CA2952693A1 - Bottle for control of liquid contents - Google Patents

Abstract

A bottle for holding liquid contents, the bottle comprising: a container wall defining an enclosed interior including: a pair of opposed side surfaces; a front surface and a back surface connected to the pair of opposed side surfaces by respective first arcuate regions; a bottom surface including at least two legs and connected to the front surface, the back surface and the pair of opposed side surfaces, each of the legs positioned on either side of the bottom surface and adjacent to a respective one of the pair of opposed side surfaces; and a top surface including a pair of shoulder regions including a first shoulder region located adjacent to one of the pair of opposed side surfaces and a second shoulder region located adjacent to the other one of the pair of opposed side surfaces, the first shoulder region and the second shoulder region having a character of curvature as concave measured from the interior, a top inflection region positioned between the first shoulder region and the second shoulder region having a character of curvature as convex measured from the interior in order to separate the first shoulder region from the second shoulder region, the top surface connected to the front surface, the back surface and the pair of opposed side surfaces by respective second arcuate regions; and a spout positioned in the top inflection region for providing exit of the liquid contents from the interior when uncapped, such that a base of the spout is lower than a height of any location on the top surface of the first shoulder region and lower than a height of any location on the top surface of the second shoulder region, as measured from the bottom surface, such that the heights of the shoulder regions extend between the front surface and the back surface to provide an enclosed volume by the pair of shoulder regions positioned above the base to facilitate mixing of the liquid contents when contained therein upon agitation of the bottle.

Description

BOTTLE FOR CONTROL OF LIQUID CONTENTS
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to bottles.
BACKGROUND

[0002] A bottle is a convenient container for liquids with an opening at the top that is narrower than the body. The opening can be sealed to contain the liquid contents and has the advantage of being resealed using a screw top or snap-on cap. Being sealed, the bottle can protect the contained liquid from external contaminants, as well as facilitate dispensing of the liquid in a controlled manner. In today's world, liquid containers such as bottles are used for dispensing a variety of liquids, from individual use to commercial applications.

[0003] It is important for a bottle's design to accommodate appropriate levels of mixing by the user, prior to dispensing the liquid contents from a spout of the bottle. In terms of ease of use by the user, a bottle that provides for appropriate mixing should also provide for convenient holding by the user to inhibit accidental dropping of the bottle, as well as to control any spills or drips from the spout during or after/during pouring of the liquid by the user. Current bottle designs have a disadvantage in that providing increased levels of mixing can produce a bottle that is awkward to hold and use.

[0004] In terms of appropriate mixing, a suitably shaped bottle should provide for mixing/agitation of the liquid contents while the bottle is relatively full, recognizing that mixing of the liquid with air can preferably enhance the degree of mixing. Present bottle designs can limit the available airspace within a filled bottle.

[0005] In terms of limited storage space, for example in cluttered areas of the home like bathrooms, current bottle designs do not provide for efficient use of counter space when multiple containers and other objects must be stored in close proximity to one another.

SUMMARY

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a bottle that obviates or mitigates at least one of the above-presented disadvantages.

[0007] It is important for a bottle's design to accommodate appropriate levels of mixing by the user, prior to dispensing the liquid contents from a spout of the bottle. In terms of ease of use by the user, a bottle that provides for appropriate mixing should also provide for convenient holding by the user to inhibit accidental dropping of the bottle, as well as to control any spills or drips from the spout during or after/during pouring of the liquid by the user.

