DUAL BOTTLE

Abstract

A dual bottle having a first axis in a length direction of the bottle. The dual bottle includes: a. first and second compartments for respective first and second liquids. Each compartment has a first end and a second end. Each first end includes a mouth member; b. a cap engaged with each mouth member; c. the second end of the first compartment including a tenon protruding outwards of the first compartment; d. the second end of the second compartment including a mortise protruding inwards the second compartment.

Description

BACKGROUND

WO2016039840A1 relates to a container assembly that includes a first container having a body with an opening at the top side of the first container and a connection extension at the bottom side of the first container; a second container having a body with a respective opening at the top side of the second container and a respective connection extension at the bottom side of the second container; and a connection band having a top side and a bottom side, and at each side, a connector mechanism for releasably holding at least one of said first and second containers and the connection band being further configured to enable releasably holding said containers in a bottom to bottom configuration.

SUMMARY

The present embodiments are generally directed to container arrangements and to multi-container constructions that enhance the utility, versatility, ease of use and aesthetic presentation of the containers.

A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material like clay, glass, plastic, or aluminum, for storing and transporting liquids like milk, water, beer, shampoo, etc. The bottle mouth at a bottling line may be sealed with a closure, an internal stopper, or an external bottle cap.

It may be advantageous to provide two bottles at once in or as one dual bottle item, such that the liquid volume is doubled or almost doubled and the bottles are closely associated with each other. In particular, the two containers of the single item may include two different liquids that are associated with each other, such as shampoo and conditioner liquids, perhaps in particular when the liquids are complementary to each other, such as both being for hypoallergenic skin.

In addition, a structure of an item that is narrower at the center helps direct the user to squeeze each bottle from the bottom part. Such a squeezing uses force more efficiently and enables squeezing out the whole content of the dual bottle.

Thus, the current invention discloses a dual bottle that provides those advantages.

A dual bottle is provided, having a first axis in a length direction of the bottle, the dual bottle comprising:

a. first and second compartments for respective first and second liquids, each compartment having a first end and a second end, each first end including a mouth member configured to allow intaking into the first and second compartment respectively the first and second liquid, and expressing thereout the first or second liquid;

• • b. each first end wider than the second end so that the dual bottle tapers to facilitate dispensing the first or second liquid;
  • c. a cap engaged with each mouth member, each cap configured to allow selecting sealing or unsealing a mouth member and resting on a horizontal surface as a stable basis for the dual bottle while having the first axis vertical to the horizontal surface;
  • d. the second end of the first compartment including a tenon having a tenon base and a tenon edge, the tenon protruding outwards of the first compartment, and with the tenon edge wider than the tenon base, forming a trapezoidal insert;
  • e. the second end of the second compartment including a mortise having a mortise base and a mortise edge, the mortise protruding inwards the second compartment with a mortise base wider than the mortise edge to form a trapezoidal base;
  • f. a joint connecting the second ends of the first and second compartments, the joint including the tenon of the first compartment residing inside the mortise of the second compartment, the joint prohibiting drawing the first and second compartments apart in the direction of the first axis; and
  • g. a label covering the second ends, such as to prevent drawing the first and second compartments apart in a direction perpendicular to the first axis.In some embodiments each compartment has an internal volume of 100 mL volume or less, and the cap is a screw-cap.In some embodiments both compartments together have an internal volume of 100 ml volume or less, and the cap is a screw-cap.In some embodiments the first compartment and the second compartment comprise HDPE.In some embodiments both compartments can be easily removed without the adhesive label.In some embodiments the first compartment and the second compartment each comprise walls having a thickness between 1.2 and 1.8 mm.In some embodiments the first liquid is a shampoo and the second liquid is conditioner.In some embodiments the shampoo and the conditioner are complementary.In some embodiments the cap engaged with the mouth member of the first container is marked with a mark indicating that the cap not be resting on the horizontal surface.Some embodiments comprise elliptical cross-sections perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bottle, wherein eccentricity of the cross-sections is in the range 0.70 to 0.80 proximal to the caps and in the range 0.40 to 0.55 proximal to the second ends of the first compartment and the second compartment.According to another aspect, a method is provided for fabricating an filled internally divided bottle comprising the following steps:
  • a. providing a first container with a first cap and a tenon;
  • b. providing a second container with a second cap and a mortise;
  • c. sliding the tenon inside the mortise;
  • d. opening the first cap and letting a first liquid fill the first container;
  • e. flipping the bottle up-down;
  • f. opening the second cap and letting a second liquid fill the second container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanied drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an internally divided dual bottle having a mortise-and-tenon joint.

