Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRANSPARENT OR TRANSLUCENT FILLED PACKAGE EXHIBITING A
COLORED APPEARANCE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transparent or translucent, tinted
container of a
first color being filled with a tinted liquid of a second color, and more
particularly, relates
to such a transparent or translucent, tinted container that when filed with a
tinted liquid
exhibits an appearance having the tint of third color.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Effective and eye catching packaging for containing and displaying products on
shelves of retail outlets has long been a goal of product manufacturer in
order to make the
product brand and its packaging distinct and memorable for consumers.
Virtually endless
variations of product containers have been developed over the years. Most
successful
products containers are designed to attract attention of passing consumers and
some are
fabricated with clear or translucent portions through which the product in the
container
can be viewed directly. As a matter of fact, clear or translucent containers
that reveal
their products have been found to be particularly effective as an incentive to
the consumer
to purchase the product. As well, many product containers have been designed
with
physical features that provide consumers with a pleasant, distinct, and
memorable
experience while the product is being used. This will provide a positive
incentive for the
consumer to re-purchase the product.
In order to provide a liquid product that is visually pleasing to the consumer
manufacturers often alter the appearance of the liquid product or the
container or both.
Liquid products exhibiting colors not particularly pleasing to the consumer
are often
packaged in tinted, opaque plastic container. The tinted, opaque plastic
container
provides a visually pleasing appearance to the consumer by covering or masking
the not
so pleasing liquid product. Other liquid products are packaged in transparent,
plastic
containers. The liquid product is heavily tinted so that the filled packaged
exhibits the tint
of the liquid soap. The heavily tinted liquid product housed within the
transparent, plastic
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container provides a visually pleasing appearance to the consumer. Another
packaging
alternative for liquid products is to provide a filled package that exhibits a
colorless,
transparent appearance. A colorless, transparent package provides a
particularly pleasing
appearance to the consumer.
However, it has now been discovered that a further liquid product and
container
can provide a color fusion, i.e. merging of elements into a unified whole, and
a consumer
delight. It has now been discovered that providing a transparent container
exhibiting the
tint of a first color and combining this with a transparent liquid exhibiting
the tint of a
second color which is different than the first color, a resulting color fusion
occurs in
which the tint of the first color of the container and the tint of the second
color of said
liquid cooperate such that the tinted container when filled with the tinted
liquid exhibits a
transparent appearance having the tint of a third color.
Such a display would be uniquely attracting to passing consumers and thus
would
lead inexorably to increased sales of the brand of product sold in the
container. As well,
the repeated exposure of the consumer to the color fusion and the individual
elements of
the color fusion during the use of the product may lead to making a brand and
a product
more distinct and memorable. It is to the provision of just such a filled
package that the
present invention is directed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
transparent, tinted
container being filled with a transparent, tinted liquid of a first color, and
more
particularly, to such a transparent, tinted container that when filed with a
transparent,
tinted liquid of a second color exhibits a transparent appearance having the
tint of third
color
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a filled package comprising a transparent
or
translucent container exhibiting the tint of a first color and being adapted
to house a
liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second color which is different
than the first
color and being housed in said container, the tint of the first color of the
container and the
tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating such that the tinted
container when
filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance having the tint of a
third color.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and
distinctly claim the invention, it is believed the present invention will be
better understood
from the following description.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a filled package comprising a
transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a first color and
being adapted to
house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second color which is
different than
the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of the first
color of the container
and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating such that the
tinted container
when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance having the tint of a
third color.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides a filled package
comprising a transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a
first color and
being adapted to house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second
color which is
different than the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of
the first color
of the container and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating
such that the
tinted container when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance
having the tint of
a third color, further wherein the tinted liquid exhibit an appearance
selected from the
group comprising a transparent appearance, a translucent appearance, or an
opaque
appearance and mixtures thereof.
