US20210387768A1

US20210387768A1 - Single use substance filled insert for disposable beverage containers

Info

Publication number: US20210387768A1
Application number: US16/900,885
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward Fischer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-06-13
Filing date: 2020-06-13
Publication date: 2021-12-16

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosed technology are directed to devices, systems and/or methods for storing a substance in the base of a disposable container. Specifically, the disclosed technology is directed to an insert for use with disposable containers such as hot beverage cups. The insert may be wholly or partially formed of a container which is sealed enclosing a substance therein. The insert may be adapted to be detachably received into the base of common containers. In further embodiments, a system may employ the insert already having been nested into the base region of a provided beverage container. The substance enclosed in the insert may be, for example, an oral hygiene product such as mouthwash.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to disposable food and beverage containers, particularly to containers adapted to be received into another larger container used to store and/or consume food and beverages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Coffee, tea and other hot beverage are consumed by many on daily basis. The on-the-go nature of these beverages makes them a popular purchase for people en route to their jobs, schools, and other daily functions. As such, consumers typically purchase their morning brew after they have left their house and are already en route to wherever they have to be. The cater to these habits, coffee shops, stores, gas stations, and other vendors offer consumers to quick and convenient sales of coffee and other beverages in disposable, take away cups.
A well known side effect of coffee drinking is stained teeth and bad breath. The addition of sugar and other sweeteners to a morning beverage can also result in tooth decay and cavities. Because many consumers pick up their hot beverage on their way to work or school, they have already left their house and presumably brushed their teeth and have taken care of any other oral hygiene regiment. The consumption of coffee moments after may negate any oral cleaning or teeth whitening measures.
To address this problem, individuals may keep chewing gum or a toothbrush at their place of employment or education. However, given the ever increasing pace of peoples daily lives, the use of these products after having consumed a beverage could be easily foregone.
Mouthwash is a more convenient and quick way to address poor breath and teeth staining. Presumably, one would be more likely to gargle mouthwash from a bottle kept at that their office or school than to actually go through the motions of brushing their teeth. However, again, mouthwash kept at ones place of employment or education still requires the individual to consciously find their mouthwash bottle and perform the act of gargling.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a disposable, single-use container for storing a relatively small amount of liquid, such as mouthwash, in the base of a disposable cup.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the disclosed technology are directed to devices, systems and/or methods for storing a substance in the base of a disposable container. Specifically, the disclosed technology is directed to an insert for use with disposable containers such as hot beverage cups. The insert may be wholly or partially formed of a receptacle or smaller container which is sealed enclosing a substance therein. The insert may be adapted to be detachably received into the base of common containers. In further embodiments, a system may employ the insert already having been nested into the base region of a provided food and/or beverage container. The substance enclosed in the insert may be, but is not limited to, a food & beverage consumption related medium and/or an oral hygiene substance.
In an embodiment of the disclosed technology, a storage container is disclosed. The storage container may be used to store a liquid, solid, and/or any other substance in a specified quantity. The container may be formed of a first material defining a receptacle having a volume. “Volume”, for purposes of this specification, may be defined as the amount of space that a substance or object occupies, or that is enclosed within a container. The container may also have a generally planar bottom and a generally planar flange. The flange may surround the receptacle and may be generally parallel to the planar bottom. A sidewall or sidewalls may extend between the bottom and the planar flange.
The container may further employ a removable lid formed of a second material having greater flexibility than the first material. The lid may substantially cover the planar flange. An adhesive layer may be employed between the planar flange and the removable lid such that the removable lid is releasably adhered to the container, enclosing the volume therein.
The container itself may be adapted to be releasably nested into a hollow region disposed at a base portion of a larger, second container such that a portion of the planar flange contacts a portion of the hollow region. In embodiments of the disclosed technology, the second container may be a disposable cup. Furthermore, the volume of the storage container may store an oral hygiene substance. The oral hygiene substance may be toothpaste, mouthwash, mouthwash strips, gum, dental floss, dental floss wands, mints, Saline, Essential oils, cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC), Chlorhexidine, Sodium hypochlorite and/or any other oral hygiene material known in the art.
In still further embodiments, the sidewall or sidewalls may be formed of four or more vertically disposed planar regions forming a polygon shaped cross section. That is, the cross section may be square, hexagonal or any other shape. Further the cross section may also be circular or irregular.
In another embodiment of the disclosed technology, a system is provided. The system may have a cup with a horizontally disposed bottom and a continuous side wall which terminates at a top end with an opening. The bottom may be disposed at a distance away from a lower extremity of the sidewall to form a hollow region.
