The present invention relates to containers and, more particularly, containers for dispensing viscous materials such as foodstuffs and decorative materials.
Dispensers for various types of viscous materials include tubes of frosting, sealant cartridges, toothpaste tubes and the like. In some instances, the dispensers have a fitment which provides both a large aperture and a small aperture for dispensing, either of which may be selected depending upon the volume to be dispensed.
Some food products employ packaging which allows children to dispense a food product by squeezing a compressible container containing a viscous comestible such as cheese, peanut butter, jelly and the like. The child is able to make patterns of the food product on a cracker or bread slice, thus providing some play action.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel squeezable container for a viscous product which can be discharged through a dispensing closure which provides a multiplicity of discharge openings of different cross section.
It is also an object to provide such a container which permits facile switching among the several discharge openings.
Another object is to provide such a squeezable container which may be readily assembled from easily fabricated components.
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects can be readily attained in a dispenser for dispensing a viscous material in a selected one of a multiplicity of configurations comprising a squeezable container for a volume of a viscous material and having a body and a neck with a discharge opening at its upper end. Engaged with the container is a closure body of generally circular cross section having a top wall and a skirt, and the wall has a central post with a discharge passage therethrough aligned with the discharge opening of the neck.
A generally circular disc is disposed on the closure body top wall, and overlies and is rotatable on the top wall of the closure body. The disc has a center hub seated on the post and has an aperture therein alignable with the discharge passage of the closure body hub for passage of viscous material therethrough. The disc has a multiplicity of flow openings spaced about the disc in a circular array and the flow openings represent a multiplicity of configurations. The disc also has a multiplicity of flow channels extending from the post to the flow openings of the disc, and the disc is rotatable to align the flow channel of the selected flow opening with the aperture in the post. This permits viscous material to flow though the neck and top wall of the closure body into the post and outwardly in the flow channels to a selected disc discharge opening.
Preferably, the disc has a peripheral channel opening downwardly and the top wall of the closure body has an upstanding circular ring which snaps fitted into the channel to provide the rotatable engagement of the disc on the closure body. Desirably, the peripheral channel is formed in a peripheral boss on the upper surface of the disc, and the discharge openings are in circular bosses on the disc.
Generally, the container neck is externally threaded and the bottom surface of the closure body has a depending threaded barrel portion which is threadably engaged with the neck. Preferably, the container is a flexible tubular member sealed at the end opposite the neck. The post discharge passage is formed in the side wall of the post and has a width substantially equal to the width of the flow channels.
Desirably, the closure also includes an overcap having a top wall and peripheral skirt. The disc has an upstanding boss extending about the periphery thereof and it is of lesser diameter than the top wall of the closure body to provide a shoulder on which the skirt of the overcap seats. The channel in the boss has an undercut portion and the top wall of the closure body has a ring formulation with an enlarged portion at its upper end to provide the snap fit.
Turning first to
As seen in
The overcap 18 has a top wall 42 and a peripheral skirt 44 which seats on the shoulder 40. The closure is integrally molded with a hinge 46.
Turning now in detail to the disc 16, it is of circular configuration with a top wall 48, a central hub 50 having a frustoconical recess seating the post 32 and a peripheral flange 52 having a downwardly opening channel 54 therein into which the boss 36 snaps to provide a rotatable engagement thereon. Spaced about the top wall 48 are a multiplicity of discharge openings 56 of different configurations. A series of spoke-like bosses 58 radiate from the hub 50 and provide flow channels 60 from the discharge passage 34 in the post 32 to the discharge openings 56 when the passage 34 and a flow channel 60 are aligned.
It will be readily appreciated that the squeezable container can take the form of a tube or a bottle, and it can be easily fabricated by extrusion and molding of tubular shapes, and injection and blow molding of synthetic resin to form bottles in accordance with general technology. The resin employed should allow facile squeezing to compress the container and force material to flow outwardly of the container. Polyolefins have proven highly acceptable for such applications.
The closure and disc do not require a flexible construction and are also conveniently molded from polyolefins although other more rigid resins may also be employed.
The three components are easily fabricated and assembled. Preferably, the disc and closure may be assembled and then threaded onto the container. The container can be filled through the neck, or, in the instance of tubes, they can be filled and then the opposite end is closed and sealed.
In use, the child (or adult) can rotate the disc to align the discharge opening of the desired configuration in the operational position. Squeezing the container will then force material to flow from the interior of the container through the neck into the post and then outwardly through a flow channel to a discharge opening. The discharging material has the shape or configuration of the discharge opening selected and continuous beads or small deposits can be generated. When the squeezing pressure on the container is released, flow from the container ends. The material in the closure passages can be “sealed” by rotating the disc to a position in which the flow channels are not aligned with the discharge passage in the post.
Thus, it can be seen from the foregoing detailed description and the attached drawings that it is an object of the present invention provides a novel squeezable container for a viscous product which can be discharged through a dispensing closure which provides a multiplicity of discharge openings of different cross sections.
The container permits facile switching among the several discharge openings and it may be readily assembled from easily fabricated components.