Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Case 2971-CIP
A CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING,
AND SERVING HOT BEVERAGES
TECHNICAL FIELD
05
The present invention relates to hand-held
containers for dispensing hot beverages, and more
specifically to a hand-held and floatingly-lidded
container for collecting, preserving and dispensing
coffee beverages.
The preparation, storing and serving of such
beverages as hot chocolate, coffee end tea or of
such foods as bouillons and soups, present unique
logistical problems which render most available
vessels inadequate for the above-stated purposes.
Such well known containers as the ubiquitous coffee
pot, or urns of traditional design can be efficiently
employed to heat and serve a pourable comestible.
The most significant problems are encountered when
the above-mentioned containers are used to maintain
such products for prolonged periods of time. For
example, coffee which is stored in traditional
covered containers, oxidizes upon exposure to and
interaction with the surrounding air. This inter-
action gives rise to off-flavors, rendering the
product unacceptable to consumer tastes. Loss of
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aromatic and desirable volatiles from the exposed
surface of the liquid is also a detrimental factor.
As the void between the upper level of the comestible
and any stationary cover increases, the potential
05 for exposure to outside atmospheric contamination
increases as does the potential for the loss of
endogenous volatiles.
The problem of oxidation of and loss of volatiles
from flowable foodstuffs, which must be kept, in a
heated condition, for extended periods of time is
well-known in the art. In fact, there axe several
prior art references which disclose specific embodi-
ments for enclosing a liquid foodstuff beneath a
sealing member to prevent oxidation or contamination.
U.S. Patent 551,540 discloses such an appliance that
has a floating lid which seals liquid within a
container U.S. Patent 1,948,353 shows a similar
article, as does U.S. Patent, 3,804,635.
U.S. Patent 3,987,941 issued to Blessing,
discloses a container for preserving liquids or
other liquid food products wherein a cylindrical
container is itted with a follower lid which is
supported by the upper level of the liquid and
descends downward as the contents of the container
are dispensed via a spigot located thereinbelow.
This reference discloses a lid which adaptively
employs a flexible seal, said seal being attached to
the perimeter of the round lid so that an essentially
air tight relationship relative to the liquid food
product results. The lid is of a diameter which at
least equals the inside diameter of the vessel in
Blessings design. Moreover, the above-cited design
must be incorporated into a non-pourable, static
"urn-type" dispensing appliance. Under these design
constraints the contents can never be poured from
the container, for the lid would tumble out of the
container. A spigot located along the bottom well
of the tank is the sole egress means for removing
the heated beverage from the reservoir. In fact,
05 the lid is weighted so that its center of gravlty is
as low as possible and is located at the center
point of the lid; it is designed so that its travel
path is restricted to an upward and downward movement
making it impossible to tilt the appliance and the
lid to thereby effect pouring.
U.S. Patent 3,974,75a to Stone discloses the
use of a sealed or unsealed follower lid in a
straight-walled, pour-type coffee maker. This
patent further discloses the use of a coventional
pour spout of relatively small cross-sectional area
wherPin coffee from the bottom of the coffee maker
is poured from the spout or the use of pour lip at
the upper of the coffee maker whereby coffee is
removed from the top of the coffee maker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a
follower lid for preventing oxidation of and loss of
volatiles from such hot, liquid comestibles as
coffee, tea, soup or the like and which lid can be
used in combination with hand-held, straight-walled
vessels from which the liquids are dispersed by
pouring. The follower lid is disposed within an
essentially cylindrical vessel with the lid being of
a diameter which is less than the inside diameter of
the vessel, and being designed to float above the
hot liquid. The floatingly retained lid is not
confined to a simple upward and downward travelpath,
but is able to conform to the angle end to the level
of the surface of the liquid, allowing for said
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beverage to be poured from the vessel, while at the
same time retaining the lid within said vessel.
In order to permit proper functioning of the
lid it is necessary for the internal surface of the
05 bottom of the cylindrical, straight-walled vessel to
be planar. Depressed central portions or other
depressed or raised elements on this surface will
cause tbe lid to hang up on this surface as the last
portions of he coffee are poured from the vessel.
