Patent Application
20150259113
1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to the systems and methods of applying an activated scent releasing material to product packaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to the composition of the scent releasing material and its method of application to products having peel-away packaging.
2. Prior Art Statement
There are many products on the market that have their own distinct aroma. The aroma of a product can be a main driver in a consumer's purchase decision. For example, most people who purchase shampoo or other personal care products will first open the bottle in order to sample its aroma. When it comes to consumable products, the aroma is also a main driver in consumer liking or preference. Similarly, the makers of such products are always seeking ways to improve the consumer experience. As a result of that and other reasons, the concept of scent enhancement has emerged on the market.
With respect to scent enhancement, there are many ways to add scent to a product or the packing of that product. There are a number of scent enhancement technologies which have been used on products to convey scent. One such innovation is pressure sensitive scratch and sniff stickers. These stickers are made with microencapsulated scent which mimics the scent of the products contents. Consumers are encouraged to scratch the sticker to sample the product scent. While this is an effective way to convey scent, the cost of printing a sticker with microencapsulants and then applying it to a product can be very expensive.
With respect to product enhancement, a product's aroma can also be a key factor in the consumer's experience with the product prior to consumption. A product's aroma is especially related to the consumer's anticipated liking of a product. For example, if something smells good when opened it helps to predispose a person to like the product, even before consumption. As a result of this fact, brand owners and packaging manufactures have expended considerable R&D efforts to find ways to improve product aroma.
A number of technologies have been developed to help deliver aroma on a package. For example, ScentSational Technologies, LLC, has developed technologies that incorporate scent into the structure of plastic packaging components. Consider U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,833, entitled Receptacle Having Aromatic Properties And Method Of Use, which discloses the use of scented closures on a beverage container. Also, consider U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,224 to Sun et al., entitled Modifying Flavor Experience Via Aroma Delivery, which is assigned to PepsiCo and discloses a system whereby scented microencapsulants are applied to a bottle top's threading. When a person removes the closure, the encapsulants on the threading are ruptured and a desirable scent is released.
There are, however, issues with the approach of these types of innovations. Both of the aforementioned patents intentionally deliver aroma directly into the mouth during consumption. While in some cases this may be desirable, in other cases it is not. This current invention deals with a technology to deliver only orthonasal aroma, that is, aroma that is only received through the nose.
The aforementioned Pepsi patent is not intended to deliver aroma prior to purchase or use. It is specifically intended to only deliver aroma upon activated release upon opening. However, a problem exists with this approach. During bottling, many of the scented microcapsules which are applied to the bottle neck are prematurely ruptured when the cap is torqued onto the bottle. As a result, some of those exposed aromas or flavor oils will then oxidize and degrade potentially causing off notes upon opening and subsequent consumption. Additionally, as mentioned above, the Pepsi patent subjects the consumer to directly ingesting the scented compounds which are placed onto the container, in some cases this may not be desirable.
Inside the package or bottle there is another concern: the unwanted degradation of flavors and their interaction within the container. One of the issues is that during product processing and storage, aromas oxidize and degrade, often times causing off aromas which may be unappealing to consumers.
As a result, during the first opening of a beverage or food bottle or package, the initial aroma during opening can be very unappealing to consumers. This can ultimately result in setting up a poor expectation of the product about to be consumed and can negatively impact the overall liking of the product. Brand owners have experimented for years in adding aroma into the headspace of a container to improve consumer perception. However, there are inherent problems with this approach, the most relevant being that naked or unprotected aromas will often, in time, also degrade and can result in additional unappealing off notes.
