GB2567532A

GB2567532A - Cup and method

Info

Publication number: GB2567532A
Application number: GB1813113.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Zhao Xiaobin; Roberts Gareth; Roberts Elizabeth
Original assignee: Cambond Ltd
Current assignee: Cambond Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-11
Filing date: 2018-08-10
Publication date: 2019-04-17
Also published as: GB201813113D0; GB201712921D0

Abstract

A cup is formed from a bioplastic material that comprises used coffee grounds. The bioplastic material may be a thermosetting or a thermoplastic polymer material, and preferably contains between 10% and 60% used coffee grounds by weight. The bioplastic material may contain between 10% and 60% bioadhesive by weight. The cup may be formed from a thermoplastic bioplastic material by injection or blow moulding or thecup may be formed from a thermosetting bioplastic material by hot-press moulding or vacuum pressing. Also described is an information delivery system for a consumer product, such as the bioplastic coffee cup. The system comprises machine readable indicia on an outer surface of the product that causes an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned by the electronic device. The function being display of information related to the owner of the product derived from a website linked to or on the electronic device.

Description

The present invention relates to a cup formed from bioplastic, and a method of manufacturing cups from bioplastic. The present invention may further relate to linking consumer products such as coffee cups with personal information relating to a user or owner, in particular information linking consumer products to the environmental and personal information of their owners.

BACKGROUND

Single-use cups, particularly single-use coffee cups, are relatively environmentally unfriendly. Millions of such cups are sold as “disposable” products by coffee shops around the world each day, but these cups are rarely recycled as a result of the polyethyleneinfused material from which coffee cups are conventionally made. Furthermore, coffee cups are almost always made from virgin paper pulp, to prevent leakage from the seam of card that comes into contact with the liquid contents of the cup.

It would be desirable to provide a more environmentally-friendly coffee cup, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of these everyday products.

Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental damage and the carbon costs resulting from the manufacture and use of consumer products. There is an increasing need and desire to improve the environmental qualities of consumer products and to inform product users of the environmental and carbon costs and consequences of product use.

The variety in size and shape of consumer products makes the provision of environmentally linked information a problem. At present there is no system to link the use of a consumer product to the product owner’s environmental and personal goals. By linking the owner’s use of a product to specific environmental information an individual can be empowered to alter their behavior and use of products to optimise their environmental choices and achieve their environmental goals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a coffee cup, a method of manufacturing a coffee cup, an information delivery system for a consumer product, and a method for delivering information associated with a product, as defined in the appended independent claims to which reference should now be made. Preferred or advantageous features of the invention are set out in dependent subclaims.

A first aspect of the present invention may thus provide a cup formed from a bioplastic material, in which the bioplastic material comprises used coffee grounds.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cup may be a coffee cup.

Preferably the coffee cup may consist entirely of bioplastic.

The term “used coffee grounds” refers to ground coffee beans once they have been used to make coffee. Thus used coffee grounds may alternatively be termed “recycled coffee grounds” or “waste coffee grounds”.

Many millions of tons of coffee grounds are used to make coffee worldwide each day, creating huge amounts of waste material which typically ends up in landfill. The present invention may advantageously reduce this waste by providing a second use for otherwise worthless used coffee grounds once they have fulfilled their primary purpose by being used to make coffee. The present invention may advantageously reduce the quantity of virgin (non-recycled) materials, whether plastics and/or paper pulp, used in cup manufacture, by replacing virgin material with used coffee grounds.

The cup is preferably biodegradable, compostable, and/or recyclable.

The cup may be any shape suitable for containing liquids. For example, the cup may be handle-less, or may comprise a handle. Preferably the cup may be a cylindrical or frustoconical cup with no handle.

The cup is preferably able to withstand high temperatures without deforming, so that it is suitable for containing hot liquids such as coffee.

The bioplastic material may advantageously have a low thermal conductivity, so that hot contents of the cup stay warm, and the cup is not too hot to the touch when it contains hot liquids. This may advantageously make the cup suitable for use as a coffee cup.

