US20160001941A1 - Low profile scoop - Google Patents

Low profile scoop Download PDF

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Publication number
US20160001941A1
US20160001941A1 US14/769,593 US201414769593A US2016001941A1 US 20160001941 A1 US20160001941 A1 US 20160001941A1 US 201414769593 A US201414769593 A US 201414769593A US 2016001941 A1 US2016001941 A1 US 2016001941A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
scoop
bowl
package according
width
underside
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.)
Abandoned
Application number
US14/769,593
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English (en)
Inventor
Sjors Floris CRUSIUS
Martin Bunce
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.)
Nutricia NV
Original Assignee
Nutricia NV
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 Nutricia NV filed Critical Nutricia NV
Publication of US20160001941A1 publication Critical patent/US20160001941A1/en
Assigned to N.V. NUTRICIA reassignment N.V. NUTRICIA ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: Crusius, Sjors Floris, BUNCE, MARTIN
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
    • A23L33/00—Modifying nutritive qualities of foods; Dietetic products; Preparation or treatment thereof
    • A23L33/40—Complete food formulations for specific consumer groups or specific purposes, e.g. infant formula
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
    • A47J47/00—Kitchen containers, stands or the like, not provided for in other groups of this subclass; Cutting-boards, e.g. for bread
    • A47J47/02—Closed containers for foodstuffs
    • A47J47/04—Closed containers for foodstuffs for granulated foodstuffs
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B7/00—Closing containers or receptacles after filling
    • B65B7/16—Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons
    • B65B7/28—Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons by applying separate preformed closures, e.g. lids, covers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D43/00—Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D43/02—Removable lids or covers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D43/00—Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D43/14—Non-removable lids or covers
    • B65D43/16—Non-removable lids or covers hinged for upward or downward movement
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D51/18—Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D51/24—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes
    • B65D51/246—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes provided with eating utensils or spatulas
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D59/00—Plugs, sleeves, caps, or like rigid or semi-rigid elements for protecting parts of articles or for bundling articles, e.g. protectors for screw-threads, end caps for tubes or for bundling rod-shaped articles
    • B65D59/04—Sleeves, e.g. postal tubes
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
    • G01F19/00—Calibrated capacity measures for fluids or fluent solid material, e.g. measuring cups
    • G01F19/002—Measuring spoons or scoops
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
    • B65D2251/0006—Upper closure
    • B65D2251/0018—Upper closure of the 43-type
    • B65D2251/0021—Upper closure of the 43-type of the B65D43/16-type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
    • B65D2251/0006—Upper closure
    • B65D2251/0028—Upper closure of the 51-type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
    • B65D2251/0068—Lower closure
    • B65D2251/0081—Lower closure of the 43-type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
    • B65D2251/0068—Lower closure
    • B65D2251/009—Lower closure of the 51-type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
    • B65D2251/0068—Lower closure
    • B65D2251/0093—Membrane
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00824—Means for facilitating removing of the closure
    • B65D2543/00833—Integral tabs, tongues, handles or similar

