Disposable beverage container and method of operation

Abstract

A disposable drink container includes sealed apertures at or near opposite ends of the container. Liquid contained within the interior portion of the container may be rapidly consumed by positioning one of the first and second the apertures above the other. The lower one of the apertures is unsealed and at placed by the user's mouth. The upper one of the apertures is subsequently unsealed so that the liquid contained within the interior portion of the container is rapidly discharged into the user's mouth.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A liquid-containing container comprising:
 opposing spaced apart front and back panels;   opposing spaced apart left and right side panels connected to the front and back panels;   opposing spaced apart top and bottom panels connected to the front and back panels and connected to the left and right side panels to thereby form the container and to define an interior space to hold a liquid;   a top sealed aperture in the top panel; and   a bottom sealed aperture in the bottom panel wherein the liquid is released from the interior portion of the container by unsealing both the top and bottom sealed apertures.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1  wherein the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom panels comprise a liquid packaging board having a plurality of layers including a paper layer, a polyethylene layer and an aluminum foil layer. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2  wherein the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom panels comprise a single piece of liquid packaging board folded to form the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom panels. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1  wherein the top and bottom sealed apertures are puncturable and are unsealed by puncturing the top and bottom sealed apertures. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1  wherein the top and bottom sealed apertures further comprise pull tabs and are unsealed by pulling the pull tabs from the top and bottom sealed apertures. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the front, back, left, and right panels are flexible and can be compressed after the top and bottom sealed apertures are unsealed to thereby accelerate the release of the liquid from the interior portion of the container. 
     
     
         7 . A liquid-containing container comprising:
 opposing spaced apart first and second end panels;   two pairs of opposing side panels, each of the side panels connected to the first and second end panels to thereby form the container and to define an interior space to hold the liquid;   a first sealed aperture positioned proximate the first end panel; and   a second sealed aperture positioned proximate the second end panel wherein the liquid is released from the interior portion of the container by unsealing both the first and second sealed apertures.   
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 7  wherein the first aperture is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing side panels proximate the first end panel and the second aperture is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing side panels proximate the second end panel. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 7  wherein the first aperture is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing side panels proximate the first end panel and the second aperture is positioned proximate the second end panel in the side panel opposing the side panel having the first aperture. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 7  wherein the side panels, first end panel, and second end panel comprise a liquid packaging board having a plurality of layers including a paper layer, a polyethylene layer and an aluminum foil layer. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 10  wherein the side panels, first end panel, and second end panel comprise a single piece of liquid packaging board folded to form the side panels, first end panel, and second end panel. 
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 7  wherein at least one of the first and second sealed apertures are puncturable and are unsealed by puncturing the at least one of the first and second sealed apertures. 
     
     
         13 . The container of  claim 7  wherein at least one of the first and second sealed apertures further comprise a pull tab and are unsealed by pulling the pull tab on the at least one of the first and second sealed apertures. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the side panels are flexible and can be compressed after the first and second sealed apertures are unsealed to thereby accelerate the release of the liquid from the interior portion of the container. 
     
     
         15 . A liquid-containing container comprising:
 opposing spaced apart first and second end panels;   a sidewall portion connected to the first and second end panels to thereby form the container and to define an interior space to hold the liquid;   a first sealed aperture positioned in or near the first end panel; and   a second sealed aperture positioned in or near the second end panel wherein the liquid is released from the interior portion of the container by unsealing both the first and second sealed apertures.   
     
     
         16 . The container of  claim 15  wherein at least one of the first and second apertures is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing first and second end panels. 
     
     
         17 . The container of  claim 15  wherein at least one of the first and second apertures is positioned in the sidewall portion of the container. 
     
     
         18 . The container of  claim 15  wherein the sidewall portion of the container is cylindrical and a first end of the cylindrical sidewall portion is connected to the first end panel and a second end of the cylindrical sidewall portion is connected to the second end panel. 
     
     
         19 . A method for rapid discharge of liquid in liquid-containing container having opposing spaced apart first and second end panels and two pairs of opposing side panels, each of the side panels connected to the first and second end panels to thereby form the container and to define an interior space to hold the liquid, the method comprising:
 unsealing a first sealed aperture positioned proximate the first end panel;   positioning the unsealed first aperture at the mouth of a user; and   unsealing a second sealed aperture positioned proximate the second end panel to thereby release the liquid from the interior portion of the container through the first unsealed aperture into the user's mouth.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the first aperture is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing side panels proximate the first end panel and the second aperture is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing side panels proximate the second end panel. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the first aperture is positioned in one of the pairs of opposing side panels proximate the first end panel and the second aperture is positioned proximate the second end panel in the side panel opposing the side panel having the first aperture. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19  wherein at least one of the first and second sealed apertures are puncturable and unsealing the at least one of the first and second sealed apertures comprises puncturing the at least one of the first and second sealed apertures. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19  wherein at least one of the first and second sealed apertures further comprise a pull tab and unsealing the at least one of the first and second sealed apertures comprises pulling the pull tab on the at least one of the first and second sealed apertures. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the side panels are flexible, the method further comprising compressing the side panels after the first and second sealed apertures are unsealed to thereby accelerate the release of the liquid from the interior portion of the container. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the side panels are flexible, the method further comprising compressing the side panels after one of the first and second sealed apertures is unsealed to release of the liquid from the interior portion of the container and subsequently unsealing the other of the first and second sealed apertures thereby accelerate the release of the liquid from the interior portion of the container.