Beverage Container and Shaker Combination

Abstract

A beverage product has a beverage container having an upper rim with an outside diameter, a quantity of a beverage in the container, a substantially circular peel-off sealing element adhered by adhesive to the upper rim of the container, retaining the beverage in the container, and a shaker lid having a matrix of openings in a top for dispensing salt, pepper or other material, and an internal compartment of a first height and diameter, the internal compartment holding a sealed packet containing dry ingredients, the shaker lid, holding the sealed packet, being assembled over the upper rim of the container. A user purchasing the product removes the shaker lid exposing the internal compartment, removes the sealed packet, peels off the substantially circular peel-off sealing element, tears open the sealed packet, and consumes the beverage using also the dry ingredients.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the technical field of containers for beverages and pertains in one embodiment more particularly to a tall shot glass with an alcoholic beverage, and a top to convert to a salt or pepper shaker.

2. Description of Related Art

Shot glasses are well-known in the art. Shot glasses that may be filled with an alcoholic beverage and sealed such that the filled and sealed glass may be marketed as a separate product are less well-known. A shot glass that is filled and sealed, and combined with a removable lid that is adapted as a dispenser for salt or pepper, or both, or for another dispensable material, is not known by the inventor to be known in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment of the invention a beverage product is provided, comprising a beverage container having an upper rim with an outside diameter, a quantity of a beverage in the container, a substantially circular peel-off sealing element adhered by adhesive to the upper rim of the container, retaining the beverage in the container, and a shaker lid having a matrix of openings in a top for dispensing salt, pepper or other material, and an internal compartment of a first height and diameter, the internal compartment holding a sealed packet containing dry ingredients, the shaker lid, holding the sealed packet, being assembled over the upper rim of the container. A user purchasing the product removes the shaker lid exposing the internal compartment, removes the sealed packet, peels off the substantially circular peel-off sealing element, tears open the sealed packet, and consumes the beverage using also the dry ingredients.

In one embodiment the shaker lid has a top that is either domed or flat. Also, in one embodiment the container is a tall transparent shot glass and the beverage is tequila. In one embodiment the container is a single-serve container mad of black ceramic, and the beverage is mezcal. And in one embodiment, after the beverage is consumed, the user places salt, pepper or other material in the emptied container and reattaches the shaker lid, rendering the combination as a salt or pepper shaker.

In one embodiment the container has a horizontal outward protuberance at the upper rim, the shaker lid has a descending skirt having an opening at the bottom smaller in diameter than the outside diameter of the upper rim of the container, a groove on the inside wall adapted to capture the protuberance of the upper rim of the container, and an internal shoulder engaging the upper rim of the container, forming the internal compartment, and wherein pressing the shaker lid downward onto the container snaps the shaker lid into place by the groove. In one embodiment the descending skirt is separated into a plurality of individual tabs. In one embodiment the product further comprises a peelable foil seal joined by an adhesive to the top of the lid, covering the perforations, wherein the foil seal is grasped by an edge and peeled from the top. In one embodiment the product further comprises a plastic cap adapted to snap over the shaker lid, covering the perforations such that the internal volume is protected from dust and debris. And in one embodiment the plastic cap is pivoted by a hinge to the shaker lid on one side, and engages a snap clasp on the other side of the shaker lid, such that the plastic cap is opened and closed around the hinge.

In another aspect of the invention a method for producing a beverage product is provided, comprising filling a container having an upper rim with an outside diameter with a quantity of a beverage, sealing the beverage in the container by application of a substantially circular peel-off sealing element with an adhesive, to an upper rim of the shot glass, and joining a shaker lid having a matrix of openings for dispensing salt, pepper or other material to the container holding the beverage, the shaker lid further having an internal compartment of a first height and diameter, the internal compartment holding a sealed packet containing dry ingredients.

In one embodiment the method further a user removing the shaker lid, removing the seal from the container, exposing the beverage, removing the sealed packet from the internal compartment, tearing open the sealed packet, and consuming the beverage along with the dry ingredients. Also in one embodiment the method further comprises, after the beverage is consumed, the user placing salt, pepper or other material in the emptied container and reattaching the shaker lid, rendering the combination as a salt or pepper shaker. In one embodiment the method further comprises joining a peelable foil seal by an adhesive to the top of the lid, covering the perforations such that the internal volume is protected from dust and debris. And in one embodiment the method further comprises placing a plastic cap adapted to snap over the shaker lid over the shaker lid, covering the perforations such that the internal volume is protected from dust and debris. In one embodiment the method comprises pivoting the plastic cap around a hinge on one side of the shaker lid and engaging a snap clasp on the other side of the shaker lid. In another aspect of the invention a beverage product is provided, comprising a single-serve black ceramic container having an upper rim with an outside diameter, a quantity of a mezcal in the container, a substantially circular peel-off sealing element adhered by adhesive to the upper rim of the container, retaining the mezcal in the container, and a shaker lid having a matrix of openings in a top for dispensing salt, pepper or other material, the shaker lid assembled over the top of the sealed black ceramic container. In one embodiment the top is either domed or flat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tall shot glass associated with tequila.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shot glass of FIG. 1 filled with a beverage and having a top seal.

FIG. 3 is a section view of the shot glass of FIG. 1, with some approximate dimensions.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a shot glass like that of FIGS. 1-3, with a salt-shaker lid in place in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a side view of the salt-shaker lid of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5B is a section view of the salt-shaker lid of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6A illustrates a salt-shaker lid integrated with a peel-off seal for a shot glass.

FIG. 6B is a section view of the lid of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a section view of a lid with a sealing element integrated with the lid and applied by applying the lid.

FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of the lid of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A is an elevation view of a lid for a shot glass in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8B is a section view of the lid of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a foil packet shown in side view in FIG. 8B.

FIG. 10A illustrates a lid having a foil seal added over the perforated convex dome of the lid.

FIG. 10B illustrate a lid with a plastic cap formed as an extra cover to snap over the lid.

FIG. 10C illustrates a plastic cap having a hinge on one side of the lid and having a snap clasp on the other side.

FIG. 10D illustrates the hinged cap open.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tall shot glass 100 associated with tequila. Glasses of this sort in the art are known to conform at least approximately to standard dimensions, and typically have a relatively thick base 103 which may help stabilize the shot glass in use. These glasses in the art are also quite often annotated as shown in area 102 with names and artwork. Some are etched on the outside surface. The different sorts of indicia and surface treatments are quite extensive.

FIG. 2 illustrates shot glass 101 of FIG. 1 filled and sealed in an embodiment of the invention. Dotted line 203 is to represent the top surface of a beverage, such as tequila, in the glass. A peel-off seal 201 is sealed to the rounded top rim of glass 101 in this example. The sealant is an adhesive known to be safe for sealing beverage containers, and in this case to be resistant to ethyl alcohol in a beverage in the glass. The material of the seal may be paper, metallic foil or any of several kinds of plastic as are known in the art.

Peel-off seal 201 in this example has a tab 202 that a user may grasp to peel seal 201 from the upper lip of glass 101. This tab may be of about any convenient size, and there may in some circumstances be more than one such tab.

FIG. 3 is a section view of shot glass 101 of FIG. 1, with some approximate dimensions. In this example the height of the glass is 105 mm, and the outside diameter of the upper rim is 42 mm. View 301 is a magnified view of the upper rim on one side, showing that there is a rounded lip with a smaller diameter just under the lip. In this example the smaller diameter is 41.5 mm., which determines that the lip extends on one side by 0.25 mm, which in English measurement is about ten one-thousands of an inch. This quite a small dimension and is exaggerated in FIG. 3 to emphasize the fact of the shape of the lip. In one embodiment of the present invention this rounded lip is exploited for a purpose of the invention.

It is to be understood that not every shot glass of the sort depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 have dimensions that are exactly the same. The inventor, having measured several such glasses with an electronic digital caliper has discovered that there are dimensional differences among glasses made by different manufacturers, and even among different groups of glasses made by a same manufacturer. Be that as it may, they all have the slight outward protuberance of the upper lip.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a shot glass like that of FIGS. 1-3, with a salt-shaker lid 401 in place in an embodiment of the present invention. Lid 401 in this example has a somewhat convex domed top 402, and has a pattern of openings 403 that are sized for dispensing salt in one instance and pepper in another instance. In other embodiment top 402 may be flat, and even slightly concave. Lid 401 is especially adapted to fit onto the upper rim of shot glass 101 by individual flexible clips 404 in this example. Clips 404 may in some embodiments be implemented by cutting upward through the descending rim of the lid as shown at 405.

