Patent Application
20110062223
The present invention relates generally to beverage containers. In particular, the present invention relates to an octagon-shaped beverage container.
Wine has traditionally been stored, transported, and sold in corked or screw-capped glass bottles. When a bottle is opened, the wine inside is exposed to air causing a chemical reaction known as oxidation. If the wine is not consumed quickly enough, oxidation can lead to undesirable changes in color, aroma and taste.
As an alternative to bottling, wine producers and distributors are increasingly storing, transporting and selling wine in collapsible bags disposed within boxes. A pour spout attached to the bottom of the bag is accessible through a hole in the box. As wine is poured from the pour spout, the bag collapses. Thus, the wine inside the bag is never exposed to the air and oxidation is prevented.
While “boxed wine” is more efficient and superior to bottled wine for this reason, some consumers have resisted wine containers other than glass bottles. This is due in part to tradition and in part to pervasive and often incorrect perceptions that “boxed wine” is of lesser quality.
According to one embodiment, a container includes at least eight side panels having generally the same dimensions. The at least eight side panels form an enclosure. One of the at least eight side panels includes a first access opening that is integrally formed therein. The first access opening permits access to the interior of the enclosure. The container further includes a top panel connected to one or more of the at least eight side panels. The top panel forms a second access opening for providing access to the interior of the enclosure. The container also includes a bottom panel connected to one or more of the at least eight side panels.
According to another embodiment, a container includes eight side panels having generally the same dimensions. One of the eight side panels includes a first access opening formed integrally therein. The first access opening permits access to the interior of the container. The container also includes an octagonal top panel connected to at least one of the eight side panels. The top panel forms a second access opening. The container further includes an octogonal bottom panel and a flexible bag. The flexible bag is disposed within an enclosure defined by the eight side panels.
According to one embodiment, a method of assembling a container includes providing a blank that has at least eight side panels of generally the same dimensions. One of the at least eight side panels includes a first access opening integrally formed therein for permitting access to an interior of the container. The blank further has an attachment side panel joined to one of the side panels, at least a first foldable bottom panel associated with one of the side panels by a first fold line, a second foldable bottom panel associated with one of the side panels by a second fold line, at least a first foldable top panel associated with one of the side panels by a third fold line, and a second foldable top panel associated with one of the side panels by a fourth fold line. The method further includes folding the blank such that the attachment side panel is generally adjacent to one of the side panels, attaching the attachment side panel to the adjacent side panel to form an enclosure, folding the first bottom panel inward at the first fold line, and folding the second bottom panel inward at the second fold line. At least one aperture is formed between the at least eight side panels, the first bottom panel, and the second bottom panel. The method still further includes inserting a flexible bag into the enclosure, folding the first top panel inward at the third fold line, and folding the second top panel inward at the fourth fold line so as to form an enclosed container having a flexible bag therein. The at least one aperture assists in venting air from the container during the insertion of the flexible bag.
The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present invention. Additional features and benefits of the present invention are apparent from the detailed description and figures set forth below.
Other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:
a is another perspective view of the container formed from the blank of
b is still another perspective view of the container formed from the blank of
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
It has been discovered that wine consumers generally find the octagon-shaped container 100 more appealing than conventional “boxed wine” containers, which are typically configured with a rectangular or square shape. The octagon-shaped container 100 is perceived as less “box-like” and more closely resembling a glass wine bottle shape, placating traditionalists and assisting in mitigating the aforementioned misconceptions associated with “boxed wine.” While the octagon-shaped container 100 has been found to achieve the aforementioned advantages, it is also contemplated that the container 100 can have more than eight sides to achieve a container that is perceived as a less “box-like” container and more closely resembles a glass wine bottle shape.
