WO2004069673A1

WO2004069673A1 - A container

Info

Publication number: WO2004069673A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/000585
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven Andrew Skelton; Marcus Hamilton Lloyd Douglas
Original assignee: Crown Packaging Technology, Inc.; Crown Packaging Uk Plc
Priority date: 2003-02-06
Filing date: 2004-01-23
Publication date: 2004-08-19
Also published as: GB0510836D0; GB2410488A; GB2410488B

Abstract

A container (10) has mounting means (35) for enabling it to be mounted temporarily on another article (50) so that the container (10) and article (50) can be stably transported together with their respective contents held separately. The mounting means (35) are adapted to support the weight of the article (50), allowing the container to be used to carry the container/article combination. However, the container (10) may be removed from the article (50) relatively easily via the application of axial force, with slight twisting motion, if necessary.

Description

A CONTAINER

The present invention relates generally to a container having some means of mounting it on another article. More particularly, the invention relates to a^' container having mounting means which are adapted to support the weight of the article during transport, but which can be relatively easily overcome by a user via application of axial force to the container.

It is known to provide a container with some form of mounting means to allow it to be mounted on another article. A number of documents, for example US 2,107,309 and US 3,381,838, describe drinking aids in which a cup is connected to a bottle neck and the fluid passes through a hole in the base of the cup. US 4,693,410 describes a cup incorporating a closure for the open end of a bottle. However, none of these documents considers a situation in which both the container and article need to be transported together, whilst filled with contents, which are intended to be kept separate (at least during transport) .

WO01/78561 describes a drinking vessel with a skirt extending down from its base. The skirt has slots to allow it to be mounted on the rim of a glass. In addition, this document describes the use of the extended skirt to allow the vessel to be mounted over a bottle neck. The internal diameter of the skirt is sufficient to enable it to fit over the neck, and has a length which gives the vessel stability. However, the vessel is mounted on the neck only using appropriate relative dimensions which then prevent tilting movement. It would not be possible, for example, to apply any axially upward force to the drinking vessel without it detaching from the article.

One aim of the present invention is that the mounting means should allow the container to support the weight of the article. This means that the container can be used to carry the container / article combination. However, the aim of the present invention is not to retain permanently, but rather to mount the container stably on the article temporarily, for example during transport.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a container having a body carrying a mounting means to enable the container to be mounted on another article, so that the container and article can be transported together stably, with their respective contents held separately, characterised in that the mounting means are adapted to support the weight of the article when the container and article are transported together, but release the container from the article upon application of axial force by a user.

The mounting means of the present invention are designed to allow the container to be removed, but only if deliberate force is applied by the user. Generally, the deliberate force required is in excess of the downward force exerted by the weight of the article on the container to allow the container to be used to carry both it and the attached article. However, sometimes this is not easily achievable by a user. Therefore, the mounting means are designed such that slight rotation of the container combined with the application of axial force is enough to separate the container from the article. This slight rotation lowers the "break force" of the mounting means making the container easier to remove. Furthermore, this slight rotational movement is often instinctively applied by a user upon meeting some resistance to removal of the container.

In a preferred embodiment the container is a small plastic pot designed to carry a measure of alcoholic beverage such as a measure of a spirit . The mounting means are designed to allow the container to be mounted on a bottle neck. The intention is that the container can be mounted onto the neck of the bottle either for transport from the point of manufacture to the point of sale, and/or so that the container can be mounted on the bottle at the point of sale and transported stably, away from a bar, for example, to a table before consumption. It can be seen, therefore, that the mounting means must resist some forces between the bottle and the container as the two are transported, but the intention is that separation should be relatively easily achieved by a user and should not be unduly impeded by the mounting means .

The mounting means may comprise one or a plurality of flaps adapted to engage under a bead, rim or the like on the article .

The form of the flaps is preferably such that they are flexible along their length, which allows them to flex and pass over the bead on the bottle.