FIG. 5A is a side elevation view of lid 401 illustrating for example that convex domed top 402 extends above the rim of the lid. In other embodiment the top may be, as described above, flat. FIG. 5B is a section view of lid 401taken along a vertical plane through the center of the lid. The section view shows the outermost tabs 404 in this view in section, illustrating a chamfered lead-in 407 that serves to flex the tabs outward as a user presses down on a lid to assemble the lid to a shot glass, and a circumferential shallow groove 406 molded on the inside of the lid. The outwardly extending lip of the shot glass, measured to be about .010 inch, is captured in this groove as a lid is pressed into place on the shot glass, securing the shaker lid in place. Again, top 402 is shown domed in this example, but may be flat.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a lid in an alternative embodiment in which there are no separate tabs and no cuts in the lid to implement such tabs. Lid 601 still has a chamfered lead-in 607 and an inside circumferential groove 606 to capture the lip of the upper rim of the shot glass. In the section view FIG. 6B the depth of the circumferential groove is exaggerated, and this groove need not in some implementations be more than about .005 inches deep. At that depth the groove would not actually show on the scale of FIG. 6B. Further, in FIG. 6A and B the top of the lid is domed, bat as previously described may be flat.

Referring back again to FIG. 4, it will be understood that with a lid like that of FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, there will be no cut lines in the lid. In one embodiment of the invention a process of the invention proceeds as follows. Firstly, shot glasses are cleaned, then filled with a beverage. In one embodiment the alcoholic beverage is a high-quality tequila. Once filled, the filled glasses are sealed with a peel-off seal by adhesive as is known in the art, typically leaving a tag shown as tag 202 in FIG. 2. After filling and sealing, a shaker cap of the sort depicted in FIGS. 4, 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B and described with reference to these figures is pressed onto the glass and captured by the protruding lip of the glass. The filled glasses with lids may be packaged for distribution and sale. A user may remove the shaker lid, remove the seal 201 by tab 202, and consume the beverage. Then the glass may be cleaned, filled with salt or pepper, or even another material that a user may want to dispense, the lid replaced, and the glass becomes, with the lid, a shaker dispenser.

FIG. 7A illustrates another lid 701 in yet another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of a portion of the lid of FIG. 7A. In this embodiment the lid is the same as shown and described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. A seal 703 like peel-off seal 201 of FIG. 2, without tab 202, is prepared and inserted into the underside of lid 701 as shown in FIG. 7B. Prior to insertion an adhesive is applied either to a top side of seal 703 or to surface 704 on the underside of lid 701, or both. Seal 703 has adhesive on the underside where the seal will meet the upper lip of the shot glass. Seal 703 is inserted into the underside of the lid and seals to the lid. Then the lid is assembled to the shot glass with the seal in place on the lid, and the seal in the lid seals the shot glass to retain the alcoholic beverage.

The adhesive applied to the upper side of the seal to adhere to the underside of the lid, or to the underside of the lid to capture the seal in the lid, is a stronger adhesive than the adhesive of the seal that adheres to the upper rim of the shot glass. Therefore, when the lid is removed by a user who has purchased a shot glass with the lid, the seal stays with the lid, and is pulled from the upper rim of the shot glass. The seal may later be removed from the inside of the lid, so the lid may be reapplied to render the shot glass, with the lid, as a shaker dispenser.

In another aspect of the invention a beverage product is provided as a sealed shot glass containing a beverage, having a shaker lid perforated for dispensing such as salt or pepper, such that after the seal is removed and the beverage is consumed, the glass with the shaker lid may be used as a shaker dispenser. In one embodiment there is further a shaker lid that is implemented in a way that a compartment is formed above the seal over the shot glass and under the upper surface of the shaker lid, and a packet holding typically dry ingredients is carried in the compartment. In this embodiment a user may remove the shaker lid, remove and open the packet, remove the seal over the shot glass, and use the dry ingredients in the process of consuming the beverage.

