Abstract:
The present invention provides a fluid preservation system and method, for preserving fluid in a container, which is simple, inexpensive, effective, reusable and which also allows for easy use of the unconsumed fluid after it has been stored. The fluid preservation system comprises a series of fill members connected along a flexible filament which is inserted into a container which contains a partially consumed fluid.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the preservation of fluid inside a container. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Containers used for the storage of fluids, such as beverages, are usually sealed to reduce spillage and contamination caused by exposure to outside air. Often a beverage is only partially consumed and resealed after opening. However, since the volume of fluid within the container has been reduced, potentially contaminating air is often sealed inside the container along with the fluid, causing contamination of the fluid. 
         [0003]    For example, one may open a bottle of wine, consume only a portion of the contents of the bottle of wine, and reseal the wine bottle so that the remaining wine can be enjoyed at a later time. However the wine will only retain its flavor and quality for a few days in the resealed condition because air has entered the bottle to replace the consumed volume of wine and the air is in contact with the wine in the resealed condition. The air oxidizes the wine, which diminishes the flavor and quality of the wine. 
         [0004]    A similar problem exists with other beverages, such as carbonated beverages, milk, or other beverages which are adversely affected by air or other gasses entering the container and coming in contact with the beverage. 
         [0005]    A similar problem exists with other fluids, such as chemicals, either liquid or gaseous, which are affected by exposure to air or other gasses. 
         [0006]    To counteract these problems, several approaches have been taken to minimize a fluid&#39;s contact with contaminating gases. Most of these approaches have taken place in the beverage field. 
         [0007]    Vacuum sealers have been used to seal wine bottle in an attempt to remove as much air as possible from the wine bottle during the resealing process. These devices only pull a light vacuum, however, and do not remove all the air from the bottle. As a result, wine is still contaminated relatively quickly. 
         [0008]    Nitrogen has been used to replace the air in wine bottles since nitrogen is less contaminating than air to wine. However, this approach is cumbersome and requires replacement pressurized nitrogen cartridges. 
         [0009]    Patent application 2004/0081739 describes the concept of pouring marbles, anatomically shaped or otherwise, into a wine bottle after it has been partially consumed. However this approach does not allow the marbles to be removed easily from the bottle. The approach also would make pouring the remaining fluid from the bottle, after the marbles have been introduced, a very messy and cumbersome operation. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,311 describes a fluid preservation system that is an integral part of the fluid storing container itself and not a separate device which can be used with various or standard containers. The patent also describes, briefly, a wine preservation method of pouring conventional marbles into an opened wine bottle to displace some of the oxygen in the wine bottle. This is shown in  FIG. 1E . However, only the use of conventional, disconnected, marbles is disclosed. Like patent application 2004/0081739, above, this approach would make pouring the remaining fluid from the bottle, after the marbles have been introduced, a very messy and cumbersome operation. Removing the marbles before pouring the wine would also be messy and difficult. 
         [0011]    There remains a need to provide a simple, effective, inexpensive and reusable way to preserve fluid inside a container which allows the fluid to be easily used after resealing the container and storing the container for some period of time. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    The present invention provides a solution which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art. The present invention provides a fluid preservation system and method, for preserving fluid in a container, which is simple, inexpensive, effective, reusable and which also allows for easy use of the unconsumed fluid after it has been stored. The fluid preservation system comprises a series of fill members connected along a flexible filament which is inserted into a container which contains a partially consumed fluid. 
         [0013]    In one embodiment the container may be a wine bottle and the fluid may be wine. In this case the fill members may be glass beads which are strung on a filament which is made of a flexible material which is impervious to the wine and strong enough to hold the glass beads without breaking, such as nylon or PTFE thread. After the wine is opened for the first time, and a portion of the wine in the wine bottle is consumed, the fluid preservation system, including glass beads connected by a filament, is introduced into the bottle until the majority of the air left in the bottle has been displaced. The bottle is then resealed with the fluid preservation system in place inside the bottle. Some of the fluid preservation system may remain outside of the bottle or the entire fluid preservation system may be placed in the bottle. A sealing member may be designed to work with the fluid preservation system so that the wine bottle can be sealed while the fluid preservation system is in place. For example, the sealing member may be a rubber stopper which is sealed using vacuum, where the stopper has a slit down the length of its side which allows the filament of the fluid preservation system to snuggly rest between the stopper and the inside surface of the opening of the bottle, while maintaining the air-tight seal. 
