Patent Application
20160304247
1. Technical Field
The current subject matter is directed to receptacles, such as buckets, with shields and labels to convey information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Buckets have become a popular medium of transporting goods. There are different labeling mechanisms and lids available today. However, bucket labels are prone to scratch and tear, and are not durable, especially during packaging, shipping, and storing.
Therefore, it is important for bucket labels to be adequately protected to ensure proper conveyance of information to the user. Furthermore, having labels and shields that protrude from the bucket may also hinder from efficient stacking or nesting of the buckets. Therefore, there is a need to have a shield and label while also providing for ease of nesting and de-nesting of the buckets.
Nested buckets often times create a vacuum or friction in between the buckets that make separating the nested buckets difficult. This makes nesting and de-nesting more cumbersome, requiring more effort and time, and may even limit the number of buckets one could nest because of the difficulty of de-nesting buckets at a high height. Therefore, it is important to identify ways to reduce the vacuum or friction.
Furthermore, one of the challenges to transporting certain goods in buckets is the lack of proper environments for storing and transporting these goods for lengths of time. For example, certain types of goods perish much faster if certain types of gasses coincide with the goods or if the headspace has not been flushed. Therefore, there is a need for a bucket that provides such an environment.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a bucket including a shield with a label or graphics. Additionally, the label may be separate from, in between, or combined as one piece with the bucket and/or shield. The shield, label, and bucket may be manufactured, placed, and/or fastened in a variety of ways, and composed of a variety of different materials. Information on the label can include, for example, sports team information, company information, information about the content of the receptacle and the like. The bucket may have stacked lugs for ease of de-nesting.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a bucket including a lid. The lid may help store certain types of goods. A septum or receptacle may be molded into the lid to allow for injection of inert gases or flushing headspace. Additionally, the bucket may have sufficient strength so that the lid may serve as a seat for sitting.
with the shield and insertable sheet placed thereunder with optional graphical
elements disposed thereon according to some embodiments.
disposed thereon according to some embodiments;
It should be understood that the present disclosure generally relates to a bucket. The bucket can be a bucket of standard size, such as a 5 gallon bucket that is 11.91″ dia.×14.50″ high×10.33″ dia with a wall thickness of 0.075″ +/−0.005″, where the diameter is different at the top and bottom of the bucket creating a draw. The wall thickness may also be different, ranging from 30 to 50 mils. The bucket may also be a 5 gallon bucket that is 14.5″ in height and 13″ in width, and the inside of the bucket is 13″ in depth and 12″ in diameter. However, any sized bucket, standard or non-standard sized, is appreciated. Furthermore, any structure (for example, a container, crate, bottle) that may provide for storage and receipt of a fluid, solid, or other material which a user wishes to store or transport has been contemplated. The present disclosure is in no way limited to the embodiment disclosed herein. However, for ease of understanding and to provide at least one preferred exemplary embodiment, a bucket system is described. Furthermore, although the embodiments disclose storing liquids in the bucket, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the storage of liquids but may be utilized with any material to be stored.
Turning now to the Figures where like numbers represent like elements,
As illustrated in
In
A shield 108 may be placed on the side wall portion 104 of the bucket 100. The label 110 may be placed behind the shield 108. However, it is recognized that the shield 108 and the label 110 may be placed in other areas of the bucket 100. The shield 108 may take up a substantial portion of the side wall portion 104, or may take a smaller portion. The label 110 may be placed on the inside of the shield 108 or the outside of the shield 108.
The shield 108 may be completely clear or partially clear. Thus, the label 110 can be seen through the shield 108. This allows for significant label protection, improves visualization of the conveyance of information, and promotes better utility of a bucket 100 while maintaining the aesthetic and mechanical integrity of the bucket 100.
The side wall portion 104 may also be integrally attached to a top area 106. The top area 106 may contain an opening for allowing an individual to place liquids, solids, or other items for storage inside the bucket 100. It is recognized that there may not be an opening, or the opening may be located in a different area besides the top area 106. Furthermore, the opening can be as wide as the diameter or the width of the side wall portion 104, or may be a different width or diameter. Furthermore, the opening may alternatively come together in a flask like configuration.
The shield 108 may attach to the bucket 100 in a variety of different ways. The shield 108 can be a “snap” fit or in some other method of attaching the shield 108 onto the bucket 100. The shield 108 can also be fastened utilizing metal or plastic rivets, or threaded fasteners. The shield 108 may also be secured in a mechanical fashion, such as integrated in the injection mold. The shield 108 may also be sonic welded or chemically bonded to the bucket 100. Sonic welding is a technique whereby high-frequency acoustic vibration is applied to pieces held together under pressure to create a solid-state weld. This type of technique is effective on plastics, but can be used on other types of materials. The shield 108 may also be attached in other methods, such as heated, thermal welding, or using thermal adhesives. The shield 108 may be preformed in a curvature pattern or may be flexible.
In
In some embodiments, the shield 108 is optional. The label 110 may be placed in an indent in the bucket 100 and can be protected by the outer surface of the side wall portion 104 to prevent scuffing or damaging during bucket nesting and stacking.
