Patent Application
20110127296
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing products, more particularly, to an apparatus configured to house two products, wherein the products remain separated while housed in the apparatus, and may be simultaneously dispensed from the apparatus.
Product dispensing units are known in the art to allow for housing and dispensing of fluid products. As used herein, the term “product” is intended to include, but is not limited to, any fluid substance or material capable of flowing, including for example, gels, creams, cosmetics, therapeutic remedies, medicines, and food items. Most product dispensing units provide a reservoir for housing a single product and an outlet where the product is dispensed. A user may apply pressure to an external portion of the product dispensing unit to dispense the contained product from the unit.
In addition to product dispensing units configured to house and dispense a single product, alternative conventional product dispensing units may provide for the storing and dispensing of two products. According to such a design, each product may be stored in an individual tube, wherein the two products remain separate from one another until the products are dispensed from the product dispensing unit. In some traditional multi-product units, the individual tubes are oriented in a side-by-side alignment, wherein the tubes share a common outer barrier surface. Alternatively, an outer tube may surround an inner tube, creating a product dispensing unit wherein the inner tube is nested within the outer tube.
However, conventional product dispensing units having a nested arrangement fail to provide a secure fit between the inner tube and the outer tube. Without a secure fit between the two tubes, there is a high likelihood that the inner tube will decouple from the outer tube, thereby interrupting the flow of the products through the product dispensing unit. In addition, insufficiently securing an inner to with an outer tube may result in seepage of products between tubes and issues confronted when filling and sealing the product dispensing unit.
One example of a conventional product dispensing unit configured to house two products which suffers from the aforementioned problems is described U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0267436 (herein “Abbot”). Abbot describes a product dispensing unit wherein the inner tube is secured to the outer tube through the use of four small ribs located at spaced apart intervals on the nozzle of the inner tube. The ribs provide the only means of engagement and as a result the inner tube lacks sufficient engagement with the outer tube. As with other conventional product dispensing units, these small ribs provide an insufficient means of securing the inner tube to the outer tube.
Efforts have been made to further secure an inner tube to an outer tube in certain conventional product dispensing units by increasing the size or number of securing ribs. However, these attempts have resulted in restricting the flow of the products within and from the product dispensing unit. In such designs, the additional means used to secure the inner tube to the outer tube undesirably creates a barrier which impedes the flow of the product and disrupts the way in which the products are dispensed from the unit. For example, in such a design, the securing means restricts the ability of the product in the outer tube to surround the product in the inner tube when the two products are dispensed for the product dispensing unit.
The prior art multi-product dispersing units fail to provide a secure fit between an inner tube and an outer tube while still allowing for control over the flow of the products as they are dispensed from the product dispensing unit.
Embodiments of the present invention satisfy these needs and other needs by providing a product dispensing unit that secures an inner tube, housing a first product, with an outer tube, housing a second product, in a nested configuration while providing for control over the orientation of the first and second products as they are dispensing from the product dispensing unit.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the product dispensing unit is configured to house two products in separate tubes, wherein the two products can be simultaneously dispensed from the product dispensing unit. In such an embodiment, the product dispensing unit comprises an outer tube configured to surround the inner tube. Each tube includes a cavity to house a product. The products in the cavities remain separate from on another while housed in the product dispensing unit.
For example, the outer tube cavity may house a hair dye product and the inner tube cavity may house an activator used in conjunction with the hair dye. In such an example, the hair dye and the activator must not come into contact with each other until just prior to use. As such, the a product dispensing unit allows for both product to remain separate from one another while respectively housed in the inner tube cavity and outer tube cavity, mixing only when they are dispensed from the product dispensing unit.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise an inner channel and an outer channel to facilitating the movement of the products within the product dispensing unit and allows for both products to be dispensed from the product dispensing unit at a dispensing site on the nozzle of the outer tube. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outer channel provides for fluid communication between the outer tube cavity and the dispensing site of the nozzle of the outer tube. The inner channel provides for fluid communication between the inner tube cavity and the dispensing site of the nozzle of the outer tube. As a result, the product in the outer tube may flow through the outer channel and the product in the inner tube may flow through the inner channel. Both products are dispensed from the product dispensing unit at the nozzle of the outer tube.
The inner tube is primarily secured to the outer tube by way of an interaction between the nozzle of the outer tube and the inner tube first end. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inner tube first end includes an engagement member and a dispensing point. The engagement member may provide the interaction to secure the inner tube to the outer tube. The engagement member may be a circular portion of the inner, tube first end that creates a secure frictional interaction with the nozzle of the outer tube. The interaction between the nozzle and the engagement member may a frictional interaction or any other interaction capable of securing the engagement member to the nozzle. In addition, the engagement member may comprise one or more ports to allow the outer channel to come into fluid communication with the outer tube cavity. As a result, the engagement member provides for a secure connection between the inner tube and outer tube while still providing a channel to facilitate the flow of product from outer tube cavity.