         [0014]    The sealing member may also be a rubber stopper which is sealed using vacuum where the stopper has a slit or holes in the interior of the stopper. The slit or holes may serve both to allow a vacuum pump to pull a vacuum through the holes/slit and also as a conduit for the filament of the fluid preservation system. In this case, the material of the stopper would need to be soft and flexible enough to maintain the seal around the filament. 
         [0015]    The bottle may be also be resealed with any type of sealing member including a standard cork or with a standard sealing member made of metal, rubber or any other material. The bottle may also be resealed with a vacuum sealer, electronic or manual, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,633, which is herein incorporated by reference, or the Vacu Vin wine saver manufactured by Vacu Vin BV located in Kalfieslaan, the Netherlands or PRESORVAC vacuum and pressure seal pumps/stoppers manufactured by Epicurean International Products, LLC. The bottle may also be resealed using a nitrogen sealer such as The Keeper wine preserver made by Winekeeper, located in Santa Barbara, Calif. 
         [0016]    The container may be sealed using a sealing member after the fluid preservation system is wholly or partially inserted into the container. Preferably, the fluid preservation system displaces as much gas as possible from the container so that the fluid remaining in the container is exposed to a minimal volume of gas after the container is sealed. 
         [0017]    The sealing member may or may not be incorporated into the fluid preservation system. The filament of the fluid preservation system may reside between the sealing member and the opening of the container after sealing. The filament may also reside within the perimeter of the sealing member after sealing, such as through a hole or slit in the center of the sealing member. The filament may also reside in a groove or slit on the outside of the sealing member after sealing. The filament may also terminate inside the container and therefore not reside inside or next to the sealing member. 
         [0018]    A pouring spout may also be used in conjunction with the fluid preservation system and the sealing member such that the pouring spout is inserted through the sealing member or between the sealing member and the container. This allows the user to pour the contents of the container easily without removing the fluid preservation system. 
         [0019]    The sealing member may also be removed from the container before the contents of the container are poured from the container. The fluid preservation system may also be removed from the container before the contents of the container are poured from the container. 
         [0020]    The fluid may be any liquid or gas and may even be a consumable solid-like material such as honey, jelly, flour or tar. The fluid may be a food or beverage or may be an industrial material such as acid or a cleaning solution. The container may be any container, either rigid or flexible. The fill members may be of any shape and material and may be solid or deformable. The fill members may float on or sink in the fluid in the container. The filament may be made of any material including plastic, nylon, PTFE, polymer, silk, or metal. The sealing member may be reusable, or temporary. The sealing member may be a cork, plug, cap, screw-top, vacuum seal, stretch seal, zip-lock seal, heat seal, adhesive seal or other type of seal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIGS. 1A-1B  are views of two different configurations of a fluid preservation system. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 2A-2B  show the fluid preservation system in use in a wine bottle. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 3A-3E  show various configurations of filling members. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 4A-4B  show two configurations of filaments. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 5A-5D  show various configurations of a sealing member. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 6A-6B  show two configurations of pouring spouts. 
           [0027]      FIGS. 7A-7B  show a pouring spout inserted into a sealing member. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]      FIG. 1A  shows a fluid preservation system. Multiple fill members  20  are shown in  FIG. 1A  connected to each other in an elongated fashion by filament  22 . The fill members  20  may be fixed to the filament or slidably connected to the filament. The fill members may also be removably attached to the filament. 
         [0029]      FIG. 1B  shows a fluid preservation system with a sealing member. The sealing member  26  may be placed anywhere on the fluid preservation system. The sealing member may be permanently attached to the fluid preservation system or it may be removably attached to the fluid preservation system. The sealing member may be incorporated (i.e. sold with) the fluid preservation system or it may be separate, for example the sealing member may be the user&#39;s own cork or vacuum wine sealer. 
         [0030]    The sealing member may be made out of any material including rubber, cork, plastic, metal or any other material or combination of materials. The sealing member may be a cork, plug, cap, screw-top, vacuum seal, stretch seal, zip-lock seal, heat seal, adhesive seal or any other type of sealing member. 
