COCKTAIL SHAKER WITH MOVABLE COVER
A cocktail shaker includes a cup for receiving liquid ingredients, and a lid for installing on the cup. The lid includes a base including a top wall, an opening in the top wall for dispensing the liquid ingredients out of the cocktail shaker, and a pressure relief hole in the top wall for releasing air from the cup while dispensing the liquid ingredients out of the cocktail shaker through the opening. The lid also includes a cover movably coupled to the base for moving along the top wall between a first orientation in which the cover covers the opening and the pressure relief hole, and a second orientation in which the opening and the pressure relief hole are uncovered. The cocktail shaker also includes an elastic element for biasing the cover into the first orientation.
1 . A cocktail shaker comprising:
a cup for receiving liquid ingredients; and
a lid for installing on the cup, the lid including:
a base including:
a top wall;
an opening in the top wall for dispensing the liquid ingredients out of the cocktail shaker; and
a pressure relief hole in the top wall for releasing air from the cup while dispensing the liquid ingredients out of the cocktail shaker through the opening;
a cover movably coupled to the base for moving along the top wall between a first orientation in which the cover covers the opening and the pressure relief hole, and a second orientation in which the opening and the pressure relief hole are uncovered; and
an elastic element for biasing the cover into the first orientation, the cover being movable from the first orientation into the second orientation by overcoming the biasing by the elastic element,
the cup and lid being configured such that a user can grip the cup with one hand and move the cover from the first orientation to the second orientation with an index finger of the one hand.
2 . (canceled)
3 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the elastic element is housed within the cover.
4 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the elastic element is housed entirely within the cover.
5 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the cover is above the top wall during the movement from the first orientation into the second orientation.
6 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cover is configured for being snapped on and off of the base.
7 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cover is configured such that an upward force applied by a user's finger to a longitudinal end of the cover snaps the cover off of the base.
8 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cover includes guides on sides thereof that are configured for being snapped into engagement with lips on the base.
9 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 8 , wherein the base includes a longitudinally extending slot in which the cover is movable between the first orientation and the second orientation, the slot being delimited by two longitudinally extending side walls, the lips forming parts of tracks in the two longitudinally extending side walls.
10 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 9 , wherein cover includes a gasket configured for cover the opening and the pressure relief hole in the first orientation, the tracks each including an end section configured to interact with the respective guides to move the cover downward to force the gasket downward at the opening and at the pressure relief hole.
11 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 9 , wherein the guides are coupled to the cover for being temporarily biased into the cover during the snapping of the of the guides into engagement with the lips.
12 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 8 , wherein the guides are received in holes in the cover, the holes being connected to drain channels configured for draining fluid in the holes out of a bottom of the cover.
13 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the base includes a longitudinally extending slot in which the cover is movable between the first orientation and the second orientation, the cover having a length L 1 that is between 1.0 and 2.25 inches, and the slot having a length L 2 that between 0.25 and 1.0 inch longer than the length L 1 of the cover.
14 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 13 , wherein a maximum length L 3 of a top of the lid, measured along the center of the slot, is between 1.3125 and 3.50 inches long.
15 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 13 , wherein a center of a top front edge of a finger grip of the cover is a length L 4 of 0.25 to 1.0 inches from a frontmost edge of the cover.
16 . (canceled)
17 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a stop fixed to the top wall, the elastic element being a spring held between the cover and the stop.
18 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 17 , wherein the elastic element is configured for being in an expanded orientation in the first orientation of the cover and in a contracted orientation in the second orientation of the cover, the elastic element configured to be compressed by moving the cover from the first orientation to the second orientation and compressing the elastic element between the stop and a surface of the cover.
19 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the base includes a strainer is formed by a plurality of strips traversing the opening.
20 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cover includes:
a pull section including a finger grip for the index finger of the user to move the cover from the first orientation to the second orientation; and
a carriage, the pull section being removably connected to the carriage.
21 . The cocktail shaker as recited in claim 20 , further comprising a further pull section, the further pull section configured for being connectable to the carriage in place of the pull section, a finger grip of the further pull section being further away from or closer to a front longitudinal edge of the further pull section than the finger grip of the pull section is from a front longitudinal edge of the pull section.
22 . (canceled)
23 . A method of using the cocktail shaker as recited in claim 1 , the method sequentially comprising:
filling the cup with the liquid ingredients;
connecting the lid on top of the cup;
shaking the cocktail shaker to mix the liquid ingredients;
holding the cocktail shaker with one hand applying a force to the cover with the index finger of the one hand to move the cover from the first orientation to the second orientation;
pouring at least some of the liquid ingredients out of the opening into a glass while the cover is in the second orientation; and
releasing the force applied to the cover to cause the elastic element to move the cover from the second orientation back into the first orientation.
24 . A cocktail shaker lid configured for being connected to a cup for receiving liquid ingredients to form a cocktail shaker, the lid comprising:
a base including:
an opening for dispensing the liquid ingredients out of the cocktail shaker; and
a pressure relief hole for releasing air from the cup while dispensing the liquid ingredients out of the cocktail shaker through the opening;
a cover movably coupled to the base for moving between a first orientation in which the cover covers the opening and the pressure relief hole, and a second orientation in which the opening and the pressure relief hole are uncovered; and
an elastic element biasing the cover into the first orientation, the cover being movable from the first orientation into the second orientation by overcoming the biasing by the elastic element,
the lid being configured such that a user can grip the lid with one hand and move the cover from the first orientation to the second orientation with an index finger of the one hand.