RETENTION DEVICE, RING AND SYSTEM FOR RETAINING CARBON DIOXIDE RECEPTACLE WITHIN A DRINKWARE VESSEL

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/741,988 filed on Jan. 6, 2025, which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002]The following generally describes devices, systems and processes to retain a buoyant object (e.g., a receptacle for holding dry ice) in a desired place within a drinking glass, serving pitcher and/or other vessel, usually at the bottom of the vessel. The following particularly describes certain systems, devices and processes to retain a receptacle that holds, contains and/or sublimates carbon dioxide within a drinking glass or other vessel.

BACKGROUND

[0003]In the hospitality industry, participants ranging from bartenders and other servers to the venues in which they operate often seek to distinguish their food and beverage offerings by including engaging features from the spectrum of users senses; touch, sight, smell, auditory, and taste. Hotels, restaurants, and other establishments that provide food and beverage service often seek to enhance their customer experiences by offering beverages that incorporate sensory engaging elements such as coloration and decorative accessories that are arranged to increase interest and engagement by the customer.

[0004]In some instances, attempts have been made to produce visual effects in beverages by introducing solid carbon dioxide, commonly referred to as “dry ice,” into the glass or other vessel that contains the beverage. Dry ice, which exists in solid form at temperatures below approximately −56.4° C., may be formed into a solid mass and introduced into a liquid beverage to generate unique bubbling and fogging effects. When exposed to an aqueous liquid, the dry ice sublimates, thereby producing carbon dioxide gas and water vapor. If the dry ice is properly submerged within the liquid without freezing the immediately adjacent liquid around the dry ice, the generated gas and vapor generally rise to the surface, thereby producing a bubbling effect and a visible layer of fog or vapor accumulating above the liquid surface. Customers typically find this unique sensory effect to be very pleasing and venues to servers leverage the engagement into entertainment experience that establishes a unique engagement between the beverage and the themes of the venue.

[0005]Complications can arise, however, because dry ice can be dangerous if it is ingested or comes into contact with human skin, and because dry ice has a density that is lower than that of liquid water or alcohol. As a result, dry ice by itself and/or when contained in an associated container tends to float toward the surface of the beverage that it is placed within. The container itself may exhibit buoyant behavior as well. This buoyancy can reduce or eliminate the desired bubbling and fogging effects that are intended to occur when the dry ice is positioned below the liquid surface. Furthermore, frozen carbon dioxide presents handling, ingestion, and storage challenges due to its low temperature and sublimation characteristics.

[0006]Various systems and devices have been developed for forming dry ice into less compact configurations or for enclosing dry ice within receptacles to be placed in the drinking or serving vessel. Regardless of form, dry ice remains less dense than liquid water (with or without alcohol, sweeteners, colorants, or any other ingestible ingredient) and therefore continues to exhibit buoyant behavior. Many conventional systems lack mechanisms independent of the drinking glass or other vessel for ensuring that a structure configured to receive and contain dry ice remains submerged while a beverage is present in the drinkware or other vessel. Those that do provide structures to encourage submerging generally rely upon vessels having specific sizes and shapes, or rely upon specially-integrated cavities in the drinking vessel, and/or otherwise exhibit unwieldy, inefficient, impractical or unsafe designs.

[0007]Other structures have used drinking straws to maintain the submerged dry ice container. As drinking straws become unpopular, cumbersome or even illegal in some jurisdictions, however, such containers may not be available or desirable. Other conventional designs often exclude geometries that permit or facilitate controlled flow of liquid around, beneath, or through a dry-ice-containing receptacle, thereby reducing the visual effects produced by the dry ice.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0008]It is therefore desirable to create devices, systems and/or processes to retain dry ice and/or its corresponding container within a drinking glass or other vessel. It is further desirable to create a retaining mechanism that flexibly adapts to vessels of various shapes and sizes, and that does not rely upon a straw or any similar structure to maintain the dry ice receptacle in position. These and other benefits are described in increasing detail below.

