FI129094B

FI129094B - A hexagonal drinking container for beverage

Info

Publication number: FI129094B
Application number: FI20205532A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Markku Lätti
Original assignee: Benestella Oy
Priority date: 2020-05-26
Filing date: 2020-05-26
Publication date: 2021-06-30
Also published as: WO2021240065A1; FI20205532A1

Abstract

A hexagonal drinking container for beverage, having a body (1) made of recyclable material, comprising six connected side panels with inner Surface (9) and outer surface, an upper panel (3) comprising openable opening (4) with a rim (5), connected to the side panels, and a bottom panel (7) connected to the side panels. The inner surface (9) of at least one side panel (2) is connected to the rim (5) of the opening (4).

Description

A HEXAGONAL DRINKING CONTAINER FOR BEVERAGE

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to drinking containers for beverages.

BACKGROUND The typical drinking containers for beverages, such as cans and bottles, are made of aluminium, glass or plastic. Known containers have many issues concerning consumers, commerce and industry. The drinking containers need rigidness and they are typically provided in shape of cylinder. However, such shape is not efficient in term of packing density. Further, aluminium container has sharp edges for exam- ple within an opening which is used for drinking straight out of the container. Such sharp edge may for example cause wounds and injuries for consumer. Also, when aluminium container is left in environment, it may cause injuries also for animals. The process of recycling the present drinking contain- ers is relying on the idea that the consumers are willing to carry the empty containers back to the store or market. Unfortunately, everybody is not will- 5 ing or able to do so and the empty drinking containers < are thrown away to pollute the environment. 5 < 30 Further, a concern has risen about the hygienic of - present aluminium cans. They are manufactured so that E the inner surface comprises recesses and the liquid S inside the can may stuck in these recesses, i.e. cer- 3 tain amount of liquid is stuck inside the can. Such S 35 residues are potential mediums for bacteria and virus- N es. Further, a tab, which is pushed inside the can, is in contact with the drinking beverage after it has been exposed to the environment in storages and mar- kets. Thus, potential contaminants may be transferred into the drinking beverage when the can is opened.

Fxamples of previously known recyclable containers are disclosed for example in documents GB 2565774 A, EP 0650895 Al and SE 1400076 Al.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION The objective of the present container is to alleviate the disadvantages mentioned above. In particular, it is an objective of the present con- tainer to provide a drinking container for a beverage which provides improved strength and efficiency in term of packing density. Another objective is to pro- vide an environment friendly drinking container which may be easily recycled.

SUMMARY According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a hexagonal drinking container for beverage, having a body made of recyclable material. The con- tainer comprises six connected side panels with inner surface and outer surface, an upper panel comprising N openable opening with a rim, connected to the side N panels, and a bottom panel connected to the side pan- S els. The inner surface of at least one side panel is S 30 connected to the rim of the opening. The recyclable z material is biocomposite or the recyclable material is > partly biocomposite and partly carton. 2 S The advantage of the present container is that the S 35 container is recyclable and still rigid to be suitable for great variety of products, e.g. carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. The container is more effi- cient in term of packing density because more contain- ers may be packed into a package with same volume. Thus, transportation costs are much lower than with traditional drinking containers. Further, the struc- ture provides more efficient emptying the container, i.e. is more hygienic. In an embodiment of the container, the upper panel and/or the bottom panel is made of biocomposite and side panels of carton. In an embodiment of the container, the upper panel and the bottom panel are attached to the side panels with an adhesive. In an embodiment of the container, the body is uniform structure. In an embodiment of the container, the upper panel is arranged into an indentation. In an embodiment of the container, at least one side panel at least partly thickens towards the upper panel so that the inner surface of said panel is connected to the rim of the opening. N In an embodiment of the container, the bottom panel is N planar. S 30 S In an embodiment of the container, the container com- =E prises a cap for opening and reclosing the opening. a N a 2 In an embodiment of the container, the cap is at least S 35 partly made of same material as the body.