[0008] A first aspect provided is a bottle for holding liquid contents, the bottle comprising:
a container wall defining an enclosed interior including: a pair of opposed side surfaces; a front surface and a back surface connected to the pair of opposed side surfaces by respective first arcuate regions; a bottom surface including at least two legs and connected to the front surface, the back surface and the pair of opposed side surfaces, each of the legs positioned on either side of the bottom surface and adjacent to a respective one of the pair of opposed side surfaces;
and a top surface including a pair of shoulder regions including a first shoulder region located adjacent to one of the pair of opposed side surfaces and a second shoulder region located adjacent to the other one of the pair of opposed side surfaces, the first shoulder region and the second shoulder region having a character of curvature as concave measured from the interior, a top inflection region positioned between the first shoulder region and the second shoulder region having a character of curvature as convex measured from the interior in order to separate the first shoulder region from the second shoulder region, the top surface connected to the front surface, the back surface and the pair of opposed side surfaces by respective second arcuate regions; and a spout positioned in the top inflection region for providing exit of the liquid contents from the interior when uncapped, such that a base of the spout is lower than a height of any location on the top surface of the first shoulder region and lower than a height of any location on the top surface of the second shoulder region, as measured from the bottom surface, such that the heights of the shoulder regions extend between the front surface and the back surface to provide an enclosed volume by the pair of shoulder regions positioned above the base to facilitate mixing of the liquid contents when contained therein upon agitation of the bottle.

[0009] Further, provision of the shoulder regions above the base of the spout provides a surface area for directing egress of the liquid contents from a top of the spout towards at least one of the front surface and the back surface while directing the egress of the liquid contents away from either of the pair of opposed side surfaces.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The foregoing and other aspects will now be described by way of example only with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle;

[0012] Figure 2 is a further perspective view of the bottle shown in Figure 1;

[0013] Figure 3 is a further perspective view of the bottle shown in Figure 2;

[0014] Figure 4 is a view of a prior art bottle;

[0015] Figure 5 is a side view of the bottle shown in Figure 2;

[0016] Figure 6 is a further side view of the bottle shown in Figure 2;

[0017] Figure 7 is a side view of the bottle shown in Figure 2 showing drip control;

[0018] Figure 8 is a top view of the bottle shown in Figure 2; and

[0019] Figure 9 is a bottom view of the bottle shown in Figure 2;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Referring to Figure 1, shown is a (e.g. tooth) shaped bottle 1 for holding liquid contents. The bottle 1 has a plurality of walls having different shaped surfaces making up an interior 17 (see Figure 8) for holding the liquid contents. A bottom surface 2 has two or more legs 3 extending from the bottom surface 2, in order to position the bottle 1 in a stable position on a support surface 0 (see Figure 6 ¨ e.g. bathroom shelf or sink). The bottle 1 has a pair of side surfaces 4 connected to a front surface 5 and a back surface 6 via respective arcuate corner regions 7. The side surfaces 4, the back surface 6 and the front surface 5 are connected to a top surface 8 via respective arcuate corner regions 9. The top surface 8 has a spout 10 positioned between all of the arcuate corner regions 9, the spout 10 for connecting to a cap 16 (see Figure 2) for releasably securing to the spout 10 in order to enclose the liquid contents in the interior 17 of the bottle 1. As further discussed below, the top surface 8 has an inflection region l (providing a convex curvature adjacent the inflection region l as measured from the interior 17 of the bottle) between a pair of shoulders 12,14, such that the spout 10 is positioned in the inflection region I. In terms of material comprising the walls of the container, the material can be opaque or transparent. Further, the material can be of plastic, glass, or other suitable materials for containing the liquid contents.

