Reusable beverage container

Abstract

Methods and systems for a reusable container for the point-of-sale display and advertisement of beverages is disclosed. The container generally comprise an open end, a drinker-friendly lip disposed around the open end, and a lid adapted to fit substantially around the lip to prevent the beverage from leaking out of the container. Graphics may be printed on the container comprising a company logo or an advertisement for the beverage. Instructions may also be provided that the container is reusable as a drinking glass at home.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a reusable container that is adapted for use as a point-of-sale display and advertisement of beverages in a retail store environment and for multiple subsequent uses thereafter as a drinking glass.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Beverages are typically packaged in a number of ways for retail sale and consumption, such as in aluminum cans, paper cartons or boxes, glass bottles, and plastic (PET) bottles. For example, soda, beer, fruit juices, and iced tea are typically packaged in pull-tab aluminum cans, glass bottles, and/or plastic bottles, while milk is often packaged in paper containers or boxes. Water is almost always packaged in plastic bottles.

[0003] Regardless of the material used, beverage containers are typically intended for a single use. Once the beverage container is opened and the beverage consumed, the container is usually discarded. Mass consumption of beverages in single-use containers has resulted in significantly increased waste resulting from discarded beverage containers. Because landfill space is limited, there is a great need to reduce the amount of waste generated.

[0004] One solution is to recycle beverage containers. Since many beverage containers are made from materials, such as aluminum, paper, glass, and plastic, they may be recycled after the beverage is consumed. Another solution is to save beverage containers for multiple subsequent uses.

[0005] The problem with reusing beverage containers, however, is that most beverage containers are not designed to permit repeated use after the beverage is consumed. For example, once the aluminum can is opened by the pull-tab, it cannot be resealed. Moreover, aluminum cans are not sturdy enough to withstand repeated washing and reuse. Although plastic and glass bottles have reclosable screw caps, these bottles usually have narrow openings or mouthpieces, making it very difficult to manually wash the interior of the bottles for subsequent reuse.

[0006] Accordingly, what is desirable is a container that is used not only for packaging beverages for retail sale and consumption, but used also for multiple subsequent uses thereafter as a drinking glass at home. Widespread use of such beverage containers in place of single-use beverage containers would significantly reduce the amount of waste generated.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] The reusable beverage containers disclosed herein provide methods and systems for the display and advertisement of beverages at retail point-of-sale locations. The reusable beverage containers are also suitable for subsequent re-use of the beverage container at home as a drinking glass.

[0008] In accordance to one preferred embodiment, a container is disclosed. The container comprises an open end, a lip disposed around the open end, and a covering adapted to fit substantially around the lip. The lip is characterized as having a top side defined by a first arc length and a vertical side defined by a second arc length, in which the first arc length is greater than the second arc length.

[0009] In accordance with another preferred embodiment, a vessel is disclosed. The vessel comprises a base and walls coupled to the base, wherein the walls have an open top end. The walls and the base define an interior space that contains a liquid. A rounded protrusion is formed along the open top end of the walls and substantially outside of the interior space of the container. The rounded protrusion defines horizontal and vertical surfaces having first and second curvature values, respectively. The first curvature value is of lesser magnitude than the second curvature value. A lid is also provided and is adapted to at least partially mate with the rounded protrusion and to seal the open top end.

[0010] In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment, a system for displaying and advertising a beverage in a reusable container is provided. The system comprises an enclosure having an open top end and containing a beverage. A lip portion is formed along the periphery of the open top end of the enclosure, wherein the lip portion has a maximum height and a maximum width. The maximum height of the lip portion is less than the maximum width of the lip portion. A lid is adapted to at least partially engage the lip portion and substantially cover the open top end. Instructions are provided that the container is reusable as a drinking glass.

[0011] In accordance with a further preferred embodiment, a pomegranate juice product is disclosed. The pomegranate juice product comprises a container having a lip configured for a snap cap and also configured to be comfortable for drinking, a cap for the container, and a beverage containing pomegranate juice.

[0012] In accordance with a further preferred embodiment, methods for advertising and for providing a point-of-sale display for a beverage are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a container having an open end and a lip disposed around the open end, adding a beverage to the container, providing a covering that encloses the open end of the container by forming a seal with the lip, displaying the container at the point-of-sale, and providing instructions that the container is reusable after the beverage is consumed.

[0013] In accordance with yet a further preferred embodiment, a method for displaying a beverage is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a container having the attributes of a jar and a glass, adding a liquid to the container, adding a cap to the container, displaying the container in a point-of-sale location for purchase by consumers, and providing instructions to consumers that the container can be taken home and reused as a glass.

[0014] In accordance with still a further embodiment, a method for marketing beverages is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a vessel having an outer surface and a lip that is acceptable for drinking, adding a company logo to the outer surface of the vessel, adding a beverage to the vessel, enclosing the vessel with a cap, and displaying the vessel in retail stores with instructions that the vessel may be reused as a drinking glass after the beverage is consumed

[0015] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The invention may be more readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 is perspective view of the reusable beverage container in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the reusable beverage container in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the lip of the reusable beverage container illustrated as a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 2.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the lip of the reusable beverage container illustrated as a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 2.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows yet another embodiment of the lip of the reusable beverage container illustrated as a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 2.

[0022] Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] With reference generally to FIGS. 1-5, a preferred embodiment of the reusable beverage container is shown.

[0024] With particular reference to FIG. 1-2, the reusable beverage container (10) has a wall (12) having top and bottom portions, a base (14) coupled to the bottom portion of the wall (12), and a lid (20) removably attached to the top portion of the wall (12). The reusable beverage container may optionally display printed advertisement (15) on the surface of the wall (12).

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the lid (20) removed from the top portion of the wall (12), revealing the open end (17) of the container and the lip (16) as a rounded protrusion that extends upwardly and outwardly from the interior space defined by the wall (12).

[0026] In one aspect of the preferred embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-2, the container (10) is substantially cylindrical and the open end (17) defined by the lip (16) is substantially circular. Although FIGS. 1-2 show the diameter of the walls (12) as being substantially equal to the diameter of the open end (17) defined by the lip (16), it is understood that the walls (12) may have varying diameters along its length and also relative to the open end (17).

[0027] In accordance with one aspect of the preferred embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-2, the container may be made from glass, plastic, metal, or a combination of these materials and the beverage contained in the container may be any one or a combination of a fruit juice, a pomegranate juice product, tea, and iced tea.

[0028] In accordance with another aspect of the preferred embodiment, a lid (20) is a covering that is adapted to fit substantially around the lip (16). The lid (20) may at least partially engage the lip (16) and substantially cover the open top end (17). In yet another aspect of this preferred embodiment, the lid (20) provides a seal to prevent the beverage from leaking out of the container (10).

[0029] Instructions may be provided with the container (10) that the container (10) is reusable as a drinking glass at home (not shown in the Figures). The instructions may be printed on the container wall (12), the base (14), lid (20), or a combination of any one or more of the foregoing. The instructions may also be printed on a separate substrate, such as paper, cardboard, or plastic, that is removably affixed to the container wall (12) and/or lid (20).

[0030] FIGS. 3-5 depict various embodiments of the container lip (16). As illustrated by the Figures, the lip (16) may be dimensioned so as to enable the lid (20) to be secured onto the container (10) and, at the same time, to be aesthetically and tactilely pleasing for use as a drinking glass.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lip (300) taking along the line II-II of FIG. 2. In accordance with one aspect of this preferred embodiment, lip (300) is characterized as having a top side (302) having a first arc length, as defined between the two horizontal hatch marks (302') and a vertical side (304) having a second arc length, as defined by the two vertical hatch marks (304'). As shown in FIG. 3, the first arc length (302'-302') is greater than the second arc length (304'-304'). The bottom side (304) of the lip is substantially rounded and, although the top side (302) of the lip is depicted as a curved surface, the top side (302) of the lip may also be substantially flat in other preferred embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows another preferred embodiment of the lip (400). In another preferred embodiment, the lip (400) is a asymmetrically rounded protrusion that is located substantially outside of the interior space of the container (10) of FIGS. 1-2. In this preferred embodiment, the rounded protrusion defines a horizontal axis (402') and a vertical axis (404') at the outermost horizontal and vertical points (402, 404) of the rounded protrusion. A curvature value at the two outermost points (402, 404) has a magnitude that is equal to the reciprocal of the radius of an osculating circle (i.e., a circle that closely touches the curve at the given point) and is a vector (414', 416') pointing in the direction of that circle's center. The smaller the radius r of the osculating circle, the larger the magnitude of the curvature (1/r) will be.

[0033] Accordingly, where a curve is nearly straight, the curvature will be close to zero, and where the curve undergoes a tight turn, the curvature will be large in magnitude. As shown in FIG. 3, because the radius (414') of the osculating circle defined by the outermost point (402) is greater than the radius (416') of the osculating circle defined by the outermost point (404), the curvature value at the horizontal outermost point (402) will be of lesser magnitude than the curvature value at the vertical outermost point (404) of the rounded protrusion.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows another preferred embodiment of the lip (500). In this preferred embodiment, the lip (500) is formed along the periphery of the open top end (17) of the container wall (12) depicted in FIG. 2. The lip (500) may be dimensioned such that it has a maximum height (502) from the horizontal axis that runs through the base of the lip (504') and a maximum width (506) that runs through the inner side (508') of the container wall (12). In this preferred embodiment, the maximum height (502) of the lip portion is lesser value than the maximum width (506) of the lip portion.

[0035] The reusable container disclosed herein may be used in connection with methods for advertising and for providing a point-of-sale display for a beverage. In one preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of providing a container having an open end and a lip disposed around the open end, adding a beverage to the container, providing a covering that encloses the open end of the container by forming a seal with the lip, displaying the container at the point-of-sale, and providing instructions that the container is reusable after the beverage is consumed.

[0036] In one aspect of this preferred embodiment, graphic art is provided on the container. The graphic art may be an advertisement for the beverage. In another aspect of this preferred embodiment, the beverage is fruit juice, pomegranate juice, tea, iced tea, or a combination of juice and tea. In yet another aspect of this preferred embodiment, the covering is a snap-on lid that mates and creates a leak-proof seal with the lip of the container.

[0037] The reusable containers disclosed herein may also be used in connection methods for displaying a beverage is disclosed. In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of providing a container having the attributes of a jar and a glass, adding a liquid to the container, adding a cap to the container, displaying the container in a point-of-sale location for purchase by consumers, and providing instructions to consumers that the container can be taken home and reused as a glass. In one aspect of this preferred embodiment, the container displays printed advertisement.

[0038] The reusable containers disclosed herein may also be used in connection with methods for marketing beverages. In one preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of providing a vessel having an outer surface and a lip that is acceptable for drinking, adding a company logo to the outer surface of the vessel, enclosing the vessel with a cap, and displaying the vessel in retail stores with instructions that the vessel may be reused as a drinking glass.

[0039] The invention described and claimed herein is not to be limited in scope by the specific preferred embodiments herein disclosed, since these embodiments are intended as illustrations of several aspects of the invention. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this invention. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A container comprising: an open end; a lip disposed around the open end, the lip having top side defined by a first arc length and a vertical side defined by a second arc length, wherein the first arc length is greater than the second arc length; and a covering adapted to fit substantially around the lip.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is substantially cylindrical.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein the open end of the container is substantially circular.

4. The container of claim 3, wherein the diameter of the container is equal to the diameter of the open end.

5. The container of claim 3, wherein the top side of the lip is substantially flat.

6. The container of claim 4, bottom side of the lip is substantially rounded.

7. The container of claim 6, wherein the container is made from a material selected from the group consisting of: glass, plastic, and metal.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the beverage is selected from the group consisting of a fruit juice, a pomegranate juice product, tea, and iced tea.

9. The container of claim 8, wherein the container is reusable at home as a drinking glass after the beverage is consumed.

