Patent Publication Number: US-8991631-B2

Title: Container, in particular for beverages

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a container, in particular for holding beverages, and the use of said container for filling, storing, transporting, and consuming fluids, in particular beverages. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Containers for beverages are currently not only increasingly used for the indirect provision of said beverages, but, to a far greater extent, these containers serve directly as beverage containers, i.e., beverages are directly drunk from said containers without the aid of a glass or cup. Beverage containers of this nature are, for example, frequently used during car journeys and can be stored in corresponding holders. In particular, one requirement of such containers is that they can be used conveniently and with just one hand. This applies both to the initial opening procedure as well as to the secure and tight re-closure of the container. Many beverages, particularly soft drinks, must be pasteurized or even sterilized in order to have a sufficient degree of product purity and shelf life. This occurs regularly with beverage containers as such. Filling the beverage containers under aseptic conditions is also required in many cases in order to guarantee that no germs are present in the beverages offered. These legal requirements regarding foodstuffs frequently present great challenges in relation to the materials used and the production process for beverage containers. 
     SUMMARY AND INITIAL DESCRIPTION 
     As a result, various aspects of the present disclosure overcome drawbacks known from the prior art for beverage containers and, in particular, provide containers that make it possible to prevent the contamination of fluids, such as beverages, during provision and/or filling. In particular, aspects of the present disclosure provide highly pure, e.g., contamination-free fluids, such as beverages, without being reliant, for example, on a pasteurization stage. Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure provide such containers with which potential subsequent contamination or manipulation of a filled fluid, for example, a beverage, can be recognized in a simple manner by any user following completion of the filling. 
     In at least on embodiment, disclosed herein is a container, in particular for beverages, comprising a body for receiving fluids, having a base, a first side wall adjoining the base, and an opening section adjoining the first side wall, and having a discharge opening; a cover module that can be placed on or is present on the body and has a second side wall and a cover flap adjacent thereto, wherein, when the cover module is present on the body, the first and second side wall form an outline shape of the container, at least in some sections, the diameter of which runs through at least one maximum in the longitudinal direction of the container; and at least one film, in particular a shrink film, which, at least in some regions, in each case rests on the first and second side wall, and in particular is shrunk on, and which extends on one side and the other side of the at least one diameter maximum. 
     Suitable films that surround the first and second side wall at least in some regions and which rest on said wall, thus holding the body and cover module firmly together, can be produced from sufficiently known synthetic materials, such as polyolefin films including polyethylene and polypropylene films, or from polystyrene films or films made of styrene polymers. In at least one embodiment, the films used have a rubber elastic characteristic profile, as a result of which it is particularly easy to tightly apply the film over the entire surface area of the first and second side wall. The film preferably extends over the entire circumference of the container, thereby covering the first and second side wall at least in some sections. In various embodiments, the films are preferably subject to tension. The shrink film is preferably shrunk in such a manner on at least one section of the body and at least one section of the cover module that the body and the cover module cannot be displaced relative to each other or be removed from each other without destroying the shrink film. Suitable shrink films and methods for their production and application are sufficiently known to persons skilled in the art. For example, shrink films can be produced from polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or from PVC. Advantageously, in one design, the film, in particular the shrink film, when in a shrunken state, extends in the direction of the cover module to a maximum extent of almost to the cover flap. If the film, in particular the shrink film, were also to be shrunk on the cover flap, this would unnecessarily complicate a functional opening of the container. As a result, with the containers described herein, the cover module is in particular attached or connected to the body by the film, in particular the shrink film, in such a manner that it cannot be lost. 
     Containers as described herein regularly constitute beverage containers, for example. These can be containers for soft drinks. It is also possible to use the containers described herein for holding, transporting, and consuming coffee, cocoa, or tea beverages, etc. 
     A container according to at least one preferred design is equipped with a separate, e.g., re-closable, first closing mechanism for closing the discharge opening of the container. Alternatively, or also additionally, it is certainly possible to close the discharge opening with the cover flap in a folded closed mode. The cover flap may comprise a second, in particular integral, closing mechanism for the discharge opening on a side facing towards the discharge opening, wherein this second closing mechanism closes the discharge opening when the cover flap is closed. The first closing mechanism of the discharge opening can, for example, comprise or be a film, in particular a destructible film, preferably a metal and/or plastic film. 
     In at least one advantageous design, a container as described herein furthermore has a destruction unit for the first closing mechanism. The cover module may be equipped with such a destruction unit. A further design provides that the first closing mechanism can be screwed or is screwed onto the discharge opening. 
     In a further embodiment, the opening section has at least one first attachment element, and the cover module has at least one second attachment element that is complementary to the first attachment element, wherein, due to the interaction between the first and second attachment element, the body and cover module can be connected, in particular, in a reversible manner. 
     In various embodiments of containers described herein, the first and second side wall form, at least in some sections, a concave outline shape, for example, as is known from wooden wine casks, which preferably comprises the at least one diameter maximum. Naturally, this outline shape that is formed by the first and second side wall does not necessarily have to be symmetric. In general, a longitudinal axis can easily be determined for containers with a base and a discharge opening opposite the base. The side wall of these containers, i.e., the first and second side wall, generally surrounds this virtual longitudinal axis. On the basis of such a longitudinal axis that is laid through a container, the diameter or progression of the diameter of the container can in general be determined from the base through to the discharge opening. The at least one diameter maximum of the outline shape may lie in the region of the first side wall or in the region of the second side wall. To the extent that the outline shape has no regular shape, and in particular offers several diameter values depending on the alignment at a level of the longitudinal axis, it has proven to be advantageous to use the maximum diameter respectively along the longitudinal axis of the outline shape. The film, which extends on this side and on the other side of the at least one diameter maximum, is the film that extends from this at least one diameter maximum both in the direction of the base and in the direction of the discharge opening. 
     The designs of a container according to the disclosure are particularly easy to handle and safe in terms of manipulation in which the outline shape formed by the first and second side wall has the largest bulge in the area of the first side wall, which then tapers in the direction of the base and the discharge opening. 
     The cover module and/or the body can at least at intervals be formed from glass, plastic, ceramic, and/or metal, or comprise these materials. 
     The first and second attachment element of the body or cover module are, for example, threads which complement each other. 
     The cover flap is preferably designed to be arrestable in an open and/or closed state. In this manner, the cover flap can be affixed in an open state in a position in which it does not inhibit the user while drinking. 
     In a particularly advantageous design, the cover flap is supported movably as a component of the cover module by way of a hinge, preferably an integral hinge. 
     In a further design of a container according to the disclosure, the cover flap also comprises an end area that is preferably connected to the second side wall. This end area can be designed with at least one drinking aid or a drinking edge that surrounds the discharge opening when the cover module is present on the body. The drinking edge present on the end area serves to make the drinking process as simple and safe as possible. 
     Containers of this type are particularly preferred in which the first and the second side wall essentially merge with each other seamlessly. 
     Furthermore, the first side wall has a circumferential placement edge onto which a section of the second side wall, preferably an edge of the second side wall, is placed or can be placed. 
     In a relatively simple manner, a beverage container according to the present disclosure can be obtained which, during production and during later use, permits an almost comprehensive check as to whether a contamination of the fluid present in the container, in particular a beverage, could have taken place. A container according to the disclosure is also easy and reliable to use, including with just one hand. 
     In various embodiments, containers according to the present disclosure can, without any problem, be filled under sterile conditions with fluids, for example, with beverages such as coffee or cocoa. A subsequent pasteurization of the beverage is not necessary. For this purpose, the sterilized body is filled under aseptic conditions with the fluid, in particular with the beverage, via the discharge opening. This discharge opening is then closed or sealed, and the body filled in this manner can be equipped with or connected to the cover module either in the aseptic filling area or after this area has been exited. The attachment of the film, in particular the shrinkage of the shrink film onto the container according to the present disclosure, is also preferably conducted outside of the aseptic area, although still within the sphere of influence of the filler. Thus, a quality check is already provided simply through the type of production specified by the container according to the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention are included in the description below, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are explained with reference to schematic drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic side view of a first container according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic side view of a second container according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic side view of a third container according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic top view onto the body of a container according to the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective top view onto the cover module of a container according to the present disclosure in a folded open state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows in a schematic side view an embodiment of a container  1  according to the present disclosure, comprising a body  2  for receiving a fluid with a base  4 , a first side wall  6 , an opening section  8 , and a discharge opening  10 . The opening section  8  merges with its circumference into the first side wall  6 . Set onto the body  2  is a cover module  12 . This cover module  12  comprises a second side wall  14  and a cover flap  16  that is connected via an integral hinge  18  to the second side wall  14 . An edge  20  of the second side wall  14  stands on a circumferential edge  22  of the body  2 . In the embodiment shown, a second closing mechanism  24  of the discharge opening  10  is an integral component of the cover flap  16 . The second closing mechanism  24 , which grips into the discharge opening  10  when the cover flap is folded closed, is completed by a sealing edge  26  that runs around the outer edge of the discharge opening  10 . The first side wall  6  and the second side wall  14  form an outline shape that is curved outwards. If the diameter of this outline shape is regarded along a virtual longitudinal axis X (shown as a broken line) that extends from the base  4  through to the discharge opening  10 , these diameters increase steadily when regarded from the base through to a specific point (shown by an arrow) from which the diameters decrease again, i.e., the outline shape formed by the first and second side wall tapers again. The container  1  according to the present disclosure is furthermore equipped with shrink film  28  that is shrunk onto the first and second side wall. This shrink film  28  extends on one side and on the other side of the maximum bulge. However, in the embodiment shown, the shrink film  28  does not extend beyond the second side wall  14 , i.e., the cover flap  16  is preferably not covered by the shrink film  28 . 
     The container  1  according to  FIG. 2  only deviates from the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  in that the second side wall  14  creates by far the greater part of the outline shape than the first side wall  6 , said outline shape being surrounded by the shrink film  28 . With this embodiment, it is also ensured that the cover module is connected to the body in a simple manner, and in such a manner that it cannot be lost. 
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic side section view of an embodiment of the container  1  according to the present disclosure with a cover module  12  and a body  2 . The cover flap  16  is again connected via an integral hinge  18  to the second side wall  14 . The second side wall  14  lies on its lower edge  22  on a placement edge  20 . In the embodiment shown, the discharge opening  10  is closed by a first closing mechanism  30  in the form of a film. This film is cut through on first usage by a destruction mechanism  32  that is integrated into the cover flap  16 , thus opening the discharge opening  10 . 
       FIG. 4  shows, in a schematic perspective top view, a body  2  according to the present disclosure of an embodiment of a container  1  with the discharge opening  10  that is closed by a first closing mechanism  30  in the form of a film. The discharge opening  10  is a component of the opening section  8 , which is adjacent to the first side wall  6 . 
       FIG. 5  shows, in a schematic top view, a cover module  12  of an embodiment of a container according to the present disclosure. The cover flap  16  is arrested in a folded open state, and is connected via an integral hinge  18  to the second side wall  14 . The cover module  12  furthermore has an end area  32  with a circumferential drinking edge or circumferential drinking aid  34  that is located above the discharge opening  10 . A destruction unit  36  can also be seen in  FIG. 5 , which can, e.g., be operated with a thumb, i.e., with just one hand, in order to penetrate the first closing mechanism in the form of the protective film  30  (not shown) of the discharge opening  10 . 
     The features disclosed in the above description, in the claims, and in the drawings can be essential both individually as well as in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.