Patent Publication Number: US-2003221988-A1

Title: Product dispenser with clip

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates generally to a product dispenser. More specifically, and without limitation to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, the invention relates to a product dispenser for confections or tablets including a clip adapted to secure the dispenser to another article.  
       [0003] 2. Background Art  
       [0004] Confection and tablet dispensers are sold in many forms. Some dispensers are designed to be compact enough to be carried by the user in a pocket, bag, purse or automobile consoled. A common type of product dispenser is constructed in the form of a wrapper dispenser, wherein the dispenser tears open to provide access to the contents contained therein. Chewing gum and roll candies are commonly supplied in a wrapper dispenser. The user generally tears away the wrapper to dispense the product; contained within a paper or foil wrapper.  
       [0005] Wrapper dispensers are subject to a number of problems. For example, the dispenser may become crushed inside a purse or pocket. The likelihood of crushing increases when the dispenser is carried in a pocket or purse that also includes a number of other articles. Wrapper dispensers also have the disadvantage of exposing the product to moisture once the integrity of the wrapper is destroyed when the wrapper is torn open to dispense the product. A third, and significant problem, arises when the dispenser is carried in a pocket, bag, purse or vehicle console. A product dispenser can be easily misplaced or difficult to locate among the numerous articles that can be carried in a purse, bag, pocket or automobile console.  
       [0006] Others have attempted to solve these problems but with limited success. For example, instead of using a wrapper dispenser, some have employed a molded plastic dispenser or a tin container. Although these dispensers address some of the problems mentioned above, they still may be misplaced or difficult to quickly locate. Further, these prior art dispensers are generally more expensive.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] It is an objective of the present invention to provide a truly new and versatile product dispenser that addresses the deficiencies present in the prior art.  
       [0008] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a molded product dispenser having a compartment formed for reception of a product therein and a clip integrally formed with portions of the container. In the preferred embodiment, the clip projects from the container and is adapted to secure the container to another object.  
       [0009] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a process for forming a product dispenser with a compartment formed therein for reception of a product. In an embodiment of the present invention, the container is formed in two parts by injection molding, with one part including an integral clip. The clip is formed by the aid of a mold slide as described more fully herein. After the injection molding, product is placed in a recess created by at least one of the injection molded parts. At least one of the injection molded parts is then treated with a hot plate near its periphery to slightly melt portions of the plastic. The slightly melted plastic of this injection molded part is then brought into contact with the second molded part thereby securing both parts together as the slightly melted plastic solidifies.  
       [0010] It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a product dispenser with the ability to attach a clip thereto. In a further embodiment of the present invention, a molded product dispenser includes a tongue ridge integrally formed therewith. The tongue ridge adapted to receive a clip with a groove formed to mate with the tongue ridge. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a molded product dispenser is adapted for reception by a holder that carries a clip. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011]FIG. 1 a  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, having mints shown in phantom.  
     [0012]FIG. 1 b  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating its opened position.  
     [0013]FIG. 2 a  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0014]FIG. 2 b  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0015]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the mold used to form an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0016]FIG. 4 a  is a perspective exploded view of another embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0017]FIG. 4 b  is a top plan view of an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0018]FIG. 5 a  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0019]FIG. 5 b  is a side view of an embodiment of the invention with a dispenser shown in phantom.  
     [0020]FIG. 5 c  is a front view of an embodiment of the invention with a dispenser shown in phantom.  
     [0021]FIG. 6 a  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0022]FIG. 6 b  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0023]FIG. 7 a  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0024]FIG. 7 b  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0025] An apparatus comprising a molded product dispenser is provided. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more comprehensive description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific details of well known features have not been described so as not to obscure the present invention.  
     [0026] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 a  illustrates the preferred embodiment of the molded product dispenser  10 . Dispenser  10  includes a first body portion  14  and a second body portion  16 . First body  14  has projection  18  that extends perpendicularly to first body portion  14  and follows the peripheral contour of first body portion  14 . First body portion  14  and second body portion  16  are mated to form an enclosure  11  to hold products to be dispensed. FIG. 1 a  includes the product  9  shown in phantom. It should be appreciated that although mint tablets are shown in FIG. 1 a , the present invention may be employed with other types of products.  
     [0027] Second body portion  16  includes an attachment member such as an integral clip  12 , as illustrated in FIG. 1 a . Clip  12  extends upward from second body portion  16  by way of a C-shaped structure  13  and then angles back inward towards second body portion  16  by way of arm  15 . Structure  13  and arm  15  combine to create a resilient clip  12  that is adapted to secure dispenser  10  to another article. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, clip  12  minimally extends from second body portion  16 , creating a narrow profile for product dispenser  10 .  
     [0028] Clip  12  is adapted to releaseably grasp another object and may include a curved terminal portion  17  to aid in the attachment of dispenser  10  to another object. Clip  12  approaches second body portion  16  near the terminal end of clip  12  to facilitate securing the dispenser to another object and to prevent accidental release of dispenser  10  from the object. Clip  12  is preferably flexible enough to grasp articles of varying thicknesses and resilient enough to prevent accidental release or breakage. Second body portion  16  and clip  12  are preferably constructed from a plastic material to be described in more detail later herein.  
     [0029] Dispenser  10  holds a product to be dispensed by the user through lid  20 , shown in FIG. 1 a  in the closed position. Lid  20  preferably is integrally formed with molded first body portion  14 . FIG. 1 b  depicts lid  20  of dispenser  10  in an open position for dispensing a product from enclosure  11 . Lid  20  is integrally formed and connected to first body portion  14  by living hinge  22 . Living hinge  22  is created preferably by locally reducing the material thickness of the first body portion  14  in a line that creates the axis of rotation for lid  20 .  
     [0030] Lid  20  can be secured in the closed position using contoured projections  28  formed on lid  20  and mating locking formations  24  integrally formed with the second body portion  16 . When closing lid  20 , contoured projections  28  contact the mating locking formations  24  and are forced slightly outward. As the contoured projections  28  move past the locking formations  24 , the contoured projections  28  resile to detachably engage lid  20  with second body portion  16 . This mating arrangement can be overcome with force applied by the user when opening lid  20 . To open lid  20 , the user forces contoured projections to bend outward to allow lid  20  movement past the locking formations  24 . This arrangement allows the user easy access to the product and a convenient closure to secure the product for storage.  
     [0031] The present invention may be used to hold any product, preferably, these products include candies, mints, pills, or tablets. