Abstract
A drinking vessel having a bowl. The shape of the periphery of the bowl, in a horizontal cross-section, is not circular. The drinking vessel also has an axis of symmetry and a device for rotating the bowl about the axis of symmetry.
Claims
1. A drinking vessel comprising: a bowl comprising: a top open portion; a bottom portion; and a bulge disposed between the top open portion and the bottom portion, the bulge defining a bulge area in which the bowl has a maximum horizontal diameter, wherein, in a horizontal cross-section in the bulge area, the bowl has a peripheral shape that is not circular, wherein the bowl is tapered toward the top open portion such that a horizontal diameter at the top open portion is smaller than the maximum horizontal diameter, and wherein the bowl has a greater oblateness in the bulge area than in the top open portion; an axis of symmetry; and a device for rotating the bowl about the axis of symmetry, wherein the drinking vessel is rotationally symmetric about the axis of symmetry, and wherein the device for rotating the bowl is aligned with the axis of symmetry.
2. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral shape is oval.
3. The drinking vessel according to claim 2, wherein in the horizontal cross-section in which the inner periphery has a non-circular shape, an outer peripheral shape of the drinking vessel is circular.
4. The drinking vessel according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the outer periphery of the drinking vessel is circular in each horizontal cross-section, and wherein a wall thickness of the drinking vessel varies along a peripheral direction of the drinking vessel and along a height direction of the drinking vessel.
5. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral shape is elliptical.
6. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the drinking vessel has an upper rim which, in a horizontal cross-section, is circular.
7. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the drinking vessel has an upper rim which, in a horizontal cross-section, is oval or elliptical.
8. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein, in a first side view, the drinking vessel has a first maximum horizontal inner diameter and, in a second side view, a second maximum horizontal inner diameter being different from the first maximum horizontal inner diameter, and wherein the first maximum horizontal inner diameter is larger by a factor of 1.05 to 2.5 than the second maximum horizontal inner diameter.
9. The drinking vessel according to claim 8, wherein a direction of the first view is perpendicular with respect to a direction of the second view and/or wherein each view is in a direction perpendicular to the axis of symmetry.
10. The drinking vessel according to claim 8, wherein the first maximum horizontal inner diameter is at the same height as the second maximum horizontal inner diameter, wherein the first maximum horizontal inner diameter and/or the second maximum horizontal inner diameter is/are arranged in a lower half of the bowl of the drinking vessel.
11. The drinking vessel according to claim 8, wherein, in the first view, at the upper rim or in a waist area the drinking vessel further has a first upper horizontal inner diameter or a first waist diameter which is smaller than the first maximum horizontal inner diameter and wherein said two differ from each other by a factor of 1.05 to 3.
12. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the drinking vessel is a glass or a wine glass.
13. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the drinking vessel comprises a bowl having a substantially constant thickness.
14. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the device for rotating the bowl is a stem or a stem without foot.
15. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the drinking vessel comprises a bowl, a stem and a foot.
16. The drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the drinking vessel comprises a stem and the stem has a first stem portion and a second stem portion which can be rotated relative to one another.
17. A drinking vessel, comprising: a bowl, the bowl comprising: a top open portion; a bottom portion; and a bulge disposed between the top open portion and the bottom portion, the bulge defining a bulge area in which the bowl has a maximum horizontal diameter, wherein the bowl is tapered toward the top open portion such that a horizontal diameter at the top open portion is smaller than the maximum horizontal diameter, and wherein the bowl has a greater oblateness in the bulge area than in the top open portion; a foot; and a stem extending from a bottom of the bowl, the stem comprising: an upper stem portion fixed to the bowl; and a lower stem portion fixed to the foot, wherein the upper stem and the lower stem are rotatable relative to each other about an axis of symmetry of the drinking vessel.