The blank 10 further includes a first minor top flap 46, a first major top flap 48, a second minor top flap 50, and a second major top flap 52 hingedly secured to the side panels 14, 18, 22, 26 by top fold lines 54, 56, 58, 60, respectively. Similarly, the blank 10 includes a first minor bottom flap 62, a first major bottom flap 64, a second minor bottom flap 66, and a second major bottom flap 68 hingedly secured to the side panels 14, 18, 22, 26 by bottom fold lines 70, 72, 74, 76, respectively. The top fold lines 54, 56, 58, 60 and the bottom fold lines 70, 72, 74, 76 are generally parallel to the top plane 6 and the bottom plane 8. It is contemplated that, according to alternative embodiments, the top flaps 46, 48, 50, 52 and the bottom flaps 62, 64, 66, 68 can be hingedly secured to any other suitable combination of side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 (e.g., the first major top flap 48 is secured to side panel 14, the first minor top flap 46 is secured to side panel 18, the second major top flap 52 is secured to side panel 22, and the second minor top flap 50 is secured to side panel 26).
To facilitate assembly of the blank 10 in forming the container 100, the top fold lines 54, 56, 58, 60 can be offset by varying distances from the top plane 6. The offset of each top fold line 54, 56, 58, 60 is selected such that the minor top flaps 46, 50 and the major top flaps 48, 52 can be folded along the top fold line 54, 56, 58, 60 at approximately a ninety-degree angle relative to the position shown in
Optionally, each side panel 16, 20, 24, 28 that is not hingedly secured to a top flap 46, 48, 50, 52 and/or a bottom flap 62, 64, 66, 68 can include one or more notches 96 along the peripheral edges of the side panels 16, 20, 24, 28. When the blank 10 is assembled into the container 100, the notches 96 form gaps 98 (shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the seventh side panel 26 includes a perforation line 82 that defines a generally circular pop-out panel 84. As such, the pop-out panel 84 is configured to be easily removed by a person assembling the blank 10 into the container 100 or a consumer. The seventh side panel 26 further includes a perforation line 86 and a fold line 88 that, in conjunction with the perforation line 82, define a fold-out panel 90. In alternative embodiments, any of the side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 can include the pop-out panel 84 and the fold-out panel 90.
The assembly of the blank 10 into the container 100 will now be described. When the attachment panel 12 is attached, adhered or joined to the eighth side panel 28, an octagon-shaped, tubular enclosure is formed or defined by the first through eighth side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28.
The second major bottom flap 68 is folded inwards along the bottom fold line 76 at about a ninety-degree angle from the position illustrated in
Once the bottom flaps 62, 64, 66, 68 are assembled, a flexible beverage bag 101 may be inserted in the container 100. The beverage bag 101 can be manufactured from any suitable material including, but not limited to, plastics, metalized films, and/or a combination thereof. The bag 101 is shaped and sized to fit within the container 100. Thus, the bag 101 is disposed within the volume defined by the eight side panels, the bottom panel and the top panel of the container 100. The bag 101 is typically coupled to a mouth in which the mouth extends through an access opening. The mouth is sized and shaped such that fluid can be poured therethrough.
As shown in
The beverage bag 101 includes a pour spout 110 (shown in
With the beverage bag 101 positioned within the enclosure, the top flaps 54, 56, 58, 60 can be assembled. The second major top flap 52 is first folded inwards along the top fold line 60 at about a ninety-degree angle from the position illustrated in
According to the illustrated embodiment of
According to some embodiments, perforated lines defining pop-out panels can form the apertures 78, 80. According to the illustrated embodiment, the apertures 78, 80 are provided in a generally central region of the top flaps 48, 52. It is contemplated that the apertures 78, 80 can be positioned in any other suitable location on the top flaps 48, 52. It is contemplated that the access port 102 can be configured to have any suitable shape and size to provide access to the interior of the container 100. And while the illustrated container 100 includes a single access port 102, it is contemplated that, according to some embodiments, two or more access ports 102 may be provided in the top surface 92 of the container 100.
