Patent Grant
8429839
1. Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of bottles, containers and related labeling and to promotion of a business or services in connection therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques exist for affixing wrappers having supplemental material to containers. For example, some approaches include attaching wrappers to containers which integrate additional product information, detachable coupons or stickers. The type and amount of information that can be added by these techniques is limited. For example, a container including a bulky attachment may be difficult to grip, become snagged resulting in damage to the container or attachment, or be unattractive in general. In addition, traditional means of attaching supplemental material to containers do not allow the end-user or down-stream seller much flexibility in affixing the material, nor do they provide an elegant vehicle for the presentation of the supplemental material.
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a beverage container configured for single use. The beverage container includes an inner surface defining a chamber capable of receiving a liquid and an outer surface having a raised portion and a recessed portion, the recessed portion recessed from the raised portion by a first depth. The beverage container further includes an opening configured to provide access to the chamber and an informational attachment including promotional information and attached to the outer surface such that the informational attachment is substantially disposed within the recessed portion. The informational attachment can be movable from a secured state in which the informational attachment is substantially secured to the outer surface to a released state in which at least a portion of the informational attachment is separated from the outer surface. The informational attachment has a first thickness when in the secured state wherein the first thickness is not substantially greater than the first depth. The informational attachment does not extend substantially beyond the raised portion when in the secured state. In certain embodiments, the promotional information comprises marketing or advertising information.
In certain embodiments, the first depth is in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 3 mm. The informational attachment is disposed on only a portion of the outer surface of the bottle in some embodiments.
In some configurations, the outer surface comprises at least one substantially flat panel, the at least one panel including at least a part of the raised portion and at least a part of the recessed portion, the at least a part of the recessed portion defining a recessed plane bordered by the at least a part of the raised portion. The chamber comprises a substantially rectangular prism in some embodiments.
The informational attachment of certain configurations comprises a plurality of foldable leafs positioned in a folded configuration when the informational attachment is in the secured state and positioned in an unfolded configuration in the released state.
In some embodiments, at least a portion of the informational attachment is detachable from a remaining portion of the informational attachment. For example, the at least a portion of the informational attachment can be detachable via a perforation.
Certain embodiments of the disclosure provide a single-use beverage container assembly including a beverage container having an inner surface defining a first enclosed chamber capable of receiving a liquid, the chamber being accessible through a chamber opening and an outer surface. The beverage container further includes an information receptacle disposed on the outer surface for attaching a promotional item to the container, the information receptacle having a second chamber capable of receiving at least a portion of the promotional item and at least one opening providing access to the second chamber.
The information receptacle of some embodiments comprises a pocket and the at least one opening comprises a slot providing access to the pocket. In certain configurations, the information receptacle comprises an at least partially elastic material such that the promotional item is secured to the container by force exerted on the promotional item by the securing portion, the force substantially normal to and in the direction of the outer surface. For example, the information receptacle comprises a strip secured to the outer surface on either end of the strip. The information receptacle comprises transparent material in some embodiments. The promotional item can comprise a business card, for example.
Embodiments of a single-use beverage container assembly are described herein which include a beverage container having an inner surface defining a chamber capable of receiving a liquid, an opening configured to provide access to the chamber, an outer surface comprising a receiving cavity and an informational attachment including promotional information. In certain embodiments, the receiving cavity is configured to receive the informational attachment such that the informational attachment can be stowed in the receiving cavity. The beverage container assembly can be configured to permit the informational attachment to be at least partially removed from the receiving cavity such that the informational attachment can be separated from the beverage container.
The receiving cavity of some embodiments is defined by a pocket including an opening for providing access to the pocket. The receiving cavity can be defined by an at least partially elastic material such that the informational attachment is secured to the container by force exerted on the informational attachment by the elastic material, the force substantially normal to the outer surface. The informational attachment can comprise a business card, for example.
In certain configurations, the receiving cavity is defined by a recessed portion of the outer surface bordered by a raised portion of the outer surface, the recessed portion recessed from the raised portion by a first depth.
