BOTTLE DISPENSING CONFIGURATION

Abstract

Beverage or product dispensing packages with dimensions such that when one package is placed upright behind a second package that is laid on its side, a surface is visible behind the second package. This surface is used to provide a message to the consumer that indicates that additional beverages are available or are waiting. Likewise, the absence of such message can be used to remind the user to purchase additional products. In addition, a message placed on the dispensing face of the second package can inform the consumer that more product needs to be purchased if the message on package 1 is not present.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application for Patent filed on Mar. 28, 2006 and assigned Ser. No. 60/767,445.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Everyone knows that a warm soda is useless, unless that is, you have some ice handy. However, there is absolutely no salvation for a warm beer. Until it is chilled, and preferably ice cold, a beer is absolutely worthless. You know this very well if you have ever walked into the house on a Saturday afternoon after just mowing the lawn under a blazing hot August sun. The offer of a warm beer would not be so well received. Beer companies are also quite aware of this fact. If their beers are not cold, people will not drink them, people will not run out of beer, and the overall result, less beer will be purchased.

Beer suppliers, as well as other beverage providers are all plagued with this phenomena—how can we ensure that the consumer always has a cold beverage on hand? Efforts to meet this head off have included the development of a plethora of packaging concepts. Such concepts have included the advent of the six-pack, two-liter bottle, the 12-pack, the fridge pack and the can dispenser. However, all of these developments have a few common problems. The first problem is that the packages take up valuable real estate within an already crowded consumer refrigerator. But the more prevalent problem is that not only do the packaging concepts take up real estate, but they take up the real estate even when most of the contents are gone. In fact, it is not uncommon in some households to actually have a totally empty beverage package in the refrigerator. The wife will typically blame this on a lazy husband but we all know what the truth is—the packages are all closed containers except for the dispensing hole and as such, one cannot really tell if the package is completely empty. Thus, the above mentioned phenomena still exists—how can we ensure that the consumer always has a cold beverage on hand? Because a cold but empty box does not help promote beverage sales and certainly does not quince one's thirst.

What is needed in the art is a solution that alleviates this problem. The present invention is such a solution.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, the present invention helps to encourage the presence of cold beverages in a consumers refrigerator at all times. More specifically, the present invention can be described as a packaging system that can be arranged in such a manner to have additional beverages cooling in the refrigerator in one package while beverages are being dispensed from another package. Further, the reserve package also includes a media for indicating to the consumer that additional beverages are available.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the relative dimensions of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a perspective drawing of one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of positioning beverage containers so as to enable the visibility of a communication when such containers are so positioned. In one embodiment of the invention, two beverage containers are positioned so that one such container is in front and laid on its front side. The second container is positioned upright. As can be seen in the figures, because of the positioning, the second container is visible behind (and a portion above) the first container. The visible portion of the second container would contain a visible message. In the figures, such message is “Another Cold Front is Coming In.” The positioning of the containers and the placement of the message is strategically set up in this embodiment in the event that these two containers are on a refrigerator shelf. In this situation, a person peering into the refrigerator will be able to see and understand that another container is behind the front container and, thus, plenty of beverages are available for consumption. This messaging also serves as a reminder to a consumer that when he/she removes and throws away an empty front container, the back container should be slid forward and a new container should be placed behind the newly placed front container (so that it can be cooled, in this embodiment). The same system can be used in places other than a refrigerator—such as on a shelf, bookcase, and retail display. This system provides for interesting marketing opportunities for the beverage producer, such as the ability to package two beverage containers together for sale or provide incentives for purchasing beverage containers in quantity. Also, game, contest or other promotional pieces can be created that leverages the “twin pack” nature of this marketing approach.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the relative dimensions of an embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen, the boxes represent product containers, such as beverage dispensing refrigerator packages. When the package is in the upright or stored position, the height, or dimension A is larger than the bottom, or dimension B. When the package is turned on its side for dispensing, the dimension A is located on the bottom (i.e., resting on a shelf) and the dimension B represents the height. With dimension A being larger than dimension B, the overall result is that a portion 100 of package 1 can be seen behind package 2.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. Package 1 is shown as positioned behind package 2. The dimension A is larger than dimension B which results in the area 100 being visible behind package 2. In an exemplary embodiment, this area is used to provide a message to the consumer regarding the available beverages and as a reminder to purchase additional beverages. For instance, the consumer may always have a visible message behind the package currently dispensing beverages to indicate that there are at least one package of beverages remaining. The message in area 100 may state that “another package is waiting”. In addition, this message may also remind the user to purchase another package. Alternatively, the top or dispensing front of the package 110 may include a message reminding the user to purchase more product, especially if there is no package behind the current package. For instance, area 110 may state “if you don't see another container behind this one, purchase more product”. In an alternative embodiment, package 2 may include a flap on the back of the package that is attached along line 120. This flap can be lifted up and rest upon the side of package 1 positioned behind package 2. If package 1 is not present, the flap falls down behind package 2 and is not visible. Otherwise, the flap is visible and the message area 100 could be located on that flap.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating the availability of product dispensed from a package, the system comprising:

a first package with a dimension A and a dimension B, where as the planes for these dimensions are perpendicular to each other and A is larger than B;

a second package with dimension A and dimension B on perpendicular planes;

wherein if the first package is in a first orientation and the second package is in a second orientation, a portion of the first package on the plane with dimension A is visible over the second package.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second packages are beverage dispensers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first package includes a message positioned on the planer side with dimension A that is visible when the first package in the first orientation is positioned behind the second package in the second orientation.