U.S. patent application number 09/812122 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-19 for variable-length, multi-sectioned container.
Invention is credited to Rosenberg, Mark L..
Application Number | 20020130126 09/812122 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25208571 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020130126 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rosenberg, Mark L. |
September 19, 2002 |
Variable-length, multi-sectioned container
Abstract
A variable-length, multi-sectioned container, wherein a larger
composite container may be shortened by the removal of a section or
lengthened by the addition of a section is provided. The present
invention provides solutions to the messy dispensing and wasted
space normally associated with larger containers used when buying
in bulk quantities, or otherwise. The closures of the removable
section(s) are selected to be complementary with the closures of
both the lid and the container, respectively.
Inventors: |
Rosenberg, Mark L.;
(Hopkins, SC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICHAEL A MANN
NEXSEN PRUET JACOBS & POLLARD LLC
PO DRWR 2426
COLUMBIA
SC
29202-2426
US
|
Family ID: |
25208571 |
Appl. No.: |
09/812122 |
Filed: |
March 19, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/4.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 21/083
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/4.26 |
International
Class: |
B65D 006/28; B65D
008/18 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A container comprising: a lid having a first closure; a hollow
middle section having a first edge and a second edge, wherein said
first edge carries a second closure that mates with said first
closure of said lid and wherein said second edge carries a first
closure corresponding to said first closure of said lid; and a
hollow bottom section having a floor and a second closure
corresponding to said second closure of said middle section and
mating with said first closures of said lid and said middle
section, wherein said middle section and said bottom section form a
juncture when said second closure of said bottom section is mated
with said first closure of said middle section.
2. The container as recited in claim 1, said container further
comprising sealing means covering said juncture.
3. The container as recited in claim 2, wherein said sealing means
is perforated.
4. The container as recited in claim 3, wherein said sealing means
is perforated at said juncture.
5. The container as recited in claim 2, said sealing means further
comprises a band of inelastic material.
6. The container as recited in claim 1, wherein said first closures
of said lid and said middle section are interior threads and said
second closures of said middle section and said bottom section are
exterior threads.
7. The container as recited in claim 1, wherein said first closures
of said lid and said middle section and said second closures of
said middle section and said bottom section are selected from the
group consisting of snap-tight fit, pressure fitting, child-proof
seal, and slide fasteners.
8. The container as recited in claim 1, wherein said container is
formed from a material selected from the group consisting of glass,
metal, plastic, polymer foam, woven textile, and wood.
9. The container as recited in claim 1, wherein said container is
cylindrical.
10. An extender for a container having a hollow bottom section with
a second closure, said extender comprising: a hollow body having a
first edge and a second edge, wherein said first edge carries a
first closure that mates with said second closure of said bottom
section, and wherein said first edge carries a second closure
corresponding to said second closure of said bottom section,
wherein said extender and said bottom section of said container
form a juncture when said second closure of said bottom section is
mated with said first closure of said extender.
11. The extender as recited in claim 10, wherein said container
further comprises a lid with first closure, wherein said lid and
said extender form a juncture when said second closure of said
extender is mated with said first closure of said lid.
12. The extender as recited in claim 10, said extender further
comprising: sealing means covering said juncture.
13. The extender as recited in claim 12, said sealing means further
comprises a band of inelastic material.
14. The extender as recited in claim 13, wherein said sealing means
is perforated at said juncture.
15. The extender as recited in claim 11, wherein said first
closures of said lid and said extender are interior threads and
said second closures of said extender and said bottom section are
exterior threads.
16. The extender as recited in claim 11, wherein said first
closures of said lid and said extender and said second closures of
said extender and said bottom section are selected from the group
consisting of snap-tight fit, pressure fitting, child-proof seal,
and slide fasteners.
17. The extender as recited in claim 10, wherein said extender is
formed from a material selected from the group consisting of glass,
metal, plastic, woven textile, and wood.
18. The extender as recited in claim 10, wherein said extender is
dimensioned to have a diameter approximately equal to the diameter
of said container.
