The entire contents of Australian provisional patent application nos. 2021900703 and 2021901367 filed on 11 March 2021 and 7 May 2021, respectively, are incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the invention

The present patent specification relates to a beverage container, and in particular, a beverage container configured to receive a cooling insert adapted to cool a beverage held in the container without contacting the beverage.

Background

Ice is commonly used to cool beverages. However, ice cubes and the like can dilute the beverage, and this may not be desirable for certain consumers and types of beverages, such as whisky. Consumers may also perceive the use of ice as being troublesome, cumbersome and wasteful.

Products such as whiskey stones and other cooling members provide an alternate way of cooling drinks without diluting them. However, such cooling products can pose hygiene issues because they are typically immersed in or at least physically contact the drink and can thus require cleaning between uses. This is not practical for busy venues such as retail bars and restaurants. Additionally, such cooling products may inadvertently alter the flavour of the drink and/or compromise the aesthetics of the overall beverage container and drink.

There is a need to address the above, and/or at least provide a useful alternative.

Summary

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beverage container having a body comprising: a vessel portion for holding a beverage, having a bottom with a substantially continuous and closed inner surface onto which the beverage can be poured; a base portion underlying the bottom of the vessel portion; and a spacer disposed between the bottom of the vessel portion and the base portion such that an outer surface of the bottom of the vessel portion is substantially elevated above and spaced from the base portion, which space between the base portion and the outer surface of the bottom of the vessel portion defines a slot in the body of the container for removably receiving a cooling insert, which cooling insert is configured to sit on the base portion and comprises an upper face configured to, when inserted into the slot, contact the outer surface of the bottom of the vessel portion to cool the beverage therein without contacting the beverage.

In embodiments of the container, the spacer interconnects the vessel portion and the base portion.

In embodiments of the container, the spacer is disposed toward one side of the container body.

In embodiments of the container, the spacer is shaped to be received into a complementarily shaped opening of the cooling insert.

In embodiments of the container, the spacer is wedge-shaped and is removably insertable into a corresponding opening of the insert so as to at least partially retain the insert within the slot.

In embodiments of the container, the body of the beverage container is integrally formed.

In certain embodiments, the beverage container is substantially formed from glass.

In certain embodiments, the container is in the form of a tumbler. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beverage container assembly comprising: a beverage container according to a first aspect of the present invention; and a cooling insert configured to be received in the slot of the container body to cool a beverage held in the vessel portion of the container.

In embodiments of the assembly, the cooling insert is at least partially in the form of a disc.

In embodiments of the assembly, the cooling insert comprises a generally horseshoe-shaped disc configured to sit on an upper surface of the base portion of the container and at least partially engage the spacer.

In embodiments of the assembly, the cooling insert comprises a substantially flat upper surface configured to engage against the outer surface of the bottom of the vessel portion so as to cool a beverage held therein.

In embodiments of the assembly, the cooling disc is substantially formed from stainless steel and is configured to be pre-cooled before being inserted into the slot of the beverage container.

Brief description of the drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a beverage container;

Figure 2(a) is a front view of the beverage container of Figure 1;

Figure 2(b) is a rear view of the beverage container of Figure 1;

Figure 3(a) is a side view of the beverage container of Figure 1;

Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional top view taken through the line Y-Y in Figure 3(a);

Figure 4(a) is a top view of the beverage container of Figure 1;

Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional side view taken through the line X-X in Figure 4(a) Figure 5(a) is a top perspective view of a cooling insert for use with the beverage container of Figure 1;

Figure 5(b) is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a beverage container assembly comprising the beverage container of Figure 1 fitted with the cooling insert of Figure 5(a); and

Figure 6 is a side view of the assembly of Figure 5(b).

Detailed description

Disclosed herein is a beverage container 2 into which a beverage can be poured, and from which the beverage can be consumed. The container 2 is configured with a slot or an opening 4 for receiving a cooling insert 6 adapted to cool the beverage via conduction.

An embodiment of a beverage container 2 is shown in the Figures. The container 2 comprises a body, such as an integrally formed glass body, via which a user can grasp an exterior of the container 2 and drink therefrom. The body of the container 2 comprises a vessel portion 10 for holding a beverage. In the depicted embodiment, an interior and substantially hollow chamber 12 of the vessel portion 10 is defined by a curved and continuous (i.e., closed) sidewall 14, and a bottom wall 16 having an inner surface 18 onto which the beverage can be poured. The inner surface 18 of the bottom 16 is substantially flat, continuous, and closed. In other words, the bottom 16 does not have any openings and is not configured with any openable features via which a beverage contained in the vessel portion 10 can exit from or through the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10. As such, the vessel portion 10 may itself resemble like a glass tumbler or other common vessels for holding a beverage.

