Question from Nelson J.:
Not an earth shattering question but who took out the first patent for bottled water??
Nelson J.
Hi Nelson,
The first bottled water was actually sold at springs and spas not as refreshment but for health reasons. These bottles of water were sold beginning in the late 1767. In 1856, Saratoga Springs in New York was bottling over 7 million bottles of mineral waters for medicinal purposes.
Wyeth's original water bottle patent.
The first patent for the actual bottling of water was for a soda siphon. The siphon was used to dispense carbonated or soda water. These were the first bottles specially made for bottling water. Charles Pinth received British patent No. 3680 for his syphon in 1813. The siphon was very popular, especially in bars, until World War II.
Bottled water then lost some of its popularity. In 1977, Perrier began a huge advertising campaign in the United States for its new imported bottled water. The campaign was a great success and ultimately led to the growth that has occurred in the bottled water market today.
The plastic bottle which has become the bottle we all associate with bottled water was patented in 1973. Nathaniel Wyeth received US Patent 3,733,309 for a Biaxially Oriented Poly(Ethylene Teflephthalate) Bottle on May 15, 1973.
Wyeth had begun working on a stronger plastic bottle in 1967 after he experimented with storing soda in a plastic bottle. He filled a laundry detergent bottle with soda and discovered that if left overnight the bottle would begin to expand and ultimately explode. After years of research and experimentation, he produced the polyethylene-terephthalate bottle which is still used for bottling water and soda today.
– TG
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