DRINKING SYSTEM

Abstract

A drinking system (1) is disclosed which comprises a drinking vessel (2) with a receiving chamber (3) for a liquid. A drinking straw (5) is arranged in the drinking vessel (2) and is guided into the receiving chamber (3). The drinking system (1) further comprises a fragrance reservoir (9, 9) which is loaded with fragrance and has an inflow opening (10) for air and an outflow opening (11) for fragrance-enriched air. The drinking straw (5) is connected or connectable to the outflow opening (11) in order to suck in fragrance-enriched air emerging from the outflow opening (11) of the fragrance reservoir (9). According to the invention, an injector pump arrangement (12) is provided in the drinking system (1), which injector pump arrangement (12) is connected to or integrated into the drinking straw (5) and is joined to a suction channel (8) of the drinking straw (5) by way of a main flow path which is surrounded by an outer wall, or is a component of the suction channel (8). The injector pump arrangement has a suction opening (17) which is led through the outer wall and is fluidically connected or connectable to the outflow opening (11, 11) of the fragrance reservoir (9, 9). It further comprises the following components: a drive nozzle (14), an expansion chamber (15) which is fluidically connected directly downstream of the drive nozzle (14) and into which the suction opening (17) leads, and a collector nozzle (16) which is fluidically connected directly downstream of the expansion chamber (15).

Claims

1. A drinking system comprising: a drinking vessel defining a receiving chamber for a liquid, a drinking straw arranged on the drinking vessel and guided into the receiving chamber, with a first end having an inlet opening which projects towards a base of the receiving chamber and with a second end with a drinking opening, and with a drinking straw projecting from the drinking vessel and having a suction channel between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, a fragrance reservoir which is loaded with fragrance and has an inflow opening for air and an outflow opening for fragrance-enriched air, the drinking straw being connected or connectable to the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir in order to suck in fragrance-enriched air emerging from the outflow opening, and an injector pump arrangement which is connected to or integrated into the drinking straw and is joined to the suction channel by a main flow path surrounded by an outer wall or is a component of the suction channel, and which has a suction opening which is led through the outer wall and is fluidically connected or connectable to the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir, the injector pump arrangement having the following components integrated into the main flow path in a direction pointing towards the second end of the drinking straw: a drive nozzle, an expansion chamber fluidically connected directly downstream of the drive nozzle, and a collector nozzle fluidically connected directly downstream of the expansion chamber, wherein the suction opening leads into the expansion chamber.

2. The drinking system according to claim 1, wherein the injector pump arrangement has an intake funnel which is fluidically connected upstream of the drive nozzle and tapers conically towards the drive nozzle.

3. The drinking system according to claim 2, wherein, at an inflow opening located at an inflow end, the intake funnel has a diameter that is 2.5 to 4 times, in particular 3 to 3.5 times, as large as a diameter of the drive nozzle.

4. The drinking system according to claim 3, wherein the intake funnel has an axial longitudinal extension, taken in the direction of the suction channel, of 50% to 150% of the diameter of the inflow opening.

5. The drinking system according to claim 1, further comprising a mixing chamber which is fluidically connected, in particular directly, downstream of the collector nozzle and which has a larger diameter than the suction channel adjoining it.

6. The drinking system according to claim 5, wherein the mixing chamber is tapered conically towards the second end of the drinking straw.

7. The drinking system (1, 1, 1) according to claim 6, wherein the mixing chamber tapers conically with a taper angle of 3 to 15.

8. The drinking system according to claim 6, wherein the mixing chamber has an axial longitudinal extension, taken in the direction of the suction channel, of between 5 and 10 times a diameter of the collector nozzle.

9. The drinking system according to claim 1, further comprising a static mixer provided in the suction channel or connected thereto in the same longitudinal extension, with a baffle element having an interrupted helical shape arranged or formed therein.

10. The drinking system according to claim 1, wherein the injector pump arrangement is arranged in the region of the first end of the drinking straw.

11. The drinking system according to claim 10, further comprising a non-return valve arranged between the suction opening of the injector pump arrangement and the outflow opening of the fragrance reservoir, thereby allowing the fragrance-enriched air to flow only towards the suction opening.

12. The drinking system according to claim 11, wherein the non-return valve is a mushroom valve, in particular made of silicone.

Description

[0042] Further advantages and features of a drinking system according to the invention are given in the following description of possible embodiments on the basis of the attached figures. These show the following:

[0043] FIG. 1 A schematic representation of a possible embodiment of a drinking system according to the invention.

[0044] FIG. 2 A schematic representation of an alternative possible embodiment of a drinking system according to the invention.

[0045] FIG. 3 A schematic and enlarged representation of an injector pump arrangement of a drinking system according to the invention with an intake funnel connected upstream and a mixing chamber connected downstream.

