US3168222A

US3168222A - Dispensing container

Info

Publication number: US3168222A
Application number: US251317A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert J Wanderer
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 1963-01-14
Filing date: 1963-01-14
Publication date: 1965-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 1982-02-02
Also published as: BE661301A; DE1486422A1; GB1048481A

Description

Feb. 2, 1965 H. J. WANDERER 3,168,222

DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed Jan. 14, 1963 3 I INVENTOR.

53 3 figf" ffldlzaeflefl 33 v ta gm.

United States Patent Ofitice 3,168,222 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 3,168,222 DISPENSING CONTR Herbert J. Wanderer, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 251,317 4 Claims. (Cl. 222142.1)

being packaged in containers consisting of cardboard tubes with metallic ends, one of the ends being perforated. Such containers are simple to make and are relatively cheap. However, they have many drawbacks.

The known cleansing powder containers, as outlined above, have occupied as much space before filling as after filling, thereby requiring an unduly large storage space.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved container so designed that a plurality of containers can be stacked together in a very small space in nested, telescoped relation.

The prior art containers, as noted above, have required the afiixing of a metal cap or end piece to each end of the cardboard tube. This has required two distinct assembly operations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a plastic container for cleansing powders or the like in which only one closure member need be applied.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a container for cleansing powder and the like which is of generally tubular or frusto-conical shape and has one end formed integral therewith.

The metal ends of the prior art containers have presented various drawbacks in use. .Apertures have had to be scored in one end to be punched out for release of the powder. Such punching out has frequently proved frustrating to the user. Furthermore, the metallic ends have always been subject to corrosion. Steel is most commonly used for the ends, and rusts if set down in a damp location, frequently leading to rust stains which are difficult or impossible to remove from counter tops and the like.

Furthermore, most present-day household cleansing powders contain chloride salts to bleach the article being cleaned. Such salts are extremely corrosive, and if any moisture at all comes in contact with the salts and a metal container end, extensive corrosion of the container end quickly results. It will be appreciated that the prior to provide a container for cleansing powders and the like which is readily openable.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a container for cleansing powders and the like which is .made completely of inert materials.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a container for cleansing powders and the like having a discharge orifice on a sloping surface, whereby to discourage entry of water and to facilitate egress of the cleansing powder.

It is an object of this invention to provide a container for cleansing powders which is of frusto-conical shape, thereby providing a convenient hand grip for hands of widely differing sizes. I

It is a further object of this invention to provide a container for cleansing powders and the like which container has flexible sidewalls whereby the container may be squeezed to blow out the last bit of powder therein.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a plastic container for cleansing powders and the like, which container readily can be embossed during manufacture at no extra cost.

It is another object of this invention to provide a plastic container for cleansing powders and the like, which container is designed for a plurality thereof to interfit in stacked, nested, telescoped relation for storage, and wherein a stacking ring is provided which facilitates such stacking and also reinforces the sidewall in the vicinity of the discharge end of the container.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a more economical container for cleansing powders and the like.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container for cleansing powders or the like, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the axis of the container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view on an enlarged scale to FIG. 2 showinga plurality of containers'stacked together in nested, telescoped relation;

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of the top part of a container on the same scale as FIG. 2, and after removal of the discharge orifice closure member; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showing a detail of the stacking ring.

Referring now in greater particularity to the drawings, there will be seen a dispensing container for cleansing powders and the like identified generally by the numeral 10, and comprising a bottom 12, a frusto-conical sidewall 14 tapering inwardly and upwardly therefrom, and having at its upper end a stepped ring section 16, and a top 18. All of the parts with the exception of the bottom 12 are integral and are made preferably by a plug-assist blow molding technique.

The bottom, as best may be seen in FIG. 2, comprises a structure in the nature of a lid or cap, including a flat bottom wall 20, a lower or depressed channel or troughlike portion 22, and an upstanding circular flange '24. The sidewall 14 is' of slightly lesser diameter at 26 for cooperation with the flange 24. Conveniently, the flange 24 is secured to the thin sidewall portion 26 by a suitable adhesive after the container has been filled.

