U.S. patent application number 11/099459 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-12 for bag type squeeze bottle.
Invention is credited to Harry W. Sternberg.
Application Number | 20060226171 11/099459 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37073899 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060226171 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sternberg; Harry W. |
October 12, 2006 |
Bag type squeeze bottle
Abstract
A high performance squeeze bottle dispenser includes an internal
product-containing bag which is in fluid communication with a
dispensing nozzle. The dispensing nozzle is airtight to prevent air
from escaping back into the bag when pressurization of the bottle
is released. A one-way air valve in a wall of the bottle admits air
into the interior of the bottle around the outside of the product
bag to provide a pumping action which pressurizes the interior of
the bottle to cause product expulsion through the nozzle. An
inversion collar projects into the bag so that the bag folds
inwardly upon itself and up into the collar as product is expelled.
The collar may also include an upper inside dome-shaped surface
which matches the shape of the inside of the bottom of the bag to
achieve near-complete expulsion of product to reduce waste.
Inventors: |
Sternberg; Harry W.;
(Huntingdon Valley, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GREGORY J. GORE
70 WEST OAKLAND AVENUE, SUITE 316
DOYLESTOWN
PA
18901
US
|
Family ID: |
37073899 |
Appl. No.: |
11/099459 |
Filed: |
April 6, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/95 ;
222/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 83/0055
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/095 ;
222/209 |
International
Class: |
B65D 35/28 20060101
B65D035/28; B65D 37/00 20060101 B65D037/00 |
Claims
1. A dispenser, comprising: a non-rigid airtight bottle with
sidewalls adapted for manual compression; a cap located at the top
of said bottle, said cap including a liquid dispensing nozzle, said
nozzle configured to prevent air from entering the bottle; a
flexible bag for holding a liquid, said bag located within said
bottle and extending downward from said cap, said bag being in
fluid communication with said dispensing nozzle; a collar located
within said bag and extending downward from a top of said bottle
approximately one-half of the bag's length; and a one-way,
air-admitting valve located on a wall of the bottle such that
successive amounts of the liquid are dispensed from said nozzle as
said bottle is repeatedly squeezed.
2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said bag is tightly fitted to
an outside wall of said collar.
3. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said collar and said bag are
substantially cylindrical.
4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said collar is secured between
said cap and a mouth of said bottle.
5. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said cap is threadably
connected to said bottle.
6. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said nozzle is a duckbill
valve.
7. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said air-admitting valve is an
umbrella valve.
8. The dispenser of claim 7 wherein said air-admitting valve
resides within a concavity in the base of said bottle.
9. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said cap has an inside surface
with a shape which matches the shape of an inside surface of the
bottom of the bag.
10. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein an outside dimension of the
bag is tapered inwardly toward the bottom.
11. The dispenser of claim 10 wherein an inside surface of the
collar is inwardly tapered toward the top in dimensional
correspondence with the inside dimensions of the bag such that the
inside surface of the bag is in close physical contact with inside
surfaces of the cap and the collar when the bag inverts against the
inside wall of the collar at a position of substantially complete
expulsion of liquid from the bag.
12. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein the bag is fixed to the
outside wall of the collar by the elastic constriction of the bag
against the collar.
13. The dispenser of claim 11 wherein the inside surface of the bag
is in substantial contact with the inside surfaces of the collar
and the cap by elastic deformation of the bag.
14. A dispenser comprising: an airtight chamber adapted for manual
pressurization; a dispensing nozzle in fluid communication with an
interior volume of said chamber, said nozzle configured to prevent
air from entering the chamber; an elongate flexible bag for holding
a flowable substance, said bag located within said chamber and
being in fluid communication with said dispensing nozzle; a collar
located within said elongate bag extending downwardly from a top of
said bag approximately one-half of the bag's length; and a one-way
air-admitting valve located on a wall of said chamber such that the
flowable substance is dispensed from said nozzle as said chamber is
pressurized.
15. The dispenser of claim 14 wherein said collar includes an
interior upper inside surface which matches the shape of an inside
surface of a bottom of the bag.
16. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said collar is substantially
rigid.
17. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the cap is removable.
18. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said wall of the bottle is a
bottom wall.
19. The dispenser of claim 14 wherein said collar is substantially
rigid.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a bag-in-bottle type
squeeze bottle having an inner receptacle incorporating a flexible
bag for containing and dispensing various types of fluid products.
