Liquid seal arrangement for use in a pre-filled cocktail glass

Abstract

Arrangements and packaging for pre-filled cocktail glasses of the type which include a stem base, a stem connected at a first end to the stem base, and a bowl portion connected to a second end of the stem and being constructed to hold a cocktail. The bowl portion has an open mouth defined by a rim from which a person drinks the cocktail. The cocktail glass has a removable seal member that extends across the bowl portion and is attached to the rim. The attachment between the seal member and the rim is defined by a bond strength. The bond strength is sufficient to form a seal with the rim to sealingly contain the liquid within the bowl portion but is insufficient to cause formation of a fracture between the stem and bowl portion upon removal of the seal member from the rim.

1 . A pre-filled cocktail glass comprising:
 a stem base;   a stem connected at a first end to the stem base;   a bowl portion connected to a second end of the stem and being constructed to hold a liquid, the bowl portion having an open mouth defined by a rim; and   a removable seal member that extends across the bowl portion and is attached to the rim, the attachment between the seal member and the rim being defined by a bond strength, wherein the bond strength is sufficient to form a seal with the rim to sealingly contain the liquid within the bowl portion but is insufficient to cause formation of a fracture between the stem and bowl portion upon removal of the seal member from the rim.   
     
     
         2 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , further including:
 a cover that is removably coupled to the rim, the cover having a recessed platform for receiving a stem base of another cocktail glass to permit stacking of two cocktail glasses, the recessed platform having a floor that is spaced from the seal member, the cover being constructed such that the floor remains spaced from the seal member when a load at least equal to the weight of another pre-filled cocktail glass is received in the recessed platform and supported by the floor thereof.   
     
     
         3 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the bowl portion comprises an inverted cone shaped body and the stem base has a convex upper surface. 
     
     
         4 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the stem and stem base are one component and the bowl portion is a separate component that is securely attached to the stem at a frustum joint. 
     
     
         5 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the stem base, stem and bowl portion comprise a plastic material and are formed as a single structure in situ in a common mold. 
     
     
         6 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the seal member is a thin foil layer. 
     
     
         7 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the seal member is a thin foil layer made of PVC material and is bonded to the rim by a heat-seal. 
     
     
         8 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the rim includes a raised annular planar track on which the seal member seats, the attachment between the seal member and the rim being a heat-seal bond in which a surface of the annular planar track is thermally modified resulting in the seal member being bonded to the rim. 
     
     
         9 . The cocktail glass of  claim 2 , wherein the cover includes a peripheral flange that engages the rim for coupling the cover to the rim and a planar section for seating against a peripheral edge of the seal member so that the peripheral edge is captured between the planar section and the rim, the cover having a convex section extending radially inward from the planar section, with the recessed platform being formed in the convex section. 
     
     
         10 . The cocktail glass of  claim 2 , wherein the floor of the recessed platform supports at least 100 ml of liquid while still spaced from the underlying seal member. 
     
     
         11 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein a frustum joint between the bowl portion and the stem represents a weakened region of the cocktail glass that is prone to fracture if a peel force for removing the seal member from the rim exceeds a predetermined value. 
     
     
         12 . The cocktail glass of  claim 11 , wherein the frustum joint is defined by the union of the stem and the bowl portion, the bowl portion being a separate part relative to the stem. 
     
     
         13 . The cocktail glass of  claim 1 , wherein the bond strength is selected so that tensile forces generated at a frustum joint between the stem and the bowl portion due to removal of the seal member from the rim are less than a threshold tensile force that results in a fracture forming in the frustum joint. 
     
     
         14 . A pre-filled cocktail glass comprising:
 a stem base;   a stem connected at a first end to the stem base;   a bowl portion connected to a second end of the stem and being constructed to hold a liquid, the bowl portion having an open mouth defined by a rim; and   a removable seal member that extends across the bowl portion and is attached to the rim, the attachment between the seal member and the rim being defined by a bond strength,   wherein the bond strength is sufficient to form a seal with the rim to sealingly contain the liquid within the bowl portion, the bond strength being selected so that tensile forces generated at a frustum joint between the stem and the bowl portion due to removal of the seal member from the rim are less than a threshold tensile force that results in a fracture forming in the frustum joint.   
     
     
         15 . The cocktail glass of  claim 13 , wherein the stem and bowl portion are separate parts that are joined together to define the frustum joint. 
     
     
         16 . The cocktail glass of  claim 14 , wherein the stem base, stem and bowl portion comprise a plastic material and are formed as a single structure in situ in a common mold. 
     
     
         17 . A package of stacked pre-filled cocktail glasses comprising:
 a container with a removable cover; and   first and second pre-filled cocktails glasses disposed in the container in stacked relationship, each cocktail glass including:
 a stem base; 
 a stem connected at a first end to the stem base; 
 a bowl portion connected to a second end of the stem and being constructed to hold a liquid, the bowl portion having an open mouth defined by a rim; and 
 a removable seal member that extends across the bowl portion and is attached to the rim, the attachment between the seal member and the rim being defined by a bond strength, 
 wherein the bond strength is sufficient to form a seal with the rim to sealingly contain the liquid within the bowl portion but is insufficient to cause formation of a fracture between the stem and bowl portion upon removal of the seal member from the rim. 
   
     
     
         18 . The package of  claim 17 , wherein the stem and bowl portion are separate parts that are bonded together to define the frustum joint. 
     
     
         19 . The package of  claim 17 , wherein each cocktail glass further includes:
 a cover that is removably coupled to the rim, the cover having a recessed platform for receiving a stem base of another cocktail glass to permit stacking of two cocktail glasses, the recessed platform having a floor that is spaced from the seal member, the cover being constructed such that the floor remains spaced from the seal member when a load equal to the weight of the first pre-filled cocktail glass is received in the recessed platform and supported by the floor thereof.   
     
     
         20 . The package of  claim 19 , wherein the removable cover of the container includes an inner surface that contains a protrusion that extends outwardly therefrom and is shaped and dimensioned to form a frictional fit with the cover of the first cocktail glass when the protrusion is received within the recessed platform of the container cover to increase the lateral stability of the stacked first and second cocktail glasses 
     
     
         21 . The package of  claim 17 , wherein the bowl portion comprises an inverted cone shaped body and the stem base has a convex upper surface. 
     
     
         22 . The package of  claim 17 , wherein the seal member is a thin foil layer.