Flavia Coffee Machine Patents Flavia Thesis

" This is registered as IC 029. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the specific words, rendered in stylized form. The first use of this mark was in 2002. The application was filed on February 1, 2002. The mark was registered on March 23, 2004. The owner of the mark is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 78977583, "Flavia Fusion." This is registered as IC 011. U.S. 013-021 023-031-034. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the name, in standard characters. The first use of this trademark was in 2005. The application was filed on March 17, 2005 and was registered on November 28, 2006. The owner of the mark is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 77246316, "Flavia Creation." This is registered as IC 011. U.S. 013-021 023-031-034., under Goods & Services. The mark is the name, in standard characters. The first use of this trademark is not listed. The application was filed August 3, 2007 and the mark has not yet been registered. The applicant is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 77036640, "Flavia Peppermint Cool." This is registered as IC 030. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the name, in standard characters. The first use of this trademark is not listed. The application was filed on November 6, 2006, and the mark has not yet been registered. The applicant is Mars, Inc. The mark makes no claim to the use of the word "peppermint" outside of the context of this mark.

The next trademark is 73390421, "MilkyWay." This is registered as IC 030. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the name and the three-part rectangular design. The name rendered in green and brown is included in the mark as is the fact that the rectangle is divided into bars, some of which are shaded.The first use of this trademark was in 1968. The application was filed on September 27, 1982 and it was registered on March 27, 1984. The owner is Mars, Inc.

The Flavia machine and sachet were designed in response to weaknesses in the existing technology. Technology using sachets that were opened to mix with water, creating a beverage, was long-established. Yet, the sachets only worked adequately when making beverages that required filter, such as coffee or tea. They were not effective when making other beverages, in particular hot chocolate, because that beverage is made using a different technique than coffee and tea. The machine was therefore designed to alleviate these problems. The improvement is the use of a heating medium to weaken the sachet's seal to allow it to open more easily. This prevents the sachet from exploding and therefore results in a superior beverage. This invention is aided by the development of sachets designed specifically to match this machine's capabilities. The new sachets are of more sophisticated construction, allowing for greater control of the opening process. This further reduces the likelihood of explosions and inconsistent hot chocolate.

With Flavia, Mars was a pioneer of single-serving hot beverage dispensers. It was developed in response to consumer demand for variety and convenience. This system has proved ideal for offices, where the multiple single-serving users benefitted from the ease of use and the variety of flavors that are available for spontaneous selection. This has helped Mars capture the growing office coffee industry. Many firms have substantially upgraded the coffee options at their offices in response to the negative stigma of office coffee (Athavaley, 2007). The Flavia machines have been able to ride this trend, doing business with over 35,000 customers and serving over 1 billion beverages each year (Mars, Inc.,.....