Prize holding containing assemblies

This invention relates to containers for liquid, semi-liquid or moist products constructed for secretly retaining a high or low value prize award and, more particularly, to simulated product containers for such goods constructed for secretly retaining a high or low value prize award while being indistinguishable from genuine product containers.

The use of various promotional enhancements for increasing the sales of particular products is commonly employed by manufacturers or distributors for a wide variety of products. These promotional enhancements take on a variety of forms, all for the purpose of increasing product sales.

One of the promotional methods often employed by some manufacturers is the inclusion of a prize in either every product container or in selected containers. However, prior to the present invention, this promotional concept was employable only for dry products. Generally, wet or moist products have been incapable of using this type of promotional activity due to the potential for contamination that may be caused by the presence of a foreign or non-consumable prize with the product.

In order to attain greater market share for various sales, manufacturers and distributors have, found increasingly unique promotional activities in order to generate added sales for their particular products. In doing so, the premium or prize type promotion has progressed from inexpensive giveaways packed in every product bearing container to expensive prize awards which are packed in selected containers, which containers are randomly distributed with non-prize bearing containers.

Unfortunately, due principally to the difficulties of contamination, product degradation or prize degradation, such incentive programs have not been capable of being employed by manufacturers or distributors of wet or moist products, particularly food products such as liquid beverages as soda, water, beer, milk, juice and the like, or moist products such as yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, jelly, jams, peanut butter, dips, canned fruits and vegetables, and the like. Similarly, other wet or moist consumer goods such as detergents, soaps, bleaches, auto-motive oils, polishes, and the like have been unable to employ this advertising technique. As a result of this inability, these manufacturers or distributors have been incapable of employing an effective product sale incentive in generating increased interest and sales of their respective products:

It is known from US-A-3 385 503 to provide a container with two compartments, each for containing a respective product. —

It is known from EP-A-0 079 673 to provide a can for carbonated beverages having prize indicia imprinted on the interior of the bottom wall thereof. The indicia is visible through a pour hole only after the beverage has been removed from the can.

Viewed from one aspect, the invention provides a container assembly, for use in association with liquid, semi-liquid and moist products, housing a prize award and for being randomly distributed with non-prize bearing containers without being detected by the consumer prior to opening thereof, said container assembly comprising:

A. an outer surface defining shell

a. identical in appearance to the product bearing shell normally employed for the liquid, semi-liquid or moist product;

b. defining an internal retaining zone; and

c. comprising at least one entry portal formed at one end thereof;

B. closure means cooperatively associated with the outer shell for closing the entry portal thereof;

C. means positioned in the retaining zone for providing the container assembly with substantially the sound, weight and feel of the product normally contained therein;

D. holding means positioned within the retaining zone in cooperating relationship to the entry portal for securely retaining a prize award, the holding means being movable, in response to opening of the entry portal of the shell, from a first position within the retaining zone to a second position in juxtaposed, exposed relationship with the entry portal; and

E. a prize award retained by the holding means.

Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a container assembly as defined herein, in combination with said non-prize bearing containers.

Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a method of assembling and using a container assembly as defined herein, the method comprising installing the prize award in the retaining zone, retaining it there by the holding means, closing the container assembly and randomly distributing the container assembly amongst non-prize bearing containers.

By employing the present invention, the failure of the prior art to enable prize incentives or premium promotions to be used with liquid, semi-liquid, or moist products can be completely overcome. In one aspect of the present invention, replicated or simulated product containers are employed to house the prize incentive, and are constructed to be identical to the genuine product container in all consumer discernable respects prior to opening the container. Only upon opening the simulated product container of this invention, the consumer is immediately informed that the consumer is a winner of the prize being awarded and may be provided with instructions on how to obtain access to the prize or coupon retained by the holding means.

Since the simulated product container is virtually indistinguishable from the genuine product container by the consumer's external analysis, prize bearing containers can be Randomly distributed with genuine product containers with complete assurance that the prize bearing containers cannot be purposefully preselected by the consumer. Instead, the randomly distributed prize bearing containers will be similarly randomly selected by consumers who are sufficiently lucky to win the high or low value prize award.

