Patent Application
20050218026
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to identification systems and, more particularly, to an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers, such as individual drinking containers or individual containers of a consumer package of products.
2. Background Information
Containers of products for consumer use, such as food and beverage containers, have been packaged in sets having four, six or even more containers. Usually, each container is identical to the others of the set with each container displaying thereon identical indicia over a major portion of the container. This indicia not only serves to convey information about the contents of the container, but it also depicts manufacturer and distributor trade information as well as trademark and trade dress configurations, colorations and words. Since each container in a set is virtually identical to the others, distinguishing between each container is almost impossible once the containers are separated from the original packaging arrangement.
Often, at a party or other social setting, mistakes of container identity occur where individuals mistakenly drink or eat from containers which previously had been used by another. For example, many times an individual sets his beverage container down momentarily and returns to it later. Sometimes, that person either becomes unsure where the beverage container was placed, or finds that two or more similar appearing beverage containers have been left in the same area making it difficult to determine which beverage belongs to whom. In general, it is impolite to drink from another person's beverage container, and such often results in squabbles about whose beverage container belongs to whom. Additionally, picking-up and drinking another person's beverage can pose a risk of exposure to any contagious medical condition that the other person may have. In this regard, modern medicine and most informed people generally recognize the desirability of not drinking or eating from another person's beverage or food container. This is particularly important because of the widespread presence of germs and other contagion, including AIDS, Hepatitis A, B, C, G and the like, cold sores (Herpes), and flu viruses. Thus, without means for identifying individual containers taken from a consumer pack, social occasions and even family gatherings can be dampened by the nagging fear of whether the opened consumer food or beverage container just picked up and eaten or drunk from was the same one just recently laid down.
Moreover, disposable drinking cups are extremely popular for the convenience they offer in situations in which large numbers of people are served. As is well known, disposable cups are offered by manufacturers in plastic or paper, and are available in plain, unadorned form, in colors, or with decorative designs. Disposable cups are typically purchased in bulk, and in the usual case, all of the cups in a given package are similar, if not identical, in appearance. Again, this leads to the situation in which the drinks of individual users, when put down momentarily, cannot be distinguished from one another. Thus, individuals often cannot identify their own drinks and are faced with the choice of drinking from a cup which may have been used by another, or abandoning what may indeed be their own drink. When such confusion of one drink for another occurs, the results are unsanitary and potentially injurious to health. On the other hand, when one unnecessarily abandons a cup because it cannot positively be identified, the result is wasteful and uneconomical.
Although some prior patents have discussed ways for identifying containers of food and beverage products, it is believed they are limited by either their complexity and expense, or their appearance and impracticality. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,877 granted to Kosisky, it was proposed to provide a circular tray having circumferentially spaced openings marked with the names of individual users. Cups, also bearing the names of the individual users, are associated with the openings. Such an arrangement permits the identification of cups and drinks, but in order for the disclosed technique to work, the cups must be returned to the tray. U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,564 to Falcone et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,629 to Brixius et al. disclose identification insignia hanging or secured onto a container by pressure clips or other means. This approach is burdensome and detracts from the overall trade dress of the container. Likewise, using large, non-similar labels to identify different containers not only deemphasizes the manufacturer's and distributor's trademark and trade dress but it also obscures the important container content and labeling information usually mandated by governmental regulations.
Other types of personal identification of food and beverage containers have been proposed, illustrative of which are the proposals of U.S. Pat. No. 2,024,889 granted to A. Simeone; U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,468 granted to David Wolf; U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,916 granted to Edgar O. Artolucci; U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,240 granted to George I. Goodwin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,804 granted to Antony-Euclid C. Villa-Real; U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,139 granted to M. David Ricks; U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,457 granted to Donald O. Chandler; U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,077 granted to Howard L. Rose; U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,815 granted to Micheal A. Lang; U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,581 granted to Douglas Vagedes; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,777 granted to Boman K. Najmi. Although such proposals have addressed selected problems encountered in providing personal identification for containers of alimentary products (e.g., food and beverages), there have continued to be certain drawbacks to their use. Thus, for a variety of reasons such as cost or cumbersomeness in use, they have not found popular expression in the marketplace.
