U.S. patent application number 13/394657 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-05 for dispensing device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Mixicap Limited. Invention is credited to Amrik Pannu.
Application Number | 20120168326 13/394657 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41203260 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120168326 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pannu; Amrik |
July 5, 2012 |
DISPENSING DEVICE
Abstract
A dispensing device comprises a cap (1) attachable to a
container, the device being configured to dispense a liquid
ingredient into the container, the device including at least one
plunger (13) and at least one cylinder. The plunger arranged to
slide in a respective cylinder, is substantially hollow having a
closed end (15) and an open end (17), the open end (17) having a
peripheral edge, and the peripheral edge being adapted such that
the surface tension of the liquid in the region of the open end
(17) is disrupted.
Inventors: |
Pannu; Amrik; (Tyne &
Wear, GB) |
Assignee: |
Mixicap Limited
Tyne & Wear
GB
|
Family ID: |
41203260 |
Appl. No.: |
13/394657 |
Filed: |
September 7, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
September 7, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB10/51482 |
371 Date: |
March 7, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/219 ;
220/521 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/2835
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/219 ;
220/521 |
International
Class: |
B65D 51/28 20060101
B65D051/28; B65D 25/08 20060101 B65D025/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 7, 2009 |
GB |
0915541.7 |
Claims
1. A dispensing device comprising a cap attachable to, a container,
wherein the device is configured to dispense a liquid ingredient
into the container, the device including at least one plunger and
at least one cylinder, the at least one plunger being arranged to
slide in a respective at least one cylinder, wherein the at least
one plunger having a closed end and an open end and a hollow
portion forming at least a part of a reservoir for storing said
ingredient, and wherein the open end has a peripheral edge, and the
peripheral edge is adapted such that the surface tension of the
liquid in the region of the open end is disrupted.
2. A dispensing device comprising a cap attachable to a container,
wherein the device is configured to dispense an ingredient, which
may be a liquid, into the container, the device including at least
two plungers and at least two cylinders, each plunger being
arranged to slide in a respective cylinder, each plunger having a
closed end and an open end and a hollow portion forming at least a
part of a reservoir for storing said ingredient, and wherein the at
least two cylinders are sealed by a common seal and wherein the
plungers are adapted to break the part of the seal which seals the
cylinder with which the plunger slides without compromising the
sealing of other cylinder(s).
3. A dispensing device comprising a cap attachable to a container,
wherein the device is configured to dispense an ingredient, which
may be a liquid, into the container, the device including at least
one plunger and at least one cylinder, the at least one plunger
being arranged to slide in a respective at least one cylinder, the
at least one plunger having a closed end and an open end and a
hollow portion forming at least a part of a reservoir for storing
said ingredient, and wherein the plunger includes a first part and
a second part and the cylinder includes corresponding first and
second parts, and wherein the first part of the plunger is a push
fit in the corresponding first part of the cylinder and wherein the
outer surface second part of the plunger and the inner surface of
the second part of the cylinder are separated by a small gap.
4. A dispensing device according to any preceding claim claim 1,
the first part of the cylinder includes a wall having a triangular
cross-section.
5. A dispensing device according to claim 4, wherein at least the
tip of the triangular cross-section wall is deformable.
6. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the plunger
includes a first part and a second part and the cylinder includes
corresponding first and second parts, and wherein the first part of
the plunger is a push fit in the corresponding first part of the
cylinder and wherein the outer surface second part of the plunger
and the inner surface of the second part of the cylinder are
separated by a small gap.
7. A dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the open end
has a peripheral edge, and the peripheral edge is adapted such that
the surface tension of the liquid in the region of the open end is
disrupted.
8. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of
the open end of the plunger lies at an angle to the longitudinal
axis of the plunger, the angle being selected from the group
comprising: in the range of 15 to 75 degrees to the longitudinal
axis of the plunger, in the range 30 to 60 degrees to the
longitudinal axis of the plunger, in the range 40 to 50 degrees to
the longitudinal axis of the plunger, and 45 degrees to the
longitudinal axis of the plunger.
9. (canceled)
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the at least
two cylinders are comprised by a tube having an outer wall having
internal and external surfaces and at least one dividing wall
extending radially to the internal surfaces of the outer wall from
a point inward of the said internal surfaces of the outer wall.
14. (canceled)
15. (canceled)
16. (canceled)
17. (canceled)
18. A dispensing device according to claim 6, wherein the
cross-sectional area of the first part of the plunger is smaller
than the cross-sectional area of the second part of the
plunger.
19. A dispensing device according to claim 6, wherein the second
part of the cylinder includes at least one planar portion.
20. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the open end
of the plunger lies at an angle such that the lower edge of the
wall adjacent the inner surface of the wall forming the tube is
lower than the lower edge of the wall adjacent the dividing
wall.
21. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the height of
the first part of the plunger extending above the first part of the
cylinder, with the device in its pre-dispensing condition, is
greater than or equal to the distance between the lower edge of the
shortest side of the plunger wall and the seal.
22. (canceled)
23. (canceled)
24. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein there is
provided at least one element extending upward from a top wall of
the cap, the height of the element being greater than or equal to
the height of the at least one plunger above the same top wall.
25. (canceled)
26. A dispensing device according to claim 1, including a closure
member and a locking means adapted to lock the closure member in a
closed state.
27. A dispensing device according to claim 14, the element includes
a first part of the locking means.
28. A dispensing device according to claim 15, wherein the cap
mounts a closure member including a second part of the locking
means, the two parts co-operating to lock the closure member in a
closed state.
29. (canceled)
30. (canceled)
31. A dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the plunger
includes a hollow part and a non-hollow part.
32. A dispensing device according to claim 18, wherein the first
part of the plunger is non-hollow.
33. (canceled)
34. (canceled)
35. A dispensing device according to claim 1, and a container, the
container having an open end, the dispensing device attached to the
open end of the container.
36. (canceled)
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to dispensing devices, and in
particular to dispensing devices for containing and dispensing
ingredients into a container to which the dispensing device is
attached.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Flavoured drinks are well known. Such drinks may be squash
type drinks or flavoured water drinks. Such drinks are not ideal
for a number of reasons. For example, once mixed with water the
flavour may degrade, meaning that when ultimately consumed, the
drink is not as good as if it had been consumed immediately after
mixing the flavouring with the water. Also, an individual consumer
is unable to control the concentration of flavouring in the drink
He must simply buy what is on offer. Further, the shelf-life of a
flavoured drink when mixed with water may be shorter than the
shelf-life of the flavouring and/or the bottled water.
[0003] Although the problem as described is in relation to bottled
water, it may also be applied where an ingredient is to be mixed
with a fluid other than water. For example, the addition of
concentrate or a catalyst to a bulk product, such as the addition
of a medical compound to another product.
[0004] The above-mentioned problems are known in the prior art.
[0005] WO 2008/110767 describes a number of different possible
embodiments of dispensing devices, each providing for an
individually contained concentrate to be dispensed into a body of
liquid, typically water. For example, in some of the embodiments,
the concentrate is stored in blister packs. The consumer simply
breaks the blister to release the concentrate. However, the devices
disclosed present complexities in their manufacture. Also, with
some concentrates, for reasons of safety it is necessary to store
them in a condition of dilution below a certain threshold,
otherwise if accidentally drunk by a child for example, the child
may be made ill.
[0006] Other devices are known in the art.
[0007] One such device is described in WO2008/124630. One device
comprises a piston slidably mounted in a cylinder. The cylinder is
sealed at one end by a foil, and the piston is provided with a
sharp edge to remove the foil from the cylinder. The piston is
hollow and the concentrate is stored in the piston. In another
device described in this patent application the piston is adapted
to contain a concentrate in solid form, that is in the form of
small spheres. In yet another device described in this patent
application a number of different types of concentrate are stored
in a cylinder which is divided radially into compartments, sealed
at both ends. A hollow perforator is mounted above the compartments
and is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder in
order that a sharp part of the perforator may be aligned with the
desired compartment. Once aligned, the hollow perforator is pushed
towards the desired compartment, breaking the seals and allowing
the concentrate to escape therefrom. This latter embodiment
includes multiple components an would therefore be expensive to
manufacture.