According to some embodiments, the assembled container 100 is configured to fit in a consumer's refrigerator. This is particularly desirable when the beverage bag 101 is filled with white wine, which is typically consumed at a temperature below room temperature. As one non-limiting example, the bottom surface 94 of the assembled container 100 has a footprint size of about 5 inches (i.e., about 13 cm) by about 5 inches (i.e., about 13 cm), the side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 have a height of about 11 inches (i.e., about 27.5 cm) and a width of about 2 inches (i.e., about 5.3 cm), and the first major top flap 48 and the first major bottom flap 64 have a height of about 5 inches (i.e., about 13 cm) and a width of about 5 inches (i.e., about 13 cm). As another non-limiting example, the bottom surface 94 of the assembled container 100 has a footprint size of about 2.5 inches to 16.0 inches (i.e., about 6.35 cm to about 40.64 cm) by about 2.5 inches to 16.0 inches (i.e., about 6.35 cm to about 40.64 cm), the side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 have a height of about 5.0 inches to 30.0 inches (i.e., about 12.7 cm to about 76.2 cm) and a width of about 1.0 inches to 6.0 inches (i.e., about 2.54 cm to about 15.24 cm), and the first major top flap 48 and the first major bottom flap 64 have a height of about 2.5 inches to 16.0 inches (i.e., about 6.35 cm to about 40.64 cm) and a width of about 2.5 inches to 16.0 inches (i.e., about 6.35 cm to about 40.64 cm).
Advantageously, the octagon-shaped container 100 can have eight sides of generally equal widths. It is believed that a container 100 having such a configuration can be more efficiently refrigerated due to the more even distribution of cold air across the surface area of the container 100. Additionally, the inclusion of the notches 96 forming gaps 98 between the top and bottom surfaces 92, 94 and the side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 provides greater access of cold air to the beverage bag 101 inside the container 100. With equally sized side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, the gaps 98 can be uniformly distributed on the container 100, further enhancing access of cold air to the beverage bag 101. Equally sized side panels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 is also advantageous because uniformly spaced gaps 98 provide more efficient venting when the beverage bag 101 is assembled into the container 100. Still further, it has been found that when the container 100 has equally dimensioned sides, the container 100 is more aesthetically pleasing to consumers because it more closely resembles the look of a glass wine bottle shape and, thus, more effectively overcomes the misconceptions associated with “boxed-wine” explained above. Therefore, the container 100 has both functional and aesthetic reasons for including at least eight sides having generally equal dimensions.
While it is advantageous that the sides of the container have generally equal dimensions, in some embodiments, it may be necessary for the side panel that provides an opening for a pour spout to have a greater width than the other side panels. Specifically, if the footprint of a container is desired to be small but a desired pour spout requires an opening having a diameter that is large in relation to the width of the other side panels, it may be necessary for one side panel to be larger than the others. For example, referring to the container 100 of
The containers of the embodiments described herein are typically manufactured using corrugated paperboard, preferably with the corrugations running in a vertical direction for increased strength. As non-limiting examples, the container 100 is manufactured from E-flute or B-flute corrugated paperboard. It is to be understood that the principles of this invention could be applied to containers made of other materials, such as non-corrugated paperboards, cardboard, corrugated fiberboard, non-corrugated fiberboard, solid-fiber board, polymeric materials, and other foldable materials. It is also contemplated that the container 100 may include advertising features, descriptions, graphics, or other information.
While the containers of the embodiments described above include glue or adhesive for joining various panels and flaps of the containers, it is contemplated that any other suitable method of joining or attaching panels and flaps may be utilized such as, for example, a system of corresponding slits and tabs. Additionally, it is contemplated that the container can include only one or no minor top and/or bottom flaps. Further, it is contemplated that beverages other than wine may be included in the beverage bag of the container 100.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/242,684, filed Sep. 15, 2009 titled “Beverage Container,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61242684 | Sep 2009 | US |
