WO2004084163A1

WO2004084163A1 - Promotional light accessories

Info

Publication number: WO2004084163A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/001151
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Cantwell; Przemyslaw Alexander Wos
Original assignee: Michael Cantwell; Przemyslaw Alexander Wos
Priority date: 2003-03-18
Filing date: 2004-03-18
Publication date: 2004-09-30
Also published as: GB0306189D0

Abstract

A bottle top light accessory (1) is provided for mounting on top of a bottle (2). The accessory (1) can be used as a promotional light accessory to draw attention to a product on which it is mounted. The accessory (1) includes a main body (3) moulded in one piece from plastics material, a PCB module (4) and a closure plate (5). The PCB module (4) and the closure plate (5) are dispersed within the main body (3) to form a sealed unit, with the PCB module (4) encapsulated between the main body (3) and the closure plate (5). The PCB module (4) includes an LED (41), batteries (42), a micro-processor, and a light sensor (43). In operation, the LED (41) flashes on and off when the light sensor (43) detects light above a predetermined level. The main body (3) includes four light channels (34) to distribute light from the LED (41). An upper surface of the PCB module (4) may include a reflective coating to reflect light from the LED (41).

Description

Promotional Light Accessories

This invention relates to promotional light accessories for mounting on products.

When products are arranged in a retail shop, for example a supermarket, it is useful to be able to draw the consumer's attention to a particular product in preference to other surrounding products.

This need is greater in some cases, for example, in the case of products in respect of which advertising is banned in certain countries. A particular example which is of current interest to the applicant is the sale of vodka in Poland where currently it is not possible to advertise in respect of that particular product.

It is an object of this invention to assist in drawing attention to a product when on display, for example, in a shop.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a promotional light accessory for mounting on a product, the accessory comprising a light source and mounting means for mounting the accessory on a product.

Such an accessory can be useful in advertising, promoting or otherwise drawing attention to the product on which the accessory is mounted. Typically the accessory will be used on products displayed in a retail shop such as a supermarket. The accessory is especially suited for use where the product is food or drink, particularly drink.

The mounting means may comprise a receiving portion for receiving at least part of a product on which the device is mounted.

In this specification the expression "product" is used broadly and in at least some cases the term product may include packaging in which the goods are sold or displayed, in such cases it may be part of the packaging on which the device is mounted. The product may comprise a container and the receiving portion of the accessory may be arranged for receiving part of the container. It will be appreciated that the accessory need not necessarily be rigidly mounted to the respective product and thus in some instances "mounting" might consist of the accessory loosely fitting over a portion of the product.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the light accessory is arranged for mounting on a bottle. The receiving portion may be arranged to receive a top portion of a bottle. The light accessory may be a bottle top light accessory.

The light accessory may be arranged as a cap for placing over, for example, a bottle top. It is particularly envisaged that the accessory will be mounted on a bottle top of a bottle of a spirit such as vodka.

In most cases the light accessory will be arranged for mounting on a complete product including any necessary packaging, and thus for example, the accessory may be arranged to be mounted on a conventional bottle over a conventional bottle top. In other cases however the accessory may also perform a packaging function, for example the accessory may act as a bottle top for capping a bottle in place of a conventional bottle top.

The accessory may comprise one or more batteries as a power source. The light source may comprise a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The accessory may comprise a control unit, for example comprising a microprocessor, for controlling the operation of the light source. The control unit may be arranged to cause the light source to flash in operation.

The accessory may comprise light sensing means and be arranged so that emission of light from the light source is controlled in dependence on a output from the light sensing means. The light sensing means may comprise a light sensor and the control unit may be arranged for receiving signals from the light sensor and controlling the light source in dependence on the received signals.

Typically the light sensing means will be arranged so that the light source only emits light when the light falling on the sensing means is above a predetermined level. This can be useful as it can save battery energy by virtue of the light source not drawing current when the accessory is in darkness, for example if packaged in a box during transit or on a shop shelf at night.

It will be appreciated that separate control units could be provided for controlling the light source in dependence on the output of the light sensor and for causing the light source to flash, but the most efficient construction makes use of a single control unit.

The accessory may comprise light distributing means for distributing light from the light source to the exterior of the accessory. The accessory may comprise a plurality of light channels for channelling light from the light source to the exterior of the accessory in a plurality of different directions. The light channels may be arranged as the spokes of a wheel from a central hub. The central hub may comprise a recess for receiving the light source. The accessory may comprise a main body having a recess which acts as the receiving portion. The main body of the accessory may comprise a display portion from which light from the light source is emitted in use. The display portion may be externally shaped as a dome.

The main body of the accessory may be of plastics material. The main body and light channels may be moulded as a single piece.

