Patent EA-002301-B1 (EA)
Title: Two compartment container and method of admixing a flavour to a beverage
Inventor: REICHINGER RICHARD
IPC: B65D85/73
Filed: 1999-04-16
Abstract: 1. Two-compartment container for receiving a flavour for the mixture thereof with a main beverage liquid in a beverage container immediately after opening the beverage container, one compartment of which comprises a small orifice for merely slow equilibration of pressure between the inside thereof and the outside of the two-compartment container, characterized in that the two compartments are separated by an interior wall which does not allow exchange of gas or liquid between the two compartments, wherein said two-compartment container comprising a surrounding outer side wall and an inner side wall extending such that (a) upon connecting the top part to the base part a first compartment defined by the inner part of the base, the inner side wall and the inner part of the top and a second compartment defined by an outer part of the base, the inner side wall, the outer side wall and an outer part of the top are provided; wherein the top and/or outer side wall of the second compartment comprises the at least one small orifice or (b) two-compartment container having a substantially cylindrical form, wherein the outer side wall is circular while the inner side wall extends straight-lined and divides the interior into two compartments each having the shape of a half circle as a basis. 2. Two-compartment, wherein the surrounding outer side wall is connectable to the opposite base part or top part via closure means which open or break upon a sudden pressure difference between inside the said compartment and the outside of the two-compartment container; and wherein the inner side wall extends such that upon connecting said parts, the inner side wall fits tightly to the opposite base part or top part. 3. Two-compartment container according to any of previous claims, wherein the top part has the side walls. 4. Two-compartment container according to any of the previous claims, wherein he closure means comprise a snap fit, an interference fit or a membrane. 5. Two-compartment container according to any of previous claims, wherein the closure means comprise an interference fit and also the inner side wall fits tightly to the opposite base part or top part via an interference fit which, however, has a smaller overlapping range. 6. Two-compartment container according to any of the previous claims, wherein both the base and top parts are made from plastics, preferably selected from polyalkylenes, and more preferably are made from polypropylene. 7. Beverage container having a releasable seal in an upper wall region, containing an inner two-compartment container according to any of the claims 1 to 6 for receiving a flavour for the mixture thereof with the main beverage liquid in the container, wherein the parts of said two-compartment container are connected to each other and one of the compartments thereof is filled with the flavour, while the other or second compartment thereof mainly or merely contains gas. 8. Beverage container according to claim 7, wherein the two-compartment container is fixed to the bottom of the beverage container, preferably by a glue or a mechanical fit. 9. Beverage container according to claim 7, wherein the two-compartment container is freely floating or movable within the beverage container. 10. Beverage container according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the base part and the top part of the two-compartment container are sized such that they cannot escape through the opening after the beverage container has been opened in order to deliver the beverage therefrom. 11. Beverage container according to any of claims 7 to 9 which is a beverage can. 12. Method for mixing a flavour into a main beverage liquid in a beverage container just before the beverage is consumed, comprising the following steps: (a) filling the first compartment of a two-compartment container according to any of claims 1 to 6 with a flavour, (b) optionally flushing the second compartment of the two-compartment container with a gas, preferably nitrogen, and (c) sealing both parts of the said container via the closure means, (d) putting the two-compartment container into the beverage container and optionally affixing it onto the bottom thereof, after or prior to the (e) filling of the container with the beverage liquid, (f) seaming the beverage container while pressurising a head space above the first beverage liquid in the beverage container in order to obtain a pressure above environmental pressure inside the beverage container, (g) providing a slow pressure equilibration between the inside of the second compartment of the two-compartment container and the primary chamber of the beverage container, (h) opening the beverage container by releasing a releasable seal, thereby inducing a sudden pressure decrease to ambient pressure in the beverage container,  (i) breaking the closure means via a sudden pressure difference inside and outside the second compartment in the two-compartment container, thereby separating the top part and the base part of the two-compartment container and releasing the flavour into the first beverage liquid.