[0008] It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved
dispensing device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] According to the invention there is provided a dispensing
device comprising a cap attachable to a container, wherein the
device is configured to dispense a liquid ingredient into the
container, the device including at least one plunger and at least
one cylinder, the at least one plunger being arranged to slide in a
respective at least one cylinder, wherein the at least one plunger
having a closed end and an open end and a hollow portion forming at
least a part of a reservoir for storing said ingredient, and
wherein the open end has a peripheral edge, and the peripheral edge
is adapted such that the surface tension of the liquid in the
region of the open end is disrupted.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention there is
provided a dispensing device comprising a cap attachable to a
container, wherein the device is configured to dispense an
ingredient, which may be a liquid, into the container, the device
including at least two plungers and at least two cylinders, each
plunger being arranged to slide in a respective cylinder, each
plunger having a closed end and an open end and a hollow portion
forming at least a part of a reservoir for storing said ingredient,
and wherein the at least two cylinders are sealed by a common seal
and wherein the plungers are adapted to break the part of the seal
which seals the cylinder with which the plunger slides without
compromising the sealing of other cylinder(s).
[0011] According to yet another aspect of the invention there is
provided a dispensing device comprising a cap attachable to a
container, wherein the device is configured to dispense an
ingredient, which may be a liquid, into the container, the device
including at least one plunger and at least one cylinder, the at
least one plunger being arranged to slide in a respective at least
one cylinder, the at least one plunger having a closed end and an
open end and a hollow portion forming at least a part of a
reservoir for storing said ingredient, and wherein the plunger
includes a first part and a second part and the cylinder includes
corresponding first and second parts, and wherein the first part of
the plunger is a push fit in the corresponding first part of the
cylinder and wherein the outer surface second part of the plunger
and the inner surface of the second part of the cylinder are
separated by a small gap.
[0012] Where the ingredient is not a liquid, it may be powder, or a
pill(s) or other solid form. Where the ingredient is a liquid, it
may also be a syrup or a gel.
[0013] Preferably, the first part of the cylinder includes a wall
having a triangular cross-section. In use, as the first part of the
plunger passes through the first part of the cylinder, the first
part of the cylinder deforms at least at the tip of the triangular
cross-section wall.
[0014] Preferably, the surface of the open end lies at an angle to
the longitudinal axis of the plunger. The wall of the plunger is
hence shorter on one side than the other, thereby disrupting the
surface tension of the liquid in the region of the open end. This
permits egress of the liquid from the plunger.
[0015] The open end preferably lies at an angle in the range 15 to
75 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the plunger. More
preferably, the open end preferably lies at an angle in the range
30 to 60 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the plunger, and still
more preferably, the open end lies at an angle in the range 40 to
50 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the plunger, and most
preferably at 45 degrees.
[0016] The at least two cylinders may be comprised by a tube having
an outer wall having internal and external surfaces and one or more
dividing walls extending between internal surfaces of the outer
wall, or extending radially to the internal surfaces of the outer
wall from a point inward of the said internal surfaces of the outer
wall. In such a way any number of equal or unequal sized cylinders
may be provided. The outer wall is preferably substantially
circular in cross-section. Advantageously, two cylinders are
provided by a dividing wall extending between internal surfaces of
the outer wall thereby dividing the tube into two parts.
[0017] Advantageously, the first part of the plunger is curved
continuously in cross-section, and preferably is substantially
circular in cross-section. This provides the advantage that the
plunger and cylinder are easier to seal. Preferably, the
cross-sectional area of the first part of the plunger is smaller
than the cross-sectional area of the plunger.
[0018] Advantageously, the second part of the cylinder includes at
least one planar portion.
[0019] Preferably, the open end of the plunger lies at an angle
such that the lower edge of the wall adjacent the inner surface of
the wall forming the tube is lower than the lower edge of the wall
adjacent the dividing wall. In this way, when the plunger is
depressed, the seal is first engaged to the outside of the
cylinder, and hence the seal is penetrated at that point. Due to
the angled nature of the open end of the plunger, as the plunger is
depressed further an increasing part of the plunger penetrates the
seal and a larger opening in the seal is made. This provides the
advantage that the seal penetrated gradually, reducing the chance
of the attachment of seal to the cylinder being compromised.
[0020] Advantageously, the height of the first part of the plunger
extending above the first part of the cylinder, with the device in
its pre-dispensing condition, is greater than or equal to the
distance between the lower edge of the shortest side of the plunger
wall and the seal.
[0021] Where more than one plunger is provided, the plungers may
provide the same or different capacities.