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a scoop for the dispensing of products, in particular powdered products such as infant nutrition or milk formula.
  • the invention relates furthermore to the combination of such a scoop with a package having limited head space in which the scoop can be retained prior to use.
  • Powdered material such as infant milk formula
  • Metal cans were initially the preferred container as they were relatively easy and cheap to produce and could be sealed for long term storage.
  • the seal comprised an aluminum foil across the mouth of the container that was removed on first use.
  • the containers were provided with re-closable plastic lids which gripped over the outer rim of the can.
  • a measuring scoop was frequently included with the container, either packaged separately or within the can itself.
  • a low profile scoop for dosing of powdered infant formula having a handle portion and a bowl with an open mouth and a closed underside, wherein the bowl has a width that is relatively smaller than both its length and its depth.
  • the scoop can be located in a sideways position within the lid of a package having low head space.
  • scoops of different volume can vary in the depth of the bowl without requiring any greater headspace within the package due to the sideways orientation of the scoop.
  • headspace is intended to denote the space between the upper surface of the product or a covering membrane and the underside of the lid i.e. the space available for storing the scoop.
  • the depth dimension of the scoop is that extending from the mouth to the underside; the length dimension is that directed in a direction generally aligned with the handle portion; and the width dimension is directed transverse to the handle portion.
  • the scoop is provided within the package and may be located above the membrane seal prior to use. It is also conceivable that the scoop is integrally formed with the lid construction and separated at first use.
  • the bowl may have a mouth of generally rectangular shape. More preferably, the bowl has generally flat parallel side walls extending in the length direction and curved end walls extending in the width direction. The closed underside of the scoop may also be flat. It will be understood that the scoop is not intended for use while eating and the term scoop is not intended to refer to a spoon such as used for insertion into a user's mouth.
  • the bowl may be no wider than the handle portion.
  • the mouth has a width corresponding approximately to the width of the handle portion. In this manner effective use of the head space within the package can be maximised.
  • the depth of the bowl is greater than its length. Such a configuration allows for increased volume scoops while maintaining the ability to stack with smaller volume scoops having the same length dimension. It also ensures that gripping portions within the lid can be standardised for different volumes of scoop. In one embodiment, the length of the bowl is around 50% greater than its width.
  • the scoop is stackable and has a tapered or stepped bowl that can nest together with another scoop of similar shape.
  • stacking may not be required, during production and transport of the scoops, stacking may be advantageous.
  • the bowl may be tapered from the mouth to the underside with a taper angle of less than 8°, preferably less than 6° and most preferably around 4.5° in both width and length directions.
  • the taper angle is given as the angle with respect to a centre line or plane of symmetry of the bowl.
  • scoops may be stepped, whereby a narrower lower portion can fit within a wider mouth portion.
  • an elongate opening is provided through the handle portion adjacent to the bowl. This avoids accumulation of milk powder on the handle portion during scooping.
  • the handle portion may also include more than one opening. It has been found advantageous if the elongate opening has a largest dimension that is less than a width of the scoop handle. This can prevent unwanted tangling of scoops during production due to handles becoming engaged through the openings of other scoops.
  • the scoop may have any appropriate volume for the required dosing purpose.
  • the scoop will have a bowl volume of between 8 ml and 11.5 ml. Nevertheless, scoops of larger and smaller volumes may be available for specific dosage regimes including scoops as large as 20 ml and as small as 5 ml.
  • the bowl preferably has a width at the mouth of less than 30 mm, more preferably less than 24 mm and most preferably around 20 mm.
  • the bowl preferably has a length at the mouth of around 30 mm but may vary from around 20 mm to around 40 mm.
  • the primary variable is the depth, which may vary from around 20 mm to around 50 mm.
  • the depth dimension may be around 35 mm for a scoop volume of 11.5 ml; 22 mm for a scoop volume of 8 ml; and 27 mm for a scoop volume of 9.5 ml.
  • the present invention is particularly applicable to scoops having a bowl with a depth that is at least 50% greater than the width at the mouth.
  • the length of the handle portion may be around 70 mm.
  • the scoop is preferably provided with arrangements for improving filling and release of milk powder or the like.
  • the scoop In order to ensure dosing accuracy, the scoop should be accurately filled without the occurrence of air spaces or voids. It should also empty completely on inverting the scoop without excess agitation. As the scoop gets deeper and narrower, these requirements can become more difficult to achieve. Increasing a taper angle of the scoop may assist emptying but at the expense of loss of volume.
  • one or more small openings are provided through the closed underside of the bowl. These help to prevent vacuum formation on emptying of the scoop, while being too small for passage of powdered formula. It is thus understood that the term “closed underside” must be interpreted to include such small openings.
  • the extended transition may be a section at around 45° to the bottom of the scoop and may have a length of at least 8 mm.
  • the extended transition may be a large radius curved transition having a radius of e.g. more than 8 mm. This transition may be relatively greater than that between the sidewalls and the underside, which may have a radius of less than 1 mm.
