Patent Application
20110000869
The invention relates generally to containers, and more specifically to a container neck with features for easy gripping.
Jars or containers used to store and transport various solid or viscous contents, such as food products, commonly have a relatively large opening to conveniently pour out the contents of the container or manipulate a scoop within the container. As the diameter of the opening on the container increases, however, it becomes harder to get a sufficient grip around the circumference of the neck of the container to stably carry the container. This structure makes such containers extremely difficult to carry with one hand when the container is relatively heavy or the user has medical problems with his/her hand, such as arthritis, muscle damage, etc.
One known solution to this problem is to provide a handle on a side of the container. However, putting the handle within the circumference of the container increases the height of the container to hold the same amount of product and increases the difficulty to scoop product from the bottom of the container. Likewise, putting the handle outside of the circumference of the container is problematic because it increases storage space needed to box and transport the containers. Thus, a container is desired that is easy to grip and carry with one hand while still providing a large opening to the container.
A container is provided that solves the problems discussed above. In one form, the container defines a central longitudinal axis and includes an engagement part that secures a lid to the container. A neck portion is disposed adjacent the engagement part and includes a plurality of recessed portions spaced circumferentially around the neck portion, where each recessed portion has a periphery. An outwardly protruding rib is disposed along at least a portion of the periphery of at least one recessed portion, and an outer surface extends between each pair of adjacent recessed portions. The rib projects outwardly from both the outer surface and the at least one recessed portion for easy and stable gripping of the container whether by placing a hand downward over the lid and over the recessed portion or by gripping the container neck from the side.
In another form, the neck portion has a first convex portion with a first diameter and is disposed adjacent the engagement part, a second convex portion with a second diameter, and a concave portion that has a varying diameter with a minimum diameter of approximately 2.8 inches or less. The concave portion is disposed between the first and second convex portions and includes the plurality of recessed portions. Also, the first diameter is less than the second diameter.
The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the container described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
Referring to
A base 16 closes one end portion or body portion 18 of the container 10. The sidewall 12 extends to an opposite end portion 20 of the container 10. The opposite end portion 20 includes an upper cylindrical portion or wall 22 also referred to as an engagement part 24 for securing a lid 26 to the container 10. In the illustrated form, the engagement part 24 secures the lid 26 to the container 10 by external threading 28 engaging internal threading of the lid 26. The engagement part 24, however, can secure the lid 26 to the container 10 by any suitable means, such as snap-fit, tongue-and-groove, or by other securing mechanisms. The upper cylindrical portion 22 further forms an opening 30 to the interior 14. The lid 26 attaches to the container 10 to cover the opening 30 and close the interior 14 to secure any contents within the container 10.
The container 10 can be used to store any type of contents, including organic, plastic, metal, or any combination thereof. By the illustrated approach, the opening 30 is relatively large so that the container 10 stores an edible product, such as soluble coffee, ground coffee, mayonnaise, peanut butter, and so forth in a conveniently accessible manner. The relatively wide opening 30 provides convenient access for manipulating a scoop or knife within the container 10 or better control for pouring the contents. In one example, the opening 30 has a diameter A of approximately 2.5 inches for containers with a body width of about 3.7 to 4.0 inches.
A label portion 32 is provided on the body portion 18 and is bordered by upper and lower annular bumpers 34 that protrude outwardly from the label portion 32 to minimize damage to any label secured onto the label portion 32.
The container 10 also includes a neck portion 36 disposed adjacent the engagement part 24. By one approach, the neck portion 36 has a minimum diameter B of approximately 2.8 inches or less, and in another form, approximately 1.9 to 2.8 inches (diameters B to F described here and below are outside diameters). It has been found that users can grip the neck portion 36 with one hand with this size of diameter and carry or manipulate the container 10 in a stable and strong manner that reduces the chance of the user dropping the container 10.
The neck portion 36 also includes a plurality of recessed portions 38, each having a periphery 40. The plurality of recessed portions 38 are spaced circumferentially about the neck portion 36. In one form, between two and twelve recessed portions are placed around the neck portion 36, where the number of recessed portions 38 is dependent on the size of the container 10. As illustrated, there are eight recessed portions 38 spaced uniformly about the circumference of the neck portion 36.
The plurality of recessed portions may take any suitable closed general shape, including, for example, curvilinear shapes, such as generally oval (as illustrated), a circle, an ellipse, or shapes with linear sides, such as a triangle, a quadrilateral, or other regular or irregular polygons. The shape may also be elongated vertically (as shown), circumferentially, or at an angle. Additionally, the edges and/or corners of the plurality of recessed portions 38 may or may not be rounded.
The neck portion 36 further includes an outer surface 42 that extends between each pair of adjacent recessed portions 38 and an outwardly protruding rib 44 disposed along at least a portion of the periphery 40 of at least one of the plurality of recessed portions 38. In the illustrated example, each outer surface 42 extends from rib 44 to rib 44. As illustrated, the rib 44 is disposed along the entire periphery 40 of each recessed portion 38. It will be understood, however, that the rib 44 may merely generally encircle the plurality of recessed portions 38 such that the rib 44 has breaks around the recessed portion 38, whether uniform breaks or irregularly spaced, or covers only one or more sides of the recessed portion 38 (i.e. just left sides, right sides, upper sides, lower sides, or any combination thereof).
