Patent Publication Number: US-7222759-B2

Title: Beverage container with one-way valve assembly

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/445,869, filed Feb. 7, 2003. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Beverage containers for receiving beverage from a brewer or other source of beverage and for thereafter serving the beverage are known in the art. Such beverage containers typically include a vessel for receiving the beverage, a top opening for receiving the beverage from the source and into the vessel, a spout for dispensing the beverage from the vessel, and a handle for facilitating the dispensing of the beverage. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to one or more of the following features, elements, or combinations thereof: 
     A beverage container for a brewer or other source of brewed or other beverage that includes a lid and a valve assembly associated with the lid. The lid includes valve structure defining a valve port and the valve assembly comprises the valve structure and a valve grommet received by the valve port. The valve assembly defines a passageway through which the beverage may pass, but prevents or reduces reverse passage of beverage, steam or heat therethrough. 
     The valve grommet includes a valve flange defining an aperture and a tongue extending from the valve flange adjacent the aperture. A gasket is included with the grommet integral with the flange, extending circumferentially from each side of the tongue for sealingly engaging the lid. The valve grommet may be constructed of a flexible material. 
     The lid also includes a top surface and a bottom surface, and the valve structure includes an accurate wall extending downwardly from the top surface, a base, a pair of ribs and a wall which further define the valve port. The base includes a curved portion defining a drain recess. The wall has an inverted L-shaped cross section extending up from the bottom surface and then onward to adjacent the top surface to define a lip. The lip and the ribs define a channel for receiving the tongue of the valve grommet. The ribs separate the channel from the valve port. 
     The lid is positioned on a vessel for storing the beverage, and the container may be positioned beneath the brewer or other source, such that beverage, produced or provided by the brewer or other source, passes through the aperture defined by the valve grommet and the valve port. The weight flow action and/or pressure of the beverage within the valve port causes the tongue of the valve grommet to flex, shutter or otherwise be displaced outward adjacent the drain recess, to an open position so that the brewed beverage can pass through the valve port and into the vessel. The lid may also define a recess, including a reservoir, to allow overflow beverage to accumulate if necessary as brewed beverage is supplied to the valve port. 
     Once the supply of beverage passes into the vessel, the tongue of the valve grommet flexes, shutters or is otherwise displaced back to a closed position to prevent beverage from passing back into the valve port. The beverage container can thereafter be used to distribute beverage. 
     Accordingly, the flexibility of the tongue enables the valve assembly to operate in a one-way manner such that it enables beverage to pass into the vessel but prevents beverage received by the vessel from passing outside the vessel. The flexibility of the valve grommet also enables it to be quickly and easily removed from the valve port by, for example, manually grasping, squeezing and removing the valve grommet, for cleaning. 
     The lid may also include an engaging arm to facilitate rotation of the lid relative to the vessel between open and closed or attaching positions. The lid may also define a dispensing recess positioned generally opposite the dispensing arm for dispensing of beverage from the vessel. The lid and the vessel may be configured to define a torturous dispensing passageway. 
     The present disclosure also may relate to one or more of the features, elements or combinations thereof described in the accompanying drawings described below or the Detailed Description of the Drawings set forth below. 
     Additional features will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description exemplifying the best mode as presently perceived. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a thermal carafe in accordance with an embodiment of the description; 
         FIG. 2  is a side plan view of the thermal carafe of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the thermal carafe of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross section view taken along lines  4 — 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial fragmentary enlarged view of  FIG. 4 , illustrating the valve assembly of the carafe of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view from the top of the valve grommet of the valve assembly of the carafe of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom perspective view from the bottom of the valve grommet of the valve assembly of the carafe of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the cover of the carafe of  FIG. 1  with the valve grommet removed; 
         FIG. 9  is a partial and enlarged perspective view of the cover of the carafe of  FIG. 1  with the valve grommet removed; and 
         FIG. 10  is a partial and enlarged view of  FIG. 4 , illustrating the spout of the carafe of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     While the present disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, at least one with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. 
       FIGS. 1–10  provide an illustrative embodiment of a beverage container in the form of a thermal carafe  10  for a brewer or other source of brewed or other beverage. The carafe  10  includes generally a vessel  12  for storing the brewed beverage, a handle assembly  14 , a valve grommet  16 , and a lid  18  including valve structure  19  defining a valve port  20 . The thermal carafe  10  includes a one-way valve assembly  21 , comprised generally of the valve grommet  16  and the valve structure defining the valve port  20 . The valve assembly  21  provides a passageway  28  through which the beverage may pass into the a cavity  23  defined by a wall  25  of vessel  12 , but prevents or minimizes reverse passage therethrough of brewed beverage received by the vessel  12 . 
     The valve grommet  16  is received by the valve port  20 , and includes a valve flange  30  defining an aperture  32  and a tongue  34  extending from the valve flange  30  adjacent the aperture  32 . The bottom of the flange  30  may include an arcuate indentation or groove  36  for seating against a corresponding surface or protrusion  37  within the valve port  20 . The valve grommet  16  also includes a gasket  40  integral with the flange  30 , extending arcuately from each side of the tongue  34  for sealingly engaging the lid  18 . The valve grommet  16  may be constructed of a flexible material such as any suitable elastomer or the like. 
     The lid  18  includes a top surface  42 , a bottom surface  44  and a peripheral rim  46 . The top surface  42  defines a recess  50  and includes a concave portion  52  and a pair of upwardly-extending walls  54  which define a reservoir  56  disposed about the recess. The upwardly-extending walls  54  are spaced apart from each other and extend generally parallel to each other, except that they include a center section in which the walls are generally at least partially arcuate to define an enlarged recess segment  60  that may be positioned directly under the source of the beverage. The recess  50  and reservoir  56  are configured to receive any overflow of brewed beverage passing through the passageway  28  of the valve assembly. The top surface  42 , bottom surface  44  and the peripheral rim  44  define an annular internal space  58  that provides insulation benefits. The internal space  58  may include foam or any other insulation if desired. 
