The present invention relates to a disposable shaker with a cup-like base part and a cup-like cover part which are removably joinable together with an axial snap engagement or with a rotatable engagement.
Disposable shakers are known in several embodiments.
The Italian patent application RM94A000358 discloses a shaker consisting of several parts and formed by an upper cover part 1, a lower part 2 having a plurality of bins 4 for housing the single cocktail ingredients, and a membrane 3 which may be fixed to the upper part of the lower part after having inserted said different cocktail ingredients in said single bins 4. The coupling between upper part and lower part takes place by means of pressure or a thread or bayonet closure. The shaker consists of synthetic material. This embodiment has the disadvantage of requiring a long manipulation as well as a preliminary opening of the shaker before to prepare a cocktail. In fact said manipulation comprises a first step for opening the shaker, a second step for removing the membrane, a third step for closing again the shaker, a further agitation or shaking step, and a last shaker opening step in order to drink the prepared cocktail. Therefore are considered drawbacks the manual removing of the membrane as well as the temporary access to the bins 4 before the step for closing again the shaker, wherein during said free access time there is obviously the improper possibility for thirds to introduce undesirable substances in said bins.
The IT-A-1.298.721 discloses a similar disposable shaker in which in the base part thereof is removably housed a multibin container. This embodiment has the same drawbacks of the shaker disclosed by the Italian patent application No. RM94A 000358 with additionally the disadvantage of requiring an additional component, that is a removable multibin container and, therefore, of requiring a greater quantity of synthetic material and higher costs.
The document FR-A-2 751 860 discloses a cartridge intended for packaging a cocktail. The cartridge described herein is cylindrical-shaped with several tubular parts arranged axially, i.e. a cover part (A), two intermediate parts (I and K) associated to a disc with tearing duct s facing towards the cover, as well as a mixing cup part (L), having a chamber (M) for a piece of ice as well as a mixing element (R), wherein accommodated between the intermediate piece (I) and the cover (A) is a group (E) formed by cartridges each containing an ingredient of the cocktail provided for, closed at the ends by means of the membrane (F and G) and containing an eccentric duct (O) having a lower end fixed against the disc (H) and projecting with the other end from the cover (A) for pouring the cocktail obtained. The cover (A) in turn has an upper part with tearing ducts (C) projecting downwards and, peripherally, an opening (B) for the passage of air. The group formed by the cartridges (E) and by the through duct (O) can be closed by an openable ring (J). In practice, by axially pressing the cover (A) downwards there occurs the tearing of the upper (F) and lower (G) membranes of the cartridges (E) and, the air flowing in through the opening (B) allows releasing the components of the cocktail into the mixing cup-like base part (L), wherein after the mixing, cooled by the piece of ice, the cocktail may be poured out through the pouring duct (O), which is closable by means of the cap (P). A straw may be also introduced through said through duct (O).
The description above shows that the shaker disclosed in the is document FR-A-2 751 860 has various and serious disadvantages. First and foremost, it requires three parts associable in a sliding manner, as well as the use of a container with several compartments, i.e. with several cartridges, associated to the through duct, as well as a closure ring, alongside the tearing teeth at both ends of the cartridges, with respective openable ring. This implies considerable extension axially with respect to the shaker, as well as an extensive use of synthetic material. A further disadvantage lies in the fact that it requires a high number of moulds as well as a long period of assembly. Another disadvantage lies in the poor exploitation of the inner space of the shaker intended for accommodating the separate liquors, i.e. the components of the cocktail.
The high disproportion in weight between the required synthetic material and the contents of the shaker, i.e. the so-called “overpackaging”, would not allow—not even currently—the use of such disposable shaker in various countries, such as for example Great Britain.
According to the title of the document DE 103 23 608 A1 the latter discloses an “Arrangement with a container for housing a beverage”. Different embodiments are shown which consists of several parts or components, for example 4 components, that is, (for example in FIGS. 8a, 8b, 9, 10, 11a, 11b): 1) a container (2, 52, 64) having at least a tearable wall (membrane) (8, 56) for housing a beverage, 2) a ring-shaped means (4, 26, 36, 44, 70) having teeth (30, 72) for tearing said tearable wall (8, 56), 3) a below lying receptacle (6, 42, 60, 74) for drinking or mixing the beverage which is fallen therein by gravity after the tearing of the tearable wall, and 4) a cap (for example 73 in FIG. 8a).
