AU2017200981A1 - Aspect of packaging for use with a beverage container - Google Patents

Abstract

ASPECT OF PACKAGING FOR USE WITH A BEVERAGE CONTAINER FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to beverage containers, and more particularly to an aspect of packaging suitable for use with beverage containers. The aspect of packaging finds particular application in conveniently providing a consumable item, such as an item of confectionary, to a consumer of a beverage. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION [0002] Retail establishments providing beverages for take-away, are popular, numerous and the demand for these take-away beverages is increasing. Since take-away beverages are for the most part, sold in disposable beverage containers or cups, the use of these disposable beverage cups has also increased. Some estimates indicate the number of coffee cups used annually in the USA to be in the many millions, potentially in excess of 10 billion, with many more being used globally. [0003] These disposable beverage cups are typically made from a paperboard material. When a hot beverage, such as coffee or tea, is introduced into the cup, heat is transmitted from the beverage through the paperboard material. As a result, various sleeve or collar products, typically made from cardboard, have been devised to insulate the heat of the beverage from the hand of the consumer. These sleeves, which are generally composed of an insulating material such as corrugated cardboard, fit onto and wrap around the disposable container, providing insulation at least around a region of the container likely to be held by the consumer. [0004] Offering coffee and other beverages in these disposable cups provides the convenience of a take-away beverage which consumers can enjoy at any location, including whilst they travel or commute. However, after drinking these beverages, particularly after drinking coffee, the consumer can be left with an undesirable aftertaste and/or odour in their mouth. This can be particularly disadvantageous or inconvenient if the consumer intends to meet or be located in close proximity with other people. In these circumstances, a consumer may wish to take steps to mitigate this aftertaste and/or odour not only for their own comfort, but also to avoid having breath which is disagreeable to others. [0005] There are of course a range of products available that a consumer can use or consume to mitigate undesirable aftertaste and/or odour following consumption of a beverage. These include toothpaste, oral care strips, gum and breath mints. Oral care strips, gum and breath mints are available in many types of packaging. A consumer may for example, purchase a packet of gum to mitigate aftertaste/odour of a beverage, but may in fact only require a single piece of gum for their purposes. Further, packages of gum or mints may not be readily available at the time a consumer consumes a beverage, particularly if the beverage is consumed while the consumer is not carrying other items such as money and/or bag. [0006] There is therefore a need to provide convenient and effective means by which a consumer can mitigate undesirable aftertaste and/or breath following consumption of a beverage. It is an objection of the present invention to provide such means. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] With the aforementioned objects in mind, according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an aspect of packaging for use with a beverage container, comprising a sleeve arranged to receive a beverage container, the sleeve including a removable compartment adapted to hold a consumable product therein, whereby the compartment is removed from the sleeve to access the consumable product. [0008] The compartment can hold at least a single serving of the consumable product. Ideally, the consumable product is of a type that can be used to mitigate undesirable aftertaste and/or odour from consumption of a beverage. [0009] In a preferred embodiment, the consumable product is sealed within the compartment, securing the consumable product therein and substantially protecting it from external contaminants. [0010] Advantageously, the compartment that holds the consumable product is formed at least partially by a blister package. In a preferred embodiment, the blister package with consumable product retained therein is part of a removable tab which can be removed from the sleeve upon a consumer desiring to access the consumable product retained in the compartment. [0011] The removable tab includes a blister portion, forming a hollow into which the consumable item can be held, and a portion of flexible substrate. The portion of flexible substrate forms a back to the blister portion. Together, blister portion and flexible substrate form a compartment which can retain the consumable item securely and hygienically. [0012] In a preferred embodiment, removal of the removable tab can be assisted by one or more cuts and/or perforations defining an outer perimeter of the removable tab. The removable tab can be conveniently pulled or torn away from the sleeve to enable the consumer to access the consumable product retained therein. [0013] It is preferred that one or more cuts or perforations are provided in a back of the removable tab to assist in removal of the consumable product. Conveniently, the consumable product can be forced through the flexible surface once the removable tab has been torn or pulled from the sleeve. [0014] It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a convenient way to provide beverage consumers with a consumable product useful for mitigating undesirable taste and/or odour that is readily available after consuming the beverage and without any need to separately carry any additional aspect of packaging. ,20 Figure 1 Figure 2

Description

1 2017200981 14 Feb 2017

ASPECT OF PACKAGING FOR USE WITH A BEVERAGE CONTAINER DESCRIPTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying Figures in which: [0016] Figure 1 is a side view of a beverage container with an aspect of packaging according to the present invention; [0017] Figure 2 is a side view of a compartment of the aspect of packaging of Figure 1; [0018] Figure 3 is a rear view of one embodiment of the compartment of Figure 2; and [0019] Figure 4 is a side view of a portion of the compartment of Figure 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying Figures. The inventive concepts of the present invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described in this specification. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular forms ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms ‘comprises’, ‘comprising’, ‘includes’ and/or ‘including’ specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

[0021] Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown a beverage container 10 of the type that is arranged to hold hot beverages. The beverage container 10 may be disposable in nature, intended for single use only, or may be reusable, such as those containers that 2 2017200981 14 Feb 2017 consumers elect to bring to beverage retail establishments for filling. In either case, the beverage container 10 is generally frusto-conical in shape, with an opening at an upper end into which beverage is introduced.

[0022] The beverage container 10 is provided with an aspect of packaging, which in the embodiment shown, is provided as a sleeve 12 adapted in use, to fit around an outer surface of the beverage container 10. The sleeve 12 is constructed from an elongated strip or band of a flexible cellulosic material, such as cardboard or paperboard. Other materials may be suitable, but cellulosic material likely provides the most cost effective material for manufacture of the sleeve 12.

[0023] The sleeve 12 is generally tubular and frustoconical in shape, having an upper opening 14 which has a diameter greater relative to a lower opening 16. This arrangement allows the sleeve 12 to be fit around the beverage container 10, which has comparable shape and dimensions, without allowing the beverage container 10 to slide through the sleeve 12.

[0024] When the sleeve 12 is manufactured from a band or strip of cellulosic material, ends of the band are attached together by suitable means, such as by gluing, compression or a fastening system, such as a hook and loop fastening system. Once assembled, the sleeve 12 is able to be pressed flat for ease of packaging and storage. The sleeve 12 can be pressed flat about two or more pivot edges or folds.

[0025] The sleeve 12 is provided with a compartment 18, adapted to hold a serving of a consumable product 22 such as breath mint or gum. In the embodiment shown, the compartment 18 includes a polymer blister package 20, adhered to the sleeve 12. The blister package 20 is arranged in one embodiment, to retain a single serving of the consumable product 22. For convenience sake, the consumable product 22 will from here on be referred to as a ‘mint’, however it should be understood that the blister package 20 can contain any other comparable product, such as a pillow of gum or other confectionary item.

[0026] One embodiment of the blister package 20 is shown in Figure 4. In this embodiment, the blister package 20 includes a central blister or bubble portion 24, forming a generally concave hollow arranged to receive the mint 22. An upper edge of the hollow extends into a flat portion 28, which lies substantially flush with an opening and the outer edge of the bubble portion 24. The flat portion 28 creates a flat border around the bubble portion 3 2017200981 14 Feb 2017 24. In the embodiment shown, the flat portion 28 is substantially square or rectangular, with the bubble portion 24 located centrally in the square.

[0027] In one embodiment, the bubble portion 24 of the blister package 20 is transparent or translucent so that the mint 22 retained therein can be readily viewed. This allows ready identification of the content of the blister package by a consumer or a retailer selecting a particular sleeve 12 with blister package 20. This can be useful if it is intended to provide more than one type of consumable product 22 in different blister packages 20.

[0028] The blister package 20 is attached to a portion of flexible substrate 26, the portion of flexible substrate 26 forming a backing of the blister package 20. The flexible substrate 26 may be paper, card, foil or a flexible plastic material. The portion of flexible substrate 26 has dimensions which are slightly larger than those of the blister package 20, such that a border of flexible substrate 26 is formed around edges of the blister package 20. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the portion of flexible substrate 26 is substantially square and has dimensions larger relative to the flat portion 28 of the blister package 20. The combination of blister portion 24 and flexible substrate 26 thus provides a sealed compartment 18 which advantageously retains and stores the mint in a convenient and hygienic manner.

[0029] Referring to Figure 3, the flexible substrate 26 is cut in an arrangement to form a removable tab 34. The cut approximates a square with a projection 30 extending from a side of the square. The cut defines an outer perimeter of the removable tab 34. The blister package 20 containing the mint 22 is attached to the flexible substrate 26, inside the perimeter defined by the aforementioned cuts and perforations.

[0030] At least a portion of the cut, approximately half 31, is made through the flexible substrate 26 and the remainder is made by perforations 32. In the embodiment shown, the projection 30 is located on the portion of the cut made through the flexible substrate 26. The projection 30 is arranged to be lifted by a consumer for purposes of lifting the removable tab 34 and hence the blister package 20 off the sleeve 12. The perforated portion 32 serves to hold the blister package 20 in place on the sleeve 12 until such time as it is deliberately removed by the consumer.

[0031] One or more cuts or perforations can be made within the perimeter of the removable tab 34. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, an internal perforation 36 extends 2017200981 14 Feb 2017 4 between two opposing sides of the perimeter. In this embodiment, the internal perforation 36 extends between a perforated side and a cut side. The internal perforation 36 is provided to facilitate ready removal of the mint 22 from the blister portion 24. One or more internal perforations 36 may be provided for similar effect. Alternatively, one or more frangible portions or lines (not shown) can be provided on the rear surface of the flexible substrate 26 to achieve the same ease of removal of the mint 22 [0032] A rear surface of the flexible substrate 26, this being a surface opposite to a side to which the blister portion 24 is attached, is attached to an outer surface of the sleeve 12. The flexible substrate 26 is attached to the sleeve 12 only by areas outside the perimeter of the removable tab 34 that is, by the area bound by the outer perimeter of the flexible substrate 26 and outer perimeter of the removable tab 34. A rear of the removable tab 34 is not attached to the sleeve 12. The flexible substrate 26 may be attached by suitable means, such as by use of an adhesive.

