U.S. patent application number 10/805941 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-22 for container assembly for mixing substances.
Invention is credited to Hierzer, Valentin, Ziegenhorn, David.
Application Number | 20050205438 10/805941 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34985048 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050205438 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hierzer, Valentin ; et
al. |
September 22, 2005 |
Container assembly for mixing substances
Abstract
A portion dispensing container assembly includes a container
that has an externally threaded finish portion and a closure main
body that is mounted to the finish portion. The closure main body
has a storage space defined therein in which a concentrate may be
stored. A plunger member is mounted for linear movement within the
closure main body between a first upper position and a second lower
position. In the second, lower position the plunger member causes
the storage space two open into communication with the interior of
the container. A tamper evident interlock is further provided to
prevent movement of the plunger member to the second, lower
position until a consumer removes the tamper evident interlock.
Inventors: |
Hierzer, Valentin;
(Arlington Heights, IL) ; Ziegenhorn, David;
(Grayslake, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KNOBLE YOSHIDA & DUNLEAVY, LLC
Suite 1350
Eight Penn Center
1628 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Philadelphia
PA
19103
US
|
Family ID: |
34985048 |
Appl. No.: |
10/805941 |
Filed: |
March 22, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/222 ;
206/219 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/2835
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/222 ;
206/219 |
International
Class: |
B65D 025/08 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A portion closure for a container, comprising: a closure main
body that is adapted to be mounted to a container, said closure
main body defining a storage space in which a concentrate may be
stored; a plunger member that is mounted for linear movement with
respect to said closure main body between a first, upper, position
and a second, lower, position wherein said storage space is caused
to open into communication with the container; and tamper evident
interlock means for preventing movement of said plunger member to
said second, lower position until said tamper evident interlock
means is defeated by a consumer.
2. A portion closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein
said closure main body is constructed and arranged to be screwed
onto a threaded finish portion of the container.
3. A portion closure for a container according to claim 2, further
comprising a tamper evident band that is frangibly connected to a
lower portion of said closure main body and that is adapted to
separate from said closure main body when said closure main body is
unscrewed from the container.
4. A portion closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein
said closure main body comprises an engineered point of weakness in
the structure defining said storage space, and wherein said plunger
member is constructed and arranged to breach said structure at the
engineered point of weakness when depressed to said second, lower
position.
5. A portion closure for a container according to claim 4, wherein
said structure defining said storage space comprises a flexible
sealing membrane, and wherein said engineered point of weakness is
positioned within said flexible sealing membrane.
6. A portion closure for a container according to claim 4, wherein
said structure defining said storage space comprises a flexible
sealing membrane, and wherein said engineered point of weakness
comprises a surface of attachment of said flexible sealing membrane
to adjacent structure.
7. A portion closure for a container according to claim 4, wherein
said plunger member comprises force concentration structure for
concentrating the downward force thereof when depressed in an area
that is proximate to said engineered point of weakness.
8. A portion closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein
said plunger member comprises a blunt upper surface that is adapted
to be depressed by a palm of a consumer.
9. A portion closure for a container according to claim 8, wherein
said blunt upper surface is convex.
10. A portion closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein
said plunger member comprises a lower body portion and an upper
head portion that is wider in longitudinal cross-section than said
lower body portion.
11. A portion closure for a container according to claim 10,
wherein said tamper evident interlock means is positioned between
said upper head portion of said plunger member and said closure
main body.
12. A portion closure for a container according to claim 11,
wherein said tamper evident interlock means comprises a
circumferentially extending tamper evident strip that is positioned
between said upper head portion of said plunger member and said
closure main body.
13. A portion closure for a container according to claim 12,
wherein said tamper evident strip is frangibly attached to said
plunger member.
14. A portion closure for a container according to claim 13,
wherein said tamper evident strip is frangibly attached to said
upper head portion of said plunger member.
15. A portion closure for a container according to claim 12,
wherein said tamper evident strip is interlocked with said closure
main body.
