US3212679A - Collapsible container with means to suspend same from the wrist - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 19, 1965 J, D JR 3,212,679

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER WITH MEANS T0 SUSPEND SAME FROM THE WRIST Filed March 25, 1965 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,212,679 COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER WITH MEANS T0 SUSPEND SAME FROM THE WRIST Joseph D. Schmidt, Jr., 2244 N. Cleveland Ave., Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 267,583 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-105) This invention relates to a unique container assembly including a flexible, squeeze type tube having particular utility in the packaging of liquid and plastic substances.

The lightweight, durable, and non-breakable properties of flexible, squeeze type containers, especially those fabricated of resilient plastic synthetics, in addition to their low production cost, have made them a convenient and efiicient means for packaging various materials, particularly liquids, and viscous substances flowa'ble under pressure. While the utilization of such containers represents an important advance in the packaging art, and their desirable characteristics have contributed to their ever-increasing acceptance by consumers, containers of the type under consideration as heretofore manufactured cannot, in certain instances, be conveniently utilized.

In the normal situation, the user of substances, especially cleansing agents, packaged in conventional flexible squeeze type containers remove a portion of the contents thereof, sets the container down on a nearby supporting surface, and proceeds to apply the removed portion of the contents of the container to an object to be cleaned. In a situation, however, where the user does not have a conveniently located supporting surface at hand upon which to place the container after a portion of the contents thereof has been removed, an example of such situation being where the user is required to stand on a ladder having no supporting shelf within visible reach of the user, the user must retain his grip on the container with one hand while 'he performs the cleaning operation with the other hand. The awkward nature of such a situation not only immobilizes the container gripping hand of the user thereby limiting him to the use of one hand to accomplish this objective, but also represents a hazard to the user in that he does not have a free hand with which to grip a rung, for example, of the ladder to help support himself and maintain his balance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved flexible, squeeze type container for liquid or plastic substances which permits a user of the container, in the absence of a conveniently located supporting surface upon which to place the container, to release his grip on the container, to free both hands, and which enables the user to readily and easily re-grip the container when it is desired to remove a portion of the contents thereof.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved flexible, squeeze type container for liquid or plastic substances incorporating the advantages hereinabove set forth and which is self-supporting in an upright position for display or storage purposes, attractive in appearance, and simple and inexpensive to make.

In accordance with the present invention, a container assembly is provided including a squeeze type tubular container filled with a liquid or plastic substance, the tubular container having a more or less conventional cylindrical contents-dispensing body portion with a small dispensing opening at one end and a wedge shaped sealed portion at the other end which is fomed after the container is filled. Initially, the latter end of the container is open for the full width of the container so that it can "ice be conveniently filled when the dispensing opening is capped and the container is oriented with the capped end facing downward. The cap or cover is preferably one having a very large flat outer surface which acts as a relatively stable support for the container assembly when the cover rests on a horizontal supporting surface. After the container is filled the objectives of the present invention are most advantageously achieved by flattening the then upper end of the container and forming a fairly wide seal at the resulting wedge-shaped upper end portion of the container. The wide sealed portion at the end of the container forms an extremely convenient anchoring means for a special strap member which forms the highly unique and advantageous container assembly of the present invention. In the preferred form of the invention this wide sealed portion of the container is provided with a large opening located well within the inner margin of the sealed portion of the container to avoid breakage of the seal. The strap member most preferably takes the form of a loop of flexible ribbon material for reasons to be explained. The strap member desirably is sutiiciently long to enable it to be looped twice around the wrist of a person using the container so that the container hangs loosely from the users wrist. The wide flat configuration of the ribbon material distributes the pressure of the weight of the container over a large area of the wrist so that the weight of the container hanging from the users wrist causes little or no discomfort to the user. The user of the container assembly of the invention can thus release his grip on the container at will to allow the container to depend from his wrist, thereby freeing his gripping hand. In accordance with a more specific aspect of the invention, the double looped ribbon strap member is made so long that it has an appreciable length between the users wrist and the sealed end of the container so that the user, by a simple back and forward movement of his arm, can swing the container up into his hand when it is desired to remove a portion of the contents of the container.

