Patent Application
20060102651
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a closure for containers. More particularly the invention relates to a closure with an interior compartment for dispensing a predetermined amount of a product.
2. Related Art
The use of plastic containers, for example bottles and canisters, for the packaging of a wide variety of products has become commonplace. A wide range of container sizes and shapes are available. Along with containers, numerous types of closures, for sealing containers have been developed. Examples include threaded closures, friction fit and snap fit closures, and thermosealed closures. With the exception of thermosealed closures, these closures tend to be re-sealable on a container. Closures can have secondary structures as well. For example, sports drinks and water, which are commonly sold in plastic containers, frequently include a resealable spout on top of the closure. Pulling on the spout moves it away from a post on the closure that was seated in an opening of the spout, creating a channel through which the liquid can flow. The spout can then be pressed back down, reengaging the post in the opening and sealing the container.
Certain products that can be packaged in plastic containers are intended to be used in a measured quantity. Typically, the closure on the product is removed, some additional measuring device, for example a measuring cup or spoon, is used to remove or measure an amount of a substance removed from the container. Commonly in laundry detergent containers, the closure itself can be used as a measuring device. In this case, the closure is removed, a quantity of product is poured into the closure and dispensed, and the closure placed back on the container. As will be appreciated, product remaining in the closure after dispensing can spill as the closure is replaced. It would be beneficial, then, to have a closure that measures an amount of a substance within the container to facilitate the dispensing. Such a system could be useful not only for liquids to be dispensed, but also for powders and other materials. As yet, such a closure does not exist.
In summary, the present invention is a closure that can be used to dispense a measured amount of product from a container. The closure includes a shelf located below an opening in the closure. Product is loaded onto the shelf a predetermined quantity of product is then dispensed.
This invention satisfies an unfelt need for a container closure that can dispense a predetermined amount of product. The product can be liquid, for example laundry detergent, or a free flowing solid such as a powder, for example, powdered laundry detergent, chocolate powder for milk, and powdered baby formula.
A container closure according to the invention can have a top with an opening that has a skirt extending downwardly around the circumference of the top and defining an interior region of the closure. Within the interior region is a shelf positioned below the opening and having a shelf edge attached to the interior of the skirt, a curved portion sloping from the shelf toward the top, and a curved edge in the curved portion. The curved edge, together with the top, defines a channel and the shelf, skirt and top define a compartment in the interior region of the closure. The shelf can include a lip extending from the curved portion of the shelf into the compartment. The shelf can be formed from is a separate component from the top and skirt. The compartment is dimensioned to contain a predetermined amount of a substance to be dispensed from the container. The shelf can extend across about 50% of the interior region of the closure.
The closure can also include a spout connected to the top at the opening by a hinge and positioned to seal the opening by folding about the hinge. The spout can have sides positionable within the opening and retaining hooks extending from the spout sides to prevent the spout sides from completely exiting the opening when the spout is opened. A closure can have a circumferential ring on the skirt at an end opposite the top for attaching the closure to a container. A method for dispensing a substance utilizing a closure according to the invention can include sealing the opening; inverting the container to allow the substance to enter the compartment; righting the container; unsealing the opening; and dispensing the substance. Using this method, a predetermined amount of the substance can be dispensed. In this method, sealing the opening can include folding the spout downwardly about the hinge to cover the opening; unsealing the opening can include folding the spout upwardly about the hinge. The method is useful for dispensing a flowable solid such as a powder.
The closure can be manufactured by molding a lid that includes a top having an opening and a skirt extending downwardly around the circumference of the top and defining an interior region of the lid. The metod further includes molding a shelf that has a shelf body with a curved portion, a shelf edge, and a curved edge in the curved portion. The shelf is inserted into the lid such that the shelf edge contacts the skirt in the interior region of the lid, the curved portion slopes from the shelf toward the top. and the curved edge, together with the top, define a channel. When assembled, the shelf, skirt and top define a compartment in the interior region of the closure. The method can also include molding a spout into the lid and the spout and lid can be molded simultaneously. The spout can be formed with spout sides and, optionally, retaining hooks, which can be molded as part of the lid and spout. An exemplary molding method is injection molding.
Further objectives and advantages, as well as the structure and function of preferred embodiments will become apparent from a consideration of the description, drawings, and examples.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. In describing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference as if each had been individually incorporated.