This hanging up of the lid could present a dangerous
situation to the consumer since the lid could tumble
from the vessel.
The follower lid may possess an internal
insulation barrier, which aids in maintaining the
liquid comestible in a heated condition. The
insulation within the follower lid acts as a thermal
barrier and may be comprised of insulating mater-
ials, an air space or a vacuum or a gas. The vessel
may be disposed under any of the several conventional
drip coffee maker units without mechanical alter-
ations of the unit. However, heat requirements from
a bottom heating plate or other heat source, used to
maintain the liquid at a constant elevated temp-
erature is significantly reduced. This results from
reduced heat loss from the liquid surface due to the
presence of the floating lid. If the heating unit
is equipped with a variable temperature control, a
low setting may be used to keep the coffee at serving
temperatures (typically 180F). If the heating unit
operates only at a preset temperature which is
sufficient to maintain the coffee at serving temper-
atures in the vessel without a follower lid, it will
be necessary to reduce contact between the bottom
surface of the vessel and the heating surface. Any
means ~e.g., a wire loop or ring or discrete elements
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or feet which are integral with and protrude from
the bottom surface of the vessel) which will permit
an air space to exist between the bottom of the
vessel and the heat source, may be used.
05 Not only does the present invention possess the
above enumerated advantage of providing an excellent
thermal barrier, but also the floatable lid which
essentially covers the liquid food or drink product
disposed thereinbelow preserves and protects the
commestible product from exogenous sources of contami-
nation, and greatly reduces loss of desirable aromatic
constituents contained within the liquid. The
present vessel and follower lid combination maintains
a liquid comestible (e.g. coffee) in an uncontaminated
state for use or sale and prevents the oxidation of
said comestibles, which is normally promoted by a
combination of high temperatures and constant ex
posure to air. The lid which floats on the surface
of the liquid comestible and covers almost totally
said liquid provides an environment that will be
resistive to evaporation or contamination. The
unique structural design of a floatingly retained
follower lid allows for pourability and preservation
of the liquid product. As will be recognized however,
the follower lid of this invention can be utilized
effectively in straight-walled urns from which
liquid is dispensed from a spigot located at the
bottom portion of the urn.
A further and totally unexpected advantage
which has been established for this invention is
what coffee brew flavor is enhanced over time.
Thus, not only is coffee which has been brewed and
maintained for several hours under the protective,
floating lid of this invention greatly preferred to
similarly brewed coffee which has been maintained
for a like period of time in an identical pot without
a floating lid but the coffee which has been stored
for several hours under the lid is preferred to
freshly brewed coffee. It is hypothesized that this
enhancement or improvement in coffee flavor is due
to favorable interactions among the retained
volatiles, which volatiles, if not for the presence
of the floating lid, would either escape from or be
constantly refluxing above the surface of the brewed
coffee, and/or to reactions by non oxidized components
of the brew.
It has been further found that, with respect to
brewed coffee, when milk or cream is added to a
coffee brew which has been maintained for several
houxs under the floating lid of this invention a
desirable golden brown color results comparable to
the color obtained when milk or cream is added to
freshly brewed coffee. The addition of milk or
cream to coffee brew which has been exposed to the
atmosphere for several hours results in the brew
developing an undesirable grey cast.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a
hand held container in combination with the follower
lid of this invention, for preserving and serving
hot beverages;
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along lines
2-2 of Figure 1 showing th operative kinetics as
the lid rests within the upper surfaces of the
liquid comestible; and
Figure 3 is a sectional view of another embodi-
ment of the floating follower lid in combination
with a filled container.
, ,
I
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring more specifically to the drawings,
wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout,
Figure 1 shows a person pouring a liquid comestible
05 from the container and lid combination which embraces
the present invention, said container and lid combi-
nation shall be generally referred to by the numeral
10. Figure 1 provides a view of the beverage con-
tainer in a filled condition, and shows the overall
relation between beverage container and lid 10 and a
receptacle 34 located thereinbelow and situated to
receive said liquid contents. The most prominent
feature of this preferred embodiment of the present
invention as illustrated is the fact that the beverage
may by one-handedly poured without affecting the
functioning of the floatingly retained follower lid
20.
