BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract

Beverage container (1), at least comprising a housing (3) having a bottom (4), a lid (5) and a wall region (6) connecting the bottom (4) to the lid (5); wherein the beverage container (1) has a first volume (7) which can be partially filled with a liquid (9); wherein the beverage container (1) further comprises a pressure container (10) having a third volume (11), said pressure container being arranged in the first volume (7); wherein the pressure container (10) has at least one opening (12) which connects the first volume (7) and third volume (11) and which has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimetre.

Claims

1. A beverage container, comprising a housing having a bottom, a lid and a wall region connecting the bottom to the lid; wherein the beverage container has a first volume configured to be partially filled with a liquid; wherein the beverage container further comprises a pressure container having a third volume, said pressure container being arranged in the first volume; wherein: the pressure container has at least one opening which connects the first volume and third volume and has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimetre, or the first volume has a largest height between the bottom and the lid along an axial direction; wherein the pressure container has, between a first end and a second end, a length along the axial direction that is at least 50% of the largest height.

2. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the pressure container has a plurality of openings and all the openings have a diameter of less than 0.2 millimetre.

3. The beverage container according to claim 2, wherein, with a the beverage container standing upright, at least two of the plurality of openings are arranged at mutually different height positions of a height.

4. The beverage container according to claim 2, wherein, with the beverage container standing upright, at least two of the plurality of openings are arranged at an identical height position of a height.

5. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein, with the beverage container standing upright, the third volume of the pressure container extends up and into an upper region adjacent to the lid that is situated above a predetermined filling level of the liquid.

6. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein, with the beverage container standing upright, the first volume has at least one lowest point; wherein the third volume the pressure container extends down and into a lower region adjacent to the bottom such that the at least one opening is arranged at most 5 millimetres away from the lowest point.

7. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the bottom, the lid and the wall region form a wall of the beverage container; wherein the pressure container is arranged adjacent to the wall of the beverage container at least with the first end or with the second end such that, at least with respect to an axial direction, an abutment is formed between the end and the wall.

8. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the pressure container at least partially has a cylindrical shape along the axial direction, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical shape is at most 20 millimetres.

9. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the pressure container has a wall thickness of at most 0.4 millimetre.

10. The beverage container according to one of the preceding claim 1, wherein the pressure container with the third volume is arranged directly adjacent to the wall region.

11. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the pressure container is fixed in the first volume exclusively in a force-fitting manner

12. The beverage container according to claim 11, wherein the pressure container is fixed in the first volume in the position by way of an elastically deformable retaining element.

13. A pressure container for arranging in the beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the pressure container has at least one opening which has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimetre.

14. The pressure container according to claim 13, wherein the pressure container additionally has an elastically deformable retaining element which extends outside of the third volume and which has a configuration which allows the retaining element to be arranged on a wall of the beverage container provided for the pressure container under pretensioning.

Description

[0066] The invention and the technical field are explained in greater detail below by way of the figures. It should be noted that there is no intention to restrict the invention by the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular, unless explicitly stated otherwise, it is also possible to isolate partial aspects of the situations explained in the figures and to combine them with other components and insights from the present description and/or figures. Identical reference signs denote identical objects, and therefore supplementary explanations from different figures can be drawn upon if appropriate. In the drawing:

[0067] FIG. 1 schematically shows a beverage container without lid, a pressure container and a retaining element, in each case in a perspective view;

[0068] FIG. 2 schematically shows a tube for producing a pressure container in a perspective view;

[0069] FIG. 3 schematically shows a pressure container with a retaining element in a perspective view;

[0070] FIG. 4 schematically shows the beverage container according to FIG. 1 with a pressure container according to FIG. 3 during assembly, in a perspective view;

[0071] FIG. 5 schematically shows the beverage container according to FIG. 4 with assembled pressure container, in a perspective view;

[0072] FIG. 6 schematically shows a beverage container with a pressure container without retaining element, in a perspective view; and

[0073] FIG. 7 schematically shows a beverage container in a starting state in a side view.

[0074] FIG. 1 shows a beverage container 1 without lid 5, a pressure container 10 and a retaining element 29, in each case in a perspective view.

[0075] The beverage container 1 here comprises a housing 3 having a bottom 4 and a cylindrical wall region 6 connecting the bottom 4 to a lid 5 (see FIG. 7). The beverage container 1 has a first volume 7 which is partially filled with a second volume 8 of a liquid 9.