In one embodiment the beverage may be tequila and the packet may contain salt, a dried citrus juice, such as perhaps lime, or a mixture of both. In other embodiments the beverage may be just about any beverage for which ingredients might be added by a user, and the packet may contain any ingredients that are suitable for consuming with the beverage. One example may be coffee and the dry ingredients may be coffee lightener or sugar or artificial sweetener or a mixture. In another embodiment the beverage may be coffee, and the packet may contain an additional charge of caffeine to be used at the user's discretion. Again, the top is shown as a convex dome, but may be flat.

FIG. 8A is a side elevation view of a lid 801 with a perforated top 802 that may domed as shown or flat. Lid 801 has slots 805 implemented upward in the descending rim 804 similar to the construction of lid 401 in FIGS. 4 and 5A and 5B. Lid 801 is seen to be of a greater vertical height than lid 401. This additional height is due to internal construction that implements a compartment in the interior of the lid.

FIG. 8B is a section view of lid 801 taken along a vertical plane through the center of the lid. Section view 8B shows the outermost tabs 804, showing a chamfered lead-in 807 that serves to flex the tabs outward as a user presses down on a lid to assemble the lid to a shot glass, and a circumferential shallow groove 806 molded on the inside of the lid. The outwardly extending lip of the shot glass, measured to be about 0.010 inch, is captured in this groove as a lid is pressed into place on the shot glass, securing the shaker lid in place.

Lid 801 has an internal shoulder 807 that engages the top rim of the shot glass when the lid is applied. An internal volume 809 is formed inside the lid, above the position of the seal of the shot glass, of a height “d”. In different embodiment height “d” may be from about one-eighth inch to as much as one-half inch. Compartment 809 is intended to enclose a foil packet of dry ingredients, as described above.

In the embodiments of the invention incorporating lid 801, the sealed container is the same as that shown in FIG. 2, containing a beverage. Products may be prepared using either lid 401 or 801 in different circumstances.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a foil packet 810 shown in side view in FIG. 8B. Packet 810 is made of aluminum foil in one embodiment, which may be coated with plastic or another film. Two rectangular pieces of film are sealed along outside edges 811 in this example. The packet in other embodiments may be round or of other shapes as well. The rectangular pieces are shaped before joining in this example to provide an internal volume as shown by curvature 812 of the outside walls. In one example three edges are sealed, then dry ingredients are placed in the internal volume, and the final edge is sealed. In some embodiment pictures, text and other indicia may be added to the outside of the packet.

In a process of preparing a product a container may be filled with a beverage, and the upper seal may be added (see FIG. 2). A packet 810 holding dry ingredients may be placed on the top over the seal, and then lid 801 may be pressed into place. A user who purchases the product may remove lid 801 and set aside packet 810. The user may then peel the seal from the container, then tear open the packet 810 and add the dry ingredients to the beverage, then consume the beverage along with the added ingredients. In one example the product may have the shot glass filled with tequila, and the packet may hold salt and a dried citrus powder (a little salt and lime).

A number of other combinations are possible. For example, the beverage may be coffee and the dry ingredients may be sugar or an artificial sweetener, or a combination of both. As another example the beverage may be coffee and the packet may have a material rich in caffeine, enabling the user to adjust the amount of caffeine in the coffee. There are a large range of possibilities.

FIG. 10A illustrates a lid 801 having a foil seal 813 added over the perforated top of the lid. A purpose is to prevent dust or other debris from entering the lid through the perforations, between manufacture and use. The foil seal 813 has an extension 814 to one side that provides a fingerhold for a user to remove the seal from the top of the lid. FIG. 10B illustrate a lid 801 with a plastic cap 815 formed as an extra cover to snap over the lid. Accomplishing the same purpose as seal 813.

FIG. 10C illustrates a plastic cap 816 having a hinge 817 on one side of lid 801 and having a snap clasp 818 on the other side, such that cap 816 may be opened to expose the perforations in the lid to enable dispensing salt or pepper. The hinged lid is closed in FIG. 10C. FIG. 10D illustrates hinged lid 816 open.

The inventor has made it clear in this disclosure that beverages, containers and additional ingredients may be widely varied. The skilled person is aware, for example, that tequila is made from the agave plant, native to hotter regions of the Americas. Another beverage made from agave is called mezcal, which differs from tequila by the way that is made. Tequila is typically produced by steaming the agave inside industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots. Mezcal, on the other hand, is cooked inside earthen pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in day pots.

