CA1328244C - Combined container with head and applicator - Google Patents

Combined container with head and applicator

Info

Publication number
CA1328244C
CA1328244C CA000588847A CA588847A CA1328244C CA 1328244 C CA1328244 C CA 1328244C CA 000588847 A CA000588847 A CA 000588847A CA 588847 A CA588847 A CA 588847A CA 1328244 C CA1328244 C CA 1328244C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
container
wall
seal
bore
liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA000588847A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
John Van Arman
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Rexam Beverage Can Co
Original Assignee
American National Can Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by American National Can Co filed Critical American National Can Co
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1328244C publication Critical patent/CA1328244C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

Abstract A throw-away single-use combined plastic container and applicator contains a viscous liquid such as an underarm deodorant. The container is a one-piece member having a flexible plastic tubular body portion which is sealed at one end and a plastic applicator head portion.
The head portion has a three-dimensionally curved exterior wall, such as a hemisphere, which spreads the liquid, a bore through the exterior wall, an integral seal to seal the bore, and a knob which is twisted by the fingers. The knob is connected to the seal so that when it is twisted it breaks off the seal and unseals the bore.

Description

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:, j `. The present invention relates to combined containers and ~:. applicators and more particularly to the roll^on type of transdermal ,, ~`. medication applicator or deodorant applicator.
: ~ At the present time it is known that containers and applicators - 5 for thick viscous liquids, such as medications, may be of various types and that there are various types of dispensers for deZodorants. IFor :.j ::, example, an underarm deodorant may be in a solid wax-like stick form . ~ ~
i and may b~Z dispensed from a plastic container in which the deodorant `1 stick is raised by a screw mechanismZ. Alternatively, the deodoranti~ 10 mZay be in a cream base inZ a jar and may be dispensed using the fingers i~ or a fabric pad.
One of the most popular types of containers and applicators `Z for l;quid deodorant~ consists of a ~Ztass or plastic container in which one end of the container has an entrapped ball, Zenerally a round 1~ 15 plaseic ball. rhe ball is used to partially seal the end of the container `., and to spread the deodorant over the surface of the skin. The ball is ~J~
covered by a separate screw-on top. TJlis type of container is satisfactory for multiple applications of the liquid deodorant. I~t is not practical to ;I use a roll-on ball type of container for a sin~!e application. However, ` ' :1 ` Z, 20 in a "throw-away" container, for use as a sample, for travel, or given ~ i to hotel guests, it is desired that the container hold only enough deodorant `''1 .;.. ',A for the single app~ication. Consequently, the size of the c~ntainer is. .. ~ .
`.~3~: quita small compared to the usual type of desdorant container.

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`;, , Due to the small amount of deodorant in the throw-away container, it is not feasible so use a ball which rolls, because it would not be : . .
`.,~ economical ~o provide such an expensive ball device with a throw-away .' system, and also because the ball would have to be so small as to not ~ . .
.~. 5 be able to efficiently appiy the Jeodorant to the skin.
:-..i . ! J Although hotels often provide Ibody lotion and shampoo to their ~, guests, they do not generally provide a deodorant because there has .1 not been a satisfactory combination of dispenser and appiicatol. Similarly, "~
~:, although there are many types of creams and lotlons which are in smail ~. throw-away containers, a small throw-away container for deodorant is .,,. 10 ' not presently in general commercial availability.
i Although the container of the present invention is described, ~, .~1 in detail, in connection with a throw-away deodorant container, it is also oppllcabl~ for dispen~ing other viscous liquids. For exampla, ~he contaln~r may be used to apply a transdermal medication.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a throw~away, ,.;', single-use, combined container and applicator for a liquid. The container :,; is an integral, unitary, one-piece plastic member.
The container includes a flexible plastic body portion having a tubular collapsible wall which is sealed at one end. An applicator head .`.1 portion is integral with the body portion. The head portion includes .i'~ a three-dimensionally curved, exterior wall which spreads the liquid, .. ~
` i a bore through the exterior wall, an integra~ seal sealing the bore, ."1 ~ V
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and a knob adapted to be twisted by the fingers. The knob is connected to the seal. A thick, ~iscous liquid i5 with;n the container, the liquid having a viscosity in the range of 1500-7000 centipoise.
In one embodiment the curved wall is a hemisphere. The . 5 cùrved wall may have a crinkled surfacer a surface having ~rooves, a surface having bumps, or a surfae~ having depressions.

