Patent Application
20170224863
This invention relates to potpourri. More particularly, it relates to potpourri composed of “wine” corks that are scented and decoratively packaged.
Potpourri is historically believed to have originated from persons storing cut flowers or fruit rinds, to provide a pleasant odor to a room, while also enhancing its appearance. Potpourri has evolved to many forms, sea shells, shaved/colored woods, etc., the common denominator being the potpourri is visually appealing and also pleasant smelling. However, despite the long history and wide variety of types of potpourri, there has not yet been a potpourri type using scented wine or bottle corks. Moreover, there has not been a wine/bottle cork potpourri container that elegantly and simply captures a display of scented wine/bottle corks, as further described below.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
In one aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a cork potpourri display is provided, comprising, a substantially transparent packaging adapted to contain an assemblage of marked bottle corks, having an openable vent to allow scents from an interior of the packaging to escape; and an assemblage of bottle corks with markings thereupon randomly oriented in the packaging, treated with a pleasant scent, wherein the marked corks are externally visible through the packaging and scents from the corks are escape through the vent.
In another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, the above display is provided, wherein the packaging is substantially rectangular and less than 1 foot in width and height; and/or wherein the packaging is made of plastic; and/or wherein the vent is at a top and/or lower portion of the packaging; and/or wherein the vent is formed from folds at an end of the packaging; and/or wherein the vent is a plurality of holes; and/or wherein the scent is at least one of vanilla, wine, pomegranate, sage citrus, honeysuckle, spice, citrus cilantro, pumpkin, lavender, spiced apple; and/or wherein the corks are from wine bottles; and/or wherein the corks are from used wine bottles; and/or wherein the vent is covered with a netting or fibrous material; and/or wherein the packaging has a circular form; and/or wherein the corks are synthetic.
In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a method of making a cork potpourri display is provided, comprising, collecting bottle corks with markings; applying a scent to the corks; and packaging scented corks randomly into a substantially transparent packaging having an openable vent to allow scents from an interior of the packaging to escape, wherein the marked corks are externally visible through the packaging and scents from the corks are escape through the vent.
In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, the above method is provided, wherein the scent is at least one of vanilla, wine, pomegranate, sage citrus, honeysuckle, spice, citrus cilantro, pumpkin, lavender, spiced apple; and/or wherein the corks are from wine bottles; and/or wherein the corks are from used wine bottles; and/or wherein the vent is formed from folds at an end of the packaging.
It is understood that the corks 35, being associated with a bottle (or winery, or manufacturer of the contents of the bottle) will be marked with the bottle (winery or manufacturer of the bottled good) logo (shown here as using generic letters XX, YY, or ZZ) or some decorative feature. While bottle corks can be natural or synthetic, the benefit for synthetic corks is that they are cheaper, however, they may not absorb the chemicals as readily as natural corks. Also, natural corks are imbued with natural wood traits having an intrinsic aesthetic, the goods-manufacturer's logo or decorative feature imprinted onto the cork is understood to increase the aesthetics of the cork. Thus, a significant and unavoidable visual characteristic of the wine/bottle cork is the imprinted decorative feature. Since different good manufacturers have their own signature decorative features, having an assortment of different corks from different manufacturers provides a unique visual appeal. Of course, in some instances, some manufacturers, being so diversified, will have a sufficient assortment of different variety of products in their line to warrant corks from them only, if so desired.
From the scent imbuing container 40, the scented corks are placed 50 into substantially transparent packaging, shown here as a box and/or cylinder composed of a material that is firm enough to support the corks, non-limiting examples being clear plastic, acrylic, and so forth. Other shapes may be used according to design preference. The important aspects of the packaging 60 is that the bulk of the randomly situated corks can be visible to a customer 80 and the packaging 60 has some mechanism for dispensing 65 the scent from the corks. Further, since the product is ultimately used for potpourri, the packaging 60 is sized for convenient display and shipping to customers, for example, ranging anywhere between 3 to 12 inches in height and 3 to 12 inches in width. Of course, other sizes can be utilized, however, overly large (e.g., 2+ feet large displays) may be counter to the purpose of potpourri. In the image presented here, packaging 60 is shown with a plurality of upper holes, however, other forms of venting and/or locations to allow the scent(s) to escape are within the purview of one of ordinary skill and thus are understood to be within the scope of this disclosure.
The unique visual appeal of “imprinted” wine/bottle corks is known in the decorative industry. For example, the use of corks being arranged to form a cork-bulletin board is known, providing a “functional” use of the corks. Flooring from bottle cork pieces is known, however, all of the prior art are directed to “functional” uses of the cork material itself for a tactile experience. To date, no one has contemplated using “imprinted” bottle corks infused with a scent and packaged to provide both a decorative and olfactory experience, specifically tailored for the potpourri industry.
Also, while
If opening 555 is made larger than the corks, then it is contemplated that a mesh or other restricting element can be implemented to retain the corks. In some embodiments, the entire/majority of package 510 or a section of package 510 may be made of a firm mesh, providing structural support, viewability of the corks, while scents to escape. Further, since the opening 555 purpose is to provide a venting opening for the scents, it is contemplated that some “solid” materials that provide gas permeability can be used, as a proxy to the opening 555, such as netting or fibrous sheet, and so forth.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims.
