WO2024115499A1

WO2024115499A1 - Drinking vessel and method for manufacturing such a drinking vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2024115499A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/083389
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jorgen Bodum
Original assignee: Pi-Design Ag
Priority date: 2022-11-29
Filing date: 2023-11-28
Publication date: 2024-06-06

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drinking vessel (10), comprising a first container (12) forming a rim (22), the rim (22) enclosing an opening (24), and a second container (14), the first container (12) and the second container (14) being connected to each other at a merging area (16) such that an intermediate space (20) between the first container (12) and the second container (14) is formed, the merging area (16) being arranged at a rim distance (X) from the rim (22) and forming a bonding line (18), wherein the first container (12) encloses a receiving space (26) for receiving a beverage filla-ble into the receiving space (26) through the opening (24). Moreover, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing such a drinking vessel (10).

Description

Drinking vessel and method for manufacturing such a drinking vessel

The present invention relates to a drinking vessel and a method for manufacturing such a drinking vessel . Drinking vessels to which the present invention relates are also called double walled drinking vessels . Double walled drinking vessels comprising an outer container and an inner container in many cases encase a hollow intermediate space between them . The air captured in that intermediate space has insulating properties so that the adj ustment time of the temperature of the liquid, typically a beverage , inside the inner container to the ambient temperature is signi ficantly extended compared to single wall drinking vessels . In other words cold beverages will longer stay cold and hot beverages will longer stay hot . Due to the insulating properties the hand of the user holding the drinking vessel is exposed to the temperature of the beverage only to a limited extent . The danger that the hand gets burned or cold is reduced .

Double walled drinking vessels are for example disclosed in WO 2015/ 091003 Al and WO 2016/ 083226 Al . In the first case the outer container is connected to the inner container by a form closure whereas in the latter case the outer container is frictionally engaged to the inner container . Another double walled drinking vessel is distributed under the trademark "Pavina" . In this double walled drinking vessel which is made of a thermoplast , the outer and inner container are inj ection molded and welded together by ultrasonic welding at the rim that encloses an opening of the drinking vessel . Thus , a weld seam is formed at the rim . To drink the beverage , the user of the drinking vessel places the rim of the drinking vessel to his or her mouth . A certain disadvantage of this way to connect the outer and the inner container to each other is that a certain wall thickness is needed to securely connect them to each other by welding . Thus , the drinking vessel is fairly thick at the rim which is perceived as rather unpleasant by some users . Moreover, this way to connect results in some restrictions in the design of the drinking vessel . The "Pavina" double walled drinking vessels are also available in glass , however, the situation described regarding the "Pavina" vessels made of thermoplastics to a large extent also applies to the "Pavina" vessels made of glass .

For speci fic beverages as wine and champagne particular glasses are used that comprise a stem at which the user may hold the glass . When holding the glass at the stem the hand of the user is located at distance from the beverage , whereby the heat trans fer from the user' s hand to the beverage may also be decelerated . However, the stem is usually slim and thus prone to breakage . To reduce the risk of breakage , the diameter of the stem may be increased . However, the material consumption and the weight of the glass is increasing .

Background information of the technical field the present invention is directed to can be found in DE 80 22 555 Ul , DE 19 41 784 U, DE 73 14 917 U, AT 009 949 Ul , US 2015 / 0 289 692 Al , WO 2015/ 091 003 Al and WO 2016/ 083 226 Al .

It is therefore one task of one embodiment of the present invention to present a drinking vessel that overcomes the disadvantages described above . In particular, the present invention seeks to present a drinking vessel that of fers a bigger freedom of design at limited material consumption but does not compromise the ef fects of fered by a double walled drinking vessel previously described . Moreover, it is one task of the present invention to present a method of manufacturing such a drinking vessel .

The task is solved by the features speci fied in claims 1 , 12 and 13 . Advantageous embodiments are the subj ect of the dependent claims .

According to an embodiment of the present invention the drinking vessel comprises

- a first container forming a rim, the rim enclosing an opening, and

- a second container,

- the first container and the second container being connected to each other at a merging area such that an intermediate space between the first container and the second container is formed,

- the merging area being arranged at a rim distance from the rim and forming a bonding line , wherein

- the first container encloses a receiving space for receiving a beverage fillable into the receiving space through the opening .

A key feature of the present invention is that the bonding line is located inside or forming the merging area by which the first container and the second container are connected to each other and which is positioned within the merging area is located at a certain rim distance from the rim . The intermediate space thus does not extend throughout the entire drinking vessel but only partially . In the area adj acent to the rim the drinking vessel is single walled . Thus , in this area the drinking vessel can be designed like a usual glass , e . g . , like a wine glass with a small wall thickness . In particular at the rim, the wall thickness is signi ficantly smaller compared to double walled drinking vessels known from the prior art .

The intermediate space is located at the opposite side of the rim which is usually the lower portion in case the drinking vessel is placed on a surface such as a table or the like . As noted, the intermediate space has insulating ef fects such that the temperature of the beverage surrounded by the intermediate space approximates the temperature of the surroundings of the drinking vessel signi ficantly slower compared to a single walled drinking vessel . In many cases the receiving space provided by the drinking vessel is not completely filled with the beverage . In case of wine the receiving space is maximally filled to approximately between one third and one hal f . The wine is thus completely or almost completely surrounded by the intermediate space . The insulating ef fect of the intermediate space is thus fully exerted on the wine .

Another aspect is that a user usually grasps the drinking vessel on the lower portion . The heat trans fer between the hand of the user and the beverage is therefore reduced by the insulating ef fect of the intermediate space . In case of hot beverages the danger that the user burns his or her hand is reduced . In case of cold beverages like white wine which is often served at temperatures between 8 and 15 ° C and thus below the temperature of the user' s hand, the intermediate space prevents a rapid rise in temperature of the wine .

The drinking vessel according to the present invention combines the advantages of a single walled drinking vessel and of a double walled drinking vessel . The first container and the second container may be connected to each other at the bonding line by gluing or by materially bonding them together by welding or the like , depending on the material the first container and the second container ae made of .

In another embodiment the first container forms a ground end of the receiving space , the ground end having a maximum distance from the rim, the maximum distance being larger than the rim distance , preferably the maximum distance being between 1 , 5 and 2 , 5 times larger than the rim distance . The larger the maximum distance , the larger the receiving space that is surrounded by the intermediate space . It has been found that within the claimed range the insulating ef fect is suf ficiently big for the way the maj ority of beverages are served .

In another embodiment the drinking vessel comprises at least one recess formed by the first container or the second container . When the user grasps the drinking vessel with his hand, typically the skin of his or her fingers will not cover the first container or the second container in the ground of the recess . The contacting surface between the user' s hand and the drinking vessel is reduced, thereby also reducing the heat trans fer from the user' s hand into the beverage . A beverage cooled to a temperature below the temperature of the user' s hand will thus be warmed up by the user' s hand to a lesser degree .

In a further embodiment the drinking vessel comprises at least one bumper element that is insertable into the recess . The bumper element is preferably made of an elastic material such as rubber . The bumper element protects the drinking vessel from outer impacts that may lead to damages of the drinking vessel . Moreover, material of low heat conductivity can be chosen for the bumper element . The heat trans fer between the beverage and the user' s hand is reduced with the ef fects previously described .

According to another embodiment the drinking vessel comprises

- a first bumper element and a second bumper element , and

- a first recess for receiving the first bumper element , the first recess being formed by the first container, and

- a second recess for receiving the second bumper element , the second recess being formed by the second container .

In this embodiment one bumper element is located on each side of the merging area . As noted, the first container and the second container are connected to each other by a bonding line located or forming the merging area . The probability of breakage or damage of the drinking vessel within the merging area may be bigger than in other areas . The first bumper element and the second bumper element can be designed such that impacts acting on the merging area can ef fectively be prevented .

In another embodiment the first container has a first diameter at the rim and a second diameter at the merging area, the second diameter being larger than the first diameter . Starting from the merging area, the diameter of the first container decreases towards the rim . The exchange of the air inside the receiving space above the beverage with the surroundings is decelerated . The heat trans fer is concomitantly reduced with the ef fects described above . Further, flavors of the beverage remain within the drinking vessel and are thus susceptible by the user . According to a further embodiment the drinking vessel comprises a stem . The stem can be part of the second container or connected to the second container by a further bonding line . The remaining constitution of the vessel may remain the same . Wine is typically served in drinking vessels comprising a stem . The user typically grasps a wine glass at the stem and thus at a certain distance from the receiving space . The heat trans fer from the user' s hand into the beverage is thus further decelerated . Not only but in particular for wine the drinking temperature is important for the susceptibility of the flavors contained in the wine . As almost no heat is exchanged between the beverage and the surroundings of the vessel , the temperature at which the beverage is initially served is maintained for a long time . Thus , the susceptibility of the flavors is almost not altered during the process of drinking .