[0046] FIG. 4 A schematic representation of a further possible embodiment of a drinking system according to the invention.

[0047] FIG. 5 The two representations a. and b. enlarge the portion labeled V in FIG. 4 to illustrate the valve arranged there, once in the closed position (FIG. 5a) and once in the open position (FIG. 5b).

[0048] FIG. 6 The drinking system shown in FIG. 4 viewed from above.

[0049] FIG. 7 The two representations a. and b. enlarge the portion labeled VII in FIG. 6 to illustrate the inflow opening provided there and the associated air volume regulator in two different positions.

[0050] FIG. 8A representation of a further embodiment similar to FIG. 4, modified compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 by the addition of a static mixer.

[0051] FIG. 9 The three representations a. to c. show an enlarged view of the insert in the form of an interrupted helix used in the static mixer.

[0052] The figures show schematic representations of various possible embodiments of the invention. These representations are not necessarily true to scale or true to detail. Rather, they serve to illustrate and explain the principle of the invention in more detail and show the key elements of the invention.

[0053] FIGS. 1 and 2 first show two possible embodiments of a drinking system 1 (FIGS. 1) and 1 (FIG. 2) according to the invention. These two embodiments are largely constructed in the same way and can therefore be described together in the following. The respective drinking system 1, 1 comprises a drinking vessel in the form of a drinking bottle 2. The drinking bottle 2 encloses a receiving chamber 3 which can hold a liquid, typically water or drinking water, indicated in FIG. 1 by a slightly wavy filling level line. The drinking bottle 2 is closed at an upper end with a lid 4.

[0054] Into the receiving chamber 3 there extends a drinking straw 5, a first end 6 of which projects towards a base of the receiving chamber 3, thus towards a base of the drinking bottle 2, and a second end 7 of which projects from the drinking bottle 2 through the lid 4. Between the two ends 6, 7 of the drinking straw, a suction channel 8 is formed.

[0055] A further component of the drinking system 1 is a fragrance reservoir 9 which is formed by a container in which a fragrance is stored. The fragrance reservoir 9 has an inflow opening 10 and an outflow opening 11.

[0056] An injector pump arrangement 12 can also be seen, which in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is arranged near the base of the drinking bottle 2 at the first end of the drinking straw 5. This injector pump arrangement has a drive nozzle 14 which is connected to an intake funnel 13 on the inflow side. This has an enlarged inlet opening that tapers conically down to the narrowed diameter of the drive nozzle 14. The inlet opening of the intake funnel 13 has a diameter that is approximately three times as large as the diameter of the drive nozzle 14.

[0057] The drive nozzle 14 adjoins an expansion chamber 15 which in turn tapers conically towards a collector nozzle 16 with a reduced diameter. The collector nozzle 16 adjoins a mixing chamber 18 which widens conically in a first portion and narrows again conically in a second portion to a diameter that corresponds approximately to the inside diameter of the suction channel 8 in the drinking straw 5. The taper angle of the mixing chamber 18 can in particular be between 3 and 15. The length of the mixing chamber 18 can in particular be between 5 and 10 times the diameter of the collector nozzle 16.

[0058] A suction opening 17 is formed in the wall of the injector pump arrangement 12 in the region of the expansion chamber 15. The suction opening 17 is fluidically connected to the outflow opening 11 of the fragrance reservoir 9. In the drinking system 1 shown in FIG. 1, this is realized via an air pipe 19 which is directly connected to the outflow opening 11 of the fragrance reservoir 9. In the drinking system 1 shown in FIG. 2, on the other hand, an air pipe 20 is connected to the suction opening 17 and ends with a free end 21 in a head space 22 of the drinking bottle 2. The outflow opening 11 of the fragrance reservoir 9 also leads into this head space 22, resulting in a fluidic connection that can also be understood as indirect.

[0059] However, the two variants shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the essential structure and effect of the injector pump arrangement 12 in common:

[0060] When a user of the drinking system 1 or drinking system 1 sucks on the second end 7 of the drinking straw 5, the negative pressure generated in this way ensures that liquid, typically water, in the receiving chamber 3 inside the drinking bottle 2 is sucked in through the intake funnel 13. The liquid is then led through the drive nozzle 14 and at this point accelerated due to the tapering cross-section. The liquid accelerated in this way then enters the expansion chamber 15 in which the accelerated liquid jet creates a negative pressure. This negative pressure acts on the suction opening 17 so that air is sucked in through it, flowing from the fragrance reservoir 9 and enriched accordingly with fragrance contained therein. This air is entrained by the liquid flowing through the expansion chamber 15 and flows together with the liquid through the collector nozzle 16 and into the mixing chamber 18 arranged thereafter, where the flow of liquid first widens and then narrows again to approximately the cross-section of the suction channel 8 of the drinking straw 5 into which the liquid loaded with fragranced air then passes. During this passage through the mixing chamber 18, the liquid is finely mixed with the air. Starting with a small number of larger air bubbles, many such small bubbles are formed in the liquid.