18. The drinking vessel according to claim 17, wherein the drinking vessel is rotationally symmetric about the axis of symmetry.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a conventional wine glass;
(3) FIG. 2a shows a first side view of a drinking vessel according to an embodiment of the present invention;
(4) FIG. 2b shows a second side view of the drinking vessel shown in FIG. 2a according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
(5) FIG. 2c shows a top view of the drinking vessel according to the embodiments of FIGS. 2a and 2b;
(6) FIG. 3a shows a first side view of a drinking vessel according to a further embodiment of the present invention;
(7) FIG. 3b shows a second side view of the drinking vessel of the invention according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3a;
(8) FIG. 3c shows a top view of a drinking vessel according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b;
(9) FIG. 4a shows a first side view of a further embodiment of the present invention;
(10) FIG. 4b shows a second side view of a drinking vessel according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4a; and
(11) FIGS. 5a-c show side views of a further embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(12) FIG. 1 shows a glass, for example a wine glass, from the prior art. Such a wine glass 100 normally comprises a foot 2 on which it can be placed, a bowl 6 for receiving liquid, for example wine, as well as a stem 4 which connects the foot 2 to the bowl 6 and is generally configured as a thin, bar-shaped element. The bowl 6 comprises different areasfor example a lower or wetted area 8, a swirl-wetted area 10 as well as a drink-wetted area 12. The wetted area 8 is the area which is filled with and thus comes in contact with the liquid, for example red wine, during normal use. In other words, red wine is poured into the bowl 6 in such a manner that the red wine is located only in the lower wetted area 8 but the filling level is not so high that wine is present in areas 10 and 12 when the glass 100 is standing. The wetted area 8 is adjoined by the area 10 which can also be referred to as second area or swirl-wetted area 10. Adjacent thereto, more exactly adjacent to the top when the glass 100 is standing on the foot 2, there is an upper or drink-wetted area 12 which ends in an upper glass rim 14. During normal use, liquid, for example red wine, is filled into the bowl 6 so that it is in area 8 during normal use when the glass 100 is standing normally, for example on a table. In connection with some beverages, for example red wine, it is particularly desired that it is mixed with a gas, for example air or oxygen, in order to further improve the taste of such a winethis procedure is generally also called breathing of the wine. For causing such a mixing of the liquid or the beverage with gas, for example air, many users rotate or move the wine glass 100. Caused by the movement and the resulting centrifugal forces, the wine thus moves upwardly within the bowl 6 and reaches the swirl-wetted area 10 (which is thus wetted during swirling). Thus, the surface of the wine 10 is increased, leading to an improved mixing of the wine with air. Furthermore, also additional turbulences during such swirling cause a good mixing of the wine so that much wine comes in contact with the air. Since the wine comes into this middle area 10 of the bowl 6 when the glass 100 is moved, this middle area is also called swirl-wetted area 10. When the user drinks the wine in the glass 100, he/she tilts the entire glass 100 in such a manner that the upper glass rim 14 is moved out of the horizontal. The wine then flows across the swivel-wetted area 10 and the drink-wetted area 12 into the mouth of the user and can be enjoyed by him/her. Therefore, the upper area 12 can also be called drink-wetted area 12. On the basis of such normal glasses, it is in particular an object of the present invention to provide a glass which can unfold the aroma of a beverage in an improved manner.
(13) This object can be achieved, i.a., in that a drinking vessel is provided which guarantees better mixing of the beverage with air. Individual embodiments will be described in the following.
(14) FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c show a first embodiment of a drinking vessel 200. This drinking vessel 200 can be configured as glass 200. In the description of the preferred embodiments, generally always glasses 200, 300, 400, 500 will be mentioned. However, this should not be understood as being restrictive. Rather, the person skilled in the art will understand that the features of the embodiments described herein can also be realized with other drinking vessels. As described above, also this glass 200 can have a foot 2, a stem 4 and a bowl 6. In the shown embodiment, the bowl 6 has a glass bulge 16. The glass bulge 16 is the area in which the bowl 6 has a maximum horizontal diameter. In the shown side view of FIG. 2a, the bowl 6 tapers towards the top so that a horizontal diameter in an upper or drink-wetted area of the glass, for example at the upper glass rim 14, can be clearly smaller than a diameter at the glass bulge 16. In the following, an embodiment in which, in a top view, the diameter is minimal at the upper glass rim 14 will be exemplarily discussed and shown in the Figures; however, this is not necessarily the case. It is also possible that the glass tapers towards an upper waist area and then widens again above this waist area. If a waist area is provided, a diameter of the waist area is preferably between 1.05 and 1.3 times smaller than a diameter at the upper glass rim 14. It is also possible that a diameter tapers up to such a waist area and from there on is constant up to the upper glass rim 14. A diameter D1i at the glass bulge can, for example, be between 1.05 and 3, preferably between 1.1 and 1.7, for example about 1.5 times as large as a diameter at the upper glass rim 14 or at the waist area. Furthermore, the embodiment shown in FIG. 2a shows, in addition to the inner diameter at the glass bulge 16, also the outer diameter D1a at the glass bulge 16. They differ by twice a glass thickness or a wall thickness in this area.
