The present invention concerns a beverage packaging.

In particular, the present invention concerns a beverage packaging for storing a beverage and whereby the beverage can be consumed directly from the beverage packaging. Typically, the invention is applicable to a beverage packaging in the shape of a drink can, but other types of beverage packagings such as beverage cartons, plastic or glass bottles or cups, pouches for drinks or drinks boxes that can be emptied with a straw and the like, are not excluded from the invention either.

The beverage packagings whereby a beverage can be consumed directly out of the packaging have a major disadvantage in that, while drinking, the beverage can only be tasted by the person who is drinking, but the smell of the beverage can hardly or not at all be perceived by this person.

In many cases, while drinking from such a packaging, other disturbing smells are moreover perceived which do not come from the packaged beverage.

Such unpleasant smells may be due for example to dust particles or oil particles or the like present in the beverage packaging, which have remained in the beverage packaging for example after production, transport or storage of the beverage packaging or the like. It is generally known, however, that when drinking both the smell and the taste are important to fully appreciate the drink. People with colds for example, experience the consumption of food and drink differently than people who do not have a cold, because their sense of smell has been temporarily disabled . It is also known that wine glasses for wine tastings have a large opening to make sure that the nose can be inserted in the glass, so that the wine can thus be fully evaluated . Also, the present invention aims to remedy one or several of the above-mentioned and/or other disadvantages.

To this end, the present invention concerns a beverage packaging for storing a beverage and whereby the beverage can be consumed directly from the beverage packaging, which beverage packaging is provided with a lid which can be opened, and whereby the beverage packaging is provided with release means for releasing an aroma and whereby these release means can be activated independently from the manipulation of the lid so as to distribute an odour or aroma if need be while drinking the beverage from the packaging .

A major advantage of a beverage packaging according to the invention is of course that, while drinking, the taste of the beverage can be perceived as well as the odour or the aroma which is released upon activation of the release means .

As a result, the drinking person obtains a more complete sensation while drinking.

Another major advantage of a beverage packaging according to the invention is that the release means according to the invention can spread an aroma which does not necessarily correspond to the smell of the beverage packaged in the beverage packaging.

In this manner, it is possible to create various new sensations for a drinking person which cannot possibly be obtained with the beverage alone.

Another advantage of a beverage packaging according to the invention consists in that it allows to change or reinforce the experience of a drinking person by releasing a smell.

As a result, it becomes possible to compose new beverages containing a smaller quantity of certain substances than usual, but whereby the consumption of such a new beverage is associated with an identical or similar experience as when consuming the existing beverages.

Thus, for example, the sugar content in beverages can be reduced, and this reduced sugar content can be compensated by adding a fragrance, such that a drinking person still gets the impression of drinking a beverage with a higher sugar content. Thus, such a solution can contribute to the public health.

Hence, according to a preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the release means, upon activation, spread aromatic substances containing elements which are not present in the beverage.

On the one hand, the aromatic substances may hereby exclusively contain elements which are not present in the beverage, or on the other hand they may also contain elements which are present in the beverage.

According to another preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the release means spread aromatic substances upon activation containing elements which are present in the beverage.

The aromatic substances may hereby exclusively contain elements which are also present in the beverage, for example to enhance the specific sensation associated with the drinking of the beverage concerned.

The above-mentioned aromatic substances may be contained in the release means in a solid state, for example in powder form, in a liquid state or in a gaseous state, or as a combination thereof.

The aim is of course that aromatic substances, upon activation of the release means, end up in the ambient air so that they can be absorbed through the nose of the person who's drinking, for example by evaporation, by diffusion or by any other possible process.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the release means are integrated in the lid. The lid is further also called opening mechanism.

Preferably, said lid can be manipulated to open the beverage packaging as well as to activate the release means, whereby the latter manipulation is independent from the first-mentioned and does not necessarily have to be carried out. According to yet another preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the release means include a shell in which aromatic substances are contained, whereby the release means can be activated by severing or tearing the shell.

An advantage of such an embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention is that a gaseous or liquid substance can be easily contained in the shell which, upon activation by tearing or severing the shell, can be spread very quickly in the ambient air.

An additional advantage of this embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention is that the shell can also serve as a criterion for applying a correct dosage of aromatic substances. In an alternative embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the release means contain aromatic substances which are covered by means of a cover, and the activation of the release means consists in removing the cover.

For example, on the packaging may be provided an adhesive strip in which aromatic substances are contained and whereby the adhesive strip is covered by a cover strip.

