Beverage container structure

Abstract

A beverage container provided with unique pressure relief valve means designed to permit the escape of gaseous pressure that may build up within the container as through the inclusion of dry ice therein. The container also includes an interior container which is raised from the bottom of the primary container and includes interior finger-pull abutments. The inner container is designed for slipping downwardly into the interior of the outer container only a predetermined distance, this before a wedging effect occurs; thus, the bottom of the inner container is spaced above the bottom of the outer container so as to lessen chances of fracturing or cracking of the bottom of the outer container when dry ice is disposed in the inner container.

Description

The present invention relates to beverage containers and, more particularly, to a new and improved beverage container having unique pressure relief valve means as well as an interior, raised, dry ice container.

Familiar to many families are standard beverage containers suitable for dispensing milk or flavored beverages. For those who desire homemade root beer, it is standard practise to include a root beer extract and sugar in a quantity of water and then to slip dry ice into the container for carbonating the liquid. In conventional containers the dry ice slips to the bottom and its effectiveness may be somewhat reduced. More importantly, the dry ice may stick to the bottom and cause cleaning difficulties; additionally, because of the lowered temperature of the dry ice the same may chance a fracturing or cracking of the container should the same be made of plastic.

An additional problem is solved herein in the desired inclusion of pressure relief valve means as can be utilized to exhaust pressure, so as to regulate both carbonization of the liquid as well as outward flow.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved beverage container.

A further object is to provide a beverage container having a novel pressure relief valve mechanism.

A further object is to provide a beverage container having an interior vessel for receiving dry ice and suspending the same above the bottom of the primary container.

A further object is to provide a beverage container having an interior vessel which can be easily withdrawn by the fingers, and this without the use of any lifting bail or other equivalent additional mechanism.

The features of the present invention may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a beverage container and interior vessel combination, all constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention in a preferred embodiment thereof.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-section taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken along the line 3--3 and illustrates the inclusion of a valve proximate the base of the primary container.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssection taken along the line 4--4 and illustrates a representative side of the interior vessel and its cooperation with the interior wall of the outer container; it will be understood that the finger-grip portions, one only being shown, will be disposed on both sides of the interior vessel.

In FIG. 1 liquid container 10 includes an inner wall shell 11 as well as an outer wall shell 12. Disposed therebetween is an expanded plastic material 13 such as styrofoam.

The inner wall and outer wall shells may join at 14 to form an integral shell unit filled with the expanded plastic as at 13 as seen in FIG. 2. In any event, the outer shell is provided with threads 15 that cooperate with interior threads 16 of lid 17. Lid 17 includes outer and interior walls 18 and 19, respectively. Apertures as at 20 in wall 19 are provided for any gaseous pressure generated within the container. Aligned apertures 21 and 22 accommodate the implacement of bolt 23 and nut 24 constituting an elongate means having reaction ends; the same cooperates with spring 25, the latter resiliently pressing downwardly upon valve disc 26. Disc 26 may comprise a disc that is convex upwardly and made of a spring steel, by way of example.

The structure as thus far described operates as follows. Assume that a beverage such as root beer is being made as with dry ice deposited within the interior of the container. Excess gas pressures formed will be relieved by virtue of the inclusion of spring 25 and valve disc 26, this by the excess gaseous pressure proceeding upwardly through one or more apertures 27 in the lid so that the disc 26 is raised upwardly against the pressure spring 25.

In resuming a consideration of the container construction, it is seen that the same is provided with a liquid discharge valve 28 at the base of the primary container. These are common in the design of picnic jugs and any one of a number of the types currently on the market may be installed at point A in FIG. 3 in a conventional manner. The particular type of thumb depression valve used, by way of example, forms no part of the invention, standing along.

Of importance is the fact that the interior wall or shell 11 is conically tapered inwardly as one progresses downwardly. This taper may be of the order of 5.degree. and comprise simply a draft angle or taper to facilitate molding.

A separate interior container 29 is also provided and includes an outer wall 30 having an outer surface which is conically tapered still further, of the order of perhaps 8.degree.-10.degree.. Disposed proximate upper lip 31 are a pair of opposite, finger-pull concavities 32, one being shown, which may be of limited arcuate extent, i.e. 30.degree.. These concavities form interior ridges 33 that serve as finger grips. At the bottom of the interior container 29 is a series of apertures 24, serving for fluid communication.

The object and purpose for the inclusion of container 29 is to provide a receptacle for receiving dry ice, this so that the dry ice may be suspended from the bottom B of the inner container shell 11. Accordingly, the dry ice is prevented from freezing at the bottom of the container so as to otherwise cause difficulty perhaps in either cleaning the container or perhaps in chancing a cracking of the container at this point, owing to the relative coldness of dry ice.

When a sufficient amount of the beverage such as root beer is withdrawn from the container as by use of valve 28, then the user may simply remove the lid and insert his hands so as to raise the container 29 upwardly and outwardly, by the user simply curling his fingers over the plurality of ridges 33 used. While one ridge 33 is shown in FIG. 4 it will be understood that there will be another ridge generally disposed on the opposite side of the container.

What the present invention supplies, therefore, is a new and improved container having relief valve means to relieve excess gaseous pressure within the container, as may be generated by the inclusion of dry ice within the beverage container.

Another advantage is an interior receptacle for dry ice which is completely submerged within the beverage being mixed and yet which can be withdrawn without the use of bails, hooked implements, and so forth. The container is tapered and dimensioned such that the bottom of the interior or inner container 29, at B', is spaced substantially above the bottom B of the outer container, so that any dry ice included or dropped into the interior container will not engage directly the bottom of the overall container. Where the container-height of interior container 29 approximates 6 inches, by way of example, then the upper edge 31 should be dimensioned to have an outer diameter essentially equivalent to the interior diameter of the outer container about 8 inches above the bottom B of FIG. 4.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art the various changes and modifications which may be made without departing from the essential features of the present invention and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A beverage container including, in combination, an outer container having a manually actuatable drain valve, a lid secured to and over said outer container, said lid including a gaseous pressure-relief valve, wherein said lid includes mutually spaced outer and inner walls, said inner wall being provided with air-passageway means, said relief valve being cooperatively disposed with respect to said outer wall, and wherein said outer and inner walls of said lid include aligned apertures, said pressure-relief valve comprising a valve disc centrally disposed over said aligned apertures and itself having a central aperture, said outer wall including at least one additional aperture disposed under said valve disc, elongate means disposed through said aligned apertures of said lid and said central aperture of said disc and having upper and lower reaction means, said lower reaction means coacting against said inner wall of said lid, and compression spring means disposed coaxially about said elongate means and operatively positioned between said upper reaction means and said outer wall of said lid.

2. A beverage container unit including, in combination, an outer container having a bottom and a fluid outlet valve, means for enclosing and enabling the filling of said outer container coupled thereto, said container unit including an upper gaseous pressure-relief valve, said outer container having a smooth downwardly conically tapered interior wall, a dry-ice receivable inner container having radially an upper annular lip and inwardly directed finger-pull means, said inner container also being tapered downwardly and having a transverse dimension equivalent to the interior dimension at said upper annular lip of said outer container at a medial area a distance, above said bottom, which is greater than the height of said inner container whereby, when said inner container is inserted within said outer container, said upper annular lip of said inner container wedges within said outer container to maintain said inner container in position above said outer container bottom.