GB2206275A

GB2206275A - A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat

Info

Publication number: GB2206275A
Application number: GB08715350A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Anthony Pearce
Original assignee: W R P O Ltd
Current assignee: W R P O Ltd
Priority date: 1987-06-30
Filing date: 1987-06-30
Publication date: 1989-01-05
Also published as: GB8715350D0

Abstract

A beer mat etc. (as above) has two layers at least one of which is made of liquid absorbent material such as paper or wood pulp board. The two layers form a base (10) and a readily removable layer (11) and they are stuck together round their peripheral edges. The edges 13, 14, 15 and 16 are easily removable by tearing them along score lines 17, 18, 19 and 20, so that the layer 11 may be peeled off, or simply removed from the base layer to reveal, for example, sets of numbers (21,22) which are covered by scratch-off material. The numbers may be coded so that if a certain selection of numbers is revealed, the user will be entitled to a free drink or any other promotional reward. <IMAGE>

Description

DRIPMAT OR COASTER This invention relates to a coaster or beer mat.

An object of the invention is to provide a coaster or beer mat which may have a secondary function in that it contains information which may be of a promotional character, for use in a marketing scheme, or may contain advertising or other matter, or may simply enable the user to take part in a game or competition.

In accordance with the present invention, in its broadest aspect, a coaster or beer mat comprises at least one base layer of a liquid absorbent material, and a second readily detachable layer of the same or different material which, when removed, reveals printed or other information.

The printed information may itself be concealed by a "scratch-off" layer of ink or other material e.g. Latex.

The detachable layer.may be joined to the base layer by adhesive and there may be a frame of perforations to enable the detachable layer to be easily detached.

Alternatively, both layers, joined together at their edges, may have a marginal frame of perforations so that the complete peripheral edge of both layers may be removed thus separating the remaining parts of the base layer and detachable layer.

The detachable layer may be in the form of a simple panel or it may be the whole of the layer, the principle being that it should be sufficiently large to enable concealed information to be revealed when it is removed.

The concealed information need not necessarily be printed on the base layer, it may be an insert in the form of an additional layer of paper or other material containing desired information.

In a preferred arrangement, the printed matter is printed on the base and is covered by scratch-off material, so that when the material is scratched-off the user is offered an instant reward, such as a free drink, snack/meal, or a contribution to either.

Alternatively the scratch-off device could be replaced by a "tick-box" version or indeed by any visual and/or verbal device which enables a user to obtain, or have the opportunity to obtain, a benefit of some kind.

The mat can be made of any absorbent material such as paper, wood pulp board etc. which may be used to act as a spillage barrier.

The shape of the mat may be chosen to suit the particular use. It may be square, circular, oblong or virtually any other shape and its size, of course will depend on whether it is to be used as a coaster or beer mat, or as a place mat.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a beer mat or coaster embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the beer mat or coaster as shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows the same mat with the peripheral edges removed and part of the secondary layer peeled back to reveal information printed on the base.

In Figures 1 and 2 is shown a mat which comprises two layers 10 and 11 at least one of which is made of liquid absorbent material such as paper or wood pulp board.

The two layers form a base and a readily removable layer and they are stuck together round their peripheral edges. The edges 13, 14, 15 and 16 are easily removable by tearing them along score lines 17, 18 19 and 20, so that the layer 11 may be peeled off, or simply removed from the base layer 10 to reveal, for example, sets of numbers which are covered by scratch-off material as shown in Figure 3 at 21 and 22.

The numbers may be coded so that if a certain selection of numbers is revealed, the user will be entitled to a free drink or any other promotional reward.

Although the mat is shown as a coaster or beer mat in the drawings it may be applied on a larger scale to a place mat, such as is used in restaur & s and public houses for placing plates of food on. If it is used as a place mat only a small part of the place mat may have the removable panel or upper layer.

The item is particularly useful in bars, clubs, pubs or restaurants, but may have many applications where it is desired to provide promotional material of an incentive nature, such as "give-away" or "game" type.

Claims

CLAIMS:-

1. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat comprising at least one base layer of a liquid absorbent material, and a second readily detachable layer of the same or different material which, when removed, reveals printed or other information.

2. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat according to claim 1 and in which the printed information is concealed by a "scratch-off" layer of ink or other material.

3. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat according to claim 2 and in which the other material is latex.

4. A coaster or beer mat or adrip mat or place mat according to any of claims 1 to 3 and in which the detachable layer is joined to the base layer by adhesive and there is a frame of perforations so arranged as to enable the detachable layer to be easily detached.

5. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat according to any of claims 1 to 3 and in which both layers are joined together at their edges, and have a marginal frame of perforations so that the complete peripheral edge of both layers may be removed thus separating the remaining parts of the base layer and detachable layer.

6. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat according to claim 1 in which the detachable layer is in the form of a panel sufficiently large to enable the printed or other information to be revealed when it is removed.

7. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat according to any preceding claim and in which the printed or other information is printed on the base layer, or isan insert in the form of an additional layer of paper or other material containing desired information.

8. A coaster or beer mat or drip mat or place mat according to claim 1 and in which the printed matter is printed on the base and is covered by scratch-off material, so that when the material is scratched-off the user is offered an instant reward.

9. A coaster or beer mat or a drip mat or place mat according to claim 8 in which the reward is a free drink, or a snack/meal, or a contribution to either.

10. A beer mat or coaster substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.