Vacuum Insulated Carafe

Abstract

This application discloses a carafe consisting of a body housing an evacuated container for thermally insulating liquids held in the carafe which container is supported at its bottom by the base of the housing. A collar from which depends a plastic liner fitting into the container is threaded onto the housing. The collar is provided with a pouring spout and an integrally formed diametrically opposed handle. A hollow closure fits into the opening of the plastic liner to provide insulating means at that opening and a cap covers the closure and is threaded onto the collar. The cap is provided with a pouring opening which is in alignment with the pouring spout and the handle when the closure is threaded onto the collar so that by tilting the carafe by use of the handle the liquid held therein may pour freely from the carafe.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to vacuum insulated containers. More specifically, it relates to a vacuum insulated closed carafe from which a liquid held therein may be easily poured.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel vacuum insulated carafe which is attractive in appearance and provides a relatively safe and sturdy construction.

It is another object of this invention to provide a vacuum insulated carafe which can maintain liquids held therein at desired temperatures for relatively long periods of time but is one from which the liquid may be easily poured without the necessity of removing a closure covering the filling opening.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a novel vacuum insulated carafe which while relatively economical to construct is both attractive in physical appearance and durable in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing and other objects are achieved in one embodiment by providing a protective casing having an open top and receiving a vacuum insulated container supported on the bottom of the casing. The upper end of the vacuum insulated container is held in position by engagement with a collar carrying a plastic liner substantially conforming to the interior dimensions of the container. A closure means is provided with a pouring opening which when attached to the collar is in register with a pouring spout and a diametrically opposed handle so that when the carafe is tilted for pouring purposes the liquid contained therein may flow out easily.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention itself is set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto and forming a part of this specification while an understanding of the structure of an embodiment of the invention may be derived from the detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a complete carafe in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a carafe in accordance with the invention showing the separate elements thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the carafe of FIG. 1 with the closure and cap removed;

FIG. 4 is a view along the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of the carafe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the bottom of the housing showing the details whereby a base may be mounted therein;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the housing showing the threads for attaching the collar thereto;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the outer edge of the upper portion of a closure for the carafe;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the outer edge of the bottom portion or body of a closure for the carafe which engages with the portion illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the outer edge of the cap forming a part of a carafe illustrating in cross-section one of the threads provided thereon;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper edge of the plastic liner forming a part of the carafe; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the portion of the carafe collar engaging the upper end of the liner illustrated in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawing, it may be seen that a carafe in accordance with the invention includes a protective casing or body 2. Mounted on top of the body is a collar 4 provided with a handle 6 and a pouring spout 8. As will be seen from an inspection of FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the handle is formed as an integral part of the collar. As may further be seen, it includes an inner portion 7 which extends downwardly immediately adjacent or preferably in contact with the side of the body 2. This construction provides physical strength and creates the visual impression of a handle attached to the body which for some users is esthetically and psychologically desirable. By forming the handle as a part of the collar there are decided economic advantages in the manufacture of a carafe of the character described. A cap 10 covers the open end of the bottle.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, the body 2 is provided with an open upper end 12 provided with threads 14 on its outer surface. Received within the body 2 by insertion into the open upper end 12 is a vacuum insulated container or filler 16 which itself has an open upper end 18. The collar 4 has attached thereto a plastic liner 20 shaped and dimensioned to conform substantially to the interior configuration of the filler 16 so that, as may be seen in FIG. 4, the body 2, filler 16 and plastic liner 20 when assembled are arranged in a concentric nesting configuration to provide a vacuum insulated space for holding liquids at desired temperatures.

The collar 4 is generally annular in configuration and is provided with a flat surface 22 extending inwardly over the open ends of the body and filler and supporting the plastic liner at its inner circumferential edge. A first collar portion 24 extends upwardly from the flat surface 22 and is provided with diametrically opposed thread sections 26, only one of which may be seen in FIG. 2 but both of which are illustrated in FIG. 3. The collar is provided with a second portion 27 which depends downwardly and is provided with interior threads engageable with the threads 14 on the body 2. These threads are best shown in FIG. 5.

An opening 28 in the collar 4 and upper end of the plastic liner 20 is closed by a closure 30. Covering the closure 30 and provided with threads 32 matching and engaging with the threads 26 on the collar is the cap 10. Cap 10 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed pouring openings 34 which, when the closure is threaded onto the collar, are in alignment or registration with the handle 6 and pouring spout 8 so that when the carafe is tilted by lifting it by the handle liquid held therein may flow from under the closure 30 through a pouring opening 34 and from the pouring spout 8.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through 12, the specific details of the construction of a preferred embodiment will now be described.

As may be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the body 2 is formed as a cylinder having an open upper end 12 and a bottom closure 36 which is formed as a disc like member. Both the body and the bottom closure may be formed of plastic materials and the bottom closure attached to the body during assembly by the use of a suitable adhesive or welding by the application of heat in an appropriate manner. Obviously, other suitable materials may be used for these elements if desired. To facilitate the assembly of the bottom closure onto the body the bottom of the body is provided with a circular sloping ledge 38 on which the bottom closure is supported and to which it may be attached.