Figure 1 best illustrates the present invention's
ability to pour hot liquids as for example, coffee,
while keeping said beverage in a non-oxidized state
and free from contamination. The lid, as one can
see, floats on the top of liquid comestible 36 and
within normal pouring angle limits will be retained
within the uppermost boundaries of said liquid so
that said liguid comestible may be poured from
vessel 12 via spout 16 into awaiting receptacle 34.
Lidded container 10 is designed for "easy fill-
ing", said container being acceptably adapted to be
placed beneath any one of several electric drip-type
coffee makers. Lid 20 may be placed within empty
vessel 12 before the electric drip maker is activated,
thereby allowing said coffee to stream over the upper
lid surface. Preferably this surface is outwardly
convex in shape as shown in Figs. and 3.
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This upper arcing surface 24 of lid 20 acts as a
channel to guide the dripping coffee over said upper
surface and under said lid. As vessel 12 becomes
illed, the lid 20 will float on top of finished
05 beverage product 36, the lid rising with the level
of said beverage. An alternate method would be to
allow the vest 12 to fill and then grasping knob
22 manually place the lid 20 over and on top of the
contents retained therein. As one can see, by
Figure 1, the ability to pour the heated beverage
from the lidded container 10 into a cup necessitates
a bouyant lid that will adjust to the level and
angle of the food product contained within.
It is also within the scope of this invention
to fashion a drip-type coffee maker wherein the
coffee basket is placed directly on top of the
floating lid which lid would be placed at the bottom
of the coffee pot before the start of the coffee-
making cycle. Accordingly to this embodiment the
lid and basket would move up in the pot as the pot
fills with coffee. When operating in this manner
exposure of brewed coffee to the air is further
reduced, since the distance the brewed coffee must
traverse between the bottom of the basket and the
protection afforded beneath the floating lid is at a
minimum. Typically the basket will be in direct
contact with the lid at only the central portion of
the upper lid surface, in order that flow of liquid
through the coffee basket is not hindered.
Figure 2 clearly illustrates the relationship
displayed by floatingly retained follower lid 20 as
it tracks the angle of the liquid comestible held
within the lidded container 10. As a preerred
embodiment, the lid 20 is essentially hollow, advan-
tageously employing a boyancy line and point of
gravity that will, at all times, exert sufficient
force downward to retain the lid within the upper
surface of the beverage. In this configuration the
forces which are explained or more fully elucidated
05 hereinbelow, which interact against lid 20 in essence
hold lid 20 within the surface of the liquid or
comestible 36.
Figures 1 and 2 clearly elucidate a most unique
feature of the present invention. When vessel 12 is
utilized for pouring a liguid a unique phenomeon may
be observed concomitant with said use. When a
person grasps liddPd container 10 by handle means 18
and pours liquid comestible 36 therefrom and into
rQceptacle 34 said receptacle beins like the illus-
trated coffee cup, follower lid 20l remains relativelystationary within said vessel. Hence, when vessel
12 is placed in a vertical orientation relative to
the resting surface, said surface being like a
heating unit of an electric coffee maker, lid 20
will track said beverage to effectively seal said
beverage from outside contaminants and protect said
beverage thereby from heat loss. Floating lid 20 is
held within the surface of the retained beverage for
a variety of reasons, which are direclty related to
the design of said lid. The lid is designed so that
its bottom surface is essentially flat as shown in
Fig. 2 or slightly convex in shape as shown is
Fig. 3. A biconvex-shaped lid will float at a
higher level and facilitate grasping an upstanding
knob or handle without the consumers fingers coming
into contact with hot liquid.