(15) FIG. 2b shows a second side view of the glass 200. The side view of FIG. 2b is rotated by 90 relative to the side view of FIG. 2a. The viewing directions of FIGS. 2a and 2b are also shown in FIG. 2c, wherein the viewing directions for FIGS. 2a and 2b are shown by the symbols with the reference signs Ba and Bb. According to the illustration of FIG. 2b, in this second side view the glass 200 has a smaller diameter at the glass bulge 16 than in the first side view according to FIG. 2a. In other words, thus the inner diameter D2i of this side view is smaller than the respective inner diameter D1i in the other side view and also the outer diameter D2a is smaller than the respective outer diameter D1a in the side view shown in FIG. 2a. Furthermore, it is preferred that also in the side view shown in FIG. 2b the inner diameter D2i at the glass bulge 16 is larger than the inner diameter D14b at the upper glass rim 14 or at the waist area. For example, in this side view the inner diameter D2i at the glass bulge 16 can be between 1% and 200%, preferably between 2% and 50%, for example about 10% larger than the inner diameter D14b at the upper glass rim 14. However, it is not necessary that both diameters at the bulge are larger than the diameter at the upper rim, in particular this is not necessary if the rim is round. It can also be the case that only the larger diameter of the bulge is larger than the diameter of the upper rim.
(16) As a result, this means that, in a horizontal cross-section along the bulge 16, the glass 200 has an oval and preferably an elliptical shape. The upper glass rim 14 can, like the bulge, have an oval or elliptical shape, but with a smaller diameter. However, also the upper glass rim 14 can have a round shape, so that the inner diameters D14a and D14b are identical in the two shown side views of FIGS. 2a and 2b. In the area of the upper glass rim 14 or in the waist area, thus a round shape which is known to the user would be guaranteed, which can be particularly advantageous. The oval design of a cross-section through the bowl 6, in particular in the wetted or swirl-wetted area, leads to the fact that when moving the glass in order to allow the wine to breath, particularly great or particularly suitable turbulences are caused in the glass leading to an increased mixing of the beverage, for example the red wine, with the air. Thus, the aroma of the wine can be emphasized particularly well. Furthermore, the tapering of the bowl 16 towards the top, i.e. the fact that the inner diameters D14a and D14b of the upper glass rim 14 or in the waist area are smaller than the respective diameters D1i and D2i at the glass bulge, can lead to the fact that the wine is protected from exiting the glass towards the top when the wine is swirling. This can allow a particularly high rotational or swirling speed or intensity, which allows particularly high turbulences and thus again contributes to an increased mixing of the wine with the air and further improves the aroma.
(17) Furthermore, in FIGS. 2a and 2b the axis of symmetry S of the drinking vessel 200 is emphasizedalthough such an axis of symmetry is also present in the embodiments of the other Figures, it is shown only in FIGS. 2a and 2b for the sake of clarity. In particular, the axis of symmetry S can extend along a height of the drinking vessel 200, i.e. in the vertical direction, when the drinking vessel 200 is placed as intended on a horizontal plane or is held as intended. Along the axis of symmetry S, the drinking vessel 200 has a varying inner diameter in both top views. If, for both views, the respective inner diameter is drawn in along the axis of symmetry S (or against the position in the height or vertical direction), a respective curve is obtained: Inner diameter in the first or in the second view vs. position in the vertical direction. They preferably differ such that the curves of the first and the second view have different inclinations in at least one place (and preferably in a plurality of places).
(18) FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c show a second embodiment of the present invention. The same or similar elements have the same reference signs as in the previous Figures or similar ones. Not any element is discussed in detail if it is identical to that of the previously described Figures. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3a to 3c shows a drinking vessel 300, which is configured, e.g., as a glass and which again comprises a foot 2, a stem 4 and a bowl 6. The bowl 6 comprises a glass bulge 116. In a first side view, which is shown in FIG. 3a (in view of the viewing direction, reference is again made to the structure with reference sign Ba in FIG. 3c), the glass 300 has an inner diameter D3i and an outer diameter D3a at the glass bulge 116. This inner diameter D3i is larger by twice a first glass thickness B1 than the outer diameter D3a. Furthermore, in the shown embodiment the bowl 6 tapers towards the top so that a horizontal diameter D114a at the upper glass rim 114 or in a waist area is smaller than the inner diameter D3i at the glass bulge 116. In view of the possible dimensions thereof, reference is made to the embodiment discussed last. A second side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3a is shown in FIG. 3bin view of the respective viewing direction, reference is again made to FIG. 3c. As evident from FIG. 3b, also in this cross-section, the glass 300 comprises a glass bulge 116 at which the inner diameter D4i and/or the outer diameter D4a is maximum. The respective inner diameter D4i is again smaller by twice a glass thickness B2 than the outer diameter D4a. In particular, the inner diameter D4i at the glass bulge 116 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3b and 3a is smaller than the respective inner diameter D3i at the glass bulge 116 shown in FIG. 3a. See also FIG. 3c in this regard. In view of the inner diameter or in view of the glass limits in the interior of the bowl 6, this again leads to an oval cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 3c). With reference to FIG. 3b it is further preferred that also in this view the inner extension, i.e. the inner diameter of the bowl 6, tapers towards the top so that the inner diameter D4i at the glass bulge 116 is larger than the inner diameter D114b at the upper glass rim 114 or in a waist area.