[0009]In various embodiments, a retention ring is placed circumferentially around the dry ice receptacle or other object to be maintained in position within the drinking glass, serving pitcher and/or other vessel. The retention ring is suitably formed with one or more flanges, points, and/or protrusions (collectively “flanges”) that extend outwardly from a central ring of the device to the interior diameter of the drinkware, causing an interference and friction fit around the receptacle and between the retention ring and the drinking vessel.

[0010]The engagement of the flange(s) and the drinkware interior sidewall hold the dry ice receptacle in a position, typically at the bottom, of the beverage vessel. Many designs of drinkware include a conical and tapered feature whereby the interior diameter is larger at the rim of the drinkware than at the interior base of the drinkware. In such instances, the flange could be flexible (e.g., by using a flexible material and/or by shaping or other otherwise mechanically designing the ring) to compress or deform, thereby accommodating divergent interior diameters. Contact between the flange(s) and the interior sidewall of the drinkware vessel creates a friction engagement that exceeds the buoyant force of the dry ice and dry ice receptacle, thereby maintaining the receptacle in position within the drinkware vessel. Various ring and flange designs could accommodate any number of drinkware shapes and sizes (e.g., ranging from as little as ¼ inch to as many as 12 inches or more), as appropriate.

[0011]In one embodiment, a retention device is provided to retain a dry ice receptacle within a drinking glass, serving pitcher and/or other vessel for a liquid. The retention device suitably comprises a central ring and a plurality of flanges. The central ring has an inner diameter configured to circumscribe an outer diameter of the dry ice receptacle. The plurality of flanges radially extend outward from the central ring to frictionally engage with inner sidewalls of the vessel and thereby maintain the dry ice receptacle in place within the vessel.

[0012]Other embodiments provide a system for retaining dry ice within a drinking glass, serving pitcher or other vessel. The system suitably comprises a dry ice receptacle and a retaining ring. The dry ice receptacle has an outer circumference and an internal chamber configured to hold the dry ice, wherein the dry ice receptacle is sized and shaped to fit within the vessel. The retaining ring comprises one or more flanges extending radially outward to frictionally engage with an inner sidewall of the vessel to thereby maintain the dry ice receptacle in position within the vessel.

[0013]Other embodiments provide a process to retain dry ice within a drinking vessel having an inner surface that contains a beverage. The process suitably comprises: loading an internal chamber of a dry ice receptacle with the dry ice; placing the dry ice receptacle within a retaining ring, the retaining ring having a central ring that circumscribes an outer diameter of the dry ice receptacle and a plurality of flanges extending radially outward from the central ring; and inserting the retaining ring and circumscribed dry ice receptacle into the drinking vessel so that the flanges wedge against the inner surface of the drinking vessel to rigidly maintain the dry ice receptacle within the interior of the vessel.

[0014]These and other embodiments are described in increasing detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. A more complete understanding of the present disclosure, however, may best be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements.

[0016]FIG. 1 is a top view of an example retention ring having radially-extending flanges for retaining the ring and its circumscribed object within a drinking glass or other vessel.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembly comprising an example retention ring fitted around the circumference of an example dry ice receptacle.

[0018]FIG. 3 is an aerial view of an example assembly containing a receptacle, a retention ring, and a portion of a drinkware vessel.

[0019]FIG. 4 is an aerial view of an alternative embodiment in which the retention ring and the dry ice receptacle are manufactured as a single, integrated device.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an example assembly in which the retention ring and dry ice receptacle are maintained in position within a drinking vessel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021]The following detailed description is intended to provide several examples that will illustrate the broader concepts that are set forth herein, but it is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description.

[0022]Turning now to the drawing figures and with initial reference to FIG. 1, an example of a retention ring 100 suitably includes one or more flanges 102A-H that radially extend outwardly from a central ring 101. While the example illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a retention ring 100 having eight flanges 102A-H, equivalent embodiments could use any number of flanges, including a single flange if desired. Central ring 101 and flanges 102 can be molded or otherwise integrally formed of any appropriate material.

[0023]Central ring 101 is appropriately sized and shaped to fit around the outer circumference of a container, such as a dry ice receptacle, or other object to be held within the vessel. As described in increasing detail below, a retention ring may be developed as a discrete feature that accepts and holds a separate dry ice receptacle, which is sometimes referred to as a “puck”. In other embodiments, retention ring 100 may be integrally formed with the receptacle, as described in connection with FIG. 4 below.

