US2150439A - Beverage dispensing assembly - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1939. F. c HAMILTON 2,150,439

BEVERAGE DISPENSING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 10, 1958 FIG.2.

FIG. 7.

INVENTOR FRANCIS C. HAMILTON ATTORNEY v Patented Mar. 14, 1939 BEVERAGE DISPENSING ASSEMBLY Francis C. Hamilton, Evanston, Ill., assignor oi one-half to L. Ray Schuessler, St. Louis, Mo.

Application January 10, 1938, Serial No. 184,303

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to beverage dispensing assemblies and more specifically to a beverage dispensing assembly which comprises a receptacle for beverage, a closure element for 5 said receptacle, and a sipper which is sealed within the receptacle by the closure element thereof when beverage is contained therein, the pre dominant object of the invention being to provide an improved beverage dispenser which because a sipper is included as a sealed-in part thereof eliminates the unsanitary conditions attached .to the use of sippers as heretofore employed and renders much more convenient the sale and use of beverages intended to be consumed from the receptacles.

As is quite well known it has come to be a rather general practice in recent years for retail dealers to sell beverages for consumption directly from the bottles or other receptacles in which the beverages are distributed by the bottlers thereof. Also in order to render drinking of the beverages directly from the receptacles as convenient as possible it has been the practice of the detail dealers to provide their customers with sippers,

or straws as they are generally called. The use of the straws mentioned is highly objectionable due to the unsanitary fashion in which such straws are ofiered to purchasers of beverages. Ordinarily th'e straws are displayed on counters and tables in open containers where they are subject to contamination by dust and germ-laden air and where they are handled by numerous persons in the course of a day. It is true that of late years the practice has grown up of enclosing the straws in thin paper wrappers but at best such wrappers gave little protection against contamination of the straws because of the excessive and rough handling to which the straws are subjected.

Briefly stated the main purpose of this invention is to provide a beverage dispensing assembly which includes a bottle or other suitable receptacle in which beverage is contained, which receptacle is provided with a'suitable closure element, a crown cap, for instance. A sipper of slightly less length than the inner longitudinal dimension of the receptacle is disposed within the receptacle with its lower end located in close proximity with respect to the upper face of the bottom wall of the receptacle and with its upper end contacting with the closure element of the receptacle. The greater portion of the length of the sipper is submerged in the beverage and for this reason the sipper necessarily must be made-from liquidproof material, or in other words, material which is not affected by long submersion in liquid.

There are several known materials on the market at the present time which might be employed in producing sippers intended for use as parts of the present invention inasmuch as saidmaterials are unafl'ected by long submersion in liquids. 5

The sippers of the present invention are arranged in the receptacles either before or after the beverage is introduced into the receptacles, and when the closure elements are applied to the receptacles said closure elements engage the upper 10 ends of the sippers so that said sippers are seale within the receptacles. 7

. The predominant feature of the present invention is that the sipper of the beverage dispensing assembly disclosed herein is sealed at its,upper 15 end when it is placed in the receptacle. The, result of this arrangement is that a column of air is trapped in the sipper when it is sealed in a receptacle containing liquid, and this trapped air tends to move the sipper upwardly withinthe re- 20 ceptacle. However, the tendency of the sipper to move upwardly within the receptacle. is resisted by the closure element of the receptacle with which the upper end of the sipper contacts when the sipper is sealed within the receptacle. With 25 this condition existing when the closure element of the receptacle is removed, the trapped air Within the sipper causes said sipper to bounce upwardly within the receptacle until a considerable portion of the sipperis exposed above the mouth 30 of the receptacle. The upper end of the sipper is closed or sealed in a manner to be hereinafter set forth and the person to whom the beverage ,is served merely pinches the closed end of the sipper slightly so as to cause said closed end of the 35 sipper to pop open whereupon said sipper may be used in the usual manner to'withdraw liquid from the receptacle.

Thusa sipper forming a part of the improved beverage dispensing assembly disclosed herein is 40 sealed in an air-tight receptacle until it is to be employed by a purchaser of beverage dispensed with the aid of the improved dispensing assembly, and if the bottling of the beverage was performed in a sanitary manner (which ordinarily is 45 the case) the purchaser may feel reasonably sure that the sipper he uses is free from contamination.