The system may also employ a container formed of a first material defining a receptacle having a volume, a generally planar bottom, a generally planar flange, and a removable lid. The flange may surround the receptacle and may be generally parallel to the planar bottom. A container wall may extend between the bottom and the planar flange. The removable lid may be formed of a second material having greater flexibility than the first material. The lid may substantially cover the planar flange such that any contents within the container is releasably nested into the hollow region of the cup.
Still further, the disclosed system may include a substance enclosed in the container. The substance may be an oral hygiene substance. The oral hygiene substance may be toothpaste, mouthwash, mouthwash strips, gum, dental floss, dental floss wands, mints, Saline, Essential oils, cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC), Chlorhexidine, Sodium hypochlorite and/or any other oral hygiene material known in the art. Alternatively, the substance may be a food & beverage consumption related medium such as condiments, seasoning, sauce, powders, tea leaves, vitamins, chewing gum, mints, gels, candies, nuts, sugar, salt, pepper, spices, instant beverage mix and/or any other substance that may be used injunction with the preparation and/or consumption of food and/or beverages.
In a further embodiment of the disclosed system, the container may be statically embedded in the hollow region using frictional contact between the flanges of the container and an interior surface of the of the hollow region. Still further, the system may employ an indentation disposed below the bottom of the cup in the hollow region. The indentation may conform substantially to an edge of the flange for detachably receiving the container within the hollow region. For purposes of this specification, “detachably” is defined as the ability of two or more components to be removed or separated with causing damage.
In still further embodiments of the disclosed system, the removable lid may have a tab extending therefrom. In embodiments, the tab may extend downwards past the container wall and may be folded to abut the planar bottom of the container. That is, the tab may be flush against the container bottom, but still accessible to a user such that pulling on the tab causes the container to be disengaged from the cup.
In another embodiment of the disclosed technology, a method is disclosed. The method is carried out, not necessarily in the following order, by: a) providing a liquid filled container, the container forming a receptacle defining a volume with a substantially planar bottom, wherein a removable lid encloses the liquid in the liquid filled container; b) pressing the liquid filled container into a base of a disposable beverage cup until the liquid filled container is statically nested in the base; c) using the disposable beverage cup for an intended purpose; d) detaching the liquid filled container from the disposable beverage cup; and/or e) opening the liquid filled container by at least partially removing the lid therefrom.
In further embodiments of the disclosed method, the step of pressing the liquid filled container into the base is carried out by snapping a side edge portion of the liquid filled container into a receiving indentation in the base of the cup. The receiving indentation may be disposed on the cup specifically with the disclosed liquid filled container in mind.
Alternatively, the indentation may be preexisting on presently available and future cups of the prior art. That is, some cups known in the art may already have a notch, raised lip, dot, adhesive, manufacturing feature and/or any other feature which may already be built into a disposable container. For example, if the liquid filled container is provided for sale in Store X, the liquid filled container may be specifically manufactured and adapted to fit in the base of disposable hot beverage cups already used and sold by Store X.
In another embodiment of the disclosed method, the step of pressing the liquid filled container into the base is carried out by frictionally engaging the side edge portion of the liquid filled container against an interior side wall the base of the cup.
In still a further embodiment of the disclosed method, the liquid filled container may be disposed below the bottom of the interior of the cup such that liquid in the cup does not contact the liquid filled container. That is, the liquid filled container is received into the hollow base region typically found at the bottom of disposable beverage cups. Most commonly, this feature is found on cups where a substantially portion of the cup is composed of paper, cardboard, card stock, and/or recycled paper.
A better understanding of the disclosed technology will be obtained from the following brief description of drawings illustrating exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an oral hygiene storage insert in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the underside of the oral hygiene storage insert of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a cut-away, cross-sectional elevation view of an oral hygiene storage insert in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an oral hygiene storage insert in relation to disposable cup in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the underside of the disposable cup of FIG. 4 with the oral hygiene storage insert releasably embedded in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a cut-away, cross-sectional elevation view of the disposable cup with the oral hygiene storage insert releasably embedded in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a close-up cross-sectional elevation view of the base portion of the disposable cup of FIG. 6 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an oral hygiene insert in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of an oral hygiene insert and peel away lid in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of an oral hygiene insert with peel away lid in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view an oral hygiene insert with an alternative embodiment of a peel away lid in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the underside of a disposable cup with the oral hygiene insert releasably embedded in the base region thereof in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows a flow chart outlining steps taken in an exemplary method of the disclosed technology.

