Patent Application
20170320645
The present disclosure relates to blown plastic containers, and more specifically to plastic containers for packaging beverages.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Plastic containers have been used to package liquids intended for various purposes including, for example, consumable beverages and cleaning detergents among other common applications.
While current plastic containers useful for their intended purpose, there is room in the art for an improved plastic container that provides a consumer with an improved experience, improved efficiency, and enhances environmental stewardship.
A plastic beverage container having a sealable closure is provided. The plastic beverage container includes a body, a closure, and a consumable. The body has a closed base portion and an open top end. The closure has a top member and a bottom member. Each perimeter of the top and bottom members of the closure are sealed together to form a sealed pouch container in which the consumable is disposed. The closure is disposed on the open top end of the body.
In one example of the present invention, a first adhesive is disposed between the perimeter of each of the top member and bottom members of the closure.
In another example of the present invention, a second adhesive disposed between the perimeter of the closure and the open top end of the body.
In yet another example of the present invention, the consumable is granular.
In yet another example of the present invention, the perimeter of the closure is the same diameter of the open top end of the body.
In yet another example of the present invention, the closure includes a pull tab extending beyond the perimeter of the open top end of the body.
In yet another example of the present invention, the pull tab of the closure includes a perforation.
In yet another example of the present invention, the body is formed from one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), High density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP).
In yet another example of the present invention, the top and bottom members of the closure are formed from one of a metal foil and a polymer film.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.
With reference to
The sealed top end 20 is open to allow communication between the hollow interior 22 and the atmosphere. The sealed top end 20 includes a flat sealing surface 24 having a minimum width W. The top end 20 may also include features for retaining a rigid cap (not show) for protecting the contents of the plastic beverage 10 container during packaging the handling and for potential label placement.
The beverage container 10 can be manufactured from a polymer, including, without limitation, one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), or others, without departing from the scope of the invention. Regarding manufacturing of the beverage container 10, any one of a number of methods, such as injection blow molding, injection stretch blow molding (ISBM), extrusion blow molding (EBM), form-fill-seal, or others, can be used.
The closure 14 includes a top member 26 and a bottom member 28. The top and bottom members 26, 28 are relatively flat and flexible members shaped such that the perimeter 30 of the top and bottom members 26, 28 overlays the sealing surface 24 of the sealing end 20 of the body portion 12. The perimeter 30 of each of the top and bottom members 26, 28 are sealed to each other forming a hollow interior or pocket 32. For example, an adhesive may be used to seal the top member 26 to the bottom member 28. The hollow pocket 32 of the closure 14 is a container 34 in which can be disposed any one of a variety of consumables 36. For example, salt, sugar, or dissolvable supplements can be disposed in the container 34 of the closure 14 and can be mixed or otherwise consumed with the liquid contained in the body portion 12 of the beverage container 10. However, other consumables 36 can be disposed in the container 34 of the closure 14 without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, the top and bottom members 26, 28 of the closure 14 can be formed from a recyclable metal foil, a polymer material, or both.
The closure 14 also includes a peel-off tab 38 for gentle unsealing of the closure 14 from the body portion 12. The peal-off tab 38 extends from the perimeter 30 of the closure 14 so that the user can grip the bottom side of the peal-off tab 38 and slowly pull the tab 38 to unseal the perimeter 30 of the closure 14 from the sealing surface 24 of the body portion 12. The peal-off tab 38 may include a tear notch or perforation 40 to provide a starting point to tear open the hollow interior 32 of the closure 14 thus releasing the contents 36 of the container 34 of the closure 14 for consumption.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/333,524 filed May 9, 2016. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62333524 | May 2016 | US |