[0021]
Referring to Figures 2 and 5, the spout 10 has a base 11 on the top surface 8 and an exit aperture 13 providing for pouring of the liquid contents from the bottle interior 17. The spout 10 has a spout wall 15 provided about the base 11 that extends between the base 11 and the aperture 13 a distance D, such that the spout wall 15 is configured for retaining a cap 16 thereon via a releasable fastening mechanism (not shown) such as but not limited to a snap on connection, a threaded connection, etc. The top surface 8 has a first shoulder 12 on one side of the spout 10 and a second shoulder 14 on the opposite side of the spout 10, such that each shoulder 12, 14 extends a height H from the base 11 (in inflection region I of the top surface 8) of the spout 10 towards the exit aperture 13, such that height H
can be less than distance D to provide for the exit aperture 13 extending from a level L
greater than a top of the shoulders 12, 14, for example. It is recognized that each of the shoulders 12, 14 are positioned between the side surfaces 4 and the base 11. Further, each shoulder 12, 14 extends advantageously between the surfaces 5, 6, such that the height H along any point of the shoulder 12, 14 is always above the base 11 (as measured from the bottom surface 2). It is recognized that the height H of the shoulder 12, 14 can be constant or varied between the surfaces 5,6, so long as the height H along any point of the shoulder 12, 14 is always above the base 11, to address drips 20 (see Figure 7 further discussed below).
Advantageously, the bottle 1 contains only one pair of opposing shoulders 12, 14 located on either side of the spout 10, in order to facilitate and promote transfer 18 of liquid from one side 4 to the other side 4 surface (i.e. between the pair of shoulders 12, 14) while at the same time inhibiting the transfer of liquid between the front 5 and the back 6 surfaces, as well as to control drip 20 direction (further discussed below). This ordered transfer 18 of liquid from side 4 to side 4, as facilitated by the pair of shoulders 12, 14, also promotes mixing of the liquid contents between an upper region 4a and a lower region 4b, as further described below. Other current designs, such as in US Patent 346,551 for a container (see Figure 4), disadvantageously contain more than two raised portions (in this case four portions, one in each corner) adjacent to the spout, which can inhibit any ordered transfer of liquid within the bottle as well as any controlled drip direction provided by the bottle, as further discussed below.

- = CA 02952693 2016-12-22

[0022] Referring again to Figure 5, the level L of the bottle 1 can represent a fill level of the liquid contents, recognizing that the level L is preferably at or below the position of the base 11 of the spout 10. Advantageously, the volume of the shoulders 12, 14 positioned above the base 11, as measured from the bottom surface 2, provide for an empty volume to facilitate agitation of the liquid contents when filled to the level L, in order to aerate the liquid contents and promote mixing of the liquid contents upon agitation by a user of the bottle 1 before first opening of the bottle 1 (e.g. while "full" to the level L). Also advantageously, the top surface 8 shape is arcuate between the shoulders 12, 14, thereby facilitating the transfer of the liquid contents from one shoulder 12 to the other shoulder 14 during agitation (i.e.
between the two shoulders 12, 14), in particular as the base 11 is situated between the shoulders 12, 14 in order to separate and define the individual empty (when the bottle 1 is positioned on an adjacent support surface 0) volumes contained within the shoulders 12, 14 that are above the fill level L.
Further, referring to Figure 5, it is noted that the character of curvature of the shoulders 12, 14 is the same as the character of curvature of an upper region 4a of the side surfaces 4, such the character of curvature for the upper region 4a is concave (as measured from the interior 17) as is the character of curvature for each of the shoulder regions 12, 14 (also as measured from the interior 17). As such, the empty volume of the shoulder regions 12 above the fill level L (in addition to the empty volume provided by the spout 10) can provide for adequate clearance space to facilitate agitation (i.e. shaking) of the liquid contents by the user, in particular due to the geometry of the pair of shoulder regions 12, 14 on either side 4 of the bottle 1. It is recognised that that the upper side portion 4a is directly adjacent to the shoulder 12,14.

[0023] The same/continuous character of curvature (i.e. concave) for both the shoulder regions 12, 14 and the upper regions 4a is important, as this provides for directed travel of the liquid contents during agitation from one shoulder region 12 to the other shoulder region 14, as compared to an undesirable configuration of discontinuous character of curvature shown in Figure 10, i.e. a change from convex to concave via an inflection point between the upper surface 4a and the shoulder 12. Rather, as shown in Figure 5, an inflection region l (providing a convex curvature adjacent the inflection region l as measured from the interior 17 of the bottle1) is positioned between the upper regions 4a and lower regions 4b (being convex as measured from the interior 17) of the side surfaces 4, which also helps to facilitate agitation of the liquid contents via the directed transfer of the liquid contents between the shoulder regions 12,14. It is also noted that presence of the inflection region l on the side surfaces 4 can also provide for a width Wb between the lower regions 4b being less than a width Wa between the upper regions 4a, in order to facilitate holding and support of the bottle 1 by a hand of the user during agitation and general usage of the bottle 1. It is recognized that the presence of the inflection region I on each side surface 4 also promotes the transfer 18 of liquid between the upper 4a and lower regions 4b during agitation, as the liquid is transferring 18 between the opposing shoulder regions 12, 14.