The bioplastic material may be a thermosetting bioplastic material. In this case, once the bioplastic material has been formed into a cup, it does not soften when heated, and it is not capable of being reshaped. Such a material may advantageously be suitable for containing hot liquids.

Alternatively the bioplastic material may be a thermoplastic bioplastic material. In this case the cup may soften when subjected to elevated temperatures. Preferably the cup may withstand temperatures of at least 100 C, or at least 120 C, or at least 150 C without deforming. Even a thermoplastic bioplastic cup may therefore be suitable for containing hot liquids, so that it is suitable for use as a coffee cup.

Preferably the bioplastic material comprises between 10% and 60% used coffee grounds by weight. The bioplastic material may comprise between 10% and 50%, or between 20% and 40% used coffee grounds by weight.

The bioplastic may comprise a bioadhesive material. Preferably the bioadhesive is manufactured using Distiller’s Grain (DG), Distiller’s Dry Grain and Solubles (DDGS), Algae or other biomass which contains cellulose, protein and lipid as raw materials. Using a bioadhesive may further reduce the carbon footprint ofthe bioplastic material, and the cup itself, compared to synthetic plastics or other adhesives.

Preferably the bioplastic material may comprise between 10% and 60%, or between 10% and 50%, or between 10% and 40% bioadhesive by weight.

Manufacturing cups from bioplastic may make such cups significantly more environmentally friendly than cups formed from 100% virgin plastic or the like, and helps individual consumers achieve their environmental goals and aims.

In a preferred embodiment, the cup may comprise one or more machine-readable indicia printed or embossed on an outer surface ofthe cup. The machine-readable indicia may be usable as part of an information delivery system, as described further below.

A second aspect of the invention may advantageously provide a method of forming a cup from a thermoplastic bioplastic material comprising the steps of injection moulding or blow moulding a thermoplastic bioplastic material to form a cup.

The method may comprise the additional first step of manufacturing a thermoplastic bioplastic material by: mixing thermoplastic polymer, bioadhesive, and used coffee grounds, to form a mixture; and extruding the mixture to form bioplastic pellets suitable for injection moulding or blow moulding.

The thermoplastic polymer may be virgin thermoplastic polymer.

The blend may be pelletised using conventional twin-screw extrusion equipment to obtain the bioplastic pellets. The bioplastic pellets may also contain other polymer process additives such as pigments, anti-UV oxidants, lubricants, and tougheners if it is required.

Preferably the mixture comprises: 30% to 60% thermoplastic polymer by weight; 10% to 60% bioadhesive by weight; and 10% to 60% used coffee grounds by weight. In total, the components of the mixture must add up to 100% by weight.

A third aspect of the invention, may advantageously provide a method of forming a cup from a thermosetting bioplastic material comprising the steps of: hot-press moulding or vacuum pressing a thermosetting bioplastic material to form a cup.

The method may comprise the additional first step of manufacturing a thermosetting bioplastic material by: mixing thermosetting pre-polymer, bioadhesive, and used coffee grounds, to form a mixture.

The mixture may be extruded into pellets suitable for hot press-moulding or vacuum pressing.

Preferably the mixture comprises:

10% to 60% bioadhesive by weight;

10% to 60% used coffee grounds by weight; and in which the balance consists of thermosetting pre-polymer.

The thermosetting pre-polymers used in the process may include formaldehyde base resin such as urea-formaldehyde resin, phenol-formaldehyde resin, melamine ureaformaldehyde resin, melamine resin, and non-formaldehyde based resin such as MDI and any other currently used non-formaldehyde wood adhesives.

A fourth aspect of the invention may advantageously provide an information delivery system comprising: one or more machine readable indicia printed or embossed or moulded or otherwise coupled to an outer surface of the product; wherein the machine readable indicia is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned by the electronic device, the function being display of information related to the owner of the product derived from a website linked to or on the electronic device.

The information delivery system may advantageously allow linking of the personal information of an individual to the products they own, so that they can optimise their environmental behavior and profile.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the consumer product is a cup formed from bioplastic material comprising used coffee grounds, as described in relation to the first aspect of the invention, above. Thus the invention may provide an information delivery system for consumer products, the system comprising: one or more machine readable indicia printed or otherwise coupled to an outer surface of a cup formed from bioplastic material comprising used coffee grounds.

