U.S. patent application number 10/387083 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-16 for integral component to disposable beverage container for inhibiting entry of insects, debris, and possible foreign chemical.
Invention is credited to Cox, Anthony Lee, Roberts,, Evans Vincent JR..
Application Number | 20040178201 10/387083 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32961818 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040178201 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cox, Anthony Lee ; et
al. |
September 16, 2004 |
Integral component to disposable beverage container for inhibiting
entry of insects, debris, and possible foreign chemical
Abstract
An invention for the prevention of entry of flying and
non-flying stinging insects into open disposable beverage
containers. According to the embodiment, the invention is attached
to a disposable beverage container over the normal dispensing port
to act as a shield to prevent the entry of flying and non-flying
insects, debris, or foreign chemicals in either tablet or
encapsulated form. The invention is attached during the normal
manufacturing process of the disposable beverage container. The
invention will not interfere with the normal opening mechanism of
the disposable beverage container. Normal manufacturing processes
such as argon laser welding, adhesive, ecetra, attach the invention
to the disposable beverage container. The invention is manufactured
out of the same material, a dissimilar material, or both as the
disposable beverage container. The invention incorporates several
types of various openings of slotted, circular, elliptical, or
geometrical shapes and sizes to allow for the free flow of the
contained liquid. The invention will not reduce the recycling
characteristics of disposable beverage container.
Inventors: |
Cox, Anthony Lee; (Canton,
GA) ; Roberts,, Evans Vincent JR.; (Canton,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Anthony Lee Cox
101 Rose Ridge Dr
Canton
GA
30115
US
|
Family ID: |
32961818 |
Appl. No.: |
10/387083 |
Filed: |
March 12, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/258.2 ;
220/730 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 17/4012 20180101;
B65D 2517/0022 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/258.2 ;
220/730 |
International
Class: |
B65D 051/20 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1 An invention with proportional sized perforations of various
sizes that are either circular, polygon, or slotted in shape and
that is permanently attached to a disposable beverage container
over the dispensing port.
2 The invention of claim 1, can be designed with various numbers of
perforations in any combination of shapes.
3 The invention of claim 1, can be permanently installed during the
manufacturing process of the beverage container.
4 The invention of claim 1, will not add significant cost to the
production of the disposable beverage container.
5 The invention of claim 1, can be composed of material that is
either the same as the host beverage container or of a dissimilar
material, or both.
6 The invention of claim 1, is non-removable from the disposable
beverage container.
7 The invention of claim 1, will not interfere with the normal
opening mechanism of the disposable beverage container.
8 The invention of claim 1, will have perforated openings that are
of sufficiently small size to prevent the passage of insects, both
flying and non-flying.
9 The invention of claim 1, will inhibit debris such as cigarette
butts from being introduced into an open disposable beverage
container.
10 The invention of claim 1, will inhibit dry chemical tablets or
chemical capsules from being introduced into the beverage
container.
11 The invention of claim 1, will not reduce the recycling
characteristics of the disposable beverage container.
12 The invention of claim 1, will not add to any existing litter or
disposable problems of the beverage container.
Description
[0001] Applicants hereby claims priority of Provisional Patent
Application S/N 60/361445 Dated Mar. 5, 2003
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to the prevention of the entry of
venous (stinging) insects of the flying and non-flying variety into
an open unattended beverage container by the incorporation of the
invention (Drawing #1, FIG. #1) over the dispensing port of a
disposable beverage container (Drawing #2, FIG. #2). This invention
would be composed of various sized and shaped perforations and
would be attached during the normal manufacturing process of the
beverage container (Drawing #3, FIG. #3). The invention would be
non-removable during the storage and normal usage of the beverage
container (Drawing #4, FIG. #4).
[0003] This invention would prevent the introduction of foreign or
potential harmful dry tablets or encapsulated chemical compounds
into open unattended beverage containers. Additionally, this
invention would prevent the inadvertent action of disposing of a
cigarette butt or other unwanted debris in a still-in-use beverage
container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Every year hundreds of thousands of human beings are moving
into rural areas of the country that were previously devoid of
human presence. The introduction of humans and their unfamiliarity
with hazards of rural country living has led to increasing number
of individuals suffering from the involuntary ingestion of stinging
insects of both the flying and non-flying variety from open
unattended beverage containers. In addition, the suburban weekend
cookout, the weekly round of golf, or the kids' day at the park
exposes even a higher number of humans to the same hazards as those
living in the country. Humans inherently attract these types of
insects due to the normal usage of foodstuffs and beverages.
[0005] Yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps are drawn to the
fragrances from naturally and artificially sweetened beverages, and
the fermentation odor from alcoholic beverages such as beer. When
these insects enter a beverage container through the container's
open dispensing port, the insect's presence generally goes
undetected. Once inside the beverage container, the insects are
effectively trapped, yet very much still alive. The user of the
beverage container will unwillingly ingest this living insect upon
drinking the beverage. Upon ingestion by the human, the insect will
react instinctively, which is to say, will sting the victim in an
extremely sensitive portion of the human anatomy, most likely the
lips, the inside of the mouth, the sides of the throat, or the
gullet areas. While the stings of yellow jackets, hornets, or wasps
can be quite painful and sometimes fatal when experienced on the
skin of a human, this same sting in a highly sensitive area such as
the lips, mouth, throat, or gullet can be severe enough to cause
death through toxic shock or suffocation through swelling of the
windpipe.
[0006] The history of human suffering from venous insect stings in
the sensitive human anatomy such as the lips, mouth, throat, and
gullet has been thoroughly documented by many universities
throughout the continental United States.
[0007] Additionally, many users of beverage containers have become
the unwilling recipients of chemical compounds that are introduced
through the opening of the beverage container at both private and
public gatherings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention overcomes the highly undesirable and
unfortunate event of ingestion by humans of venous (stinging)
flying and non-flying insects by preventing the unwanted and
undetected entry of these insects into an open unattended beverage
container. Additionally this invention would prevent the
introduction of an unwanted chemical compound in either tablet or
encapsulated form, cigarette butts or other unwanted debris into an
open unattended beverage container.
[0009] The invention is based on incorporation of the new integral
component (Drawing #1, FIG. #1) to the currently designed
disposable beverage container used for storage and dispensing of
consumer beverages such as soft drinks, non-pulp fruit beverages,
beer, etc. This new component, the invention (Drawing #1, FIG. #1),
effectively provides a permanent shield over the container's
dispensing port to prevent the entry of unwanted insects or foreign
chemicals into the beverage container, but allows for the flow of
liquid out of the beverage container. The invention will be
manufactured with proportionally sized perforations and shapes and
can be composed of the same material as the beverage container
itself or a dissimilar material and will be permanently installed
over the beverage container dispensing port (Drawing #2, FIG. #2).
The invention will be permanently attached (Drawing #3, FIG. #3) to
the beverage container through normal manufacturing processes such
as argon laser welding, press fitting, adhesive, etc.
[0010] The invention will not interfere with the operation of the
standard pull-tab opening mechanism that is in use today on a
disposable beverage container (Drawing #3, FIG. #3).
[0011] The proportional perforations of the invention can be either
of a circular, polygon, or slotted shape and various sizes and
combinations may be employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Drawing #1, FIG. #1 shows a pictorial of the invention with
circular shaped perforations.
[0013] Drawing #2, FIG. #2 depicts the invention, as it would
appear on an opened beverage container.
[0014] Drawing #3 FIG. #3 depicts at what point of contact on the
beverage container that the invention would be permanently attached
to a beverage container.
[0015] Drawing #4, FIG. #4, depicts the appearance of the invention
on an unopened beverage container.
[0016] Drawing #5 depicts three different beverage containers, FIG.
#5--one unopened beverage container without the invention, FIG.
#6--one opened beverage container without the invention, and FIG.
#7--one opened beverage container with the invention installed.
* * * * *