Packaged bottle beverage having an ingredient release closure with improved additive release and method and apparatus thereof

• US 8,142,827 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Georgia Crown Distributing Co.
• Original Assignee: Georgia Crown Distributing Co.
• Inventors: BELL, JAMES CLAYTON
• Primary Examiner(s): Becker, Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, LUANA ZHANG
• Application Number:
  US12/103,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20090260690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 426/115, 426/119, 426/120, 426/392, 426/394, 426/397, 426/413, 426/404, 426/118, 426/131, 426590-599, 426/395, 426/410, 206219-222, 206/807, 534/03, 534/05, 534/08, 53/79, 534/32, 534/67, 534/86, 533/66, 532/89, 215/262
• US Class Current: 426/115
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/2835 applying and rotating preformed threaded caps for bottles or jars B67B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2821 said element being a blister, a capsule or like sealed container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2835 ruptured by a sharp element, e.g. a cutter or a piercer
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2864 the element being a plug or like element closing a passage between the auxiliary container and the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2871 the plug falling into the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2878 the element being a lid or cover seated on a passage between the auxiliary container and the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/2015 in an at least partially rigid container B65D81/2038 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/24 Special measures for applying and securing caps under vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes

Abstract

A packaged bottled beverage has a base component of the beverage in a container under vacuum separate from an additive in a sealed compartment of an ingredient release closure. Upon opening the sealed compartment, suction is created forcing the additive to quickly and thoroughly exit the ingredient release closure, a region of relatively higher pressure, and flow into the base component in the container, a region of relatively lower pressure.

Claims

1. A packaged bottled beverage comprising:

a container comprising (i) a container opening for receiving a closure and (ii) a container vessel containing a beverage base component;

an ingredient release closure comprising a sealed compartment containing an additive, a release mechanism for dispensing the additive, and attaching means for attachment to said container opening of said container;

said attaching means of said ingredient release closure attached to said container opening of said container,

wherein said beverage base component is contained under vacuum in said container vessel, and said container vessel has an intentionally altered cross-sectional shape in a label panel area of said container vessel, said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape resulting in said vacuum.

2. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 1, wherein upon releasing said additive from said ingredient release closure using said release mechanism, suction is created due to said vacuum in said container vessel, wherein the suction pulls said additive from said ingredient release closure into said beverage base component in said container vessel.

3. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 1, wherein said container vessel comprises a flexible plastic.

4. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 3, wherein said flexible plastic comprises polyethylene terephthalate.

5. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 1, wherein said ingredient release closure comprises a sports closure having a pull-up spout engaged with said release mechanism.

6. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 1, wherein said container vessel has a circular cross-sectional shape in the label panel area of said container vessel prior to being altered, and said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape comprises a square or oval cross-sectional shape.

7. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 6, wherein said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape comprises a square cross-sectional shape.

8. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 6, wherein said container vessel has an original diameter in the label panel area of said container vessel prior to being altered, and said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape has a corresponding cross-sectional dimension with a length ranging from about 95% to about 65% of the original diameter.

9. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 8, wherein said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape has a corresponding cross-sectional dimension with a length ranging from about 92% to about 72% of the original diameter.

10. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 1, wherein said beverage base component comprises water, tea, juice, or an energy drink;

and said additive comprises one or more additives selected from flavors, vitamins, energy enhancements, or natural ingredients.

11. A method of creating a vacuum in the container vessel of the packaged bottled beverage of claim 1, said method comprising:

applying compression to an outer surface of the container vessel during a capping process.

12. A method for improving delivery of an additive contained within a sealed compartment of an ingredient release closure into a beverage base component so as to form a final beverage contained within a container vessel of a packaged bottled beverage, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a container comprising (i) a container opening for receiving a closure and (ii) a container vessel containing a beverage base component;

providing a closure comprising (i) a sealed compartment containing an additive, (ii) a release mechanism for dispensing the additive, and (iii) attaching means for attachment to the container opening of the container;

and

attaching the closure to the container opening of the container while creating a vacuum within the container vessel so as to form a packaged bottled beverage having the container vessel under vacuum,

wherein the container vessel is a flexible container vessel and said step of creating a vacuum within the container vessel comprises applying compression to an outer surface of the container vessel during said attaching step so as to intentionally alter a cross-sectional shape of the container vessel in a label panel area of the container vessel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the compression is applied to the outer surface of the container vessel by an adjustable rail having a decreasing arc from a point of initial contact with the container vessel to a point of final contact with the container vessel.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of creating a vacuum within the container vessel reduces an original diameter of the container vessel in a label panel area of the container vessel to a cross-sectional length ranging from about 92% to about 72% of the original diameter.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

pulling up a spout component of the closure so as to activate the release mechanism and initiate dispensing of the additive into the beverage base component contained within the container vessel.

16. A packaged bottled beverage comprising:

a container comprising (i) a container opening for receiving a closure and (ii) a container vessel containing a beverage base component and having an intentionally altered cross-sectional shape in a label panel area of said container vessel;

an ingredient release closure comprising a sealed compartment containing an additive, a release mechanism for dispensing the additive, a spout for activating said release mechanism, and attaching means for attaching said ingredient release closure to said container opening of said container;

said attaching means of said ingredient release closure being attached to said container opening of said container,

wherein said beverage base component is contained under vacuum in said container vessel, said vacuum resulting from said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape.

17. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 16, wherein said spout comprises a pull-up spout.

18. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 17, wherein said container vessel has a circular cross-sectional shape in the label panel area of said container vessel prior to being altered, and said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape comprises a square or oval cross-sectional shape.

19. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 17, wherein said container vessel has a circular cross-sectional shape in the label panel area of said container vessel prior to being altered, and said intentionally altered cross-sectional shape comprises a square cross-sectional shape.

20. The packaged bottled beverage of claim 16, wherein said spout has a spout exit in fluid communication with said container vessel.