[0022] In one embodiment of the invention there is provided at
least one element extending upward from a top wall of the cap, the
height of the element being greater than or equal to the height of
the at least one plunger above the same top wall, and/or being
situated between adjacent plungers. The element may include a first
part of a locking means, and the cap may mount a closure member
including a second part of the locking means, the two parts
co-operating to lock the closure member in a closed state. The
first part may comprise a detent in the said element.
[0023] Preferably, the device is formed from a plastics
material.
[0024] The hollow part of the plunger and the cylinder in which it
is situated form a reservoir into which ingredients introduced.
[0025] The whole plunger may be hollow.
[0026] The first part of the plunger may be solid rather than
hollow, thereby reducing the possibility of ingredient stored in
the hollow part of the plunger being retained after breaking of the
seal, which could occur where the cross-sectional area of the first
part of the plunger is small.
[0027] The volume of the hollow part of the plunger may be
determined by the wall thickness and shape of the plunger.
[0028] The procedure for assembling the device and filling the
reservoirs is as follows:
[0029] The cap is supported in an inverted state. Plungers are
presented up to and inserted into the cylinders formed in the cap.
The resulting reservoirs are filled with ingredient, such as a
liquid flavouring. The reservoir(s) are sealed, for example with
foil seal. The seal may be welded to the lower edges of the
cylinder(s).
[0030] The device is then attached to a container. When purchased
by a consumer, the consumer removes any tamper seals necessary to
gain access to the plungers and depresses the desired plunger(s) to
release the ingredient contained in the plunger into the liquid in
the container.
[0031] The device of the present invention includes fewer moving
parts than other devices in the art. Further, the capacities of
individual ingredient reservoirs may be maximised by the adoption
of plungers having two parts each of a different shape and
configuration. The configuration of the open end of the plunger
provides the advantage that the surface tension at the open end is
asymmetric, allowing liquid to flow from the plunger which has a
closed end. Further, the manner in which the seal is broken means
that the seal associated with another plunger is not comprised.
[0032] The device in its various configurations has application not
only in the drinks industry, but also the pharmaceuticals and
chemicals industries. In fact, the device has application wherever
it is necessary or desirable to mix an ingredient with a liquid
just prior to its use.
[0033] In the context of this description, parts of one embodiment
may be used with parts of another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] In the drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of
the invention, and are by way of example only:
[0035] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a dispensing device
according to the invention in a first configuration;
[0036] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the dispensing
device illustrated in FIG. 1 in a second configuration;
[0037] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional representation of the device as
configured in FIG. 1;
[0038] FIG. 4 is cross-sectional representation of the device as
configured in FIG. 2;
[0039] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the device
illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, illustrating the underside thereof;
and
[0040] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the device
illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, showing a tamper seal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
[0041] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is shown a dispensing
device suitable for attachment to a container (not shown). The
device, when attached to the container, forms the closure
thereof.
[0042] The device comprises a cap 1 having a side wall 2, which in
this illustrated example are internally threaded 3. Many other
known arrangements for attaching the cap 1 to containers exist and
may be used in place of a screw fitting. Depending from the
underside of the side wall 2 is a seal 3 which breaks away from the
side wall 2 when the cap is rotated due to the threads 3 causing
the cap to lift away from the seal 3. Such an arrangement is well
known in the art and does not itself form part of the
invention.
[0043] The cap 1 includes a top wall 7 in which are located a pair
of apertures 8 in each of which is located a plunger 13. The
plunger 13 is closed at one end 15 and open at the other end 17.
Further, the plunger comprises two parts 14, 16, each having a
different cross-sectional shape, and providing a different
function. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the part 14 of the plunger is
substantially circular in cross-section. The part 16 is
substantially D-shaped in cross-section, comprising a curved wall
16' and a planar wall 16''. The part 14 may be hollow or solid. It
may be desirable for the part 14 to be solid to remove the risk of
ingredient being retained in the first part 14 following release of
ingredient from the second part 16.
[0044] The plungers 13 are housed in cylinders defined by an outer
wall 9 which forms a tube having a substantially circular
cross-section and a planar wall 10 extending across the diameter of
the tube, thereby defining two substantially D-shaped cylinders. In
cross-section, the external dimensions of the D-shaped parts 16 of
the plunger are slightly smaller than internal cross-sectional
dimension of the D-shaped cylinders, thereby providing for the
D-shaped parts 16 of the plungers to slide easily in the
cylinders.
