Beverage timing method and apparatus

A timing device for association with a conventional coffee decanter wherein the device comprises a collar for mounting on the neck of the decanter and a tab extending from the collar and mounting an adjustable timing device for indicating time of placement of a fresh brew into the decanter and/or time when the brew is stale and should be discarded.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to method and apparatus for providing an adjustable 
time indication on a newly prepared or brewed beverage in order to 
indicate to the beverage user or server when the unused portion of the 
beverage should be discarded. The method and apparatus are particularly 
well suited for use with decanters of brewed liquid coffee but may be 
readily adapted for use with other beverages. 
A brewed beverage such as coffee, tea, soup, etc., often has a limited life 
span within which the beverage retains its most desirable taste. After the 
desirable taste life span has passed, the beverage is adversely affected 
in that the beverage taste is less desirable, or even unpleasant, to 
consumers. The desirable taste life span varies from beverage to beverage. 
With brewed coffee, for example, the desirable taste life span is about 30 
minutes. After that time, any unused coffee in a decanter should be 
discarded because the taste begins to become less palatable or even 
unpleasant as further time passes. More discriminating food establishments 
have a rule of discarding unused brewed coffee after the passage of 
approximately one-half hour because unpleasant tasting coffee is 
unpalatable to most customers and tends to downgrade the establishment in 
the eyes of such customers. 
For ease of reference hereinafter the most desirable taste life span of a 
beverage will be referred to as the "palatable span", and a beverage which 
has passed its palatable span will be referred to as "over-aged". Also for 
ease of reference the beverage principally referred to will be coffee, but 
it will be understood that the principles of the invention are applicable 
to any brewed beverage having a palatable span. 
PRIOR ART BEVERAGE TIMING 
In an effort to avoid serving coffee which has passed its palatable span, 
discriminating users and better food establishments have relied upon 
various memory aids in an effort to avoid using and serving over-aged 
coffee. Various means have been utilized such as noting the time on a 
clock, setting a mechanical or electronic timer, or simply relying upon an 
innate sense of timing. Some prior art beverage timing systems are better 
than others, but no prior art system known to the inventor herein is 
really adequate. 
No formal search has been undertaken to uncover prior art beverage timing 
systems. The inventor has instead relied upon observation during his years 
of experience in the beverage equipment and handling field, during which 
time he has never been made aware of a beverage timing method or apparatus 
according to the principles described and claimed hereinafter. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The beverage timing method of the present invention includes the placement 
of a warning device in the form of an adjustable time indication device on 
the vessel from which the beverage is to be served and the setting of the 
time indication device to clearly display the time at which the beverage 
will become over-aged. When the time displayed on the time indication 
device has been reached, the palatable span of the beverage has passed and 
the user or server can then dispose of any unused beverage in the vessel. 
The beverage timing apparatus of the invention is specifically adapted for 
use with a beverage container such as a coffee decanter with a handle and 
spout unit secured at the top like those disclosed and claimed in the 
applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,648 dated May 23, 1978 and his U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,838,463 dated Jun. 13, 1989. The beverage timing apparatus includes 
a collar or clamp ring which is arranged for being removably secured about 
the narrow portion of the neckband of the decanter and which carries an 
adjustable time indicator, including a clock face, an adjustable hour hand 
and an independently adjustable minute hand. The time indicator is carried 
by an integral tab extending outwardly from the clamp ring and is so 
located that the tab and time indicator are out of the way of the pouring 
spout but in plain sight of the user of the beverage container. This 
arrangement permits the user to readily set the time indicator to the time 
at which the beverage in the container will become over-aged, at which 
time the user will be made aware that the unused beverage in the container 
should be discarded. The location of the time indicator on the removable 
clamp ring permits ready removal of the entire timing apparatus from the 
beverage decanter when desired.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGS 1-4 OF THE INVENTION 
The beverage timing apparatus according to the invention is generally 
designated by the reference numeral 10 and is adapted for being removably 
secured to a beverage container such as a coffee decanter 12 shown in FIG. 
1. The coffee decanter 12 comprises a glass bowl 14 with a plastic handle 
and neckband unit 16 fixedly secured to an annular glass rim (not shown) 
at the top of the glass bowl 14 to provide a top dispensing opening 18. 
The handle and neckband unit 16 includes an integral handle 20 located 
radially opposite to an extended portion of an integral pouring lip 22. 
