Container for the wood maturation of wines and liquors
First Claim
1. A container for use in fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said container having a liquid impervious outer wall defining an interior liquid holding zone and a plurality of tubes open to atmosphere at one end, each of said tubes being formed from a plurality of separate, longitudinally, disposed wooden elements in longitudinal edge sealing contact, each said tube further being located as to pass at least partially through the interior liquid holding zone of said container whereby the liquid product being processed is located around an outer surface of said tubes while air is free to circulate through or inside said tubes.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved container (45) for fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wine or other liquors is disclosed comprising a liquid impervious outer wall defining a zone for retaining the liquid product and a plurality of tubes (1) manufactured from individual lengths (2) of a suitable wood in edge sealing contact, the tubes 1 having seal means at one or both ends co-operable with the liquid impervious outer wall such that the tubes extend through a substantial part of the zone retaining the liquid product whereby the liquid product surrounds each of the tubes (1) and air freely circulates within the tubes.
52 Citations
25 Claims
- 1. A container for use in fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said container having a liquid impervious outer wall defining an interior liquid holding zone and a plurality of tubes open to atmosphere at one end, each of said tubes being formed from a plurality of separate, longitudinally, disposed wooden elements in longitudinal edge sealing contact, each said tube further being located as to pass at least partially through the interior liquid holding zone of said container whereby the liquid product being processed is located around an outer surface of said tubes while air is free to circulate through or inside said tubes.
- 7. A container for use in fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said container having a liquid impervious outer wall defining an interior liquid holding zone and a plurality of tubes open to atmosphere at both opposed ends, said tubes being made from a suitable wood and located to pass fully through the interior liquid holding zone of said container whereby the liquid product being processed is located around an outer surface of said tubes while air is free to circulate through an interior volume of said tubes.
- 9. A container for use in fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said container having a liquid impervious outer wall defining an interior liquid holding zone and a plurality of tubes open to atmosphere at least one end, each of said tubes being formed from a plurality of separate longitudinally disposed wooden elements in longitudinal edge sealing contact whereby the transverse cross-sectional configuration of each said is substantially uniform along the length of said tube within aid container, each said tube being further located so as to pass at least partially through the interior liquid holding zone whereby the liquid product being processed circulates around an outer surface of said tubes within said container while air is free to circulate through or inside said tubes, mounting means for each said tube defining a tube receiving opening through said liquid impervious outer wall, said mounting means permitting a said tube to be removed and replaced either by the same tube, a similar said tube or by closure means adapted to sealingly close said tube receiving opening.
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16. A liquid fermentation and/or maturation tube for use with a container having opposed liquid impervious walls, said container being for fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said tube being open at least one end and comprised of a plurality of separate, longitudinally disposed wooden elements with adjacent said elements in longitudinal edge sealing contact, means located at opposed longitudinal ends of said tube adapted, in use, to engage in a respective said mounting means in the opposed liquid impervious walls of the container enabling sealing of said opposed longitudinal tube ends in said mounting means.
- 17. A liquid fermentation and/or maturation tube for use with a container having opposed impervious outer walls and tube mounting means located in said opposed liquid impervious walls, said container being for fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said tube being open at least one end and comprised of a plurality of separate, longitudinally disposed wood elements with adjacent said elements in longitudinal ends of said tube adapted, in use, to engage in a respective said mounting means in the opposed liquid impervious walls of the container enabling sealing of said opposed longitudinal tube ends in said mounting means.
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18. A liquid fermentation and/or maturation tube for use with a container having liquid impervious walls and tube mounting means located in at least one of said liquid impervious walls, said container being for fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said tube being comprised of a plurality of separate longitudinally disposed wooden elements with adjacent said elements in longitudinal edge seal contact, means located at a first open longitudinal end of said tube adapted, in use, to engage with the mounting means in the liquid impervious wall of aid container enabling sealing of said first open longitudinal end of said tube adapted, in use, to engage with the mounting mans in the liquid impervious wall of said container enabling sealing of said first open longitudinal and in said tube mounting means, and closure means co-operable with a second longitudinal end of said tube opposed to said first open longitudinal end to prevent ingress of liquid into said tube from said second longitudinal end.
- 21. A container for use in fermentation and/or maturation of liquid products such as wines or liquors, said container having a liquid impervious outer wall defining an interior liquid holding zone and a plurality of tubes open to atmosphere at least one end, said tubes being made from a suitable wood and located so as to pass at least partially through the interior liquid holding zone of said container whereby the liquid product being processed circulates around an outer surface of said tubes while air is free to circulate through or inside said tubes, and seal means cooperating between said liquid impervious outer wall of said container and said at least one end of each said tube such that limited axial movement between said at least one end of each said tube and said container is accommodated without leakage occurring from said container.
Specification