Beverage Container Identification

Abstract

A group of beverage containers that are each uniquely identified within the group, each having a container label and a removable cap. There are a plurality of beverage containers removably held together in a group such that a consumer is able to remove one or more containers from the group. There are the same plurality of separate identifying graphics, each graphic of the plurality of graphics unique from all other graphics of the plurality of separate identifying graphics. Each container has one of the plurality of separate identifying graphics applied to both its cap and its label, wherein each container of the group is thus uniquely identified relative to all other containers of the group. If a cap is removed from a container of the group it can be matched up to its original container by matching the unique identifying graphic that is applied both to the container and to the cap.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of uniquely identifying each separate beverage container in a group of multiple beverage containers that are packaged for sale to consumers, before the group is sold to a consumer, each container having a container label and a removable cap, the method comprising:
 creating a group of a plurality of separate unique identifying indicia that each comprises at least one of alphanumeric identifiers and graphics, each indicium of the group unique from all other indicia of the group;   applying only one of the group of separate unique identifying indicia to each container, or the label for the container, and also applying the same one of the group of separate unique identifying indicia to the removable cap of each such container, wherein the same separate unique identifying indicia is applied to any particular container, or the label for such container, and also to the removable cap of each such container; and   wherein each container of the group has the same unique identifying indicium on both the cap and the container or the container label, so that each beverage container of the group is uniquely identified relative to all other beverage containers of the group by an indicium on both the container or its label and its cap, so that if a cap is removed from a container it can be matched up by the consumer to the container that the cap was removed from.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein creating a group of a plurality of separate unique identifying indicia that each comprises at least one of alphanumeric identifiers and graphics comprises printing the indicia on stickers. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the group of separate unique identifying indicia comprises at least two stickers carrying each unique identifying indicium. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the applying step comprises applying one of the at least two stickers carrying a unique identifying indicium to the cap of a container and applying a second of the at least two stickers carrying a unique identifying indicium to either this same container or to the label of this same container. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein all the unique identifying indicia are emojis. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the applying step comprises printing the same emoji on both a container or its label and to the cap of this same container. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein each container of the group is printed such that each container or its label and the cap of this same container carries the same unique emoji. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the applying step comprises printing the same unique identifying indicium on both a container label and to the cap of this same container. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein each container of the group is printed such that each container and the cap of this same container carries the same unique identifying indicium.