A BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract: The invention relates to a container for a beverage which comprises water (2) and a flavourant or nutrient additive substance and which is intended to be heated prior to being served. According to the invention, the flavourant or nutrient additive substance is enclosed in a capsule (3) placed in the container (1). The capsule is constructed such as to strive to open but is sealed in a watertight fashion by means of a temperature-dependent sealing substance (9) which becomes non-functional when the contents of the container are heated to a temperature immediately beneath the intended serving temperature, wherewith the additive substance is mixed with the water (2).

Description: A Beverage Container The present invention relates to a container for a beverage which comprises liquid, preferably water, and a flavourant or neutrient additive and which is intended to be heated in the container prior to being served. When serving hot beverages comprising liquid, particu¬ larly water, and a flavourant or neutrient additive, it is of the highest importance, from a professional as¬ pect, that when serving the beverage the two beverage- components retain the highest possible quality and also the greatest uniformity with regard to the mixture thereof. It is also important that the beverage is prepared quickly while avoiding waste during handling, and also that the preparation and heating of the bever¬ age is effected as near as possible to the time at which the beverage is to be served, so as not to expose the beverage to the effect of air over an unnecessarily long period and therewith impair the quality of the beverage. This applies, for example, when preparing coffee or tea onboard passenger aircraft, by mixing hot water and powdered coffee or powdered tea of the instant type. In this case, water of varying quality is stored onboard the aircraft in sealed containers provided with heating devices. The powder is stored in separate containers or vessels, in which the powder can be subjected to the effect of air long before the beverage is prepared. It has also been proposed to deliver hot water in sealed containers of 4-5 litre capacity, therewith enabling the quality of the water to be better controlled. This applies even though the water is stored in sealed con¬ tainers intended for one-time use only, such containers having been available commercially for a long time and found to maintain a particularly high quality. The handling of ready-to-serve beverages, however, is complicated even in these latter cases, and is also excessively expensive. The object of the present invention is to provide a container which will enable a hot beverage to be pre¬ pared quickly and effectively and to obtain a higher and more uniform quality than earlier and at an acceptable total cost. This has been achieved in accordance with the invention in that in addition to containing a given quantity of liquid, preferably water, the container also contains the flavourant or neutrient additive enclosed in an openable, watertight capsule or the like which has been sealed with a temperature-dependent substance which remains active at temperatures up to a value immediately beneath the temperature to which the content of the container is intended to be heated prior to being served. Thus, when using the inventive container, it is totally unnecessary to transfer liquid from a storage container to a mixing or serving vessel and neither is it neces¬ sary to introduce a measured quantity of additive there- into. All that is necessary is to heat the content of the preferably unopened inventive container, which can be achieved by placing the container in a hot-air oven, a microwave oven or some other efficient heating device. Immediately before the container contents reach the serving temperature, the temperature-dependent sealing substance will no longer be able to hold the capsule sealed and "the capsule will therewith open. The contain¬ er can then be opened and the ready-mixed beverage can be poured from the container. If the opening is not made too large, the capsule will be unable to pass through the opening and will remain in the container when it is emptied. Further developments of the invention are set forth in Claims 2-3. As before mentioned, the cost of water of high, con- trolled quality in containers of one to two litres is relatively high, although this high cost can be accepted owing to the fact that all handling costs related to measuring and mixing water and additive substances no longer apply and because coffee in particularly is very strong due to the use of high-quality water. The risk that the additive is wrongly proportioned is also eliminated. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplified embodiment of an inventive container and with reference to the accompanying draw¬ ings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly cut-away view of a disposable container; and Figure 2 is a perspective view of an opened capsule. Figure 1 illustrates the container 1 containing water 2 and a capsule 3 floating therein. The capsule is made of a plastic material and contains a given quantity of a flavourant or neutrient additive, e.g. instant coffee powder. As illustrated in Figure 2, the capsule 3 is manufac- tured as a single unit comprising two parts 4, 5 which are mutually joined by a hinge means 6 and each of which is provided with flanges 7, 8 which extends along respective edges of said parts and the mutually facing surfaces of which are coated with a temperature-depen- dent adhesive 9, for example a suitable wax. The capsule 3 strives to take the appearance shown in Figure 2 and when filled with coffee powder (not shown) , the capsule shall be closed and the flanges 7, 8 pressed together so as to be mutually connected in a watertight fashion by the interlying wax 9. The container contents are intended to be heated to a temperature of 80-90°C prior to being served, and the wax on the capsule is of a kind which will soften and loose its ability to hold the capsule sealed when heated to a temperature of 60-70°C. At this latter temperature, the capsule 3 will thus open and the coffee powder will fall from the capsule 3 and mix with the water during the heating process. The capsule is preferably made from a material which has a higher density than water, so that the empty, opened capsule will sink to the bottom of the container. When heating is completed, the container can, if so desired, be placed in a further container or vessel 10 having heat-insulating walls and a handle, whereafter the container can be opened in a conventional manner and served directly from the container. Alternatively, the container can be perforated by a suction pipe forming part of a pump device. As an alternative to wax, there can be used some other tasteless, non-toxic sealing substance which will soften or melt at the desired temperature. Naturally, the capsule 3 can be formed in some other way, such that the smallest possible amount of air is enclosed and such that the opened capsule will readily fill with water and sink. For example, the capsule may comprise a trough-like part with low edges and a lat part which is folded over the trough opening and con¬ nected with a flange which extends around the trough edges, similar to the flange 7 or 8 shown in Figure 2. The flanges 7, 8 on the two ends of the capsule 3 may also be provided with resilient reinforcements 11 so constructed as to strive to open the capsule.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. A container for a beverage which comprises liquid, preferably water, and a flavourant or nutrient additive and which is intended to be heated in the container prior to being served, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the flavourant or neutrient additive is enclosed in a known manner in an openable, watertight capsule (3) or the like which is sealed by means of a temperature- dependent substance (9) which is active at temperatures up to a value immediately beneath the temperature to which the container contents are intended to be heated prior to being served; and in that the capsule (3) has the form of a one-piece unit made from shape-durable material and comprising parts (4, 5) which are mutually connected along a hinge means (6); and in that the cap¬ sule includes means (6, 7, 8) which strive to separate the two parts (4, 5), which are mutually joined in a watertight fashion by means of a respective sealing surface (7, 8) between which the temperature-dependent sealing substance (9) is found. 2. A container according to Claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the capsule includes a resilient means (11) which is intended to facilitate opening of the capsule (3) . 3. A container according to Claim 1 or 2, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the capsule material has a density greater than 1.

Inventors: AAKERLIND JAN, AAKERLIND, JAN
Applicants: BORG PRODUCTION AB
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65D81
IPC codes: B65D65, B65D81, B65D85