  • the extended transition may be provided at just one end of the scoop e.g. closest to the handle or may be provided at both ends.
  • the scoop may be made of any suitable plastics material, most preferably from injection moulded polypropylene.
  • the invention also relates to a package for powdered infant nutrition comprising a tub defining a product containing space and a lid, a quantity of powdered infant nutrition within the product containing space and a membrane seal closing the product containing space prior to use, the package further comprising a scoop as defined above, placed on its side above the seal within a headspace of the lid.
  • the headspace defined as the region between the seal and the lid may be less than 30 mm in height, preferably less than 25 mm in height or around 20 mm in height, as measured at the location of the scoop.
  • the scoop is preferably dimensioned to take full advantage of this headspace.
  • the width of the bowl of the scoop is no more than 4 mm less than this headspace, more preferably no more than 3 mm less and preferably around 2 mm less.
  • the height of the headspace exceeds the width of the bowl of the scoop no more than by the disclosed amounts.
  • the scoop may even completely fill the headspace and bear against the membrane seal.
  • the membrane seal may comprise a metal foil or may be a plastics-only foil.
  • a preferred material comprises polypropylene outer layers with a barrier layer of e.g. EVOH laminated therebetween. It may be removed in its entirety prior to use or may comprise a weakened tear line defining an opening region, and a pull tab.
  • the headspace should be sufficient that the scoop cannot cause damage to the seal.
  • the scoop may be located loosely within the headspace. More preferably, the lid has a clip on its underside to grip the handle portion of the scoop and the scoop is gripped by the clip. On opening the lid, the scoop may be removed from the clip. It will be understood that the scoop may be permanently formed with the lid or clip e.g. by a frangible connection. In general such connections may be less desirable due to the risk of particles falling into the product containing space.
  • the tub is a thermoformed tub of relatively thin plastic material having a peripheral wall extending to an upper edge defining the product containing space, and wherein the lid is hinged to an upper rim, engaged to the upper edge of the tub.
  • the lid and rim may be integrally formed together with a living hinge e.g. by injection moulding.
  • Preferred materials for the lid and rim are polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or combinations thereof, although the skilled person will be familiar with various alternatives which could provide similar engineering properties.
  • the package may have a generally square or rectangular outer profile with rounded corners.
  • the volume of the package may be between 500 ml and 3 litres, preferably between around 2 litres and 800 ml, and the access opening preferably has a minimum dimension of at least 70 mm more preferably around 100 mm and an area of at least 100 cm 2 .
  • the overall length of the package may be between 150 mm and 250 mm, preferably about 185 mm.
  • the width of the package may be between 100 mm and 150 mm, preferably around 120 mm.
  • the package may be available in multiple heights according to volume required, varying from 80 mm to 150 mm.
  • the invention further relates to a plurality of scoops as described above, the scoops being stackable together by nesting of their bowls and having different volumes by varying their depths while maintaining the width and length dimensions identical.
  • a scoop of the requisite volume may be added to the package.
  • the scoops may be colour coded according to their volume.
  • FIG. 1 shows a package according to one aspect of the present invention in perspective view
  • FIG. 2 shows a cross-section through the package of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 shows a scoop according to a first embodiment of the invention in perspective view
  • FIG. 4 shows a scoop according to a second embodiment of the invention in perspective view
  • FIG. 5 shows the scoop of FIG. 4 in plan view
  • FIG. 6 shows a scoop according to a third embodiment of the invention in perspective view
  • FIG. 7 shows a scoop according to a fourth embodiment of the invention in perspective view.
  • FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a package 1 for powdered infant nutrition according to a first embodiment of the invention comprising a tub 2 defining a product containing space 20 and a lid 12 .
  • a quantity of powdered infant nutrition is located within the product containing space 20 and a membrane seal 6 is shown in a partially removed condition.
  • the lid 12 is hinged to an upper rim 10 that engages mechanically with a lower rim 8 , connected to the tub 2 . It will be understood that other lid assemblies may also be used in this context.
  • the tub 2 is thermoformed of relatively thin polypropylene material and a sleeve 4 formed of carton supports around it.
  • the scoop 42 has a handle portion 41 , which is gripped by a clip 44 on the underside of the lid 12 .
  • the scoop 42 is conveniently shaped to be relatively narrow, allowing it to be placed on its side within the limited head space within the lid 12 .
  • the handle portion 41 has an open structure, which is convenient for preventing a build-up of powder on the handle portion 41 when in use.
  • the lower rim 8 also incorporates a scoop holder 50 and left and right-handed levellers 52 . After use of the scoop 42 , it may be placed in the scoop holder 50 .
  • the scoop holder 50 has an elongate generally rectangular shape that corresponds to that of the scoop 42 and orientates the handle portion 41 of the scoop 42 to a position where it can be easily grasped by a user.
  • FIG. 2 shows a cross-section through the package of FIG. 1 , taken along line II-II, with the lid closed, prior to removal of the seal 6 .
  • the seal 6 closes off the product containing space 20 and lies beneath the lower rim 8 .
  • the upper rim 10 and the lid 12 define a headspace 21 above the seal 6 .