, ~ In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a front plan view of the cont~iner and dispenser of . .
~:i the present invention: .
Figure 2 ;s a side view of the container and dispenser of Figure 1:
Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the dispenser . ., 1, and container of the present invention along line A-A of Figure 2; and Figures 4-7 are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the container of the present invention, and the knob is removed in .'i Figure 6.
.~ 15 .~ As shown in Figures 1-3, the combined container and applicator of the present invention is formed as a unitary one-piece member from a ;~ suitable flexible and resilient plastic resin, such as white low-density . :;.l polyethylene. The container is preferably formed by in jection-molding with .,~ . .
.~ 20 its bottom end opened. After the container is formecl it is filled with a i suitable liquid, preferably a thick, viscous liquid underarm deodorant.
.~ The container's bottnm end is then closed and sealed to retain ~he liquid ~, within the container.

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` ~1 32~2~4 ; l The preferred container is illustrated in a cross-sectional view I in Figure 3. The t:iimensions o~ the container provicled below are ex~mplary . only and ar~ utilized for a one-use, throw-away container.
. I As shown in Figure 3, the container 10 includes, as part of its . 5 . integral one-piece construction, a tubular sidewall 11. It is sealed, by ., end seal means 27 such as, preferably, a heat-seal or adhe~ive. The .~ sidewall is a cylindrical member which is round in cross-section ~perpendicula, .
to the imaginary central axis 12 of the container ) . The sidewall has an ;". outer diameter of 7/8 of an inch and its thickness is .015-inch. The sidewall 11 is integral with an inwardly sloping annular shoulder portion 13.
t ¦ The shoulder portion 13 is preferably .045-inch thick. The shoulder portion .;, 13 merges with a narrow flat band portion 14 which is an annular ring ~4, of preferably .045-inch in thickness. The ring 14 merges with the .~ hemispherical three-dimensional culved portion 15. The curved portion 15 ,erves the same application function as the ball portion on a roll-on .; container, althouqh it does not roll or move in relationship to the body ;'.'~I portion of the container. The curved portion 15 serves as the spreading .
mechanism for the liquid. :
The curved portion 15 is preferably .045-inch in thickness. The~
inner diameter of the curved portion 15, which is taken from the imaginary center 16 aligned with the imaginary axis 12 and at the top of the plar,e , of the ring 14, has a radius of .305-inch and an outer diameter radius of . 350-inch.
,j The outer surt'ace of the curved portion 15 is preferably speckled ~, 25 or grooved to form a series of small ridges and valleys 27. These ridges .
.,., and valle~/s 27 serve to trap the liquid and prevent it from running3 down .~ from the surface of the curved portion 15 and onto the user's fingers.
A bore 17 is provided at the top of the curved portion 15. The bore 17 is round in cross-section and preferably has a diameter of .G42-inch.
A plug portion 20 is provided at the top of the container 10 and serves to seal the container before it is used. The plu~ portion 20 has a flat ., round knob portion 21. The knob portion has a width of .403-inch and .. a height of .416-inch. The l~nob portion 21 is used to twist-off the ,''',''', ' 4, .
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integral seal 22 which is formed integrally with the container. When the ; ;; knob 21 is twisted by the fingers, ~he seal 22 is rotated and broken ~ff, exposing the bore 17 through which the liquid 25 flows. Since the liquid 25 is thick and viscous, it will flow only when the tube 11 is squee~ed by the fingers of the user.
.,, The seal 2Z consists of an upper solid p~rtion 23 and a lower . . annular portion 24. The annular portion of the seal, being the weaker portion, is broken when the seal is twisf~ed by the knob 21.
The viscosity of the liquid deoclorant is in the range of 1500-7000 centipoise, tested b~ the Brookfield RTV instrument at 100 RPM.
; ~ A suitable gellant may be added as a thixotrope to adjusS the visco~ity to f the preferred range.
The ridges ancl valleys 37 may be of various forms or may be omitted to ~rovide a smooth surface. In the embodiment of Figure 4 the ~j 15 curved wall has parallel grooves 28. In the embodiment of Fi~ure 5 the .
., curved wall has small rounded depressions 29. In Figure 6, showing the ~-~ curved wall after the seal is broken, the wall has curved protruding bumps ~, 30. I n Figure 7 the curved wall has a crinkled surface 31 .
In use, the user squee2es inwardly on the siclewall 11 of the container 10. The tube's sidewalls will press inwardly on the liquid 25 .~ in the eontainer 10. The liquid will be squeezed out through the bore 17 and will flow on the outer surface 26 of the curved portion 15. The .
liquid will be caught by the ridges and valleys 27 of the hemispherical ~' portion 15. The user will then use the curved portion 15 to spread the ! 25 liquid over the skin. The user continues to squirt liquid from the container by squeezing inwardly on its tubular sidewalls 11 until the use is completed ~`, or until the container is empt~. The container will then be disposed of, for example, by throwing it in the trash.
In the roll-on type of deodorant con~ainer, usin~ a rollable ball~
-`; 30 the rotation of the ball spreads a thin layer of the liquid deodorant on ~,, the surface of the ball. The liquid does not generally drip onto the user's fingers, by the force of gravitV, because the layer is t~lin, the liquid is thick [viscousl and the ball does not repel the liquld.
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13282~ 1 In the container and applier of the present invention, it is I important that the liquid which issues from the opened bore is able to be ; spread over the curved wall without dripping on the user's fingers. To obta;n this result, as explained above, a thick ( viscous I liquid is used . Theplastic resin of the container, pre~erably polyethylene, permits wetting of its surface by the liquid, i.e., the contact angle lies between 0 and 90.
If necessary, a small amount of a detergent may be added to the liquid to increase its wetting on the curved wail and reduce its surface tension ., (force acting on the liquid tending to minimize its surface).
Alternatively, the surface of the curved wall, i.e., the hemisphere, may be treated with a suitable wetting agent to increase its wettability to the !iquid,i.e., reduce the liquid-solid contact angle. The remainder , of the container would not be treated with the wetting agent.
The surface of the curved wall in the embodiment described above is a hemisphere. Al$ernatively, other wall shapes may be used for the dome curved portion 15; for example, the dome may be oval (egg-shaped ';! or conical.
.~ The dimensions of the above-described embodiment are intended ~ ¦ only as an example of a suitable container. Those dimensions, as to shape, d 20 thickness, etc., may be varied dependin~3, for example, on the formulation ; ' and viscosi~y of the liquid, ~he type of plastic resin and the desired size of the container.

