Abstract:
A portable beverage container with an integrated mixing device to homogenize its contents. The container includes a mixing element which can be connected to an external mixing base or operated via a manually operated crank or stick. The mixing element can require a minimum breaking force to prevent premature mixing of the contents. This breaking element can also incorporate a liquid impervious storage area to keep some ingredients separate from the fluid prior to mixing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     Beverage containers of numerous sizes, shapes, and materials have been used for years to hold drinks such as juice, water, or soda. Personal-sized containers, typically those that are 20 ounces or less, are very popular and are sold in both single-unit and multiple-unit quantities. Once opened, these containers are held in the hand and are also drunk from directly. When finished, these containers are usually discarded or recycled.  
         [0002]     Homogeneous drinks such as soda or water are very stable while stored in these containers and are ready to drink when opened. The consumer&#39;s main requirement for these drinks is the temperature of the liquid, or the ability to close, or cap, the container. Heterogeneous drinks on the other hand are usually mixed before drinking. Fruit juice is a good example of a heterogeneous drink since they tend to settle during storage. Juices can usually be returned to a more uniform consistency with either small or moderate shaking. This shaking can increase the chances of injury to people, or prove difficult for people with physical impairment of the hands, such as arthritis.  
         [0003]     Another problem with a conventional beverage container is that some liquids do not work very well when packaged and sold in already-mixed containers. Shaking alone is not sufficient to mix all the ingredients. For example, milkshakes and many protein supplement drinks are often mixed in a blender before consumption to completely mix the ingredients.  
         [0004]     Further, these mixing difficulties limit the popularity of many drink mixtures. Drinks which must be prepared manually with a blender are limited by the number of drinks that can be prepared per unit of time. Cross-contamination and sanitation concerns also create the need to clean the equipment between uses. Manually-mixed drinks are rarely served in reseal-able containers, further limiting their portability.  
         [0005]     Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to provide a portable container with built-in mixing capabilities via blades, vanes, or other mixing elements. This container can be of the single-use or multiple-use variety. The single-use configuration can be dispensed from a conventional beverage machine, and is intended to be disposable.  
         [0006]     Another objective of the present invention is to de-couple the device which delivers the energy to drive the mixing elements from the beverage container itself. This allows the beverage container to use either a manually operated, and possibly disposable, hand device, or a stationary mixing base to mix the contents of the container.  
         [0007]     Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for modifying a beverage machine to mix the contents of the beverage container before it is dispensed.  
         [0008]     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a plurality of methods by which the mixing base is coupled to the mixing elements inside the beverage container.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The beverage container of the present invention includes built-in mixing elements allowing the contents to be completely mixed without having to be removed from the container. In one aspect of the invention, the container can be single-use or multiple-use, but in the preferred embodiment is disposable or recyclable. The container can contain a variety of constituents, including both liquid and solid ingredients which must be homogenized or mixed prior to consumption. This mixing action can be used to thicken and increase the viscosity of the contents. This mixing action can also be used to introduce air into the mixture. The user can also add additional ingredients if the top of the beverage container is open.  
         [0010]     In another aspect of the invention, the mixing elements inside the beverage container are de-coupled from the mixing unit itself. This allows the beverage container to be portable, and self-contained. The connection between the beverage container and mixing unit can be physical, magnetic, or some other means. In the preferred embodiment, the connection is physical using a multiple-hole configuration on the bottom of the beverage container to connect the mixing unit with the mixing element. One hole is located in the center of the beverage container bottom, while one or more other holes are located towards the outside of the container bottom. The physical coupling can also use a gear-like element to provide the power to turn the mixing element. A magnetic coupling, or other means, can also provide the ability to mix the beverage container without any physical interlocking of the beverage container and mixing unit.  
         [0011]     In yet another aspect of the invention, the mixing elements inside the beverage container are chosen depending upon what must be mixed or blended. A number of considerations must be taken into account in designing the mixing element, 
    Beverage container geometry.     Fill level and consistency of the liquid, and possibly solid, contents.     Agitator design, including size and position of the agitator elements.     Mixing speed and mixing time.    
 
         [0016]     Although the mixing element is application dependent, in the preferred embodiment the element is a flat plastic disk with raised impellers to generate the necessary agitation is used. A gear-like paddle can also be employed to generate an efficient mixing vortex. The storage of solid or other liquid ingredients can also be integrated into the mixing element to keep it separate from the liquid in the rest of the beverage container until they are mixed.  