An exemplary information delivery system may comprise one or more machine readable indicia printed or otherwise coupled to an outer surface of the product, or the embedding of a smart label into the product which can communicate wirelessly with an electronic device.

A fifth aspect of the invention may advantageously provide a method for delivering information associated with a product, the method comprising: printing or otherwise coupling at least one machine readable indicia to an outer surface of the product wherein the machine readable indicia is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned by the electronic device, the function being display of information related to the owner of the product derived from a website on the electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present application is directed to enabling the personal information of a consumer to be linked to a consumer product. In particular the interests and goals of an individual in relation to their actions and behaviours in minimizing environmental damage or their production of carbon as a way of achieving environmental goals or to comply with other desired behaviours and aims.

An exemplary information delivery system may comprise one or more machine readable indicia printed or otherwise coupled to an outer surface of the product. The readable indicia or machine communicating smart label can be attached to flat or curved surfaces or embedded within the consumer product. The indicia or smart label can be attached in any way (i.e. glued, embossed, moulded, embedded) which does not impede their ability to be machine readable or communicate with other machine or electronic devices.

Attachment of readable indicia or smart labels is commonly to the bottom or reverse face of a consumer product but these orientations presented by way of example and are not intended to be limiting in any way. There are a variety of methods and techniques for attaching labels by gluing, moulding, embossing and embedding as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art. By altering the method of attachment one skilled in the art can provide for a consumer product which has a permanent or a temporary label.

The machine readable indicia or other indicia may be printed directly onto the outer surface of the product via inkjet, laser, or any other printing method. The machine readable indicia, or other indicia may first be placed on a sticker with an adhesive backing, and then applied to the outer surface of the product. Material used to print the machine readable indicia, or other indicia may comprise thermochromatic or color changing inks, or temperature indicating inks. The thermochromatic or color changing inks may be used to hide a message or other indicia which may become visible when the temperature of ink changes, such as when a hot or cold substance is placed into the product.

One skilled in the art will readily recognize that labels may be applied to containers using a variety of methods and that there may be a variety of single-label and multi-label systems other than those described above. Any such application methods or label systems may be used with the present disclosure. The above descriptions are exemplary and not to be construed as limiting in any way.

In various embodiments, the machine readable indicia may comprise any linear, 2dimensional, or 3-dimensional indicia or code or an RFID or EAS (smart label) device as known in the art that may be machine readable or communicate with an electronic device to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned by or communicates with the electronic device. For example, the machine readable indicia may comprise a High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB) comprising a plurality of barcode shapes in combination with a plurality of colors per symbol.

In addition to the machine readable indicia noted below, other indicia, codes, or symbols, whether linear, 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, wireless, color, or monochrome, as are known in the art may also be used in various embodiments. A list of examples of suitable indicia is given below, this list is exemplary and not to be construed as limiting in any way.

o 3-DI, a 2-dimensional matrix of circular symbols;

o ArrayTag, a 2-dimensional matrix of groups of hexagonal symbols;

o Aztec Code, a 2-dimensional square matrix of square symbols;

o Codablock, a 2-dimensional array of stacked linear codes;

o Code 1, a 2-dimensional matrix of horizontal and vertical bars;

o Code 16K, a 2-dimensional array of stacked linear codes;

o Code 49, a 2-dimensional array of stacked linear codes;

o ColorCode, a 2-dimensional color matrix of square symbols;

o CP Code, a 2-dimensional square matrix of square symbols;

o DataGlyphs, a 2-dimensional matrix of 7” and “\” marks;

o Data Matrix, a 2-dimensional square matrix of square symbols;

o Datastrip Code, a 2-dimensional matrix of square symbols;

o Dot Code A, a 2-dimensional square matrix of dots;

o hueCode, a 2-dimensional matrix of blocks of cells in varying shades of gray;

o MaxiCode, a 2-dimensional square matrix of interlocking hexagonal symbols;

o MiniCode, a 2-dimensional square matrix of square symbols;

o PDF 417, a 2-dimensional matrix of a combination of linear barcodes and square symbols;

o Snowflake Code, a 2-dimensional square matrix of dots;

o SuperCode, a 2-dimensional matrix of a combination of linear barcodes and square symbols;

o Ultracode, a color or monochrome 2-dimensional array matrix of variable length strips of pixel columns; and o 3D Barcode, an embossed linear barcode of lines of varying height.

o Electronic Article Surveillance devices for wireless communication.

o Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags

The base label indicia described above represent a sampling of exemplary machine readable indicia currently available and are not to be construed as limiting in any manner. Other linear, 2-dimensional, and 3-dimensional codes, currently known or developed in the future, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

As described previously, the indicia attached to the consumer products may comprise codes or symbols that are machine readable. According to various embodiments the consumer may use any electronic device, such as a smartphone, to read or scan the indicia. The smartphone may comprise an application that enables a reading or scanning function on the smartphone. Once the smartphone (or other electronic device such as a tablet computer or scanner coupled to a computer) reads or scans the indicia, the indicia may be configured to cause the smartphone or other device to execute a function. In one embodiment, the function executed by the smartphone may be to open a web browser program and direct the browser to a pre-designated website.

In this example, the indicia comprises a QR code and additional information concerning how the product has been used and the environmental impact of this and how this relates the environmental goals or aims of the consumer. Thus, in this embodiment the consumer has scanned the QR code has caused a machine reader to link to a curated database containing information on the use history of the product and calculations as to its environmental impact (e.g. in the case of a re-useable coffee cup - energy savings by avoiding use of disposable cups, waste prevention, carbon savings and how these relate to the personal environmental aims of the consumer).

According to various embodiments consumer products may have a plurality of individual machine readable indicia which might be related to discrete aspects of the personal information relating to the owner of the consumer product. By selecting discrete indicia the owner of the product might carry out specific actions to activate or access different domains of their data or applications to manipulate their data or use their data to interact with a third party. In this way a product owner could access their own history of the product use and carry out actions to determine the environmental impact of the product use, calculate their product carbon footprint, energy savings over the product lifetime or how many ties the product had been used.

As readily recognized by one skilled in the art, the function executed by the smartphone or other electronic device may be any function capable of being executed on an electronic computing device. For example, the function may be to display the number of times a product has been used and its carbon saving, or enable recording of progress towards some set target or reward point set by the consumer or a third party

A general flow chart of various embodiments of the process of linking the owner of a consumer product with information on how the product has been used. At least one machine readable or communicable indicia may be attached to an outer surface of the product. In various embodiments, the machine readable or communicable indicia may be imprinted, embossed, molded or embedded directly on or in the outer surface of the product. The imprinting or embossing may be carried out using any printing or image transfer method known in the art. In various embodiments, the printing or image transfer method may be an offset process in which an image is transferred from a plate to an intermediate carrier, then to the outer surface of the product. The offset process may also involve lithographic techniques. Other printing or image transfer methods may comprise, for example, flexography, pad printing, relief printing, rotogravure, screen printing, and electrophotography. According to various embodiments, the machine readable or communicable indicia may be digitally printed on the outer surface of the product using, for example, inkjet printing or laser printing. Chemical printing technologies, such as blueprint or diazo print may also be used in various embodiments. Smart labels (EAS, RFID) can be incorporated into the material used in the manufacturing process in multiple ways according to those skilled in the arts.

