Patent Publication Number: US-9888795-B2

Title: Single serve beverage container

Description:
The application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 14/461,016, filed Aug. 15, 2014, which is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 13/871,417 filed Apr. 26, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,833,559 on Sep. 16, 2014, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/651,808, filed May 25, 2012, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to beverage containers, and more particularly to single serve beverage containers. 
     Beverages are often sold in portable beverage containers such as bottles and cans which facilitate transport of the beverages. Beverage containers are typically constructed to hold a particular volume of liquid, often a single serving of a beverage. Beverage containers can affect the taste, quality, display, and shelf life of the beverage contained therein. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     In one embodiment, a beverage container holds a single serving of a beverage, such as wine. 
     These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  depicts a front elevation view of a beverage container according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 1B  depicts a left side elevation view of the beverage container shown in  FIG. 1A   
         FIG. 1C  depicts a top plan view of the beverage container shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 1D  depicts a bottom plan view of the beverage container shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 2  depicts the beverage container of  FIG. 1A  with wrapper and cap removed; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a beverage container according to another embodiment; 
         FIG. 4A  depicts the beverage container of  FIG. 1A  in which the wrapper is in the process of being removed; 
         FIG. 4B  depicts the beverage container of  FIG. 1A  with the cap removed and a foil seal in the process of being removed; 
         FIG. 4C  depicts the beverage container of  FIG. 1A  with the cap located over the foot of the beverage container; and 
         FIG. 4D  depicts the beverage container of  FIG. 1A  with the cap located over the upper opening of the beverage container after the foil seal has been removed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1A  depicts a beverage container  100  according to one embodiment having a wine glass shape comprising bowl portion  100 A, stem portion  100 B, and foot portion  100 C. Beverage container  100  is shown in  FIG. 1A  with cap  102  covering an upper opening (not shown) of bowl portion  100 A. Beverage container  100  has a removable wrapper  104  which retains cap  102  over upper opening of bowl portion  100 A. Wrapper  104  has vertically disposed perforations  106  which facilitate removal of wrapper  104 . Wrapper  104 , in one embodiment, covers a periphery of cap  102  thereby retaining it in place prior to removal of wrapper  104  by tearing along perforations  106 . Wrapper  104 , in one embodiment, has an image located in between perforations  106 , in this embodiment, a zipper, which aids a consumer in locating perforations  106 . In other embodiments, images can be located in other places on wrapper  104 , such as overlaying perforations  106  or on either side of perforations  106 .  FIG. 1B  depicts the left side of beverage container  100 . The right and rear sides of beverage container  100  are similar to the left side and are, therefore, not depicted.  FIG. 1C  depicts a top plan view of beverage container  100  showing cap  102 .  FIG. 1D  depicts a bottom plan view of beverage contain  100 . 
     Wrapper  104 , in one embodiment, is shrink wrap made of a material sufficiently strong to retain cap  102  and stay in place over beverage container  100  prior to removal of wrapper  104  by tearing along perforations  106 . Wrapper  104  can be made of a material designed for controlling the amount of light which may pass through wrapper  104  and beverage container  100  to contents of beverage container  100 . This allows bowl portion  100 A, stem portion  100 B, and foot portion  100 C of beverage container  100  to be clear which, in turn, allows the beverage to be visible through beverage container  100  after wrapper  104  is removed. Wrapper  104  material, in one embodiment, is made of UV or light resistant material. The light controlling properties of wrapper  104 , in one embodiment, are based on the content of beverage container  100  which can be any type of beverage including alcoholic beverages such as wine. Wrapper  104  also aids in keeping beverage container  100  sanitary by preventing contaminants from reaching surfaces of beverage container  100  covered by wrapper  104 . Wrapper  104 , in one embodiment, serves as a label for beverage container  100  and depicts information such as a barcode, ingredient list, and/or additional information. Wrapper  104 , in one embodiment, is applied by shrink wrapping wrapper  104  over beverage container  100 . In other embodiments, wrapper  104  may be applied using other methods such as adhesive located between overlapping portions of wrapper  104 . 
       FIG. 2  depicts beverage container  100  with wrapper  104  and cap  102  removed. Beverage container  100  comprises bowl portion  100 A having upper cylindrical portion  100 D depending from upper opening  100 E. Upper cylindrical portion  100 D of bowl portion  100 A has a substantially uniform diameter before tapering into stem portion  100 B. Stem portion  100 B has a tapered upper portion located near the bottom of bowl portion  100 A. A diameter of stem portion  100 B widens along its length to foot portion  100 C which flares to a substantially flat bottom. 
     Bowl portion  100 A, stem portion  100 B, and foot portion  100 C are substantially hollow and form beverage cavity  200 . The volume of beverage cavity  200 , in one embodiment, is mostly disposed in bowl portion  100 A with a portion located in stem portion  100 B and foot portion  100 C. Locating a portion of beverage cavity  200  in stem portion  100 B and foot portion  100 C lowers the center of gravity of beverage container  100  thereby promoting stability. Foot portion  100 C is shown in  FIG. 2  having a hollow cavity bounded by an inner surface  100 F of an outer wall of foot  100 C and an outer surface  100 G of a wall forming a lower portion  100 H of beverage cavity  200  located in foot portion  100 C. In one embodiment, foot portion  100 C is solid and aids in lowering the center of gravity of beverage container  100  thereby promoting greater stability. In another embodiment, a dense material is added to foot portion  100 C in order to lower the center of gravity of beverage container  100  a greater amount. 
     Beverage container  100 , in one embodiment, is made of clear plastic, such as food grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In other embodiments, beverage container  100  can be made of other types of plastics or different materials such as glass. 
       FIG. 3  depicts beverage container  300  according to an alternative embodiment. Beverage container  300  is constructed similar to beverage container  100  with bowl portion  300 A being narrower than bowl portion  100 A and having a substantially longer upper cylindrical portion  300 D with a consistent diameter extending from the upper opening  300 E of bowl portion  300 A. Stem portion  300 B is shown in this embodiment being substantially shorter in height than stem portion  100 B. Lower portion  300 H of beverage cavity  302  located in foot portion  300 C has a substantially rectangular cross-section in contrast to the tapered conical beverage cavity located in foot portion  100 C of beverage container  100 . The shape of a beverage cavity located in a foot portion of a beverage container can be designed to contain varying amounts of beverage in order to change the location of the center of gravity of the beverage container and to modify a silhouette formed by a beverage contained therein. 
     It should be noted that the shape of beverage container  100  can be varied based on the type of fluid to be contained. For example, in one embodiment, a beverage container for holding a volume of red wine can be shaped to have a wide round bowl with a substantially large upper opening in order to increase the amount of surface area of the wine exposed to air thereby increasing the rate of oxidation of the red wine. In some embodiments, the shape of the beverage container can be designed to direct the beverage to a specific portion of a consumer&#39;s tongue. Foot portion  100 C is shown flaring from stem portion  100 B to a flat base but can be shaped differently in other embodiments. 
     In one embodiment, a consumer opens and consumes a beverage contained in beverage container  100  in a manner described below in conjunction with  FIGS. 4A-4D .  FIG. 4A  depicts beverage container  100  in the process of being opened by a consumer tearing away shrink wrap strip  400  located between perforations  106 .  FIG. 4B  depicts beverage container  100  after cap  102  has been removed. In this embodiment, cap  102  is frictionally held over top of beverage container. In other embodiments, other methods of engaging cap  102  over the top of beverage container  100  may be used. For example, cap  102 , in one embodiment, is threaded and complimentary threads are located around periphery of the upper opening of beverage container  100 . In one embodiment, upper opening of bowl portion  100 A is sealed by foil  402  as shown in  FIG. 4B  in the process of being removed from upper opening of beverage container  100 . In other embodiments, other sealing methods may be used such as lift and peel, induction, etc. It should be noted that in one embodiment, cap  102  has a stiffness which inhibits puncture of foil seal  402 . 
     After a consumer removes foil  402  by peeling it off of beverage container  100 , the beverage in beverage container  100  can be consumed. As shown in  FIG. 4C , cap  102  is designed to fit over both upper opening of beverage container  100  as well as foot portion  100 C. In one embodiment, the outer diameter of upper opening  100 E and the base of the flare of foot portion  100 C have a same outer diameter which is substantially equal to the inner diameter of cap  102  allowing cap  102  to be frictionally retained over either end of beverage container  100 . In one embodiment, cap  102  is made of rubberized plastic to inhibit lateral movement of beverage container  100  when placed on a surface, such as the top of a table. As such, cap  102  functions as a non-slip coaster. Cap  102  can alternatively be made of other materials such as coated/rubberized metal, wood, etc. or a combination of materials. As shown in  FIG. 4D , cap  102  can be removed from foot  100 C and replaced over the upper opening of beverage container  100  to prevent contaminants from entering the fluid contained therein as well as inhibit spilling when a consumer is not drinking the beverage. 
     In one embodiment, cap  102  and/or wrapper  104  contain images such as a name, logo, and/or picture. For example, wrapper  104  can include images which identify the type and/or brand of wine. Wrapper  104  and cap  102  may also contain images and text related to a location where the beverage container is sold. For example, cap  102  may include a logo of a sports team that plays at a stadium where the beverage container is available for purchase.