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| United States Patent Application |
20090020542
|
| Kind Code
|
A1
|
|
Bauer; Alen Joseph
|
January 22, 2009
|
Self-cooling plastic drink bottle
Abstract
The present invention relates to a transiently-extant drink bottle. The
drink bottle is formed from joining two separate closed internal
compartments, each compartment capable of holding a unique drinking
fluid. Joining of the compartments allows for greater consumer choice in
beverage selection as well as cooling of one beverage through its
non-contact proximity to a frozen beverage. The transient nature of the
proximity of closed internal compartments allows for multiple use and
combination of drinking fluids.
| Inventors: |
Bauer; Alen Joseph; (Jerusalem, IL)
|
| Correspondence Address:
|
ALAN JOSEPH BAUER
49 USSISHKIN STREET
JERUSALEM
94542
IL
|
| Serial No.:
|
011047 |
| Series Code:
|
12
|
| Filed:
|
January 24, 2008 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
220/592.17; 215/6; 62/60 |
| Class at Publication: |
220/592.17; 215/6; 62/60 |
| International Class: |
B65D 83/72 20060101 B65D083/72; B65D 1/24 20060101 B65D001/24; B65B 63/08 20060101 B65B063/08 |
Claims
1. A closable fluid holding compartment having a joining face on the
exterior of the compartment, the joining face having at least one
protrusion and at least one indentation for joining to a complementary
joining face of another closable fluid holding compartment.
2. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 1, wherein the at least
one protrusion is symmetrical to the at least one indentation.
3. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 2, wherein the closable
fluid holding compartment is manufactured from PET.
4. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 3, wherein the at least
one protrusion and at least one indentation are in a form of one or more
alphanumerics.
5. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 4, wherein the form of
one or more alphanumerics form the word COLA.
6. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 5, wherein the
compartment is filled with a fluid through a closable opening in the
compartment, and the opening is thereafter closed by a cap.
7. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 6, wherein the fluid
filled-compartment is frozen.
8. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 7, wherein the another
closable fluid holding compartment is filled with a fluid, and the
closable fluid holding compartment is joined to the another closable
fluid holding compartment to provide cooling to the fluid in the another
closable fluid holding compartment.
9. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 8, wherein the joining
face is substantially identical to the complementary joining face of the
another closable fluid holding compartment.
10. The closable fluid holding compartment of claim 9, wherein the
closable fluid holding compartment is substantially identical to the
another fluid holding compartment.
11. A method of cooling a fluid in a first fluid holding container,
comprising:freezing the contents of a second fluid holding container;
and,joining the second fluid holding container to the first fluid holding
container via a complementary attachment on each of the first and second
fluid holding containers, whereby the frozen contents of the second fluid
holding container provides proximity cooling to the fluid in the first
fluid holding container.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the complementary attachment of each
container comprise a symmetrical arrangement of at least one of an
indentation and a protrusion on the exterior of each container.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second containers are
manufactured from PET.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one of an indentation and
a protrusion are in a form of one or more alphanumerics.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the form of one or more alphanumerics
form the word COLA.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second container are
each closed with a cap covering an opening in each container.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the contents of the second container
is a volume of the first fluid in addition to the first fluid in the
first container.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the contents of the second container
is a second fluid.
19. A transiently-extant plastic drink bottle, comprising:a first closable
fluid holding compartment having a first joining face on the exterior of
the first compartment, the first joining face having at least one
protrusion and at least one indentation; and a second closable fluid
holding compartment having a second joining face on the exterior of the
second compartment, the second joining face having at least one
indentation and at least one protrusion complementary to the respective
at least one protrusion and at least one indentation of the first joining
face, the second compartment being joined to the first compartment by the
first and second joining faces, wherein on the first joining face the at
least one protrusion is symmetrical to the at least one indentation, and
on the second joining face the at least one indentation is symmetrical to
the at least one protrusion.
20. The transiently-extant plastic drink bottle of claim 19, wherein at
least one of the first and second compartments are filled with a fluid
that is frozen.
Description
[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No.
11/826,411, filed 16 Jul. 2007; and U.S. application No. 60/989,814,
filed 22 Nov. 2007, which applications are hereby incorporated by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002]The present invention relates to drink bottles, and particularly to
having distinct compartments.
BACKGROUND
[0003]During summer months or at times of prolonged exercise, cooled
drinking fluids are preferred. General methods of cooling fluids for
drinking involve three approaches: placing the fluid of interest into a
refrigerator; or, placing the fluid of interest in a plastic drink bottle
in a freezer unit of a refrigerator; or, adding ice or ice equivalents to
the drinking fluid. All three methods have inherent weaknesses. Fluids
cooled in a standard refrigerator generally return to room temperature
within one hour (depending on specific atmospheric conditions). Fluids
placed in a freezer are generally not available for consumption until a
significant amount of the fluid has thawed. At that time, the fluid
composition (and taste) has changed due to the uneven thawing of fluid
components. And finally, adding ice to a fluid is not always possible for
small-neck bottles, and the added ice inherently dilutes the original
drinking fluid and makes it less appealing. There are water bottles that
sport an undrinkable "freezer stick" that may be frozen prior to its
addition to the contents of the water bottle. The problem with said
freezer sticks is that they do not cool fluids well (due to their
necessarily small size) and they take up precious volume with material
that is not consumed by a user. The material in the freezer stick (water
and gel) reduces the volume of available fluids in a fixed bottle volume.
This weakness and that of its poor cooling characteristics for room
temperature drinks make for an unsatisfactory fluid cooling system.
[0004]In U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,040 to Yates, there is described the
production method for a drink bottle with two proximate and separate
compartments. Yates' invention has found application in hard-plastic
reusable water bottles favored by athletes (see e.g. www.swigz.com) and
applies to a single bottle with two fixed and non-removable components.
As described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/826,411, the present
invention allows for cooling of a drinking fluid by virtue of the fluid's
non-contact proximity to a frozen drinking fluid in a separate
compartment. While Yates does specifically teach multiple unique
beverages in separate adjacent "cavities", he does not teach or
reasonably suggest cooling of one fluid by passive action of a second,
frozen fluid in non-contact proximity. Additionally, while Yates mentions
bottle compartments attached through the use of "male" and "female"
components, he does not describe a bottle whose separate compartments may
be identical and are sold separately, and whose mechanism of attachment
of said compartments is performed through joining of indentations and
protrusions on a single side of said compartments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005]In embodiments of the present invention, there can be provided the
ability to cool a drinking fluid without dilution or damage to said
drinking fluid. For example, aspects of the present invention allow for
transient joining of two or more closed internal compartments to form a
single transiently-extant plastic drink bottle. Transient joining may be
performed either at the point of manufacture--before or after filling--or
by a retailer or user post-manufacture. The transient nature of joining
closed internal compartments tends to provide an advantage in providing
an ability to switch between multiple closed internal compartments,
whereas in the prior art, such as the bottle described in U.S. Pat. No.
