Patent Publication Number: US-2006015062-A1

Title: Disposable mouthwash container

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This Non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No(s). 60/554,874 filed on Mar. 19, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to a disposable mouthwash container adapted to be carried by a user and available for use in locations remote from the user&#39;s home, such as after a meal at a restaurant or preparatory to a meeting to freshen the mouth and breath, typically with a sufficient amount of liquid for a single treatment.  
      Disposable containers have been known for this purpose, including the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,057, wherein an elongated packet comprises a receptacle member having a mouthwash supply chamber at one end and a larger recovery chamber at the other, with membrane members and puncturing elements and relatively bulky and complex construction.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention resides in a small and more easily portable mouthwash container that is very simple and inexpensive in construction and easy to use, typically with one hand, that dispenses the stored mouthwash neatly and easily into the user&#39;s mouth and receives the used mouthwash back into the container, also neatly and easily. The invention is embodied in several different forms that are shown herein for purposes of illustration. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Sheet  1  of the drawings illustrates a first embodiment of the invention in which a quantity of mouthwash liquid can be stored in a small, tub-like elongated container  10  having an open top  11  and a tub-like sink insert  12  forming a false bottom spaced above the bottom of the tub. The insert is formed with a drain hole  13  in the center and carries a hollow straw  14  at one end, passing through the insert and opening into the lower portion of the tub. The container has a generally flat, elongated cover  15  that is joined to the tub by an integral hinge  17  and carries a central plug  18  for closing the hole in the insert, and has a mouthpiece  19  at the free end, with a removable plug  20  for fitting into the straw  14 . The cover seals against the tub when closed, and opens to provide access to the straw, through which the user takes in the liquid, preferably tipping the container toward the straw  14 . After rinsing the mouth, the user spits the liquid back into the sink insert. The elongated open top  11  is sized and shaped to fit around the mouth, in a general “lip shape,” and the drain hole  13  permits the excess to pass from the sink into the tub. The cover is reclosable for disposal of the used mouthwash. A reflective tape  21  on the outside of the cover forms a mirror for inspection of the mouth area after use, and a split ring  22  on one end forms a quick-release key ring for mounting the container on an automobile key or the like, for ready availability.  
      Sheets  2  and  3  of the drawings show alternative forms of a second embodiment of the invention, using a bellows-shaped container  30  composed of flexible plastic and having a central gripping groove  31  and an open top  32 . The top is fitted with a dished annular mouthpiece  33 , having an upstanding spout  34 . Fitted in the mouthpiece around the spout is a ring of absorbent material  35 , and a circular cover  37  fits over the open end and seals against the container, which holds a quantity of mouthwash liquid. An upstanding hollow sleeve  38  on the cover  37  in Sheet  1  fits over the spout and has a top wall that seals the spout until the cover is removed, and the cover  37  in Sheet  3  has a flat top that serves the same function. The central bellows portion of both forms of this embodiment is expandable, by pulling the lower end downwardly away from the top, to draw the used mouthwash back through the spout into the container after use, and to provide extra capacity for saliva. A key ring attachment  39  is formed on the bottom of the container, and serves as a grip for expanding the bellows. The absorbent material  35  neatly receives any leakage around the spout, and the cover is reclosable, as in the other embodiments.  
      Sheets  4  shows another embodiment of the invention in which a container in the form of a rubber bulb or tub  40  of somewhat flattened circular cross-sectional shape is fitted with a sink insert  41 , as in Sheet  1 , having a drain hole  42  overlying a reservoir in the tub, and a one-piece cover or lid  43 , with a depending sleeve  44  that seals the sink hole, when the lid is closed, retaining the mouthwash in the compartment defined between the sink and the cover. When the cover is lifted, the liquid is taken into the mouth over a mouthpiece spout  45  (and an aligned slot from the reservoir under the insert, by tipping the open container toward the user. The cover is hingedly mounted on an integral strap  47  that forms the mouthpiece spout  45  and also carries two squeeze-pads  48  on opposite sides of the flexible container. To facilitate release of the mouthwash, these pads are squeezed together, and to facilitate the return of the mouthwash, they are released so that the resilience of the container will expand the container and draw the mouthwash into the reservoir. The cover is reclosable for disposal of the used mouthwash. A quick-release key ring connector  49  is formed in the hinge strap at one end of the cover.  
      Sheets  5  through  9  show additional variations of the invention utilizing the same principles, Sheets  5  and  6  showing a one-piece plastic construction; Sheet  7  showing a variation of the form in Sheets  3  and  4 ; and the remaining sheets showing other forms.