Package with reduced product settling
A package contains a container for holding a product, a sealing member, and a product containing a plurality of discrete units therein. The container contains a concave body bounded by an edge and at least one post protruding from the concave body member. The container also contains a first end and a second end in opposition to each other. The sealing member is affixed to the edge to form a seal, which keeps the product between the sealing member and the concave body member. When the package is rested on a flat surface on the first end, and then subsequently rested on the second end, the post significantly reduces settling of the product towards the second end.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/589,048, filed on Jul. 19, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is related to packages and packaged products. In particular, the present invention is related to packages and packaged products in which the product is formed from a plurality of discrete units.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPackaged products such as air freshener products are well known in the market and may take a variety of forms and shapes. For example, natural air freshener products such as potpourri may be derived from leaves, stems, etc of flowers and herbs, and may be sold in a see-through package. In other air freshener products, a solid, waxy, or gel material in the form of beads, blocks, etc. is provided which absorbs odors and/or releases perfume. Such gel-type air fresher products also are often sold in see-through packages. Such see-through packages typically include at least one portion and/or surface which is either transparent or translucent.
As such packages are transported, stored, etc., the discrete units of the product tend to settle over time so that the package appears to contain less product. Such settling may be especially pronounced if the package is transported and stored in the same orientation. While the performance and actual amount of product contained in such a “settled” package may be equivalent to a non-settled package, the perception is that the amount of product is less. This is especially evident where one or more portions of the package are translucent and/or transparent.
In the past, such a settling problem has been addressed, by, for example, using opaque materials for the package and/or limiting the transparent portions to those at the bottom of the container. However, such a solution defeats the purpose of employing a see-through package, which is to show off the product contained therein. Alternatively, the package may contain a series of baffles, such as are found in an ice-cube tray, to reduce settling. However, such baffles tend to cause problems during the filling of the package, as the discrete units of the product (as opposed to a liquid, which may easily flow around the baffles) may tend to congregate around the filling point, and not spread evenly throughout the package. Furthermore, such baffles often require a significant amount of package material to form, increasing the cost and weight of the package.
Accordingly, the need exists for a package which overcomes the settling problems described above. The need further exists for a package and product combination which is easier to make and employs less package material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a package containing a container for holding a product, a sealing member, and a product containing a plurality of discrete units therein. The container contains a concave body bounded by an edge and at least one post protruding from the concave body member. The container also contains a first end and a second end in opposition to each other. The sealing member is affixed to the edge to form a seal, which keeps the product between the sealing member and the concave body member. When the package is rested on a flat surface on the first end, and then subsequently rested on the second end, the post significantly reduces settling of the product towards the second end.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the post protrudes from the sealing member, instead of the concave body member, so as to achieve a result similar to that above. Such an embodiment is useful if settling is not an issue after the sealing member is removed. For example when the product is quickly used up or emptied from the concave body member after the sealing member is removed, such as may be the case for a unit-dose or an individual serving of cereal.
It has been found that the package of the present invention has less settling than a package without such a post, and can be comparable to a package with a baffle. However, the package of the present invention also has advantages over a package with a baffle, in that the package may be filled much easier, and the discrete units will more easily flow around a post than a baffle. This allows significant flexibility in the filling orientation as well as filling speed, and the type, shape, and physical properties of the discrete units to be used.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSWhile the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description of the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and wherein:
The figures herein are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONAll temperatures herein are in degrees Celsius (° C.) unless otherwise indicated. As used herein, the term “comprising” means that other steps, ingredients, elements, etc. which do not adversely affect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”.
The package herein contains a container, a sealing member, and a product. The package may be used for a variety of different products, to significantly reduce or even prevent settling caused by, for example, time, vibrations, placement direction, etc. For example, block-type products, granular products, gel-type products, and even, for example, cereal would benefit from the package of the present invention. In a specific embodiment, the present invention relates to an air freshener product which may freshen the air by absorbing undesirable odor(s), neutralize undesirable odor(s), and/or covering up undesirable odor(s) by, for example, releasing a perfume.
