WO2016025670A1 - Environmentally friendly cloth bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an environmentally friendly package for liquids, colloquially known as a cloth bottle. Coated biodegradable cloth, adhered to a mouth that mates with a drinking cap, may achieve an airtight, watertight barrier seal around the liquid, and provide beverage consumers with an environmentally friendly, and aesthetically pleasing alternative to plastic, glass, and aluminum.

Description

TITLE

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CLOTH BOTTLE RELATED APPLICATION

Applicant claim the benefit of U.S. provisional application no. 62/037118, filed August 14, 2014 to the same inventor, which is incorporated herein by reference. It is intended that the referenced application may be applicable to the concepts and embodiments disclosed herein, even if such concepts and embodiments are disclosed in the referenced applications with different limitations and configurations and described using different examples and terminology.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to liquid storage, for example, for drinking, in an environmentally friendly fashion.

BACKGROUND

The United States alone produces over 47 billion plastic bottles each year (1500 per second], of which less than 25% will ever be recycled. Beverage producers have long sought for ways to produce a package that will reduce the environmental cost of their business and improve their standing in the eyes of consumers. "Natural plant bottles" and "100% recycled" bottles are just two recent attempts at addressing this need.

One method of packaging liquids in cloth (shown in U.S. Pat. No. US1106191 A by Crooks], provides for an apparatus in which woven cloth, stiffened by an annular member, cord, cardboard, and paraffin, is stitched together in at least three places to form a bottle in order to store liquid using cloth. However, paraffin provides an unreliable liquid seal that fails at temperatures much hotter or colder than room temperature; hotter temperatures cause the paraffin to melt, creating leakage, while lower temperatures cause cracking in the paraffin, creating leakage, and aging of the paraffin has the same cracking effect. The prior art does not provide for a method able to achieve an airtight seal, critical for both food safety and product freshness.

Additionally, prior art does not provide an alternative to leaving at least three seems in the bottle, which increases risk of leakage. Furthermore, the prior art described above provides only one means of keeping the bottle's shape - an amalgamation of cardboard, an annular member, cord, and paraffin. It is also difficult to collapse such a bottle, and to separate the materials for recycling, as the hard materials such as cardboard, cord, and an annular ring would have to be individually removed and separated. Finally, the materials of the prior art - cardboard, the annular ring, and cord - do not provide an environmentally friendly or potentially biodegradable packaging option to the consumer.

Presently, there exist bottle covers that are made of cloth. These cloth bags are designed to cover the outside various other packaging materials, whether a standard PET bottle, a baby bottle, or a plastic pouch or "kettle." Therefore these should not be considered cloth bottles, as they do not in and of themselves contain liquid, but are addons that merely cover the outside of the liquid container itself.

In conclusion, no cloth bottle formerly developed adequately contains liquid in various temperatures, is able to preserve a watertight, airtight seal, collapses to lightweight cloth form after consumption, does not rely on extraneous materials such as cardboard, cord, an annular ring, and paraffin, maintains its shape in any other way than the use of cardboard, cord, an annular ring, and paraffin, or is a truly environmentally friendly and potentially biodegradable alternative to environmentally costly PET plastic, glass, and aluminum.

BRIEF OVERVIEW

An environmentally friendly cloth bottle may be provided. This brief overview is provided to introduce basic concepts in a simplified form that will be formally described below in the Detailed Description. This brief overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this brief overview intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an environmentally friendly package for liquids, colloquially known as a cloth bottle. Coated biodegradable cloth , adhered to a mouth that mates with a drinking cap, may achieve an airtight, watertight barrier seal around the liquid, and provide beverage consumers with an

environmentally friendly, and aesthetically pleasing alternative to plastic, glass, and aluminum.

Both the foregoing brief overview and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing brief overview and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and subcombinations described in the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings contain representations of various trademarks and copyrights owned by the Applicants. In addition, the drawings may contain other marks owned by third parties and are being used for illustrative purposes only. All rights to various trademarks and copyrights represented herein, except those belonging to their respective owners, are vested in and the property of the Applicants. The Applicants retain and reserve all rights in their trademarks and copyrights included herein, and grant permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.

