This invention relates to beverage containers of various sizes for beverages such as milk, juices and wines, and specifically relates to a beverage container in which the contents are kept fresh for longer than the usual time as a result of limiting access for contaminants and oxygen by isolating the beverage from the surrounding air.
It is well known that most beverages begin to spoil with time as they stay in a container, particularly container which allows even a small amount of air to come in contact with the beverage. Beverages “become stale” or “become sour”, etc., with time, depending on the type of beverage, temperature and air intrusion. The most familiar example is milk. Milk in a glass left on a kitchen counter begins to spoil after a day or two. Milk in a glass left in a refrigerator also undergoes the same spoilage process but at a slower rate. A principal cause of the spoilage of various beverages, including milk, juices and wines, is bacterial proliferation in the presence of oxygen. As is well known, if oxygen can be made to be absent, the spoilage is minimized. This invention provides an inexpensive container for delaying such spoilage by isolating the air (containing oxygen) from the potable liquid which thereby remains in an oxygen-free, changeable-volume, storage sub-chamber of such container.
The usual technique for delaying spoilage, particularly in milk, is early and constant refrigeration. This is very difficult for some milk users to provide, especially for persons of very limited financial resources and in warmer climates. Such people typically handle the spoilage problem by managing the storage time constraint, either by immediate consumption or by converting the liquid to another form. For example, people either drink milk prior to spoilage or convert the milk to another form such as yogurt, butter or cheese.
The oxygen-minimization technique has led to the previously known food packaging technique of vacuum packing, which is used for numerous food and beverage products. The problem with prior-art vacuum packing methods, however, is that they are essentially designed for single-use packages, and cannot be conveniently used for applications that require easy and repeated opening of the container several times a day.
A prior-art example of the oxygen-minimization technique is the collapsible bag wine container, generally used in the United States for inexpensive wines but already used in Europe for some very fine wines. The volume of the bag diminishes as the wine is used, but there is no air intrusion into the bag and no vacuum.
A disadvantage of such a bag container is that it is essentially single-use, which may be preferred in developed countries but is too expensive for use in less developed countries or even in developed countries for less expensive beverages such as milk and juices.
This invention discloses a class of inexpensive, frequently re-usable beverage containers that are capable of keeping their contents fresher for longer durations by enabling convenient isolation of the oxygen-containing air from the contents.
This invention operates by presenting a simple air-isolating and volume-limiting mechanism in the storage container. A storage container, in the typical embodiment, is effectively divided into two chambers of complementary changeable volumes, with the spoilable liquid closed to replenishment of oxygen even as the remaining volume remains open to the air.
The object of the invention is to provide a low-cost and convenient oxygen-depriving method and storage container for storing spoilable beverages for longer durations than when stored in traditional containers open to oxygen and airborne bacteria.
A feature of the invention is the provision of a movable divider between an anaerobic sub-chamber that contains the beverage and a complementary aerobic sub-chamber that contains the air which is thus prevented from coming in contact with the beverage.
In addition to being freshness prolonging, an important advantage of the disclosed beverage container is its low cost. A great number of people, particularly those who cannot afford refrigeration, simply cannot afford to frequently purchase a complex container. Even when people have such a container, there may also be a problem of cleaning and maintenance between usages. Accordingly, it is desirable that a container to retard spoilage by oxygen deprivation be cheap, long-lasting and easy to clean.
A significant benefit of the invention results from the fact that spoilage can sometimes be life-threatening. One of the major causes of death among very poor people, particularly children, is dehydration by diarrhea spread by various bacteria. Such bacteria thrive in milk, and even in water, where dissolved oxygen and small amounts of nutrients are present. In heavy concentrations, such bacteria may cause diarrhea, with dehydration leading in some children to death.
An advantage of the disclosed method and device is that it is very inexpensive and can be afforded by disadvantage people, can be easily and repeatedly used, and can be easily kept clear of spoiling mechanisms between uses.
Another advantage is that the air removal can be done quickly, conveniently and repeatedly, to enable repeated opening and closing of the container as the beverage is consumed.
Still another advantage of the invention is that it requires no replacement of parts for subsequent usage.
Other objects, features and advantages, will be apparent to those skilled in the container art, as explained in the following text and drawings and as claimed in the following claims.
The divider puller 5 is connected to the divider plate 3, preferably at the central axis position to distribute support. The divider puller 5 is able to move (slide) through an air-sealed divider puller aperture 6 in the upper plate (ceiling) of the container 1. In the preferred embodiment, the aerobic chamber is completed by the divider 3. The ceiling 1a of the chamber 1 supports one end of a divider plate spring 7, which provides a gentle push to keep the divider plate 3 down and in contact with the top surface 4 of the milk. Thus, as shown in
To enable the container 1 for pouring the beverage, one simply pulls the divider puller 5 up to make available a pouring spout 8. After the desired volume of beverage 2 has been poured, the divider puller 5 is released and the divider plate 3 returns to the relocated surface 4 of beverage 2. Thus the divider plate spring 7 re-establishes the isolation between the anaerobic sub-chamber and the air above it for the altered volume of beverage 2.
The illustration of the invention in
Note that a lid such as lid 16 in
Note that the container according to the invention, while robust, is subject to loss or breakage of parts when marketed for rough usage in camping or in disadvantaged geographical areas. Certain parts may be unavailable, so the container is designed to operate with somewhat-reduced effectiveness even if a part is damaged, or if a part is missing or replaced by an ineffective substitute part. Seals such as strips or rings, for example, may break or be lost. Replacements may be more or less ineffective, but the entire device will still be mostly able to preserve the beverage better than would an ordinary container. Note also that the device has certain capability as a field refrigerator. The aerobic upper sub-chamber may be filled with ice chips, and serve quite well. Assuming a reasonable seal at the divider, the upper sub-chamber may even be filled with cold water, also with a favorable result.
Method of Prolonging Freshness of a Beverage
According to this invention, the method to prolong the freshness of a beverage comprises the following key steps. (We emphasize that since the specific design of a beverage container according to the invention may have hundreds or thousands of variations, the specific details of various steps in the method may also likewise have numerous variations.)
(a) Provide a movable divider means in the beverage container such that for any given volume of beverage in the container, the divider means can be guided down to come in contact with the surface of the beverage;
(b) on the rim of the divider means, provide a flexible or rigid sealing ring so as to prevent the beverage and air from going from one side of the divider to the other;
(c) pull the divider means up so as to enable the beverage to pour out from an opening;
(d) upon pouring out the desired amount of the beverage, slide the divider means down so as to contact the surface of the beverage.
(e) As an alternative method, provide urging means, such as a gentle spring, on the divider means so as to enable it, after a desired amount of beverage has been dispensed, to move automatically down to return into contact with the surface of the beverage.