Abstract:
A cartridge for a compressible bottle containing a liquid. The cartridge comprises a housing attachable to the bottle and a collapsible bag. The housing and the bag together form an interior which contains a concentrate such as a drink mix. A transfer mechanism is provided whereby the liquid is pumped from the bottle into the cartridge by repeatedly compressing the bottle. As liquid is transferred into the cartridge, the bag expands within the bottle. In the preferred embodiment, the transfer mechanism is provided as part of the cartridge and the cartridge may be sized to fit a standard water bottle. In an alternate embodiment, the transfer mechanism is provided as part of a special bottle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/639,969 filed Aug. 16, 2000, and now in the issuance process. 
    
    
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     (Not Applicable) 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to the preparation of liquid products, and more particularly to a system for the preparation of liquid mixtures from a concentrate. 
     Many liquid products are prepared by the addition of a liquid to a concentrate. Food products prepared in this manner include baby food, fruit juices, sports drinks and nutritional supplements. Non-food products include pesticides, pharmaceuticals and construction materials. In such cases, the liquid is typically water, though it may be a variety of other substances (e.g. milk or hydrocarbon). The concentrate may be a powder, granulate, paste or concentrated liquid. 
     Concentrates offer many benefits. These include compactness, light weight, and extended shelf life. Many packages have been developed to contain such concentrates including cans, cartons and packets. Such packages are often offered in a variety of sizes ranging from bulk containers to single-serve and other pre-dosed measures. 
     Despite the diversity of packaging formats, most existing packages for concentrates demonstrate several disadvantages. In most existing packages, the concentrate must be transferred to a separate mixing container prior to the addition of liquid. In transferring the concentrate, the consumer risks spilling it. For non-hazardous materials, spilling is a nuisance; for hazardous materials spilling may be dangerous. In addition to the concentrate being transferred, the liquid must be measured (usually using a separate container) and added to the concentrate. Thus when using existing packages, one or more vessels are dirtied and must be discarded or cleaned. 
     The present invention addresses the above-mentioned deficiencies in concentrated mix packages by providing a system which includes a premeasured dose of a concentrate contained in an expandable package. Specifically, the present invention provides a cartridge that is filled with a concentrate and is insertable into a bottle of water or other liquid. The invention provides a means of pumping the water from the bottle into the cartridge. As water is pumped into the cartridge, the cartridge expands into the bottle whereby the contents of the cartridge is mixed with the liquid in the bottle to produce a liquid mixture. In this respect, the present invention provides a system whereby a liquid mixture can be made from a concentrate quickly and easily. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A cartridge for a compressible bottle containing a liquid is disclosed. The cartridge comprises a housing that is attachable to the bottle and a collapsible bag that is attached to the housing. The housing and bag form an interior that contains a quantity of concentrate. Disposed within the housing and in fluid communication with the liquid contained within the bottle will be an input port. Additionally, the housing will include an output port in fluid communication with the exterior thereof. A transfer mechanism is disposed between the input port and the bottle that is operative to pump water from the bottle through the input port. The transfer mechanism is activated by compression of the bottle and, accordingly, compression of the bottle will force liquid from the interior of the bottle into the interior of the housing and hence the bag. The liquid will combine with the concentrate contained within the housing to make the desired liquid. 
     It is contemplated that the concentrate may be a food item such as baby formula, sports drink, or juice mix. Accordingly, the output port may be a nipple, nozzle or other closure appropriate for the type of mix contained within the cartridge. In order for the bag to expand, the bag will be fabricated from a plastic material. It will be recognized that the liquid contained within the bottle typically will be water; however, other types of fluid may be used. 
     In a first embodiment, the cartridge is generally cylindrical such that it is insertable into a neck of the bottle. In this respect, the cartridge will be sized to fit standard commercially available water bottles and may be fabricated from a plastic material such that the same is disposable. Additionally, the cartridge includes a transfer mechanism which is operative to transfer water from the bottle into the cartridge. 
