filtering.
9. The container of claim 1 wherein in fluid includes an ingredient
selected from the group of ingredients including flavorants,
colorants, and aromatic ingredients.
10. The container of claim 1 wherein the closure element is
removably sealed at an intermediate location sealably segregating
at least one of the receptacles from at least an other of the
receptacles, such that the at least one of the receptacles may be
unsealed and accessed without disturbing the seal of the other of
the receptacles.
11. The container of claim 1 wherein the closure element defines an
upper plane.
12. The container of claim 12 wherein the receptacles all extend in
a common direction away from the upper plane.
13. The container of claim 1 wherein the closure element is
non-resealable.
14. The container of claim 1 wherein the closure element is tamper
evident.
15. The container of claim 1 wherein the element is sealed to
segregate each of the receptacles.
16. The container of claim 1 wherein the container portion is free
of undercuts, such that it readily releases frozen fluid from the
receptacles after the film is removed.
17. A fluid-filled container comprising: a container body defining
a plurality of compartments each containing a fluid; a seal element
enclosing the compartments; and each of the compartments being
substantially separate from the other compartments, such that when
frozen, the frozen body formed in each compartment is readily
separated from that of the other compartments.
18. The container of claim 17 wherein the seal element is a planar
sheet.
19. The container of claim 17 wherein the compartments occupy a
common plane.
20. A method of providing ice to consumers comprising the steps: at
a first location providing a multitude of trays, each defining a
plurality of receptacles; filling the receptacles with a fluid;
sealably enclosing the fluid in the receptacles; distributing the
trays to a plurality of recipients; after distributing the trays,
freezing the trays; and after freezing the trays, serving the
frozen fluid from one of the trays to a consumer.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to water containers, and more
particularly to ice making.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Ice is often used to chill beverages. However, the quality
of the ice is only as good as the quality of the water from which
it is made. Tap water needed for home or commercial ice making in
many areas has unwanted aromas, flavors, and chemicals. In some
regions, tap water is unsafe to drink, especially for visitors
unaccustomed to biological impurities. Ice maker machines make the
process convenient, but must rely on local tap water, with in-line
filtration having only a limited effect.
[0003] Some "clear ice" making machines provide a purifying process
inherent to the process of making ice by flowing a sheet of water
over a chilled plate. However, these provide ice that is only just
at the freezing point, and which melts in the hopper from which the
ice is dispensed. Thus, it melts more readily in a drink that ice
formed in a conventional freezer, which would normally be well
below the freezing point of water.
[0004] Even where source water is reasonably good (including the
option of using bottled water as a source), filling ice trays is
very inconvenient and messy. In addition, trays used for ice making
may affect the taste of the ice, by absorbing aromas from foods
stored in the freezer, or from the scents used in dishwashing
agents.
[0005] Moreover, there are instances where it is desirable to have
water of a quality better than or different from that of ordinary
good tap water. Many people value bottled water from certain
sources, especially for drinking in conjunction with fine dining,
or for mixing with fine spirits. Such water may offer distinct
flavor or ingredients, or a higher level of purity, with different
consumers having different preferences. However, there is no
practical option to provide such qualities in the ice that is used
in drinks, and whose flavor or qualities may affect the enjoyment
of the drink. In addition, plain ice dilutes the flavor of many
beverages.
[0006] Further, even where source water is good, or bottled water
is used to create ice in special instances, a consumer in a retail
setting must trust the retailer to be honest in identifying the
source water used to make ice. This creates an opportunity for
abuse, as the differences in flavor are subtle, and there are no
appreciable differences in appearance.
[0007] The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior
art by providing a fluid-filled container having a tray with a
number of recesses. The tray has an upper rim, and the receptacles
contain a freezable fluid. A closure film is removably sealed to
the rim to contain the fluid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1
taken along line 2-2.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a
folded and stacked configuration.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of an alternative
embodiment of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top view of an alternative
embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top view of an alternative
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0014] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a water-filled container 10 in the form
of a tray for making ice cubes. The container has a tray 12
defining an array of recesses 14, and a sheet 16 that overlays the
tray to enclose and seal the recesses, which are filled with water
20 or any of a wide range of freezable fluids including other
beverages and food ingredients.
