Floating Beverage Storage Assembly for Air Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preserving open beverages like wine and coffee are either partially effective, difficult to use, expensive, or provide less than elegant solutions, often requiring repeat purchases.
Innovation Solution
A liquid storage, isolation, and dispensing assembly comprising a container with a float and a top, where the float has a sealing edge that conforms to the container's inner surface, allowing it to be inserted and remain within the container, and the top is mounted with lugs that pass through cutouts in the ledge to secure the assembly, enabling rotation and securing the top to the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nitrogen spray or vacuum pump is used to replace air in the bottle, then beverage preservation is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The float automatically adjusts to liquid level changes and maintains the seal without requiring external pumps, spray cans, or complex mechanisms. The system uses the beverage's own weight and the float's buoyancy to create and maintain the vacuum seal, making the preservation process self-regulating and eliminating the need for additional preservation devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential function of air removal and seal maintenance from complex preservation systems. By using a simple float that rises and falls with liquid level, the system removes air from the headspace and maintains the seal through passive mechanical action rather than active pumping or spraying mechanisms.
2Reliability
If marbles are dropped into the wine bottle to reduce headspace, then beverage preservation is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The float is designed to dynamically adjust its position based on liquid level changes. As the beverage is consumed and the level drops, the float rises automatically to maintain the seal. This dynamic adaptation eliminates the need for manual intervention to adjust the preservation mechanism, making operation simple while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The float automatically responds to liquid level changes without requiring user intervention. The system self-regulates the seal position and maintains the vacuum environment throughout the beverage's consumption, eliminating the complexity of manual marble addition and adjustment.
3Reliability
If the container is collapsed to remove air, then beverage preservation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The float incorporates a flexible membrane that conformally seals against the container's inner surface. This flexible film creates an effective seal without requiring rigid structures or complex mechanisms, allowing the system to maintain the vacuum environment while remaining simple in design and easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible membrane on the float automatically conforms to the container's shape and maintains the seal as the liquid level changes. The system self-adjusts to maintain the preservation environment without requiring external control mechanisms or complex structural components.
4Reliability
If a float with sealing edge is used to follow liquid level, then beverage preservation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is localized to the float's sealing edge or membrane that contacts the container's inner surface. This localized sealing approach concentrates the precision requirements to a specific area rather than requiring the entire float structure to be precisely manufactured. The sealing edge is designed to conform to the container's shape, reducing overall manufacturing tolerance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The float's sealing mechanism is designed to adapt to variations in container dimensions through parameters such as membrane flexibility and sealing edge geometry. By allowing the sealing interface to conform to the container's actual shape rather than requiring perfect dimensional matching, the system reduces manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining effective sealing.
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
This assembly effectively minimizes exposure to air, maintaining beverage quality by allowing the float to follow the liquid level and the top to be securely positioned, thus preventing air from affecting the liquid, while being easy to use and potentially reducing waste.
Implementation Method 1
a float (14) and a top (16). The float has a sealing edge (40) generally conforming to the size and shape of the portion of the inner surface (58)
Implementation Method 2
The float has a sealing edge (40) generally conforming to the size and shape of the portion of the inner surface (58)
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid storage, isolation and dispensing assembly includes a container, a float and a top. The container includes a sidewall having an inner surface, a lower part, and an upper part. At least a portion of the inner surface of the lower part has a constant cross-sectional shape and size. The upper part includes an inwardly extending ledge with a cutout formed therethrough. The float has a sealing edge generally conforming to the size and shape of the inner surface portion. The sealing edge and the cutout are configured to permit the float to be passed into the lower part of the container with a portion of the sealing edge passing through the cutout. The top is mountable to the upper part and has a lug configured to pass through the cutout in the ledge for mounting the top on the container.