U.S. patent application number 11/543768 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-10 for wine goblet.
Invention is credited to Maurizio De Rosa.
Application Number | 20080083766 11/543768 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39274261 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080083766 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
De Rosa; Maurizio |
April 10, 2008 |
Wine goblet
Abstract
A wine goblet comprising: a. a bowl part having a generally
round top rim of circumference C, a closed bottom, circular walls
between said top rim and closed bottom, and height H from said
closed bottom to said rim, b. a stem part extending downward from
said closed bottom of said bowl part, and c. a base fixed to the
bottom of said stem, said bowl part having its circular top rim
interrupted by a notch in said rim that extends downward toward
said base, where the height of said notch is less than half of the
height of the bowl, and the width of said notch at said rim is less
than half the circumference of said rim, said notch being defined
by edges of said bowl which begin at said rim and extend downward
and converge at the bottom of said notch.
Inventors: |
De Rosa; Maurizio; (New
York, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ABELMAN, FRAYNE & SCHWAB
666 THIRD AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10017
US
|
Family ID: |
39274261 |
Appl. No.: |
11/543768 |
Filed: |
October 4, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/703 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 2400/045 20130101;
A47G 19/2205 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/703 |
International
Class: |
A47G 19/22 20060101
A47G019/22 |
Claims
1. A wine goblet comprising: a. a bowl part having a generally
round top rim of circumference C, a closed bottom, circular walls
between said top rim and closed bottom, and height H from said
closed bottom to said rim, b. a stem part extending downward from
said closed bottom of said bowl part, and c. a base fixed to the
bottom of said stem, said bowl part having its circular top rim
interrupted by a notch in said rim that extends downward toward
said base, where the height of said notch is less than half of the
height of the bowl, and the width of said notch at said rim is less
than half the circumference of said rim, said notch being defined
by edges of said bowl which begin at said rim and extend downward
and converge at the bottom of said notch.
2. A wine goblet according to claim 1, wherein said notch has
height of about 1/3 H, and width of said notch at said rim is about
1/4-1/3 C.
3. A wine goblet according to claim 1, wherein each of said notch
side edges defines a smooth curve of said bowl wall, extending from
said top rim downward.
4. A wine goblet according to claim 1, wherein each of said notch
side edges as seen in side elevation view defines a generally a
V-shape converging from said top rim to the bottom of said
notch.
5. A wine goblet according to claim 2, wherein said curved edge of
said notch describes an arc of 1/4 C.
6. A wine goblet according to claim 1, comprising glass.
7. A wine goblet according to claim 1, comprising plastic.
8. A wine goblet according to claim 1, wherein both stand and base
comprise contiguous elements made of glass.
9. A wine goblet comprising: a. a bowl part having a generally
round top rim of circumference C, a closed bottom, circular walls
between said top rim and closed bottom, and height H from said
closed bottom to said rim, b. a base fixed to the bottom of said
stem, said bowl part having its circular top rim interrupted by a
notch in said rim that extends downward toward said base, where the
height of said notch is less than half of the height of the bowl,
and the width of said notch at said rim is less than half the
circumference of said rim, said notch being defined by edges of
said bowl which begin at said rim and extend downward and converge
at the bottom of said notch.
10. A method of sniffing wine from a goblet, comprising the steps:
a. providing a wine goblet according to claim 1, b. pouring a
quantity of wine into the lower portion of said goblet, c. holding
said goblet generally upright with said notch adjacent said nose,
with said nose extending into said notch and nostril openings of
said nose facing downward into said goblet, d. sniffing said wine
from said goblet edge of the rim.
11. Method according to claim 10, comprising the further step of
rotating said goblet about its central vertical axis until the rim
opposite said notch is adjacent the person's lips and drinking said
wine by tipping said goblet until said notch overlies and fits
about the top edge of said nose.
Description
A. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention is in the field of wine goblets, and
particularly wine goblets from which one first sniffs and
subsequently drinks the wine or other liquor.
B. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The practice of sniffing wine to determine, evaluate and/or
appreciate its fragrance, aroma, spirit is conducted from time to
time by both casual and serious drinkers and by professionals who
include vintners, wine merchants, restaurant sommeliers and
connoisseurs. Styles of sniffing wine vary widely, but a well
recognized style is to fill the goblet to about one third of the
height of the bowl of the goblet, then to swirl the wine a bit and
finally to place one's nose at the top edge of the goblet and
sniff. Most goblets are round and quite often these goblets taper
or converge at the top to have top opening that is slightly smaller
than the diameter of the bowl. The wine sniffing custom that
precedes the actual drinking is done with certain anticipation or
hope that the experience will be pleasing, and preferably exciting
and memorable.
[0003] In the sniffing procedure one cannot practically swirl a
full or even half full goblet without spilling the wine, and thus
the approximately one third filling or less is commonly
selected.
[0004] From a more scientific point of view, a one third versus two
thirds quantity can interact with more inner wall surfaces of the
goblet and interact with more air immediately above the exposed top
surface of the wine, to produce whatever fragrance that wine is
capable of.
[0005] While such wine sniffing has been practiced for centuries,
it has recently been realized that a more effective result could be
achieved if one's nose could get closer to the zone immediately
above the top surface of the wine where the fragrance is more
concentrated, before that fragrance-laden air drifts upward and is
diluted in the air in the top region of the goblet and in the room
air above the goblet. However, because the swirling wine is in the
bottom one third of the goblet and the nose is at the top edge of
the goblet, the most intense or effective sniffing is not possible.
The present invention addresses this inherent limitation with
traditional wine goblets.
[0006] A second aspect of the present invention concerns drinking
the wine down to the last drops in the goblet. With a basic or
traditional wine goblet it has also long been known and obvious
that to "drink the last drops," one cannot simply tilt the goblet
up, but one must tilt the head and/or neck backward. When
attempting to drink the last drops, the goblet is tilted so that
the stem and base rise, the goblet bowl moves from a vertical
toward horizontal position, and the top rim remote edge will
encounter the bridge of the nose. The drinker then either tilts his
or her head and neck rearward or stops drinking. Because of the
shape of a traditional wine goblet, one simply cannot empty the
glass while the head and neck are in a normal upright posture.
[0007] As described above, traditional wine goblets do not allow
for optimum sniffing or for comfortably drinking the last drops or
even for drinking the last approximately twenty percent of the
wine.
[0008] Prior art publication in the field of drinking cups or
devices disclose a number of devices that are different from
traditional drinking glasses, cups or goblets, as described
below.
[0009] Published applications No. US 2004/0140315 A1 discloses a
device proposed for tasting and drinking champagne which is
attached to the open top end of a champagne bottle. This device has
an inclined top rim with a roof or wall 3 partially covering the
top opening and defining air inlet 11 and mouth opening 12.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,096 discloses a bottle neck 2 modified
with a curved notch defined by lower front wall 10 to allow for
closure with plug 6 and easier opening.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,438 discloses a drinking vessel with an
extended top lip or spout to allow drinking by a user in a
partially or fully reclined position.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,928 discloses special cups for persons
suffering from dysphagia who need to be able to drink and swallow
without tilting the head backward. One such cup has an elliptical
top opening wherein the top rim is wide and/or extends as a spout
to allow drinking without the usual tilting of the head. This
disclosure refers also to a nose cup with a cut-out in the rim to
accommodate the person's nasal bridge when the cup is tilted. Here
the cut-out is positioned on the side of the cup opposite the side
where the person's lips are placed, which allows the cup to be
tilted farther than a traditional cup without requiring the person
to tilt his/her neck. These cups are medical devices for persons
with severe swallowing conditions of dysphagia, each designed with
a special top shape and a traditional flat bottom to rest on a
table.
C. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE NEW INVENTION
[0013] The new wine goblet has a notched area in one portion of the
top rim, the notch extending downward about one third of the height
of the goblet. The notch is defined by a pair of downward curved
edges that also follow the circumferential curve of the round bowl
of the goblet. An alternative notch may have relatively straight
edges that define a V-shape in elevation view, while these edges
still follow the circumferential curve of the round bowl of the
goblet. The exact width and depth of each notch may vary, but the
parameters are chosen such that a person's nose can fit into the
notched area and thereby get closer to the wine. The depth of the
notch is not so great that swirling wine will easily spill out.
Also, the depth of the notch should not be too great or else the
wine poured into the goblet will quickly reach the bottom of the
notch and spill out. Since it is common to fill a goblet about half
and not more than two thirds height, a notch that extends down
about one third will not interfere with the amount of wine usually
poured for drinking, and will allow the nose to get considerably
close to the swirled wine for sniffing.
[0014] The above-described notch has a second separate and totally
different function. After the sniffing, the goblet is rotated about
its central vertical axis until the notched portion is remote from
the drinker's lips and the opposite unnotched rim area is situated
near and adjacent the drinker's lips. At this time he or she can
drink the wine in a normal way. While the goblet's unnotched
portion remains in contact with the drinker's lips, the goblet is
tilted from inclined toward horizontal, and the notched portion
rises to an elevated location which approaches the bridge of the
nose of the drinker. When tilting an ordinary unnotched goblet
toward horizontal position the remote edge of the rim would
approach, engage and be stopped by the bridge of the person's nose.
When tilting the new notched goblet the remote notched edge would
constitute a recess allowing the goblet to be tilted an additional
approximately 10-40 degrees so that the person could drink the last
drops without having to tip his or her neck backward.
In summary, the new invention is a wine goblet comprising: [0015]
a. a bowl part having a generally round top rim of circumference C,
a closed bottom, circular walls between said top rim and closed
bottom, and height H from said closed bottom to said rim, [0016] b.
a stem part extending downward from said closed bottom of said bowl
part, and [0017] c. a base fixed to the bottom of said stem,
[0018] said bowl part having its circular top rim interrupted by a
notch in said rim that extends downward toward said base, where the
height of said notch is less than half of the height of the bowl,
and the width of said notch at said rim is less than half the
circumference of said rim, said notch being defined by edges of
said bowl which begin at said rim and extend downward and converge
at the bottom of said notch.
[0019] The new invention is furthermore a method of sniffing and
drinking comprising the steps: [0020] a. providing a wine goblet
according to the description in the previous paragraph, [0021] b.
pouring a quantity of wine into the lower portion of said goblet,
[0022] c. holding said goblet generally upright with said notch
adjacent said nose, with said nose extending into said notch and
nostril openings of said nose facing downward into said goblet, and
[0023] d. sniffing said wine from said goblet edge of the rim.
[0024] These and other aspects of the invention are described in
more detail in the detailed description of the invention in the
claims that follow.
D. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a first embodiment
of my new notched let,
[0026] FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a prior art traditional
wine goblet of as used in position for sniffing wine,
[0027] FIG. 2A is a side elevation view of the new goblet of FIG. 1
shown as used for FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the prior art
of a traditional goblet of FIG. 2 n tilted position for normal
drinking,
[0028] FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the prior art goblet of
FIG. 3 shown with the head and neck tipped rearward,
[0029] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the new goblet of FIGS. 1
and 2A used in tilted for drinking,
[0030] FIG. 5A is a side elevation view of the new goblet of FIGS.
1, 2A and 5 shown with et tipped upward for the last portion of the
wine without tipping the head rearward,
[0031] FIG. 6 is a top and partially sectional view taken along
line 6-6 in FIG. 5A,
[0032] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of
my new notched let, and
[0033] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the wine goblet of FIG. 7.
E. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] For convenience and clarity in describing these embodiments,
similar elements or components appearing in different figures will
have the same reference numbers.