The top 104 further includes an opening 116 located above the shelf. The opening allows for dispensing of a substance contained within a container to which the closure is attached. The opening 116 is sealable to prevent spilling or leakage of the substance. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening is sealable with a spout 118 connected to the closure top 104 by a hinge 502 (see
The closure 100 is adapted to be fitted onto a container. To this end, the closure can include a circumferential ring 124 around the circumference of the skirt 106 at the end opposite the top 104. The circumferential ring 124 is dimensioned to fit around the top of a container and can include a retaining ledge 130 that can attach to a container by a snap fit in order to prevent the closure from being dislodged from the container. Other means known in the art for attaching a closure to a container can similarly be used.
The illustrated closure is in the shape of an irregular hexagon for attachment to a container having a similarly shaped top. Closures according to the invention will typically have a shape that is complementary to the shape of the container to which it will be attached and can be any shape including, for example, circular, oval, polygonal and combinations thereof. The opening in the illustrated closure is offset with respect to the container, being located along a side rather than at a corner. This positioning of the opening is not critical and the opening may be located anywhere in the closure consistent with its use. Typically, the opening will be located to one side of the container to prevent dispensing of the bulk substance in the container as clarified below.
Closures according to the present invention are particularly useful for dispensing a predetermined amount of a substance. This can be useful for dispensing powders that are used in particular quantities, for example, laundry detergents; powders for preparing flavored drinks such as, for example, powdered chocolate for adding to milk; and other powders requiring mixing in specific quantities, such as powdered baby formula for mixing with water. A dispenser with a disclosure according to the present invention can be used to dispense such products without the need for a spoon or other measuring device, and can minimize spillage and waste.
A substance in a container with the present invention attached can be used to dispense a product by first closing the opening 116, for example by use of a spout 118 as described above. The container is then inverted, with shaking if necessary, and the substance is urged to pass through the channel 112 and onto the shelf 102. The container is then righted. In doing so, excess substance on the shelf can spill over through the channel 112 back into the bulk material in the container. A predetermined amount of the substance is thus contained in the compartment 402. The use of a lip 126 on the curved edge 110 of the shelf helps facilitate retention of a predetermined and consistent amount of substance on the shelf 102 and within the compartment 402. The closure according to the present invention can be designed with a shelf of a particular size to dispense a predetermined amount of substance for a particular substance in a container. The size and position of the channel also assists in holding a predetermined amount of substance on the shelf. After the container is righted and a predetermined amount of substance is contained in the compartment, the opening is unsealed and the container tipped to dispense the substance contained on the shelf. The shelf also blocks the bulk substance in the remainder of the container from falling trough the opening. This is accomplished, in part, by the having the shelf extend over a significant portion of the interior of the closure which allows substance to enter the compartment 02 when the container is first inverted, while blocking entry of additional substance into the compartment when the substance is being dispensed. For example, the shelf can extend over about 50% of the interior of the closure.
Closures according to the invention can have a one-piece construction and can be prepared from a monolayer plastic material, such as a polyamide, for example, nylon; a polyolefin such as polyethylene, for example, low density polyethylene (LDPE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE), or polypropylene; a polyester, for example polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphtalate (PEN); or others, which can also include additives to vary the physical or chemical properties of the material. For example, some plastic resins can be modified to improve the oxygen permeability. Alternatively, the container can be prepared from a multilayer plastic material. The layers can be any plastic material, including virgin, recycled and reground material, and can include plastics or other materials with additives to improve physical properties of the container. In addition to the above-mentioned materials, other materials often used in multilayer plastic containers include, for example, ethylvinyl alcohol (EVOH) and tie layers or binders to hold together materials that are subject to delamination when used in adjacent layers. A coating may be applied over the monolayer or multilayer material, for example to introduce oxygen barrier properties.
Closures according to the invention can be made by a molding process. In making the closure, a lid that includes the top 104 and skirt 106 can be molded, for example by an injection molding process. The lid can also be manufactured by compression molding, thermoforming or other methods known in the art. A spout 118 can be molded simultaneously with the lid, as can the spout sides 120 and retaining hooks 122, if present. In an exemplary embodiment, the lid, including the skirt, spout, spout sides and retaining hooks is molded as a single piece. In such a method, the lid, as formed, is in a configuration illustrated in
The shelf can be formed as a component separate from the lid, for example by molding. In such a case, the shelf has the appearance shown in
The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification are intended only to teach those skilled in the art the best way known to the inventors to make and use the invention. Nothing in this specification should be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. All examples presented are representative and non-limiting. The above described embodiments of the invention may be modified or varied, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