By one approach, the rib 44 may take many suitable general shapes as with the shape of the recessed portion 38, and may or may not correspond to the shape of the recessed portion 38. In other words, the periphery 40 where the rib 44 begins to rise may have a different general shape around the recessed portion 38 than the shape of the peak of the rib 44 in plan view. Additionally, the edges and/or corners of the recessed portion 38 may or may not be rounded. In the illustrated form, both the plurality of recessed portions 38 and the outwardly protruding rib 44 are generally oval and elongated in a vertical direction generally parallel to the axis L. The transverse cross-section of the rib 44 can be curved, convexly arcuate, as illustrated, or alternatively, be generally triangular or square or have any number of pointed peaks or flat sides. In the case of a generally triangular or square cross-section, the edges may or may not be rounded.
The rib 44 projects outwardly from both the outer surface 42 and the recessed portion 38, while the plurality of recessed portions 38 are also recessed with respect to the outer surface 42. This configuration provides a gripping area for a user holding the container 10 while, for example, carrying the container 10, removing the lid 26, accessing the interior 14 of the container 10 with a scoop or utensil, or upending the container 10 to pour out any contents contained within the container 10. When the rib 44 is combined with the plurality of recessed portions 38 as described, the container 10 has a gripping area having an undulating or uneven surface, which provides a user with a very strong grip when manipulating the container 10.
In one example form, the neck portion 36 defines a first or upper convex portion 46, a concave portion 48, and a second or lower convex portion 50. The upper convex portion 46 has a first diameter C and is disposed adjacent the engagement part 24. The lower convex portion 50 has a second diameter D, where the first diameter C of the upper convex portion 46 is less than the second diameter D of the lower convex portion 50. It will be understood that the terms upper and lower are used for indicating the position of the parts of the container 10 relative to each other and do not limit the orientation of the container 10.
The first diameter C is the maximum diameter of the upper convex portion 46. In one form, the upper convex portion 46 has an annular, longitudinally curved surface 74, although the surface 74 may be other shapes, such as cylindrical. The second diameter D is the maximum diameter of the lower convex portion 50 of the neck portion 36, and defines the joint between the upper bumper 34 of the body portion 18 and the lower convex portion 50 as the bottom most diameter of the neck portion 36. The lower convex portion 50 has a generally cylindrical surface 76, although other shapes are contemplated.
The concave portion 48 is disposed between the upper convex portion 46 and the lower convex portion 50 and has a varying diameter including the minimum diameter B. The concave portion forms the plurality of recessed portions 38, the outer surfaces 42, and the ribs 44. In this example, the concave portion 48 is generally frusto-conical with concave sides that curve as the side extends longitudinally relative to the axis L. Thus, the diameter of the concave portion 48 is smaller at its junction with the upper convex portion 46 than at the junction between the concave portion 48 and the lower convex portion 50.
By one approach, the first diameter A of the upper convex portion 46 is greater than the minimum diameter B of the concave portion 48. So configured, the upper convex portion 46 can act as a stop surface for a user's hand when the user grips the container 10 around the neck portion 36 from the side and holds the container 10 in a generally vertical orientation. The stop surface can then act in conjunction with the plurality of recessed portions 38 and the ribs 44 to provide a user an ideal grip on the container 10 so that the user's hand does not slip from the container 10.
By another approach, the second diameter B of the lower convex portion 50 is greater than an outer diameter E of the lid 26, and the neck portion 26 of the container 10 is transparent. So configured, the type and amount of the contents are visible through the neck portion 26 from above the container 10 when the lid 26 is fully secured onto the container 10. This allows a user to check the type and level of any contents in the container 10 without removing the lid 26.
In another aspect, the plurality of recessed portions 38 each define a central arc 52 which terminates longitudinally at two end points 54 on the rib 44. The recessed portions 38 also each have a middle point 56 defined along the longitudinal length of the arc 52. In the illustrated form, the arc 52 is a circular arc with a consistent radius so that the middle point 56 also defines the deepest point on the recessed portion 38 relative to a line 58 connecting the end points 54. It will be understood that other curves and geometries are contemplated.
A vertical or longitudinal angle of depression α for the plurality of recessed portions 38 is the angle between the line 58 and a line 60 extending from one of the two end points 54 to the deepest point in the recessed portion 38 along the arc 52, which is the middle point 56. The lines 58 and 60, and arc 52, lie on a vertical plane parallel to the axis L. The vertical angle of depression α on the vertical plane for the plurality of recessed portions 38 is approximately at least 20.7 degrees.
A minimum depth x for the plurality of recessed portions 38 is the perpendicular distance from the line 58 to the middle point 56. The depth x for the plurality of recessed portions 38 is approximately at least 0.118 inches.
For some other specific examples, if the container 10 is designed with a capacity of 8 oz. and a body portion diameter F of 3.7 inches, the vertical angle of depression α may be 22.2 degrees and the vertical depth x may be 0.186 inches. For a 9 oz. example with the same body diameter F, the vertical angle of depression α may be 20.7 degrees and the vertical depth x may be 0.199 inches. For a 12 oz. example with a body diameter F of 4.0 inches, the vertical angle of depression α may be 22.3 degrees and the vertical depth x may be 0.239 inches.
Referring now to
A minimum depth y for the plurality of indentations 36 is the perpendicular distance from the line 70 to the middle point 68. The depth y for the plurality of recessed portions 38 is approximately at least 0.020 inches.
In specific examples, if the container 10 is designed with a capacity of 8 oz. the horizontal angle of depression β may be 10.2 degrees and the horizontal depth y may be 0.044 inches. For a 9 oz. example, the horizontal angle of depression β may be 10.2 degrees and the horizontal depth y may be 0.045 inches. For a 12 oz. example, the horizontal angle of depression β may be 10.2 degrees and the horizontal depth y may be 0.062 inches.
It will be understood that the container 10 described herein may be used in a large production. These teachings may also be scaled to accommodate varying sizes and shapes of containers including containers that have non-cylindrical bodies.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