In one embodiment of the invention the flaps are formed on the interior surface of a skirt which extends from the base of the body of the container. The skirt therefore fits over the article like a sleeve and the flaps engage under the bead on the article, thereby the container does not have to come into contact with the interior of the article and/or its contents.

The flaps preferably extend radially inwardly and upwardly in use to engage under the article bead. In this case the flexibility of the flaps is such that they can pass over the bead without inversion to a downward inclination. Because the flaps do not invert the container can be easily re-applied to the article or reused with a different article, without having to re-set the flaps.

The number and flexibility of the flaps may be tailored for a required detachment force so that their rigidity holds the container stable but still allows the flaps to flex. This is very important for products which are refrigerated, because the flaps will tend to stiffen when cooled. It has been found that using more flaps which are smaller and thinner is preferable to less flaps which are larger and wider. A particularly useful embodiment has eighteen flaps .

The flexibility of the flaps may be provided at the point of connection of the flaps to the container. Alternatively the flexibility may be provided along the length of the flaps. This may be achieved by using a completely flexible flap, or a rigid flap with a zone or zones of flexibility provided at a point or points along its length.

In a preferred embodiment the flaps take the form of long, thin finger-like projections which, in use, extend radially inwardly and upwardly relative to the base of the container. The material and thickness of material used for the flaps are chosen to give them flexibility along their length.

The flaps may be provided on an insert which clips inside the extended skirt portion of the container body. The use of a separate insert, allows different types of inserts to be used for the same container. Thus, the insert design may be optimised for a particular application.

Preferably the container is provided with a sealing cap to secure the contents therein. The cap may be a bore seal cap and may be provided with tamperevidence features as are well known in the art. A foil seal may also be used for additional sealing if required.

The present invention will now be described more particularly, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.l is a side view of a container according to the present invention shown attached to a bottle;

Fig.2 is a perspective sectional view through the container/bottle of Fig.l;

Fig.3 is a diagrammatic section of a container of the type shown in Fig .1 and 2 ;

Fig.4 is a diagrammatic section of a main body part of the container of Fig.3;

Fig.5 is a side elevation of the main body part of Fig .3 ;

Figs . βa and 6b are perspective views of the body part of Fig.5; Figs.7a and 7b are perspective views of an insert part of the container of Fig.3;

Figs. 8a to 8d illustrate stages of the removal of the container from the bottle; and

Figs .9 and 9a are perspective views of a lid part of the container of Fig.3;

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 a container (generally indicated 10) is shown mounted on a bottle (generally indicated 50) . In this embodiment the container 10 is a plastic pot intended to receive a small quantity of alcoholic beverage such as a single measure of a spirit. The bottle 50 is a glass beer bottle.

The container 10 will now be described in more detail referring also to Figures 3 to 6. The container 10 comprises a main body 20, a mounting insert 30 and a closure 40. The main body 20 is generally cylindrical and includes a base 21 which divides the body 20 into roughly equal upper 22 and lower 23 halves. The upper half 22 of the container receives the measure of alcoholic beverage 24, as shown in Fig.2. The lower half 23 is effectively comprised of a skirt sidewall 25 extending from the base 21. Towards the open end of the lower half 23 the sidewall 25 is provided with two diametrically opposed slots 26 for retaining an insert 30 as will be described in more detail below.

The insert 30 is shown most clearly in Figs. 7a and 7b. The insert 30 comprises a cylindrical sidewall 31 closed at one end by a top plate 32. At the open end of the insert sidewall 31, two diametrically opposed tabs 33 extend outwardly from the exterior surface. The tabs 33 are positioned and sized so that they snap into the slots 25 of the sidewall 24 of the body 20. In addition the exterior surface of the insert sidewall 31 is provided with a plurality of axial ribs 34 which are sized so that they form an interference fit between the insert 30 and the lower half 23 of the body 20.

Around the circumference of the open end of the insert sidewall 31 are a plurality of mounting flaps 35. The flaps 35 are thin finger-like elements which extend radially inwardly of the sidewall 31.

