Waterless ice crystal nucleator with convex ultrasonic transmitter
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorMiyako Sekita
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A beverage nucleator system for a supercooled beverage container may include a frame for receiving a beverage container and an ultrasonic transmitter positioned therein. A convex protrusion from the ultrasonic transmitter ensures good contact and therefore good transfer of ultrasonic energy through a top surface of a closure of the beverage container, even if the beverage container is positioned within the frame at an angle to the ultrasonic transmitter. Alternatively or additionally, a packaging holder comprising a plurality of supports may be provided to ensure that the top surface of the closure is parallel with the ultrasonic transmitter.
Claims19
A beverage nucleator system for a supercooled beverage container, comprising:
- a waterless ultrasonic device with an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal;
- a frame with the waterless ultrasonic device positioned therein;
- a front cover coupled to the frame, wherein the frame comprises a support surface with an apex positioned apart from the front cover;
- and
- a plurality of supports positioned along the support surface between the front cover and the apex,
- wherein the frame is configured to position a closure of the container in direct contact with a first surface of the ultrasonic transmitter such that the ultrasonic signal is transmitted directly to the container unaltered to cause ice crystal nucleation of the supercooled beverage container, wherein the first surface of the ultrasonic transmitter comprises a convex surface,
- wherein the plurality of supports is positioned along the support surface such that the beverage container contacts only the plurality of supports and the convex surface on the first surface of the ultrasonic transmitter.
A method of providing an iced beverage product, comprising:
- providing a waterless ultrasonic device positioned within a frame, wherein a front cover is coupled to the frame and the frame comprises a support surface with an apex positioned apart from the front cover, wherein a plurality of supports are positioned along the support surface between the front cover and the apex;
- receiving, in the frame, a supercooled beverage in a bottle with a closure such that the closure of the bottle is in direct contact with a first surface of an ultrasonic transmitter of the waterless ultrasonic device, wherein the first surface of the ultrasonic transmitter comprises a convex surface;
- and
- transmitting ultrasonic energy from the convex surface of the ultrasonic transmitter into the supercooled beverage directly through the closure unaltered to cause ice crystal nucleation within the beverage,
- wherein the plurality of supports is positioned along the support surface such that the bottle contacts only the plurality of supports and the convex surface on the first surface of the ultrasonic transmitter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.