1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seal for a container and, more particularly, to a seal for a container holding a cream, gel, powder liquid or other substance that allows the scent of the substance in the container to permeate the seal while preventing leakage of the substance within the container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seals have been commonly used on containers for many years, to prevent leakage or contamination of the substance within the container. For example, seals are used to prevent leakage or contamination on containers containing cosmetics, foods, drinks, medicines and other items in the form of creams, gels, powders, liquids and other substances. Seals used for this purpose are typically placed either within the cap on the container or over the opening on the container.
However, many products are sold today without seals because consumers need to smell the scent prior to purchasing the product and there is no commercially viable seal on the market today that allows consumers to do so. Specifically, prior art seals are essentially hermetic seals that trap the scent of the product within the container, as well as preventing leakage of the product from the container. These prior art hermetic seals may also result in pressure build-up within the container that may cause the container to expand and collapse based on changes in the surrounding environmental conditions. Although venting seals have been developed to address the pressure build-up problem, these venting seals do not provide the ability to smell the scent of the product in a cost effective manner.
However, consumers want to smell items having a fragrance, such as lotions, creams, body washes, shampoos, deodorants, perfumes, laundry detergents, air fresheners, coffee and spices, before purchasing the items. As a result, these items are often sold in containers without seals so that consumers can remove the cap and smell the item prior to purchase.
It is not uncommon for consumers to go beyond simply removing the cap and smelling the item, by actually applying some of the product onto their body to sample the product and its fragrance. In so doing, the consumer may stick their fingers into the substance or on the opening where the substance comes out. Oftentimes, after sampling the product, the consumer closes the cap and returns the container to the shelf in the store.
This sampling of the product causes several problems. First, by placing their fingers into the substance and/or coming in contact with the opening where the substance comes out, the sampler may be contaminating the substance and spreading germs/bacteria. Additionally, each time a consumer samples the product and then returns it to the shelf, the volume of the substance within the container decreases. As a result, the consumer that eventually purchases the product is unknowingly purchasing less than a full container of a product that may have been contaminated and/or contain germs/bacteria.
From the retailer's perspective, consumers that sample products and then return them to the shelf sometimes do not place the cap on tightly, which may result in spillage if the container is tilted or falls on its side. The possibility of spillage occurring during transportation also increases due to the absence of a seal. Additionally, the shelf life of the substance within the container may be reduced or altered by the absence of a seal on the container or having been opened and exposed to the surrounding environmental conditions by a sampling consumer prior to sale. Also, the absence of a seal on a container may result in the substance contacting and/or accumulating within the cap on the container, which may cause spillage when the cap is removed and a less appealing presentation to the consumer. Further, the absence of a seal increases the chances that a product may be tampered with or tainted prior to sale to the consumer. These situations may result in the retailer being unable to sell the product, generating product returns, damaged or charge-backs, which will have an adverse effect on the retailer's financial performance and/or the financial performance of the product manufacturer and/or distributor, or could potentially cause harm to the consumer purchasing the product.
There have been some attempts over the years to address this problem. Specifically, one product utilizes a polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane in a section of the liner to allow the scent from the product stored in the container to come through, while preventing leakage of the substance from within the container. One such induction liner is made by PERFORMANCE SYSTEMATIX INC. However, this product has not proved to be a commercially viable solution because it requires a complex manufacturing process to embed the ePTFE membrane within a cutout section of the liner and the cost is significantly greater than conventional seal liners.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a seal for containers that allows the scent from the substance within the container to come through, offering a tamper evident solution, while maintaining product integrity and preventing leakage of the substance within the container. Any such seal should be capable of use with any type of container and any type of substance stored within the container. Such seal should be further capable of being manufactured using conventional seal manufacturing processes and technologies. Such seal should also be capable of being manufactured at a cost comparable to the cost of current conventional seals. The present invention is particularly suited to overcome those problems which remain in the art in a manner not previously known.
The present invention is directed towards a seal for containers that allows the scent from the substance within the container to come through, while preventing leakage of the substance within the container and/or physical contact with the underlying substance by the consumer.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, a one piece, multi-layer induction seal having at least one slit extending from the top surface of the seal through the bottom surface of the seal is provided. The at least one slit will allow a consumer to sniff the scent emitted through the slit(s), while the seal remains secured to the container, thereby providing a tamper evident seal that prevents leakage, as well as, contamination, damage and/or reduced volume caused by consumers sampling the products.
Other features, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the drawings and the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a scent permeation container seal, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction of the invention, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings an exemplary embodiment that is presently preferred, it being understood however, that the invention is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentality's disclosed. Additionally, like reference numerals represent like items throughout the drawings. In the drawings:
Before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
Referring now to
The seal 10, 10′, 10″ is a generally circular and may include one (seal 10′) or more (seal 10″) tabs 18 around the circumferential edge thereof. The seal 10, 10′, 10″ is affixed to the mouth 22 of the container 20, but can be peeled off to access the contents of the container 20. In one particular embodiment, the seal 10, 10′, 10″ is sealed over the mouth 22 of the container 20 and can be peeled off using a fingernail or, in embodiments having a tab 18 (seals 10′, 10″) by grasping a tab 18 between the thumb and forefinger to facilitate removal of the seal 10′, 10″ from the mouth 22 of the container 20.
Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, it is desired that the seal 10, 10′, 10″ include at least one slit 12 for permitting the scent of the product contained within the container 20 to pass through the seal 10, 10′, 10″ without breaking the bond between the seal 10, 10′, 10″ and the circumferential edge of the mouth 22. Thus, the scent can exit through the seal, but a consumer's fingers cannot pass through the mouth 22 to the product below. As can be seen from
Referring now to
Additionally, in one particular embodiment of the invention, the seal 10, 10′, 10″ is of a one piece, multi-layer construction, as shown in connection with the seal 10′ of
Referring back to
The container 20 may be composed of any materials now known or later developed that are capable of having a tamper evident, removable seal secured to the container 20 and that are suitable for storage of the substance being sold. In one preferred embodiment, the container 20 is composed of polyethylene or polypropylene, PET or PVC, and the seal 10 is secured to the container 20 by conduction or heat induction. In another embodiment, the container 20 is glass and the seal is secured to the container 20 by an adhesive, conduction or heat induction. However, it should be appreciated that the seal 10 may be secured to the container 20 by any means now known or later developed, including, but not limited to heat induction sealing, conduction sealing, gluing, contact adhesive, etc. Once the seal 10, 10′, 10″ has been secured over the mouth 22 of the container 20, a cap 40 is secured to the container 20 over the seal 10, 10′, 10″. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the cap 40 is a removable continuous thread closure. However, this is not meant to be limiting, as the seal 10, 10′, 10″ can be used with any type of container 20 and closure 40, and for any type of substance stored within the container 20.
A consumer interested in the product stored within the container 20 may remove the cap 40 and smell the scent of the stored product released through the slits 12 in the seal 10, 10′, 10″, without removing the seal 10, 10′, 10″ and without sampling, tampering with, contaminating and/or spilling the product.
Referring now to
In the present preferred embodiment, the seal body 110 is made in the manner described in connection with the seal 10′ of
For example, in one particular embodiment of the invention, the seal body 110 includes a polyester film top layer, a layer of EPE foam, a layer of aluminum foil and a sealing layer, with slits 112 extending through the body 110 from the film layer to the sealing layer, and the permeable material is bonded to the polyester film top layer, over the slits 112. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the seal body 110 includes a polyester film top layer, a layer of EPE foam and a layer of aluminum foil having a ring of adhesive on the outer diameter of the circle defined by the slits, in order to bond a patch or permeable material over the circle of slits. Accordingly, in the multi-layer embodiment discussed above, a patch of the permeable material 120 may be bonded over the slits 112 on one of the polyester film top layer or the bottom most layer, as desired.
Alternately, an entire layer of permeable material 160 may be laminated to the top or bottom face of a slitted seal body, if desired. For example, in one particular embodiment of the invention shown in
Note that, it is desired that the slits 12, 112 do not extend through the permeable layer 120, 160, respectively. Consequently, the permeable layer 120, 160 provides further protection against leakage of the product through the slits 12, 112.
Referring now to
One particular examples of a seal 100 will now be given. However, it should be understood that the following dimensions are for exemplary purposes, only, and that the present invention is not limited only to the dimensions given in these examples.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, a seal 100 is made having a circumference (including tabs) of about 56.30 mm. For such a seal 100, it is preferred that between three and nine slits are provided for releasing the scent of the product. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the seal 100 has six slits, as shown in
It should additionally be understood that the present invention is also directed towards a method of manufacturing a seal, such as, seal 10, 10′, 10″, 100, 170. In a preferred embodiment, the seal 10, 10′, 10″, 100, 170 is manufactured using rotary, flat or laser die cutting to control the size and shape of the seal and the length, width, depth and angle of the slit 12 during the manufacturing process. It should be appreciated, however, that other die cutting methods now known or later developed may alternatively be used within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring now to
Similarly, referring now to
The seal of the present invention provides a simple, cost effective solution that will allow consumers to sample the scent of a product while the seal remains secured to the container. As a result, manufacturers currently selling products without seals will now be able to include seals on their containers and receive the benefits that seals provide, including maintaining product integrity, making the seal tamper evident, preventing leakage, preventing products from being contaminated and/or damaged by consumers sampling the products and reducing the volume of unsalable products resulting from leakage, contamination and damage.
As can be seen from the foregoing, the present invention provides a seal for containers that allows the scent from the substance within the container to come through, while preventing leakage of the substance within the container. Such a seal can be used with any type of container and with any type of substance or product stored within the container. Additionally, It should be appreciated that the present invention may utilize other seal designs, materials and configurations now known or later developed that are capable of being removably secured to a container and preventing leakage of the substance within the container, without departing from the spirit of the invention. More particularly, it should be appreciated that the seals of the present invention may be embodied in a wide range of structures and designs, and may be suitable for use with many different types of containers.
Because the seals 10, 10′, 10″, 110, 170 of the present invention are capable of use with many different designs, materials and configurations known in the seal industry and may be manufactured and supplied to container manufacturers as precut discs and/or in rolls consistent with current practices, it can be utilized by closure and container manufacturers and end users using existing lining, sealing and capping equipment and current manufacturing processes and technologies. Additionally, because the seal 10 of the present invention may be manufactured using current, commonly used seal designs, materials and constructions and does not require any specialty equipment or manufacturing processes, it is inexpensive to manufacture and can be readily incorporated into the closure and container manufacturing processes. Further, it can be seen that a seal in accordance with the present invention can be manufactured at a cost comparable the cost of current conventional seals.
While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications, which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved, especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims.
The present application claims priority to: co-pending Provisional Patent Application No. 61/662,055, filed on Jun. 20, 2012, entitled “CONTAINER SEAL”; that application being incorporated herein, by reference, in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61662055 | Jun 2012 | US |