Abstract:
A dispensing container is provided for containing and dispensing a viscous candy, gum or like product therefrom, having four molded plastic components, comprising an outer wall member, a bottom member with an upstanding threaded central shaft, a piston engageable with the shaft and upwardly moveable upon rotation of the bottom member, and a one-piece removable cap, with a plurality of openings for discharging of product therefrom.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention is directed to a package for containing and dispensing a candy, confection or the like therefrom, such as taffy, a sugar-based product, a fruit-flavored product, and edible gel-like product, a gum such as chewing gum, bubble gum or the like.  
         [0002]     The prior art shows that it is known to dispense an edible candy-like or gum product from a container, wherein the containers are constructed of various molded components, by the use of a rotating mechanism to push product from one end of the container to the other end, and wherein a screw-like member pushes a follower toward a discharge end of the container, for discharge of product from a discharge end of the container.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention is directed to providing a dispensing container for dispensing a viscous candy, gum or like product therefrom, having a reduced number of plastic components, in which various beneficial features are provided, such as a shaped discharge at the discharge end of the container, improved sealing features to prevent unwanted discharge of product from a lower end of the container, and wherein improved product-discharge features are provided for manually grasping the container and activating a discharge of product therefrom.  
         [0004]     Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel dispensing container for containing and dispensing a viscous candy, gum or like product therefrom.  
         [0005]     It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above object, wherein only four molded plastic components are necessary, comprising an outer wall member, a bottom member with an upstanding thread for moving a piston, a vertically movable piston, and a one-piece removable cap.  
         [0006]     It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein the discharge end of the container and the movable piston are complementally shaped for maximum discharge of product from the container as the piston approaches the upper end of the container.  
         [0007]     It is yet another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, with improved sealing to prevent undesirable discharge of product from locations in the dispensing container from which product is not intended to be discharged.  
         [0008]     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a dispensing container with a removable cap that is designed for choke-hazard avoidance.  
         [0009]     It is another object of this invention to provide a novel dispensing container for viscous candy, gum or like product therefrom, wherein in a shaped discharge is provided at the discharge end of the container, for providing an enhanced product flow from the container.  
         [0010]     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the following brief descriptions of the drawing figures, the detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, and the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a vertical sectional view, taken through the dispensing container of this invention, wherein the four components thereof are shown in vertical cross-section.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1A  is an enlarged detail view of a seal between the vertically movable piston and the stationary cylindrical outer wall of the container.  
         [0013]      FIG. 1B  is a detail view of a snap-engagement connection between the removable cap of the dispensing container, and the stationary cylindrical outer wall of the container of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken through the piston of  FIG. 1 , showing its cylindrical wall-riding seal in its unrestrained position.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2A  is a top plan view of the piston of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a vertical sectional view, taken through the removable cap of the container of  FIG. 1 , showing an outer diametral size “D” therefor.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3A  is a top plan view of the cap of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a vertical sectional view of the bottom member of the four components of the dispensing container of this invention, with the upstanding threaded generally central shaft being clearly illustrated.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4A  is a top plan view of the member illustrated in  FIG. 4 , wherein the component of  FIG. 4  is illustrated as provided with peripheral undulations for facilitation manual grasping and rotation of the same.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a vertical sectional view of the stationary cylindrical outer wall member shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 5A  is a top plan view of the outer wall member illustrated in  FIG. 5 , with the shaped discharge at its upper end being more clearly illustrated. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to  FIG. 1 , wherein a dispensing container is generally designated by the numeral  20 , as comprising a one-piece generally stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 , having a one-piece bottom member  22  received therein, and rotatable relative thereto. The bottom member  22  includes an upstanding threaded shaft  23 .  
         [0023]     A piston member  24 , vertically movable from a lower end of the threaded shaft  23 , toward the upper end thereof, is provided, with rotation of the shaft driving the piston vertically upwardly along the threaded shaft  23 , as the bottom member  22  is grasped and rotated, preferably clockwise, within and relative to the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 .  
         [0024]     A removable cap  25  is provided at the upper end of the dispensing container  20 .  
         [0025]     The cylindrical member  21  is provided with a generally central cylindrical portion  26 , and its lower end flares outwardly at  27 , to end in a sealing portion  28  at its lower end, which provides a cylindrical projection  30  extending inwardly thereof, as shown in  FIG. 5 , to engage within the circumferential channel  31  beneath the peripheral projection  32  of the bottom member  22 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , for effecting sealing engagement therewith, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]     The bottom member  22  as shown in  FIG. 4  has an upstanding cylindrical wall  33  that ends in a transverse wall  34  as shown in  FIG. 4 , that carries the upstanding threaded shaft  23  that ends in a generally conically shaped upper end  35 .  
