U.S. patent application number 11/772290 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-05 for beverage container.
This patent application is currently assigned to LEIFHEIT AG. Invention is credited to Markus Klotz, Berno Woersdoerfer.
Application Number | 20080128320 11/772290 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38754474 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080128320 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woersdoerfer; Berno ; et
al. |
June 5, 2008 |
BEVERAGE CONTAINER
Abstract
A beverage container including a receptacle for holding a
beverage and a display device operable to show the type of beverage
held in the container.
Inventors: |
Woersdoerfer; Berno;
(Obererbach, DE) ; Klotz; Markus; (Hainau,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DARBY & DARBY P.C.
P.O. BOX 770, Church Street Station
New York
NY
10008-0770
US
|
Assignee: |
LEIFHEIT AG
Nassau/Lahn
DE
|
Family ID: |
38754474 |
Appl. No.: |
11/772290 |
Filed: |
July 2, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/769 ;
206/459.5; 215/355 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J 41/0094
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/769 ;
206/459.5; 215/355 |
International
Class: |
B65D 25/54 20060101
B65D025/54; B65D 85/00 20060101 B65D085/00; B65D 39/00 20060101
B65D039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 6, 2006 |
DE |
10 2006 031 619.3 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A beverage container comprising: a receptacle for holding a
beverage therein; and a display device operable to indicate the
type of beverage held in the beverage container.
22. The beverage container as recited in claim 21 wherein the
display device includes a display surface including at least two
symbols indicating a type of the beverage.
23. The beverage container as recited in claim 22 wherein the at
least two symbols include at least one of a letter, a number and an
image.
24. The beverage container as recited in claim 21 wherein the
display device includes a viewing disk.
25. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein the
viewing disk includes a viewing window.
26. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein at least
one of the viewing disk and display surface is movable with respect
to the other.
27. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein at least
one of the viewing disk and display surface is rotatable with
respect to the other.
28. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein the
viewing disk comprises a rotary dial that is rotatable with respect
to the viewing disk.
29. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein at least
one of the viewing disk and display surface is movable with respect
to the other such that each of the symbols is respectively
positionable to be viewed in the window.
30. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein at least
one of the viewing disk and display surface is movable with respect
to the other such that the display device can be set in a display
position wherein one of the symbols is viewable through the viewing
window.
31. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein the
viewing disk is temporarily lockable with respect to the display
surface.
32. The beverage container as recited in claim 31 wherein the
viewing disk is temporarily lockable in each of a plurality of
display positions.
33. The beverage container as recited in claim 24 wherein the
display device further comprises a latching device operable to
temporarily lock the viewing disk relative to the display
surface.
34. The beverage container as recited in claim 33 wherein the
latching device includes a latching pin.
35. The beverage container as recited in claim 33 wherein the
latching device includes a spring.
36. The beverage container as recited in claim 35 wherein the
spring is operable to exert a spring force on at least one of a
latching pin, a locking washer and the viewing disk.
37. The beverage container as recited in claim 21 further
comprising a closure for the receptacle.
38. The beverage container as recited in claim 37 wherein the
closure includes a stopper.
39. The beverage container as recited in claim 37 wherein the
stopper is spring loaded.
40. The beverage container as recited in claim 35 wherein the
spring is operable to exert a spring force on the stopper and at
least one of a latching pin, a locking washer and the viewing
disk.
41. The beverage container as recited in claim 21 wherein the
receptacle is insulated.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Priority is claimed to German patent application DE 10 2006
031 619.3, filed Jul. 6, 2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a beverage container.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Beverage containers, especially thermal carafes, are
employed to hold various types of beverages. It is frequently the
case that users cannot see which beverage is in the container,
particularly when the container wall is not transparent. When a
number of beverage containers have been prepared, it often happens
that it is first necessary to open several of them in order to
identify the beverage container with the desired content.
SUMMARY
[0004] An aspect of the present invention is to provide a beverage
container that, in a simple manner, allows the type of beverage
present in the beverage container to be identified quickly without
the need to open the beverage container.
[0005] The present invention provides a beverage container that
includes a receptacle for holding a beverage and a display device
operable to show the type of beverage present in the beverage
container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The present invention will be described in greater detail in
the following with respect to specific embodiments and drawings, in
which:
[0007] FIG. 1--shows a beverage container according to the
invention;
[0008] FIG. 2--shows a detailed view of a display device in
accordance with the invention;
[0009] FIG. 3--shows a detailed view of a closure in a side view in
accordance with the invention; and
[0010] FIG. 4--shows a sectional view of the closure shown in FIG.
