Portable beverage delivery system

• US 6,652,134 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James J. Lloyd
• Original Assignee: James J. Lloyd
• Inventors: Lloyd, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooley, Charles E.
• Application Number:
  US10/109,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20020101780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 366/130, 366/192, 366/341, 366/349, 206/219, 206/221, 206/427, 206/429, 206/431, 206/568, 222/92-94, 222/105, 222/129, 222/129.1, 222/130, 222/156, 222/183, 222/185.1, 224/148.7
• US Class Current: 366/130
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/067 combined with a valve, a tap or a piercer
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/32 for packaging two or more different materials which must be maintained separate prior to use in admixture containers with removable or destructible partitions B65D25/08 ; closures combined with auxiliary containers B65D51/28; in aerosol containers B65D83/682; amalgam capsules A61C5/66; containers for pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/20, A61M5/19; medical syringes A61M3/005, resin cartridges for grouting anchoring-bolts in mines E21D20/026

Abstract

A portable beverage delivery system for preparing and delivering a multi-component beverage whose plurality of individual components can be maintained separately for subsequent combination to form the beverage. A first embodiment includes a housing with a mixing chamber disposed therein to form the final beverage product. The chamber has an introduction aperture and an exit aperture which are separate or are the same, and the housing has an opening through which the exit aperture is accessible and through which a mixed beverage can be dispensed. A second embodiment is a two chamber structure disposed within a housing and having a first chamber for containing a first beverage element, a second chamber for containing a second beverage element, and an exit aperture. The chambers are separated by a frangible wall whereby rupture thereof results in mixing of the first and second liquids of the multi-component beverage to form the beverage product which then can be dispensed through the exit aperture.

Claims

1. A portable beverage delivery system for forming a multi-component beverage, the delivery system comprising:

a) a freestanding, portable housing generally segmented into first and second portions, the housing defining first and second openings;

b) a mixing chamber having a mixer beverage therein and being accommodated within the first portion of the housing, the mixing chamber defining a closeable introduction aperture for receiving a portion of an alcoholic beverage and a closeable exit aperture for dispensing the multi-component beverage, the introduction and exit apertures being respectively exposed through the first and second openings of the housing;

c) a compartment formed within the second portion of the housing; and

d) wherein a container having the alcoholic beverage therein is removably supported in the compartment so as to facilitate intermixing of the mixer beverage and the portion of the alcoholic beverage to form the multi-component beverage within the mixing chamber.

2. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the housing is fabricated from a cardboard material.

3. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the housing is generally segmented into the first and second portions via a wall.

4. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the multi-component beverage is dispensed from the exit aperture by gravity force.

5. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the exit aperture comprises a valve for selectively opening and closing the exit aperture.

6. The delivery system of claim 5 wherein the valve is integrally formed with the exit aperture.

7. The delivery system of claim 5 wherein the valve is manually operated to selectively open and close the exit aperture.

8. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the mixing chamber is fabricated from a plastic material.

9. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the container is a bottle.

10. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the compartment has upper and lower border structures, and wherein the container has top and bottom portions, the upper and lower border structures being sized and configured to respectively retain the top and bottom portions of the container.

11. The delivery system of claim 10 wherein the compartment defines a void between the upper and lower border structures, the void being configured to display the container when the container is supported in the compartment.

12. The delivery system of claim 11 wherein the compartment has an inside wall, the inside wall being outwardly foldable to fill the void when the container is not supported in the compartment.

13. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein all of the alcoholic beverage from the container is intermixed with the mixer beverage within the mixing chamber to form the multi-component beverage.

14. A portable beverage delivery system for forming a multi-component beverage, the delivery system comprising:

a) a freestanding, portable housing generally segmented into first and second portions, the housing defining an opening;

b) a mixing chamber having a mixer beverage therein and being accommodated within the first portion of the housing, the mixing chamber defining a closeable aperture for receiving a portion of an alcoholic beverage and for further dispensing the multi-component beverage, the aperture being exposed through the opening of the housing;

c) a compartment formed within the second portion of the housing; and

d) wherein a container having the alcoholic beverage therein is removably supported in the compartment so as to facilitate intermixing of the mixer beverage and the portion of the alcoholic beverage to form the multi-component beverage within the mixing chamber.

15. A portable beverage delivery system for forming a multi-component beverage, the delivery system comprising:

a) a freestanding, portable housing generally segmented into first and second portions;

b) a mixing chamber having a mixer beverage therein and being accommodated within the first portion of the housing;

c) a compartment formed within the second portion of the housing, the compartment having upper and lower border structures, the compartment defining a void between the upper and lower border structures, the compartment having an inside wall; and

d) a container having an alcoholic beverage therein and being removably supported in the compartment so as to facilitate intermixing of the mixer beverage and a portion of the alcoholic beverage to form the multi-compartment beverage within the mixing chamber, the container having top and bottom portions, the upper and lower border structures being sized and configured to respectively retain the top and bottom portions of the container, the void of the compartment being configured to display the container when the container is supported in the compartment, the inside wall of the compartment being outwardly foldable to fill the void when the container is not supported in the compartment.