Accordingly, there has continued to be a need for improved identification devices and systems for food and beverage containers that are simple, inexpensive, and easy to use and prevent inadvertent drinking or eating from the wrong container, particularly where a number of individuals are using containers having the same general appearance.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers of a consumer package of products, such as food and beverage products.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual drinking containers, such as drinking cups.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers which prevents the inadvertent eating or drinking from the wrong container, particularly where a number of individuals are using containers having the same general appearance.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers which is simple, easy to use, and cost effective.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers and which does not distract from the manufacturer's or distributor's trade dress, trademark or container labeling information.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers and which protects the consumer of the products from the risk of exposure to any contagious medical condition that other consumers may have.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers and which will prevent squabbles between relatives and friends about whose container is whose.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are carried out by an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers each visually substantially identical in size and shape to one another. The identification system has an identifier member associated with each of the containers in the set for facilitating visual discrimination of each of the containers from the others of the set. The identifier member of each container in the set comprises distinct and visibly different printed identifying indicia positioned over a surface portion of the container, and an opaque covering material covering the printed identifying indicia. The opaque covering material is removable to selectively expose a preselected one of the printed identifying indicia so that during consumption of the contents of the container a consumer may readily distinguish his container from the other containers in the set by visual inspection of the exposed printed identifying indicia.
Preferably, the opaque covering material comprises a coating of scratch-off non-transparent material that conceals the printed identifying indicia until the coating is scratched off to expose the preselected printed identifying indicia. In one embodiment, the opaque covering material of the identifier member has visible discrete areas each covering a respective one of the printed identifying indicia. The content in each of the containers in the set preferably comprises an alimentary product, such as a beverage or a food product.
In another embodiment, the identifier member comprises a substrate layer having a first main surface on which the printed identifying indicia is printed and over which the opaque covering material is disposed to cover the printed identifying indicia, and an adhesive layer disposed on a second main surface of the substrate layer opposite the first main surface for adhering the substrate layer to the surface portion of the container. Additionally, a removable backing layer may be disposed over the adhesive layer for protecting the adhesive layer prior to adhering the substrate layer to the surface portion of the container.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an identification system is provided for distinguishing among individual containers of a consumer package of products each visually substantially identical in size and shape to one another. An identifier member is associated with each of the containers in the set for facilitating visual discrimination of each of the containers from the others of the set. The identifier member of each container in the set comprises distinct and visibly different printed identifying indicia positioned over a first surface portion of the container, and an opaque covering material disposed over a second surface portion of the container different from the first surface portion thereof and having a preselected color. The opaque covering material has a color which contrasts with the preselected color of the second surface portion of the container and has a plurality of visible discrete areas each corresponding to a respective one of the printed identifying indicia. Each of the visible discrete areas of the opaque covering material is selectively removable to expose the preselected color of the second surface portion of the container so that during consumption of the contents of the container a consumer may readily distinguish his container from the other containers in the set by visual inspection of the exposed preselected color of the second surface of the container corresponding to the removed discrete area of the opaque covering material and by visual inspection of the printed identifying indicia corresponding to the removed discrete area of the opaque covering material.
In another aspect, the present invention comprises an identification system in combination with a plurality of groups of separate containers, all of the containers within all of the groups being substantially visually identical in size and shape to each other. The identification system has an identifier member associated with each of the containers in each of the groups for facilitating visual discrimination of each of the containers within any group from one another and from the containers of other groups. The identifier member associated with each of the containers within all of the groups comprises a set of distinct and visibly different printed identifying indicia positioned over a surface portion of the container, and an opaque covering material covering the set of printed identifying indicia. All of the sets of printed identifying indicia within any group of containers are substantially visually identical to one another, and the sets of printed identifying indicia of each group of containers are visually distinct from the sets of printed identifying indicia of other groups of containers. The opaque covering material of the identifier member associated with each of the containers of the sets within all of the groups is removable to selectively expose a preselected one of the printed identifying indicia so that during consumption of the contents of the container a consumer may readily distinguish his container from the other containers within any group and from the containers of other groups by visual inspection of the exposed printed identifying indicia.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only one form as an example of the use of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments so described, and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.
The identification system according to the present invention provides a means for distinguishing among individual containers of a consumer package of products. These individual containers are typically in the form of a set of containers each substantially visually identical in size and shape to one another and which may or may not contain identical contents. For example, the individual containers may be containers of a consumer pack of beverages packaged in sets of like containers such as bottles, cans or boxes. As is well-known in the art, the individual containers are typically removably secured to each other as an integrated consumer pack by means of a plastic wrap or a flexible plastic retainer. When packaged as a consumer pack without the benefit of the present invention, all of the containers are initially indistinguishable since generally identical trade dress, trademarks and other container information are displayed thereon.