3.
[0011] The present invention allows a person who has filled the
beverage container to easily indicate to others which beverage has
been filled in.
[0012] In an embodiment, the display device has a display surface
on which at least two symbols indicating the beverage type are
depicted, for example, in the form of letters and/or figures and/or
images. For instance, symbols for coffee, tea, water or juice can
be provided.
[0013] In an embodiment of the beverage container according to the
invention, the display device has a viewing disk, optionally with a
viewing window. The display device can be configured in such a way
that the viewing disk and the display surface can be moved relative
to each other, for example, they can be slid linearly or rotated so
that, as desired, each of the symbols can be positioned visibly in
the viewing window one at a time. In this manner, various display
positions can be set. The viewing disk, for instance, can be
rotatably mounted with a locking washer.
[0014] In an embodiment, the display surface can have, for example,
several symbols arranged in a circle. The viewing disk in this
embodiment may be rotatably mounted around an axis of rotation that
runs through the center of the circle. Both the display surface and
the viewing disk can be curved so as to adapt to the contour of the
beverage container.
[0015] In an embodiment, the viewing disk is configured as a rotary
dial of the type used in old telephones, so that users can simply
use their fingertips to set the display position.
[0016] In an embodiment, the viewing disk can be temporarily
locked--and once again unlocked--in at least one position, and
optionally in any position. In order to temporarily lock the
viewing disk relative to the display surface, the display device
can include a latching device. In an embodiment, the latching
device has a latching pin.
[0017] In an embodiment, the latching device has a spring that
exerts a spring force on the latching pin and/or on the viewing
disk. For instance, it can be provided that the latching pin is
pressed by the spring into a latching groove in order to
temporarily lock the viewing disk relative to the display
surface.
[0018] In an embodiment, the beverage container has a closure,
optionally with a stopper. The stopper can be spring-loaded and
configured in such a way that users, for instance, by using an
opening lever, can move the stopper into an open position and the
spring force automatically presses the stopper into a closed
position once the opening lever is released, thus sealing the
beverage container.
[0019] In an embodiment that saves on parts and space, the spring
exerts a spring force on the latching pin and/or on the locking
washer and/or on the viewing disk as well as on the stopper. The
spring is a component of the latching device and also a component
of the beverage container closure.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a beverage container 1 according to the
invention, comprising a display device 2 that serves to display the
type of beverage present in the beverage container 1. The display
device 2 has a display surface 3 on which at least two types of
beverage are depicted by symbols 4 arranged in a circle with
respect to each other. The display device 2 has a viewing disk 5
with a viewing window 6 through which various symbols can be seen,
depending on the rotational position of the viewing disk 5 that is
rotatably mounted relative to the display surface 3. The selected
rotational position of the viewing disk 5 easily shows users which
type of beverage is present in the beverage container 1. The
viewing disk 5 is mounted rotatably around an axis 7 that runs
through the center of the circle on which the symbols 4 are
arranged and the disk is configured in the form of a rotary dial of
the type used in old telephones so that the desired display
position can be easily set using the fingertip or the end of a
pencil.
[0021] The beverage container 1 is configured as a thermal carafe
and has a screw-off closure 8. The closure comprises a stopper (not
shown in this figure) that can be operated by an opening lever
9.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view from the top of the closure 8
with the display device 2. When the viewing disk 5 is rotated
around the axis 7 relative to the display surface 3, which is
arranged underneath the viewing disk 5 and parallel thereto, the
viewing window 6 can be moved into the desired display position, so
that the symbol 4 that corresponds to type of beverage present in
the beverage container 1 is visible.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a detailed view from the side of the closure 8
with the display device 2. By turning the viewing disk 5, the
viewing window 6 can be moved into the desired display
position.
[0024] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the closure 8. The closure
8 has a stopper 10. The stopper 10 is spring-loaded by a spring 11
and arranged in such a way that the stopper 10 is lifted by the
user by the opening lever 9 and thus moved into an open position.
After the opening lever 9 is released, the stopper 10 is
automatically pressed by the spring force into its closed position.
The display device 2 has a latching device with a latching pin 12
that is pressed by the spring 11 into a latching groove 13 located
in the viewing disk 5 in order to lock the viewing disk 5 in the
desired rotating position and to unlock it.
* * * * *