Abstract:
In one embodiment, a beverage container comprises a vessel having an interior that is adapted to hold a beverage. The vessel has a closed bottom end and an open top end. The bottom defines a cavity that is fluidly filled from the interior of the vessel. A cooling element is configured to fit within the cavity. A base comprises a bottom member and a stem extending vertically upward from the bottom member. The base includes a connector that is configured to be coupled to the bottom end of the vessel and to enclose the cooling element within the cavity.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to the filed of cooling beverages, and in particular to the use of removable cooling elements that may be integrated into various beverage containers. Such cooling elements are removable to permit them to be placed into a refrigerator freezer and reused.  
         [0002]     Perhaps the most common method to cool beverages is with ice cubes. Another way to frost a glass in a freezer. However, there are many problems associated with these methods. For example, ice cubes dilute the beverage and can alter the taste of the beverage. Ice cubes may also be contaminated when touched, such as when placing them into the beverage. As another example, when frosting a glass in the freezer, the frost can be contaminated by other products in the freezer, causing an odor. As a further example, the beverage may be contaminated by the water used to make the ice.  
         [0003]     Hence, this invention is related to devices and techniques for cooling beverages which greatly reduces or eliminates such drawbacks.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     In one embedment, the invention provides a beverage container that comprises a vessel having an interior that is adapted to hold a beverage. The vessel has a closed bottom end and an open top end, with the bottom end defining a cavity that is fluidly sealed from the interior of the vessel. The beverage container also includes a cooling element that is configured to fit within the cavity. The beverage container further includes a base comprising a bottom member and a stem extending vertically upward from the bottom member. The base includes a connector that is configured to be coupled to the bottom end of the vessel and to enclose the cooling element within the cavity. In this way, a beverage held within the vessel may be cooled by the cooling element that is fluidly sealed from the interior of the vessel. As such, the beverage may be cooled without contamination from the cooling element. Further, the cooling element may easily be removed and replaced with a fresh cooling element whenever needed.  
         [0005]     In one aspect, the connector comprises a threaded end on the stem. The cavity may also include a threaded section so that the threaded end may be screwed up into the cavity using the threaded section. In this way, the exterior of the beverage container may contain a smooth morphology to make the container more aesthetically pleasing. At the same time the beverage container may easily be separated into its component parts for cleaning, replacement of the cooling element, or the like.  
         [0006]     In another aspect, the cavity may be generally cylindrical in geometry and extend vertically upward into the interior of the vessel. With such a configuration, the cooling element may comprise a cylinder that is filled with a cooling substance. In a further aspect, both the connector and the vessel may be constructed of various materials, such as glass, hard plastics, glass coated with a hard plastic, and the like.  
         [0007]     The beverage containers of the invention may be configured into a wide variety of shapes while still providing a suitable cooling element. For example, the vessel may be in the shape of a mug, a wine glass, a martini glass, a tumbler, a stein glass, a margarita glass, a champagne glass, and the like.  
         [0008]     In one particular embodiment, the bottom end of the vessel may define a generally hemispherical cavity that is fluidly sealed from the interior of the vessel. With such configuration, a generally hemispherical cooling element may be provided to fit within the cavity. In this way, the base may be coupled to the bottom end of the vessel to enclose the cooling element within the cavity. The use of a generally hemispherical cooling element is advantageous in that it maximizes the surface area available for heat transfer. Such a cooling element is also particularly useful in beverage containers that have the shape of a tumbler, mug, or the like because the generally hemispherical cavity fits nicely within the interior of the vessel. Conveniently, the vessel may include threads while the bottom end of the vessel also includes threads to permit the base to be screwed into the vessel.  
         [0009]     Another feature of the invention is that it may include one or more trays having a plurality of holding regions for holding the cooling element. In this way, the tray may be placed into a freezer to simultaneously cool multiple elements.  