In the drawings and in the corresponding description which follows, the identification system of the present invention will be described in detail with a particular application to beverage containers, such as beverage cans and disposable cups. It is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the identification system of the present invention is suitable for use with other types of beverage containers, such as beverage bottles, boxes and the like. It is also understood that the identification system of the present invention is not limited to use in connection with beverage containers, but is also suitable for use in connection with containers containing other types of alimentary products, such as food products and certain types of medications in liquid or solid forms.
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals are used to indicate like elements throughout, there is shown in
The identification system 12 comprises generally an identifier member 24 associated with each of the containers in the set for facilitating visual discrimination of each of the containers from the others of the set. In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The identifier member 24 also has second distinct and visibly different printed identifying indicia 34 associated with each of the beverage cans 10 in the set and each corresponding identically to a respective one of the first printed identifying indicia 32. Each of the second printed identifying indicia 34 is disposed over a surface portion of the sidewall 26 of the beverage can 10 different from the surface portion thereof on which the first printed identifying indicia 32 is disposed. Each of the second printed identifying indicia 34 is generally aligned with a corresponding identical one of the first printed identifying indicia 32. For example, as shown in
The first and second printed identifying indicia 32, 34 are preferably printed on the exterior surface of the beverage can 10 by ink jet printing which is economical and produces a durable and easily readable print on beverage cans. The ink used for printing the first and second printed identifying indicia 32, 34 on the exterior surface of the beverage can 10 is preferably a water-resistant, non-toxic, and scratch-resistant ink which is generally known in the industry for printing trade dress, trademarks and other information on exterior surfaces of beverage cans. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art that other types of ink and printing processes are suitable for printing the first and second printed identifying indicia 32, 34 on the exterior surface of the beverage can 10 without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The opaque covering material 30 is preferably in the form of a coating of scratch-off non-transparent material that covers or conceals the first printed identifying indicia 32 until the coating is scratched off to expose the first printed identifying indicia 32. The scratch-off coating is preferably a thin layer of pigmented paraffin or other kind of wax, plastic or other substance which is applied through a rolling, spraying or stamping process that is normally used to make scratch-off lottery-type game pieces. The scratch-off coating is preferably water-resistant and should be able to withstand condensation from the beverage can 10. The scratch-off coating remains intact on the exterior surface of the beverage can 10 following manufacture, transportation and retailing but should be of a consistency that allows the user to easily remove the coating from the beverage can by scratching it with a fingernail, coin, or other sharp or sturdy object. The scratch-off coating should be relatively flat and conform to the shape of the exterior surface of the beverage can 10.
During use of the foregoing embodiment of the identification system according to the present invention, a user of the beverage in one of the beverage cans 10 in a set or pack of the beverage cans 10 selects a preselected one of the second printed identifying indicia 34 from the identifier member 24 and scratches off the corresponding portion of the scratch-off coating directly above it to expose the corresponding identical first printed identifying indicia 32. Users of the beverage in the other beverage cans 10 in the pack will follow the same procedure but will expose instead one of the first printed identifying indicia 32 which does not correspond to the first printed identifying indicia selected and exposed by other users of the beverage cans 10 in the pack. Thus, by the identification system according to the present invention, the open individual beverage cans from the pack can be easily distinguished from one another and the users can visibly and quickly identify their opened beverage can from other opened beverage cans in the pack having the same general appearance. Thus the identification system of the present invention prevents the inadvertent drinking from the wrong beverage can, particularly where a number of individuals are using beverage cans having the same general appearance. This in turn protects the consumers of the beverages from the risk of exposure to any contagious medical condition that other similar consumers may have.
It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that, as an alternative embodiment, the opaque covering material 30 of the identifier member 36 in
In the embodiments of the identification system described above in connection with
Moreover, it is also understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the identification systems are not limited to the provision of any particular type of printed identifying indicia. For example, instead of numbers, the printed identifying indicia used may be letters of the alphabet or any pictorial representations of recognizable objects or designs including but not limited to shapes with or without different colors, animals, cartoon characters, and representations of sports products. It is important, however, that the type or design of the printed identifying indicia associated with each beverage container is different from the others so that the beverage containers in a given set or package can be distinguished one from the other as set forth above.