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Claims (8)

1. A throw-away single-use combined container and applicator for a liquid comprising, as integral portions of a unitary one-piece plastic member;
a flexible body portion having a tubular collapsible wall and having opposite ends, and sealing means to seal one end of said wall;
an applicator head portion integral with said body portion and positioned at the end of said tubular wall opposite to said end sealing means, said head portion having a three-dimensionally curved exterior wall adapted to spread and apply the liquid, a bore through the exterior wall, an integral seal sealing said bore, and a knob means adapted to be twisted by the fingers, the knob means being connected to the seal, so that twisting of the knob means breaks the seal and unseals the bore;
and thick viscous liquid in said body portion having a viscosity in the range of 1500-7000 centipoise.
2. A container as in claim 1 wherein said curved wall is a hemisphere;
3. A container as in claim 1 wherein said curved wall is selected from the group of oval shaped and conical shaped.
4. A container as in claim 1 wherein said curved wall has a crinkled surface.
5. A container as in claim 1 wherein said curved wall has a surface with grooves.
6. A container as in claim 1 wherein said curved wall has a surface having protrusions.
7. A container as in claim 1 wherein said curved wall has a surface having depressions.
8. The method of applying a liquid deodorant using a throw-away single-use combined container and applicator, the container comprising, as integral portions of a unitary one-piece plastic member;
a flexible plastic body portion having a tubular collapsible wall and having opposite ends and sealing means to seal one end of said wall;
a plastic applicator head portion integral with said body portion and positioned at the end of said tubular wall opposite to said end sealing means, said head portion comprising a three-dimensionally curved exterior wall adapted to be spread and apply the deodorant, a bore through the exterior wall an integral seal sealing said bore, and a knob adapted to be twisted by the fingers, the knob being integral with the head portion and connected to the seal:
the deodorant being a viscous liquid having a viscosity in the range of 1500-7000 centipoise:
the method comprising the steps of twisting the knob to break the seal away from the head portion and unsealing the bore, squeezing the body portion to squeeze the deodorant out of the bore, and spreading the deodorant over the curved wall by rubbing the curved wall on the skin.
CA000588847A 1988-01-22 1989-01-20 Combined container with head and applicator Expired - Fee Related CA1328244C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US14624088A 1988-01-22 1988-01-22
US146,240 1988-01-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1328244C true CA1328244C (en) 1994-04-05

Family

ID=22516455

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000588847A Expired - Fee Related CA1328244C (en) 1988-01-22 1989-01-20 Combined container with head and applicator

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1328244C (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2294174B1 (en) 2008-06-26 2017-03-01 Unilever PLC A viscous laundry product and packaging therefor

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2294174B1 (en) 2008-06-26 2017-03-01 Unilever PLC A viscous laundry product and packaging therefor

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