Such an embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention is advantageous in that it is easy to manufacture, whereby the adhesive strip can be easily applied on the beverage packaging, and the release means can be very easily activated by a user by removing the cover strip, for example simultaneously with the opening of the beverage packaging.

According to another preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the beverage packaging contains activation means which can be operated independently of the manipulation of the lid or the opening mechanism and which are nevertheless integrated in the beverage packaging and with which the release means can be activated.

This of course has the advantage that someone using the beverage packaging does not need any additional tools such as for example scissors or a knife to activate the release means. The independent operation or independent operability of the activation means on the one hand, and of the opening mechanism or the lid on the other hand is important since it gives the user the freedom to experiment freely with the offered aroma experience. It is crucial that the user enjoys freedom when it comes to offering aromas.

Also in order to prevent aroma peaks when opening several cans or the like, for example in a drinking house, it is appropriate to offer the activation of the release means independently from the opening of the lid.

In another preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention, the release means can be activated manually without any additional activation means .

In order to better illustrate the characteristics of the invention, the following preferred embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention is described by way of example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: figures 1 and 2 represent a partially known beverage packaging in the shape of a drink can seen in perspective, in its closed and opened state respectively;

figure 3 represents the opened state of a possible embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention in a manner analogous to that in figure 2; figure 4 shows a section through the beverage packaging from figure 3 according to a cross-cut indicated by line IV- IV ;

figure 5 is a magnified representation of the part from figure 4 indicated by F5; and,

figure 6 illustrates with a section analogous to that in figure 5 how the release means of the beverage packaging according to the invention can be activated .

The known beverage packagings 1 represented in figures 1 and 2 are metal drink cans 1 in which a beverage such as a soda, sports drink, energy drink, beer or the like has been provided.

Such a drink can 1 is, as usual, more or less cylinder- shaped with a cylinder wall 2, a top face 3 and a bottom surface which is not shown any further in the figures. In order to form a lid 4 of the beverage packaging 1, a recessed zone 5 is provided in the top face in which a lip 6 is fixed by means of a rivet 7.

The rivet 7 is provided in a flap 8 on the lip 6 whereby the lip 6 can be tilted on the edge between the flap 8 and the remaining part of the lip 6.

During the manufacturing of the drink can 1, the zone 5 is at least partially delimited on its edge 9 by a groove 10 which locally weakens the top face 3 so as to make it possible to press a part 11 of the zone 5 by means of the lip 6. To this end, the lip 6 is tilted, from a position parallel to the top face 3, in accordance with the closed state of the beverage packaging 1 as represented in figure 1, into an inclined position with respect to the top face 3.

This position is represented for example in figure 2.

During the movement towards the inclined position, the far end 12 of the lip 5 will press the part 11 of the zone 5 towards the inside of the drink can 1, such that a drink opening 13 is formed in the top face 3 of the beverage packaging 1.

A user may then consume the beverage in the drink can 1 via the drink opening 13.

In these known drink cans 1, the formed drink opening 13 is rather small, such that the user cannot or can hardly perceive the aroma of the beverage.

In order to facilitate the gripping of the lip 5, a grip opening 15 is usually provided on the other far end 14 of the lip 5. While drinking, the nostrils of the person who is drinking will be situated more or less at the height of this opening 15.

Figure 3 shows a beverage packaging 16 according to the invention which in the given example is also designed as a beverage can 1. This beverage packaging 16 according to the invention is provided with release means 17 for releasing an aroma, which are formed of a shell 18 filled with aromatic substances 19.

When these aromatic substances 19 are released, a matching aroma is added to the beverage, such as for example the aroma of strawberries, mint, lemon, vanilla, Coca Cola, chocolate, mocha and the like.

Of course, many other aromas are not excluded either according to the invention.

In the embodiment shown, the release means 17 are integrated in the lid 4, whereby the shell 18 is more specifically arranged in the grip opening 15 provided in the metal lip 6 of the drink can 16.

The shell 18 may for example be formed of one or several membranes made of a plastic foil or the like.

These release means 17 can simply be activated by severing or tearing the shell 18 so as to spread a fragrance while drinking the beverage from the beverage packaging 1.

In practice, this can be done for example by severing or tearing the shell 18 apart with the fingernails or by using any other tool. In the embodiment of a beverage packaging according to the invention represented in figures 3 to 6, the beverage packaging 1 comprises activation means 20, however, which are integrated in the beverage packaging 1 and with which the release means 17 can be activated.

