Patent Publication Number: US-2015060494-A1

Title: Mouthwash bottle with a pump, a base and an insertable cup

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/870,981, entitled “Mouthwash Bottle with a Pump, a Base and an Insertable Cup,” filed on Aug. 28, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to mouthwash bottles, and more particularly to a mouthwash bottle with a pump, a base and an insertable cup. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many mouthwash bottles are currently available. Generally, these mouthwash bottles have caps that cover the bottle openings but can also be turned over and used as a cup. For example, a user can take the cap off the mouthwash bottle, turn it over, and then pour the mouthwash into the cap for use in his/her mouth. Once the mouthwash is used, the user generally washes out the cap with water and then places it back on the bottle. In some instances, the user&#39;s germs on and/or the water in the cap can drip into the mouthwash, thus contaminating or diluting the mouthwash. Accordingly, there is a need for a mouthwash bottle that is easy to use, clean and mess-free, and allows for proper use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to some embodiments, a mouthwash dispensing system includes a bottle having a neck defining a top opening and a reservoir having side surfaces and a bottom surface and a pump mechanism having a pump and a tube extending from the pump and into the reservoir for carrying fluid from the reservoir to the pump. The mouthwash dispensing system also includes a base having a top portion for connecting to the bottom surface of the bottle, a bottom portion for placement on a surface and a front portion defining a cup opening and a cup having a top rim portion, a fluid portion and a handle having a flat surface portion extending from the top rim portion and a front holding portion, the cup configured to be fitted into the cup opening. 
     According to some embodiments, a mouthwash dispensing system includes a bottle having a neck defining a top opening and a reservoir having side surfaces and a bottom surface that curves downward towards a center point, a pump mechanism having a pump and a tube extending from the pump and into the reservoir, the tube defining an axis that is coincident with the center point, a base having a top portion for connecting to the bottom surface of the bottle, a bottom portion for placement on a surface, a front portion defining a cup opening, and left and right protrusions located within the cup opening, and a cup having a top rim portion, a fluid portion and a handle having a flat surface portion extending from the top rim portion and a front holding portion, the cup configured to fit into the cup opening such that the top rim portion is positioned inside the left and right protrusions, which are used to hold the cup within the cup opening. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings. Naturally, the drawings and their associated descriptions illustrate example arrangements within the scope of the claims and do not limit the scope of the claims. Reference numbers are reused throughout the drawings to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a mouthwash bottle with a base according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the mouthwash bottle with a pump mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the mouthwash bottle showing the bottom surface curve downward towards the center area according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the base showing the cup opening and the cup positioned within the cup opening according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the cup having a handle and a front holding portion according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the cup and the front holding portion according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinarily skilled in the art that elements of the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a mouthwash bottle  100  with a base  125  according to an embodiment of the invention. The mouthwash bottle  100  has a neck  105  defining a top opening  101  and a reservoir  121  having side surfaces  120  (e.g., left, right, front and rear sides which form a somewhat rectangular cross-section in both the vertical and horizontal directions) and a bottom surface  140  that curves downward towards a center area  145 . That is, the bottom surface  140  curves downward towards the center area  145  so that as fluid (i.e., the mouthwash) is emptied from the reservoir  121 , the remaining fluid will accumulate at the lowest portion of the reservoir  121 , which is the center area  145 . This center area  145  advantageously allows the pump mechanism (described below) to extract all (or mostly all) of the fluid from the reservoir  121  since the tube (described below) of the pump mechanism is aligned or coincident with the center area  145  of the mouthwash bottle  100 . 
     The mouthwash bottle  100  sits on top of the base  125 , which is used as support. In one embodiment, the mouthwash bottle  100  is permanently fixed to the base  125 . When the mouthwash bottle  100  has a curved bottom surface  140 , it is preferable to use the base  125  so that the mouthwash bottle  100  does not easily tip over. In one embodiment, the mouthwash bottle  100  can have a flat bottom surface  140 . 
     The neck  105  has grooves  110  for screwing in the pump mechanism, which closes the top opening  101  of the mouthwash bottle  100 . Also, a rim  115  circles around the entire neck  105  to allow a user to more easily hold the mouthwash bottle  100 . 
