AU2013203098A1 - An improved beverage container - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a beverage container 10 which includes a neck 11, in which there is formed an access opening 12, and a base 15 which is connected to the neck 11 by a continuous side wall 25 that extends upwardly from the base. The base 15 includes a cavity 16 that is adapted to receive illumination means 30 for illuminating the contents of the container 11.

Description

I An Improved Beverage Container This invention relates to an improved beverage container. This invention has particular, but not exclusive, application to beverage containers that are used to store non-alcoholic beverages, including carbonated beverages, and wherein reference will be made to same. However it will be appreciated that this invention may also have application to containers that are used for the storage of some alcoholic beverages. It has been observed that some people who attend night clubs and other venues where alcohol is served do so with an intention of not becoming intoxicated. For this reason, people may choose to drink no alcoholic beverages, or to limit their consumption of alcohol. As a consequence, these people have been observed to drink at least some bottled water and/or a carbonated beverage, such as a soft drink. Night clubs tend to be dimly lit and whereby the lack of light can make it difficult sometimes for a patron to correctly identify which beverage is theirs, and/or to spot unscrupulous persons interfering with their beverage, such as contaminating the beverage with harmful drugs. Carbonated beverages, such as soft drinks, are sold in either glass bottles or in bottles manufactured from a thermoformable polymeric material, such as polyethylene terephthalate, "PET"). Bottles that are used for storing carbonated beverages typically include a neck >ortion, in which there is formed an opening that can be selectively closed by a bottle top or >ottle cap, an opposing base portion, and a continuous side wall extending between said base portionn and said neck portion. The base is adapted to support the bottle in a stable, upstanding, position. For this purpose, the base may be a "petalated base" comprising a plurality of legs that terminate in feet which in use shall make contact with a surface upon xhich the bottle rests, and whereby adjacent legs are separated by a crease or valley. Thermoformable polymeric bottles are manufactured using a blow moulding process. Typically air is used to expand a heated preform against a female mould cavity which may nclude a plurality of mould components, such as a base component for forming the base of he bottle and two or more side wall components for forming the side wall or walls of the >ottle. In particular, pressurised air is used to stretch the PET material both laterally and ongitudinally such that it conforms to the shape defined by the mould components. Because he carbonated beverage is stored under pressure, bottles that are used for the purpose of toring carbonated beverages are designed such that the wall portions of the bottle will not >low out during use. Accordingly, much skill and knowledge is required to design a bottle hat will not fail during use and which can be manufactured using a blow moulding process. n particular, the construction of the base of the bottle can pose problems, such as ensuring hat the wall thickness of the legs and feet is sufficient to withstand the pressure exerted hereon by the carbonated beverage.

2 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container that will be more readily identifiable by the owner of said container in dimly lit situations, such as night clubs. With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention relates to an improved beverage container, said beverage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, and a cavity formed in said base for receiving illumination means for illuminating a beverage when contained in said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base. Preferably light generated by the illumination means, for illuminating a beverage retained within the container, shall pass through the transparent or translucent portion of the base. Preferably the container is resealable. For example, the container may include closure means enabling users to selectively close the container, such as a threaded neck portion that is adapted to threadably engage a cap. The illumination means may be capable of producing light of a single colour. However, in other embodiments, the colour of the light produced by the illumination means may be selectively varied. For example, the illumination means may be capable of producing green coloured light and red coloured light and whereby the illumination means may further nclude selection means that a user may engage so as to select the colour of the light that is emitted from a range of available colours. In one embodiment, the light produced by the illuminating means may be the result of a chemical reaction brought about by the mixing of two chemicals that, prior to said chemical reaction, had previously been retained within separate containers, including at least one frangible container. However, in the preferred embodiment, the illumination means includes a battery that is operatively connected to a light emitting diode. Further, the illumination means in at least some embodiments may include actuation neans for initiating and/or terminating the production of light by the illuminating means, and hereby permitting the user to control the illumination of the beverage that is retained within :he container.