7,157,040, one must either finish or remove remaining drink present in
the cavities should one wish to change beverages. In the present
invention as described below, one may detach closed internal compartments
and then reattach one of the compartments with a completely different
closed internal compartment harboring a different beverage. Additionally,
the ability to fully separate drinking cavities allows for freezing of
the drinking liquid contents of a single closed internal compartment.
Thus, in place of having to place a plastic drink bottle with all of its
contents into a freezer in order to have a cold drink, one may instead
freeze drinking fluid contents of a single closed internal compartment
and then remove the closed internal compartment from the freezer so as to
attach the closed internal compartment containing frozen drinking fluid
to a second, closed internal compartment with drinking fluid at room or
refrigerator temperature.
[0006]In certain embodiments, protrusions and indentations may be used in
joining the closed internal compartments, and they serve not only to form
a complete transiently-extant plastic drink bottle, but they also aid in
the rapid cooling of fluids. As protrusions of a first compartment with
frozen drink enter into indentations of a second compartment containing
warmer temperature beverage, the proximate ice can cool the
warmer-temperature drinking fluid. And vice-versa, namely, the presence
of warmer-temperature drinking fluid in the attaching protrusions found
in the indentations of the ice-containing compartment speeds the cooling
of warmer drinking fluid.
[0007]It will be appreciated that in addition to the methods for
transiently attaching closed internal compartments detailed below, there
are additional ways of transiently joining two or more closed internal
compartments. For example, one could put hinges on the side of the closed
internal compartments that allow the compartments to snap together.
Alternatively, one could build a special base or neck that holds the two
closed internal compartments together. Additionally, one could put Velcro
or similar material on a flat joining face of the closed internal
compartment to facilitate joining. Still yet, one could put a stretch
belt around two closed internal compartments to hold them together in a
transient manner.
[0008]One aspect of a transient attachment method is to have all of the
attachment elements--protrusions and indentations for example--on a
single side, or joining face, of a closed internal compartment. This
exemplary arrangement implies two possibilities: [0009]1) Manufacture
of re-usable or disposable bottles can continue to be the standard PET
blow molding technology. It is possible to have the only change as
involving the specific shape of the mold used to form the product
bottles. PET blanks ("preforms") can remain unchanged. [0010]2) Having
all of the protrusions and indentations of a closed internal compartment
on a single joining face (see e.g. FIGS. 8-9) means that two closed
compartments with joining faces opposite one another may yield
protrusions of one compartment directly facing indentations of the other
closed internal compartment. Such an arrangement tends to allow easy
joining of closed internal compartments to form a single plastic drink
bottle.
[0011]Embodiments of the present invention thus have direct applicability
for disposable PET soft drink bottles that are sold in the tens of
millions of units in the United States each day. Additionally, the
present invention need not involve any change in methodology for beverage
bottle preparation with any alteration being reserved for the molds from
which the PET bottles are formed, which molds of course are routinely
changed as a function of marketing and style in any event. Finally, the
present invention can allows for cooling of one drinking fluid by its
non-fluid contact proximity to another, frozen, drinkable fluid (once
thawed).
[0012]An aspect of the present invention offers a method for providing
minimally two drinking fluids in a single beverage container. The
container, generally realized as a drink bottle, may be used for
successful, dilution-free cooling of a drinking fluid.
[0013]In an embodiment, there is a plastic drink bottle and a disposable
drink bottle that minimally include two distinct closed internal
compartments that may be filled with drinking fluids. The bottle comes
with two external caps or one internal cap that allows for
user-controlled access to one or both of the drinking fluids. One may
fill one of the closed internal compartments with a first drinking fluid
and freeze said drinking fluid in a freezer. Adding a second drinking
fluid to a second drinking compartment and joining closed internal
compartments to form a single plastic drink bottle allows for cooling of
second drinking fluid through its proximity to frozen first drinking
fluid. After the first drinking fluid has thawed, it too may be imbibed.
The frozen first drinking fluid cools the second drinking fluid while the
second drinking fluid warms up the frozen first drinking fluid to allow
for the latter's consumption after thawing. Together, the drinking fluids
combine for an extended period of cold drink enjoyment during summer heat
or athletic activity.
[0014]Embodiments of the present invention described herewith further
relate to a transiently-extant drink bottle composed of joinable and
separable closed internal compartments, wherein these compartments can
each hold a drinking fluid.
[0015]Another aspect of the present invention provides for a plastic drink
bottle having two closed internal compartments, the closed internal
compartments being able to hold a first drinking fluid and a second
drinking fluid, such that a user may access the first drinking fluid
independent of said second drinking fluid.
[0016]In one aspect of the invention, each closed internal compartment has
an external cap.
[0017]In another aspect of the invention, the closed internal compartments
are filled with a first drinking fluid and a second drinking fluid after
manufacture and prior to sale.
[0018]In an additional aspect of the invention, joining of the separate
closed internal compartments is performed by a user who may select closed
internal compartments containing different drinking fluids.
[0019]In still another aspect of the invention, the closed internal
compartments are manufactured with protrusions and indentations on one
side of the closed internal compartments. By placing the protrusions of
one closed internal compartment into the indentations of another closed
internal compartment, one may form a single plastic drink bottle.
[0020]In yet another aspect of the invention, the volume and shape of the
closed internal compartments as well as the surface area between them are
optimized for cooling of a drinking fluid added to one of the closed
internal compartments through this fluid's proximity to a frozen drinking
fluid in a second closed internal compartment. The closed internal
compartments may be of different volumes and shapes and may interlock to
form a single plastic drink bottle.
[0021]In an additional aspect of the invention, the closed internal
compartments are separated by a plastic separator that runs the entire
height of the plastic drink bottle. The thickness of the separator may be
modified during bottle production to modulate the rate of heat transfer
between drinking fluids in the separate closed internal compartments.
[0022]Another aspect of the invention additionally includes a method for
cooling a drinking fluid, including the steps of preparing minimally two
closed internal compartments able to receive drinking fluids; filling a
first closed internal compartment with a drinking fluid and closing said
internal compartment with a cap; placing said first closed internal
compartment with drinking fluid into a freezer for a period of time that
allows for freezing of the drinking fluid in the first closed internal
compartment; removing said first closed internal compartment from the
freezer; adding a second drinking fluid to a second closed internal
compartment such that the second drinking fluid is in non-contact
proximity to frozen first drinking fluid.