An embodiment of the present invention provides that provides a filled package
comprising a transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a
first color and
being adapted to house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second
color which is
different than the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of
the first color
of the container and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating
such that the
tinted container when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance
having the tint of
a third color wherein the filled package comprises a cap having the same color
as the tint
of the third color.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a filled package comprising a
transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a first color and
being adapted to
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house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second color which is
different than
the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of the first
color of the container
and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating such that the
tinted container
when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance having the tint of a
third color
wherein the tint of the third color matches a coordinating fragrance for the
filled package.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a filled package comprising a
transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a first color and
being adapted to
house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second color which is
different than
the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of the first
color of the container
and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating such that the
tinted container
when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance having the tint of a
third color
wherein the filled package comprises a back label comprising a graphic viewed
through
the bottle wherein the graphic is the same color as the tint of the second
color of the
liquid. In such an embodiment, this would provide a graphic that on shelf will
not be
obvious to a consumer, but as the consumer begins to use the filled package,
the graphic
will be revealed as the level of the liquid is reduced in the container.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides provides a filled
package
comprising a transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a
first color and
being adapted to house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second
color which is
different than the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of
the first color
of the container and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating
such that the
tinted container when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance
having the tint of
a third color wherein changing the level of tint for the second color will
identify product
types, product forms or product versions. A non-limiting example would be, to
differentiate a shampoo product from a conditioner product, the two product
liquids may
be tinted with differing levels of tint, so that on shelf, the tint of a third
color will appear
differently for the shampoo product form and the conditioner product form. A
further
embodiment provides wherein changing the level of opacity or level of opaque
for the
second color of a liquid will identify product types, product forms or product
versions.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides a filled package
comprising a transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a
first color and
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being adapted to house a liquid; and a liquid exhibiting the tint of a second
color which is
different than the first color and being housed in said container, the tint of
the first color
of the container and the tint of the second color of said liquid cooperating
such that the
tinted container when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an appearance
having the tint of
a third color and further wherein changing the level of tint for the first
color will identify
product forms or product types. A non-limiting example would be, to
differentiate a
shampoo product from a conditioner product, the two liquids may be tinted with
the same
level of tint, but the level of tint for the first color, that of the
container, will vary in level
between the two products. Therefore, on shelf, the tint of a third color will
appear
differently for the shampoo product form and the conditioner product form.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the tint of the first color of the
transparent or translucent container may be selected to signal a product group
or a product
family benefit and further wherein the tint of the second color of the liquid
is selected to
signal a product version and wherein the tinted container when filled with the
tinted liquid
exhibits an appearance having the tint of a third color and further signals a
product
version. Non-limiting examples of such a product group or product family
benefit
examples may be a price tier group, a treatment group such as antidandruff,
and a colored
hair group. Non-limiting examples of a product version would be versions for
straight
hair, wavy hair, curly hair, blonde, brown or red hair, dry hair, and oily
hair. Such
versions may directed to a hair type or to an end benefit such as providing
volume.
In another embodiment of the present invention, provides a filled package
wherein
the transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a first color
and a liquid
exhibiting the tint of a second color which is different than the first color
the tint of the
first color of the container and the tint of the second color of said liquid
cooperating such
that the tinted container when filled with the tinted liquid exhibits an
appearance having
the tint of a third color, and further providing a visible indicator of the
amount of liquid
remaining in the filled package. For example, the present invention may
provide a
solution to an unmet need. When a consumer uses a colorless transparent
container in
combination with a colorless liquid, it may be difficult to achieve a clear
and distinct read
on the amount or level of liquid in this container. The present invention
provides for a
clear indicator of the amount or level of liquid in a container as the
combination of the tint
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of a first color for a transparent or translucent container with a liquid
having a tint of a
second color, and thus providing an appearance having the tint of a third
color, provides a
clear visual indicator of the amount of liquid product remaining in the filled
package.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the filled package may
comprise
a liquid which may comprise two or more visually distinct phases. Further, in
an
embodiment, the filled package may comprise a liquid which may comprise beads,
stripes
or patterns. A non-limiting example would be wherein the liquid may comprise a
bead
which is colored white and such liquid may be combined with the tint of the
liquid and
the tint of a container thereby resulting in a minimizing or maximizing of the
appearance
of such beads.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the transparent or translucent
container
exhibiting the tint of a first color may further comprise a shimmer. Further,
the
transparent or translucent container exhibiting the tint of a first color may
further
comprise a shimmer or a sparkle wherein the liquid exhibiting the tint of a
second color
comprises a shimmer. In this embodiment, the fusion of the shimmer or a
sparkle in the
container with the shimmer of a liquid can provide a signal of product type or
product
version, along with providing an enhancement of the transparent, translucent,
or opacity
of the filled package. A liquid comprising a shimmer may created by adding, as
a non-
limiting example, mica and/or titanium dioxide.
In a further embodiment, the present invention may be used in the general
areas of
personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, styling, skin care, and
cleansing
products, fabric care products, home care products, health care products, baby
care
products and food products.
The present invention can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the
essential elements and limitations of the invention described herein, as well
any of the
additional or optional ingredients, components, or limitations described
herein.
All percentages, parts and ratios are based upon the total weight of the
compositions of the present invention, unless otherwise specified. All such
weights as
they pertain to listed ingredients are based on the active level and,
therefore, do not
include carriers or by-products that may be included in commercially available
materials.
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The components and/or steps, including those which may optionally be added, of
the various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail
below.
All documents cited are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference;
the
citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is
prior art with
respect to the present invention.
All ratios are weight ratios unless specifically stated otherwise.
All temperatures are in degrees Celsius, unless specifically stated otherwise.