         [0031]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  show a fluid preservation system in use to preserve partially consumed wine in a wine bottle.  FIG. 2A  shows an open wine bottle  28  which contains unconsumed wine  30 . Air  32  is also present in the bottle. The wine bottle has a top  34  which contains an opening  36 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 2B  shows the fluid preservation system after it has been inserted into the partially consumed wine bottle depicted in  FIG. 2A . The unconsumed wine  30  has been displaced by the fill members  20  which are part of fluid preservation system  38  so that some or all of the air  32  has been displaced from the wine bottle  28  and the volume of contaminating air in the bottle has been greatly reduced or eliminated. Sealing member  26  is in place in the opening  36  (not visible) at the top of the wine bottle  34 . 
         [0033]    In the embodiment showed in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the fluid preservation system is used as follows. First, an unopened bottle of wine is opened, and some of the wine is poured from the bottle and consumed, resulting in bottle  28  containing both unconsumed wine  30  and air  32  as depicted in  FIG. 2A . Fluid preservation system  38  is inserted into the wine bottle  28  through the opening of the wine bottle  36  by inserting a fill member at one end of the fluid preservation system into the opening of the bottle and allowing additional fill members to enter the bottle as needed. Once enough fill members have entered the bottle to displace a significant volume of the air in the bottle, the sealing member  26  is inserted into the opening of the wine bottle  36 . The sealing member may be inserted next to the filament  22  of the fluid preservation system so that the filament is between the bottle and the sealing member, or the filament may be within the sealing member. The sealing member may incorporate a slit or groove in its inside or along its outside. The sealing member may be incorporated into the fluid preservation system or it may be separate. The filament may also be completely contained in the bottle after sealing. 
         [0034]    Depending on the number of fill members necessary to displace the air in the bottle, some fill members may remain outside of the bottle after the air in the bottle is displaced. This is shown in  FIG. 2B . The fill members  20  may be slidable along filament  22 , or they may be removable. The fill members may also be fixed to the filament. The length of the filament may be longer than the combined diameters or lengths of the fill members so that there is a gap  40  in the fluid preservation system which allows for the insertion of the sealing member  26  into the opening of the bottle  36 . The length of the filament is sufficiently long to allow the bottle to be filled, but not so long that it renders the fluid preservation system unwieldy. In the case of a wine bottle, the length of the filament may be about 100-300 cm. 
         [0035]      FIGS. 3A-3F  show some possible variations of fill member configurations. The fill members may be any shape including spherical, cylindrical, elongated, rectangular, triangular, or any other shape. The fill members may be a predetermined shape, or may be deformable. The fill members may be made out of glass, metal, plastic, polymer, rubber, silicone, or any other material or combination of materials. The fill members may be inert, or reactive with the fluid in which they are placed. Fill members which are reactive may further reduce contamination of the fluid in the container via the reaction. The diameter or width of the fill members is preferably sized smaller than the diameter or width of the container opening into which they are inserted, however the fill members may be larger than the container opening if the fill members are deformable. A typical cross sectional width or diameter of a fill member is preferably less than about 20 mm. 
         [0036]    There may be an opening in the fill member to allow for the filament to connect the fill members. The opening may be a hole  42  as shown in  FIG. 3A  or an inner slit  44  as shown in  FIG. 3B . The opening may be an outer slit  46  which extends to the outside surface  48  of the fill member as shown in  FIGS. 3C-3E . The outer slit may be used if the fill member is removable from the filament. A cylindrical fill member with a hole  42  is shown in  FIG. 3F . 
         [0037]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show some possible shapes of a filament.  FIG. 4A  shows a circular cross sectional filament.  FIG. 4B  shows a rectangular cross sectional filament. The filament may be any cross sectional shape. The filament may be made out of any material including nylon thread, PTFE, metal, silk, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The filament may be a ribbon which is considerably wider than it is thick. 
         [0038]      FIGS. 5A-5D  show some possible designs of a sealing member.  FIG. 5A  shows a sealing member with rings  50  and an inner hole  52 . The rings may aid the sealing member in preventing outside air or gasses from entering the container that the sealing member is sealing. The sealing member may or may not have rings  50 . The inner hole allows the filament to pass through the sealing member. The sealing member may slide on the filament or be fixedly connected to the filament. The sealing member may be attached to the filament before or after the fluid preservation system has been introduced into the container. The sealing member may also not be connected to a filament. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5B  shows a sealing member with an inner slit  54 . The inner slit may be shaped to allow a ribbon shaped filament to pass through the sealing member. Other shaped filaments may also be used with a sealing member with an inner slit. The inner slit may be shaped so that the sealing member may be sealed using vacuum. The sealing member may slide on the filament or be fixed to the filament. The sealing member may be attached to the filament before or after the fluid preservation system has been introduced into the container. The sealing member may also not be connected to a filament. 
