System and method for passively adding scent to a consumable product using plastic leaching

Abstract

A system and method is claimed for dispensing scent into a consumable material. The system involves bottling a volume of consumable material and sealing the bottle with a cap assembly. The cap assembly can have many different configurations. However, regardless of its configuration, the cap assembly includes at least one section of scented plastic that is left exposed to the contents of the bottle after the bottle is sealed with the cap assembly. The scented plastic contains a scented compound. As the scented plastic is left exposed to the contents of the bottle, scent from the scented compound leaches out of the plastic in into the consumable material. As such, the liquid passively acquires the scent of the scented plastic.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for dispensing scent into a consumable product that is held in a container having a threaded neck, said assembly comprising: 
 a cap assembly, for selectively sealing the container, that includes: 
 a cap plate having a top surface, a bottom surface and a peripheral edge;  
 a cylindrical wall extending from said bottom surface of said cap plate proximate said peripheral edge, said cylindrical wall being at least partially internally threaded; and  
   a section of scented plastic supported by said cap assembly that contains between one percent and twenty five percent of a scented compound, by weight, wherein at least a portion of said scented plastic is exposed to the liquid in the container when said cap assembly engages the container.    
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said cap assembly is molded plastic and said section of scented plastic is integrally molded as part of said cap assembly.  
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , further including at least one protrusion extending from said bottom surface of said cap plate, wherein said at least one protrusion contains said section of scented plastic.  
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 3 , wherein said at least one protrusion is part of an insert that is selectively attachable to said cap assembly.  
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 3 , wherein said at least one protrusion is molded as part of said bottom surface of said cap plate.  
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , further including a cylindrical neck extension that has external threads for engaging the cap assembly and internal threads for engaging the threaded neck of the container, wherein said neck extension contains said section of scented plastic.  
     
     
         7 . A method of dispensing scent to a consumable product held in a container, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a cap assembly for said container that can be selectively used to seal said container, wherein an exposed section of said cap assembly remains exposed to the consumable product in said container when said cap assembly is used to seal said container;    providing a scented plastic in said exposed section that contains between one-quarter of one percent and twenty five percent of a scented compound, by weight;    sealing said container with said cap assembly for a period of time sufficient to enable some of said scented compound to leach from said scented plastic into the consumable product.    
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said step of providing a scented plastic includes molding said cap assembly from a scented plastic.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said step of providing a cap assembly includes providing a cap and an insert that engages said cap, wherein said insert passes into said container and contains said scented plastic.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said cap assembly includes a cap and a neck extension that is coupled to said cap.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein said step of sealing said container with said cap assembly includes engaging said neck extension with said container.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said cap assembly includes a cap and at least one protrusion that extends from said cap, wherein said at least one protrusion is contained within said exposed section.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said liquid has a particular scent and said scented plastic has the same scent as said consumable product.  
     
     
         14 . A method of adding scent to a consumable material, comprising the steps of: 
 placing a volume of consumable material in a confined container;    exposing said consumable material in said container to a molded plastic that contains a scented compound for a period of time sufficient to enable scent from said molded plastic to leach into said volume of consumable material.    
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein said step of placing a volume of consumable material in a confined container includes bottling the consumable material in a bottle having a threaded neck.  
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said step of exposing said consumable material to a molded plastic includes fabricated a bottle cap from said molded plastic and sealing said bottle with said bottle cap.  
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein said bottle cap has at least one protrusion that extends into said bottle when said bottle is sealed with said bottle cap.  
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said step of exposing said consumable material to a molded plastic includes fabricating an insert from said molded plastic and inserting said insert into said bottle.  
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said step of exposing said consumable material to a molded plastic includes fabricating a neck extension for said bottle from said molded plastic and coupling said neck extension to said threaded neck.