Abstract:
A method of servicing at least one patron in an establishment that offers food and wine for consumption by the at least one patron includes the step of providing the at least one patron with a bottle of wine while the at least one patron is in the establishment. Specifically, the at least one patron consumes a first portion of the bottle of wine while in the establishment. The method also includes the step of permitting the at least one patron to leave the establishment with a second portion of the bottle of wine. Specifically, the second portion of the bottle of wine includes a portion of the bottle of wine that the at least one patron did not consume while in the establishment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to one-time use receptacles and methods of serving patrons of an establishment using such one-time use receptacles. In particular, the present invention relates to one-time use receptacles and methods of serving patrons in which the patron orders and receives food and a bottle of wine, consumes at least a portion of the food and the bottle of wine while in the establishment, and is permitted to leave the establishment with the leftover portion of the bottle of wine enclosed in the one-time use receptacle.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Historically, when a patron ordered a bottle of wine while dinning at a restaurant, but did not consume the entire bottle of wine during the course of their dinning experience, an employee of the restaurant would discard the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine, e.g., by pouring the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine in a sink. Specifically, the restaurant was not permitted to allow the patron to leave the restaurant while in possession of the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine. Recently, however, some jurisdictions have established conditions under which restaurants located within the jurisdiction may allow patrons to leave the restaurant while in possession of the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine. For example, the jurisdiction may require that the restaurant use bags conforming to a predetermined standard and/or use bags having predetermined properties. However, different jurisdictions may use different predetermined standards and/or may have different requirements which the bag must satisfy in order to be used by the restaurant, and known bags for transporting bottles of wine may not satisfy these standards and/or requirements.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Therefore, a need has arisen for receptacles, e.g., bags, and methods of using such receptacles, which an establishment, e.g., a restaurant, may provide to their patrons for the purpose of allowing the patron to leave the establishment with an unconsumed portion of a bottle of an alcoholic beverage, e.g., an unconsumed portion of a bottle of wine, which overcomes these and other shortcomings of the related art. An advantage of the present invention is that the receptacle likely conforms to most or all of the standards and/or requirements which a jurisdiction reasonably and/or realistically may place on a receptacle intended carry the unconsumed portion of a bottle of wine from an establishment.  
         [0006]     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of servicing at least one patron in an establishment that offers food and wine for consumption by the at least one patron comprising the step of providing the at least one patron with a bottle of wine while the at least one patron is in the establishment. Specifically, the at least one patron consumes a first portion of the bottle of wine while in the establishment. The method also comprises the step of permitting the at least one patron to leave the establishment with a second portion of the bottle of wine. Specifically, the second portion of the bottle of wine comprises a portion of the bottle of wine that the at least one patron did not consume while in the establishment.  
         [0007]     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of servicing at least one patron in an establishment that offers food and wine for consumption by the at least one patron comprises the steps of providing the at least one patron with at least one item of food while the at least one patron is in the establishment. Specifically, the at least one patron consumes at least a portion of the at least one item of food while in the establishment. The method also includes the step of providing the at least one patron with a bottle of wine while the at least one patron is in the establishment. Specifically, the at least one patron consumes a first portion of the bottle of wine while in the establishment. Moreover, the method comprises the steps of receiving payment from the at least one patron for the at least one item of food and the bottle of wine before the at least one patron leaves the establishment, and permitting the at least one patron to leave the establishment with a second portion of the bottle of wine. Specifically, the second portion of the bottle of wine comprises a portion of the bottle of wine that the at least one patron did not consume while in the establishment.  
         [0008]     According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of servicing at least one patron in an establishment that offers food and wine for consumption by the at least one patron, comprises the step of providing the at least one patron with at least one item of food while the at least one patron is in the establishment. Specifically, the at least one patron consumes at least a portion of the at least one item of food while in the establishment. The method also comprises the step of providing the at least one patron with a bottle of wine while the at least one patron is in the establishment. Specifically, the at least one patron consumes a first portion of the bottle of wine while in the establishment, and the step of providing the at least one patron with the bottle wine comprises the step of uncorking the bottle of wine. The method also may comprise the step of receiving payment from the at least one patron for the at least one item of food and the bottle of wine before the at least one patron leaves the establishment. Moreover, the method may comprise the step of permitting the at least one patron to leave the establishment with a second portion of the bottle of wine. Specifically, the second portion of the bottle of wine comprises a portion of the bottle of wine that the at least one patron did not consume while in the establishment. In an embodiment, the step of permitting comprises the substeps of corking the bottle of wine, placing the bottle of wine in a one-time use receptacle, placing a receipt associated the purchase of the at least one item of food and the bottle of wine in the one-time use receptacle, sealing the one-time use receptacle using a one-time use sealing member, and providing the at least one patron with the one-time use receptacle after sealing the one-time use receptacle with the bottle of wine inside.  
