EP-4737386-A1 - MULTIFUNCTIONAL AERATING DEVICE, MULTIFUNCTIONAL WINE PUMP, AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL WINE ACCESSORY

EP4737386A1EP 4737386 A1EP4737386 A1EP 4737386A1EP-4737386-A1

Abstract

In an embodiment of the present invention, disclosed is an aerating device, which is installed at an opening of a bottle containing a liquid, and has various functions. The multifunctional aerating device may comprise: a fluid moving channel unit, which includes a fluid moving channel and is configured such that a part thereof is inserted into the opening of the bottle; and a discharge control unit, which is coupled with the fluid moving channel unit and includes a flow path connected with the fluid moving channel and a discharge outlet for discharging the liquid. The multifunctional aerating device may function as an aerator for bringing the liquid flowing out of the bottle into contact with air in a first state and as a stopper for blocking discharge of the liquid in a second state.

Inventors

AHN, Na Eun

Assignees

Etervin Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240627

Claims (18)

A multifunctional aerating device, which is installed at an opening of a bottle containing a liquid, the multifunctional aerating device comprising: a fluid moving channel unit, comprising a fluid moving channel and configured such that a part of the fluid moving channel unit is inserted into the opening of the bottle; and a discharge control unit, which is coupled with the fluid moving channel unit, the discharge control unit comprising: a flow path, fluidly connected with the fluid moving channel and a discharge outlet for discharging the liquid, wherein the discharge control unit functions as an aerator for bringing the liquid flowing out of the bottle into contact with air in a first state, and functions as a stopper for blocking discharge of the liquid in a second state.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 1, wherein, when the discharge control unit is coupled to a pump in the second state, the discharge control unit functions as a preserver configured to discharge the air from inside of the bottle to outside of the bottle.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 1, wherein switching between the first state and the second state is performed by a rotation of the discharge control unit.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit further comprises: a Venturi tube for aerating the liquid, and an elastic material for discharging air the air from inside of the bottle to outside of the bottle in a third state and maintaining a seal inside the bottle in a fourth state.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 1, wherein the fluid moving channel unit further comprises: an insertion unit part, which is shaped as a pipe with a diameter that decreases toward a lower part so as to be partially inserted into the opening of the bottle, the insertion unit forming a liquid moving channel through which the liquid in the bottle flows; a pipe unit, which is inserted into an inner side of the insertion unit, the pipe unit forming an air moving channel through which external air moves into the bottle; a coupling unit for coupling with a part of the discharge control unit; and a sealing unit, comprising a first connection hole for fluidly connecting with the liquid moving channel and a second connection hole for fluidly connecting with the air moving channel, wherein the sealing unit is configured to be in close contact with a part of a housing of the discharge control unit to maintain airtightness between the part of the housing of the discharge control unit and the coupling unit.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit further comprises: a chamber unit, which is rotatably received in a part of the fluid moving channel unit, the chamber unit comprising a fluid flowing space therein through which the fluid flows; a fluid pipe unit, which is fluidly connected with the fluid flowing space in the chamber unit and shaped as a Venturi tube with a varying diameter; and a sealing control unit, comprising an elastic material, wherein the sealing control unit is coupled with a pump to discharge the air and maintain a seal inside the bottle when the inside of the bottle is decompressed.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 6, wherein the chamber unit further comprises: a flow-through-pipe unit, forming the fluid moving channel for discharging the air inside the bottle; and a valve seat, which is formed at an end of the flow-through-pipe unit and configured to be in close contact with the sealing control unit to maintain airtightness within the bottle.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit further comprises one or two or more coupling protrusions, and the fluid moving channel unit further comprises one or two or more coupling grooves formed at positions corresponding to the coupling protrusions, and switching of state between the first state and the second state is performed by a rotation of the discharge control unit using the coupling protrusions as a rotation axis.
The multifunctional aerating device according to Claim 6, wherein the chamber unit further comprises: an air inlet through which external air is introduced into the chamber unit; and a liquid inlet through which the liquid in the bottle is introduced into the chamber unit through the fluid moving channel unit.
A multifunctional wine pump, comprising: an opening frame for separating a cork from a bottle opening by partially penetrating and moving the cork at the bottle opening; a pump frame coupled to the opening frame, the pump frame discharging air inside the bottle to outside the bottle; and a cutter frame coupled to the opening frame, the cutter frame removing a bottle sealing at the bottle opening.
The multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 10, wherein: the cutter frame is configured such that a part of the bottle opening is drawn into one side thereof to remove the sealing through rotation; a screw for penetrating the cork is formed to protrude from the opening frame, and when the opening frame is coupled to the bottle opening, the screw penetrates and moves the cork through rotation; and the pump frame discharges the air inside the bottle to the outside through an up-and-down pumping operation.
The multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 10, wherein the cutter frame comprises: a fitting hole installed at an inner lower end of the opening frame, wherein a part of the bottle opening is inserted at an inner center of the fitting hole; a lead-in hole correspondingly connecting an inside of the fitting hole and formed to be recessed at one side of the lower end; and a cutter formed inside the lead-in hole, wherein the sealing is removed by a rotation of the cutter along the bottle opening that is drawn into the lead-in hole.
The multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 10, wherein the opening frame has a cylindrical shape, and the opening frame comprises: an opening hole in which the screw is located at an inner center of the opening frame and into which an upper end of the bottle opening is inserted; and a checking hole, which is correspondingly connected with an inside of the opening hole and formed to be open such that a moving state of the screw and the cork is checked from an outer side.
The multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 10, wherein the pump frame comprises: an outer frame located at an upper end of the opening frame and movable in an up-and-down direction; and an inner frame located inside the outer frame and correspondingly connecting with the opening frame; wherein a gap is formed between an inner surface of the outer frame and an outer surface of the inner frame, and a packing member is formed at an end part of the inner frame, the packing member being configured to place the gap in fluid connection with the outside in a first state, and to seal the gap between the outer frame and the inner frame in a second state to block fluid connection between the gap and the outside.
The multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 14, wherein a rail protrusion protruding in a longitudinal direction is formed on a part of the inner surface of the outer frame, a rail groove including a shape corresponding to the rail protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the inner frame, and the outer frame moves in the up-and-down direction along an extension direction of the inner frame in a state where the rail protrusion is fitted and coupled into the rail groove.
The multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 14, wherein the packing member is coupled to one end of the inner frame and has a truncated cone shape, and wherein: when a distance between the one end of the inner frame and the bottle opening increases, the packing member seals the gap between the outer frame and the inner frame, and the air inside the bottle moves to the inside of the multifunctional wine pump, and when the distance between the one end of the inner frame and the bottle opening decreases, the packing member is spaced apart from the inner surface of the outer frame such that the air is discharged through a gap between the outer frame and the packing member.
A multifunctional wine accessory, comprising: the multifunctional wine pump according to Claim 10; and a wine stopper, which is attachably and detachably formed at one end of the multifunctional wine pump, wherein the wine stopper is configured with a fluid moving channel through which fluid moves and a discharge port through which fluid is discharged to outside the multifunctional wine accessory.
The multifunctional wine accessory according to Claim 17, wherein the wine stopper comprises: a coupling frame including a fluid moving channel; and a discharge frame, which is coupled to the coupling frame, the discharge frame including: a flow path connecting with the fluid moving channel, and a discharge port through which a liquid is discharged; wherein the wine stopper is separable from the multifunctional wine pump so that a part of a bottle opening is inserted into a lower end of the coupling frame, and the discharge frame brings liquid flowing out of the bottle into contact with air in a first state and block the discharge of the liquid in a second state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a National Stage Entry of International Application No. PCT/KR2024/009042, filed on 06-27-2024, which claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0048605, filed on April 11, 2024 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0083453, filed on June 28, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an aerating device, and more particularly, to an aerating device including preserver and stopper functions. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a multifunctional wine pump and a multifunctional wine accessory, and more particularly, to a multifunctional wine pump that may be used at the inlet of a commercially packaged wine and has functions of a wine cutter, opener, aerator, pump, stopper, and preserver - thereby facilitating the opening, consumption, and storage of wine with a single product. BACKGROUND ART Generally, wine undergoes very slow aging during storage due to a minute amount of oxygen entering through fine gaps in the cork. During the long aging or maturation process, sediment is formed within the wine. Most of these sediments are filtered out during the bottling process, but some sediment may remain. Accordingly, the process of filtering sediments from the wine in the wine bottle is called decanting, and the instrument used for this is called a decanter. By using such a decanter, wine that is cleaner and free of foreign matter can be enjoyed. Additionally, through such decanter, wine undergoes an aeration process, where the wine is exposed to air for a predetermined period of time. Through this aeration process, a more mature, high-quality wine can be enjoyed. That is, when sufficiently aged wine is brought into contact with oxygen in the air using a decanter - namely, when the wine is aerated - the aroma of the wine is enhanced and the taste becomes smoother. In the case of a wine bottle-coupled wine decanter, which is coupled to a wine bottle, decanting can be easily performed, because the decanting process takes place simultaneously while pouring the wine from the wine bottle. During the process of performing wine decanting using such wine bottle-coupled wine decanter, the wine naturally has a substantial contact time with air, so the process of aerating the wine takes place, allowing the wine to have a more favorable taste. Meanwhile, once a wine is opened, it is difficult to preserve it, because it easily oxidizes due to the air entering the bottle. As a method for preserving an opened wine, there is a method of injecting nitrogen or argon into the bottle to expel the oxygen inside the bottle to the outside. As another method, there is a method of expelling the air inside the wine bottle to the outside using a vacuum pump. Conventionally, a wine aerating device for bringing wine into contact with oxygen, a wine preserver for preserving opened wine, and a stopper for sealing the wine inside the bottle from the outside have been used as separate accessories. Generally, wine is aged slowly as oxygen enters the wine bottle through the cork gaps over a long period, and when the aging is complete for a certain period, it is sealed by wrapping the cork and opening of the wine bottle and shipped out as a commercial wine. After purchase, the consumer cuts and removes the sealing material (wrapping in plastic or the like around the wine bottle opening), removes the cork stopper, and then performs the aeration process to improve the taste of the wine is performed in order to consume what would be a sufficiently mature wine. When storing the remaining wine, the wine bottle opening is blocked as much as possible to prevent further oxygen from entering from the outside, thereby preventing rapid oxidation of the remaining wine and retaining the aroma and taste as much as possible. Conventionally, separate accessories exist and are sold for opening, consuming, and storing wine as described above: a cutter for removing the sealing around the wine bottle opening, an opener for opening the wine by separating the cork stopper from the wine bottle, a wine aerating device that assists the aeration process by exposing the wine to air for a certain period of time when consuming to allow a more mature wine to be enjoyed, a wine preserver for preserving the opened wine, and a stopper for sealing the remaining wine in the wine bottle from the outside. However, if there are many accessories required to enjoy wine, managing (e.g., storing) them is difficult; and especially for beginners, there exists a concern that correct use may be difficult, because they may not be sufficiently knowledgeable of the function of each accessory or may find the correct use difficult. In addition, because the methods of use and parts/components are individualized for each and the size is also small, there exists a