The invention relates to a drinking device as well as a drinking vessel with such a drinking device.
There is an increasing need to ingest drinking liquids which on the one hand have a pleasant flavor but on the other prevent health risks which could be brought about by the ingestion of aroma substances or stabilizing agents dissolved in the drinking liquid. The ingestion of an increased quantity of calories is also to be avoided.
Water which has been given a slightly fruity aroma has therefore become popular in the last few years. However, undesired additives, such as stabilizing substances and a certain amount of sugar, are also contained in this aromatized water. Many users reject such drinks simply on account of this number of calories and dental hygiene.
Since the olfactory sensation plays a significant part in gustatory perception in the consumption of food and beverages, drinking systems to date have attempted to influence the smell perceived while drinking. To that end, aroma elements are proposed which can be attached close to the drinking opening on a drinking vessel so that the aroma element is in the immediate proximity of the nose of the user, who breathes through the nose while drinking and thereby perceives the aroma.
A drinking device for retronasal ingestion of an aroma substance, comprising an aroma container through which air can flow and which supplies aromatized air to a transport channel for drinking liquid, is known from WO 2019/016096 A1. In this way, the aroma substance is ingested retronasally. During drinking, the aroma substance reaches the mouth of the user together with the drinking liquid and subsequently rises retronasally via the pharynx to the olfactory mucosa, where it is detected by the receptors situated there and is perceived by the user. Advantage is taken of the fact that there is a close correlation between the sense of smell and the sense of taste. The user therefore gains the impression that they are tasting the aroma, even though they are in fact only smelling it retronasally.
The invention is based on the object of proposing a drinking device for adding an aroma substance, which is space-saving and can be used in a variety of ways.
This object is solved by a drinking device with the features of claim 1 as well as a drinking vessel with the features of claim 20.
Preferred embodiments are apparent from the other claims.
The drinking device according to the invention consists of a drinking straw and an aroma container. The drinking straw has an inner flow channel and a drinking end. The aroma container for dispensing an aroma substance to an air flow flowing out of the aroma container is fixedly, movably or detachably connected with the drinking straw. The aroma container comprises at least one air outlet opening which is in flow connection either with at least one aroma inlet opening into the inner flow channel of the drinking straw or with an aroma channel extending to the drinking end of the drinking straw. The aroma container is adapted to be able to be coupled with the drinking straw in such a way that, when applying a negative pressure at the drinking end of the drinking straw or when applying a negative pressure at a mouthpiece arranged at the drinking end of the drinking straw, the air flow exits from the aroma container through the at least one air outlet opening. The aroma container comprises an aroma chamber containing a carrier substance for an aroma substance. The carrier substance preferably has a specific flow resistance of less than 500 Pa·s/m, particularly preferably of less than 400 Pa·s/m, and most preferably of approximately 380 Pa·s/m.
As soon as there is a negative pressure during the drinking process either at the mouthpiece or at the drinking end of the drinking straw, there is also sufficient negative pressure at the end of the aroma channel as well as at the outlet of the aroma container so as to let air flow through the aroma container.
The drinking device according to the invention can thus be designed in a variety of ways. The aroma container can be arranged at the drinking straw in such a way that the aromatized air flow exiting from the at least one air outlet opening of the aroma container enters into the inner flow channel of the drinking straw through the at least one aroma inlet opening, and the user can ingest the drinking liquid provided with the aromatized air flow either directly at the drinking end of the drinking straw or via an additional mouthpiece attached at the drinking end. Alternatively, a user can ingest the drinking liquid through the inner flow channel of the drinking straw and the aromatized air flow via an aroma channel provided separately from the inner flow channel. In this regard, the aroma channel can be provided at the drinking straw separately from the inner flow channel or be connected with the aroma container. In the latter case, the drinking straw can be a conventional drinking straw which does not have to have an aroma inlet opening into the inner flow channel. Another alternative is that the aroma container and a mouthpiece arranged at the drinking end of the drinking straw are jointly configured. In this case, the aromatized air flow runs neither in the inner flow channel of the drinking straw nor in parallel thereto, but is either fed into the drinking liquid downstream in the region of the mouthpiece or runs in parallel to the flow chamber for the drinking liquid in the mouthpiece.
