Multi-compartment container and adjustable dispenser

The multi-compartment container is made from previously formed partial bottles and is preferably made from two "half-bottles" that are individually formed from a pliable plastic with a semicircular wall on one side and a flat wall on the other side, as by blow molding. The two half-bottles are joined together with the flat walls in juxtaposition to define the body portion of the multi-compartment container, with each "half-bottle" serving as one of its compartments or chambers. A cap with a dispenser for each compartment serves as a cover for the container. The pliable plastic from which the container is formed enables a person to squeeze either of the compartments to dispense from one of the compartments or squeeze both compartments to dispense from both compartments. One embodiment of the invention includes a dial-a-matic selection system adapted, but not restricted, to the dispensing of mustard and catsup.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to multi-compartment containers and, more 
specifically, to a multi-compartment container and adjustable dispenser 
for viscous liquids, such as catsup and mustard or shampoo and 
conditioner. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Multi-compartment containers for liquids are known in the art. See, for 
example, the following patents: 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,827 issued Mar. 21, 1995 to Armstrong et al. for 
MULTI-VESSELLED BEVERAGE CONTAINER. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,828 issued Mar. 21, 1995 to Valyi for BLOW MOLDED 
PLASTIC CONTAINERS INCLUDING INTERNAL SUPPORT AND HANDGRIP. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,550 issued Dec. 31, 1996 to Meyer for COMTMENTED 
CONTAINER INCLUDING CLOSURE WITH ACCESS TO INDIVIDUAL COMTMENTS. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,052 issued Jan. 14, 1997 to McGee for BABY BOTTLE WITH 
TWO SEATE FLUID CHAMBERS. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,072 issued Mar. 4, 1997 to Rigney et al. for BEVERAGE 
CONTAINERS. 
Each of these prior art patents discloses a multi-compartment container 
that is made from plastic or glass and is particularly adapted to contain 
beverages or other conventional liquids with low viscosity. 
Meyer discloses a rotatable cover 54 extending across four compartments for 
the storage of liquids under pressure, such as carbonated beverages. The 
cover has an opening and the cover can be manually rotated to register the 
opening with either one or two selected compartments to dispense the 
contents while maintaining the pressure on the carbonated beverages in the 
remaining compartments. 
None of the prior art known to applicant discloses a multi-compartment 
container in the form of a pliable plastic bottle adapted to contain and 
selectively dispense relatively viscous liquids, such as catsup and 
mustard, for example. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a multi-compartment container for viscous liquids 
and to an adjustable ("dial-a-matic") dispenser for dispensing from either 
one or more compartments. 
Although the multi-compartment container of this invention has many uses, 
for purposes of illustration, the invention will be described as a 
multi-compartment container for mustard and catsup. 
The multi-compartment container of this invention is made from previously 
formed "partial bottles" and is preferably made from two previously formed 
"half-bottles". The initial step in the invention is to individually form 
each of the "half-bottles" from a pliable plastic, as by blow molding, 
each "half-bottle" comprising a flat side wall opposed by a semi-circular 
side wall, a bottom wall and a threaded portion opposite the bottom wall. 
The flat walls and corresponding edges of two "half-bottles" are bonded 
together to define the body portion of the multi-compartment container of 
this invention. Each "half-bottle" and the space therein serves as one of 
the compartments in the multi-compartment container. A cap with a 
dispenser for each compartment serves as a cover for the multi-compartment 
container. 
The pliable plastic from which the multi-compartment container is formed 
enables a person to squeeze either of the compartments and push out one of 
the condiments or squeeze both compartments and squeeze out both is 
mustard and catsup simultaneously on foods like hot dogs and sandwiches. 
Hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries are eaten by millions of people every 
day. The multi-compartment container of this invention provides an 
economical container for catsup and mustard and the dial-a-matic dispenser 
makes the condiments easily and readily accessible. 
Although only two preferred embodiments of the invention are being 
described, each of which discloses a multi-compartment container with two 
compartments, it is to be understood that it is within the spirit and 
scope of the invention for the container to have more than two 
compartments. 
Each embodiment disclosed herein comprises a multi-compartment container 
defined by two half-bottles, and a cap for the container with a dispenser 
for each compartment. 
The second embodiment also includes an adjustable ("dial-a-matic") 
selection system that is easily adjustable to dispense from either or both 
of the compartments and to seal the compartments to maintain the freshness 
of the contents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
The First Embodiment 
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate the first embodiment of the invention, wherein the 
body portion of a multi-compartment container 20 is formed from two 
half-bottles 21 and 21A. The half-bottles 21 and 21A are identical and a 
description of half-bottle 21 will suffice for an understanding of 
half-bottle 21A, wherein like parts bear the same reference character with 
the letter "A" added. 