The shield 108 may be manufactured in a variety of different ways. For example, the shield 108 can be injection molded or thermoformed utilizing clear impact and/or scratch resistant materials. Some examples include Polypropylene, crystal styrene, polycarbonate, acrylics, polylactic acid (PLA), and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The bucket 100 can be made of a variety of different materials and from different processes. For example, the bucket 100 can be made from one or more of: recycled Polypropylene feedstocks, clarified polypropylene, impact resistant modified polypropylene (e.g., synthetic rubber, metalecines, EVA, elastomers, etc.), plant-based polymers, thermal plastics, and high density polyethylene (HDPE) for low temperature impact performance. HDPE has the advantage of being inert and therefore compatible with a variety of compounds. Thus, testing of compatibility with HDPE may be reduced or avoided. HDPE is also reasonably priced.
The bucket 100 can be made by co-injection technology to incorporate recycle feedstock as a multi-layer structure. Co-injection technology is where two or more individual melt streams unite to make a single article or material. The co-injection technology can be used to apply gas barrier materials in a multi-layer composition. The bucket 100 can also be produced by over molding, which is an injection molding process where one material is molded onto a second material.
A variety of surface treatments can be applied to the surface of the bucket 100. For example, one or more surfaces of the bucket 100 can be plasma treated to enhance gas barrier properties.
When referring to the surfaces, it may be one or more surfaces of the interior of the bucket, one or more surfaces of the exterior of the bucket, or may be a multi-layer where there is a material that serves the treatment purposes.
Further, one or more surfaces of the bucket 100 can be treated or coated with gas barrier materials such as EVOH, PHAE, MXD-6 nylon, LCP, LCP (liquid crystal polymers), blends of known gas barrier materials, plasma coating, and thermoplastic or thermoset coatings. Gas barrier properties are advantageous for food and oxygen sensitive products. For example, buckets that can hold five gallons of food products that are oxygen sensitive can be very useful when shipping to restaurants in volume. The surfaces treated or coated with gas barrier materials may be plasma treated or coated with thermoplastics (Acrylics) or thermosets to enhance gas barrier properties. Thermosets may include highly reacted expoxys or other food contact materials.
The process of overmolding may also be applied where there may be more than one material. Overmolding is known generally as an injection molding process where one material is molded onto a second material. In overmolding, the second material may be an existing bucket which could serve as a blank or preform. Alternatively, the second material could be preformed into a bucket and therefore be a preform or blank. Advantages of some embodiments incorporating overmolding are the reduction of costs of having a cheaper material and a more expensive material. For example, the more expensive material may be gas impermeable and thus may need less of it if overmolding was used. Applying this to the gas barriers (although not limited to this application), multi-layer arrangement allow for the transport of perishable items in buckets that are generally not purposed for perishable items. Although rice, wheat, and beans have been transported traditionally, other more-oxygen-sensitive goods are generally not transported using these industrial sized buckets.
The shield 108 can also be made by at least a portion of clarified polypropylene, which would make the bucket 100 at least partially clear, or see-through, or any of the materials stated for the bucket 100. The bucket and shield can be made of Clarified Polypropylele for a “see through” recycleable combination. FDACPP can be used for food contact applications. Include PE base resins for low temperature impact resistance.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the label 110 may be applied during manufacturing, such as injection molding, directly onto the shield 108 or directly onto the outer side 702. The label 110 may be applied during injection molding using a technique called in mold labeling, where printed plastic sleeves may be inserted via robot and the melt is in injected under the label 110. Graphics may be predetermined on the sleeve. The label 110 may be applied onto an indent of the outer side 702 and the bucket 100 so as to protect the label 110 from scuffing or damage during bucket nesting or stacking, and may or may not have a shield.
As illustrated in
Furthermore, a membrane 1704 is shown in
The term “shield” as used herein, is a broad term encompassing its plain and ordinary meaning, and, as used in reference to the portion that protects the label 110. The shield 108 can be of a variety of different shapes and sizes, and does not have to conform to the shape and size of the bucket 100 or the label 110. The shield 108 can be made of a variety of materials and can be formed in a variety of different ways. The shield can be of a certain shape or may be flexible.
The term “label” as used herein, is a broad term encompassing its plain and ordinary meaning, and, as used in reference to an article that conveys information to the consumer/user. The label 108 can be of a variety of different shapes and sizes, can be made of a variety of materials and can be formed to be in a certain shape or may be flexible. The label 108 can be a variety of different ways that allows conveyance of information to the user, such as electronics, color arrangements, and other methods of information conveyance.
The term “indent” as used herein, is a broad term encompassing its plain and ordinary meaning, and, as used in reference to an article that conveys information to the consumer/user. The indent can be of a variety of different shapes and sizes, can be a recess, a pocket, a thinner wall thickness area. The indent may allow for a shield 108 and/or a label 110 to be attached.
The term “comprising” as used herein should be given an inclusive rather than exclusive interpretation. For example, a general purpose computer comprising one or more processors should not be interpreted as excluding other computer components, and may possibly include such components as memory, input/output devices, and/or network interfaces, among others.
It is to be understood that not necessarily all objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment described herein. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain embodiments may be configured to operate in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understood within the context as used in general to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (for example, X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.
Unless otherwise explicitly stated, articles such as “a” or “an” should generally be interpreted to include one or more described items. Accordingly, phrases such as “a device configured to” are intended to include one or more recited devices. Such one or more recited devices can also be collectively configured to carry out the stated recitations. For example, “a processor configured to carry out recitations A, B and C” can include a first processor configured to carry out recitation A working in conjunction with a second processor configured to carry out recitations B and C.
It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention may be practiced in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. The scope of the invention should therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/147521, filed on Apr. 14, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62147521 | Apr 2015 | US |