[0015] The tray 12 is formed of a transparent plastic sheet, which
is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a recyclable plastic that
provides structural solidity with flexibility. PET is a typical
material used for bottled water in personal consumption quantities,
and provides an attractive clear appearance, and may be tinted to a
light blue or other color to enhance appearance. The PET material
or other equivalent may be formed into the tray shape by, molding,
blow-molding, vacuum forming, thermoforming, or any other suitable
process.
[0016] The tray has an upper planar frame 22 having a rectangularly
shaped periphery 23, although any range of alternative shapes may
be used. Essentially, the entire tray occupies the plane of the
periphery, except for the recesses 14. The recesses are all of a
common shape, nearly cubic in the illustrated embodiment, with side
walls 24 that are nearly perpendicular to the plane of the frame
22, except for a slight draft angle to facilitate manufacturing of
the tray, as well as extraction of ice cubes. Each recess has a
flat floor 26 (in the instance in which cubical ice shapes are
desired), all occupying a common plane parallel to that plane of
the frame. This enables stacking as will be discussed below.
[0017] The tray further defines perforations 30 along a fold line
32. The perforations are spaced away from the nearest recesses, so
that a flat flange surface intervenes. The perforations provide for
adequate but limited material connecting respective halves of the
tray, providing a low-resistance fold line, with a string
connection between the halves. In alternative embodiments, the
perforations may be configured to all the tray to be torn into
sub-sections, such as by cutting sharper notches at the tray
periphery along the fold line.
[0018] In the preferred embodiment, the tray has a thickness of
0.005-0.025 inches, with at least 0.010 inch being preferred at the
frame for overall rigidity, and lesser thickness in the recess
walls being acceptable and inherent to the manufacturing processes
that tend to stretch a sheet of material to form the shapes. In the
preferred embodiment, a frame thickness (the thickness of the sheet
from which the tray is formed) of 0.020 inch and a recess wall
thickness of 0.010 inch is preferred. A relatively thin and
flexible wall is tolerable, because when the tray is filled and
sealed, the contained water provides a supportive turgidity.
[0019] The periphery 23 of the frame includes a flat peripheral
flange that encompasses each group of recesses on each side of the
fold line 32. In the preferred embodiment, the flange is between
1/4 and 1/2 inch wide. Between the recesses within each groups,
flat paths 34 defining a grid also occupy the plane of the
frame.
[0020] The cover sheet 16 is a flexible plastic film that is
impermeable to water. The sheet is coextensive with the periphery
of the tray, and is sealed to the flanges of the tray to entirely
enclose the recesses. The sheet may be sealed by any conventional
means, including heat sealing at weld lines 36 indicated with
diagonal hatching. The sheet may be a single plastic film material,
or a layered composite of different materials with different
qualities providing strength, impermeability to fluid and odors,
printability, adhesive or welding (thermal or solvent)
compatibility and appearance. As an alternative to welding, the
sheet may be adhered to the tray by any conventional adhesive
means. The sheet does not need to have perforations that need to be
registered with the perforations 30 of the tray, because the film
is intended to be very flexible, and to present minimal resistance
to bending at the hinge line.
[0021] In alternative embodiments, the sheet may be metallic, or
include a metallic foil layer. The sealing method selected is
preferably one that is non-resealable, so that opening of the tray
or a segment of the tray provides visible evidence of opening on
tampering. This ensures that a customer does not receive a
tampered-with package that may have been reused, or refilled with
tap water instead of a preferred brand of water or other fluid that
is promised by the labeling on the container. This especially
important for visitors to regions with unsafe water supplies.
[0022] Sealing of the container may be by a process or adhesive
material that provides a stronger seal at room temperature, to
protect against inadvertent opening, and a weaker seal when chilled
or frozen, to facilitate opening. Such is provided by certain
conventional adhesives. The sheet used to seal the tray may be of
any of a wide range of sheets. It need not be flat, as will be
discussed in a clamshell version below, in which one part is
considered a "tray" and the other is considered the "sheet." The
sheet need not be a simple film or foil, but may have an edge
feature such as used for plastic zip closures or a flange and
mating groove feature employed for plastic "Tupperware".RTM. type
food containers, for example.