Half-bottle 21 comprises a semi-circular wall 22 formed integrally with a 
flat wall 23 and a bottom wall 24 to define a chamber or compartment 25 
with 11 a threaded portion 26 opposite the flat wall 23. Each half-bottle 
is preferably formed, as by blow-molding, from a plastic which is pliable. 
The multi-compartment bottle 20 is formed by bonding together the flat 
walls and corresponding edges of two half-bottles, with the threaded 
portions on the two half-bottles complementing each other. 
The top of the bottle 20 is threadably closed by a dispenser-cap 27 formed 
from a rigid plastic and terminating in a spout 28. A partition 30 divides 
the spout 28 into two passageways 31 and 32 (FIGS. 3 and 4). When the cap 
27 and bottle 20 are operatively assembled, the partition 30 in the spout 
28 is in alignment with the partition 23 in the bottle 20 (FIG. 2) The 
partition 23 is defined by the bonded flat walls 23 and 23A. 
The passageway 31 communicates with compartment 25 in half-bottle 21, and 
passageway 32 communicates with compartment 25A in half-bottle 21A With 
mustard in the compartment 25 and catsup in the compartment 25A, a user 
can dispense both condiments simultaneously by directing the spout toward 
a hot dog, for example, and applying hand pressure against the 
semi-circular side walls 22 and 22A of bottle 20. 
The contents of either compartment can be dispensed from bottle 20 by 
increasing the pressure on either side wall 22 or side wall 22A while 
lessening pressure on the other side wall. Alternatively, either of the 
condiments can be dispensed by applying hand pressure to the bottle 20 and 
placing a flexible tab 29 (FIG. 3) over the outlet of either the 
passageway 31 or the passageway 32 is to block the flow from either 
compartment. 
The Second Embodiment 
The second embodiment of the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 5-14, 
comprises a multi-compartment container 20.sup.1 like the 
multi-compartment container 20 in the first embodiment of the invention. 
Like parts in the second embodiment bear the same reference numbers as 
those parts in the first embodiment, with the prime notation added. 
In the second embodiment, the threaded portions 26.sup.1 and 26A.sup.1 
combine to define a threaded portion 40 that supports an adjustable 
(dial-a-matic) selection system as best seen in FIGS. 7 and 11-14. 
Referring to FIG. 7, the dial-a-matic selection system includes a threaded 
retaining collar 42 which is dimensioned for threadable attachment to the 
threaded portion 40. 
A first plastic disk 44 (FIG. 6A and 7) is removably supported on the upper 
edge 41 of the threaded portion 40 of container 20.sup.1. The disk 44 has 
holes 46 and 47 therethrough that provide communication with the contents 
of the chambers 25.sup.1 and 25A.sup.1, respectively. The holes 46 and 47 
are on opposite sides of a groove 45 that extends across the inner surface 
of the disk 44 for registry with the partition 23 (bonded flat walls 
23.sup.1, 23A.sup.1) in the bottle 20.sup.1 when the disk 44 is operably 
positioned on top of the bottle 20.sup.1. The disk 44 is held in operative 
position by engagement of the groove 45 with opposed notches 48 and 49 in 
the upper edge 41 of the threaded portion 40 (FIGS. 6 and 6A). 
A circular cap 50 is rotatably retained over the container 20.sup.1 by the 
retaining collar 42. An outwardly directed flange 51 extends around the 
circumference of the cap 50 and beneath an inwardly directed flange 52 
extending circumferentially around the retaining collar 42 (FIG. 7). An 
annular abutment 53 extends downwardly from the retaining collar for 
engagement with the bottle 20.sup.1 when the retaining collar is fully 
seated on the threaded portion 40. 
A nozzle 54 extends upwardly in FIG. 7 from the cap 50. A partition 55 
extends through the cap 50 and into the nozzle 54. The portion of the 
partition 55 that is in the cap 50 divides the cap into two chambers, 56 
and 57. The portion of the partition 55 that is in the nozzle 54 defines a 
passageway 60 on one side of the partition 55 and a passageway 61 on the 
other side of the partition 55. The passageway 60 provides communication 
between the chamber 56 in the cap 50 and the ambient atmosphere at the end 
of the nozzle, while the passageway 61 provides communication between the 
chamber 57 in the cap 50 and the ambient atmosphere. 