         [0010]     In one aspect, the tray may include a plurality of recesses that are integrally formed in the tray to define the holding regions. The recesses may be in the shape of the cooling element so that they may easily fit within the recesses. For example, the recesses may be semi-cylindrical, hemispherical, and the like.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded side view of the container of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side view of another embodiment of a container according to the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a side view of another embodiment of a container according to the invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4A  is an exploded cross sectional side view of the container of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a side view of still another embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a side view of yet another embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a side view of one particular embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a side view of another embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a side view of a further embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a side view of yet a further embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is a side view of still a further embodiment of a beverage container according to the invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is a top view of one embodiment of a tray for holding cooling elements according to the invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 13  is a top view of another embodiment of a tray for holding cooling elements according to the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     The invention provides various beverage containers that may be used with removable and reusable cooling elements. The containers each include a vessel for holding the liquid and a cavity for holding the cooling element. The cavity is sealed from the interior of the vessel but also extends up into the vessel to provide a cooling effect. The cavity may have a variety of shapes configured to maximize heat transfer away from the liquid. Such shapes may include cylindrical, hemispherical, pyramid shaped, arcuate, square, triangular and the like. The cavity may conveniently have a shape that is similar to the cooling element, although that is not necessary. The wall thickness may also be minimized to maximize heat transfer. The cooling element may contain any substance that can be cooled and serve to absorb heat. Examples include water, gels, Blue Ice® coolant, any non-toxic re-freezable substance, and the like. Alternatively, the cooling element may be a solid substance, such as a metal rod, a piece of ice, or the like. The cooling element may be held in the cavity by a base that has one or more connectors to connect the base to the vessel. Examples of connectors include threads, clips, snaps, screws, press fits and the like. The base may be screwed, twisted, locked or snapped into place. One advantage of using threads is that the vessel may be coupled to the base utilizing relatively few threads. In this way, the two components may be locked together using a single twist. Further, such threads permit the two components to be easily unscrewed, even when the vessel is filled with liquid so that the cooling element may easily be replaced. Few threads also reduce the changes of having the vessel or the base break. Further, with few threads, the beverage container remains symmetrical when assembled, while still being easy to fit together.  
         [0026]     Hence, the invention provides a removable cooling element for cooling beverages that may be placed into a regular refrigerator freezer between uses. The removable device when frozen may be placed into an upper portion of the vessel, and a bottom portion may then be attached to the upper portion. The device easily fits into the vessel, which may be constructed of a wide variety of materials, such as glass, plastic or the like. The base of the beverage container may be tubular, cubical, semicircular, pyramidal, or the like, and may be connected to the bottom of the vessel by a stem or end portion that attaches to the bottom of the vessel and seals in the cooling element. When threads are used, they may be constructed of a hard plastic or glass with a hard plastic coating. As another example, one of the threaded elements may be a hard plastic while the other is made of glass, or both may be of a hard plastic. The vessels may be made of glass, plastic, a disposable plastic, or the like. As one specific example, the male threading may be on the base or stem and may be constructed from a hard plastic or glass with a hard plastic coating on a glass stem. Such materials serve to seal the cooling device into the integrated vessel and base to cool the beverage without ever contacting it. As such, the cooling device may be replaced even while the fluid is in the vessel to provide additional cooling.  
         [0027]     The cooling element may also be made of a hard plastic, and the re-freezable substance may be of any color. Similarly, the vessel may also be of any color.  
         [0028]     When the cooling device is removed, it may be washed and then kept in the freezer in an appropriate cooling tray. The tray may have regions that are shaped to hold the particular cooling element. Because the removable cooling element is never in contact with the interior of the vessel, it is always hygienic.  
         [0029]     Such a system provides a variety of advantages. For example, as just described, the beverage is hygienically cooled using a reusable cooling device that never contacts the beverage. The cooling elements fit neatly into a tray and take up little room in the freezer, usually less than an ordinary ice tray.  
         [0030]     Further, the beverage container may be separated into parts to facilitate washing. For example, the stem may be separated from the vessel and separately placed into a dishwashing machine with a reduced risk of being broken.  
         [0031]     The beverage container may also come in an assortment of colors to make identification of the container simple, thus resulting in less chance of the spreading of germs by drinking from another&#39;s glass. Different colors may also be used for the cooling element, the fluid within the cooling element and the cavity used to hold the cooling element.  
         [0032]     The extension into the interior of the vessel takes up extra volume. In this way, restaurants and bars may increase their profits per drink.  
         [0033]     The beverage also does not get diluted with melting ice, and there is no contamination from the ice/odors or impurities in the water. This is also true with frosted glasses, where the frost can have odors or contamination from the water used to make frost.  
         [0034]     Also, since no ice cubes are placed into the beverage, there is no chance of contamination from a person&#39;s hand used to place the ice into the beverage. In fact, no human contact with the beverage is ever experienced.  
