AU2007100891A4 - An open-ended cylindrical beverage insulator formed from a flat, self-adhesive label and polymer foam laminate - Google Patents

Description

EDITORIAL NOTE There are 7 pages of description.

2 Description (N 2.1 Background e( Beverage insulating devices are known. In Australia insulating devices, commonly (1) V)termed 'Stubby Holders' or 'Stubby Coolers', typically made from 5mm neoprene (usually coloured black) with a fabric laminate which can be printed on; most commonly through a screen printing or a dye sublimation printing process, are used to keep cold drinks cold. Paper and corrugated card beverage holders typically used for 00 S20 hot drinks are used to keep drinks hot and protect the user from burning his or her hand while holding the cup.

SThe existing dominant product has limitations which cause problems with many aspects of the product's appearance, transport and shipping, and ability to deliver a high quality printing finish for applied surface graphics.

These problems are outlined as follows: The screen printing and dye sublimation printing processes for full colour printing (typically called 4 or 6 colour printing) are relatively expensive compared to offset and lithographic full-colour printing processes.

The screen printing and dye sublimation printing process are not very high resolution printing processes, limiting the amount of fine detail within the printed image and excluding the use of small text.

The current product is made in the vast majority of cases from black neoprene.

Other colours, or 'specials,' can be more expensive.

The thin fabric overlay and black neoprene material beneath can facilitate the absorption of radiant heat from either the hand or from external sources, most significant of which is strong sunlight, thereby diminishing its insulating properties.

The current neoprene product is not able to be recycled through domestic waste channels.

Confidential Information. Darren Tillctt February 0I 2007 40 The current neoprene product tends to be made from thick neoprene S(approximately 5 6mm) which increases the diameter of a standard (375ml) can Sor bottle to nearly 8.5 9cm making it uncomfortable to hold for some users.

SThe current neoprene product's manufacture inl the vast majority of cases involves a large degree of manual labour. Stitching and gluing by hand are common _manual finishing processes, which can significantly increase manufacturing cost 00 and limit the speed of high volume production runs.

Due to its design, the current neoprene device, once finished and assembled ready to be sold in its retail form, can not be folded flat for transport or shipping and

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therefore when packed, takes up significant volume which has implications on the cost of packaging and distribution.

A number of inventions have been described in previous patents to address one or more of these problems (US: 4,648,525, US: 3,813,801, US: 4, 282,279, US: 3, 941,159, US: 4, 181,765, DE: 10327312, US: 6265040, WO: 2005/102847, US: 2007/0051736, US: 2006/0231562, US: 2006/0186129, US: 2006/0091143, US: 2005/026353 1, US: 2005/0103795), but not all.

2.2 The Invention The proposed invention is constructed from two elements a synthetic or paper label, (LABEL) and a thin insulator material, (INSULATOR).

The two elements may be laminated together from a web in a high volume reel to reel manufacturing process or sheet manufacturing process to create the invention.

2.2.1 LABEL The LABEL is a made from commonly available POLYMER OR PAPER BASED, ADHESIVE BACKED STOCK (also termed self-adhesive). The use of commonly available adhesive-backed printing stock has many advantages including: Confidential Information. )arrenTillctt February 01 2007 1. It facilitates both the adhesion of the LABEL to the INSULATOR and O provides a means of securing the invention in a cylindrical shape by adhesion when required. This eliminates the requirement for a 70 secondary process, such as the application of an adhesive strip, magnet or Velcro®, to secure the invention in a cylindrical shape by adhesion when required.

0"2. A commonly available industrial process during printing; kiss-cutting, 00 may be employed in order to simultaneously manufacture the invention whilst it is being printed which reduces manufacturing costs.

C 3. By using a synthetic or paper printing stock for the LABEL the proposed invention is able to take advantage of the many benefits of offset printing without modifications to existing printing equipment.

The raw form of the LABEL may be supplied in sheet or reel formats.