[0033] The sleeve 12 is arranged to fit around an outer surface of the beverage container 10. The sleeve 12 is expanded from a flattened position to the frustoconical shape required to fit about the beverage container 10 when the beverage container 10 is fitted through the upper opening 14 of the sleeve 12 and the sleeve 12 is fitted snugly around the beverage container 10.

[0034] The action of expanding the sleeve 12 in this matter causes the sleeve 12 to conform to the shape of the beverage container 10. That is, the sleeve 12 becomes outwardly curved instead of flat. The act of expanding the sleeve 12 thus causes the cut edges of the removable tab 34, and in particular, the projection 30, to protrude outwardly from an outer surface of the sleeve 12. Remaining edges of the removable tab 34 are held in place by the perforations 32.

[0035] The sleeve 12 disposed around the beverage container 10 provides the function of protecting the consumer of the beverage from heat whilst the beverage container 10 is held during consumption of the beverage. Once the consumer has finished consuming the beverage, they may wish to mitigate undesirable aftertaste and/or odour and they can then access the mint 22 retained in the blister package 20. 2017200981 14 Feb 2017 5 [0036] To access the mint 22, the consumer can lift the removable tab 34 from the sleeve 12 by grasping the projection 30, typically between forefinger and thumb, and pulling the removable tab 34 away, breaking the perforations 32 and tearing the removable tab 34 from the sleeve 12.

[0037] Once the removable tab 34 has been torn away from the sleeve 12, the mint 22 can be removed from the blister package 20 by pressing downwardly onto the outside of the blister portion 24 whilst holding the removable tab 34 at outer edges. The action of pressing downwardly on the blister portion 24 causes the mint 22 to be pushed out through the flexible substrate 26. The flexible substrate 26 is torn by the action of pushing the mint 22 through and this tearing can be assisted by breaking the internal perforation 36 and/or any other cuts or perforations made in the flexible substrate 26 for this purpose.

[0038] Once removed from the blister package 20, the mint 22 can be consumed as desired, giving the consumer relief from undesirable odour or taste caused by consumption of the beverage.

[0039] If the consumer does not desire to consume the mint 22 immediately after consumption of the beverage, the removable tab 34 can be pulled away from the sleeve 12 and the tab 34, with mint 22 sealed therein, can be saved for consumption at a later time.

[0040] Modifications and variations which would be apparent to the skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of this invention.

Claims (16)

1. ASPECT OF PACKAGING FOR USE WITH A BEVERAGE CONTAINER THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

   1. An aspect of packaging for use with a beverage container, comprising a sleeve arranged to receive a beverage container, the sleeve including a removable compartment adapted to hold a consumable product therein, whereby the compartment is removed from the sleeve to access the consumable product
2. 2. The aspect of packaging according to claim 1, wherein the consumable product is sealed within the compartment.
3. 3. The aspect of packaging according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the compartment includes a blister package.
4. 4. The aspect of packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the compartment is included in a removable tab.
5. 5. The aspect of packaging according to claim 4, wherein the removable tab is removed from the sleeve by pulling.
6. 6. The aspect of packaging according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the blister package includes a blister portion and a portion of flexible substrate forming a back of the blister portion.
7. 7. The aspect of packaging according to claim 6, wherein the blister portion and flexible substrate form a substantially sealed compartment which retains the consumable product securely and hygienically.
8. 8. The aspect of packaging according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the consumable product is removed from the compartment by pushing the consumable product through the flexible surface following removal of the removable tab from the sleeve.
9. 9. The aspect of packaging according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the removable tab has cut and/or perforated edges.
10. 10. The aspect of packaging according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the removable tab has a projection extending outwardly from a side thereof, the projection adapted to engage with at least one digit of a consumer to lift the removable tab away from the sleeve.
11. 11. The aspect of packaging according to claim 9 or 10, wherein upon the sleeve fitting around an outer surface of the beverage container, the sleeve conforms to the shape of the beverage container, causing at least one cut edge of the removable tab to project outwardly from an outer surface of the sleeve.
12. 12. The aspect of packaging according to claim 11, wherein at least one perforated edge holds the removable tab onto the sleeve and the removable tab is detached from the sleeve by tearing along the at least one perforated edge.
13. 13. The aspect of packaging according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein a rear of the flexible substrate is provided with at least one perforation or frangible portion, to assist breaking the flexible substrate to remove the consumable product.
14. 14. The aspect of packaging according to any one of claims 3 to 13, wherein the blister package includes a transparent or translucent portion.
15. 15. The aspect of packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the consumable product is a product useful to alter oral taste and/or odour.
16. 16. The aspect of packaging according to claim 15, wherein the consumable product is a breath mint or piece of gum.