19. The extender as recited in claim 10, wherein said extender is
cylindrical.
20. A process for reducing the height of a container having a lid
with a first closure; a hollow middle section with a first edge and
a second edge, wherein said first edge carries a second closure
that mates with said first closure of said lid and wherein said
second edge carries a first closure corresponding to said first
closure of said lid; and a hollow bottom section with a floor and a
second closure corresponding to said second closure of said middle
section and mating with said first closures of said lid and said
middle section, wherein said middle section and said bottom section
form a juncture when said second closure of said bottom section is
mated with said first closure of said middle section; said process
comprising the steps of: removing said lid; releasing said sealing
means; disjoining said middle section from said bottom section; and
replacing said lid by mating said first closure of said lid with
said second closure of said bottom section.
Description
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to containers. In particular,
the present invention relates to variable-length, multi-sectioned
containers, wherein a larger composite container may be shortened
by the removal of a section or lengthened by the addition of a
section.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Almost every commercial good is delivered to the customer in
disposable packaging. The type of packaging that is selected for a
particular good depends upon several factors: for example,
availability; attractiveness to the consumer; size, shape, and
durability of the goods; ease of manufacture; and cost. A
manufacturer can reduce the cost of packaging per item of goods,
and pass this reduced cost on to the consumer through lower price
of the goods, by increasing the amount of goods contained within
the individual container. Simply put, increased amount of goods
within each container generally results in lower cost per amount of
good.
[0003] Having an increased container size can present several
problems for the customer--the container could be so large as to
hold a quantity of goods that is impractical for the average
consumer. Also, for some goods, an overly large container can
present product dispensing problems. A common example of this
difficulty is in the packaging of semi-solids such as paste,
jellies and jams, cosmetics and skin-care products, and peanut
butter. For these products, retrieval of the goods from the
container is easy at first; however, removing the last quantities
of product from a large container can prove frustrating. Consumers
find that a spoon or other tool is often too short to reach the
product at the bottom of a tall container. Further, while removing
the last portion of goods from the container, the residual amounts
of the product that coat the inside surface of the container will
inevitably be smeared on the consumer's hand.
[0004] This problem can be solved by the consumer by discarding the
container before completely consuming the residual amounts of
product in the container. Unfortunately, this wastage prevents the
cost savings that was originally intended when increasing the
package size. The problem can also be solved by the manufacturer by
either decreasing the package size or by increasing the ratio of
opening diameter to package volume. Again, the goal of cost savings
is defeated in the former strategy, and additional packaging costs
are created by the latter strategy.
[0005] Another problem is created by the use of larger containers:
customers must waste valuable storage space for these larger
containers that, when the product is mostly consumed, contain
mostly empty space. In these cases, the costs saved by buying in
bulk quantities is offset by increased cost of storage.
[0006] The economic trade-offs between buying in bulk and the
difficulties of using larger containers is especially important in
industrial and commercial kitchens where food is purchased in bulk
for economy whenever possible but, because of the large size of the
containers, workers encounter difficulty in getting all of the
contents scraped out of containers. It is not uncommon to for
workers to cut the tops off containers so as to have better access
to their contents. Using all of the container's contents is
important in kitchens where profit margins are slim. When the
product in the container is used rapidly and completely, this
practice makes good sense but if not all the contents of the
container are used shortly after the top of the container is cut
off, then resealing the container becomes a problem.
[0007] Thus, there exists considerable need for a container that
can be used to package and store a quantity of product, without the
foregoing limitations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to its major aspects and briefly described, the
present invention is a variable-length, multi-sectioned container,
wherein a larger composite container may be shortened by the
removal of a section or lengthened by the addition of a section.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a
solution to the problems of messy dispensing and wasted space
associated with the use of a large container.
[0009] The solution provided by the present invention lies in the
selection of the closures used in the container. By closures, it is
meant to indicate the portions of the individual components of the
container that permit complementary components to become attached.