Furthermore, the drawings may contain text or captions that may explain certain embodiments of the present disclosure. This text is included for illustrative, non- limiting, explanatory purposes of certain embodiments detailed in the present disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A and IB illustrate a cloth bottle consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates cross section view of the cloth bottle;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the cloth bottle after some of the interior contents have been removed;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side profile view of the cloth bottle after some of the interior contents have been removed; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the cloth bottle after all of the interior contents have been removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being "preferred" is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations,

modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

Thus, for example, any sequencefs] and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claimfs] rather than the description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein— as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term— differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

Regarding applicability of 35 U.S.C. §112, ][6, no claim element is intended to be read in accordance with this statutory provision unless the explicit phrase "means for" or "step for" is actually used in such claim element, whereupon this statutory provision is intended to apply in the interpretation of such claim element.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, "a" and "an" each generally denotes "at least one," but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, "or" denotes "at least one of the items," but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, "and" denotes "all of the items of the list."

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many

embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.

The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in, the context of storing beverages, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to storing non-potable liquids as well as solids.

I. OVERVIEW

Consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, an environmentally friendly cloth bottle may be provided. This overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below. This overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this overview intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope. The environmentally friendly cloth bottle may be used by individuals or companies to provide an environmentally friendly, and in some embodiments biodegradable, lightweight packaging option that includes many of the benefits of the dominant liquid packaging solutions (e.g. PET plastic bottles, glass bottles, and aluminum cans] without the high environmental cost of these packaging solutions.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be able to contain liquid without leakage at the wide range of temperatures at which consumers prefer their beverages. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure may last at least a few months without losing their liquid seal. A compound - similar to what is used to line a tin can and comparable to rubber cement - may be applied in adequate measure throughout the inside of a woven cloth bottle, creating not only a liquid seal, but also an air seal. Such a design may protect the liquid from any outside contaminants and preserve its freshness. Embodiments of the present disclosure may the number of seams, if not eliminating them altogether, by utilizing techniques similar to industrial sockmaking, such as, for example, the method colloquially known as "spider weaving," which allows a cylindrical shape to be achieved without the use of a seam.

A number of variations may be possible with respect to providing a dispensing mechanism for embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, a plastic or metal (e.g., aluminum] base may be sewn, pressed, or otherwise adhered to a small opening at the top of the bag. The base may provide a location for attaching a closing mechanism. For example, the base may comprise screw threads configured to receive a screw-on cap. Further embodiments may comprise other closing mechanisms for storing liquids know to those having ordinary skill in the art.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be comprised of a fibrous textile (e.g., a textile comprising cotton, synthetic biodegradable fibers, or the like], a renewable and biodegradable material, whereas conventional alternatives comprise large quantities of nonrenewable resources of oil, aluminum, and silica. Further, embodiments may eliminate the need for the cardboard, cord, and annular ring as used in the prior art.

Both the foregoing overview and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing overview and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and subcombinations described in the detailed description. II. CONFIGURATION

Consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, a cloth bottle may comprise a cloth material configured to hold interior contents, such as, for example, water. The cloth bottle may further comprise a coating to improve the air-tight and water-tight qualities of the cloth material. The cloth bottle may further comprise a dispensing mechanism, such as, for example, an orifice similar to that of a mouth of a plastic soda bottle, that attaches to a 'base'. FIG. 1A and IB illustrate a cloth bottle 100 consistent with the present disclosure. Cloth bottle 100 comprises a cloth portion 105 and a base portion 110 configured to receive a cap 115. Stitching 120 run longitudinally down the side of cloth bottle 100. FIG. 2 illustrates cross section view of cloth bottle 100. Cloth substrate 205 comprises an exterior portion, and coating 210 comprises an interior portion of the cloth bottle. FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of cloth bottle 100 after some of the interior contents have been removed. Wrinkles 305 illustrate collapsibility of cloth bottle 100 as the interior contents are removed. FIG. 4 illustrates a side profile view of cloth bottle 100 after some of the interior contents have been removed. FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of cloth bottle 100 after all of the interior contents have been removed.

The cloth material may be comprised, at least in part, of a fibrous material including, but not limited to, cotton and tencel. In some embodiments, the fibrous material may be cellulose-based. The cloth material may further be comprised of one or more renewable materials. Some embodiments may be made in a way such that each bottle comprises zero longitudinal seams. Such embodiments may utilize weaving methods, such as, for example, but not limited to, spider weaving, for providing a seamless longitudinal profile. In further embodiments, each bottle may comprise one or more seams, in any orientation or pattern. The coating may be applied to the interior of the bottle and may enable the embodiments to be water and/or air tight, and may be food grade. In some

embodiments, the coating may comprise a biopolymer coating.. Such biopolymer coatings may be biodegradable. Some coatings consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise VerdeCoat™, Stora Enso Barrier Coatings, Corn starch mixed with plasticizer glycerol concentration, PLA-BF coupling, and wheat gluten and modified potato starch composite. Coatings may be single-layer coating or multi-layer coatings.

