Beverage can with ingredient chambers
The beverage can end with a breakable metal body and a sealed ingredient chamber addresses the issue of degrading functional ingredients in conventional packaging by separating these ingredients until consumption, ensuring their stability and effectiveness.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024557237
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-03-31
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-15
AI Technical Summary
Conventional beverage packaging is not ideal for delivering functional ingredients effectively, as it stores functional ingredients as a single homogenous solution with the remainder of the beverage before consumption, leading to potential degradation of unstable and environmentally sensitive ingredients.
A beverage can end with a metal body featuring a fragile portion that breaks open to form a drinking opening, accompanied by a sealed ingredient chamber under the can end, which houses the functional components and is designed to separate from the rest of the beverage until consumption.
This solution allows for the effective delivery of functional beverages by keeping functional ingredients separate from the rest of the beverage until consumption, thereby maintaining their stability and effectiveness.
Smart Images
Figure 2025510927000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 710,672, filed March 31, 2022, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
[0002] FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present disclosure relates generally to beverage cans. More specifically, some embodiments relate to metal beverage cans and beverage can ends having ingredient chambers. [Background technology]
[0003] As functional beverages and ingredients gain popularity among consumers, it has become desirable to create ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages with functional ingredients. However, some functional ingredients are unstable and environmentally sensitive, so their functionality may deteriorate in a short period of time after interacting with other ingredients in the beverage. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In some embodiments, the beverage can end includes a metal body having a weakened portion configured to break open to form a drinking opening. A tab is disposed on an upper surface of the metal body and configured to be actuated to break open the weakened portion. An ingredient chamber is disposed on a lower surface of the metal body. The ingredient chamber includes a sealing membrane that contains a beverage ingredient.
[0005] In some embodiments, the beverage can end includes a metal body having a break flange that, when broken from the remainder of the metal body, forms a drinking opening through the metal body. The metal body defines a cavity having an opening in a lower surface of the metal body. The cavity may store a beverage ingredient. A tab is disposed on an upper surface of the tub body. The tab may be actuated to apply a force to the break flange to break the break flange from the remainder of the metal body. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0006] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to further explain the principles of the invention and to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a beverage can with an ingredient chamber. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the beverage can of FIG. 1 with the ingredient chambers broken open. [Figure 3A] 1A-1D are schematic side views of a can end with an ingredient chamber showing different stages of opening. [Figure 3B] 1A-1D are schematic side views of a can end with an ingredient chamber showing different stages of opening. [Figure 3C] 1A-1D are schematic side views of a can end with an ingredient chamber showing different stages of opening. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the can end of FIGS. 3A-3C. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a can end having a built-in ingredient chamber. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage can with a can end having a modified cavity as an ingredient chamber. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of the can end of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the can end of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the assembled can end of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the assembled can end of FIG. 6 after opening. [Figure 11] FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the assembled can end of FIG. 6 after opening. [Figure 12] FIG. 7 is a diagram of the manufacturing process for the can end of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0007] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. References such as "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "some embodiments," and the like indicate that the described embodiments may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with one embodiment, the impact of such feature, structure, or characteristic on other embodiments, whether or not expressly described, is intended to be within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0008] Functional foods and ingredients have potential benefits for health and wellness. Examples of such functional ingredients include vitamins, probiotics, creatine, ginseng, citicoline, and tart cherry. However, the direct intake of these functional ingredients may be difficult or unpleasant due to their taste or mouthfeel. In order to facilitate the intake of effective amounts of functional ingredients, one way of consuming functional ingredients is to mix them with flavored beverages to make functional beverages.
[0009] As such functional beverages become more popular among consumers, it is desirable to store the functional beverages in conventional beverage packaging, such as beverage cans. Conventional beverage packaging offers processing efficiencies, storage and transportation efficiencies, and longer shelf life of the product. Thus, it helps bring functional ingredients and functional beverages to market on a mass production scale.
[0010] However, conventional beverage packaging generally allows for the storage of only a single homogenous solution, and conventionally packaged beverages are filled and sealed well before reaching the consumer.
[0011] On the other hand, functional ingredients are sometimes unstable and environmentally sensitive, and the effectiveness of their claimed benefits may decrease in a short period of time after dissolving in another ingredient, such as an acidic solution. For example, vitamin C, probiotics, and aspartame are known to degrade in acidic solutions (pH<7). In many cases, it is desirable to mix the functional ingredient with the rest of the beverage immediately prior to consumption in order to maintain a high (e.g., maximum) effectiveness of the claimed benefit.
