The present disclosure relates to dispensers having resilient walls and more particularly to a squeezable bottle for dispensing a food product.
In addition to providing functionality, many product packages are designed to promote a company's image or sustain it heritage. For example, some product packages have a unique shape that customers associate with a particular manufacturer or brand name whereas some product packages do not have unique shapes, but include ornamental features on the product package that customers associate with a specific brand name or manufacturer. Examples from the auto industry would include the Mercedes hood ornament and the BMW® radiator grill. As companies change the materials in which they package their products and attempt to provide customers with enhanced functionality, the ornamental aspects of their product package that are at the heart of the company's image may not only lack functionality, but also inhibit the underlying functionality of the product package.
Accordingly, the present disclosure addresses these and other drawbacks and discloses a squeezable bottle including an ornamental feature where the ornamental feature does not inhibit the functional aspects of the squeezable bottle.
Accordingly, in embodiments, a squeezable bottle is provided and may include a panel having at least one ornamental feature thereon. The panel may include a first facet having a length and a width and a second facet having a length and a width. The lengths of the first and second facets extend in a direction generally parallel to a longitudinal length of the squeezable bottle. The second facet is disposed adjacent to and defines a first interface with the first facet, and the first interface defines a first one of the at least one ornamental features. A generally planar surface of the first facet may be disposed at a predetermined angle with a generally planar surface of the second facet such that the panel is reversibly deformable.
In embodiments, a squeezable food-storage bottle is provided and may include a first pair of opposed side panels having at least one ornamental feature thereon. The bottle may include a bottom wall, a top wall configured to engage a cap, a pair of opposed side walls extending between the top and bottom walls, a rear wall disposed between the opposed side walls and extending between the top and bottom walls, and a front wall disposed between the opposed side walls and extending between the top and bottom walls. The front wall may include a first panel comprising a first facet having a length and a width. The length of the first facet extends in a direction generally parallel to a length of the squeezable food-storage bottle. A second facet has a length and a width. The length of the second facet extends in a direction generally parallel to the length of the squeezable food-storage bottle. The second facet is disposed adjacent to and defines a first interface with the first facet. The first interface defines a first one of the at least one ornamental features. A generally planar surface of the first facet is disposed at a predetermined angle with a generally planar surface of the second facet such that the first panel is reversibly deformable.
These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more fully explained in the following detailed description, which is to be considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts. In this regard:
In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure, through one or more of its various aspects, embodiments and/or specific features, is thus intended to bring out one or more of the advantages as specifically noted below.
The following description is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In the description, relative terms such as “horizontal,” “vertical,” “up,” “down,” “top,” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing figure under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and normally are not intended to require a particular orientation. Terms including “inwardly” versus “outwardly,” “longitudinal” versus “lateral,” and the like are to be interpreted relative to one another or relative to an axis of elongation, or an axis or center of rotation, as appropriate. Terms concerning attachments, coupling, and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. The term “operatively connected” is such an attachment, coupling or connection that allows the pertinent structures to operate as intended by virtue of that relationship.
In embodiments, the bottle 100 may be fabricated from a plastic or other flexible material such that the front side 106 and the rear side 108 of the bottle 100 may be resiliently squeezed to discharge contents from the chamber 114 through the top dispensing side 102 of the bottle 100. For example, the bottle 100 may be fabricated from a resilient polyethylene terephthalate (or PET) that allows the front side 106 and the rear side 108 of the bottle 100 to be returned to their original shape and position after a squeeze operation. In addition, the PET may also be substantially translucent so that the amount of contents left in the bottle 100 may be visually evaluated. PET may also be desirable due to its recyclability and oxygen barrier characteristics. However, it is contemplated that the bottle 100 may also be made from polypropylene.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the bottle 100 may be used to store a wide variety of food products or condiments including, but not limited to, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, salsa, ketchup, and the like and that a volumetric capacity of the chamber 114 may be varied. Examples of the volumetric capacity of the chamber 114 include, but are not limited to, 8 ounces, 14 ounces, 20 ounces, 34 ounces, 36 ounces, 38 ounces, 50 ounces, 60 ounces and 64 ounces.
As illustrated in
As shown in
The cap body 210 may include an internal valve (not shown) to control passage of the contents from the chamber 114 towards an opening of the discharge projection 240. The valve is flexible and extends from the cap body towards the chamber 114 of the bottle 100. The valve limits or controls the amount of excess content exiting the bottle 100 during and after a squeeze operation that would otherwise collect on the deck 230 and an outer perimeter of the discharge projection 240. The radial deck 230 also enables easier clean-up of any excess content that would otherwise collect in various corners and angled portions of conventional caps. Additional descriptions of caps that may be coupled to the bottle 100 are provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/477,903, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.