[0061] The arrangement according to the invention significantly improves the drinking sensation for a user of the drinking device 1 or 1 compared to the known prior art. This is attributable to various aspects. For example, the intake funnel 13 causes the drive nozzle 14 not only to accelerate the flow of incoming liquid and thereby generate a negative pressure at the suction opening 17. Due to the intake funnel 13, the drive nozzle 14 also acts as a throttle in the liquid flow and thus creates a constant resistance that overrides the pressure drop caused by the inflow of air sucked in from the fragrance reservoir 9 and subjectively provides for a more uniform and thus improved drinking sensation. The collector nozzle 16 arranged at the end of the expansion chamber 15 also helps to stabilize the pressure conditions in the drinking straw 5 and thus also improves the drinking sensation.

[0062] The mixing chamber 18, which reduces the size of the air bubbles entrained with the liquid flow and provides intensive and uniform mixing of the air bubbles with the liquid in the manner described above, also helps to improve the drinking sensation.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a possible embodiment of an injector pump arrangement 12 with an intake funnel 13 connected upstream and a mixing chamber 18 connected downstream. The aforementioned components of the injector pump arrangement 12 can be seen. Furthermore, a permanently molded-on pipe connection piece can be seen, which leads into the suction opening 17 and to which, for example, one of the air pipes 19 or 20 can be connected.

[0064] FIGS. 4 to 7 show a further possible embodiment of a drinking system 1. This is largely identical in design, or at any rate analogous, to the drinking systems 1 and 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Reference can therefore be made to the above description. The following explanations relate mainly to the deviating designs and features.

[0065] The drinking system 1, too, has an injector pump arrangement 12 as a central component together with the individual components described above. The injector pump arrangement 12 of the drinking system 1 also works according to the principle described above. However, in the injector pump arrangement 12 of the drinking system 1, the suction opening 17 is connected to the outflow opening 11 of the fragrance reservoir 9 via a pipe section 24 designed with a short flow path, which is in particular significantly shorter than the flow paths in the drinking systems 1 and 1, thus largely without an air pipe 19 or 20 arranged in between, as provided in the embodiments of the drinking systems 1 and 1. To achieve this, the fragrance reservoir 9 has, in particular, a different shape and is arranged directly on the side wall of the drinking bottle 2. For this purpose, the fragrance reservoir 9 can, for example, be permanently attached to the side wall and equipped, via an inspection opening not shown in detail here, with a cartridge or similar component carrying the actual fragrance or aromatic substance. This cartridge or similar component can then be replaced or refilled with a new fragrance once the fragrance is exhausted.

[0066] The fact that the pipe section 24 is now significantly shorter in the drinking system 1 compared to the air pipes 19 and 20 in the drinking systems 1 and 1 results in a significantly smaller dead volume, so that, upon drinking, the fragrance is supplied to the drinker with the consumed liquid more directly and without any delay.

[0067] Furthermore, the drinking system 1 is provided with various valves to prevent backflow and to ensure the flow of air when drinking. For example, a ventilation opening 25 is provided in the lid 4 of the drinking bottle 2 of the drinking system 1 through which air can be fed into the receiving chamber 3 of the drinking bottle 2 when a negative pressure is created there. This ventilation opening 25 is closed by a valve 26 which may, for example, be in the form of a so-called mushroom valve, as shown in the enlarged representation in FIG. 5. The valve body of the valve 26 is made from an elastic material, e.g. silicone or another plastic, and in the normal state is in a closed position as shown in FIG. 5a, in which it closes the ventilation opening 25. If a certain negative pressure now exists in the receiving chamber 3, as occurs when the user sucks on the drinking straw 5, the valve body of the valve 26 is drawn into the receiving chamber and is deformed in such a way that it opens the ventilation opening 25, allowing air to flow into the receiving chamber 3.

[0068] A similar valve 27 is arranged at the outflow opening 11 of the fragrance reservoir 9. This opens when a negative pressure exists in the pipe section 24 due to the effect described earlier in connection with the explanation of the injector pump arrangement 12 also used here, so that air can flow through the fragrance reservoir 9 and absorb and entrain fragrance. On the other hand, the valve 27 serves as a non-return valve, closes when there is overpressure in the pipe section 24 or when there is negative pressure in the fragrance reservoir 9 compared to the pipe section 24, and thus prevents liquid from penetrating from the receiving chamber 3 into the fragrance reservoir 9.