Turning to the figures,
The container, 100, contains a first end, 108, and a second end, 110 opposed to the first end, 108. The distance, α, between two adjacent posts, 106A and 106B, is also shown in
The package and/or container may be formed of a variety materials such as a plastic or polymers, rubber, glass, metal, and a combination thereof. An embodiment of the package and/or container includes rubber, plastic, polyester, and a combination thereof, and another embodiment includes polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, ethyl vinyl alcohol, thermoplastic elastomer, and a combination thereof. Flexible package and/or container parts preferably contain at least a portion of thermoplastic elastomer. Textured surfaces may also be employed so as to enhance gripping, if desired. Preferred production processes are blow molding, injection molding, injection blow molding, vacuum forming, thermoforming, and a combination thereof. The various individual package and/or container portions may be formed with different materials, and/or by different processes, as desired. Optional, but preferred characteristics of the container material include color, tinting, UV blocking agents, translucency, transparency, or opaqueness. Examples of the UV blocking agent useful herein include titanium dioxide, benzophenone, hydroxy-benzophenone, benzotriazole, and a mixture thereof. Such UV blocking agents are commonly available from, for example, Sumito Chemical, Tokyo Japan; Kyodo Chemical, Tokyo Japan; Asahi Denka, Tokyo Japan; Ciba Giegy, Tokyo Japan; and others. An embodiment of the package, container, sealing member (see
A sealing member, 114, is affixed to the edge, 104, to form a seal, 116, which keeps the product (see
In an embodiment herein, the sealing member contains at least 2 layers, or from about 2 to about 20 layers. In an embodiment herein, the sealing member contains from about 5 to about 17 layers. In another embodiment, the sealing member contains from about 6 to about 13 layers. Such layers could include, for example, a plastic film, a metal film, an adhesive, a lubricant, varnish, a pigment, and/or printing inks. In an embodiment where the sealing member is a film, the thickness of the film may be from about 20 to about 300 microns. In an embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the film may be from about 40 to about 200 microns. In another embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the film may be from about 80 to about 150 microns. A preferred sealing member may also contain cut-out shapes on one or more layers so that when opened, air may enter the package, and yet the product is kept or held inside (see
Typically the shape of the product, 124, may be a cone, ball, cube, block, or other predetermined shape as desired. In an embodiment herein, the product possess a predetermined shape rather than an amorphous shape. In an embodiment herein, the product possesses a predetermined shape with at least one angled portion, such as a corner or point, as such an angled portion tends to catch on the post, as opposed to a completely round, curved, or amorphous product, which will tend to more easily roll around the post. In an embodiment herein, the plurality of discrete units are of substantially the same dimensions; by “substantially the same dimensions”, it is meant that when the total volume of the discrete units is measured and graphed as a distribution, 90% of the discrete units are within the range of ±50% of the average volume, and preferably 90% of the discrete units are within the range of ±33% of the average volume. In an embodiment herein, the discrete units have an average length, and the distance, α, between the posts is less than about 3 times the average length. In an embodiment herein, the distance, α, between the posts is from about 0.25 times to about 3 times the average length. In an embodiment herein, the distance, α, between the posts is from about 0.5 times to about 2 times the average length. In an embodiment herein, the distance, α, between the posts is from about 0.75 times to about 1.5 times the average length. Similarly, in an embodiment herein, the distance between a post and the container edge can be similar to the distance, α between adjacent posts. The average length is defined as the longest straight distance through a discrete unit, whether it be a diagonal, a diameter, or otherwise. Without intending to be limited by theory, it is believed that the above product characteristics significantly contribute to reduced settling.
In
When the package is rested (or stood up) on a flat surface on the first end, and then subsequently turned over and rested (or stood up) on a flat surface on the second end, the post significantly reduces the settling of the product towards the second end. This can be visually measured over a period of from about 1 minute to about 1 month, as compared to a similar package which lacks the post.
EXAMPLE 1 In an embodiment herein, a package as seen in
An air freshener product according to Example 1 is produced, which contains a gel product. The gel contains a perfume, water, alcohol, an odor-neutralizing polymer, and a hydrotrope. The gel itself also absorbs certain undesirable odors, while the odor-neutralizing polymer neutralizes certain undesirable odors due to the reactive functional moieties attached thereto.
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention 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. 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.
Claims
1. A package comprising:
- A. a container for holding a product, the container comprising: i. a concave body member bounded by an edge; and ii. at least one post protruding from the concave body member, wherein the container comprises a first end and a second end opposed to the first end;
- B. a sealing member affixed to the edge to form a seal; and
- C. a product between the concave body and the sealing member, wherein the product comprises a plurality of discrete units,
- wherein when the package is rested on a flat surface on the first end and then subsequently rested on a flat surface on the second end, the post significantly reduces the settling of the product towards the second end.
2. The package of claim 1, comprising from about 2 to about 20 posts.
3. The package of claim 1, wherein the product comprises a gel material.
4. The package of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the post is a cross.
5. The package of claim 1, wherein the plurality of discrete units are of substantially the same dimensions.
6. The package of claim 1, wherein the product is an air freshener product.
7. The package of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is either translucent or transparent.
8. The package of claim 1, wherein the concave body member is either translucent or transparent.
9. The package of claim 1, wherein the discrete units possess a predetermined shape which has at least one angled portion.
11. The package of claim 2, wherein the discrete units have an average length, and wherein the distance between at least 2 adjacent posts is less than about 3 times the average length.
12. The package of claim 1, wherein the product further comprises a perfume.
13. The package of claim 4, wherein two opposite points of the cross are substantially parallel with at least a portion of the second end.
14. The package of claim 10, wherein the distance between at least 2 adjacent posts is from about 0.5 times to about 2 times the number average length.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 17, 2005
Publication Date: Jan 19, 2006
Inventors: Mayumi Ashiya (Kobe), Junko Hirota (Kobe), Keiichi Mito (Kobe)
Application Number: 11/184,617
International Classification: B65B 9/06 (20060101);