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(11) | EP 1 810 933 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| published in accordance with Art. 158(3) EPC |
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| (54) | CONTAINER COMPRISING A MIXING VESSEL |
| (57) Container with mixing vessel, which dispenses combinations of drinks and foods economically,
conveniently, safely and hygienically, consisting of a lower body (1) and an upper
body (2) made of a transparent material, which are joined together and which are divided
by a separating membrane (3) made from an impermeable material, the upper body (2)
having an upper peripheral edge (4) on which to receive a watertight lid-seal (5)
that seals the inside of the container, the inside of the upper body (2) having a
puller (8) consisting of a laminar body (7) made from a strong flexible material that
is longer than the height of the upper body (2), which is fixed by one end to the
separating membrane (3) and the opposite end has the puller (8), consisting of a flat
element made from a strong material, the peripheral area of the lid-seal (5) having
a peripheral sealing strip (9). |
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a container with mixing vessel, based on a receptacle consisting of two bodies that are joined together and which are separated by a membrane that can be removed causing the two bodies to communicate, having a lid that keeps the inside of the container sealed and which can be removed, serving to mix different drinks or any type of foods, e.g. a salad and its dressing, contained in the lower body and added to the upper body by combining them, the consumption of which requires them to be combined at the time when they are to be consumed, in a manner that is extremely convenient, safe and hygienic for the consumer-user of the object of the invention, considerably reducing the costs, as only one disposable container is needed for conveniently dispensing drinks such as water, juice or beer and combinations of drinks or foods, from the moment the container is manufactured to the product's final consumption.
[0002] The object of the invention is applicable both publicly in the hotel and catering or vending machine sector and domestically in cases where drinks or combinations of drinks or foods are dispensed and consumed, for which they must be combined in the presence of the consumer-user at the moment when they are to be consumed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There are currently many containers for dispensing combinations of drinks, either publicly in the hotel and catering or vending machine sector or domestically, by combining the drinks in a receptacle or glass using containers or bottles containing the drinks to be dispensed, so that the combination of drinks can be consumed at said time, which has a number of drawbacks as it is necessary for the establishment dispensing the drinks to have glasses to serve them in, as well as a large quantity of containers or bottles containing the drinks to be dispensed, involving certain costs for the transport and storage thereof and which must be returned or disposed of, in addition to the work involved in collecting and cleaning the glasses wherein the drink combinations are served for their consumption, and the possibility of them breaking, with the consequent risks of accidents and cuts occurring, it also taking a certain length of time for them to be dispensed, especially in the preparation of cocktail-type drinks that involve the combination of more than two drinks, which are not always in the same quantities, as they are served manually according to the waiter's criteria.
[0004] Furthermore, this method that is commonly used to dispense combinations of drinks also has a number of drawbacks for the consumer, as the quantities of drinks that are served are determined by the waiter that dispenses them, as well as the consumer having to trust the hygiene conditions offered by the establishment in terms of cleaning the glasses wherein the drink combination is served. Moreover, it is not possible to carry the receptacle wherein the drinks are served without a risk of spilling them, given the open nature of the type of container or glass commonly used.
[0005] Should it be necessary to dispense combinations of foods, e.g. a salad and its dressing or a solid food and a sauce, which have to be mixed when they are consumed, there are receptacles containing the food, adding the other ingredients at the time of consumption by means of portable sachets or any other type of container, which not only has drawbacks in terms of hygiene and convenience, as this type of containers are not very precise in dispensing the product, but it is also necessary to have different containers for each of the foods to be combined.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The container with mixing vessel proposed by the invention represents a step forward compared to the containers of this type used until now, and it is fully successful in resolving the above-described problems, by using a single container throughout the manufacturing-packaging-distribution chain of the drinks or foods to be combined, therefore representing a saving in terms of both money and storage space, whilst also ensuring excellent safety and hygiene conditions of the drinks or foods to be dispensed in each of the processes involved in the aforementioned chain, guaranteeing the manufacturer a container with a unique and efficient design and with the possibility of including all the elements to be combined, thus also enabling the establishment to save on all the costs related to the need to return containers and bottles and to have glasses wherein to dispense the combinations of drinks, reducing the dispensing time and enabling exact quantities of drinks to be dispensed, with the consequent economic saving, it being possible to dispose of it simply, safely and ecologically after use.
[0007] Furthermore, the container with mixing vessel proposed by the invention has a number of advantages for the consumer-user, as it has excellent hygiene conditions and it is specifically known what substances are being consumed, thus making it impossible to unduly add any harmful substance, e.g. narcotics, to the content of the container without the consumer's knowledge, as the container is sealed prior to its use, allowing the user to close the container during its use for the safe use thereof, without spilling or breaking and with the possibility of disposing of the container simply, safely and ecologically after use.
[0008] The container with mixing vessel that is the object of the invention is based on a container consisting of two bodies that are joined together and which are separated by a membrane made from an impermeable material, the drink required in the greatest quantity for producing the drink combination or the main food element that is to be mixed being placed in the lower body of the container, thus giving greater stability to the container as a whole.
