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US 11,117,339 B2Granted
Compressor for carbonated beverage containers
AssigneeAi Li
InventorAi Li
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compression device allows for compressing a carbonated beverage container, for maintaining the container in a compressed state, and for releasing the container from the compressed state when desired. In one embodiment, the compression device (100) includes a first frame (101), a second frame (102), a first linking frame (103) and a second linking frame (104). The frames are joined together by hinge connectors (111, 112, 113, and 114), forming a quadrilateral enclosure or compression assembly that accepts a PET bottle. A hinge controller (119), associated with the first hinge connector (111), is operative to control compression and release of the bottle.
Claims37
A beverage container compressing apparatus, comprising:
- a compression assembly configured to receive a beverage container therein and applying a compressive force to at least one external surface of said container, said external surface bounding a beverage containing space of said container, said compression assembly including no more than four frame members pivotally interconnected by hinge connectors such that said frame members define a central opening configured to receive said container, said central opening being expandable and contractible by operation of said hinge connectors independent of any change of a circumference of said central opening;
- and
- a hinge controller directly connected to a first hinge connector of said hinge connectors, said first hinge connector interconnecting a first frame member and a second frame member of said frame members, said hinge controller being operative to exert a force directly on said first hinge connector so as to provide relative angular movement between said first and second frame members independent of any separate force applied to said first and second frame members, said hinge controller configured to move said first hinge connector to a first selected position, whereby said first hinge connector disposes said no more than four frame members in a first relative angular orientation defining a first configuration of said central opening, and said hinge controller is operable to move said first hinge connector to a second selected position that disposes said no more than four frame members in a second relative angular orientation defining a second configuration of said central opening.
A beverage container compressing apparatus comprising:
- a compression assembly configured to receive a beverage container therein and apply a compressive force to at least one external surface of said container, said external surface bounding a beverage containing space of said container, said compression assembly including at least first and second frame members pivotally interconnected by a first hinge connector, and a compression subassembly, said compression subassembly extending between said first and second frame members around said container, configured to compress said container and release said container from compression in coordination with movement of said first hinge connector, wherein said compression assembly defines an opening configured to receive a body of said container and said compression assembly is operative to selectively expand and contract a dimension of said opening independent of any change of a circumference of said opening;
- and
- a hinge controller directly connected to said first hinge connector, said hinge controller configured to maintain said first hinge connector in a selected position where said container is in compression and resist expansion forces associated with said compression, wherein, in said selected position, said first hinge connector disposes said first and second frame members in a fixed relative angular orientation and said dimension of said opening is fixed, said hinge controller being operative to exert force directly on said first hinge connector so as to resist relative angular movement between said first and second frame members, caused by said expansion forces, independent of any separate force applied to said first and second frame members, whereby said hinge controller resists expansion forces so as to maintain said first hinge connector at said selected position.
A beverage container compressing apparatus comprising:
- a compression assembly configured to receive a beverage container therein and apply a compressive force to at least one external surface of said container, said external surface bounding a beverage containing space of said container, said compression assembly comprising frame members pivotally interconnected by hinge connectors such that said frame members define a central opening configured to receive said container, said central opening being expandable and contractible by operation of said hinge connectors independent of any change of a circumference of said central opening;
- and
- a hinge controller directly connected to a first hinge connector of said hinge connectors, said first hinge connector interconnecting a first frame member and a second frame member of said frame members, said hinge controller configured to move said first hinge connector to a selected position by exerting a force directly on said hinge connector so as to provide relative angular movement between said first and second frame members independent of any separate force applied to said first and second frame members, and wherein said moving of said first hinge connector to said selected position changes a relative angular orientation between said first frame member and said second frame member, thereby causing at least one of said first and second frame members to apply said compression force to compress said container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.