This invention relates to beverage packages, and particularly to beverages provided in sealed containers, openable at the point of consumption. Many beverages are now available in sealed containers not designed for re-use. Drinks are sold in cartons and cans, the bulk of which cannot be effectively closed. Some bottles and cartons however, are marketed with screw tops or other forms of closure that can be re-fitted.

Current legislation prevents members of the public from attending events with bottles, cans or any closed or closable container. While such events permit the carrying of drinks in open containers, such containers must be open on entering the site of the event, and if available from an outlet within the event, must be opened at the point of sale. Particularly at open air events such as sporting events or concerts, there is a considerable demand for beverages on site, and their provision in open or opened containers can be a complex process. Particularly at events where there is a surge in such sales during one or more intervals, it can be difficult to satisfy customer demand for beverages in ideal condition for drinking.

When a beverage is to be served in a fresh condition in an open container, it has to be poured, from a tap, bottle or other container. For most drinks this is a relatively slow process, consuming a significant amount of time before the sale can be completed. Of course, if a beverage can be sold in a pre-packed closed container, the procedure would be much quicker, but the legislation referred to above precludes this at many public events. There is a need then, for a beverage package that can be swiftly opened at the point of sale to present to the customer a beverage in a fresh condition in an open container.

Sealed beverage containers including devices which are activated when the container is opened, are known. Examples are described in European Patent Specification No. 0,761 ,557; International Patent Specification Nos. W098/56678; W099/41152; and WO2007/081210; and British Patent Specification No. 2,298,180, the disclosures whereof are incorporated by reference.

The present invention is directed at a sealed beverage package comprising an open topped container defining a rim, with a closure secured around the rim and confining a beverage in the container. The closure is removable, and can be removed at the point of sale, to present the beverage in the open container to the customer. The beverage is confined in the container when the package is assembled. According to the invention a refresher unit is disposed at the base of the container and coupled to the closure by a tie which activates the unit when the closure is removed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the refresher unit is directly coupled to the closure such that removal of the closure operates a switch or other mechanism that activates the unit. Typically, the closure has a tab for initiating its removal, and a tie or other coupling extends from the closure adjacent the tab to the refresher unit.

Many cold drinks can be refreshed by the release of a pressurised gas within the body of the liquid. For many such drinks a suitable gas is carbon dioxide. For others, such as some beers, the preferred gas is nitrogen. Such gases are preferably released at the base of the liquid whence it rises through and is partially absorbed by the liquid. For some drinks such as beers, the released gas creates a frothy head.

To provide for the release of gas into a beverage in the container, the refresher unit may comprise a chamber containing a pressurised gas which is released by the tie when the top closure is removed. A typical pressure in the chamber prior to release is 50 to 60 psi (3.4 to 4.14 bar). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, such a chamber has a wall directed towards the container top comprising a barrier with a plurality of openings, and overlaid by a sealing layer. The tie extends from the sealing layer to the top closure and by this mechanism the sealing layer is removed from the barrier layer when the closure is removed. Pressurised gas in the chamber is then released through the openings to be absorbed in and/or generate a frothy head on the beverage. Typically the openings will be uniformly spread over the barrier, and each will typically have an area in the range of 0.75 to 30mm ² . This is equivalent to diameters in the range of 1 to 6mm. Two or more different sizes of openings can be used in the same barrier. In one arrangement a spread of circular openings of around 4mm diameter is combined with openings of approximately 1mm diameter. In a particular embodiment, we have found that releasing carbon dioxide through an array of openings of 3mm diameter creates a satisfactory head on a pint of beer.

In the embodiment just described the sealing layer will typically be a flexible sheet of plastics material or metal foil, secured around the periphery of the barrier layer by a suitable adhesive. The tie to the top closure can be a part of and formed with the sealing layer.

The refresher unit itself can be formed as an integral part of the container, or as a separate unit that is subsequently installed. In either case it will normally be formed in the same material as the container itself; for example, a moulded plastics material. If it is to contain pressurised gas, then this can be injected during the manufacturing process. This can be before or after the container has been filled with a beverage if the refresher unit is integral with the container. When it is a separate unit, it can be installed during assembly of the package, and held in place at the base of the container by projections formed on its inner wall. The projections and/or the container wall can be resiliently flexible to allow the refresher unit to be pushed past them during installation. Alternatively, some form of bayonet retention mechanism can be employed.

A package according to the invention can also provide hot or heated drinks. Crystalline products are currently available that can be activated to generate heat, and the invention also contemplates the use of such refresher units.

Because a package according to the invention is designed to provide to a customer a beverage in an open topped container ready to drink, the container rim should be designed to have no sharp edge. While a flat surface is desirable for sealing securement of a closure, a rounded surface is likely to be preferred by the eventual user. A preferred cross-section for the rim is then, partially flat to provide a level surface for securement of the closure, bounded by a peripheral curved section. However, a wholly curved cross-section can be used if adequate sealing securement of the closure can be assured. It is also possible to extend the closure over the rim and hold the closure against the rim by a sealing mechanism around the container below the rim. This arrangement avoids the need for breaking the seal at the rim, although a rim seal can also be used, and can reduce the risk of spillage. It can also be preferable to use a sealing mechanism of this kind if the liquid in the container is pressurised.

The top closure in packages according to the invention normally comprises sheet metal foil, but other materials can be used. Plastics compositions will be suitable in many circumstances. The closure will usually be heat-sealed to the container rim. What is important is that whatever the closure is made of, it is removable, and preferably very easily removable, at the point of sale. The container itself will normally be formed in a plastics material, typically as a moulded cylindrical or frusto conical section with a rigid or relatively rigid base. A rigid base is preferred particularly for cold drinks that are to be refreshed by the release of a gas therein as gas directed towards the base will be positively redirected by a rigid base upwards within the liquid.

Packages according to the invention will normally be based on standard sizes and shapes. Typically, cold drinks are sold in standard units; for example of 500 ml or 568 ml (one pint), and these can easily be accommodated in the present invention using frusto conical containers which are readily moulded in plastics materials. Such containers can also be easily packed, for transportation and storage, and the materials used can almost all be recycled.

It will be appreciated that the manufacture and marketing of packages according to the invention can be very straightforward, and involve minimal wastage. With the possible exception of the refresher unit, the container and closure will almost always be made in recyclable materials, as will any materials used in transportation. As only the container with the beverage in it will normally be taken from the point of sale, the closure and tie, together with any transportation material, can all be disposed of at the point of sale, with only the emptied containers needing collection.

When a package according to the invention is sold at a retail outlet for immediate consumption, as in the circumstances described above, it should be possible for the entire transaction to be conducted by a single salesperson. There is no delay while the drink is poured or decanted from another container, and of course no disposal or recycling of such other containers. These include reservoirs or barrels from which drinks are poured or drawn, and associated equipment such as sources of gas, such as nitrogen or carbon-dioxide, under pressure. The invention thus offers environmental benefits in addition to the technical and commercial advantages discussed herein.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a cross-section through a beverage package according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through a beverage package according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 shows the refresher unit, tie and closure used in the embodiment of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a cross-section of a beverage package according to the embodiment of Figure 1 after removal of the closure and tie, shown separately;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the barrier closing the upper face of the refresher unit of Figures 1 and 4; and