     The valve structure of the lid  18  includes a partially accurate wall  70  extending downwardly from the top surface  42 , an extending base  72 , a pair of ribs  74  and an opposing wall  76  which further define the valve port  20 . The base  72  includes a curved portion defining a drain recess  78  and passage  79 . The wall  76  has an inverted L-shaped cross section extending up from the bottom surface  40  and then extending toward the adjacent top surface  40  to define a lip  80 . The lip  80  and the ribs  74  define a channel  82  for receiving the tongue  34  of the valve grommet  16 . The ribs  74  separate the channel  82  from the valve port  20 . 
     The carafe  10  may be positioned beneath the brewer or other source, and beverage brewed, produced or otherwise provided by the source, passes into the valve port  20 . The brewed beverage passes through the aperture  32  defined by the valve grommet  16  and into the valve port  20 . The weight of the beverage within the valve port  20  causes the tongue of the valve grommet  16  beginning adjacent the drain recess  78 , to flex or shutter outward to an open position so that the brewed beverage can pass through the valve port  20  and through passage  28  and into the vessel  12 . The reservoir  56 , including the enlarged recess segment  60 , allow overflow beverage to accumulate if necessary as beverage is supplied to the valve port  20 . 
     Once a supply of the beverage passes into the vessel  12 , the tongue  34  of the valve grommet  16  flexes or shutters back to a closed position to prevent beverage from passing back into the valve port  20 . The carafe  10  can thereafter be used to distribute beverage, with the tongue  34  remaining in the closed position. Accordingly, the flexibility of the tongue  34  enables the valve assembly to operate in a one-way manner such that it enables brewed beverage to pass into the vessel  12  but prevents brewed beverage received by the vessel from passing outside the vessel. The flexibility of the valve grommet  16  also enables it to be quickly and easily removed from the valve port  20  by, for example, manually grasping, squeezing and removing the valve grommet  16 , for cleaning. 
     The lid  18  also includes an engaging arm  90  to facilitate rotation of the lid relative to the vessel  12  between open and closed positions and defines a dispensing recess  92  diametrically opposite the engaging arm for dispensing of brewed beverage from the vessel  12 . The engaging arm  90  includes a serpentine engaging face  96  to engage a mating serpentine engaging face  98  on the handle assembly  14 . The engaging faces  96  and  98  enable the engaging arm  90  to be readily positioned in the open position. The dispensing recess  92  is defined by a lip  100  of the lid  18  which aligns adjacent a lip  102  on the handle assembly  14  to define a dispensing spout  104  on the handle assembly  14  and to open the dispensing spout to permit pouring of brewed beverage from the vessel  12 . The lid  18  also includes a pair of spaced apart guide walls  106  which extend upward along the rim  46  and lead into the lip  100  to define a torturous dispensing passageway  110 . 
     Accordingly, when the engaging faces  96  and  98  of the engaging arm  90  and the handle assembly  14  are engaged, the engaging arm aligns with the handle assembly  14  such that the handle assembly can be manually held to pour beverage through the spout  104 . When the carafe  10  is tilted for pouring, beverage passes through the dispensing passageway  110  and through the dispensing spout  104 . To close the spout  104 , the engaging arm  90  is rotated, which causes the dispensing recess  92  to rotate relative to the spout and causes the rim of the lid  18  to close the spout. The engaging arm  90  defines a curved recess  114  to provide a grip to facilitate rotation of the engaging arm. 
     The vessel  12  and handle assembly  14  may have any suitable configuration and may be constructed of any suitable material. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the vessel  12  is cylindrical and defines a cavity for storing the beverage. The handle assembly  14  includes a handle portion  120 , an upper ring  122  disposed about an upper portion of the vessel  12 , and a lower ring disposed about a lower portion of the vessel  12 . The handle assembly  14  may be constructed in any suitable manner. For example, the upper ring  122  may be assembled with the handle portion  120 , and the lower portion  124  may be unitary with the handle portion. The upper ring  122  includes a top rim  130  defining a mouth  131  and a lip  132 , which extend substantially circumferentially to define a substantially circumferential recess  134  for receiving the outer rim of the lid  18 , with the rim resting on the lip. The lip  102  of the upper ring  122  also defines a pour spout  144  for dispensing the brewed beverage. The handle portion  120  defines a recess  150  to provide a thumb grip. 
     Terms including brewed, brewing, brewing substance, brewing liquid, beverage, and brewed beverage as used herein are intended to be broadly defined as including but not limited to the brewing of coffee, tea and any other brewed beverage. This broad interpretation is also intended to include, but is not limited to any process of dispensing, infusing, steeping, reconstituting, diluting, dissolving, saturating or passing a liquid through or otherwise mixing or combining a beverage substance with a liquid such as water without a limitation to the temperature of such liquid unless specified. This broad interpretation is also intended to include, but is not limited to beverage substances such as ground coffee, tea, liquid beverage concentrate, powdered beverage concentrate, freeze dried coffee or other beverage concentrates, to obtain a desired beverage or other food. 
     The embodiment set forth in this description is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present application and appended claims. The embodiment is intended to be expansive and broadly interpreted without limitation. Various features of the disclosed invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the disclosure as shown and described, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements and methods merely illustrate, and that the disclosure is to be given its fullest interpretation within the terms of the appended claims.