The decanter 12 may be essentially the same as that disclosed and claimed 
in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,463 issued Jun. 13, 1989. However, to 
better accommodate the beverage timing apparatus 10, the annular shoulder 
of applicant's patented decanter is enlarged to form a shoulder 24 which 
has a horizontal annular support ledge 26 upon which the beverage timing 
apparatus 10 rests when assembled on the decanter as shown in FIG. 1. 
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the beverage timing apparatus 10 removed from the 
decanter 12. The timing apparatus includes a flexible attachment collar or 
clamp ring 28 which is formed as a circular band including a flexible 
annular body portion 30 extending between a proximal end portion 32 and a 
distal end portion 34 separated by a split or gap 36. The free internal 
diameter of the clamp ring 28 is less than the external diameter of the 
narrowest portion of the neckband unit 16 of the decanter immediately 
above the shoulder 24. The clamp ring 28 is formed of a relatively rigid 
plastic material which has sufficient resilience to permit widening of the 
gap 36 by spreading the proximal end 32 from the distal end 34, or vice 
versa, to permit the clamp ring 28 to be sprung open in order to be 
assembled about and to resiliently grip the narrowest portion of the 
neckband unit 16 with its bottom margin resting on the support ledge 26 
and with the gap 36 providing sufficient space to accommodate the width of 
the handle 20 (as shown in FIG. 1). When assembled on the decanter the 
material and dimensions of the flexible clamp ring 28 provide resilient 
resistance to spreading sufficient to snugly retain the clamp ring in its 
assembled position during all normal usage. Nevertheless, the clamp ring 
28 may be readily removed from the neckband unit 16 by manually separating 
the proximal end 32 from the distal end 34, thus widening the gap 36 a 
sufficient amount to permit the timing apparatus 10 to be manually removed 
from the neckband unit 16. The approximate amount of enlargement of the 
gap 36 and consequent increase in diameter of the body portion 30 required 
to permit removal of the clamp ring from the neckband unit is illustrated 
in phantom lines in FIG. 2. 
To further enhance the security and snug fit of the clamp ring 28 about the 
narrowed neck of the neckband unit 16, the top margin of the proximal end 
portion 32 is formed with a downwardly sloping bevel 38, and the top 
margin of the distal end portion 34 is formed with an opposite sloping 
bevel 40 as best seen in FIG. 3. The bevels 38 and 40 are formed such that 
they generally correspond with the marginal edges of the pouring lip 22 
adjacent the handle 20 when the clamp ring 28 is assembled on the decanter 
as shown in FIG. 1. To further enhance the snug fit, the upper inner edge 
of the clamp ring may be beveled as shown at 42 to generally conform with 
the sloping external surface of the pouring lip 22. 
It should be noted that the use of the flexible clamp ring 28 permits the 
beverage timing apparatus 10 to be used with coffee decanters having 
neckband units of differing sizes. The specific coffee decanter 12 
disclosed herein is manufactured by Bloomfield Industries, the assignee of 
the present invention. However, the beverage timing apparatus 10 may also 
be used with decanters of other manufacturers in which the neckband units 
are somewhat smaller or larger in neck diameter. The use of the flexible 
clamp ring 28 thus permits the beverage timing device to be used on a 
large variety of different coffee decanters. It should be understood, 
therefore, that the use of the timing apparatus is not limited to 
attachment to coffee decanters of the inventor's assignee only. 
According to the invention, a warning device in the form of an adjustable 
time indicator 44 is carried by a support tab 46 which is integrally 
connected or otherwise fixedly secured to the proximal end portion 32 of 
the clamp ring 28. The support tab 46 extends outwardly and downwardly at 
an acute angle from the upper margin of the proximal end portion 32 (as 
best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4). Because the support tab 46 and the adjustable 
time indicator which it carries are disposed adjacent to the handle 20 of 
the pouring spout unit, they are out of way of the extended portion of the 
pouring lip 22 and in a position where the adjustable time indicator is in 
full view of the user of the coffee decanter 12. 
The adjustable time indicator 44 provides a clock face, an adjustable hour 
hand and an independently adjustable minute hand so that the user of the 
decanter 12 can readily set the time indicator to the time when the newly 
brewed beverage will become over-aged in order that the user will be made 
aware when any unused beverage in the decanter should be discarded 
(approximately 30 minutes in the case of brewed coffee). A particularly 
easy to use, durable and easy to read time indicator 44 is provided by the 
present invention. The numbers and markings of a clock face are displayed 
on the face of the support tab 46 which is observable by the user of the 
decanter. The clock face may be marked directly on the face of the support 
tab, for example, by hot stamping. Alternatively, according to the 
embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the clock markings are 
provided on a clock face disk 48 which is cemented or otherwise 
permanently secured to the outward face of the support tab 46. 