The outer surface of certain embodiments comprises at least one substantially flat panel which includes at least a part of the raised portion and at least a part of the recessed portion, the at least a part of the recessed portion defining a recessed plane bordered by the at least a part of the raised portion.
In some embodiments, the informational attachment has a first thickness in the secured state that is not substantially greater than the first depth such that the informational attachment does not extend substantially beyond the raised portion when in the secured state. The first depth is in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 3 mm, for example.
In certain embodiments, a method of securing an informational attachment to a single-use beverage container is provided. The method includes providing a container comprising a chamber defining a volume, the chamber comprising an outer surface and an opening configured to provide access to the chamber. The method also includes securing an informational attachment to the outer surface in a secured state, the informational attachment movable from the secured state in which the information attachment is substantially secured to the outer surface to a released state in which at least a portion of the informational attachment is separated from the outer surface.
In some embodiments, the outer surface includes a raised portion and a recessed portion, the recessed portion recessed from the raised portion by a first depth and the securing further comprises disposing the informational attachment substantially within the recessed portion such that the informational attachment is either substantially flush with respect to the raised portion or recessed with respect to the raised portion when in the secured state. In some embodiments, the moving includes moving the informational attachment from the secured state to the released state. The informational attachment comprises a plurality of leafs in some embodiments and the securing further comprises folding the plurality of leafs. In some embodiments, the method further includes detaching at least a portion of the informational attachment from the remaining portion of the informational attachment.
Aspects of the present disclosure include labeling elements that can be attached to a container. The labeling elements can enhance the container's effectiveness for conveying information to users e.g., for marketing, promotions, and any other type of information transfer.
In one embodiment, a bottle can be used to generate interest in an object for promotional purposes. The bottle can include a label that markets or promotes a product or service. Beyond promoting the particular product to which the label and other aspects of package arrangement relate, the label can constitute a unique device for promoting goods, services, ideas, or other information that may be important, regardless of the object to which it is attached. The orientation of the labels relative to the bottle can further enhance the bottle's effectiveness at conveying information.
Another embodiment of this disclosure has an information receptacle disposed on an outer surface of a beverage container for attaching a promotional item to the container. Embodiments of the attachment element can provide the user flexibility in presenting and affixing the promotional item. For example, the attachment element can be configured to allow the user to replace the promotional item once it has been detached from the container. In addition, in certain embodiments an end-user or down-stream seller may be able to select, secure, or re-secure the promotional item to the container themselves after purchase, rather than having to rely on the bottle manufacturer or other up-stream party to do so. For example, the container may include a pocket formed from a suitable material, such as semi-transparent, transparent, or opaque material. The pocket can contain a slit into which a business card or other object is can be at least partially inserted. The slit can be replaced with a clip, magnet, or other element that serves to immobilize or temporarily secure the card or other object adjacent to the bottle or other surface. An element ensuring that a card, for example, does not slide down too far into the pocket can be included in still another embodiment.
To achieve the configuration shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the bottle 700A is formed in shape of an automobile and the information component 704A is coupled with a side surface 701A of the bottle 700A. The side surface 701A can correspond to a middle portion of the bottle, which could correspond to the doors of the automobile.
The information component 704A can comprise one or a plurality of features. For example, the information component 704A can include a bar code or other inventory tracking device. Depending on the contents of the bottle 700A, the information component 704A also can include information for compliance with regulations, such as a listing of ingredients or nutritional information.
In one embodiment, the information component 704A includes a slot 744A into which an item 702A can be removably inserted. For example, where the bottle 700A or other consumer items is intended to promote the services of a company or professional, such as a salesman, a business card can be inserted into the slot 744A. The business card can be removed by the consumer and kept for later use after the contents of the bottle 700A are consumed. As such, the person or business using the consumer item, such as the bottle 700A, can serve two needs simultaneously: first to promote their business or service, and second to provide a beverage for consumption by the user.
