Package making – Methods – With contents treating
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-26
2001-06-12
Gerrity, Stephen F. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
With contents treating
C053S445000, C053S474000, C220S906000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244022
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to a method for packaging a liquid filled container with a capsule configured to deliver a payload therefrom.
2. Discussion
In recent years, various devices have been developed for delivering a payload such as a prize from a container when the container is opened. For example, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,911,320, 5,056,659, 5,099,232, and 5,283,567 issued to Howes as well as to U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,158 to Plester for a general description of such devices. The disclosures of the above-referenced patents are incorporated herein by reference. Also incorporated by reference is U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/711,116, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,351, entitled “Device For Containing And Delivering A Payload From A Container”, filed Sep. 9, 1996. In the devices described in the above-referenced patents and applications, the payload is generally contained within a sealed capsule, tube, or vial submerged in the liquid filled container. The sealed capsule is delivered through an orifice in the container when the container is opened. In general, the buoyancy of the sealed capsule is used to urge the capsule upward through the orifice.
The above-described payload delivery systems are often used within pressurized containers such as carbonated beverage cans. Conventional payload delivery capsules maintain the capsule cavity completely sealed from the beverage and gases therein. For example, the Plester patent teaches trapping air within the capsule to provide the necessary buoyancy. Applicants have found that forming the payload capsule of certain liquid tight materials that are permeable to the pressurized carbon dioxide gas provide benefits not previously recognized in the art.
Conventional devices fail to recognize or take advantage of the potential benefits of allowing a gaseous exchange between the capsule cavity and the liquid as well as the heightened pressure within the cavity after the container is opened. Conventional devices also fail to recognize the ability to manage the rate of gaseous exchange to maximize these benefits through the selection of materials for the capsule. The benefits alluded to above include payload presentation opportunities available through use of the pressurized gas within the capsule cavity, devices for managing the dissipation of the pressure when the capsule is opened to make the opening event more enjoyable, and transfer of gaseous material from the capsule to the liquid. Attendant to these benefits is the need to manage the pressure in the cavity in order to minimize the possibility of the capsule cap “missiling” during opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a need exists for a method for packaging a liquid filled container in a manner that takes advantage of the benefits realizable due to a gaseous exchange between the liquid and the capsule cavity. A need also exists for a method for presenting a payload upon the opening of a liquid filled and pressurized container that again capitalizes on the gaseous exchange between the liquid and the capsule cavity. Finally, in order to effectively realize the above advantages, a need also exists for a capsule that allows the above gaseous exchange and includes structure for presenting the capsule payload in an attractive manner while effectively venting or otherwise dissipating the pressure within the capsule cavity to prevent missiling of the capsule cap.
The present invention is directed to a method for packaging a liquid filled container with a gas permeable payload delivery capsule as well as a method for presenting the payload upon the opening of the container. More particularly, the method of the present invention includes the steps of providing a container, placing a capsule in the container, filling the container with a liquid, and allowing a gaseous exchange between the liquid and the cavity to provide a benefit to one of the capsule and the liquid. The payload presentation method generally includes method steps similar to those recited above with the additional steps of removing the pressurized capsule from the container, venting the cavity, and removing the payload.
The present invention is also directed to a capsule that manages the dissipation of pressure in the capsule. More particularly, the present invention includes a payload delivery capsule that includes a body defining a cavity and an opening communicating with the cavity, a payload disposed in the cavity, and, in alternate embodiments of the invention, either: sealing means for sealing the cavity such that the cavity contains a gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and vent means for selectively venting the pressurized gas from the cavity; a cap engageable with the body and movable between a sealed position and an open position and connecting means for coupling the cap to the body when the cap is removed from the opening; or a cap engageable with the body at the opening and movable between a sealed position and an open position and presentation means for moving the payload toward the opening when the cap is in the open position.
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Brown David C.
Cornell Stephen W.
Murphy Peter F.
Gerrity Stephen F.
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
The PopStraw Company
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