CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/421,097, filed November 11, 2016, entitled "AUTOMATIC BEVERAGE MIXER," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

B ACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to beverage dispensers and more particularly to a device for mixing beverages.

[0003] There are various ways to make mixed drinks. Commonly, hand-mixed drinks require multiple containers and a knowledgeable sendee worker to perform the mixing. What is needed is a simpler mechanism to mix drinks, particularly drinks made from ingredients in pre-packaged containers, such as Bloody Mary mix, tonic water, sodas, and juices in serving- sized bottles or cans.

[0004] Information related to attempts to address these problems can be found in United States Patent Numbers: 1,748,483; 2,013,616; 2,258,524; 4,645,352; 4,872,764; and 6,913, 165 as well as United States Patent Application Publication Numbers: 2001/00024660 and 2005/0029685, for example. Various types of hand-held beverage mixers, including some embodiments of the invention, can mitigate or reduce the effect of, or even take advantage of, some or all of these potential problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] According to the invention a cap is provided that is configured to be attached onto a container such as a standard-sized aluminum drink can. The cap has a chamber that contains fluid that can be mixed with the fluid in the aluminum drink can to form a mixed beverage. A consumer may drink the beverage through the cap.

[0006] A device comprises a housing with a lid, a rim, a membrane, a piston element and a chamber. The chamber is bounded and scalable by the lid and the membrane on opposing ends of the housing. The chamber configured to enclose a first fluid and the rim is configured to engage the top of an open container enclosing a second fluid. The piston element is operable to breach the membrane in order to allow the first fluid to mix with the second fluid to form a mixture.

[0007] The piston element further includes a ring with threads The ring moveably engages the piston element. The ring is manually accessible to operate the piston element. The open container may be a drink can or drink bottle.

[0008] A method for preparing a mixed beverage comprises opening a container containing a first component. A cap device having a chamber containing a second component is oriented to the container by guiding a centering post located at the end of a cylinder. The cap device is snapped onto a rirn of the container and a lock ring is moved. A membrane is breached to release the second component and the container and cap device are agitated to mix the first and second components together. At least one of the first and second components is a liquid and the liquid may be alcohol. The container may be a drink can or a drink bottle. The first and second components may be pre-measured and/or pre-packaged. The lid of the cap device is replaceable. The membrane may be breached by releasing a spring to activate a piston element. The method further comprises removing a lid of the cap device and optionally consuming at least some of the mixed beverage through the cap. The method may further comprise optionally re-sealing the cap device using the lid to store the mixed beverage.

[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of various embodiments of the invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, accompanying drawings and abstract,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device according to the invention.

[0011] Fig. 2 is a front side v iew of a dev ice according to the invention to be mounted on a cylindrical container and having section lines A -A marked.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention marked.

[0013] Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view along section A-A illustrating internal features of the embodiment of Fig. 2 marked. [0014] Fig. 5 is a method for preparing a mixed beverage according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a snap cap device 10. Referring collectively to Figs. 1-4, it comprises a removable lid 12, a housing 14, a lock ring 16 for the lid 12 and a rim 26. Within the housing is a cylinder IS around which is mounted to a slidahle sleeve piston 17 with a coil spring 19. The snap cap device 10 is for mounting on a compatible container, such as an aluminum drink can 18 with a bezel top 20. In alternative embodiments, a bottle or jar with a finish may be mounted to a snap cap device.

[0016] Referring to Fig. 4, the housing 14 contains a chamber 25 for a fluid, the chamber 25 being initially sealed both top by a moveable barrier 22 mounted to the sleeve piston 17 and at the bottom by a breachable membrane 24. Alternatively, the membrane 24 may be a removable disc with a closed but resealable orifice 29 disposed in line with the cylinder 19. The rim 26 is shaped and sized to fit over and seal to the receiving container. The bottom portion of the cylinder 15 has a centering post 30 and openings 32 to admit fluid into the chamber 26 for mixing with fluid from the receiving container.

[0017] Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the consumer opens the container 18. The rim 16 of the snap cap device 10 snaps onto the top of the container 18. The centering post 30 at the end of the cylinder 15 serves as a guide for the coirect orientation of the cap device 10 to the container 18. The lock ring 16 on the lid 12 is turned until it is in a locked position, releasing the spring 19, causing the membrane 24 to breach, i.e., tear or puncture, by the piston action of piston 17. Alternatively, the piston action causes the orifice 29 to open.

[0018] The chamber 26 contains a fluid to be mixed with the content of the container 18. The consumer can then mix the drink by agitating the container 18 with the cap device 10, if die membrane 24 is breached or the orifice 29 is open. The lid 12 can be removed and the consumer can then drink the mixed drink through the open snap cap device 10. The fluid, for example alcohol, is initially contained inside the chamber 26 until it is mixed. The snap cap 10 can be sealed for storage of the mixed drink if it is not fully consumed.

[0019] The snap cap 10 has a sealing/adhesive mechanism, an O-ring 4, as well as a mechanical catch to lock onto the formed rim top 20 of the container 18. This creates a strong bond that is also liquid tight. The spring 19 allows the linear movement of piston 17 and barrier 22 while maintaining a liquid tight chamber 26. The ring 16 is threaded to allow the lowering or raising of the piston element 17. When translated sufficiently, tension on membrane 24 causes it to tear from its bonding or to puncture, thus allowing the liquid in the chamber 26 to freely flow through the open top of the container. Both cap and container may be made from recyclable materials. [0020] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in considerable detaii with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other embodiments are possible.

Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the descriptions of the embodiments above.