As best seen in
In embodiments, the side walls 110, 112 may include a combination of straight intermediate portions and curved (or rounded) upper and lower portions, although the side walls 110, 112 may also include a combination of tapered intermediate portions and curved upper and lower portions. In this regard, the tapered intermediate portions may be configured as concave portions extending from the curved upper and lower portions toward the bottle 100, and the curved upper and lower portions may be configured as convex portions extending outwardly from the bottle 100. According to this configuration, the concave and convex portions of the side walls 110, 112 narrow the bottle 100 at a midsection thereof such that the bottle 100 has an hour-glass shape. The straight intermediate portions and curved upper and lower portions may also be configured such that the straight intermediate portions are positioned inwardly towards the bottle 100 relative to the curved upper and lower portions. The side walls 110, 112 are constructed in this manner so as to enable a user to more easily grip the bottle 100 and to improve handling during a squeeze operation. In embodiments, the intermediate portions may have a height, e.g., of 2.5 to 3 inches.
Turning now to
The front and rear sides 106, 108 also include a plurality of grooves 140 that define the recessed portion of the front and rear sides 106, 108. As shown in
As shown in
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, each panel 122, 124 may include two, three, four, or more facets 130, and the number of facets 130 on one panel, i.e., panel 122 or 124, may be different from or equal to the number of facets 130 on the other panel, i.e., panel 122 or 124. In embodiments, it is contemplated that only one of the panels 122, 124 includes the facets 130.
The generally flat surfaces 132 of adjacent facets 130 are disposed at an angle from one another such that an interface 134 between adjacent panels, which defines a vertex of the angle, projects in a direction away from the chamber 114 and provides ornamental lines 136 when viewed from the front or back as shown, for example, in
However, it is noted that the inclusion and angling of the facets 130 to create the ornamental lines 136 in the panels 122, 124 increases the stiffness and rigidity of the front and rear sides 106, 108, which goes against the squeezable functionality of the bottle 100, i.e., the ability of panels 122, 124 to be reversibly deformable. Thus, in order to maintain the squeezability function while also maintaining the ornamental aspects of the bottle 100, the panels 122, 124 are designed such that adjacent facets are positioned at predetermined angles. By positioning adjacent facets in this manner, the bottle 100 retains substantially all of its flexible functionality for a controlled, uniform and smooth dispensing action of the content from the chamber 114, while maintaining the ornamental aspects that promote the brand image. The predetermined angle between adjoining facets varies with the size of the bottle. The size of the bottle may refer to a height, a length, a width, a volumetric capacity or any combination of these size factors although those having ordinary skill in the art would readily recognize other known size factors. It is noted that positioning adjacent facets within this range of angles also reduces noise generated when the bottle 100 is compressed during a squeeze operation. If the angle between adjacent facets is too flat, a squeeze operation of the bottle 100 generates an undesirable clicking sound. Similarly, when the angle between adjacent facets is too pronounced, the bottle 100 becomes undesirably stiff and rigid and thereby prevents the bottle 100 from being squeezable in a smooth and controlled manner.
To further maintain the squeezability of the bottle 100, predetermined ratios between the lengths and widths of each adjoining facet 130 is established so that after a squeeze operation is complete the panels 122, 124 are reversibly deformable to their original state and the ornamental aspects of the bottle 100 are maintained. By designing adjacent facets in this manner, similar to the predetermined angles discussed above, the bottle 100 retains substantially all of its flexible functionality for a controlled, uniform and smooth dispensing action of the content from the chamber 114, while maintaining the ornamental aspects that promote the brand image. The predetermined length and width ratios between adjoining facets may also vary with the size of the bottle. It is noted that by positioning adjacent facets within the panel at these predetermined length and width ratios also reduces noise generated when the bottle 100 is compressed during a squeeze operation. If the length and width ratios between adjacent facets fall outside the predetermined ratios, a squeeze operation of the bottle 100 generates an undesirable clicking sound or distorts the shape of the bottle 100 such that the ornamental feature is not maintained after the squeeze operation. In addition, when the length and width ratios between adjacent facets are outside the predetermined ratios, the bottle 100 becomes unstable and thereby prevents the bottle 100 from being squeezable in a smooth and controlled manner.
In embodiments, the length and width ratios may be width-to-width ratios between adjacent facets, length-to-length ratios between facets, and the length-to-width ratios of individual and adjacent facets.
In particular,
As also shown in
The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.
The instant application is a PCT International Application based on and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 61/671,485, filed Jul. 13, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference hereto in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2013/030713 | 3/13/2013 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61671485 | Jul 2012 | US |