[0012] As a result, conventional beverage packaging may not be ideal for effectively delivering functional ingredients to the consumer, as the functional ingredients are stored as a single homogenous solution with the rest of the beverage well before it reaches the consumer.
[0013] To effectively deliver functional beverages in conventional beverage packaging, it is beneficial to store them separately from other components of the beverage and mix them just before consumption. There is also benefit in utilizing conventional beverage cans to efficiently deliver functional beverages to consumers. In some embodiments described herein, a sealed ingredient chamber is provided under the can end to store the functional ingredients separately. In some other embodiments, the can end is deformed to create a cavity that can be sealed to form an ingredient chamber for separately storing the functional ingredients. In either case, the sealed ingredient chamber is broken open when the can is opened by the consumer, at which point it releases the functional ingredients from the ingredient chamber into the remainder of the beverage stored in the can. In this way, conventional can forms can be used to efficiently store and deliver functional beverages to consumers, while keeping the functional ingredients separated from the remainder of the beverage until the can is opened by the consumer to preserve high (e.g., maximum) effectiveness of the claimed benefits.
[0014] Thus, the embodiments described herein provide a separate reservoir for functional ingredients with minimal changes to consumer behavior. In some embodiments described herein, the separate reservoir for functional ingredients is provided below the drinking opening in the can end so that it can be opened automatically using a conventional stay-on-tab lever mechanism. This provides a separate reservoir for functional ingredients without the consumer having to perform a separate additional step of breaking, opening and releasing the functional ingredients before consuming the beverage. Because the break-open-to-release functional ingredient mechanism does not involve any deviation from current consumer behavior for opening conventional cans, there is little risk that the consumer will forget or fail to release the functional ingredients that occurs automatically upon opening.
[0015] To leverage the efficiencies and established processes of existing can and can end manufacturing, it may be beneficial to minimize additional steps in the manufacturing process or disruptions associated with the process. Thus, according to some embodiments described herein, a separate reservoir for a functional ingredient can be formed in a conventional can end by a simple and rapid process, or can be formed as a separate self-contained seal cavity, manufactured independently of the can end, and attached to the can end after the can end is manufactured.
[0016] A beverage can 1 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a can end 100 and a can body 200, which together define a sealed cavity for storing a beverage. A base beverage 300 may be stored within the can body 200. The can end 100 has a metal body 120 having an upper surface 122 and a lower surface 124. According to one embodiment, an ingredient chamber 180 is formed by a membrane 182 disposed on the lower surface 124 of the metal body 120 for storing a beverage ingredient 400, such as a functional ingredient, separately from the base beverage 300. The membrane 182 may be disposed on the lower surface 124 via an adhesive material. The membrane 182 may be directly attached to the lower surface 124 to form a sealed cavity for the beverage ingredient 400. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the membrane 182 may be attached to a top layer 186 to form a sealed cavity for the beverage ingredient 400, and then the top layer 186 may be attached to the lower surface 124.
[0017] The membrane 182 may be made of a material that is rupturable under the pressure applied by the flange 160 when the opening 170 is formed, as shown in Figure 2. The membrane 182 may also be made of a material that does not chemically interact with the beverage ingredients 400 or the base beverage 300. For example, the membrane 182 may be made from a polymer or metal, such as PVC, PE, nylon, or aluminum. The membrane 182 may be homogenous or made from a combination of materials (e.g., in the form of a laminated multi-layer film).
[0018] The ingredient chamber 180 formed by the membrane 182 may have a volume between 0.1 cc and 65 cc (e.g., between 0.1 cc and 3 cc, between 1 cc and 3 cc, between 7 cc and 9 cc, or between 55 cc and 65 cc). In some embodiments, such a volume may be associated with a 12 fluid ounce beverage can 1. However, the volume of the ingredient chamber 180 may be proportional to the volume of the beverage can 1. For example, the ingredient chamber 180 may have a volume between 0.03% and 18% of the volume of the beverage can 1 (e.g., between 0.03% and 0.8% of the volume of the beverage can 1, between 0.3% and 0.8% of the volume of the beverage can 1, between 2% and 2.5% of the volume of the beverage can 1, or between 15% and 18% of the volume of the beverage can 1). For example, a smaller volume may be used for an active ingredient in a smaller amount (e.g., orange essence in a chamber having a volume of 0.1 cc to 3 cc, or 0.03% to 0.8% of the volume of the beverage can), a medium volume may be used for an active ingredient in a medium amount (e.g., creatine in a chamber having a volume of 7 cc to 9 cc, or 2% to 2.5% of the volume of the beverage can), and a larger volume may be used for an active ingredient in a larger amount (e.g., protein in a chamber having a volume of 55 cc to 65 cc, or 15% to 18% of the volume of the beverage can).
