WO2016049699A1

WO2016049699A1 - Container having a drip control arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2016049699A1
Application number: PCT/AU2015/050590
Authority: WO
Inventors: David John Stevens; Jacob Anthony REDRUP
Original assignee: Sands Innovations Ltd
Priority date: 2014-09-30
Filing date: 2015-09-30
Publication date: 2016-04-07

Abstract

A container having a drip control arrangement: including a container body, the body including a first container portion having a volume for accommodating a liquid therein, a second container portion, an intermediate portion interconnecting the first and second container portions, and a flange extending about the periphery of the first and second container portions thereof; the container being openable by angular displacement of the second container portion relative to the first container portion to thereby produce a container opening for dispensing the liquid contents, the surrounding flange being foldable along a fold line passing through the flange and extending laterally from either side of the container opening as a result of said angular displacement; and a 'U' shaped slit provided within the flange adjacent at least one side of the intermediate portion, such that at least one outwardly extending tab member is formed along and extends from the fold line as a result of the folding of the flange.

Description

Container having a drip control arrangement FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is generally directed to containers for dispensing liquids, and in particular to containers having a drip control arrangement. While the present invention will be described with reference to containers having a frangible opening arrangement, the present invention is not limited to such containers, and the use of the present invention on other containers is also envisaged.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] The applicant has developed a container having a frangible opening arrangement. Details of this container are provided in US Patent No. 8485360B2, details of which are incorporated herein by reference. This container utilises a frangible opening arrangement, where an opening is produced within the container by angular displacement of one section of the container relative to another section. The container itself includes a container body including a shell portion having a cavity for accommodating the product, with a flange portion being provided around the periphery of the shell portion. The container further includes a cover portion which is secured to the flange and covers the cavity to retain the product accommodated within the cavity. The shell portion is typically formed from plastics including styrene or PET, while the cover portion can be formed from sheet material including paper and aluminium foil.

[0003] These containers have been adapted for use in dispensing a small volume of liquid, for example, a flavouring compound for mixing in another drinkable product. The container body may be produced with a bulbous section defining the cavity within the shell portion. This shell section may be formed from a flexible material to allow deformation of the bulbous section, when pressure is applied to that bulbous section. This facilitates squeezing of the liquid out from the cavity by applying pressure on the bulbous section. The bulbous section is connected to a second smaller tip section, within the shell portion. A frangible section is located on the shell portion intermediate the bulbous section and the tip section. The tipped section needs to be angularly displaced relative to the bulbous section to induce a fracture within the intermediate frangible section. This container body also has a relatively wide flange surrounding the bulbous and tipped sections, and the intermediate frangible section with a cover portion being secured to at least a substantial portion of the flange. A guide arrangement for facilitating the folding of the container body may be provided within the flange. The guide arrangement may include lateral straight slits provided within the flange portion adjacent either side of the intermediate frangible section. The lateral straight slits may be orientated generally perpendicular to an elongated axis of the container body extending through the bulbous, frangible and tip sections of the container body. Each slit may extend from the peripheral edge of the flange towards the frangible section. Alternatively, each slit may extend along a part of the flange between the peripheral edge of the flange and the frangible section. The slit may extend completely through the flange and cover portion such that the slit is in the form of a cut provided within the flange. Alternatively, the slit may extend as an elongate straight groove with the flange without actually extending completely there through.

[0004] The purpose of the slits is to facilitate the folding of the flange adjacent the frangible region thereby facilitating opening of the container. The part of the container body supporting the tipped portion can be folded up to 180° from its original position to thereby abut against the part of the container body supporting the bulbous section. This induces a fracture within the frangible region leading to an opening within the container. The folding of the flange results in a straight fold line extending laterally from either side of the opening.