[0024]The inner circumference 105 of central ring 101 is sized and shaped to accept and hold the object that is being retained in the vessel. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, inner circumference 105 is substantially round to accommodate a round object and has a diameter that is sufficient to firmly retain the object so that it does not escape the central ring 101, even when buoyant force is applied due to dry ice or the like. In this example, the inner circumference may have a diameter of about 1.9 inches or so, although other embodiments could exhibit different dimensions, such as about 0.5 inches to about 5 inches or more. The ring 101 can be flexible to accommodate any shape of dry ice receptacle and/or stretchable to accommodate any number of different sizes of the object being held.

[0025]The width and thickness of central ring 101 may be adapted for different implementations. In the illustrated example, central ring 101 is about 0.3 inches wide, although other embodiments could be made of any other size. This gives the central ring 101 an outer diameter of about 2.2 inches in the illustrated embodiment. Widths of central ring 101 may range from about 0.1 inches or so to a half inch or more depending upon the dimensions of the object being held, the dimensions of the flanges 102 and the intended drinking vessel, and the strength of the material used to form the central ring 101. Again, ring 101 can be flexible and/or stretchable to accommodate a wide variety of dimensions and shapes.

[0026]Flanges 102A-H are any sort of protrusions, extensions or the like that extend radially outward from the central ring 101 to engage with the inner surface of the glass or other vessel. Flanges may be shaped in any manner for effective operation, for pleasing appearance and/or for any other reason. Flanges 102 may be shaped to be tapered, pointed, blade shaped, fanned and/or angled, to provide just a few examples. Further, any number of flanges 102 may be positioned continuously around the perimeter, stepped in series (e.g., with two or more segments), and/or otherwise positioned around the perimeter of the central ring 101 in any repeating or random manner.

[0027]The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a series of eight flanges 102A-H extending from the outer perimeter of the central ring 101 toward the inside diameter of intended drinkware vessel. In this example, each of the eight flanges 102A-H is approximately trapezoidal in shape so that the base of the flange 102 occupies an equal proportion of the outer circumference of the inner ring 101, with the eight flanges 102A-H occupying substantially the outer periphery of the inner ring 101. In other embodiments, however (e.g., see FIG. 2 below), there may be gaps in the outer periphery of central ring 101 between flanges 102, if desired. In the example of FIG. 1, each flange 102 has tapered edges leading to a distal edge that is shorter than the base of the flange to permit bending and/or deformation of the flange 102. This deformation of wedges 102 creates frictional interference and/or wedge action against the interior of the drinking vessel that retains the ring 100 and its held object in place within the vessel.

[0028]FIG. 1 shows eight flanges 102A-H extending from the outer circumference 106 of inner ring 101 by a distance 107 of about a quarter inch or so, although other embodiments could use flanges 102 that extend for much smaller distances (of 0.1 inches or so to accommodate narrower drinking vessels) or much greater distances (e.g., on the order of an inch or more) to accommodate larger vessels. The flanges 102 are intended to produce a friction effect against the interior of the vessel, so for larger vessels, it may be desirable to increase the width of central ring 101 rather than the length 107 of the flanges 102 for a tighter mechanical fit that produces better frictional tightness against the wall of the vessel, as appropriate. Additionally, the dry ice receptable or other object being held can be altered in dimension based on the intended drinking glass, serving pitcher, bowl and/or other vessel containing liquid. Ring 100 can be adjusted proportionally and dynamically as described herein to any number of different receptacle dimensions.

[0029]Retention ring 100 is generally formed of a material that can readily accept the dry ice receptacle or other object being held, that nevertheless retains a firm hold on the object, and that can deform or bend to create the frictional interaction with the drinking glass or other vessel of liquid. For manufacturing purposes, it may be desirable that the ring 100 be created from a single material placed in a single mold, although other embodiments may be manufactured from separate components and/or in any other manner. Suitable materials for the retention ring 100 include food grade silicon rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low density polyethylene (LDPE), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and/or the like. Equivalent embodiments could be formed of any other material, including any other rubber, latex, plastic, wood, metal and/or other materials as desired.