[0023] In the preferred embodiment, the tray is filled with water
(or other fluid) before the sheet is sealed to the tray. The
filling is preferably as full as possible, so that there are no or
minimal bubbles or gas spaces in the enclosed chambers. Unlike
packaging with compartments and a seal film used for containing
snacks with different components such as cheese and crackers, the
chambers are intended to be filled as full as possible to displace
as much gas as possible. Moreover, the ingredient used for filling
is a fluid, and one which is of a type intended to be served after
it is frozen.
[0024] Filling may occur before any sealing occurs, or the sheet
may be partially sealed, before the tray is filled through an
unsealed location, which is subsequently sealed. For embodiments in
which water is selected as the contents for ice production, the
water is preferably pre-treated to enable it to freeze with a clear
appearance, even in a conventional household freezer. The water
pre-treatment may include subjecting the water to any suitable
combination of heating, vacuum, or filtration, and may further
include packaging in a controlled gas environment so that any
ullage gas or bubbles remaining in any sealed chamber is not a type
of gas that readily dissolves into the contained water (which would
result in cloudy ice).
[0025] Production is intended to occur on a massive scale, with
multitudes of containers being filled and sealed at a factory, and
packaged for widespread distribution to retailers, hotels,
restaurants, entertainment venues, and any other outlet where
bottled water and/or ice are distributed. Then, the containers are
either sold to a consumer, who freezes them in a home freezer, or
are frozen near the point of sale and consumption, such as in a bar
or restaurant. In any event, the commercial transportation and
storage of these containers may, unlike commercial ice, occur at
uncontrolled temperatures. The containers remain sealed until after
the contents are frozen. Typically, the end consumer will unseal
the package for use. However, in some instances, the package may be
opened in the presence of a consumer in the custom of wine service,
to assure authenticity of contents. In some instances in which the
container has more than one separately sealed segment, as in the
illustrated embodiment, only one or less than all of the containers
may be opened, so that the remaining unopened containers may be
returned to a freezer for later usage.
[0026] The folding feature of the container 10 is illustrated in
FIG. 3. With the recesses being laid out symmetrically about the
fold line 32 as a mirror image about the line, the peripheries of
the tray, and the paths 34 between the recesses stack atop each
other, so that the load of other containers 10' stored above is
transmitted and carried by the vertical walls of the recesses, and
not by the seal sheet 16. In the illustrated embodiment with
flat-bottomed recesses, stacking each unit film up might not be a
problem. Other embodiments may allow a staggered loading of trays
into a box, so that the bottoms of the recesses rest on the paths
between the recesses of the next container below. However, when the
recess shape does not have a flat bottom, the force concentration
on the film of the next container below can cause damage or
rupture. Thus, protecting the film by folding it into the protected
interior of the package avoids the risks of damage presented by
overloading and mis-packing. Moreover, the film is protected
against damage from sharp objects (including the corners of other
similar ice water containers) that may be found in a consumer's
grocery cart or grocery bag. IN conjunction with the folding
feature, a latch feature (not shown) may be provided at the free
edges of the trays, away from the hinge. This latch may be a tab
and slot, or any other conventional design used in plastic sheet
packaging.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment container tray 100
with recesses 102 having indicia, in this case a capital letter
"B". The indicia may be any two or three dimension form, including
letters, numerals, logos, symbols, and sculptural shapes, as long
as they meet the constraints of positive draft angles without
undercuts, to readily allow manufacturing of the trays, and
demolding of the ice. FIG. 5 shows a further alternative tray 104
with recesses 106 of an alternative shape, in this instance a
hexagon. This is an example of recess layout that is not on an
orthogonal grid, to facilitate increased capacity for a given
overall package volume. Any other shape may be employed, with
shapes not being limited to the essentially cylindrical forms
having a nearly constant cross section from the floor to the rim of
the recess (tapered only a limited amount for needed draft angle).
Such shapes may include domes, pyramids (point at bottom) cones,
and molded forms with details, such as fruit, golf balls, animals,
and holiday symbols, for example. Shapes having an undercut that
would render demolding impossible may be provided by a tray formed
of an elastomeric material, or by a material that adequately holds
its form during transit to the freezer, but which may deform
permanently (as opposed to elastically) upon extraction of the ice
elements.