[0005] It has been found that liquid exiting the opening has a tendency to be drawn along the fold line through surface tension. These results in a drop liquid being dispensed from the container traveling along the fold line to the end thereof when the container is being held at an angle, while dispensing liquid therefrom. This results in the liquid drop being discharged away from the opening making it difficult to control the position of the liquid drop as it exits the container. This therefore makes it more difficult to accurately dispense the liquid drop into, for example, the neck of a drink container, where the position of the liquid drop needs to be more accurately controlled.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container and method for controlling the location of a liquid drop being dispensed from a container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container having a drip control arrangement: including a container body, the body including a first container portion having a volume for accommodating a liquid therein, a second container portion, an intermediate portion interconnecting the first and second container portions, and a flange extending about the periphery of the first and second container portions thereof; the container being openable by angular displacement of the second container portion relative to the first container portion to thereby produce a container opening for dispensing the liquid contents, the surrounding flange being foldable along a fold line passing through the flange and extending laterally from either side of the container opening as a result of said angular displacement; and a 'U' shaped slit provided within the flange adjacent at least one side of the intermediate portion; such that at least one outwardly extending tab member is formed along and extends from the fold line as a result of the folding of the flange.

[0008] The outwardly extending tab member acts to deflect the flow of a liquid drop that has been dispensed from the container opening and is traveling along the fold line through liquid tension. Once the liquid drop contacts the outwardly extending tab member, the liquid drop can move towards a free end of the outwardly extending tab member such that the liquid drop is dispensed from the free end thereof. This allows for improved control of the position of the liquid drop as it leaves the container.

[0009] The outwardly extending tab member may have a generally 'U' shaped peripheral profile when extended from the fold line. The 'U' shaped slit may include a base part and two arm parts extending from the base part. The two arm parts preferably extend at an obtuse angle away from the base part. The base part of the 'U' shaped slit may be substantially straight, such that the resultant outwardly extending member has a peripheral profile shaped as a truncated cone. Alternatively, the base part may have a radius such that the resultant outwardly extending member has a more rounded peripheral profile. It is also envisaged that the 'U' shaped slit may extend to a point such that the outwardly extending member is essentially 'V shaped.

[0010] A lateral slit may also extend from a peripheral end of one or both of the arm parts. The lateral slit may extend laterally towards the periphery of the flange. It is also envisaged that the lateral slit may extend inwardly towards the intermediate portion of the container body. Alternatively, lateral slits may extend from both sides of the 'IT shaped slit. The lateral slits help to guide the folding of the flange. The 'U' shaped and lateral slits may be in the form of a groove provided within the flange. It is also envisaged that the slit may extend

completely through the flange and cover portion.

[0011 ] Folding of the flange immediately adjacent the 'IT shaped slit results in a fracture being formed within and being propagated along the 'IT shaped slit thereby forming the tab member along the fold line. The preferred lateral slits also helps top guide the folding of the flange along the axis of the lateral slits.

[0012] The intermediate portion of the container body may include a frangible area located therein. Folding of the flange results in a fracture being induced in the frangible area thereby producing the container opening. The contents of the first body portion can then be dispensed from this container opening. Further details of a container having a frangible intermediate portion can be found in US Patent No. 8485360B2.

[0013] The container body may include a shell portion having a cavity for providing the volume therein, and the flange may be provided around the periphery of the shell portion. The container body may further include a cover portion which is secured to the flange and covers the cavity to retain the liquid accommodated within the cavity. The shell portion may be made of a flexible material such that the shell portion can be squeezed and deformed to eject the liquid from the cavity.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a container having a drip control arrangement: the container including a container body, the body including a first container portion having a volume for accommodating a liquid therein, a second container portion, an intermediate portion interconnecting the first and second container portions, and a flange extending about the periphery of the first and second container portions thereof; the container being openable by angular displacement of the second container portion relative to the first container portion to thereby produce a container opening for dispensing the liquid contents, the surrounding flange being foldable along a fold line passing through the flange and extending laterally from either side of the container opening as a result of said angular displacement; the method including the step of forming a 'U' shaped slit within the flange adjacent at least one side of the intermediate portion, such that at least one outwardly extending tab member is provided along and extends from the fold line formed by the folding of the flange.