[0035] The new wine goblet 20 of the present invention is
illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, 5, 5A, and 7. The new wine goblet 20
includes base 22, stem 24, and bowl 26 having height H defining the
bottom, middle and top parts 26A, 26B, and 26C, and having rim 28
with circumference C.
[0036] As seen in FIG. 1, the wine 12 occupies the bottom section
26A of bowl 26 of goblet 20. The novel feature of this wine goblet
invention is notch 30 that extends about 1/3 of height H downward
from rim 30, the notch having maximum width of about 1/4 of
circumference C. Notch 30 is defined as curved side edges 30A and
30B; however, an alternate embodiment 40 seen in FIG. 7 has notch
42 defined by generally straight side edges 42A and 42B, except
that these edges curve in the circumferential direction. In still
further embodiments the height and/or width of the notch may vary
to extend more or less in the height and width directions. Also,
the notch shape may vary, being v-shaped as seen in FIG. 7 or
rectangular or other shape.
[0037] Sniffing and drinking with a conventional wine goblet is
shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 2 shows goblet 10 having a bowl 11
of height H with wine 12 in the lower 1/3 of bowl 11 and being
tipped slightly for sniffing. As illustrated, the top surface 14 of
the wine 12 is about 2/3 H away from the nose 16 of the person
sniffing. The new invention, described below, allows a person's
nose to get substantially closer to the wine being sniffed.
[0038] FIG. 3 shows a person drinking the last 1/3 with a
conventional prior art goblet of wine, and FIG. 4 shows this person
with his head tipped backward in order to drink all the remaining
wine and thus to empty the goblet. The new invention, as described
below, allows a person to drink the last drop without having to tip
his head backward.
[0039] As noted above, the new wine goblet allows for two
previously not-possible functions, namely (a) getting one's nose
much closer to the wine in sniffing mode, and (b) in drinking mode,
drinking the final one third of the wine without having to bend
one's head and neck backward.
[0040] FIG. 2A illustrates the new wine goblet 20 as used in
sniffing mode, where goblet 20 has wine 11 occupying the lower
approximately 1/3 H of the goblet which is slightly tipped (or
not), with the person's nose 16 positioned in notch 32 with the
opening of his nostrils distance D or about 1/3 of the height H
away from the top surface of wine 11.
[0041] As seen, the bottom of the nose 16 does not reach the bottom
of notch 30 because the notch converges at its lower end to a point
33 whereas the nose has width W; however, the nose can get to the
lower portion of the notch to be relatively close to the top
surface of the wine 12 for optimal sniffing, and thus, far closer
to the wine surface than with a conventional wine goblet.
[0042] FIGS. 5, 5A, and 6 illustrate the new wine goblet 20 as used
in drinking mode and particularly for drinking the last one-third
of the wine. FIG. 5 shows the goblet rotated about its central
vertical axis X-X so that notch 30 is away from the lips, as
opposed to the notch being adjacent the lips in the above-described
sniffing mode. With the goblet in this orientation drinking begins
normally, with the lips on the standard, unnotched portion 31 of
rim 28 of the goblet, and with opposite side notch 30 adjacent the
bridge of the nose.
[0043] As the wine is consumed, the goblet is tilted upward to the
position shown in FIG. 5A where even the last drops can be drunk
without need to tip or bend one's head and neck rearward as is
required with a conventional wine goblet seen in FIG. 4.
[0044] FIG. 6, with its top view partially in section, further
illustrates the portion of the person's nose 16 in notch 30.
[0045] FIG. 7 illustrates the second embodiment 40 of the new wine
goblet invention where notch 42 is formed in rim 44 by side edges
42A and 42B. While these side edges of notch 42 appear generally
straight in FIG. 7, they actually follow the circumferential curve
of rim 44 as seen in FIG. 8A.
[0046] The new goblets illustrated herein are made of glass or
plastic or ceramic materials by conventional manufacturing means
well known in the art.
[0047] While the invention has been described in conjunction with
several embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this
invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives,
modifications, and variations which fall within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *