U.S. patent application number 14/960318 was filed with the patent office on 2017-06-08 for disposable beverage container having a consumable retained by edible food packaging.
The applicant listed for this patent is Victoria Brown. Invention is credited to Victoria Brown.
Application Number | 20170158424 14/960318 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58799679 |
Filed Date | 2017-06-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170158424 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brown; Victoria |
June 8, 2017 |
Disposable Beverage Container Having A Consumable Retained By
Edible Food Packaging
Abstract
A disposable container having an opening configured to receive a
liquid and having a consumable retained by an edible food package,
the edible food package is connected to an inner wall of the
disposable container. The edible food package is configured to
dissolve when in contact with a liquid, thereby, releasing the
consumable into the disposable cup forming a mixture. The
disposable container has a lid with a rotatable barrier member. The
rotatable barrier member substantially covers the opening of the
disposable container when the lid is connected to the disposable
container. The lid is oriented in an open configuration when the
barrier member is rotated to align the opening of the barrier
member with the opening of the lid, whereby, the mixture is capable
of being released from the disposable container
Inventors: |
Brown; Victoria; (Tampa,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Brown; Victoria |
Tampa |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58799679 |
Appl. No.: |
14/960318 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 47/265 20130101;
B65D 85/816 20130101; B65D 81/32 20130101; B65D 43/0225 20130101;
B65D 47/00 20130101; B65D 81/3238 20130101; B65D 51/2878
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/816 20060101
B65D085/816; B65D 43/02 20060101 B65D043/02; B65D 47/00 20060101
B65D047/00; B65D 51/28 20060101 B65D051/28; B65D 81/32 20060101
B65D081/32 |
Claims
1. A disposable container, comprising: said disposable container
having at least one opening configured to receive a liquid; and, at
least one consumable retained by at least one edible food package,
said at least one edible food package is connected to an inner wall
of said disposable container.
2. The disposable container of claim 1, further comprising said at
least one edible food package is configured to dissolve in a
liquid, whereby, releasing said at least one consumable into said
disposable container forming a mixture.
3. The disposable container of claim 1, further comprising said
disposable container is connected to a lid, said lid having at
least one opening, said lid having a sealing member.
4. The disposable container of claim 3, further comprising said lid
having a removable funnel member connected to said at least one
opening of said lid.
5. The disposable container of claim 3, further comprising said lid
having a rotatable barrier member, said rotatable barrier member
substantially covering said at least one opening of said disposable
container when said lid is connected to said disposable container,
said rotatable barrier member having at least one opening, said lid
is oriented in a closed orientation when said at least one opening
of said rotatable barrier member is not in alignment with said at
least one opening of said lid, said lid is oriented in an open
configuration when said rotatable barrier member is rotated to
align at least one opening of said rotatable barrier member with
said at least one opening of said lid.
6. The disposable container of claim 1, further comprising said
disposable container connected to a barrier member, said barrier
member substantially covering said at least one opening of said
disposable container, said barrier member having at least one
opening.
7. The disposable container of claim 6, further comprising said
disposable container connected to a rotatable lid, said rotatable
lid having at least one opening, said rotatable lid having a
sealing member, said rotatable lid overlaying said barrier member
when said rotatable lid is connected to said disposable container,
said rotatable lid is oriented in a closed orientation when said at
least one opening of said barrier member is not in alignment with
said at least one opening of said rotatable lid, said rotatable lid
is oriented in an open configuration when said at least one opening
of said rotatable lid is aligned with said at least one opening of
said barrier member.
8. The disposable container of claim 1, further comprising said
inner wall of said disposable container having at least one recess,
said at least one recess retains a portion of said at least one
consumable, whereby, a layer of edible food packaging covers said
at least one recess of said disposable container.
9. The disposable container of claim 8, further comprising said
inner wall of said disposable container having a second recess,
said second recess retaining a second consumable, a layer of a
fluid impermeable material covers said second recess, said second
recess is collapsible, whereby, a portion of an outer wall surface
of said disposable container located opposite said second recess is
configured to be depressed by a user, thereby, forcing said second
consumable to break through said layer of fluid impermeable
material and to be released into said disposable container.
10. A disposable container, comprising: said disposable container
having at least one opening configured to receive a liquid; at
least one consumable retained by at least one package, said at
least one package is connected to an inner wall of said disposable
container; and, a lid connected to said disposable container, said
lid comprising at least one opening, a sealing member, a rotatable
barrier member, said rotatable barrier member substantially
covering said at least one opening of said disposable container
when said lid is connected to said disposable container, said
rotatable barrier member having at least one opening, said lid is
oriented in a closed orientation when said at least one opening of
said rotatable barrier member is not in alignment with said at
least one opening of said lid, said lid is oriented in an open
configuration when said rotatable barrier member is rotated to
align at least one opening of said rotatable barrier member with
said at least one opening of said lid.
11. The disposable container of claim 10, further comprising said
lid having a removable funnel member connected to said at least one
opening of said lid.
12. The disposable beverage container of claim 10, further
comprising said at least one consumable is configured to dissolve
in said liquid, thereby, releasing said at least one consumable
into said disposable container forming a mixture.
13. The disposable beverage container of claim 10, further
comprising said inner wall of said disposable container having at
least one recess, said at least one recess retains a portion of
said at least one consumable, whereby, a layer of fluid permeable
material covers said at least one recess of said disposable
container.
14. The disposable container of claim 13, further comprising said
inner wall of said disposable container having a second recess,
said second recess retaining a second consumable, a layer of a
fluid impermeable material covers said second recess, said second
recess is collapsible, whereby, a portion of an outer wall surface
located opposite said second recess of said disposable container is
configured to be depressed by a user, thereby, forcing said second
consumable to break through said layer of fluid impermeable
material and to be released into said disposable container.
15. A disposable container, comprising: said disposable container
having at least one opening configured to receive a liquid; an
inner wall of said disposable container having at least one recess,
said at least one recess retains a portion of said at least one
consumable, whereby, a layer of fluid permeable material covers
said at least one recess of said disposable container, said inner
wall of said disposable container having a second recess, said
second recess retaining a second consumable, a layer of a fluid
impermeable material covers said second recess, said second recess
is collapsible, whereby, a portion of an outer wall surface located
opposite said second recess of said disposable container is
configured to be depressed by a user, thereby, forcing said second
consumable to break through said layer of fluid impermeable
material and to be released into said disposable container; a
barrier member, said barrier member substantially covering said at
least one opening of said disposable container, said barrier member
having at least one opening; and, a rotatable lid connected to said
disposable container, said rotatable lid having at least one
opening, said rotatable lid having a sealing member, said rotatable
lid overlaying said barrier member when said rotatable lid is
connected to said disposable container, said rotatable lid is
oriented in a closed orientation when said at least one opening of
said barrier member is not in alignment with said at least one
opening of said rotatable lid, said rotatable lid is oriented in an
open configuration when said at least one opening of said rotatable
lid is aligned with said at least one opening of said barrier
member.
16. The disposable beverage container of claim 15, further
comprising said at least one consumable is configured to dissolve
in said liquid, thereby, releasing said at least one consumable
into said disposable container forming a mixture.
17. The disposable container of claim 15, further comprising said
rotatable lid having a removable funnel member connected to said at
least one opening of said lid.
18. The disposable container of claim 17, further comprising said
removable funnel member having a temperature reactive color
changing material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates, generally, to a disposable beverage
container. More particularly, it relates to an individual portion
of a consumable retained by edible food packaging connected to an
inner wall of the disposable beverage container.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Currently, beverages such as coffee or tea are brewed fresh.
For example, a user has to measure out the coffee beans, grind the
coffee beans, place the coffee beans in a coffee maker, wait for
the coffee to be brewed, add cream or sugar, and then a user has to
clean the coffee maker, coffee pot, and coffee mug when finished.
This process of brewing a fresh cup of coffee can be time consuming
for busy individuals, often generates extra coffee which can be
wasteful, and requires bulky brewing equipment that needs to be
cleaned after use. It is more desirable to have a disposable cup
prepackaged to retain the instant coffee granules or tea leaves and
cream or sweeteners with only the step of a user adding hot water
to the disposable cup to make a beverage.
[0005] Prior art commercially available prepackaged consumable
beverage mixes such as teas, hot cocoa, or instant coffee granules
may require a user to measure out a serving with a measuring
device, which can be time consuming. Many individual servings of
these powder beverages are retained by plastic or paper packaging
such as tea bags, sachets, or packets which generates waste
requiring disposal. Thus, there is a need for an individual serving
of a consumable to be retained within a disposable cup that
eliminates the need for additional waste generated from packaging
the consumable.
[0006] However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at
the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to
those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified
needs could be fulfilled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for a
disposable container having an opening configured to receive a
liquid and having a consumable retained by an edible food package,
the edible food package is connected to an inner wall of the
disposable container. The edible food package is configured to
dissolve when in contact with a liquid, thereby, releasing the
consumable into the disposable cup forming a mixture.
[0008] The disposable container has a lid with a rotatable barrier
member. The rotatable barrier member substantially covers the
opening of the disposable container when the lid is connected to
the disposable container. When the barrier member is rotated to
position the opening of the barrier member in alignment with the
opening of the lid, the lid is oriented in an open configuration,
whereby, the mixture is capable of being released from the
disposable container which also includes improvements that overcome
the limitations of prior art drinking cup systems is now met by a
new, useful, and non-obvious invention.
[0009] The novel disposable container has at least one opening
configured to receive a liquid. It is within the scope of this
invention for a liquid to include, but not be limited to, water,
hot water, or a medicine. At least one consumable is retained by at
least one edible food package. The edible food package is connected
to an inner wall of the disposable container. It is within the
scope of this invention for a disposable container to include, but
not be limited to, a cup, a bowl, a can, or a bottle. A consumable
includes, but is not limited to, a medicine, tea leaves, a tea
drink, a beverage mix, instant coffee granules, soluble coffee, a
sweetener such as sugar or honey, an artificial sweetener, cream,
powdered milk, powdered creamer, natural flavoring, or artificial
flavoring. For example, an individual serving of soluble coffee,
cream, and sugar can be retained by a single edible food package or
each consumable can be individually retained by a different edible
food package. The edible food package is connected to an inner wall
of the novel disposable container.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the edible food package is
configured to dissolve in a liquid such as hot water. It is within
the scope of this invention for the edible food packaging to be
made of a thin, edible film. For example, when hot water is poured
into the novel disposable cup the edible food package dissolves and
disappears, thereby, releasing the at least one consumable into the
novel disposable container to form a mixture.
[0011] In an alternate embodiment, the novel disposable container
is connected to a lid.
[0012] The lid has at least one opening for a user to access the
contents of the novel disposable container. The lid can have a
sealing member configured to create a water tight seal between the
novel disposable container and the lid. In an alternate embodiment,
the lid can have a removable funnel member connected to at least
one opening of the lid. It is within the scope of this invention
for a funnel member to include, but not be limited to, a funnel or
a conical mouth. For instance, the lid opening can receive hot
water. The lid opening may be too narrow for the hot water to enter
through the opening without spillage occurring. It would be more
desirable for the lid opening be connected to a removable funnel,
whereby, a user can fill the disposable container with hot water
through the lid opening using the funnel member and then removing
or tearing away the funnel member after the disposable container
has been filled with hot water. The funnel member can have
perforations bordering the opening of the lid. The perforations
help a user to tear away the funnel member from the lid after
filling with water.
[0013] It is within the scope of this invention for the lid to have
a rotatable barrier member. The rotatable barrier member
substantially covers the at least one opening of the disposable
container when the lid is connected to the disposable container.
The rotatable barrier member has at least one opening. The lid is
oriented in a closed orientation when the at least one opening of
the rotatable barrier member is not in alignment with at least one
opening of the lid. The rotatable barrier member can have a tab
protruding from the rotatable barrier member configured for a user
to grasp the tab to rotate the rotatable barrier member. A closed
orientation is favorable when a user is shaking the contents of the
novel disposable container to retain the contents within the
disposable container and to prevent the contents from spilling out
of the disposable container when a user is shaking the mixture.
[0014] The barrier member can be rotated to align the opening of
the barrier member with the opening of the lid to form an open
orientation. An open orientation is favorable when a user is
drinking from the novel disposable container. The mixture is
capable of being released from the disposable container.
[0015] In another embodiment, the novel disposable container is
connected to a barrier member. The barrier member substantially
covers the at least one opening of the disposable container. The
barrier member has at least one opening. The disposable container
is connected a rotatable lid having at least one opening and a
sealing member. The rotatable lid overlays the barrier member when
the rotatable lid is connected to the disposable container. The
rotatable lid can be oriented in a closed orientation when at least
one opening of the barrier element is not in alignment with the at
least one opening of the rotatable lid. A closed orientation
prevents the consumable and water mixture from being released from
the novel disposable container when the novel disposable container
is being shaken by a user. It is desirable for a user to be able to
shake the soluble coffee, cream, and water together within the
novel disposable container to eliminate the need for using a
stirrer or a spoon.
[0016] The rotatable lid can be oriented in an open configuration
when at least one opening of the rotatable lid is aligned with at
least one opening of the barrier element. The mixture is capable of
being released from the disposable container. In an embodiment, the
lid is rotated to position the opening of the lid over the opening
of the barrier member to allow the consumable mixture to flow out
from the disposable container, through the barrier member opening,
and through the lid opening.
[0017] In another embodiment, the inner wall of the novel
disposable container can have at least one recess retaining a
portion of at least one consumable. A layer of edible food
packaging covers at least one recess of the novel disposable
container. For example, soluble coffee could be retained by a
primary recess, artificial sweetener could be retained by a
secondary recess, and cream could be retained by a tertiary recess.
The primary recess, secondary recess, and tertiary recess are all
covered by a layer of edible food packaging to prevent the soluble
coffee, artificial sweetener, and cream from spilling out of their
respective recess during transport or during storage. When in use,
a user adds hot water to the novel disposable container and the
edible food packaging is dissolves away leaving the contents of the
recesses to be released into the novel disposable container. When
the lid is sealed onto the novel disposable container, a user can
position the barrier member to cover the lid opening and can then
shake the novel disposable container to mix the consumables
together with the water.
[0018] In an alternate embodiment, the inner wall of the disposable
container has a second recess. The secondary recess retains a
second consumable. It is within the scope of this invention for a
second consumable to include, but not be limited to, a first
consumable, a medicine, tea leaves, a tea drink, a beverage mix,
instant coffee granules, soluble coffee, a sweetener such as sugar
or honey, an artificial sweetener, cream, powdered milk, powdered
creamer, natural flavoring, or artificial flavoring. A layer of a
fluid impermeable material covers the secondary recess.
[0019] The secondary recess is collapsible. A portion of an outer
wall surface of the disposable container located opposite the
secondary recess is configured to be depressed by a user, thereby,
forcing the second consumable to break through the layer of
impermeable material and to be released into the disposable
container. For example, if a user desires more sweetener in their
coffee, the user can depress a collapsible secondary recess with
their thumb to force the retained consumable out of the secondary
recess. The force of a user's thumb applied to the collapsible
recess creates a force which breaks the foil covering the secondary
recess. This releases the sweetener retained by the secondary
recess into the disposable container to make the beverage
sweeter.
[0020] In another embodiment, the novel disposable container can
have at least one opening configured to receive a liquid. At least
one consumable is retained by at least one package. The at least
one package is connected to an inner wall of the novel disposable
container. It is within the scope of this invention for a package
to include, but not be limited to, any fluid permeable material
such as a filter, a mesh, or a tea bag, any fluid impermeable
material such as foil or plastic, an edible food package, a
dissolvable material, or a non-dissolvable material.
[0021] A lid is connected to the disposable container. The lid has
at least one opening, a sealing member, and a rotatable barrier
member. The rotatable barrier member substantially covers at least
one opening of the disposable container when the lid is connected
to the disposable container. The rotatable barrier member has at
least one opening. The lid is oriented in a closed orientation when
at least one opening of the rotatable barrier member is not in
alignment with at least one opening of the lid. The lid is oriented
in an open configuration when the rotatable barrier member is
rotated to align at least one opening of the rotatable barrier
member with at least one opening of the lid. The mixture is capable
of being released from the novel disposable container. The inner
wall of the disposable container can have at least one recess
retaining a portion of at least one consumable, whereby, a layer of
fluid permeable material covers the at least one recess of the
disposable container.
[0022] In another embodiment, the novel disposable container has at
least one opening configured to receive a liquid. At least one
consumable is retained by at least one package. At least one
package is connected to an inner wall of the novel disposable
container. A barrier member having at least one opening
substantially covers at least one opening of the novel disposable
container. A rotatable lid is connected to the disposable
container. The rotatable lid has at least one opening and a sealing
member. The rotatable lid overlays the barrier member when the
rotatable lid is connected to the novel disposable container. The
rotatable lid is oriented in a closed orientation when at least one
opening of the barrier member is not in alignment with at least one
opening of the rotatable lid. The rotatable lid is oriented in an
open configuration when at least one opening of the rotatable lid
is aligned with at least one opening of the barrier member. The
inner wall of the disposable container can have at least one recess
retaining a portion of at least one consumable, whereby, a layer of
fluid permeable material covers the at least one recess of the
disposable container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the
invention, reference should be made to the following detailed
description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0024] FIG. 1 is an exploded cut-away view of the novel disposable
container having a lid overlaying an opening of the disposable
container and an edible food package retaining a consumable
connected to an inner wall of the disposable container, the lid has
a removable funnel member connected thereto;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a side cut-away view of an embodiment of the novel
disposable container having a lid overlaying an opening of the
disposable container and an edible food package connected to an
inner wall of the disposable container, whereby, the edible food
package is dissolved in a liquid and at least one consumable is
released into the disposable container forming a mixture, the lid
has a removable funnel member connected thereto;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective cut-away view of the novel
disposable container having a lid connected thereto and the
disposable container capable of retaining a liquid, whereby, an
edible food package is dissolved in a liquid and at least one
consumable is released into the disposable container forming a
mixture;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the lid having a
protrusion;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the lid and sealing
member of the lid;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the lid having a
removable cover;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a side cut-away view of the lid having a rotatable
barrier member and a tab, whereby, the lid is oriented in an open
configuration when the opening of the barrier member is aligned
with the opening of the lid;
[0031] FIG. 8 is a side cut-away view of the lid having a rotatable
barrier member and a tab, whereby, the lid is oriented in a closed
configuration when the opening of the barrier member is not aligned
with the opening of the lid;
[0032] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the lid, the sealing member,
the rotatable barrier member, and the disposable container;
[0033] FIG. 10 is an exploded side cut-away view of an alternate
embodiment of the rotatable lid having a sealing member overlaying
the novel disposable container, the disposable container is
connected to a barrier member, the disposable container has at
least one recess on an inner wall surface of the disposable
container having a layer of fluid permeable material covering the
at least one recess, the disposable container has a secondary
recess on an inner wall surface of the disposable container having
a layer of fluid impermeable material covering the secondary
recess; and,
[0034] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the novel disposable container having a portion of an outer wall
surface having text.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0035] In the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which
form a part hereof, and within which are shown by way of
illustration specific embodiments by which the invention may be
practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be
utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from
the scope of the invention.
[0036] It will now be seen, referring to FIGS. 1-3 disposable
container 1 has opening 2. Consumable 4A (FIG. 2) is retained
within edible food package 5. Edible food package 5 is connected to
inner wall surface 6 of disposable container 1. Lid 8 has
protrusion 24 extending from a surface of lid 8. At least a portion
of funnel member 21 is removably connected to an end of protrusion
24. User (FIG. 3) can tear-away at least a portion of funnel member
21 at perforations 22 (FIG. 1). Funnel member 21 has opening 23
configured to receive liquid 3 (FIG. 2). Protrusion 24 of lid 8 can
have perforations 22 to detach funnel member 21 from lid 8. FIG. 2
shows edible food package 5 dissolving in liquid 3 and consumable
4A being released from edible food package 5 into liquid 3 forming
mixture 7 (FIG. 3).
[0037] It is within the scope of this invention for funnel member
21 to be made of a thermochromatic material including, but not
limited to, any temperature reactive color changing material such
as ink, pigment, or plastic. It is more desirable for the funnel
member to change color when the funnel member is in contact with a
liquid to prevent overfilling of the disposable container. A user
can visually see the color change of the funnel member from a first
color to a second color to identify that a liquid has contacted the
funnel member and to signal to a user to stop adding liquid to the
novel disposable cup.
[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 4-9, lid 8 has protrusion 24, opening
10, and sealing member 9 (FIGS. 5, and 7-9). FIG. 6 illustrates lid
8 having cover 11. FIGS. 7-9 best illustrate rotatable barrier
member 12 having opening 13 and tab 14. FIG. 7 shows lid 8 having
open configuration 25 when opening 13 of barrier member 12 is in
alignment with opening 10 of lid 8. FIG. 8 shows lid 8 having
closed configuration 26 when opening 13 of barrier member 12 is not
in alignment with opening 10 of lid 8.
[0039] FIGS. 7-8 show disposable container 1 having at least one
consumable (not shown) being retained by at least one package 30.
At least one package 30 is connected to inner wall 6 of novel
disposable container 1. It is within the scope of this invention
for package 30 to include, but not be limited to, any fluid
permeable material such as a filter, a mesh, or a tea bag, any
fluid impermeable material such as foil or plastic, an edible food
package, a dissolvable material, or a non-dissolvable material.
[0040] As best illustrated in FIG. 10, novel disposable container 1
has barrier member 15. Barrier member 15 has opening 16. Rotatable
lid 17 has opening 27 and sealing member 29. When opening 27 of lid
17 is aligned with opening 16 of barrier member 15 rotatable lid 17
is oriented in an open configuration 28.
[0041] FIGS. 9-11 depict an alternate embodiment of disposable
container 1 having primary recess 18A retaining consumable 4A,
secondary recess 18B retaining consumable 4B, tertiary recess 18C
retaining consumable 4C, and quaternary recess 18D retaining
consumable 4D. At least one recess can be collapsible such as a
blister package. At least one recess has a layer of fluid permeable
material 19 covering the opening of the recess. At least one recess
has a layer of impermeable material 20 covering the opening of the
recess.
[0042] For example, FIG. 9 shows recess 18A can retain soluble
coffee 4A. Recess 18A is covered with 19A being a layer of fluid
permeable material or edible food packaging that is dissolvable in
a fluid. Recess 18B can retain sugar 4B. Recess 18B is covered with
19B being a layer of fluid permeable material or edible food
packaging that is dissolvable in a fluid. Recess 18C can retain
sugar 4C. Recess 18C is covered with 20A being a layer of fluid
impermeable material such as foil. Recess 18D can retain cream 4D.
Recess 18D is covered with 20B being a layer of fluid impermeable
material such as foil. When hot water is poured into novel
disposable container 1, the water will pass through the layers of
fluid permeable material 19A and 19B. The soluble coffee 4A and
sugar 4B will dissolve into the water and be released into
disposable container 1.
[0043] The extra sugar 4C and the cream 4D will not be released
into disposable container 1 because of the layer of foil 20A and
20B covering recesses 18C and 18D. If a user wants to add
additional sugar 4C to their beverage mixture, they will depress
outer wall surface 32C of recess 18C with their thumb or finger.
The force of a user's thumb will push the sugar 4C retained within
collapsible recess 18C through foil 20A and into disposable cup 1,
comparable to a blister package. When the user orients the lid into
a closed orientation the mixture can be shaken. When the lid is
oriented into an open configuration, the mixture can be enjoyed by
a user.
[0044] FIG. 9 illustrates recess 18A having outer wall surface 32A,
recess 18B having outer wall surface 32B, recess 18C having outer
wall surface 32C, and recess 18D having outer wall surface 32D. The
outer wall surfaces can be made of the same material as disposable
container 1 or can be made of a pliable material capable of being
collapsible by a user such as plastic. It is a preferred embodiment
for the recess to be retained within the disposable container wall.
However, it is within the scope of this invention for the recess to
protrude from the outer wall surface or the inner wall surface.
[0045] In another example, FIG. 10 illustrates how recess 18A can
retain soluble sugar 4A. Recess 18A has outer wall surface 32A and
the recess 18A opening is covered with 20A being a layer of fluid
impermeable material such as foil. Recess 18B can retain tea leaves
4B. Recess 18B has outer wall surface 32B and the recess 18B
opening is covered with 19A being a layer of fluid permeable
material such as tea bag material. Recess 18C can retain sugar 4C.
Recess 18C has outer wall surface 32C and the recess 18C opening is
covered with 20B being a layer of fluid impermeable material such
as foil. Recess 18D can retain honey 4D. Recess 18D has outer wall
surface 32D and the recess 18D opening is covered with 20C being a
layer of fluid impermeable material such as foil.
[0046] When hot water is poured into novel disposable container 1,
the water will pass through the layer of fluid permeable material
19A. The tea leaves 4B will be steeping in the hot water and tea
will be released into disposable container 1. User 31 depresses
collapsible recesses 18A and 18C to break the foil 20A and 20B
covering collapsible recesses 18A and 18C to release sugar and
extra sugar into the tea mixture. The honey 4D will not be used in
the mixture if user 31 does not depress collapsible recess 18D.
[0047] In another example, a primary recess can retain soluble dark
roast coffee. The primary recess is covered with a layer of fluid
impermeable material such as foil. A secondary recess can retain
soluble decaf coffee. The secondary recess is covered with a layer
of fluid impermeable material such as foil. A tertiary recess can
retain honey. The tertiary recess is covered with a layer of fluid
impermeable material such as foil. A tertiary recess can retain
cream. The tertiary recess is covered with a layer of fluid
permeable material or edible food packaging that is dissolvable in
a fluid. When hot water is poured into the novel disposable
container, the water will pass through the layer of fluid permeable
material releasing the cream into the disposable container. The
cream will dissolve into the water of the disposable container.
[0048] In another example, a user can choose between two different
types of coffee such as dark roast coffee or decaf coffee. A user
depresses the outer wall surface of the desired collapsible recess
retaining their selected coffee type. If the user desires honey,
the user can depress the outer wall surface of the collapsible
recess with their thumb or finger to break away the inner wall
surface layer of foil to release honey into the disposable
container.
[0049] FIG. 11 illustrates disposable container 1 having outer wall
surface 32A having text 33A labeled Coffee Dark Roast, outer wall
surface 32B having text 33B labeled Decaf, outer wall surface 32C
having text 33C labeled Honey, and outer wall surface 32D having
text 33D labeled Cream. The outer wall surface of disposable
container 1 can have text or an image that is visible to a user and
to label the contents of each recess. It is within the scope of
this invention for the outer wall surface to be free of any
identifying markings.
[0050] It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and
those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently
attained. Since certain changes may be made in the above
construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it
is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description
or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
[0051] It is also to be understood that the following claims are
intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the
invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the
invention that, as a matter of language, might be said to fall
there between.
[0052] Now that the invention has been described,
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