     In a second embodiment, a generally cylindrical cartridge is sized to fit into a specialized bottle. The specialized bottle contains a transfer mechanism which transfers water from the bottle into the cartridge. 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is additionally provided a liquid preparation system. The liquid preparation system comprises a compressible bottle with a hollow interior and a cartridge insertable thereinto. The cartridge is comprised of a housing and a collapsible bag attached to the housing. Disposed within the housing and the collapsible bag is a concentrate, such as a powdered drink mix. An input port is disposed within the housing and in fluid communication with the liquid contained within the bottle and the interior of the housing. The housing will further include an output port in fluid communication with the exterior of the housing. A transfer mechanism is provided such that compression of the bottle forces liquid contained therein into the interior of the housing and the bag such that the liquid will combine with the powdered drink mix. 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is further provided a method of forming a mixture with the beverage preparation system. The method comprises compressing the bottle to thereby force the liquid contained therein into the cartridge of the beverage preparation system. The liquid forced into the cartridge will mix with concentrate contained therein in order to produce the desired mixture. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 perspectively illustrates a first embodiment of a beverage preparation system constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIGS. 2 a - 2   b  are cross-sectional views of a bottle which can be used as part of a beverage preparation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cartridge for use with the beverage preparation system shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 3 taken along line  4 — 4 ; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a cartridge used with the beverage preparation system shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG.  5  and taken along line  6 — 6 ; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the beverage preparation system in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the beverage preparation shown in FIG. 7 in a compressed state. 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a bottle which can be used as part of a beverage preparation system according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle depicted in FIG. 9 wherein the bottle is shown being manually compressed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same, FIG. 1 perspectively illustrates a beverage preparation system  10  constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The beverage preparation system  10  comprises a compressible bottle  12  and a cartridge  14  insertable therein. Specifically, the cartridge  14  contains a powdered drink mix (i.e., concentrate) which will be mixed with water contained within the bottle  12 . In this respect, a user of the beverage preparation system  10  will insert the cartridge  14  into the bottle  12 . The bottle  12  may be a conventional plastic water bottle or a customized bottle, as will be explained below. As seen in FIG. 1, the cartridge  14  includes a cylindrical threaded portion  16  which is engageable to the neck  18  of bottle  12 . Specifically, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the threaded portion  16  includes interior threads  20  engageable to neck threads  22 . In this respect, the threaded portion  16  is sized and configured to be threaded on standard necks of water bottles. 
     As seen in FIG. 1, the cartridge  14  includes a push-pull top  24  which when pulled upwardly allows fluid to flow from the bottle  12 . By pushing downwardly on the push-pull top  24 , the fluid contained within bottle  12  will be sealed therein. Alternatively, the cartridge  14  may include a nipple  26  instead of push-pull top  24 , as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 and explained below. 
     Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the cartridge  14  includes a body portion  28  integrally formed with the threaded portion  16 . The body portion  28  extends from the threaded portion  16  and is sized to be insertable within the neck  18  of the bottle  12 . The attachment between the threaded portion  16  and the bottom portion  28  forms a flange  30  which engages the top surface of the neck  18  when the cartridge  14  is threaded onto the bottle  12 . In this respect, the flange  30  will seal the cartridge  14  to the bottle  12 . 
     Attached to the bottom portion  28  of the cartridge  14  is a bag  32 . The bag  32  is fabricated from a pliable plastic material such that it may be folded. As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bag is attached to a lower portion of the body portion  28 . In the preferred embodiment, the bag  32  will be in a folded configuration when inserting the cartridge  14  into the bottle  12  and will expand as water is transferred into the interior of the cartridge. Bag  32  may be sized larger than the interior of bottle  12 , thus allowing the bag to conform with the interior of the bottle when fully expanded. Alternately, Bag  32  may be sized smaller than the interior of the bottle and only partially fill the bottle when fully expanded. 
