Patent Application
20220315872
This invention relates to fluid containers.
More particularly, the present invention relates to containers for the preservation of the contained fluid by preventing oxidation.
A problem resulting in spoilage of liquids is the presence of oxygen during storage. While this is true for many liquids, a specific example is wine. It is generally understood that oxygen degrades exposed wine through oxidation. When a bottle of wine is opened and not fully consumed, the remaining wine in the bottle is exposed to oxygen. Even when the bottle is recorked, air trapped in the bottle contains oxygen which adversely effects the remaining wine.
Attempts to overcome this problem have been made using various techniques. Two main techniques include vacuum preservation and air displacement.
In vacuum preservation methods, a low grade vacuum is applied to the headspace of the bottle above the wine. In this method, a pump and a stopper having a check valve of some sort is used to removing as much air as possible from the headspace created as wine was removed from the bottle. While quite popular, and somewhat effective, low grade vacuums cannot remove all the oxygen from the bottle. There is a belief that this method alters the taste of the wine. Wines preserved using this technique are often believed to lose flavor and become flat when compared to their original taste.
In air Displacement, the air in the headspace of the bottle above the wine is replaced with an inert material such as an inert gas or the like. This method has been used in devices from small home systems to large commercial systems. Nitrogen and Argon gases have been utilized to displace air from the wine bottles to preserve the shelf life of the wine. While the air displacement methods have proven effective at extending the shelf life of opened bottles of wine as well as preserving their original tastes and aromaticity, there are various issues with this technique. Issues include difficulty in cleaning the mechanisms used, and complicated mechanisms which reduce esthetic appeal and greatly increase cost. There remains a need for a simpler, cost effective system for preservation of oxygen-sensitive fluids, including, but not limited to, wine.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device and method to remove air from a container containing a fluid.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container capable of storing a fluid absent the presence of air.
Briefly, to achieve the desired objects and advantages of the instant invention provided is a preservation device for preventing oxidation of a contained liquid. the preservation device includes a body having a reservoir portion and a neck portion extending therefrom and terminating in an end defining an opening. An extension portion extends from the end of the neck around the opening, the extension portion defining an overflow volume. A closure element is removably received by the opening. An engagement element is carried by the end of the neck at the opening, and a complemental engagement element is carried by the closure element, releasably engaging the engagement element to secure the closure element in the opening and provide an airtight seal therebetween.
The closure element can include a shaft having an end and an opposing end, a grip carried at the end, and a sealing member carried at the opposing end. In a specific aspect, the preservation device can further include a base extending from the reservoir portion. An enlarged opening in the reservoir portion is defined by the base. A second closure element is removably received by the enlarged opening. An engagement element is carried by the base, and a complemental engagement element is carried by the second closure element, releasably engaging the engagement element to secure the second closure element in the enlarged opening and provide an airtight seal there between.
Also provided is a method of preventing oxidation of a liquid in storage. The method includes providing a preservation device as described previously. The method further includes removing the closure element, pouring liquid through the opening until the liquid fills the reservoir portion, the neck portion and at least a portion of the overflow reservoir to cover the opening. The closure element is then replaced to close the opening, whereby the complemental engagement element carried by the closure element engages the engagement element, securing the closure element in the opening and provide an airtight seal there between. The excess liquid is then removed from the overflow volume such as by pouring.
A further aspect of the method prior to removing the closure element includes providing the body further including a base extending from the reservoir portion, an enlarged opening in the reservoir portion defined by the base, a second closure element removably received by the enlarged opening, an engagement element carried by the base, and a complemental engagement element carried by the second closure element, releasably engaging the engagement element to secure the second closure element in the enlarged opening and provide an airtight seal therebetween. The body is inverted and the second closure element removed. Liquid is poured through the enlarged opening. The second closure element is replaced to seal the enlarged opening, and the body is righted with the opening above the enlarged opening.
The foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages of the instant invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
Turning now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to
Still referring to
With additional reference to
Preservation container 10 is intended to be used to store unconsumed wine from an opened bottle. By storing leftover wine in preservation container 10, all air is prevented from reaching the stored wine, increasing storage time and reducing oxidation. In a first example of the operation of preservation container 10, top closure element 30 is removed and wine 60 is poured into overflow volume 22, gradually pouring down neck portion 16 into reservoir portion 14. Flared end 26 facilitates this operation. Wine 60 is poured until reservoir portion 14 and neck portion 16 are filled, and overflow volume 22 is filled until at least past opening 18 and threaded portion 28 as seen in
Preservation container 10 can be configured in substantially any size as desired, but the preferred sizes include a 375 ml volume to store roughly one half bottle of wine and a 187.5 ml volume for approximately a one quarter bottle of wine. If less leftover wine is desired to be stored, displacement elements 62 can be used to increase the volume used, as can be seen in
In another example of the operation of preservation container 10, preservation container 10 is inverted and bottom closure element 46 is removed. Top closure element 30 is in position closing opening 18. Leftover wine is poured through enlarged opening 40. Since enlarged opening 40 is larger than opening 18, wine can be poured much more quickly. Once most of the wine has been poured into reservoir portion 14, bottom closure element is used to close and seal enlarged opening 40. Preservation container 10 is then righted and top closure element removed to finish filling in the previously described example. Enlarged opening 40 is simply to provide a larger opening to facilitate filling of reservoir portion 14. This process can be accomplished as described previously without using the enlarged opening, and in fact, preservation container 10 can be provided without this feature.
Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof, which is assessed only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.
