초록 ▼

An apparatus for maintaining the temperature of a fluid in a container includes a body having a cavity and a seal assembly adapted to engage and temporarily seal the container; a second fluid located and sealed in the cavity and having a freezing point below 0° C.; and the body and the seal assembly

An apparatus for maintaining the temperature of a fluid in a container includes a body having a cavity and a seal assembly adapted to engage and temporarily seal the container; a second fluid located and sealed in the cavity and having a freezing point below 0° C.; and the body and the seal assembly have no apertures through which the fluid or the second fluid flows.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus for maintaining a temperature of a fluid inside a container, comprising: a body having a cavity and a seal mounted to the body, including a plug, the seal comprises a handle for the apparatus when the body is inside the container, together the body, seal and handle form a unitary str

1. An apparatus for maintaining a temperature of a fluid inside a container, comprising: a body having a cavity and a seal mounted to the body, including a plug, the seal comprises a handle for the apparatus when the body is inside the container, together the body, seal and handle form a unitary structure that has a tapered profile along a substantially entire axial length thereof, the body is adapted to temporarily contact the fluid inside the container, and the seal is adapted to directly make contact with the container itself, and temporarily engage an upper interior surface of the container at a top of the container;a second fluid located and permanently sealed inside the cavity by the plug, the second fluid having a freezing point of 0° C. or less;the body and the seal have no apertures through which the fluid or the second fluid flows; andthe seal comprises a different material than the body, and the body is asymmetric, wherein the body has an axial length substantially similar to that of the container, and the body has a proximal diameter (dp) at a proximal end that defines the greatest diameter of the body, a distal diameter (dd) at a distal end that defines the least diameter of the body, a first intermediate diameter (d1) located axially between the proximal and distal ends that is smaller than dp, and a second intermediate diameter (d2) located axially between d1 and the distal end that is larger than d1. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body has only one cavity, and the second fluid is the only material located inside the body, the body contacts the fluid substantially throughout an axial length of the container, and the seal comprises a synthetic stopper. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body is formed from a plastic material, and the seal comprises a stopper that is frustoconically tapered and adapted to axially slide and temporarily engage the upper interior surface at the top of the container. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the freezing point of the second fluid is in a range of −1° C. to −30° C., the cavity is permanently sealed by a weld or adhesive, and the body is translucent or transparent such that the second fluid is visible from an exterior of the body, and the seal loosely, axially, slidingly, makes direct contact with the upper interior surface of the container at the top of the container. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body varies in axial sectional shape, such that an exterior surface of the body undulates substantially throughout an axial length of the container, and the cavity is tapered along a substantially entire axial length thereof. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the seal also comprises a cap that is threadingly and releasably coupled to the plug, and the plug is unthreaded. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the seal is located on an axial end of the apparatus, the second fluid has a liquid volume sufficient to fill all of the cavity which is located axially outside of the seal, and extend at least partially into a portion of the body located axially inside the seal, such that said portion of the body is an expansion reservoir when the second fluid is frozen and expands in volume into said portion of the body. 8. An apparatus for maintaining a temperature of wine in a bottle, comprising: a body having an axis, a proximal end, a distal end, a cavity inside the body that is open on the proximal end, and tapered shape in an axial direction;the body has a proximal diameter (dp) at the proximal end that defines the greatest diameter of the body, a distal diameter (dd) at the distal end that defines the least diameter of the body, a first intermediate diameter (d1) located axially between the proximal and distal ends that is smaller than dp, and a second intermediate diameter (d2) located axially between d1 and the distal end that is larger than d1, and the body varies in axial sectional shape, such that an exterior surface of the body asymmetrically undulates for the entire axial length thereof;a fluid located in the cavity and having a freezing point below 0° C.; anda seal assembly mounted to the body to seal the fluid inside the cavity, the seal assembly is adapted to loosely, axially, slidingly, make direct contact with the bottle itself, and temporarily engage and seal an upper interior surface of the bottle at a top of the bottle, and the seal assembly comprises a different material than the body. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the body and the seal assembly have no apertures through which any fluid flows, and the body varies in axial sectional shape throughout an axial length of the bottle, such that an exterior surface of the body undulates for the substantially entire axial length thereof, and the seal comprises a synthetic stopper. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the body has only one cavity, the fluid is the only material located inside the body, the body contacts the fluid substantially throughout an axial length of the container, the seal comprises a handle for the apparatus when the body is inside the container, and an interior surface of the cavity is tapered axially for a substantially entire axial length thereof. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the body is formed from plastic, and the seal assembly comprises a stopper that is frustoconically tapered and adapted to engage and seal the upper interior surface at the top of the bottle. 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the freezing point of the fluid is in a range of −1° C. to −30° C., the cavity is permanently sealed by a weld or adhesive, the body is translucent or transparent such that the fluid is visible from an exterior of the body, and the seal comprises a handle for the apparatus when the body is inside the container, together the body, seal and handle form a unitary structure that has a tapered profile along a substantially entire axial length thereof. 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the seal assembly comprises a plug mounted to the proximal end of the body, a cap assembly threadingly and releasably coupled to the plug, the plug is unthreaded, and together the body, seal assembly, plug and cap assembly form a unitary structure. 14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the seal assembly is located on an axial end of the apparatus, the fluid has a liquid volume sufficient to fill all of the cavity which is located axially outside of the seal assembly, and extend at least partially into a portion of the body located axially inside the seal assembly, such that said portion is a fluid expansion reservoir when the fluid is frozen and expands in volume into said portion. 15. An apparatus for a container having a first fluid, comprising: a body having a cavity and a second fluid sealed inside the cavity, the body and the container are configured to be substantially similar in axial length, and the body is configured to temporarily contact the first fluid inside the container;a seal mounted to the body, the seal is configured to directly make contact with the container itself, and loosely, slidingly, temporarily engage and axially seal an upper interior surface of the container at a top of the container, the seal has a seal profile that includes a handle that is frustoconical, the handle is configured to remove the apparatus when the body is inside the container, and together the body, seal and handle form a unitary structure that has a tapered profile along an entire axial length thereof;the body and the seal have no apertures through which the first fluid or the second fluid flows; andthe body has a proximal diameter (dp) at the proximal end that defines a maximum diameter of the body, a distal diameter (dd) at the distal end that defines a minimum diameter of the body, a first intermediate diameter (d1) located axially between the proximal and distal ends that is smaller than dp, and a second intermediate diameter (d2) located axially between d1 and the distal end that is larger than d1, and the body varies in axial sectional shape, such that an exterior surface of the body undulates for the entire axial length thereof, wherein the seal comprises a plug mounted to the proximal end of the body, a cap threadingly and releasably coupled to the plug, and together the body, seal, plug and cap form a unitary structure. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cavity is permanently sealed by a weld or adhesive, and the seal comprises a synthetic stopper. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the exterior surface of the body asymmetrically undulates.