         [0009]     According to still yet another embodiment of the present invention, a one-time use receptacle comprises a body having an open end, in which the body is configured to receive a bottle of wine via the open end, and the body is at least one of transparent and clear. The one-time use receptacle also comprises means for sealing the open end after the body receives the bottle of wine, in which the means for sealing is configured to allow the open end to be sealed only once, such that when a first seal created by the means for sealing is broken, the means for sealing is prevented from creating a second seal. For example, the means for sealing may comprise an adhesive member formed on a particular portion of the body adjacent to an edge of the open end. In this example, the means for sealing also may comprise means for covering and uncovering the adhesive member, e.g., a non-adhesive member, such as an elongated strip comprising cardboard, paper, silicon paper, or any other non-adhesive material that substantially does not affect the adhesive properties of the adhesive member when separated from the adhesive member. Specifically, when the adhesive member is covered, the means for covering and uncovering prevents the adhesive member from adhering to a portion of the body opposite the adhesive member, and when the adhesive member is uncovered, the adhesive member is configured to adhere to the portion of the body opposite the adhesive member and to create the first seal. Alternatively, in another example, the means for sealing may comprise the adhesive member, and the adhesive member may be configured to transition from a non-adhering state to an adhering state when a user of the one-time use receptacle takes a predetermined action, e.g., applies at least one of a liquid, a moisture, and a heat to the adhesive member. However, it will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the means for sealing may comprise any known means for sealing in which once the seal is broken the means for sealing is prevented from reforming the seal.  
         [0010]     Other objects, features, and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the needs satisfied thereby, and other objects, features, and advantages thereof, reference now is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a plurality of one-time use receptacles supported by a mounting rack, according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a one-time use receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a one-time use receptacle according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]     Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their features and advantages may be understood by referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , like numerals being used for like corresponding parts in the various drawings.  
         [0016]      FIGS. 1-3  depict a one-time use receptacle  10  ( 10 ′), e.g., a one-time use bag, according to embodiments of the present invention. Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one-time use receptacle  10  may comprise a body  20 , e.g., a body comprising plastic, having an open end  30 . Body  20  may be configured to receive a bottle of an alcoholic beverage, e.g., a bottle of wine  110  via open end  30 , and body  20  may be transparent and/or clear. For the purpose of the present invention, the word: “clear” is defined as meaning sufficiently transparent to allow a person to substantially identify the contents of one-time use receptacle  10  by looking at the outside surface of body  20 .  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , in an embodiment, a plurality of receptacles  10  may be supported by a mounting rack  80  comprising a tearing member  90 . In this embodiment, one-time use receptacle  20  also may comprise a weakened portion  70 , e.g., a perforated portion, and a remainder portion  100  having an opening formed therethrough. The opening formed through remainder portion  100  may be received by tearing member  90  of mounting rack  80 . In this embodiment, when a force F is applied in the direction depicted by the arrow in  FIG. 1 , weakened portion  70  may tear, which may allow one-time use receptacle  10  to be removed from mounting rack  80 , while remainder portion  70  may be left behind on tearing member  90 .  
         [0018]     In any of the above-described embodiments of the present invention, one-time use receptacle  10  also may comprise means for sealing open end  30  of body  20 . The means for sealing is configured to allow open end  30  to be sealed only once, such that when a seal created by the means for sealing is broken, the means for sealing is prevented from creating another seal. Specifically, when open end  30  is sealed, and that seal subsequently is broken, e.g., one-time use receptacle is opened, the adhesive property of the means for healing is substantially reduced or is eliminated, e.g., because the means for sealing may become substantially covered with plastic, which is non-adhesive, after the seal is broken. For example, referring to  FIG. 2 , in an embodiment, the means for sealing may comprise an adhesive member  40  formed adjacent to a first edge  30 a or a second edge  30 b of open end  30 , such that adhesive member  40  is positioned on an interior surface of body  20 . It will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that adhesive member  40  may comprise any adhesive material having properties that allow it to adhere to body  20 , e.g., allow it to adhere to plastic.  
         [0019]     In one embodiment, the adhesive material associated with adhesive member  40  may transition from a non-adhesive state to an adhesive state when a user of one-time use receptacle  10  takes a predetermined action. For example, the predetermined action may comprise applying a liquid or a moisture to adhesive member  40 , or may comprise applying heat to adhesive member  40 , or the like.  
         [0020]     Alternatively, the means for sealing further may comprise means for covering and uncovering adhesive member  40 . For example, the means for covering and uncovering may comprise a non-adhesive member  50 , such as an elongated strip comprising cardboard, paper, silicon paper, or any other non-adhesive material that substantially does not affect the adhesive properties of adhesive member  40  when separated from adhesive member  40 . Specifically, when adhesive member  40  is covered via non-adhesive member  50 , non-adhesive member  50  prevents adhesive member  40  from adhering to body  20 , and when non-adhesive member  40  is removed to uncover adhesive member  40 , adhesive member  40  is configured to adhere to body  20  to seal open end  30 .  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , in another embodiment of the present invention, the means for sealing open end  30  may comprise a flap  120  extending from first edge  30   a  or second edge  30   b,  or from an area adjacent to first edge  30   a  or second edge  30   b.  Flap  120  may comprise adhesive member  50 , and may be configured to move in a direction A shown by the arrow depicted in  FIG. 3 . Specifically, flap  120  may be configured to traverse open end  30 , such that adhesive member  50  may adhere to an outer surface of body  20  to seal open end  30 . Although the present application describes a few examples of means for sealing open end  30 , it readily will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that there are numerous other known means for creating a one-time seal, and that the means for sealing may comprise any known means for sealing in which once the seal is broken the means for sealing is prevented from reforming the seal, e.g., by using a plastic seal similar to a plastic seal used on some shipping envelopes or by using at least one or a plurality of staples to create the seal, and that such known methods of creating a one-time seal are contemplated by the present invention.  
         [0022]     In operation, mounting rack  80  may support a plurality of one-time use receptacles  10 , and may be located inside an establishment, e.g., a restaurant, that offers food and at least one type of bottle of wine for consumption by its patrons. For example, in an embodiment, a restaurant may be considered to be a place which is regularly and in a bona fide manner used and kept open for the serving of meals to patrons for compensation and which has suitable kitchen facilities connected therewith, containing conveniences for cooking assortment of foods. At least one patron may enter the establishment, and may be seated for a meal and drinks. The at least one patron also may order at least one item of food, e.g., may order a full-course or a substantially full-course meal, and a bottle  110  of wine. In an embodiment, a full course meal may be considered to be a diversified selection of food which is ordinarily consumed with the use of tableware, which is not conveniently consumable while the at least one patron is standing or walking. The at least one patron may consume their entire meal or a portion thereof, and also may drink their entire bottle of wine  110  or a portion thereof. Once their dining experience is complete, the at least one patron may pay for their food and drinks. Moreover, if the patron did not consume their entire bottle of wine  110 , an employee of the establishment may remove one of the one-time use receptacles  10  from mounting rack  80 , and may place the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine  110  inside one-time use receptacle  10 , e.g., after sealing or corking bottle  110 . Alternatively, the employee simply may obtain one of the one-time use receptacles  10  from a stack (not shown) of one-time use receptacles, such that mounting rack  80  is not employed. The employee also may place a receipt (not shown), e.g., a dated receipt, associated at least with the purchase of the bottle of wine  110  inside one-time use receptacle  10 . Alternatively, the receipt may be associated with the purchase of both the food and the bottle of wine  110 . The employee then may implement an action that transitions adhesive member  50  from a non-adhesive state to an adhesive state, e.g., by removing the means for covering adhesive member  50 , by applying a liquid or moisture to adhesive member  50 , by applying heat to adhesive member  50 , or the like. The employee then may seal open end  30 , e.g., by pressing adhesive member  50  against an opposite side of body  20 . The at least one patron can then leave the establishment with the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine  110 . After the at least one patron leaves the establishment, the at least one patron may break the seal in order to access the unconsumed portion of the bottle of wine  110 . However, because breaking the seal substantially reduces or eliminates the adhesive properties of sealing member  50 , e.g., because plastic from portions of body  20  may cover portions of adhesive member  50  after the seal is broken, the at least one patron generally may not reseal open end  30 .  
         [0023]     From a practical standpoint, it is possible that certain jurisdictions that permit establishments to allow patrons to leave the establishment with unconsumed portions of a bottle of alcohol, such as a bottle of wine, also will require that the establishment use receptacles conforming to certain standards and/or requirements. These standards and/or requirements may include that the receptacle be substantially clear to allow persons, e.g., law enforcement agents, to identify the contents of the receptacle without having to open the receptacle, and also may include that the receptacle be configured to be sealed only once, e.g., so that patrons cannot drink from the bottle of wine  110  while walking or standing outdoors and then continuously reseal the receptacle. The one-time use receptacle of the present invention adheres to these standards and/or requirements.  
         [0024]     While the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of the preferred embodiments described above may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification or from a practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and described embodiments are considered exemplary only, with the true scope of the invention indicated by the following claims.