BEVERAGE MONITOR

The present invention relates to a beverage monitor and particularly, but not exclusively, to a beverage monitor for monitoring the cooling of a beverage.

Having made a cup of hot tea or coffee and setting it down to cool, it is common to forget about the beverage until it has cooled to a temperature which renders it unsuitable for drinking, since it will often taste unpleasant. Similarly, having made a hot drink of for example milk, it is often necessary to cool the drink so that it does not burn a person's mouth when drank.

It is also desirable to provide an indication when the optimal temperature for consumption of the beverage has been reached, whether upon cooling or warming, since it is difficult to ascertain the temperature of the beverage simply by holding the cup or similar vessel within which the beverage is placed.

I have now devised an apparatus which overcomes these problems.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a beverage monitor, said monitor comprising temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of a beverage within a vessel, said monitor further comprising sounding means in communication with said temperature sensing means for producing a first sound in response to said beverage reaching a first threshold temperature.

Preferably said monitor further comprises a clip to engage the rim of the vessel. Preferably said clip comprises a first arm and a second arm. The arms preferably extend down from the rim of the vessel with the first arm extending into the vessel and the second arm extending down the outer surface of the vessel.

The clip further comprises two members, one member preferably arranged at the lower end of each arm and extending substantially transversely to said arm. Preferably, each member is contoured to match the contour of the vessel wall.

The temperature sensing means is preferably housed at the lower end of the first arm such that it becomes immersed within the beverage when the beverage is placed within the vessel.

The sounding means preferably comprises a transducer which is responsive to signals output from the temperature sensing means. Preferably said sounding means is arranged upon the second arm.

Preferably said sounding means produces a second sound in response to said beverage reaching a second threshold temperature.

The sound produced by said sounding means is preferably a pre-recorded voice message, a pre-recorded melody, or an alarm sound. Preferably the sound produced by said sounding means is dependant upon the threshold temperature sensed by said temperature sensing means.

According to the second aspect of the invention there is provided a vessel comprising an integral beverage monitor according to the first aspect.

Preferably, said vessel is a cup or mug.

The preferred embodiment of this invention will now be given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 a is a schematic representation of the first arm of the clip;

Figure 1 b is a schematic representation at the second arm of the clip;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the beverage monitor mounted to the side of the vessel;

Figure 3a is a schematic view of the inner surface of the vessel according to the second aspect of the invention; and,

Figure 3b is a schematic view of the outer surface of the vessel according to the second aspect of the invention.

Referring to the drawings there is provided a beverage monitor 10 for providing an indication when the temperature of a beverage within a vessel 11 , such as a mug, reaches a pre-determined value.

In Figures 1 and 2, the beverage monitor is embodied within a clip 12. The clip 12 is substantially I-shaped and folded across its centre to form a channel 13 extending between two arms 14, 15. The arms 14, 15 are connected about the fold line 16 which engages with the vessel rim 17. The free ends of each arm are separately connected to or made integral with a stabilising arm 18, 19 which is contoured to match the contour of the vessel wall.

The clip 12 is fitted to a vessel 11 by inserting the vessel wall into the channel 13 defined by the arms 14, 15, until the fold line 16 engages with the rim 17 of the vessel 11. In this manner, one arm 14 of the pair extends into the vessel 11 and the other arm 15 of the pair extends down the outer surface of the vessel 11.

In the drawings, the vessel 11 is illustrated as having a circular cross-section. Accordingly, the stabilising arms 18, 19 which extend substantially transversely to the arms 14 and 15 are curved to intimately follow the vessel wall and act to maintain the position of the clip 12 upon the vessel wall.

The arm 14 which extends into the vessel 11 preferably extends at or near to the base of the vessel. At or near the bottom of the arm 14 there is provided a temperature sensing means 20, for example, a thermostat or thermocouple etc. The temperature sensing means is arranged proximal to the base of the vessel 11 to ensure that it becomes fully immersed within the beverage when the beverage is placed within the vessel 11.

Arranged upon the arm 15 extending down the outer surface of the vessel, there is provided sounding means 21 , such as a transducer, in communication with said temperature sensing means 20. The transducer 21 and temperature sensing means 20 are powered via a power source such as a battery (not shown).

In use, the clip 12 is placed upon a wall of the vessel (as previously described) within which a beverage is to be poured. The hot beverage is then poured into the vessel

11 to the desired level. The temperature sensing means within the beverage monitors the time variation in beverage temperature and when the temperature cools to a first temperature, the temperature sensing means 20 transmits a signal to the sounding means 21 causing the sounding means 21 to emit a sound, which maybe a pre-recorded voice message, a melody or tune, or an alarm sound, to inform the recipient of the beverage that the beverage is suitable for consumption.

Once the recipient has been informed by the sounding means 21 , the clip 12 and thus the beverage monitor 10, may therefore be removed from the vessel 11 and the beverage may be consumed in the normal way. Alternatively, if the beverage is allowed to cool further, then upon reaching the second threshold temperature, the temperature sensing means 20 will transmit a signal to the sounding means 21 causing the sounding means to emit a second sound which may be a different voice message or a different melody, or for example the same message or same melody played with an increased volume. Accordingly, the beverage monitor 10 of the present invention alerts the recipient of the beverage to the temperature state of the beverage allowing the beverage to be consumed at the optimum temperature.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a beverage monitor 10 for alerting a beverage recipient in accordance with the cooling of a beverage, it is to be appreciated that such a beverage monitor could also alert the recipient to the temperature of the beverage as the beverage is heated.

Referring to a second embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figure 3, the beverage monitor 10 is made an integral part of the vessel with the temperature sensing means 20 arranged on the inner surface of the vessel wall and the sounding means 21 arranged on the outer surface of the vessel wall.

In both embodiments the temperature sensing means and sounding means may be powered by a battery such as a coin battery (not shown). The beverage monitor 10 may further comprise beverage sensing means (not shown) to allow the activation of the sounding means 21 only when the temperature sensing means 20 is immersed within the beverage.

From the foregoing therefore, it is evident that the beverage monitor 10 of the present invention provides a simple and effective means of providing an indication of the temperature of the beverage so that the beverage is not heated or cooled beyond the optimum temperature for consumption of the beverage.