The functioning of the insert 30 inside the body 20 is as follows. The insert 30 is presented to the neck 55 of the bottle 50 with the flaps 35 extending either horizontally or downwards as shown in Fig.7b. As the insert 30 is pressed onto the bottle neck 55 the flaps 35 are turned upwards and eventually pass over and then engage under a bead 60 of the bottle neck 55, as shown in Fig.2. The flaps 35 help to retain the container 10 on the bottle 50.

The period that the container 10 needs to be retained stably may be very short. For example, the bottle 50 and container 10 could be stored separately and placed together only at the point of sale, for example a bar. The container 10 and bottle 50 are only then transported the short distance from the bar to the point of consumption.

The operation of the flaps 35 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 8a to 8d. In Fig.8a the flaps 35 are shown in the position after the container has first been applied to the bottle. To remove the container 10 from the bottle 50 axial force, in excess of the load exerted on the flaps 35 by the weight of the bottle 50, will be applied to them. Where necessary, the "break force" required to separate the container 10 from the bottle 50 may be reduced by the application of a slight twisting force by the user. If the flaps 35 were completely rigid they would provide significant resistance against the axial force. However, the flaps 35 are relatively thin and are flexible along their length. Accordingly, as axial force is applied the flaps flex and begin to bend, as shown in Fig.8b. The continued application of axial force causes the flaps 35 to bend around the bead 60 as shown in Figs. 8c and 8d until they have passed over the bead 60 entirely and the container 10 can be removed, without requiring inversion of the flaps. Because the flaps 35 taper along their length and across their width, the end of the flaps 35 which initially contact the bead 60 is relatively small. This helps the flaps to start to pass around the bead 60.

It has been found that the best way to remove the container 10 is by applying relatively slow and gentle force, as this gives the flaps 35 time to bend around the bead. Use of sudden and increased force tends to jam the flaps against the underside of the bead 60 and impedes removal of the container 10.

Finally, referring to Figures 3 and 9 the container 10 is provided with a closure 40 which comprises a top plate 41 with a sidewall 42 depending from its periphery. Radially inwardly of the sidewall 42 is an inner annulus 43 which forms a bore seal with the free end of the upper half of the body (20) . A tamper-evident band 44 is provided at the open end of the sidewall 42. The band 44 has a ledge 45 which engages under a complementary ledge 46 at the open end of the upper half 22 of the body 20 to prevent removal of the closure 40 without first removing the band 44.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A container (10) having a body (20) carrying a mounting means (35) to enable the container (10) to be mounted on another article (50) , so that the container

(10) and article (50) can be transported together stably, with their respective contents held separately, characterised in that the mounting means (35) are adapted to support the weight of the article (50) when the container (10) and article (50) are transported together, but release the container (10) from the article (50) upon application of axial force by a user.

2. A container (10) as claimed in claim 1 having a body (20) and a skirt (25) depending from the base (21) of the body (20) , wherein the mounting means (35) are carried on the interior of the skirt (25) .

3. A container (10) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the mounting means (35) are carried on a separate insert element (30) attached to the container body (20) .

4. A container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting means (35) comprise one or more flaps (35) arranged to engage under a bead, rim or the like (60) on the article (50) .

5. A container (10) according to claim 4, wherein the flaps (35) are flexible along their length, to allow them to flex and pass over the bead, rim or the like (60) on the article (60) .

6. A container according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein in use, the flaps (35) extend radially inwardly and upwardly, to engage under the bead, rim or the like (60) .

7. A container (10) according to any one of claims 4 to

6, wherein the flaps (35) are adapted to pass over the bead, rim or the like (60) without inversion to a downward inclination.

8. A container (10) according to any one of claims 4 to

7, wherein the flaps (35) have a constant thickness along their length.

9. A container (10) according to any one of claims 4 to

8, wherein the flaps (35) taper across their width.

10. A container (10) according to any one of claims 5 to

9, wherein the flexibility of the flaps is provided at least partly at their point of attachment to the skirt (25) or the element (30) .

11. A container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the article is a bottle (50) and the container (10) is adapted to be mounted on the bottle neck (55)