System and method for detection of a contaminated beverage

Abstract

A system and method for a beverage container configured to test for a contaminated beverage in the beverage container comprises a base of the beverage container, an upper portion of the beverage container, and a sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface that extends from the base to the upper portion, and a testing material. A portion of the beverage container is the testing material configured to visibly react when the portion of the beverage container is contacted with the contaminated beverage.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0001]The present disclosure relates generally to contamination detection, and, more particularly, to detecting when a beverage has been contaminated.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]Drug facilitated sexual assaults are a ubiquitous problem. Commonly known as “date rape”, the sexual assault generally occurs while the victim is incapacitated due to unknowingly imbibing chemical substances (i.e., drugs) surreptitiously placed in the victim's beverage by an assailant. Some common drugs associated with date rape are, e.g., Rohypnol, Ketamine, GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate), GBL (Gamma Butyrolactone), and 1,4-butanediol. Once ingested, the chemicals may act rapidly in the human body, often within 20 minutes, causing physical and psychological symptoms such as disinhibition, muscle relaxation, passivity, and loss of will to resist an assailant.[0003]There are known techniques for detecting when a victim has ingested such drugs. For example, Woods et al., Journal of Ch...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present disclosure overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a system and method for detection of a contaminated beverage, e.g., by using the beverage container itself (e.g., a drinking cup) as a testing material. For example, in one embodiment, the inside portion of the beverage container which is used to hold the beverage is also the testing material that may visibly alert, signal, or otherwise react when contacted with a drug that is mixed in the beverage (e.g., Rohypnol, Ketamine, GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate), GBL (Gamma Butyrolactone), 1,4-butanediol, etc.). The reaction, e.g., color change, may then rapidly alert the user that the beverage in the beverage container is contaminated before too much, if any, of the contaminated beverage has been consumed.

[0010]Advantageously, by using the beverage container itself as the testing material, the is user is provided with a (near) effortless and continuous monitoring of the beverage within the beverage container without such illustrative burdens required by the prior art, such as, inter alia, remembering to bring a testing kit (disguised or otherwise) with a sufficient number of testing strips, remembering to test the beverage, and remembering to re-test the beverage at different times. As another advantage, even if the user cannot distinguish between the effect of the alcohol and the effect of ingesting a contaminated beverage, other onlookers may still notice the reaction of the beverage container (i.e., the testing material) and provide a warning to the user.

Problems solved by technology

The reaction, e.g., color change, may then rapidly alert the user that the beverage in the beverage container is contaminated before too much, if any, of the contaminated beverage has been consumed.

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