4. Thermoplastic polymers of the same or similar type as proposed for the INSULATOR are readily available as adhesive-backed printing stocks.

This facilitates the recycling of the invention as a whole without the need for secondary processes.

Example suitable adhesive-backed printing stocks include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene polyesters PET), paper and silvered paper. The LABEL may be opaque, transparent or translucent, or metallic in appearance and in the preferred embodiment be designed such that the thermal performance of the product when exposed to sources of radiant heat is improved: it is common knowledge that highly reflective surfaces do not absorb radiant heat as quickly as those that are black or dark in colour.

2.2.2 INSULATOR The insulator is designed to be constructed from a CLOSED-CELL, NON- ABSORBENT polymer foam. Several thermoplastic, blown polymer foams are available for inclusion in the manufacturing process. Examples of suitable foams Confidential Information. )Darren Tillett February 01 2007 include (for example, but not limited to) polyethylene polypropylene (PP) and O ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).

SThe INSULATOR will be typically around 3mm to 4mm in thickness and have a density of approximately 30kg/m 3 although the method of its manufacture allows for a 100 wide choice of INSULATOR thickness and density.

Water resistant properties of the foam are desirable to limit the absorption of water 00 0condensation on an adjacent cold surface. This would be anticipated to alter the mechanical and physical properties of the INSULATOR adversely (for instance, it is Scommon knowledge that water is a better conductor of heat than air), possibly reduce r, user comfort by becoming saturated and then dripping and avoid the necessity to dry out the INSULATOR prior to storage. In addition, it might be argued that open-celled type foams may well exacerbate condensation on the cold surfaces of the beverage by allowing increased air circulation and retaining moisture.

An advantage of using PE, PP and EVA foams is that they are commonly available in 110 a variety of colours. Typical colours for the INSULATOR will be (for example, but not limited to) white, blue, yellow, red, orange, black, white and green.

An advantage of PE, PP and EVA foams is that being thermoplastic polymers, they are able to be recycled by existing industrial processes. Therefore their employment with a LABEL of similar composition permits the invention to be recycled after it is deemed to be no longer required.

2.2.3 Manufacturing Process Fig 1.1 The LABEL is supplied as a self-adhesive printing stock and in the raw form comes supplied with a release backing attached. The method of manufacture will be implemented in such a way that this adhesive release backing is made removable 120 in two parts by means of kiss-cutting (sometimes termed back-slitting) the LABEL during the printing process.

Fig 1.2 Diagram showing the method of removal for the adhesive release backing A exposing adhesive below This area of adhesive facilitates the adhesion of the LABEL to the INSULATOR. Note that a portion of the adhesive release backing remains in place Confidential Information. [)arrcn Tillett February 01 2007 rFig 1.3 Diagram showing the method of removal for the adhesive release backing B exposing adhesive below This area of adhesive provides a means of adhesion Sbetween the opposing ends of the LABEL when it is required.

Fig 2.1 The invention is made in a way such that the LABEL is always slightly 130 larger than the INSULATOR thus creating a LABEL overhang (I This LABEL overhang is usually to be covered with the adhesive release backing B (12.) 0until such time that it is required to be removed.

00 Fig 2.2 The adhesive release layer B is removed prior to use of the invention whereupon the adhesive on the reverse of the LABEL overhang is exposed N, allowing for the potential adhesion of the reverse of the LABEL overhang to the front surface of the opposing end of the LABEL Fig 2.3 The invention is designed so that once the adhesive release backing has been removed from the LABEL overhang the flat form of the invention can be wrapped around upon itself to formt an open-ended cylinder Whereupon the now 140 exposed adhesive surface can facilitate the adhesion of the LABEL overhang to the opposing front surface of the LABEL (21 The resultant shape is designed in such a way as that the INSULA'I'OR now is only present on the inside perimeter of the formed shape. The strength of the adhesive bond is controlled by the composition of the adhesive. The bond can be either designed to be permanent or resealable in this manner.