While a number of different devices may be utilized to provide an 
adjustable hour hand and an independently adjustable minute hand in front 
of the clock face 48, in the embodiment shown a particularly durable and 
easily adjustable mechanism is provided for spacing and frictionally 
associating the clock hands. A pair of transparent plastic, separately 
rotatably adjustable disks are concentrically superimposed in spaced 
relation over the clock face 48, comprising an inner plastic hour hand 
disk 50 carrying an hour hand mark 52 and an outer plastic minute hand 
disk 54 carrying a minute hand mark 56. The hour hand mark 52 on the inner 
transparent disk 50 may be provided by hot stamping, inscribing or 
embedding an hour hand mark in the material of the disk. In the same 
manner, the minute hand mark 56 may be formed on the outer disk 54 by hot 
stamping, inscribing or embodiment. 
A fluted or knurled plastic adjustment knob 58 is concentrically fixedly 
secured to the front face of the outer minute hand disk 54. This is 
accomplished by concentrically embedding a metallic bushing 60 within the 
plastic knob, the bushing being provided with an integral annular staking 
ring 62 which extends beyond the inward end of the knob and into a 
conforming aperture 64 in the disk 54; the staking ring 62 is staked in 
place in a well known manner by expanding its periphery radially outwardly 
with a suitable tool (not shown), the final staked attachment being shown 
in FIG. 4. 
For rotatably adjustably securing the two disks 50 and 54 to the support 
tab 46 over the clock face 48, a screw 66 passes through concentric 
apertures through the knob 58, the bushing 60, the inner disk 50, the 
clock face 48 and finally through the support tab 46 (as best seen in the 
exploded view FIG. 4). The inner end of the screw is threadly engaged by a 
suitable locknut 68, preferably a fiber locknut, disposed against the 
inner face of the support tab 46 as shown in FIG. 3. A flat metallic 
washer 70 is concentrically disposed between the clock face 48 and the 
rearward face of the inner hour hand disk 50, with the shank of the screw 
66 passing through the washer, in order to space the inner disk from the 
clock face. A suitable metallic spring washer 72 is concentrically 
disposed between the front face of the inner disk 50 and the rearward face 
of the outer disk 54 to space the two disks and to impose a separating 
force between the disks when the inner end of the screw 66 is secured to 
the locknut 68. A bowed washer 72 of thin metallic spring material, as 
shown in FIG. 4, is suitable for this purpose. 
It will be understood that the concentric apertures through 
It will be understood that the concentric apertures through the adjustment 
knob 58, the bushing 60, the inner disk 50, the clock face 48 and the 
support tab 46 are snug but permit free rotation about the screw 66. When 
the screw 66 is assembled in place with its head bearing against the outer 
end portion of the adjustment knob and its inward end is threadly secured 
to the locknut 68, the nut is tightened on the screw to flatten the spring 
washer 72 sufficiently to impose a separating force between the two disks 
50 and 54 and to provide a slight compressive force between the inner disk 
50, the flat washer 70 and the clock face 48. 
The inner disk 50 carrying the hour hand mark is somewhat larger in 
diameter than the outer disk 54 carrying the minute hand mark so that the 
inner disk may be readily manipulated to set the hour hand 52 to the 
desired hour position with respect to the clock face without interference 
by the outer disk. This also permits the user to hold the inner disk at 
its adjusted position while the outer disk is readily manipulated through 
the adjustment knob 58 to set the desired minute position of the minute 
hand 56 with respect to the clock face 48. With the particular arrangement 
as described it is anticipated that the user will first rotate the inner 
disk to set the hour hand to the desired location and will then hold the 
inner disk in place while adjusting the minute hand to its desired 
position through manipulation of the knob 58 in order to insure that 
manipulation of the outer disk does not cause misadjustment of the inner 
disk. 
It should be understood that the locknut is turned onto the screw end until 
the desired separating and compressive forces are imposed to permit the 
inner hour hand disk 50 to be rotatably manipulated by its extending edge 
and to permit the outer minute hand disk 54 to be independently rotatably 
manipulated through the adjustment knob 58. The arrangement is such that 
adjustment of either the inner hour hand disk 50 or the outer minute hand 
disk 54 will either not change the position of the other disk, or will 
permit the disks to be independently rotatably adjusted while holding one 
and adjusting the other. 