Every tequila is considered a mezcal but not every mezcal is tequila. Mezcal is mainly produced in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. Oaxaca is known for its mezcal, its black ceramic used for single serve and other containers, and its food. Recently Casamigos™ and other tequila brands have branched out to include mezcals At the time of filing this patent application mezcal is gaining popularity. Therefore, in another embodiment of the invention a product is provided wherein the container is not glass but ceramic, and in one embodiment black ceramic. In this embodiment the beverage is mezcal processed as described above. In the product with mezcal there is still a shaker lid added to the sealed container of beverage, enabling the container to be reused as a shaker dispenser.

The embodiments described here are exemplary only, and not limiting to the scope of the invention. Embodiment of the invention may be implemented using any of the examples described, or any combination of the examples described. Further, it is to be understood that a wide variety of beverages may be used, and a wide variety of beverage containers as well. The invention is not limited to shot glasses or to glass containers but may be implemented with containers of other shapes and sizes.

The scope of the invention is limited only by the breadth of the claims.

Claims

1. A beverage product, comprising: a beverage container symmetrical about around a central vertical axis and having an upper rim with an inside diameter and an outside diameter;a rounded lip extending outward around an entire circumference of the upper rim;a quantity of a beverage in the container;a substantially circular peel-off sealing element adhered by adhesive to the upper rim of the container, retaining the beverage in the container;a circular shaker lid of a single contiguous material having an overall height from a lowermost point to an uppermost point, an outside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the upper rim of the beverage container, an internal shoulder with an outside diameter less than the outside diameter of the upper rim and an inside diameter equal to or less than the inside diameter of the upper rim, the internal shoulder is at a height from the lowermost point less than the overall height of the shaker lid, a descending skirt around the circumference of the shaker lid, the descending skirt having an inside diameter less than the outside diameter of the upper rim and greater than the inside diameter of the upper rim, the descending skirt separated by a plurality of vertical slots into a plurality of individual flexible tabs of a same height equally spaced around a circumference of the descending skirt, each individual flexible tab chamfered from a lowermost edge of the flexible tab at the outside diameter of the shaker lid upward to the inside diameter of the descending skirt in a distance less than the height of the flexible tab, an internal circumferential groove extending outward from the inside diameter of the descending skirt at the height of the internal shoulder, the internal groove of a height and depth to enclose the rounded lip of the upper rim of the beverage container, a cylindrical vertical bore of a diameter equal to or less than the inner diameter of the beverage container, the cylindrical vertical bore extending upward from the height of the internal shoulder for a distance of from one eighth inch to one half inch, the cylindrical vertical bore forming a cylindrical volume above the height of the internal shoulder up to an underside of a top of the shaker lid, the top having a matrix of openings for dispensing salt or pepper; anda sealed packet containing material to be mixed with the beverage, the sealed packet of overall dimensions to fit within the cylindrical volume of the cylindrical vertical bore in the shaker lid;wherein the sealed packet is placed on the circular peel off element sealing the upper rim of the beverage container and the shaker lid is placed over the upper rim and urged downward, the chamfered lead in of the flexible tabs serving to flex to tabs outward until the internal groove captures the rounded lip extending outward from the upper rim of the beverage container and the internal shoulder meets the upper rim of the beverage container, retaining the shaker lid on the beverage container and capturing the sealed packet in the cylindrical volume of the vertical bore of the shaker lid.

2. The beverage product of claim 1 wherein the rounded lip extending outward around an entire circumference of the upper rim of the shaker lid has a radius of 0.25 mm.

3. The beverage product of claim 1 wherein the beverage container is a transparent shot glass and the beverage is tequila.

4. The beverage product of claim 1 wherein the beverage container is a single-serve container made of black ceramic, and the beverage is mezcal.

5-7. (canceled)

8. The beverage product of claim 1 further comprising a peelable foil seal joined by an adhesive to the top of the shaker lid, covering the matrix of openings.

9. The beverage product of claim 1 further comprising a plastic cap adapted to snap over the top of the shaker lid, covering the matrix of openings such that the internal volume is protected from dust and debris.

10. The beverage product of claim 9 wherein the plastic cap is pivoted by a hinge to the shaker lid on one side, and engages a snap clasp on the other side of the shaker lid, such that the plastic cap is opened and closed around the hinge.

11-18. (canceled)