[0028] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the container 110 in which the
weld lines are not limited to the periphery of the container, but
separate each recess from the others, to allow the package to be
partially opened for removal of only a selected number of cubes
while keeping the rest sealed. In variations on this, the cubes may
be separated from each other in subsets that are segregated from
other subsets. In further alternatives, the perforations may extend
between individual recess, or between subsets, so that a single or
limited number of sealed cubes may be served, while the remainder
remain frozen.
[0029] One advantage of the invention is the ability to freeze
quality clear ice to low temperatures. Commercial ice machines
freeze ice by flowing a stream across a chilled plate, and
releasing and segmenting the resulting sheet of ice by heat. Such
machines provide ice that is at the freezing point, so that such
ice melts as it begins to chill a beverage, causing often unwanted
dilution. While such ice may be deep frozen, it is inconvenient,
subject to clumping, and prone to absorbing freezer odors. On the
other hand, the preferred embodiment provides clear ice that may be
deep frozen to provide initial chilling without dilution.
[0030] In addition to the delivery of water for freezing into
segments, the container may be filled with juices, flavored
beverages, and the like. Cooking ingredients such as tomato paste,
chicken broth and the like may be packaged for use in small
quantities to avoid spoilage of remaining product. For beverage
applications, the ice itself may be a flavorant that enhances a
beverage, or avoid dilution. Beer may be frozen in the container
for addition to a glass of beer needing chilling without diluting
it. Wine may be similarly chilled. A vermouth solution frozen in
the container may be used both to chill a martini and to add
flavor. Margarita mix may be frozen for blending with spirits to
create a blended drink without the addition of other ingredients. A
drink may be flavored by an increasing degree, such that it gets
sweeter (or tarter, or more colorful, for example) as it is
consumed. The receptacles may further include edible or decorative
objects, such as lemon twists, lime wedges, olives, cocktail
cherries, and the like. Aromatics such as lemon oil may also be
included, to enhance a beverage.
[0031] FIGS. 7 and 8 show an alternative embodiment freezable fluid
container 200 useful for forming ice cubes with contoured shapes on
two sides, instead of with a flat face corresponding to the film
surface. In this instance, the container is a clamshell form with
two halves 202. 204 each having recesses 206, 210 that depart from
a medial parting line plane 212 of the container. In the
illustrated embodiment, the two halves are joined by a hinge 214,
with the other three edges being sealed at weld lines 216. In an
alternative embodiment, the halves of the clamshell need not be
hinged, but may be separate, and sealed at all 4 sides, about the
entire periphery. Similarly, even a hinged version may be sealed on
all sides to provide additional sealing at the hinge side.
Essentially, one side of the clamshell serves as the tray, while
the other serves as the closure element.
[0032] The recesses 206 are show as spherical (such as to form
novelty golf-ball shaped ice cubes). However, in alternative
embodiments, these may be of virtually any shape that can be formed
in a two-part mold, and the halves for each recess need not be
symmetrical across the medial plane.
[0033] The container 200 has edge passages 220, 222 on opposite
ends, each communicating from beyond the periphery to an end
recess. Intermediate passages 224 provide fluid communication
between each recess and the adjacent recesses. The passages
facilitate filling. To avoid the challenge of filling and sealing
while under water, the filling process preferably proceeds as
follows. First, the container is sealed about the periphery, except
at the edge passages 220. Then, fluid (such as clarity-treated
water) is injected into one passage while air is evacuated from the
other (the container being oriented so that the evacuation passage
is at the highest point). The intermediate passages 224 provide
fluid flow throughout the container so that all recessed are
filled. A vacuum or suction is applied to the other edge aperture
to facilitate evacuation. Then, the edge apertures are sealed by
heat welding at weld locations 226, 230, or other process including
adhesives or plugging.
[0034] The filling process may be facilitated by the pressure of
injected fluid, which will tend to bulge the halves apart under the
fluid pressure, so that fluid may flow between the flat portions
232 of each half. This allows faster filling, and ensures that any
trapped air quickly reaches the outlet edge passage. Further
suction may be applied after air evacuation, to draw excess fluid
out, so that the flat portions are against each other, to provide
uniform cubes without ice flanges or flash in between the faces of
the halves. This may also be achieved by mechanical pressure to
compress the halves together.
[0035] While the above is discussed in terms of preferred and
alternative embodiments, the invention is not intended to be so
limited.
* * * * *