Patent Publication Number: US-2007101868-A1

Title: Beverage press mug with storage container

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates to beverage containers in general. More specifically the invention is directed to a coffee or tea press container integrally combining a commuter press mug with a storage container.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      Previously, many types of coffee or tea mugs have been used in endeavoring to provide an effective means to transport a beverage and maintain its temperature. Further portable coffee pots have been developed that are designated the “press type” having a filtered plunger permitting coffee grinds or tea leaves to be mixed with hot water. The plunger is inserted on top of the blended liquid and pressed to the bottom permitting the beverage to be ideally brewed and the residual filtered to the bottom.  
      The prior art listed below did not disclose patents that possess any of the novelty of the instant invention; however the following U.S. patents are considered to be related:  
                                       Patent Number   Inventor   Issue Date                  4,974,741   Gustafson et al.   Dec. 4, 1990       5,531,353   Ward et al.   Jul. 2, 1996       5,887,510   Porter   Mar. 30, 1999       5,918,761   Wissinger   Jul. 6, 1999       6,409,038   Karp   Jun. 25, 2002                  
 
      Gustafson et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,741 teach a thermally insulated carrier with a tubular housing which accepts single or two serving beverage containers in a vehicle. A base extension is attached to the bottom of the carrier which is sized to fit into the can holder of a vehicle and maintain stabilization of the insulated carrier.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,353 issued to Ward et al is for a drinking cup having an open top and a base. A storage portion may be connected to the base of the cup portion and a cylindrical shoulder on the cup portion base mates with an open top on the storage portion. A removable lid receives either the cup portion or the storage portion.  
      Porter in U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,510 is my previous patent to which this improvement is directed. The patent discloses a portable device for making coffee which included a vessel for holding a mixture of coffee grinds and hot water. The invention includes a plunger, having a filter unit and a rod extending though the vessels top, that tightly contacts the side wall of the vessel. The plunger is configured to strain the coffee particles from the liquid as it travels through the mixture collecting the particles on the bottom with the remaining liquid available for drinking directly from the device or poured into a cup.  
      Wissinger in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,761 teaches an insulated container with a cover constructed with an inner shell and an outer shell with a space in between. The cover is maintained with the combined shells at the top with an elastomeric material.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,038 issued to Karp is directed toward a mug that is normally too large to fit into a vehicle cup holder therefore it is fitted with a hollow base member that is appropriately sized for the utility. The base member may used to carry beverage accessories such as sugar, sweetener, creamer, tea or coffee. It is also possible to store liquids in the base member, such as extra coffee. Gaskets prevent leakage and cover members can be provided to close the base member when not connected to the mug.  
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
      The plunger method of brewing coffee is well known in the art and became particularly popular in France; therefore the technique is usually known as the “French Press”. My U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,510 is directed to a device that includes a vessel, such as a mug, that has straight or slightly tapered interior walls which may be either an individual serving container or a multiple serving vessel. The device functions utilizing this vessel which is capable of holding a mixture of hot water and solid particles. An enhanced plunger and filter assembly is disclosed in my previous patent that consists of a plurality of fingers that form an intimate contact between the plunger and the sidewall when placed into the vessel. When the plunger is depressed to the bottom the seal prevents bypassing the particles permitting the brew to reach its full flavor after the mix had been allowed to steep for three to five minutes. The invention also allowed the brewed beverage to be consumed directly from the vessel.  
      The primary object is directed to improvements in my previous invention which incorporate relocating the plunger assembly action by reversing the direction the finger orientation relative to the vessel and utilizing a dual wall dead air space insulated vessel, preferably of stainless steel construction.  
      An important object of this improvement in the original invention is that the reversed fingers create a tighter wiping action against the vessel wall and preclude any leakage of particles into the completed brew.  
      The next object of the invention is the improvement of the vessel itself by the addition of a storage container that is housed within a hollow bottom portion of the vessel. This storage container includes a lid and is held in place with a closure base that is retained with a gasket pressing outwardly into the interior wall of the vessel&#39;s bottom portion. Further the closure base grips the storage container such that it is not free to touch any part of the container. The obvious purpose of the container is to store coffee grinds or tea leaves allowing the user quick access for a second cup or serving of the brewed beverage. It will be noted however that the added container may also house sugar and a creamer or the like to augment the beverages flavor.  
      Still another object of the invention is that the improvement of the storage container may be added to any type of vessel made of a host of materials including specialized shapes and purposes. One of the premium types of vessels presently in vogue, are the popular stainless steel mugs that have an inner and outer shell which is well adapted to the improvements particularly in the commuter type mug with a diameter on the bottom portion that is sized to fit into a motor vehicle cup holder.  
      Yet another object of the invention is the convenience that has been added to a coffee mug where the commuter may take a cup of coffee when he or she departs and make one or two cups upon arrival.  
      These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a partial isometric view of the beverage press mug with a storage container in the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 3  is a rear view of the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 4  is a right side view of the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 6  is an exploded partial isometric view of the plunger assembly in the preferred embodiment completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 7  is a front view of the vessel in the preferred embodiment completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 9  is a top view of the liner in the preferred embodiment completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 10  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 .  
       FIG. 11  is an exploded partial isometric view of the storage container elements in the preferred embodiment, completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 12  is a top view of the closure base in the preferred embodiment completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 13  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  13 - 13  of  FIG. 12 .  
       FIG. 14  is a top view of the container in the preferred embodiment completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 15  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  15 - 15  of  FIG. 14 .  
       FIG. 16  is a top view of the container lid in the preferred embodiment completely removed from the invention for clarity.  
       FIG. 17  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  17 - 17  of  FIG. 16 .  
       FIG. 18  partial isometric view of closure base being manually removed from the vessel the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 19  partial isometric view of the closure base after it has been manually removed from the vessel.  
       FIG. 20  partial isometric view of the lid being manually removed from the storage container after being detached from the closure base.  
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
      The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of a preferred embodiment with slight variations in the type of mug being utilized. This preferred embodiment of the beverage mug with a storage container  10  is shown in FIGS.  1  thorough  20  and is comprised of a beverage press mug defined as a vessel  20  that has a bottom end  22 , a straight side wall  24  and a top-opening  26  with a cover  28 . A plunger assembly  30  with a rod  32  slideably penetrates through the cover  28  and is connected to a hub  34  with spokes  36  that extend outwardly connected to a peripheral base member  38  with a plunger filter  40  located therebetween. The base member  38  includes a plurality of fingers  42  each having a first phalange  44  and a second phalange  46  extending outwardly at an angle creating intimate contact with the side wall  24 .  
      All of the above elements are disclosed in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,510. The improvements to this patent include changing the position of the first phalange  44  to extend downwardly and outwardly from the peripheral base member  38 . Specifically the first phalange  44  joins the second phalange  46  at an angular intersection, with the second phalange  46  extending from the angular intersection downwardly and inwardly for contacting the essentially straight side wall  24  of the vessel  20 .  
      Further the plunger assembly  30  contains a circular extension spring  48  that surrounds the plunger assembly  30  functioning in conjunction with the external force of manually pressing down on the rod  32  which decreases the plunger diameter against spring tension thereby intimately engaging the side wall  24  creating a continual constricting contact with the beverage press mug vessel  20 . The spring action in conjunction with the reversed position of the fingers  42  improves the wiping action considerably and hence provides almost complete the elimination of particle bypass.  
      Another improvement is that the vessel cover  28  now includes a cover filter  50 , shown in  FIG. 2  which is integrated within the cover  28  for straining any solid particles that may inadvertently remain from liquid contained within the vessel when the liquid, in the form of a brewed beverage, is poured therefrom assuring complete purity of the beverage.  
      The beverage press mug vessel  20  preferably incorporates an outer shell  52  and an inner shell  54  with a space  56  therebetween, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 ,  7  and  8 . The outer shell  52  and inner shell  54  are formed of stainless steel and the space  56  therebetween forms a dead air space acting as an insulated barrier well known in the art and effectively impedes the transfer of heat.  
      Where the application is for a commuter mug application the outer shell  52  has a minor diameter portion  58  that is smaller than its upper section and extends beneath the inner shell  54  forming a storage container compartment  60  within the extended minor diameter portion  58 . The minor diameter portion  58  is sized to fit a conventional motor vehicle cup holder increasing the utility of the invention.  
      An optional open distal ended liner  62  intimately embraces the storage container compartment  60  on an inside surface of the outer shell minor diameter portion  58  and on a bottom surface of the inner shell  54 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The storage container liner  62  is illustrated by itself in  FIGS. 9 and 10  and incorporates an integrally formed U-shaped lip  64  interfacing with the bottom of the minor diameter portion  58 . The liner  62  is held in place with an interference fit tightly engaging the inside surface of the outer shell minor diameter portion  58 . While the liner  62  is shown and described throughout the specification and claims, it is not to be construed as completely essential to the invention as its presence is valuable particularly in the stainless steel construction however other materials may negate its desirability.  
      A closure base  66 , illustrated in  FIGS. 11-13 , removably engages the open distal ended portion of the liner  62 . The closure base  66  consists of a plurality of opposed inner facing spacer legs  68  that extend inwardly a sufficient distance to releasably retain a storage container therebetween as depicted in  FIGS. 5, 11  and  19 . The closure base  66  has a resilient gasket ring  70  surrounding an outer perimeter of the base  66  attached into a peripheral groove. The gasket ring  70  is compressed when the base  66  positioned within the liner  62  or in the vessel minor diameter portion  58  when the liner  62  is not used. A resilient pad  66 ′ is attached to the underside of the base  66  for restraining the vessel  20  when resting on a flat surface such as a table or desk.  
      A storage container  72 , having a detachable lid  74 , is removably retained by the closure base  66  as shown pictorially in  FIG. 19 . The storage container  72  is designed to store such items as coffee grinds, tea leaves, sugar and creamer etc. The container  72  is illustrated alone in  FIGS. 14 and 15  and the lid  74  in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . The lid  74  is held in place with a slip fit interface dimensionally toleranced such that it may be removed and replaced easily but will stay in place by itself. The storage container  72  consists of a cylindrical tube having a solid bottom and a single open end on the top, while the lid  74  is configured to have a recessed finger gripping rib  76  for manually removing the lid  74  from the container  72 , as illustrated in  FIG. 20 .  
      The open distal ended liner  62 , closure base  66 , storage container  72  and storage container lid  74  are preferably formed of a thermoplastic material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, cellulose acetate, nylon, poly vinyl chloride and the like  
      While the preferred embodiment incorporates a beverage press mug with a storage container  10 , the storage container  72  may be added to any mug or vessel having a similar configuration and utility. The vessel  20  may or may not have the minor diameter portion  58  and still function properly as the invention also the improvements in the press may be eliminated and the storage container function easily retained. Likewise the vessel  20  material may be stainless steel, aluminum, thermoplastic, glass, china or the like either insulated or un-insinuated and still retain the patentable features.  
       FIG. 18  illustrates manual removal of the closure base  62 , including the container  72  attached therein, from the vessel  20 .  FIG. 18  depicts the container  72  being in position to be removed from the closure base  62  while  FIG. 20  shows the lid  74  removed from the container  72  that has previously been detached from the closure base  62 .  
      While the invention has been described in complete detail and pictorially shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the appended claims.