Beer koozie

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Three examples of beer koozies. from left to right: a neoprene bottle holder, a foam can holder, and a wool 40 oz bottle holder

A beer koozie is a fabric or foam device that is designed to insulate a beverage can or bottle.

Contents

[edit] Name, origin, and trademark dispute

The beer koozie(koō-zie), coastie[citation needed], cozy[1][2], coosie[3], coolie[1], coldy-holdy[1], beer hugger[1], or beer huggie[1], is a misnomer since it is not always used for an alcoholic beverage. Other names are can cooler[1] and "beer sleeve"[citation needed]. Australian company Coolaz calls it a stubby holder.[4]

The name Koozie was coined as a trademark, according to Norwood Promotional Products which sells them. It was originally a trademark of the company whose 1979 invention it was: Texas company Radio Cap Corporation (RCC). RCC registered the trademark in 1980; but the registration lapsed in 2001. Norwood had bought RCC in 1989, and it re-registered the trademark in February 2004.[1][5]

Norwood has been in a dispute, on and off over several years in the 2000s, over the Koozie trademark status with a WWW mail-order business called Kustom Koozies. Norwood asserts that names such as beer hugger, can cooler, coolie, huggie, or even coozie do not infringe its trademark, but that koozie does.[1][5] Kustom Koozies asserted in 2005 that the trademark had become generic.[1][5] In the years since, Norwood and Kustom Koozies came to a licencing agreement over the use of the trademark, but by 2009 they were in dispute again, as Kustom Koozies (unsuccessfully) attempted to cancel the trademark licencing agreement in response to Norwood instructing it to make certain changes to its WWW site, one of which was that "Koozie" should be set out in all-capital letters as "KOOZIE".[6]

[edit] Use

Koozies can be used as marketing tools. The primary use of a beer koozie is to keep one's hand warm while keeping the beer cold. A secondary use of a beer koozie is to easily identify one's beverage from another. Many different companies have used the koozie as a promotional giveaway because it is not only inexpensive to manufacture, but its frequent use is more likely to bring the company's name to a household presence. Originally this logo or image was screen-printed on a round foam cylinder with a foam base (generally a hole is provided in the base to alleviate creation of a vacuum). A koozie can be made from many materials like neoprene, polyester or open cell foam. The original Australian Stubby holder was invented by a Mr. Shane Walsh who incorporated several design modifications that suited the Australian climate.[4]

[edit] Materials and styles

The beer koozie has evolved in both material and style. The materials of which the beer koozie has been made include plain foam, neoprene and a foam variant of neoprene that replaces it with a cheaper and lighter weight closed cell foam. Some companies create koozies for 40 oz. bottles. The material used to construct the koozie is designed to insulate the warmth of the holding hand from the cool of the beverage.

[edit] References

[edit] Cross-reference

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Snell 2006.
  2. ^ Freeman 2009.
  3. ^ Shuman.
  4. ^ a b Coolaz.
  5. ^ a b c Glenn 2005.
  6. ^ Farrell 2012.

[edit] Sources used

[edit] See also

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