The floatingly ratained lid is designed so that
there is an equal material distribution of weight
within said hollowed lid; the result being that the
center of gravity and bouyancy lie on the same
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vertical line. Therefore, the force xerted by the
top is such that it can be directed radially outward
and downward relative to said product. Hence, when
a person grips handle 18 of lidded container 10 to
05 pour contents from said vessel, floating follower
lid 20 will be held within and on the surface of
said pourable comestible 36. Moreover, the inherent
design of said lid which allows for a shallow draught,
permits floating follower lid 20 to reside within
the upper boundary layer of a liquid comestible 36.
Knob 22 provides a means for the extraction of
lid 20 from vessel 12. Said knob assembly is pre-
ferably integral with upper convex surface 24 but as
an alternate embodiment may be astened thereto.
Figure 3 shows most clearly the manner in which
one embodiment of lid 20 is disposed within vessel
12. Lid 20, as one can see, is of essentially
hollow construction and possesses a void within
upper arcing surface wall 24 and lower outwardly
arcing wall 26. The resulting bi-convex shape has a
hollow void which may be filled with a variety of
insulation materials including air or other inert
insulating gases or perhaps even a vacuum. Said
void creates a superior heat-holding insulating area
that will provide a barrier for keeping stored heat
within the vessel, thereby reducing energy needs for
maintaining desired temperatures.
As shown in Fig. 2 the internal surface of the
bottom of the vessel is planar so as to eliminate
the possibility of the edge of the float hanging up
on any non-planar elements located on the bottom
surface as the float edge passes across this bottom
surface while the last portions of liguid are poured
from the vessel.
D 'I. '!3"i'
The lidded vessel shown in Fig. 2 would be most
suitable for use in combination with a heating
platen which is equipped with temperature control
means. In this mannex boiling of the coffee can be
05 avoided by regulating the temperature. Should it be
desired to use the vessel of Fiy. 2 in combination
with conventional, existing electric drip coffee
makers, which do not have temperature control and
are set to maintain coffee having a. exposed surface
at serving temperature, ik would be necessary to
reduce the heat input to coffee which is protected
and insulated by a floating lid. Such heat reduction
could be conveniently effected by spacer means
(e.g., wire loop or screen) inserted hetwaen the
vessel and the platen 50 that at least a portion of
the heat which is emitted from the heat source is
dissipated to the surrounding air without passing
into the coffee liquid.
If the use of a separate insert element is
desired to be avoided, the same function may be
served by providing the exterior bottom of vessel
with two or more protrusions such as multiple raised
straight ribs, curved ribs or hemispherical members.
These protrusions must, of course, be uniformly
spaced or oriented across the bottom of the vessel
so that the vessel will be stable and not tilt while
resting on a flat surface. Preferably the vessel
will be fabricated of glass or a clear plastic
material and the desired protrusion will be molded
with the bottom of the vessel.
When the lid 20 is made of glass or glass like
material, a hydrophobic food-approved polymeric
material is desirable as a coating over the lid.
The coating should, at a minimum, extend around the
peripheral surface of the lid and can extend to
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envelope the entire lid, such as shown at reference
numeral 30 in jig. 3. The polymer must be heat
resistant and not degrade under repeated exposure to
acidic comestibles or high temperatures. Moreover,
05 the polymer should be of a type that does not readily
bind aromas or absorb odors. For example, the
following polymers are suitable, polypropylene,
polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephalate, poly-
carbonate and nylon to name a few of what is an
endless list of materials. Hydrophobic~polymers are
especially suited for the above-stated task since
they do not degrade upon exposure to high temperature
and/or acid or alkaline environments. Alternatively,
it would be possible to fabricate the entire lid
from polymeric materials. The vessel may be fabri-
cated from glass, ceramic or metal material, but in
the hand-held vessel form is preferably of glass.
Floating follower lid 20 is of a diameter that
is from 90% to less than 100% of the internal diameter
of the vessel depicted as the distance between the
inner wall surfaces 32a and 32b shown in Fig. 3.
Preferably, the lid is at least 95%, most preferably
at least 99% of the internal diameter of the vessel.
As an alternate embodiment of the present
invention, as shown in Fig. 2, the lid according may
be designed with an essentially flat bottom surface.
A flat bottom construction for the lid might enable
a less complex manufacturing method to be utilized.
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