U.S. patent application number 16/701253 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-03 for container with tethered closure.
The applicant listed for this patent is ELC Management LLC. Invention is credited to Herve F. Bouix, Francis Corbellini.
Application Number | 20210161259 16/701253 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004522482 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210161259 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Corbellini; Francis ; et
al. |
June 3, 2021 |
Container With Tethered Closure
Abstract
Hand-held container-and-closure systems wherein the container
and closure are attached to each other with a flexible tether in
the form of a loop, and mounting and demounting the closure from
the container requires the container and/or closure to slide along
the tether.
Inventors: |
Corbellini; Francis;
(Thiais, FR) ; Bouix; Herve F.; (New York,
NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ELC Management LLC |
Melville |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004522482 |
Appl. No.: |
16/701253 |
Filed: |
December 3, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44C 25/002 20130101;
B65D 55/16 20130101; A45D 40/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A44C 25/00 20060101
A44C025/00; B65D 55/16 20060101 B65D055/16 |
Claims
1. A container-and-closure system that comprises: a container for
housing a cosmetic or personal care product; a closure that
cooperates with the container; wherein: the container and closure
are supported on a tether, and mounting and demounting the closure
from the container requires the container and/or closure to slide
along the tether.
2. The container-and-closure system of claim 1 wherein the tether
passes through one or more container channels that are located on
an exterior surface of the container.
3. The container-and-closure system of claim 2 wherein the tether
passes through two or more closure channels that are located on an
exterior surface of the closure.
4. The container-and-closure system of claim 3 wherein the
container has first and second channels that are equally spaced
around the container, and the closure has first and second channels
that are equally spaced around the closure.
5. The container-and-closure system of claim 1 wherein some or all
of the tether is flexible in all directions.
6. The container-and-closure system of claim 4 wherein the tether
is an open-ended loop that has first and second end portions,
wherein the first end portion of the tether passes through the
first closure channel and the first container channel; and the
second end portion of the tether passes through the second closure
channel and the second container channel, and the first and second
end portions of the tether are unable to back out of their
respective container channels.
7. The container-and-closure system of claim 6 wherein: the
container has a neck with screw threads, and the first and second
container channels are located on the neck and are able to rotate
around the neck; the closure has a lateral wall that supports screw
threads that are able to engage the screw threads of the container,
and the first and second closure channels are located on the
lateral wall of the closure; and the first and second end portions
of the tether are sufficiently rigid so that when the screw threads
of the closure engage the screw threads of the container, the first
and second container channels to rotate with the closure.
8. The container-and-closure system of claim 5 wherein first and
second end portions of the tether are fixedly attached to the
closure, so that the closure cannot slide on the tether.
9. The container-and-closure system of claim 3 wherein the tether
is formed as a closed loop that passes through the one or more
container channels and through the two or more closure
channels.
10. The container-and-closure system of claim 1 wherein the tether
passes into a closure channel on an exterior surface of the
closure, emerges from the closure channel on an interior surface of
the closure, then passes into a container channel on an interior
surface of the container, and emerges from the container channel on
an exterior surface of the container.
11. The container-and-closure system of claim 3 wherein the
container channels extend at least 90% of the length of the
container and the closure channels extend at least 90% of the
length of the closure.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention is in the field of resealable containers with
friction fit closures for consumer products. Of special interest
are smaller, hand-held, portable containers such as lipstick
compacts, travel-sized personal care containers, pill bottles,
ampoules, flasks, vials, tubes, etc.
BACKGROUND
[0002] For many resealable containers there is a possibility of
losing or misplacing the closure when it is separated from the
container. This is especially true of smaller portable containers
that are used out of the home. For example, when using a sunscreen
stick product during winter activities, the chance of dropping the
cap or container is significantly higher due to wearing gloves.
This problem is sometimes addressed by attaching the closure to the
container. One common means of attachment is a tether in the form
of a plastic strip that attaches the cap to the container. Examples
of these include U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,245,870 and 9,796,516. Generally,
the plastic strip is somewhat flexible along its length, but
significantly rigid along its width. With this type tether, it is
not always easy to prevent the cap and tether from interfering with
dispensing of the product or other operation of the container. For
example, the plastic strip tends to want to bend back toward the
portion of the container that was just uncovered. This makes it
difficult to dispense product without getting the product on the
tether and cap.