In a further embodiment the first container and the second container are made of glass . As initially noted, double walled drinking vessels known from the prior art are typically made by inj ection molding using thermoplastic resins . The design of the inventive drinking vessels , however, also of fers the possibility of using glass . Usually, drinking vessels made of glass are conceived as having a higher quality than drinking vessels made of plastics . Glass is of high inertness , so the risk that compounds of the first or second container immigrate into the beverage is lower compared to containers made of plastics .

Moreover, when the drinking vessel is used for hot beverages , there may be the risk that containers made of plastics deform or degrade irreversibly . This risk is less pertinent when using glass . Another aspect of the present invention is drawn to a drinking vessel , wherein the drinking vessel comprises a first container forming a rim, the rim enclosing an opening, a second container, the first container and the second container being connected to each other at a merging area such that an intermediate space between the first container and the second container is formed, the first container enclosing a receiving space for receiving a beverage fillable into the receiving space ( 26 ) through the opening, wherein the drinking vessel comprises a stem connected to the second container or formed by the second container, and the intermediate space extends into the stem .

In this embodiment the drinking vessel comprises a stem into which the intermediate space extends . The stem can be provided with a bigger diameter compared to a solid stem thereby of fering a higher stability at the same time keeping the additional material consumption at an acceptable level . The trans fer of the heat of the hand of the user holding the drinking vessel at its stem is decelerated on one hand by the distance to the beverage and on the other hand by the intermediate space .

According to another embodiment the stem forms a pedestal at its free end, the intermediate space extends to the pedestal . The pedestal may also be considered as a support section and stabili zes the drinking vessel when placed at a support surface provided by a table or the like . Since the intermediate space extends to the pedestal , the entire stem or almost the entire stem is traversed by the intermediate space . The material consumption is to a large extend kept low and the heat trans fer reduced .

In a further embodiment the intermediate space forms a stem opening at the pedestal , the stem opening being closed with a plug . In case the intermediate space forms a stem opening, the intermediate space is opened to the environment . Liquids such as water may thus enter the intermediate space , in particular, when the drinking vessel is placed into a dishwasher . Rests of the water may remain inside the intermediate space and may condense in the intermediate space . This condensed water may cause a haze which may negatively af fect the appearance of the drinking vessel . Due to the use of the plug, the ingress of water can be prevented such that the formation of haze is also prevented .

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method for manufacturing a drinking vessel according to one of the preceding claims , the method comprising the steps of

- blow molding the first container,

- blow molding the second container,

- introducing the first container into the second container, and

- melting the first container and the second container together in a merging area for connecting the first container and the second container with each other, thereby forming a bonding line by a material bond .

The technical ef fects and advantages as discussed regarding the present drinking vessel equally applies to the method . Briefly, this method enables the manufacturing of drinking vessels combines the advantages of a single walled drinking vessel and of a double walled drinking vessel as previously described .

- blow molding the first container,

- blow molding the second container,

- introducing the first container into the second container, and

- connecting the first container and the second container together in a merging area by gluing along a bonding line .

The two methods presented herein for manufacturing the inventive drinking vessel mainly di f fer in that in the first method a material bond is created by melting the first container and the second container while in the second method the first container and the second container are glued together by an adhesive . While a material bond may be more stable than a glue connection, the glue connection may be easier to manufacture as the first container and the second container do not have to be heated in the area of the bonding line .

The present invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings attached wherein

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a drinking vessel according to the present invention,

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a drinking vessel according to the present invention, and Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a drinking vessel according to the present invention .

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a drinking vessel 10i according to the present invention by means of a sectional view . The drinking vessel 10i comprises a first container 12 and a second container 14 that are connected to each other in a merging area 16 . In this merging area 16 a bonding line 18 is formed by which the second container 14 is fastened to the first container 12 .

The first container 12 and the second container 14 are connected such that a closed intermediate space 20 is formed between the first container 12 and the second container 14 . The intermediate space 20 is usually filled with air .

The first container 12 forms a rim 22 that is enclosing an opening 24 through which a liquid, in particular a beverage , can be filled into a receiving space 26 provided by the first container 12 . The first container 12 forms a ground end 30 which is located at a maximum distance Xmax from the rim 22 . The merging area 16 is located at a rim distance X from the rim 22 , the maximum distance Xmax being larger than the rim distance X . In the embodiment shown the maximum distance Xmax is approximately twice as big as the rim distance X .

At the rim 22 the first container 12 has a first diameter DI whereas in the merging area 16 the first container 12 has a second diameter D2 . The second diameter D2 is larger than the first diameter DI .