A wide range of computer, artificial intelligence and machine learning systems may be used to implement embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein. The computing systems may include one or more processors and memory arranged in a variety of configurations know to those skilled in the art. These systems would also include cloud based systems and other computing, memory and access technologies as they become available in the future. The machine readable and communicable indicia act to link an individual consumer product to memory stores, instructions and data which enable a processor to cause the computer system to control the operation and execution of the systems and instructions in the systems described herein to provide the functionality of certain embodiments. Main memory may include a number of memories including a main random access memory (RAM) for storage of instructions and data during program execution and a read only memory (ROM) in which fixed instructions are stored. Main memory may store executable code when in operation. The system further may include a mass storage device, portable storage medium drive(s), output devices, user input devices, a graphics display, and peripheral devices. The components may be connected via a single bus. Alternatively, the components may be connected via multiple buses. The components may be connected through one or more data transport means. Processor unit and main memory may be connected via a local microprocessor bus, and the mass storage device, peripheral device(s), portable storage device, and display system may be connected via one or more input/output (I/O) buses. Mass storage device, which may be implemented with a magnetic disk drive or an optical disk drive, may be a non-volatile storage device for storing data and instructions for use by the processor unit. Mass storage device may store the system software for implementing various embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods for purposes of loading that software into the main memory. Portable storage devices may operate in conjunction with a portable non-volatile storage medium, such as a floppy disk, compact disk or Digital video disc, to input and output data and code to and from the computing system. The system software for implementing various embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein may be stored on such a portable medium and input to the computing system via the portable storage device. Input devices may provide a portion of a user interface. Input devices may include an alpha-numeric keypad, such as a keyboard, for inputting alpha-numeric and other information, or a pointing device, such as a mouse, a trackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys. In general, the term input device is intended to include all possible types of devices and ways to input information into the computing system. Additionally, the system may include output devices. Suitable output devices include speakers, printers, network interfaces, and monitors. Display system may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other suitable display device. Display system may receive textual and graphical information, and processes the information for output to the display device. In general, use of the term output device is intended to include all possible types of devices and ways to output information from the computing system to the user or to another machine or computing system. Peripherals may include any type of computer support device to add additional functionality to the computing system. Peripheral device(s) may include a modem or a router or other type of component to provide an interface to a communication network. The communication network may comprise many interconnected computing systems and communication links. The communication links may be wireline links, optical links, wireless links, or any other mechanisms for communication of information. The components contained in the computing system may be those typically found in computing systems that may be suitable for use with embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein and are intended to represent a broad category of such computing components that are well known in the art. Thus, the computing system may be a personal computer, hand held computing device, tablets, telephone, mobile computing device, workstation, server, minicomputer, mainframe computer, or any other computing device. The computer may also include different bus configurations, networked platforms, multi-processor platforms, etc. Various operating systems may be used including Unix, Linux, Windows, Macintosh OS, Palm OS, and other suitable operating systems. Due to the ever changing nature of computers and networks, the description of the computing system is intended only as a specific example for purposes of describing embodiments.

Many other configurations of the computing system are possible having more or less components.

Currently only a small segment of the plastics industry uses bio-based plastics. The reasons for this are simple. Bio-based polymers usually more expensive to produce than all oil based alternatives. Also, many bio-based plastics on the market do not offer a large enough functional improvement to justify a premium price. Therefore, there has been considerable interest in the development and use of more environmentally friendly alternatives to oil based plastics and this has prompted exploration of the use of wood or plant based fibres as additives to plastics and polymers as a way of reducing oil use and the environmental damage done. These plant fibre-reinforced polymers have found use in a number of industrial sectors to replace part of the plastics.

Biodegradability, compostability and recyclability of bio-based plastics may offer a significant added value in terms of sustainability. However, associated performance and costs still hinder the full marketability and competitiveness of biodegradable, compostable or recyclable bio-based plastics compared with their fossil-based counterparts. Therefore, there is a specific challenge to develop biodegradable, compostable or recyclable biobased polymers that can compete with fossil-based counterparts in terms of price, performance and environmental sustainability on a cradle-to-cradle basis.

We (Patent Applications CN103725253B, WO2015104565A2) have described previously that use of a bioadhesive that is reinforced fibrous biomass containing protein and lipid has been used in addition to plant fibres to make bio-based plastic in which the biomass content can be incorporated into standard plastic materials at high level to cost and performance challenges associated with bio-based polymers.

The bioadhesive is manufactured using Distiller’s Grain (DG), Distiller’s Dry Grain and Solubles (DDGS), Algae and other biomass which contains cellulose, protein and lipid as raw materials. It has been processed with other additives into fine dry powder form (mesh size 40-400 mesh size, Cambond bio-resin, CN103725253B, WO2015104565A2). The bioadhesive is used to mix with virgin plastics in addition to other natural plant fibres to make bioplastic compound pellets. Other plastic process additives can be added to improve the appearance, process flow-ability, anti-thermal and light degradation properties of the material facilitating its performance during the process and daily use.

The Cambond bioadhesive is based on Distiller’s Grain (DG), Distiller’s Dry Grain and Solubles (DDGS) which containing protein levels up to 35% and lipid up to 10%. The additional plant fibres includes, but not limited to, used coffee bean grounds soya bean fibres after the soya bean is processed into beverage or oil, sugar beets residues after sugar has been extracted and other by products of food processing and other plant fibres.

The virgin plastics used to make the bioplastics are any thermoplastics including polypropylene, polyethylene (low density and high density), polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and thermo-plastic polyurethane, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and fully biodegradable polymers such as PLA, PGA or their copolymer, or any other biodegradable polymers such as Polyhydroxy(butyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co- terephthalate) (PBAT), polyhydroxy(butyrate-covalerate)/poly(butylene succinate), (PHBV/PBS) blend and PBAT/PHBV blend, which is suitable for injection, extrusion blowing and compress moulding.

Other classes of polymer can include any thermo-setting polymers including phenolformaldehyde resin, urea-formaldehyde resin, Melamine resin and any natural and synthetic rubber, which can be cured during process to form a moulded thermo-setting end product.

Re-cycled plastics can also be used to substitute in part or for the whole of the virgin plastics component.

Thus, the manufacturing of bioplastics consists the following steps:

For thermo-plastics based bioplastics:

Thus the process will have the following steps:

Mix thermoplastic virgin polymer 30-60%, 10-60% Cambond bio-resin and 10-60% plant fibres to make up to 100%. The blend is pelletised using a standard twin-screw extrusion equipment to obtain bioplastic pellets. The bioplastic pellets can also contain other polymer process additives such as pigments, anti-UV oxidants, lubricants, and tougheners if it is required.

For make bioplastic based products: Using above formulated compounding pellets with injection moulding and blowing moulding equipment, various products can be produced such as re-useable coffee cups to replace disposable paper cups, containers, coat hangers, plates for plantation, pots for gardening.

For thermo-setting based bioplastic:

Step 1: Mix Cambond Bio-resin, plant fibers and thermo-setting pre-polymers and filled into a hot press-moulding equipment or a vacuum press machine. As in step 1 the weight ratio of Cambond bio-resin is in the range of 10-60%, preferably in the range of 10-50%, and most preferably in the range of 20-40%. The plant fibres are in the range of 10-60%, preferably in the range of 10-50% and most preferably in the range of 10-30%. The rest part is the thermo-setting pre-polymer to make to 100%.

Step 2: The thermo-setting pre-polymers used in the process include formaldehyde base resin such as urea-formaldehyde resin, phenol-formaldehyde resin, melamine ureaformaldehyde resin, melamine resin, and non-formaldehyde based resin such as MDI and any other currently used non-formaldehyde wood adhesives.

For the thermosetting bioplastic, the level ofthe formaldehyde based resin and melamine resin applied in the process is in the range of 2-40% based on dry weight of total biomass fibres, preferably in the range of 4-30% and most preferably in the range of 10-30%.

The level of the non-formaldehyde based resin such as MDI resin applied in the process is in the range of 0.5-6% based on the dry weight of fibre, preferably in the range of 1-5%, most preferably in the range of 2-3%.

In this invention, the protein level in the Cambond bio-resin is in the range of 6-40%, preferably in the range of 6-30%, most preferably in the range of 8-20%. This can be achieved by select one of more of biomass to get optimised protein level for this invention.

In this invention, the lipid level in the Cambond bio-resin is in the range of 2-15%, preferably in the range of 2-10%, most preferably in the range of 2-8%. This can be achieved by select one of more of biomass to get optimised lipid level for this invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments, various applications of the described modes of carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be covered by the present invention.