(19) The upper glass rim 114 can have a round course so that in particular also the inner diameters D14a according to FIGS. 3a and D14b according to FIG. 3b are identical, as shown in FIG. 3c. Furthermore, particularly for optical and aesthetic reasons it is also preferred that the cross-section at the glass bulge 116 is round in view of its shape of the outer periphery or its outer dimensioning. This means that in particular also the outer diameters D3a and D4a are identical. It is further particularly preferred that this does not only apply to the cross-section through the glass bulge 116 but to all cross-sections. This means that in accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment, the shape of the outer periphery of the glass 300 is at least substantially circular in each place. Thus, it is possible to provide a glass which has the above functionalities and is similar or equal to a typical wine glass in view of visual appearance and aesthetics.
(20) Furthermore, reference is made, e.g., to the drinking vessel 400, which is realized as a glass, according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. According to the illustrations, the bowl 6 of the glass can be configured in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c. However, it is of course also possible that the bowl 6 of the glass 400 is designed in accordance with the embodiment shown and discussed in FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c. Therefore, the design of the bowl 6 will not be discussed in detail in the following. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b further again comprises a stem 4 and a bowl 6. The stem 4 of this embodiment has a first or upper stem portion 42 and a second or lower stem portion 44. The first stem portion 42 can be connected firmly to the bowl 6 and preferably can be formed integrally therewith. The lower stem portion 44 in turn is firmly connected to the foot 2 and is preferably integrally formed therewith. The two stem portions are provided so as to be rotatable relative to one another. In other words, a rotating mechanism is provided by means of which the bowl 6 and the upper stem portion 42 can be rotated independently of the foot 2 and the lower stem portion 44. In this embodiment, the glass 400 can thus be left standing while nevertheless the upper stem portion 42 and the bowl 6 can be moved so that the wine is swirled.
(21) It is also possible that the rotating mechanism is not arranged between parts of the stem 4 but between the stem 4 and the foot 2 and that these are provided so as to be rotatable relative to one another. In such an arrangement, the stem 4 might be inserted into the foot 2, for example. It is also possible that the foot has different foot portions which can be rotated relative to one another or that the entire glass including the foot 2 is standing on a base which has such a rotating device that a part remains standing firmly on the table and another part, on which the glass (with foot 2) is standing, can be rotated about the lower table part.
(22) A further possibility of facilitating rotation of the glass is achieved in that the drinking vessel 500, which is realized, e.g., as a glass (as shown in FIG. 5), comprises only a bowl 6 and a stem 4 or is composed thereof. In particular, such a glass does not have a foot 2 which is firmly connected to a stem. The bowl can be designed as described above in view of the other embodiments. When not being used, the stem 4 can be inserted in a holder 502, 504 provided for this purpose. This holder can be configured either like a block, for example like a cylinder-shaped block 502 with a channel 510 into which the stem 4 of the glass can be inserted. Alternatively, the holder 504 can also be designed like a glass foot, i.e. comprise a foot portion 512 and a stem portion 514, which in turn comprises a channel 516 for receiving the glass stem 4.
(23) It is evident to the person skilled in the art that the individual features described in connection with the different preferred exemplary embodiments can also be provided in other embodiments or can be combined with such embodiments.
(24) The invention also comprises the precise or exact expressions, features, numerical values or ranges, etc. if above or below these expressions, features, numerical values or ranges have been mentioned in connection with expressions such as about, approx., around, substantially, in general, at least, not less than etc. (i.e. about 3 should also comprise 3 or substantially radial should also comprise radial). The term or may also mean and/or.
(25) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