Aside from the thin portion 26, the sidewall rises uniformly from the bottom up to the stepped portion 16, there first being an external shoulder 28, with a complemental-y internal shoulder 30. The sidewall is rather abruptly decreased in diameter at this position, and then extends up substantially uniformly to another external shoulder 32, where the sidewall again is abruptly decreased in diameter, from whence it extends up to the 'top 18.

The stepped portion 16 serves to render the sidewall more rigid in the vicinity of the top 18. It also serves for stacking a plurality of containers together in nested relation before filling, as will be brought out hereinafter. As best may be seen in FIG. 5, a plurality of arcuately spaced protuberances 34 is provided on the shoulder 28. This is to prevent air lock which would hold stacked containers together.

As readily will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, a diagonal or oblique surface 36 intersects the stacking ring section 16 and the top 18. This oblique surface 36 is provided with a generally vertical protuberance 38 somewhat elongated in a chordal direction. With the exception of this protuberance, the entire container is of remark-ably uniform sidewall thickness, being on the order of .0l-.030" thick, the specific thickness within this range being predetermined in accordance with commercial requirements. The protuberance 38, on the other hand, is deliberately made somewhat thinner by being blow molded from a 1 localized area of the plastic. Although a wide variety of plastics is suitable for the manufacture of the present container, one of the more-or-less flexible styrenes is recommended as being suitable. Due to the nature of the plastic, and the thinness of the protuberance 38, being on the order of half as thick as the remainder of the container, the protuberance 38 is readily removed with "a paring knife or other readily available kitchen cutting implement, leaving an aperture 'or opening 40 as seen in FIG. 4 for dispensing of the cleansing powder from the container. I

As will be appreciated, any sort of powdered material tends to settle down somewhat in shipping, whereby the top of thetpowder 42 within the container 10 is at a level 4 0 s'omewhat'below the aperture 40, thus to avoid inadvertent egress of the powder through the aperture. When it is desired to dispense'powder from the container, the container'is gripped at any convenient height, in accordance with the size of the hand of the user, and substantially inverted. The cleansing powder then may be shaken from the aperture 40. The oblique nature of the surface 36 allows the container to be held at an angle, whereby itis easy to see around the container to observe the'area well as to FIG. 2), the protuberances 38 are located within the outlines of the container. That is to say, the axial extent of the protuberance of each container is short of the corresponding top 18. Furthermore, the radial extent thereof is short of the radius of the stacking ring section 16. Thus, no matter in what way the containers may be stacked, the protuberances 34 will not interfere with adjacent containers. In this connection, it will be understood that the containers will most likely be stacked in random rotational position whereby protuberances 38 of adjacent containrs would not necessarily be aligned with one another. V

Containers are removed gravitationally from the stack in FIG. 3 for filling in the inverted filling position shown. The caps or bottoms 12 then are placed over the open, upwardly facing lower ends of the containers, with an appropriate adhesive first having automatically been applied either to the inside of the flange of the bottom, or to the corresponding portion of the sidewall 14 in the thinned area 26. The'cement or adhesive sets with great rapidity, and the container may be inverted practically immediately for shipment.

The recessed bottom cooperates with the top of a subjacent container for relative positioning in shipping or display. It will be observed that the dispersing projection 38, being entirely within the silhouette of the container is not endangered by such stacking. Being rather thin and of plastic construction, the bottom is flexible and readily takes up physical shocks, variation in barometric pressure, and variation in internal volume in instances in which air trapped in the container combinestwith bleach in the cleansing powder.

As is indicated by the word cleanser in FIG. 1, various labels or indicia may be embossed in the sidewall (or top or bottom) of the container. This is done at no a extra cost of manufacture simply by appropriately shapon which the powder is being deposited. This is in distinction to the usual type of container which completely masks the area on which the powder is being deposited.

When'the container is approaching the empty condition and the small weight of the remaining powder tends to make dispensing thereof diflicult, it is asimple matter to squeeze the sidewall '14 of the container, thereby to flex it in and to raise the pressure'of the air within the container, whereby to pump the cleansing powder out through the aperture 40. This action is augmented by the oblique'nature of the surface 36 which allows the remaining powder to be concentrated in a small pile, more or less'in a corner of the container, as opposed to the usual type of container in which the powder is spread out across the undersurfac'e of thetop of the container.

