U.S. patent application number 12/930743 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-19 for biodegradable seeded container.
This patent application is currently assigned to 3volve Bioneering LLC. Invention is credited to Jacob Baxter, Ryan Grulke, Greg Haynes, Bryan Heckler.
Application Number | 20120181247 12/930743 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46489984 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120181247 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Grulke; Ryan ; et
al. |
July 19, 2012 |
Biodegradable seeded container
Abstract
A two-stage seeded biodegradable container, typically a liquid
container with cap. The container is made from biobased soil
biodegradable materials, including a central compartment for seeds.
The container label is also made from soil biodegradable materials
and contains embedded seeds. The label is protected with a soil
biodegradable liquid-impervious coating and is affixed to the
container with a soil biodegradable adhesive. After use, the
container may be planted in soil or placed in compost and will
biodegrade as well as germinating up to two sets of plants or trees
from the seeds in the compartment and label.
Inventors: |
Grulke; Ryan; (Austin,
TX) ; Haynes; Greg; (St. Augustine, FL) ;
Baxter; Jacob; (Crescent Springs, KY) ; Heckler;
Bryan; (Round Rock, TX) |
Assignee: |
3volve Bioneering LLC
|
Family ID: |
46489984 |
Appl. No.: |
12/930743 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/386 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01G 9/0291 20180201;
G09F 3/0291 20130101; B65D 23/085 20130101; B65D 23/12 20130101;
G09F 2003/0273 20130101; B65D 65/466 20130101; B65D 81/36 20130101;
Y02W 90/14 20150501; Y02W 90/13 20150501; Y02W 90/10 20150501; G09F
3/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/386 |
International
Class: |
B65D 23/14 20060101
B65D023/14 |
Claims
1. A container, comprising; a vessel and an optional cap comprising
a material biodegradable in soil, industrial and home composting,
and fresh and marine water, a plant or tree seed-holding inner
compartment, at least one label comprising a biodegradable material
with embedded plant or tree seeds, a biodegradable coating disposed
on the label; and, a biodegradable adhesive affixing the label to
the vessel.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein the vessel is a bottle for
liquids.
3. The container of claim 1 wherein the vessel/cap material is a
biobased plastic polymer.
4. The container of claim 3 wherein the biobased material is
polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).
5. The bottle of claim 2, comprising a central indentation for the
label, and wherein the seed holding inner compartment is one of a
blow or injection-molded extension of the central indentation
containing an opening coverable by the label.
6. The container if claim 1 wherein the label comprises; 100% soil
biodegradable fibers, embedded plant seeds including exalbuminous,
albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, and cuttings; and, 100% soil
biodegradable inks including vegetable and soil-based inks.
7. The label of claim 6 wherein the thickness is substantially
between 0.001-0.05 inches.
8. The label of claim 6 wherein the biodegradable coating comprises
a liquid-impervious coating made from soil biodegradable material
including vegetable, animal and insect oils and waxes.
9. The coating of claim 8 wherein the coating is layered and the
thickness is substantially between 0.001 and 0.05 inches per
layer.
10. The adhesive of claim 1 comprising 100% biobased, soil
biodegradable adhesives derived from materials including starch,
soy, tree, polyesters, dextrin, animal-based, alginate, and
chitosan.
11. A container, comprising; a vessel and an optional cap
comprising a material biodegradable in soil, industrial and home
composting, and fresh and marine water, at least one label
comprising a biodegradable material with embedded plant or tree
seeds, a biodegradable coating disposed on the label; and, a
biodegradable adhesive affixing the label to the vessel, wherein;
the vessel/cap material is a biobased plastic polymer; the label
comprises; 100% soil biodegradable fibers, embedded plant seeds
including exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, and
cuttings; and, 100% soil biodegradable inks including vegetable and
soil-based inks; the biodegradable coating comprises a
liquid-impervious coating made from soil biodegradable material
including vegetable, animal and insect oils and waxes; and, the
biodegradable adhesive comprises 100% biobased, soil biodegradable
adhesives derived from materials including starch, soy, tree,
polyesters, dextrin, animal-based, alginate, and chitosan.
12. The container of claim 11 wherein the vessel is a bottle for
liquids.
13. The container of claim 11 wherein the vessel/cap biobased
material is polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).
14. The label of claim 11 wherein the thickness is substantially
between 0.001-0.05 inches.
