Water dispenser abstract
A method of providing advertising is shown which utilizes a fixed
water bottle and companion stand arrangement in a bottled water
dispenser system. Advertising indicia is either applied directly
to an exterior surface of the bottle or is applied to a substrate
which is affixed to the bottle exterior surface. The water bottle,
together with its companion stand, is then distributed by a sales
force to a target group of end users which group is selected based
upon specific market analysis criteria. The associated stand can
also have an advertising message applied to an exterior surface
thereof.
Water dispenser claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of providing advertising utilizing a bottled water
supply apparatus which includes a fixed bottle and companion stand,
the method comprising the steps of: applying an advertising message
to an exterior surface of the bottle; and delivering the combination
fixed bottle and companion stand to a target group of end users,
the target group being selected based upon specific market analysis
criteria.
2. A method of providing advertising utilizing a bottled water
supply apparatus which includes a fixed bottle and companion stand,
the method comprising the steps of: applying an advertising message
to a substrate; securing the substrate to an exterior surface of
a selected bottle being delivered with the companion stand within
the water distribution system; and delivering the combination fixed
bottle and companion stand to a target group of end users, the target
group being selected based upon specific market analysis criteria.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the substrate comprises a shrink-wrap
plastic material.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the substrate comprises an insulating
material.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein the substrate forms a structural
reinforcement for the water bottle.
6. The method of claim 2 wherein the advertising message is applied
to the substrate in a large character ink jet printing process.
7. The method of claim 2 further including the steps of periodically
changing out the advertising message on the substrate applied to
a selected one of the bottle and companion stand.
8. A method of providing advertising utilizing a bottled water
supply apparatus which includes a water bottle and companion stand,
the method comprising the steps of: applying an advertising message
to a substrate; securing the substrate to an exterior surface of
the companion stand which is to be delivered with the bottle within
the water distribution system; delivering the water bottle and companion
stand to a target group of end users, the target group being selected
based upon specific market analysis criteria.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the substrate comprises a shrink-wrap
plastic material.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein a printed label is applied to
an exterior surface of the companion stand by means of an adhesive
backing on the label.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein the advertising message is applied
to the substrate in a large character ink jet printing process.
12. A method of providing advertising utilizing a point of use
water supply apparatus which includes a contoured top and companion
stand, the method comprising the steps of: applying an advertising
message to a substrate; securing the substrate to an exterior surface
of a selected on of the contoured top and the companion stand which
is to be delivered within the water distribution system; delivering
the apparatus to a target group of end users, the target group being
selected based upon specific market analysis criteria.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the water supply apparatus
also includes an electronic display screen having a display area
large enough to display multiple lines of a text message.
Water dispenser description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is related to the co-pending application
of James Witham and Bradford Corbett, Jr. entitled "Advertising
Method For Changeable Bottle Bottled Water Dispenser", Attorney
Docket No. 019296.000003 filed concurrently herewith.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 2. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to a method of providing
advertising utilizing bottled water dispensers and, more specifically,
utilizing a fixed water bottle and stand arrangement.
[0004] 2. Background of the Invention
[0005] In traditional water dispensers, a replaceable bottle is
mounted with a neck and spout downwardly extending into an opening
in a ledge of a dispensing stand. The bottle is free standing and
held in place by gravity. The bottles may be made of glass or may
be made of plastic or other synthetic materials. The bottles are
periodically picked up and taken to a central location for refilling
before being returned to the end user.
[0006] In use, refillable bottles often become scratched and unsightly
in appearance. It is therefore desirable, in some situations, to
provide a decorative covering which at least partly covers the exterior
bottle surface. Preferably, such a covering would be temporarily
affixed to the bottle and therefore removable.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4834250 to Dumbeck et al. shows a decorative
protective hood for a water dispenser. In this case, the protective
hood is a woven fabric, preferably of nylon, which is used to drape
the water bottle and which also serves the purpose of preventing
the accumulation of dirt or other contamination.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5356046 to Burke shows another cover for
a bottled water dispenser. The cover is provided in the shape of
a sack which has an opening and a string for closing the opening
of the sack against the neck of the water bottle. Again, the purpose
of the Burke invention is to isolate the water bottle from the surrounding
environment in order to decrease the chance for transmission of
disease and prevent the growth of microorganisms within the water.
[0009] In a more recent bottled water distribution system, the
water bottle is itself fixed to the support stand. Rather than collecting
such bottles for refilling, the stand supplies filtered water on
an as-needed basis to continually refill the fixed water bottle
as water is dispensed by the end user. One patented system is sold
by AquaCell Technologies, Inc., of Rancho Cucamonga, California,
as the "PURIFIC" unit.