It is essential that the aroma container comprises an aroma chamber containing a carrier substance for the aroma substance which is released to the air when air flows through the aroma container.
The carrier substance preferably has a specific flow resistance of less than 500 Pa·s/m, particularly preferably of less than 400 Pa·s/m, and most preferably of approximately 380 Pa·s/m. In this case, in accordance with the conventional definition, the ratio of the pressure difference before and after a material layer to the speed of the air flowing through is referred to as the specific flow resistance. The flow resistance is measured according to DIN EN ISO 9053-1 on a test specimen of the carrier material. The flow velocity of air is determined as a function of the pressure difference across the test specimen. In numerous tests, the preferred flow resistance has turned out to be particularly suitable for causing a good flow through the carrier substance in the aroma chamber of the aroma container, but also enabling a good enrichment of the air flow flowing through the aroma container and an improved aroma development when using the aroma container with a drinking straw.
All of the variants described above have in common that the aromatized air flow is not released to the ambient air, in order to act orthonasally in a user, but is rather orally ingested by the user during drinking so that the aromatized air can be perceived retronasally and the sensory impression of a taste perception of the drinking liquid can be created.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aroma container can be moved relative to the drinking straw, preferably along a longitudinal direction of the drinking straw, between an activated position and a non-activated position, wherein only in the activated position the at least one air outlet opening is in flow connection with the at least one aroma inlet opening and the aroma channel.
The movement of the aroma container between the non-activated position and the activated position extends the service life of the aroma container since there is no unintentional evaporation when it is not in operation. The movement of the aroma container between the non-activated position and the activated position can be performed by the user themselves so that the drinking device according to the invention can also be used to hold non-aromatized drinking liquid.
In the simplest case, the movement of the aroma container, which is preferably in a longitudinal direction of the drinking straw, can establish or interrupt a flow connection between the air outlet opening of the aroma container and the aroma inlet opening of the drinking straw or an inlet opening into the aroma channel of the drinking straw.
Preferably, the aroma container comprises the mouthpiece. In this case, the aroma container is mounted at the drinking end of the drinking straw and comprises the mouthpiece for the user who can thus orally ingest drinking liquid provided with an aromatized air flow or, by means of two separate transport channels ending at the mouth end of the mouthpiece, can orally ingest pure drinking liquid and aromatized air simultaneously.
The provision of an aroma container with a mouthpiece has the advantage that, when the aroma container is replaced, a user can intuitively reassemble the drinking device correctly. When providing separate flow channels for the drinking liquid and the aromatized air flow, it is moreover possible to use a conventional drinking straw in the drinking device.
According to a first alternative, preferred embodiment, the drinking straw has an aroma channel provided separately from the flow channel and ending at the drinking end of the drinking straw. Alternatively, however, the aroma container can also comprise the aroma channel. It is particularly preferable, however, in the case of separately providing a flow channel for drinking liquid and a transport channel for the aromatized air flow, to configure the aroma channel between a first boundary wall surrounding the inner flow channel of the drinking straw and a second boundary wall formed by the aroma container. In this way, the configuration of the drinking device with separate flow channels can be realized with minimal use of material.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drinking device further comprises a sealing member which extends around the drinking straw and is suited to be mountable on drinking vessels with different diameters.
The configuration of the drinking device with a sealing member makes it particularly suited to be transported without the drinking liquid in the drinking vessel sloshing out. The provision of a sealing member suited to be mountable on drinking vessels with different diameters increases the variability of the drinking device since the user can use it with different drinking vessels.
In this regard, it has turned out to be a particularly suitable configuration to design the sealing member in such a way that it is a continuously conical or stepped conical, rotationally symmetrical member. In this way, irrespective of the opening diameter at the upper end of the drinking vessel, the sealing member can be placed onto the drinking vessel in a sealing manner as long as the drinking vessel has a round opening and the diameter of the round opening lies within the range of diameter of the rotationally symmetrical component of the sealing member. A continuously conical component can be placed onto any opening diameter, whereas in the case of a stepped conical component an annular step in the region of the stepped conical component rests on the upper edge of the drinking vessel.
According to an alternative embodiment, the sealing member can be an elastic sealing grommet. Such sealing grommets, for example made of a silicone material, are known for tightly sealing vessels of various sizes. The elastic sealing grommet is stretched over the upper edge of the drinking vessel and lies elastically against the side wall or side walls of the drinking vessel in the region of the upper edge. While the provision of the above-described continuously conical or stepped conical, rotationally symmetrical member is only suitable for drinking vessels with a circular opening cross-sectional shape, in the case of providing the sealing member in the form of an elastic sealing grommet a drinking vessel with other cross-sectional shapes, for example a square cross-sectional shape, can be closed at the top in the same way.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drinking straw can be divided in the longitudinal direction. This configuration has the advantage that the drinking straw can be easily cleaned by dividing it into two U-shaped portions that can be cleaned separately, for example under running water.
According to an alternative, preferred embodiment, the drinking straw has a film hinge extending in the longitudinal direction and can be opened in the longitudinal direction. This measure also serves to simplify cleaning of the drinking straw by allowing it to be opened, making the inner walls of the drinking straw easily accessible.
Preferably, the drinking straw has a plurality of predetermined bending points. In this way, irrespective of the geometry of a drinking vessel, a drinking straw with a standardized length can be used. Another advantage is that the drinking device according to the invention can be transported more safely since unintentional pressure on the drinking straw, for example in a bag during transport, does not result in damage to the drinking straw, since the bending points allow the drinking straw to avoid the action of a force or to adapt to a non-flat contact surface. Furthermore, the drinking straw with predetermined bending points can be transported in a particularly space-saving manner.
Alternatively, it is also possible according to a further preferred embodiment to configure the drinking straw so as to be elastically deformable. Thus, no predetermined bending points are provided at defined positions, but the drinking straw has sufficient overall elastic deformability so that the risk of unintentional damage, for example kinking of the drinking straw, can be avoided to the furthest extent.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drinking device according to the invention further comprises a weight provided at the end opposite in the longitudinal direction to the drinking end of the drinking straw, which has a bearing surface for resting on the inner bottom of a drinking vessel.
The provision of a weight has the advantage that the drinking straw is always kept at the bottom of the drinking vessel. In the case of a rigid drinking straw, this can also prevent the drinking device from tipping over in the drinking vessel.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the drinking straw has a receptacle for the aroma container, into which the aroma container can be inserted. In other words, an adapter is already fixedly provided on the drinking straw, into which the aroma container can be inserted. In this way, firstly, the aroma container can be activated by exposing the air outlet opening only when it is placed in the receptacle and, secondly, it can also be ensured by the geometry of the receptacle and the complementary geometry of the aroma container that the aroma container is connected in the correct functional arrangement relative to the drinking straw.
Preferably, the drinking straw comprises a first longitudinal portion and a second longitudinal portion, wherein the aroma container can be attached between the first longitudinal portion and the second longitudinal portion of the drinking straw. Thus, the aroma container constitutes a coupling member between the first longitudinal portion and the second longitudinal portion of the drinking straw. This configuration is easy to understand for a user so that, when replacing the aroma container when it is empty or a different flavor is desired, the aroma container can be exchanged in a very simple way. The coupling geometry between the drinking straw and the aroma container can also be used to activate the aroma container.
In this regard, it can be advantageous to configure the aroma container in such a way that the receiving area for the drinking straw is designed conically so that drinking straws with different outer diameters can be used together with an aroma container.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the aroma container is mounted on the drinking straw, preferably clipped on, wherein the aroma container comprises a penetration member suited to penetrate the drinking straw when mounting the aroma container on a drinking straw and to create the aroma inlet opening. In this way, the aroma container can be used with a conventional drinking straw since the drinking straw does not yet have to have a prefabricated aroma inlet opening before mounting the aroma container. Another advantage is that due to the creation of the aroma inlet opening when mounting the aroma container exact positioning of the aroma container is not necessary. The penetration member has the further function of fixing the position of the aroma container on the drinking straw.
Preferably, the inner flow channel of the drinking straw in some areas has a reduction of the cross-section in the region of the aroma inlet opening. A reduction of the cross-section in the flow channel of the drinking straw creates a Venturi effect. In the area of the narrowing of the flow, the dynamic pressure is maximal, whereas the hydrostatic pressure is minimal. Moreover, the flow speed of the drinking liquid during drinking is increased in the area of the narrowing. The narrowing thus has the effect of lowering the pressure in the inner flow channel in the area of the reduction in cross-section, creating a suction effect with the aid of which the aromatized air is drawn from the aroma container.
