SERVING ACCESSORY CONNECTABLE TO A CAN, BOTTLE OR JAR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of supplying a consumable being an edible or potable item such as a beverage or foodstuff. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of beverages, the consumer must make an often difficult choice between service of a beverage from a can, bottle or glass. This decision may have social implications as some prefer service of beverages from a glass and others from a bottle, making the wrong decision may result in some offence being taken. However, there is also a question of taste. Different consumers have different tastes where beverages are concerned, taking the view that a certain beverage tastes better from a glass than a plastic bottle.

A further desirable, but surprisingly challenging objective is to serve beverages in a serving vessel suitable for the beverage. For example, a tumbler style serving vessel or glass may be appropriate to service of a soft drink whereas a fluted style of serving vessel or glass is suitable for a sparkling wine or champagne. In the service of beers, different styles of glass accord with different styles of beer. For the beer connoisseur, beer serving glasses are considered to complement different types of beers by, for example, incorporating the smells of the beer into the drinking experience, channeling the bubbles or preventing warming of the beer from the drinker's hand. Given the variety of glassware available and required to optimize the drinking experience, locating the customised serving vessel may prove difficult, especially in the retail shop environment, where there may be a large inventory of glasses and other vessels for service of beverages.

This problem is exacerbated in circumstances where there is high customer volume, such as at large festivals, yet it is desired to retail a variety of beverages. In such instances, the solution has thus far been to provide a single type of cheap, disposable drinking vessel, such as a plastic cup. However, the serving of certain beverages in such a manner can cheapen or detract from the overall drinking experience.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of supply of a consumable, especially suitable for the service of beverages, which allows a compromise between the different ways in which a foodstuff may be consumed while at the same time offering the possibility to tailor a serving vessel for the consumable to the particular nature of the consumable. The aim is to improve the supply, service and enjoyment by consumers of beverages in particular.

It is a further object of the present invention to supply a consumable in a manner which facilitates marketing of the consumable, the supplier or the services or goods of a third party other than the supplier or consumable manufacturer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With this object in view, the present invention provides a method for supplying a consumable for monetary gain comprising supplying a storage container for the consumable together with a serving accessory having connection means connectable to the storage container for forming a serving vessel tailored to the consumable and having an open unsealed volume for delivery of the consumable to a consumer for consumption.

The context of supply of the consumable may range from the retail shop environment to service of the consumable as part of a food or beverage service provided, for example, in a transportation environment. The ability to connect serving vessel to the storage container, particularly in the secure manner required to prevent leakage of a liquid beverage, lends itself to service of a consumable on an aircraft, train, ship or other form of transport.

The storage container may be any container used for supply of beverages. Cans and bottles are typically used. The container could be a jar as used for juices. The storage container can be made from any suitable material, such as glass, aluminium, plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or food grade wax-coated cardboard. That is the storage container may take the form of, for example, bottles of plastic or glass, or aluminium cans. Whether can, bottle or other storage container, the serving accessory and resultant - on connection to the container - serving vessel is tailored to the nature of the consumable. The serving accessory is tailored to the consumable, particularly a customer perception about the consumable, so may reflect the type,

brand or other characteristic of the consumable being served. For example, the serving accessory and vessel may be adapted for different brands of beverage such as beer. The serving vessel may take the form of a glass, whether colourless or having a desired colour. The serving vessel may be transparent. The serving vessel could take the form of a cup or bowl, again dependent on the nature of the consumable.

The serving accessory may be used for service of a fluid food, such as child food, rather than of a beverage.

The serving accessory may be provided with marketing or branding indicia, such as trade marks, which may be the same or different to branding indicia provided on the storage container. In this way, the serving accessory may be used as a tool to support marketing or promotion of the consumable, the supplier or a third party. For example, in the case of a foodstuff or beverage being supplied on an airline, the serving accessory may bear the trade mark(s) of the airline. The serving accessory could also bear the trade mark(s) of the consumable manufacturer if authorised by the manufacturer. The manufacturer could choose to supply the serving accessory with its consumable product lines. The serving accessory may also be marked with trade marks and information corresponding to a special event which is being marketed through a co-promotion with the consumable. Information provided on the serving accessory could also be personalized to a particular event such as a wedding, birthday or other significant event.