15. The coating of claim 11 wherein the coating is layered and the
thickness is substantially between 0.001 and 0.05 inches per layer.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] This invention relates to biodegradable containers for
consumer use and in particular to a liquid bottle containing one or
two sets of embedded plant seeds, which after use when placed in
soil will biodegrade as well as provide up to two crops of growing
plants or trees.
[0005] One of the more critical problems facing the world's
environment is the large volume of plastic containers, particularly
those used for liquids (eg drinking water bottles). Currently most
such containers are made of materials which remain intact for
extremely long periods after disposal, clogging landfills, and
creating essentially permanent environmental hazards in waterways,
the oceans and on land. For instance there are areas in the open
oceans, in harbors, bays and rivers where currents cause a
concentration of plastic bottles creating large, nearly
impenetrable masses of thick plastic waste, hurting wildlife and
choking off critical natural processes needed to maintain
ecological balance.
[0006] Increasingly, materials are becoming available suitable for
plastic liquid containers that are in various ways, biodegradable.
Such materials vary in their intended application. The vast
majority of these containers end up being disposed of in landfills.
The unique chemical composition of these polymers may not make them
suitable for direct consumer disposal, such as burying in soil or
home composting. Although biodegradation in landfills is certainly
an improvement over the current situation, it would be even more
desirable to make possible and encourage consumers to responsibly
dispose of containers themselves without ever burdening the mass
disposal systems.
[0007] Ideas have been presented to encourage direct consumer
disposal of biodegradable packaging. A particularly suitable idea
is to embed plant seeds in biodegradable packaging such that if the
consumer buries the packaging, not only does it safely biodegrade
but it also provides a crop of carbon dioxide-absorbing plants.
Various papers, cardboards and the like, both biodegradable and
containing embedded seeds, have been developed and some are
commercially available in products like gift cards, wrapping paper
and dry goods containers.
[0008] US Patent application, 11/139,360, since abandoned, extends
this idea to the realm of plastic containers and discusses a range
of implementations mating biodegradable packaging for liquid
containment and container labeling with embedded seeds. However no
mention is made about actual disposal scenarios, suitable materials
for a particular application, nor design, processing and
manufacturing details necessary to actually make a usable product.
In fact at the time of the filing of this application suitable
materials for the direct consumer disposal case did not even
exist.
[0009] Although disclosures such as the above referenced
application present a picture of a desirable end product, to the
Applicants' knowledge, no teachings on how to actually produce a
usable, seeded biodegradable liquid container currently exist. The
implementation of such a container is in fact non-straightforward.
It is the object of this invention to provide innovative designs
for a practical biodegradable seeded container suitable for'direct
consumer disposal.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The invention is a container, including a vessel and an
optional cap made from a material biodegradable in soil,
composting, and water. The container preferably includes a plant
seed-holding inner compartment, at least one label made from a
biodegradable material with embedded plant or tree seeds, a
biodegradable liquid-impervious layer sprayed on all sides of the
label, and a biodegradable adhesive affixing the label to the
vessel. In a preferred embodiment the container is a bottle for
liquids.
[0011] In various embodiments the vessel/cap material is a biobased
plastic polymer. In particular versions the biobased material is
polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).
[0012] In a particular embodiment the vessel has a central
indentation for the label, and the seed holding inner compartment
is a blow or injection-molded extension of the central indentation
with an opening for filling with seeds. The opening is preferably
covered when the label is affixed.
[0013] In various embodiments the label is made from 100% soil
biodegradable fibers, and includes embedded plantable seeds
including exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, and
cuttings, and is printed with 100% soil biodegradable inks
including vegetable and soy-based inks. In particular embodiments,
the label thickness is substantially between 0.001-0.05 inches.
[0014] In preferred embodiments the label is coated on all sides
with a liquid-impervious coating made from soil biodegradable
material including vegetable, animal and insect oils and waxes. In
particular aspects, the coating is layered and the thickness is
substantially between 0.001 and 0.05 inches per layer per side.
[0015] In other embodiments, the label adhesive is a 100% biobased,
soil biodegradable adhesives derived from materials including
starch, soy, tree, polyesters, casein, dextrin, animal-based,
alginate, and chitosan. In another embodiment, the invention is a
vessel without the inner compartment but using the disclosed
techniques and materials for the container, label, coating, and
adhesive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The invention will be better understood by referring to the
following figures.