         [0040]      FIG. 5C  shows a sealing member with an outer slit  56 . The outer slit may allow the sealing member to be thread onto the filament more easily since the sealing member can be placed on the filament anywhere along the filament&#39;s length. The sealing member may slide on the filament or be fixed to the filament. The sealing member may be attached to the filament before or after the fluid preservation system has been introduced into the container. The sealing member may also not be connected to a filament. 
         [0041]      FIG. 5D  shows a sealing member with an outer groove  58 . The outer groove may allow a bulkier filament to rest between the opening of the container and the sealing member without adversely affecting the seal of the sealing member. The outer groove may also allow the sealing member to be thread onto the filament more easily since the sealing member can be placed on the filament anywhere along the filament&#39;s length. The sealing member may slide on the filament or be fixed to the filament. The sealing member may be attached to the filament before or after the fluid preservation system has been introduced into the container. The sealing member may also not be connected to a filament. 
         [0042]    The sealing member may also have no hole or slit. For example, the sealing member may be a conventional cork used to bottle wines or may be a cap, plug, screw top, stretch seal (such as plastic wrap), or any other type of seal. The sealing member may be made out of a polymer, metal, glass, cork, rubber, silicone, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The sealing member is sized so that it comfortably seals the opening of the container. For example, an opening of a wine bottle is generally about 2 cm and a sealing member for a wine bottle may be about 1-5 cm in diameter. The diameter may be tapered so that insertion into the container is easier. 
         [0043]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show two possible configurations of a pouring spout. The pouring spout may be a simple tubular structure such as that shown in  FIG. 6A . The cross sectional shape of the pouring spout is shown here to be spherical, but may be any shape.  FIG. 6B  shows another possible configuration of the pouring spout. This configuration has a flare  60  which allows the fluid to pour more controllably from the container. In this configuration the insertion end  62  of the pouring spout is the end opposite to the flare. 
         [0044]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  show how the pouring spout is inserted into a sealing member with an inner slit.  FIG. 7A  shows the pouring spout  64  and sealing member  26  with an inner slit  54  before the pouring spout is inserted into the sealing member.  FIG. 7B  shows the sealing member  26  after the pouring spout  64  has been inserted into it. 
         [0045]    The pouring spout may be inserted into the sealing member while the sealing member is inside the opening of the container. The pouring spout may be inserted next to the filament of the fluid preservation system (not shown) so that both the pouring spout and the filament of the fluid preservation system occupy the same opening of the sealing member. The pouring spout and filament may also not occupy the same opening. The insertion of a pouring spout allows the user to dispense fluid from the container without removing the fluid preservation system. The pouring spout may be inserted into a hole or slit in the center or side of the sealing member. The pouring spout may also be inserted through the surface of a sealing member, for example, if the sealing member is a thin cap or has an area of thin material which can be easily broken. The pouring member may have a sharpened edge at the inserting end to more easily enter the sealing member. 
         [0046]    The pouring spout is preferably made of a rigid material such as metal, glass or polymer or any combination of materials. The pouring spout may also be made of a more flexible material which has bee rolled into a tube to make it more rigid. The pouring spout is generally longer than the sealing member so that it can extend through the sealing member while allowing an extension on the outside for pouring. Preferably, the length may be about 2-8 cm. 
         [0047]    The fluid preservation system may be used with or without the pouring spout. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0048]    The fluid preservation system invention provides a fluid preservation system and method for introducing volume displacing fill members, such as beads, into a container which is partially filled with a fluid, such as wine. 
         [0049]    The present invention also provides the means for easily removing the fill members from the fluid by connecting multiple fill members to each other. 
         [0050]    The present invention also allows for a sealing member for sealing the container after a portion of the fluid has been consumed and after the fill members have been introduced into the container. 
         [0051]    The present invention also allows for the pouring of the fluid from the container so that the preserved fluid can be easily and neatly consumed.