More specifically, it pertains to flexible bag dispensers that
include product bags which invert as they empty.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Squeeze type bottle dispensers are well known for use in
packaging and dispensing various types of liquid products including
those which are more viscous such as toothpaste. In order to
improve the product expulsion of viscous materials, bag-in-bottle
type dispensers have been employed because the more viscous
products are difficult to expel from regular dispensers. Some
dispensers include internal means for inverting the bag in upon
itself to enhance their performance. Another general type is a pump
dispenser which utilizes a piston pump to create the internal air
pressure necessary to dispense the product. Since the pressure
increase is not created by deformation of the dispenser walls, the
walls may be rigid.
[0003] Since it is more economical to produce non-bag type
dispensers, the less viscous and more liquid products are not
routinely supplied in bag type squeeze bottles. This is also
because they benefit just as much from gravity flow as from
squeezing the bottle. Furthermore, without proper valving which
maintains the internal bottle air pressure, the more liquid
products tend to fall to the bottom of the bag leaving an air space
at the top of the bag which must be expelled each time before the
liquid is discharged. This adversely affects the performance of the
dispenser. Hence, bag type squeeze dispensers are not used for
liquid beverages.
[0004] A general problem with bag-in-bottle type squeeze dispensers
of the prior art is that the discharge of dispensed product is less
than complete, creating waste. This occurs because the bags and the
inside of the bottles are not dimensioned and configured to closely
match, nor are the bags sufficiently resilient so that they may
conform to the shape of the inside surfaces of the bottle upon full
expulsion. Many dispensers require gravity to create or assist the
flow which can require an awkward position of the dispenser. In
highly competitive sports, there is a need for a very efficient
squeeze bottle for sports drinks that produces maximum output with
minimum effort and little or no discharge delay.
[0005] There is therefore a need in the art for a liquid bag type
squeeze bottle which eliminates trapped air in the product bag so
that the liquid can be quickly and easily dispensed. There is a
further need for a bag type squeeze bottle which provides near
complete expulsion of product to reduce waste and which does not
require gravity to produce or assist flow.
[0006] Prior art patents of which the applicant is aware which
disclose squeeze bottle type dispensers having internal product
bags include U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,320 issued to Harrison; U.S. Pat.
No. 4,842,165 issued to Van Coney; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,920
issued to Reiboldt. While these dispensers are suitable for viscous
products, they have the limitations discussed above with respect to
dispensing less viscous, highly liquid products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the art described
above, the present invention has been devised which employs a
unique structure that provides a bag type squeeze bottle with
excellent performance when used for dispensing highly liquid
products such as water and sports drinks. It should be understood
however that the present invention is not limited to these specific
products.
[0008] This capability is provided by a combination of bottle
valving and bag materials together with structural dimensions that
are mutually compatible. A dispensing nozzle is employed which is
not only substantially liquid-tight but also airtight. This
prevents air from escaping back into the bag when pressure on the
outside of the squeeze bottle is released. The tendency for
re-admitting air into the bag is also mitigated by the use of an
efficient umbrella type one-way bottle air valve with a high flow
rate. These structures are utilized in combination with a highly
resilient bottle that quickly snaps back to its normal shape when
squeezing pressure is released. This allows the interior of the
bottle to be recharged with air quickly and without producing any
adverse effects on the product bag that would increase its tendency
for drawing air back through the nozzle and into the bag.
[0009] The invention also uses an inversion collar to hold the bag
at its midpoint so that the bag folds inwardly upon itself and up
into the collar as liquid product is expelled. This enhances the
performance of the bottle and prevents product from being trapped
between irregular folds in the bag as it is compressed by the
internal air pressure of the bottle. To ensure that the greatest
amount of product is expelled to eliminate waste, both the bag and
the internal surfaces of the inversion collar are tapered with the
inside dimensions of the bag closely matched to the inside
dimensions of the collar. This, together with the use of a bag
material which has elasticity, permits the bag to readily conform
to the inside shape of the inversion collar and/or the cap which
holds the dispensing nozzle. The use of a resilient bag also
permits it to be assembled by stretching it over the outside of the
collar. This produces an extremely tight shrink fit between the bag
and the outside surface of the collar so that product cannot become
trapped around the outside of the collar thus further reducing
waste. The collar may also include an upper inside dome-shaped
surface which matches the shape of the inside surface of the bottom
of the bag.
[0010] Constructed in this way, the present dispenser provides a
high performance, pressurizable container which produces maximum
discharge with minimum effort and little or no discharge delay. As
a further attribute, the dispenser provides near complete expulsion
of product to reduce waste. And finally, the dispenser does not
require gravity to produce or assist flow.