The above and other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent upon making reference to the description to follow, the claim and the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an embodiment of the flexible, squeeze type container of the present invention positioned on the wrist of a user;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective corresponding to the view of FIG. 1 illustrating the container being swung from a pendent position back into the gripping hand of the user;

FIG. 3 is a side view in elevation of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front view in elevation of the container shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 taken along line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, the embodiment of the flexible, squeeze type container assembly of .the present invention there illustrated and designated generally at 10, advantageously comprises a compartment or contents holding body portion 12 which may be conveniently fabricated from an extruded, seamless, elongated cylinder of a flexible, resilient relatively dense, liquid impervious synthetic plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene. The dimensions of the contents holding body portion 12 desirably are such that when it is filled with a liquid or a fiowable semi-solid substance it can be comfortably gripped and squeezed by the hand of a person desiring to use the contents of the container.

The container assembly is provided with a semirigid dispensing member 14 which is suitably secured, as by heat sealing, in position in one end of the contents holding body portion 12. The dispensing member 14 has 'a raised, externally threaded, open ended, substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) through which the contents of the container are poured, or forced out. The container further has a cover or closure member 16 having an internally threaded portion (not shown) for engaging with the externally threaded portion of the dispensing member 14. The cover of closure member 16 advantageously has a flat outer surface or top wall portion 18, the dimensions of which are such that when the member 16 is in threaded engagement with the dispensing member 14 and the portion 18 is placed on a horizontal supporting surface 20, it acts as a relatively stable support for maintaining the container assembly in an upright position.

Filling of the compartment or contents holding body portion 12 of the container generally occurs at the end thereof opposite to the dispensing member 14 carrying end. Desirably the end at which the container is filled is open for the full width of the contents holding portion 12 so that it can be more easily filled when the dispensing opening is covered and the container is oriented with the capped end facing downward. Following filling, this end of the compartment or contents holding body portion 12 advantageously is sealed at 22 to form a wide sealed portion 24. Sealing of the contents filling or receiving end of the portion 12 imparts a flattened, wedge shape thereto, the walls of the body portion 12, when viewed from the side as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawing, being caused thereby to diverge downwardly from the seal to the substantially cylindrically shaped dispensing member carrying end of the body portion 12.

The wide sealed portion 24 advantageously has a large perforation or opening 26 substantially centrally disposed therein well above the inner margin of the sealed portion 24 to avoid breakage of the seal at 22. Attached to the sealed portion 24 through the opening 26 is a flexible strap member 30. The fulfillment of the objectives of the present invention is achieved by providing a strap member 30 most advantageously in the form of a loop of a wide flat ribbon which may be fabricated of cloth, non-woven fibrous sheeting, non-fibrous film, or the like. The strap member 30 is preferably sufficiently long to enable it to be looped at least twice around the wrist of a person using the container assembly and so that it hangs loosely from the users wrist at a distance, as measured from the under surface of the wrist to the point of attachment to the member 30 to the sealed portion 24, for example, in the neighborhood of double the width of the Wedgeshaped end of the body. portion 12. Looping of the strap member 30 about the wrist of the user places the member 30 in snug, non-slip engagement with the wrist thereby substantially preventing the strap member 30 from shifting its position as the user moves the arm on which the container assembly is attached. By making the strap member 30 of sufficient length to enable it to depend the desired distance from the wrist of the user, the container assembly, as attached, will describe an arc the radius of which will be such as to permit the body portion 12 to be swung up into the gripping hand of the user from its depending position on the wrist when desired. When the body portion 12 is gripped as a result of this swinging action, the dispensing end of portion 12 will be in the position shown in FIG. 2 ready for removal of a portion of the contents. The wide, fiat character of the ribbon of which the member 30 desirably is fabricated distributes any pressure caused by the weight of the container over a large area of the wrist of the user so that the weight of the container assembly hanging from the users Wrist results in little or no discomfort to the user.