O N

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a use of a hexagonal drinking container ac- cording to any of above-mentioned embodiments.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodi- ments of the invention described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the as- pects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to pro- vide a further understanding of the invention and con- stitute a part of this specification, illustrate em- bodiments of the invention and together with the de- scription help to explain the principles of the inven- tion. In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a trimetric projection of a hexagonal drinking container of the present invention, Fig. 2 shows a view of the hexagonal drinking contain- er from above, Fig. 3 shows a side view of cross section of the hex- agonal drinking container, N Fig. 4 shows a trimetric view of the hexagonal drink- N ing container comprising an embossed element, = 30 N Fig. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the hexago- E nal drinking container, and & O Fig. 6 shows a partial side view of the cross section N 35 of the hexagonal drinking container.

N DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows a trimetric projection of a hexagonal drinking container of the present invention. The drinking container comprises a body 1 having an upper 5 panel 3, a bottom panel 7 and six side panels 2. The side panels 2 are connected to each other so that they form one structure. The upper panel 3 and/or the bot- tom panel 7 may also be part of same structure so that the whole body 1 forms a uniform structure.

The upper panel 3 comprises an opening 4 for emptying the drinking container. The opening 4 comprises a rim 5 which defines the shape of the opening. The shape of the opening may be round, elliptic or substantially round or elliptic. The opening may also have a projec- tion(s). The opening may also be a pre-scored tab sec- tion on the upper panel 3, which may be teared or ripped open.

The opening 4 may comprise a seal, i.e. film or such, indicating if the container has been opened before, the seal is ruptured, or not, the seal is unbroken. Each side panel 2, i.e. side walls of the drinking container, comprises an opposed first and second edges connected to adjacent side panels. As the number of the side panels 2 is six, they form the hexagonal N shape of the drinking container. The side panels 2 N comprises an inner surface, being inside the drinking S 30 container, and an outer surface, exposed to the envi- a ronment. The inner surface and/or the outer surface =E may be coated with a layer of plastic or bioplastic * material. The coated layer protects the drinking con- & tainer from the liquid inside the container and/or the S 35 environmental conditions.

O N

The body of the hexagonal drinking container is of re- cyclable material. For example, the recyclable materi- al may be for example carton or cardboard, and the body is formed of by folding a blank into the form of hexagonal container. The recyclable material may also be biocomposite, i.e. formed by a matrix, e.g. polymer matrix, and a reinforcement of natural fibers. For ex- ample, wood, e.g. spruce or pine, may be used for bio- composite. The biocomposite may be injection molded or extruded into the form of the body of the hexagonal drinking container. By forming the hexagonal drinking container of one recyclable material, the body may be uniform structure.

The body may also be formed of two recyclable materi- als. For example, the upper panel and/or the bottom panel may be made of biocomposite and the side panels may be formed of carton. The side panels, made of car- ton, may be attached to the upper panel and the bottom panel by adhesive.

Figure 2 shows a view of the hexagonal drinking con- tainer from above. The opening 4 may be arranged on the upper panel 3 so that the rim 5 is tangential with one of the side panels. The opening 4 may be arranged at the edge of the upper panel so that the rim 5 is corresponding the shape formed by two side panels 6 N and their intersection, i.e. the opening 4 has at N least partially angular shape. The opening 4 may also S 30 be arranged on the upper panel 3 so that the rim 5 is S at a distance from the edge of the upper panel. i Figure 3 shows a side view of cross section of the & hexagonal drinking container along line A-A seen in S 35 figure 2. The upper panel 3 may be arranged so that it S forms an indentation with the side panels 2, i.e. the side panels 2 extends over the upper panel 3 and the upper panel 3 is arranged between the side panels. The upper panel 3 may also be arranged so that the upper edges of the side panels 2 and the upper panel 3 are at the same level.

The bottom panel 7 is arranged at the opposite end of the container than the upper panel. The bottom panel 7 may be planar or it may be concave so that the center of the bottom panel is projects inside the container. The bottom panel 7 may be arranged between the side panels 2, i.e. the edge of the side panels 2 extends over the bottom panel 7. As mentioned above, each of the side panels 2 compris- es inner surface 9 and an outer surface 8. An inner surface 9 of at least one side panel 2 is connected to the rim 5 of the opening 4 as seen in figure 3. By such structure, the liauid inside the container may be emptied more efficiently and less residues of liquids are left inside the container. Between the inner sur- face 9 and the rim 5 may have a shape 10. The shape 10 may be curved or linear. According to some embodi- ments, inner surfaces of two or three adjacent side panels may be connected to the rim 5 of the opening 4.