Here, the closures are selected to make the lid and the upper edge
of the bottom section complementary, and therefore, reversibly
attachable. Mere complementarity of a lid and a hollow bottom
section is a common feature of most containers; however, the
present invention also comprises a hollow middle section with
closures on the lower edge that are identical to those found on the
lid, and closures on the upper edge that are identical to those
found on the bottom section.
[0010] As a result of this identity and complementarity, the middle
section can be removed and the lid can be mated to the bottom
section. In a container holding peanut butter, for example, when
the product has been consumed to a level below the juncture of the
middle section and the bottom section, the middle section can be
removed and discarded. The lid is retained, and, since it has
complementary closures to the remaining bottom section, used to
cover the unused peanut butter. The resulting smaller container
will enable the consumer to remove peanut butter without mess and
to prevent the wasted space that would have been associated with
the formerly too big container. Likewise, additional middle
sections can be added to the container to provide a larger storage
capacity, if desired, without sacrificing any of the foregoing
advantages of the solution provided by the present invention.
[0011] An important advantage of the present invention is found in
its application in larger containers such as those typically
purchased by institutional and commercial kitchens. Many of these
kitchens operate with thin profit margins and must make good use of
the products they buy. They buy in bulk to reduce cost. Buying in
bulk means has implications on storage capacity and in the need to
use as much of the contents of a large container. The present
invention mitigates both the storage concerns and the difficulties
of using larger containers.
[0012] Other features and their advantages will be apparent to
those skilled in the manufacture and use of containers from
inspection of the drawings or careful reading of the Detailed
Description of Preferred Embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In the drawings,
[0014] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the fully assembled
form of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the disassembled form
of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional, exploded view of a preferred
embodiment of the present invention taken along line A-A of FIG.
1.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional, exploded view of an alternate
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the partially assembled
form of the alternate preferred embodiment of FIG. 4.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the fully assembled
form of another alternate embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The invention is a variable-length, multi-sectioned
container, wherein a larger composite container may be shortened by
the removal of one or more middle sections or lengthened by the
addition of one or more middle sections.
[0021] While in its most preferred embodiment a screw-type closure
is used, several other types of closure can be incorporated into
the present invention. For example, the common snap-tight fit can
be used to provide an inexpensive container in any application
where a liquid-tight, precision closure is not required. A pressure
fitting, where the interior portion of the closure fits snugly
within the exterior portion of the closure, is another option for a
less expensive container. Also, a standard child-proof seal can be
incorporated in the present invention to provide a container that
cannot be easily disassembled by a child. Finally, in many
applications, such as in small insulated lunch boxes and drink
caddies made of woven textile products, the closure of choice can
be a slide fastener. However, this list is not exclusive, and many
other common closures used in the manufacture of containers may
also be used in the present invention.
[0022] The container can be manufactured from a variety of
materials. In its most common embodiments, the present invention
can be made of glass; metals, such as steel or aluminum; plastics,
such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyethylene-terephthalate;
polymer foam, such as polyurethane; woven textiles, such as nylon
or polyester; or wood. However, this list is not exclusive, and
many other common materials used in the manufacture of containers
may also be used in the present invention. Likewise, the container
and container sections can be formed in a variety of shapes.
Although the hollow, body sections of the container can be square,
rectangular, conical, spherical, or any other shape that is desired
for functionality or aesthetics, the container is preferably
cylindrical.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a multi-sectioned
storage container in accordance with a most preferred embodiment of
the present invention. Container 10 is designed to store a variety
of materials and products, but as aforementioned, most particularly
semi-solids. Product can be held within the hollow interior.
Container 10 includes a lid 12 and at least one middle section 14.
The lower edge of lid 12 and the upper edge of middle section 14
are reversibly joined by any of a number of common container
closures, but, most preferably, by a screw-type closure. Container
10 also includes a bottom section 20 that has a floor and an upper
edge that is capable of reversibly joining or mating to the closure
carried by the lower edge of middle section 14 to form a juncture.
