Tasting Flight Tray and Retention Ring for Spill-Safe Cup Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tasting flight kits are cumbersome for use, storage, and portability, and lack a convenient way to track which beverage corresponds to each cup, especially during blind taste testing, and are prone to instability and spilling during transport.
Innovation Solution
A tasting flight kit that includes a set of drinking cups with indicia and corresponding bottle tags, where the bottle tags are placed around the beverage bottles to identify the contents of each cup, and a tray design that secures the cups to prevent them from falling or spilling, allowing for compact storage and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the tray design allows cups to be easily inserted and removed, then ease of operation is improved, but stability and spill prevention deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tray design divides the cup retention function into two independent segments: the opening geometry provides initial guidance and partial retention, while the separate ring component provides additional security. This segmentation allows each element to be optimized independently - the opening for ease of insertion and the ring for spill prevention - resolving the contradiction between operational ease and stability.
2Device complexity
If the tray structure is simplified for portability, then device complexity is reduced, but functionality for tracking beverages deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses indicia (labels, marks, or identifiers) copied onto both the cups and corresponding bottle tags as information carriers. This copying mechanism provides a simple yet effective way to track beverage identities without adding complex electronic or mechanical systems, maintaining portability while enabling accurate beverage tracking during tasting sessions.
3Reliability
If the ring is made larger to prevent cup removal, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ring is designed with non-uniform geometry, being larger in diameter than the opening to provide secure retention, yet with localized features (such as reduced thickness or specific engagement points) that allow easy insertion and removal operations. This local variation in geometric properties enables the ring to simultaneously provide strong retention security while maintaining operational ease.
Data Source
AI summary
Tasting flight kits are disclosed herein. An example tasting flight kit includes a drinking cup and a tray to support the drinking cup. The tray includes a base and an opening extending through the base. The opening has a larger diameter than a bottom portion of the drinking cup, such that when the drinking cup is inserted into the opening from a top side of the base, the bottom portion of the drinking cup extends through the opening and beyond a bottom side of the base. The example tasking flight kit also includes a ring having an outer diameter larger than a diameter of the opening. The ring is to be placed around the bottom portion of the drinking cup when the drinking cup is inserted into the opening to prevent the drinking cup from being removed from the opening when the tray is inverted.