Patent Publication Number: US-2013233173-A1

Title: Root Beer Float Strainer and Method of Reducing Foam

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an improved method of making beverages commonly known as root beer floats, and similar beverages involving liquids such as carbonated beverages and foods such as ice cream. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A favorite cold and refreshing food treat for many people is known as a “float.” Floats typically include a beverage, such as root beer or orange soda, and a frozen dessert, such as ice cream or frozen yogurt, placed together in a glass. The person enjoying the float may, for example, eat the ice cream with a spoon, or drink the beverage with or without a straw. For some, a float combines the refreshment of a beverage with the cool relief of a frozen dessert all in one, with a combination of flavors being superior to either individually. 
     However, when making floats, a problem can arise when mixing the frozen treat with a beverage. Root beer, orange soda, and other beverages, especially carbonated beverages, tend to foam up significantly when poured from a can or bottle into a glass containing ice cream or another frozen treat. Sometimes, the beverage may fill only a fraction of the glass, while the foam rises to fill and even spill over the top of the glass. This creates a mess, as the foam may spill out. It also makes it difficult to pour as much of the beverage into the glass as is desired, without taking time or effort to remove the foam or cause the foam to subside, either by waiting for the foam&#39;s bubbles to burst, or by using a utensil of some sort to reduce or remove the foam. This dirties more utensils, takes time, increases the mess, and usually still leaves a substantial amount of foam beyond the desired amount. 
     Even if the beverage is poured in the glass before adding the frozen treat, the beverage can foam up, and it may splash when poured and cause a mess. The amount of foam may sometimes diminish somewhat if the beverage bottle or can is cooled before the beverage comes in contact with the frozen treat. However, foaming still occurs even if the beverage is cooled, and it is often desired to make a float using a beverage when there has been no time or opportunity to cool the beverage can or bottle in advance of making the float. 
     It is thus desirable to have a method of making floats that reduces the amount of foam in the float produced by the carbonated beverage with a minimum of effort and mess. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed to a method of preparing floats such as root beer floats, and an apparatus useful in making root beer and other float-type beverages. Disclosed is a strainer comprising a generally circular bottom section sized for insertion into a single-serving beverage container; a side section projecting substantially vertically from the bottom section and sized for insertion into a single-serving beverage container; at least one of the bottom and side sections being liquid permeable; the bottom section and side section separately or collectively capable of retaining ice pieces when the strainer is lifted from a single-serving beverage container. 
     Also disclosed is a method for removing at least some ice pieces from a container capable of holding a liquid comprising: placing a strainer capable of retaining ice pieces in a container capable of holding a liquid; adding ice to the container; placing a liquid in the container; and removing the strainer from the container. The remaining liquid can then be combined with a cold treat with significantly reduced foaming of the beverage. In one embodiment of the method, a liquid-permeable strainer capable of retaining a plurality of ice pieces is placed in a container capable of holding a carbonated beverage; a plurality of ice pieces are added to the container; a carbonated beverage is placed in the container such that the carbonated beverage is cooled; and the strainer is removed from the container. Ice cream or other frozen treats may be added to the beverage with significantly reduced foaming. Alternatively, the strainer device may be agitated in the container holding a beverage to release the carbonation prior to placing the beverage together with the cold treat. 
     The above summary is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an example embodiment of a strainer. 
         FIG. 2  shows a bottom section of the strainer of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows another example embodiment of a strainer. 
         FIG. 4  shows another example embodiment of a strainer. 
         FIG. 5  shows another example embodiment of a strainer. 
         FIG. 6  shows an example method for using a strainer. 
         FIG. 7  shows the strainer of  FIG. 1  having ice cubes therein and positioned in an example glass. 
         FIG. 8  shows the strainer and glass of  FIG. 7  with an example beverage being poured into the glass. 
         FIG. 9  shows the strainer and glass of  FIG. 8  with the strainer being partially removed from the glass. 
         FIG. 10  shows the glass of  FIG. 9  with the strainer completely removed therefrom. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is directed to a method of preparing floats such as root beer floats, and an apparatus useful in making root beer and other float-type beverages. 
     As used herein, “carbonated” beverages generally refers to beverages that are capable of generating bubbles or foam when poured, whether or not this capability arose through a process that would be considered by one of skill in the art to be a “carbonation” process or not. 
     One example embodiment of a strainer  10  is shown in  FIG. 1 . Strainer  10  as shown has a generally circular bottom section  18  connected to a generally cylindrical side section  22 . The strainer allows liquid to pass through it upon removal from glass, but has apertures or another straining structure to either retain foamy residue of carbonated beverage or to reduce the foamy residue by contacting bubble-like surfaces. 
     An optional gripping member  24  is connected to side section  22  and provides a surface to grip by hand or otherwise for lifting or moving the strainer. This gripping member  24  may project from side of strainer  10  so that the member  24  may rest on the top edge of a beverage container in which the strainer is placed for easier removal, especially when the strainer is shorter than the beverage container. 
     The strainer as shown is shaped generally cylindrically to fit within a drinking glass or other beverage container. The strainer need not be generally cylindrical, but can be shaped such that its width is generally narrower than the interior diameter of the beverage container with which it will be used. 
       FIG. 2  shows a bottom view of strainer  10  with bottom section  18 . The bottom section as shown is generally circular, but could be oval, square, or some other shape. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the strainer is liquid permeable through use of a wire mesh construction. Alternatively, either or both of the bottom or side sections of the strainer may use an alternative liquid permeable construction such as that shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an example strainer  30  with a bottom section  32 , side section  34  and optional grippable member  36  comprising a material having holes such as hole  38 . This construction may utilize an integrally formed plastic material. Alternatively, a combination of materials may be used. 
     Either the bottom or side sections may in whole or in part lack permeability, although one of the two sections may have some capability of allowing liquid to exit the strainer when it is removed from a beverage container while the strainer remains capable of retaining ice pieces. 
     For example,  FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of a strainer  70  wherein bottom section  72  and an upper section  76  of side section  74  are not permeable, but the remainder  78  of side section  74  is permeable to liquid. 
     As another alternative, the strainer may have a construction as shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  shows a strainer  80  with side section  86  shaped so that it also provides the bottom section through a tapering section  88  at the bottom. The tapering section may enclose the bottom, or generally narrow at the bottom to leave an opening. In the example shown, tapering section  88  of strainer  80  forms an inverted cone shape. 
     An example method of using the strainer is now described. As shown by flow chart  100  in  FIG. 6 , the strainer is placed in a beverage container such as a glass in step  102 . At step  106 , ice cubes or other ice pieces are placed in the strainer. When the strainer is in the glass and has ice (or some other beverage cooling material, although herein such materials are called “ice” to include both ice and such other materials, such as cooling plastic cubes) in it, it may have the appearance of  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a container such as glass  140 , holding strainer  10  having ice  150  inside. The order of steps may vary, but generally it is preferred to place the strainer in the container before placing the ice in the strainer. 
     With the ice in the strainer and container, the beverage is poured into the glass as indicated at step  110  of  FIG. 6 . Again, the beverage may be poured into the glass before the strainer with ice is added, but generally it is preferred to perform the steps in the order depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 8  shows one example of step  110 . A can  154  having a beverage  158  such as root beer or another carbonated beverage is poured into glass  140 . Foam  162  forms when the beverage  158  is poured into glass  140  having strainer  10  and retaining ice  150 . Liquid  166  is also retained in glass  140 . 
     In the example method shown, the liquid poured into the glass is a carbonated beverage such as root beer, a cola beverage, or a flavored soda such as orange or lemon-lime flavored soda. When the carbonated beverage contacts the ice, bubbles and/or foam (e.g., foam  162 ) may be created, and the beverage will probably be cooled (depending in part on its temperature when poured). Typically, the bubbling or foam production will slow and bubbles or foam disappear within a few seconds or moments. 
     Once some amount of time has passed after the beverage and ice contact each other, the strainer is lifted out of the container as indicated at step  114  of  FIG. 6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the optional gripping member  24  may (or may not) be used for this step. When the strainer  10  is removed from the glass  140 , the liquid  166  generally remains in the container, while the portions of the ice  150  that do not melt or slip through the strainer will be removed from the container along with the strainer. Depending on such factors as the size of the ice pieces and the amount of time that the ice sits in the container, the ice may be a significant portion of the ice added to the strainer originally, or not. 
     The strainer may be removed to another location, such as a sink or bowl, where the ice may be dumped out, allowed to melt, or retained for possible re-use. 
     Once the strainer is removed, ice cream or other suitable cold food such as sherbet, ice milk, frozen yogurt, or gelato, is added to the container to make a float. This step is described at step  118  of  FIG. 6  and in  FIG. 10 . Because the liquid  166  in the glass  140  has already had an opportunity to bubble or create foam, i.e. has “lost its fizz” at least in part, the additional of the cold food  170  will typically generate substantially less foaming or bubbling than would be generated had the beverage been poured into the container having the cold food inside. This allows the container to retain a greater amount of the beverage and cold food without having as much foam and with the combination less likely to overflow the container. 
     Alternatively, ice generally cools the beverage directly, but may also cool the strainer or the glass, for example when the strainer is made of metal. In that situation, the ice may be added to the strainer to make the strainer cold, and then removed before the beverage is poured in. The strainer may also be made of a material that would allow it to be placed in a freezer to be cooled down, then inserted into the beverage container and used to cool the beverage without adding ice at all. 
     Often, once the cold food is added, there maybe room in the container to pour more beverage in. An optional additional step includes adding more of beverage, such as the carbonated beverage originally poured into the container. Even though the added carbonated beverage may retain significant “fizz” or carbonation when poured, and create some foam such as foam  174  in  FIG. 10 , generally adding a beverage to the container already having the cold food and some beverage in the glass will generate less foaming or bubbling than had the above-described process not been followed, and excess foaming and spillage will this still be avoided. 
     By using the strainer structure described herein, with the various methods described or otherwise, root beer floats, orange floats, and other drinks incorporating carbonated beverages and cold foods can be enjoyed with more of the beverage and food in the container, and less foam, bubbles, and mess. 
     In example embodiments, the generally cylindrical shape for the strainer also provides the advantage of fitting easily in the proper location for receiving ice under automatic ice dispensers as are found, for example, on the front of many refrigerators. The strainer can, but not necessarily, have a rigid construction that facilitates activation of a lever that typically initiates dispensing ice from such ice dispensers. 
     The present disclosure should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects as fairly set out in the attached claims. Various modifications, equivalent processes, as well as numerous structures may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the instant specification.