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the user of the 
coffee decanter 12 with the timing apparatus 10 in place will observe the 
time when brewing of a new decanter full of coffee has been completed. The 
user will then independently adjust the inner hour hand disk 50 and the 
outer minute hand disk 54 to a later time when any unused coffee in the 
decanter will become over-aged. It is generally agreed by coffee experts 
that approximately one-half hour is the most desirable palatable span of a 
decanter of coffee, so that the user will set the time indicator 44 for a 
time approximately one-half hour ahead of the current time after a 
decanter full of liquid coffee has been brewed. 
It will also be understood that a warning device which would give a signal 
other than a visible time indication signal could be substituted for the 
time indicator 44. For example, a device which will emit an audible tone 
when the palatable span of the beverage in the container has ended may be 
substituted for the time indicator 44. Alternatively, a warning device 
which will give both a visible signal and an audible signal when the 
palatable span of the beverage in the container has ended may be 
substituted for the time indicator 44. 
The method of brewed coffee timing according to the present invention may 
be advantageously performed utilizing the apparatus described above. In 
essence, the method contemplates placing a warning device such as the 
adjustable time indication apparatus as disclosed on a coffee decanter to 
be used for brewing purposes. When the decanter has been filled with newly 
brewed liquid coffee, the user then observes the current time and sets the 
timing apparatus to indicate a time one-half hour later. The decanter with 
the brewed coffee is retained on a suitable warmer (not shown) in a 
position whereby the time indicator may be readily observed. In the usual 
course, the user will serve coffee from the decanter from time to time and 
will place it back on the warming device to maintain the coffee hot. If 
any remains after the time has passed, the user will discard the crushed 
coffee and will free the decanter with fresh brewed coffee and will again 
reset the time as beforestated. 
DESCRIPTION OF FIGS. 5-7 
This embodiment of the invention is similar to FIGS. 1-4 and like parts 
will be identified by the same reference numerals. 
The timing device generally designated 10a is adopted to be removably 
sleeved onto a beverage container 12. The container comprises a glass bowl 
14 with a plastic handle 15 and a neckband 16 fixedly embracing an annular 
glass neck (not shown) at the top of the glass bowl to provide a top 
dispensing opening 18. 
The handle and neckband unit 16 includes an integral handle 20 located 
radially opposite to an extended portion of an integral pouring lip 22 
similar to that previously described and includes a shoulder 24 which has 
an annular support ledge 26 upon which the beverage timing device 10a 
rests when assembled with the coffee dispensing pot 12 as shown in FIG. 5. 
FIGS. 6 and 7 show the timing device 10a removed from the decanter 12. The 
device comprises a flexible, preferably plastic attachment collar 28 which 
is formed as an annular band or clamp ring including a flexible annular 
body portion 30 extending between a proximal end portion 32 and a distal 
end portion 34 separated by a split or gap 36. 
The internal diameter of clamp ring 28 is less than the external diameter 
of the narrowest portion of the mechanical unit 16 of the decanter 
immediately above the shoulder 24. 
FIGS. 6 and 7 show the beverage timing apparatus 10a removed from the 
decanter 12. The clamp ring 28 is formed of a relatively rigid plastic 
material which has sufficient resilience to permit widening of the gap 36 
by spreading the proximal end 32 from the distal end 34, or vice versa, to 
permit the clamp ring 28 to be sprung open in order to be assembled about 
and to resiliently grip the narrowest portion of the neckband unit 16 with 
its bottom margin resting on the support ledge 26 and with the gap 36 
providing sufficient space to accommodate the width of the handle 20 (as 
shown in FIG. 1). When assembled on the decanter the material and 
dimensions of the flexible clamp ring 28 provide resilient resistance to 
spreading sufficient to snugly retain the clamp ring in its assembled 
position during all normal usage. Nevertheless, the clamp ring 28 may be 
readily removed from the neckband unit 16 by manually separately the 
proximal end 32 and the distal end 34, thus widening the gap 36 a 
sufficient amount to permit the timing apparatus 10a to be manually 
removed from the neckband unit 16. The approximate amount of enlargement 
of the gap 36 and consequent increase in diameter of the body portion 30 
required to permit removal of the clamp ring from the neckband unit is 
illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 7. 