The shown arrangements (shakers) have each a more or less complicated manipulation which requires an intermediate opening thereof and also the presence of parts which are to be removed from said arrangements before drinking the prepared beverage or cocktail.
Therefore, the illustrated arrangements comprising a plurality of components have practically substantially the disadvantages of the prior art shakers which are avoided by the shakers in two components according to the present invention.
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art shakers and to provide disposable shakers which allow a cocktail preparation with a manipulation which is easy, quick and does not require a preliminary opening of the shaker, and this with a limited number of components.
The above aim is achieved by a disposable shaker comprising a cup-like base part (2) and a cup-like cover part (3) which are removably joinable together with an axial snap engagement or with a rotatable engagement, for example a thread engagement, one of said cover (3) or base (2) houses or forms a multibin container (9) which may be tightly closed by means of a membrane (6) and serves for housing the single ingredients of a cocktail or liquid mixture to be prepared, wherein tearing teeth (7) for tearing said membrane (6) during said engagement between said cover part (3) and said base part (2) are provided, characterized in that said membrane (6) closing said multibin container (3; 2) is fixed to the latter, and in that said tearing teeth (7) for tearing said membrane (6) are formed in one-piece with in said base part (2) or cover part (3) and having tearing points near said membrane (6) in the closed or assembled position of said shaker (1) so that an axial and/or rotational mutual translation movement between said cover (3) and base (2) causes a penetration of said tearing teeth (7) into said membrane (6) with a consequent known tearing of the latter (6) and transfer of the cocktail ingredients, which are directly or indirectly contained in the bins (4) of said cover (3) or base (2), into the respective other mixing part (2; 3) of said shaker (1) for the mixing or shaking of said ingredients into said shaker.
Further developments of the disposable shakers according to the invention are defined in the depending claims.
The shakers according to the invention provide several and important advantages.
First of all for the preparation of a cocktail is avoided an intermediate opening of the shaker and the necessary time is reduced, wherein at the same time is surely avoided an access to thirds to the bins containing the cocktail ingredients during the cocktail manipulation for the cocktail preparation. The time necessary for the preparation of cocktails is reduced. The teeth for tearing the membrane are obtained in one piece in the cover or in the base of the shaker, wherein in said last case the tearing teeth are placed in such a way that they are not at all sensed by the user when he/she drinks the cocktail.
An advantage concerning the shaker construction is to be seen in the fact that the number of the molds necessary for the production of the shaker is reduced, and this together with a reduced time for the shaker assembling contributes to reduce the manufacturing costs. Said manufacturing costs are further reduced for the fact that the quantity of synthetic material necessary for the molding of the shaker, that is the weight of the latter, are reduced.
Still another advantage is to be seen in the fact that the production of the shaker in two parts is adapted, without particular modifications, to a grater sizing of the shaker provided for containing, for example, drinks, the so-called “long drinks”, which are known in the more different sport sectors, as for example for cyclists, as integrators in gym activities, and so on.
The proposed shakers are likewise suitable for a conformation having a base in the form of a “coffee cup” in the case of drinks to be mixed, as coffee with cognac and vanilla or ginseng, for “cappuccino” with or without cocoa and sugar, and so on.
Another important advantage is that are provided means adapted to allow an easy and unambiguous manipulation and to is avoid an accidental tearing of the membrane before the use as well as to guarantee a reliable tightness during the mixing or shaking phase, and to allow an easy opening of the shaker.
