Patent Application
20160376073
Publication Numbers:
Utility Patent—Portion Control Funnel Lid
There is currently a large consumer market for ingestible powders and liquids (nutraceuticals) in the health and fitness industry. Specifically, many health drinks come packaged in powdered form and are subsequently mixed with liquids using a prescribed dosage. These nutraceuticals, at least in powdered form, are typically packaged and distributed using plastic canisters or bottles with a large-mouth, open-top aperture from which the product is accessed by hand using a spoon, scoop, or measuring cup. The dosage portion is typically controlled using a separate scoop or other measuring device that may, or may not, be provided with the vendor's product as part of its packaging.
There are a number of disadvantages, as well as less than convenient aspects, to the current packaging and dispensing schemes commonly utilized for these health drinks and nutraceuticals. These packages typically consist of plastic bottles or canisters with large-mouth, openings at the top that allow the user to reach their whole hand into the canister while using the scoop or measuring device. The use of this type of packaging can be very messy, resulting in regular clean-up. These large-mouth canisters typically have been provided with screw-on plastic lids. The disadvantages include, but are not limited to:
The circumstances described above would seem to justify that a better method be devised to [a] properly control portions and dosage, [b] simplify use of the product during the measurement of each portion, [c] make dispensing of the product easier, more convenient, and less messy, [d] eliminate the requirements for external scoops, measuring devices, and funnels, [e] eliminate multiple openings of the package that exposes the product to potentially harmful elements, unclean environments, and contaminants, [f] avoid exposure of product to air and humidity, and [g] avoid exposure of product to skin where such exposure is contraindicated.
Many different types and configurations of measuring and dispensing devices, as well as combination measuring and funnel devices, have been marketed and patented over the years (see references in 1.0., above). These measuring and dispensing devices have predominately been after-market products that are sold and distributed separately, and intended to operate independently of the vendor's product containers. Many of these devices are provided with their own containers, which requires the consumer to transfer the desired nutracentical product from the vendor's packaging to the independent device. However, the nutraceutical product is subjected to potential contamination, as well as exposure to air, each time the vendor's canister or bottle is opened. In addition, the generally small capacity containers associated with the previously patented devices would have to be repetitively filled numerous times during their continued use. Furthermore, these conventional, permanent-type measuring and dispensing devices have been typically fabricated and assembled using numerous component parts, multiple chambers, and/or complex mechanisms, including shafts, axes of rotation, gears, motors, springs, or other mechanical parts or operations, which exhibit inherent disadvantages, such as relative high cost of manufacturing and possible malfunction. Finally, ultimate cleanliness and sanitation of these permanent devices could be compromised over time with continued use in the event that proper cleaning and maintenance is not vigorously pursued.
Although storage container and closure designers and manufacturers have developed many different variations of dosing caps and dispenser caps, there remains a need and a demand for a convenient, inexpensive, and easy-to-use spill and contamination-resistant dispenser and measuring lid closure device that is integral with the standard packaging and can protect the contents of the container from contamination by moisture, foreign substances, and pests during storage and use, and which can accurately, precisely, and consistently measure and dispense a predetermined amount of a bulk powder or liquid from a vendor's readily modified standard packaging.
It is anticipated that the Portion Control Funnel Lid (see
Additional uses and potential markets include any industry or endeavor that includes the measuring and dispensing of bulk powders or liquids in small to medium portions, including, [a] kitchen dry goods and liquids, such as flour, sugar, spices, oils, vinegars, wines, etc., [b] bulk food or juice products, such as baby formulas, cereals, rice, beans, juice concentrates, etc., [c] laundry powders and liquids, [d] granular or nuggetized pet food products, [e] lawn, tree, and plant care products, such as powder or granular fertilizers and pesticides, liquid fertilizers and pesticides etc., [f] construction industry products, such as Portland cement, hydrated lime, sand, proprietary powdered mixes for various purposes (e.g., concrete repair), etc., [g] medications and pharmaceuticals, and [h] general chemicals.
The Portion Control Funnel Lid consists of a two-piece assembly that can be either made of injection-molded plastic or digitally manufactured (see
In the primary configuration, the combination measuring chamber and funnel (PCF) of the present invention provides an economical device, which when sealably engaged or attached using the Open Top Retaining Lid to the vendor's canister or bottle containing a particulate (powder or granule) or viscous liquid substance, and with the aperture openings properly aligned and the entire assembly temporarily inverted, captures in the Portion Control Funnel component of the dispensing lid a consistent predetermined amount of nutraceutical product from the bulk container. In this configuration, the aperture opening of the Portion Control Funnel component of the dispensing lid may be rotated to close off the measured chamber from the bulk material in the container, in which the solid portion of the Portion Control Funnel bottom flange becomes a divider between the measuring chamber and the bulk storage container.
