Patent Application
20070262042
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of beverage containers and the protection of their contents from adulteration or substitution. More specifically it concerns the use of a check valve intended to be placed in such containers as liquor bottles preferably disposed in the neck of the bottle after the bottle has been filled with liquor and before it is capped. Also contemplated is the method of use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that premium name brand liquors are sold to bars, restaurants and the general public usually in glass bottles. Bars and restaurants customarily charge a higher price for drinks made with premium brand liquors commonly referred to as “call brands.”
One problem with this is that some unethical retail establishments take empty premium brand liquor bottles and surreptitiously refill them with inferior, cheaper product for which they can charge premium brand prices because the consumer erroneously believes that his or her drink is being poured from a premium brand liquor bottle. This subterfuge is usually effective because the consumer may not be discriminating enough to taste the difference, especially after the first alcoholic beverage has been consumed, and there is no way that the consumer can prove what has occurred even if he or she is sufficiently discriminating to notice the difference.
It is in the interest of both the distilleries that manufacture and bottle premium liquors and the consumers that purchase and consume them to have an inexpensive way to prevent such conduct. The present invention provides a solution in the form of a small check valve inserted into the neck of a liquor bottle immediately after it is filled which allows the contents to be poured out but prevents anything being poured back in the bottle, and which includes devices that will make any tampering with the check valve readily evident. These include constructing the check valve so that any tampering will result with it or a part of it being dislodged and dropping into the bottle or including a dye in a readily frangible portion of the check valve so that tampering results in the breaking of the frangible portion and release of the dye into the liquor to discolor it. Such dye would, of course, be harmless for consumption if the discoloration was not noticed such as can occur in a dimly lit lounge.
A search of the prior art has not revealed any reference directed to a check valve aimed at preventing adulteration or substitution of a beverage that is disposed in the neck of a bottle. The closest reference located is Fipp, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,578 for a stopper apparatus for content contamination prevention. It is a very complex apparatus that comprises a stopper plug, a bladder attached thereto, a venting valve for venting gas within the bottle, a pump for inflating the bladder and a reservoir valve and inert gas reservoir. The way it works is that the bladder is inserted into the bottle and the stopper plugs secured within the neck thereof. The bladder is filled within the bottle forcing the gas therein to escape through the venting valve. The stopper apparatus is adapted to enable a small quantity of heavy inert gas to be deposited into the bottle from the inner gas reservoir prior to filling the bladder, which is to form a protective layer of inert gas over the surface of the bottle's contents. Such a device has more applicability to wine rather than premium liquors, but possibly is nonetheless relevant to patentability of the present invention.
Other substantially less relevant references disclosed by the search include Berresford, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,129 entitled Preserving the Contents of Beverage Containers, Hojnoski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,548 entitled Cork Stopper for Bottles of Wine, Schulz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,293 for a gas-permeable, liquid-tight closure, Wong, U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,834 for a Bottle Stopper with Pressure Indicator, Schneider, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,803 entitled Stopper for a Container such as a Bottle, and a Pump Connectable Thereto for Extraction of Gaseous Median from or Pumping in Thereof into the Container, Wanke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,657 for Dispensing Closure with Nonrigid Follower, Hajianpour, U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,135 entitled Stopper and Straw Within a Bottle Preventing Leakage and Providing for Drinking a Beverage, Hughes, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,711 entitled Automatic Valved Bottle Cap for Use with Liquid Containers, and Lane, U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,043 entitled Dispenser for Vintage Wines.
Bearing in mind the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in the neck of a beverage bottle to prevent the alteration or substitution of its contents.
It is a related principal object of the invention to dispose said apparatus in the neck of a bottle in a manner that it will become easily dislodged and fall out of the neck of the bottle into it if it is the object of any tampering.
An alternative related principal object of the invention was to construct the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution with a frangible reservoir containing a harmless edible dye such as food coloring, which dye would be readily released to discolor the beverage if there is tampering with the apparatus preventing adulteration or discoloration of the beverage.