In certain preferred embodiments, locking systems are incorporated with the simulated product containers to prevent inadvertent or unwanted opening of the prize bearing container without first having the container opened in the normal fashion as if the product were to be dispensed therefrom. In this way, any consumer having won a high or low value prize, or knowing someone who has won and seeing the manner in which the simulated product container operates, is still unable to open the simulated product containers on store shelves without actually destroying the integrity of each container.

In addition to being employable with liquid, semiliquid or moist food-type products which are manufactured for being eaten, the present invention may also be employed with other wet or moist products used for other purposes, such as liquid detergents, soaps, bleaches, washing compositions, automotive oils, ' ( lubricants, and the like. Depending upon the type of wet or moist product being sold, the unique product construction of the present invention can be employed along with the actual product being simulated, as detailed above, for any wet, moist, liquid, or semiliquid consumer packaged product.

Preferably, the means positioned in the retaining zone comprises a suitable fluid for providing the container with the sound, weight and feel of the product normally housed in the container being simulated. For example, the fluid is the liquid, semi-liquid or moist product being distributed.

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

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view, partially broken away and partially in cross-section, of an embodiment of the container assembly of the present invention, shown prior to opening;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container assembly of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view, partially broken away and partially in cross-section, of the container assembly of FIGURE 1 shown after the container has been opened.

In FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, a simulated product container 20 is shown in detail. In this embodiment, simulated product container 20 is constructed to completely eliminate any possibility that simulated product container 20 can be reused once the high or low • value prize has been obtained by the first consumer. Simulated product container 20 comprises an outer shell • 21 which is identical in form and appearance to the conventional consumable liquid holding can which container 20 is intended to simulate. In addition, lid 38 comprises the identical construction and configuration employed for the lid of the conventional container.

This embodiment of simulated product container 20 may also comprise a layer of densely packed compressible material, or lightweight blow molded material, for insertion within shell 21 to peripherally surround the entire inside wall of shell 21. This can provide the desired inherent compressible rigidity required to effectively simulate the compression resistant forces of a conventional liquid filled can when squeezed by the consumer. As a result, any layer of compressible material which is capable of simulating the requisite compression resistance or feel of a conventional filled can of consumable liquid can be employed.

However, for ease of depiction, the compressible material has been omitted from FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

Directly adjacent the inside wall of shell 21, or directly adjacent the compressible material, if employed, is housing 65. Housing 65 incorporates liquid 30 which is contained within housing 65 and sealingly retained therein. Liquid 30 is selected to be identical in both weight and sound to the consumable liquid for which product container 20 is constructed to simulate.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, housing 65 comprises a shape substantially identical to shell 21 except for the incorporation of recessed zone 66 and cut away portion 67. Furthermore, cut-away portion 67 is cooperatingly associated and aligned with recess 66.

In addition to housing 65, this embodiment of simulated product container 20 incorporates an elongated, substantially cylindrically shaped wallforming insert 70 which is constructed for mating interengagement and retention within recess 66 and cutaway portion 67 of housing 65.

In its preferred construction, insert 70 comprises a first elongated, substantially cylindrically shaped section 71, which is constructed for mating interengagement with recess 66, and a second substantially cylindrically shaped section 72 which is concentrically aligned with first section 71. Section 72 also comprises a movable, spring arm 74 formed in the wall thereof. As detailed below, spring arm 74 provides a movable position holding and locking arm.

At the juncture between sections 71 and 72, a substantially circular peripherally surrounding edge 73 is formed, since section 72 comprises a larger diameter than section 71. As best seen in FIGURE 1, first section 71 of insert 70 is nestingly engaged with recess 66 of housing 65, while second section 72 is cooperatingly aligned with cut-away portion 67 of housing 65.

