U.S. patent application number 14/165746 was filed with the patent office on 2014-07-31 for cap and ingredient for multi-compartment container.
The applicant listed for this patent is Mass Probiotics, Inc.. Invention is credited to Timothy McKeown, David Tabaczynski.
Application Number | 20140209490 14/165746 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50069345 |
Filed Date | 2014-07-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140209490 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McKeown; Timothy ; et
al. |
July 31, 2014 |
CAP AND INGREDIENT FOR MULTI-COMPARTMENT CONTAINER
Abstract
A cap for a container includes a depressible structure arranged
such that, when the depressible structure is depressed, the
depressible structure applies force onto a first compartment,
thereby rupturing the first compartment and dispensing a first
ingredient into a second compartment of the container. The
depressible structure can include a pliant material. Also described
is a solid material shaped to concentrate force applied by the
depressible structure at a first location of the first compartment
to facilitate rupturing the first compartment. Additionally
described is an ingredient that includes an effervescent
material.
Inventors: |
McKeown; Timothy; (Boston,
MA) ; Tabaczynski; David; (Cohasset, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Mass Probiotics, Inc. |
Boston |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50069345 |
Appl. No.: |
14/165746 |
Filed: |
January 28, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61757528 |
Jan 28, 2013 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/222 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/2821
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/222 |
International
Class: |
B65D 47/36 20060101
B65D047/36 |
Claims
1. A cap for a container, the cap comprising: a cap body structured
to attach the cap to the container, the cap body comprising a first
material; a first compartment for a first ingredient; and a
depressible structure arranged such that, when the depressible
structure is depressed, the depressible structure applies force
onto the first compartment, thereby rupturing the first compartment
and dispensing the first ingredient into a second compartment of
the container, wherein the depressible structure comprises a second
material more pliant than the first material.
2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a hard
plastic material and the second material comprises a soft plastic
material.
3. The cap of claim 2, wherein the hard plastic material comprises
polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or polyester.
4. The cap of claim 3, wherein the soft plastic material comprises
a vulcanizate or an elastomer of the hard plastic material.
5. The cap of claim 1, wherein the depressible structure has a dome
shape.
6. The cap of claim 1, wherein the first compartment comprises a
barrier to protect the first compartment from moisture, a gas
and/or a gaseous compound.
7. The cap of claim 6, wherein the barrier comprises a metal
foil.
8. The cap of claim 7, wherein the barrier comprises a plurality of
metal foils that are sealed to form the first compartment.
9. The cap of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of
metal foils is coated with a lacquer.
10. The cap of claim 1, wherein the first compartment comprises a
solid material and/or a powder having the first ingredient.
11. The cap of claim 9, wherein the first ingredient is a dry
ingredient that is sensitive to moisture.
12. The cap of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a hard
plastic material, wherein the second material comprises a soft
plastic material, wherein the soft plastic material comprises a
vulcanizate or an elastomer of the hard plastic material, wherein
the depressible structure has a dome shape, wherein the first
compartment comprises a barrier to protect the first compartment
from moisture and/or oxygen, wherein the barrier comprises at least
one metal foil, and wherein the first compartment comprises a solid
material and/or a powder having the first ingredient.
13. The cap of claim 1, wherein the first compartment comprises a
solid material having the first ingredient, wherein the solid
material is shaped to concentrate force applied by the depressible
structure at a first location of the first compartment to
facilitate rupturing the first compartment.
14. The cap of claim 1, wherein the first compartment comprises the
first ingredient, and wherein the first ingredient comprises an
effervescent material.
15. A cap for a container, the cap comprising: a cap body
structured to attach the cap to the container; a first compartment
comprising a solid material; and a depressible structure arranged
such that, when the depressible structure is depressed, the
depressible structure applies force onto the first compartment,
thereby rupturing the first compartment and dispensing the solid
material into a second compartment of the container, wherein the
solid material is shaped to concentrate force applied by the
depressible structure at a first location of the first compartment
to facilitate rupturing the first compartment.
16. The cap of claim 15, wherein the solid material is shaped to
concentrate force at a point.
17. The cap of claim 15, wherein the solid material comprises a
tablet with an angled, sharp edge.
18. A cap for a container, the cap comprising: a cap body
structured to attach the cap to the container; a first compartment
comprising a first ingredient; and a depressible structure arranged
such that, when the depressible structure is depressed, the
depressible structure applies force onto the first compartment,
thereby rupturing the first compartment and dispensing the first
ingredient into a second compartment of the container, wherein the
first ingredient comprises an effervescent material.
19. The cap of claim 18, wherein the effervescent material
comprises calcium carbonate.
20. The cap of claim 18, wherein the first compartment comprises a
solid material having the first ingredient, the solid material
being shaped to concentrate force at a first location of the first
compartment to facilitate rupturing the first compartment.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional
application Ser. No. 61/757,528, titled "CAP AND INGREDIENT FOR
TWO-COMPARTMENT CONTAINER," filed Jan. 28, 2013 which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] This techniques described herein relate to multi-compartment
containers that can maintain similar or dissimilar ingredients in
separate compartments until such time as the consumer, clinician or
other user chooses to blend the ingredients. The techniques
described herein relate in particular to a cap or enclosure
mechanism that can be placed on a container to create a
multi-compartment container. The multi-compartment container keeps
various ingredients separate until the consumer, clinician or other
user activates or deploys the mechanism and introduces the
ingredients in the cap to the ingredients in the container.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Packages have been developed to keep ingredients separated
from a second set of ingredients until the consumer desires to mix
them. This can be a useful in cases where one ingredient would
interact with another ingredient and affect the usefulness or the
characteristic of either the dry or liquid ingredient. Beverages
and bottle caps have been described having two compartments for
maintaining such a separation.
[0006] Various cap enclosures and dual compartment containers have
been described in which a set of dry ingredients is released into a
set of liquid ingredients.
[0007] The concept of a removable seal is outlined in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,000,314 and 5,370,222. This concept requires a user to
separate the two compartments from one another prior to releasing
one component into a second. Other devices can be used in a manner
where ingredients can be mixed without opening the container and
exposing either dry or liquid ingredients to the environment or the
consumer.
[0008] Some early interactive dispensing systems for bottles have
used bottle caps with a compartment that is partially defined by a
depressible plunger that can create an opening to the bottle when
pressed and allow dry materials to fall into a liquid. This idea
was described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,813,649, as well as U.S. Pat. No.
4,315,570, U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,189, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,321, U.S.
Pat. No. 5,863,126, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,104.
[0009] The plunger that creates an opening often has problems
associated with seepage of liquid or moisture into the dry
compartment and the use of a rubber stopper or seal was developed
to help overcome the tight tolerances needed during manufacture of
such a cap/enclosure compartment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,924,741 and
4,727,985 describe the use of rubber stoppers at the end of a
depressible plunger.
[0010] Even with improvements in manufacturing capabilities, many
of these devices could not keep ingredients of the cap enclosure
from being exposed to moisture from the liquid ingredients in the
bottle. There were then developed packages having a seal between
the cap and the bottle, where the plunger would break open or
puncture the frangible seal and allow the dry ingredients into the
bottle. Early developments are described in U.S. Pat. No.
3,156,369, U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,811, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,872.
More recent developments are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,296,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,341 and U.S. published patent application
2010/0200437.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 2,631,521 describes the use of a needle to
pierce a frangible seal. Alternatively, a depressible dome could be
used to push a frangible layer against the cutting layer to break a
seal and release a dry tablet into a liquid, as shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,679,375.
[0012] However, these developments led to the knowledge that
typical cap enclosure materials do not prevent moisture from
penetrating the material and entering the dry material compartment.
This resulted in the use of foils which may be impervious to
moisture and oxygen.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,772, U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,916, U.S. Pat.
No. 6,513,650, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,330 demonstrate a foil seal
that is broken by puncture.