16. A portion dispensing container assembly, comprising: a
container having an externally threaded finish portion; a closure
main body mounted to finish portion, said closure main body
defining a storage space in which a concentrate may be stored; a
plunger member that is mounted for linear movement with respect to
said closure main body between a first, upper, position and a
second, lower, position wherein said storage space is caused to
open into communication with the container; and tamper evident
interlock means for preventing movement of said plunger member to
said second, lower position until said tamper evident interlock
means is defeated by a consumer.
17. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 16,
wherein said closure main body is constructed and arranged to be
screwed onto a threaded finish portion of the container.
18. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 17,
further comprising a tamper evident band that is frangibly
connected to a lower portion of said closure main body and that is
adapted to separate from said closure main body when said closure
main body is unscrewed from the container.
19. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 16,
wherein said closure main body comprises an engineered point of
weakness in the structure defining said storage space, and wherein
said plunger member is constructed and arranged to breach said
structure at the engineered point of weakness when depressed to
said second, lower position.
20. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 19,
wherein said structure defining said storage space comprises a
flexible sealing membrane, and wherein said engineered point of
weakness is positioned within said flexible sealing membrane.
21. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 19,
wherein said structure defining said storage space comprises a
flexible sealing membrane, and wherein said engineered point of
weakness comprises a surface of attachment of said flexible sealing
membrane to adjacent structure.
22. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 19,
wherein said plunger member comprises force concentration structure
for concentrating the downward force thereof when depressed in an
area that is proximate to said engineered point of weakness.
23. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 16,
wherein said plunger member comprises a blunt upper surface that is
adapted to be depressed by a palm of a consumer.
24. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 23,
wherein said blunt upper surface is convex.
25. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 16,
wherein said plunger member comprises a lower body portion and an
upper head portion that is wider in longitudinal cross-section than
said lower body portion.
26. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 25,
wherein said tamper evident interlock means is positioned between
said upper head portion of said plunger member and said closure
main body.
27. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 26,
wherein said tamper evident interlock means comprises a
circumferentially extending tamper evident strip that is positioned
between said upper head portion of said plunger member and said
closure main body.
28. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 27,
wherein said tamper evident strip is frangibly attached to said
plunger member.
29. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 28,
wherein said tamper evident strip is frangibly attached to said
upper head portion of said plunger member.
30. A portion dispensing container assembly according to claim 27,
wherein said tamper evident strip is interlocked with said closure
main body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention broadly relates to the field of packaging,
and more specifically relates to a portion closure that is adapted
to release a substance into a container.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Technology
[0004] Many substances that are in wide commercial use are able to
be concentrated by the manufacturer and later reconstituted by the
consumer by mixing the concentrated with water. It is often
ecologically preferable to use concentrates rather than paying the
economic and social costs of transporting the bulkier final product
through the distribution chain to the consumer. In addition, the
quality of some products is higher when it is reconstituted from a
concentrate by the consumer just prior to consumption. For example,
many nutritional supplements are best mixed with water immediately
before they are consumed.
[0005] Accordingly, many products are already being sold in
concentrated form, with a variety of different structures having
been advanced for mixing and reconstituting the concentrate into
the final product.
[0006] One disadvantage of using a concentrate is that the consumer
will often end up with the concentrate or the final product on his
or her hands, which in some cases may be unpleasant or unhealthy,
or the concentrate, the water or the final product may be spilled
on to other surfaces. In the case of a nutritional supplement, a
consumer may purchase the supplement in powdered form in bulk
quantities and need to mix the powder with water immediately before
use. If the consumer wishes to use the supplement away from home,
such as at a gym, either he or she will need to transport the
appropriate amount of powder for a single serving in a separate
container or carry the powder in the container and add water at the
remote location, which may be inconvenient.
[0007] A need exists for a portion closure that provides a safe and
convenient way to dispensing a controlled portion of concentrate
into a container without the concentrate ever coming into direct
contact with the consumer or the surrounding environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a
portion closure that provides a safe and convenient way to dispense
a controlled portion of a concentrate into a container without the
concentrate ever coming into direct contact with the consumer or
the surrounding environment.
