Paper Jar Packaging With Coated Walls

Abstract

A biodegradable jar has an enclosure wall with a cap that forms ajar that holds a semi-solid material. In order to prevent the biodegradable wail from being weakened by the semi-solid material in the jar, both an exterior surface and an interior surface of the wall and the cap include a permeation barrier material that substantially prevents the semi-solid material from seeping through the walls of the jar. The enclosure wall could have an inner wall that is shorter than the outer wall which forms a ledge that a separate cover for the semi-solid material could rest upon.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. utility application having Ser. No. 12 / 505,211 filed on Jul. 17, 2009, which itself is a continuation-in-part of U.S. utility application having Ser. No. 12 / 434,400 filed on May 1, 2009. These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The field of the invention is containers for semi-solid materials.BACKGROUND[0003]Modern nations currently produce significant amounts of waste. Much of the waste comes from plastic and / or metal, which decomposes at a very slow rate. These materials must be recycled, dumped into the oceans or waterways, or deposited into landfills where they will remain for ce...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]The interior cavity that houses the semi-solid or liquid product material is generally defined by (a) the inner surface of the inner or outer wall and (b) either the closed bottom of the outer wall or a false bottom that is located between the closed bottom and the open top. The height of the false bottom can most readily be set by a spacer that is placed in between the false bottom and the closed bottom. A taller spacer can be used to shrink the volume of the interior cavity, or to provide a hidden pocket in the bottom of the vessel.

[0024]In embodiments including an inner wall, a cover can be used to enclose or partially enclose an upper surface of the interior cavity, and the product material being stored within the cavity. Ideally, the cover is sized and dimensioned to rest upon a top edge of the inner wall, and to extend about to the inner surfaces of the outer wall. Such a design can advantageously provide a substantially air and moisture-tight seal, preventing much of the product material from evaporating. A small handle could also be coupled to the cover to allow a user to easily remove and replace the cover at any time.

Problems solved by technology

Modern nations currently produce significant amounts of waste.

Much of the waste comes from plastic and / or metal, which decomposes at a very slow rate.

However, Gazette's paper container is neither air tight nor water tight, so that liquids or semi-solids stored in the container can spill or evaporate.

In addition, even barring spilling or evaporation, Gazette's paper container can't hold liquids or semi-solid materials for an extended period of time since those materials would eventually saturate the paper container and leak out or dissolve parts of the container.

Plastic caps, however, are not biodegradable and would still contribute to our landfill problems.

Wax coatings can be disadvantageous as they tend to dissolve in the presence of oil based contents.

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