         [0017]     In another aspect of the invention, the mixing base can be both portable and of fixed design. Portable mixing bases include both manually powered cranks as well as battery powered motors. In the preferred embodiment for portable mixing bases, a simple, inexpensive, and disposable hand crank is used to provide the mixing power. It is designed for single-use and can provide a reasonable amount of mixing power. More sturdy hand-cranks can also be used which resemble an egg beater. Fixed, electric mixing bases are designed for multiple, long-term use. They provide a great deal more mixing power resulting in shorter mixing times. In the preferred embodiment for fixed mixing bases, the base is designed to quickly insert/remove a beverage container for mixing. A built-in timer and variable mixing speeds allows the mixing unit to adapt to the shape, size, and contents of the beverage container.  
         [0018]     In still another aspect of the invention, the mixing base can be integrated into a beverage vending machine. When a beverage is selected, the container first is sent to a mixing station where the beverage container is coupled to a mixing base so the contents can be mixed at a preset speed and length of time. The beverage container is then dispensed to the customer for consumption.  
         [0019]     In another aspect of the invention, the coupling device on the base of the beverage container can be integrated into the design of the container itself. In this case, the entire bottom of the beverage container can turn which adds a toy-like nature to the container. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling device is slightly offset into the bottom of the container, making it accessible mainly to the mixing base. A non-zero amount of torque is also required to make the coupling device turn initially. This prevents the contents of the container to be mixed accidentally or before the beverage container is purchased. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0020]     In the accompanying drawings, there are shown embodiments of the invention wherein like reference numerals may be employed to designate like parts, if applicable, and wherein:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a beverage container with an integrated mixing element.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows cross-sectional views of the coupling mechanism between the beverage container and a mixing base.  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  shows the seal apparatus to prevent fluid leakage from the container used in the preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  show cross-sectional views of various mixing element styles, including the raised impellor version used in the preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of a disposable hand operated mixing device and its attachment to the beverage container.  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  shows a block diagram depicting how a mixing station can be integrated with a beverage vending machine. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]     Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. The various features of the invention will now be described with respect to the figures, in which like parts are identified with the same reference characters.  
         [0028]      FIG. 1  is a view of the lower part of a beverage container according to the invention for a beverage container with an integrated mixing device. The beverage container,  105 , has an internal bottom,  110 , which forms the bottom of the container to enclose the beverage. This bottom is made from the same food-safe material as the sides of the container. Bottom  110  contains a hole through which spindle  115  is placed. This spindle transfers the energy imparted to the mixing gear  135  to the mixing blade  130 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the spindle is fabricated with recyclable polypropylene. The diameter of spindle  115  is chosen based upon the torque applied to the mixing gear  135  and the viscosity and mixing requirements of the beverage in the container. To prevent leakage, spindle  115  passes through a seal constructed of an upper seal element  120  and a lower seal element  125 . Although only the upper seal element must be fabricated from food-safe components, in the preferred embodiment, the entire seal is fabricated from the same recyclable polypropylene material. Mixing blade  130  will mix and evenly disburse the ingredients in the beverage container from the spinning motion delivered by spindle  115 . The shape of mixing blade  130  is highly application dependent and depends upon the beverage viscosity and uniformity. In the preferred embodiment a flat, circular disc with raised mixing blades or vanes are employed to mix the contents of the container. As with the other components, the mixing blade is fabricated using food-safe components such as recyclable polypropylene. To prevent the mixing blade  130  from separating from spindle  115 , the spindle is fused to the mixing blade in the preferred embodiment. Other methods include, but are not limited to, fabricating the spindle and mixing blade as a single unit, or molding a retainer and snap device to keep the mixing blade firmly attached to the spindle when pressed into place. A circular mixing gear  135  is attached to the spindle  115  and is used to transfer rotational energy from an external device to the mixing blade  130 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the diameter of the mixing gear  135  depends on the viscosity of the beverage in the container as well as the hole or gear pattern used to interlock the beverage container with the external mixing base, with the diameter of the mixing gear  135  being about 50% of the diameter of the mixing blade  130 .  