[0015] The outwardly extending members may be provided on both sides of the container opening. In addition to controlling the position of the liquid drop exiting the container, the outwardly extending members can also act as alignment members, where the contents from the container according to the present invention needs to be dispensed through, for example, the neck of a drink container. The outwardly extending members act as abutments that can abut the wall of the neck ensuring accurate dispensing of the product from the container through the neck into the contents of the drink bottle.

[0016] The container according to the present invention therefore provides for more accurate dispensing of liquid drops from the container. In addition, the container according to the present invention facilitates alignment of the container opening relative to another container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] It will be convenient to further describe the invention with respect to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the container according to the present invention. Other embodiments of the invention are possible, and consequently, the particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

[0017] In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a plan view of a prior art container;

[0019] Figure 2 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a container according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a container according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the present invention; [0022] Figure 5 is a side perspective view of the container of Figure 2 in a partially folded position;

[0023] Figure 6 is a plan perspective view of the container of Figure 2 in a fully folded position; and

[0024] Figure 7 is a view of the container of Figure 2 being used to dispense a liquid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] In the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, the same reference numeral will be used for corresponding features in each embodiment and in the prior art container.

[0026] Figure 1 is a plan view of a prior art container 1 developed by the applicant. The container 1 includes a container body 3 having a shell portion 5, with a bulbous section 7 defining a cavity within the shell portion 5. A tip section 9 is also provided within the shell portion 5. The shell portion 5 further includes a flange 11 which extends around the periphery of the bulbous section 7 and tip section 9. A cover section (not shown) is secured to the under side of the shell portion 5 to thereby retain the contents of the liquid accommodated within the volume provided by the bulbous section 7.

[0027] The container body 3 includes a first container portion 5 supporting the bulbous section 7, and a second container portion 17 supporting the tip section 9. The bulbous section 7 and tipped section 9 are interconnected by an intermediate portion 19 having a frangible area therein. Angular displacement of the second container portion 17 relative to the first container portion 15 about a fold line extending laterally through the intermediate portion 19 results in a fracture being generated within the intermediate portion 19. This produces a container opening 21 through which the contents within the bulbous section 7 can be ejected.

[0028] The prior art container 1 includes two lateral slots 4 extending laterally from the elongate axis of the container 1 on either side of the intermediate portion 19. The lateral slots 4 act to guide the folding of the container body 3 by angular displacement of the second container portion 17 relative to the first container portion 15. This results in a straight fold line that extends along the axis of the lateral slots 4.

[0029] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a container 2 according to the present invention. In place of the lateral slots 4 of the container 1 of Figure 1 , a 'IT shaped slit 23 is provided on either side of the intermediate section 19 within the flange 11. The 'IT shaped slit 23 includes a base part 25, and two arm parts 27 extending at an obtuse angle away from the base part 25. A lateral slit 29 also extends from the peripheral end of one of the arm parts 27. The lateral slits 29 extend towards the periphery of the flange 11.

[0030] The embodiment of the container 2 according to the present invention shown in Figure 2 reverses the position of the 'U' shaped slit 23 such that the base 25 of the 'U' shaped slit 23 is directed towards the bulbous portion 7 and is located on the first container portion 15. By comparison, the 'U' shaped silt 23 in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 is located on the second container portion 17.

[0031] The embodiment of the container 2 according to the present invention shown in Figure 4 differs from the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 3 in having a 'IT shaped slit with a more rounded peripheral profile. Such a profile may be applicable for controlling drops of higher viscosity liquid.

[0032] Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, angular displacement of the second container portion 17 relative to the first container portion 15 along a fold line 6 results in an outwardly extending tab member 8 being provided along the fold line 6. The above noted angular displacement results in a fracture being generated within the 'IT shaped slit 23 which thereby forms the peripheral profile of the outwardly extending tab member as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The lateral slits 29 act to guide the folding of the second container portion 17 relative to the first container portion 15 such that a fracture is also generated through the

intermediate portion 19 resulting in the container opening 21 as shown in Figure 6. Two of the outwardly extending tab members 8 are provided along the fold line 6 on opposite sides of the container opening 2 .