[0076] The beverage container 1 extends from the bottom 4 towards the lid 5 along an axial direction 16. The axial direction 16 runs parallel to the cylindrical wall region 6. The beverage container 1 is of substantially cylindrical configuration and has (apart from structures for example in the lid, for example for opening/closing the first volume 7) an axis of rotation or axis of symmetry which extends parallel to the axial direction 16.

[0077] The pressure container 10 extends from a first end 18 along the axial direction 16 towards a second end 19 over a length 20. The pressure container 10 has a (round) opening 12 which has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimetre.

[0078] The pressure container 10 has at least partially a cylindrical shape 27 along the axial direction 16 between the first end 18 and the second end 19, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical shape 27 is at most 20 millimetres.

[0079] In addition, an elastically deformable retaining element 29 is provided which extends outside of the third volume 11 of the pressure container 10 and has a configuration which allows the retaining element 29 to be arranged on a wall 25 of the beverage container 1 provided for the pressure container 10 under pretensioning.

[0080] FIG. 2 shows a tube for producing a pressure container 10 in a perspective view. The pressure container 10 can be produced from the cylindrical tube (for example in the manner of a straw or of a drinking straw) which has an open end on both sides in the starting state. To produce the pressure container 10, the tube is cut to the required length and then or at the same time the ends of the cut-to-length tube are closed. Finally, or else before cutting to length, the opening 12 is formed.

[0081] FIG. 3 shows a pressure container 10 with a retaining element 29 in a perspective view. The retaining element 29, for example a film strip, is connected to the pressure container 10 before being arranged in the beverage container 1 (for example by means of ultrasonic welding, adhesive bonding, integral forming or the like). The retaining element 29 is introduced into the beverage container 1 in the elastically deformed state illustrated, with it elastically deforming there preferably automatically.

[0082] FIG. 4 shows the beverage container 1 according to FIG. 1 with a pressure container 10 according to FIG. 3 during assembly, in a perspective view. The retaining element 29 is introduced into the beverage container 1 in the elastically deformed state illustrated, with it elastically deforming there preferably automatically (see FIG. 5).

[0083] FIG. 5 shows the beverage container 1 according to FIG. 4 with assembled pressure container 10, in a perspective view. The retaining element 29 places itself against a wall 25, here the wall region 6, of the beverage container 1 and fixes the pressure container 10 by way of a further present pretensioning of the retaining element 29. The pretensioning causes the retaining element 29 to be connected to the beverage container 1 in a force-fitting manner. The pressure container 10 is fixed in the position 28 in the first volume 7 by way of the elastically deformable retaining element 29.

[0084] FIG. 6 shows a beverage container 1 with a pressure container 10 without retaining element 29, in a perspective view. The pressure container 10 is here fixed in the position 28 on the wall region 6 by means of an adhesive 33.

[0085] FIG. 7 shows a beverage container 1 in a starting state 2 in a side view. In the starting state 2, the beverage container 1 has a sealed housing 3 having a bottom 4, a lid 5 and a (cylindrical) wall region 6 connecting the bottom 4 to the lid 5. The beverage container 1 has a first volume 7 which is partially filled with a second volume 8 of a liquid 9. The beverage container 1 further comprises a container 10 having a third volume 11, said container being arranged in the first volume 7. The pressure container 10 has an opening 12. In the starting state 2, the beverage container 1 is under a first pressure which is greater than a second pressure of the surroundings 13. In the starting state 2, the pressure container 10 is at least partially filled with a gas 14 (possibly additionally partially with the liquid 9). When the beverage container 1 is opened and there is pressure equalization with the surroundings 13, at least the gas 14 (and possibly also the liquid 9) exits the third volume 11 via the opening 12 into the liquid 9.

[0086] With the beverage container 1 in an upright state (the beverage container 1 is illustrated here standing on the lid 5), the bottom 4 is at the bottom and the lid 5 at the top with respect to the direction of gravitational force. The wall region 6 between the bottom 4 and lid 5 extends along an axial direction 16 parallel to the direction of gravitational force (with the beverage container 1 standing upright) and, in a circumferential direction 31, fully circumferentially around the bottom 4 and the lid 5.

[0087] A height 15 extends along the axial direction 16, starting from a lowest point 23 (in particular, as illustrated, arranged in a core bevel of the beverage container 1) of the first volume 7 in the region of the bottom 4 towards a highest point 30 (in particular arranged in a core bevel of the beverage container 1) in the region of the lid 5. The distance between the lowest point 23 and the highest point 30, measured along the axial direction 16, is referred to as the largest height 17. The opening 12 is arranged at a height position of the height 15, that is to say at a certain value of the height.