The member 30, while desirably being sufiicient in length to achieve its intended functions, advantageously is not of a length such that when a loop is formed from it and attached to the sealed portion 24, any appreciable segment of the loop will rest on a supporting surface 20 when the container assembly is in an upright position as shown in FIG. 3. Excessive draping of the loop on a supporting surface imparts an undesirable appearance to the container and presents a problem both to the packager, and to the retailer displaying the assembly on a shelf.

In utilizing the container assembly of the present invention, the user first snugly attaches the strap member 30 to his wrist. This may be accomplished by forming a loop, of sufficient diameter to enable insertion of the users hand therethrough, from the larger loop constituting the member 30. When the member 30 thus twice looped about the wrist of the user is in proper position, the weight of the container, as it depends from the wrist, will comfortably tighten the member 30 about the wrist in nonslipping relation with respect thereto. See FIG. 1 of the drawing. In order to remove a portion of the contents from the body portion 12, it is only necessary for the user to move his arm back and then rather quickly forward, which action impels the container forward through an are into the hand of the user where it is grasped at the lower part of the body portion 12 as shown in FIG. 2. The user can then easily and quickly remove the closure member .16, pour or squeeze a desired quantity of the contents from the portion 12, replace the closure member 16 if the contents are liquid in character, and release the container to allow it to again depend from the wrist as shown in FIG. 1, or, if the contents are flowable only under pressure, the user may forego replacement of the closure member 16 and simply release the container, thereby freeing both hands tor performing the task at hand in the most efficient and safest manner. The same movements are repeated whenever it is desired to remove a portion of the contents of the portion 12. The effort required of the user in retrieving the container each time is minimal and can be performed without in anyway tiring the user. The strap member 30 serves an added useful and convenient function when storing the container assembly after use in that it enables a person to hang the assembly from a nail, for example, on a wall from which it can be easily and readily removed when needed.

The embodiment of the present invention described hereinabove provides an efficient and inexpensive means for enabling a person to perform tasks wherein either from the stand-point of convenience or safety it is desirable to have both hands free, and while it has been described with reference to specific structural features, various modifications therein will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and may be adopted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A container assembly comprising a resilient, squeeze type tubular body portion filled wit-h a liquid or plastic substance, said tubular body portion having a substantially cylindrical contents dispensing end and a wedgeshaped sealed end, a cover for the contents dispensing end having a planar surface of sufi'icient dimensions to support the container assembly in an upright position when the planar surface is placed on a horizontal supporting surface, a flattened portion at the wedge-shaped sea'led end of the tubular body portion, and a flexible strap member in the form of a loop of ribbon secured to said flattened portion, said ribbon being sufiicicntly long to enable it to be looped at least twice around the wrist of a user and to hang loosely therefrom, said ribbon having a fiat wide configuration which actsto distribute any pressure from the weight of the tubular body portion over a large area of the wrist, the ribbon when looped about the wrist depending therefrom a distance at least in the neighborhood of twice the width of the wedge-shaped sea-led end of the 5 6 tubular body portion to permit the user to freely swing 2,204,947 6/40 Appelbaum 224*28.1 X the tubular body portion up into his gripping hand to place 2,656,069 10/53 Fogarty et a1. 222105 X the contents dispensing end of the tubular body portion in 3,078,017 2/ 63 Wask-onig et a1. 222105 X a position for ready use. 3,081,002 3/63 Tauschin-ski et a1 222-105 5 FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited by the Examiner 13 643 3/84 I 1 ta y. UNITED STATES PATENTS 233,423 10/44 Switzer1and.

1,709,411 4/29 Simmons 222 10s 1,988,962 1/35 Racine et al. 22-2 10s RAPHAEL LUPO, Primary Examiner-

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