The body of the container 2 also comprises a base portion 20 configured to at least partially, if not substantially, underlie the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10. The base portion 20 comprises a generally flat upper surface 22 and a generally flat lower surface 24 via which the container 2 can be stood upright on a support surface, such as a table. The container 2 also comprises a spacer 26 disposed between the vessel portion 10 and the base portion 20. The spacer 26 may sit between and separate the vessel portion 10 and the base portion 20 from one another. In the depicted embodiment, the spacer 26 is disposed beneath the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, and above the base portion 20, such that an outer surface 28 of the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 is substantially elevated above and spaced away from the upper surface 22 of the base portion 20.

Referring to Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the spacer 26 is wedge-shaped and interconnects the vessel portion 10 and base portion 20. For example, the spacer 26 may be integrally formed with both the vessel and base portions 10, 20. To this end, an upper end of the spacer 26 may be integrally formed with the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, such as the outer surface 28 of the bottom 16. A lower end of the spacer 26 may be integrally formed with the base portion 20, such as the upper surface 22 thereof. The spacer 26 also comprises a continuous sidewall 30 which defines the wedge-shaped footprint of the spacer 26. In this way, the spacer 26 both interconnects the base portion 20 and the vessel portion 10, and also physically separates the two portions 10, 20 such that an outer surface 28 of the bottom of the vessel portion is at least partially, if not substantially, elevated above and spaced from the upper face 22 of the base portion 20. In an example, the body of the container 2 is substantially if not entirely made from glass, and the vessel portion 10, base portion 20 and spacer 26 are all integrally formed from glass.

The spacer 26 may also referred to as a spacer element, a separator, a 'column' and the like. Essentially, the spacer 26 is a feature which may or may not be integrally formed with the vessel portion 10 and the base portion 20, and acts to interconnect the two portions 10, 20, but also physically separate them from one another such that the vessel portion 10 is at least partially, if not substantially, spaced apart and elevated above the base portion 20.

The space or gap between the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 and the base portion 12 defines a slot 32 of the body of the container 2. The slot 32 is generally horizontal in orientation, and thus lies in a plane that is substantially parallel to the inner surface 14 of the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, and/or the outer surface 28 of the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, and/or the upper surface 22 of the base portion 20.

Referring to Figure 3(b), the spacer 26 is wedge-shaped and disposed to one side of the beverage container 2, such that the narrowest part of the wedge 26 points inwardly to or toward a central and vertically extending axis of symmetry of the container 2, and the widest part of the wedge 26 forms part of an outer wall 34 of the body of the container 2. The outer wall portion 34 of the spacer 26 defines a part of the body that is continuous between the vessel portion 10 and the base portion 20.

The space around the wedge-shaped spacer 26 and between the vessel portion 10 and base portion 20 is generally in the form of a C-shaped or horseshoe-shaped slot 32. This slot 32 is configured to receive a correspondingly shaped removable cooling insert 6.

Figure 5(a) shows an example of the cooling insert 6. It is in the form of a C- shaped or horseshoe-shaped disc 6. The insert 6 may be formed from a material such as stainless steel, though other materials are also considered within the scope of the present specification. For example, cooling insert 6 may be formed from copper, which has a relatively high thermal conductivity and may pair well with the aesthetics of drinks such as whisky.

The cooling disc 6 comprises an upper face 36, a lower face 38, and a sidewall 40 which is substantially curved to define the circular profile of the disc 6. At one end of the disc 6, the sidewall 40 deviates from the curved path to define a wedge-shaped opening or groove 42 of the insert 6, which groove 42 is configured to receive the wedge-shaped spacer 26 of the container 2.

Figure 5(b) shows the cooling insert 6 received into the slot 32 of the container 2. The sidewall 40 of the disc 6 at the groove 42 thereof engages against the sidewall 30 of the spacer 26. In this way, the spacer 26 can at least partially retain the insert 6 within the slot 32 such that the cooling insert 6 does not inadvertently slide out during use. When inserted into the slot 32, the cooling insert 6 is configured to sit on the base portion 20. For example, the lower surface 38 of the disc 6 may sit directly on the upper face 22 of the base portion 20. The cooling insert 6 is also configured to engage against and physically contact the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 to cool the beverage therein. For example, in use, the upper face 36 of the cooling insert 6 may be configured to at least partially, if not substantially or entirely, engage against the outer surface 28 of the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10. In this way, if the insert 6 has been pre-cooled, the coolness of the insert 6 can transfer through the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 to the beverage therein, thereby helping to cool the beverage without physically contacting the beverage.

Referring to Figures 5(b) and 6, when the cooling insert 6 is assembled to the beverage container 2, the insert 6 substantially fills the C-shaped slot 32, and may resist compressive pressures and forces that might otherwise promote relative vertical movement between the vessel portion 10 and the base portion 20. Moreover, the diameter of the disc 6 and the curvature of the sidewall 40 thereof is such that when inserted into the slot 32, the sidewall 40 of the disc 6 may be at least partially flush with the external sidewalls of the vessel portion 10 and/or the base portion 20, thereby giving the exterior surfaces of the container 2 a relatively continuous appearance and feel.

Preferably, the slot 32 is formed close to or at the widest region of the container 2. This allows the surface area of the slot 32 to be relatively large, and preferably larger than that of the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10. In this way, the slot 32 can receive a correspondingly larger cooling insert 6 that consequently provides a greater cooling effect and a larger upper surface 22 that is available to contact and cool the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, thereby resulting in more rapid cooling of the beverage. In an example container 2, it is envisaged that the height of the slot 32 may be in the range of about 5mm to 15mm. Preferably, the bottom wall 16 of the vessel portion 10 is relatively thin to permit the pre-cooled insert 6 to cool the beverage readily and easily via conduction through the thin wall 16.

Advantageously, if the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 is at least partially transparent, the cooling insert 6 may be seen through the beverage thereabove.

Branding, advertising, or other aesthetically pleasing ornamentation and the like can be applied to the upper and/or lower surfaces 36, 38 of the cooling insert 6 and thus displayed to the user during consumption of a beverage from the beverage container 2.

Many modifications of the above embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, although the Figures depict a glass tumbler suitable for beverages such as whisky, the teachings of the present specification are similarly applicable to other types of beverage containers, such as drink bottles, wine glasses and the like.

The lower face 38 of the insert 6 may be provided with or formed from gripping means. For example, the lower face 38 may have an elastomeric or felt-like material to help the cooling insert 6 maintain contact with the upper face 22 of the base portion 20. In the case of a resilient material such as an elastomer or the like, it is envisaged that the cooling insert 6 may undergo compression as it is inserted into the slot 32, and thereby be retained therein by the tendency of the compressed insert 6 to expansion outwardly against the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 and/or the upper face 22 of the base portion 20. This tendency to expand so as to press upwardly against the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 can help reduce or prevent the formation of air gaps between the cooling insert 6 and the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, thereby providing more effective and efficient cooling of the beverage via conduction.

In another embodiment, the bottom 38 of the insert 6 may be provided with rubber feet or the like which help grip the upper surface 22 of the base portion 20. In certain embodiments, the thickness of the cooling insert 6 is such that the gripping feet are compressed as the insert 6 is inserted into the slot 32, thereby further helping to retain the cooling insert 6 therein.

The rubber feet may be sufficiently elastically deformable such that, after slotting in the insert 6, the rubber feet are biased to return to their original shape by decompressing or expanding outwardly. The predisposition of the rubber feet to expand outwardly thus urges the insert 6 upwardly against the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10, thereby serving not only to retain the insert 6 in the slot 32, but also to more effectively cool the beverage since the expansion of the feet helps to close any air gap that might otherwise be present or form between the bottom 16 of the vessel portion 10 and the pre-cooled insert 6.

Although the present specification primarily discloses a 'C' or horseshoe-shaped slot 32 and thus insert 6, other profiles and shapes are of course within the scope of the present specification. In one example, the spacer may be circular and aligned with a longitudinal axis of the container 2. Meanwhile, the insert might be in the form of a donut, hinged at one end so that the insert can be inserted into the slot and closed around the circular spacer.

In another embodiment, the spacer may comprise two or more spaced apart lateral members having lemon wedge-shaped profiles at opposed sides of the container, and the insert could be in the form of a complementarily shaped trapezium that slots in between the lateral wedge members.

In another embodiment, the container may comprise two or more slots, such as strip-shaped slots, each configured to receive a respective cooling insert.

In yet another embodiment, the slot may not be substantially horizontal, and may instead slope downwardly toward one end of the container. In this way, when inserted, the cooling insert is retained in the slot if the container is held at a relatively level orientation. Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.