[0003] Cosmetic or personal care articles that are implemented as
wearable accessories are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
10,342,315 discloses a lipstick tube that can be worn as a pendant
attached to a necklace. A coupling system is used so that the
lipstick tube may be readily connected and disconnected from the
necklace. U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,712 discloses a portable spray device
that comprises a pressurized container and a cap. The cap is
attached to a necklace or bracelet for suspending the spray device.
With either of these wearable accessories, the container must be
separated from the cap in order to use the product housed therein,
and the potential to lose or misplace one part of the cosmetic or
personal care article remains.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A main object of the invention is to provide a portable
container-and-closure system wherein the closure and container
remain connected to each other in a way that does not interfere
with dispensing of product or other use of the system.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention comprise a container-and-closure
system wherein the container and closure are attached to each other
with a flexible tether in the form of a loop. In some embodiments,
the tether loop is open, and therefore, has two free ends. In other
embodiments, the tether is a closed, continuous loop, and
therefore, has no ends. In all embodiments, the container and
closure are supported by the tether, and maintained in proximity to
each other, but the closure and tether do not interfere with
dispensing of product or other use of the system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C depict a first embodiment of the
invention where the tether that connects the container and closure
is an open-ended loop, and the ends of the tether are associated
with the container.
[0007] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C depict a second embodiment of the
invention where the tether that connects the container and closure
is an open-ended loop, and the ends of the tether are associated
with the container.
[0008] FIGS. 3A and 3B depict a third embodiment of the invention
where the tether that connects the container and closure is an
open-ended loop, and the ends of the tether are associated with the
closure.
[0009] FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C depict a fourth embodiment of the
invention where the tether that connects the container and closure
is an open-ended loop, and the ends of the tether are affixed to
the closure.
[0010] FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a fifth embodiment of the invention
where the tether that connects the container and closure is a
continuous loop that passes through portions of the container and
closure.
[0011] FIGS. 6A and 6B depict a sixth embodiment of the invention
where the tether that connects the container and closure is a
continuous loop that passes through portions of the container and
closure.
[0012] FIGS. 7A and 7B depict a seventh embodiment of the invention
where the tether that connects the container and closure is a
continuous loop that passes through the length of the container and
closure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Throughout the specification, the term comprising means that
a collection of objects may not be limited to those explicitly
recited.
[0014] The invention concerns a container-and-closure system that
comprises a container for housing a cosmetic or personal care
product, and a closure that cooperates with the container to
protect the product from the ambient environment. The container and
closure are supported on a tether, and never separate from the
tether. Mounting and demounting the closure from the container
requires the container and/or closure to slide along the tether.
Various embodiments of the invention will now be described.
First Embodiment
[0015] A first embodiment of a container-and-closure system is
shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, which depict a spray-type
container-and-closure system. The embodiment comprises a container
(1) that is suitable for housing a cosmetic or personal care
product, a closure (2) that may be mounted and demounted from the
container, and a tether (3). The container comprises a proximal end
(1a), a closed distal end (1b) and one or more lateral walls (1c).
The interior of the container houses a reservoir (1d) of sprayable
product (S). The proximal end of the container supports a spray
pump (1e). The spray pump may be attached to the container by any
suitable means, such as a threaded engagement, friction fit, or by
a collet-collar system. In FIG. 1C, a collar (1f) is used to affix
the spray pump on the container. At least two container channels
(1g, 1h) are located on an exterior surface of the container, such
as on the one or more lateral walls (1c) of the container. In order
to provide a better balance to the container when it hangs from the
tether, it is preferable for the container channels to be equally
spaced around the container, and for the container channels to be
located at the same height on the exterior of the (i.e. lateral
walls) of the container. Preferably, the container has two
container channels. The container channels are able to receive the
tether (3). The container may be made of any materials commonly
used, such as glass, plastic, and wood.