FIG. 2A is a first side view of the internally divided dual bottle showing the mortise-and-tenon joint.

FIG. 2B is a second side view of the internally divided dual bottle.

FIG. 2C is an enlarged view of the first side view of FIG. 2A, showing the mortise-and-tenon joint.

FIG. 2D is an enlarged view of the second side view of FIG. 2B, showing the mortise-and-tenon joint.

FIG. 3A is a cross section of a first bottle cap posed such as to be used as a base of an internally divided dual bottle according to a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a cross section of a second bottle cap posed such as to be used as a base of the dual bottle according to another preferred embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows that each container has a respective mouth and a bottle cap, and

FIG. 5 shows the waist of the dual bottle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described in terms of specific example embodiments. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the example embodiments disclosed. It should also be understood that not every feature of the methods and systems handling the described article is necessary to implement the invention as claimed in any particular one of the appended claims. Various elements and features of the invented article are described to fully enable the invention. It should also be understood that throughout this disclosure, where a method is shown or described, the steps of the method may be performed in any order or simultaneously, unless it is clear from the context that one step depends on another being performed first.

Before explaining several embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The systems, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

In the description and claims of the present application, each of the verbs “comprise”, “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb.

An internally divided dual bottle 100 is presented in the perspective view of FIG. 1, and in the two side views of FIGS. 2A and 2B. The dual bottle includes two containers 110a, 110b connected by a mortise-and-tenon joint 120 or a sliding dovetail joint, wherein each container 110a, 110b has a respective mouth 112 and a bottle cap 114 [FIG. 4]. The dual bottle is wider at the cap sides 116 and narrows towards a waist 118 in the joint region [see FIG. 5]. The relatively narrow waist enables easy and balanced grip of the dual bottle. It also enables the user to easily eject the liquid out of either side of the dual bottle by squeezing it, in case of a flexible bottle, made of thermoplastic, for example.

The dual bottle has a longitudinal axis A, shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The cross-sections of the bottle perpendicular to its longitudinal axis may be substantially elliptic, and thus the bottle has a relatively narrow side and a relatively wide side throughout its full length, as further detailed below. The elliptical shape may impart an aesthetic value to the dual bottle but may also facilitate squeezing.

The mortise-and-tenon joint is enlarged in the two side views of FIGS. 2C and 2D. A tenon 122 protrudes from a first container in the longitudinal direction in parallel to the narrow side of the bottle. A corresponding mortise 124 or recess is posed in the second container, also in parallel to the narrow side of the bottle. The tenon has a base and an edge as shown, wherein the edge is slightly wider than the base. The mortise also has a base and an edge, but in contrast with the tenon, the mortise is wider in the base than in the edge. In the fabrication process, outlined below, the tenon is being slid into the mortise and the two containers are reversibly engaged together as a single bottle.

In principle, the containers may be forced to separate by pulling them apart. However, in the longitudinal axis direction, the joint is held fixed because the tenon edge is wider than the mortise base. In a first direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the tenon opposes pulling. However, in a second sliding direction perpendicular both to the longitudinal axis and to the first direction pulling the containers apart may separate the containers.

According to one aspect a dual bottle is provided having a first axis in a length direction of the bottle, the dual bottle comprising:

• • a. first and second compartments for respective first and second liquids, each compartment having a first end and a second end, each first end including a mouth member configured to allow intaking into the first and second compartment respectively the first and second liquid, and expressing thereout the first or second liquid;
  • b. a cap engaged with each mouth member, each cap configured to allow selecting sealing or unsealing a mouth member and resting on a horizontal surface as a stable basis for the dual bottle while having the first axis vertical to the horizontal surface;
  • b. the second end of the first compartment including a tenon protruding outwards of the first compartment;
  • c. the second end of the second compartment including a mortise protruding inwards the second compartment; and
  • d. a joint connecting the second ends of the first and second compartments, the joint including the tenon of the first compartment residing inside the mortise of the second compartment, the joint prohibiting drawing the first and second compartments apart in the direction of the first axis.

Compared to WO2016039840 for example, there is no waste of material and space for a connector between the two containers.

Another aspect is to provide a dual bottle that is one-shot, i.e. the two containers are simultaneously manufactured and are connected during their manufacture.

In one embodiment, the ability to separate the bottle is a desired feature, and thus the tenon and mortise are shaped such that gravitational force is not enough to separate the bottle to two containers in case a user holds the bottle horizontally only on one side. On the other hand, when the user applies force in the right direction the containers are separated. Such separation may be helpful in several situations, for example, if one of the containers becomes empty it can be disposed of to save space and optionally replaced with a new container or separately refilled and a refill station; and/or if the containers are each under 100 ml in their internal volume they can be temporarily separated to be carried on an aircraft, and after flight reconnected to facilitate the use (such as squeezing) again. In some embodiments the total volume of the dual bottle is no more than 100 ml and can thus be taken intact on an airplane.

