Beverage aeration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694328-B2
Application number	US-201615046657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2016
Priority date	May 31, 2012
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A beverage package includes a bottle including a base, a sidewall extending from the base, a shoulder extending from the sidewall, and a neck extending from the shoulder and including an interior, an interior surface, and a mouth having an end surface. The beverage package also includes an aerator separate from the bottle, extending across the interior of the bottle neck, and disposed entirely within the interior of the neck and spaced axially from the end surface of the bottle neck, and including an inlet end, an outlet end axially spaced from the inlet end, an outer wall in contact with the interior surface of the bottle neck, and a baffle disposed radially inwardly of the outer wall and axially between the inlet and outlet ends.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A beverage package that includes:
a bottle including a base, a sidewall extending from the base, a shoulder extending from the sidewall, and a neck extending from the shoulder and including an interior, an interior surface, and a mouth having an end surface; and
an aerator separate from the bottle, extending across the interior of the bottle neck, and disposed entirely within the interior of the neck and spaced axially from the end surface of the bottle neck, and including an inlet end, an outlet end axially spaced from the inlet end, an outer wall in contact with the interior surface of the bottle neck, and a baffle disposed radially inwardly of the outer wall and axially between the inlet and outlet ends.

2. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the bottle includes an aerator retention feature integral with the interior surface of the bottle neck.

3. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the bottle includes an annular projection extending radially inwardly from the interior surface of the bottle neck, and the aerator includes an annular shoulder axially spaced from the inlet end of the aerator for cooperation with the projection of the bottle to retain the aerator within the bottle neck.

4. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the bottle includes an annular depression in the interior surface of the bottle neck, and the aerator includes an annular projection extending radially outwardly from the outer wall for cooperation with the depression of the bottle to retain the aerator within the bottle neck.

5. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the aerator is retained within the bottle neck by frictional fit between the aerator outer wall and the bottle neck interior surface.

6. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the aerator is a unitary article of manufacture.

7. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein a stopper is received within the bottle neck axially between the aerator and the open end of the bottle, and the aerator includes a retainer extending in a direction downstream from the outlet end and being coupled to the stopper, and further wherein the retainer includes at least one spike.

8. The beverage package set forth in claim 7 wherein the at least one spike includes a plurality of spikes radially spaced apart and extending from the aerator outer wall.

9. The beverage package set forth in claim 7 wherein the at least one spike includes a plurality of spikes extending from a central portion of the aerator.

10. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the aerator includes a hub connected to the outer wall by the baffle.

11. The beverage package set forth in claim 10 wherein the baffle includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced vanes.

12. The beverage package set forth in claim 11 wherein the hub is disposed at the downstream end and the vanes are sail-shaped with radially extending sides and incurvate shaped sides.

13. The beverage package set forth in claim 11 wherein the vanes are helical-shaped with excurvate sides.

14. The beverage package set forth in claim 11 wherein the hub is disposed between the upstream and downstream ends and the vanes are spoke-shaped.

15. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the aerator includes a conduit disposed radially inwardly of the outer wall, and a transverse wall extending transversely between the conduit and the outer wall and including at least one aperture.

16. The beverage package set forth in claim 15 wherein the transverse wall is a frusto-conical funnel with a smaller diameter axially spaced from the upstream end of the aerator.

17. The beverage package set forth in claim 15 wherein the aerator conduit includes apertures extending radially therethrough and the baffle extends transversely across the aerator conduit and bisects the aerator conduit apertures.

18. The beverage package set forth in claim 17 wherein the baffle is a separate component coupled to the aerator conduit at the downstream end of the aerator.

19. The beverage package set forth in claim 15 wherein the aerator includes a longitudinally extending opening through the outer wall to circumferentially interrupt the outer wall.

20. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the baffle includes a frusto-conical wall extending in a radially inward and axially upstream direction from the aerator outer wall and including a central aperture and a plurality of other aperture disposed radially outwardly of the central aperture.

21. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the baffle includes a plurality of transverse walls extending radially inwardly from the outer wall and wherein at least one of the walls includes a plurality of apertures misaligned with respect to another plurality of apertures of at least one of the other transverse walls.

22. The beverage package set forth in claim 21 wherein the aerator includes an upstream portion and a downstream portion coupled to the upstream portion, and the plurality of transverse walls includes an upstream wall integral with the upstream portion, a downstream wall integral with the downstream portion, an intermediate upstream wall separately coupled to the upstream portion in a location downstream of the upstream wall, and an intermediate downstream wall separately coupled to the downstream portion in a location upstream of the downstream wall.

23. The beverage package set forth in claim 1 wherein the baffle includes a hub connected to the outer wall by another portion of the baffle that includes spokes, and wherein another portion of the baffle includes projections extending at a non-zero angle with respect to a plane established by the spokes and at a non-zero angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the package.

24. The beverage package set forth in claim 23 wherein the aerator includes a frusto-conical inner wall extending from the outer wall at the upstream end, another frusto-conical inner wall extending from the outer wall at the downstream end, and wherein the hub is frusto-conical with a smaller diameter at an upstream end and a larger diameter at a downstream end.

Assignees

• Owens Brockway Glass Container

Inventors

• Smith Roger P

Classifications

• B65D23/00 Primary

  Details of bottles or jars not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B65D85/72

  for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials · CPC title

• B65D1/023

  Neck construction · CPC title

• B65D39/0005

  made in one piece (B65D39/02, B65D39/04, B65D39/06, B65D39/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01F3/04751

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic