Patent Publication Number: US-4096975-A

Title: Container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a container. More particularly, this invention relates to a container mainly made of flexible materials and having a structure where the cap screwed onto the container is slightly revolved to open and close the outlet provided on the container for easily feeding out the content without taking off the cap. 
     Containers, for example, for cosmetics, food and medical preparations, presently seen on the market usually are constructed in such a way that the cap must be removed from the container every time one wishes to take out the desired portion of the content, and one often forgets to recap the cap or even misplaces it. 
     Recently there is known a type of container whose cap is connected to the container by way of a string or the like so as to prevent accidental loss or misplacement of the cap. In any event, all these known containers necessarily accompany removing the cap from the container when taking out the content. 
     There is known another type of containers for seasonings in powdered form which has a hole notched on its upper periphery of the container and a similar hole on the peripheral side of the slidable cap. By sliding the cap, holes are aligned to form an opening for shaking the content out. It is however impossible to achieve a perfect seal for such a container, and therefore this type of container is generally not suitable for liquid or viscous content. If this type of container is filled with paste, the content which had leaked during the use would stick and harden to the area around the opening and obstruct the sliding motion of the cap. It is at the same time not sanitary. 
     Disadvantages and defects of such types of containers and capping include: 
     (A) USE OF BOTH HANDS TO OPEN AND CLOSE 
     (B) MISPLACEMENT AND LOSS OF REMOVED CAP; OR TENUOUSLY LOOSE RECAPPING RESULTING THEREIN 
     (C) NON-ASSURANCE OF TIGHT SEAL ON CLOSURE IF: 
     (D) SPIRAL THREAD SCREW OR OTHER FASTENING IS NOT CAREFULLY TIGHTENED; 
     (E) APERTURE-ALIGNMENT TYPE IS EMPLOYED, GIVEN THAT TOLERANCES CANNOT, WITH SUCH DEVICES AND MATERIALS, BE SO CLOSE AS TO EFFECT A TRUE SEAL; 
     With resultant: 
     (A) CONTAMINATION, OXIDATION, ETC. OF CONTENTS, 
     (B) SOILING BY CONTENTS OF CONTAINER APERTURE AND CAP, 
     (C) SOILING OF SURFACES AND OBJECTS IN VICINITY, 
     (D) SOILING OF FINGERS, HANDS, AND CLOTHING OF USER, 
     (E) INTERFERENCE WITH CLOSURE AND SEAL DUE TO ACCRETION OR CLOTTING OF CONTENTS AROUND CONTAINER APERTURE AND CAP OR CAP APERTURE, 
     (F) ACCIDENTAL EXTRUSION OR LEAKAGE IF NOT RE-CAPPED OR NOT PROPERLY RE-CAPPED. 
     An object of this invention is to obviate and ameliorate said defects. Another object is to provide an improved container of an extremely high utility value which can be used to hold materials in powdered form, in semi-liquid form, in paste form or in viscous liquid form, and which is extremely easy to handle when taking out the content. 
     Still another object is to provide a container for cosmetic preparations such as tooth paste, cleansing cream and hair cream, for food such as mayonnaise, seasonings and condiments in powdered form, for medications in ointment form, and for household goods such as cleaning agents, mainly made of flexible materials. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The container according to this invention comprises a circular head having a spiral groove at the top of the container, and an outlet projecting from the top of the head at a point off-center near the periphery of the head. A cap is provided which has an opening and a closure means to close the outlet and a spiral groove for engaging the spiral groove of the container. In a preferred arrangement, the remainder of said top surface is sloped downward slightly from the horizontal plane of the opening of the cap. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawings show one embodiment of the container in accordance with the present invention wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a partial cross sectional view of a container of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the cap of said container; and 
     FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of said container with its cap &#34;open&#34;. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A circular head 3 having a spiral groove 2 is incorporated integrally to the top of the container. An outlet 4 is provided on the top of the head 3 at a point off-center near the periphery of the head 1. Outlet 4 has a surrounding raised flange 9. A cap 5, provided with an opening 7 having a closure means 6 to close the outlet 4 and with a spiral groove 8, is engaged with the spiral groove 2 of the container 1. The remainder of the top surface of the cap may be optionally sloped downward slightly from the horizontal plane of said opening 7. The container in accordance with the present invention is made of such flexible materials as synthetic resins including polyethylene, polypropyrene or polyvinyl chloride, thin metal sheets such as aluminium or is made of glass. 
     The container 1 and the cap 5 may be made of the same material, or of different materials. For example, the container may be made of soft polyethylene and the cap of hard polyethylene; or the container of aluminium thin sheet and the cap of polypropyrene. 
     It is extremely easy and simple to use the container of the present invention. The container 1 is held by the fourth finger and the little finger in the palm of one hand whereas the cap 5 is held by the middle finger, the index finger or the thumb of said hand and is revolved in the counterclockwise direction by 180 degrees. This will slide the closure means 6 of the cap, open the outlet 4 of the container and allow taking out of the content. When the cap 5 is revolved back in the clockwise direction by about 180 degrees, the closure means 6 of the cap will close the top of the outlet 4 and the closure means 6 is tightened over the opening 4 by the force of the screw so that a tight seal can be effected even by children. As see in FIG. 1, the raised flange 9 surrounding the opening when abutting the closure means 6, improves the tight seal. 
     It is also possible to improve the tightness of the seal by having the closure means 6 of the cap 5 sloped downward slightly from the horizontal plane of said opening so that the closure means 6 would more or less ride over the outlet 4 when the cap is revolved in the clockwise direction, thus utilizing the elasticity of the material of the cap or of the container head and causing the outlet 4 and the closure means 6 to adhere to each other tightly. In some cases, the above effect can be achieved by slightly sloping the plane of the outlet 4 from the horizontal. 
     When a still higher degree of air tightness is desired, a packing such as one made of a thin membrane of plastic foam may be attached to the lower plane of the closure means 6 which contacts the outlet 4. 
     With a container made of flexible materials such as tubes for toothpaste, the content often leaks from the outlet, thereby obstructing replacement of the cap. The cap for a container of the present invention is so easy to hold that by lightly pulling the cap and the container apart in opposite directions the leaking content is sucked back in the outlet. Thus, it is possible to keep the closure means and the vicinity of the outlet clean. 
     The ease of use, even by children, and the tightness of closure afforded by this device are advantageous merits resolving the problems and defects listed above with respect to conventional containers hitherto available, e.g. requiring both hands to open and close, loss of cap, conscious effort to effect tight seal, spillage, blockage of aperture, etc.