The serving accessory is not intended to act as a closure or seal for the storage container. Rather, the serving accessory is connected to the storage container when that storage container is opened and the consumable is ready for consumption. Further, the serving accessory may not have significant storage capacity, that is, the serving accessory and/or vessel need not store the consumable for more than a limited period of time, as required to enable a desired rate of consumption of the consumable by the consumer. The serving accessory and vessel are not intended, in typical use, to be filled or sealed with consumable, particularly in the instance where the consumable is a beverage. Focus is not on storage but rather in enhancing the experience of consumption by the consumer.

When the serving accessory is connected to the storage container, it may be in position for consumable to be delivered, primarily by gravity flow, to the consumer; in a position where the bulk of any residual fluid adhering to the serving vessel may tend to drain back towards the storage container; or in a position intermediate the two positions. A portion of the storage container may provide a base for the serving vessel, the base acting as a point of connection to the storage container rather than as a seal for the accessory. The serving accessory and vessel may be shaped with reference to the fluid storage container. That is, the storage container may be a can, bottle or other form of container and the serving vessel is shaped to connect with the storage container whatever its nature.

Connection means for connecting serving accessory to storage container varies with the design of storage container and serving accessory. The serving accessory may be provided with connection means in the form of one or more engaging portions that engages with a complementary engaging portion for the storage container. Alternatively, the engaging portion may simply connect with a portion of the storage container, no specific design modification to the storage container being necessary to accommodate the serving accessory.

In the case of a can, an engaging portion of the serving accessory is adapted to engage with the top of the can, though not necessarily at its periphery. The bottom of the serving accessory, viewed in plan, may closely resemble the appearance of the top of the can. An upstanding rim of the can may engage with a slot, advantageously of annular form, formed about the base of the serving accessory. A sufficiently secure fit of slot and can rim may be obtained by push, press or interference fitting though other forms of connection are not precluded. The connection means, or engaging portion, may be located inward of an outer diameter of the can. In either case, the serving accessory has a glass like appearance though this may be provided in a novelty shape.

In the case of a bottle, the serving accessory will take a different form than that in the case of the can. While a glass vessel or novelty appearance for the serving accessory is maintained, it will have a form dictated by the form of the bottle, whether long or short necked. In the case of a champagne bottle, the serving vessel may take the form of a fluted vessel, the serving accessory and

vessel being tailored to the nature of the beverage. Threadable, push, interference or press fit connections are examples of ways in which serving accessory may be connected to a bottle.

In the case of a jar, the serving accessory may be similar to that for a bottle. For a fruit juice container, the serving accessory might be suggestive in shape and/or colour of the fruit.

The serving accessory may be provided with connection means that enable it to be fitted to two or more designs of storage container increasing the adaptability of the accessory to different can designs. That is, in the case of a can, there are different designs of can and connection may depend on the can design. In one form of can, the shape is cylindrical and the ends are substantially flat, though with a peripheral upstanding rim. In such case, the serving accessory may be connected to a periphery of the cylindrical can. In another form of can, the opening may be provided in a tapered or protruding portion having a lesser diameter than an outer diameter of the can and the portion having an upstanding rim. The serving accessory could be formed so as to connect with both types of can, for example being provided at or proximate one end with two annular slots that may connect with the upstanding rim of either design of can. By analogy, the serving accessory may be provided to connect with bottles of differing design. Contrastingly, the serving accessory may be configured with connection means, or engaging portions, specific to a particular storage container, use with multiple designs of storage container being deliberately precluded. A more rigid construction in which the serving accessory is not flexed over a portion of a storage container may assist this objective. The serving accessory may be connected to storage container through an intermediate attachment or adaptor. An adaptor may assist one serving accessory to be connected to another form of storage container than that for which it was designed. A cap or cover could be provided for the serving vessel so that contents may be protected from pests such as insects for short periods of time. Such cap or cover would not be intended to provide a leakproof closure as the focus of the present invention is on improving the sensory experience of consumption, not the problem of storage, particularly leakproof or sterile storage.

As an example, a cap or cover can be provided as a hinged lid, so as to mimic the effect of a beer stein.

