Beverage Sipper with Biased Stem for Universal Bottle Neck Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sparkling beverage sippers are not universally usable with different sized bottles, often provide a insecure fit, and lack additional features that enhance usability and convenience.
Innovation Solution
A beverage sipper with a securing mechanism featuring bifurcated prongs that bias outwardly, allowing easy and secure insertion into various bottle neck sizes, and optionally including seals, valves, or stoppers for improved fit and functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional sippers use a friction fit in the bottle neck, then the sipper can be easily inserted, but the fit becomes too loose to securely maintain the sipper within the bottle during drinking
Solution Approach 1:
The stem is designed with flexibility to dynamically adapt to the bottle neck dimensions. The stem can bend and flex during insertion to accommodate variations in neck size, then maintains secure contact through its flexible nature, resolving the contradiction between easy insertion and secure fit maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The stem's physical parameters (flexibility, diameter) are optimized to change its interaction with the bottle neck. The stem's flexible property allows it to deform during insertion for ease of use, while maintaining sufficient friction and contact pressure for secure fit, thus changing the physical state to satisfy both requirements.
2Reliability
If conventional sippers are designed for specific bottle sizes, then they provide a secure fit for those sizes, but they are not universally usable with different sized bottles and necks
Solution Approach 1:
The sipper is designed with a universal stem that can accommodate multiple bottle sizes and neck diameters. The flexible stem adapts its shape to match different neck geometries, allowing the same sipper design to securely fit various bottle types, thus achieving universality without sacrificing fit security.
Solution Approach 2:
The stem's dynamic flexibility enables it to adapt to different bottle neck dimensions. By allowing the stem to bend and conform to various neck shapes and sizes, the design achieves universal usability across different bottle types while maintaining a secure fit for each specific bottle.
3Ease of operation
If a friction fit is used for insertion, then the sipper can be easily inserted into the bottle, but the fit may be too loose to securely maintain the sipper within the bottle
Solution Approach 1:
The stem is designed with flexibility to dynamically adapt to the bottle neck dimensions. The stem can bend and flex during insertion to accommodate variations in neck size, then maintains secure contact through its flexible nature, resolving the contradiction between easy insertion and secure fit maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The stem's physical parameters (flexibility, diameter) are optimized to change its interaction with the bottle neck. The stem's flexible property allows it to deform during insertion for ease of use, while maintaining sufficient friction and contact pressure for secure fit, thus changing the physical state to satisfy both 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
Enables secure and easy attachment to bottles with neck diameters ranging from 14.9 mm to 21.1 mm, reducing waste and enhancing the serving efficiency of sparkling beverages at events by allowing users to sip directly from the bottle without additional receptacles.
Implementation Method 1
an outward bias of the stem portion to cause the stem wall to press against the neck of the beverage bottle
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage sipper for use with a beverage bottle such as a sparkling beverage bottle comprises a stem portion adapted to be releasably inserted into the neck of a beverage bottle, the stem portion comprising a stem wall having an outer surface adapted to contact the neck of the beverage bottle and an inner surface that defines a stem portion beverage passageway and a sipping portion adapted to extend out of the neck of the beverage bottle when the stem portion is inserted in the beverage bottle, the sipping portion comprising a sipping wall with an inner surface that defines a sipping portion beverage passageway that is in flow communication with the stem portion beverage passageway. The stem portion has a securing mechanism to secure the stem portion within the beverage bottle. The securing mechanism has a biasing mechanism that biases at least a portion of the stem wall outwardly, wherein the bias of the biasing mechanism may be overcome by applying an inward force to the stem wall to move at least a portion of the stem wall inwardly to allow the stem wall to be inserted into the neck of the beverage bottle. When the inward force is removed the biasing mechanism causes at least a portion of the stem wall to be forced outwardly to apply pressure against the neck of the beverage bottle when the stem portion is inserted in the beverage bottle. The securing mechanism is configured to allow the stem portion to be secured to beverage bottles have different diameter necks.