Abstract:
The present invention provides an economical process for forming a plastic integral product having a protected advertising surface and the resulting product which contains an indicia or imprint which is completely protected from the possibility of damage. The product has an interior liner and an exterior integral transparent or translucent layer to allow unimpeded viewing of any imprint placed on the exterior of the liner. Furthermore, the product provides an attractive, completely integral product having a protected advertising surface. An example of the integral product is in the form of a tumbler, a mug, a cup, a coaster, a coin dish or the like.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a multi-step process for forming a protected advertising surface on a container or other product and to the product having the protected advertising surface. In a preferred example, a drinking vessel has an inner liner formed by injection molding; an imprint is placed on the exterior of the liner and the exterior of the liner and its rim are encompassed and bonded with a translucent or transparent plastic to form an integral drinking vessel with an imprint visible from the exterior but protected from exterior or interior damage. The same process may be applied to a different type of product or container such as a coaster or a change dish or a lid and the like, to provide a protected advertising surface. 
     Most advertising surfaces, for example, thermal drinking vessels, which exhibit a decal or design are formed from two separate parts laminated or sealed after the decal has been placed between the parts prior to sealing. Such vessels tend to chip or the seal becomes broken so that the thermal properties are lost and the decal or design becomes damaged or dislodged. Many products have the design or logo printed or otherwise affixed to the exterior of the product whereupon the design itself wears or becomes damaged. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,948 to F. Yeh provides a mug assembly with an internal mug adapted to be positioned inside an external mug, the latter of which is transparent. The internal mug is made of a non-plastic material which is ceramic, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware or glass. A sealing method or material secures the internal mug inside the external mug. Decorative indicia may be provided between the inner of the external mug and the outer surface of the internal mug. Although this assembly technique may appear simple, it has the drawback mentioned above where the seal can become broken and the imprint or decal damaged. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,931 to G. Cranford, provides a method for printing a sublimation transfer on a container having a handle, such as a cup or mug. The length of the transfer is sufficient to completely encircle the outer surface of the mug. The sublimation transfer is pressed against the mug and heat is applied to transfer the printing to the mug. The design of the transfer allows printing to completely encircle the mug. However, the transfer is on the exterior of the mug and is easily subjected to damage. 
     The present invention provides an economical process for forming a protected advertising surface as a part of a container, e.g., a drinking vessel, a coaster, a coin container or the like and further resides in the advertising surface protected product itself. As an example, the drinking vessel has an interior liner, which can be opaque, translucent, or transparent, and an exterior integral transparent or translucent layer to allow unimpeded viewing of any indicia placed on the exterior of the liner. Furthermore, the drinking vessel provides an attractive, completely integral vessel for consumption of warm and cold beverages. The vessel may be in the form of a tumbler, a mug, or a cup or the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a process for preparing an injection molded product having a protected advertising surface, generally a container, which process comprises forming in a first injection mold a liner from a plastic material, the liner having a bottom, an interior, an exterior and a rim. The liner is removed from the injection mold, imprinted with indicia on its exterior, and placed in a second injection mold. In a second injection mold, an outer layer of plastic material is provided to surround and fuse to the exterior of the liner including the rim and bottom to provide an integral container. The plastic in the second mold will be translucent or transparent so that the imprint on the interior liner will be visible from the outside of the container and completely protected by the outer layer. The two parts fuse in the second molding step to make an integral item without any bonding agent. The final product cannot be separated into the liner layer and the exterior layer but remains a unitary item. 
     A protected advertising surface is an interior surface of a multilayer product which surface is receptive of indicia or other design and which can be viewed from the exterior of the product while being completely protected from the possibility of damage. 
     Suitable plastic material may be used to form the liner and the outer layer. Among suitable plastic materials are acrylics, styrenes, polycarbonates, and combinations thereof. Particularly suitable plastic materials are styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) and acrylics. 