3 In some embodiments the illumination means may be capable of emitting light intermittently and/or light of differing intensity and whereby the actuation means may be used to control the flashing light and/or dimming light. The illumination means may also include multiple sources of light, such as multiple light emitting diodes and whereby the diodes may be adapted to produce light of a different colour. The illumination means may also include suitable control means that in use will enable each light emitting diode to emit light for a predetermined period of time and the operation of the light emitting diodes in a predetermined sequence. The illumination means is preferably contained within a housing that is locatable within the cavity. Further, the housing may be retained within the cavity by friction and/or a suitable adhesive. Alternatively, the housing may be retained within the cavity by mechanical means and/or by using a suitable adhesive. For identification purposes it is envisaged that users will be able to distinguish their beverage from beverages belonging to others by the colour of the beverage when illuminated. For example, one person's beverage, when illuminated, may be red in colour, while another person's beverage when illuminated may exhibit a blue colour. The colour of the illuminated beverage may be selectively varied by changing the colour of the transparent/translucent panel, and/or by varying the colour of the light emitted by the illumination means, and/or by the inclusion of filters that will only transmit light of a particular colour. The cavity may be substantially cylindrical in shape and the axis of the cavity and the axis of the container may be coaxial. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved beverage container, said beverage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein; a cavity formed in said base which is separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion, and illumination means for illuminating a beverage contained within said chamber, said lumination means being located within said cavity and whereby light emitted by said illumination means shall pass through said transparent or translucent portion.

4 Preferably the illumination means is contained within a housing that includes a bottom wall and an upper wall that is spaced from said bottom wall and connected thereto by one or more side walls. Further, the upper wall preferably includes a substantially flat face. Preferably the base of the container includes a bottom face and a cavity formed in said base that is at least partially defined by an upper wall that is spaced from said bottom face, said upper wall having a substantially flat face and whereby in use when the illumination means is located in the cavity the two flat faces abut one another. Preferably the shape of the cavity and the shape of the housing are substantially complimentary. For example, both the housing and the cavity may be substantially cylindrical in shape. Preferably the housing forms a loose fit within the cavity and whereby the housing is retained within the cavity by a suitable adhesive that is used to bond together the two abutting flat faces. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved beverage container capable of retaining attached thereto illumination means for illuminating the contents of said container, said illumination means being contained within a housing that includes a bottom wall and an upper wall that is spaced from said bottom wall and connected thereto by one or more side walls, characterised in that said upper wall includes a substantially flat face, said container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, a a cavity formed in said base for receiving the housing, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, said cavity being at least partially defined by a substantially flat wall that is adapted to abut the substantially flat face of the housing when the housing is located within said cavity. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved beverage container, said container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; 5 one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, a a cavity formed in said base for receiving the housing, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, said cavity being at east partially defined by a substantially flat wall, and illumination means for illuminating the contents of said chamber, said illumination neans being contained within a housing that includes a bottom wall and an upper wall that is paced from said bottom wall and connected thereto by one or more side walls, said upper vall having a substantially flat face, said housing being located within said cavity such that he two substantially flat faces abut. In another aspect, this invention relates to a method of retaining illumination means vithin a cavity that is formed in a base of a beverage container, said method including: providing a beverage container that includes a base having a bottom face and a cavity formed in said base, said cavity being at least partially defined by an. upper wall that is spaced rom said bottom face, said upper wall having a substantially flat first face; providing illumination means that is housed within a housing that includes a bottom vall and an upper wall that is spaced from said bottom wall and connected thereto by one or aore side walls, said upper wall having a substantially flat second face; applying a suitable adhesive to the first and/or the second face, and locating the housing within said cavity so as to bring together said first and said econd faces which shall remain bonded to one another by the adhesive. Where the beverage stored in the container is a carbonated beverage, it is preferred [at the base is a petalated base. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved beverage container, said everage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an pstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said eck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving nd retaining a beverage therein, and a cavity formed in said base for receiving illumination means for illuminating a everage when contained in said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by transparent or translucent portion of said base.

6 Preferably the petalated base includes a plurality of legs and whereby the legs radiate outwardly from the cavity and are separated from one another by a crease. Further, it is preferred that the shape and configuration of the legs are all the same, or at least substantially the same, and that the legs are equally spaced from one another around the circumference of the base. More preferably the base includes at least five legs. Preferably the transparent/translucent portion and the illumination means are arranged such that light generated by said illumination means shall pass through said transparent/translucent portion so as to illuminate the beverage retained within the chamber. Preferably the cavity is substantially cylindrical in shape and that the axis of the cavity and the axis of the container are coaxial. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved beverage container for the storage of a carbonated beverage, said beverage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude, and one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, said base further including a cavity that is adapted to receive illumination means for illuminating the beverage retained within said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, and whereby said petalated base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said cavity, said legs being equally spaced circumferentially. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved beverage container for the storage of a carbonated beverage, said beverage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, said base further including a cavity in which there is located illumination means for illuminating the beverage retained within said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, and whereby said petalated base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said cavity, said legs being equally spaced circumferentially. It has been observed that at least some coloured carbonated beverages when illuminated by light of a contrasting colour may appear to change colour.