In this case, these activation means 20 are formed of a protrusion 21 provided on the top face 3 of the beverage packaging 1 with which the shell 18 of the release means 17 can be pierced, which is illustrated in greater detail by means of figures 5 and 6. In the embodiment shown, the protrusion 21 has a circular outline 22 with a diameter D which substantially corresponds to the diameter E of the grip opening 15 in the lip 6. Furthermore, on its radially outwards facing edge 23, the protrusion 21 is provided with a groove 24 extending over the outline 22 of the protrusion 21.

Of course, many other possible embodiments are not excluded from the invention either.

In order to activate the release means 17, the lip 6 provided on the top side of the drink can 1 must be tilted back from the inclined position to the horizontal position.

The protrusion 21 is hereby positioned in such a manner on the top face 3 that the shell 18 can be torn or severed during this tilting, whereby the aromatic substances 19 are thus released from the shell 18.

This is shown in greater detail in figure 6. As the release means 17 are provided in the grip opening 15, the released aromatic substances 19 go straight in the nostrils of the person who is drinking, such that only a small quantity of these aromatic substances 19 should be provided .

In a possible embodiment, the shell 18 may be built double for example, whereby the aromatic substances 19 are embedded in a first shell which is further encapsulated in a second shell.

Such a double construction shell may consist for example of a double membrane.

The activation means 20 can thereby be carried out such that the first shell of the release means 17 can be severed by them, such that the aromatic substances 19 may be released from this first shell while still remaining embedded in the second shell.

By making the second shell permeable only to odour and not to powder or dust or liquid or the like, said aromatic substance can be prevented from being released as a mass in its environment and thus end up in the beverage for example, as a result of which it might contaminate the beverage .

It is clear that by making use of a dynamic activating system, if need be at the lid or the opening mechanism of the beverage packaging but which can be independently activated, numerous advantages are obtained. As mentioned, the lid or the opening mechanism often contains a tilting lip 6 in the case of a can.

Thanks to the independently controllable activation means, it is up to the user to either or not make use of the additional aroma sensation. In other words, the user has a free choice.

Consequently, the presence or absence of the aroma function does not change the concept as a whole of the standard' can.

It is also clear that the user can be offered the possibility to determine the dosage of the aroma release and the corresponding experience.

In that case the activation means 20 can be provided in two or several zones, possibly in the shape of protrusions 21 provided on the top face 3 of the beverage packaging 1. Thus, for example, a first protrusion 21 can be provided in a first zone at a first shorter distance or radius to the pivot point of the lip 6, and a second protrusion 21 in a second zone at a second larger distance or radius to the pivot point of the lip 6. By therefore providing several shells 18 of release means 17 on the lip 6, for example a smaller variant at a shorter distance to the pivot point of the lip 6 and a larger variant at a larger distance to the pivot point of the lip 6, the dosage option can be provided by the appropriate turning of the lip 6 with the intended correspondence of the protrusion 21 with the shell 18. Thus, by way of example, one can simply opt for a more limited release by turning counterclockwise before pressing and activating, and for a more generous release by turning clockwise before pressing and activating.

Alternatively, two or several protrusions 21 are provided with a different prominence or relative height with respect to the top face 3 of the beverage packaging 1. The dosage option is obtained in this case when also the aroma release depends on the degree of perforation of the release means 17, for example as they are provided with several nested shells 18 and/or compartments. The release of activation means can be restricted to a portion of the contents of the shell 18.

Optionally, also the possibility to orient the shell may be offered, so that the activation releases a different amount of aroma.

It is clear that it is also possible to offer the possibility to choose from several types of aromas by making use of a shell with several compartments, whereby each compartment contains a different aroma, which can be severed after orientation. Orientation can be done by either orienting the shell itself or by orienting the lip 6 a few degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. Finally, it is clear that also the combination of dosage and type of aroma is possible by orienting the shell and orienting the lip 6 during activation. Such a beverage packaging with multiple experience options has for a result that the drinks manufacturer merely has to market one type of can, which of course considerably simplifies the transport, storage and display and the expenses incurred for the latter.

Note that, in all the embodiments discussed, the release means and activation means can mutually exchange positions, i.e. the activation means can be provided on the lid and the release means can be provided in the nearby zones of the beverage packaging.

It is clear that the protrusion 21 must not necessarily have a circular outline 22. The outline may for example be oval as well.

The invention is by no means limited to the embodiments of a beverage packaging 16 according to the invention described by way of example and represented in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a beverage packaging 16 can be made in many other ways while still remaining within the scope of the invention.