Container Assembly for Aging Liquid with Integrated Oxygenator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wood barrels for aging beverages are expensive, have a short operational life, and introduce oxygen unevenly, while modern micro-oxygenation systems are bulky and less effective.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained container assembly with an integrated oxygenator and flavor insert system that allows precise control of oxygen introduction and flavor impartation, using a compact and affordable design that can be used in stainless steel containers or retrofitted into existing wood barrels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wood barrels are used for aging beverages, then natural micro-oxygenation and flavor impartation occur, but the cost is high and operational life is short
Solution Approach 1:
The aging system uses the beverage's own dissolved carbon dioxide to generate carbonation bubbles that provide agitation and facilitate oxygen transfer, eliminating the need for external power sources, pumps, or complex control systems. The system serves itself by utilizing properties already present in the beverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of oxygen by dissolving it in the beverage under pressure and then releasing it through carbonation bubbles, transforming it from a gas phase addition to a dissolved phase delivery system that mimics natural barrel breathing.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional wood barrels are used for aging beverages, then flavor is imparted naturally, but the chemical ability expires rapidly after 2-3 years
Solution Approach 1:
The invention copies the essential function of wood barrels - micro-oxygenation and flavor extraction - using stainless steel containers with controlled oxygen dissolution and release mechanisms, creating an artificial system that replicates natural aging processes without the limitations of wood degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The stainless steel aging system can be used repeatedly for multiple vintages and can be cleaned and sanitized for different beverage types, providing universal applicability that extends far beyond the 2-3 year life of traditional wood barrels.
3Reliability
If modern micro-oxygenation technology is used with large two-chamber devices, then oxygen can be introduced into wine, but space requirements increase and results are less ideal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of micro-oxygenation from complex two-chamber devices and implements it directly in the aging vessel through dissolved oxygen and carbonation bubble generation, eliminating the need for separate oxygen storage chambers and complex valve systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxygen dissolution and release mechanism is nested directly within the aging vessel, with the diffuser and carbonation system integrated into the existing container, eliminating the need for external two-chamber devices and reducing space requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a cost-effective, flexible, and efficient method for aging beverages by extending the life of wood barrels and simulating natural oxygen introduction, allowing for precise control of the aging process and flavor development.
Implementation Method 1
The one or more diffusers are in fluid communication with the fluid source. The valve selectively controls the introduction of a fluid from the fluid source into the liquid through the one or more diffusers.
Implementation Method 2
utilizing the beverage's own dissolved carbon dioxide to generate carbonation bubbles
Data Source
AI summary
A container assembly (10) for retaining a liquid (16) during aging of the liquid (16) comprises a container (12) and an oxygenator (230). The container (12) includes a container body (14) that defines a chamber (14A) that receives and retains the liquid (16). The oxygenator (230) is positioned substantially within the chamber (14A). The oxygenator (230) includes a fluid source (662), one or more diffusers (672), and a valve (670). The one or more diffusers (672) are in fluid communication with the fluid source (662). The valve (670) selectively controls the introduction of a fluid from the fluid source (662) into the liquid (16) through the one or more diffusers (672). The container assembly (10) further comprises an insert retainer assembly (338) and one or more flavor inserts (440) that are received and retained by the insert retainer assembly (338). The container (12) further includes a container aperture (20) that extends through the container body (14). The container aperture (20) can have a size that is less than approximately twenty-five percent of the total surface area of a top of the container body (14). Additionally, the container aperture (20) can extend outward radially from the center of the top of the container body (14).