SODA ANALYSIS SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for differentiating sugar-free and regular carbonated beverages. The system and method exploit the difference in specific gravity of fluid materials by observing calibrated beads immersed in fluids.

Claims

1. A system to determine if a carbonated beverage is sugar-free or regular comprising: a vial, a pressure tight cap, and a bead, wherein the bead has a specific gravity between approximately 0.997 and approximately 1.042 g/mL, wherein the bead sinking indicates a sugar-free carbonated beverage, and wherein the bead floating indicates a regular carbonated beverage.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the bead composition is selected from the group consisting of Nylon 12, a combination of polypropylene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and a mixture of polypropylene and Nylon 6.

3. The system of claim 3 wherein the bead composition is Nylon 12.

4. The device system of claim 3 wherein the bead composition is a combination of polypropylene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the bead composition is a mixture of polypropylene and Nylon 6.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the bead has a specific gravity selected from the group consisting of the range 1.00 to 1.04 g/mL., 1.00 to 1.03 g/mL, and 1.00 to 1.02 g/mL.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the bead has a specific gravity within the range 1.00 g/mL to 1.04 g/mL.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the bead has a specific gravity within the range 1.00 to 1.03 g/mL.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the bead has a specific gravity within the range 1.00 to 1.02 g/mL

10. A method to determine if a carbonated beverage is sugar-free or regular comprising the steps of: adding the carbonated beverage to a vial containing a bead, closing a pressure tight cap on the vial, increasing head pressure within the vial and determining the location of the bead in the vial.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of: shaking the capped vial including the carbonated beverage after closing the cap and before determining the location of the bead.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein shaking results in increased head pressure in the vial.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the bead floating indicates a regular carbonated beverage or the bead sinking indicates a sugar-free carbonated beverage.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of increasing head pressure prevents bubbles from forming and adhering to the bead.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of swirling or tapping the vial to remove bubbles from the bead.

16. A method of testing the specific gravity of a bead comprising the steps of: providing a first test fluid bath calibrated to a specific gravity of 1.00 g/mL, placing the bead in the first test fluid bath, removing the bead from further testing if the bead does not sink, providing a second test fluid bath calibrated to a specific gravity of 1.02 g/mL or higher, placing the bead in the second test fluid bath, removing the bead from further testing if the bead does not float.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second bath has a specific gravity within the range of 1.02 g/mL to 1.04 g/mL.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the second bath has a specific gravity selected from the group consisting of 1.02 g/mL, 1.03 g/mL, and 1.04 g/mL.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above-mentioned and other features of this disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the disclosure itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0021] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the components of the soda analysis system.

[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates a bead of FIG. 1 floating in a capped vial of a sugar-free carbonated beverage.

[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates a bead of FIG. 1 sunk in a capped vial of a regular carbonated beverage.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a photograph of the soda analysis system.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a photograph of the soda analysis system containing a test solution of sugar-free carbonated beverage with the vial cap off and without agitation.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a photograph of the soda analysis system containing a test solution of regular carbonated beverage with the vial cap off and without agitation.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a photograph of the soda analysis system containing a test solution of sugar-free carbonated beverage after agitation.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a photograph of the soda analysis system containing a test solution of regular carbonated beverage after agitation.

[0029] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.

[0031] There are several ranges of specific gravity which may work between approximately 0.997 and approximately 1.042 g/mL, such as between approximately 1.005 and approximately 1.035, between approximately 1.01 and approximately 1.03, between approximately 1.015 and approximately 1.025, and between approximately 1.0175 and approximately 1.0225. An exemplary testing bead would have a specific gravity at the midpoint of the sugar-free to sugar sweetened range which is about 1.02. Use of a standard, off-the-shelf material which may vary slightly from this about 1.02 value may be an economical and acceptable trade-off.

[0032] The spherical bead is comprised of a blend of two common plastics in proportions needed to offer the desired composite density. Testing of a layered pellet manufactured of varying parts polypropylene (PP) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene was conducted with gradual shaving off of the PP side of the pellet until the proper combined density was obtained. The result indicated that minimal PP was needed to reach the ideal density.

[0033] A review of standard materials by Stelray Plastic Products (Anisonia, Conn.; www.stelray.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Reference-Tables-Density-of-plastic.pdf) indicated that beads could be produced that would fall within the precise specific gravity (SG) range required to provide correct identification of the tested solution with high accuracy such as Nylon 12, and beads made of a 50/50 mixture of various other materials including PP, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, Polycarbonate, PVC and Nylon 6.

