Beverage container

Abstract

The present dosure relates to beverage container (10) that includes a lower vessel (12) having a lower vessel neck (16), an upper vessel (22) that is attached to the lower vessel neck (16) and is sized and shaped to hold a liquid therein, a removable cap (40) that is attached to the upper vessel (22), a vessel seal (42) that serves as a liquid- tight barrier between the interior of the upper vessel (22) and the interior of the lower vessel (12), and a tether (44) attached to the vessel seal (42) at one end and the removable cap (40) at the other end. When the removable cap (40) is twisted or removed, it pulls on the tether (44), which pulls and releases the vessel seal (42), thereby allowing liquid from inside the upper vessel (22) to enter the interior of the lower vessel (12).

We claim: 
     
         1 . A container comprising:
 a vessel including a lower end, an upper end distal to the lower end, and a vessel wall extending from the upper end to the lower end, the upper end, lower end, and vessel wall defining an internal volume of the vessel;   a cap secured to the upper end of the vessel;   a seal removably-secured to the vessel wall, the seal being sized and positioned to span the internal volume when secured to the vessel wall and to separate the internal volume into an upper portion and a lower portion, the seal including a tether that is secured to the cap;   wherein the cap, the seal, and the tether are adapted to allow the seal to remain secured to the vessel wall when the cap is in a closed position at the upper end of the vessel and to cause the seal to at least partially separate from the vessel wall when the cap is moved to an active position.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first ingredient located in the upper portion of the internal volume; and   a second ingredient located in the lower portion of the internal volume, the second ingredient being of a different composition than that of the first ingredient.   
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the cap is in a different rotational position relative to the vessel in the closed position and the active position. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the vessel is covered by the cap with the cap is in the closed position and open when the cap is in the active position. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel comprises an upper vessel located proximate to the upper end and a lower vessel located proximate to the lower end, the upper vessel including an upper vessel wall formed from a portion of the vessel wall that defines the upper portion of the internal volume, the lower vessel including a lower vessel wall formed from a portion of the vessel wall that defines the lower portion of the internal volume, and the upper vessel being removably coupled to the lower vessel. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 5 , wherein the seal is located within the upper vessel. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 6 , wherein the upper vessel includes a sealing lip extending inwardly from the upper vessel wall, and the seal is configured to adhere to the sealing lip. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the tether has a first end and a second end distal from the first end, the first end being attached to the seal and the second end being attached to the cap. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 8 , wherein the cap includes a cap slot, and the second end of the tether is threaded through the cap slot. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 9 , wherein the tether is secured to the cap via a friction fit. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the friction fit is provided by a two-piece clamp system that fits within a clamp recess proximate to the cap slot. 
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the friction fit is provided by a wedge that fits within a wedge recess proximate to the cap slot. 
     
     
         13 . A beverage container comprising:
 a lower vessel including:
 a base having a closed end, an open end opposite the closed end, and an outer wall extending from the closed end to the open end, the base defining an internal volume, and 
 a neck extending from the open end of the base to an annular ridge that defines a lower vessel opening through which liquid may enter the base; 
   an upper vessel including a lower end, an upper end opposite the lower end, an interior surface extending from the lower end to the upper end, and a sealing lip extending radially inwardly from the interior surface to a lip edge, the interior surface and the sealing lip defining an internal volume of the upper vessel between the upper end and the sealing lip, and the upper vessel being sized and shaped to receive the lower vessel neck;   a vessel seal attached to the sealing lip of the upper vessel, the vessel seal being sized and shaped to form a liquid-tight barrier that prevents liquid from traveling from the interior of the upper vessel to the lower vessel; and   a tether having a first end and a second end, the first end of the tether being connected to the vessel seal and the second end of the tether being connected to the upper end of the upper vessel, the tether being sized and shaped to pull the vessel seal away from the sealing lip when upward force is applied to the tether;   wherein pulling the vessel seal away from the sealing lip allows liquid from the interior volume of the upper vessel to travel inside the lower vessel.   
     
     
         14 . The container of  claim 13 , further comprising a cap attached to the upper end of the upper vessel, the cap including a means for attaching the second end of the tether to the cap. 
     
     
         15 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein the upper vessel includes a vertical axis and the cap is adapted to pull the vessel seal away from the sealing lip via the tether when the cap is rotated about the vertical axis of the upper vessel. 
     
     
         16 . A method of combining two substances housed in separate vessels of a container, the method comprising:
 providing a container having an internal volume that is separated into an upper portion and a lower portion by a barrier, a first substance located in the upper portion and a second substance located in the lower portion;   removing the barrier by manipulating a cap that is attached to the container and is tethered to the barrier, thereby allowing the first substance to come on contact with the second substance.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the barrier includes an attached tether that extends from the barrier through the upper portion of the container to the cap, and wherein the step of removing the barrier includes pulling the tether away from the lower portion of the container. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of removing the barrier includes rotating the cap relative to the upper portion of the container without separating the cap from the container. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the barrier is a liquid-tight seal that is releasably attached to the upper portion of the container. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first substance has a different composition than that of the second substance.