Further characteristics, advantages and details of the disposable shakers according to the invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following disclosure of some preferred embodiments which are exemplary and schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which said embodiments are shown in convenient scales for an easier understanding of the characteristics thereof, and in which,
The
Reference is first made to the disposable shaker made of synthetic material shown in the
In the cup-like base 2 are provided tearing teeth 7 which are one-piece with the internal surface of said base 2 near the bottom of the latter. The opposite ends of said cover 3 and base 2 are provided in a known manner with known engagement means as axial push means or revolving thread means for example of the bayonet type which are not illustrated in detail and allow a preassembled closure or selling closure (
The embodiments shown in the
The embodiment illustrated in the
In the
The different embodiments shown in the
In the following embodiments illustrated in the
The embodiment of the
According to the teaching of the present invention it is also possible to use plugs containing a substance which may be released by the user, for example a substance containing integrators, energy giving agents, and so on.
The embodiment shown in
The
All the embodiments have the common feature of being formed by only two parts 2, 3 which may be axially inserted the one into the other by means of either an axial thrust action or a rotational thread engagement.
Furthermore, in the shakers 1 of the
In
Reference is now made to a preferred embodiment of a disposable shaker according to the present invention shown in the
Said guided manipulation means 20 comprises:
1) in the base part 2:
2) in the cover part 3, provided with said bins 4 delimited by an external piston-like cylindrical wall 22 having an upper annular closure flange 23 and a lower annular flange 24 on which latter said membrane 6 is sealed:
In more details, and how inferable in particular from the
30A denotes an annular rabbet step forming the bottom of an annular flange-like reduction 30B of the upper cylindrical part 30 of the base 2. The guided manipulation for carrying out the perforation and further tearing of the membrane under conditions of hermetic tightness and the following separation between the parts 2 and 3 of the shaker 1 takes place as follows:
After having pulled up a part or guarantee strip, non shown, covering the union area between cover 3 and base 2 on the cover 3 is manually carried out an axial pressure or thrust so that the positioning projections 21 causes the swingable wings 28 to swing upwards and after the overcoming of said wings 28,
From this position, after having carried out the shaking phase, the cover 3 can then be rotated in a guided manner only in one rotation direction because a rotation in a contrary rotation direction is hindered by the axial stop 27 adjacent to the respective swingable wing 28. During the rotational movement of the cover 3 will take place a progressive tearing of the membrane 6 with following prompt and complete fall of the different cocktail components from the bins 4 into the base part 2.
The rotational movement of the cover 3 will then be interrupted by the abutment of the positioning projections 21 against the next axial stop 27 in the possible rotation direction, that is in the illustrated example with three tearing teeth 7, after a rotation of 120°. In this position said positioning projections 21 will be above the mentioned transit passages 29 which allow a free lifting of the cover 3 and the separation thereof from the base 2 containing the prepared cocktail ready to be drunk.
Whit this embodiment the mixing or shaking manipulation can be carried out in each intermediate rotational position of the cover 3 practically under tightly conditions.
In the
Practically the thrust action on the cover 3 for tearing the membrane 6 can simply take place by applying with one hand a blow onto the flattened top of the cover 3 of said shaker which is for example supported on a table or held in the other hand in order to cause a sliding of said positioning projections 21 on said swingable wings 28 with the following tearing of the membrane 6 and abutment of the latter on the abutment step 30A.
Due to sturdiness purposes the base 2 could be provided with grooves, as indicated in
The manipulation path comprising a vertical stroke for the initial tearing of the membrane 6, an horizontal stroke for the further membrane tearing, and the vertical separation stroke for the separation of the cover 3 illustrated with arrows in
From the above structural and functional description of the several shaker embodiments it is readily apparent that with the several proposed shakers, the indicated aim is effectively accomplished and the aforementioned advantages are obtained.
It lies within the scope of the invention to conform further shakers having a combination at will of the features shown is in the several shaker embodiments disclosed above as well as to substitute single parts or components with other functionally equivalent parts or components.
In practicing the invention those skilled in the art may introduce modifications and variants concerning, for example, structural coupling details between the shaker cover and base parts, the form and disposition of the tearing teeth, a different number of bins, the use of specific synthetic materials, and so on, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention as claimed in the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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CO2008A0005 | Feb 2008 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IB2009/005283 | 2/18/2009 | WO | 00 | 8/16/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2009/104099 | 8/27/2009 | WO | A |
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