[0009] In order to achieve the above and other objects of the
invention, a portion closure for a container according to a first
aspect of the invention includes a closure main body that is
adapted to be mounted to a container, the closure main body
defining a storage space in which a concentrate may be stored; a
plunger member that is mounted for linear movement with respect to
the closure main body between a first, upper, position and a
second, lower, position wherein the storage space is caused to open
into communication with the container; and tamper evident interlock
structure for preventing movement of the plunger member to the
second, lower position until the tamper evident interlock means is
defeated by a consumer.
[0010] According to a second aspect of the invention, a portion
dispensing container assembly includes a container having an
externally threaded finish portion; a closure main body mounted to
the finish portion, the closure main body defining a storage space
in which a concentrate may be stored; a plunger member that is
mounted for linear movement with respect to the closure main body
between a first, upper, position and a second, lower, position
wherein the storage space is caused to open into communication with
the container; and tamper evident interlock structure for
preventing movement of the plunger member to the second, lower
position until the tamper evident interlock means is defeated by a
consumer.
[0011] These and various other advantages and features of novelty
that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity
in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However,
for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and
the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the
drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying
descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the container assembly
that is constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion dispensing closure
that is part of the container assembly that is depicted in FIG.
1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembled
portion dispensing closure;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the portion dispensing
closure in a first operational position;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the portion dispensing
closure in a second operational position; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical view depicting removal of the
portion dispensing closure by a consumer for purposes of consuming
the contents of the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0018] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference
numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views,
and referring in particular to FIG. 1, a portion dispensing
container assembly 10 includes a container 12 having an interior
space defined therein and, as is best shown in FIG. 6, an
externally threaded finish portion 14. Container 12 is conventional
in its construction.
[0019] The portion dispensing container assembly 10 further
includes a portion dispensing closure 16 that is perhaps best shown
in the exploded view that is provided in FIG. 2. Portion dispensing
closure 16 includes a closure main body 18 having a head portion 20
that is internally threaded so that it may be screwed onto the
externally threaded finish portion 14 of the container 12. A tamper
evident band 22 is frangibly connected to the head portion 20 of
the closure main body 18 by a plurality of frangible bridge
elements 26, best shown in FIG. 3, and is shaped and sized to
engage structure 15 on the finish portion 14 of the container 12 so
that it will visibly separate from the closure main body 18 when
the closure main body 18 is unscrewed from the container 12 by a
consumer. The head portion 20 of the closure main body 18 has a
circumferential textured outer gripping surface 24 that is designed
to help the consumer gripping and twist head portion 20 when it is
desired to remove the closure main body 18 from the container
12.
[0020] As is further shown in FIG. 2 closure main body 18 further
includes a downwardly depending cylindrical portion 28 that defines
an internal storage space 29 in which a substance that is designed
to be mixed with fluid from the container 12 is stored. This
substance may be, for example, a powdered nutritional supplement
that is intended to be mixed with water that is contained within
the container 12. Cylindrical portion 28 as a lower surface 29 to
which a flexible sealing membrane 32 is attached using an
appropriate adhesive. A point of weakness is preferably engineered
into either an area of the flexible sealing membrane 32 or the
interface surface between the flexible sealing membrane 32 and the
lower surface 30 of the cylindrical portion 28 of the closure main
body 18.
[0021] An upper surface of the head portion 20 of the closure main
body 18 is provided with an annular shoulder surface 34 and an
upstanding annular upper rim 36 in which an axial bore 38 that is
in communication with the storage space 29 is defined. A radially
projecting annular bead 65 projects outwardly from upper rim 36, as
is best shown in FIG. 3.