[0011] While the present invention will be described with the
reference to a specific embodiment, the following descriptive is
illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as
limiting the invention. Various modifications to the present
invention can be made to the preferred embodiment by those skilled
in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the
invention. It will be noted here that for better understanding like
components are designated by the reference numerals throughout the
various figures of drawing which follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a side view of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view.
[0014] FIGS. 3-6 are side sectional views showing the sequence of
product expulsion.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing an alternate
embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring now to FIG. 1, the squeeze bottle 11 of the
invention generally includes a flexible outer wall which is highly
resilient and dimensioned to fit comfortably within the consumer's
hand for squeezing. At the top of the bottle is a removable
threaded cap which carries a duckbill type dispensing nozzle 17.
This duckbill nozzle known in the art includes opposing leaflets
which are resiliently biased toward each other. The duckbill valve
of the present invention is selected to include leaflets which are
of sufficient surface area and closing force so that the valve
provides both a liquid and airtight seal between the interior of
the bottle and the surrounding environment. The bottom wall 12 of
the bottle 11 includes a concavity 14 with an umbrella type air
valve 10. This valve provides the one-way admission of air into the
bottle caused by negative air pressure within which occurs when the
squeezing pressure on the outside of the bottle is released and the
expanding sidewalls draw a slight vacuum. Upon this occurrence, the
umbrella valve 10 opens quickly to admit air into the bottle.
[0017] Referring now to FIG. 2, interior structures of the bottle
can be seen. The cap 15 secures a downwardly extending collar 21
that has a product bag 23 secured to it by stretch fit. The bag
holds a liquid of choice 25 such as a food beverage or a sport
drink. The collar is held between the threaded-on cap 15 and the
mouth of the bottle 13. The product bag 23 hangs downward within
the bottle and is dimensioned to provide a substantial air space 27
between the bag and the bottle around the sides and at the
bottom.
[0018] An important aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 2 is
the shape and configuration of the bag 23 which for efficient and
economical manufacturing includes a slight downward taper. In order
to match the internal dimensions of the bag which extends below the
collar from about its midpoint, the collar includes matching
upwardly extending taper on its inside surface. In addition, the
inside of the cap 15 may include a dome-shaped inner surface 16
which matches the shape of the bottom of the bag. This is
significant for providing near complete expulsion of the product as
will be more clearly shown in FIGS. 3-6 which follow.
[0019] Referring now to FIGS. 3-6, the incremental expulsion of
product from the squeeze bottle of the invention is shown. As shown
in FIG. 3, when the product expulsion is first initiated, positive
air pressure in the bottle forces the bag upward into the collar.
Any air space initially present beneath the cap is expelled during
the first discharge and because of the airtight nature of the
nozzle, air is not readmitted into the bag. Thus, the bag is held
in the position shown in this figure by the airtight nature of the
duckbill valve. In FIGS. 3-6, the sides of the bottle have just
expanded to their relaxed state and the umbrella valve is shown in
the open position admitting air to replace the internal volume of
the bottle increased by the discharge of liquid.
[0020] FIG. 4 shows the point at which product is further expelled
due to additional squeezing of the bottle. As depicted in this
figure, the interior walls of the bag now begin to conform to the
interior walls of the collar. Further expulsion of the product is
shown in FIG. 5 when interior sides of the bag begin to closely
contact the walls of the collar from the bottle pressure and due to
the compatible dimensions between the bag and the collar and
resilience of the bag. Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, air pressure
within the bottle causes the bag to be completely forced up through
the collar and to expand against the underside of the dome-shaped
cap such that there is close physical contact at all points between
the bag and collar, and the bag and cap. This ensures almost
complete expulsion of all product as depicted in this figure.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 7, an alternate embodiment of the
invention is depicted in which the dome-shaped interior surface
which the inverted bag expands against at the point of complete
product expulsion is provided by a dome-shaped upper inside surface
28 at the top of the collar 21 rather than a dome-shaped surface on
the underside of the cap 15 as shown in the previous embodiment.
This permits a standard cap without any particular underside
configuration to be employed and thus provides economy of
manufacture. For simplicity of illustration, only the cap and
collar are shown in this figure.
[0022] It should be understood that there may be other
modifications and changes to the present invention that will be
obvious to those of skill in the art from the foregoing
description, however, the present invention should be limited only
by the following claims and their legal equivalents. For example,
although the preferred embodiment was described with respect to
liquid beverages, it should be understood that the dispenser of the
invention may be used for non-food products as well. In addition,
the dispenser may be used for highly viscous materials such as
pastes.
* * * * *