A better understanding of the disclosed technology will be obtained from the following detailed description of embodiments of the disclosed technology, taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

References will now be made in detail to the present exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Certain examples are shown in the above-identified figures and described in detail below. In describing these examples, like or identical reference numbers are used to identify common or similar elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic for clarity and/or conciseness.
Referring now to the figures, devices and methods are provided for ergonomically storing and concealing a liquid or solid substance in the bottom region of a disposable container such as a cup, bottle, or any other receptacle adapted to store food or beverage. Embodiments of the disclosed technology employ one or more insertable enclosures. The enclosures are adapted to house a small amount of liquid and/or solids therein. The enclosures are further adapted to be received into a base region of a disposable container in a manner that effects neither the form nor the functionality of the larger disposable container.
The types of substances that may be stored in embodiments of the disclosed technology may include any substance associated with the consumption of food & beverages and/or oral hygiene. Such items may include powders, tea leaves, vitamins, sauces, chewing gum, mouthwash, mints, mouthwash strips, gels, candies, nuts, sugar, instant beverage mix, etc.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of an oral hygiene storage insert in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The oral hygiene storage insert 10 (hereinafter interchangeably referred to as “insert 10”, “storage insert 10”, “oral hygiene storage insert 10”). The insert 10 depicted has an overhead footprint which bears the major segment of a circle, with two equal minor segments removed from two sides thereof. It is envisioned that in different embodiments the insert 10 may have different shapes, sizes and configurations. For example, the insert 10 may have a circular, ovular, square, hexagonal and/or any other shaped cross section known in the field of disposable food, beverage, medical and/or dental containers.
The insert 10 may generally be formed of side walls 11 and a base 18 which define an open top container. Horizontal wings or flanges 14 may extend orthogonally from the two edges of two of the side walls 11. In certain embodiments, the wings 14 may be defined by an arc shaped edge 12. The insert 10 forms a small dish or bowl type enclosure adapted to receive a liquid, solid or combination of the two within an interior region or void 16. For purposes of this specification, the terms “interior region 16”, “void 16”, and “interior volume 16” may be used interchangebly in describing the substance storing receptacle region of different embodiments of the disclosed technology.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the underside of the oral hygiene storage insert of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The base 18 may be generally planar. The entire insert 10 may be composed of one or more of the following materials: plastic, cardboard, paper, polymer, thermoplastic, polymer, rubber, elastomer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET), metalized polyethylene terephthalate (MET-PET), polyethylene (PE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), metalocene linear low density polyethylene (mLLDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), metalocene polyethylene (mPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polypropylene (PP), metalized oriented polypropylene (mOPP), polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), foil, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyamide, Nylon, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and/or any other material known in the art of disposable or semi-disposable food, beverage and/or hygiene products. In further embodiments of the disclosed technology, the flanges 14 or an edge portion thereof may be composed of a different material than the rest of the insert 10 such that the flanges 14 have a degree of flexibility, malleability and/or deformability.
FIG. 3 shows a cut-away, cross-sectional elevation view of an oral hygiene storage insert in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Shown in this view is a lid or seal 20 covering the top of the insert 10. The lid 20 seals any contents stored in the interior region 16 of the FIG. 4 shows an oral hygiene storage insert in relation to disposable cup in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The cup 30 may be any cup known in the art. Generally, such cups are disposable and composed to cardboard/paper or plastic. In alternative embodiments of the disclosed technology, the cup 30 may be designed, manufactured, and/or shipped with the accompanying insert. That is, the cup 30 may be a part of the disclosed invention in that it will be specifically adapted to receive the insert 10. However, it is important to note that the insert 10 may be designed to fit any existing cups, bottles or vessels which may be publicly sold and available. The cup 30 may generally be defined by a contiguous cylindrical or conical side wall 31, terminating at a top rim 32 at a top end thereof and a base rim 34 at a bottom end thereof.
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the underside of the disposable cup of FIG. 4 with the oral hygiene storage insert releasably embedded in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The base rim 34 of the cup 30 may defined by a bottom wall 36 of the interior region thereof intended to hold the contents of the cup. Typically, the bottom wall 36 of a disposable cardboard or paper cup is disposed horizontally at a small incremental distance from the bottom-most extremity of the cup 30.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a cut-away, cross-sectional elevation view of the disposable cup is shown with the oral hygiene storage insert releasably embedded in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Continuing with the description of the cup 30 with respect to FIG. 5, the bottom wall 36 of the interior of the cup 30 essentially creates a hollow region 39 in the base 34 region of the cup. The hollow region 39 is defined by the bottom 36 of the cup 30 and interior walls 38 which may be extension of the side wall 31 of the cup. The insert 10 may be adapted to be received into this hollow region 39 such that it is releasably fastened via friction or some other fastening mechanism.
FIG. 7 shows a close-up cross-sectional elevation view of the base portion of the disposable cup of FIG. 6 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Continuing with the description of the cup 30 with respect to FIG. 6, in an embodiment, the flanges 14 may be elastically deformed in order to be inserted into the hollow region 39 at the base rim 34 of the cup 30. In one embodiment, the tension created between the edge 12 of the flange 14 and the interior wall 38 of the hollow region 39 serves to hold the insert 10 in place using friction. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a notch 37 may be situated within the hollow region 39 such that the insert may be “clicked” or “snapped” into place.
In other embodiments of the disclosed technology, the edge 12 of the flange be partially or entirely made of deformable foam or rubber such that contraction of the edge 12 would allow the insert to be “stuffed” into the hollow region 39. In still another embodiment of the disclosed technology, an adhesive may be used to releasably affix the insert 10 into the hollow region 39. The adhesive may be applied to the top of the insert 10, the lid 20 and/or the edges 12.
The insert 10 is adapted to enclose a substance 15 in the interior region 16 thereof. In embodiments of the disclosed technology, the substance may be an oral hygiene product. In further embodiments, the oral hygiene product may be a liquid such as mouthwash, mouth rinse, oral rinse, mouth bath, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and/or anti-fungal.
In embodiments where the insert 10 stores liquid, the insert 10 may be vacuum sealed or sealed in any other many which would prevent leaking and/or contamination of the contents. A user may peel off a flexible lid in order to access the liquid stored within the insert 10. The insert 10 may be disposable and recyclable such that it may be discarded once opened and used.
FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an oral hygiene insert in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment the insert 40 may be circular such that it conforms to the hollow region 39 and fits inside in a flush manner. Although a single design may be applied to many different types of a cups and/or bottles, the insert 10 may be produced with different diameters in order to conform to cups and/or bottles of differing dimensions. The insert 40 may have cylindrical contiguous wall 41 which terminates at a top end with a flange 44 and a base 46.
FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of an oral hygiene insert and peel away lid in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The lid 50 may be formed of plastic, cardboard, paper, polymer, thermoplastic, polymer, rubber, elastomer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET), metalized polyethylene terephthalate (MET-PET), polyethylene (PE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), metalocene linear low density polyethylene (mLLDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), metalocene polyethylene (mPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polypropylene (PP), metalized oriented polypropylene (mOPP), polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), foil, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyamide, Nylon, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and/or any other material known in the art of disposable or semi-disposable food, beverage, and/or hygiene products field of food, beverage, medicine, pharmaceuticals and/or dentistry.
FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of an oral hygiene insert with peel away lid in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In an embodiment of the disclosed technology the lid 50 may be adhered to the flange 44 using a food-grade adhesive. In further embodiments, the lid 50 may be releasably attached to the flange 44 in a manner that it can be removed by a user. In another embodiment, the lid 50 may snapped onto the flange 44 such that it may be removed and reapplied with ease. In further embodiments of the disclosed technology, the lid 50 may have a pull tab 52 for facilitating the removal of the lid 50 from the insert body.
FIG. 11 shows a perspective view an oral hygiene insert with an alternative embodiment of a peel away lid in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment, the pull tab 54 is folded over the flange 44 and the side wall of the insert and extended partially across the bottom of the insert 40. The pull tab 54 may be formed of the same material as the lid 50 or a different material depending on the application.
FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the underside of a disposable cup with the oral hygiene insert releasably embedded in the base region thereof in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The cup 30 may have a top end which terminates at a top rim 32 and a bottom end which terminates at a base rim 34. When the insert 40 is locked into place, the pull tab 54 may be disposed along the bottom surface of thereof. It is important to note that when the cup 30 is placed upright on a surface, no portion of the insert 40 or pull tab 54 shall be exposed nor shall it hinder the upright stability of the cup 30 or the ability to place the cup on a planar surface. The purpose of the folded pull tab 54 is two-fold in that it is initially used to detach the insert 40 from the cup 30. One removed, the pull tab 54 may be pulled upwards to pull the lid 50 away from the insert 40.
FIG. 13 shows a flow chart outlining steps taken in an exemplary method of the disclosed technology. The method may be carried out in any order, and some steps may be extraneous or moot under certain circumstances. In this embodiment, it is implied that a user would be using the insert on a preexisting cup. That is, in this embodiment of the disclosed technology, the cup may be any cup known in the art. The cup may be one purchased from a coffee shop or convenience store.
It is envisioned, in an embodiment of the disclosed technology, that a user grabs a disposable cup to fill with their daily hot beverage and also separately grabs an insert to embedded within the cup to be used at a later time. In alternative embodiments of the disclosed technology, the insert may be pre-inserted into the cup such that the entire assembled system is shipped and sold together.
Referring still to FIG. 13, step 100 involves a user being provided with an insert. The insert may have an oral hygiene product enclosed therein. The oral hygiene product may be, but is not limited to, mouthwash, mouth rinse, oral rinse, mouth bath, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and/or anti-fungal. Conceivably the inserts would be available at a point of sale or near the beverage cups in a store, cafe or restaurant. The insert may be an “add-on” purchase to a hot beverage or the like.
Proceeding with the method, step 110 involves pressing the insert into the base of a cup, bottle or other container. In practice, it is envisioned that this step would occur prior to filling the container with food or beverage, but it conceivably may be performed while the container is full. In embodiments of the disclosed technology, the insert may be snapped or clicked into place. In other embodiments of the disclosed technology, the insert may be stuffed into the base and fixed by force of tension and/or friction.
The next step in the method, step 120, entails using the cup as intended. Such use may include filling the cup, refilling the cup, and/or consumption of the contents of the cup. Moving on to step 130, the insert may be detached from the cup upon consumption of the contents of the cup. The insert may be pulled out in manner consistent with the description pertaining to FIGS. 1 through 12. Detachment may involve pulling on a tab or simply gripping the body of the insert to remove it from its nesting place.
Proceeding with the method depicted by the flowchart in FIG. 13, step 140 may involve the user removing the lid from the insert. This step may be carried out in accordance with the description and practices described with respect to FIGS. 1 through 12. Once the lid is removed, the contents of the insert may be employed per their intended use. For example, mouthwash may be sipped from the insert and gargled by the user after consuming coffee.
In embodiments of the disclosed technology, the gargled mouthwash may be spit into the empty cup for later disposal. Finally, in step 150 the insert, cup and any remaining contents may be discarded. In further embodiments, one or more steps may be performed contemporaneously, in a different order, and/or skipped entirely.
One skilled in the art will recognize that an implementation of an actual apparatus or method may contain other components as well. While it is obvious that modification or proper change and combination can be made to the present oral hygiene insert according to the present invention by those skilled in the art, however, without departing from the contents, spirit and scope of the invention, any variations that are intended to achieve the techniques disclosed in the present invention should be within the scope of this invention. Specifically, it should be pointed out that all similar substitutions and modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art, and they are deemed to be within the scope and content of the present invention.
It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description and accompanying drawings relate to a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention. However, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific arrangements as shown in the drawings and described in detail herein above. The exemplary materials, constructions and illustrations included in the preferred embodiment and this patent application should therefore not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
While the disclosed invention has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, apparatuses, and devices described hereinabove are also contemplated and within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A storage container, comprising:

a container formed of a first material defining a receptacle having a volume, a generally planar bottom and a generally planar flange, wherein the flange surrounds the receptacle and is generally parallel to the planar bottom, further wherein a sidewall extends between the bottom and the planar flange;

a removable lid formed of a second material having greater flexibility than the first material, wherein the lid substantially covers the planar flange;

adhesive between the planar flange and the removable lid such that the removable lid is releasably adhered to the container, enclosing the volume therein; and

wherein the container is adapted to be releasably nested into a hollow region disposed at a base portion of a larger, second container such that a portion of the planar flange contacts a portion of the hollow region.

2. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the second container is a disposable cup.

3. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the volume of the storage container comprises an oral hygiene substance.

4. The storage container of claim 3, wherein the oral hygiene substance is liquid mouthwash.

5. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the sidewall is formed of four or more vertically disposed planar regions forming a polygon shaped cross section.

6. A system, comprising:

a cup having a horizontally disposed bottom and a continuous side wall which terminates at a top end with an opening, wherein the bottom is disposed at a distance away from a lower extremity of the sidewall to form a hollow region;

a container formed of a first material defining a receptacle having a volume, a generally planar bottom, a generally planar flange, and a removable lid, wherein the flange surrounds the receptacle and is generally parallel to the planar bottom, further wherein a container wall extends between the bottom and the planar flange; further wherein the removable lid is formed of a second material having greater flexibility than the first material, wherein the lid substantially covers the planar flange, further wherein the container is releasably nested into the hollow region of the cup; and

a substance enclosed in the container.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the container is statically embedded in the hollow region using frictional contact between the flanges of the container and an interior surface of the of the hollow region.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

an indentation disposed below the bottom of the cup in the hollow region, wherein the indentation conforms substantially to an edge of the flange for detachably receiving the container within the hollow region.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a tab extending from the removable lid.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the tab extends downwards past the container wall and is folded to abut the planar bottom of the container.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the substance is an oral hygiene liquid.

12. A method comprising:

providing a liquid filled container, the container forming a receptacle defining a volume with a substantially planar bottom, wherein a removable lid encloses the liquid in the liquid filled container;

pressing the liquid filled container into a base of a disposable beverage cup until the liquid filled container is statically nested in the base;

using the disposable beverage cup for an intended purpose;

detaching the liquid filled container from the disposable beverage cup; and

opening the liquid filled container by at least partially removing the lid therefrom.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of pressing the liquid filled container into the base is carried out by snapping a side edge portion of the liquid filled container into a receiving indentation in the base of the cup.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of pressing the liquid filled container into the base is carried out by frictionally engaging the side edge portion of the liquid filled container against an interior side wall the base of the cup.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid filled container is below the bottom of the interior of the cup such that liquid in the cup does not contact the liquid filled container.