         [0035]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of a beverage container  10  will be described. Container  10  comprises a base  12  and a vessel  14  having an open top end  16  and a closed bottom end  18 . Formed in bottom end  18  is a cavity  20  that extends up-into the interior  22  of vessel  14 . Cavity  20  is cylindrical in geometry and is sized to receive a cylindrical cooling element  24 . The bottom of cavity  20  has threads  26  for receiving a threaded end  28  of a stem  30  that is part of base  12 . In this way, cooling element  24  containing a cooling substance  25  may be inserted into cavity  20 , and threaded end  28  of stem  30  may be screwed into threads  26  to completely seal cooling element  24  within cavity  20 . One advantage of using internal threads within cavity  20  is that a continuous smooth surface is provided at the interface between vessel  14  and stem  30 . As such, container  10  has the appearance of a traditional wine glass, except for the presence of cooling element  24  that extends into interior  22 . However, this has the advantage of reducing the volume of interior  22  so that restaurants and bars can reduce the amount of beverages served while still charging the same amount.  
         [0036]     Another advantage is that the cooling element  24  is almost entirely exposed to interior  22  to maximize heat transfer. Further, since cooling element  24  is sealed from the beverage, no contamination of the beverage by a coolant occurs. Container  10  is also aesthetically pleasing and can be fashioned in essentially any shape or configuration, including conventional shapes and designs as described hereinafter.  
         [0037]     In use, cooling element  24  is placed into a cold location, such as a refrigerator or freezer. When ready to pour a beverage, cooling element  24  is removed and placed into cavity  20 . Threaded end  28  is then screwed into cavity  20  until it is unable to turn and a smooth surface at the joint is formed. A beverage is then poured into vessel  14  where it is cooled by cooling element  24 . At any time, base  12  may be unscrewed and cooling element  24  replaced with another one.  
         [0038]     Referring now to  FIG. 3  another embodiment of a beverage container  40  will be described. Container  40  is essentially identical to container  10  except that container  40  is a martini glass and has a different shaped vessel  42 . As such, container  40  is labeled with the same reference numerals for elements that are the same as those used with container  10 . When stem  30  is screwed into cavity  20 , vessel  42  has a conical shape that is continuous at the interface between vessel  42  and stem  30 .  
         [0039]      FIGS. 4 and 4 A illustrate a beverage container  50  in the shape of a mug. Container  50  comprises a vessel  52  having an open top  54  and a closed bottom  56  to form an interior  58 . Extending up onto the interior  58  is a hemispherical cavity  60  to hold a hemispherical cooling element  62 . This shape maximizes the coolable surface wherein interior  58  to maximize cooling. Conveniently, a handle  64  may be coupled to vessel  52 .  
         [0040]     Bottom  56  includes internal threads  66  to mate with threads  68  on a base  70  having an outer edge  72 . After cooling element  62  is placed into interior  58 , base  70  is screwed into bottom  56  until edge  72  is flush with vessel  52  as shown in  FIG. 4 . Hence, container  50  has the shape of a traditional mug while also containing a cooling element that is configured to maximize heat transfer. In addition, container  50  includes all of the benefits of the other containers described herein.  
         [0041]      FIGS. 5-10  describe various other embodiments of beverage containers that are constructed in a manner similar to the other containers described herein. As such, the containers in  FIGS. 5-10  are labeled with similar elements followed by “a” through “g”.  FIG. 5  illustrates a white wine glass  70 , and  FIG. 6  illustrates a champagne glass  80 .  FIG. 7  illustrates a Stein glass  90 , and  FIG. 8  illustrates another wine glass  100 .  FIG. 9  illustrates a margarita glass  110 , and  FIG. 10  illustrates another martini glass  120 .  FIG. 11  illustrates a tumbler  130  that is similar to mug  50  of  FIG. 4  without a handle. Other types of glasses include red wine glasses, brandy snifter glasses, along with essentially any other type of glass or beverage container.  
         [0042]      FIG. 12  illustrates one embodiment of a tray  140  having a plurality of recessed regions  141  that may be semi-cylindrical in geometry for holding a set of cylindrical cooling elements  142 . In this way, multiple cooling elements  142  may simultaneously be placed into a freezer while using minimal space. When a beverage container needs a new cooling element, it may simply be removed from tray  140  and placed into the cavity as previously described. The old cooling element may then be placed onto tray  140  which is placed into the freezer. Further, it will be appreciated that tray  140  may have any shape of indentation needed to match the shape of the cooling element, including any of the shapes described herein.  
         [0043]      FIG. 13  illustrates an alternative tray  150  having a plurality of hemispherical recesses  152  for receiving hemispherical cooling elements. Tray  150  may be used in a manner similar to tray  140 .  
         [0044]     The invention has now been described in detail for purposes of clarity and understanding. However, it will be appreciated that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.