[0045] The part 14 of the plunger is configured to slide in an
aperture in the wall 7 of the cap. The aperture is defined by a
wall 8, which extends above the upper surface of the wall 7. The
wall 8 is substantially triangular in cross-section. The circle
defined by the tip of the wall 8 lying substantially parallel with
the wall 7 has an internal cross-sectional diameter slightly less
than the external cross-sectional diameter of the part 14. When the
part 14 is inserted through the aperture, the wall 8 is deformed,
the reducing thickness thereof providing for such deformation. The
internal diameter of the wall 8 in the region of the step 11
between the aperture and the D-shaped cylinder is substantially the
same as the external diameter of the part 14. Hence, a liquid tight
seal is provided between the plunger and the cylinder over the
height of the wall 8, which is relatively short. The frictional
force generated by this sealing arrangement can easily be overcome
by the force exerted by a human pressing on the closed end 15 of
the plunger. Were the D-shaped part 16 of the plunger also an
interference fit, the frictional forces generated between the
plunger and the piston may be too great for the device to be
convenient to use by consumers.
[0046] The cap 1 is assembled, filled and sealed in an inverted
orientation. To assemble the cap the plungers 13 are inserted into
the cylinders. In the illustrated example, reservoirs for receiving
liquid are created by the hollow plungers 13 and the part of the
cylinders not occupied by the plungers. The reservoirs are filled
with liquid and then a foil seal 12 is attached to the end faces 9'
and 10' of the walls 9 and 10 respectively to seal the reservoirs.
The foil is sealed to the end faces by means of heat welding.
[0047] In the context of drinks, reasons for providing more than
one reservoir include offering consumers a choice of flavours,
offering consumers a choice of sweetness or sweetener type for
example. In this context it is therefore important that breaking
the seal to permit egress of fluid from one reservoir does not
break the seal in a manner which permits egress of fluid from
another reservoir.
[0048] As can be seen from FIGS. 3 to 5 in particular, the open end
17 of the plunger 13 is formed such that wall 16'' is shorter than
the wall 16'. In the example the open end 17 forms an acute angle
to the plane of the seal 12. Due to the wall 16' being curved, the
angled surface generates a tip 16a (see FIG. 5). When the plunger
13 is depressed, it is the tip 19 that engages with the seal 12.
Hence, the force applied to the plunger is exerted on the seal 12
over the area of contact between the tip and the seal, which is
small compared to the total cross-sectional area of the wall 16',
16''. By applying the force over the very small surface area of the
tip 19, the seal is pierced, rather than the attachment between the
seal and the edges 9', 10' being broken. Another feature of the
illustrated example is that the dimensions of the parts 14 and 16
of the plungers are such that when fully depressed (the
configuration of the right hand plunger 13 in FIG. 4) the bottom
edge 17 of the wall 16'' extends beyond the edge 10' of the wall
10. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the seal 12 is cut by the lower
edge 17 of the curved wall 16', but not by the lower edge 17 of the
wall 16'' which instead simply pushes the resulting flap 12' of
seal 12 downward, thereby allowing liquid to flow freely from the
plunger 13.
[0049] By creating a non-planar opening at the open end of the
plunger the surface tension around the body of liquid contained in
the plunger in the region of the opening is unequal. This allows
the liquid in the plunger to flow out when the seal 12 is broken
without the necessity of a breather aperture in the plunger
upstream of the open end. Such breather apertures are undesirable,
particularly where the liquid in the container to which the device
is to be attached is carbonated. If the container had been shaken
and the plunger included a breather, piercing the seal 12 may
result in the liquid contained in the plunger being expelled
through the breather.
[0050] Referring in particular to FIG. 1, it can be seen that two
elements 18 extend upward from the top wall 7. These elements 18
perform a number of functions. First, they prevent a consumer from
inadvertently depressing both plungers 13 when intending to depress
only one. Second, they protect the plungers 13 from being depressed
by pressure being exerted on the cap 5, for example when containers
are stacked or after sale when stored in a consumer's bag for
instance, and third, the front element includes a detent 19 which
engages with a protrusion 20 of the cap 5 to hold the cap 5 shut
after the tamper seal 21 (see FIG. 6) has been removed.
* * * * *