The invention further relates to a drinking vessel comprising a bottom and at least one side wall extending from the bottom upwards and limiting a volume for receiving drinking liquid as well as a drinking device according to the invention.
Preferably, the drinking vessel is configured is such a way that the drinking straw of the drinking device is fixedly connected with a side wall of the drinking vessel, wherein the side wall of the drinking vessel preferably directly limits the inner flow channel. In this way, the drinking device according to the invention can be fixedly integrated into a drinking vessel.
Depending on the case of use, the aroma chamber can also have at least one air inlet opening in addition to the air outlet opening. This configuration is only avoided if, when the drinking device is used as intended in a drinking vessel, the aroma container is in the drinking liquid. However, if the aroma container is located in the area of the drinking end of the drinking device or if the aroma container is provided with a mouthpiece, an air inlet opening makes air flow through the aroma container easier and also enables better enrichment of the air flow with the aroma substance.
In those embodiments without an air inlet opening into the aroma container, the pressure is equalized by the ambient air flowing back into the aroma container through the air outlet opening as soon as the air outlet opening is not closed by surrounding liquid. If the aroma container is arranged at the drinking straw in such a way that it is located within the drinking liquid in a drinking vessel, the drinking straw is also filled with drinking liquid at least up to the height of the liquid in the drinking vessel. In this way, the air outlet opening of the aroma container can be closed since no aromatized air can get out and, at the same time, due to the small size of the air outlet opening and the associated capillary effect, no liquid gets into the interior of the aroma container. In this way, the drinking device can remain in the drinking vessel filled with liquid during use without undesired loss of aroma substance since aromatized air exits from the air outlet opening of the aroma container only during drinking.
Preferably, apart from the carrier substance, a head space is also provided in the aroma chamber between the carrier substance and a wall of the aroma container that closes off the aroma chamber. Providing a head space improves the mixing of the aromatized air in the aroma container. The aroma substance can consist of numerous chemical compounds, the mass transfer behavior of which differs from the carrier substance into the head space of the aroma container. Both different transport speeds of different chemical substances may occur and different aromatization compositions may exist within the aroma chamber that can be homogenized within the head space.
Preferably, a nonwoven fabric is provided as a carrier substance, which has high air permeability that is not supposed to lie below 200 l/(m2·s). At the same time, air permeability of the nonwoven fabric at a differential pressure of 100 Pa should preferably not be higher than 500 l/(m2·s). The reason for this is that, if the air permeability is too high, there is the risk that preferred flow paths are formed within the nonwoven fabric so that the air flow exiting from the aroma container would already have a too low degree of aromatization long before the aroma substance has in fact been exhausted. Moreover, the most suitable geometry of the carrier substance as well as the size of the head space may vary depending on the individual aroma substances. Different aroma substances have different chemical structures influencing their behavior with regard to mass transfer and flow properties so that a separate optimization process can be carried out for each individual flavor in order to achieve an optimal taste experience.
Preferably, the thickness of the carrier substance with regard to the height of the aroma chamber is at least 50% and preferably at least 80% of the height between a lower wall of the aroma container and an upper wall.
Preferably, the aroma container has an essentially annular geometry so that the aroma container can be arranged around the drinking straw, resulting in a weight distribution that is perceived as particularly comfortable by a user. In this regard, the geometry of the aroma container may deviate from an exact circular shape, however, to interact with a complementarily shaped drinking straw in such a way that only a single radial orientation of the aroma container relative to the drinking straw is possible, allowing the exact radial position of the aroma container to be defined relative to the drinking straw.
In the following figures, the invention will be described, purely by way of example, by means of different embodiments. The figures show the following:
In the following exemplary embodiments, the same elements will be designated with the same reference numbers.
With regard to
The drinking device further comprises an aroma container 20 comprising, as will be described later by means of
However, if there are separate flow channels for the drinking liquid and for the aromatized air, it is important that the mouthpiece 14 is configured in such a way that both the drinking liquid and the aromatized air are orally ingested during the drinking process.