[0010] Despite such advances in the art, none of the above references
have as an object to provide an advertising method utilizing existing
bottled water dispensers, whether they be replaceable or fixed bottle
bottled water dispensers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The method of the present invention provides an advertising
technique utilizing a fixed bottle/stand water dispenser system
in which the bottle/stand combination apparatus is distributed to
end users by a sales force. An advertising message is applied either
directly to an exterior surface of the bottle or to a suitable substrate.
Where the advertising message is applied to a substrate, the substrate
is preferably either a plain band such as a paper band or a shrink-wrap
plastic material although other materials such as fabrics, paper
and other suitable replaceable materials could be utilized as well.
The substrate is then secured to an exterior surface of the water
bottle which, together with its companion stand, is distributed
by the sales force to a target group of end users. Preferably, the
target group is selected based upon specific market analysis criteria.
If desired, the stand itself can also have an advertising message
applied on an exterior surface thereof, either alone or in conjunction
with the labeling on the companion bottle. The stand could also
feature an electronic display screen of a suitable size to display
a desired advertising message.
[0012] Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent
in the written description which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a bottled water apparatus including a fixed
water bottle labeled according to the method of the invention, the
fixed bottle being supported upon a companion dispensing stand;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of one step in the method
of the invention in which an advertising message is applied to a
substrate;
[0015] FIG. 3 is also a schematic diagram representative of the
subsequent step in the method of the invention in which the substrate
is a heat shrink material which is affixed to an exterior surface
of the water bottle; and
[0016] FIG. 4 is a view of a point of use water dispensing apparatus
having an advertising substrate applied to an upper region thereof
and having an electronic display panel on a lower region hereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a bottled water dispensing apparatus designated
generally as 11. The apparatus 11 includes a bottle 13 and a dispensing
stand 15. The particular bottle illustrated has a cylindrical exterior
surface 14 and a neck portion (16 in FIG. 3) which forms an outlet
spout extending from one end of the bottle. Typical bottle capacities
are 3 5 and 6 gallons, respectively. Other bottle dimensions and
shapes may be used, however, without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
[0018] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the bottle
is normally fixed to the companion stand 15 in use and includes
external filtration equipment 16. A water supply line 18 provides
water to the filtration equipment 16 and, in turn, to the fixed
bottle 13. A conventional float (not shown) which is located within
the bottle interior, introduces additional water as the bottle is
emptied in use. In other embodiments of the invention, the filtration
equipment may be located within the stand 15 itself or may even
be remotely located from the stand, as in a cabinet adjacent the
inlet water supply.
[0019] A combination fixed bottle/stand apparatus is commercially
available in the marketplace from AquaCell Technologies, Inc., of
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., as the "PURIFIC" unit. This
apparatus is a five gallon self refilling bottled water cooler which
contains different combinations of systems that utilize sediment
filters, reverse osmosis, carbon block, multi-media filters and
ultra-violet light. This product replaces traditional five gallon
bottled water coolers with a permanently installed convenient alternative
where the water bottle never needs changing and water bottles no
longer need to be delivered, stored or replaced.
[0020] The dispensing stand 15 typically contains cooling and heating
elements for dispensing water from the bottle 13 through the respective
discharge faucet or faucets 17. The water bottle 13 is itself typically
maintained at ambient temperature.
[0021] The dispensing stand 15 has a top ledge 19 with an opening
(not shown) for receiving the neck 16 of the bottle 13 for stably
supporting the bottle by reason of gravity. The bottle 13 is received
in the position shown in FIG. 1 and is mounted in semi-permanent
fashion in normal use. In other words, the bottle would normally
only be removed from the stand for maintenance or replacement.
[0022] FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic representations of the steps
involved in practicing the method of the invention. The first step
of the method involves the application of an advertising message,
such as the label "ABC MFG" to a suitable substrate. The
substrate could be a plain paper band which would be placed around
the exterior of the bottle and adhered in any convenient manner,
such as by the use of a suitable adhesive, or even by frictional
engagement. A variety of substrates could be utilized including
fabrics, paper, plastics and other suitable replaceable materials.
On the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3
the substrate comprises a shrink-wrap plastic material such as polyethylene.
In the method illustrated in FIG. 2 the advertising message is
applied to the substrate through the use of an ink jet printer.
Ink jet printers apply a wide range of ink compositions to selected
target surfaces as discreet droplets of ink which form an image
on the surface. The droplets can be applied using drop on demand
or impulse jet printers in which individual droplets are ejected
from individual nozzle orifices in an array of nozzles, the position
of the printed droplet on the surface being dictated by the nozzle
in the array from which it is ejected. Alternatively, the ink jet
printer can be a continuous jet printer in which droplets are formed
from a jet of ink issuing from a single nozzle, the droplets being
given an electric charge and passing through a deflection field
which deflects the flight of the individual droplets away from the
straight line path by an amount depending upon the strength of the
charge and/or the deflecting field. For convenience herein, the
term "ink jet printer" will be used to denote all such
types of printers. While ink jet printers offer a convenient method
for applying the advertising message to the substrate, it will be
understood that other conventional printing methods may be utilized,
as well, such as screen printing, stamping or embossing, etc.