     The cartridge  14  includes an interior chamber  34 . Specifically, the chamber  34  is defined by the cylindrical body portion  28  and the bag  32 . Disposed within the chamber  34  is a prescribed quantity of concentrate  36 . The concentrate  36  may be a powder that will flavor the water contained within the bottle  12  when mixed therewith. Accordingly, the concentrate  36  may create a sports drink, juice, tea or baby formula. In the preferred embodiment, the amount of concentrate  36  needed to make the drink, will be contained within the chamber  34 . The concentrate  36  will be mixed with the water in bottle  12  in the bag  32 . Accordingly, the folded bag  32  will expand with the water from the bottle  12  and the concentrate  36 . 
     In order to transfer water into the bag  32 , the cartridge  14  further includes a transfer mechanism  38 . The transfer mechanism  38  is operative to allow water from the bottle  12  to enter the bag  32  from pressure applied to the exterior thereof. Accordingly, the transfer mechanism  38  comprises an inner wall  40  disposed in substantially parallel relation to the body portion  28  and positioned within the chamber  34  of cartridge  14 . Furthermore, the transfer chamber  38  includes a diaphragm  42  and an end wall  44  disposed within the chamber  34  of cartridge  14 . Specifically, the end wall  44  is attached to both the interior of the body portion  28  and the inner wall  40 . Similarly, the diaphragm  42  is attached to the inner side of the body portion  28  and the inner wall  40 . In this respect, the inner wall  40 , diaphragm  42  and end wall  44  of transfer mechanism  38  define a neutral chamber  46  which is disposed within chamber  34  of cartridge  14 . The diaphragm  42  is typically fabricated from a flexible rubber type material such that the interior space of neutral chamber  46  may vary. Specifically, the neutral chamber  46  shown in FIG. 7 has less volume than the neutral chamber  46  shown in FIG. 8 because the diaphragm  42  has expanded into the interior thereof. 
     Furthermore, the transfer mechanism  38  includes an intake port  48  disposed on the body portion  28 . In fluid communication with the intake port  48  is a first check valve  50 . In the preferred embodiment, the first check valve  50  will allow fluid to only enter the neutral chamber  46 . The first check valve  50  may be fabricated from a pliable material and is typically formed such that it is normally biased in a closed position, as shown in FIG.  7 . Similarly, the transfer mechanism  38  further includes an output port  52  formed in inner wall  40 . In fluid communication with the output port  52  is a second check valve  54  attached to inner wall  40 . The second check valve  54  is fabricated from a flexible material and normally biased in a closed position, as shown in FIG.  8 . The second check valve  54  is operative allow fluid contained within neutral chamber  46  to exit therefrom into chamber. In addition to the foregoing, the transfer mechanism  38  further includes a vent opening  56  formed within the threaded portion  16  of cartridge  14 . As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the vent opening  56  allows the diaphragm  42  to vary the volume of neutral chamber  46  by allowing air behind the diaphragm  42  to ingress or egress through vent opening  56 . 
     In order to make the liquid mix, the user will insert cartridge  14  within the bottle  12  filled with water. The cartridge  14  will be threaded upon neck  18  such that the water within the bottle  12  will be sealed therein. Next, the bottle  12  will be inverted so that the cartridge  14  is pointing downwardly and the water within the bottle  12  will flow near neck  18  and cartridge  14 . In order to force the water within bag  32 , the user will squeeze the bottle  12  thereby increasing the pressure of the water inside, as seen in FIG.  8 . By squeezing the bottle  12 , the water inside will enter neutral chamber  46  through intake port  48  and first check valve  50 . Specifically, the increase in pressure within the bottle  12  from squeezing will force first check valve  50  open such that water will flow into neutral chamber  48 . As previously mentioned, diaphragm  42  is pliable such that the volume of neutral chamber  46  will increase from the addition of water therein. Vent opening  56  allows the diaphragm  42  to move thereby expanding the volume of the neutral chamber  46 . 
