U.S. patent application number 10/282440 was filed with the patent office on 2004-04-29 for beverage container.
Invention is credited to Wagner, Earl.
Application Number | 20040079795 10/282440 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32107361 |
Filed Date | 2004-04-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040079795 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wagner, Earl |
April 29, 2004 |
Beverage container
Abstract
A recloseable beverage container is provided having two halves
and a releasable handle, the container comprising a bottom half
having a front, back, opposing sides, and a bottom. A top half is
provided having a front, back, opposing sides, and a bottom,
hingedly joined to the bottom half thereby forming upon closure a
hollow enclose for storing a plurality of beverage containers. A
recloseable handle formed upon closure by an extended tab in the
front of the bottom and a cutout in the front of the top. The
container includes an elongated releaseably adhesive flap located
on the front of the top that overlaps the front of the bottom.
Inventors: |
Wagner, Earl;
(Pleasantville, IA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Davis, Brown, Koehn, Shors & Roberts, P.C.
The Financial Center
Suite 2500
666 Walnut Street
Des Moines
IA
50309-3993
US
|
Family ID: |
32107361 |
Appl. No.: |
10/282440 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/117.13 ;
229/146; 229/148 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/6655
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/117.13 ;
229/146; 229/148 |
International
Class: |
B65D 005/46 |
Claims
1. A recloseable beverage container, having two halves and a
releasable handle, said container comprising: a bottom half having
a front, back, opposing sides, and a bottom; a top half having a
front, back, opposing sides, and a bottom, hingedly joined to said
bottom half thereby forming upon closure a hollow enclose for
storing a plurality of beverage containers; a recloseable handle
formed upon closure by an extended tab in said front of said bottom
and a cutout in said front of said top.
2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 further comprising an
elongated releaseably adhesive flap located on said front of said
top that overlaps said front of said bottom.
3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said container
is shaped to hold 6 beverage cans.
4. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said container
is shaped to hold 12 beverage cans.
5. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said container
is shaped to hold 18 beverage cans.
6. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said beverage
containers are soft drink containers.
7. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said beverage
containers are beer containers.
8. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said handle
further comprises a cutout in said front of said bottom.
9. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said extended
tab folds over said front of said bottom for further securement of
said container.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates generally to a container used in
storing beverages and, more specifically, to a beverage container
that completely opens thus allowing for the easy removal, storage,
and return of beverage cans and may include a releasable adhesive
flap that allows the container to be sealed to prevent the cans
from spilling out of the box.
[0003] 2. Background of the Prior Art
[0004] Currently, boxes used as beverage containers are difficult
to open and require extra effort to both remove cans as well as
return them to the box after the beverage is consumed. This
frustration is further aggravated by the lack of a means for
resealing the box, which can lead to the empty cans spilling out of
the box. The present invention confronts the problems of the
standard beverage box by creating a box that can completely open,
allowing unrestricted access to the standing cans, and securely
close once the empty containers have been returned to the box.
Furthermore, the invention may be made out of the same or similar
materials and use the same factory method of production, therefore,
not increasing the cost or effort in making the new product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] An object of the present invention comprises providing a
convenient storage and carrying container to be used with beverage
cans.
[0006] These and other objects of the present invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the
following specification, drawings, and claims.
[0007] The present invention intends to overcome the difficulties
encountered heretofore. To that end, a recloseable beverage
container is provided having two halves and a releasable handle,
the container comprising a bottom half having a front, back,
opposing sides, and a bottom. A top half is provided having a
front, back, opposing sides, and a bottom, hingedly joined to the
bottom half thereby forming upon closure a hollow enclose for
storing a plurality of beverage containers. A recloseable handle
formed upon closure by an extended tab in the front of the bottom
and a cutout in the front of the top.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a side view of the beverage container, or box, in
an open position.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view taken from the other direction of FIG.
1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a front view of the container in the closed
position, showing the handle cutouts and the elongated resealable
flaps.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the folding tab used to
secure the container in the closed position.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a front view as in FIG. 3 showing the labeled
sides of the beverage container.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a front view of a middle tab of the beverage
container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS.
1-4, generally at 20, a box approximately 8 inches wide, 101/2
inches long, and 43/4 inches deep, as standard for the typical
beverage container. The sides of the box 20 are best shown in FIG.
5 with the elongated sides labeled as 3 and 4 and the shorter sides
as 5 and 6. One of the elongated sides 3 uses a hinge action 7,
created by a fold in the box 20, to open the other three sides 4-6
of the box 20, thus creating two halves of the box 20 (FIGS. 1-2),
the top half 1 and the bottom half 2. When the box 20 is open cans
can stand side by side in the bottom half 1 of the box 20 and when
the box 20 is shut FIGS. 3-4 the top half is hingedly moved towards
the bottom half of the box 20, causing the three sides 4-6 to meet
and create a closed container (FIG. 5).
[0015] The opposite elongated side 4 comprises a flap 10 on the top
half 1 of the box 20, that may include a resealable adhesive, as
well as an elongated middle tab 11 located on the bottom half 2 of
the box 20 that folds over the handle 12 (FIG. 4) which is created
by two cutout spaces 13 and 14 in both the top half 1 and bottom
half 2 and is formed when the box 20 is in its closed position. The
bottom half 2 of the box is taller than the top half 1 and the
front of the bottom half 2 has a tall middle tab 11 is used to fold
over and behind the connecting handle portion 12 to secure the two
halves 1 and 2 together. The flap 10 of the shorter top half 1 is
comprised of two elongated tabs, one on each side of front surface,
connected by a deeper side section 4 of the front top half 1 of the
box 20. The tabs may have resealable adhesive on the back that
attaches the flap 10 to the bottom half 2 at the point the two
overlap, thus holding the bottom half 2 and top half 1 of the
closed container together. The other two opposing halves of sides 5
and 6 meet at the point that the top half 1 is rested on the bottom
half 2 when the box 20 is closed.
[0016] Alternatively, to increase the strength of the handle
created by middle tab 11 and cutout spaces 13, 14, the middle tab
11 can be designed to include centrally extending points 22 that
have a length wider than the length of the upper cutout space 13
(see FIG. 6). In the preferred embodiment the length between
extended points 22 is 3"{fraction (5/16)}, while the length of the
cutout space 13 is 3". The middle tab 11 is 3/4" in height, while
the cutout space 13 is 1"3/8 in height. Thus, when grasping the
handle the middle tab 11 is forced trough the cutout space 13 and
then the middle tab 11 is pulled outward to provide additional
strength to the handle and the box 20 in general. Of course, to
open the box 20 the process is reversed.
[0017] Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the
box 20 can be designed to hold various number of beverage cans
including 6, 12, 18 or more beverage cans.
[0018] The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative
embodiments of the present inventions. The foregoing embodiments
and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability,
experience, and preference of those skilled in the art. Merely
listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not
constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method.
The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and
illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto,
except insofar as the claims are so limited. Those skilled in the
art that have the disclosure before them will be able to make
modifications and variations therein without departing from the
scope of the invention.
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