Releasable closures for removable display surfaces

Abstract

A precisely measured removable cover for reusable beverage containers with releasable closures. The cover has a flexible sheet with a graphical display imprinted on one side and a cover fastener for removably fastening the cover to a container. The sheet is advantageously adapted to substantially cover the side walls of the container. The cover fastener has one or more releasable closures, and at least one of the releasable closures includes a fluked tab interlock locking tab and slot structure, wherein the fluked tab is on one end of the cover and the slot is proximate the opposite end of the cover and parallel to the fluked tab. A cam / slot paired closure is also disclosed.

Description

[0001] This application is a division of U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 459,392 filed Jun. 9, 2003 (which also claimed priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 387,691 filed Jun. 10, 2002), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09 / 821,681 filed Mar. 29, 2001, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08 / 897,749 filed Jul. 21, 1997, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,005.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The invention relates to a removable display surface for use as a cover to a beverage container, and to releasable closures for a removable display surface. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Many kinds of containers, and particularly beverage containers, are placed in public view, both commercially and privately used, and therefore are appropriate for use as display surfaces for various kinds of advertising and promotion. Commercially, beverage containers are on display containing coffee and other beverages; privately, thermos bottles may be viewed by others while in use, both by way of...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention provides a method for making a precisely fitted cover for reusable beverage containers that can be easily removed and replaced without damaging the container. The cover is made of a flexible, removably fastened material that can be easily applied and removed. The cover has a graphical display imprinted on it that can be viewed through a transparent window. The cover can be made of a durable, washable fabric or a translucent material that can be printed on. The cover can also have a label holder on the inside or rear surface for easy access. The invention allows for easy customization and integration of promotional messages and can be used for various types of beverage containers."

Problems solved by technology

The container wall itself however is ill suited to a display surface as it readily becomes marred and disfigured, and the printing matter itself is degraded, so that any such display is a poor display indeed for the subject matter of the advertisement or promotion.

As yet however, no feasible and effective display surface has been proposed which may be attached to these beverage containers or other containers so as to adequately address the needs of current advertising and promotional standards.

In recent years, it has come to be recognized that old style coffee warmers and open coffee pots are not in the best interests of the delicate flavor characteristics of a good brew of coffee.

However, with the passing of time and customer use and normal wear and tear (such as by dish washing operations), the vacuum pots themselves can take on unsightly dents and surface mars.

These covering systems however suffer from several disadvantages.

Because they are permanently adhered to substantially the entire outside surface of the pot, they in effect become a second skin, and as such lose much if not all of the independent resiliency such a covering material might otherwise inherently have.

Also, if the advertising message becomes stale or otherwise out of date, or if the covering begins to show signs of wear or other distress, it must laboriously be removed in its entirety, leaving the pot covered in unsightly adhesive residue until it is recovered, and this operation must be repeated every time it is desirable to change the advertising message.

Other proposed covering systems require application of a heat shrinkable film to a container, with the disadvantages that such films are not readily, and certainly not non-destructively, removable, and rather less control of the kind and quality of printing that may be imprinted on the film, on its resultant resized surface, is possible compared with unshrunk covers.

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