     When pressure on the outside of bottle  12  is released (i.e., the bottle  12  is not squeezed), elastic tension in the bottle  12  causes the bottle  12  to return to a relaxed state as show in FIG.  7 . As the bottle  12  returns to the relaxed state, the first check valve  50  will close and second check valve  54  will open from the transfer of water from the neutral chamber  46  into the bag  32 . Specifically, as the bottle  12  transitions to the relaxed state, the bag  32  will expand due to the transfer of water within the bottle  12 . The bag  32  will expand in order to maintain a constant volume of water within the bottle  12 . As the bag  32  is expanding, the second check valve  54  will open thereby allowing water within neutral chamber  46  to be siphoned within bag  32 . As the water within neutral chamber  46  is being siphoned into bag  32 , diaphragm  42  will contract to thereby decrease the volume within neutral chamber  46 . By squeezing the bottle  12  consecutively, a pumping action is formed whereby water within the bottle  12  will be transferred into the bag  32  thereby causing the bag  32  to expand. As the water is transferred into the bag  32 , the water will mix with the concentrate  36  contained therein to form the desired liquid preparation. When the bag  32  is fully expanded, the resistance in squeezing the bottle  12  will increase such that the user will know to stop. 
     The concentrate  36  will be mixed with the water by shaking the bottle  12 . The body portion  28  of the cartridge  14  may include cut outs  58  which will function as a whisk as the bottle  12  is being shaken. Accordingly, the cut outs  58  facilitate mixing of the water with the concentrate  36 . Once the concentrate  36  is fully mixed with the water, the drink is ready to be consumed. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cartridge  14  includes nipple  26 . Disposed about nipple  26  is a sealing sheet  60  which protects the nipple  26  from contaminates. Accordingly, prior to consumption, the sealing sheet  60  will be removed from the nipple  56 . Alternatively, as previously mentioned, the cartridge  14  may include push-pull top  24  or other closure (not shown). In order to protect push-pull top  24  from contaminants a cap  62  may be disposed thereover as shown in FIG.  1 . The cap  62  will be removed from the push-pull top  24  before consumption of the drink. 
     An alternative embodiment of the preparation system  10  is shown in FIGS. 2-6. Referring to FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b , the alternative embodiment of the beverage preparation system  10  will include a pressure vessel  102  and a cartridge  104   a  or  104   b  as shown in FIGS. 4-6. Specifically, either cartridge  104   a  or cartridge  104   b  is insertable into the pressure vessel  102 . The following description will be in regard to cartridge  104   a . However, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, that cartridge  104   b  is similar to cartridge  104   a  but that cartridge  104   a  includes a nipple  106  instead of a push-pull top  108 . Both the nipple  106  and push-pull top  108  are configured similarly to the push-pull top  24  and nipple  26  previously described. Also, it will be recognized that although depicted as nipple  106  and push-pull top  108 , countless other outlet mechanisms may be formed upon the cartridges  104 , such as peelable lids or twist-off tops, for example. The cartridge  104   a  is threadably attached to an opening or neck  109  of pressure vessel  102 . In this regard, the cartridge  104   a  will seal with the pressure vessel  102  thereby forming a water tight container. 
     The pressure vessel  102  is formed from a collapsible plastic material with a sidewall  110  that may be squeezed by the user. Typically, the sidewall  110  is formed from a plastic material and formed into a cylindrical shape. It will be recognized that the shape of the pressure vessel  102  can be varied depending on the preference of the user. The sidewall  110  is integrally attached to a bottom  112 . The sidewall  110  and bottom  112  thereby define an interior chamber  114 . 
     Attached to the sidewall  110  is a channel  116  defining a handle thereby. The channel  116  is formed with an intake tube  118  which is in fluid communication with the interior chamber  114 . The intake tube  118  is typically a hollow tube which fluid can flow therethrough. Disposed within the intake tube  118  is a intake valve  120 . The intake valve  120  will only allow fluid to flow from the interior chamber  114  into the intake tube  118 . 
     In fluid communication with the intake tube  118  and intake valve  120  is a reservoir  122 . In the preferred embodiment, the reservoir  122  is expandable from a relaxed state shown in FIG. 2 a  to an expanded state shown in FIG. 2 b . As will be further explained, as the pressure vessel  102  is squeezed, the reservoir  122  will expand to the size shown in FIG. 2 b . Accordingly, the volume of the reservoir  122  is variable. As seen in FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b , the reservoir  122  is disposed along a handle portion  124  of handle  116 . Disposed on an upper part (i.e., near the top of pressure vessel  102 ) of the handle portion  124  is a discharge valve  126 . The discharge valve  126  is operative to allow fluid to exit the reservoir  122  when the pressure vessel  102  is in the relaxed state shown in FIG. 2 a . In fluid communication with discharge valve is discharge tube  128 . The discharge tube  128  is in fluid communication with the interior chamber  114  of the pressure vessel  102  near the top thereof. Accordingly, fluid contained within reservoir  122  will drain therefrom via discharge tube  128 . 
     The pressure vessel  102  is operative to transfer water from the bottom portion thereof into the top portion. In this respect, as the pressure vessel  102  is squeezed as shown in FIG. 2 b , the fluid within interior chamber  114  will be transferred to reservoir  122  thereby expanding the same. Discharge valve  126  is configured such that it will not open as the user squeezes the sidewall  110 . Accordingly, the reservoir  122  will expand to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 b . As the user relaxes his or her grip on the sidewall  110  of pressure vessel  102 , the sidewall  110  will resume the relaxed state shown in FIG. 2 a . Additionally, the reservoir  122  will compress to the state shown in FIG. 2 a . Specifically, the volume of reservoir  122  will decrease thereby forcing the fluid contained therein through discharge tube  128 . The fluid will flow through discharge valve  126  and out discharge tube  128 . Intake valve  120  prevents the fluid within reservoir  122  from flowing back into intake tube  118 . By consecutively squeezing and relaxing the sidewall  110  of pressure vessel  102 , a pumping action may be achieved whereby fluid within interior chamber  114  will be transferred through reservoir  122  to discharge tube  128 . 
     As previously mentioned, the pressure vessel  102  is configured to be used with either cartridge  104   a  or  104   b . The following description will be for cartridge  140   a , however it will be recognized that the only difference between cartridge  104   a  and  104   b  is the fact that nipple  106  is used instead of a push-pull top  108 . Cartridge  104   a  is configured to be threaded onto opening or neck  109  of pressure vessel  102 . As the cartridge  104   a  is threaded on the neck  109 , an input opening  130  is aligned with discharge tube  128 . Specifically, discharge tube  128  will be in fluid communication with input opening  130  such that fluid from the reservoir  122  will be directed into input opening  130 . 
     The input opening  130  is formed on a body portion  132  of the cartridge  104   a . The body portion  132  extends from an upper portion  134  of the cartridge  104   a . In the preferred embodiment, the body portion  132  is generally cylindrical such that it can be inserted within the neck  109  of the pressure vessel  102 . The body portion  132  defines concentrate chamber  136 . The concentrate chamber  136  is a hollow compartment within which concentrate  36  is contained. The concentrate  36  is mixed with the water in the pressure vessel  102  to make the flavored drink. 
     Attached to body portion  132  and disposed within concentration chamber  136  is a bag  138  fabricated from a plastic-type material such that it may be folded and compressed within the concentrate chamber  136 . As seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the bag  138  is attached to an inner surface of the body portion  132 . The bag  138  comprises a series of folds  140  which allow the bag to expand from the concentrate chamber  136 . 
     Attached to the interior of body portion  132  is a cartridge valve  142 . Specifically, the cartridge valve  142  is positioned adjacent to input opening  130  such that the valve  142  is operable to allow fluid to enter concentrate chamber  136  only. In this respect, the cartridge valve  142  may be a flap valve which is attached to a portion of the interior of body portion  132  such that the pressure of fluid exiting discharge tube  128  will open cartridge valve  142  and permit fluid to enter concentrate chamber  136 . 
     In order to use the pressure vessel  102  and cartridge  104   a , the user will insert the cartridge  104   a  in the neck  109 . Next, the user will compress the side wall  110  of pressure vessel  102  as previously described to transfer water to discharge tube  128 . As previously mentioned discharge tube  128  is in fluid communication with input opening  130  such that water will be transferred into concentrate chamber  136 . As the water is transferred into concentrate chamber  136 , it will mix with concentrate  36  and expand the bag  138 . Specifically, the folds  140  of bag  138  will come out such that the bag will open and expand within the interior chamber  114  of pressure vessel  102 . Because the liquid within interior chamber  114  of pressure vessel  102  is being transferred into the concentrate chamber  136  and bag  138 , the bag  138  will occupy the same volume of the fluid being transferred. In this respect, the liquid within interior chamber  114  will be transferred into the bag  138  and mixed with concentrate  36  to thereby form the desired drink. 