The first container 12 forms a first recess 28i and the second container 14 forms a second recess 282 . A first bumper element 32i is introduced into the first recess 28i whereas a second bumper element 322 is introduced into the second recess 282 , which is , however, optional ( see Figure 2 ) . As evident from Figure 1 the first bumper element 32i is arranged above the merging area 16 and the second bumper element 322 is arranged below the merging area 16 . The first bumper element 32i and the second bumper element 322 protect the drinking vessel 10i from external impacts in particular within the merging area 16 .

When the drinking vessel 10i is placed on a support surface 34 such as a table , the second container 14 is in contact with the support surface 34 . A user grasping the drinking vessel 10i will due to the choice of the rim distance X and the maximum distance Xmax most likely touch the same at the area of the second container 14 . Therefore , the intermediate space 20 is decelerating the heat trans fer between the user' s hand and the beverage . When the user wants to drink the beverage he or she touches the drinking vessel 10i with his or her mouth at or near the rim 22 therefore only contacting the first container 12 . The wall thickness of the drinking vessel 10i at the rim 22 is signi ficantly lower compared to the area of the intermediate space 20 such that the drinking is more comfortable compared to drinking vessels of the prior art in which the intermediate space 20 extends to the rim 22 and thus surrounds the entire first container 12 .

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the drinking vessel I O2 according to the present invention . In the second embodiment the drinking vessel I O2 does not comprise the first bumper element 32i and the second bumper element 322 . The first bumper element 32i and the second bumper element 322 are optional features and may be omitted . The user may remove and/or reinstall the first bumper element 32i and the second bumper element 322 as desired . This is also true for the first embodiment of the drinking vessel 10i . For the sake of clarity, the support surface 34 is not shown .

As can be seen from Figure 2 the basic structure of the drinking vessel I O2 according to the second embodiment is the same as the one of the drinking vessel 10i according to the first embodiment , however, the drinking vessel I O2 according to the second embodiment has a lower height-to-width ratio (Xmax / D2 ) . Moreover, the drinking vessel I O2 comprises a stem 36 . In the embodiment shown in Figure 2 , the stem 36 is connected to the second container 14 , e . g . , by bonding, although the bonding line is not recogni zable . The stem 36 may also be formed as an integral part of the second container 14 .

The drinking vessel I O2 according to the second embodiment comprises a pedestal 38 . The pedestal 38 can either be connected to the stem 36 , e . g . , by welding or gluing, as shown in Figure 2 , or being integrated into the stem 36 such that the stem 36 and the pedestal 38 are formed in one piece .

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the drinking vessel 10₃ according to the present invention . The drinking vessel 10₃ according to the third embodiment comprises a stem 36 like the drinking vessel I O2 according to the second embodiment . Also the remaining structure of the drinking vessel 10₃ according to the third embodiment is to a large extend similar to the one of the second embodiment of the drinking vessel 10₃.

The stem 36 forms a pedestal 38 at its free end . The intermediate space 20 is extending into the stem 36 to the pedestal 38 and forms a stem opening 40 . Thus , the stem 36 is hollow, thereby keeping the material consumption and the weight of the drinking vessel 10₃ according to third embodiment low .

When a user grips the drinking vessel 10₃ according to the third embodiment at the stem 36 , the distance between the user' s hand and the beverage received in the receiving space 26 is relatively long . This fact alone reduces the heat transfer from the user' s hand into the beverage compared to a drinking vessel 10i without a stem 36 . Further, the intermediate space 20 is filled with a gas , usually with air, which has insulating properties i f it stays inside the intermediate space 20 .

The stem opening 40 is closed by a plug 42 . This plug 42 may be made of silicone or the like and glued to the pedestal 38 to avoid inadvertent loosening . The plug 42 prevents the ingress of liquid, in particular of moisture , and other substances into the intermediate space 20 . The accumulation of water and dirt inside the intermediate space 20 is thus prevented . Moreover, the formation of haze caused by water condensed inside the intermediate space 20 is prevented .

As mentioned, the intermediate space 20 is filled with air . This air is kept inside the intermediate space 20 by the plug 40 such that an exchange with the environment is prevented or at least signi ficantly reduced . Due to the insulating properties of the air inside the intermediate space 20 the heat trans fer from the user' s hand to the receiving space 26 is further reduced .

While the drinking vessel 10i according to the first embodiment is suited for every-day beverages like tea, cof fee and mineral water, the drinking vessel 10₃ according to the second embodiment and the drinking vessel 10₃ according to the third embodiment have a form that is typical for wine glasses .