The accessory may include light reflecting means arranged to direct light from the light source in a preferred direction or directions. The reflecting means may be arranged to direct light from the light source towards the light channels and/or may direct light away from a base of the accessory that is for mounting on a product. The reflecting means may be arranged to direct light from the source so as to be emitted from the display portion. The light reflecting means may be a reflective coating on structure of the accessory, and may be such a coating on structure of the accessory around the light source and on the side of the light source remote from a light-emitting surface of the light portion.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an article comprising a product and a promotional accessory of the type defined above mounted on the product. According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a bottle and accessory assembly comprising a bottle and a bottle top light accessory mounted on the bottle, the bottle top light accessory comprising a light source and a receiving portion which receives a top portion of the bottle.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of promoting a product comprising the step of mounting a light on the product. According to yet a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of promoting a product comprising the step of mounting a promotional light accessory on the product.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic section through a bottle top light accessory;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the components of the bottle top light accessory of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a reverse exploded view of the bottle top light accessory shown in Figure 2, Figure 4A is a plan view of a main body of the light accessory shown in

Figures 1 to 3;

Figure 4B is a section on line INB - IVB of the main body shown in Figure 4A;

Figure 4C is a side view of the main body shown in Figure 4A;

Figure 4D is an underside plan view of the main body shown in Figure 4A;

Figure 4E is a section on line IVE - IVE of the main body shown in Figure 4D;

Figure 4F is a perspective view of the main body shown in Figure 4A; and

Figure 4G is an underside perspective view of the main body shown in Figure 4A.

Figure 1 shows a bottle top light accessory 1 which is mounted on the top of a bottle 2, only part of which is schematically indicated (by dotted lines) in Figure 1. The bottle light accessory 1 can be used as a promotional light accessory in the sense that it can serve to draw attention to a product on which it is mounted. In this case the product is a bottle 2 containing a spirit such as vodka. Attention is drawn to the product by virtue of the light accessory emitting light as will be explained in more detail below.

In this case the bottle top light accessory 1 is mounted on the bottle 2 by virtue of sitting relatively loosely on the cap of the bottle 2.

The bottle top light accessory 1 comprises a main body 3 moulded in one piece from plastics material. This main body 3 can be seen with the other components of the device 1 in Figures 1 to 3 and is shown alone in more detail in Figures 4A to 4G.

As well as the main body 3, the light accessory 1 comprises a PCB (printed circuit board) module 4 and a closure plate 5. Referring to Figure 1 the device can be seen in its assembled state, where the PCB module 4 is disposed within a housing portion 31 of the main body 3. In this state, the closure plate 5 is also disposed in the main body 3 and with its peripheral edge resting on a circumferential rebate 32. When the light accessory 1 is assembled as shown in Figure 1 with the closure plate 5 sitting on the rebate 32, the light accessory 1 as a whole is a sealed unit with the PCB module 4 encapsulated in the housing portion 31.

The PCB module 4 comprises an LED 41 which acts as a light source, a pair of batteries 42 of the same general type that are used in electronic watches, a microprocessor (not shown) arranged to act as a control unit, and a light sensor 43 for sensing the ambient light in which the light accessory 1 is disposed.

In operation the microprocessor (not shown) controls the illumination provided by the LED 41 so that the light accessory 1 gives out light in the desired way. In particular, in the present embodiment, the microprocessor is used to cause the LED 41 to flash on and off with a desired frequency.

The output from the light sensor 43 is also fed to the microprocessor and the accessory 1 is arranged so that the LED 41 will only be caused to emit light when the light sensed by the light sensor 43 is above a predetermined level. This feature is useful since it means that the LED 41 should not emit light when the light accessory 1 is in darkness, for example because it is packed in a storage box or is in a shop at night time where no external light is present. Of course, this can conserve battery energy so that the device continues to function for as long as is possible when the appropriate ambient light conditions are present. The main body 3 of the bottle top light accessory will now be described in more detail with particular reference to Figures 4A to 4F.

The main body 3 is generally cylindrical and has a domed upper portion 33 which acts as a display portion, in that light from the LED 41 issues from this portion of the main body 3. The main body 3 is moulded in a single piece from plastics material which has the necessary characteristics to allow light from the LED 41 to escape to the surroundings. The plastics material might be described as translucent.

The main body 3 is arranged to distribute light from the LED 41 in order to control the pattern in which light escapes. In particular, four light channels 34 are provided and these project radially outwards from a hub portion 35. The hub portion 35 has a recess 36 that accommodates the LED 41 in the assembled device. The light channels 34 are provided in the domed portion 33 of the main body 3. As is perhaps most clearly seen by considering Figures 4B, 4G and 4E, the domed portion 33 of the main body 3 can be considered to have two main parts. The first is an upper solid part 33a where there is plastics material from the LED receiving recess 36 all the way to the exterior of the domed portion 33 in all directions. The second is a lower part 33b where there is no plastics material between the hub portion 35 and the exterior wall of the dome 37, except for the four light channels 34.