[0034] Due to the inherent variation in any mass manufacturing process, beads purchased in bulk should be precisely calibrated to ensure test accuracy by use of a two-step process. First the beads are placed in a first test fluid bath of SG=1.00 g/mL. Any bead that does not sink is removed and discarded. Secondly the remaining beads are placed in a second test fluid bath of SG=1.02 g/mL. Any bead which does not float in the second test fluid bath is removed and discarded. The remaining beads are confirmed valid for the soda analysis system. In this way, the ultra-high precision required for test beads may be obtained at a relatively low cost, yet with full confidence of test accuracy.

[0035] The two test fluid baths can be calibrated using a scientific hydrometer such as can be purchased from Grainger (www.grainger.com/product/VEE-GEE-Hydrometer-Replacement-48ME52). Distilled water may be a very acceptable solution for the first calibration bath (SG=1.00). Sugar can be added to distilled water incrementally until the desired specific gravity is reached for the 2nd calibration bath. A carbonated solution may also be used for both test fluid baths.

[0036] If beads made from Nylon 12 were used which has a nominal specific gravity of 1.02, very few beads would be rejected as a result of the calibration testing described in paragraph [0029]. If a material was chosen more towards the extents of any exemplary range, such as SG=1.006, more of the beads would be rejected in the calibration test leading to increased scrap expense. After the calibration test, all calibrated testing beads would be acceptable for use regardless of their material composition.

[0037] The proposed invention combines the calibrated testing bead 105, a vial 101 and a suitable pressure tight cap 103. The capped vial will ideally be small, portable, durable, of a transparent material and able to withstand internal pressures greater than those produced by carbonated beverages when agitated.

[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 1 the soda analysis system 100 comprises a threaded and transparent vial 101, a pressure tight screw on cap 103 including seal 111, and a calibrated bead 105. Bead 105 benefits from being as large as possible while still fitting through vial opening 113. A large bead 105 leaves a few millimeters of clearance once the bead 105 is down into the main body 115 of the vial 101. Too much clearance between bead 105 around vial opening 113 or vial wall 117 may make it difficult to see the bead in a dark colored beverage 109, 110 (FIGS. 2, 3, and 5-8). Too little clearance between bead 105 around vial opening 113 or vial wall 117 may cause interaction between the bead 105 and vial wall 117 which may reduce test robustness. Current testing has shown 4-5 mm total clearance between the vial wall 117 and bead 105 when fully inserted into the vial 101 to perform well. Test performance was not found to be highly sensitive to the clearance.

[0039] The soda analysis system 100 is used in a method to determine if a carbonated beverage is sugar-free or regular. The method comprises the steps of placing the bead 105 in the vial 101, adding a sample of the solution to be tested in an amount sufficient to fill the vial to an indicated level 107, tightening the cap 103 to the vial 101 sufficient to ensure the cap is pressure tight and shaking the capped vial of solution, ensuring that the agitation dislodged and disseminated any bubbles that may have attached to the bead 105, and then determining the position of the bead in the solution.

[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the bead 105 is floating which confirms, the solution 109 to be regular or sugar containing.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the bead 105 sinks which confirms the solution 110 to be sugar-free.

[0042] The soda analysis system 100, as shown in FIG. 4, comprises a threaded and transparent vial 101, a pressure tight screw on cap 103 including seal 111, and a calibrated bead 105.

[0043] There are means to address a specific problem of bubbles adhering to the bead, which may compromise test accuracy. If the vial cap is sealed and the carbonated beverage is agitated, head pressure within the vial will serve to suppress the formation of carbonation bubbles on the bead. Without shaking, the closed vial will not accumulate head pressure fast enough for the bead to be unaffected by the bubbles and give a reliable reading of the specific gravity of the beverage. Alternatively, a sealed vial without agitation may eventually exhaust the formation and attachment of bubbles to the bead, but it is time consuming to wait for the bubbles to dissipate. As another alternative, it is envisioned that some type of coating on the bead might reduce adhesion of bubbles to the bead.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows vial 101 filled with a test solution of sugar-free carbonated beverage 109 with the soda analysis system not capped and without agitation. Without head pressure, bubbles 119 form and cause bead 105 to float and interfere with the analysis.

[0045] FIG. 6 shows vial 101 filled with a test solution of regular carbonated beverage 110 with the soda analysis system not capped and without agitation. Without head pressure, bubbles 119 form and cause bead 105 to float and interfere with the analysis.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows the soda analysis system 100 filled with a test solution of sugar-free carbonated beverage 109 after agitation under sufficient head pressure to suppress the formation of bubbles on sunken bead 105 that may interfere with analysis. Some bubbles 121 are present, but they do not interfere.

[0047] FIG. 8 shows the soda analysis system 100 filled with a test solution of regular carbonated beverage 110 after agitation under sufficient head pressure to suppress the formation of bubbles on floating bead 105 that may interfere with the analysis. However, some bubbles 121 are present.

[0048] While this disclosure has been described as having an exemplary design, the present disclosure may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains.