Patent Publication Number: US-8967406-B1

Title: Drinking attachment assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to drinking devices and more particularly pertains to a new drinking device for allowing a user to drink a carbonated beverage more quickly by reintroducing air into a beverage bottle to remove the vacuum from the bottle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tube having an open upper end and an open lower end. The lower end is configured for positioning within a beverage bottle filled with a carbonated fluid. The upper end is configured for being spaced from the fluid wherein the upper end is in fluid communication with ambient space surrounding the upper end such that air is transferred into the beverage bottle through the upper end. A coupler is attached to the tube. The coupler is configured to releasably couple the tube to a neck of the beverage bottle. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top rear side perspective view of a drinking attachment assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new drinking device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the drinking attachment assembly  10  generally comprises a tube  12  having an open upper end  14  and an open lower end  16 . The lower end  16  is configured for positioning within a beverage bottle  18  filled with a carbonated fluid, such as beer, soda or the like. The upper end  14  is configured for being spaced from the fluid wherein the upper end  14  is in fluid communication with ambient space surrounding the upper end  14  such that air is transferred into the beverage bottle  18  through the upper end  14 . This releases the vacuum within the beverage bottle  18 , inhibits the fluid from generating foam while the fluid is being consumed, and permits the fluid to be consumed from the beverage bottle  18  more quickly than consuming the fluid in a conventional manner. 
     The tube  12  includes a straight portion  20  and an arcuate portion  22 . The straight portion  20  includes the open lower end  16 . The arcuate portion  22  includes the open upper end  14 . Each of the open upper end  14  and the open lower end  16  has a crescent-shaped perimeter surface  23 . In particular, each of the crescent-shaped perimeter surfaces  23  curves in a same direction relative to each other. The crescent-shaped perimeter surfaces  23  have substantially the same curvature as a portion of the coupler  24  to which the tube  12  is attached. The tube  12  may be either flexible or rigid. The lower end  16  may be beveled. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a bottom section  25  of the straight portion  20  may form an L-shaped bend  27  proximate the lower end  16  wherein a bottom surface  29  of the bottom section  25  is configured to abut an inner surface  31  of a bottom end  33  of the beverage bottle  18 . 
     A coupler  24  is attached to the tube  12 . The coupler  24  is configured to releasably couple the tube  12  to a neck  19  of the beverage bottle  18 . The coupler  24  is non-removably coupled to the tube  12 . The coupler  24  is resiliently flexible such that a size of the coupler  24  is selectively adjustable. The coupler  24  may comprise an annular band  26 , such as a rubber band or the like, having a central opening  28  disposed therein. The straight portion  20  extends through the central opening  28 . The coupler  24  is attached to the tube  12  proximate the upper end  14 . An outer surface  30  of the coupler  24  abuts an inner surface  32  of the arcuate portion  22  proximate the upper end  14 . The upper end  14  extends below the coupler  24 . The tube  12  has an apex  34  extending above the coupler  24 . The coupler  24  is positioned transversely relative to the straight portion  20 . 
     A gap  36  is formed between an inner surface  38  of the straight portion  20  and the inner surface  32  of the arcuate portion  22 . The gap  36  may be concavely arcuate. The gap  36  is configured to receive an upper edge  40  of the beverage bottle  18  therein such that the arcuate portion  22  is supported from the upper edge  40  of the beverage bottle  18 . The assembly  10  may have a length extending from the open upper end  14  and the open lower end  16  between approximately 7.5 centimeters and 15.0 centimeters. 
     In use, as stated above and shown in the Figures, the straight portion  20  is positioned within the beverage bottle  18  so that the lower end  16  comes into contact with the fluid within the beverage bottle  18 . The gap  36  is positioned to receive the upper edge  40  of the beverage bottle  18  so that the arcuate portion  22  is suspended from the upper edge  40 . The coupler  24  is then extended around the neck  25  of the beverage bottle  18 . A user drinks from the beverage bottle  18  in a conventional manner, except that the user&#39;s mouth is enclosed around the upper edge  40  of the beverage bottle  18  as well as the apex  34 . However, it is important that the user does not obstruct the upper end  14  of the assembly  10  since the upper end  14  will allow air to enter the beverage bottle  18  and the vacuum to be released from the beverage bottle  18 . This allows the fluid to produce less foam, which allows the user to drink the fluid more quickly than without the assembly  10 . The assembly  10  can be stored and reused as desired. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.