The LED 41 is chosen so that light emits from it most strongly from what might be described as its lower region, i.e. that part which is at the level of the light channels 34. In this way significant light from the LED 41 travels outwards along the light channels 34 to the exterior of the dome portion 33 but far less light leaves the dome surface at any other positions. Thus, when the light is on or flashing, four relatively strong areas of light are seen on the dome portion 33, one in the region of each of the light channels 34.

The thickness T of each of the light channels 34 may be chosen to give the desired light output. In the present embodiment it has been found that a thickness of 2 mm gives satisfactory results.

Referring back now to Figure 1 it can be seen that the main body 3 also comprises a generally cylindrical recess 38 which acts as a receiving portion for the cap of the bottle 2 on which the bottle top light accessory is mounted. This receiving portion 38 is defined by the outer surface of the closure plate 5 and the curved side walls 39 of the main body 3 from the rebate 32 outwards. The depth D of the receiving portion is chosen to give a stable fit on the top of the bottle 2. A depth D of 9 mm has been found suitable. As mentioned above the present embodiment is arranged for mounting on a

bottle of an alcoholic drink in order to draw attention to that product when

placed on a shop shelf.

The size of the receiving portion 38 is chosen to give a reasonably secure fit

on the desired type of bottle. Many drinks are sold in bottles having one of a number of standard cap sizes and the present light accessories can be made

having appropriately sized receiving portions 38 to fit these standard sized

caps.

Of course similar light accessories may be produced for mounting on other products, although it is thought that the accessories are best suited for use on

the tops of bottles.

It will be realised that in alternatives, a similar arrangement can be used to achieve different effects. In particular, more than one light source might be

provided and these might be of different colours. In such a case the switching

on and off of these could again be controlled by a microprocessor.

In alternative embodiment, an alternative bottle top light accessory (not shown)

that is substantially the same as that 1 described above with reference to the drawings is provided. The alternative accessory preferably has all those components described above that go to make up the already-described accessory 1, but differs in having reflective means in the form of a reflective coating on the surface of the module 4 that faces towards the LED 41. It is envisaged that this coating be a silver coating. Such a coating would reflect light that would otherwise be absorbed by or pass through the module 4 back in the direction of the light channels 34 and the rest of the domed portion 33.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A promotional light accessory for mounting on a product, the accessory

comprising a light source and mounting means for mounting the accessory on a product, wherein

the accessory comprises a plurality of light channels for channelling light from the light source to the exterior of the accessory in a plurality of different directions.

2. A promotional light accessory according to claim 1 in which the mounting means comprise a receiving portion for receiving at least part of a product on which the device is mounted.

3. A promotional light accessory according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the product comprises a container and the receiving portion of the accessory is

arranged for receiving part of the container.

4. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim in which the accessory is arranged for loosely fitting over a portion of the

product.

5. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim in which the light accessory is arranged for mounting on a bottle.

6. A promotional light accessory according to claim 5 in which the light accessory is a bottle top light accessory.

7. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim which comprises one or more batteries as a power source.

8. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim which comprises a control unit, for controlling the operation of the light source.

9. A promotional light accessory according to claim 8 in which the control unit is arranged to cause the light source to flash in operation.

10. A promotional light accessory according to claim 8 or claim 9 comprising light sensing means and arranged so that emission of light from the light source is controlled in dependence on a output from the light sensing means.

11. A promotional light accessory according to claim 10 in which the light sensing means is arranged so that the light source only emits light when the light falling on the sensing means is above a predetermined level.

12. A promotional light accessory according to claim 1 in which the light channels are aπanged as the spokes of a wheel from a central hub.

13. A promotional light accessory according to claim 12 in which the central hub comprises a recess for receiving the light source.

14. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim which comprises a main body having a recess which acts as a receiving portion.

15. A promotional light accessory according to claim 14 in which the main body of the accessory comprises a display portion from which light from the light source is emitted in use.

16. A promotional light accessory according to claim 15 in which the display portion is externally shaped as a dome.

17. A promotional light accessory according to any one of claims 14 to 16 in which the main body of the accessory is of plastics material.

18. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim and further including light reflecting means arranged to direct light from the light source in a preferred direction or directions.

19. A promotional light accessory according to claim 18, wherein the reflecting means is arranged to direct light from the light source towards the light channels and/or away from a base of the accessory that is for mounting on a product.

20. A promotional light accessory according to any preceding claim when dependent on claim 15 and wherein the light reflecting means includes a reflective coating on structure of the accessory, around the light source and on the side of the light source remote from a light-emitting surface of the display portion.

21. An article comprising a product and a promotional light accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 20 mounted on the product.

22. A bottle and accessory assembly comprising a bottle and a bottle top light accessory mounted on the bottle, the bottle top light accessory comprising a light source and a receiving portion which receives a top portion of the bottle.

23. A method of promoting a product comprising the step of mounting a promotional light accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 20 on the product.

24. A promotional light accessory for mounting on a product, the accessory comprising a light source and mounting means for mounting the accessory on the product, and further including light reflecting means aπanged to direct light from the light source in a preferred direction or directions.