The barriers may further comprise additives to improve the barrier properties. Such additives may comprise, for example, but not limited to, nanoclays, stearic acid, silanes (coupling agent] and isocyantes (coupling agent}.

In further embodiments, a synthetic coating may be utilized. Such synthetic coatings may comprise, for example, aqueous polyvinylidene chloride (PVC] extruded onto the fabric, aqueous low density polyethylene (LDPE], and aqueous Ensobarr high barrier coating. The synthetic coatings may be extruded onto the fabric. In some embodiments, the coatings may utilize an additive, such as, for example,

polycaprolactone (PCL}.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise a dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism may be resealable. For example, the dispensing mechanism may comprise a threaded 'mouth' with screw threads configured to receive a screw-cap. In some embodiments, the dispensing mechanism may comprise a 'base' that attaches to a cloth portion of the bottle. The base may be attached, for example, by sewing, pressing, or otherwise attaching the base to the cloth portion. In further embodiments, the base may be attached by, for example, a heat seal, and/or by stitching the base to the cloth. The base may be comprised of, for example, plastic or metal (e.g., aluminum}. In some embodiments, the base may be comprised of a biodegradable material, such as, for example, bamboo. In further embodiments, the base may be comprised of a synthetic material, such as, for example, petroleum-based materials such as PET or LDPE, or a bio-based material, such as, for example, Ingeo. The base may comprise, for example, threads for receiving a cap. Further embodiments may comprise other closing mechanisms for storing liquids know to those having ordinary skill in the art (e.g., pop tops, hinged tubes that mate with dispensing holes, etc.}.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may utilize one or more adhesives. Such adhesives may create fabric-to-fabric bonds or fabric-to-dispensing mechanism bonds. The one or more adhesives may comprise biodegradable adhesives, such as, for example, lysine-based dilsacyonate and corn zein. Further, the one or more adhesives may comprise synthetic adhesives, such as, for example, epoxy resins or OPP.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may utilize stitching. For example, in some embodiments, two sewn and heat-sealed seams may connect opposite sides of one piece of fabric. The seams may run to the dispensing mechanism. In further

embodiments, the stitching may be positioned such that extra fabric at the seam faces towards an inside of the bottle. Such a stitching may show little or no visible thread on the outside of the package and may be done, in part, for cosmetic purposes.

III. OPERATION

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to receive liquid. Further, embodiments may be configured to be sealed as to be watertight and/ or airtight. Some embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to be stacked vertically. Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide:

1} a container for storing a product comparable in taste, freshness, and temperature to a similar product stored in conventional drink bottles; 2} a resealable cap or sealing mechanism enable portability;

3} shape flexibility to enable storage in a much wider variety of places than with a conventional drink bottle, such as, for example, a trouser pocket, car seat, or baby stroller;

4} an improved grip from the flexibility; and

5} disposability and/or biodegradability.

IV. CLAIMS

While the specification includes examples, the disclosure's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments of the disclosure.

Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawing disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims below, the disclosures are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claims such additional disclosures is reserved.

Claims

THE FOLLOWING IS CLAIMED:

1. A container comprising:

an exterior portion comprising: a woven fiber cloth, and a coating; and a dispensing mechanism.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the woven fiber cloth comprises at least one of the following: cotton and tencel.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the coating comprises at least one of the following: a biopolymer blend, a biodegradable barrier coating, a mix of corn starch and plasticizer glycerol coating, PLA-BF coupling, and a composite comprising wheat gluten and modified potato starch.

4. The container of claim 3, further comprising an additive comprising at least one of the following: nanoclay, steric acid, silanes, and isocyantes.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the coating comprises at least one of the following: an aqueous PVC coating, an aqueous LPDE coating, and an aqueous Ensobarr high barrier coating; and wherein the coating is extruded onto the woven fiber cloth.

6. The container of claim 5, further comprising an additive comprising PCL.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein a construction of the container utilizes an adhesive comprising at least one of the following: lysine-based dilsacyonate and corn zein.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein a construction of the container utilizes an adhesive comprising at least one of the following: epoxy resin, and OPP.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises a threaded base configured to receive a cap.

10. The container of claim 9, wherein the threaded base comprises bamboo.

11. The container of claim 9, wherein the threaded base comprises at least one of the following: PET, LDPE, and Ingeo.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism is attached by a heat seal and a threaded stitch to the woven fiber cloth.

13. The container of claim 1, wherein the woven fiber cloth is configured to flex to fit a plurality of shapes.