[0024] Accordingly, circulation of the liquid contents in the interior 17 is facilitated by presence of the shoulder regions 12, 14 on the top surface 8, including the provision of the empty volume of the shoulders regions 12, 14 above the fill level L. This can be especially important when the bottle 1 is first opened, as the liquid contents may have settled over time and therefore agitation of the contents prior to opening the bottle 1 for the first time can be important to provide a first experience to the user of the liquid product in terms of homogeneity.
It is also an important consideration in that the amount of time required for the user to appropriately mix/agitate the liquid contents upon opening should be minimized, in order to minimize inconvenience or otherwise perception by the user of product inferiority or questioning of the product quality). Aeration of the product upon mixing can help to minimize the time/effort needed to appropriately agitate/mix the liquid.

[0025] Referring to Figures 5 and 6, it is noted that the front surface 5 and the back surface 6 may not contain inflection regions I, rather a width Wt between the surfaces 5,6 at the top surface 8 is less than a width Wbot at the bottom surface 2, with a character of curvature of the surfaces 5,6 remaining consistent between the surfaces 2,8. The difference between the surfaces 5,6 and surfaces 4 with respect to inflection regions (i.e. surfaces 4 contain an inflection region while surfaces 5,6 lack an inflection region), advantageously provides for promoting the ordered transfer 18 of the liquid contents (during agitation) from side 4 to side 4 between the shoulder regions 12, 14, and therefore inhibits the ordered transfer 18 of the liquid contents (during agitation) between front 5 and back 6 between the shoulder regions 12, 14.
Referring again to Figure 6, the character of curvature of the front 5 and back 6 surfaces can be substantially (e.g. a majority of the surface area) planar, concave, or convex between the surfaces 2,8, as desired. Preferably the character of curvature of the front 5 and back 6 surfaces are slightly concave, i.e. having a degree of curvature less than a degree of curvature of the shoulder regions 12, 14. Referring to Figure 2, it is recognized that width Wt can be less that width Wa. It is recognized that width Wt can be greater than width Wa. It is recognized that width Wt can be the same as width Wa. It is recognized that width Wbot can be less that =
,1 =
width Wb. It is recognized that width Wbot can be greater than width Wb. It is recognized that width Wbot can be the same as width Wa.

[0026] It is recognized that having inflection regions I on only the side surfaces 4 and not on the front 5 and back 6 surfaces can provide for a recognizable orientation by the user to consistently hold the bottle 1 during use. For example, in a side to side grasp, the user may prefer to pick up and support the bottle 1 by preferentially placing their thumb on one side 4 adjacent to the inflection region I and their fingers (of the same hand) on the other opposite side 4 adjacent the respective reflection region I. Alternatively, in a front to back grasp, the user may prefer to pick up and support the bottle 1 by preferentially placing their thumb on the front surface 5 (or the back surface 6) and their fingers (of the same hand) on the opposite back surface 6 (or the front surface 5), such that their palm (of the same hand) is positioned on one of the sides 4 adjacent to its inflection region I. Having a preferential and recognizable holding orientation (i.e. side to side or front/back to back/front) by the user of the bottle 1 facilitates utilization of the presence of the pair of shoulders 12, 14 in facilitating the direction of drips 20 from the rim 13 of the spout 10 towards the base 11 and then towards and down the front 5 and/or back 6 surfaces rather than down the side surfaces 4. The controlled direction of drips 20 are promoted by the presence of the pair of shoulders 12, 14, as drips 20 from the rim 13 are inhibited from travel up the shoulder 12, 14 due to the presence of the shoulder volume represented by height H when tilting of the bottle for pouring (see Figures 11a,b). This control of drips 20 preferentially down the surface(s) 5,6 is also provided due to a dip region DR in height H between the opposed shoulder regions 12,14, thereby providing for collection of the drips 20 by the shoulder region(s) 12, 14 and directing via the top surface 8 towards the surface(s) 5,6 via the dip region(s) DR. Preferably, the dip regions DR can be configured such that the character of curvature between the base 11 and the surface(s) 5,6, via the corner regions 9, is consistently (i.e. lack of inflection region I present) planar or concave, so as to promote the flow of the drips 20 from near the base 11 and down the surface(s) 5,6.

