Multi stream wine aerating device

• US 8,485,503 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2011
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evergreen Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Evergreen Innovations LLC
• Inventors: Lei, Skip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A
• Application Number:
  US13/087,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20120261844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 261/76, 261/119.1, 426/474, 993/231
• US Class Current: 261/76
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/17 Aeration of wine
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23412 using liquid falling from orifices in a gaseous atmosphere, the orifices being exits from perforations, tubes or chimneys

Abstract

A wine aerating device that can be inexpensively manufactured and produced that aerates wine leaving a wine container, such as a long neck bottle, by separating the flow of wine into multiple streams of wine that retain the individual streams, whereby each stream of wine increases the surface area of wine exposed to the atmosphere, without injecting air into the wine. The device of the present invention also produces an esthetically pleasing pour while at the same time aerating the liquid by the use of multiple bi-directional tubes formed in a stopper that do not inject air into the wine.

Claims

1. An apparatus for aerating wine from a wine bottle, comprising:

a stopper having a plurality of tubes extending from a top surface of the stopper through a bottom surface of the stopper;

said stopper having means to connect said stopper to a wine bottle; and

said plurality of tubes each having an internal diameter that is substantially constant from one end to the other, and each being bi-directional such that each tube is capable of transmitting wine from the wine bottle or transmitting air from atmosphere into the wine bottle, whereby when connected to a wine bottle with wine inside and the wine bottle is tilted, at least one of the tubes will transmit air into the wine bottle while the remaining tubes will transmit wine as independent streams of wine to the atmosphere.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby at least one tube extends beyond the bottom surface of the stopper.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby at least one tube extends beyond the top surface of the stopper.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby the plurality of tubes all have a same internal diameter.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby at least one of the plurality of tubes has an internal diameter different from the rest of the plurality of tubes.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby the plurality of tubes is 3.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby the plurality of tubes is 5.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby the plurality of tubes is 7, with one tube positioned in the center of the stopper surrounded by the remaining 6 tubes equally spaced from each other.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby one tube is positioned in the center of the stopper.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 9 whereby the one tube positioned in the center of the stopper is longer than the remaining tubes.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby the means to connect the stopper to the wine bottle a friction fit inside a mouth of the wine bottle.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 whereby the means to connect the stopper to the wine bottle is a screw on member.

13. An apparatus for aerating wine from a wine bottle, comprising:

a stopper having at least 3 tubes extending from a top surface of the stopper through a bottom surface of the stopper;

said stopper having means to connect said stopper to a wine bottle; and

said tubes each being bi-directional such that each tube is capable of transmitting wine from the wine bottle or transmitting air from atmosphere into the wine bottle, whereby when connected to a wine bottle with wine inside and the wine bottle is tilted, at least one of the tubes will transmit air into the wine bottle while the remaining tubes will transmit wine as independent streams of wine to the atmosphere.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 further having at least one tube that is held within the stopper whereby said tube is moveable to extend beyond the bottom surface of the stopper more than the other tubes extend beyond the bottom surface of the stopper.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 further having at least one tube held within the stopper whereby said tube is moveable to extend beyond the top surface of the stopper.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 whereby the tubes all have a same internal diameter.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 whereby one of the tubes has an internal diameter larger than the rest of the tubes.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 whereby one of the tubes is positioned in the center of the stopper.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 whereby one of the tubes has an internal diameter larger than the rest of the tubes, and is positioned other than in the center of the stopper.

20. An apparatus for aerating wine from a flexible bag container having a resealable pour spout, comprising:

a stopper having a plurality of tubes extending from a top surface of the stopper through a bottom surface of the stopper;

said stopper connected to the resealable pour spout; and

said plurality of tubes each having an internal diameter that is substantially constant from one end to the other, with each tube capable of transmitting wine from the flexible bag container, whereby when wine is released via the resealable pour spout the tubes will transmit wine as independent streams of wine to the atmosphere.