Depending on the business model, the bottle 700A (or other consumer item) can be sold or given to the target audience. For example, at various public events items are sometimes given away primarily to promote businesses among those attending the event. It is common, for example, for promotional materials to be given to participants in competitive athletic events, such as a marathon. However, it would be even more convenient to combine a beverage with a promotional item, such as a business card. In this way, the consumable item can be consumed by the individual in the target audience. Then the container, e.g., the bottle 700A can be discarded. However, the individual in the target audience can remove the item 702A from the slot 744A and kept the item 702A. This enables the individual in the target audience to retain the information on the item 702A for later reference and use. As discussed above, other devices for coupling the item 702A to the bottle 700A can be used in place of or in addition to the slot 744A.
Label 810 in
In some embodiments, labels 810 and 824 have a thickness, or depth, and extend beyond the surface of their respective panels a distance equal to or less than thickness t. Embodiments described herein provide particularly convenient and efficient storage. These embodiments further protect the labels from premature removal or damage when labeled bottles are shipped, packed or moved in a manner that may expose the bottle surfaces or the labels to rubbing, pulling contact, or friction with adjacent bottles, walls, containers, and the like. For example, in some cases, the label or informational attachment may be a certain thickness when in a secured state (e.g., when in a folded configuration and secured to the container) such that the first thickness is not substantially greater than the depth of the recessed panel. In such embodiments, the informational attachment will not extend substantially beyond the raised border when in the secured state, providing some of the above described benefits. One of skill in the art will recognize that the label thickness need not be constant to achieve similar benefit.
These embodiments further provide a comfortable and practical gripping surface. For example, it is known in the art that condensation formed on the outside of chilled liquid containers increases the risk that the bottle will slip out of the user's grip and cause injury or inconvenience. This configuration's substantially flat outer profile allows more effective gripping with the finger tips than a more curved surface does, by, for example, increasing the contact angle and thereby concentrating the pressure distribution, while providing the efficiency and storage advantages discussed above.
Such labels can also be attached on various panels, as shown, for example, by label 824 attached to panel 822. Thickness t can be equal, greater, or less than the distance that wall 840 extends beyond panel 832. All of these embodiments are shown having flat surfaces, but flat surfaces are not necessary, as would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, to embody the present disclosure. Similarly, wall 840 may extend various distances beyond panel 832 just as other walls adjacent to panels 832, 826, 822, or 834 may extend various distances beyond their respectively adjacent panel.
Although the foregoing inventions have been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure herein. For example, although each label described in the drawings is coupled to a container, a skilled artisan will recognize that the present disclosure can be easily applied to any other surface or object to which a label can be coupled. The present disclosure allows coupling between the object of interest and the label to be achieved in many ways. In another embodiment, a label can be coupled to a bottle, or a portion of a bottle, by constructing at least a portion of the label from a material which bonds to the container's outer side surface through static electricity or otherwise. Alternatively, a strong or weak adhesive can be applied to the label. Another embodiment can employ a removable substance or that allows easy separation and convenient reattachment of the label, or at least one portion of the label.
In another embodiment, a portion of the label contains further information of interest. When the user changes the relative positions of at least a portion of the label and the bottle by applying force to at least a portion of the label or an element situated relative to the label in a manner capable of transferring force to the label, the changed orientation allows the user to receive visual or other information detectable by the human senses or through any other means of detecting, registering, or reading information, such as scent or electromagnetism, in a manner or to an extent not previously observed or experienced. While some embodiments have olfactory, electromagnetic, tactile, and other information, other embodiments can have nothing under the promotional label and have information printed and/or otherwise incorporated directly to the bottle's outer side wall. The many options described may be combined, omitted, or supplemented in ways easily discernable by one skilled in the art.
Perforations and folds are included in some embodiments to allow users to detach or otherwise separate or change the orientation of the label or at least one portion of the label. In yet other embodiments, folded portions can remain between that surface and the bottles outer side wall until the user creates a separation between at least a portion of the label and the bottle. As the marketing, advertising, or informational purpose for the label varies, folds and perforations can be varied or eliminates with altogether, and the portions of the label intended to be folded can be coupled to the bottle or arranged relative to the bottle in many ways.
