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Methods for promoting comestible productsRelated Patent Categories: Food Or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, And Products, Packaged Or Wrapped Product, Having Nonedible Spacer To Segregate All Units Of Multiunit Food Product, Diverse FoodMethods for promoting comestible products description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060240155, Methods for promoting comestible products. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is related to the following applications, which were filed in the United States Patent Office on the same date hereof: "LOW CALORIE, PALATABLE SUGAR SUBSTITUTE WITH ENHANCED SWEETNESS" {Attorney Docket MSP 5026}; "ENHANCING KIT FOR COMESTIBLE PRODUCTS," {Attorney Docket MSP 5025}; and "KIT FOR PROVIDING SWEETENERS HAVING NON-STANDARD SWEETNESS LEVELS," {Attorney Docket MSP 5027}. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to methods for promoting unsweetened unit sized and bulk quantity sized comestible products, and kits suitable for use therein. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] Consumers often add different types of flavors to the foods they consume in order to customize the taste to their personal preferences. One of the most commonly added flavor is sweetness. Sweeteners are typically added to beverages such as coffees and teas, on cereals, on fruits, as toppings on baked goods, and the like. The appeal of a product is typically increased as a result of sweetening. This preference is generally apparent in many cultures, but is particularly prevalent in western cultures. [0006] One type of known sweetener is the "nutritive sweetener," which not only provide sweetness but also are absorbable into the human bloodstream and are metabolized, thereby providing energy for immediate use or storage as fat. Examples of nutritive sweeteners include, but are not limited to sucrose, trehelose, tagatose, and the stereo-isomers of natural sugars, dextrose (glucose), and fructose. Consumers often flavor their foods with nutritive sweeteners in the form of sucrose (table sugar), crystalline dextrose (glucose), fructose, molasses, and syrups such as corn syrup. [0007] A well-known alternative to nutritive sweeteners is the high intensity sweeteners ("HIS"), which provide a means for sweetening products without the caloric burden and other metabolic impacts associated with nutritive sweeteners. Examples of nutritive sweeteners include, but are not limited to sucralose and aspartame. [0008] Both nutritive and high intensity sweeteners are readily available in convenient unit dose packages containing free flowing powders, granules, crystals, agglomerate, particles, syrups, solutions, or dispersions. Examples of such unit dose packaging include, but are not limited to packets, stick packets, sachets, and the like. Typically, such commercially available unit dose packaging contains a sweetener having the equivalent sweetness of 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar; however, such packages may contain other useful quantities as disclosed in the three, cross-referenced related applications set forth above. [0009] Such unit dose packages of sweeteners are typically sold to consumers in multi-pack units. For example, containers with 50, 100, 200, 400, 400, and 2000 individual packets of SPLENDA.RTM. No Calorie Sweetener product are commercially available from McNEIL NUTRITIONALS, LLC. These unit dose packages are also available from multi-pack containers and dispensers in most restaurants, coffee shops, and the like. A single, unit dose package of sweetener is not only available at retail establishments, but is sometimes sent to consumers as single unit dose package samples. [0010] In order to provide simplicity and avoid confusion for consumers as they switch between various sweetener alternatives, all consumer sweeteners are calibrated to the sweetness level provide by sucrose. For example, packets of sucrose contain 1 or 2 teaspoons of sucrose. Therefore, when a consumer uses a packet, they can easily calibrate the serving to the amount of sucrose typically spooned from a sugar bowl containing bulk sucrose. Not only are tablets and cubes formulated with HIS calibrated to sucrose equivalent teaspoons, but also liquid high intensity sweetener formulations are also designed so that a fixed number of drops provides the equivalence of a teaspoon of sucrose. [0011] While the teaspoon is a well-established standard unit for sweetener quantity, and the sweetness of HIS has traditionally been calibrated to such standard units of sucrose as a standard, in actual practice a consumer customizes the amount of sweetener to his/her individual taste. Regardless of which sweetener, e.g. a nutritive sweetener, a non-nutritive sweeteners, or a high intensity sweetener, is selected, the user will encounter difficulties in customizing a sweetness level based upon a non-standard unit dose. [0012] For example, consumers who desire to sweeten a product using