Portable Beverage Apparatus with Pod-Based Additive Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable refillable bottles and containers lack the ability to dynamically adjust the content of consumable liquids, as they primarily maintain a constant composition except for changes in quantity, and existing bottles with additive functionality have limitations.
Innovation Solution
A beverage apparatus with a chamber housing and a dispensing assembly that includes a receptacle member and a flexible skirt structure to accommodate a pod, allowing controlled addition of additives into the consumable liquid, facilitated by a controller and drive mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a portable refillable bottle maintains constant composition of consumable liquid, then storage simplicity is improved, but beverage customization capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage system is segmented into a base consumable liquid stored in the bottle and separate additive components stored in removable vessels or pods. This allows the main bottle to remain simple for storage while customization is achieved through interchangeable additive modules that can be added to modify the beverage composition dynamically.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static constant composition to dynamic adjustable composition by incorporating mechanisms that allow users to add, remove, or exchange additive vessels and pods. This enables the beverage composition to be dynamically modified based on user preferences while maintaining the simplicity of the base bottle design.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additive functionality is added to portable bottles, then beverage customization capability is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The additive storage and dispensing functionality is extracted from the main bottle structure and placed into separate removable vessels or pods. This extraction reduces the complexity of the main bottle design while still providing customization capability, as the additive components can be independently manufactured and exchanged without modifying the core bottle structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes disposable or replaceable additive vessels and pods that can be easily discarded or exchanged after use. This approach simplifies the overall device complexity by avoiding the need for complex cleaning, maintenance, or sanitation systems, while still enabling extensive beverage customization through a variety of pre-prepared additive options.
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage apparatus, hand-holdable by a user of the beverage apparatus to be portable, can include a chamber housing that includes a chamber for storing a consumable liquid. The beverage apparatus can include a dispensing assembly. The dispensing assembly can retain a vessel or pod. The dispensing assembly can be operatively controllable by a controller to output the additive from the vessel into the consumable liquid. The beverage apparatus can include a receptacle member that is provided in the shape of a volcano or cylinder. The receptacle member can serve to house a pod. A skirt structure can be mounted to a lower portion of the beverage apparatus. The skirt can be flexible so as to accommodate for reciprocal movement of the pod, in a dispense event. Related features are disclosed.