1. A device comprising:
a layer of an ionic conductor;
a first species of impurity in the layer, wherein the first species is mobile in the ionic conductor, and a concentration profile of the first species determines an operational characteristic of the device; and
a second species of impurity in the layer, wherein the second species interacts with the first species within the layer to create a structure that limits mobility of the first species in the layer.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first species is charged and moves to change the concentration profile in response to a voltage applied across the layer.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the structure that limits mobility of the first species becomes disassociated in response to the voltage applied across the layer.
4. The device of claim 2, wherein the second species has a charge of a polarity opposite to that of the first species.
5. The device of claim 2, wherein the second species is uncharged.
6. The device of claim 2, wherein the second species is immobile in the ionic conductor.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the operational characteristic is a resistance or an optical property of the layer.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein an average concentration of the second species in the layer is higher than an average concentration of the first species in the layer.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the second species has a mobility in the layer that is higher than a mobility of the first species in the layer.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a memristive memory device.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a display device.
12. The device of claim 1, wherein the ionic conductor comprises a material selected from a group consisting of titanium dioxide, tungsten trioxide, zirconium dioxide, silver sulfide, silver iodide, copper iodide, or rubidium silver iodide.
13. The device of claim 1, wherein the first species of impurity comprises a material selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lithium, silver, platinum, gold, sodium, titanium, copper, calcium, and potassium.
14. The device of claim 1, wherein the second species of impurity comprises a material selected from the group consisting of oxygen, oxygen vacancies, carbon, nitrogen, silicon, and iodine.
15. A method comprising:
applying a bias voltage across a layer of ionic conductor that contains a first species of impurity and a second species of impurity that are bound together, wherein the first species is charged and the bias voltage is sufficient to free impurities of the first species from respective bonds with impurities of the second species; and
maintaining the bias voltage for a time period sufficient to move the first species from a first distribution that gives the ionic device a first operational characteristic to a second distribution that gives the ionic device a second operational characteristic; and
reacting the first species when in the second distribution with the second species to bind impurities of the first species with respective impurities of the second species and reduce mobility of the first species in the layer.
16. The method of claim 15, the second species is charged with a sign opposite to the charge of the first species, and the second species is more mobile in the layer than is the first species.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein a distribution of the second species in the layer remains constant during applying and maintaining of the bias voltage.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A container for dispensing a beverage concentrate formed of at least a first beverage concentrate component and a second, different beverage concentrate component, the container comprising:
an enclosed body for containing a first beverage component and having a neck disposed about an opening;
a cartridge for containing a second beverage component and having an upper portion slidably received within the neck of the body and moveable from a first position to a second position, the upper portion having at least one outlet port forming part of a mixing flow path between the cartridge and the body, the mixing flow path being blocked when the cartridge is in the first position and being open when the cartridge is in the second position to permit the second beverage component to exit the cartridge and mix with the first beverage component in the body to form a beverage concentrate; and
a cap secured relative to the neck and moveable from a first position to a second position relative to the neck effective to move the cartridge from the first position to the second position.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the cartridge has a closed bottom end and an open upper end, an exit; flow path from the body extending through the outlet port into the cartridge and through an open upper end of the cartridge to an outlet orifice of the cap.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the cartridge has a sealing portion which abuts an inner surface of the neck at a location on an opposite side of the flow port from the opening of the body when the cap is in the first position to block flow fluid therepast, the sealing portion being at least partially spaced from the inner surface of the neck when the cartridge is in the second position to permit fluid flow therepast.
4. The container of claim 3, further comprising a first cartridge stop between the cartridge and the neck of the body for restricting movement of the cartridge from the first position to the second position until sufficient force has been applied.
5. The container of claim 4, further comprising a second cartridge stop between the cartridge and the neck of the body for restricting movement of the cartridge from the second position back to the first position.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein the first cartridge stop is formed between a narrowed region of the neck of the body and the sealing portion of the cartridge and the second cartridge stop is formed between a protuberance of the cartridge on an opposite side of the flow port from the sealing portion and the narrowed region of the neck of the body.
7. The container of claim 5, further comprising a first cap stop between the cap and the neck of the body for restricting movement of the cap from the first position to the second position until sufficient force has been applied.
8. The container of claim 7, further comprising a second cap stop between the cap and the neck of the body for restricting movement of the cap from the second position back to the first.
9. The container of claim 8, wherein the first cap stop is formed between an protuberance of the cap and an upper recess formed on the neck of the body and the second stop is formed between the protuberance of the cap and a lower recess formed on the neck of the body on an opposite side of the lower recess from the opening about which the neck is disposed.
10. The container of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle member disposed in an outlet orifice of the cap, the nozzle member having flaps that can shift outwardly from an unflexed configuration to a flexed configuration to form an exit opening of the nozzle member when body is squeezed to force the liquid beverage concentrate from the interior of the body and through the outlet opening and the flaps can return toward their unflexed configuration when the body is no longer being squeezed.
11. The container of claim 10, wherein the cap includes a base portion attached to the neck of the body and having the outlet opening and a cover portion hinged relative to the base portion for closing the outlet opening of the base portion of the cap.
12. The container of claim 11, wherein:
the body has a closed bottom end, a top end having a shoulder narrowing to the neck and a sidewall extending between the top and bottom ends;
the base portion of the cap has an exterior skirt, the exterior skirt having a smooth transition to a sidewall of the container body below the shoulder; and
the cover portion of the cap has an exterior portion with a smooth transition to the exterior skirt of the base portion of the cap when the cover portion of the cap is seated on the base portion of the cap.
13. The container of claim 10, in combination with a first beverage component initially stored in the body and a second beverage component initially stored in the cartridge, the first and second beverage components being combinable for form a beverage concentrate.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the nozzle member is configured such that the maximum variance in thrust of a jet of beverage concentrate exiting the container for a hard squeeze force resulting in a mass flow rate of about 2.1 gs as compared to a soft squeeze force resulting in a mass flow rate of about 1.4 gs is less than about 8000 g*mms2.
15. The container of claim 14, wherein the variance in thrust is less than about 6000 g*mms2.
16. The container of claim 13, wherein the nozzle member is configured such that the maximum variance in mass flow rate of a jet of beverage concentrate exiting the container for a hard squeeze force resulting in a mass flow rate of about 2.1 gs as compared to a soft squeeze force resulting in a mass flow rate of about 1.4 gs is less than about 1 gs.
17. The container of claim 13, wherein the nozzle member is configured such that the Mixing Ability Value of a jet of beverage concentrate exiting the container for a squeeze force resulting in a mass flow rate of about 1.4 gs is equal to or less than 2.
18. The container of claim 13, wherein the nozzle member is configured such that the Splash Value of a jet of beverage concentrate exiting the container for a squeeze force resulting in a mass flow rate of about 1.4 gs is equal to or less than 2.
19. A method of forming and dispensing a beverage concentrate formed of a first beverage component and second beverage component, the method comprising:
providing a body containing a first beverage component;
providing a cartridge at least partially disposed within the body and containing a second beverage component isolated from the first beverage component;
moving the cartridge to create a flow path from the cartridge into the body;
moving the second beverage component from within the cartridge through the flow path and into the body to mix with the first beverage component to form the beverage concentrate; and
dispensing the beverage concentrate from the body.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of dispensing the beverage concentrate from the body includes the step of moving the beverage concentrate from the body and through the cartridge.