Personally identifiable container and device

Abstract

A personally identifiable container and device is provided to help avoid confusion over beverage container identity. The identifying devices include various types of indicia including blank surface, color- and number-coded, user-selectable and user-customizable iterations in the forms of production and aftermarket container caps, production and aftermarket labels, and container stickers that a manufacturer can build into its products or a user can purchase and apply it to his / her container. User-selectable iterations involve letters, numbers, colors or other indicia which the user can mark to identify a container. User-customizable iterations include surface-malleable containers, container caps, labels, (rings and dials)) and stickers into which a user can scratch or otherwise imprint his / her name and / or specific indicia. Another embodiment allows users to burst dye packets within a container cap or label to mix a custom and identifying color combination.

Description

PRIORITY [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 671,767 filed on Apr. 15, 2005.CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0002] None. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0003] This invention was not federally sponsored. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0004] 1. Field of Invention [0005] The present invention relates to the field of beverage containers. More particularly, this invention is directed toward a customizable identifying device for a beverage container. 2. Description of the Related Art [0006] While drink containers have been around since ancient times, it was only in 1892 that William Painter patented the crown bottle cap. 1934 was the first year in which color labels were used on soft drink bottles. These color labels were first baked on the face of the bottle, and have undergone substantial improvements in technology since then. [0007] While improvements have been made consistently in the field of pa...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] It is a principal object of the invention to provide a device by which a food or beverage manufacturer, container manufacturer, or consumer can allow for a consumer to identify his or her own container from other similar containers.

[0017] It is a further object of this invention to provide bottle cap stickers that can be manufactured by a food or beverage manufacturer, or a container manufacturer, and either sold with the container or be available for the user to purchase separately from the container and attach to the container as needed.

[0025] It is still another an object of this invention to provide glitter packets, dye packets, and other novelty items such that a user can even further customize his or her container or label.

[0026] It is a further object of this invention to provide a container identifying device that a user shall not need to use a pen, permanent felt-tipped marker, pencil, jackknife, or other marking tools to mark.

[0027] It is yet another object of this invention that the invention be suitable for mass production and lends itself easily to the concept of sponsorship, where companies pay for the right to put the stickers, container caps, or labels onto a food or beverage container.

[0028] A personally identifiable container and device is provided to help avoid confusion over beverage container identity. The identifying devices include various types of indicia including blank surface, color- and number-coded, user-selectable and user-customizable iterations in the forms of production and aftermarket container caps, production and aftermarket labels, and container stickers that a manufacturer can build into its products or a user can purchase and apply it to his / her container. User-selectable iterations involve letters, numbers, colors or other indicia which the user can mark to identify a container. User-customizable iterations include surface-malleable containers, container caps, labels, and stickers into which a user can scratch or otherwise imprint his / her name and / or specific indicia. Another embodiment allows users to burst dye packets within a container cap or label to mix a custom and identifying color combination.

Problems solved by technology

While improvements have been made consistently in the field of packaging and promotion of drinks, a major problem has remained unsolved: when a group of people are all using the same drink container, how does each person keep track of which drink is his or hers?

In such situations, once a person opens a bottle or can and sets it down, it is likely that the person will encounter some confusion over which bottle or can is his / hers, and which belongs to another person.

A problem with this idea, however, is that each guest must memorize and remember the color of butterfly or the bead pattern that the host has given to him or her for the evening, which can add to the problem of identifying one's own drink.

Images