Container Assembly with Flavor Insert Retainer for Aging Liquids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wood barrels used for aging beverages are expensive and have a short operational life, as their chemical ability to impart flavor nuances expires rapidly, leading to a rapidly depreciating asset for beverage makers.
Innovation Solution
A container assembly with a flavor insert retainer system that allows for easy addition, removal, and replacement of flavor inserts, enabling precise control over the aging process and extending the life of the container by reducing the need for frequent replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional wood barrels are used for aging beverages, then flavor imparting capability is achieved, but operational life is short and cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the traditional wood barrel into two separate components: a durable container body and replaceable flavor inserts. The container can be made from long-lasting materials like stainless steel or food-grade plastic, while the flavor inserts contain the actual flavoring materials. This segmentation allows the container to be reused indefinitely while only the inserts need replacement, dramatically extending operational life and reducing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The flavor imparting function is extracted from the container structure itself and placed into separate removable inserts. These inserts contain the wood chips, spices, or other flavoring agents, while the container body serves only as a vessel. This extraction allows the container to be decoupled from the flavoring function, enabling long-term reuse of the container while maintaining flavor capability through insert replacement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If flavor inserts are made removable and replaceable, then flexibility in flavor management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer assembly is designed as a universal mechanism that can accommodate multiple different types of flavor inserts. Rather than creating a unique retention system for each insert type, a single multi-functional retainer design handles various insert configurations. This universal approach provides the needed flexibility in flavor management while minimizing the increase in device complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs inexpensive, replaceable flavor inserts that can be easily manufactured and discarded after use. These inserts contain the actual flavoring materials and are designed to be economical to replace. The low cost of the inserts compared to the durable container makes the added complexity of the retainer assembly worthwhile, as the inserts themselves are cheap components that enable flexible flavor management.
3Ease of operation
If alignment guides with larger apertures are used, then ease of inserting flavor inserts is improved, but precision in positioning may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment guides are designed with larger apertures that allow the flavor inserts to be easily inserted without precise alignment during the insertion process. Once the insert is in place, the retainer assembly engages with features on the insert to lock it into the correct position. The preliminary ease of insertion through large apertures is followed by a secondary positioning action that ensures manufacturing precision, separating the insertion ease function from the positioning precision function.
Data Source
AI summary
A container assembly (10) for retaining a liquid (14) during aging of the liquid (14) includes a container (12), a first flavor insert (16), and an insert retainer assembly (18). The container (12) defines a chamber (12A) which receives and retains the liquid (14). The first flavor insert (16) imparts a flavor on the liquid (14). The insert retainer assembly (18) is positioned within the chamber (12A) and is secured to the container (12). The insert retainer assembly (18) includes an alignment rack (30) and a retainer rack (32). The alignment rack (30) includes a first alignment guide (30C) that guides the first flavor insert (16) during positioning of the first flavor insert (16) within the container (12). The retainer rack (32) has a first attacher (32C) that selectively and individually engages the first flavor insert (16) to inhibit large scale movement of the first flavor insert (16) relative to the retainer rack (32).