The assembly of this embodiment of simulated product container 20 is completed by spring means 76, movable base 77, prize holding vial 78 and cap 79. In the preferred embodiment, prize retaining vial 78 incorporates base securement means 80 forming the bottom portion thereof which is lockingly engaged with base 77 in cooperating recess 81. As is more fully detailed below, this secure locked interengagement prevents prize retaining vial 78 from becoming unwantingly dislodged from simulated product container 20 during its operation.

In FIGURE 1, simulated product container 20 is depicted in the configuration wherein a high or low value prize is securely retained within holding vial 78 and simulated product container 20 is ready for distribution and sale to the consumer in a manner whereby simulated product container 20 is indistinguishable from the genuine product bearing can. In this configuration, as shown in FIGURE 1, spring 76 is maintained under compression with base 77, prize holding vial 78 and cap 79 all secured and locked in position by movable arm 74 of upper section 72 of insert 70.

When in this locked configuration, this embodiment of product container 20 is incapable of being distinguished from the genuine beverage bearing container, particularly since all of the components are securely retained in a manner which prevents any detection by sound or feel. Furthermore, as detailed above, container 65 with liquid 30 housed therein provides assurance that simulated product container 20 provides the feel and sound of a genuine liquid bearing container, in addition to the identical visual appearance.

When this embodiment of simulated product container 20 is selected by the consumer and brought home for use, the consumer is quickly and immediately informed, upon opening, that a high or low value prize has been won.

In order to receive this notification, a consumer merely opens simulated product container 20 in the conventional manner by pulling on tab assembly 42 of lid 38. In doing so, the pre-cut end portion 43 breaks away from lid 38 in the conventional manner, and enters upper section 72 of insert 70. As end portion 43 foldingly moves in its normal, conventional manner, end portion 43 contacts spring arm 74 and forces arm 74 out of holding engagement with cap 79. Once this holding force has been removed, cap 79, prize holding vial 78, and base 77 are all moved vertically upwardly through insert 70 by spring means 76, until the position shown in FIGURE 3 has been reached.

Preferably, the top surface of cap 79 incorporates a message informing the consumer that a high or low value prize has been won and can be obtained by removing cap 79. Upon removal of cap 79, the prize can be readily accessed and removed from vial 78. Although any particular prize can be employed, either currency or a coupon is most conveniently rolled and/or folded for secure retention in vial 78.

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In view of the rapid movement of prize holding vial 78 due to the spring force of spring means 76, vial 78, as detailed above, is preferably securely affixed to base 77 to prevent vial 78 from being propelled out of ' 5 simulated product container 20 upon reaching the opening in lid 38. Consequently, by securely affixing vial 78 to base 77, any possibility that vial 78 can be dislodged is completely eliminated.

Furthermore, in order to assure that simulated 10 product container 20 is not reused, base 77 is constructed with a plurality of depending legs 84 extending therefrom. In addition, legs 84 are spring biased to move outwardly upon entering upper zone 72 of insert 70. As a result, as clearly shown in FIGURE 3, legs 84 move outwardly into securely affixed, locked engagement with ledge 73 when prize holding vial 78 has reaches the opening in lid 38. As a result, the assembly cannot be reused or re-employed in any manner by the consumer after the consumer has obtained the high or low value prize originally provided by the manufacturer.

By employing any desired embodiment of the simulated product container of the present invention, any wet or moist product manufacturer or distributor can effectively conduct incentive promotions using the random distribution of a high value prize directly to the consumer, without the consumer ever knowing before opening the container that the high or low value prize is retained in the product being purchased. In this way, complete random distribution to totally anonymous . purchasers can be attained, showing the highest level of integrity and honesty of product distribution to the i winning consumers.

It will thus be seen that at least in its preferred forms the invention provides: a prize award holding container assembly for use with all liquid, semi-liquid and moist products; a simulated product container which incorporates the outer shell of the genuine product being simulated, while comprising within the prize award as well as means to simulate both the feel and sound of the genuine product being simulated; and a prize award holding container assembly which is virtually indistinguishable from the product bearing container being simulated and can be displayed with the product bearing containers without being detected.

Since certain changes may be made in the above 10 products, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.