Patent Application
20200384426
The popularity of wine as the alcoholic beverage of choice for American consumers has risen dramatically since the end of the National Prohibition Act in 1933. Indeed, wine consumption in the United States has risen from approximately 33 million gallons consumed in 1934 to 949 million gallons in 2016, the last year for which statistics are available. (Source: Wine Institute et al.) This increase in consumption has led to a corresponding increase in the varieties, price points, and vehicles available for wine consumers, including boxed wine.
Boxed wine has been widely available for decades as an inexpensive, lightweight, non-breakable, and ecologically friendly option to bottled wine. While boxed wine has previously had a reputation for poor quality, the rise in wine popularity has likewise elevated the offerings of boxed wines available commercially. In fact, now some vintners pride themselves on providing quality wine in the bag-in-box format.
The aforementioned increase in wine consumption has also led to a proliferation of wine accessories such as moderately priced crystal wine glasses, charms for attachment to wine class stems to prevent confusion among a plurality of wine drinkers, and wine bottle stoppers.
Among these accessories are wine aerators. Aeration has proven positive effects on the flavor of wine, permitting oxygenation to bring out a wine's flavor profile and evaporation to assist in removing less desirable compounds. Aeration is known to be particularly beneficial to improve younger wines that have not had sufficient time to soften naturally.
Allowing wine “to air” according to traditional methods may include pouring the vine into a wide-bottomed decanter, which enlarges the surface area exposed to the atmosphere. This allows the wine to accept oxygen and release unwanted compounds passively. Naturally, passive aeration takes time.
Aerators provide the advantages of lengthy decanting methods in a rapid fashion. With an aerator, a portion of wine is poured therethrough, actively infusing oxygen. This produces immediate and noticeable improvement in the character of the wine.
Prior art aerators primarily include hand-held devices. In operation, a user (a) places a glass on a stable surface, (b) picks up and holds an aerator over the glass in one hand, (c) with the other hand picks up and holds an open bottle of wine over the aerator, then (d) pours wine from the bottle through the aerator into the glass.
However, boxed wine is not designed to be picked up, but rather to rest on a surface such as a table or countertop. Further, boxed wine is not dispensed from an open container, but is sealed by way of a manually activated ball valve forming a spigot.
Boxed wine is dispensed through the spigot, which is located near the base of the box. The spigot is actuated by a lever, twist release cap, push button, or the like. Regardless of the mode of operation, the spigot requires manual intervention to open. In other words, dispensing wine from a boxed wine container requires two hands: one to grip the glass and one to operate the spigot.
Interposing an aerator between the spigot and a glass thus requires three hands: one to grip the glass, one to operate the spigot, and one to hold the aerator therebetween. A two-handed operator attempting to aerate a boxed wine therefore encounters not only nuisance but usually mess and waste as well. Red wine spills in particular are notoriously difficult to clean.
In addition, no matter how a boxed wine operator dispenses wine through an aerator, when the glass is removed from beneath the aerator, additional wine may drip from the aerator onto the counter or floor, or worse, one's clothing.
It the object of the invention to relieve the problems associated with the use of an aerator with boxed wines. Specifically, the present invention comprises an aerator hanging device that permits simple, single user operation of an aerator in combination with a boxed wine.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an aerator holder for use with a boxed wine that reduces nuisance, mess, and waste.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an aerator holder designed to mitigate dripping after use.
The invention comprises a carrier 10 used in an aeration assembly 12 to assist a user in dispensing wine from a box 14 through a spigot 16 to flow into an aeration device 18 and into a drinking vessel.
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In a preferred embodiment, handle 20 has an overall length of 3.883 inches such that it extends approximately 2.28 inches below the spigot 16. Gripping portion 22 has an outer diameter of 2.541 inches to accommodate popular and commercially-available wins aerating devices. Other sizes and shapes should be understood as within the scope of the invention depending on the variety of spigot 16 being employed, the distance between spigot 16 and the bottom of box 14, and the configuration of device 18, among other design factors.
Handle 20 and gripping portion 22 are preferably made of a material selected for the desired stretch and gripping characteristics. Handle 20 and gripping portion 22 are shown as integral to one another, but may be assembled or attached to one another in any appropriate manner.
Referring now to stopper insert 24, it may extend from gripping portion 22 and provides the user with a means to mitigate the spillage incidental to wine aerators and box wines generally. Stopper 24 is designed to be inserted within the exit aperture of wine aerator 18. In a preferred embodiment, stopper 24 comprises an enclosed well for the purpose of containing any additional spilled wine.
In addition, it should be noted that while a first embodiment and variations of same are disclosed herein, other embodiments may employ a rope or chain or other appropriate hanging device.
A method of operation as generally discussed herein is also understood to form a part of the invention.
The present invention has been described in sufficient detail to allow a person of skill in the art to make and use the device. It should also be understood to include all variants and equivalents to the apparatus and method disclosed.
This application claims the benefit of co-pending provisional application Ser. No. 62/856,810 filed 4 Jun. 2019.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62856810 | Jun 2019 | US |
