Patent Application
20160207668
The present invention relates to a container used to dispense small items such as candy or mints.
Many containers provided in the prior art are created to hold and dispense small items. Some of these have twist tops, which expose a small opening for the items to dispense. The particular invention builds upon the prior art to create a unique and novel twist opening.
In one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a container for holding a small item such as candy or mints. The container has a bottom shell and a top cover that rotates in relation to the bottom shell. The rotation is about forty five degrees and when the top cover is rotated a small opening appears that allows the dispensing of the small items contained therein.
In one embodiment there is provided a container defined to have a bottom shell and a top cover. The bottom shell includes a base with a surrounding bottom side wall to create an interior holding region therebetween. The bottom shell further has an inside interior surface edge positioned adjacent the bottom side wall, the interior surface edge having a gap positioned about at least one corner of the bottom shell. The container further includes an intermediate connector having a plate with an outer edge shaped to fit against the upstanding wall and against the interior surface edge. The plate is configured to cover the interior holding region, but has a portion of the outer edge configured to be smaller than the interior surface edge at the at least one corner of the bottom shell to define at least one exposed corner of the bottom shell and to provide access to the interior holding region. The intermediate connector further has an intermediate annual ring extend from the internal plate with retention stops and clips spaced around the exterior surface thereof. The top cover has a top interior surface with a surrounding top side wall extending downwardly such that when the top cover and bottom shell are assembled together the top side wall and bottom side wall fit together to seal contents within the container in a closed configuration. The top cover further has a top annual ring extending from the top interior surface and sized to receive there-within the intermediate annual ring. The top annual ring has interspaced stop flanges and elongated flanges positioned to coact with the retention stops and clips of the intermediate annual ring to connect the top cover to the intermediate connecter and further configured to permit rotation of the top cover with respect to the bottom shell such that the top cover when rotated to an open configuration the at least one exposed corner of the bottom shell is open to permit dispensing of contents within the interior holding region.
In other aspects the container also includes a plurality of ribs extending from an exterior surface of the top annual ring and positioned about the at least one corner of the bottom shell when assembled and in the closed configuration. The plurality of ribs are configured to screen over the at least one corner of the bottom shell to prevent contents from leaving the interior holding region when in the closed configuration.
Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.
A fuller understanding of the foregoing may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
While the invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the invention and/or claims of the embodiments illustrated.
Referring now to
As illustrated, the rotation of the top cover 110 with respect to the bottom shell 105 is done by rotating the top cover 110 a predetermined distance. Since the shape of the container 100 is defined to substantially have at least one corner 120 in the bottom shell 105, which when the top cover 110 is rotated a predetermined distance, the rotation can be done such that the at least one corner 120 is exposed. As described herein, the at least one exposed corner 120 can channel 122 into the interior holding region 107 (defined in the bottom shell 105) such that the items contained therein can be dispensed. To prevent the items from dispensing out of other corners 130, an internal plate 135 can be installed to cover the other corners.
As shown in
Referring not to
Referring also to
Extending from a center region of the internal plate 135 is an annual ring 160. The annual ring 160 includes clips 170 spaced around the exterior surface 162 of the annual ring 160 and further includes retention stops 175 interspaced between the clips 170. In addition, the annual ring 160 may be bored through the internal plate 135 to create a hollow region 165 within the annual ring 160 and which connects to the interior holding region 107 defined in the bottom shell 105.
Referring now to
From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it is observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims.
