Apparatus and method for separation of air from fluids

Abstract

An apparatus and method for separation of air from fluids, whereby a contractable partition, a throat seal, and air vents are provided, which allow an inside portion behind the contractable partition to expand into or contract from an outside portion, increasing or decreasing the side of the inside portion to accommodate changing volumes of beverage, thereby preventing the entry of contaminating air and slowing the loss of carbonation of the remaining beverage.

Claims

1. A separation of air from fluids apparatus for reducing carbonation loss in an open and resealed volume of beverage, the separation of air from fluids apparatus comprising: (i) a contractible partition adapted to seal off a portion of a container, said partition having two opposing side edges and a bottom edge, a first of said side edges attached to an inner surface of said container, a second of said side edges attached to an opposing portion of the inner surface of said container, and the bottom edge attached to a lower inner surface of said container, creating an inside portion for storing the beverage and an outside portion within the container, and adapted to expand and contract to accommodate varying volumes of beverage within the inside portion; (ii) a throat section of said beverage container, featuring a throat seal attached to the contractible partition and adapted to seal off the throat section of the container from communication with the outside portion, and said throat seal allowing an entire portion of said throat section to be in communication with the inside portion behind said contractible partition thereby eliminating air intrusion into the beverage while allowing the beverage to be dispensed from said container; and (iii) at least one air vent in the container surface corresponding to the outside portion, adapted to allow rapid equilibration of air pressure between the outside portion and ambient air pressure; and where, in use, said contractible partition expands or contracts to accommodate varying volumes of beverage within the inside portion while reducing the volume of air space above the beverage, thereby preventing the entry of contaminating air and reducing loss of carbonation.

2. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, further adapted for use within a bottle-type beverage container.

3. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, where said contractible partition is placed essentially in the middle of the beverage container.

4. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, where said contractible partition is placed so as to form an inside portion having a volume that is less than the outside portion one-half the volume of the beverage container.

5. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, further adapted for use with a collapsible beverage container.

6. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, where at least one said air vent is located near the throat of the beverage container.

7. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, where at least one said air vent is located near the base of the beverage container.

8. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, further adapted for use with a screw-cap-bottle beverage container.

9. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, where said contractible partition and said throat seal further comprise a rubber material.

10. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1, where said contractible partition and said throat seal further comprise a silicone rubber material.

11. A method of separating air from fluids for reducing carbonation loss in an open and resealed volume of beverage, the separation of air from fluids method comprising: (i) providing a separation of air from fluids apparatus, said apparatus comprising: (a) a contractible partition adapted to seal off a portion of a container, said partition having two opposing side edges and a bottom edge, a first of said side edges attached to an inner surface of said container, a second of said side edges attached to an opposing portion of the inner surface of said container and the bottom edge attached to a lower inner surface of said container, creating an inside portion and an outside portion within the container, and adapted to expand and contract to accommodate varying volumes of beverage within the inside portion; (b) a throat section of said beverage container, featuring a throat seal attached to the contractible partition and adapted to seal off the throat section of the container from communication with the outside portion, such that the entire throat section is in communication with the inside portion behind said contractible partition; and (c) at least one air vent in the container surface corresponding to the outside portion, adapted to allow rapid equilibration of air pressure between the outside portion and ambient air pressure; and (ii) using said separation of air from fluids apparatus, where, in use, said contractible partition expands or contracts to accommodate varying volumes of beverage within the inside portion while reducing the volume of air space above the beverage, thereby preventing the entry of contaminating air and reducing loss of carbonation.

12. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said separation of air from fluids apparatus is further adapted for use with a bottle-type beverage container.

13. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said contractible partition is placed essentially in the middle of the beverage container.

14. the separation of air from fluids meghod of claim 11, where said contractible partition is placed so as to form an inside portion less than one-half the volume of the beverage container.

15. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said contractible partition is placed so as to form an inside portion less than one-half the volume of the beverage container.

16. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said separation of air from fluids apparatus is further adapted for use with a collapsible beverage container.

17. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where at least one said air vent is located near the throat of the beverage container.

18. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where at least one said air vent is located near the base of the beverage container.

19. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said separation of air from fluids apparatus is further adapted for use with a screw-cap-bottle beverage container.

20. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said contractible partition and said throat seal further comprise a rubber material.

21. The separation of air from fluids method of claim 11, where said contractible partition and said throat seal further comprise a silicone rubber material.

22. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contractible partition is folded in an accordion-type fashion which allows the contractible portion to freely expand into and contract out of the outer portion.

23. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container surface corresponding to the outside portion is perforated to provide additional venting and to prevent the contracting partition or a user's hand to hinder equilibration of air pressure between the outside portion and ambient air pressure.

24. The separation of air from fluids apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contractible partition is adapted and configured such that when the container is upright, and fluid gravitates near a bottom portion of the container, a lower portion of the contractible partition expands and an upper portion of the contractible partition contracts whereby a center of gravity of the fluid is biased toward the bottom portion of the container to further ballast the apparatus.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of three stages in the use of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of three stages in the use of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a front view of three stages in the use of the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional front view of three stages in the use of the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 is a sectional perspective view of an embodiment of the invention having an off-center placement of the contractable partition;

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention having a collapsible beverage container;

(8) FIG. 7 is two sectional views of an embodiment of the invention having an off-center placement of the contractable partition;

(9) FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the invention having collapsible sides; and

(10) FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) Referring to FIG. 1 and all of the figures generally, the apparatus and method for separation of air from fluids 10 of the invention is shown in three stages of use. The apparatus for separation of air from fluids provides a contractable partition 1, sealing off a portion of a container, such as the bottle illustrated. This contractable partition 1 creates an inside portion and an outside portion of the interior of the container, with reference to the contractable partition 1.

(12) A throat seal 2 is attached to the contractable partition 1, and serves to seal the throat of the container such that the throat of the container opens only into the inside partitioned portion, and not into the outside portion.

(13) Referring to FIG. 2, one or more air vents 3 are provided in the container surface that corresponds to the outside portion, in order to allow for the equilibration of air pressure as the contractable partition 1 expands and contracts. The number of air vents 3 can vary, provided the total opening area is sufficient to allow an essentially instant equilibration of pressure. For example and without limitation, on a container of a size that a person would traditionally be able to manipulate, one air vent 3 of approximately one-quarter inch, or 6 millimeters, in diameter would be sufficient. In the present invention, if only one air vent 3 is used, that single air vent should not be placed at a position that is likely to be covered and blocked by a fully expanded contractable portion 1. At the other extreme, the entire surface of the bottle corresponding to the outside portion may be perforated, provided that sufficient structural integrity is maintained on the container.

(14) Referring to FIG. 3 & FIG. 4, in use, the separation of air from fluids apparatus 10 conforms to the amount of carbonated beverage present in the inside portion of the bottle. The contractable partition 1 expands into the outside portion of the bottle to accommodate a larger volume of the beverage, and contracts as the beverage is poured out of the container, leaving a lesser volume of beverage remaining in the container.

(15) In the illustrated embodiment, the contractable partition 1 is made from a material such as rubber or silicone rubber, which can be stretched and which returns to its original shape after stretching. This stretching should not take a large amount of force to achieve, and the material should not exert a large amount of force in returning to shape, because an excessive amount of force would likely push the beverage out of the container in an undesirable manner. The present invention further provides for the material to be arranged in folded or accordion-folded fashion, which allows the contractable partition 1 to move into and out of the outside portion. The tendency of the folded material to return to shape, like the contractable partition 1, should also not be strong and aggressive.

(16) Referring to FIG. 8, when the container is upright, the fluid will go to the bottom of the container through the action of gravity. The lower portion of the contractable partition 1 will expand to accommodate the fluid, and the upper portion will contact. The center of gravity of the fluid is thus maintained at the bottom of the container, which provides higher stability for the container.

(17) Referring to FIGS. 5, 7, and 9, the location of the contractable partition 1, and therefore the minimum size of the inside portion, can be at various locations within the container. The configuration of the throat seal 2 can also be altered to make the throat of the container open only into the inside partitioned portion, and not into the outside portion.

(18) Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the container can be collapsible in order to save space when the volume of beverage in the inside portion behind the contractable partition is low.

(19) Many other changes and modifications can be made in the apparatus and method of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.