  • the headspace 21 has a minimum height h, measured at the centre of the lid 12 .
  • the scoop 42 is slightly narrower than the height h of the headspace, such that it can be positioned without interfering with the seal 6 . It will be understood, that while the scoop 12 is illustrated with its handle portion 41 gripped by the clip 44 , it may also be simply placed on the seal 6 during the manufacturing process.
  • FIG. 3 shows in greater detail the scoop 42 of FIG. 1 , including an elongate opening 43 through the handle portion 41 .
  • the bowl 51 of the scoop 42 has a width w that is relatively smaller than both its length 1 and its depth d.
  • the bowl 51 has a mouth 39 of generally rectangular shape with a width corresponding approximately to the width of the handle portion 41 .
  • the bowl 51 has generally flat parallel side walls 55 extending in the length direction and curved end walls 57 extending in the width direction.
  • the walls 55 , 57 of the bowl 51 taper towards a slightly narrower closed underside 53 with a taper angle of around 4.5° in both width and length directions. This allows convenient stacking together of scoops during manufacture and transport.
  • the bowl 51 has a small nose 49 , which assists during stacking by preventing the bowl of one scoop from inserting too deeply into the bowl of another scoop.
  • the illustrated scoop 42 has a mouth 39 of 28 mm in length and 19 mm in width.
  • the depth dimension of around 35 mm ensures a scoop volume of 11.5 ml.
  • different scoop volumes may be provided while maintaining the same overall design.
  • a scoop volume of 8 ml may be provided having a scoop depth of 22 mm and a scoop volume of 9.5 ml may have a depth dimension of 27 mm.
  • FIG. 4 shows a scoop 142 according to one preferred embodiment of the invention, in which similar features are provided like references preceded by 100 .
  • This scoop 142 has a bowl 151 of similar shape to that of FIG. 3 .
  • the depth d in this embodiment is at least 50% greater than the width w of the bowl 151 .
  • the scoop 142 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that the underside 153 of the bowl 151 has a transition section 159 between the underside 153 and an end wall 157 of the bowl 151 closest to the handle portion 141 .
  • the transition section 159 provides an extended transition that is relatively less abrupt than a transition between the underside 153 and the sidewalls 155 of the bowl 151 . These latter portions may form corners with radii of around 1 mm or less.
  • the transition section 159 may have a length of more than 5 mm and may be angled at between 30° and 60° with respect to the underside 153 .
  • low profile scoops i.e. those having a relatively narrow width compared to their depth and length directions can be difficult to fill accurately.
  • Accurate filling is important in order to ensure correct dosing.
  • air pockets may be formed towards the underside of the bowl during filling, in particular in the corners between the underside and the end walls.
  • FIG. 4 also illustrates that the handle portion 141 has a slightly different form to that of FIG. 3 .
  • the handle portion is provided with two elongate openings 143 , each of which is smaller than a width of the handle portion 141 . In this manner, it can be avoided that a handle portion of one scoop becomes lodged in an opening of another scoop during production and transport.
  • FIG. 5 shows the scoop 141 of FIG. 4 in plan view.
  • the parallel sidewalls 155 and the curved end walls 157 are better visible.
  • the underside 153 of the bowl 151 can be seen to have three small openings 161 . These openings 161 are too small to allow passage of the powdered product but can pass air in order to avoid voids during filling of the scoop and vacuum formation on emptying.
  • FIG. 6 shows an alternative scoop 242 having a handle portion 241 similar to that of FIG. 3 with an elongate opening 243 .
  • the scoop 242 differs from the earlier design of FIG. 3 in that the bowl 251 has a stepped structure.
  • the mouth 239 has the same width as the handle portion 241 but the bowl 251 no longer tapers downwards. Instead, it has a constant cross-section to a step 250 at a mid-point of the bowl and then a smaller constant cross-section extending to the closed underside 253 .
  • Scoops 242 of this design may stack or nest together with the bowl 251 of one scoop extending into the next scoop up to the step 250 .
  • different volumes may be provided by varying the depth of the bowl 251 with the step 250 preferably always being located at the mid-point.
  • FIG. 7 shows a still further design of scoop 342 having a relatively simple structure of bowl 351 .
  • the handle portion 341 is identical to FIG. 3 but the bowl 351 has a constant cross-section from mouth 339 to underside 353 and is not stackable.
  • the skilled person will understand that many other alternative configurations of scoop may be provided and that the design of the scoop may be adapted to the design of the container assembly itself.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Nutrition Science (AREA)
  • Mycology (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Pediatric Medicine (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Food-Manufacturing Devices (AREA)
  • Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)
  • Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
  • Closing Of Containers (AREA)
  • Making Paper Articles (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)
US14/769,593 2013-02-22 2014-02-24 Low profile scoop Abandoned US20160001941A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NLPCT/NL2013/050114 2013-02-22
PCT/NL2013/050114 WO2014129887A1 (en) 2013-02-22 2013-02-22 Thermoformed container with lid
PCT/NL2014/050112 WO2014129903A1 (en) 2013-02-22 2014-02-24 Low profile scoop

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20160001941A1 true US20160001941A1 (en) 2016-01-07

Family

ID=47901284

Family Applications (2)

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US14/769,593 Abandoned US20160001941A1 (en) 2013-02-22 2014-02-24 Low profile scoop
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PH12015501850B1 (en) 2015-12-07

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