The present invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Preferred Aspects

Preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the following numbered clauses.

1. A cup formed from a bioplastic material, in which the bioplastic material comprises used coffee grounds.

2. A cup according to clause 1, in which the bioplastic material is a thermosetting bioplastic material.

3. A cup according to clause 1, in which the bioplastic material is a thermoplastic bioplastic material.

4. A cup according to any preceding clause, in which the bioplastic material comprises between 10% and 60% used coffee grounds by weight.

5. A cup according to any preceding clause, in which the bioplastic material comprises between 10% and 60%, or between 10% and 50%, or between 10% and 40% bioadhesive by weight.

6. A cup according to any preceding clause, comprising one or more machine readable indicia printed or embossed on an outer surface of the cup.

7. A method of forming a cup from a thermoplastic bioplastic material comprising the steps of:

injection moulding or blow moulding a thermoplastic bioplastic material to form a cup.

8. A method according to clause 7, comprising the additional first step of manufacturing a thermoplastic bioplastic material by: mixing thermoplastic polymer, bioadhesive, and used coffee grounds, to form a mixture; and extruding the mixture to form bioplastic pellets suitable for injection moulding or blow moulding.

9. A method according to clause 8, in which the mixture comprises:

30% to 60% thermoplastic polymer by weight;

10% to 60% bioadhesive by weight; and

10% to 60% used coffee grounds by weight.

10. A method of forming a cup from a thermosetting bioplastic material comprising the steps of:

hot-press moulding or vacuum pressing a thermosetting bioplastic material to form a cup.

11. A method according to clause 10, comprising the additional first step of manufacturing a thermosetting bioplastic material by: mixing thermosetting prepolymer, bioadhesive, and used coffee grounds, to form a mixture.

12. A method according to clause 11, in which the mixture comprises:

10% to 60% bioadhesive by weight;

13. An information delivery system for a consumer product, the system comprising: one or more machine readable indicia printed or otherwise coupled to an outer surface of the product; wherein the machine readable indicia is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned by the electronic device, the function being display of information related to the owner of the product derived from a website linked to or on the electronic device.

14. An information delivery system according to clause 13, in which the consumer product is a cup formed from bioplastic material comprising used coffee grounds.

15. The system of clause 13, wherein at least one ofthe indicia is a bar code.

16. The system of clause 13, wherein at least one of the indicia is a quick response code.

17. The system of clause 13 wherein at least one of the indicia is a smart label capable of wireless connectivity such as an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tags or a specially configured radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

18. The system of clause 13, wherein the function is the display of a loyalty system or coupon on the electronic device.

19. The system of clause 13, wherein the function is downloading of product owner related applications onto the electronic device.

20. The system of clause 13, wherein the function is automatic registration of the product owner in a contest.

21. The system of clause 13, wherein the function is a sharing of product owner information with other systems.

22. The system of clause 15, wherein the bar code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the bar code is photographed by the electronic device.

23. The system of clause 16, wherein the quick response code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the quick response code is photographed by the electronic device.

24. The system of clause 17, wherein the smart label code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the quick response code is photographed by the electronic device.

25. The system of clause 13, wherein the function is the display of environmental or personal indices related to use of the product.

26. The system of clause 25, wherein the information includes information relating to the product owner’s environmental or personal goals or targets.

27. The system of clause 25, wherein the information includes information relating to the environmental or personal indices of the presented product with those of other products used by the consumer.

28. A method for delivering information associated with a product, the method comprising: printing or otherwise coupling at least one machine readable indicia to an outer surface of the product wherein the machine readable indicia is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned by the electronic device, the function being display of information related to the owner of the product derived from a website on the electronic device.

29. The method of clause 28, wherein at least one of the indicia is a bar code.

30. The method of clause 28, wherein at least one of the indicia is a quick response code.

31. The method of clause 28, wherein at least one of the indicia is a smart label.

The method of clause 28 wherein at least one of the function is the display of environmental or personal indices related to use of the product.