Each of the cups 50, 52, 54 in each of the three groups is provided with an identifier member for facilitating visual discrimination of each of the cups within any group from one another and from the cups of other groups. More specifically, each of the cups 50 has an identifier member 56, each of the cups 52 has an identifier member 58, and each of the cups 54 has an identifier member 60. In this embodiment, each of the identifier members 56, 58, 60 has the same construction as the identifier member 24 described above with reference to the embodiment of
The specific structure of the opaque covering material 64, the method for applying the opaque covering material on the exterior surfaces of the cups, and the material and method for providing the first and second printed identifying indicia on the exterior surfaces of the cups are the same as those for the identification system described above for the embodiment of
The specific embodiment of the identification system shown in
Moreover, while the cups in the embodiment of
The opaque covering material and the printed identifying indicia of the identifier members represented by the composite structures described above with reference to
The label 72 has been described above with a particular application to the embodiment of the identification system described above with reference to
When the label 76 is used to construct the identifier member 36 in
The opaque covering material of the label 76 preferably has a color, texture and/or design which contrasts with the color, texture and/or design of the exterior sidewall surface of the beverage can 10. Accordingly, the first main surface of the substrate layer preferably has the same color, texture and/or design as the exterior sidewall surface of the beverage can 10 in order to visually distinguish the portions of the first main surface of the substrate layer from the portions of the opaque covering material. In this manner, the ease of visibility of exposed portions of the first main surface of the substrate layer is due to, for example, the contrasting color and shade between the opaque covering material and the color and shade of the exterior sidewall surface of the beverage can 10. Alternatively, the first main surface of the substrate layer may be of a different quality, such as color, texture, and design than the rest of the exterior sidewall surface of the beverage can 10 and the opaque covering material 30.
By the foregoing construction, visual inspection of exposed portions of the main surface of the substrate layer can readily identify the corresponding printed identifying indicia 34 and, therefore, the identity of the consumer of the beverage in the beverage can 10. The label 72 has been described above with a particular application to the embodiment of the identification system described above with reference to
In the foregoing embodiments of the identification systems described above with reference to
In the embodiment of
While the foregoing modifications of the identification system shown in
From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the present invention comprises an improved identification system for individual containers. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that obvious changes can be made to the embodiments described in the foregoing description without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. For example, while in the embodiments of the identification system shown in
Furthermore, the identification systems of the present invention are not limited to the provision and selection of any particular number of printed identifying indicia. For example, each of the beverage containers may be provided with any number of printed identifying indicia to allow identification of all beverage containers in accordance with the specific number of beverage containers in the particular package. Likewise, instead of selecting one of the printed identifying indicia, a user may select any combination of two or more of the printed identifying indicia to identify the beverage container in order to expand the possible number of combinations of printed identifying indicia to allow identification of all beverage containers in accordance with the specific number of beverage containers in the particular set or package.
Moreover, it is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the identification systems of the present invention are not limited to the provision of any particular type of printed identifying indicia. For example, instead of numbers, the printed identifying indicia used may be letters of the alphabet or any pictorial representations of recognizable objects or designs including but not limited to shapes with or without different colors, animals, cartoon characters, and sports products. It is important, however, that the type or design of the printed identifying indicia associated with each beverage container is different from the others so that the beverage containers in a given set or package can be distinguished one from the other as set forth above.
Moreover, the identification system of the present invention is not limited to use with containers that are substantially visually identical in size and/or shape as described above. The identification system could, if desired, be also used in conjunction with containers that have different sizes and/or shapes. For example, while during a function a host may use cups or glasses of different sizes and/or shapes, it is possible that a user cannot remember which cup or glass he has. With the identification system according to the present invention, the user may readily identify his cup or glass by just remembering his selected printed identifying indicia on his cup or glass. Thus, it is understood that the identification system of the present invention is adapted for use with containers that are either substantially visually identical or different in size and/or shape.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the present invention provides an identification system for distinguishing among individual containers of a consumer package of products, such as food and beverage products, which are visually substantially identical in size and shape to one another. The identification system of the present invention prevents the inadvertent eating or drinking from the wrong container and, therefore, protects the user of the products from the risk of exposure to any contagious medical condition that other consumers may have. The identification system of the present invention is simple, easy to use, cost effective, and does not distract from the manufacturer's or distributor's trade dress, trademark or container labeling information.
It is understood from the foregoing that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but is intended to cover all obvious modifications thereof which are within the scope and the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