7 In still yet another aspect, this invention relates to packaging of a carbonated beverage including: a beverage container having: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, said base further including a cavity that is adapted to receive illumination means for illuminating the beverage retained within said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, and whereby said base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said cavity, said egs being equally spaced circumferentially; a carbonated beverage retained within the chamber, and illumination means retained within said cavity for illuminating said carbonated )everage. Preferably, the colour of the light emitted by the illumination means and the colour of he carbonated beverage are contrasting colours. In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical ffect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred mbodiment of the invention and wherein: Figure 1 is a top view of a beverage container constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the beverage container shown in figure 1; Figure 3 is a pictorial view of the beverage container shown in figure 1 looking from below; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the beverage container shown in figure 1 looking in the direction of arrows "A"; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the beverage container shown in figure 1 looking in the direction of arrows "B", and Figure 6 is a side view of illumination means. Figures 1 to 5 show a beverage container 10 that is suitable for storing a beverage, uch as a carbonated beverage. The container 10 is manufactured from a transparent or 8 translucent PET material, and whereby the resulting container has either a clear or a coloured appearance. The container 10 includes a neck 11, in which there is formed an axis opening 12, and whereby the neck includes a threaded end portion 13 having an external thread 14 which is adapted to threadably engage a cap, not shown, for selectively closing said access opening. The container 10 also includes a petalated base 15 which is connected to the neck 11 by a continuous side wall 25 that extends upwardly from said base 15. The base 15 includes a centrally located, substantially cylindrically shaped, blind bore >r cavity 16, having a transparent or translucent top wall 17 and a continuous side wall 18. [he top wall 17 is substantially planar and includes a substantially flat annular face 17a. The cavity 16 also includes a centrally located, hollow, nipple 19 that extends upwardly from the top wall 17. The base 15 also includes five legs 20 that both depend from the side wall 18 of the avity 16 and extend outwardly therefrom. The legs 20 are circumferentially equally spaced rom one another and whereby adjacent legs are separated by a crease 21. Each leg includes a substantially flat surface, or foot, 24 that is adapted, in use, to abut supporting surface, such as a bench top, not shown, on which the container rests in a ubstantially upstanding attitude. The container 10 also includes illumination means 30 comprising a light emitting liode 31, (shown in dotted outline), that is operatively connected to an electrical source of ower, such as a battery, not shown and whereby operation of the diode is controlled by ctuation means including a switch, not shown. The diode 31, the electrical power source and Lctuation means are contained within a substantially cylindrically shaped housing 32 that is manufactured from a transparent or translucent plastics material. The housing 32 includes a base wall 33 and an opposing, substantially flat, upper wall 4, said base wall 33 and said upper wall 34 being connected by an intermediate continuous ide wall 35. The upper wall 34 includes a substantially flat annular face 36 that surrounds a ollow, centrally located, nipple 37 that extends upwardly from the upper wall 34 and thereby the light emitting diode extends into the hollow of said nipple. The housing 32 is adapted for loose location within the cavity 16 such that the nipple 9 forms a shroud covering the nipple 31 and the annular faces 17a and 36 may abut one another. Further, the housing 32 is retained within the cavity 16 by the use of a suitable adhesive that is applied to one or both of the annular faces 17a and 36 and which is used to od said faces together. Light emitted by the diode is controlled by the actuation means and whereby it is envisaged that the actuation means may also change the operational state of the diode from an 9 "off' state, where no light is emitted, to a "constant" state, where the diode emits light continuously, to a "flashing" state, where light is emitted intermittently. In other embodiments the actuation means may also control the intensity of the light that is emitted by the diode and whereby the intensity may fluctuate and this cycle may be repeated continuously. Further, in those embodiments where the illumination means includes more than one diode, and each diode is capable of emitting light of a different colour, it is envisaged that the actuation means may include a function that permits the continuous successive operation of the various diodes, and whereby the operation of the diodes may follow a pattern, or may be random. Access to the actuation means, located on or adjacent the base 33 of the housing 32, shall be via the open end 26 of the cavity 16. For example, the actuation means may include a button located on the base 33 that whereby actuation is caused by depressing said button. In use, containers 10, filled with a carbonated beverage, will be provided with illumination means securely attached to the base 15 and whereby users may be able to select a container from a multitude of containers that include illumination means with a different c-oloured light emitting diode. Accordingly, a beverage belonging to the one person may in use be distinguishable from a beverage belonging to another person by the colour of the beverage resulting from light emitted by the light emitting diodes of contrasting colour. For -xample, one container may be equipped with a red coloured light emitting diode while another container may include a blue coloured light emitting diode. Just as a lighted candle might be used to create ambiance, such as a dinner setting, so oo the container 10 when at least partially filled with a beverage, may be used to create ambiance. For example, the glowing beverage may be used instead of a candle to provide a omantic atmosphere and "soft" light around a dinner table. It will of course be realised that while the foregoing description has been given by vay of example of this invention, all other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of his invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims (12)