10. A vessel comprising: a base; walls coupled to the base and defining an open top end, wherein the walls and the base define an interior space that contains a liquid; a rounded protrusion formed along the open top end of the walls and substantially outside of the interior space of the container, the protrusion comprising horizontal and vertical surfaces having first and second curvature values, respectively, wherein the first curvature value is of lesser magnitude than the second curvature value; and a lid adapted to at least partially mate with the rounded protrusion and to seal the open top end.

11. The vessel of claim 10, wherein the vessel is used for displaying and advertising a beverage.

12. The vessel of claim 11, wherein the walls contain printed advertisement.

13. The vessel of claim 11 further comprising instructions that the vessel may be reused as a drinking glass after the beverage is consumed.

14. The vessel of claim 13, wherein the instructions are printed on a suitable substrate and removably attached to the vessel.

15. A system for displaying and advertising a beverage in a reusable container, the system comprising: an enclosure having an open top end and containing a beverage; a lip portion formed along the periphery of the open top end of the enclosure, the lip portion comprising a maximum height and a maximum width, wherein the maximum height of the lip portion is less than the maximum width of the lip portion; a lid adapted to at least partially engage the lip portion and substantially cover the open top end; and instructions that the container is reusable as a drinking glass.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the enclosure is shaped as a cylinder.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the lip portion is an asymmetrically rounded protrusion.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the lid provides a seal to prevent the beverage from leaking out of the container.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the instructions are printed on any one or more from the group selected from the enclosure and the lid.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions are printed on a substrate that is removably affixed to the reusable container.

21. A pomegranate juice product comprising: a container having a lip; a cap for the container; and a beverage containing pomegranate juice.

22. The pomegranate juice product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for reusing the container as a drinking glass at home.

23. A method for advertising and for providing a point-of-sale display for a beverage, the method comprising: providing a container having an open end and a lip disposed around the open end; adding a beverage to the container; providing a covering that encloses the open end of the container by forming a seal with the lip; displaying the container at the point-of-sale; and providing instructions that the container is reusable after the beverage is consumed.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing graphic art on the container.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the graphic art is an advertisement for the beverage.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the beverage is any one or more selected from the group consisting of fruit juice, pomegranate juice, tea, and iced tea.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the covering is a snap-on lid that mates and creates a leak-proof seal with the lip of the container.

28. A method for displaying a beverage comprising the following steps: providing a container having the attributes of a jar and a glass; adding a liquid to the container; adding a cap to the container; displaying the container in a point-of-sale location for purchase by consumers; and providing instructions to consumers that the container can be taken home and reused as a glass.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the container displays printed advertisement.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the container comprises an open end and a lip disposed around the open end, the lip having top and vertical sides each having a first and second arc length, wherein the first arc length is greater than the second arc length.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the container comprises an open top end and a lip portion formed along the periphery of the open top end, the lip portion comprising a maximum height and a maximum width, wherein the maximum height of the lip portion is less than the maximum width of the lip portion;

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the container comprises an open top end and a rounded protrusion formed along the open top end, the protrusion comprising horizontal and vertical surfaces having first and second curvature values, respectively, wherein the first curvature value is of lesser magnitude than the second curvature value.

33. A method for marketing beverages, the method comprising the following steps: providing a vessel having an outer surface and a lip that is acceptable for drinking; adding a company logo to the outer surface of the vessel; adding a beverage to the vessel; enclosing the vessel with a cap; and displaying the vessel in retail stores with instructions that the vessel may be reused as a drinking glass after the beverage is consumed.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the lip has top and vertical sides each having a first and second arc length, wherein the first arc length is greater than the second arc length.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the lip is formed along the outer surface, the lip portion comprising a maximum height and a maximum width, wherein the maximum height of the lip portion is less than the maximum width of the lip portion.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the lip is a rounded protrusion formed along the outer surface, the protrusion comprising horizontal and vertical surfaces having first and second curvature values, respectively, wherein the first curvature value is of lesser magnitude than the second curvature value.

37. A reusable beverage container as shown in FIGS. 1-3.