To enclose and retain the filler 16 a cup-shaped protector 40 is mounted on the filler around a tubulation 42 constituting the sealed off remnant of the tube through which the space in the filler was evacuated. The tip protector 40 may be cemented or otherwise secured to the filler and it may be formed of plastic or any other suitable material. A soft resilient sleeve 44 is snugly received around the tip protector 40 with its upper end engaging a shoulder 46 on the tip protector. It will be seen that the sleeve 44 is received within and located by a generally cylindrical socket member 48 which projects upwardly from the bottom closure 36. Longitudinal ribs 50 are formed within the socket member 48 to engage and support the sleeve. The arrangement provides a firm yet resilient support for the relatively fragile filler 16.

The filler itself comprises inner and outer walls 52 and 54 with an evacuated space 56 therebetween. The upper ends of the inner and outer walls are connected by a curved rim portion 58 which surrounds the mouth or upper opening 18. When assembled, the rim portion is engaged by the bottom surface of the flat portion 22 of the collar 4 so as to hold the filler in a relatively fixed position.

Referring to FIGS. 5 through 12, the inner edge of the flat surface 22 of the collar 4 terminates in a downwardly depending annular projection 60 which is received in a groove 62 formed in the upper edge of the plastic liner 20. The plastic liner may be attached to the collar 4 at the engagement of the projection 60 and groove 62 by the use of a suitable adhesive so that when the collar is removed from the base the plastic liner will be removed from the carafe providing access to the filler for replacement purposes if necessary. The plastic protects the filler from possible damages by the dropping or insertion of solid objects therein and in addition protects the user by preventing filler material from falling into liquid held in the carafe in the event the filler should break.

The closure 30 is formed in two parts, the first part being a closure cap 64 formed with a raised knob 66 for grasping purposes, and as may be seen in FIG. 8, a downwarly depending flange 68 having an annular groove 70 formed therein. The closure 30 also includes a closure body 72 having an upwardly extending annular projection 74 engaging in the groove 70 and held there by a suitable adhesive. The air space 76 provided between the closure cap 64 and closure body 72 serves to provide thermal insulation across the top opening 28 of the plastic liner 20 to aid in maintaining a liquid held in the carafe at the desired temperature. As may be seen in FIG. 2, the closure body 72 is provided with a plurality of spaced projections 78 contact the inner surface of the flat portion 22 of the collar. When the carafe is maintained in the upright position, a curved undersurface 80 of the closure body 72 contacts the mouth of the opening 28 to maintain the carafe closed. Inasmuch as the cap 30 is formed so as to fit relatively loosely within the mouth 28, when the carafe is tilted for pouring the closure may move upwardly permitting liquid to flow in the spaces provided between the projections 78.

To attach the collar 4 to the body 2 the second portion 27 thereof is provided with interior threads 82 which are engaged with the interior threads 14 provided on the upper portion of the body 2.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 6 extends downwardly along the body 2 to provide sufficient space for receiving the fingers of the hand when it is desired to lift and/or pour from the carafe.

The device thus provided is one which when the individual elements thereof are fabricated by molding or any other appropriate process may be easily assembled. Likewise, its disassembly for repair or replacement of damaged parts by a user is easy.

It is intended by the claims to cover all modifications and equivalents which may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured as Letters Patent is:

1. A carafe having a protective casing with an open top and a closed bottom; a vacuum insulated filler having an open top; a collar having a surface extending over the top of said filler, a first portion extending upwardly from said surface and a second portion depending downwardly from said surface; said protective casing having interengaging means adjacent the top thereof and said collar having matching interengaging means adjacent the bottom thereof engaging said interengaging means of said casing; a pouring spout formed in said collar, a handle on said collar opposite said pouring spout and extending downwardly therefrom along said protective casing, said first collar portion having interlocking means spaced from said pouring spout; a cap having a downwardly depending flange provided with interlocking means engageable with said interlocking means on said first collar portion, a pair of diametrically opposed pouring openings formed in said flange, said interlocking means provided on said cap flange between said pouring openings, the spacing between the interlocking means on said cap and said pouring openings being such that one of said pouring openings will be in registry with said pouring spout when said cap is in interlocking engagement with said collar.

2. The carafe of claim 1 including a closure beneath said cap covering the opening of said vacuum insulated filler.

3. The carafe of claim 2 wherein said closure comprises an upper portion and a lower portion joined to form a hollow insulating space therebetween.

4. The carafe of claim 3 wherein said closure fits loosely within the open top of said filler.

5. The carafe of claim 1 including a protective liner attached to said collar and extending into said vacuum filler.

6. The carafe of claim 2 including a protective liner attached to said collar and extending into said vacuum filler.

7. The carafe of claim 6 wherein said closure comprises an upper portion and lower portion joined to form a hollow insulating space therebetween.