Drink colorizer

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a drink colorizer, and particularly to a self-contained drink colorizing system having a selective color-dispensing multiple reservoir and a rotatably and linearly movable lockable selecting and dispensing valve.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Coloring of drinks is known. Various colored drinks, and various colored drink mixes, are widely marketed

[0006] There are, however, no self-contained drink coloring systems having a self-contained selective color-dispensing multiple reservoir.

[0007] The invention is a specialty beverage container with a multiple colorant reservoir built into the cap. The colorant reservoir has a number of colorant chambers, much like the sections of an orange, opening into a central cylindrical tube, which is open into the main chamber of the beverage container (bottle). The consumer purchases a bottle filled with a neutral drink and with a colorizer cap. The consumer then proceeds to unlock the colorizer cap, select a colorant, and add colorant or colorants to achieve the desired color. The consumer may then discard the colorant valve mechanism (or the entire colorizer cap) and drink the beverage colored to his specifications.

[0008] The central cylinder has controlled inner diameter, into which each of the several colorant chambers opens through a small valve opening. All the valve openings are normally sealed by a colorant-selection valve tube which closely fits the controlled inner diameter. The valve tube is sealed at the top, open at the bottom, and has a single opening aligned for connecting to the individual colorant chambers of the reservoir when pulled up into operating position. When the valve tube is pushed down, into its normal position for shipping, it seals all the colorant chambers. It is locked into sealing position by a pull tab, which serves both as a lock and as a tamper-indicator. When unlocked, the valve tube is pulled up into operating position, and rotated so that the valve tube opening aligns with a selected colorant chamber. The valve connection is sufficiently restricted to feed colorant slowly, drop by drop, so that the colorization may be easily controlled. The valve may be rotated again and again, to align with additional colorant chambers, to provide the selected color.

[0009] The object of the invention is to make an inexpensive, attractive, single-use self-contained colorizer for a beverage.

[0010] A feature of the invention is the placement of multiple colorant chambers in a colorizer cap, which colorizer cap has a locked colorant-selection valve which also serves as a permanent seal until unlocked.

[0011] An advantage of the invention is that it allows easy selection of the exact color desired.

[0012] Another advantage is its educational value in showing how colors are combined to form additional colors. Red and yellow, for example, yield orange.

[0013] Still another advantage is that the colorant chambers are typically sealed at atmospheric pressures, and may have a shelf life span great enough to permit the bottler to keep a significant inventory of colorizer caps prior to filling the bottles with the beverage liquid. The beverage liquid, which may vary in pressure as a function of temperature, may be carbonated under slight pressure, or may be compressed by being squeezed, without affecting the colorants which are separately sealed.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the invention, seal broken, in operation with colorant already dispensed into the beverage liquid.

[0015] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view of the colorant dispenser subassembly of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the colorant reservoir of the invention.

[0017] FIGS. 1-3 show details of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the beverage colorizer system of the invention. Bottle 1 holds potable beverage liquid, preferably club soda or the like. Bottle 1 has been shipped to the consumer with liquid sealed inside by colorizer seal valve 2.

[0019] FIG. 2 has a seal which is shown broken, with colorizer seal valve 2 raised to operating position, ready to dispense one or more selected colorants into the beverage liquid 3 from colorant reservoir chamber cap 4. The colorant chambers are shown filled with a first colorant which may be red, which is beginning to dispense red colorant liquid from the colorant chamber into the beverage liquid 3, made possible when via-openings 5, 6 line up. Via-openings 5 are obscured in FIG. 2. The central cylinder 5-C of the colorant reservoir cap 4 is lined up with via-opening 6 in the vertical mode, by the pulling up of colorizer valve inner tube 7 so that valve opening 6 can match a valve via-opening 5 in central cylinder 5-C. Colorant in the selected chamber drains from the colorant chamber through the related via-opening 5-C, through via-opening 6 and down valve tube 7 to drop into the beverage liquid 3.

[0020] Cap lock 10 with straw cap 11 completes the system.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the colorant reservoir cap 4, showing liquid levels in some of the chambers 12 and 13 of the colorant reservoir. Via-openings 5 (obscured in FIG. 2) selectively align with via-opening 6 in valve inner tube 7 to dispense colorant as shown by the drop coming out of valve inner tube 7. Choice of colorant is by rotating valve inner tube 7 which extends in a short drinking straw portion 8 above the cap 4. Wheel 9 is affixed to rotating valve inner tube 7 so as to provide easy rotation to select the particular desired colorant chamber.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows the colorant reservoir cap 4, which may have the inner cylinder 14 threaded so that rotation of the valve stem controlled by threads provides a more certain alignment of via-openings 5 (obscured in FIG. 2) for selection of the individual colorant chambers 12, 13. Rotation of the colorizer seal valve 6-9 opens a channel for colorant from the selected reservoir 5 chamber (red selected).

[0023] In operation, the rainbow drink permits the consumer to experiment with colorization of the individual drink, by unsealing the drink, selecting one or a combination of colorants, watching the flow of colorant drops until the desired hue and intensity is achieved, then removing the cap for pouring or drinking from the bottle. While the invention has been shown and described with respect to a drink colorizer, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the same colorizer may be used for other products.