GB2194767A - Labelling containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A disposal container 1 for a dilutable product, for example, a concentrated liquid fabric conditioner or drink, has affixed thereto a removable adhesive label 3 identifying the product. When the diluted product has been prepared in another, larger, container, the label is removed and has sufficient adhesive power to be affixed to the larger container. The container 1 may be of board impregnated and/or laminated with a water-repellent material, e.g. polyethylene, wax, metal foil. The removable label 3 may be adhered to a non-removable label on the container 1. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Container FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a disposable container for a concentrated product, that is to say, a product that requires dilution with water before use. The product may be liquid, pasty, gelatinous or solid. The container of the invention may, for example, be used for concentrated fabric conditioner in liquid form.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART Fabric conditioners for use in the rinse cycle of a washing machine, or after the hand wash, are currently sold both in concentrated form and at end-use concentration. Both types of conditioner are liquid, are generally similar in appearance and are packaged similarly in relatively large plastic bottles. While it is advantageous that large packs of concentrated product should be available to the consumer, so that less frequent purchases are necessary, it would also be convenient if the higher concentration of the product could be exploited in a different way, in the form of relatively small, lightweight, disposable packages. It is important, however, that concentrated fabric conditioner be diluted before it is allowed to come into contact with fabrics to be treated.Thus if the concentrated product is presented in a small lightweight disposable package the consumer must be instructed clearly to dilute it before use: no large bottle cap is available for this operation, so a larger container, for example, an empty bottle, must be supplied by the consumer, and there is a danger that if that bottle is unlabelled its contents could subsequently be misused by children.

In accordance with the invention, the likelihood of such misuse is reduced in a convenient manner by providing on the original disposable container a detachable label specially intended for affixation to the secondary container in which the diluted product is to be stored. Of course the invention is applicable also to concentrated products other than fabric conditioner.

DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION The present invention accordingly provides a disposable container having therein a product requiring dilution before use, the container having affixed thereto a removable adhesive label identifying the product and retaining sufficient adhesive power after removal from the container to enabie it to be affixed firmly to a second container for the diluted product.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The product contained in the container of the invention may be any consumer product that is presented in a form more concentrated than that in which it is to be used, but that may be stored in diluted form without deterioration. The product may be in any physical form provided that it is readily dilutable, for example, liquid, paste, gel, powder or granules. Conveniently it is in a readily pourable form so that dilution may be carried out simply by pouring into a larger container, f6r example, an empty bottle, and then adding a suitable quantity of water.Besides the concentrated fabric conditioner already mentioned, which will generally be in liquid form, products suitable for packaging in accordance with the invention include dishwashing liquids and other detergent products; disinfectants; photographic developers and fixers; and certain food products such as fruit juices and soft drinks: other examples will readily spring to the mind of the man skilled in the art.

The container may, if desired, be a relatively small glass or plastics bottle, but in a preferred embodiment of the invention it is a carton. A carton has the advantages that it is lightweight and readily disposable; A carton in accordance with the invention will generally be made principally of board treated, for example, by impregnation and/or lamination with a water-repellent material, for example, polyethylene or other plastics material, wax or metal foil, to render it impervious both to its contents and to atmospheric moisture and other external influences. The carton will generally be made up by folding a suitabiy shaped blank and assembling by means of a water and contents-resistant adhesive, or possibly by heat-sealing or ultrasonic welding.

According to an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer surface of the container, at least in the region where the removable label is affixed, has surface properties such that the label is easily peeled off with its adhesive film intact although the adhesive of the label is powerful enough to adhere firmly to any secondary container to which it is applied. Thus the outer surface of the container in this region preferably has properties akin to those of the release paper used for self-adhesive luggage labels, car stickers and similar items.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention which is a carton, suitable surface properties may be provided by ensuring that the carton has a smooth glossy finish. If the container is a bottle, a further, non-removable glossy label to which the removable label is in turn affixed may be necessary.

Preferably an end or corner of the label is free of adhesive to provide a pull tab for the consumer to grip when removing the label from the container.

