Drinking attachment for a beverage can

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a drinking attachment for a beverage can, comprising an attachment body which forms a circular attachment opening on the can side for placement on a beverage can, which forms a drinking opening at the opposite end and which has a transition section between the attachment opening and the drinking opening with a flow cross-section tapering towards the drinking opening.

[0002] The invention further relates to a beverage can with a drinking attachment.

[0003] A drinking attachment of the type mentioned above is described, for example, in DE 9317174 U1.

[0004] Beverage cans are not only a widely used commercial packaging for beverages, but also serve as drinking vessels. They are primarily used for carbonated beverages, such as soft drinks, and are opened using a pull-tab. The drinking opening created by tearing open the pull-tab is disadvantageous in that it cannot be sealed. There is therefore a risk of the beverage spilling. Furthermore, carbon dioxide escapes from the drinking opening, giving the beverage a stale taste if it is not consumed within a short time. Another problem with conventional beverage cans is that the beverage heats up as soon as it is removed from a refrigerator. In particular, accelerated heating can be observed after the beverage can has been opened.This means that the beverage must either be consumed within a short period of time after opening or that any remaining amount of the beverage not consumed immediately is disposed of together with the can if it has become undrinkable after a certain period of standing due to heating and the reduced carbonation content.

[0005] Drinking attachments have been around for a long time in a variety of forms. On the one hand, they enable a user to consume a liquid contained in a drinking vessel equipped with such a drinking attachment, usually by gently sucking it in. On the other hand, depending on their design, they prevent the liquid from leaking or at least spilling out of the drinking vessel. For this purpose, they usually have a lid that closes the drinking opening of the drinking attachment or another manually operated locking mechanism. Such drinking attachments have proven particularly useful for drinking bottles, where the drinking attachment can be screwed onto the thread on the drinking vessel. On the other hand, drinking attachments are rarely used for beverage cans. Furthermore, such drinking attachments do not solve the problem of the beverage heating up.

[0006] The present invention therefore aims to further develop a drinking attachment that keeps the beverage fresh and enjoyable for a longer period after opening a beverage can. In particular, the aim is to reduce the escape of carbon dioxide and delay the heating of the beverage.

[0007] To achieve this object, the invention in a drinking spout for beverage cans of the type mentioned at the outset essentially consists in that a pouring valve which opens automatically when the beverage is poured is arranged in the region of the drinking opening and in that cooling fins are provided in the transition section upstream of the pouring valve. The pouring valve ensures that the drinking opening of the drinking spout is closed when the beverage can is in an upright or vertical position, so that on the one hand no foreign bodies get into the beverage can and on the other hand less carbon dioxide is released into the environment. The pouring valve is designed in such a way that it opens automatically when pouring. This increases user comfort, since manually operating a closure usually requires two-handed operation. The pouring valve opens automatically when the beverage can is tilted when the drinking spout is placed against the mouth.Conversely, the pouring valve automatically closes again after drinking, as soon as the beverage can is in an upright or vertical position. With a manually operated closure, however, there's a chance that the user might forget to activate the closure, causing carbonation to escape unintentionally.

[0008] The cooling fins provided according to the invention achieve a dual cooling function. Because the cooling fins are arranged upstream of the pouring valve in the drinking spout, they are in open contact with the beverage in the opened beverage can when the pouring valve is closed. The interior of the opened beverage can, including the beverage contained therein, and the cooling fins are thus connected to one another by a shared air volume. The first cooling function is created by rising, heated air reaching the cooling fins, where the air is cooled. The cooled air then sinks into the interior of the beverage can and keeps the beverage cool there. The cooling fins can serve as passive cooling elements if the drinking spout has been cooled before use, for example by placing it in a refrigerator or freezer.The second cooling function is realized during the drinking process. As the beverage is poured, the liquid flows from the beverage can over the cooling fins, where it is cooled by conduction before flowing through the drinking spout into the person's mouth.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the drinking spout, the spout valve is designed as a ball valve comprising a ball arranged in a ball guide which, when the spout valve is closed, rests sealingly on an annular valve seat. The ball can be made of a material with a higher specific gravity than water, for example glass or polymethyl methacrylate (Plexiglas). Designing the spout valve as a ball valve represents a structurally simple solution for closing or keeping the valve closed when the beverage can is in an upright position solely through the effect of gravity, with the ball resting on the valve seat below. When the beverage can is tilted, including the drinking spout, the ball rolls away from its valve seat and thereby opens the spout valve. To prevent the ball from making uncontrolled movements or even getting lost, it is housed in a ball guide.

[0010] Preferably, the ball guide is formed by a cage. The cage forms a space in which the ball is enclosed and includes numerous openings through which the beverage emerging from the beverage can flow toward the drinking opening.

[0011] With regard to the cooling fins, a preferred embodiment provides for the cooling fins to be designed as fins that extend radially into the flow cross-section and are distributed over the entire inner circumference of the attachment body. A channel is formed between adjacent fins, extending in the pouring direction, i.e., from the attachment opening toward the drinking opening. The fins provide a large surface area that is contacted by the liquid flowing through, resulting in improved cooling of the beverage.