To solve these problems, some manufacturers have considered adding scented material to product packaging that is encapsulated. Scented microencapsulated coatings help to keep flavors and fragrances fresh from oxidation and degradation. They are designed to only release scent when the microencapsulated material is disturbed. Such prior art is exemplified in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,224, entitled Modifying Flavor Experience Via Aroma Delivery.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2010/0055245 to Havekotte, entitled Modifying Flavor Experience via Aroma Delivery, which is assigned to PepsiCo, addresses applying an aroma to a package. However there are many problems with just applying an aroma to a package. As stated above, an unprotected aroma will oxidize and degrade very quickly causing stale, unbalanced, and oxidized off notes. Further, the aroma oil might get on people's hands, cause stains and could even cause cross contamination issues. The end use and subsequent consumer experience could be very inconsistent over time. Last, the aroma would not stay on the package as intended as the package is exposed to different conditions from the manufacturing plant through consumption.
As discussed above, one might consider traditional scratch and sniff technology as a way to deliver the intended consumer experience. However, there are issues with traditional scratch and sniff. For example, it was developed as a print technology for paper. Companies who have opted to deploy this type of technology normally use pressure sensitive labels which are printed with scented microcapsules and then adhered to the package. This has primarily been used as a scent sampling concept. There are several problems with this approach. One is that it is a very expensive process to print a scratch and sniff label and then to adhere it onto a package. Often times putting the sticker on the product costs far more than the sticker itself. Another problem is that when people scratch a paper product, the paper can actually wear away leaving the package looking as though it is damaged. Scratch and sniff stickers are also very noticeable and require one to scratch it so therefore cannot be deployed as a way to enhance the consumer experience without the consumer knowing from where the enhanced aroma originated. Therefore, although it potentially can deliver an improved aroma experience, people could attribute the improved aroma to the sticker and not to the product itself. Furthermore, it is important to point out that simply placing microencapsulants on a package does not always work. Although this technique may work for some packaging materials such as porous uncoated paper, most packaging is made of plastics, paper coated with plastics, or other materials which do not allow the micoencapsulant to properly adhere to its surface. Additionally, bottles are made with glass, which will not allow adhesion, and some films and closures are made with slip agents and plasticizers. When applying microencapsulants to plastic film, bottles or closures made with plasticizers or slip agents, the encapsulant may appear to stick at first, but will not permanently adhere to the surface. To counter this issue, the aforementioned Pepsi U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,224 discloses a method of pre-treating, coating or etching the surface of the bottle neck or closure in order for the microencapsulant to stick onto the package. However, in the case of the Pepsi patent, adhesion was not much of a concern as the microencapsulated coating was to be applied to the PET bottle neck just before capping. Microencapsulants applied to any smooth or plastic surface will flake or wipe off if not protected. In the case in the Pepsi patent, it is protected by the outer closure. It is important therefore to utilize a binder system to allow the microencapsulated coatings to adhere to the plastic substrate. Such binder systems are mentioned in by U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,927 to Hayes, entitled Alphatic-Aromatic Polyesters And Articles Made Therefrom.
It is important to note that although manufacturers may have tinkered with the concept of adding a microencapsulated coating onto a package, applying the microencapsulated coating on a commercial production line is entirely different from making lab samples.
The present invention addresses not only the method and use of scented microencapsulants on packaging, but also how to enable them to be applied on a high speed commercial production line. Consumer product manufacturing is typically done at very high speeds. It is not uncommon for products to be packaged at speeds of between 200 and 1000 units per minute. Since slowing down the production line is not an option, there is the need to apply scented microencapsulated coatings onto packaging at very high speeds and at low cost while not adversely impacting the manufacturing operation.
A need therefore exists for a system and method of adding scented microencapsulated coatings to product packaging in a commercial manufacturing plant. The microencapsulated coating needs to be applied in such a method that it hits a targeted area, cures quickly, stays on the package and enables the intended aroma to be activated and released primarily when the product packaging is opened. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.
The present invention is a product package system. The system includes a container for holding a consumer product. The container can be a cup, can, bottle, box, bag or pouch. A peel-away element is provided that selectively covers a section of container. The peel-away element can cover the access opening of the container, or some other element on the surface of the container.