As the skilled artisan recognizes, perforations, tabs, or other structures and elements can be substituted for one another without parting from the spirit of this disclosure. Perforated lines may be substituted with various lines or portions designed to allow clean detachment of one portion of the label from another. In one embodiment, the label is constructed, at least partially, of material that predisposes the label to tearing along defined lines. Other embodiments accomplish the same result using any combination of perforations, folding lines, or other elements, including combinations.
A tab or tabs can also help users change the label's configuration or relative spatial relationship to the bottle. In one embodiment an element assists the user removing at least a portion of a label from a container by transferring force from the tab element that the user pulls from the container to the label's edge.
Another embodiment uses the tab element or elements can serve informational purposes by providing surface area for hosting written or otherwise fixed information. Tabs are located at locations on a bottle shaped like an automobile to facilitate identification of the tabs or enhance the user's experience when peeling the labels from the automobile bottle. Such locations include the hood, the trunk, the fuel door, the passenger and driver doors, the wheels, the grill, the windshield and any other part of the automobile in which a tab can be placed.
In one embodiment, tab elements allowing the label to be attached in such a way to prevent accidental or unwanted separation from the bottle by coupling these elements with adhesive or any other material capable of holding the label in place until the user pulls, peels, or otherwise removes the tab element from its original position. A tab element can be bonded or otherwise coupled to the bottle's, or the label's outer side surface, and, optionally, to a portion of the label lying beneath the tab. In this embodiment, at least one portion of the tab element may be configured to be free from any bond or to the bottle and to thereby leave a flap or appendage attached to the rest of the label which may be freely separated from contact with the bottle. The tab element can also include or consist of a handle, lever, ribbon, or extension. This configuration facilitates information transfer and can be useful to a user working to pull or peel at least a portion of the label from the bottle while avoiding complications or frustration in use.
Tabs can be substituted with elements that facilitate separating at least a portion of the label from the bottle. In one embodiment, the label element is coupled to the bottle such that at least a portion of the label creates a pocket or enclosure between that portion and the bottle's outer side wall. In another embodiment, users can pull the tearing tie to reveal the bottles outer side wall surface. In another embodiment, a tearing tie extends through the outer surface of the pocket. Here, the tearing tie functions to tear an exterior layer of the label in a way well known in the art of packaging sticks of chewing gum. By pulling the tearing tie, users open the pocket or enclosure to reveal information or marketing material previously at least partially enclosed within the pocket or enclosure.
For a variety of reasons, product containers, particularly bottled beverage containers, provide a significant marketing and advertising medium. Bottled beverages are ubiquitous in society today. The market has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry and, by one account, the bottled water market alone was $61 billion in 2006. Moreover, bottles and other containers typically have broad surfaces on which promotional material can be affixed and viewed.
In addition, given the consumer's natural attraction to beverage products, people are generally happy to receive and use bottled beverages, which can increase advertising effectiveness. Marketing or advertising information on a beverage container naturally remains in the hands of the consumer for an extended period while they consume the beverage, allowing for increased user interaction, thereby increasing advertising exposure. For example, an advertisement on a bottle of water can be much more likely to gain exposure than a similar advertisement on a stand-alone brochure, particularly to a thirsty user. An airline could use embodiments described herein to sell advertising space, for example, by distributing free bottled water to its customers. Retailers could use embodiments described herein to provide customers with product information, such as discount information, by providing them with bottles according to embodiments described herein as the customers enter the store. Skilled artisans will recognize from the disclosure provided herein a variety of alternative uses.
These and other combinations, methods, omissions, substitutions and modifications will be apparent to the skilled artisan in view of the disclosure herein. It is contemplated that various aspects and features of the invention described can be practiced separately, combined together, or substituted for one another, and that a variety of combination and subcombinations of the features and aspects can be made and still fall within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the systems described above need not include all of the aspects and functions described in the preferred embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited by the recitation of the preferred embodiments.
The present application claims the benefit and priority of and incorporates by this reference U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/981,449, filed Oct. 19, 2007 and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/252,651 filed with the USPTO on Oct. 16, 2008 and is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/252,651.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120090210 A1 | Apr 2012 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12252651 | Oct 2008 | US |
| Child | 13279275 | US |
