Drinks Stirrer with Scoop and Retainer to Prevent Pouch Floating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infusion pouches in drinks often have strings that drag into the container during pouring, and the pouches tend to rise to the surface, especially in carbonated drinks, reducing their effectiveness in releasing flavors and scents.
Innovation Solution
A drinks stirrer with a retainer device at the proximal end to hold the tag and a scoop with a slot at the distal end to constrain the string, keeping the pouch close to the scoop, preventing it from rising and ensuring the string remains under tension, allowing effective stirring and infusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a string is used to connect the pouch to the tag for easy removal, then the pouch can be easily removed from the drink, but the string drags into the drinks container when liquid is poured, causing the tag to get wet and potentially contaminate the drink
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful function of the string (dragging into the container) is extracted and eliminated. The patent replaces the traditional string-with-tag system with a rigid stirrer that has a dedicated retainer device at one end specifically designed to hold the tag, preventing it from dragging into the container during pouring while maintaining easy removal capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer device acts as an intermediary between the tag and the stirrer. It provides a controlled connection point that holds the tag in a fixed position, preventing the tag from freely moving and dragging into the container, while still allowing the user to grip and remove the pouch easily.
2Ease of operation
If the pouch is allowed to float freely in the drink, then it is easily accessible for removal, but the pouch rises to the surface especially in carbonated drinks, limiting the infusion media's ability to release flavors and scents
Solution Approach 1:
The stirrer serves multiple functions: it acts as a stirring tool, a pouch constraint device, and a removal handle. By integrating these functions into a single device, the patent maintains ease of removal while ensuring the pouch remains submerged for effective infusion, eliminating the need to choose between accessibility and infusion effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The stirrer maintains continuous contact with the pouch throughout the infusion process, keeping it consistently positioned in the drink. This continuous constraint ensures uninterrupted infusion effectiveness while the user can still easily remove the pouch by gripping the tag when desired.
3Productivity
If the pouch is constrained close to the scoop using a slot for the string, then the pouch remains submerged and infusion effectiveness is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The stirrer is segmented into distinct functional zones: a retainer device at one end for holding the tag, a shaft portion for structural support, and a scoop with a slot at the other end for constraining the pouch. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design relatively simple and manufacturable.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a drinks stirrer (10) for stirring an infusion pouch within a drink. The infusion pouch comprises a pouch soring an infusion media, a tag for holding the infusion bag, and a string connecting the pouch to the tag. The drinks stirrer (10) comprises a proximal end (14) having a retainer device (32, 34) for retaining the tag to the proximal end, and a distal end (12) having a scoop (20) for holding the pouch. The scoop (20) comprises a slot (24) for receiving the string to constrain the pouch to adjacent the scoop. A drinks apparatus comprising the infusion pouch and the drinks stirrer is also provided.