[0022] As is further shown in FIG. 2, a plunger member 40 is
mounted for vertical movement with respect to the closure main body
18 between a first, upper, position that is shown in FIG. 4 and a
second, lower, position that is shown in FIG. 5. Plunger member 40
includes a head portion 42 into an upper end of which is mounted a
permanent insert 44 defining a blunt, convex upper surface 46 that
is shaped to be comfortably depressed by the fingers or palm of a
consumer. Plunger member 40 further includes a lower, cylindrical
portion 48 that is shaped and sized to fit within the axial bore 38
that is defined within the closure main body 18. The head portion
42 of the plunger member 40 is wider when viewed in longitudinal
cross-section than the lower, cylindrical portion 48. This defines
a circumferentially extending recess, best visible in FIG. 4,
between an underside 52 of the head portion 42 and the upper
annular shoulder 34 of the head portion 20 of the closure main body
18 when the plunger member 40 is nested within the closure main
body 18.
[0023] As is best shown in FIG. 3, the lowermost terminus of the
lower cylindrical portion 48 of the plunger member 40 defines a
force concentration structure 50 that is adapted to concentrate
downward force that may be applied by the consumer to the plunger
member 40 to the area of the engineered point of weakness in the
membrane 32 or in the interface between the membrane 32 and the
lower surface 30 of the cylindrical portion 28 of the closure main
body 18. In the preferred embodiment, force concentration structure
50 comprises a tapered downward projection that is shaped and sized
to contact the membrane 32 prior to the rest of the lower
cylindrical portion 48.
[0024] According to one advantageous feature of the invention, a
tamper evident interlock 56 is provided within the
circumferentially extending recess described above. In the
preferred embodiment of the invention, tamper evident interlock 56
is constructed as a circumferentially extending tamper evident
strip 58 that is frangibly connected to the underside 52 of the
head portion 42 of the plunger member 40 by a plurality of
frangible bridge elements 64. Tamper evident strip 58 further
includes an inwardly extending annular lower flange 63 that
interacts with the annular bead 65 of the head portion 20 of the
closure main body 18 to prevent accidental upward movement of the
plunger member 40. The presence of the tamper evident strip 58
between the head portion 42 of the plunger member 40 and the
annular shoulder 34 of the head portion 20 of the closure main body
18 prevents a consumer from accidentally depressing the plunger
member 40 and moving the plunger member 40 to the second position
when there is no intention to do so.
[0025] The container assembly 10 will be manufactured with a fluid
stored within the container 12 and a concentrated substance stored
within the storage space 29 that is within the closure main body
18. The container assembly 10 will be distributed to the consumer
as shown in FIG. 1. When the consumer desires to consume the
contents of the container assembly 10, he or she will first grip
the pull tab 60 of the tamper evident strip 58 and progressively,
circumferentially pull the tamper evident strip 58 away from the
head portion 42 of the plunger member 40, rupturing the frangible
bridges 64 and unseating the lower flange 63 from the annular bead
65 in the process. FIG. 4 depicts the portion dispensing closure 16
with the tamper evident strip 58 so removed. The consumer will then
use his or her palm or fingers to depress the blunt, convex surface
46 and thereby drive the plunger member 40 downwardly to the second
operational position that is depicted in FIG. 5. In doing so, the
membrane 32 will open at the engineered point of weakness, thereby
communicating storage space 29 with the interior of the container
12 so that the concentrated substance within the storage space 29
will be permitted to mix with the fluid that is contained within
the container 12. As the plunger member 40 reaches the position
shown in FIG. 5, an inwardly projecting annular bead 53 on the
underside 52 of the head portion 42 will slip over and become
interlocked with the annular bead 65, thereby deterring upward
movement of the plunger member 40. This feature is considered
optional, and may not be included in some embodiments of the
invention wherein it is desirable to remove the plunger member 40
before drinking.
[0026] The consumer may shake the container assembly 10 at this
point to ensure thorough mixing of the concentrated material with
the liquid. After mixing, the consumer will grip the head portion
20 of the closure main body 18 and unscrew the closure main body 18
from the container 12 in order to consume the contents of the
container 12.
[0027] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been
set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of
the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.
* * * * *