Patent Publication Number: US-6209757-B1

Title: Squeezable mixing and dispensing container having removable attachable supply vessels

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to containers which blend fluent materials stored in separate chambers when dispensing these materials. More particularly, the invention sets forth a container which has plural separate fluid compartments and a resiliently flexible wall for enabling a user to discharge the contents of both compartments by squeezing the container. The novel dispensing container finds application wherever fluid materials must be blended and dispensed in quantities appropriate for individual consumers. For example, the container may be utilized by consumers to store and dispense personal care products such as shampoo and hair conditioner, cooking products such as sweeteners and colorants, and food products such as oil and vinegar for preparing salad dressings, among others. Alternatively, the container may be utilized in industrial, commercial, institutional, medical, and scientific applications to blend active ingredients with carrier fluids, or to blend ingredients which would interact on contact with one another. The fields which may benefit from the invention are many and diverse. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It is necessary from time to time to dispense several dissimilar fluent substances which must be separated from one another prior to being utilized, yet blended when utilized. Two substances separately stored usually require special measures to assure that they be fully blended or mixed together. Dispensing of two separate substances is somewhat time consuming. Furthermore, metering and dispensing, if performed separately, may expose one or both substances to contact with the air, airborne contaminants, light, or other detrimental influences. 
     Another aspect of containers, especially of containers having plural compartments or fluid storing vessels, is that in many cases, it is not feasible to coordinate depletion of separate fluids as both are discharged. That is, it is frequently the case that one fluid is depleted while a usable quantity of another fluid yet remains. To this end, it would be desirable to provide a container which accommodates connection of a separable vessel containing one of the fluids, for renewing one of the fluids. 
     It is convenient and effective to store, blend, and dispense several substances from a single container in a manner assuring that plural contents be separated until the point in time at which they are used. The prior art has proposed containers which dispense plural contents. An example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,346, issued to James E. Richardson et al. on Nov. 26, 1974. The subject dispenser of Richardson et al. is hand squeezed to dispense fluids. Richardson et al. sets forth a valve to control discharge of fluids. However, this valve is not similar to the check valve of the present invention. Also, there is no closed mixing chamber with agitating balls, as seen in the present invention. There is no teaching in Richardson et al. of in situ recharging an internal vessel. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,033, issued to Sen H. Chou on Dec. 18, 1990, describes a pressurized dispensing container having a bladder which receives pressurized propellant gasses. The bladder is internal to the container. By contrast, in the present invention, the container is squeezed by hand to develop propulsive pressures. The device of Chou lacks check valves and blending apparatus of the present invention. Also, there is no provision for in situ recharging of the inner vessel, as seen in the present invention. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,931, issued to Richard E. Farrar et al. on Nov. 16, 1965, describes a multicompartmented dispenser. The device of Farrar et al. lacks check valves, a mixing chamber, and in situ recharging of the inner vessel, all being features of the present invention. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,149, issued to Karl H. Zulauf on Apr. 29, 1986, describes a hand squeezable container which incorporates a rotatable valve for adjusting relative proportions of dispensed fluids. This valve is unlike the automatically acting, unidirectional check valve of the present invention. Zulauf further lacks the mixing chamber with agitating balls and in situ recharging features of the present invention. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,107, issued to Gerhard Obrist on Jun. 16, 1987, shows a dosing dispenser incorporating two manual valves disposed in series. By contrast, the present invention has one or more automatically acting unidirectional check valves. Where more than one check valve is provided, they are disposed in parallel. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,056, issued to Bernard Schneider et al. on Jul. 12, 1994, describes a dispensing tube which dispenses plural creamy or pasty fluids. The device of Schneider et al. lacks the mixing chamber and agitating balls, check valves, and in situ recharging of the present invention. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,510, issued to Wilhelm A. Keller on Jul. 15, 1997, illustrates a metering and proportioning device having a collapsible cartridge. The device of Keller lacks the squeezable outer container, mixing chamber, check valves, and in situ recharging of the present invention. 
     The various devices of the prior art typically incorporate much more complex design than is seen in the present invention. By contrast, the present invention can be formed in as few as three or four pieces including a cap. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a hand held, squeeze action dispensing container or dispenser which is suitable for enabling consumers to blend and dispense many different fluids. The novel container has a storage receptacle in the form of a jar or bottle open at one end, and threads or other engagement structure for securing a cap which bears a discharge nozzle. The storage receptacle has an associated removable internal vessel. The internal vessel contains a second fluid which may interact with the first fluid contained within the container, or which may be a carrier fluid, a propellant, such as pressurized gas, or which may serve some other purpose. The internal vessel and the space within the storage receptacle surrounding the vessel each store one fluid. The fluids are segregated in their respective storage areas until the user wishes to dispense them as a blended mixture. The lateral wall of the storage receptacle is flexible and preferably resilient, so that squeezing the container ejects the respective fluids from the receptacle and the associated vessel. The novel container mixes or blends ejected fluids in a mixing chamber prior to discharging the same as a blended mixture. The mixing chamber is isolated from the outside atmosphere, so that the mixed fluids are protected from potential contamination. 
     Ability to remove the internal vessel leads to advantages including economies of manufacture. Firstly, the novel container can be fabricated by utilizing pre-existing bottles and jars, thereby avoiding retooling for one of the component parts. Another economic advantage is the ability to produce the novel container by molding as few as three or four separate component parts, including a cap, from readily recyclable plastics. A further advantage is that both fluids can be renewed as desired. Therefore, mismatches in quantity between propellant and the fluid being dispensed can be overcome. Both the fluid being dispensed and the propellant can independently, and at any time, be renewed as required. This feature enables usage of the container to continue with minimal regard for depletion of either one of the fluids being dispensed. 
     Several features improve the novel container over the prior art. One is incorporation of check valves located between the storage areas and the mixing chamber. These check valves prevent backflow of blended fluids, which could cause cross contamination of stored unmixed fluids. The check valves also assure that blended fluids will remain in the mixing chamber to be discharged. Preferably, the check valves are of the flaccid membrane type, which are inexpensive to fabricate and require no high precision moving parts. 
     An optional second important feature is that the internal vessel can be recharged without removing it from the container. An auxiliary vessel can be mated to the internal vessel to transfer new fluid from the former to the latter. 
     An optional third feature of the invention is incorporation of members which transfer pressure from the outer wall of the container to the internal vessel. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hand held dispenser which blends and dispenses plural fluids which must be stored separated from one another. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a container which can store plural fluids separately from one another and blend the same when dispensing the fluids. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hand held fluid dispenser which has a removably attachable auxiliary vessel, and which fluid dispenser receives fluid from the auxiliary vessel as well as from its own storage receptacle. 
     It is another object of the invention that the container have check valves preventing backflow of mixed fluids into the supply of each unmixed fluid. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a mixing chamber for mixing fluids, which mixing chamber is isolated from the outside atmosphere. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus enabling standard dispensers to be readily converted from single fluid operation to blending and dispensing operation. 
     An additional object of the invention is that the dispenser be manufactured by molding techniques, and that discarded dispensers be readily recyclable. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded, side elevational view of one embodiment of the invention, shown partially in cross section. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention including an optional pressure transfer member and depicting deformation from squeezing, shown partially broken away to reveal internal detail. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention showing optional recharging of an interior auxiliary vessel, partially broken away to reveal internal detail. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is a dispensing container  10  capable of storing fluids separately, and of blending and dispensing these fluids immediately prior to dispensing. Container  10  comprises three principal separable components comprising a storage bottle  12 , a combined auxiliary vessel and closure for storage bottle  12 , hereinafter referred to as auxiliary vessel  14 , and a cap  16  which closes the top of auxiliary vessel  14 . Storage bottle  12  may be any jar or wide mouthed bottle having an open upper end  18 . Bottle  12  has a floor  20  and a lateral wall  22  which define a receptacle  24  there within. Floor  20  and wall  22  are sufficiently flexible to deform when squeezed or constricted by hand. Bottle  12  may be molded as part of container  10 , or alternatively, pre-existing bottles may be incorporated into the invention by fabricating only auxiliary vessel  14  and cap  16  to conform to dimensions and configuration of the pre-existing bottle. 
     Auxiliary vessel  14  is dimensioned and configured to cooperate with and be insertable into and retained within storage bottle  12 , occupying receptacle  24 . Vessel  14  includes a hollow storage portion  26  having an interior storage space  28 , a mixing chamber  30  having a peripheral wall  32  and an open top  34 , and a barrier  36  separating space  28  from mixing chamber  30 . Cap  16  is dimensioned and configured to close open top  34 . Cap  16  has threads (not shown) or alternatively friction fits to open top  34  of auxiliary vessel  14  to enable secure closure. Cap  16  may have openable pouring apertures or spouts as are conventionally found on shampoo bottles and the like. Storage portion  26  is dimensioned and configured to leave unoccupied space within receptacle  24  between storage portion  26  and wall  22  of bottle  12  when bottle  12  is undistorted by squeezing or constricting. 
     It will be seen that barrier  36  extends laterally beyond storage portion  26 , and is dimensioned and configured to close open end  18  of storage bottle  12 . To this end, auxiliary vessel  12  includes a skirt  38  bearing threads  40  which are matingly compatible with threads  42  formed in bottle  12 . Barrier  36  has a first check valve  44  enabling passage of fluids from storage space  28  into mixing chamber  30 , and second check valves  46 ,  48  enabling passage of fluids from receptacle  24  of storage bottle  12  into mixing chamber  30 . Valves  44 ,  46 ,  48  are preferably flaccid membrane valves which distend to pass fluids upwardly, in the depiction of FIG. 1, but which will collapse and seal themselves responsive to relatively high pressure developing within chamber  30 . The membrane valves may be formed integrally with barrier  36 , or alternatively may be formed separately therefrom. 
     Agitating members  50  are optionally contained within mixing chamber  30 . Agitating members  50  are preferably heavy balls which promote blending by agitation when fluids are ejected from storage space  28  and from receptacle  24  into mixing chamber  30 . If the separate fluids are miscible, the agitating members may be omitted. A mesh (not shown) ma y also be included to prevent the balls  50  from escaping during pouring. 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, storage bottle  12  is shown deformed as would occur when a person squeezes bottle  12 . Optional compression resistant members  52  located inside receptacle  24  of bottle  12  transfer pressure from squeezing to storage portion  26  of auxiliary vessel  14 . It will be seen that storage portion  26  is in turn deformed by pressure transferred by members  52 . Transfer of pressure assures that squeezing ejects fluids from both bottle  12  and also storage space  28 . This may be necessary in cases wherein, for example, the fluid contained within storage space  28  is highly viscous, and would resist pressure brought to bear on storage portion  26 . Compression members  52  need not be totally rigid. They merely need be more rigid than wall  22  of bottle  12  and storage portion  26  of vessel  14 . Compression members  52  may be, for example, cubes of resilient plastic or rubber material joined to one another in series and sufficiently spaced apart to allow egress to fluid contained within receptacle  24 . 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a recharging vessel  154 , which is utilized to recharge storage portion  126  of auxiliary vessel  114 . In the embodiment of FIG. 3, container  110  is in many ways similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1, with exceptions relating to cooperation with recharging vessel  154 . Storage bottle  112  is modified from its counterpart of FIG. 1 in that it has an inlet port  156  formed in lateral wall  122 . Inlet port  156  may comprise, for example, a membrane check valve similar in operation to valves  44 ,  46 ,  48  of FIG.  1 . Recharging vessel  154  has a nozzle  158  which passes through inlet valve  156  and through a similar inlet valve  160  formed in storage portion  126  of auxiliary vessel  114 . 
     Recharging vessel  154  may then discharge its contents into storage portion  126 . This may be done by squeezing vessel  154  by pressing on floor  162 , as depicted in FIG.  3 . Alternatively, vessel  154  may have an independent source of propellant (not shown) or other means of ejecting its contents on demand. 
     It should be noted that inlet ports  156 ,  160  are mutually alignable so that nozzle  158  can readily engage inlet port  160 . This is accomplished firstly by causing bottle  112  and auxiliary vessel  114  to be dimensioned and configured such that inlet ports  156 ,  160  are at equal heights when auxiliary vessel  114  fully engages bottle  112 , and secondly by providing means for assuring that auxiliary vessel be appropriately rotated (if threaded) relative to bottle  112 . Visual means such as molded index marks (not shown) may be formed in both bottle  112  and in auxiliary vessel  114  to indicate correct alignment. 
     Progressive depletion of fluids stored in the various receptacles of all embodiments may be accommodated in any suitable way. Air relief valves (not shown) may be incorporated where desired. A source of compressed gas may be provided to prevent collapse or inoperability upon depletion of stored fluids. Alternatively, because bottles  12  and  112  and auxiliary vessels  14  and  114  are flexible, they may be allowed to deform in controlled fashion as their contents are removed by squeezing, and to remain in the deformed state until subsequently refilled. 
     The present invention is susceptible to variations and modifications which may be introduced thereto without departing from the inventive concept. For example, compression members  52  (see FIG. 2) may be integral with bottle  12  if desired, or alternatively, may be loosely fitted. Also, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that proper air vents could be added so as to relieve vacuum and allow return of the deformed bottles to their original shape. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.