In some embodiments the first compartment and the second compartment each comprise walls having a thickness between 1.2 and 1.8 mm. This thickness range was determined in view of the structure of the dual bottle [thought to require certain thicknesses at various locations] and the need to be able to squeeze it with appropriate force.

However, we have discovered that the combined result of the rather stiff joint and the small size of the flight-worthy dual bottle, both for the embodiment of each container having an internal volume of no more than 100 ml and the embodiment wherein the entire dual bottle has such volume, is the inability to squeeze the contents without undue force. We came up with the idea to replace the snap-caps with screw-caps, with the corresponding threads on the containers on the containers. This change to the design for the small dual bottles proved to be successful.

In one embodiment, the bottle is shaped to prevent separation. One way to affix the joint in the second direction is to shape the tenon and the mortise with tight measures. For example, the tenon edge may be slighter wider than the mortise edge. Accordingly, the tenon has to be forced into the mortise such that separating the containers by pulling is virtually prohibited. Alternatively, a glue may be smeared within the mortise before combining a tenon container with a mortise container. Thereafter, the bottle is positioned on the bottle cap of the mortise container for a drying period such as to fix the joint. Other tenon-and-mortise joints may be adopted from the woodworking industry for combining the two containers (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortise_and_tenon).

Because of the geometry and amount of material at the joint, as well as the thickness of the walls of the containers, it is easiest to squeeze out liquid by holding the container about midway between the joint and the cap.

In yet other embodiments the joint is partly or fully covered by a label that may be stuck on the dual bottle. The label may restrict or prevent the ability to pull apart the containers by simply further holding the containers together. The label may indicate the content of each container, either with indication of which container contains which contents, or in other embodiments without one and/or the other indications. The label may also serve to hide the joint for aesthetic or other reasons such as to visibly restrict the ability to disengage the containers from each other. However, in principle, in the preferred embodiments the containers are not affixed to each other and may be disengaged from each other without great difficulty. At present, inventors believe that the latter embodiments operate most efficiently, but the other embodiments are also satisfactory.

Some embodiments thus further comprise a label covering the second ends, such as to prevent drawing the first and second compartments apart in a direction perpendicular to the first axis.

In some embodiments the containers comprise HDPE [High Density Polyethlene]. Some embodiments have containers made from HDPE.

In some embodiments the containers are blow-molded

It would be best to be able to easily squeeze the dual bottle exactly mid-way between the containers. Such squeezing would best allow to expel material from the containers, particularly when the containers are almost empty. However, the inventor has discovered in 3-D printed prototypes [which are usually stiff] that it is difficult to squeeze the dual bottle, in particular in that region because of the joint. Solutions to this problem that would occur to a skilled in the art would be to a) make the containers from thinner walls and/or b) use softer materials. However, to his surprise, despite many experiments, the mortise and tenon then always did not fit and it was impossible to properly connect the containers. He then realized that to allow both squeezing and proper connecting, the containers need to be made with walls having a narrow range of thicknesses.

In some embodiments the first liquid is a shampoo and the second liquid is conditioner.

In preferred embodiments the shampoo and the conditioner are complementary, for example both the shampoo and the conditioner are for oily hair. This matching is a great advantage over having two separate containers, especially for families or groups of people sharing bathrooms and having hairs requiring different care.

The internally divided dual bottle stands stably on either one of its two caps. For that sake, the cap is centered regarding to a longitudinal axis of the bottle, and shaped such that the bottle is stable while resting on the cap. In the examples of FIGS. 1-2, the caps are flat. Additional stable caps are shown in the cross-section views of FIGS. 3A and 3B. The caps of both FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B have depressed centers but elliptic rims which constitute stable bases. The side walls of the cap of FIG. 3A are vertical to the ground while those of FIG. 3B are sloped outwardly like those of FIGS. 1-2.

In a preferred embodiment, one of the two caps of a dual bottle is of a first kind, that of FIGS. 1-2 for example. while the other cap is of a second different cap, that of FIG. 2A, for example. Such a difference between the two caps helps to prevent confusion between the two different liquids in the bottle in case they are different liquids. In case that the two containers store the same liquid, the difference between the caps may help in telling a consumed container from a full one.