[0023]One aspect of the method has water as the drinking fluid added to
the first closed internal compartment.
[0024]Another aspect of the method has a separate external cap associated
with each closed internal compartment.
[0025]Another aspect of the invention includes a disposable drinking
bottle having two closed internal compartments manufactured separately
and joined together to form a single disposable drinking bottle. The
disposable drinking bottle includes either two external caps or one
internal cap that allows for user-controlled access to drinking fluids in
one or both of the closed internal compartments.
[0026]One aspect of the invention has the separately manufactured closed
internal compartments being joined together prior to addition of drinking
fluids to the closed internal compartments.
[0027]One further aspect of the invention has the separately manufactured
closed internal compartments being joined together after addition of
drinking fluids to the closed internal compartments.
[0028]Another aspect of the present inventions provides for a
transiently-extant plastic drink bottle being comprised of two closed
internal compartments, each internal compartment being capable of holding
a drinking fluid and joining faces of the closed internal compartments
being complementary.
[0029]Additionally, the transiently-extant plastic drink bottle has an
external cap covering an opening for each closed internal compartment.
[0030]In a further aspect of the invention, the transiently-extant plastic
drink bottle sports closed internal compartments having protrusions and
indentations on a joining face of each compartment such that protrusions
of one closed internal compartment can be fitted into indentations of the
other closed internal compartment.
[0031]In another aspect of the invention, the transiently-extant plastic
drink bottle is composed from closed internal compartments made from PET.
[0032]In still another aspect of the invention, the volume and shape of
said transiently-extant plastic drink bottle as well as the size and
dispositions of said protrusions and indentations are optimized for
cooling of a drinking fluid added to one of the closed internal
compartments of the transiently-extant plastic drink bottle.
[0033]In yet another aspect of the invention, the closed internal
compartments with or without beverage are sold separately.
[0034]In still another aspect of the invention, a transiently-extant drink
bottle is formed from joining protrusions and indentations associated
with closed internal compartments. The protrusions and indentations may
assume the form of letters, symbols or numbers. The protrusions and
indentations might spell words such as Pepsi.TM., Coke.TM. or the phrase
Coca Cola.TM. (sometimes written as one work Coca-Cola.TM.).
[0035]Another aspect of the invention includes a method for providing
cooled drinking fluid for an extended period of time, including the steps
of: preparing two closed internal compartments, each closed internal
compartment being able to receive a drinking fluid; filling a first
closed internal compartment with a drinking fluid and closing the
internal compartment with a cap; placing the first closed internal
compartment with drinking fluid into a freezer for a period of time that
allows for freezing of the drinking fluid in the first closed internal
compartment; removing the first closed internal compartment from said
freezer; adding a second drinking fluid to a second closed internal
compartment, such that the second drinking fluid is in non-contact
proximity to frozen first drinking fluid; and, joining first closed
internal compartment with the second closed internal compartment to form
a transiently-extant plastic drink bottle.
[0036]In an additional aspect of the method, each closed internal
compartment has protrusions and indentations on a joining face.
[0037]In yet another aspect of the method, the closed internal
compartments have separate external caps, one cap per closed internal
compartment.
[0038]In another aspect of the invention also includes a
transiently-extant drink bottle having two closed internal compartments
manufactured from PET and filled separately and then joined together to
form a single transiently-extant drink bottle. Joining may be performed
by manufacturer or user.
[0039]In yet another aspect of the invention, each closed internal
compartment has its own external cap covering an opening through which
the closed internal compartment may be filled with drinking fluid.
[0040]In still another aspect of the invention, the transiently-extant
drink bottle has separately manufactured closed internal compartments
that are joined together after addition of drinking fluids to each closed
internal compartment. Features of joining faces of the closed internal
compartments facilitate joining of the closed internal compartments to
form a transiently-extant drink bottle.
[0041]In a further aspect of the invention, there is a closable fluid
holding compartment having a joining face on the exterior of the
compartment. The joining face has at least one protrusion and at least
one indentation for joining to a complementary joining face of another
closable fluid holding compartment. The at least one protrusion may be
symmetrical to the at least one indentation. The closable fluid holding
compartment may be manufactured from PET. The at least one protrusion and
the at least one indentation may be in a form of one or more
alpha-numerals. The form of the one or more alphanumerics may form the
word COLA. The compartment may be filled with a fluid through a closable
opening in the compartment, and the opening may be thereafter closed by a
cap. The fluid filled-compartment may be frozen. Another closable fluid
holding compartment may be filled with a fluid, and the closable fluid
holding compartment may be joined to the another closable fluid holding
compartment to provide cooling to the fluid in the another closable fluid
holding compartment. The joining face may be substantially identical to
the complementary joining face of the another closable fluid holding
compartment. The closable fluid holding compartment may be substantially
identical to the another fluid holding compartment.
[0042]In another aspect of the invention, there is a method of cooling a
fluid in a first fluid holding container. The method comprises freezing
the contents of a second fluid holding container, and joining the second
fluid holding container to the first fluid holding container via a
complementary attachment on each of the first and second fluid holding
containers. The frozen contents of the second fluid holding container
provides proximity cooling to the fluid in the first fluid holding
container. The complementary attachment of each container may comprise a
symmetrical arrangement of at least one of an indentation and a
protrusion on the exterior of each container. The first and second
containers may be manufactured from PET. The at least one indentation and
protrusion may be in a form of one or more alpha-numerals. The form of
one or more alphanumerics may form the word COLA. The first and second
container may each be closed with a cap covering an opening in each
container. The contents of the second container may be a volume of the
first fluid in addition to the first fluid in the first container. The
contents of the second container may be a second fluid.
[0043]In a further aspect of the invention, there is a transiently-extant
plastic drink bottle, comprising: a first closable fluid holding
compartment having a first joining face on the exterior of the first
compartment, the first joining face having at least one protrusion and at
least one indentation; and a second closable fluid holding compartment
having a second joining face on the exterior of the second compartment.
The second joining face has at least one indentation and at least one
protrusion complementary to the respective at least one protrusion and at
least one indentation of the first joining face. The second compartment
is joined to the first compartment by the first and second joining faces.