Another important feature of the invention is that aside from the matter of sanitation the use 50 of the improved dispensing assembly disclosed herein renders very convenient the task of serving bottled beverages. This results from the fact that as soon as the closure element is detached from the receptacle a sipper bounces into the 55 proper extended position for use, thus eliminating additional action on the part of the person serving the beverage in reaching for a sipper and introducing it in the beverage receptacle.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved dispensing assembly. I

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the closed end portion of the sipper.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the closed end portion of the sipper.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the closed end of the sipper.

Fig. 7 illustrates one manner in which the sippers are provided with closed ends.

Fig. 8 illustrates another manner in which the sippers may be provided with closed ends.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention I designates a receptacle in the form of a bottle. The bottle I is provided with the usual bead 2 at the mouth thereof which is shaped and proportioned to be frictionally engaged in the well known manner by a crown cap 3. Arranged within the bottle I is a body of beverage B and disposed within the bottle so that the greater partof its length is submerged in the beverage B is a sipper 4. The sipper l is in the form of a tube of small diameter and said sipper ismade of a material which is not affected by long submersion in liquid. The botom end of the sipper is located in close proximity to the bottom wall In. of the bottle I and the top end of the sipper contacts with the lower face of the closure element 3 of the bottle I as shown in Fig. 2.

, The sipper I is preferably formed from a thermo-plastic material resembling Celluloid which material is reduced to tissue thinness. One characteristic of such material is that it is so completely fluid-proof that it may be submerged in liquid for an indefinite period of time. Also because of its thermo-plastic nature it lends itself admirably to the expedient of closing an end of each sipper due to the fact that by application of heat to an end of a sipper the opposed portions of the wall of the sipper may be caused to adhere to each other so as to seal the end of the sipper as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. Also it has been found that when it is desired to open the sealed end of a sipper formed from a thermoplastic material and which has been sealed by application of heat thereto, it is necessary, merely, to pinch the sealed end of the sipper between the thumb and forefinger so that slight pressure is applied longitudinally of the sealing seam S shown in Fig. 6. This causes the seam to pop open and renders the sipper ready for use.

One simple and convenient way of making the sippers so that each thereof is provided with a closed or sealed end is illustrated in Fig. 7. In accordance with this method the sippers 4a. are made in double lengths and each double length sipper is cut in half with the aid of a knife 5 which is maintained in a heated condition by suitable means (not shown). As the heated knife 5 passes through the sipper being cut the heat of the knife fuses the material of the sipper at the cut and the pressure of the knife against the sipper forces the opposed wall portions of the sipper together so that said portions will adhere to each other and thereby produce the sealing seam 8.

When in the use of the improved beverage dispensing assembly the closure element 3 is removed in the usual manner, the restraint imposed on the sipper by said closure element is removed and the column of trapped air within the sipper causes said sipper to bounce upwardly until a considerable portion thereof is exposed above the open mouth of the bottle I. The person served then pinches the sealed end of the sipper to open same as has been described and the sipper is ready for use.

If desired the sipper may be distinctively colored to give an unusual and pleasing appearance to the bottled beverage.

As an additional method of sealing the upper end of the sipper of the improved dispensing assembly the upper end portion of said sipper may be folded over as shown at Sa in Fig. 8. To retain the upper portion of the sipper in its folded over condition it may be touched by a suitable heated tool which will cause a slight fusing of the folded over portions of the sipper and the fold may be released when the sipper is to be used by applying slight pressure thereto with. the fingers.

I claim:-

1. A sipper adapted to be sealed within a receptacle in which liquid is contained comprising an elongated element having a passageway formed therethrough through which liquid may be drawn by suction; said passageway being closed at a point thereof so as to restrict passage through said passageway of liquid or air, and said closed portion of the passageway being releasable to a maintained open condition to permit passage of liquid and air through said passageway.

2. A sipper adapted to be sealed within a receptacle in which liquid is contained comprising an elongated element having a passageway formed therethrough through which liquid may be drawn by suction, said passageway being closed by adhesion at an end thereof so as to restrict passage through the closed end of said passageway of liquid or air, and said closed end of said passageway being releasable to a maintained open condition to permit passage of liquid and air through the previously closed end of said passageway.

3. A sipper adapted to be sealed within a receptacle in which liquid is contained comprising an elongated element having a passageway formed therethrough through which liquid may be drawn by suction, said passageway being closed at a point thereof by deforming said elongated element so as to restrict passage through the closed portion of the passageway of liquid or air, said closed portion of said passageway being releasable to a maintained open condition to permit passage of liquid and air through the passageway by restoring the elongated element to substantially its original formation.

FRANCIS C. HAMILTON.

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