[0016] The closure (2) comprises a closed proximal end (2a), an
opened distal end (2b) and one or more lateral walls (2c). The
closure is able to receive the spray pump (1e) into itself, and the
opened distal end of the closure is able to engage the collar (1f)
in a manner that retains the closure on the collar. In this first
embodiment, this engagement does not involve rotation of the
closure relative to the container. For example, the engagement of
the closure and collar may be a friction fit or snap fit engagement
that is achieved through translation of the closure relative to the
container, but not rotation. At least two closure channels (2g, 2h)
are located on an exterior surface of the closure, such as on the
one or more lateral walls (2c) of the closure. Preferably, the
number of closure channels is equal to the number of container
channels (1g, 1h) on the container (1). Preferably, the closure
channels are equally spaced around the closure. Preferably, the
closure channels are located at the same height on the lateral
walls of the closure. The closure channels are able to receive the
tether (3). The closure may be made of any materials commonly used,
such as glass, plastic, and wood.
[0017] In this first embodiment, the tether (3) is employed as an
open-ended loop that has first and second end portions (3g, 3h).
The first end portion (3g) of the tether passes through the closure
channel (2g) and then through the container channel (1g). The
second end portion (3h) of the tether passes through the closure
channel (2h) and then through the container channel (1h). This is
best illustrated in FIG. 1B. The first and second end portions of
the tether are unable to back out of their respective container
channels. This may be accomplished by providing the first and
second end portions of the tether with enlarged elements that do
not easily back out of the container channels. For example, after
the tether is passed through the container channel, a knot may be
tied near the end of the tether. Alternatively, a bead (3i) that
cannot pass through container channel may be secured to the end of
the tether. Alternatively, the end of the tether may be provided
with a mechanism that is able to pass though the container channel,
but not back out, such as a toggle or barbed fitment.
[0018] The tether (3) may be made of various types of natural or
man-made materials. These include, but are not limited to, single
or multi-filament, such as string, thread, yarn, twine, and rope.
Also, plastic fibers such as nylon or polypropylene may be used.
Chain may also be useful for the tether. Combinations of any of
these may also be used. In general, some or all of the tether will
be flexible in all directions, preferably with very little
resistance to bending. This will generally be achieved by choice of
material and a sufficiently small diameter of the tether. In some
embodiments, the first and second end portions (3g, 3h) of the
tether may be rigid to the point of offering significant resistance
to bending. This could be achieved by using a different, stiffer
material for the first and second end portions, and or by making
the end portions thicker. In any case, the tether should be
sufficiently strong to withstand breakage in normal and intended
use of the container-and-closure system. As shown in FIG. 1C, the
closure (2) is lifted off of (demounted from) the container (1) by
sliding the closure along the tether. Once the closure is off of
the container, the flexibility of the tether allows the closure to
fall away from the spray pump (1e), so that it is completely out of
the way. A user may use the spray pump without holding onto the
closure, but the container and closure remain attached. The closure
may be re-affixed to the container by sliding the closure along the
tether toward the container, and/or sliding the container along the
tether toward the closure. Preferably, when the closure is mounted
on the container, then the container channels (1g, 1h) and closure
channels (2g, 2h) are aligned, as shown in FIG. 1A. A user could
easily effect this alignment without any assistance, or an indexing
feature could be provided that prevents the closure from fully
seating on the container, except when the desired alignment is
achieved.
[0019] At a minimum, the tether (3) must be long enough to allow
the closure (2) to completely come off of the container (1).
Preferably, the tether is considerably longer than this. In the
configuration shown in FIG. 1A, the container-and-closure system
could be carried in a purse or pocket, or it could be made to hang
by the tether (3). For example, the tether could be of such a
length to fit over the hand of user, to be worn as a bracelet. Or,
the tether could be sufficiently long for the loop to fit over the
head of user, to be worn as a necklace. When used as a bracelet or
necklace, the appearance of the invention is improved if the tether
is implemented as a decorative chain, such as gold or silver, or
otherwise incorporating decorative elements along its length.
Second Embodiment
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, a second embodiment comprises a
container (5), a closure (6) and a tether (7). The container houses
a reservoir (5d) of pourable product (P). The top of the container
is formed as a neck (5a) with a screw threads (5b). At least two
container channels (5g, 5h) are located on the neck of the
container, below the screw threads. In order to provide a better
balance to the container when it hangs from the tether, it is
preferable for the container channels to be equally spaced around
the neck of the container, and for the container channels to be
located at the same height below the screw threads. These channels
must be able to rotate around the neck of the container. To that
end, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, the container channels are formed as
part of a first circular band (5f) that is located below the screw
threads. The first circular band is prevented from lifting off of
the neck by a flange (5e) that arises from the neck. The inner
diameter of the band is smaller than the diameter of the flange,
but larger than the diameter of the neck. In assembly, the band is
forced over the flange, but cannot fall off, thereafter. The first
circular band should be loose enough to allow it to rotate freely
about the neck. For example, if the first circular band is made of
plastic, then there will be little friction to oppose the movement
of the band. The container channels are able to receive the tether
(7).
[0021] The closure (6) closes off the opened end of the container
(5). The closure comprises a lateral wall (6c) that supports
complementary screw threads (not shown) on its interior surface to
engage the screw threads (5b) of the container, in the conventional
manner. Therefore, unlike the first embodiment, this embodiment
does involve rotation of the closure relative to the container. At
least two closure channels (6g, 6h) are located on an exterior
surface of the closure, such as on the lateral wall (6c) of the
closure. Preferably, the number of closure channels is equal to the
number of container channels (5g, 5h) on the container (5).
Preferably, the closure channels are equally spaced around the
closure. Preferably, the closure channels are located at the same
height of on the wall of the closure. The closure channels rotate
with the closure. These channels may be in-molded with the closure.
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, the closure channels are
part of a second circular band (6f). The second circular band may
be made from plastic and held in place on the closure by adhesive.
Alternatively, the second circular band may be elastomeric and held
in place by compression. The closure channels are able to receive
the tether (7).
[0022] In this second embodiment, the tether (7) is formed as an
open-ended loop that has first and second end portions (7g, 7h).
The first end portion (7g) of the tether passes through the closure
channel (6g) and then through the container channel (5g). The
second end portion (7h) of the tether passes through the closure
channel (6h) and then through the container channel (5h). The first
and second end portions of the tether are unable to back out of
their respective container channels. This may be accomplished by
providing the first and second end portions of the tether with
enlarged elements that do not easily back out of the container
channels. For example, after the tether is passed through the
container channel, a knot may be tied near the end of the tether.
Alternatively, a bead (7i) that cannot pass through container
channel may be secured to the end of the tether. Alternatively, the
end of the tether may be provided with a mechanism that is able to
pass though the container channel, but not back out, such as a
toggle or barbed fitment.
[0023] The tether (7) may be made of various types of natural or
man-made materials. These include, but are not limited to, single
or multi-filament, such as string, thread, yarn, twine, and rope.
Also, plastic fibers such as nylon or polypropylene may be used.
Chain may also be useful for the tether. Combinations of any of
these may also be used. In this embodiment, it is preferred if the
first and second end portions (7g, 7h) of the tether are rigid,
while the rest of the tether may be flexible in all directions. The
rigid end portions may be achieved by using a different, stiffer
material for the first and second end portions, and or by making
the end portions thicker. The rigid end portions will ensure that
when the closure (6) is screwed onto or off of the container (5),
the first circular band (5f) will rotate with the closure, which
prevents the tether from getting tangled on itself.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 2C, once the closure (6) is separate from
the container (5), the closure is moved further away from the
container by sliding the closure along the tether (7). Once the
closure is off of the stiffer portions of the tether, the
flexibility of the tether allows the closure to fall away from the
container, so that it is completely out of the way. A user may use
the container without holding onto the closure, but the container
and closure remain attached. The closure may be re-affixed to the
container by sliding the closure along the tether toward the neck
(5a) of the container, and/or sliding the container along the
tether toward the closure at which point the closure can be screwed
onto the container.
[0025] At a minimum, the tether must be long enough to allow the
closure (6) to completely come off of the container (5).
Preferably, the tether is considerably longer than this. In the
configuration shown in FIG. 2A, the container-and-closure system
could be carried in a purse or pocket, or it could be made to hang
by the tether (7).
Third Embodiment
[0026] The third embodiment, shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, is similar
to the first embodiment, and only the differences will be
described, here. The first difference is that when the
container-and-closure system hangs from the tether (13), then the
container (11), implemented as a lipstick base in the figures, is
positioned above the closure (12). This is because the first ends
(13g, 13h) of the tether pass through the container channels (11g,
11h) first, and then through the closure channels (12g, 12h). A
second difference can be seen best in FIG. 3B. The tether (13)
passes into the closure channel (12h) on a lateral exterior wall
(12c) of the closure, but emerges from an interior surface (12d) of
the closure. The tether then passes into an interior surface (11d)
of the container (11), and emerges on a lateral wall (11c) of the
container. In this way, a portion of the tether disappears inside
the container and closure, but the container and closure are able
to slide along the tether.
Fourth Embodiment
[0027] The fourth embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, is also a
container-and-closure system for a lipstick product (L), and is
similar to the third embodiment. Only the differences will be
described, here. In the first place, first and second end portions
(17g, 17h) of the tether (17) are fixedly attached to the closure
(16) by means of attachment rings (16g, 16h). Because of these
attachments, the closure cannot slide on the tether as in
embodiments 1-3, it merely hangs from it. Referring to FIG. 4B, the
tether passes through two channels (15g, 15h) that are located in a
flange (15b) at the bottom of the container (15). As a result, the
container can slide along the tether, and be separated from the
closure.
Fifth Embodiment
[0028] The fifth embodiment, shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is similar to
the embodiment of FIG. 1, and only the differences will be
described, here. The main difference is that the tether (23) is
formed as a closed loop, with no free ends. The tether passes
through a first closure channel (22g), then passes through a first
container channel (21g), crosses over to the other side of the
container (21), and passes through a second container channel
(21h), and then through a second closure channel (22h). As the
closure (22) is separated from the container (21), the closure
slides along the tether (23). As in all embodiments, the tether is
long enough to allow the closure to completely come off of the
container.
Sixth Embodiment
[0029] A variation on the fifth embodiment is shown in FIGS. 6A and
6B. In this case, the first and second container channels are
replaced by a single container channel (25g) that passes through
the container (25), from one side to the other, along the bottom
(25b) of the container. The tether (27) passes through a first
closure channel (26g), then runs down along one side of the
container to pass through the container channel (25g), then runs up
the other side of the container, and passes through a second
closure channel (not visible) to close on itself to form a loop. As
the closure (26) is separated from the container (25), the closure
slides along the tether (27). As in all embodiments, the tether is
long enough to allow the closure to completely come off of the
container.
Seventh Embodiment
[0030] Another variation on the fifth embodiment is shown in FIGS.
7A and 7B. In this case, the container (31) is fashioned as a base
for a sample size or travel size lipstick or other stick product
(ST). The first and second container channels (31g, 31h) run along
opposite sides of the container, and extend for all or most of the
length of the container. Preferably, the container channels extend
at least 90% of the length of the container; more preferably 100%
of the length of the container. Likewise, the first and second
closure channels (32g, 32h) run along opposite sides of the closure
(32), and extend for all or most of the length of the closure.
Preferably, the closure channels extend at least 90% of the length
of the closure; more preferably 100% of the length of the closure.
Together, the container and closure channels extend the all or most
of the length of the container-and-closure system. The tether (33)
passes through the first closure channel (32g) running along one
side of the closure, then passes into the first container channel
(31g) to run along one side of the container. When the tether
emerges from the first container channel, it crosses over to the
other side of the container, enters the second container channel
(31h) and runs along the side of the container until it passes into
the second closure channel (32h), and emerges to close on itself to
form a loop. As they are separated from each other, both the
container (31) and closure (32) may slide along the tether (33). As
in all embodiments, the tether is long enough to allow the closure
to completely come off of the container.
* * * * *