[0017] FIG. 1 depicts the basic features of the vessel and
label.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a detailed depiction of the vessel, cap and label
including the central compartment, adhesive and coating along with
the two-stage seeding.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a version of the vessel. Label and optional cap
without the central compartment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1 a container including vessel 1 along
with a central compartment 2 and label 3 are depicted. In the
preferred case, as shown by way of example, the vessel is a liquid
container and may be a beverage container such as a drinking water
bottle. Other liquid containers may benefit from the invention and
thus the invention should not be construed as limited to
beverages.
[0021] As the container is intended to be consumer disposable, it
is specifically designed to be deliberately buried and planted or
compostable. An exemplary implementation is to produce the vessel
of a biobased plastic polymer such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)
that is biodegradable in industrial and home compost environments,
soil, freshwater, and marine environments. This material is
certified biodegradable in such conditions as per ASTM, EN, or
other generally accepted 3.sup.rd party standards and testing
groups. Disposal in marine or fresh water environments is not
preferred but in case the container finds its way into such
environments it will biodegrade. This bottle is not designed to
biodegrade in landfill environments as they are devoid of the
proper microbes used in breaking down the biobased polymer. For
this material the container is made using a blow molding or an
injection molding process as is known in the art.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a preferred implementation,
the vessel 1 has a central indentation sized for the label 3 as
shown. At any rate, the vessel 1 contains a central or inner seed
compartment 2, which may be molded into the vessel. In a preferred
embodiment, compartment 2 has a seed loading opening 5, and is
molded behind the label 3 position. Thus first stage seed 6a may be
loaded into the compartment 2 and sealed into place by label 3.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2, Label 3 is made from a soil/compostable
material and includes second stage seeds 6b. In an exemplary
implementation, the label may be made from 100% soil biodegradable
fibers (from leaves, bark, plastic, etc.) having seeds 6b
(exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, cuttings, etc.)
embedded into or onto the structure. The label may have an overall
thickness of approximately 0.001-0.05 inches. The label is printed
on using 100% biobased, soil biodegradable vegetable or soy-based
inks.
[0024] The detailed depiction of an exemplary vessel/label with
seeding is shown in FIG. 2. Label 3 is coated with a biodegradable
liquid-impervious coating 7. In an exemplary implementation, all
sides are waterproofed using a spray-on application of layers of
liquefied/emulsified biobased, soil biodegradable oils or waxes
(i.e. vegetable, soy, insect, animal waxes.) and having a thickness
of approximately 0.001-0.05 inches thickness per layer. The coating
7 is resistant to the cold and moisture of a refrigerated
environment and the warmth and moisture of a storage
environment.
[0025] Label 3 is affixed to vessel using a biodegradable adhesive
8. In an exemplary implementation, the label adhered to the vessel
using 100% biobased, soil biodegradable adhesives from 100% natural
sources such as: starch, soy, tree, polyesters, dextrin,
animal-based, alginate, chitosan, etc. The adhesive 8 is resistant
to the cold and moisture of a refrigerated environment and the
warmth and moisture of a storage environment.
[0026] Thus for the exemplary implementation as shown in the
Figure, first stage seeds 6a are loaded into compartment 2 through
opening 5. Label 3 with embedded second stage seeds 6b, coated with
a liquid-impervious layer 7 is affixed to vessel 1 with adhesive 8.
Of course other implementations of loading and retaining seed 3a
into compartment 2 are contemplated and will be apparent to those
skilled in the art and the depiction shown is by way of example
only.
[0027] As stated above, the techniques and materials described
herein for the design and construction of the container, optional
cap, label, coatings and adhesives are to the inventor's knowledge
the first implementation of a seeded, biodegradable liquid
container that in fact provides a consumer usable product that soil
or home-biodegrades and propagates in a desirable fashion. As such
the teachings of this invention also are applicable to a single
stage implementation as shown in FIG. 3, including container 1,
seeded label 3 and optional cap 4.
[0028] Thus the novel container may be used and then responsibly
disposed of by the consumer. Either in the home burial or compost
scenario, the consumer is encouraged to responsibly dispose of the
container since up to two crops of plants will propagate from the
disposed container. And for the case of mass disposal, the
container is compostable in an industrial compost environment, much
preferable to landfill. For the case where the container by
accident makes its way to a freshwater or marine environment, it
will still biodegrade if non-floating.
[0029] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present
invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamental
novel features of the invention. It will be understood that various
omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the detail of
the systems and methods as illustrated as well as the uses thereof,
may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the
spirit of the invention. Consequently, the scope of the invention
should not be limited to the foregoing discussions, but should be
defined by appended claims.
* * * * *