Another principal object of the invention is to employ a check valve as a device to prevent adulteration or substitution of the beverage.
A further object of the invention is to employ a simple flapper valve as the check valve preventing adulteration or substitution of the beverage.
An additional object of the invention is to dispose the check valve beneath one or more screens to prevent external manipulation of the check valve.
Another object of the invention is to employ external indicia to call the consumer's attention to the apparatus preventing adulteration or substitution of the beverage so that the consumer will look for evidence of tampering with the apparatus preventing adulteration or substitution of the beverage.
A further object of the invention is to view it as a method involving the manufacture of the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution of a beverage in a bottle, filling of the bottle with the beverage, insertion into the neck of the bottle of the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution, publicizing to consumers the existence and appearance of the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution, consumer observation of evidence of tampering with the check valve to prevent adulteration or substitution, and consumer proactivity with the retail establishment to refuse to purchase or consume the beverage.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following descriptions and the drawings.
In accordance with a principal aspect of the present invention, there is provided a apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution of a beverage in a bottle which is disposed in the neck of the bottle and includes a second apparatus to make tampering evident to a consumer. Said apparatus will preferably be comprised of a check valve such as a flapper valve which allows the beverage to be readily poured through the apparatus and out the neck of the bottle but prevents addition of any beverage to the bottle. It will further be comprised of one or more screens to prevent external manipulation of the check valve and provide evidence of tampering. Alternatively, the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution will be equipped with a frangible reservoir containing dye which will be readily apparently in the event of tampering to discolor the beverage and provide evidence to the consumer of tampering.
In accordance with another principal object of the invention, there is provided a method to prevent the adulteration or substitution of beverages sold in bottles having a neck wherein a apparatus to prevent said adulteration or substitution is manufactured, the beverage bottle is filled with beverage, the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution is disposed in the neck of the bottle, the bottle is capped, external indicia is applied to the bottle to call attention to the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution, the process is publicized to educate consumers to look for evidence of tampering with the apparatus to prevent adulteration or substitution, and the consumer is proactive in objecting to the use of beverages poured from bottles marked with the indicia in which the check valve is either absent, has been damaged, or the beverage is discolored by a harmless dye such as food coloring.
The invention will be better understood upon reference to the appended drawings in which:
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative bases for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
References now made to the drawings, wherein like characteristics and features of the present invention shown in the various figures are designated by the same reference numerals.
In
By way of example and not limitation, the check valve illustrated in
Outer shell 18 has a diameter such that it will stay in position in the interior of neck 12 so long as it does not sustain any impact from a solid object, while at the same time is easily dislodged if pressure is brought to bear on upper screen 22. Any attempt to tamper with outer shell 18 or upper screen 22 will result in the entire check valve 10 being dislodged from the interior of neck 12 and falling into the beverage contained in bottle 14. As later discussed in regard to the method of use aspects of the present invention, the consumers' attention will be alerted to the required presence of check valve 10 by indicia disposed on the exterior of the bottle 36 where the check valve 10 is supposed to be, and where its absence is a warning against adulterated or substituted beverages. Alternatively, outer shell 18 can be more rigorously attached within neck 12, but attempted tampering will dislodge inner shell 20, lower screen 24 and check valve 10.
In accordance with the method of use of the present invention it is contemplated the manufacture of a check valve apparatus 10 to prevent adulteration or substitution of a beverage in a bottle 14 and filling of the bottle 14 with a beverage, insertion into the neck 12 of the bottle 14 of the check valve apparatus 10 to prevent adulteration or substitution, publicizing to consumers the existence and appearance of the apparatus 10 to prevent adulteration or substitution, drawing the consumers' attention to the presence or absence of the check valve 10 by indicia 36 disposed on the exterior of neck 12 of bottle 14, and consumer observation of the absence of check valve 10 to prevent acceptance of a presumptively adulterated or substituted beverage.
Turning now to
In
Finally in
While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms or certain embodiments or modifications which it has assumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.
