Patent Application
20100072201
The present invention is directed to a device that will prevent the spread of pathogens when drinking directly from cans or bottles that have not been cleaned.
It is well known in the food and beverage industry that the cans or bottles being transported might be exposed to pathogens.
Pathogens can be of animal or chemical origin. For example, it is well known that in many warehouses that store canned or bottled goods there are rodents or critters that carry bacteria that cause disease. These rodents or critters are known to urinate or defecate on canned or bottled goods. Theses canned or bottled goods usually will go from the warehouses directly to a retail sales outlet. When the cans or bottles reach the retail sales outlets, the cans or bottles usually are displayed to the public for public consumption.
A majority of the public purchasing the cans or bottles from retail sales outlets will purchase the cans or bottles and shortly thereafter consume the products within the cans or bottles without first washing them. As such, when consumers place the openings of the cans or bottles to their mouth, any pathogens on the cans or bottles will be transmitted to the consumers.
It is also known in the food industry, that even when no pathogens are displaced on the cans or bottles during their transport, it is foreseen that pathogens might be displaced on the cans or bottles at the retail outlets. For example, it is foreseen that cans or bottles will be displayed on counters of retail outlets where rodents or critters might be present. It is foreseen that theses rodents or critters will do their necessities on the cans or bottles while searching for food in the retail outlets.
Cans or bottles might also be contaminated by pathogens by the simple act of humans moving the cans or bottles from one place to another. Humans can contaminate the cans or bottles by negligently spreading their pathogens to the cans or bottles. Contamination can be a simple accident as a human sneezing on a can or bottle or it can be a more negligent act, for example a human failing to wash his hands when moving the cans or bottles from one place to another.
A further way that cans or bottles can be contaminated would be by the exposure to chemicals used in warehouses to prevent rodent or critter infestation. Warehouses are periodically sprayed to prevent rodent or critter infestation and it is foreseen that some of the chemicals used to prevent rodent or critter infestation would be dispersed on the cans or bottles.
It is known that people have developed intestinal disorders from pathogens on cans or bottles, yet it is difficult to gauge the severity of the problem, for most intestinal disorders are remedied without seeking medical advice.
An object of the present invention is to provide a drink cover that will hermetically cover the mouth and neck of a can or bottle so that pathogens will not be displaced on the mouth or neck of the can or bottle.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the transmittal of pathogens to consumers who drink directly from cans or bottles.
Yet, a further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive hermetically sealed drink cover that is placed over the mouth and neck of cans or bottles.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles that will cover the mouth and neck of a can or bottle.
The present invention is directed to a hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles that prevents the spread of disease associated with drinking directly from cans or bottles contaminated by pathogens. The hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles, comprises of a material having properties similar to latex and a removable tamper evident ring surrounding the circumference of the material.
The material can be made of latex, polyethylene, polypropylene or any other similar plastic. The material is tightly placed over the side of the can or bottle defining the mouth of the can or bottle and made to tightly drape over the circumference of the neck of the can or bottle.
The removable tamper evident ring is fixedly attached to the material after the material is tightly draped over the neck of the can or bottle at the neck juncture of the can or bottle.
The present invention allows cans or bottles to be hermetically sealed by first tightly placing the material over the side of the can or bottle having the mouth, then tightly draping the material over the neck of the can or bottle, and lastly attaching a removable tamper evident ring over the material that is draped over the can or bottle at the neck juncture of the can or bottle.
It is foreseen that six packs of cans can be individually covered in the manner described above. The advantage to this type of hermetically sealed drink cover is that it allows cans or six-packs to be stacked upon each other without puncturing the hermetic seals, for the materials used to form the hermetic seals have flexible qualities.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and drawings where:
As seen in
The material 10 can be made of latex, polyethylene, polypropylene or any other similar plastic. The removable tamper evident ring 12 is attached the peripheral edges of the material 10. The material 10 might be circular shaped. The material 10 is tightly placed over the end of the can 100 or bottle 200 defining the mouth of the can 100 or bottle 200 and made to tightly drape over the circumference of the neck of the can 100 or bottle 200.
The removable tamper evident ring 12 is attached to the edges of the material 10 after the material 10 is draped over the neck of the can 100 or bottle 200 at the neck juncture of the can 100 or bottle 200.
A method of using the hermetically sealed drink cover 20 for cans 100 or bottles 200, comprises the steps of first providing a can 100 or bottle 200, then tightly placing the material 10 over the side of the can 100 or bottle 200 having the mouth, next draping the material 10 over the neck of the can 100 or bottle 200, and lastly fixedly attaching a tamper evident ring 12 over the circumference of the material 10 draped over the neck of the can 100 or bottle 200.
As seen in
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a drink cover that hermetically covers the mouth and neck of a can or bottle so that pathogens are not be displaced on the mouth or neck of the can or bottle.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it reduces the transmittal of pathogens to consumers who drink directly from cans or bottles.
Yet, a further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an inexpensive hermetically sealed drink cover that is placed over the mouth and neck of cans or bottles.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore the spirit and the scope of the claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