Reference heretofore has been made to stacking ofthe tcontainers before filling, and this is illustrated in FIG. 3.

t The containers are inVeIted being'Upside down, and the external shoulder 32 of one container rests on the internal shoulder 30 of a subjacent container, This prevents the containers from wedging together, as they might. otherwise do. The protuberances 34 on'the external shoulders 28 are'accompanied by recesses correspondingfthereto in the internal shoulders 30, whereby to provide air 'bleed "passages to prevent air pressure from holding the stacked containers together. V V t K V particular reference to FIG. 3 (as As will be'seen with ing or texturing the mold, or both. Sandblasting the mold wall through a stencil (with an otherwise smooth mold wall) produces an interesting texture and a degree of 'embossment determined by the extent of sandblasting.

It will now be observed that the various objects of the invention have been attained. A specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, for dispensing cleansing powder or other fluid materials, and it will be understood that the particularsenibodiment is for illustrative purposes only. Various changes in structure will no doubt appear to those skilled inthe art, and will be understood as forming a part of the present invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows: -1. A dispensing container of plastic material including 'a one piece body portion capable of being nested with other body portions of like configuration, and a bottom element adapted to be subsequently applied thereto, said body portion including a tapering sidewall and an integral imperforate top joined to said sidewall at a circumferential margin opposite the margin with which said bottom' element is adapted to be mounted, said imperforate top and the sidewall in the vicinity of their juncture being traversed by an oblique surface on which is provided means capable of rupture or removal for egress of the contents of said container, and a stacking ring element provided on the sidewall of said body portion which facilitates separation of said body .portion from body portions of like configuration when nested therewith including an internal shoulder, and an external shoulder and includes axial protuberances providing air ports to facilitate separation of telescoped containers,

3. A dispensing container "as set forth in claim 1 where 2) in the means provided on said oblique surface comprises a protuberance integral with and extending from said oblique surface, said protuberance lying within the pro jected outlines of said imperforate and said tapering sidewall.

4. A dispensing container as set forth in claim 3 wherein said protuberance is of lesser thickness than the remainder of said container body portion to facilitate severing thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,432,718 10/22 Moore.

6 12/54 Obeck 222143 X 12/54 Ivins et al 222213 X 7/59 Akers 222541 X 5/63 Westlake 222-541 8/63 Orr 222-541 X FOREIGN PATENTS 8/54 Belgium. 7/55 France.

10 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiners.

Claims

1. A DISPENSING CONTAINER OF PLASTIC MATERIAL INCLUDING A ONE PIECE BODY PORTION CAPABLE OF BEING NESTED WITH OTHER BODY PORTIONS OF LIKE CONFIGURATION, AND A BOTTOM ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY APPLIED THERETO, SAID BODY PORTION INCLUDING A TAPERING SIDEWALL AND AN INTEGRAL IMPERFORATE TOP JOINED TO SAID SIDEWALL AT A CIRCUMFERENTIAL MARGIN OPPOSITE THE MARGIN WITH WHICH- SAID BOTTOM ELEMENT IS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED, SAID IMPERFORATE TOP AND THE SIDEWALL IN THE VICINITY OF THEIR JUNCTURE BEING TRANSVERSED BY AN OBLIQUE SURFACE ON WHICH IS PROVIDED MEANS CAPABLE OF RUPTURE OR REMOVAL FOR EGRESS OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID CONTAINER, AND A STACKING RING ELEMENT PROVIDED ON THE SIDEWALL OF SAID BODY PORTION WHICH FACILITATES SEPARATION OF SAID BODY PORTION FROM BODY PORTIONS OF LIKE CONFIGURATION WHEN NESTED THEREWITH INCLUDING AN INTERNAL SHOULDER, AND AN EXTERNAL SHOULDER SPACED VERTICALLY THEREFROM, THE EXTERNAL SHOULDER OF ONE CONTAINER BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE INTERNAL SHOULDER OF AN ADJACENT BODY PORTION IN STACKED, NESTED, TELESCOPED RELATION THEREWITH TO LIMIT THE DEGREE OF TELESCOPING.