[0027] As such, the consistent character of curvature (i.e. lack of inflection region l) of the top surface 8 between the base 11 and surface(s) 5,6 inhibits the collection and retention of drip 20 volume around the base 11 and therefore promotes the controlled direction of flow of any drips 20 from near the base 11 and down the surface(s) 5,6. It is recognized that rather than both the surfaces 5,6 having a lack of inflection region I with respect to the base 11, only one of the surfaces can have a lack of the inflection region I in order to promote flow of the drips 20 towards one of the surfaces 5,6 while inhibiting the flow of drips 20 towards the other of the surfaces 5,6 (i.e. due to the presence of an inflection region 1 between the base 11 and the other of the surfaces 5,6). For example, the bottle of claim 1 comprising a lack of inflection region 1 in the top surface 8 between the base 11 and the adjacent respective second arcuate regions 9, thereby providing for a consistent character of curvature between the top surface 8 adjacent the base 11 and the front surface 5. For example, the bottle comprising a lack of inflection region 1 in the top surface 8 between the base 11 and the adjacent respective second arcuate regions 9, thereby providing for a consistent character of curvature between the top surface 8 adjacent the base 11 and the back surface 6.

[0028] Consequently, the present of the pair of opposed shoulder regions 12, 14 promote the ordered transfer 18 of the liquid within the interior 17 of the bottle 1, while at the same time provide for controlled direction of the drips 10 of the liquid external to the bottle 1. The appropriate level of agitation for the liquid contents is important to provide adequate mixing of the liquid contents prior to pouring via the spout 10, in order to provide for a consistent product experience by the user (i.e. liquid contents are considered/experienced as consistent in their composition for each pour). However, the appropriate direction control of drips 20 is also important to the user, as users preferably want to consistently control drips away from their hands/body and towards the interior of a sink, thus facilitating a cleaner user and a cleaner bathroom environment.

[0029] Referring to Figure 3, shown are the legs 3 of the bottom surface 2. The bottom surface 2 has at least one major inflection region 11 (providing a convex curvature adjacent the inflection region 11 as measured from the interior 17 of the bottle) between the pair of opposed legs 3, i.e. between the side surfaces 4. It is recognized that optionally the leg(s) 3 can also have a second minor inflection region 12 (providing a convex curvature adjacent the inflection region 12 as measured from the interior 17 of the bottle), i.e. between the surfaces 5,6. Thus, the legs 3 provide two (for only inflection region 11) or more (with optional inflection region(s) 12) localized and separated support surfaces, i.e. at the distal ends of the legs 3, for supporting the bottle 1 in a stable orientation when resting on an adjacent support surface 0 (see Figure 6, e.g. sink or bathroom shelf). In terms of major and minor, it is recognized that the degree of convex curvature for the minor inflection region 12 is less than the degree of convex curvature for the major inflection region 11.

. CA 02952693 2016-12-22

[0030] In terms of positioning the bottle 1 on the adjacent support surface 0, it is recognized that article/object real estate (available space to position objects 22,23 shown in ghosted view of Figure 5) on the support surface(s) 0 in bathrooms can be at a premium (i.e.
limited). This limited real estate on the support surface(s) 0 can be because of the larger number of articles 22,23 (e.g. shampoo, mouthwash, tooth brush, toothpaste, hair brush, makeup, etc.) typically present in the bathroom, and/or due to the lack of suitable positions on the support surface(s) due to curved geometry of the support surface(s) 0 (i.e. rounded sink edges). The present bottle 1 design with shoulders 12, 14 in conjunction with the inflection regions I on the side surfaces 4 can facilitate room for positioning smaller articles 23 (e.g.
toothbrush, toothpaste) adjacent to the side surface(s) 4 and on the support surface 0, when the width Wb is less than width Wa, without interfering with the simultaneous placement of taller articles 22 adjacent to the bottle 1 on the support surface 0, see Figures 5, 6.