The manufacturing and utility of this dispensing lid will be licensed to various vendors of nutraceuticals for use with their existing products and the canisters or bottles associated with those products. The Portion Control Funnel component of the dispensing lid will be sized and custom fabricated in predetermined capacities to achieve the vendor suggested portion of powder, granules, or liquid by varying the dimensions and volume of the chamber and funnel during manufacturing. It is intended that the lid supplied as an integral part of this invention would be customized as requited to match the size and configuration, as well as the screw thread pitch and gage, of the on-the-market containers so that it can be used with many different existing product containers, and licensed to numerous vendors.
Packaging of the Portion Control Funnel Lid for boxing and shipping would consist of the Portion Control Funnel and Aperture Lid being placed inverted onto the throat of the canister or bottle, with a disposable freshness and “safety” seal composed of materials that are To Be Determined (TBD) placed on top of and sealing the Portion Control Funnel Lid, with both components retained by the Open Top Retaining Lid (see
Once the consumer purchases the product and opens the package, the Open Top Retaining Lid is removed, the disposable seal is peeled off the Portion Control Funnel Lid is placed “up-right” onto the opening of the canister or bottle, and the Open Top Retaining Lid replaced, carefully screwing it onto the opening of the canister or bottle to form an adequate seal (see
The dispensing lid is utilized by turning the Portion Control Funnel to the open position with the snap-on cap in place on the spout and tilting the entire assembly to an inverted position with the vendor canister or bottle attached. The assembly may be slightly shaken so that product from the vendor's container can move freely through the aligned (i.e., “open”) aperture openings in the Portion Control Funnel and Aperture Lid, completely filling the predetermined capacity chamber of the Portion Control Funnel Lid. The Portion Control Funnel is then manually rotated so that the aperture gates are no longer aligned (i.e., “closed”), which also segregates the measured-portion from the bulk product still retained within the vendor's canister or bottle. Once the product has been received, measured and segregated into the PCF, the entire assembly including the vendor canister or bottle is returned to an upright position. Product that has been measured and retained within the PCF can be dispensed and used immediately, or else stored within the PCF chamber for later use. When ultimately used, with the PCF still in the closed position, the snap-on cap at the small end of the funnel spout is removed and the entire assembly once again tilted sufficiently to dispense the nutraceutical product from the predetermined capacity chamber into a separate container for mixing and consumption, without permitting leakage of the product from the bulk container.
The procedure outlined above is repeated as necessary until the entire contents of the vendor canister or bottle has been consumed and the container is empty. Once the vendor's product has been completely dispensed and the canister or bottle is empty, the Portion Control Funnel Lid would simply be disposed of with the vendor's canister or bottle.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limited. Accordingly, other alternative configurations are possible, and fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The accompanying diagrams include five (5)—8½″×11″ drawings, numbered as Sheets 1of 5 through 5 of 5, and consisting of 12 individual figures, with
In accordance with the present invention and method, an inexpensive and easy-to-use unitary combination of measuring chamber, funnel, dispensing spout, and lid (closure) designed to sealaby engage canister or bottle neck openings of various sizes from the standard packaging of existing vendor containers, and which is intended to be provided as an ultimately disposable, but integral part of the vendor's packaging of nutraceutical products. This invention solves the problems and drawbacks of prior dosing and dispensing caps by providing an inexpensive device that is more convenient and easier to use, the device being manually operable to accurately and consistently measure and dispense nutraceutical products using one hand on the Portion Control Funnel 1 component of the dispensing lid, once the inverted PCF 1 is turned upright and secured to the vendor's container 5 using the Open Top Retaining Lid 3.