[0023] In the next step in the method, the shrink wrap plastic
material (21 in FIG. 2) is then secured to an exterior surface 23
of the bottle 13.
[0024] The shrink-wrap material 21 can be applied to the bottle
exterior in any of a number of conventional ways. In a typical in-line
shrink wrap packaging procedure, one or more unpackaged items are
moved towards a shrink wrap cutting and scaling area by an end-feed
conveyor. As the items are moved into the shrink wrap cutting and
sealing area, the items are surrounded by center-folded shrink wrap
film that has been partly unfolded so that the items can be conveyed
into to the partially unfolded center-folded film. When the items
have been conveyed into the partially unfolded center-folded film,
the items exit the end-feed conveyor and are transferred to an exit
conveyor. Typically, the exit conveyer continues conveying the items
until the items are moved to the shrink-wrap cutting and sealing
area beyond a designated cross-sealing location. At that point,
it is typical to stop forward movement of the exit conveyor and
use a hot knife system to cut the layers of shrink wrap film and
contemporaneously weld or seal the layers of film together at the
cut so that the shrink wrap film is wrapped around the item.
[0025] After the shrink-wrap film has been cut and sealed, the
exit conveyor is again activated. The items are then moved into
a shrink tunnel or oven illustrated schematically as 25 in FIG.
3. After each group of items is heated in the shrink tunnel, the
shrink-wrap tightens around the item so that the item is securely
wrapped.
[0026] The cutting and sealing is repeated on a consecutive group
of bottles as the bottles are conveyed through the system.
[0027] The labeled bottles can then be affixed to the companion
stands 15 and delivered to a target group of end users. Preferably,
the target group is selected based upon specific market analysis
criteria. Thus, the advertising message would be a message specifically
appealing to members of the target group. In addition to bearing
advertising indicia, the label 21 could contain artwork or other
types of esthetically pleasing materials which would not only serve
the purpose of advertising but also improve the esthetic appearance
of the water bottle itself.
[0028] Also, while the substrate material has been described with
reference to conventional polyethylene, other materials might be
heat shrunk as well. For example, a suitable insulating type wrapper
might be utilized. U.S. Pat. No. 4626455 to Karabedian, for example,
describes a tough, heat shrunk sleeve which can be used to cover
a drink bottle. The material utilized is a co extruded multilayer
sheet which includes an insulating polystyrene foam layer for the
inside of the sleeve next to the bottle. This type material, or
other suitable insulating materials, could therefore be utilized
in place of the polyethylene substrate described above. In addition
to providing an insulating barrier, the label 21 could also structurally
reinforce the bottle and help to shield it from scratches or punctures.
[0029] The supplier or end user of the bottled water dispenser
system can periodically change out the advertising message displayed
on the bottle or stand. For example, a water system located in a
doctor's office could display different drug treatments in interchangeable
fashion.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 1 the associated stand 15 can also have
a label 20 applied to an exterior surface thereof. The label can
be a conventional adhesive backed label or can be supplied in any
of a number of alternative commercially available formats.
[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates another type of water dispensing apparatus
referred to in the industry as a "point of use" water
dispensing apparatus or cooler. In this case, the stand 27 continues
upwardly to form a contoured top 29 for the apparatus which may
serve as a reservoir for the stored water. The stand also features
a dispensing faucet 31. In the embodiment of the device illustrated
in FIG. 4 the contoured top 29 of the stand has an advertising
substrate 33 applied as previously described. In this case, the
stand portion 27 of the device also has an electronic display screen
35 of a suitable size to display a complete advertising message.
In the embodiment illustrated, the screen 35 is approximately 6
inches.times.18 inches and displays several lines of a text message.
[0032] An invention has been provided with several advantages.
The advertising method of the invention utilizes an existing bottled
water or point of use water distribution system and provides a convenient
advertising medium at little additional cost. The labeling technique
not only provides for the transmission of an advertising message
to a target group of end users but can also provide a means for
improving the esthetic appearance of the water bottle or water dispenser
itself. Additionally, by choosing an appropriate labeling substrate,
other desirable qualities such as an insulating or reinforcing effect
can be provided. The technique is simple to implement and can easily
be carried out in a reliable manufacturing process.
[0033] While the invention has been shown in only two its forms,
it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and
modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. |