33. The method of clause 28, wherein the information includes information relating to the product owners environmental or personal goals or targets.

34. The method of clause 28, wherein the information includes information relating to the environmental or personal indices of the presented product with those of other products used by the consumer.

35. The method of clause 29 wherein the bar code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the bar code is photographed by the electronic device.

36. The method of clause 30 wherein the quick response code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the quick response code is photographed by the electronic device.

37. The method of clause 31 wherein the smart label is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the smart label is communicated to by the electronic device.

38. The method of clause 28, wherein the function is the display of relevant environmental information.

39. The method of clause 38, wherein the product information includes relevant personal information linked to goals and targets

40. The method of clause 38, wherein the product information includes relevant information about other products the product owner uses.

41. An information delivery system for consumer products, the system comprising:

one or more machine readable indicia printed or otherwise coupled to an outer surface of a cup formed from bioplastic material comprising used coffee grounds.

42. The system of clause 41, wherein at least one of the indicia and the text panel is imprinted on the outer surface of the product.

43. The system of clause 41, wherein at least one of the indicia is embossed on the outer surface of the product.

44. The system of clause 41, wherein at least one of the indicia is molded on the outer surface of the product.

45. The system of clause 41, wherein at least one of the indicia is a bar code.

46. The system of clause 41, wherein at least one of the indicia is a quick response code.

47. The system of clause 41 wherein at least one of the indicia is a smart label.

48. The system of clause 41, wherein the machine readable indicia is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the machine readable indicia is scanned or contacted by the electronic device.

49. The system of clause 13 when the consumer product is manufactured from a low carbon biocomposite.

50. The system of clause 13 when the consumer product is manufactured from a biocomposite containing used coffee grounds.

51. The system of clause 13 when the consumer product is manufactured from protein containing resin and biomass composite.

52. A system of clause 13 when the consumer product is manufactured from composites containing re-cycled materials.

Claims

2. A cup according to claim 1, in which the bioplastic material is a thermosetting bioplastic material.

3. A cup according to claim 1, in which the bioplastic material is a thermoplastic bioplastic material.

4. A cup according to any preceding claim, in which the bioplastic material comprises between 10% and 60% used coffee grounds by weight.

5. A cup according to any preceding claim, in which the bioplastic material comprises between 10% and 60%, or between 10% and 50%, or between 10% and 40% bioadhesive by weight.

6. A cup according to any preceding claim, comprising one or more machine readable indicia printed or embossed on an outer surface of the cup.

8. A method according to claim 7, comprising the additional first step of manufacturing a thermoplastic bioplastic material by: mixing thermoplastic polymer, bioadhesive, and used coffee grounds, to form a mixture; and extruding the mixture to form bioplastic pellets suitable for injection moulding or blow moulding.

9. A method according to claim 8, in which the mixture comprises:

30% to 60% thermoplastic polymer by weight;

10% to 60% bioadhesive by weight; and

10% to 60% used coffee grounds by weight.

11. A method according to claim 10, comprising the additional first step of manufacturing a thermosetting bioplastic material by: mixing thermosetting prepolymer, bioadhesive, and used coffee grounds, to form a mixture.

12. A method according to claim 11, in which the mixture comprises:

10% to 60% bioadhesive by weight;

14. An information delivery system according to claim 13, in which the consumer product is a cup formed from bioplastic material comprising used coffee grounds.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the indicia is a bar code.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the indicia is a quick response code.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the indicia is a smart label capable of wireless connectivity such as an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tags or a specially configured radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the function is the display of a loyalty system or coupon on the electronic device.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the function is downloading of product owner related applications onto the electronic device.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the function is automatic registration of the product owner in a contest.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the function is a sharing of product owner information with other systems.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the bar code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the bar code is photographed by the electronic device.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the quick response code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the quick response code is photographed by the electronic device.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the smart label code is configured to cause an electronic device to execute a function when the quick response code is photographed by the electronic device.

25. The system of claim 13, wherein the function is the display of environmental or personal indices related to use of the product.