         [0029]     A seal-like device can be mounted between mixing blade  130  and the container wall  105  or  110  for the purposes of restricting the motion of mixing blade  130 . The seal prevents any premature mixing from occurring. In the preferred embodiment, a small piece of plastic prevents mixing blade  130  from turning until a sufficient breaking force is applied to mixing gear  135 . Once broken, the seal will remain attached to mixing blade  130  and the container.  
         [0030]     The seal-like device can also be used to house ingredients, such as, but not limited to, powders and other liquids, which are disbursed in the liquid once mixing begins. The housing is such that it is impervious to the liquid in the container, and the contents can only be extracted once sufficient breaking force is applied to mixing gear  135 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a cylindrical enclosure is mounted on top of spindle  115 . This enclosure contains one or more openings which are closed and attached to container wall  105  or  110 . When sufficient breaking force is applied to mixing gear  135 , the sealed container is torn open, disbursing its contents and mixing with the container liquid.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2 . is a view of the bottom of the beverage container  105 . The mixing device apparatus is hidden by the perceived bottom of the beverage container. A small window in the bottom  205 , exposes the elements to connect the mixing gear  135  to an external mixing base. If the mixing gear consists of a number of teeth as it does in the preferred embodiment, window  205  is annularly shaped, permitting a tooth or key in the external mixing base to cause the mixing blade  135  to rotate when a rotational force is applied. Another design for the mixing gear  135  can be, but not limited to, a flat circular disc with holes near the outside diameter of the gear. In this embodiment, part or the entire beverage container bottom turns when an external force is applied. The hole pattern is chosen to permit an easy connection between the beverage container and an external mixing base. The bottom contains fixture holes, e.g. holes  210   a,    210   b,    210   c,  referred to collectively as fixture holes  210 , to help lock the beverage container to an external mixing base. By applying a downward force to the beverage container, either manually or by some fixturing device, pins in the external mixing base will keep the beverage container from turning while rotational energy is applied to mixing gear  135 . These holes can be any shape or size but in the preferred embodiment of the invention, they are round and sized larger than the locking pins to make it easy for people, especially children, to place the container on the external mixing base. The mixing base itself can be any manually operated or powered unit which will deliver the necessary energy to turn the mixing gear  135 . The mixing base contains fixture pins to make it easy to place the beverage container on the base. The container can be manually held in place or it can be held by the base itself. If the mixing gear  135  contains teeth, the mixing base contains similar teeth but vertically oriented whose rotation will cause mixing gear  135  to turn. The base can also include safety features to prevent it from operating unless a beverage container is firmly pressed against the unit, and is one means of automatically turning on the mixing base.  
         [0032]      FIG. 3  shows the seal apparatus used in the preferred embodiment of the invention to prevent fluid leakage from the hole in the beverage container  105  which spindle  115  passes through. The seal contains an upper element  120  which resides inside the beverage container and a lower element  125  which resides below the container wall  110 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the seal is pressed into a hole through the center of the beverage container  110 . The size of the seal neck  122  is designed to be slightly larger than the thickness of the beverage container wall. A gasket or o-ring  127  is placed around the seal neck reducing the apparent size of the neck to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the beverage container wall. Gasket  127  can be made of a compressible material but in the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is fabricated from a thin piece of food grade polypropylene or low density polyethylene. The lower seal element  125  has a tapered head so it can be pressed into the hole in the inside bottom of the beverage container. Once installed, no fluid will be able to escape through the hole. A gasket or o-ring  129  is placed inside the upper seal element  120  to permit the spindle  115  to pass through without permitting any fluid loss. The diameter of spindle  120  is slightly smaller than the diameter through the seal neck  122  permitting the spindle to turn while the seal is locked in place. If the seal should turn slightly because of excessive torque applied to mixing gear  135 , gasket  127  will prevent any fluid loss. Gasket  129  is placed in a recessed well in the upper seal element  120  and protrudes slightly. When the spindle is inserted into the seal element, a small molded ring on the spindle is pressed through the seal element and is held in place against the lower seal element  125 . An upper molded ring of the spindle presses against the gasket  129  forming a tight seal. In another embodiment of the invention, no upper molded ring is necessary if the mixing blade  130  is designed to press firmly against the gasket  129 . One benefit of this arrangement is that it requires a non-zero torque in order to turn the mixing gear  135 . This prevents the mixing assembly from turning during transit or accidentally when purchased.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4  demonstrates numerous configurations for mixing blade  130  which include but is not limited to these mixing elements.  FIG. 4   a  shows a propeller-type design consisting of numerous blades which are bent upward to cause the fluid to mix when turned. These blades can be pitched if needed but doing so means there is a preferred direction of rotation to properly mix the beverage.  FIG. 4   b  is a variation on the blade design, where fins are employed around a flat disc to create the mixing action.  FIG. 4   c  depicts a flat disc with bumps or other protrusions to generate the mixing action. In this configuration it is expected that the velocity of the mixing element must be greater than other blade configuration in order to achieve the desired amount of mixing. However, this configuration can be easier to construct and is less prone to breakage. An example of still another variation of mixing blade is a whip design, where one or more small semi-rigid cord-like extensions are attached the mixing blade. These cords extend either a short distance or close to the entire length of the beverage container allowing for an adequate amount of mixing. The sound generated by these cords may also make a pleasant mechanical-like sound which adds to the enjoyment of mixing the beverage.  