The ability to connect serving accessory and storage container may also assist in reducing the problem of garbage disposal. Both items may be disposed of together. However, the serving accessory may be reused after washing and may be made of a resilient and durable material for this purpose. Any suitable material including metal, ceramics and polymers may be used. Such a material is desirably a suitable polymer for use in the food and beverage service industries.

Such polymers include acrylic polymers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene and others. The selected polymer may have less resilience than metal. The serving vessel is desirably of a robust and rigid material connectable to storage container through press or interference fitting rather than flexing over a portion of the storage container. The polymer may be selected for consumer acceptability both in terms of optical properties, low haze and so on, and textural properties.

The texture of the material of the serving accessory and vessel may be selected to enhance the consumer's sensation of drinking from a glass. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The method and serving accessory of the present invention may now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of an assembly of serving accessory and storage container being a can for use in the method according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2a is a side view of the serving accessory of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 2b is a side sectional view of the serving accessory of Fig. 2a;

Fig. 2c is a bottom view of the serving accessory of Figs. 1 , 2a and 2b;

Fig. 3 is a side view of an assembly of another form of serving accessory and storage container being a bottle for use in the method according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4a is a side sectional view of the serving accessory of Fig. 3;

Fig. 4b is a detail side sectional view of the base of the serving accessory of Fig. 3 and Fig. 4a;

Fig. 4c is a bottom view of the serving accessory of Figs. 3, 4a and 4b;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the assembly of Fig. 3 including marketing indicia; Fig 6a is a perspective view of a further form of serving accessory, being for use with a can;

Fig 6b is a side sectional view of the serving accessory of Fig 6a; and Fig 6c is a side sectional view of detail of Fig 6b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment, a beverage is sold as part of the operations of a bar or like retail outlet. The retail outlet has a wide inventory of beverages, some distributed in cans and some distributed in bottles. The cans may be of different design as may the bottles. Typically, the can may contain a soft drink or mixer. The bottle may contain beer or a wine such as sparkling wine or champagne. The retail outlet may accordingly maintain an inventory of serving accessories for its storage containers but, whether can, bottle or other storage container, such as a jar, the serving accessory and vessel is tailored to the nature of the consumable. That is, the serving accessory is different in shape for one kind of beverage than for another. Particular advantage may be achieved by storing serving accessory with its correspondent beverage, this making it easier for the retail outlet staff to locate a suitable and visually appealing vessel to serve the beverage. Otherwise, the retail outlet staff may supply beverage storage container and serving accessory in assembled form. The retail outlet staff may also offer the product without accessory or with a conventional glass. The consumer is able to make the choice dependent on taste.

Fig. 1 shows a serving accessory 10, for a beverage to be sold from a can 20 perhaps of a soft drink or beer connected to can 20. Accessory 10 and can 20 are supplied together by the retail outlet. Serving accessory 10 has an upper outward tapering portion 12 and a lower inward tapering portion 14 terminating in a base 15. The upper outward tapering portion 12 has an open volume for delivery of the beverage for consumption by the paying customer, the serving accessory 10 and can 20 forming a serving vessel on connection of the two. Serving accessory 10 is made from a durable transparent polymer having a glass like appearance. An acrylic polymer is a suitable polymer. The acrylic polymer is processed to have a texture similar to that of glass.

The lower inward tapering portion 14 is provided with an engaging portion 16 proximate its base 15, as shown in Figs. 2b and 2c, this engaging portion being designed to engage with a complementary portion, such as a rim, of the top of the can 20 inward of the maximum outermost diameter of can 20. To that end, the base 15 is provided in the form of a truncated cylinder, concentric with can 20, and the wall of which is provided with an annular slot 18. An upstanding rim 22 of the can 20 engages with the slot 18 formed in the base 15 of the serving accessory 10. A sufficiently secure fit of slot 18 and can rim 22 may be obtained by press or interference fitting though other forms of connection are not precluded. This engaging portion, if the only engaging portion provided, is specific to one form of can and could not be applied to another form of container, or can, for example having an upstanding rim closer to its outer periphery.

However, in the case of serving accessory 10, a further or second engaging portion 24 is provided with a second concentric cylindrical wall 22 extending downward from the bottom of the upper outward tapering portion 12. The second engaging portion 24 again takes the form of an annular slot which engages with the upstanding rim of another type of popularly used can. Again, the fitting is achieved by press or interference fitting.