Except as otherwise noted, all amounts including quantities, percentages,
portions,
and proportions, are understood to be modified by the word "about", and
amounts are not
intended to indicate significant digits.
Except as otherwise noted, the articles "a", "an", and "the" mean "one or
more"
Herein, "comprising" means that other steps and other ingredients which do not
affect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms
"consisting of' and
"consisting essentially of'. The compositions and methods/processes of the
present
invention can comprise, consist of, and consist essentially of the essential
elements and
limitations of the invention described herein, as well as any of the
additional or optional
ingredients, components, steps, or limitations described herein.
Herein, "effective" means an amount of a subject active high enough to provide
a
significant positive modification of the condition to be treated. An effective
amount of
the subject active will vary with the particular condition being treated, the
severity of the
condition, the duration of the treatment, the nature of concurrent treatment,
and like
factors.
The container of the present invention may be made of any known conventional
material. In one embodiment, the container is preferably made of synthetic
resin such as
polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The container may also be made of other
resins such as
a glycol modified PET copolymer (PETG), polycarbonate, extrudable polyethylene
terephthalate (EPET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP),
polystyrene, high
density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), or any other
suitable
synthetic resins which exhibit a transparent or translucent appearance. It
will be obvious
to those of ordinary skill in the art that body may be any shape, e.g.
cylindrical, round,
square, oblong, etc.
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The containers can be made of any conventional polymers, as long as the
containers have a transparent and/or translucent appearance. For the
transparent
appearance, it is preferred to use polyethylene terephthalate. The translucent
appearance
can be achieved by, a non-limiting example being, wall thickness of material,
surface
geometry (i.e. the less smooth or uniform the surface the less clear or more
translucent to
opaque the material becomes), treatments of the transparent containers, the
addition of
ingredients such as dyes, pigments, pearlescent (non-limiting examples, Mica
or silica
particles ranging in size from 5 - 50 microns) or sparkle and/or shimmer (non-
limiting
examples, large visible particles made up of silica in a size range from 50-
75microns)
agents to base polymers, the use of polypropylene and/or polyethylene which
can be
mixed with clarifying agents, or the use of label or shrink film having a
translucent
appearance. A non-limiting example would be a translucent shrink film or
shrink sleeve
may be used to achieve the appearance of a color or tint of the container. The
treatments
include, a non-limiting example being spray coating (non-limiting examples,
fine
particles are sprayed to the surface of the container and the container is
coated by the fine
particles, thus, the container has a translucent appearance), sandblasting,
and mold
surface treatment (non-limiting example being by forming fine undulation on
the surface
of the mold, the container made in the mold has fine undulation on the
surface, thus, the
container has translucent appearance).
In an embodiment of the present invention, a translucent appearance allows
enough light into the container to enable the tinted color of the liquid
product to fuse with
the tinted color of the container to deliver the desired third color of the
product, but
wherein the consumer is unable to see completely through the wall of the
container. A
translucent appearance can be one where objects beyond the liquid product
cannot be
seen clearly. In another embodiment, a transparent appearance can be a
translucent
appearance that allows the consumer to see completely through the wall of the
container.
Therefore, the translucency of the container may be of such an amount or
degree to allow
enough light into the container to enable the amount of tint of the container
to cooperate
with the amount of tint in the liquid product such that the filled container
exhibits a
different color appearance from either the container or liquid product
individually.
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In a further embodiment of the present invention, an opaque appearance can be
one in which a consumer can not see into the product or can not see through
the product
to the back wall of a container.
To make the transparent, tinted container of the present invention, a tinted
preform is first formed on a conventional injection mold. Flakes or pelletized
PET resin
is fed from a hopper into an extruder where the PET resin is heated to
fluidize the resin.
An exemplary PET resin is available from Eastman Chemical Company.
Color tinting can be added in either a dry (a non-limiting example being
granular)
or liquid fashion that is consistent and compatible with the base resin. The
tint can be
added to the plasticized resin, typically through the use of a master batch
containing a
separate carrier resin, at levels which will allow the desired tint to be
achieved. At the
end of the barrel the colored/plasticized resin is fed into a shooting pot in
preparation for
injection molding. The shooting pot is filled through a shuttle valve; high
pressure
hydraulic oil then drives the shooting pot piston forward filling the mold.
This allows the
extruder to continuously plasticize throughout the cycle, and results in
higher throughput
with a more homogeneous melt. The mold can be a multi cavity mold creating
many (for
example, 16 - 96) tinted preforms at a time. The finished tinted preforms can
be stored
and subsequently blown into transparent, tinted containers in the standard
fashion. After
being blown, the transparent, tinted containers can then be filled with a
transparent, tinted
liquid product and sealed. To note, PET bottles can be made in 1-step
injection blow
molded (a non-limiting example being no preform) or in a 2-step injection
stretch blow
molded (preform, reheat and blow) and manner. PETG, PP and HDPE bottles can be
extrusion blow molded.