On the first joining face the at least one protrusion is symmetrical to
the at least one indentation, and on the second joining face the at least
one indentation is symmetrical to the at least one protrusion. The first
or second compartments may be filled with a fluid that may be frozen.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044]The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will become more
apparent from the following description of specific embodiments thereof
and the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example only,
the principles of the invention. In the drawings, where like elements
feature like reference numerals (and wherein individual elements bear
unique alphabetical suffixes):
[0045]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary bottle having
multiple fluids in a single compartment;
[0046]FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a drink bottle according to an
aspect of the present invention;
[0047]FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of an alternate drink bottle;
[0048]FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of another alternative drink bottle;
[0049]FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of yet another alternative drink
bottle;
[0050]FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a further alternative drink bottle;
[0051]FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of yet a further alternative drink
bottle;
[0052]FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of another exemplary compartment of
a drink bottle having indentations and protrusions on a joining face of
the compartment;
[0053]FIG. 9 shows two views of the joining face of the closed internal
compartments of FIG. 8, having indentations and protrusions;
[0054]FIG. 10 shows the internal compartment of FIG. 8 along with another
similar compartment, with each of the compartment's joining faces
opposite each other so as to allow for joining of closed internal
compartments to form a transiently-extant plastic drink bottle;
[0055]FIG. 11 shows the two closed internal compartments of FIG. 10
separated and joined to form a transiently extant plastic drink bottle;
[0056]FIG. 12 shows an alternative style for indentations and protrusions
on a joining face of an alternative closed internal compartment of a
drink bottle;
[0057]FIG. 13 shows a further alternative style for a single indentation
and single protrusion on a joining face of a further alternative closed
internal compartment of a drink bottle; and
[0058]FIG. 14 shows an alternative joining scheme for forming transiently
joining closed internal compartments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0059]In the following description, numerous specific details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that
the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In
other instances alternative materials such as glass, carton or metal may
be employed in the present invention. In an aspect of the invention,
independent of material or specific drinking fluid, included is a
transient joining of two or more closed internal compartments to form a
single drink bottle holding two or more separate different drinking
fluids. Fluid in one closed internal compartment may be frozen so as to
cool the drinking fluid in a second closed internal compartment. When the
frozen fluid has defrosted, it too may be imbibed so as to get maximal
cooling and user benefit from the liquid filling the volume of the
formed, transiently-extant drink bottle.
[0060]A drink bottle as described herein includes a transiently-extant
bottle, and a bottle formed with multiple components. The bottle can be
plastic, and which can both hold a plurality of separate drinking fluids
and be opened and closed by a user. It can also be disposable, in that
the bottle is single-use and can be made of any material composed of two
or more closed internal compartments and fillable, or filled, with one or
more drinking fluids. As described below, filled is simply taken to mean
that a volume of fluid is inside a drink bottle or internal compartment,
and does not necessarily imply any particular percentage, or total
internal volume, is taken up by the fluid.
[0061]Fluid, or drinking fluids, can include any liquid beverage that may
be imbibed. For example, water, fruit juices, milk and carbonated soft
drinks are some non-limiting examples of drinking fluids. For example,
drinking fluids in a plastic drink bottle or disposable drink bottle
reside in minimally two closed internal compartments of a
transiently-extent, or a permanently formed bottle with multiple
components.
[0062]A closed internal compartment includes an element representing a
drinking fluid container that may be made proximate to a second internal
compartment of the same drink bottle, wither transiently-extent or
otherwise. It can be a spatial element of any shape or volume capable of
holding a drinking fluid alone, without fluid contact from drinking fluid
in another closed internal compartment. Drinking fluid in one closed
internal compartment may be frozen in a freezer or freezer unit of a
refrigerator prior to addition of drinking fluid to a second closed
internal compartment of the same transient drink bottle. The closed
internal compartments of a single bottle may be manufactured separately
and may be transiently joined together and separated by manufacturer or
user.
[0063]The joining or joining together of closed internal compartments
includes the process of combining two or more separate closed internal
compartments to form a single transiently-extant plastic drink bottle or
transiently-extent disposable drink bottle. Joining may be performed by
physical attachment, interlocking or other means that are inherently
reversible. Joining need not lend to a permanent attachment of closed
internal compartments. "Closed internal compartment" and "closable fluid
holding compartment" are interchangeable in the discussion herewith
presented.
[0064]"Internal cap" includes a type of cap for a plastic drink bottle
according to the present invention. In general, the internal cap can sit
above the openings of the closed internal compartments and has a shape
that allows for its movement or rotation so as to expose the opening of
one closed internal compartment while closing off the openings of all
other closed internal compartments of the same drink bottle. The internal
cap may be placed in such a position that both closed internal
compartments may be accessed (the internal cap covers half of the opening
of each of the two closed internal compartments). The internal cap may be
moved manually between the openings of internal compartments or may be
rotated between the openings of the closed internal compartments.
[0065]"Cap" or "External cap" includes a cap for a drink bottle according
to the present invention. The cap can sit above an opening associated
with a single closed internal compartment. A cap or external cap may be
associated with one closed internal compartment of a drink bottle
according to one or more embodiments of the invention. Opening of a cap
can allow for access to drinking fluid in closed internal compartment.
The external cap may have a nipple to allow a user to drink directly from
a plastic drink bottle. The external cap may have an "internal cap" as an
integral part of the external cap construction.
[0066]"Nipple" can include a protrusion from an external cap, the
protrusion-allowing for direct user drinking of drinking fluids in
plastic drink bottle or disposable drink bottle associated with the
external cap and nipple.
[0067]"User" includes a person who may obtain a drink bottle according to
the present invention and drink the drinking fluid contents of the drink
bottle.
[0068]"Plastic" with respect to a drinking bottle includes any polymeric
material used in the construction of containers that hold drinking
fluids. "Plastic" may refer to combinations of various organic materials
used in the preparation of containers routinely used to hold water, soft
drinks, natural juices and the like. "Plastic" may also include mixtures
of organic with inorganic materials employed in the construction of drink
bottles.
[0069]"Proximity" can refer to the position of drinking fluids relative to
each other in distinct closed internal compartments. In some embodiments,
proximity allows frozen drinking fluid of a first closed internal
compartment to cool liquid drinking fluid of a second closed internal
compartment, while warmer liquid drinking fluid in the second closed
internal compartment may thaw frozen drinking fluid in the first closed
internal compartment. The thickness of the material used in closed
internal compartment manufacture may be selected to modulate the speed of
cooling/defrosting of fluid contents of closed internal compartments.
[0070]"Period of time" can refer to the time required for a drinking fluid
in a closed internal compartment to freeze and depends on the freezer
employed as well as atmospheric conditions present in place of use of the
present invention. Generally, the period of time required to freeze or
significantly cool several hundred milliliters of an aqueous drinking
fluid in a closed internal compartment placed in a freezer unit of a
commercial refrigerator is approximately two hours or longer.
[0071]"Joining face" can refer to a side of a closed internal compartment
that participates in transient joining of a closed internal compartment
to another closed internal compartment. Protrusions and indentations or
any other appropriate features can be formed on the joining face during
manufacture of closed internal compartments and can be wholly integral to
the closed internal compartment.
[0072]"Features" on a joining face of a closed internal compartment can
include elements that facilitate transient joining together of closed
internal compartments to form a transiently-extant plastic bottle.
Features include, but are not limited to, protrusions and indentations,
bulging and sunken letters, number, geometrical shapes or symbols. The
features on joining faces of closed internal compartments can be
complementary; that is a protruding feature on a first closed internal
compartment can fit into a corresponding depression feature in a second
joining closed internal compartment. "Complementary" joining faces
includes faces that can be joined to form a free-standing
transiently-extant plastic drink bottle or a transiently-extant
disposable drink bottle.
[0073]"Protrusion" can refer to plastic that bulges from a joining face of
a closed internal compartment. Protrusions can be of shape, size, and
number so as to allow for their insertion into indentations of a
proximate closed internal compartment.
[0074]"Indentation" can refer to a depression in a joining face of a
closed internal compartment that allow for reception of an
appropriately-shaped protrusion for the purpose of transiently joining
closed internal compartments. Indentations can generally be slightly
larger than protrusions so as to allow for easy fit of protrusion into
indentation. Indendations can be of shape, size, and number so as to
allow for their facile reception of protrusions of a proximate closed
internal compartment.
[0075]"Transiently-extant" can refer to a drink bottle, including a
plastic drink bottle and a disposable drink bottle, made from joining two
or more closed internal compartments in a non-permanent arrangement. In
some embodiments, closed internal compartments can be manufactured
separately and may be joined and separated freely and repeatedly by
either manufacturer or user. Thus, a drink bottle, plastic or otherwise,
according to some of the embodiments of the present invention herewith
disclosed may exist transiently through joining of closed internal
compartments through complementary faces. Though a user may choose not to
separate closed internal compartments, the resultant transiently-extant
drink bottle can be considered "transiently-extant" due to the inherent
ability to separate compartments at any time. There need not be any time
limit to the transient nature of physical joining of closed internal
compartment. Additionally, there are no limits on the specific physical
means employed in transiently joining closed internal compartments.
[0076]"PET" and "PETE" are known in the chemical arts and can refer to
polyethylene terephthalate. "Preform" has its normal meaning as applied
to PET bottle preparation. Preforms in the present invention may be used
as supplied or may be modified prior to use.
[0077]"Lip" can refer to a physical protrusion from the top or the bottom
of a closed internal compartment that allows for transient joining of two
or more closed internal compartments. The lip of one closed internal
compartment can sit over and hold in place a second closed internal
compartment.
[0078]Without being bound by any particular theory, the following
discussion is offered to facilitate understanding of the invention. The
plastic drink bottle assembly described herewith offers rapid, long-term
cooling of drinking fluids without loss of composition or dilution of
drinking fluid. The bottle utilizes a novel method of providing for two
closed internal compartments with drinking fluids such that freezing of
drinking fluid in one closed internal compartment allows for cooling of
drinking fluid in a second closed internal compartment. The advantages of
the present invention include the ability to have two unique fluids
available to a user at one time (independent of any cooling), as well as
the option of having cold drinks available for an extended period of
time. This latter outcome is due to a frozen first drinking fluid in one
closed internal compartment cooling a second drinking fluid, while said
second drinking fluid warms up the frozen first fluid to make the latter
fluid also available for drinking. The combination of two (or more)
closed internal compartments into one plastic drink bottle allows for
maximal drink benefit without loss of volume to the contents of
unconsumed freezer sticks or similar cooling elements. The two drinking
fluids as used in the present invention may combine for 2 or more hours
of cold beverage availability.
[0079]A plastic drink bottle according to the present invention may be
prepared as a single bottle with two closed internal compartments, or
alternatively as two closed internal compartments that may be joined
after manufacture to form a single plastic drink bottle. Post-use
cleaning of a plastic drink bottle allows for its possible reuse. A user
may add any drinking fluid to either closed internal compartment to allow
for enjoyment of different drinking fluids alone or in combination.
Alternatively, he/she may freeze drinking fluid in one closed internal
compartment for cooling of a second drinking fluid in a second closed
internal compartment. Manufacture of closed internal compartments could
include protrusions and indentations on one side of the closed internal
compartments. Placing protrusions of a first closed internal compartment
into indentations of a second closed internal compartment allows for
formation of a single plastic drink bottle from two closed internal
compartments. Uniquely, each closed internal compartments sports
minimally one protrusion and one indentation to facilitate transient
joining to form a drink bottle or disposable drink bottle.
[0080]In the figures associated with the description below, the drinking
fluids do not reach the top of the bottle only for ease of numbering of
the various elements in the invention. As envisioned in the present
invention, drinking fluids in the closed internal compartments can reach
the top of the closed internal compartments. A drink bottle according to
the present invention minimally has two closed internal compartments. A
plastic drink bottle according to the present invention may be made with
closed internal compartments formed (FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) during
manufacture of drink bottle. In FIG. 3, there is shown two closed
internal compartments side by side and a single cap allows for access to
fluid contents of one or both closed internal compartments.
Alternatively, the closed internal compartments may be manufactured
separately and joined together at a later time either before or after
addition of drinking fluids (FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). The closed internal
compartments, when manufactured separately and joined at a later time,
may be joined either by manufacturer, user or other entity. In FIG. 4,
there is shown closed internal compartments that are produced separately
and assembled for a final plastic drink bottle, and in FIG. 5, there is
shown closed internal compartments are produced separately with caps and
filled with drinking fluids before being joined together to form a final
plastic drink bottle.
[0081]Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which shows a development prototype
of the present invention. Plastic drink bottle (110) was provided. Said
plastic drink bottle (110) was half-filled with drinking fluid (120)
water, and the plastic drink bottle (110) was placed on its side in the
freezer unit of a refrigerator (Magic Chef.TM., Maytag.TM., Chicago).
After sitting in the freezer overnight, the plastic drink bottle (110)
was removed with frozen drinking fluid (120) as seen on left side of
bottle. A second drinking fluid (130, grape juice, Tapuzina, Israel) was
added and was immediately cooled by the presence of frozen first drinking
fluid (120). As this early prototype did not have a separator (see 250 in
FIG. 2 and 350 in FIG. 3 below) defining closed internal compartments,
the 500 milliliters of drinking fluid (120) water eventually thawed (over
four hours) and significantly diluted drinking fluid (130) which then
became less enjoyable to imbibe.