     As mentioned above, cartridge  104   a  has a nipple  106  which will be used to drink from. Accordingly, cartridge  104   a  will typically be used with a powdered baby formula as the concentrate  36 . On the other hand, cartridge  104   b  uses a push-pull top  108  in order to drink from pressure vessel  102 . Therefore, the concentrate  36  for cartridge  104   b  will typically be a sports drink or powdered juice mix. 
     In an alternative configuration of the pressure vessel  102  depicted in FIGS. 2 a-b , there is depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10 a pressure vessel  200  for use with a cartridge  104 , which may take any of the aforementioned variety discussed above with respect to cartridges  104   a  and  104   b . In this respect, cartridge  104 , as depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10, will be axially insertable within and threadably engagable with the vessel  200 , and will likewise be provided with chamber  136  with bag  138  affixed thereto, within which will be disposed concentrate  36 . Cartridge  104  will further preferably include cartridge valve  142  operative to selectively receive a fluid therethrough, as shown. Such cartridge  104  will further include any of the outlet mechanisms discussed above, such as nipple  106  or push-pull top  108 . As shown, such outlet may include the simple sealing sheet  107 , which may be selectively removed to gain access to chamber  136 . It will be recognized, however, that any of a variety of access mechanisms may be provided as part of such cartridge. 
     As to the vessel  200 , the same is preferably comprised of the combination of a first inner bottle  202  axially disposed within outer bottle  206 . Preferably, such bottle members are threadably engaged to one another as shown. To facilitate the ability of such bottle members to interconnect with one another, an annular base plate  208  may be provided that is threadably engagable with outer bottle member  206  to form the structure as shown. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 9, when so interconnected, inner bottle member  202  defines a chamber  204  within which a quantity of liquid may be stored. Once the interconnected bottle members are squeezed, as illustrated in FIG. 10, liquid stored within chamber  204  is operative to flow therefrom via suction flap or valve  210  in the direction indicated. Preferably, base plate  208  will be formed from an elastic material to thus receive the liquid as shown, and thus to form the reservoir similar to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2 a-b . Such fluid received therein may thereafter be operatively transferred via channel  212  formed between inner and outer bottle members  202 ,  206  to thus ultimately be delivered into chamber  13  via discharge valve  142 , in the manner previously described. 
     Advantageously, such multi-component construction of the vessel  200  facilitates cleaning of the apparatus, as well as provides a more durable configuration once assembled. It should be recognized, however, that the vessel  200  may be formed from more or less structural components than depicted without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should further be recognized that unidirectional pathway defined by valve  210 , channel  212 , and valve  142  may be arranged in a variety of configurations, and may only comprise a single valve formed as part of inner bottle  202 , outer bottle  206  or upon cartridge  104 , as shown. Accordingly, all foreseeable modifications and structure are contemplated within the scope of the invention. 
     Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. As a particular example, the channel  116  defined by the handle of the bottle depicted in FIGS. 2 a-b  may be formed anywhere upon the vessel  102  and need not necessarily be formed as part of such handle with interior chamber  114  with intake valve  120 , reservoir  122  and discharge valve  126  operatively formed anywhere thereon. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only a certain embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as a limitation of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention. Along these lines, it should be expressly recognized that although discussed at length herein for applications regarding the preparation of beverages and the like, the systems and methods of the present invention may find wide spread application. For example, it is contemplated that the systems and methods of the present invention can be utilized for any purpose where it is desired to quickly and easily prepare a mixture of any sort, and can include but is not limited to, the mixture of chemicals or the dilution of concentrates. Representative of such applications include, but is by no means limited to, the preparation of pesticides, paints and detergents.