Container with a medal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9637271-B2
Application number	US-201313832605-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A container may include a wall and a medal retained to the wall by container material of integral one-piece construction with the wall and extending over at least a portion of the medal. The medal and one or more portions of the container adjacent the medal have a shared unique appearance. A package may include a flaccid loop coupled between a closure and a container to which the closure is coupled, and a medal coupled to the flaccid loop.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a container which includes the steps of:
forming a wall of a container to include a medal retainer; and
retaining a medal to the container by forming a portion of the medal retainer of the container wall over a corresponding portion of the medal,
wherein the step of forming the wall of the container includes forming a radially outwardly extending peg in the wall of the container, and the retaining step includes placing the medal over the peg and against the container wall and swaging the peg to form a head on the peg to trap the medal between the head and the container wall so that the medal is non-removably retained to the container.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of forming the wall of the container includes forming a depression in the wall of the container around the peg, and the retaining step includes placing the medal in the depression.

3. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the retaining step includes retaining the medal to a body wall of the container.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of forming the wall of the container includes sub-steps of forming a blank and then forming the container from the blank, and wherein the medal is insert molded to the blank during the blank forming step.

5. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of forming the wall of the container includes sub-steps of forming a blank and then forming the container from the blank, and wherein the medal is insert molded to the container during the container forming step.

6. A container produced by the method set forth in claim 1 .

7. A package including a closure coupled to the container set forth in claim 6 , and wherein the medal exhibits an initial state of a visual characteristic in an as-packaged state.

8. A package comprising:
a container including a wall having a medal retainer including a portion overlying a corresponding portion of a medal; and
a closure coupled to the container,
wherein the medal exhibits an initial state of a visual characteristic in an as-packaged state, and wherein, responsive to opening of the package, the medal exhibits another state of the visual characteristic different from and irreversible to the initial state of the visual characteristic.

9. A container composed of glass that includes a wall having a pocket, and a medal composed of metal and retained to the wall by container material of integral one-piece construction with the wall and extending over at least a portion of the medal, wherein the medial is retained by after-mold deformation of at least a portion of a periphery of the pocket over the medal so that the medal is non-removably retained to the container, wherein the medal has an aperture, and the wall includes a portion received through the aperture and extending over at least a portion of the medal to retain the medal on the wall so that the medal is non-removably retained to the container.

10. A package that includes
a container including a wall and a medal retained to the wall by container material of integral one-piece construction with the wall and extending over at least a portion of the medal, and
a closure coupled to a neck finish of the container, and wherein the medal is responsive to a change associated with the closure relative to the container.

11. The package set forth in claim 10 , wherein the closure sealingly covers at least the portion of the medal, which, upon contact with air, is adapted irreversibly to change a characteristic of the medal that is visible from outside of the container to indicate to a user that the package has been used.

12. The package set forth in claim 10 , that includes a sensor to detect removal of the closure from the container, and a power source coupled to the sensor and in electrical communication with the medal.

13. The package set forth in claim 10 , wherein the medal extends axially into the closure, and the closure includes a cutter that severs the medal upon removal of the closure.

14. The package set forth in claim 10 , wherein the closure includes a cam, and the medal extends axially to axially overlap the cam, wherein removal of the closure causes the cam to impose an increasing force on the medal and on the retainer to fracture the retainer and free the medal from the container.

15. The package set forth in claim 10 , wherein the medal extends axially and includes an axial end portion located between the closure and the container and covered by the closure, wherein removal of the closure renders accessible the axial end portion of the medal to facilitate removal thereof from the container.

16. The package set forth in claim 10 , wherein the medal is coupled to a rest of the package by a flaccid loop coupled to the medal and having a portion captured between the closure and the container, wherein removal of the closure renders accessible and removable the flaccid loop.

17. A package that includes
a container including a neck finish, a wall and a medal retained to the wall by container material of integral one-piece construction with the wall and extending over at least a portion of the medal,
a closure coupled to the neck finish of the container, and wherein the medal is responsive to a change associated with the closure relative to the container, wherein the closure sealingly covers at least a closure portion of the medal, which, upon contact with air, is adapted irreversibly to change a characteristic of the medal that is visible from outside of the container to indicate to a user that the package has been used,
a sensor to detect removal of the closure from the container, and
a power source coupled to the sensor and in electrical communication with the medal,
wherein the medal carries reaction products that ignite upon receiving electricity from the power source.

18. A package that includes
a container including a wall and a medal retained to the wall by container material of integral one-piece construction with the wall and extending over at least a portion of the medal,
a closure coupled to the neck finish of the container, and wherein the medal is responsive to a change associated with the closure relative to the container, wherein the closure sealingly covers at least a closure portion of the medal, which, upon contact with air, is adapted irreversibly to change a characteristic of the medal that is visible from outside of the container to indicate to a user that the package has been used,
a sensor to detect removal of the closure from the container, and
a power source coupled to the sensor and in electrical communication with the medal,
wherein the medal carries an electrochromic material that changes at least one of color or opacity upon receiving electricity from the power source.

19. A package that includes
a container including a wall and a medal retained to the wall by container material of integral one-piece construction with the wall and extending over at least a portion of the medal,
a closure coupled to the neck finish of the container, and wherein the medal is responsive to a change associated with the closure relative to the container, wherein the closure sealingly covers at least a closure portion of the medal, which, upon contact with air, is adapted irreversibly to change a characteristic of the medal that is visible from outside of the container to indicate to a user that the package has been used,
a sensor to detect removal of the closure from the container, and
a power source coupled to the sensor and in electrical

Assignees

• Owens Brockway Glass Container

Inventors

• Smith Roger P
• Bryant Jessica R
• Laib Douglas
• Smith Susan L

Classifications

• B65D2401/55

  based on a change or a contrast in colour · CPC title

• B65D2401/15

  Tearable part of the closure (B65D2401/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D2401/00

  Tamper-indicating means · CPC title

• B65D55/06

  Deformable or tearable wires, strings or strips (caps or cap-like closures with tear-strips B65D41/32); Use of seals · CPC title

• Y10T29/49876

  by snap fit · CPC title