[0082]Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a schematic representation
of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A plastic drink
bottle (210) with an external cap (260) has an internal cap (265) that
may close one of two closed internal compartments (240) containing
drinking fluids (220, 230). A plastic separator (250) separates the two
closed internal compartments (240). The advantage of this preferred
embodiment is several fold. Firstly, one can add fluid (230) to one
closed internal compartment (240, LEFT) without prefilling the second
closed internal compartment (240, RIGHT). Additionally, one can drink
either drinking fluid (220, 230) in the closed internal compartments
(240) by rotating or moving the internal cap (265)--and thus access the
full contents of the plastic drink bottle (210). There is no volume loss
to non-portable drinking elements. The cap (260) and the internal cap
(265) may be a single element and are shown as distinct elements for
convenience only. The internal cap (265) sits at the openings of the
closed internal compartments (240) and may be rotated or manually moved
to close (black color 265) one of the two closed internal compartments
(240), thus exposing the other closed internal compartment (240). The cap
(260) seals the bottle completely. For use of this embodiment for liquid
cooling, user would add drinking fluid (230) to one closed internal
compartment (240) and then close this closed internal compartment (240,
LEFT) with the internal cap (265). The plastic drink bottle (210) would
then be placed in a freezer. When the fluid (230) in the closed internal
compartment (240) had frozen, said plastic drink bottle (210) would be
removed from freezer and drinking fluid (220) would be added to the
second closed internal compartment (240, RIGHT). The cap (260) would then
be closed. A user would have immediate access to cold drinking fluid
(220) and after the drinking fluid (230) in the closed internal
compartment (240, LEFT) has defrosted he/she may rotate the internal cap
(265) and drink this fluid (230) as well. Alternatively, one may add
different drinking fluids (220, 230) to the two closed internal
compartments (240) and imbibe them either together (internal cap [265]
rotated to partially exposed openings of both closed internal
compartment) or separately.
[0083]In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the two closed internal
compartments are shown as equal sized. In point of fact, they may be of
any size or shape, and they may be placed either side-by-side or with one
closed internal compartment surrounded by the other closed internal
compartment (not shown).
[0084]FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of a drink bottle (310) having
two closed internal compartments (340), each filled with a unique
drinking fluid (320, 330) and separated by a separator (350). An internal
cap (365) sitting at the opening of the closed internal compartments
(340) allows for selective access to contents of one or both closed
internal compartments (340), while external cap (360) with nipple (370)
allows for both full closure of disposable drink bottle (310) as well as
direct imbibing of either drinking fluid (320 or 330) from said
disposable drink bottle (310). In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3 the
internal cap (365) is open for the right closed internal compartment
(340) while being closed (shown as black) for the left closed internal
compartment (340). It will be appreciated that drink bottles and/or
individual compartments can be disposable or reusable, in part based on
the material used to form the bottle/internal compartments.
[0085]FIG. 4. shows an alternative preferred embodiment of the present
invention. Closed internal compartments (440) are prepared separately
(TOP of figure). Each closed internal compartment (440) may hold a unique
drinking fluid. For construction of a single plastic drink bottle (410),
the two closed internal compartments (440) are joined (BOTTOM of figure)
together. The separate closed internal compartments may be joined
together either by any means. When the closed internal compartments are
manufactured separately as in this preferred embodiment, a separator
(450) is formed by sides of the closed internal compartments that
directly contact one another. In this embodiment, external cap (460)
closes the openings of the closed internal compartments (440). Drinking
fluids (420, 430) are added to closed internal compartments (440) after
the closed internal compartments (440) have been joined (BOTTOM of
figure).
[0086]FIG. 5. shows an alternative preferred embodiment of a disposable
drink bottle. Closed internal compartments (540) are manufactured
separately, each with its own cap (560) (TOP of figure). Each closed
internal compartment (540) holds a unique drinking fluid (530 and 520).
For use, the two closed internal compartments (540) are joined (BOTTOM of
figure) for formation of a single plastic drink bottle (510) with two
distinct caps (560). The separate closed internal compartments (540) may
be held together by any means including but not limited to gluing or
interlocking of closed internal compartments (540). An option base
element (580) might be used to hold closed internal compartments (540) in
place.
[0087]The efficacy theory of the embodiments may be explained as follows:
[0088](1) that by isolating drinking fluids in distinct closed internal
compartments, one allows users to express their unique taste in beverages
in a single beverage container;
[0089](2) that by freezing a fluid in a first closed internal compartment
one allows for cooling of drinking fluid in a second adjacent closed
internal compartment. The result is access to cold drinking fluids for an
extended period of time measured in the hours;
[0090](3) that by freezing only the fluid in the closed internal
compartment and not the adjacent drinking fluid, one prevents dilution
and degradation of drinking fluid; and
[0091](4) that said plastic drink bottle allows both vendors and users to
make unique combinations of drinks for sale or use. A vendor might have
cola in one closed internal compartment and frozen water in a second
closed internal compartment, while a user might clean and reuse the same
plastic drink bottle with apple juice in one closed internal compartment
and orange juice in a second closed internal compartment.
[0092]Example of Use Ho. 1 [0093]An empty 500 milliliter plastic drink
bottle (210) with two 250 milliliter closed drinking compartments (240)
separated by a plastic separator (250) is purchased. User adds water as
drinking fluid (230) to a first internal compartment (240, LEFT). He/she
closes said closed internal compartment (240) with an internal cap (265)
and then closes the plastic drink bottle (210) with external cap (260).
The plastic drink bottle (210) is placed in a freezer for three hours at
which time drinking fluid (230) has frozen. User adds drinking fluid
(220) to a second closed internal compartment (240, RIGHT). The drinking
fluid (240) is immediately cooled by the frozen drinking fluid (230) in
the adjacent closed internal compartment (240, LEFT). When user has
finished imbibing the drinking fluid (220), he/she may rotate the
internal cap (265) to access the thawed drinking fluid (230) in the first
closed internal compartment (240, LEFT). The user has benefited from both
cooling of drinking fluid (220) and maximal drinking fluids (220 and 230
combined) available.
[0094]Example of Use No. 2 [0095]A 1000 milliliter disposable drink
bottle (310) is produced from paper carton with two 500 milliliter closed
internal compartments (340) side by side in the disposable drink bottle
(310) that includes a nipple (370) attached to a cap (360). A separator
(350) separates the two closed internal compartments (340). A
manufacturer places milk as drinking fluid (330) in a first closed
internal compartment (340, LEFT) and chocolate milk as drinking fluid
(320) in a second closed internal compartment (340, RIGHT). An internal
cap (365) keeps one closed internal compartment (340, LEFT) closed while
keeping the second closed internal compartment (340, RIGHT) open. An
external cap (360) seals the disposable drinking bottle (310) completely.
A user may move the internal cap (365) to choose which drinking fluid
(320, 330) he/she wishes to imbibe directly from the disposable drink
bottle (310) by way of cap (360) and associated nipple (370).
