Patent Application
20180354679
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A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights and trade dress rights whatsoever.
The disclosed subject matter relates generally to beverage closure devices and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus that may be used to seal an opened beverage container.
Many consumers enjoy carbonated beverages. In particular, carbonated beverages contained in so-called pop-top cans (“beverage containers”) such as soda or beer are particularly popular. Typically, such beverage containers are shaped as cylinders that have a sealed opening on the beverage container's top. Using a tab on the top of the beverage container, the consumer may pull back on one end of the tab, creating a lever effect that pushes the other end of the tab into the beverage container's top, causing the tab's other end to puncture a pre-scored seal around the opening. Generally, the portion of the beverage container's top that was within the pre-scored portion bends into the beverage container's interior, which exposes the opening and thereby creates a rim around the opening, the rim being the portion of the beverage container's top surrounding the opening. With the opening thus exposed, the consumer can drink the beverage out of the beverage container's opening.
However, such beverage containers fail to provide for a way to reseal the opening. As such, in a matter of seconds or minutes the carbonation in the beverage is lost to the atmosphere and the beverage loses some or all of its appeal. In some circumstances, the beverage's carbonation may reach an equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere and the pleasant effects of the carbonation may be effectively lost. In such circumstances, a user may determine that the beverage tastes dissatisfactory because of inadequate carbonation. In modern parlance, some users refer to a carbonated beverage that has lost its beneficial level of carbonation as “flat.”
Additional problems are associated with non-carbonated items in beverage containers. Without a way to reseal the beverage containers, items such as fruit juice, applesauce, or smoothies could be spoiled by outside elements such as debris, insects, or air.
Therefore, a need exists to reseal beverage containers and preserve the beverage containers' contents.
Attempts at such a solution have been made. In particular, the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,927 to Cavella, incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses a beverage container with a resealable opening in its top. While this disclosure does provide consumers with a resealable beverage container option, its design requires manufacturing entirely new beverage containers, which might be costly to the beverage industry. This disclosure also suffers from a relatively complex resealing design.
Another attempt can be seen with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,518 to Bartz, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. This disclosure generally provides for a beverage container tab cover that may be rotated to reseal a beverage container's opening. Unfortunately, this disclosure's cover is configured to attach to a small area on the back of the beverage container's tab. Such a design makes this disclosure less likely to provide consumers with a consistent and easily used resealable option, as installing the cover and using the tab/cover combination might be cumbersome and the cover might be prone to falling off of the tab.
Still another attempt to solve the problem can be seen with respect to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0138178 A1 filed by Erickson, which is incorporated in its entirety herein. This disclosure also generally provides for a beverage container tab cover that may be rotated to reseal a beverage container's opening. Unfortunately, however, this disclosure's design provides for a non-removable cover that may be attached to a rivet on a beverage container's top. Such a design not only limits the user's ability to reuse the cover, it might also require a high degree of dexterity to properly install the cover.
As such, none of these in existence comprise beneficial characteristics described in the following disclosure. Thus, there remains a need for a method and apparatus for sealing an opened beverage container.
The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for sealing an opened beverage container that provides users with the ability to quickly and easily reseal a beverage container and preserve the beverage's carbonation. For purposes of this disclosure, purely by way of illustration and not limitation, a beverage container may be considered to have an opening, and the beverage container's opening may have a rim defining the opening.
For purposes of summarizing, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features have been described. It is to be understood that not all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment. Thus, the disclosed subject matter may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages without achieving all advantages as may be taught or suggested.
The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for sealing an opened beverage container. In some embodiments, the apparatus may be shaped like an elliptical disc having an upper, a middle, and a lower portion, as well as a front side, a top side, a back side, and a bottom side. It is contemplated that in certain embodiments, the present invention may provide for a cavity in the middle portion that opens to the front side, wherein the cavity is configured to receive a top end of a beverage container tab. The present invention may also provide for a notch in the front side of the present invention's lower portion that is configured to align with a beverage container's rivet. Furthermore, the present invention may provide for a raised edge on the top side of the present invention's upper portion.
To use the present invention, it is contemplated that a user may first insert align the present invention's cavity with the top of a beverage container's tab and align the present invention's notch with a beverage container's rivet. Then, a user may rotate the tab and the present invention so as to align the present invention over a beverage container's opening. The user may then push down on the present invention, causing the present invention to lodge within the opening, thereby removably sealing the opening. When the user wishes to unseal the opening, the user may press on the raised edge so as to dislodge the present invention from the opening. The user may then rotate the tab and the present invention back to its original starting position, or any other position the user may choose.
In some embodiments, the present invention's upper portion may be approximately disc-shaped, the middle portion may be shaped or configured to mimic or otherwise align with a beverage container's opening, and the lower portion may be approximately disc-shaped.
In some embodiments, the present invention's upper portion may provide for a tapered edge that extends the length of the upper portion's perimeter. In some embodiments, the tapered edge may extend for part of the length of the upper portion's perimeter. In still other embodiments, the upper portion's perimeter edge may not be tapered, but may for example be orthogonally oriented relative to the plane of the upper portion. In some embodiments, the tapered edge may slope towards the present invention's midline. In other embodiments, the tapered edge may slow away from the present invention's midline.
In some embodiments, the present invention's upper portion may extend further laterally than the present invention's lower portion. In other embodiments, the lower portion may extend further laterally than the upper portion. In still other embodiments, the upper portion and the lower portion may extend laterally in equal proportions.
In some embodiments, the present invention's middle portion may be cylindrical, oval, teardrop shaped, or any other shape, and may be of varying diameters and heights. In some embodiments, the middle portion may be configured so as to seal or otherwise align with a beverage container opening's rim. In some embodiments, the present invention's diameter may be of such size that the edges of the upper portion and the lower portion extend further laterally than the edge of the middle portion. In other embodiments, the middle portion may be of an approximately equivalent height or diameter as the upper portion, the lower portion, both the upper portion and the lower portion, or neither the upper portion nor the lower portion.
In some embodiments, the present invention's lower portion may provide for a tapered edge that extends the length of the lower portion's perimeter. In some embodiments, the tapered edge may extend for part of the length of the lower portion's perimeter. In still other embodiments, the lower portion's perimeter edge may not be tapered, but may for example be orthogonally oriented relative to the plane of the lower portion. In some embodiments, the tapered edge may slope towards the present invention's midline. In other embodiments, the tapered edge may slow away from the present invention's midline.
In some embodiments the lower portion's lower side may be convex. In other embodiments, the lower portion's lower side may be concave, flat, or any other shape compatible with the present invention.
In some embodiments, the present invention may provide for a defined border between the upper and middle portions, as well as the middle and lower portions. In some embodiments, the border between the middle and the lower portion may comprise a tapered edge groove, wherein the tapered edge groove approximates two tapered edges fixedly connected wherein the tapered edges slope toward the midline of the groove, having the longer sides positioned at the tapered edge groove's outer sides. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the tapered edge groove may be configured to receive an edge, such as by way of illustration and not limitation, a beverage container opening's rim.
In some embodiments, the present invention may comprise one contiguous portion. In other embodiments, the present invention may be comprised of two portions. In other embodiments, the present invention may be comprised of four or more portions. It is contemplated that in the one, two, four or more portion embodiments, the present invention may provide for one or more of the elements generally disclosed herein pertaining to a three-portion embodiment, including by way of illustration and not limitation, the elements of a cavity configured to receive a beverage container tab, a raised edge, and a portion configured to seal or otherwise align with a beverage container opening's rim.
In some embodiments, a cavity within the middle portion may run parallel to the upper and lower portions, and may resemble an arch shape, or a rectangle with a half-moon for one of its short sides, the half-moon side being furthest from an opening. More specifically, in certain embodiments the side of the cavity opposite to the opening may be arcuate, and the other sides of the cavity may be straight. In other embodiments, the side of the cavity opposite to the opening may be straight, irregular, or any other shape capable of integration within the present invention. In some embodiments, the other sides of the cavity may be curved, irregular, or any other shape capable of integration within the present invention.
In some embodiments, the cavity may contain a raised portion. In some embodiments, the raised portion may be conical and extend upward from the lower side of the cavity. In other embodiments, the raised portion may be conical and extend downward from the upper side of the cavity. In some embodiments, the raised portion may be shaped as a raised disc, a raised square, a raised oval, or any other shape capable of integration within the present invention. In some embodiments, the point of origin of the raised portion may be in the center of the cavity's upper or lower side, or may be closer to or further away from the opening, and may also be closer to or further away from either side of the cavity.
In some embodiments, the present invention may provide for a raised edge extending upward from the top side of the present invention's upper portion. In some embodiments, the raised edge when viewed from the side may resemble a parallelogram resting on an irregular quadrilateral, and when viewed from the front may resemble an oval with narrowed ends and a shorter side, the shorter side being the point of attachment to the present invention's upper portion's top side. In some embodiments, portions of the exposed long side of the raised edge may be tapered, while in other embodiments the exposed long side of the raised edge may not provide for any tapered edge portions.
In other embodiments, the raised edge may be cylindrical, square, or any other shape capable of integration within the present invention.
In some embodiments, the present invention may be made of plastic, metal, wood, an elastomer, one or more other materials, or a combination of materials.
One or more of the above-disclosed embodiments, in addition to certain alternatives, are provided in further detail below with reference to the attached figures. The disclosed subject matter is not, however, limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically, mechanically or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled, but not mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling (whether mechanical, electrical, or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
Having summarized various aspects of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to that which is illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. Rather, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
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It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicated to the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/or limitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are or are potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations in the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.
While certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications are contemplated and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited, except as by the appended claim(s).
The teachings disclosed herein may be applied to other systems, and may not necessarily be limited to any described herein. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.
Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being refined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the garment and method of using the same with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be constructed to limit the garment and method of using the same to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification unless the above description section explicitly define such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosed garment and method of using the same. The above description of embodiments of the garment and method of using the same is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise form disclosed above or to a particular field of usage.
While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the garment and method of using the same are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible for which those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
While certain aspects of the method and apparatus for sealing an opened beverage container are presented below in particular claim forms, various aspects of the method and apparatus for sealing an opened beverage container are contemplated in any number of claim forms. Thus, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the method and apparatus for sealing an opened beverage container.