1. An improved beverage container, said beverage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, and a cavity formed in said base for receiving illumination means for illuminating a beverage when contained in said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container includes illumination means ocated within said cavity, said illumination means being adapted to emit light which in turn shall pass through said transparent or translucent portion of said base and illuminate a >everage stored in chamber.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein said illumination means is contained within a housing that is locatable within said cavity. 1. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housing is retained within said cavity sing a suitable adhesive. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cavity is at least partially defined by a ubstantially flat top wall and said housing includes a substantially flat upper wall and thereby said top wall and said upper wall abut. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein said top wall and said upper wall are >onded together using a suitable adhesive. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said base is a >etalated base. 11

8. A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said petalated base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said cavity, said legs being equally spaced circumferentially.

9. A method of distinguishing the same type of beverage contained in two similar containers, said method including: providing two containers of the type defined in any one of claims 1 to 8 but wherein the colour of the light emitted by one of said illumination means is visually distinguishable from the colour of the light emitted by the other illumination means.

10. An improved beverage container capable of retaining attached thereto illumination means for illuminating the contents of said container, said illumination means being contained within a housing that includes a bottom wall and an upper wall that is spaced from said bottom wall and connected thereto by one or more side walls, characterised in that said upper wall includes a substantially flat face, said container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, a a cavity formed in said base for receiving the housing, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, said cavity being at least partially defined by a substantially flat wall that is adapted to abut the substantially flat face of the housing when the housing is located within said cavity.

11. An improved beverage container, said container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, a 12 a cavity formed in said base for receiving the housing, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, said cavity being at least partially defined by a substantially flat wall, and illumination means for illuminating the contents of said chamber, said illumination means being contained within a housing that includes a bottom wall and an upper wall that is spaced from said bottom wall and connected thereto by one or more side walls, said upper wall having a substantially flat face, said housing being located within said cavity such that the two substantially flat faces abut.

12. An improved beverage container, said beverage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, and a cavity formed in said base for receiving illumination means for illuminating a beverage when contained in said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base.

13. An improved beverage container for the storage of a carbonated beverage, said >everage container including: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude, and one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said ieck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving nd retaining a beverage therein, said base further including a cavity that is adapted to receive illumination means for illuminating the beverage retained within said chamber, said cavity )eing separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, and whereby said petalated base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said :avity, said legs being equally spaced circumferentially. 4. An improved beverage container for the storage of a carbonated beverage, said >everage container including: 13 a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, said base further including a cavity in which there is located illumination means for illuminating the beverage retained within said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, and whereby said petalated base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said cavity, said legs being equally spaced circumferentially.

15. Packaging of a carbonated beverage including: a beverage container having: a neck in which there is formed an access opening; a petalated base that is adapted to provide support for the beverage container in an upstanding attitude; one or more side walls that extend between said neck and said base such that said neck, said base and said one or more side walls define a chamber that is capable of receiving and retaining a beverage therein, said base further including a cavity that is adapted to receive illumination means for illuminating the beverage retained within said chamber, said cavity being separated from said chamber by a transparent or translucent portion of said base, and whereby said base includes at least five legs which extend outwardly from said cavity, said legs being equally spaced circumferentially; a carbonated beverage retained within the chamber, and illumination means retained within said cavity for illuminating said carbonated beverage.

16. Packaging of a carbonated beverage as claimed in claim 15, wherein the colour of the light emitted by the illumination means and the colour of the carbonated beverage are contrasting colours.

17. A beverage container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.