Connecting the inner surface 9 of at least one side panel 2 to the rim 5 of the opening 4 may be imple- N mented by thickening said side panel(s) 2, at least N partly, towards the upper panel. The side panel(s) 2 S 30 may also comprise a strip of recyclable material which a connects the inner surface 9 and the rim 5. i Figure 4 shows a trimetric view of the hexagonal & drinking container comprising an embossed element 12. S 35 The embossed element 12 may be used for example to S support the body structure. The embossed element 12 may also be used for indicating content of the liquid in the container or some other information, e.g. mate- rial of the container or recycling instructions. The embossing element 12 may be in symmetrical form or it may be in asymmetrical form. The side panel 6 and/or the embossing element 12 may comprise engravings for showing information. Figure 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the hexag- onal drinking container. The cut lines show the sepa- rate upper panel 3 and the bottom panel 7, which may be formed of different material than side panels 2. The separate upper panel 3 and/or the bottom panel 7 may be arranged to the side panels by adhesive. They may be attached at the same level as the side panel edges or they may be attached between the side panels 6 so that they form an indentation. Figure 6 shows a partial side view of the cross sec- tion of the hexagonal drinking container. The contain- er may comprise a cap 13 for opening and reclosing the opening 5. The cap 13 may be made of the same material as the body 1 or it may be made at least partially of the same material as the body. The cap 13 may comprise sealing means for leakproof attachment to the upper panel 3. Sealing means may comprise sealing ring around to the cap 13 arranged to engage with the rim 5 of the opening 4. The cap 13 may also be a sliding el- N ement, e.g. sliding tab, arranged on top of the upper N panel 3 so that the opening may be opened and reclosed S 30 by a reciprocating movement along the upper panel 3.

N =E The hexagonal drinking container according to the pre- * sent invention is suitable for non-carbonated drinks & but the structure is also suitable for carbonated S 35 drinks.

N

Although the invention has been the described in con- junction with a certain type of product, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any certain type of product. While the present inventions have been described in connection with a number of ex- emplary embodiments, and implementations, the present inventions are not so limited, but rather cover vari- ous modifications, and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of prospective claims.

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Claims

1. A hexagonal drinking container for beverage, having a body (1) made of recyclable material, comprising: - six connected side panels (2) with inner surface (9) and outer surface (8), - an upper panel (3) comprising openable opening (4) with a rim (5), connected to the side panels, and - a bottom panel (7) connected to the side panels, wherein the inner surface (9) of at least one side panel (2) is connected to the rim (5) of the opening (4), characterized in that the recyclable material is biocomposite or the recyclable material is partly biocomposite and partly carton.

2. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- cording to claim 1, wherein the upper panel (3) and/or the bottom panel (7) is made of biocomposite and side panels (2) of carton.

3. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- cording to claim 2, wherein the upper panel (3) and the bottom panel (7) are attached to the side panels (2) with an adhesive. —

4. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- O cording to any claims 1 to 3, wherein the body (1) is AN uniform structure. = 30 N

5. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- E cording to any of preceding claims, wherein the upper A panel (3) is arranged into an indentation (6).

LO N 35

6. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- N cording to any of preceding claims, wherein at least one side panel (2) at least partly thickens towards the upper panel (3) so that the inner surface of said panel is connected to the rim (5) of the opening (4).

7. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- cording to any of preceding claims, wherein the bottom panel (7) is planar.

8. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- cording to any of preceding claims, wherein the con- tainer comprises a cap (13) for opening and reclosing the opening (4).

9. The hexagonal drinking container for beverage ac- cording to any of preceding claims, wherein the cap (12) is at least partly made of same material as the body (1).

10. A use of a hexagonal drinking container according to any of claims 1 to 9 as a storage for carbonated beverage.

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