The Coca-Cola company wants Coke bottles to talk so they can tell people they have won a prize (WO 01/89950). Previous attempts at making tops speak have failed, because customers were able to pick out the winning bottles by sneaking a long peek at the ranks of bottles in the supermarket. Coca-Cola says it will now seal an audio chip, battery and speaker inside a rigid plastic cup, which is stuck inside a screw top with edges that extend far enough down to completely disguise the cup’s presence. The underside of the cup acts as a pressure switch. While the bottle remains sealed, the pressure of the gassy drink holds the switch open. Loosening the cap releases the pressure and closes the switch to start the spoken message.
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