         [0034]      FIG. 5  shows an alternate beverage bottom design which permits both an external mixing base to generate the mixing energy as well as a hand-powered device to perform the same action. In this configuration, an opening  205 , the same as shown in  FIG. 2 , is placed to permit attachment to an external mixing base. The fixture holes  210  from  FIG. 2  are not shown. An upper groove,  310   a  and  310   b,  referred to collectively as groove  310  is molded in both the inside of the beverage container bottom and the internal bottom  110 . This groove has a gap where the mixing gear  135  protrudes. A lower groove  315  is also molded into the base creating a channel of a fixed width. A slot,  305   a  and  305   b,  referred to collectively as slot  305 , is also designed into the base, creating a passage way from one side of the container to the other, formed by upper grove  310  and lower grove  315 .  FIG. 5  also shows a manual mixer stick consisting of a handle  330 , appendage  320  and numerous teeth  325 . The width of appendage  320 , including the height of teeth  325 , is designed to be slightly smaller than the channel created by upper groove  310  and lower groove  315 , permitting the mixing stick to be inserted easily into the slot  305 . The teeth  325  will mesh with the mixing gear  135  allow the gear to turn when the mixing stick is push or pulled through slot  305 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixing stick is manually pushed and pulled repeatedly into slot  305  to create the desired mixing action. It is also possible to vigorously pull the mixing stick once from the beverage container to generate the mixing action, although this may not completely mix the contents with a single attempt. Handle  330  is designed to fit securely in the hand and gripped in the palm of the hand with fingers wrapped around both sides of the handle. Handle  330  should be comfortable in both a child as well as an adult&#39;s hand and in the preferred embodiment of the invention is approximately 3 inches in width. The number of teeth  325  on the mixing stick is designed to permit one or more rotations of mixing gear  135  with a single pull or pushing action. The mixing stick can be constructed of any lightweight plastic material suitable for single-use or multiple-use applications. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the mixing stick is constructed from semi-rigid polyethylene, making it easy to store, transport and recycle.  
         [0035]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating a method  600  according to the invention of integrating the mixing device with an automatic vending machine. The process of automatically mixing a drink begins with step  605 . In step  605 , the user makes payment for the desired product. In step  610 , the customer makes a selection for a product that requires mixing. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom of each beverage container looks like  FIG. 2 . The vending machine understands that the choice made in step  610  requires the product to be mixed. In step  615 , the beverage container is dispensed to the mixing station. The mixing station can either be internal or external to the vending machine, but it is preferred that the user can see the mixing station and has the ability to extract the beverage container in case there is a problem during mixing. In step  620  the container is aligned so the dispensers mixing gear can align with the beverage containers gear  135 . Alignment is most easily carried out by applying a downward force on the beverage container while rotating the container until the alignment holes  210  seats into the alignment pins of the mixing station. In step  625 , the beverage container is held in place using a downward force such that the beverage container is in constant contact with the mixing station. In step  630 , the mixing station begins turning a gear to transfer power to gear  135 . When gear  135  is turned, impellor  130  turns to blend the drink. This blending step is continued for a fixed amount of time as programmed into the vending machine for each drink type. In step  635 , the downward force is removed from the beverage container so that container will unseat from the mixing base. In step  640 , the blended drink is delivered to the customer, either via a chute at the bottom of the vending machine, or by direct removal from the mixing station.