     The present invention also provides an integral injection molded product having a protected advertising surface which comprises a plastic liner having a bottom, an interior, an exterior and a rim. The exterior of the liner may have either a jut out or tab adjacent the rim, or the interior may have a vertical small flat edge or other design, to be used solely as a registration point for placement of indicia. The registration point may also be used as a registration point for the second mold. Any of these types of registration points permits accurate location of any indicia or imprint placed on the exterior of the liner with respect to placement of the liner in the second injection mold for making the final product. This is particularly true when the product is a mug, cup, or the like where the shape is not completely symmetrical. An injection molded outer layer of translucent or transparent plastic material surrounds and fuses to the exterior of the liner including the rim to provide an integral container with a visible imprint. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a liner of one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the liner of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a vertical section taken through the mid-point of the handle and embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a liner of another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the liner of FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a vertical section taken through the mid-point of the handle and embodiment of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a mug  10 , having a liner  12 . The liner  12  depicted in FIG. 2 is formed in a first injection mold and removed therefrom. The liner  12  is then placed in a second injection mold wherein the rest of the mug  10  is molded around the liner  12  to provide the mug exterior  14 , a base  22  and a handle  16  all of which are integral to form the mug  10 . 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the liner  12  having an exterior  17 , a bottom  15  and a rim  13 . In addition, the liner  12  has a tab or jut out  18  at the top of the liner  12  on one side of the liner  12 . The tab  18  allows the location of the liner  12  to be properly oriented when the liner  12  is placed in the second injection mold. This allows accurate registration of any indicia or imprint  26  on the exterior of the liner  12  which appears through the translucent or transparent exterior  14  of the mug  10 . However, orientation is not required for a tumbler. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the liner  12 , having an interior  19 , and clearly depicting the tab  18  with respect to placement on the exterior  17  of the liner  12 . 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a vertical section taken through the mid-point of the handle and embodiment of FIG.  1 . This section view of the mug  10  allows a further understanding of the relationship of the liner  12  with its tab  18  with respect to registration of the imprint  26  in relation to the handle  16  as desired by the manufacturer. The tab  18  interlocks with corresponding locations (not shown here) in the second injection mold. This accurate placement of the liner  12  in the second injection mold allows formation of the handle  16  consistently with relation to the imprint  26  and the rest of the mug  10 . The imprint  26  may extend all around the mug  10  or may be located on both sides of the mug  10  or just one side of the mug  10  as illustrated here. The rim  24  of the mug  10  extends over the rim  13  of the liner  12 . Thus the exterior  14  of the mug  10  formed in the second injection mold, covers and is fused to the liner exterior  17 , the liner bottom exterior  15 , the tab  18  and the liner rim  13  to form the integral mug  10 . 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a mug  50 , having a liner  52 . The liner  52  depicted in FIG. 6 is formed in a first injection mold and removed therefrom. The liner  52  is then placed in a second injection mold wherein the rest of the mug  50  is molded around the liner  52  to provide the mug exterior  54 , a base  62  and a handle  56  all of which are integral to form the mug  50 . 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the liner  52  having an exterior  57 , a bottom  55  and a rim  53 . In addition, the interior  59  of the liner  52  has a vertical small flat edge  60 . The vertical small flat edge  60  allows the location of the liner  52  to be properly oriented when the liner  52  is placed in the second injection mold. This allows accurate registration of any indicia or imprint  66  on the exterior of the liner  52  which appears through the translucent or transparent exterior  54  of the mug  50 . 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the liner  52  clearly depicting the vertical small flat edge  60  with respect to placement on the interior  59  of the liner  52 . The vertical small flat edge  60  need not extend the entire height of the interior of the liner  52 , however, aesthetically, the extension of the vertical small flat edge  60  for most of the height of the liner  52  is desirable. 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a vertical section taken through the mid-point of the handle and embodiment of FIG.  5 . This section view of the mug  50  allows a further understanding of the relationship of the liner  52  with the vertical small flat edge  60  with respect to registration of the imprint  66  in relation to the handle  56  as desired by the manufacturer. The vertical small flat edge  60  interfaces with a corresponding flat edge (not shown here) in the second injection mold. This accurate placement of the liner  52  in the second injection mold allows formation of the handle  56  consistently with relation to the imprint  66  and the rest of the mug  50 . The imprint  66  may extend all around the mug  50  or may be located on both sides of the mug  50  or just one side of the mug  50  as illustrated here. The rim  64  of the mug  50  extends over the rim  53  of the liner  52 . Thus the exterior  54  of the mug  50  formed in the second injection mold, covers and is fused to the liner exterior  57 , the liner bottom exterior  55 , and the liner rim  53  to form the integral mug  50 . 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Styrene acrylonitrile in the form of a commercial product identified as SAN is prepared by known procedures for a first injection mold. The styrene acrylonitrile material may contain color dye or other suitable materials to make the liner  12  opaque, solid in appearance, translucent or transparent. The SAN is injected into the first mold at a predetermined temperature suitable for injection molding of the styrene acrylonitrile polymer. The injection molding step generally ranges from about one to about three minutes depending on the desired thickness of the product liner  12 . The liner  12  is then removed from the mold. The liner  12  contains tab  18  as described heretofore. 