[0009] The upper body of the container is made from a transparent material to allow visual access to its inside, which is empty when the container is manufactured, although the other drinks or foods, sauces or dressings that are to be combined with the drinks or foods in the lower body of the container can be placed inside it, there being a peripheral filling mark at a certain level of the upper body to mark the filling limit for a drink to be combined, the free edge of the upper body of the container having a peripheral edge whereon to receive a watertight lid-seal that seals the inside of the receptacle.
[0010] Inside the upper body of the container there is a puller made from a strong flexible material that is longer than the height of the upper body of the container, which is designed to protrude above it when the lid-seal is removed so that it is possible to grip it in order to remove the separating membrane by pulling it. One end of the puller is fixed to the separating membrane and the opposite end has a gripping area consisting of a flat element made of a strong material with dimensions that noticeably coincide with those of a person's thumb.
[0011] As has been said, the container consists of a lid-seal that is fixed to the free edge of the upper body, being provided with a peripheral sealing strip when the container is manufactured, which is removed to open the lid-seal when the container is to be used, the upper side of said lid-seal including an identification surface that can be inscribed or marked with common writing implements to identify the content of the container when necessary, having a hole closed by a flexible material that can be released in order to consume the contents of the container with the lid-seal in place and a straw inserted.
[0012] One practical embodiment contemplates the possibility that if the container that is the object of the invention is intended to contain foods, the cutlery needed to consume the foods contained inside the container is positioned on the inside of the lid-seal, i.e. inside the upper body, fastened by conventional means and preferably disposable.
[0013] To use the container the lid-seal is opened by removing the peripheral sealing strip, the upper body of the container being filled with the drink to be mixed with that contained in the lower body of the container, which can be situated in the upper body from the moment it is manufactured, then pulling on the puller that protrudes above the upper body of the container as a result of its length, thereby removing the separating membrane, which causes the two drinks or foods to mix, it being possible to put ice or any other substance into the container and replace the lid-seal in order to carry the container more conveniently and safely to consume its contents as required by the consumer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] To complement this description and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred practical embodiment thereof, there is a set of illustrative and non-limiting drawings integral to said description, which are as follows:
Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the container that is the object of the invention with the lid-seal in place.
Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the container with the lid-seal removed, which is shown in a plan view and an elevation view, and with the strap extended above the edge of the upper body of the container.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In view of the aforementioned figures, it can be observed that the container with mixing vessel that is the object of the invention consists of a lower body (1) and an upper body (2) that are joined together and which are separated by a separating membrane (3) made from an impermeable material, the upper body (2) of the container being made from a transparent material, having a peripheral filling mark (6) at a certain height of the upper body (2), which has an upper peripheral edge (4) whereon to receive a watertight lid-seal (5) that seals the inside of the container.
[0016] Inside the upper body (2) of the container there is a puller (7) made from a strong flexible material that is longer than the height of the upper body (2) of the container, which is fixed by one end to the separating membrane (3) and the opposite end has a gripping area (8) consisting of a flat element made of a strong material with dimensions that noticeably coincide with those of a person's thumb.
[0017] The peripheral area of the lid-seal (5) has a peripheral sealing strip (9), which is removed to open the lid-seal (5), the upper side of which includes an identification surface (10) that can be inscribed or marked with common writing implements to identify the content of the container, the lid-seal (5) having a hole (11) closed by a flexible material that can be released in order to consume the contents of the container with the lid-seal (5) in place and a straw inserted.
1. Container with mixing vessel, which, for the purpose of dispensing combinations of
drinks and foods economically, conveniently, safely and hygienically, characterised in that it consists of a lower body (1) and an upper body (2), the latter being made of a
transparent material, which are joined together and which are separated by a separating
membrane (3) made from an impermeable material, the upper body (2) having an upper
peripheral edge (4) on which to receive a watertight lid-seal (5) that seals the inside
of the container, the inside of the upper body (2) having a puller (7) that is longer
than the height of the upper body (2), which is fixed by one end to the separating
membrane (3), the peripheral area of the lid-seal (5) having a peripheral sealing
strip (9).
2. Container with mixing vessel, according to claim 1, characterised in that the puller (7) is made from a strong flexible material and its free end has a gripping
area (8) consisting of a flat element made from a strong material.
3. Container with mixing vessel, according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the upper body (2) has a peripheral filling mark (6) at a certain height of the upper
body (2).
4. Container with mixing vessel, according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the gripping area (8) of the puller (7) has dimensions that noticeably coincide with
those of a person's thumb.
5. Container with mixing vessel, according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the upper side of the lid-seal (5) includes an identification surface (10) that that
can be inscribed or marked with common writing implements to identify the content
of the container.
6. Container with mixing vessel, according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the lid-seal (5) has a hole (11) closed by a flexible material that can be passed
through in order to consume the contents of the container with the lid-seal (5) in
place and a straw inserted.
7. Container with mixing vessel, according to any of the previous claims,
characterised in that the cutlery needed to consume the foods contained inside the container is positioned on the inside of the lid-seal (5), fastened by conventional means.
characterised in that the cutlery needed to consume the foods contained inside the container is positioned on the inside of the lid-seal (5), fastened by conventional means.