[0019] 4, at the top surface 122 of the metal body 120, a weakened portion 150 is defined by a line of weakness 152 and is configured to break from the remainder of the metal body 120 along the line of weakness 152. Additionally, a tab 140 is disposed at the top surface 122 and connected to the metal body 120 by a rivet 130. The tab 140 has a ring 142 and a tab end 144 at each end, the tab end 144 being located above the weakened portion 150.
[0020] 2 shows the beverage can 1 after it has been opened by a consumer. After the weakened portion 150 breaks from the remainder of the metal body 120, a flange 160 is formed from the weakened portion 150 and bent downwardly from the metal body 120 to form a drinking opening 170 in the metal body 120. An ingredient chamber 180 may be located below and across the weakened portion 150 such that at the same time that the weakened portion 150 breaks from the metal body 120 to form the drinking opening 170, the flange 160 automatically breaks the membrane 182 to release the beverage ingredient 400 from the ingredient chamber 180.
[0021] 3A-3C show a side view of the can end 100 with the ingredient chamber 180 and detail the process of opening the ingredient chamber 180 according to one embodiment. Prior to consumption, the consumer's finger pulls the tab 140 on the ring 142. Through a conventional stay-on-tab lever mechanism with the rivet 130 acting as a fulcrum, the tab end 144 exerts a downward force on the weakened portion 150, as shown in FIG. 3B. The weakened portion 150 is then broken from the remainder of the metal body 120 along the weakened line 152, forming the flange 160 and the drinking opening 170. Finally, as shown in FIG. 3C, the tab end 144 pushes the flange 160 further downward, causing it to break through the membrane 182 and release the beverage ingredient 400 from the ingredient chamber 180.
[0022] The membrane 182 may be disposed across the weakened portion 150 and extend beyond the weakened line 152 to ensure that the flange 160 automatically breaks through the membrane 182 when the weakened portion 150 breaks from the metal body 120 to form the drinking opening 170 and the flange 160. The top view of the can end 100 shown in FIG. 4 illustrates the relative positions of each element. The membrane is disposed on the lower surface 124 and sealed along the membrane seal line 184 as shown by the dotted line. The membrane seal line 184 is located outside the weakened line 150 such that the weakened portion 152 is surrounded by the membrane seal line 184. Thus, when the weakened portion 150 breaks from the metal body 120 by the tab end 144 to form the flange 160, the membrane 182 remains attached to the lower surface 124. The flange 160 is then pushed downward into the ingredient chamber 180 and eventually breaks open through the membrane 182 from inside the ingredient chamber 180.
[0023] 5 shows another embodiment of the ingredient chamber 180 further including a top layer 186. Instead of being directly attached to the underside 124 of the metal body 120, the membrane 182 is attached to the top layer 186 to form a sealed cavity for storing the beverage ingredient 400. Thus, the ingredient chamber 180 is a self-contained chamber independent of the metal body 120 and is attachable to the underside 124 of the metal body 120 via the top layer 186. The top layer 186 may be made of the same material as the membrane 182 or may be made of a different material than the membrane 182. The top layer 186 may be made of a material that allows the flange 160 to penetrate. The top layer 186 may be attached to the underside 124 in a position such that the membrane 182 is in the same relative position to the weakened portion 150 and the line of weakness 152 as shown in FIG. 4.
[0024] This embodiment provides minimal disruption and modification to conventional can and can end manufacturing processes. Because the self-contained ingredient chamber 180 is sealed by the membrane 182 and top layer 186, it may be manufactured separately from the can end 100 and can body 200 and does not interfere with established processes for either can end or can body manufacturing. The only additional step is to attach the self-contained ingredient chamber 180 to the underside 124 of the metal body 120 after the can end 100 is manufactured and before the can end 100 is sealed with the can body 200.