[0012] The cooling fins can preferably have a radial extension that increases toward the drinking opening, resulting in a flow cross-section that tapers toward the pouring valve and directs the beverage to the drinking opening in a fluidically advantageous manner.

[0013] To achieve a high cooling effect, the cooling fins are preferably made of a material with a high specific heat capacity. The cooling fins are preferably made of a plastic with latent heat storage properties. Alternatively, the cooling fins can be designed as hollow bodies and filled with a latent heat storage or phase-change material or with a cooling liquid, such as a thermogel or propylene glycol (also known as 1,2-propanediol).

[0014] In terms of design, a preferred embodiment of the drinking attachment provides for the attachment body to be constructed as a plastic part into which an insert containing the ball guide and an insert containing the cooling fins are inserted. This allows the inserts to be made of a different material than the attachment body.

[0015] The valve seat can be formed in one piece with the attachment body.

[0016] For easy fastening of the drinking attachment according to the invention to a beverage can, it can be provided that the attachment body has a circumferential locking groove in the area of ​​the attachment opening, which can be locked onto a circumferential bead of a beverage can.

[0017] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown schematically in the drawing. Fig. 1 a drinking cap placed on a beverage can in longitudinal section, Fig. 2 the attachment body in longitudinal section, Fig. 3 the cage of the valve ball and Fig. 4 the heat sink with cooling fins.

[0018] The Fig. 1 The drinking attachment 1 shown comprises an attachment body 2 which has a circular attachment opening 3 at its lower end and a circular drinking opening 4 at its upper end. In the area of ​​the attachment opening 3, a locking groove 5 is formed on the inner circumference of the attachment body 2, with which locking groove the drinking attachment 1 is locked to a can bead 6 of a cylindrical beverage can 7. The outer contour of the attachment body 1 tapers in a transition section 8 located between the attachment opening 3 and the drinking opening 4 and forms a likewise tapered flow cross-section on the inside.

[0019] In the area of ​​the drinking opening 4, a pouring valve 9 designed as a ball valve is provided, which comprises a ball 11 movably held in a cage 10, which in the closed state of the pouring valve 9 rests sealingly on an annular valve seat 12. As in Fig. 2 As can be seen, the annular valve seat 12 is formed integrally on the attachment body 2.

[0020] Furthermore, in the transition section 8 there is a heat sink 13 with cooling fins 14 ( Fig. 4 ) in the attachment body 2. The cooling fins 14 are preferably disc-shaped and extend radially inwards from the heat sink 13. Between adjacent cooling fins 14, a channel 16 ( Fig. 4 ) through which the drink can flow.

[0021] Fig. 3 shows the cage 10 of the ball valve 9 in a perspective partial section, wherein it can be seen that the cage 10 has a cylindrical shell 15, from which radial webs 17 extend inwardly, distributed in the circumferential direction, which define a space for the ball 11. In the area of ​​the roof of the cage 10, the webs 17 are curved on their inner side and converge in the center, so that the space accommodating the ball 9 has a dome-like roof.

[0022] Fig. 4 shows the heat sink 13, which has an outer contour that follows the inner contour of the attachment body 2, so that the heat sink 13 can be precisely accommodated in the transition section 8 of the attachment body 2. Furthermore, the cooling fins 14 are visible, which form channels 16 between them.

Claims

1. A drinking lid for a beverage can, comprising a lid body (2) which forms a circular lid opening (3) on the can side for placing on a beverage can (7), which forms a drinking opening (4) at the opposite end and which has a transition section (8) between the lid opening (3) and the drinking opening (4) with a flow cross-section tapering towards the drinking opening (4), characterized in that a pouring valve (9) which opens automatically when the beverage is poured out is arranged in the region of the drinking opening (4), and in that cooling fins (14) are provided in the transition section (8) upstream of the pouring valve (9).

2. Drinking lid according to claim 1, characterized in that the pouring valve (9) is designed as a ball valve which comprises a ball (11) arranged in a ball guide which, in the closed state of the pouring valve (9), rests sealingly on an annular valve seat (12).

3. Drinking lid according to claim 2, characterized in that the ball guide is formed by a cage (10).

4. Drinking lid according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the cooling fins (14) are designed as ribs projecting radially into the flow cross-section, which are distributed over the entire inner circumference of the lid body (2) or of a heat sink (13) carrying the cooling fins (14).

5. Drinking lid according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cooling fins (14) have a radial extension that increases in the direction of the drinking opening (4).

6. Drinking lid according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cooling fins (14) consist of a plastic with latent heat storage properties or are designed as hollow bodies which are filled with a latent heat storage or phase change material or with a cooling liquid, such as a thermal gel or propylene glycol.

7. Drinking lid according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lid body (2) is designed as a plastic part into which an insert part having the ball guide and an insert part having the cooling fins (14) are inserted.

8. Drinking lid according to claim 7, characterized in that the valve seat (12) is formed integrally with the lid body (2).

9. Drinking lid according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the lid body (2) has a circumferential latching groove (5) in the region of the lid opening (3), which can be latched onto a circumferential bead (6) of a beverage can (7).

10. Beverage can (7) with a substantially cylindrical can body and a lid having a pouring opening, wherein a drinking lid (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 is placed on the beverage can (7).