Package or Product Having A Use Indicator

Abstract

A package includes a container, a product carried within the container, a closure coupled to the container, and a use indicator coupled to at least one of the container or the closure so that, upon removal of the closure from the container or upon removal of the product from within the container, a coloration of the package changes irreversibly to indicate to a user that the package has been used.

1 . A package that includes:
 a container,   a flowable product carried within the container,   a closure coupled to the container, and   a use indicator coupled to at least one of the container or the closure so that, upon removal of the closure from the container or upon removal of the flowable product from within the container, a coloration of the package changes irreversibly to indicate to a user that the package has been used.   
     
     
         2 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the coloration includes at least one of color, hue, or translucency of the indicator. 
     
     
         3 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the indicator includes an indicating liquid carried in a housing that is coupled to both the container and the closure. 
     
     
         4 . The package set forth in  claim 3  wherein the housing is carried between the closure and the container. 
     
     
         5 . The package set forth in  claim 3  wherein the housing is non-removably secured to exterior surfaces of the closure and the container, wherein upon removal of the closure from the container, the housing ruptures such that the indicating liquid is released and flows over and permanently discolors one or more surfaces of the container. 
     
     
         6 . The package set forth in  claim 5  wherein the indicator includes a sticker adhered to the closure and the container. 
     
     
         7 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the indicator includes an indicating liquid carried in a housing carried axially between a portion of the closure and a portion of the container. 
     
     
         8 . The package set forth in  claim 7  wherein the container has a neck finish with a lip, and the housing is carried between a base wall of the closure and the lip of the container neck finish. 
     
     
         9 . The package set forth in  claim 8  wherein the closure is a push-and-turn type of closure that must be pushed toward the container before rotating the closure to remove the closure from the container, wherein the housing ruptures during push-and-turn removal of the closure such that the indicating liquid is released and flows over and permanently discolors one or more surfaces of the container. 
     
     
         10 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the indicator includes an indicating liquid carried in a housing carried radially between a portion of the closure and a portion of the container. 
     
     
         11 . The package set forth in  claim 10  wherein the container has a neck finish, and the housing is carried between an annular skirt of the closure and an outer annular surface of the container neck finish. 
     
     
         12 . The package set forth in  claim 11  wherein the closure includes a radially inwardly extending barb to puncture the housing upon removal of the closure from the container such that the indicating liquid is released and flows over and permanently discolors one or more surfaces of the container. 
     
     
         13 . The package set forth in  claim 11  wherein the indicator further includes a material on the outer annular surface that is reactive with the indicating liquid to change the coloration. 
     
     
         14 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the indicator includes a material on one or more exterior surfaces of the container in a location between the container and the closure when the closure is applied to the container, wherein the material includes a first plurality of microcapsules including a first reactant and a second plurality of microcapsules including a second reactant different from the first reactant, such that upon removal of the closure from the container, at least some of the microcapsules rupture, and at least some of each of the first and second reactants mix and react with one another to change a coloration of the indicator. 
     
     
         15 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the indicator includes an air-reactive material on an interior surface of the container that, upon contact with air, irreversibly changes the coloration to indicate to a user that at least one of the closure or the flowable product has been removed from the container. 
     
     
         16 . The package set forth in  claim 15  wherein the indicator is visually responsive to irradiation. 
     
     
         17 . The package set forth in  claim 15  wherein the indicator includes a protective material for the air-reactive material that is dissolved by the flowable product upon filling the container with the flowable product. 
     
     
         18 . The package set forth in  claim 15  wherein the indicator includes an air-reactive base material composed of at least one of copper, iron, potassium, sodium, PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), or polycarbonate, and the indicator also includes a protective material over the base material and composed of at least one of polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, xanthan gum, pectin, chitosan derivatives, dextran, carrageenan, guar gum, and/or cellulose ethers, for instance, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), or sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (Na-CMC). 
     
     
         19 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the indicator includes a material with microcapsules carried in a forward osmosis membrane. 
     
     
         20 . The package set forth in  claim 1  wherein the use indicator includes a capsule including at least one of an etchant or a colorant and carried in at least one of a cavity in an external surface of the container or a recessed area of the container, a capsule activator corresponding to the cavity and depressible therein, and a cover over the activator and the capsule. 
     
     
         21 . A product that includes:
 a container; and   a use indicator carried by the container so that, upon removal of a closure from the container or upon removal of flowable product from within the container, a coloration of the product changes irreversibly to indicate to a user that the package has been used.   
     
     
         22 . The product set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the use indicator includes a material on one or more exterior surfaces of a neck finish of the container, wherein the material includes a first plurality of microcapsules including a first reactant and a second plurality of microcapsules including a second reactant different from the first reactant. 
     