     The base  125  has a top portion or rim  130  for connecting or attaching to the side surfaces  120  and/or the bottom surface  140  of the mouthwash bottle  100 . Hence, the base  125  is located below or beneath the mouthwash bottle  100 . The base  125  is sized and configured to receive the mouthwash bottle  100  such that the center area  145  extends into the base  125  to provide a better fit and allow the mouthwash bottle  100  to have a convex bottom surface  140 . The base  125  has a bottom portion  135  for placement on a surface such as a bathroom countertop or other relatively flat surfaces. The base  125  has a front portion  128  defining a cup opening  150 . The cup opening  150  is open space that begins at the front portion  128  of the base  125  and extends into the base  125  to allow a cup  185  to be inserted therein for securely storing the cup  185  within the base  125  (see also  FIG. 4 ). In one embodiment, left and right protrusions  151  and  152  are used to hold the cup  185  within the cup opening  150 . In one embodiment, the cup opening  150  is formed in the shape of a trapezoid, where the top and bottom sides are parallel to one another and the left and right sides are angled such that the bottom of the cup opening  150  has a smaller linear distance that the top of the cup opening  150 . In one embodiment, the cup opening  150  is sized and shaped to snugly fit the cup  185 . In one embodiment, the cup opening  150  can be in the shape of a square or a rectangle. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the mouthwash bottle  100  with a pump mechanism  201  according to an embodiment of the invention. The pump mechanism  201  includes a pump top  205  that is configured to move up and down to extract fluid from the reservoir  121 , a pump nozzle  210  extending from the pump top  205 , a spring  225  that assists in moving the pump top  205  up and down and a tube  230  extending from the pump spring  225  and into the reservoir  121 . As the pump top  205  is pushed down, fluid from the reservoir  121  is pulled into the tube  230  and travels to the pump nozzle  210 , where it exists into the cup  185 . 
     The tube  230  defines an axis that is coincident with the center area  145 . The pump mechanism  201  may also include a decorative character or ball  215  with an ornamental design thereon and a gripping collar or rim  220  that is used to grasp with the fingers to screw and unscrew the pump mechanism  201  to the mouthwash bottle  100 . The ball  215  may move up and down with the pump top  205  or may be stationary or fixed as the pump top  205  moves up and down. The ball  215  may also be used to hold or grab the mouthwash bottle  100 . 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the mouthwash bottle  100  (without the base  125 ) showing the bottom surface  140  curve downward towards the center area  145  so that as fluid (i.e., the mouthwash) is emptied from the reservoir  121 , the remaining fluid will accumulate at the lowest portion of the reservoir  121 , which is the center area  145 . This center area  145  advantageously allows the pump mechanism  201  (see  FIG. 2 ) to extract all (or most all) of the fluid from the reservoir  121  since the tube  230  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the pump mechanism is aligned or coincident with the center area  145 . Also, the tube  203  extends to be less than 5 millimeters from the center area  145  of the bottom surface  140 . 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the base  125  showing the cup opening  150  and the cup  185  positioned within the cup opening  150  according to an embodiment of the invention. The cup  185  fits within the cup opening  150  and is held in place and within the cup opening  150  by left and right protrusions  151  and  152 . A user can push the cup  185  into the cup opening  150  so that a top rim  188  (see  FIG. 5 ) passes over the left and right protrusions  151  and  152 . A body  189  (see  FIG. 6 ) of the cup  185  is used to hold the fluid and contacts the left and right protrusions  151  and  152  as the cup  185  is inserted into the cup opening  150  for storage purposes. The mouthwash bottle  100 , the base  125 , the cup opening  150 , the cup  185  and the pump mechanism  201  allow for a convenient, clean and mess-free and germ-free easy to use mouthwash dispensing system. 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the cup  185  according to an embodiment of the invention. The cup  185  includes a handle having a flat surface portion  186  extending from the top rim  188  and a front holding or gripping portion  187 . In one embodiment, the front holding portion  187  extends downward from the flat surface portion  186  for ease of holding and pulling in and out of the cup opening and the front holding portion  187  may be substantially perpendicular or slightly angled relative to the flat surface portion  186 . The cup  185  is configured to fit into the cup opening  150  such that the top rim  188  is positioned inside or within the left and right protrusions  151  and  152 , which are used to hold the cup  185  within the cup opening  150 . 
       FIG. 6  is a front view of the cup  185  according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, the front holding portion  187  is curved in the shape of a semi-circle for easy grasping by the fingers. This advantageously allows for easy insertion and removal of the cup  185  into and out of the cup opening  150 . Also, when the cup  185  is completely inserted into the cup opening  150 , the front holding portion  187  is flush with the front portion  128  of the base  125 . 
     The foregoing description of the disclosed example embodiments is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the principles disclosed herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the following claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.