US 4,728,001 AGranted

Beverage container and packaging method

OwnerHenry S. Serbainventor

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Abstract

A beverage container having a drinking straw packaged with a beverage therein. The beverage container comprises a hollow container having a top end and a bottom end joined by a side wall. The top end has a normally sealed pour opening which is adapted to be opened upon demand for access to the beverage in the hollow container. The hollow container is filled with the beverage to a level near the top end thereof. The beverage container also includes a drinking straw disposed in the hollow container. The drinking straw is defined by a tube having an open drinking passage extending completely therethrough and is initially bent intermediate opposing ends thereof into a generally circular configuration substantially disposed in a plane with the opposing ends in generally adjacent relation. The drinking straw floats on the beverage near the top end of the hollow container. The beverage container also includes the drinking straw having at least one of the opposing ends bent to project at an angle to the plane defined by the portion of the tube in the generally circular configuration. The one of the opposing ends projects upwardly of the plane and inwardly of the generally circular configuration by a distance sufficient to extend through the pour opening for removal of the tube. The tube is at least partially removable from the hollow container through the pour opening, bent substantially from the generally circular configuration into a generally straight configuration during the partial removal, and is thereafter reinsertable into the hollow container through the pour opening. With this arrangement, the drinking straw can be packaged in the beverage container with the beverage in a first configuration and can be at least partially removed from the beverage container for reinsertion for drinking the beverage in a second configuration.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A beverage container having a drinking straw packaged with a beverage therein, comprising:

a hollow container having a top end and a bottom end joined by a side wall, said top end having means defining a pour opening therein and including means normally sealing said pour opening, said hollow container being filled with said beverage to a level near said top end thereof;
said sealing means being releasable upon demand to expose said pour opening for access to said beverage in said hollow container;
and
a drinking straw disposed in said hollow container, said drinking straw comprising a tube having an open drinking passage extending completely therethrough and initially being bent intermediate opposing ends thereof into a generally circular configuration substantially disposed in a plane with said opposing ends in generally adjacent relation, said drinking straw floating on said beverage near said top end of said hollow container;
said drinking straw including means for bending said tube into said generally circular configuration, said bending means being adapted to maintain said tube in said generally circular configuration with said drinking passage open, said bending means also being adapted to accommodate bending of said tube into a generally straight configuration for use of said drinking straw;
at least one of said opposing ends of said tube being bent to project at an angle to said plane defined by said tube in said generally circular configuration, said one of said opposing ends of said tube projecting upwardly of said plane and inwardly of said generally circular configuration, said one of said opposing ends of said tube projecting upwardly of said plane by a distance sufficient to extend through said pour opening for removal of said tube upon release of said sealing means;
said tube being at least partially removable from said hollow container through said pour opening, said tube being substantially bent from said generally circular configuration into said generally straight configuration during said at least partial removal from said hollow container, said tube thereafter being reinsertable into said hollow container through said pour opening;
whereby said drinking straw can be packaged in said beverage container with said beverage in a first configuration and can be at least partially removed from said beverage container for reinsertion for drinking said beverage in a second configuration.

5 more elements

A carbonated beverage container having a drinking straw packaged with a carbonated beverage therein, comprising:

a generally cylindrical hollow container having a generally circular top end and a generally circular bottom end joined by a generally cylindrical side wall, said top end having means defining a pour opening therein and including means normally sealing said pour opening, said generally cylindrical hollow container being filled with said carbonated beverage to a level near said generally circular top end thereof;
said means defining said pour opening including a score line in said generally circular top end and said means normally sealing said pour opening being an intergral portion of said generally circular top end, said integral portion of said generally circular top end defining a tab disposed inwardly of said score line and including means for at least partially separating said tab along said score line from the remainder of said generally circular top end;
said tab being at least partially separable upon demand to expose said pour opening for access to said carbonated beverage in said generally cylindrical hollow container;
and
a drinking straw disposed in said generally cylindrical hollow container, said drinking straw comprising a tube having an open drinking passage extending completely therethrough and initially being bent intermediate opposing ends thereof into a generally circular configuration substantially disposed in a plane with said opposing ends in generally adjacent relation, said drinking straw floating on said carbonated beverage near said generally circular top end of said generally cylindrical hollow container;
said drinking straw including a plurality of corrugations intermediate said opposing ends for bending of said tube into said generally circular configuration, said corrugations being adapted to maintain said tube in said generally circular configuration with said drinking passage open, said corrugations also being adapted to accommodate bending said tube into a generally straight configuration for use of said drinking straw;
at least one of said opposing ends of said tube being bent to project at an angle to said plane defined by said tube in said generally circular configuration, said one of said opposing ends of said tube projecting upwardly of said plane and inwardly of said generally circular configuration, said one of said opposing ends of said tube projecting upwardly of said plane by a distance sufficient to extend through said pour opening for removal of said tube;
said tube being at least partially removable from said generally cylindrical hollow container through said pour opening, said tube being substantially bent from said generally circular configuration into said generally straight configuration during said at least partial removal from said generally cylindrical hollow container, said tube thereafter being reinsertable into said hollow container through said pour opening;
whereby said drinking straw can be packaged in said carbonated beverage container with said carbonated beverage in a first configuration and can be at least partially removed from said carbonated beverage container for reinsertion for drinking said carbonated beverage in a second configuration.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.