     Any desired imprint or indicia is placed on the exterior  17  of the liner by suitable means. For example, the imprint may be effected in ink, e.g., Nasdar screen ink, or pad print accomplished by screen printing or in the form of a printed paper, decal or the like. The imprint indicia is secured, if necessary, to the outside  17  of the liner  12 . 
     The liner  12  is placed in a second injection mold, or alternatively in a second compartment of the first mold, with the tab  18  properly aligned with the corresponding negative registries, i.e., a notch for the tab  18  of the liner  12 . 
     A suitable styrene acrylonitrile material or an acrylic material, containing the desired dyes for color is loaded to be dispensed through the second injection mold at the predetermined temperatures and times outlined above. The plastic material injected into the second mold covers the liner exterior  17 , liner bottom exterior  15 , and the liner rim  13 . In addition, the second mold contains die space for the mug base  22  and handle  16  to form a completed mug. The finished mug  10  is then removed from the mold, cooled, and is ready for shipment or sale. 
     The exterior of the second mold may be highly polished to provide excellent clarity of the mug exterior  14  thus making any indicia or imprint  26  on the liner  12  highly visible. If desired, an additional imprint may be added to the outside of the mug over the internal imprint to provide a 3-D effect, however, such an imprint is not protected from external wearing, scratching and other destruction without further treatment. 
     By merely changing the die of the mold, other drinking vessels may be produced by the process of the present invention. For instance, a more conventional cup design may be formed. The same process steps may be employed and if desired, the same type of registration tabs may be used. The registration tab may be placed at any appropriate location on the liner so long as the mug exterior  14  covers the tab  18  to provide a smooth exterior  14  of the mug  10 . 
     In addition, a tumbler is easily formed and does not require the tab for registration of a handle. A tumbler does not have a handle and because it exhibits complete symmetry, the indicia does not ordinarily require registration, however, if there are multi color portions of the indicia, some form of registration may be necessary. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Acrylic in the form of a commercial product is prepared by known procedures for a first injection mold. The acrylic material may contain color dye or other suitable materials to make the liner  52  opaque, solid in appearance, translucent or transparent. The acrylic material is injected into the first mold at a predetermined temperature suitable for injection molding of the acrylic polymer. The injection molding step generally ranges from about one to about three minutes depending on the desired thickness of the product liner  52 . The liner  52  is then removed from the mold. The liner  52  contains the vertical small flat edge  60  as described heretofore. 
     Any desired imprint or indicia is placed on the exterior  57  of the liner by suitable means. The imprint indicia is secured, if necessary, to the outside  57  of the liner  52 . 
     The liner  52  is placed in a second injection mold, or alternatively in a second compartment of the first mold, with the vertical small flat edge  60  properly aligned with the corresponding flat edge registry in the mold. 
     A suitable acrylic material, containing the desired dyes for color is loaded to be dispensed through the second injection mold at the predetermined temperatures and times outlined above. The plastic material injected into the second mold covers the liner exterior  57 , liner bottom exterior  55 , and the liner rim  53 . In addition, the second mold contains die space for the mug base  62  and handle  56  to form a completed mug. The finished mug  50  is then removed from the mold, cooled, and is ready for shipment or sale. 
     By merely changing the die of the mold, other articles having the protected advertising surface, may be produced by the process of the present invention. For instance, a taller vessel simulating a tumbler, but with a handle may be formed. The same process steps may be employed and the same type of vertical small flat edge may be used for registry of any indicia. The vertical small flat edge may be placed at any appropriate location on the interior of the liner so long as the second mold has a corresponding vertical flat edge. Although either the tab or the vertical small flat edge may be used to satisfactorily register the second mold with the liner, other registration forms would be suitable and are included herein. 
     Other products upon which protected advertising surfaces are desirable, are containers which include change dishes, lids and/or coasters for drinking vessels, candy dishes or dishes of any type, or the like. The protected “advertising” surface may also be simply a design and therefore is not used exclusively for advertising. 
     Although the invention has been described in considerable detail in the foregoing, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for the purpose of illustration and that variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.