Patent Application
20070289316
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain, by way of example only, the principles of the invention:
Fig A is a schematic depiction of a bottle of drink with a sheet of containers of ice cubes around the neck of the bottle.
Fig B is a schematic depiction showing the top view of a box of six bottles with the sheet of containers therein.
Fig C is a schematic depiction of a sheet of containers made to be filled with liquid.
Fig D is a schematic depiction of an ice machine adapted for use with this invention.
As will be appreciated the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments than those discussed above and described in more detail below, and its several details are capable of modifications in various aspects, all without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Accordingly, the drawings and description of the embodiments set forth below are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
Fig A shows an optional method of storing and marketing the sheets of containers of this invention. The drawing Fig A shows the cross-section view. The sheet 102 of containers 104 could form a sleeve around the neck of the bottle 100. This would utilize the space made by shape of the neck of the bottle 100 without interfering with adjacent bottles in a box or on a shelf. This invention in one embodiment requires the liquid in the containers 104 to be from the same manufacturer and flavor as the liquid of the drink in the bottle 100. The consumer could remove the sheet of containers 102 and put all or part of it in the freezer. The containers 104 of liquid or frozen drink could be conveniently separable by perforation or otherwise to enable one or more container 104 to be separated from its adjacent neighbors. The actual iced drink cube when formed could be removed from its container 104 by any convenient means like for example, by using finger pressure to break surrounding plastic seals or using scissors.
Fig B shows another method of storage and marketing this invention. This figure shows the top-view of a box 120 of six drinks 122. The sheet 124 of containers 126 could utilize the space near the top of the box 120 between bottle necks and adjacent bottle necks and/or between the bottle necks and the sides of the box 120. There could be at least one layer of the said sheet 124 with, for example, the containers 126 therein containing the liquid of the drink of those bottles 122.
There could be perforations 128 separating the containers 126 so that as many as desired could be detached and frozen. When frozen, the containers 126 which are individual cubes of iced drink, could be detached from their neighboring containers by tearing on the perforation 128 and then pressing the ice out of the plastic wrapping into the drink to lower the latter's temperature.
Fig C shows a sheet 150 of containers 154 made to be filled by the consumer with the drink of his choice. The entrance 152 could be relatively wide to ease the filling process. The containers 154 would be joined to each other and to the central artery 158 by tubes 156. There could be perforations 160 between the containers 154 to ease their separation when required to be separated. These perforations 160 would not be made in the plastic forming the container 154 which contains the liquid to be frozen. Where the thickness of the plastic allows, an indentation could be made instead of a perforation, to ease separation. Where the plastic is not thick enough for an indentation, it could be torn. This tearing would be that small plastic tube 156 with perforations 160 on either side of it. After being filled, the entrance could be closed with a closing device 164 to prevent leaks of drink until the drink is frozen.
Fig D shows an ice making machine 200 divided into a number of compartments 202 representing the different flavored ice cubes available. Each flavor would have its space 204 for the barrel or other vessel of drink or drink concentrate supplied by the manufacturing company making that drink. Also in that space could be the pressured gas supply and water where necessary. The various flavored drinks could share the same freezing apparatus. The ice cubes of each drink thereby made would fall or be brought by for example, by conveyer belt to its specific frozen storage container. There could be agitators attached to such storage containers to ensure the cubes stay separate from each other while being stored, to ease dispensing the frozen cubes when needed. The ice cubes could be stored in a bin inside the compartments 202 and be scooped out manually when needed or fall from a chute 206 to ease the filling of glasses or jugs. There could be a mechanically or electronically operated hatch which would open when a vessel is placed under the chute 206 and would close or be closed when the vessel is removed. It is anticipated that the standard features of existing art in these types of ice making machines, like for example, the automatic continual production of ice until each bin is full of its flavor of ice, the automatic ceasing of production when each bin is full and the resumption of ice making when ice from a bin has been removed, will be used in conjunction with this invention. The main change this invention calls for is the adaptation to cater for the production of one or more different flavors of ice cubes to match the flavors of drinks sold in that particular establishment.