     
         23 . A package including the product set forth in  claim 22  and a closure coupled to the container, wherein upon removal of the closure from the container, at least some of the microcapsules rupture, and at least some of each of the first and second reactants mix and react with one another to change a coloration of the indicator. 
     
     
         24 . The product set forth in  claim 21  wherein the use indicator is carried inside the container. 
     
     
         25 . The product set forth in  claim 24  wherein the indicator includes an air-reactive material on an interior surface of the container. 
     
     
         26 . The product set forth in  claim 25  wherein the indicator does not include a protective material and instead the air-reactive material is composed of a material that is visually responsive to irradiation. 
     
     
         27 . The product set forth in  claim 25  wherein the indicator includes a protective material for the air-reactive material that is dissolved by the flowable product upon filling the container with the flowable product. 
     
     
         28 . The product set forth in  claim 25  wherein the air-reactive material includes an air-reactive base material composed of at least one of copper, iron, potassium, sodium, PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), or polycarbonate, and the indicator also includes a protective material over the base material and composed of at least one of polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, xanthan gum, pectin, chitosan derivatives, dextran, carrageenan, guar gum, and/or cellulose ethers, for instance, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), or sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (Na-CMC). 
     
     
         29 . The product set forth in  claim 24  wherein the indicator includes a material with microcapsules carried in a forward osmosis membrane. 
     
     
         30 . The product set forth in  claim 21  wherein the container includes a wall recess and the use indicator is carried in the wall recess. 
     
     
         31 . The product set forth in  claim 30  wherein the wall recess is a grip recess for the container. 
     
     
         32 . A package including the product set forth in  claim 21 , a closure coupled to the container, and a flowable product carried in the container. 
     
     
         33 . A method of producing a product that includes the steps of:
 (a) positioning an indicator inside of a container, wherein the indicator has a coloration state changeable to another coloration state in response to use of the product;   (b) flowing a flowable product into the container to at least partially cover the indicator; and   (c) assembling a closure to the container.   
     
     
         34 . The method set forth in  claim 33 , further comprising a step of irradiating the air-reactive indicator after the assembling step (c) to reset the coloration state of the indicator. 
     
     
         35 . The method set forth in  claim 33 , wherein the indicator includes a protective material, and wherein the flowing step (b) includes dissolving the protective material with the flowable product. 
     
     
         36 . The method set forth in  claim 33 , wherein the indicator includes a material with microcapsules carried in a forward osmosis membrane and wherein the flowing step (b) hydrates the microcapsules to maintain the microcapsules intact. 
     
     
         37 . The method set forth in  claim 33  wherein the assembling step (c) is conducted under at least one of a vacuum condition or an oxygen-free environment. 
     
     
         38 . A product produced by the method set forth in  claim 33 . 
     
     
         39 . A method of using the product set forth in  claim 38  that includes:
 removing the closure to open the container; and 
 dispensing the flowable product out of the container and over the indicator, such that the indicator is exposed to air and exhibits a different state of coloration that is irreversible to the initial state of coloration. 
 
     
     
         40 . A method of discouraging reuse of a container after opening of the container, which includes the step of: applying a permanent discoloration to the container, which is observable by a potential user to indicate that the container has already been used. 
     
     
         41 . The method set forth in  claim 40  wherein said step of applying a permanent discoloration to the container is carried out by a process selected from the group consisting of:
 (1) applying a sticker to the outside of the container and the closure, which sticker contains a dye that is released when the closure is removed from the container, 
 (2) placing a packet of dye in a closure, which packet is ruptured upon removal of the closure from the container to release the dye, 
 (3) placing a reactive ink on an exterior surface of the container and an actuator material in a closure in such a way as to be released when the closure is removed from the container to release the actuator material and activate the reactive ink, 
 (4) placing microcapsules on an exterior surface of the container in such a way that at least some of the microcapsules are crushed when a closure is removed from the container, the microcapsules containing reactants that react with each other to generate a detectable spectral shift, 
 (5) placing air-reactive materials on an interior surface of the container such that, when the container is opened and/or contents of the container are removed, the air-reactive materials are exposed to air, thereby causing a detectable spectral shift, 
 (6) coating the interior surface of the container with microcapsules embedded in a forward osmosis membrane, such that the microcapsules rupture and permanently discolor at least one of the membrane material or the container when the contents are removed from the container, and 
 (7) carrying a capsule of at least one of etchant material or colorant material on a container in such a way that the etchant and/or colorant material is released to change the appearance of the container upon rupture of the capsule caused by a user.