In addition, the engagement member may surround a dispensing point located on the inner tube first end and may define the inner channel. The inner channel is in fluid communication with the inner tube cavity and facilitates dispensing of the product housed in the inner tube. The circular configuration of the engagement member around the dispensing conduit results in creating an outer channel that surrounds the inner channel. Given that the outer channel surrounds the inner channel, application of pressure to the body on the product dispersing unit will result in simultaneously dispensing the product from the inner tube cavity and the product from the outer tube wherein the product from the outer tube may surround the product from the inner tube, when dispensed.
Embodiments of the present invention may be used to house products that required specific material to effectively store one or both on the products. Certain products may erode traditional plastic housings and result in seepage between the contents of the inner tube and the contents of the outer tube. As such, a variety of materials may be used to construct the inner tube or outer tube. In certain embodiments the tubes may be constructed of the same material, while in alternative embodiments the inner tube and outer tube may not be constructed from the same material.
The present invention will be more readily understood from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments presented below considered in conjunction with the attached drawings, of which:
The present invention relates to a product dispensing unit configured to separately house two products and simultaneously dispense both products in response to the application of pressure to the product dispensing unit. The product dispensing unit comprises an outer tube substantially surrounding an inner tube. The outer tube is configured to house a first product and the inner tube is configured to house a second product.
The outer tube 102 comprises a nozzle 106 located at a first end of the product dispensing unit 100. The nozzle 106 includes an area, referred to as dispensing site 108, at which the first product and the second product are dispensed from the product dispensing unit 100. The dispensing site 108 is in fluid communication with an outer channel (shown in
According to an embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in
In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition to the engagement shelf 208, the inner tube 202 may be further secured to the outer tube 102 through the use of the engagement ribs 210. As illustrated in
In addition to the engagement member 206, the inner tube 202 further comprises the dispensing conduit 214. The dispensing conduit 214 facilitates the flow of the second product through the product dispensing unit 100. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing conduit 214 may be a hollow cylindrical structure wherein the space within the dispensing conduit 214 defines the inner channel 218. As described in greater detail in
According to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
According to the embodiment of the inner tube 202 illustrated in
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the inner tube may not include a dispensing conduit. According such an embodiment, the inner channel and the outer channel may be defined by a wall segmenting the area within the engagement member. As a result, the inner channel and the outer channel may be oriented in a side-by-side fashion within the engagement member.
As described above, the engagement member 206 provides the primary frictional connection to secure the inner tube 202 to the outer tube 102. More specifically, the engagement shelf 208 and the engagement ribs 210 create frictional connection with the inner surface of the nozzle 106. As illustrated in
In addition to securing the engagement member 206 to the nozzle 106, the engagement member 206 is configured to facilitate the flow of the first product and the second product through the product dispensing unit 100. As described above, the outer tube cavity 104 is configured to house a first product. In response to the application of pressure to the product dispensing unit 100, the first product may flow from the outer tube cavity 104 through the port 212 into the outer channel 216 and exit the product dispensing unit 100 at dispensing site 108. As illustrated in
The embodiment of the present invention in
As illustrated in
Given that the application of pressure to the outer tube 102 may result in simultaneously dispensing the first product and the second product, alternative embodiments of the present invention may allow from different proportions the first product and the second product to be dispensed. For example, in an embodiment wherein the amount in the first product dispensed should greater than the amount of the second product, the diameter of the inner channel 218, as defined by the dispensing conduit 214, may be decreased while the diameter of the outer channel 216 may be increased. The change in diameters may result in an increased flow of the first product with respect to the second product upon the application of pressure to the product dispensing unit 100, thereby dispensing more of the first product in proportion to the second product. In a further embodiment of the present invention wherein the amount in the first product dispensed should greater than the amount of the second product dispensed, additional ports 212 may be including on the engagement member 206. As a result of the additional ports 212, the flow of the first product through the engagement member 206 thereby increasing the amount of the first product dispensed compared to the amount of the second produced dispensed. Additional embodiments of the present invention may be configured to affect the portions of first product and second product dispensed. According to embodiments of the present invention, the ratio between the diameters of the inner tube 202 and outer tube 102 may be established in order to control the ratio between the amount of the first product and the second product dispensed by apparatus 100.
According to certain embodiments of the present the first tube 102 and the second tube 202 may be constructed from the same material or more different materials. The nature of the products housed in the product dispensing unit 100 may dictate the material from which the first tube 102 or second tube 202 is constructed. For example, the erosive nature of hair dye may require a tube to be comprised of aluminum or other erosion-resistant material. Other materials that may be used to construct the inner tube or outer tube may include, but is not limited to, aluminum laminate or plastic.
It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention and that many variations of the above-described embodiments may be appreciated by one skilled in the art without departure from the scope of the invention. It is intended that all such variations be included within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