[0033] The outwardly extending tab member acts as a drip control

arrangement for the container 1 as best shown in Figure 7. When the bulbous section 7 is squeezed, the liquid can be ejected from the container opening 21 as a liquid drop 31. That liquid drop 31 initially travels along the fold line 6 as a result of surface tension. The outwardly extending tab member 8 acts to block the travel of the liquid drop 31 and directs the liquid drop 31 to the periphery of the tab member 8. This ensures that the liquid drop 31 can be accurately directed. For example, the tab member 8 will assist in directing the liquid drop 31 into the neck 33 of another container. The peripheral profile of the outwardly extending tab member 8 shown in Figure 2 is determined by the shape of the 'U' shaped slit 23 provided in the flange 11. This results in a tab member having a peripheral profile shaped as a truncated cone. The peripheral profile of the tab member 8 can however be changed depending on the application as shown in the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4.

[0034] The tab members 8 also act as alignment members for aligning the container opening 21 relative to another container 33. Figure 7 shows the tab member 8 abutting the container neck 33 thereby helping to ensure that the liquid drop 31 is correctly directed through the container neck 33.

[0035] Modifications and variations as would be deemed obvious to the person skilled in the art are included within the ambit of the present invention as claimed in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A container having a drip control arrangement: including a container body, the body including a first container portion having a volume for accommodating a liquid therein, a second container portion, an intermediate portion interconnecting the first and second container portions, and a flange extending about the periphery of the first and second container portions thereof; the container being openable by angular displacement of the second container portion relative to the first container portion to thereby produce a container opening for dispensing the liquid contents, the surrounding flange being foldable along a fold line passing through the flange and extending laterally from either side of the container opening as a result of said angular displacement; and a 'U' shaped slit provided within the flange adjacent at least one side of the intermediate portion, such that at least one outwardly extending tab member is formed along and extends from the fold line as a result of the folding of the flange.

2. A container according to claim , wherein the 'U' shaped slit includes a base part and two arm parts extending from the base part.

3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the two arm parts extend at an obtuse angle away from the base part.

4. A container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the base of the 'U' shaped slit is substantially straight.

5. A container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the base part has a radius.

6. A container according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a lateral slit extends from a peripheral end of one or both of the arm parts.

7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the lateral slit extends laterally towards the periphery of the flange.

8. A container according to claim 6, wherein the lateral slit extends inwardly towards the intermediate portion of the container body.

9. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the intermediate portion of the container body includes a frangible area located therein, and wherein folding of the flange results in a fracture being induced in the frangible area thereby producing the container opening.

10. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body includes a shell portion having a cavity for providing the volume therein, and the flange is provided around the periphery of the shell portion, and wherein the container body further includes a cover portion which is secured to the flange and covers the cavity to retain the liquid accommodated within the volume.

11. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein outwardly extending members are provided on both sides of the container opening.

12. A method of producing a container having a drip control arrangement: the container including a container body, the body including a first container portion having a volume for accommodating a liquid therein, a second container portion, an intermediate portion interconnecting the first and second container portions, and a flange extending about the periphery of the first and second container portions thereof; the container being openable by angular displacement of the second container portion relative to the first container portion to thereby produce a container opening for dispensing the liquid contents, the surrounding flange being foldable along a fold line passing through the flange and extending laterally from either side of the container opening as a result of said angular displacement; the method including the step of forming a 'U' shaped slit within the flange adjacent at least one side of the intermediate portion, such that at least one outwardly extending tab member is formed along and extends from the fold line as a result of the folding of the flange.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the 'U' shaped slit includes a base part and two arm parts extending from the base part.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the two arm parts extend at an obtuse angle away from the base part.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the base of the 'IT shaped slit is substantially straight.

16. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the base part has a radius.

17. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein a lateral slit extends from a peripheral end of one or both of the arm parts.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the lateral slit extends laterally towards the periphery of the flange.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the lateral slit extends inwardly towards the intermediate portion of the container body.