Figures 6 and 7 are cross-sections through rims that can be included in packages of the invention. In each of illustrated embodiments, the package comprises a container 2 in the form of a frusto conical wall section 4, and a relatively rigid base 6. The container is typically moulded in polyethylene with increased density at the base; low density polyethylene (LDPE) in the wall or walls and high density polyethylene (HDPE) in the base. Another suitable material is polypropylene. The container is covered by a removable closure 8 formed in sheet metal foil heat sealed to the rim, with a tab 10 to facilitate manual removal. Each embodiment includes a refresher unit. In Figures 1 and 4 the unit is formed integrally with the container to define a chamber 12 adjacent the base 6. The upper wall of the chamber 12 is a barrier 14, shown in Figure 5, formed with a plurality of openings. The barrier is closed by a sealing layer 16, and a tie 18 extends from the sealing layer 16 to the top closure 8. Thus, when the container is opened by pulling on the tab 10 to remove the closure 8 from the top, the tie simultaneously pulls the sealing layer 16 from the barrier 14 to release the pressurised gas into the beverage in the container. The sealing layer 16 can also be formed in sheet metal foil, and extend to form the tie 18 coupled to the closure 8. The tie 18 can be attached to the closure 8, or merge with it and extend into and form the tab 10. The latter is preferred as it minimises the risk of the tie failing to remove the sealing layer 16 from the barrier 4.

The chamber 12 can be filled with pressurised gas before the beverage is poured into the container, but normally this will be accomplished after the package is otherwise ready. The gas will normally be injected through an opening in the container wall or base that also defines the chamber, with the injection opening being sealed by heat or some other means as the injector is withdrawn.

As can be seen from Figure 4, once the closure 8, tie 18, and sealing layer 16 have been removed, the container forms an open-topped mug or cup from which the user can easily drink. As the closure/tie/sealing layer combination consists essentially of aluminium foil, and can be removed at the point of sale, it is eminently and easily recycled. Similarly, the container once the beverage has been drunk, consists essentially of no more than the plastic in which the container and refresher unit are formed and is similarly eminently recyclable.

The embodiment of Figures 2 and 3 differs from that of Figures 1 and 4 only in that the refresher unit, identified at 20, is manufactured separately from the container 2, and installed prior to the container being filled with beverage. Once installed, it is held at the base of the container by projections 22. The refresher unit can either be pushed past the projections 22 until its rim catches beneath them, or some form of bayonet retention mechanism can be used. However, the former is preferred to ensure that the unit 20 cannot be readily removed from the container after use, making collection more difficult. Once installed, and once the container is filled with beverage, the package operates in exactly the same way as that of Figures 1 and 4, with the components being readily recyclable as described above.

The openings in the barrier layer 14 can be the same or differing sizes, but will normally be circular with diameters in the range 1 to 6mm. The openings will be uniformly spread across the barrier, and a preferred arrangement is one in which larger openings of around 5mm diameter, are formed in a group pattern with smaller openings, of around 1 mm diameter, therebetween. A typical barrier layer with this arrangement is shown in Figure 5. However, we have found that an array of openings of around 3mm diameter is effective to create a satisfactory frothing head on a pint of beer using carbon dioxide at a pressure of 50 to 60 psi in the chamber 12.

While the above description has described the refresher unit as one which is adapted to release pressurised gas into a beverage confined in the container, the refresher can be used to perform different functions. Once such function is to heat the beverage. In such an embodiment the refresher unit would comprise a crystalline product adapted to retain heat that can be activated by physical distortion, which can readily be accomplished by a tag of the kind described above.

As noted above the closure 8 will normally be of sheet metal foil, and adhesively secured or heat sealed to the container rim. Figures 6 and 7 illustrate two alternative cross-sections for the rim. In Figure 6 the cross-section includes a linear upper section which forms a flat surface against which a metal foil closure 8 can be adhesively secured or heat sealed. An alternative cross-section is shown in Figure 7 which forms a continuous curve. The closure 8 is drawn around the rim and held against the container wall by a belt 24 where a seal is made between the closure and the container wall. When the belt 24 is removed the closure is released, and can be removed with the tab 10 and sealing layer 16 as described above. It will be appreciated that neither of the rim cross-sections shown in Figures 6 and 7 has any sharp edge, thereby forming a rim around the container top from which it is comfortable to drink.