[0030]Generally, if the retention ring 100 is being used in a beverage or other product intended for human consumption, the ring 100 will be formed of food grade materials. Food grade materials may not be necessary if the device 100 is intended for use in other settings. Also, if a very rigid material (wood, metal, hard plastic) is used, then the mechanical design of the flanges may be modified to include a hinge or collapsable interface between the flanges 102 and the central ring 101, and/or to otherwise permit wedging of the ring 100 into the vessel as desired.

[0031]The mechanical structure of retention ring 100 can be modified in any number of ways to adapt to a wide array of intended uses. Drinkware is commonly cylindrically-shaped in terms of circumference, and often conically-shaped in terms of volume. Other types of drinkware can be manufactured in an assortment of shapes, however, including rectangular, triangular, and/or any other regular or irregular shapes, including freelance or modified shapes. Dry ice receptacles and/or other objects to be held within the drinkware vessel can be similarly shaped and sized in any number of different ways to produce different effects related to the beverage or its presentation.

[0032]Both the outer and inner sizes and shapes of retention ring 100 could therefore be adapted from the illustrations to fit the shapes and sizes of drinking vessels and/or the intended objects being held, respectively. Although the example retention ring 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown to be substantially round in shape to accommodate a round dry ice container, other embodiments could be formed of different inner and outer shapes to accommodate differently sized and shaped object being held, and differently sized and shaped drinking vessels (respectively). If the receptacle being held has an outer circumference that is square-shaped, triangular or otherwise polygonal, for example, the inner diameter of central ring 101 could be shaped to accommodate the outer circumference as appropriate. The shape of the central ring 101 and/or flanges 102 could be adapted so that the outer circumference is still round, if desired, for placement in a round drinking vessel. Additionally, the outer circumference could be independently shaped to fit any desired drinking vessel while retaining a similar or different inner circumference for the object being held. Modifying the shape and size of retention ring 100 allows for equivalent deployment in different types of containers for aqueous liquids such as serving pitchers, scorpion bowls and/or the like.

[0033]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembly 200 that includes an example retention ring 100 with an example dry ice receptacle 103 for placement and retention within a drinking glass or other vessel. As shown in the figure, a retention ring 100 has a central ring 101 that “snaps around” or otherwise retains the held object 103, and flanges 102 that extend radially outward for interfacing with the vessel. In this example, the retention ring 100 circumscribes the outer circumference of the held object 103. Other embodiments could couple the ring 100 and the object 103 in another manner. Ring 100 could connect to the object 103 using a snap, screw or other fastener, for example. In other embodiments, the central ring 101 could be partially (or even entirely) closed and placed above the object 103 within the drinking vessel to prevent upward buoyancy. In such embodiments, it may be desirable to include holes in the central ring 101 so that sublimated carbon dioxide can pass through, thereby continuing the pleasing effect.

[0034]As noted above, any sort of object 103 could be held by retaining ring 100. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the object 103 is a receptacle that holds dry ice in an internal chamber and that includes holes 202 to permit liquid to enter and contact the dry ice, and to permit gaseous carbon dioxide to escape as the dry ice sublimates in the presence of the liquid, thereby creating the multisensory effect in the beverage. As a result, the dry ice receptacle 103 may facilitate and/or accelerate sublimation of the carbon dioxide contained, as described, within the receptacle 103 for visual and other presentation and entertainment purposes.

[0035]In the illustrated example, the receptacle 103 is substantially cylindrical-shaped with an outer diameter of about 1.9 inches, although other embodiments could exhibit other shapes and sizes, as discussed above. One example of a dry ice receptacle 103 having an inner chamber for holding dry ice to be sublimated within a beverage is described in U.S. Pat. No. 11,874,054 (incorporated herein by reference); other embodiments may work with other types of receptacles or other objects as appropriate.

[0036]In addition to holes 202 for allowing fluid to enter the internal chamber of the receptacle 103 and permitting sublimated carbon dioxide to escape, FIG. 2 also shows an additional hole 204 for filling the internal chamber of the receptacle 103 when used with a device capable of creating dry ice on demand and injecting dry ice into the receptacle 103, or for manually prying open a lid in order to place an item of dry ice within the internal chamber of receptacle 103. FIG. 2 also shows a straw hole 206 for receiving a straw, skewer or other holding device. In some implementations, dry ice (e.g., in solid or powdered form) is injected in hole 204 to the internal chamber of the receptacle 103. Equivalent embodiments could receive solid or powdered dry ice within the internal chamber by providing a door or lid that is openable to receive the dry ice and closable to retain the dry ice within the internal chamber, as desired. Holes 202, 204 and 206 may be present in any number, and may be located in any position on the top, sides and/or bottom of receptacle 103. As described herein, many embodiments could use flanges 102 instead of (or in addition to) a straw or other holder, if desired. Some receptacles 103 may nevertheless provide a hole 206 for receiving a straw that applies additional downward force to retain receptacle 103 in position, or simply for compatibility with legacy devices as appropriate.

[0037]FIG. 3 shows an aerial view of an assembly containing a carbon dioxide receptacle 103 and a retention ring 100 in position within the vertical sidewalls of a drinking glass or other vessel 302. Retention ring 101 is affixed around the outer circumference of the receptacle 103, as described above. As the assembly of receptacle 103 and ring 100 is inserted into the vessel 302, the flanges 102 of the retention ring 100 are eventually wedged against internal sidewall 302 of the vessel 302, thereby creating regions 304 of frictional interface between the flanges 102 of ring 100 and vessel 302. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the eight flanges 102A-H of retention ring 100 are symmetrically aligned to produce eight corresponding regions 304A-H of interference against vessel 302. Other embodiments could be created with any number of flanges 102 having any shape or size. An equivalent ring 100 could include three, four, five, six or seven flanges 102, for example, which may be larger shaped than those shown in FIG. 3 for additional interference 304 from each flange 102.

[0038]FIG. 4 is an aerial view of an alternative embodiment of a receptacle assembly 400 that includes a retaining ring 100 and a receptacle 103 having an internal chamber for holding solid carbon dioxide that, when exposed to a beverage or other aqueous liquid, sublimates and escapes through holes 202. In this example, the assembly 400 is molded or otherwise formed as a single, unitary assembly such that the ring 100 is not readily removed from the receptacle 202. Combining the concepts of flanges 102 and the receptacle 103 allows for a singular part vs a series of parts that would otherwise need some sort of assembly, such as fitting receptacle 103 into the retention ring 100.

[0039]Consumers may find a single component 400 without assembly to be faster or more convenient in comparison to a two part assembly of a receptacle 103 and ring 100. A single molded part 400 having flanges 102 made of the same material as receptacle 103 (potentially with rigid plastic) may be less costly than manufacturing, distributing and assembling the retention ring 100 as a separate component.

[0040]That being said, it may be more desirable in some situations to separate the manufacture of the receptacle 103 from that of the retention ring 100 so that different materials could be used (e.g., a more rigid material for receptacle 103 and a more flexible material for ring 100). Also, if multiple vessel shapes and sizes are to be accommodated, it may be desirable to create multiple shapes and sizes of retaining ring 100 that are each compatible with the same receptacle 103. As mentioned above, any number different shapes and sizes of ring 100, receptacle 103 and/or a unitary assembly 400 of the ring and receptacle could be created across a wide array of alternate but equivalent embodiments that reduce the assembly and integration of multiple parts by the users (e.g., bartenders and/or other servers).

[0041]To create a unitary assembly 400, a mold having recesses formed for flanges 102 would typically be used. The material used for the unitary assembly would be similar to those listed above for the retaining ring (e.g., any of various plastics, rubber or other composite materials). A more rigid composite material may be used in this embodiment since there is no need to “snap” the retention ring 100 around the circumference of the held object 103. Indeed, central ring 101 may not be necessary in this implementation since the flanges 102 could simply extend from outer circumference of the receptacle 103. Another configuration may include an openable receptacle 103 for the insertion of dry ice before the receptacle 103 is placed into the drinking glass or other liquid vessel.