A coating of microencapsulants is disposed between the container and the peel-way element. The microencapsulants include encapsulated particles of scented compounds. The microencapsulants are set in a binding agent that attaches to both the container and the peel-away element. Consequently, any movement of the peel-away element relative the container disrupts the coating of microencapsulants and ruptures at least some of the encapsulated particles. This releases the scented compounds and produces a detectable scent.
As such, it will be understood that when the peel-away element is removed from the container, a scent is released.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the present invention system and method can be applied to many different types of products and packages, the present invention is best when applied to products that use peel-away or peel-open packaging. The exemplary embodiments show the present invention applied to a variety of applications that use peel-away or peel-open packaging. These embodiments are selected in order to set forth the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims.
Referring to
The scented microencapsulated coating 10 contains scented oils or other scented compounds 14 that are encapsulated in an encapsulant 16 to produce encapsulated particles 18. The encapsulated particles 18 are then mixed with a binding agent 20, such as a starch or a duty-specific adhesive, to create an emulsion 22. The emulsion 22 is then sprayed, printed, painted, dipped or otherwise applied to the exterior surface 24 of the product container 12. The peel-away element 15 is placed over the emulsion 22. The emulsion 22 is then cured to produce the scented microencapsulated coating 10 between the product container 12 and the peel-away element 15. The scented microencapsulated coating 10 can be applied in various thicknesses and with different sized encapsulated particles 18 to achieve different results.
As the scented microencapsulated coating 10 cures, it adheres to both the peel-away element 15 and the product container 12. As the peel-away element 15 is pulled away from the product container 12, it physically breaks the binding agent 20. This ruptures the encapsulated particles 18 causing scented compounds 14 to be released from within the encapsulated particles 18. The result is an aromatic experience for the consumer.
The encapsulant 16 can include gelatin, glycerol, cellulose and starch-base polymers. Binding agents 20, if not adhesives, can be styrene acrylic emulsions, acrylate monomers, oligimer esters, ethylene acrylic copolymers, starch-based polymers, polyvinyl acetates and polyvinyl alcohols. Starch-based polymers include hygroscopic plastarch material PSM. Several formulations of such PSM materials are commercially available in the marketplace. One such composition of a preferred type of PSM is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0153958 to Ding, entitled Substantially Completely Biodegradable High Starch Polymer, the disclosure of which is incorporated into this specification by reference.
Referring to
The scented compounds 14 can have any aroma that is consistent with the expected aroma of the product being consumed from the cup container 30. For example, if the cup container 30 holds a flavored yogurt, the scented material can have the aroma of strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, cherry, or anything else that matches the anticipated flavor. This positive aroma experience supersedes any negative aroma perception caused by processing or stale gases trapped in the headspace of the cup container 30.
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In the shown embodiment, the pharmaceutical tablet may have an unappealing scent. This scent can be effectively masked by the release of the encapsulated particles 18.
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This will release the scented material in or around the chip bag 76 that can be perceived when the chip bag 76 is brought close to the face. The aroma of the scented material can be any aroma that compliments the flavor of the product being consumed from the chip bag 76. For example, if the chip bag 76 holds chips, the scent can be of lime, jalapeño, barbeque, or anything else that complements or conveys the true aroma and/or flavor. When the contents of the chip bag 76 are consumed, the user will taste and smell the product. The user will also smell the scented material. The perceived scent will positively alter the user's perception of the product. This positive scent experience supersedes any negative scent perception caused by stale gases trapped in the headspace of the chip bag 76.
Referring to
The illustrated containers are merely exemplary of the many types of containers that are used to hold consumable products. It will therefore be understood that the embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein are merely exemplary and a person skilled in the art can make many variations to the embodiments shown without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such variations, modifications, and alternate embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/287,122 filed Nov. 1, 2011.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13287122 | Nov 2011 | US |
| Child | 14729023 | US |