[0025] FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment. Instead of the ingredient chamber formed by the membrane 182 as shown in FIGS. 1-6, in this embodiment the ingredient chamber 190 is formed by a modified cavity 192 on the metal body 120. The modified cavity 192 may be formed, for example, by a stamping process from the lower surface 124 of the metal body 120. An opening 194 on the lower surface 124 shown in FIG. 8 allows the beverage ingredient 400 to be injected into or released from the modified cavity 192. As shown in the top view of FIG. 7, the modified cavity 192 may be located at the weakened portion 150 in the weakened line 152 and spaced from the tab end 144. In this way, the modified cavity 192 does not interfere with the lever mechanism for breaking the weakened portion 150 to form the drinking opening 170, and the modified cavity 192 also becomes part of the downwardly bending flange 160.
[0026] Thus, the volume of the deformation cavity 192 is determined by the size of the opening 194 and the height (h) of the deformation cavity 192. In some embodiments, the height (h) of the deformation cavity 192 may be between 1 mm and 2 mm.
[0027] 8 shows an exploded view of the can end 100 and ingredient chamber 190 assembled with a beverage ingredient 400. The beverage ingredient 400 is added (e.g., poured) into the modified cavity 192 through the opening 194. The beverage ingredient 400 may be in powder, liquid, or solid form. If the beverage ingredient 400 is in solid form, it may be shaped to fit the shape of the opening 194. After the beverage ingredient 400 is added into the modified cavity 192, a seal 198 is placed across the opening 194 on the lower surface 124 to seal the beverage ingredient 400 within the modified cavity 192. The seal 198 may be attached to the lower surface 124 via an adhesive material. The seal 198 may be made of aluminum foil. The seal 198 can be broken open or completely separated from the lower surface 124 by the flange 160. As shown in FIG. 10, when the seal 198 is broken open or separated from the underside 124 , the beverage ingredients 400 are released from the modified cavity 192 through the opening 194 .
[0028] To ensure that the seal 198 automatically breaks open or separates from the underside 124 when the frangible portion 150 breaks from the metal body 120 to form the flange 160 and drinking opening 170, the seal 198 can extend beyond the line of weakness 152 and be attached to the underside 124 only beyond the line of weakness 152, preferably only around the periphery of the seal 198, as shown in Figure 9. In this way, when the frangible portion 150 breaks away from the metal body 120, the flange 160 is initially surrounded by the seal 198, and as the flange 160 is pushed further downwards, the flange 160 exerts a force on the seal 198 causing it to break open or separate from the underside 124.
[0029] Figure 10 shows the assembly of Figures 8 and 9 after it has been opened by a consumer. After the weakened portion 150 breaks from the metal body 120, the flange 160 containing the deformed cavity 192 is pushed downwards and breaks open the seal 198. Because the seal 198 is no longer attached to the weakened portion 150, it is no longer attached to the flange 160 and automatically moves away from the opening 194, allowing the release of the beverage ingredients 400 from the deformed cavity 192.
[0030] 11 shows a further embodiment in which the flange 160 may be rotated by the tab 140 after breaking open the seal 198. This may move the opening 194 further away from the seal 198. Because the seal 198 may be made from a flexible material, the seal 198 may not move away from the opening 194 under its own weight, or pressure from the base beverage 300 may prevent the seal 198 from moving away from the opening 194. Thus, allowing the opening 194 to be rotated away from the seal 198 ensures that the beverage ingredients 400 can be released from the cavity 192 freely from the seal 198.
[0031] The ingredient chamber 190 also provides an advantage in ease of manufacturing: the modified cavity 192 may be formed by a stamping process after the can end 100 is manufactured and before it is sealed with the can body 200, to minimize disruptions and modifications to traditionally established can making and end manufacturing processes.
[0032] FIG. 12 shows a flow chart of the steps for manufacturing and assembling the ingredient chamber 190. In step 1, a punch 500 deforms the can end 100 at a location within the line of weakness 152 to form a deformed cavity 192. In step 2, an adhesive PVC layer 600 is applied (e.g., brushed or sprayed) onto the underside 124. In step 3, a beverage ingredient 400 is applied (e.g., poured) into the deformed cavity 192. In step 4, heat and pressure 700 are applied to the seal 198, preferably around the perimeter of the seal 198, allowing the seal 198 to adhere to the adhesive PVC layer 600. Step 5 shows the fully assembled ingredient chamber 190. Ideally, the perimeter of the seal 198 extends beyond the line of weakness 152.
