Display case for beverage containers
A display case for facilitating to consumers the opportunity to purchase any of a variety of different types of beverages by placing individual beverage containers into cartons that are also located in the display case. The display case includes multiple beverage container shelves and side racks for cartons for beverage containers. Promotional materials may be located on or around the display case to promote the opportunity to purchase multiple varieties of different types of beverages to consumers.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/587,436, filed Jul. 13, 2004, entitled “Display Case for Beverage Containers”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDConsumer beverage companies are motivated to entice consumers to sample different types of beverage products. To date, most efforts to entice consumers to sample such different varieties of beverage products have been via marketing efforts such as advertising in various forms of media. Additional efforts to entice consumers to sample different types of beverages include free samples that may be offered at points of sale (e.g., grocery stores) or in other public places. Further, beverage producers make it easier for consumers to try a different beverage by offering beverages in different quantities than the standard 6-packs and 12-packs of beverage containers. For example, beverages may be offered in a single 12 or 16 oz. can or bottle.
It is against this background and with a desire to improve on the prior art that a display case for beverage containers and other products has been developed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which assist in illustrating the various pertinent features of the packaging design. Although the invention will now be described primarily in conjunction with the sale of beverages, it should be expressly understood that the invention may be applicable to other applications where it is desirable to entice a consumer to sample a variety of products. In this regard, the following description of a display case for beverage containers is presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the following teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the display case. The embodiments described herein are further intended to explain modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the display case.
A display case 20 for individual beverage containers 22 is shown in
As can be seen in
The support base 30 can be seen best in
As can be seen in
The cross-support members 34 are attached to the vertical support members 32. The number of cross-support members 34 can be varied as may be suitable for the application. In addition, the exact positioning of the cross-support members on the display case is variable.
The cap 36 shown in
The shelves 24 are seen in
The side racks 26 are shown in
As can be appreciated, the display case 20 can be assembled as follows. The feet 56 can be attached to the support base 30, if they are not already. As shown in
A method for enticing customers to sample different types of beverages is shown in
The term sample as used herein refers to both paid and unpaid distribution of products/services. Also, it should be understood that certain implementation details can be varied and the objectives of the invention would still be met. For example, the number, types, and angle of the shelves could be varied, a different manner of supporting the beverage containers than shelves could be used, the appearance of promotional materials could be eliminated, the appearance of the display case could be of a different type of beverage container or have some other appearance, the empty cartons could be contained in a different manner, a display case that did not have a support base or vertical support members could be used, the cross-support members could be eliminated, the cap could be eliminated, the sign extending from the cap could be eliminated, and any other suitable modification could be made.
The foregoing description of the display case has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the invention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
Claims
1. A display case for multiple containers of various types of beverages and for carrying cartons therefor, the display case comprising:
- a support structure, one portion of the support structure being adapted for supporting and containing multiple containers of each of multiple varieties of beverages, another portion of the support structure being adapted for supporting and containing cartons.
2. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the display case includes surfaces thereon for displaying promotional material.
3. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the outer surfaces of the display case are shaped to represent a beverage container.
4. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the one portion includes at least one shelf that is angled relative to a horizontal plane to allow beverage containers placed thereon to be urged by the force of gravity toward a front portion of the shelf.
5. A display case as defined in claim 4, wherein the display case includes at least three such shelves.
6. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf includes surfaces along a front edge thereof for displaying promotional material.
7. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the another portion includes at least one display rack provided on an outer surface of a lateral side of the display case.
8. A display case as defined in claim 7, wherein the at least one display rack is selectably removable from and attachable to the display case.
9. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the beverage containers contain less than 11 ounces of beverage.
10. A display case as defined in claim 9, wherein the beverage containers contain approximately 8 ounces of beverage.
11. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the beverage containers are metal cans.
12. A display case as defined in claim 1, wherein the beverage containers are plastic bottles.
13. A method of promoting and selling a variety of different types of beverages, the method comprising:
- providing a display case that contains a variety of different types of beverages in beverage containers and also contains multiple cartons that each are adapted for carrying multiple beverage containers;
- promoting to consumers the opportunity to purchase multiple containers of a variety of different types of beverages; and
- allowing consumers to select a carton from the display case, select multiple containers of beverages from the display case, place the containers in the carton, and purchase the combination.
14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the display case is shaped to represent a beverage container.
15. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the beverage containers are metal cans.
16. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the beverage containers are plastic bottles.
17. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the cartons are composed of cardboard.
18. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the beverage containers contain less than 11 ounces of beverage.
19. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the beverage containers contain approximately 8 ounces of beverage.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 12, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 2, 2006
Inventors: Stephen Kamp (Colleyville, TX), Troy Geesaman (McKinney, TX), Andrew Springate (Allen, TX), Jaxie Alt (Dallas, TX)
Application Number: 11/179,226
International Classification: A47F 3/00 (20060101);