Individual Dispensing Package For Pulverulent Material

Abstract

A dispensing package for pulverulent condiments comprising a molded blister having the usual peripheral flange surrounding a vertical wall and an integral formation having exterior substantially vertical walls lying within the periphery of the blister and defining between the walls of the formation and the walls of the blister, a pair of channels for dispensing the contents of the blister, said channels being of variable cross-sectional area throughout their lineal extent and a planar closure for said blister geometrically in registry with said flange and sealed to said blister in the area of said flange. This is the first container to have a shaker outlet formed within its walls as part of the manufacturing process.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation of application, Ser. No. 609,228, filed Jan. 13, l967, now abandoned.

Description

This invention relates to a dispensing package for a condiment, particularly of the pulverulent type, in which the "shaker" outlets are defined within the geometric outline of the body of the package.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dispensing package for pulverulent materials sized and shaped for a one-use operation, such as dispensing salt and pepper on an air flight. Now the actual amount of salt and pepper used by a single individual at a single meal is very little indeed. It follows that, in order not to be wasteful, the package must be small. The dispensing orifice must be smaller still, and preferably should be recloseable between individual uses even during a single meal.

Since neither salt nor pepper is a particularly expensive commodity, it is usually the case that in individual sized packages, the cost of the package exceeds that of the contents. The packager, therefore, must have a very sharp pencil indeed if the package is to justify commercial acceptance. The design of the package must be directed not only to the production of a container as such, and to the ready dispensing of the contents, but also to the utmost ease and speed of manufacture, filling and closing of the container. In the case of pepper particularly and of other seasoning generally, it is also important that the package be recloseable, at least to the extent that spillage will not occur during such violent movement of the plane as may be occasioned by up-drafts, down-drafts, encountering a "cold front" or general atmospheric turbulence. The reclosure need not be hermetic, but only mechanical since most disturbances are usually only momentary.

The (usually) thermoplastic material of which the blister is formed is the most expensive element of the package, and, since such material is originally in the form of a flat sheet or web, the cost of material in the package depends on the area of thermoplastic material consumed in the formation of the package. It follows, therefore, and is an object of this invention, that the package should have an uninterrupted periphery devoid of external protuberances, which protuberances would enlarge the projected, or total area of plastic consumed in the production of the packages. A sharp distinction must be made between the material consumed and the material included in the package, since the former governs cost.

The above and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the annexed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the improved package;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a web or strip of blisters as formed initially with lines of severance indicated;

FIG. 5 shows an optional form of dispensing package;

FIG. 6 shows an alternate arrangement for alternate dispensing of two types of contents from a single dispenser;

FIG. 7 shows an optional treatment of the dispensing passages in a polygonal dispenser; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the preferred form of container.

As shown in FIG. 4 blisters are formed in a sheet, or web 12 by any conventional blister forming means and from any suitable thermoplastic material. If desired, the forming step may be part of a continuous operation carried out on a belt or roll having on its surface suitable molds for the blisters, means for heating the web and means to exert either vacuum or pressure to bring the plastic web into conformity with the molds. Machinery for this purpose is readily available in the prior art. Depending on the volume demanded, it may be well to fill the package as part of the forming process and then to apply a backing sheet 14 (FIG. 2) preferably made of paperboard which has been coated or otherwise treated to form a heat seal with the plastic material. The blister 10 is shallow and is formed with the usual peripheral flange 16 for sealing to a backing sheet 14.

The blister 10 is essentially triangular with slightly rounded apices 18, 20 and 22. Adjacent the apices 18, 20 and 22, the backing sheet 14 and the flange 16, which are heat sealed together are squared off at 18', 20' and 22' respectively. Adjacent the apex 18 there is molded, as part of the forming process, a diamond-shaped inwardly directed protuberance 24, the edges 26 of which, nearest the blister apex 18 define, with the vertical walls 17 of the blister 10 a pair of constricted channels 28 through which the salt, pepper or other seasoning ultimately is dispensed. For the purpose of this disclosure, the backing sheet 14 is considered "horizontal" and the walls 17 are considered "vertical." Actually, the vertical walls 17 are short as compared with the horizontal dimensions of the package. The maximum horizontal dimension is about 2 inches while the maximum vertical dimension is about one-eighth inch. In the drawings, the scales are magnified and distorted for purpose of illustration and the dimensions noted are exemplary rather than limitative. Such constricted channels are equivalent to the conventional "holes" in the conventional salt and pepper "shaker" and, while the container may hold a more than adequate amount of seasoning for individual use at a single meal, the entire contents may not be dumped at a single shake. The contents may be, selectively, distributed through repeated shakings. Approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, or at any rate between the broadest part of the diamond 24 and the apex 18 of the blister 10 the material of the blister is cut, scored or otherwise weakened above the blister flange 16. This cutting or scoring avoids the flange 16, hence may avoid the bottom of the diamond 24. The flange 16 with the backing sheet 14 may be folded down to the dotted line position 32 of FIG. 2. Since the seal between the flange 6 and the backing sheet 14 is quite secure, and since the cut or score line is not of great lineal extent, it will not usually be necessary to score the backing sheet 14 unless this sheet is exceptionally rigid.

When the apex 18 is folded down to the dotted line position 32 of FIG. 2, the result is to expose the restricted channels 28 as shown in FIG. 3. The channels 28 are quite constricted and, of course, the sidewalls of each channel are parallel to each other and the two channels converge toward the apex 18. The rear end of the diamond 24 is symmetrical with respect to the centerline 2-2, thus contributing to uniform distribution of contents between the two channels. At the same time the rearward portion of the diamond does not function as a block but rather, as the package is shaken, the diamond acts to break or free-up the contents. More important still, the relatively great area of the package behind the line 3-3 facilitates the feeding of limited amounts of the contents through the channels 28 with minimum possibility of arching or caking within the body of the package. The magnitude of the "dispensing angle" at the apex 18 should not be greatly more or less than 60.degree., though, depending on the contents, variations above or below 60.degree. will be tolerable. Moreover, because the dispensing angle should be symmetrical about a medial line running from the apex 18 to the center of the opposite side, the triangle preferably should be either equilateral or isosceles.

Preferably the forward walls, at least, of the diamond 24 are parallel to the adjacent walls of the package 10. Some deviations from the parallelism may be permitted, or, dependent on the behavior characteristics of the contents, desirable.

As shown in FIG. 4, the blisters 10 are formed in a pattern in a single web of plastic material. After formation and slitting or scoring on the line 31, they are filled, the backing sheet 14 is applied and heat seals are formed between the flanges 16 and the backing sheet 14. The packages are then severed into individual units.

Thus far, this disclosure has been illustrated entirely with reference to a triangular package form. For various reasons heretofore noted, this is a preferred form, but it is by no means the only form to which the inventive concept may be applied. In FIG. 5, for example, there is shown a circular blister 50 having a peripheral flange 52. Adjacent the vertical wall 54 of the blister 50, is a circular depression 56 having a vertical wall 58. When the vertical walls 54 and 58 are severed on the dotted lines 60 and the structure between the lines 60 is folded downwardly from the plane of FIG. 5, dispensing channels 62 are opened.

FIG. 6 shows a blister 70 of oval configuration having a peripheral flange 72. The blister 70 is divided into opposed compartments 74 and 76 by a depressed, transverse rib 78 molded during formation of the blister. A circular depression 80 is formed in the compartment 74 adjacent a "small" end of the blister 70. The vertical wall 82 of the depression 80 and the vertical wall 71 of the blister 70 are severed on lines 84 and when the structure to the left of the lines 84 is folded downwardly out of the plane of FIG. 6, channels 86 are opened to dispense the contents of the compartment 74. Similarly, a depression 90 is formed in the compartment 76 and when severed on lines 92, opens dispensing channels 94. This package, therefore, will dispense, alternately, either salt or pepper from either of the compartments 74 and 76.

FIG. 7 illustrates a portion of an essentially square blister 100 having a peripheral flange 101. A depression 102 is formed adjacent a corner 104 of the blister 100. The depression has straight vertical walls 106 and 108 which have a converging relationship with the adjacent vertical walls 110 and 112 respectively of the blister 100 toward the corner 104. There are thus defined converging channels 116 and 118. The straight walls are joined by a vertical wall 120 which may be curved as shown or of any other suitable configuration. By selecting the location of the lines of severance 122 or 124, the effective area of the dispensing orifice can be determined. By this means, and without alteration of the forming dies, the same blister may be used for either salt or pepper.

Since cost is a paramount consideration, and waste is a not inconsiderable element of cost, even the location, number, and direction of the score or cut lines is important. In short, straight line, (or "one piece") cuts or scores should be preferred over divergent cuts or scores, unless customer reaction dictates otherwise.

FIG. 8 shows, in plan view, the most preferred view of the improved product, including the projected area of the product consumed. In FIG. 8 the body of the package has apices 200, 202 and 204 and the peripheral flange and the backing sheet have blunted apices 206, 208 and 210. Adjacent the apex 100 there is molded a generally circular depression 212. The line c-c shows the line of cut or scoring which will produce the exit channels of minimal cross-sectional area. The lines a-a and b-b respectively produce exit orifices, the cross-sectional areas of which are indicated by lines a'-a' and b'-b', the difference being quite apparent in FIG. 8, and representing the difference, for example, between the requirements of salt and pepper.

As above indicated, certain variations of this precise disclosure are permissible.

Claims

We claim:

1. A dispensing package for particulate material which comprises:

a. a layer of plasticlike material having a depression therein to form a pocket defined by an outer wall and top wall for housing the particulate material, said outer wall being substantially vertical and including at least a pair of intersecting walls which are joined to one another at the point of intersection to form a corner of said pocket;

b. a peripheral flange parallel to said top wall extending from the base of said outer wall of said pocket;

c. a planar layer of material forming the bottom wall of said pocket and which has the edge portion thereof secured to said peripheral flange to seal the particulate material within said pocket;

d. constriction means disposed within said pocket extending between said layer of plasticlike material and said planar layer of material, said constriction means including at least a pair of substantially vertical walls which intersect one another adjacent said corner of said pocket, each of said pair of constriction means walls being disposed parallel to and spaced from one of said intersecting outer pocket walls to form a pair of narrow dispensing channels between said outer wall and said constriction means through which the particulate material may be dispensed; and

e. opening means disposed across said pair of dispensing channels and said constriction means to allow the particulate material to be dispensed from the package.

2. A dispensing package for particulate material which comprises:

a. a layer of plasticlike material having a depression therein to form a pocket defined by an outer wall and top wall for housing the particulate material;

b. a peripheral flange parallel to said top wall extending from the base of said outer wall to said pocket;

c. a planar second layer of material forming the bottom wall of said pocket and which has the edge portions thereof secured to said peripheral flange to seal the particulate material within said pocket;

d. constriction means disposed within said pocket extending between said layer of plasticlike material and said second layer of material, said constriction means having a generally circular-shaped outer wall disposed adjacent to and spaced from said outer wall of said pocket to form a pair of dispensing channels therebetween through which the particulate material may be dispensed; and

e. opening means disposed across said pair of dispensing channels and said generally circular constriction means to allow the particulate material to be dispensed from the package.