[0033] It should be understood that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary embodiments of the invention as contemplated by the inventors, but are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention and the appended claims.
[0034] The foregoing description of specific embodiments will enable others to easily modify and / or adapt such specific embodiments to various applications by applying knowledge and will fully disclose the general nature of the present invention without undue experimentation and without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Such adaptations and modifications are therefore intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the language or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and as a result, the language or terminology used herein should be interpreted by those skilled in the art in the light of the teaching and guidance.
[0035] The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. 1. A beverage can end having an ingredient chamber, the beverage can end comprising: a metal body having an upper surface and a lower surface, the metal body having a weakened portion configured to break open to form a drinking opening; a tab on the top surface configured to be actuated to break open the weakened portion; an ingredient chamber including a sealing membrane for containing a beverage ingredient, the ingredient chamber being attached to the underside of the metal body and positioned across the weakened portion; The sealing membrane is broken in response to the actuation of the tab to break the weakened portion, thereby releasing the beverage ingredients from the sealing membrane.
2. 2. The beverage can end of claim 1, wherein the actuation of the tab breaks the weakened portion to form a flange and presses the flange against and through the sealing membrane to allow the beverage ingredients to be released through the sealing membrane.
3. The beverage can end of claim 1 , wherein the sealing membrane is attached to the underside of the metal body by an adhesive.
4. 2. The beverage can end of claim 1, wherein the sealing membrane comprises a top portion disposed on the underside of the metal body and a bottom portion, the top portion and the bottom portion together defining a sealing cavity for receiving the beverage ingredient.
5. The beverage can end of claim 1 , wherein the ingredient chamber has a size of from 0.1 cc to 65 cc.
6. The beverage can end of claim 1 , wherein the beverage ingredient has the functional property of decomposing in an acidic environment.
7. A beverage can comprising the beverage can end of claim 1.
8. 8. The beverage can of claim 7, further comprising a beverage can body to which the beverage can end is attached, and wherein the ingredient chamber is not in contact with the beverage can body.
9. a base beverage sealed in said can; and a beverage ingredient sealed within the ingredient chamber, 8. The beverage can of claim 7, wherein the base beverage and the beverage ingredient are separated by the sealing membrane while the can remains closed.
10. 10. The beverage can of claim 9, wherein opening the can ruptures the sealing membrane and releases the beverage ingredients into the base beverage.
11. 1. A beverage can end having a beverage ingredient chamber, the beverage can end comprising: a metal body having an upper surface and a lower surface, the metal body having a breakaway flange that when broken from a remainder of the metal body forms a drinking opening through the metal body, the metal body defining a cavity having an opening on the lower surface configured to store a beverage ingredient; a tab on the top surface configured to be actuated to apply a force to the break flange to break the break flange from the remainder of the metal body.
12. The beverage can end of claim 11 , wherein the cavity is part of the flange.
13. The beverage can end of claim 11, wherein the cavity has a height of 1 to 2 mm.
14. 12. The beverage can end of claim 11, further comprising a seal attached to the lower surface covering the opening of the cavity.
15. 15. The beverage can end of claim 14, wherein the seal is formed from aluminum foil.
16. 15. The beverage can end of claim 14, wherein the seal extends across an interface between the flange and a remainder of the metal body such that when the flange is broken from the remainder of the metal body to form the drinking opening, the seal is broken or at least partially detached from the lower surface to release the beverage ingredient from the cavity.
17. 17. The beverage can end of claim 16, wherein the tab is configured to twist the flange after the flange breaks from the remainder of the metal body to form the drinking opening.
18. 12. The beverage can end of claim 11, wherein the beverage ingredient has a functional property that is reduced in an acidic environment.
19. A beverage can comprising the beverage end of claim 14.
20. a base beverage sealed in said can; a beverage ingredient sealed within the cavity of the flange; 20. The beverage can of claim 19, wherein the base beverage and the beverage ingredient are separated by the seal while the can remains closed.
21. 21. The beverage can of claim 20, wherein upon opening of the can, the seal is broken and the beverage ingredients are released into the base beverage.