[0088] With the beverage container 1 standing upright as illustrated (standing upside down), the third volume 11 of the pressure container 10 extends up and into a lower region 24 adjacent to the bottom 4, with the lower region 24 being situated above a filling level 22 of the liquid 9.

[0089] The third volume 11 of the pressure container 10 extends up and into a lower region 24 adjacent to the bottom 4, with the result that the one opening 12 is arranged at most 5 millimetres away from the lowest point 23 along the axial direction 16.

[0090] The presently proposed pressure container 10 extending along the height 15 can, by virtue of its relatively small extent in a radial direction 32, be arranged eccentrically with respect to the bottom 4 or with respect to the first volume 7. It is thus possible for the pressure container 10 to be arranged directly adjacent to the wall region 6 and to extend into the (preferably both of the) core bevels of the beverage container 1 (the lowest edge of the beverage container 1 which, as illustrated, extends around the curved bottom 4; the same can be formed at the highest edge of the beverage container 1, that is to say around the lid 5 or around the—here annular—connection between the lid 5 and wall region 6).

[0091] The arrangement of the opening 12 at a small distance from the lowest point 23 makes it possible, as a result of at least the gas 14 exiting the pressure container 10, for a relatively large sub-volume of the second volume 8 to be stimulated.

[0092] The pressure container 10 is arranged directly adjacent to the wall region 6 with the third volume 11. The pressure container 10 is arranged with the first end 18 and with the second end 19 in each case directly adjacent to a wall 25 (for example the bottom 4, the lid 5 or the wall region 6) of the beverage container 1 such that, with respect to the axial direction 16, an abutment 26 is in each case formed between the end 18, 19 and the wall 25. The pressure container 10 is thus arranged with respect to the wall 25 in such a way that a further displacement of the pressure container 10 along the axial direction 16 forces at least one displacement of the wall 25-contacting end 18, 19 of the pressure container 10 in the radial direction 32 or in the circumferential direction 31.

[0093] Consequently, the pressure container 10 can be arranged fixed in its position 28 in the core bevels at least with respect to the radial direction 32.

[0094] The filling of the beverage container 1 and of the pressure container 10 can be carried out in a known manner, for example as follows: [0095] providing the housing 3 without lid 5 (see FIG. 1, on the left); [0096] providing the pressure container 10 with opening 12, where appropriate with retaining element 29 (see FIG. 3); [0097] arranging the pressure container 10 in the housing 3; where appropriate by way of the retaining element 29 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) or for example by using an adhesive 33 (see FIG. 6); [0098] filling the housing 3 with the liquid 9 (second volume 8); [0099] filling the housing 3 (starting from the second volume 8 up at most to the first volume 7) for example with inert gas 14 (where appropriate at least partially liquefied); [0100] (gas-tight) closing of the housing 3 with the lid 5 and forming the beverage container 1; [0101] turning over the beverage container 1 such that the bottom 4 points upwards (relative to the direction of gravitational force) and such that the opening 12 is arranged above the filling level 22 of the first volume 7 with the liquid 9 (see FIG. 7); [0102] filling the pressure container 10 via the opening 12 with the inert gas 14, which expands in the closed beverage container 1 as a result of heating (see FIG. 7); [0103] providing the beverage container 1 in a starting state 2 (see FIG. 7).

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0104] 1 Beverage container

[0105] 2 Starting state

[0106] 3 Housing

[0107] 4 Bottom

[0108] 5 Lid

[0109] 6 Wall region

[0110] 7 First volume

[0111] 8 Second volume

[0112] 9 Liquid

[0113] 10 Pressure container

[0114] 11 Third volume

[0115] 12 Opening

[0116] 13 Surroundings

[0117] 14 Gas

[0118] 15 Height

[0119] 16 Axial direction

[0120] 17 Largest height

[0121] 18 First end

[0122] 19 Second end

[0123] 20 Length

[0124] 21 Upper region

[0125] 22 Filling level

[0126] 23 Lowest point

[0127] 24 Lower region

[0128] 25 Wall

[0129] 26 Abutment

[0130] 27 Shape

[0131] 28 Position

[0132] 29 Retaining element

[0133] 30 Highest point

[0134] 31 Circumferential direction

[0135] 32 Radial direction

[0136] 33 Adhesive