In some embodiments the cap that is engaged with the mouth member of the first container is marked with a mark indicating that the cap not be resting on the horizontal surface. In other words, the mark faces upwards. This marking can be useful when one of the containers should be resting upside down. For example, the conditioner may comprise shea butter, which is a viscous substance, and having the container with the conditioner facing downwards is advantageous.

The length of a dual bottle may be in the range 50 to 280 mm. The dual bottle may be suitable for use, as-is and/or dismantled, as complementary samples, hotel bottles, for industrial shared use, regular consumer use etc.

Near each bottle cap, the major axis (width) of the elliptic bottle cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis may be in the range 10 to 100 mm. The minor axis may be in the range 5 mm to 60 mm.

At the waist (near the joint), the major axis of the bottle cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis may be in the range 5 to 60 mm. The minor axis may be in the range 3 mm to 50 mm.

Bottles may be designed with a variety of sizes of the waist perimeter to fit a variety of human hand sizes.

The waist area of the dual bottle may have one or more depressions that fit or resemble the imprint of a human hand, both to direct the user where to squeeze for best results and to further improve the effectivity of the squeezing. Again, a kit or line of dual bottles may be provided that each comprise depression/s may be designed for a specific hand size.

A preferred eccentricity of the elliptical cross-sections perpendicular to the longitudinal axis is in the range 0.70 to 0.80 near the caps and in the range 0.40 to 0.55 near the middle waist.

The volume of the tenon container may be higher than that of the mortise container by a value in the range of 1-10%, preferably in the range of 3-8%, and most preferably in the range of 5-6%.

The bottle may include plastic, aluminum, glass or combinations thereof.

A method for fabricating an internally divided bottle includes the following steps:

a. Providing a tenon container.

b. Providing a mortise container.

c. Applying a glue layer inside the mortise and/or over the tenon.

d. Sliding the tenon inside the mortise.

e. Putting the bottle on the mortise container side for fixing the glue.

f. Opening the cap and letting a first liquid fill a first container.

g. Flipping the bottle up-down.

h. Opening the cap and letting a second liquid fill the second container.

j. Positioning the bottles on a package, perpendicular to the ground.

For the embodiment that the bottle is easily separable into two bottles, steps c, e are omitted.

Claims

1. A dual bottle having a first axis in a length direction of the bottle, the dual bottle comprising: a. first and second compartments for respective first and second liquids, each compartment having a first end and a second end, each first end including a mouth member configured to allow intaking into the first and second compartment respectively the first and second liquid, and expressing thereout the first or second liquid;b. Each first end wider than the second end so that the dual bottle tapers to facilitate dispensing the first or second liquid;c. a cap engaged with each mouth member, each cap configured to allow selecting sealing or unsealing a mouth member and resting on a horizontal surface as a stable basis for the dual bottle while having the first axis vertical to the horizontal surface;d. the second end of the first compartment including a tenon having a tenon base and a tenon edge, the tenon protruding outwards of the first compartment, and with the tenon edge wider than the tenon base, forming a trapezoidal insert;e. the second end of the second compartment including a mortise having a mortise base and a mortise edge, the mortise protruding inwards the second compartment with a mortise base wider than the mortise edge to form a trapezoidal base;f. a joint connecting the second ends of the first and second compartments, the joint including the tenon of the first compartment residing inside the mortise of the second compartment, the joint prohibiting drawing the first and second compartments apart in the direction of the first axis; andg. a label covering the second ends, such as to prevent drawing the first and second compartments apart in a direction perpendicular to the first axis.

2. The dual bottle of claim 1, wherein each compartment has an internal volume of 100 mL volume or less, and the cap is a screw-cap.

3. The dual bottle of claim 1, wherein both compartments together have an internal volume of 100 mL volume or less, and the cap is a screw-cap.

4. The dual bottle of claim 2, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment comprise HDPE.

5. The dual bottle of claim 3, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment comprise HDPE.

6. The dual bottle of claim 1 wherein both compartments can be easily removed without the adhesive label.

7. The dual bottle of claim 1, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment each comprise walls having a thickness between 1.2 and 1.8 mm.

8. The dual bottle of claim 2, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment each comprise walls having a thickness between 1.2 and 1.8 mm.

9. The dual bottle of claim 3, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment each comprise walls having a thickness between 1.2 and 1.8 mm.

10. The dual bottle of claim 1, wherein the first liquid is a shampoo and the second liquid is conditioner.

11. The dual bottle of claim 10, wherein the shampoo and the conditioner are complementary.

12. The dual bottle of claim 10, wherein the cap engaged with the mouth member of the first container is marked with a mark indicating that the cap not be resting on the horizontal surface.