Preferably, lid 12 and lower edge of middle section 14 carry
interior threads, and the upper edge of the middle section 14 and
bottom section 20 carry exterior threads. In all embodiments, the
closures of the present invention are selected such that while the
closure of lid 12 and the closure of the upper edge of middle
section 14 are complementary and can be firmly and releasably
engaged to join the respective sections, the closure of lid 12 is
both corresponding--that is, functionally identical--to the closure
of the lower edge of middle section 14 and complementary--that is,
functionally engagable--to the closure of the upper edge of bottom
section 20. Likewise, while the closure of the lower edge of middle
section 14 and the closure of the upper edge of bottom section 20
are complementary and can be firmly and releasably engaged to join
the respective sections, the closure of lower edge of middle
section 14 are both identical to the closure of lid 12 and
complementary to the closure of the upper edge of middle section
14. As a result of this identity and complementarity, the middle
section 14 can be removed and lid 12 can be mated to bottom section
20. However, in its fully assembled form, the disassembly of middle
section 14 from bottom section 20 is inhibited by sealing means 22.
Sealing means 22 is, in the most preferred embodiment, an inelastic
band covering the juncture of the sections and can be released by
peeling the band off of container 10. Suitable materials for
sealing means 22 are polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene,
or any other commodity plastic; further, the inelastic band is
preferably transparent. Sealing means 22 can also be easily
released by operation of perforations 24, aligned with the
juncture. In the most preferred embodiment, perforations 24 consist
of longitudinally intermittent voids that can be broken under
sufficient pressure or torque to sever the band into two separate
pieces, thereby releasing sealing means 22 and allowing middle
section 14 and bottom section 20 to be separated. However,
perforations 24 may also consist of a line of alternating thin and
thick areas in the material of sealing means 22 and may be broken
along the line of weaker, thin areas.
[0024] Referring now to FIG. 2, the results of the identity and
complementarity of the closures of the present invention are shown.
Container 10 can comprise a smaller structure by disassembly, as
described above. Removal of lid 12, release of sealing means 22,
and removal of middle section 14 by disjoining the closure of
middle section 14 from the closure of bottom section 20, followed
by replacing lid 12 by attachment to the upper edge of bottom
section 20, results in smaller container 10. Also shown are the
closure of the upper edge of middle section 14, exterior threads
18, and of the lower edge of middle section 14, interior threads
16.
[0025] The identity and complementarity of the closure of container
10 can be more fully understood and appreciated by a
cross-sectional view of the fully disassembled form of a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, as depicted in FIG. 3. As
further depicted in FIG. 4, another middle section 14 and sealing
means 22 can be added to container 10 to provide a larger storage
capacity without sacrificing any of the foregoing advantages of the
present invention. Referring now to FIG. 5, the individual
components of container 10 can be mated, resulting in the partially
assembled form of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The larger storage capacity container 10 can be disassembled as
described previously as the contents are consumed.
[0026] An alternate embodiment of the present invention is middle
section 14 of the sectioned container 10 used as an extender for a
standard jar 26. Referring now to FIG. 6, this invention allows a
pre-existing jar or bottle that has a complementary closure to be
easily and quickly extended or expanded in order to hold a greater
volume without the need to transfer its contents to a different
container. In a preferred alternate embodiment, the body of the
extender carries exterior threads 18 on its upper edge and interior
threads 16 on its lower edge. Also, the extender is preferably
dimensioned to have approximately the same diameter as standard jar
26, and the closures of the extender are dimensioned and adapted to
be complementary to standard jar 26 closures.
[0027] The dimensions of container 10 are not critical but it will
be readily apparent that the present invention operates especially
well with larger containers, particularly industrial size
containers such as those that are at least one gallon in
volume.
[0028] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art of
manufacturing or using jars that many modifications and
substitutions can be made to the foregoing preferred embodiments
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention, defined by the appended claims.
List Of Reference Numbers
[0029] container, generally . . . 10
[0030] lid . . . 12
[0031] middle section . . . 14
[0032] interior threads . . . 16
[0033] exterior threads . . . 18
[0034] bottom section . . . 20
[0035] sealing band . . . 22
[0036] perforations . . . 24
[0037] standard jar . . . 26
* * * * *