In the example illustrated in
To extend the service life of the drinking device 10 according to the invention, it can be expedient if the drinking device is configured in such a way that the aroma container 20 can be moved between an activated and a non-activated position. To this end, the aroma container 20, which extends essentially annularly around the drinking straw 12 in the embodiment example according to
To give a haptic feedback to the user with regard to the shifting movement between the activated and the non-activated position, a stop 16 is fixedly provided at the drinking straw 12, against which the aroma container is shifted when it is brought into the non-activated position. At the mouthpiece, a stop 30 is also provided which limits the shifting movement into the activated position. In this way, the user can activate the aroma container by shifting the aroma container between the two stop positions in a simple manner. Compared to the embodiment of the drinking device illustrated in
In
Furthermore, it is preferred if a conical receiving area 22 is provided in the aroma container, which serves for receiving the drinking end 18 of the drinking straw 12. Due to the conical receiving area 22, the aroma container according to
In the configuration of the drinking device 10 according to
In
The embodiment according to
In the embodiment according to
By a suitable complementary shaping of the receptacle 26 and the geometry of the aroma container 20, it can be ensured that the aroma container is exactly positioned so as to be able to release the aromatized air.
The aroma container 20 can be mounted in the receptacle 26 by clamping, using a suction cup in the receptacle or by any other method. For example, the aroma container can be pinned, screwed fast or mounted by means of a bayonet lock. Moreover, other aids can be used such as magnets, a Velcro strip or even a rubber band.
In
As further illustrated in
In this regard, in the illustrated annular geometry of the aroma container 20, the carrier substance 46 cannot fully extend around the annular aroma chamber 44, but can be configured in a U-shape, for example, which facilitates the automatic insertion of the carrier substance into the aroma chamber when producing the aroma chamber. Since the carrier substance 46 does not completely fill the aroma chamber 44, an air-filled head space 48 is formed within the aroma chamber 44, in which the aroma substance consisting of various chemical compounds can be mixed and homogenized.
The geometry of the aroma container illustrated in
The carrier substance has a specific flow resistance of less than 500 Pa·s/m and preferably of less than 400 Pa·s/m, and most preferably of approximately 380 Pa·s/m so as to feed a sufficient amount of aromatized air into the inner flow channel 32 of the drinking straw 12 during the conventional use of the drinking straw 12 by the user.
The embodiment according to
Furthermore, an air inlet opening 50 is illustrated in
The embodiment according to
The design according to
In the configuration according to
In the embodiments according to
In the embodiment according to
The embodiment according to
The embodiments according to
In
The embodiment according to
Irrespective of the embodiment according to
The use of a weight 66 with a rigid drinking straw is illustrated, by way of example, in
In
As an alternative to the embodiment of a drinking straw consisting of two partial elements, as illustrated in
In the embodiment according to
The essentially annular aroma container surrounding the drinking straw can be opened via a film hinge so that it can be attached around the narrowed portion 78 of the drinking straw 12. Alternatively, the narrowed portion can be located only the area of the inner flow channel, while the outer contour is not narrowed there, so that an aroma container with a circular ring-shaped cross-section can be slid onto the drinking straw in the longitudinal direction.
The embodiment according to
If the drinking vessel is also tightly sealed with a lid (not shown), the drinking vessel can also be tilted without the drinking liquid leaking out of the drinking straw.
The embodiment according to
A configuration not illustrated in the figures provides an essentially annular aroma container that can be opened up into two half-shells by means of a film hinge and that has a pointed, cannula-shaped portion in the area of the air outlet opening and can be closed around a drinking straw, whereby the cannula-shaped protruding portion penetrates the wall of the drinking straw 12 and creates the flow connection between the aroma chamber and the inner flow channel of the drinking straw. This embodiment has the advantage that the aroma container can be used with conventional drinking straws to the outer diameter of which it can be adjusted. By closing the aroma container and the penetration of the outer wall of the drinking straw, not only the flow connection between the aroma chamber and the inner flow channel of the drinking straw is created, but the aroma container is also fixed in position relative to the drinking straw.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20188639.7 | Jul 2020 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2021/070240 | 7/20/2021 | WO |