[0069] A further valve 28 is finally arranged in the region of the inflow opening 10 of the fragrance reservoir 9. This normally closes this inflow opening 10 and can therefore also prevent volatile fragrance from escaping from the fragrance reservoir 9 through the inflow opening 10, especially if the drinking system 1 is not used for a prolonged period. If, due to the effects described above, a negative pressure is generated at the suction opening 17 by a user sucking on the second end 7 of the drinking straw 5, this negative pressure also affects the fragrance reservoir 9, thereby opening the valve 28.

[0070] A further special feature which is realized in the drinking system 1, but whichlike the embodiment with one or more of the valves 26, 27 and 28can also be implemented in otherwise differently designed drinking systems, such as the drinking systems 1 and 1, is an air volume regulator 29 which is provided in the region of the inflow opening 10. This air volume regulator is formed by a disk 30 rotatably mounted on the fragrance reservoir 9, on which a lever 31 is arranged for rotating the disk 30. The disk extends from an axis of rotation of varying width and with varying diameter, in this case with a continuously decreasing diameter. The dimensions of the disk 30 are chosen and the disk 30 is arranged in such a way that, in a suitable rotational position, in areas with large diameter it completely covers the inflow opening 10 and, in a different rotational position with areas with smaller diameter, it partially or completely exposes the inflow opening 10. Thus, not only can the air inlet opening 10 be closed and opened with the air volume regulator 29, but an opening cross-section and thus the inflowing air volume can also be regulated. This can be used in particular to regulate the amount of fragrance entrained in the flow of liquid sucked in at the second end 7 of the drinking straw 5 and thus to influence and determine the intensity of the fragrance experience or of the taste experience produced by retronasal olfaction.

[0071] Besides the fact that such an air volume regulator 29 can also be used in connection with other embodiments of the drinking system, other constructive designs can also be chosen here, for example in the form of slides or similar devices that cover the inflow opening with varying overlap.

[0072] Finally, FIGS. 8 and 9 show a further embodiment of a drinking system 1 according to the invention. This corresponds in its essential design features to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, therefore reference can be made to the above description of these figures, which also applies accordingly to the variant shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0073] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 differs in that, in addition to the mixing chamber 18, it now includes a static mixer 32 which is integrated into the flow channel or suction channel of the drinking straw or is connected directly to it. This static mixer 32 is an insert placed in the flow channel or a fitting incorporated into it having the form of an interrupted helical baffle 33, as shown in more detail in FIGS. 9a to c in three views: a three-dimensional view (FIG. 9a), a side view (FIG. 9b) and a view from above, i.e. in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the flow channel with the baffle 33 inserted (FIG. 9c). This mixer 32 is referred to as static because it has no moving parts. A laminar flow entering this static mixer is converted into a turbulent flow by the helical segments of the baffle 33 so that, in this mixer 32, larger air bubbles entrained in the liquid flow and picked up via the injector pump arrangement 12 are separated into a greater number of smaller air bubbles, and these air bubbles are homogeneously mixed with the liquid flow. Although the static mixer 32 is shown here as an additional element to the mixing chamber 18 and arranged downstream of the latter, it can also be used instead of the mixing chamber 18 or in an arrangement upstream of the mixing chamber 18.

[0074] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 8, the injector pump arrangement 12 is shown in each case arranged at the first end 6 of the drinking straw 5 and as an independent part. However, the injector pump arrangement 12 can also be arranged in a different position with respect to the drinking straw 5, in particular near its second end 7, or it can be integrated into the drinking straw at any position. The optionally provided mixing chamber 18 can also be integrated at a position remote from the injector pump arrangement 12. The only essential point is that a possible mixing chamber 18 is arranged fluidically downstream of the expansion chamber 15 or downstream of the collector nozzle 16.

[0075] The embodiments described above and shown in the figures are merely to be understood as possible examples. The person skilled in the art will think of other designs that also satisfy the principle of this invention and benefit from its advantages.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0076] 1, 1, 1 Drinking system [0077] 2 Drinking bottle [0078] 3 Receiving chamber [0079] 4 Lid [0080] 5 Drinking straw [0081] 6 First end [0082] 7 Second end [0083] 8 Suction channel [0084] 9, 9 Fragrance reservoir [0085] 10, 10 Inflow opening [0086] 11, 11 Outflow opening [0087] 12 Injector pump arrangement [0088] 13 Intake funnel [0089] 14 Drive nozzle [0090] 15 Expansion chamber [0091] 16 Collector nozzle [0092] 17 Suction opening [0093] 18 Mixing chamber [0094] 19 Air pipe [0095] 20 Air pipe [0096] 21 Free end [0097] 22 Head space [0098] 23 Pipe connection piece [0099] 24 Pipe section [0100] 25 Ventilation opening [0101] 26 Valve [0102] 27 Valve [0103] 28 Valve [0104] 29 Air volume regulator [0105] 30 Disk [0106] 31 Lever [0107] 32 Static mixer [0108] 33 Helical baffle