[0014] As an alternative to plunger type dispensing caps, screw
caps that open doors or cut membrane seals have been described. One
development was a trap door type dispensing system that is opened
upon a screwing action of the cap. This is described in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,793,475, U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,445, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,573,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,257 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,740.
[0015] Similar to the seal piercing plunger cap enclosures, there
are screw caps that cut a frangible seal upon twisting a portion of
the cap. U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,743 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,427,005
demonstrate this concept.
[0016] A more elegant engineering design allows the use of pressure
to break a frangible seal. The use of this design in a cap
enclosure to create a two compartment cap/bottle package is shown
in U.S. Pat. No. 2,487,236. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No.
3,415,360, have built on this design using built in constructs to
help focusing where the pressure is located. Other similar patents
describe multiple chambers for holding several different
ingredients, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,363 and U.S. Pat. No.
4,785,931. U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,759 shows a design in which the dry
ingredient compartment is made part of the bottle instead of the
cap enclosure.
[0017] Yet as with the plunger caps enclosures, it was discovered
that many materials do not prevent moisture from penetrating into
the dry compartment. This led to development of pressure release
compartments that used a foil seal or an entire compartment created
by a metal foil. Patent documents describing using foil
compartments that use pressure include U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,540,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,358, U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,104, and U.S.
published patent application 2012/0067901. With respect to bottle
enclosures, a dispensing cap is described in U.S. published patent
application 2006/0070996.
[0018] Tablets in bottle caps have been described in several of the
above patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,487,236, which shows a
diagram of a pellet that breaks through a frangible layer due to
external pressure. But little is described of the tablet's nature
or shape that would make it useful in breaking a frangible layer or
in dissolving or interacting with the liquid in the second
compartment.
SUMMARY
[0019] Some embodiments relate to a cap for a container. The cap
includes a cap body structured to attach the cap to the container.
The cap body includes a first material. The cap also includes a
first compartment for a first ingredient. The cap further includes
a depressible structure arranged such that, when the depressible
structure is depressed, the depressible structure applies force
onto the first compartment, thereby rupturing the first compartment
and dispensing the first ingredient into a second compartment of
the container. The depressible structure includes a second material
more pliant than the first material.
[0020] Some embodiments relate to a cap for a container. The cap
includes a cap body structured to attach the cap to the container.
The cap also includes a first compartment having a solid material.
The cap further includes a depressible structure arranged such
that, when the depressible structure is depressed, the depressible
structure applies force onto the first compartment, thereby
rupturing the first compartment and dispensing the solid material
into a second compartment of the container. The solid material is
shaped to concentrate force applied by the depressible structure at
a first location of the first compartment to facilitate rupturing
the first compartment.
[0021] Some embodiments relate to a cap for a container. The cap
includes a cap body structured to attach the cap to the container.
The cap also includes a first compartment having a first
ingredient. The cap further includes a depressible structure
arranged such that, when the depressible structure is depressed,
the depressible structure applies force onto the first compartment,
thereby rupturing the first compartment and dispensing the first
ingredient into a second compartment of the container. The first
ingredient includes an effervescent material.
[0022] Some embodiments relate to a method of forming a cap and/or
a container.
[0023] Some embodiments relate to a method of pushing a depressible
structure of a cap to release an ingredient from a compartment into
a second compartment of a container.
[0024] The foregoing summary is provided by way of illustration and
is not intended to be limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0025] In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical
component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by
a like reference character. For purposes of clarity, not every
component may be labeled in every drawing. The drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale, with emphasis instead being placed on
illustrating various aspects of the techniques described
herein.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a cap for a container having a depressible
structure that is more pliant than the cap body, according to some
embodiments.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a compartment having a bather that may protect
an ingredient in the compartment from moisture, oxygen and/or
another compound in the container, according to some
embodiments.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows the cap of FIG. 1 including the compartment of
FIG. 2.
[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates that the depressible region of the cap
may be pressed to apply force to the compartment, thereby rupturing
the compartment and dispensing the ingredient into a second
compartment of the container.
[0030] FIG. 5 shows a compartment 5 for containing an ingredient,
such as a tablet 13 having a diamond shape.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] Described herein is an improved cap and a multi-compartment
container (e.g., a two-compartment container) formed by attaching
the cap to the container. In some embodiments, the cap includes a
cap body, a compartment for an ingredient to be dispensed, and a
depressible structure of a material that is more pliant than the
cap body. When the depressible structure is depressed, it applies
force onto the compartment, thereby rupturing the compartment and
dispensing the ingredient into a second compartment of the
container. Such a structure can improve the ease of use for the
consumer by making the depressible structure easy for a person to
push.
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a cap for a container, according to some
embodiments. The cap may be designed to attach to any suitable type
of container, such as a bottle, package, pouch, carton, jar, pack,
box, can, or any other type of container. The techniques described
herein are not limited as to the type of container to which the cap
is designed to attach. In some embodiments, the container may
contain any type of ingredient. In some embodiments, the ingredient
may be liquid (e.g., water) or any other type of wet ingredient
that may be consumed by a person, for example. However, the
techniques described herein are not limited as to the ingredient(s)
included in the container and/or the cap.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the cap has a cap body 2 and a
depressible structure 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the depressible
structure 1 may be bonded to the cap body 2. The depressible
structure 1 and the cap body 2 may overlap to ensure a strong bond
and reduce or eliminate any leaks between the two structures.
[0034] The cap body 2 may be formed by relatively rigid material
and may include attachment structures 12 designed to attach the cap
to a container. Attachment structures 12 may provide a strong seal
with the container to prevent leakage. Attachment structures 12 may
include threads for allowing the cap to be screwed onto the
container, plug seals, tamper rings, and/or any other suitable cap
attachment features. The techniques described herein are not
limited as to the attachment structures 12 used to attach the cap
to the container. In some embodiments, the cap body 2 may be formed
of a relatively hard, rigid plastic material, such as
polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or polyester, by
way of example. However, the techniques described herein are not
limited to particular materials for cap body 2.
[0035] In some embodiments, the depressible structure 1 may be
formed of a material that is more pliant than that of the cap body
2. In some embodiments, the depressible structure 1 may be formed
of a plastic material, e.g., a soft plastic material, such as a
vulcanizate or elastomer of plastic. For example, in some
embodiments the soft plastic material may be a vulcanizate or
elastomer of the plastic forming the cap body 2, such as a
vulcanizate or elastomer of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl
chloride or polyester. In some embodiments, the cap body 2 and/or
the depressible structure 1 may be formed of a material other than
plastic, as the techniques described herein are not limited to
particular materials for depressible structure 1 and cap body
2.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a compartment 5 that may be included in the cap
and which may contain an ingredient 6 that may be dispensed, such
as a liquid or a moisture-sensitive dry ingredient, for example.
Ingredient 6 may be a single ingredient or a blend of different
ingredients. The ingredient 6 may include any type of ingredient
that may be consumable by a person, including moisture-sensitive
freeze-dried components such as live organisms in stasis (e.g.,
bacteria, yeast) and/or vitamins, amino acids, herbs, etc., by way
of example. In some embodiments, the ingredient 6 may include one
or more components designed to be consumed to enhance the health of
a person. However, the techniques described herein are not limited
as to the type of materials included in ingredient 6. Further, the
techniques described herein are not limited as to the shape or
consistency of the ingredient 6, as ingredient 6 may be provided in
any suitable form such as a tablet and/or a powder, for
example.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the compartment 5 may provide an
enclosure with one or more barrier layers that protects the
ingredient 6 from moisture and/or oxygen in the container or the
environment. The enclosure may be formed of a structure that may be
referred-to as a "blister." FIG. 2 shows that the barrier structure
may include a lower barrier layer 4 and an upper barrier layer 3.
The upper and lower barrier layers may be bonded together, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, to form an enclosure that is protected from
moisture and/or oxygen and/or another gas or gaseous compound. In
some embodiments, lower barrier layer 4 and/or upper barrier layer
3 may include a metal foil (e.g., aluminum foil) which may be
optionally coated with any number of lacquers and/or a plastic
layer(s). The upper barrier layer 3 may be shaped, as it may
include soft foil and/or plastic layers that ensure the foil does
not break when stretched into a shape. In some embodiments, the
upper barrier layer 3 may have a dome shape, as shown in FIG. 2.
The lower barrier layer 4 may be a sheet of foil to make it easier
to rupture. The lower barrier layer 4 may be protected with one or
more lacquer layers so that the lower barrier layer 4 remains
frangible and also provides a protective barrier from any
environmental conditions such as moisture and/or oxygen and/or
another gas or gaseous compound in the container does not degrade,
through oxidation or other process, the metal foil and compromise
the integrity of the compartment 5. In some embodiments, the lower
barrier layer 4 may include a plurality of lacquer layers and/or
laminates to improve protection from such conditions.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates the cap of FIG. 1 including the
compartment 5 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the compartment 5 may
fit within the cavity formed by the depressible structure 1 (e.g.,
a domed cavity). The compartment 5 may be bonded to the cap body 2
at a flat area 7 of the cap body, for example. As shown in FIG. 3,
the depressible structure 1 may mimic the shape of the compartment
5 to minimize the amount of air between the enclosure 5 and the
depressible structure 1 and create additional pressure to burst the
lower barrier layer 4 when the depressible structure 1 is
depressed.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, when the cap is attached to the
container 11, a two-compartment container is formed. Applying
pressure 8 to the depressible structure 1 depresses the depressible
structure 1 and applies force onto the compartment 5, causing the
frangible lower barrier layer 4 to rupture and dispense the
ingredient 6 into another compartment of the container 11. The
rupturing of the lower barrier layer 4 is illustrated by the
ruptured region 9 in FIG. 4. The ingredient 6 may be dispensed into
the liquid or other ingredient 10 without requiring opening the
bottle or removing the cap in any way. When the liquid or other
ingredient 10 and the ingredient 6 are combined, the resulting
product (e.g., a consumable beverage) may then be ready for
consumption.
[0040] In some embodiments, the ingredient 6 may be included in a
solid material (e.g., a tablet or other vehicle) that is shaped to
concentrate pressure at a location on the lower barrier layer 4 of
compartment 5. In some embodiments, the solid material may be
shaped to concentrate pressure at one point on the lower barrier
layer 4 so that the lower barrier layer 4 will rupture in the
middle in a highly repeatable manner. Such a design can prevent a
problem whereby the ingredient 6 may be held up in the cap instead
of being dispensed into the container 11, as designed. One example
of a suitable shape for the solid material to concentrate pressure
at a point is a diamond shape. FIG. 5 illustrates a compartment 5
including a tablet 13 having a diamond shape, according to some
embodiments. In some embodiments, the solid material may have a
diamond shape, an anvil shape, or any other shape with an angled,
sharp edge. However, the techniques described herein are not
limited in this respect, as a solid material of any suitable shape
or a powder may be used as a vehicle for the ingredient 6.
[0041] In some embodiments, the ingredient 6 may include an
effervescent material that effervesces when released into the
liquid of the container. This may allow a person to know when the
ingredient 6 has been added to the ingredient of the container 11,
and may create a unique appearance. In many cases an effervescent
material may include calcium carbonate. However, any suitable type
of effervescent material may be used. In some embodiments, an
effervescent material may be included in the shaped material (e.g.,
a tablet) that has an angled, sharp edge to facilitate rupturing
the compartment 5. Such an ingredient may be used in combination
with the above-described depressible structure.
[0042] Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone,
in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically
discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is
therefore not limited in its application to the details and
arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or
illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one
embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in
other embodiments.
[0043] Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an
example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method
may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be
constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than
illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously,
even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative
embodiments.
[0044] Use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third,"
etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself
connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element
over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are
performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim
element having a certain name from another element having a same
name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim
elements.
[0045] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the
purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The
use of "including," "comprising," or "having," "containing,"
"involving," and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass
the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as
additional items.
* * * * *