A two-chamber container for accommodating flowable substances separately from one another has an upper chamber and a lower chamber, a reduced diameter bottle which separates the chambers from one another and is provided with a plug in a plane of the reduced diameter, a rotary cap provided with a plunger and turnable so that the plunger is pressed from the plane of the reduced diameter into the lower chamber so as to bring both substances together. The rotary cap has a thread in the upper chamber, while the plunger has a threaded portion engaged in the thread of the rotary cap. The plunger is formed as a tubular plunger which has a first end and a second end formed so that in a base position the first end of the plunger is connected with the threaded portion of the plunger in fluid-tight manner and the second end of the plunger extends through the plug into the lower chamber, and the plunger is connected with the plug in fluid-tight manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally two-chamber containers. 
More particularly, it relates to two-chamber containers in which separation 
of upper and lower chambers is performed by a reduced diameter bottle with 
a plug in a reduced diameter plane. 
Such containers are known generally in the art. One of such containers is 
disclosed for example in the German patent document DE-U-89 00 291 of the 
applicant. This container is used for storing two different liquid 
products separately before their utilization. In order to be used later 
on, the products are brought together to provide a mixture which is then 
removed through a lock. It is believed that the above mentioned container 
can be further improved. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a two-chamber 
container of the above mentioned general type, which is a further 
improvement of the known container. 
More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide the 
container of the above mentioned general type which is designed so that a 
simple handling is possible, and also it is possible to withdraw a limited 
partial quantity of only one of the products stored in the container. 
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent 
hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, 
in a two-chamber container which has a reduced diameter bottle separating 
upper and lower chambers and having a plug in a reduced diameter plane, a 
rotary cap which is manually turnable for bringing both substances inside 
the container together and a plunger provided for pressing the same from 
the reduced diameter plane into the lower chamber and having a threaded 
portion engageable in a thread of the rotary cap in the upper chamber, 
wherein in accordance with the present invention the plunger is formed as 
a tubular plunger, in a base position the first end of the plunger is 
connected with the threaded portion of the plunger in a fluid-tight manner 
while a second end of the plunger extends through the plug into the lower 
chamber, and the plunger is connected with the plug in fluid-tight manner. 
Since the plunger is tubular and in the base position is connected with its 
first end with the threaded portion in a fluid-tight manner and extends 
with its second end through the plug into the lower chamber, and also the 
plunger is connected with the plug in the fluid-tight manner, a limited 
partial quantity of only one product can be withdrawn from the lower 
chamber. Such a construction can be used for example in hair salons for 
discharging only one product in a limited quantity for a first hair 
treatment step. In order to perform a second hair treatment step with a 
product mixture, the cap is turned, the container is briefly shaken and 
then the product mixture is applied onto the hair. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, 
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together 
with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood 
from the following description of specific embodiments when read in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A two-chamber container 1 in accordance with the first embodiment is shown 
in FIG. 1. The container is used for separate storing of flowable 
substances 2 and 3. For this purpose a container 1 has upper and lower 
chambers 4 and 5 which are separated from one another by a bottle 6 with a 
reduced diameter portion and a plug 8 arranged in a plane 7 of the reduced 
diameter portion. For bringing together the substances 2 and 3 in the 
container 1, the plug 8 is pressed downwardly from the plane 7 into the 
lower chamber 5 by a plunger 10 under the action of manual rotation of a 
rotary cap 9. For this purpose the rotary cap 9 has a thread 11 in the 
upper chamber 4, and a threaded portion 12 arranged on the plunger 10 
engages in the thread 11 of the rotary cap 9 similarly to a spindle drive. 
Throughgoing openings 13 are provided in the end region of the threaded 
portion 12 for passage of a mixture of the substances 2 and 3. For 
withdrawal of the substances 2, 3, the rotary cap 9 is provided with a 
closure 14. The plunger 10 is formed as a tubular plunger. In a base 
position its first end 30 is connected with the threaded portion 12 in 
fluid-tight manner, and its other second end 31 extends through the plug 8 
into the lower chamber 5. The plunger 10 is connected with the plug 8 in 
fluid-tight manner. 