The plastic Open Top Retaining Lid 3 would be custom fabricated and mass produced to, [a] fit over the throat of the product vendor's typical packaging, consisting of canister or bottle 5, and [b] be provided with screw threads on the inside of the lid that match the gage and pitch (spacing) of the threads 22 existing on the outside of the opening of the canister or bottle. For packaging purposes when using this invention with vendor canisters, or bottles 5, the Open Top Retaining Lid 3 portion of the Portion Control Funnel Lid is positioned in place of the original lid and the Open Top Retaining Lid 3 is screwed into place such that there is intimate sealing contact between the shoulder of the vendor's container 5 and the retaining lip of the Open Top Retaining Lid 3 in order to retain the up-right Portion Control Funnel Lid and to tightly seal the package against further exposure (see
The plastic Combination Aperture Lid with rotating Portion Control Funnel 1 (see
The Aperture Lid Keeper Flange 4 is designed with an appropriate space between the flange and lid, as well as with proper allowances between the moving parts, to promote the rotation of the flange of the Portion Control Funnel 1, while retaining the bulk powder or liquid in the container and preventing leakage of the product from the bulk container (see
The Aperture Lid Keeper Flange 4 and the flange of the Portion Control Funnel 1 will be provided with matching stop lugs 12 and 13 to control and limit the rotation of the Portion Control Funnel 1 to an approximate 180 degree rotation (see
When designed and utilized for liquids, and where the liquid viscosity requires it, the Aperture Lid 2 is provided with a thickened ridge, [a] at the aperture opening, and [b] in a matching diameter circle at the solid portion of the lid, which will be furnished with a recessed dart receiver 14 and provided with, silicone gasket 17 composed of FDA-approved, food-grade, synthetic silicone rubber (see
In keeping with the spirit of Paragraph [0017], above, it is envisioned that the different embodiments of this invention allows variation of the details of construction and the arrangement of components within the basic design. One type of such variation is depicted as an alternate design of the engagement between the Portion Control Funnel 1 and Aperture Lid 2 (see
The Portion Control Funnel 1 will be custom fabricated and mass produced In dimensions, diameters, heights, and configurations necessary to accurately measure the desired portion or dosage of the product within a tolerance of ±5% of the specified amount or volume (see
Integral with the concept of the Portion Control Funnel Lid is the disposable seal 18 placed on top of, and covering, the Portion Control Funnel Lid. This disposable, freshness and “safety” seal will be printed with the proprietary dispenser name, logo, and contact information for advertising purposes, and will include rudimentary instructions for removal, re-assembly with, the Portion Control Funnel Lid placed “up-right”, as well as operation and use of the Portion Control Funnel 1 to measure and dispense the product (see
As previously described, the dispensing lid is utilized by turning the Portion Control Funnel 1 to the “open” position with the snap-on cap 7 in place on the spout 6 and tilting the entire assembly to an inverted position with the vendor canister or bottle 5 attached. The assembly may be slightly shaken so that product from the vendor's container 5 can move freely through the aligned aperture openings 10 and 11, respectively, in the Portion Control Funnel 1 and Aperture Lid 2 completely filling the predetermined capacity chamber of the Portion Control Funnel Lid. The Portion Control Funnel 1 is then manually rotated so that the aperture gates 10 and 11 are no loner aligned (i.e., “closed”), which also segregates the measured portion from the bulk product still retained within the vendor's canister or bottle 5. Once the product has been measured and segregated into the PCF 1, the entire assembly, including the vendor canister or bottle 5, is returned to an upright position. Product that has been measured and retained within the PCF 1 can be used immediately or stored within the PCF 1 chamber for later use. When ultimately used, with the rotatable PCF 1 still in the closed position, the snap-on cap 7 at the small end of the funnel spout 6 is removed and the entire assembly once again tilted sufficiently to dispense the nutraceutical product from the predetermined capacity chamber into a separate container or shaker for mixing and consumption. Dispensing of the product occurs as the powder or liquid product travels through the measuring chamber and funnel and out the dispensing spout 6.
The embodiments described above and as illustrated in the figures are presented by way of example only and are not intended as a limitation upon the concepts and principles of the present invention. In addition, it is to be understood that the specific devices and/or processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the foregoing specification, are exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. As such, it is anticipated that various changes in the elements and their configuration and arrangement are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. This is particularly so with respect to the size and shape of the vendor canisters and/or bottles, as well as the size, diameter, and length, of the components of the Portion Control Funnel Lid pertaining to the portion, or dose, measured by the Portion Control Funnel 1 (with, or without, a straight “barrel” portion of the measuring chamber).
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein. Variations of those preferred embodiments will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description and viewing the appended drawings and figures. Accordingly, the invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. The use and methods of the current invention includes all usual variations, adaptations, and/or modifications within the scope of the claims attached, as well as equivalents thereof. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations hereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62184012 | Jun 2015 | US |