[0042]Turning now to FIG. 5, the retention ring 100 is shown holding a dry ice receptacle or other object 103 within the interior 505 of a drinking glass or similar vessel 302. Solid or powdered dry ice is maintained within an internal chamber 503 of receptacle 104, which is itself maintained within the interior 505 of the vessel 302 by flanges 102. As can be seen from the figure, flanges 102 are upturned against the sidewalls 502 of the vessel 302, indicating a flexible frictional fit between the flanges 102 and vessel 302. The static frictional force created between the mechanical interfaces of flanges 102 and vessel 103 is sufficient to overcome an upward buoyant force applied by the dry ice plus the buoyancy of its receptacle 103 that would otherwise cause the receptacle 103 to float toward the top of the beverage or other liquid contained within the vessel 302.

[0043]By comparing FIGS. 1-5, a process to retain dry ice within a drinking vessel can be seen. Solid or powdered dry ice is initially loaded or injected into an internal chamber or other portion of a receptacle 103, which is then fitted with a retention ring 100 having one or more flanges 102. As shown in FIG. 2, retention ring 100 is suitably placed so that the central ring 101 circumscribes the outer diameter of the receptacle 103, with the flanges 102 extending radially outward. Equivalently, the retaining ring 100 may be integrated with the dry ice receptacle 103 such that flanges 102 extend from the receptacle itself, without necessarily fitting a separate ring component. The dry ice receptacle 103 having affixed flanges 102 is then inserted into the drinking vessel 302 (FIG. 3) so that the flanges 102 wedge against the inner surface of the drinking vessel, thereby overcoming any buoyancy created by sublimating dry ice plus the buoyancy of the receptacle 103 and rigidly maintaining the dry ice receptacle 103 within the interior of the vessel 302.

[0044]Friction forces applied by one or more flanges 102 therefore permit a dry ice receptacle or other object 103 to be deposited in a liquid, such as a beverage, and maintained, fully and/or at least partially, in a submerged condition. This general concept may be expanded in any number of different ways. Although in some implementations the use of flanges 102 eliminates the need for a straw to maintain the receptacle 103 in position, other embodiments may nevertheless permit the use of a straw or other similar object (e.g. a skewer) that may or may not apply additional downward force to the receptacle 103. Such embodiments may provide one or more grooves or channels that run along one or more external surfaces of the receptacle 103 (e.g., a channel formed on the lower surface of the dry ice receptacle 103) to channel the beverage into the straw channel. In some embodiments, a pocket or reservoir may be included between the straw channel and the groove to permit accumulation of liquid for better uptake by the drinking straw. Again, further modifications could be made in any number of equivalent embodiments.

[0045]Approximating language used in the specification and claims may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term such as “about” or “substantially” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. “Substantially” is intended to recognize that some variation is inherent in design, manufacturing, measurement and deployment of mechanical objects, thereby resulting in some variation from the specific values set forth herein. Range range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged according to the context set forth herein, and any ranges of identified values are intended to include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.

[0046]As used herein, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “underneath,” “lower,” “higher,” “above,” “over,” “top,” “bottom,” and the like, may be used to describe one element or feature's relationship to one or more other elements or features as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that such spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the elements and features described herein both in operation as well as in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures. For example, if an element or feature in the figures is turned over, elements described as being “below” one or more other elements or features may be regarded as being “above” those elements or features. Thus, exemplary terms such as “below,” “under,” or “beneath” may encompass both an orientation of above and below, depending, for example, upon a relative orientation between such elements or features and one or more other elements or features.

[0047]Further, as used herein, the term “dry ice” may be used to refer to carbon dioxide in a solid, crystallized, powdered, and/or frozen form. It will be appreciated, as described herein, that carbon dioxide may exist in solid, liquid, and gas phases.

[0048]Benefits, advantages and solutions to various problems have been described herein with regard to specific examples. Any features described herein as “exemplary” should be construed as an instance or example, and not necessarily as a preferred embodiment unless specifically described as such. Any number of alternate but equivalent embodiments could be created by making modifications to the examples described herein. The various components may be differently sized and/or shaped, for example, while retaining the general concepts set forth herein. To that end, the connecting lines shown in the various figures are intended to represent examples of functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an array of practical systems. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.

[0049]No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.