Preferably the container has at least one planar surface to which the label is affixed. In the preferred carton embodiment, any of the usual shapes are suitable. For liquid concentrates such as fabric conditioners, any of the pack forms familiar from the packaging of milk and fruit juices may be chosen; for a product that must not be ingested, however, it is highly advantageous for the pack to have a form that is visually distinct from the known forms of packaging used for beverages. The bestknown disposable pack for milk and fruit juices at present is generally in the form of a prism with a square or rectangular base and cross-section, two pairs of parallel sides and a generally square or rectangular top complicated by a folded closure.

According to a highly preferred embodiment -of the invention, therefore, the container, for a non-ingestible product, is a carton generally in the form of a prism having a base and crosssection in the form of a polygon having five or more sides. Especially preferred is a prism of which the base is a hexagon: the pack then has six planar walls, and the generally hexagonal top includes a folded closure similar to those used in the square or rectangular-prismatic containers mentioned above. The hexagon need not be regular but preferably the pack has three pairs of substantially parallel sides: any one of these can easily accommodate a removable adhesive label in accordance with the invention. Such a pack has the major safety advantage that it will not readily be confused by the public with beverage packs.

Cartons of this construction, but not their use for non-indigestible liquids are disclosed in GB 2 088 338A (DRG).

The removable adhesive label carries, at the very least, an identification of the product.

Preferably it also bears instructions for the use of the diluted product, and may usefully include a caution against direct use of the undiluted product. Conveniently, the label may also contain the instruction to remove it and to affix it to a secondary container, but equally that particular instruction might be sited elsewhere on the container.

Advantageously the region of container wall exposed by the removal of the label carries an instruction to discard the container when empty.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are isometric views of a container in accordance with the invention having a removable adhesive label, and Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a larger secondary container having affixed thereto the label of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a carton 1 in the form of a hexagonal prism and having a construction as described in GB 2 088 338A (DRG) has affixed to one vertical wall 2 thereof a removable adhesive label 3 carrying an identification 4 ofthe product, for example, a concentrated liquid fabric conditioner, inside the carton, and instructions 5 for the use of the product. The label 3 has a corner region 6 designated as a pull tab and not adhered to the carton wall 2.

Figure 2 shows the removal of the label 3 from the carton 1 by the consumer, to reveal instructions 7 for discarding the empty carton 1 after use.

Figure 3 shows a substantially larger secondary container 8, for example, a 1-litre bottle previously used to contain fabric conditioner.

The label 3 has been affixed to the side of the bottle 8, to which it has firmly adhered.

To use a concentrated fabric conditioner packaged in a container as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the consumer first selects a clean secondary container 8 of a suitable size. The consumer will first empty the contents of the carton 2 into the secondary container 8, and will then add the correct amount of water in accordance with the instructions on the carton. There are two especially convenient methods for ensuring that the dilution ratio is correct: either the consumer can use a secondary container 8 of known volume, for example 1 litre, and fill it to the top; or the carton itself may be filled and rinsed out into the secondary container a defined number of times. In either case, the secondary container 8 is most conveniently a bottle that has previously been used to contain fabric conditioner and which will therefore be of an appropriate size and of a shape readily recognisable by the consumer as containing fabric conditioner.

After the preparation of the diluted product is complete, the adhesive label 3 is peeled from the carton 1, as shown in Figure 2, and affixed prominently to the bottle 8, first ensuring that the latter is reasonably dry. The diluted product is now suitably packaged, labelled and ready for use.

Claims (8)

1. A disposable container having therein a product requiring dilution before use, the container having affixed thereto a removable adhesive label identifying the product and retaining sufficient adhesive power after removal from the container to enable it to be affixed firmly to a second-container for the diluted product.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removable adhesive label carries instructions for use of the diluted product.

3. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, having an outer surface having release properties, at least in the region to which the removable label is affixed, whereby the label is easily removed.

4. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, which is a carton of board impregnated and/or laminated with a waterrepellent material.

5. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, which is a carton in the form of a prism having a base and cross-section in the form of a polygon having at least 5 sides.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein the carton is in the form of a hexagonal prism.

7. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the product is a concentrated fabric conditioner in liquid form.

8. A container substantially as herein before described with reference to, and as shown in, Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.