The free end or top of the nozzle 54 is covered by a closure 62 having a 
frusto-conical configuration. A resilient snap finger 63 extends 
downwardly and inwardly from the closure 62 for engagement with either of 
two vertically spaced notches 64 and 65 at the base of the nozzle 54. The 
closure 62 has two openings 66 in its top wall positioned directly above 
the partition 55 that extends into the nozzle 54. When the snap finger 63 
is in the lower notch 65, the closure is lowered sufficiently for the 
opening 66 to be closed by a transverse plug 67 on top of the partition 
55. When the snap finger 63 is in the upper notch 64, the closure is 
raised sufficiently to unplug the openings 66 for discharge of the 
contents of compartments 25.sup.1 and 25A.sup.1. 
A selection (dial-a-matic) disk 70 is fixed for rotation with the cap 50 as 
by molded pins 71, 72 and 74 that extend downwardly from the cap in FIG. 7 
and plastic weld the disk 70 to the cap 50. The engagement of the abutment 
53 with the bottle 20.sup.1 maintains sufficient space beneath the flange 
52 for the cap 50 and disk 70 to remain easily rotatable relative to the 
disk 44 after the cap 50 is operably connected to the threaded portion 40 
by the retaining collar 42. 
Four holes 75, 76, 77 and 78 are positioned in the disk 70 in such a manner 
that by manually rotating the cap 50 and the attached disk 70, one or more 
of the holes 75-78 is selectively registrable with each, both, or neither 
of the holes 46 and 47 in the disk 44. This arrangement provides a 
dial-a-matic selection system that operates as shown in FIGS. 11-14. 
As shown in FIG. 11, when hole 75 in disk 70 is aligned with hole 47 in the 
disk 44 the hole 76 in disk 70 is also aligned with hole 46 in disk 44 and 
holes 77 and 78 in disk 70 are closed by the disk 44. With the closure 62 
on the nozzle 54 elevated to the open position, hand pressure on the 
bottle 20.sup.1 will force contents from both of the compartments 25.sup.1 
and 25A.sup.1 through the 11 aligned holes 75/47 and 76/46 and through 
respective chambers 57 and 56 in the cap 50 and out of the nozzle 54. 
Thus, if, for example, there is mustard in compartment 25.sup.1 and catsup 
in compartment 25A.sup.1, both mustard and catsup can be applied to a hot 
dog at the same time. 
FIG. 12 shows that the disk 70 can be rotated relative to the disk 44 to 
align hole 77 in disk 70 with hole 46 in the disk 44 while the other three 
holes in disk 70 (holes 76, 78 and 79) are closed by the disk 44. This 
alignment would allow only mustard, for example, to be dispensed from the 
bottle 20.sup.1 
FIG. 13 shows that the disk 70 can be rotated relative to the disk 44 to 
align hole 78 in disk 70 with hole 47 in the disk 44 while the other three 
holes in disk 70 (holes 76, 77 and 79) are closed by the disk 44. This 
alignment would allow only catsup, for example, to be dispensed from the 
bottle 20.sup.1. 
FIG. 14 shows that the disk 70 can be rotated relative to the disk 44 to a 
position where all four of the holes in disk 70 (holes 76, 77, 78 and 79) 
are closed by the disk 44, thereby effectively sealing both of the 
compartments 25.sup.1 and 25A.sup.1 for preservation of their contents. 
An indicator 80, in the nature of a small flange, extends radially from the 
cap 50 (FIG. 7). The indicator 80 follows an annular path around the 
retaining collar 42 when the cap 50 is rotated relative to the disk 44 to 
make a selection of the contents in compartments 25.sup.1 and 25A.sup.1. 
The retaining collar is marked with appropriate symbols or indicia to 
designate the position necessary to dispense a desired selection. 
For example, in FIGS. 11-14, the indicator 80 is schematically illustrated 
in each of those figures by the arrow 80. The circled letter Y refers to 
"Yellow", the color of mustard and the circled letter R refers to "Red", 
the color of catsup. These colors would clearly appear if, for example, 
mustard and catsup were in separate compartments within a transparent 
bottle. 
In FIG. 11, the indicator 80 points to the circled Y and R and thereby 
indicates that the cap 50 and disk 70 are in position to dispense both 
mustard and catsup. In FIG. 12, the indicator 80 points to the circled R, 
indicating that only catsup will be dispensed. In FIG. 13, the indicator 
80 points to the circled Y, indicating that only mustard will be 
dispensed. In FIG. 14, the indicator 80 shows a closed position and 
nothing will be dispensed. 
Conclusion 
There is thus provided a novel and effective container for packaging and 
dispensing different products that are frequently used either at the same 
time or sequentially. The packaging of mustard and catsup in separate 
compartments within the same bottle has been described as an example of 
the utility of the invention, but it is recognized that there are other 
uses for the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the 
following claims.