In the case of the bottle 40, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4a to 4c the serving accessory 30 takes a different form than that in the case of the can 20 reflecting the different nature of the beverage. While a glass like appearance for the serving accessory 30 is maintained, it will have a form dictated by the form of the bottle 40, whether long or short necked. In the case of a small champagne bottle, as shown, the serving accessory takes the form of a fluted vessel, a suitable serving vessel shape for service of champagne. That is, consumers associate a flute shape with champagne. Serving accessory 30 is again tailored to the nature of the beverage.

Connection of fluted serving accessory 30 to the bottle 40 proceeds in a similar manner to the connection of the serving accessory 10 to can 20. However, the bottle top 42 has a different configuration than the top of a can and the diameter of the base 32 of the fluted serving accessory 30 is selected accordingly. Again, the base 32 has a cylindrical wall 33 in which is formed an annular slot 34 engaging portion for connection of serving accessory 30 to bottle

40. The annular slot 34 engages with the bottle wall at its top 42 and a press or interference fit is used to connect the serving accessory 30 to bottle 40. The annular slot 34 may be provided with threading to correspond with threading at the top, this threading assisting in achieving a more secure fit through frictional engagement and a better seal to avoid leakage of champagne on consumption by the purchasing consumer.

As shown in Fig. 5, the serving accessory 30 may be provided with marketing or branding indicia, such as trade marks. In the case shown, the marketing indicium 36 reflects the brand of champagne and is the same as the branding provided on the bottle 40 itself. In this way, the fluted serving accessory 30 is used as a tool to market the champagne. It also assists the retailer or bar staff member to correspond the serving accessory with the product being served, in this case champagne. Serving accessories may be prepared to align with various lines of champagne or other beverage product. In a similar manner, serving accessory can be provided in a shape that complements a particular type of beer. For example, depending on the type of beer, the serving accessory can be provided to mimic a chalice, flute, nonic, trumpet (pilsner), snifter or tulip glass. Furthermore, the serving accessory can additionally be provided with a cap or closure in the form of a hinged lid, so as to mimic the effect of a beer stein and also to protect against contamination from foreign debris and insects. The serving accessory can also be provided in a shape analogous to a yard glass, thereby providing an accessory which can be used as a novelty feature.

Each of these different serving accessories can similarly be imprinted or otherwise provided with marketing indicia, including references as to the particular type of beer intended to be used with each particular serving accessory.

It will therefore be appreciated that the serving accessory in each of its various embodiments provides a useful tool for the marketing, promotion and sale of beverage product lines. The serving accessory can, for example, be advantageously supplied to trade customers to support the launch of a new product, providing a novelty that can impart a market advantage over competitor's products.

A further form of serving accessory 50 is shown in Figures 6a to 6c, this form being particularly suited for connection to a can 20. Serving accessory 50 consists essentially of a cylindrical body 54 having a diameter comparable to that of the can 20 to which it is to be connected. Serving accessory 50 is provided with an engaging portion 52 proximate an inner surface of its base. The engaging portion 52 has a lip 56, designed to engage with a complementary portion of the rim 22 of the can 20. The serving accessory 50 is thus securely fitted to the can 20 by a press or interference fit of lip 56 and can rim 22.

The ability to connect serving accessory and storage container also assists in reducing the problem of garbage disposal. Both items may be disposed of together or the serving accessories may be washed in an industrial dishwasher or similar apparatus and reused. The appropriate strategy will depend on health regulations.

The serving accessories may be supplied together with the beverages or sold separately. The retailer may stock up with accessories ahead of anticipated demand for each type of accessory. A computer program managing inventory may be used to manage this aspect. The serving accessories may conveniently be provided in sterile packaging.

Modifications and variations to the method of supplying a consumable and serving accessory of the present invention may be apparent to the skilled reader of this disclosure. Such modifications and variations are deemed within the scope of the present invention. For example, the serving accessory is particularly suitable for service of a beverage in the air. The serving accessory facilitates service but also reduces risk of spillage in the event of air turbulence since liquid beverage tends to drain back into the beverage storage container rather than been retained in an open serving vessel.