Patent Application
20150329345
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a selling alcohol beverages and, in particular, effective container design for alcoholic beverages.
2. Description of Related Art
Packaging is the technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging can also refer to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging and package labeling satisfy several objectives. Two such objectives include physical protection and barrier protection. Physical protection refers to how the objects enclosed in the package may require protection from, among other things, mechanical shock, vibration, electrostatic discharge, compression, temperature, etc. Barrier protection refers to a barrier from oxygen, water vapor, dust, etc., that may be required. Keeping the contents clean, fresh, sterile and safe for the intended shelf life is a primary function. At the consumer end, the packaging barrier is broken and measured amounts of material can be removed for subsequent end use.
Another function of packaging relates to marketing. The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. Package graphic design and physical design have been important and constantly evolving phenomenon for several decades. Marketing communications and graphic design are often applied to the surface of the package and in many cases the point of sale display. Most packaging whether it be through its graphic design or its shape and size is designed to reflect a brand's message and identity.
One additional function of packaging is to provide convenience. Packages can have features that add convenience in distribution, handling, stacking, display, sale, opening, reclosing, use, dispensing, reuse, recycling, and ease of disposal.
Packaging of a product at a retail location can play a substantial role in catching a customer's attention and enticing the customer to purchase the product. One product that already comes packaged in a variety of sizes and containers is alcoholic beverages. In many instances, the shape and size of a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage can vary based on the type of alcohol that the bottle is meant to hold.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of packaging a retail alcoholic beverage that includes filling a wooden barrel with an alcoholic beverage, the wooden barrel being sized to be transported within a retail location, without the aid of assisting equipment, by a person of average strength. This method also includes sealing a first opening of the wooden barrel with a liquid-proof closure, after the wooden barrel is filled with the alcoholic beverage, wherein the liquid-proof closure is removable by an eventual consumer of the alcoholic beverage in the wooden barrel; and sealing a second opening of the wooden barrel with a dispensing valve, before the wooden barrel is filled with the alcoholic beverage, wherein the dispensing valve is operable between an open position and a closed position. Ultimately, the method includes offering the wooden barrel, filled with the alcoholic beverage and sealed with the liquid-proof closure dispensing valve, for sale to a retail establishment from whom the eventual consumer of the alcoholic beverage can purchase the wooden barrel.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of selling a retail alcoholic beverage includes receiving a wooden barrel filled with an alcoholic beverage, the wooden barrel being sized to be transported within a retail location, without the aid of assisting equipment, by a person of average strength. In particular; the wooden barrel includes a first opening sealed with a liquid-proof closure, wherein the liquid-proof closure is removable by an eventual consumer of the alcoholic beverage in the wooden barrel; and a second opening sealed with a dispensing valve, wherein the dispensing valve is operable between an open position and a closed position. Ultimately, the method includes offering the wooden barrel, filled with the alcoholic beverage and sealed with the liquid-proof closure dispensing valve, for sale at a retail establishment to the eventual consumer of the alcoholic beverage within the wooden barrel.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a retail alcoholic beverage consisting essentially of a wooden barrel filled with an alcoholic beverage, the wooden barrel being sized to be transported within a retail location, without the aid of assisting equipment, by a person of average strength. In particular, the wooden barrel includes a first opening sealed with a liquid-proof closure, wherein the liquid-proof closure is removable by an eventual consumer of the alcoholic beverage in the wooden barrel; and a second opening sealed with a dispensing valve, wherein the dispensing valve is operable between an open position and a closed position. The wooden barrel also includes a plurality of wooden staves spanning between a first head and a second head; a first plurality of bands encircling the plurality of wooden staves proximate the first head; and a second plurality of bands encircling the plurality of wooden staves proximate the second head.
As commonly known, a liquor store is a retail shop that sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages—typically in bottles—intended to be consumed off the store's premises. For purposes of the present disclosure, the term “retail” is intended to mean the sale of goods and/or services from individuals or businesses to an end-user. Thus a retail store of an alcoholic beverage sells beverages to consumers and can receive items to sell from distributors, suppliers or other up-channel partners.
The size of the wooden barrel is described in this manner to distinguish it from large casks and barrels conventionally used by winemakers and distillers to craft alcoholic beverages. Such barrels are far too large to be sold to a consumer at a retail location. The sheer size and weight of such a conventional barrel would not allow it to be a convenient or useful way to package alcoholic beverage for retail sale. Another distinction about the size of the present barrel is that contents of the present barrel are dispensed for direct consumption by a person rather than, as in the case of large barrels, dispensed into multiple smaller containers for storage or shipment. The table below provides some example size of wooden barrels that are appropriately sized for retail display and sale of alcoholic beverages. As shown in the table, the relative sizes of the dimensions result in a barrel that is aesthetically and visually similar to large wooden barrels and therefore can establish, or benefit from, a link in a consumer's thinking between barrels and alcoholic beverages.
Referring back to
The barrel 104 also includes another opening; this one in the head 106, which is sealed with a spigot 110. In its most general sense, the spigot 110 is a valve that is operable between an open position and a closed position. When in the open position, the valve 110 permits the contents of the barrel 104 to exit in a controlled manner. In the closed position, the valve 110 seals the opening and prevents the contents of the barrel 110 from exiting. The barrel 104 includes a head 106 on each end and bands that encircle the body of the barrel 104.
The barrel of
One particular wood that can be used to construct the wooden barrels of
In the above description, the contents of the wooden barrel were mainly referred to as an “alcoholic beverage”. Alcoholic beverages commonly associated with oak barrels are wine, bourbon, whiskey, and scotch. Other alcoholic beverages could be included as well, whether distilled or fermented. One of ordinary skill will recognize there are other products, such as balsamic vinegar, that are associated with wooden barrels but are not alcoholic beverages. Thus, embodiments of the present invention can also include retail sales and packaging of liquids other than alcoholic beverages.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with each claim's language, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