2.2.4 Usage Fig 3.1 The novel construction and employed manufacturing process for the invention enables the cost effective production of a wide variety of designs with little tooling effort and cost. These include the ability to cut out rebates in the LABEL 150 and INSULATOR simultaneously Fig 3.2 The novel construction and employed manufacturing process for the invention enables the cost effective production of a wide variety of designs with little tooling effort and cost. These include the ability to cut out shapes or holes in the LABEL and INSULATOR simultaneously.

Confidential Inlformation. Darrcn Tillett February 01 2007 Fig 3.3 The manufacturing process also allows for the use of kiss-cutting to create Sremovable portions of the LABEL so that they might removed and become useable as 'stickers' It is also envisaged that the LABEL might also be cdesigned to be removed in whole for employment as an adhesive 'sticker' or label.

Fig 4 The invention will be used to insulate many types of beverage container: 160 including, but not limited to, cans, bottles, cartons and cups. Some of these will 0 require alternative designs for the shape and size of the LABEL and INSULATOR Figure 4 shows just one of the potential alternative shapes made commercially feasible by the invention's manufacturing process a truncated cone 2.2.5 Advantages of the invention 1. T'he invention combines two components in a simple process to create a product with a distinct and attractive function. The self-adhesive LABEL facilitates both the adhesion of the LABEL to the INSULATOR and through the design of the invention and its manufacture, also provides a means of 170 adhesion for the opposing ends of the invention so that the invention may form a cylinder whereupon it may be used as an enclosing sleeve that will reduce heat transfer from the external environment to a beverage container, for example, but not limited to, cans, bottles, beakers and cups.

2. The invention is designed to employ a closed cell thermoplastic polymer foam as an INSULATOR which offers a number of benefits: They are water resistant and do not absorb condensation They can recycled through current recycling channels 180 They are commonly available in several colours with little or no cost impact 3. The invention proposes to employ a LABEL type and grade which is currently known to the offset printing industry. This offers a number of benefits: High resolution images and text are possible Confidential Information. )arren Tillett February 01 2007 High volumes and rapid production times are possible 0 The stocks are typically made from thermoplastic polymers and o, therefore are intended to be recyclable in the same industrial process as the insulator 190 The offset printing technique permits the use of automated kiss-cutting which reduces the manufacturing cost df the device.

00 4. The production process of the proposed invention is designed so that Sautomated machinery may be employed in the inventions manufacture which will reduce production costs and reduce production times.

The production process for the invention is very flexible and allows for the creation of a wide variety of shapes of the invehtion, holes in the invention, rebates in the invention, embossing of the LABEL and foil-blocking of the LABEL with little increase to no increase in production costs.

Confidential Information. Darren Tillcit February 0I 2007

Claims (2)

1. 2. A drinks vessel insulator made from two components: a water resistant, thermoplastic foam INSULATOR and a pre-printed, self-adhesive polymer or paper LABEL, that is turned from its flat manufactured form into its intended form for use by means of adhering the reverse, adhesive-backed, side of a overhang or tab on the LABEL, which is created by a manufacturing process during the printing of the LABEL, onto the front, non-adhesive, printed surface of the opposite end of the label thus creating an open-ended cylindrical sleeve or wrap where the non-adhesive, printed side of the LABEL faces outwards in its preferred embodiment.
2. 3. A drinks vessel insulator made from two components: a water resistant, thermoplastic foam INSULATOR and a pre-printed, self-adhesive metallised polymer or paper LABEL, that is turned from its flat manufactured form into its intended form for use by means of adhering the reverse, adhesive-backed, side of a overhang or tab on the LABEL, and which is created by a manufacturing process during the printing of the LABEL, onto the front, non-adhesive, printed surface of the opposite end of the label thus creating an open-ended cylindrical sleeve or wrap where the non-adhesive, printed side of the LABEL faces outwards in its preferred embodiment. 220 Confidential Information. Darren Tillcu February 0l 2007