         [0027]     In addition to the seal that is effected by the sealing engagement of the peripheral inward projection  30  in the channel  31 , between members  21  and  22 , the outer periphery of the upper end of the wall  33 , at  36  as shown in  FIG. 4 , slidingly engages along the inner diameter  37  of the stationary cylindrical outer wall  21 , as the downwardly extending flange  38  of member  22  is grasped by the hand of a user, readily engageable with the undulations  40  thereof, as shown in  FIG. 4A , such that the bottom member  22  can be rotated within the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 . Such rotation of the bottom member  22 , which causes rotation of the threaded shaft  23 , causes the inter-engaging threads  41  of the piston member  24 , on an inner, vertical, cylindrical surface  42  thereof, as shown in  FIG. 2  to cause the piston  24  to move vertically upwardly, traversing the shaft  23 .  
         [0028]     It will be noted that the threads  41  on the interior of the piston  24  do not extend to the lower zone  43  of the cylindrical interior surface  42 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , in order to provide a stop mechanism, to avoid stripping of threads and to avoid pushing the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21  out of the sealing area  31  ( FIG. 4 ) of the bottom member  22 , upon upward-most movement of the piston  24 .  
         [0029]     The piston  24 , at its upper outer end, has a frusto-conical configuration  44  and a generally flat upper end  45 , that are adapted to mate, respectively, with complementally configured surfaces  46  and  47 , comprising the upper end  48  of stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 , for ensuring maximum discharge of product through the upper end  48  of stationary member  21 , as the piston  24  approaches the upper end thereof.  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIG. 5A , a shaped discharge of product is provided, in the form of three outer arcuately shaped openings  51 ,  52 ,  53 , and three inner arcuately shaped discharge openings  54 ,  55  and  56 , with the latter three shaped openings being located at locations that are spaced radially inwardly from the radially shaped openings  51 ,  52  and  53 , all as shown in  FIG. 5A .  
         [0031]     Such a spacing of shaped openings as illustrated in  FIG. 5A , provides a flower-like shaped product, for enhancing flow of product from the container, and for giving the appearance of a wider diameter discharge of product therefrom, as distinguished from the appearance of a product discharged from a single opening.  
         [0032]     The piston  24 , most specifically as shown  FIGS. 1A and 2 , is provided with a tapered peripheral seal  57 , which thins down in an upward direction as shown in  FIG. 1A , which seal, upon rotation of the bottom member  22 , and riding of the piston  24  upwardly through the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 , the sealing flange  57  slides along the cylindrical inner wall surface  37  of the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 , for preventing undesirable discharge of product from within the container, downwardly, and outwardly, past the seal formed between the sealing portion  57  of piston  24  and the wall  37 , such that product is scraped along the wall and pushed upwardly to discharge as the piston rides upwardly within the dispensing container.  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIG. 1B , the upper end of the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 , has an upstanding portion  58 , that is provided with a recess  60  therein, for receipt of an inwardly extending annular projection  61  of the one-piece removable cap  25  therein, in snap-engagement, such that the cap will remain in engagement over the discharge end of the stationary cylindrical outer wall member, until discharge therefrom is desired.  
         [0034]     It will be noted, with reference to  FIG. 3 , that the diameter “D” of the cap  25  is selected for choke-hazard avoidance, and has a diameter “D” in excess of 1 inch, and most preferably, is approximately 1¼ inches in diameter.  
         [0035]     With reference to  FIG. 2 , it will be shown that the sleeve-like sealing portion  57  of the piston  24 , is configured to normally be directed outwardly in a radial direction, as shown in  FIG. 4 , such that, when it is contained within the inner cylindrical wall  37  of the stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21 , the normal outward bias of the sealing portion  57  is restrained by the wall  37 , so that is slides against the wall  37  with a force as will be determined by the outwardly inclined resilience of the sealing sleeve portion  57  of the piston  24 .  
         [0036]     A shrink-wrap covering  64 , is provided, shown in phantom in  FIG. 1 , as an option, which covers and facilitates holding together the cap  25  and the stationery cylindrical outer wall member  21  until the dispensing container is ready for use. Such shrink-wrap may, if desired, be transparent, in order to allow visible images of the exterior of the cover  25  and stationary cylindrical outer wall member  21  to be viewed therethrough.  
         [0037]     It will be apparent from the forgoing that other modifications may be made in details of construction to the various components of this invention, all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.