[0096]Example of Use No. 3 [0097]500 milliliter plastic closed internal
compartments (540) are produced separately and filled with either water
drinking fluid (530) or cola drinking fluid (540). The closed internal
compartment (540) with water drinking fluid (530) is placed in a freezer.
A user selects closed internal compartment (540) with frozen water
drinking fluid (530) and manually joins it together with closed internal
compartment (540) with room-temperature cola drinking fluid (520). The
user joins the two closed internal compartments through the agency of a
protrusions and indentations in the plastic closed internal compartments
(not shown) to form a single plastic drinking bottle (510).
[0098]Cost of manufacture for the compartments/bottles the present
invention can be as low as currently available for production based on
the selected material, filling and sealing of the closed internal
compartment requires no new technology in the manufacture of drink
bottles or component closed internal compartments.
[0099]The drink bottles and closed internal compartments described in the
present invention may be of any size, shape and material. Other drink
holding items such as water backpacks may also be prepared according to
the present invention with the one proviso that there is no direct
fluid-fluid contact between drinking fluids present in the two (or more)
closed internal compartments. Since any drinking fluids may be added to a
closed internal compartment, users will have the ability to choose their
favorite drinks to take along with them. By reusing the bottle,
significantly fewer disposable bottles will need to be produced on an
annual basis. Beverage bottles made from paper carton such as those
routinely employed for milk and milk products are also appropriate for
the pre-sent invention. Referring to FIG. 6, carton closed internal
compartments (640) are produced and filled with milk drinking fluid (620)
and chocolate milk drinking fluid (630) (TOP of FIG. 6) and are then
glued together to form disposable drink bottle (610) that has no external
or internal caps as carton drink containers are often opened manually by
user to expose milk-based beverages including liquid yogurts. In FIG. 6,
there is shown closed internal compartments from carton that are produced
for a disposable drink bottle for milk-based products.
[0100]The drink bottle described herewith has been shown with closed
internal compartments immediately adjacent one to another. In a case
where there is no interest in cooling one drinking fluid through the
presence of another frozen drinking fluid, one can have a physical
separation of closed internal compartments as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7
therefore shows closed internal compartments are separated by a spacer.
Closed internal compartments (740) holding drinking fluids (720, 730) are
separated by a spacer (755) in disposable drink bottle (710) sporting two
external caps (760).
[0101]The method and device described herewith have application to both
hard-plastic and soft-plastic drink bottles. Polycarbonate, low-density
polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene
terephalate (PET), polypropylene, and polystyrene are non-limiting
examples of plastics that are amenable for use in the present invention.
The present invention may contribute to a significant reduction in the
production of disposable drink bottles. Reuse and recombination of closed
internal compartments will lead to fewer disposable drink bottles being
discarded to the environment on a yearly basis.
[0102]The invention described herewith has particular application to the
disposable plastic bottle market. Specifically, the methods and devices
described herewith can be used for, but not necessarily exclusively for,
application with PET bottle manufacturing procedures. For any bottle to
enter the mass-produced PET bottle market, there must be no significant
change in practice for production of bottles. Beverage manufacture
practice today includes producing disposable bottles on site from a small
precursor (preform) made of PET. When a preform is placed in a mold and
then treated with
hot air, PET expands to assume the dimensions and shape
of the mold. After bottle production, the bottles are filled with
beverage and then prepared for shipping to distributors. In the present
invention, a transiently-extant plastic drink bottle is composed
minimally of two closed internal compartments. Each closed internal
compartment may be made from a single PET perform by a procedure
identical to the one in use by beverage manufacturers today for making
PET bottles. A perform according to the present invention may be used as
supplied, or it may be modified to add or modify elements associated with
the preform. One change in the present invention is that each mold yields
only half of a complete bottle, or more specifically a single closed
internal compartment. Such a closed internal compartment is free-standing
and has a bottle neck which is amenable to both filling and capping.
Additionally, the mold yields a joining face of the closed internal
compartment with certain features that allow for facile transient joining
of one closed internal compartment to another. The size, number and
specific shape of the features are determined to allow facile joining of
two closed internal compartments to form a single transiently-extant
drink bottle. Joining of closed internal compartments may allow for
cooling of a drinking fluid as well as user-driven combination of
beverages for consumption.
[0103]Reference is now made to FIG. 8. A closed internal compartment (840)
produced of PET is shown with external cap (860). On a joining face (852)
of the closed internal compartment (840), protrusion (853) and
indentation (854) features are present. Said features are products of the
shape of the mold (not shown) used with a PET preform (not shown) to form
said closed internal compartment (840) as per standard PET blow molding
methodology. The number, shape and specific dimensions of said protrusion
(853) and indentation (854) features may vary according to the specific
size and shape of the final plastic drink bottle.
[0104]One is referred to FIG. 9 to further clarify the joining face (952)
of the closed internal compartment (940). In this figure, the joining
face (952) of closed internal compartment (940) is shown from two
perspectives. In both cases, protrusion (953) and indentation (954)
features are shown on one side or joining face (952) of the closed
internal compartment (940). The figure on the right side of the drawing
is the same as the one the left after a 90 degree counter-clockwise
rotation. Note that the joining face (952) that contains protrusion (953)
and indentation (954) features does not have to be flat and the closed
internal compartment (940) does not need to be square in shape. The
closed internal compartment (940) may be any appropriate shape as long as
joining face features allow for facile, reversible joining of closed
internal compartments (940). Note that a closed internal compartment
(940) comes with its own external cap (960) that fits over an opening
(944) of the closed internal compartment (940). Said opening (944)
facilitates filling of closed internal compartment (940) with drinking
fluid. Each closed internal compartment (940) having its own external cap
(960) allows for the separate filling and separate sale of closed
internal compartments (940).
[0105]FIG. 10 shows two closed internal compartments (1040), each with
external cap (1060). The closed internal compartments (1040) are placed
with their joining face (1052) regions facing one another. As shown,
protrusion (1053) features from the left closed internal compartment
(1040) can be directed towards indentation (1054) features in the right
closed internal compartment (1040). Thus, a single closed internal
compartment (1040) mold can produce numerous closed internal compartments
(1040) that can be joined together two at a time (as suggested by arrow
1071) to form a single transiently-extant plastic drink bottle. This
state of affairs results from protrusion (1053) features and indentation
(1054) features being on a single joining face (1052) of closed internal
compartment (1040) and that 180 degree rotation of one closed internal
compartment (1040) relative to another enables protrustion (1053)
features of one closed internal compartment (1040) to be opposite
indentation (1054) features of the other closed internal compartment
(1040).