The left side of FIG. 1 shows the container 1 in a storage position or in 
other words before the withdrawal of the substances 2, 3. The right side 
of FIG. 1 shows the container 1 with the plug 8 pressed into the lower 
chamber 5 and with a mixture of the substances 2, 3 wherein a part of the 
substance 3 has been already withdrawn through a pipe 15 extending into 
the chamber 5. Four radially arranged vanes 18 are formed on the pipe 15. 
The upper chamber 4 is provided with two opposite receptacles 20, 20A 
which together with the vanes 18 form a sliding bearing or a rotary 
securing for the plunger 10 in form of a spindle drive of the plunger 10. 
For filling the container 1, first the lower chamber 5 with the reduced 
diameter bottle 6 is filled a liquid substance 3 without the rotary cap 9 
and the plunger 10/plug 8 through an opening 16. Then the plug 8 together 
with the plunge 10 is pressed into the opening 16. For this purpose the 
tubular plunger 10 is provided with a driver ring 21 which is dimensioned 
so that the plug 8 can be pressed by the axial force of the plunger 10 in 
the seat of the reduced diameter opening 16. After filling of the upper 
chamber 4 with the substance 2, the cap 9 is turned onto the threaded 
portion 12 and abuts against the arresting ring 17. 
For withdrawing a partial quantity, the lock 14 is open and a limited 
quantity of the substance 3 is withdrawn through the predetermined length 
of the pipe 15. For further withdrawal of a mixture of the substances 2, 3 
they are first brought together by turning of the cap 9 of the driver ring 
21, so that the plug 8 is pressed downwardly into the lower chamber 5 and 
the substance 2 flows from the upper chamber 4 through the released 
opening 16 into the lower chamber 5 to form a mixture of the substances 2, 
3 by shaking of the container 1. 
The advantageous feature of this embodiment is that the plug can be 
composed of a material which is especially suitable for sealing purposes. 
The end of the process of separation of the chamber is signalled by the 
fact that the lower end of the vanes 18 is pressed against a bottom 22 of 
the upper chamber 4 and thereby a further rotation of the cap 9 is 
prevented (as can be seen from the right side of FIG. 1). In the practical 
use the substances 2, 3 are thickened during the mixing process. In order 
to facilitate withdrawal of the thickened mixture of the substances 2, 3, 
the closure part 23 with its relatively small opening 24 can be broken by 
a braking ring 25 so as to provide a greater withdrawal opening 26. 
In a container 1A formed in accordance with the second embodiment as shown 
in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plunger 10A and the plug 8A are formed as a single 
one-piece element and therefore this element is reduced. The left side of 
FIG. 3 shows the container 1A in a storage position or in other words 
before its use. The right side of FIG. 3 shows the container 1A when the 
chambers are no longer separated. 
FIG. 4 shows the container 1A of FIG. 3 in a position immediately before 
filling of both substances 2 and 3. The container 1 is without the rotary 
cap 9 and the plug 8A is in its high closure position. The filling of the 
lower chamber 5 with a substance 3 can be performed through the opening 6 
and after placing the plug 8A the filling of the upper chamber 4 with a 
substance 2 is performed through the freely located vanes 18 as identified 
with the arrow 26. However, also a simultaneous filling in accordance with 
FIG. 4 can also be provided, namely the simultaneous filling of the lower 
chamber 5 through the pipe 15A and the upper chamber 4 in accordance with 
the arrow 26. After the filling process, the cap 9 is turned on the 
threaded portion 12 and then forced on the arresting ring 17. This forcing 
step requires a certain axial stroke of the plug 8A, and therefore the 
plug 8A must have a corresponding long design because of the sealing 
function. 
In a container 1B in accordance with the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 
and 6, the plunger 10B is formed as an elongated plug 8B. The plug 8B 
therefore simultaneously operates as the pipe 15B. In other aspects, this 
container is the same as the containers of the previous embodiments. 
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or 
more together, may also find a useful application in other types of 
constructions differing from the types described above. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a 
two-chamber container, it is not intended to be limited to the details 
shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made 
without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.