The tinting of the container should be of such an amount or degree to
cooperate
with the amount of tint in the liquid product such that the filled container
exhibits a
different color appearance from either the container or liquid product
individually. The
necessary amount of tinting for the container will be determined by the amount
of tint
that the liquid product exhibits and the desired final color appearance of the
product/container combination.
The color generated by the tint in the container can be defined via L, a, and
b
values using a specified light source or transmittance readings at across the
visible light
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wavelength spectrum using a spectrophotometer. Once L, a, and b values or
transmittance
values to deliver the desired container color are established, production of
the containers
can be monitored via spectrophotometer to ensure the desired color is
consistently
produced.
The container of the present invention can have a print directly on the bottle
or
tube, or by the use of a label or film having prints. Such prints include, as
non-limiting
examples, brand name/logo marks, product name, product benefits, drawings,
names of
ingredients. The containers with or without label/film can have other
features, especially
aesthetic features. Such aesthetic features include, as non-limiting examples,
textures,
embossing, lenticular lens, simulated motion, scent (activated with or without
scratching
the label), colors such as fluorescence, metallic color (with or without 3D-
like effect),
holograms, frosted or matte color, gradation of color, gradation of
transparency, colored
transparent/translucent appearance, graphics which are on the back side of the
container
and which can be seen from the front side of the container.
In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more labels may be adhered
to
the outer periphery of the container body. In this disclosure the term
"obverse surface"
may mean the label surface exposed to the outside on which an insignia or
instructions
may be printed. Similarly, the term "reverse surface" or "inside" may mean the
surface
of the label facing the outer periphery of the container. In one embodiment,
the front
label may be a colorless, transparent material, a non-limiting example being
plastic,
having the appropriate insignia or instructions printed thereon. A colorless
front label
may facilitate in highlighting and reinforcing the tinted, transparent
appearance of the
present invention.
A back label may be of white paper, poly, or plastic stock having printing on
both
sides thereof. Printing on the reverse surface of the paper, poly or plastic
stock may be a
continuous uniform color, that may gradually lighter as it nears the labels
outer edges.
This may serve as a pleasing background which highlights the printing on the
clear front
label. So as to compliment the tinting of the container, the color of the back
label may be
consistent with i.e. relatively near, to the color or tint of the container.
A further embodiment, the transparent or translucent container may comprise a
back label having a color which contributes to the appearance and color of the
filled
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package, and have an effect of the appearance of the tint of the third color.
Such a back
label having such a color may also contribute to signaling a product version
or product
type.
Examples
The following examples further describe and demonstrate embodiments within the
scope of the present invention. The examples are given solely for the purpose
of
illustration, and are not to be construed as limitations of the present
invention since many
variations thereof are possible without departing from its scope.
A filled package is made according to the following description.
A liquid shampoo composition can be prepared by any conventional method well
known in the art. The liquid compositions of the present invention may be
prepared by
any known or otherwise effective technique. Methods for preparing the shampoo
embodiments of the present invention include conventional formulation and
mixing
techniques. A liquid shampoo composition can comprise the following:
Component Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Sodium Laureth Sulfate 7.00 7.00 7.00
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate 7.00 7.00 7.00
Cocamido ro l Betaine 2.10 2.10 2.10
Fragrance 0.800 0.800 0.800
Sodium Chloride 0.300 0.30 0.300
Cocamide MEA 0.500 0.500 0.500
Sodium Benzoate 0.250 0.250 0.250
Tetrasodium EDTA 0.1304 0.1304 0.1304
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium 0.0490 0.0490 0.0490
Chloride
Linoleamidopropyl PG-dimonium 0.075 0.075 0.075
Chloride Phosphate
Citric acid (anhydrous form) 0.02000 0.02000 0.02000
Ext. Violet 2 / Cl 60730 0.001575
D&C Yellow No.5 / Cl 19140 0.000100
D&C Yellow No. 10 / Cl 47005 0.000999 0.000981
D&C Blue No. 1 / Cl 42090 0.000079
Methylchloroisothiazolinone 0.000426 0.000426 0.000426
Methylisothiazolinone 0.000142 0.000142 0.000142
Water QS QS QS
Composition Tint Violet Yellow Yellow
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Container Tint Magenta Magenta Blue
Product Appearance Purple Orange Green
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being
strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless
otherwise specified,
each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a
functionally
equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as
"40 mm"
is intended to mean "about 40 mm".
The citation of any document is not to be construed
as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To
the extent that
any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with
any meaning
or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning
or
definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated
and
described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other
changes and
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and
modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