[0106]From FIG. 10, it can be seen in the exemplary embodiment that each
fillable, and closable, compartment (1060) of a drink bottle can be each
provided with complementary attachments that permit joining of the
compartments (1040) to form a transiently-extant drink bottle. In this
example, the complementary attachments take the form of protusions (1053)
connecting to indentations (1054). Of course, other complementary
attachments can be used in other embodiments.
[0107]Also from FIG. 10, it can be seen in this example that each
compartment 1060 provides indentation (1053) features that are
symmetrical to protrusion (1054) features on its joining face (1052). It
will be appreciated that the symmetrical nature of the arrangement of
complementary attachments permit two substantially identical joining
faces, or compartments to be connected to one another. This will tend to
be advantageous to simplify manufacturing processes, for example by
molding only a single bottle/compartment that can be joined to other
similarly molded bottle/compartment. It will also be appreciated that a
bottle/compartment can have multiple joining faces, so that it can be at
joined to multiple other bottles/compartments. For example, if each of
the four largest surface area external walls of the compartments shown in
FIG. 10 had complementary attachments thereon, the number of compartments
attachable together can then be greater than two, and attachments can
grow indefinitely subject considerations such as to weight, size and
attachment strength. Thus, in various embodiments it is possible, for
example, to cool a first compartment of non-frozen fluid by four other
compartments having a frozen fluid therein attached to each such joining
wall of the first compartment (or even cooling with eight other
compartments having a frozen fluid therein, if arranged in a
three-by-three square in which the first compartment is placed in the
middle of the square). It will be appreciated that many combinations of
frozen and non-frozen fluids can be arranged in different embodiments,
having regard to the number of complementary joining faces are provided
on each compartment.
[0108]Referring now to FIG. 11, one can see the manner by which closed
internal compartments (1140) are joined to form a transiently-extant
plastic drink bottle (1110). Each closed internal compartment (1140) at
the top of the figure shows a joining face (1152) with associated
protrusion (1153) features and indentation (1154) features. Such features
are clearly visible on both closed internal compartments (1140) shown on
the top portion of the figure. In the bottom of the figure, the two
closed internal compartments (1140) have been joined to form a
transiently-extant plastic drink bottle (1110) by virtue of insertion of
protrusion (1153) features from one closed internal compartment (1140)
into indentation (1154) features from the other closed internal
compartment (1140). In the transiently-extant plastic drink bottle (1110)
at the bottom of the figure, the protrusion features and indentation
features are not shown for purposes of clarity. The transiently-extant
plastic drink bottle (1110) is transiently-extant in that one may at any
time separate the closed internal compartments (1140). This arrangement
tends to allow for greater user selection of beverages as well as the
ability to combine and separate closed internal compartments (1140) and
their contents at will. Each closed internal compartment (1140) comes
with a separate external cap (1160) to cover an opening (see 944 of FIG.
9) so as to allow each closed internal compartment (1140) to stand alone.
In contrast, prior art drinking bottle arrangement with fixed cavities
such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,040 does not have an ability of
exchanging beverage-filled cavities or potentially placing half of a
bottle in a refrigerator or a freezer for later use.
[0109]Reference is now made to FIG. 12. In this figure, a closed internal
compartment (1240) is shown with an opening (1244) through which drinking
fluid may be added. On the joining face (1252) of the closed internal
compartment (1240) are protrusion (1253) features and indentation (1254)
features. Note that the number of each type of feature is eight and note
that the protrusion (1253) features are in the shape of the word "COLA"
while indentation (1254) features are in the shape of COLA spelled
backwards (so as to receive protrusions from a complementary joining face
[1252] of a second closed internal compartment [1240]). Thus, one may use
the protrusion (1253) features and indentation (1254) features as a form
of advertising for the manufacturer of beverages sold in closed internal
compartments (1240). Thus, in various embodiments alphanumerics may be
used as shapes for protrusions and indentations on a joining face.
[0110]It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, other shapes,
sizes and/or numbers of complementary indentations and protrusions can be
used.
[0111]Reference is now made to FIG. 13, where a closed internal
compartment (1340) is shown with a single protrusion (1353) feature and
single indentation (1354) feature on a joining face (1352). Another
alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 14, in which FIG. 14 (Top) shows
two closed internal compartments (1440) that can be joined to form a
transiently-extant drink bottle (Bottom, 1410) by virtue of their shape
and without recourse to protrusion features or indentation features on
the face (1452) of the closed internal compartments (1440). A lip (1457)
is employed to hold the closed internal compartments (1440) together to
form a transiently-extant drink bottle (1410). No protrusions or
indentations or similar features are employed.
[0112]One of the advantages of the embodiments herein described is the
ability for a user to purchase a closed internal compartment with a
room-temperature drinking fluid as well as a closed internal compartment
with a frozen drinking fluid. At time of purchase, he/she can join the
two closed internal compartments to form a transiently-extant plastic
drink bottle that allows for cooling of the room-temperature drinking
fluid by virtue of its non-contact proximity to the frozen drinking
fluid.
[0113]One of the reasons why billions of PET bottles are being thrown away
annually in the US is their current lack of extended functionality. One
just drinks the contents of a beverage bottle and throws the bottle away.
Landfills are filling up with these bottles and many municipalities are
looking for means of reducing the future presence of plastic drink
bottles. The present invention, due to its ability to provide extended
periods of drink cooling as well as user-designed, alterable drink
combinations may reduce the future number of PET bottles annually thrown
away.
[0114]Another advantage of the present invention relates to beverage
freshness. If both closed internal compartments joined to form a single
transiently-extant drink bottle contain the same beverage, opening one of
the closed internal compartments and drinking its drinking fluid content
leaves the other closed internal compartment closed and its contents
fresh. This application is most relevant for carbonated beverages that
have a tendency for losing their gas ("going flat") as well as for milk
which often goes bad shortly after opening of a milk bottle.
[0115]The present invention has been described with a certain degree of
particularity, however those versed in the art will readily appreciate
that various modifications and alterations may be carried out without
departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims. Therefore,
the embodiments and examples described here are in no means intended to
limit the scope or spirit of the methodology and associated devices
related to the present invention. The transiently-extant drink bottles
and closed internal compartments described in the present invention may
be of any size and shape. Since any drinking fluid may be added to a
closed internal compartment, users will have the ability to choose their
favorite drinks to take along with them. By reusing the bottle,
significantly fewer disposable bottles will need to be produced on an
annual basis. Beverage bottles made from paper carton such as those
routinely employed for milk and milk products are also appropriate for
the present invention. The specific means of joining carton-based closed
internal compartments will be the subject of another patent application
filing.
* * * * *