The drinking vessels according to the first , second and third embodiment as shown in Figures 1 to 3 are made of glass . However, it may also be possible to make them of plastics , in particular of thermoplastic resins .

In case the drinking vessel 10 is made of glass , the first container 12 and the second container 14 are blow molded . After that the first container 12 is introduced into the second container 14 such that they contact each other in the merging area 16 . The first container 12 and the second container 14 are heated in the merging area 16 such that a bonding line 18 is formed . After cooling bonding line 18 is cured and the first container 12 and the second container 14 are connected to each other .

Reference list

10 drinking vessel

101 drinking vessel

102 drinking vessel

10₃ drinking vessel

12 first container

14 second container

16 merging area

18 bonding line

20 intermediate space

22 rim

24 opening

26 receiving space

28 recess

281 first recess

282 second recess

30 ground end

32 bumper element

321 first bumper element

322 second bumper element

34 support surface

36 stem

38 pedestal

40 stem opening

42 plug

DI first diameter

D2 second diameter

X rim distance

Xmax maximum distance

Claims

Patent claims

1. Drinking vessel (10) , comprising a first container (12) forming a rim (22) , the rim (22) enclosing an opening (24) , and a second container (14) , the first container (12) and the second container (14) being connected to each other at a merging area (16) such that an intermediate space (20) between the first container (12) and the second container (14) is formed, the merging area (16) being arranged at a rim distance (X) from the rim (22) and forming a bonding line (18) , the bonding line (18) being formed o by a material bond of the first container (12) and the second container (14) , or o by gluing together the first container (12) and the second container (14) , wherein the first container (12) encloses a receiving space (26) for receiving a beverage fillable into the receiving space (26) through the opening (24) .

2. Drinking vessel (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first container (12) forms a ground end (30) of the receiving space (26) , the ground end (30) having a maximum distance (Xmax) from the rim (22) , the maximum distance (Xmax) being larger than the rim distance (X) , preferably the maximum distance (Xmax) being between 1,5 and 2,5 times larger than the rim distance (X) .

3. Drinking vessel (10) according to one of the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the drinking vessel (10) comprises at least one recess (28) formed by the first container (12) or the second container (14) . Drinking vessel (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the drinking vessel (10) comprises at least one bumper element (32) that is insertable into the recess (28) . Drinking vessel (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the drinking vessel (10) comprises

- a first bumper element (32i) and a second bumper element ( 322 ) , and

- a first recess (28i) for receiving the first bumper element (32i) , the first recess (281) being formed by the first container (12) , and

- a second recess (282) for receiving the second bumper element (322) , the second recess (282) being formed by the second container (14) . Drinking vessel (10) according any of the preceding claims characterized in that the first container (12) has a first diameter (DI) at the free rim (22) and a second diameter (D2) at the merging area (16) , the second diameter (D2) being larger than the first diameter (DI) . Drinking vessel (10) according to one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the first container (12) and the second container (14) are made of glass. Drinking vessel (10) according to one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the drinking vessel comprises a stem (36) . Drinking vessel (10) , comprising a first container (12) forming a rim (22) , the rim (22) enclosing an opening (24) , a second container (14) , the first container (12) and the second container (14) being connected to each other at a merging area (16) such that an intermediate space (20) between the first container (12) and the second container (14) is formed, the first container (12) enclosing a receiving space (26) for receiving a beverage fillable into the receiving space (26) through the opening (24) , wherein the drinking vessel (10) comprises a stem (36) connected to the second container (14) or formed by the second container (14) , and the intermediate space (20) extends into the stem (36) . Drinking vessel (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the stem (36) forms a pedestal (38) at its free end, the intermediate space (20) extends to the pedestal ( 38 ) . Drinking vessel (10) according to claims 9 or 10, characterized in that the intermediate space (20) forms a stem opening (40) at the pedestal (38) , the stem opening (40) being closed with a plug (42) . Method for manufacturing a drinking vessel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of

- blow molding the first container (12) ,

- blow molding the second container (14) ,

- introducing the first container (12) into the second container (14) , and - melting the first container (12) and the second container (14) together in a merging area (16) for connecting the first container (12) and the second container (14) with each other, thereby forming a bonding line (18) by a material bond. ethod for manufacturing a drinking vessel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of - blow molding the first container (12) ,

- blow molding the second container (14) ,

- introducing the first container (12) into the second container (14) , and

- connecting the first container (12) and the second container (14) together in a merging area (16) by gluing along a bonding line (18) .