To further enhance the security and snug fit of the clamp ring 28 about the 
narrowed neck of the neckband unit 16, the top margin of the proximal end 
portion 32 is formed with a downwardly sloping bevel 38, and the top 
margin of the distal end portion 34 is formed with an opposite sloping 
bevel 40 as best seen in FIG. 5. The bevels 38 and 40 are formed such that 
they generally correspond with the marginal edges of the pouring lip 22 
adjacent the handle 20 when the clamp ring 28 is assembled on the decanter 
as shown in FIG. 5. To further enhance the snug fit, the upper inner edge 
of the clamp ring may be beveled as shown at 42 to generally conform with 
the sloping external surface of the pouring lip 22. 
It should be noted that the use of the flexible clamp ring 28 permits the 
beverage timing apparatus 10 to be used with coffee decanters having 
neckband units of differing sizes. The specific coffee decanter 12 
disclosed herein is manufactured by Bloomfield Industries, the assignee of 
the present invention. However, the beverage timing apparatus 10 may also 
be used with decanters of other manufacturers in which the neckband units 
are somewhat smaller or larger in neck diameter. The use of the flexible 
clamp ring 28 thus permits the beverage timing device to be used on a 
large variety of different coffee decanters. It should be understood, 
therefore, that the use of the timing apparatus is not limited to 
attachment to coffee decanters of the inventor's assignee only. 
According to the invention, a warning device in the form of an adjustable 
time indicator 100 is carried by the support tab 46 which is integrally 
connected or otherwise fixedly secured to the proximal end portion 32 of 
the clamp ring 28. The support tab 46 extends outwardly and downwardly at 
an acute angle from the upper margin of the proximal end portion 32 (as 
best seen in FIGS. 6 and 4). Because the support tab 46 and the adjustable 
time indicator which it carries are disposed adjacent to the handle 20 of 
the pouring spout unit, they are out of way of the extended portion of the 
pouring lip 22 and in a position where the adjustable time indicator is in 
full view of the user of the coffee decanter 12. 
The adjustable time indicator in the embodiment generally designated 100 
comprises a center bolt 102 which has a head 104 at one end and a shank 
106 extending therefrom through a center bore 108 in a manipulating knob 
110. The head is recessed into a counter bore 112 in the outer end of the 
knob. The shank extends through an aperture in a washer 114 which has one 
side or outer face 116 engaging the inner end face 118 of the knob. The 
washer seats against the outer face 120 of an indicator disk 122. Disk 122 
has an arcuate sector or section 124 imprinted thereon, the sector being 
inscribed about the axis of the bolt and imprinted with pair of arrow 
shape indicators 126, 128 in the arcuate sector 124. The indicators are 
circumferentially separated a predetermined distance and are labeled "in" 
and "out". 
The disk 122 is fixed to the tab 46 by screws 132 or by adhesive. 
A clock face disk 134 is mounted on the shank 106 and is secured thereto or 
adhered thereto by suitable adhesive for rotation with the knob to which 
the shank may also be adhered. The clock face disk 134 is positioned 
between the outer disk 122 and the outer face of the tab and is rotatable 
thereover and registers against one arrow indicating the time when the 
coffee was poured into the decanter and the other arrow being designated 
"out" to indicate when the coffee is stale and should be discard. 
It will be understood that certain coffees may stand in the canister for an 
hour while others may stand forty-five minutes or only one half hour and 
then are discard. For example, if the spread between the arrows is one 
hour and the time of filling the decanter is 11:00 o'clock, the clock-face 
disk 134 would be rotated to align the "in" arrow to point to 11:00 
o'clock then the "out" indicator would automatically point to 12:00 
o'clock. 
The shank is threaded and extends through the tab 46 and through an opening 
in a washer 135. The bolt is secured by a locking nut 136. 
Rotation of the knob will reset the clock to align the "in" indicator with 
the actual time shown by the clock disk 134. 
DESCRIPTION OF FIG. 9 
FIG. 9 is similar to FIGS. 5 through 8 and the like parts are identified by 
the same reference numerals. 
The embodiment differs from that of FIG. 5-8 in providing a transparent 
plastic sector finger 150 which is pivoted at one end on the shank of the 
mounting bolt and is swingable thereabout. It has the "out" indicia 
imprinted thereon. 
After the users sets the time with the clock face in registry with the "in" 
indicator, the finger is then set to register with the clock indicia to 
whatever time he wishes. He may set it for 10 minutes or an hour, in 
accordance with the palatability of the brew. 
It will be apparent that varies forms of the invention can be made from the 
foregoing disclosure within the scope of the appended claims.