Brewing and Drinking Receptable

Abstract

A brewing and drinking receptacle comprises an outer cup, an inner cup nested within the outer cup and turnable relatively thereto, and an ingredient chamber formed between mutually opposed bottom walls of the nested cups. A brewing aperture which may be a perforated section, is formed in the bottom wall of the inner cup and communicates with the ingredient chamber. A shut-off boss projecting upwardly from the bottom wall of the outer cup within the ingredient chamber is arranged to control liquid flow through the brewing aperture. The outer and inner cups are turnable relatively to one another selectively to admit or shut off flow of water, which is added to the inner cup to produce the beverage, between the inner cup and the ingredient chamber, via the brewing aperture. This enables the water to be mixed or infused with the ingredient in a controlled fashion and for the flow of beverage between the ingredient chamber and the inner cup to be shut off when the beverage achieves the desired strength. A paddle member projects into the ingredient chamber from the bottom wall of the inner cup so as to squeeze and/or agitate the ingredient in the ingredient chamber in response to relative turning movement of the cups and thereby enhance mixing or infusion.

1 . A receptacle comprising an outer cup, an inner cup nested within the outer cup, an ingredient chamber located between the nested outer and inner cups, and one or more apertures formed in the inner cup that communicate with the ingredient chamber, wherein the inner and outer cups are turnable relatively to one another, and wherein one or more shut-off sections are formed on the outer cup and arranged to control flow of liquid between the inner cup and the ingredient chamber, via the one or more aperture(s), in response to turning of the cups relative to one another, and wherein at least one protuberance projects into the ingredient chamber from at least one of the outer or inner cups for squeezing and/or agitating the ingredient in the ingredient chamber in response to relative turning movement of the cups.  
   
   
       2 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ingredient chamber is between a bottom wall of the outer cup and a mutually opposed bottom wall of the inner cups.  
   
   
       3 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the outer and inner cups are of circular cross-section, wherein the outer cup includes a sidewall extending upwardly and generally outwardly from the bottom wall of the outer cup, and wherein the inner cup includes a sidewall extending upwardly and generally outwardly from the bottom wall of the inner cup.  
   
   
       4 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein at least one aperture is formed in the bottom wall of the inner cup, and a cooperating shut-off section extends from the bottom wall of the outer cup, wherein the shut-off section includes an upper end arranged so as to shut off flow of liquid through the aperture(s) into the ingredient chamber upon alignment of the aperture(s) and said upper end.  
   
   
       5 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the shut-off section is formed by a shut-off boss projecting into the ingredient chamber from the bottom wall of the outer cup.  
   
   
       6 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 2  wherein each of the at least one protuberance comprises a paddle member projecting downwardly into the ingredient chamber from the bottom wall of the inner cup.  
   
   
       7 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein each paddle member is arranged to serve as a stop defining a fully open position and a fully shut-off positions of the aperture(s).  
   
   
       8 . A receptacle as claimed in claims  2 , wherein each protuberance or paddle member is perforated and/or includes a bottom wall or edge which slopes with respect to the bottom walls of the cups.  
   
   
       9 . A receptacle as claimed in claims  1 , wherein each aperture comprises a perforated section having perforations sufficiently small so as substantially to prevent flow of loose ingredient from the ingredient chamber into the inner cup.  
   
   
       10 . A receptacle as claimed in claims  1 , wherein the outer and inner cups are formed with interengaging means which retains the cups in nested relationship while permitting them to turn relative to one another.  
   
   
       11 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the interengaging means comprises one or more annular ribs on the sidewall of one of the inner or outer cups engaging in cooperating annular grooves in the sidewall ( 6 ) of the other of the inner or outer cups.  
   
   
       12 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the interengaging means comprises interengaging rim flanges which depend downwardly from the lips of the outer and inner cups on the outsides of the cups and which are arranged to engage when the cups are assembled in nested relationship.  
   
   
       13 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the interengaging rim flanges are designed to seal the space between the rim flanges so as to alleviate leakage of liquid contents between the outer and inner cups.  
   
   
       14 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the rim flange of the inner cup is formed with an inwardly projecting annular rib on its inside surface and the outer cup is formed with a plane downwardly directed rim flange so that, when the cups are fully nested, the rim flange of the inner cup resiliently engages over the outside surface of the rim flange of the outer cup and the annular rib snaps into engagement beneath the lower edge of the rim flange of the outer cup.  
   
   
       15 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 12 , including a lid fitted to the mouth of the receptacle and snapped into engagement with the rim flange of the inner cup.  
   
   
       16 . A receptacle as claimed in claims  1 , wherein the outer cup is formed with an array of external ribs which facilitate gripping of the receptacle by a user.  
   
   
       17 . A receptacle as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the outer cup has a plane area above and/or below the ribs for enabling printing, embossing or other form of decoration to be applied to the receptacle.  
   
   
       18 . A receptacle as claimed in claims  1 , wherein the outer and inner cups are thermoformed from sheet plastics material.  
   
   
       19 . A receptacle as claimed in claims  1 , further including an ingredient within the ingredient chamber, said ingredient being either in loose form or in a liquid permeable container.  
   
   
       20 . A method of preparing a liquid product in a receptacle comprising an inner cup nested within an outer cup and defining an ingredient chamber therebetween, an ingredient disposed in the ingredient chamber, and one or more apertures formed in the inner cup for permitting communication between the inner cup and the ingredient chamber, the method comprising: 
 adding to the inner cup liquid for producing the liquid product in conjunction with the ingredient;    controlling admission and shut off of flow of the liquid into the ingredient chamber, via the aperture(s), in response to relative turning movement of the outer and inner cups; and    agitating and/or squeezing the ingredient in the ingredient chamber by relatively turning the cups.    
   
   
       21 . A method as claimed in  claim 20 , further comprising relatively turning the cups to shut off flow of liquid between the ingredient chamber and the inner cup when the liquid product has reached the desired strength.