sucrose cubes are limited in the amount of sweetness that can be achieved intermediate to the designed delivery amount in a cube, e.g. typically 1 teaspoon. The consumer has even less flexibility when using HIS formulated tablets, which are typically designed to provide 2 teaspoons. Although it is possible to break a cube or tablet in half or even smaller pieces, not only is this method messy, but the resulting pieces are often inconsistent in shape. Even if shape consistency could be obtained, the range of alternatives would still be limited to increments of a half teaspoon, i.e. 0.5 tsp, 1 tsp, 1.5 tsp, 2 tsp, 2.5 tsp. Another method to customize a sweetness level would include the crushing of a cube and use of only a part of the crushed material. While this approach would provide more flexibility, it is messy, wasteful, and hard to repeat on a consistent basis. [0013] Bulk forms of sweeteners provide the consumer with the greatest flexibility in obtaining the desired sweetener level. The consumer can use a part of a spoonful, multiple spoonfuls, or combinations thereof to reach the desired sweet flavor level. While this approach is very flexible, bulk sweeteners are not typically available outside the home due to tampering concerns. Additionally, many consumers are still challenged by measuring less than teaspoon size quantities on a repeated basis. Many consumers also encounter difficulties in filling a teaspoon to the standard level on a repeated basis. [0014] Packets or sachets containing a free flowing solid material not only provide a convenient way to deliver a unit quantity of sweetness, but they also facilitate a user's ability to customize sweetness levels to individual tastes. A consumer can use a full packet containing 1 or 2 teaspoon of sucrose equivalent sweetness, or use just part of a packet, or a combination thereof. As with bulk sweeteners, the use of sweetener packets provides for more flexibility in dosing because it is possible to use partial packets in order to get an infinite range of sweetness. However, in the event that the user desires to "customize a dose" by using, for example, a packet and a half of sweetener, it is often difficult to repeat such dose with certainty. Additionally, there is no simple way of storing an opened packet containing HIS for future use, so the unused sweetener in the second packet is often discarded. [0015] Often manufacturers sweeten their products to avoid requiring consumers to have to add their own sweetener or correctly judge the level of sweetness required. While this approach may be more convenient to consumers, it also forces the consumers to accept the sweetener type and level of sweetness chosen by the manufacturer. Although the manufacturer reaches a compromise that is acceptable to most consumers, it is the optimum choice for none of them. [0016] Alternatively, manufacturers may choose to sell their products on an unsweetened basis. This approach will require consumers to carry sweetener packets with them or look for bulk sweetener options. Disadvantageously, the packets will inevitably not contain the appropriate amount of sweetness because they are typically designed around consumer levels desired for a cup of coffee or tea. [0017] Yet a third option would be for the manufacturer to offer a comestible product with several different sweetener choices. Disadvantageously, this approach would add numerous additional skus to the retail shelf along with significant additional inventory costs. [0018] It would be desirable to promote unsweetened unit comestible products by directing consumers to add one of many different sweetener packages thereto, each sweetener package of which is designed to match the unit base comestible product and which contains the correct amount of sweetener for the unit base comestible product. These sweeteners could be promoted together with the unit comestible product or separately therefrom. It would also be desirable to promote unsweetened bulk comestible products by directing consumers to use one of many different sweetener packages, each of which is designed to match a unit amount of the base comestible product and which contains the correct amount of sweetener for the unit amount of base comestible product. These sweeteners could also be promoted together with the bulk comestible product or separately therefrom. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0019] The invention provides for a method of promoting unsweetened unit-sized and bulk quantity sized comestible products, as well as kits suitable for use therein as described in the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0020] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Continue reading about Methods for promoting comestible products... Full patent description for Methods for promoting comestible products Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Methods for promoting comestible products patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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