[0031] Referring to Figure 1, the arcuate (i.e. concave) shape of the regions 7, 9 can inhibit indentation(s) from forming in the walls of the bottle 1, in the event the bottle 1 is dropped from height by the user. Figure 8 shows a top view of the bottle 1 with shoulder regions 12, 14, inflection region 1 and spout 10 of the top surface 8. Figure 9 shows a bottom surface 2 view of the bottle 1 including the legs 3, the inflection region 11 and the optional inflection region 12.

Claims (10)

Claims:

1. A bottle for holding liquid contents, the bottle comprising:
a container wall defining an enclosed interior including:
a pair of opposed side surfaces;
a front surface and a back surface connected to the pair of opposed side surfaces by respective first arcuate regions;
a bottom surface including at least two legs and connected to the front surface, the back surface and the pair of opposed side surfaces, each of the legs positioned on either side of the bottom surface and adjacent to a respective one of the pair of opposed side surfaces; and a top surface including a pair of shoulder regions including a first shoulder region located adjacent to one of the pair of opposed side surfaces and a second shoulder region located adjacent to the other one of the pair of opposed side surfaces, the first shoulder region and the second shoulder region having a character of curvature as concave measured from the interior, a top inflection region positioned between the first shoulder region and the second shoulder region having a character of curvature as convex measured from the interior in order to separate the first shoulder region from the second shoulder region, the top surface connected to the front surface, the back surface and the pair of opposed side surfaces by respective second arcuate regions;
and a spout positioned in the top inflection region for providing exit of the liquid contents when contained therein from the interior when uncapped, such that a base of the spout on the top surface is lower than a height of any location on the top surface of the first shoulder region and lower than a height of any location on the top surface of the second shoulder region, as measured from the bottom surface, such that the heights of the shoulder regions extend between the front surface and the back surface to provide an enclosed volume by the pair of shoulder regions positioned above the base to facilitate mixing of the liquid contents when contained therein upon agitation of the bottle.

2. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising a bottom inflection region interposed between the legs such that a character of curvature of the bottom surface of the legs is concave and a character of curvature of the bottom surface in the bottom inflection region is convex to provide for stability of bottom surface when positioned on an uneven adjacent support surface.

3. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising an upper region of each of the pair of opposed side surfaces and a lower region of each of the pair of opposed side surfaces separated by a side inflection region having a character of curvature as convex measured from the interior to facilitate holding of the bottle in a preferential orientation by a user of the bottle.

4. The bottle of claim 3, wherein the upper region has a character of curvature as concave measured from the interior such that the character of curvatures of the adjacent shoulder region and the upper region are consistent to facilitate said mixing of the liquid contents when contained therein.

5. The bottle of claim 3 further comprising a top width adjacent to the top surface and between the pair of opposed side surfaces is greater than a bottom width adjacent to the bottom surface and between the pair of opposed side surfaces to facilitate positioning of adjacent objects on a common support surface.

6. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the upper region has a character of curvature as concave measured from the interior such that the character of curvatures of the adjacent shoulder region and the upper region are consistent to facilitate said mixing of the liquid contents when contained therein.

7. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said heights are constant between the respective second arcuate regions to facilitate said mixing of the liquid contents when contained therein between the respective second arcuate regions of the enclosed volume.

8. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising a lack of inflection region in the top surface between the base and the adjacent said respective second arcuate regions, thereby providing for a consistent character of curvature between the top surface adjacent the base and the front surface to assist directing egress of the liquid contents from a top of the spout towards the front surface while directing the egress of the liquid contents away from either of the pair of opposed side surfaces.

9. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising a lack of inflection region in the top surface between the base and the adjacent said respective second arcuate regions, thereby providing for a consistent character of curvature between the top surface adjacent the base and the back surface to assist directing egress of the liquid contents from a top of the spout towards the back surface while directing the egress of the liquid contents away from either of the pair of opposed side surfaces.

10. The bottle of claim 1, wherein a distance of a rim of the spout above the base is greater than a height of the shoulder regions measured from the base.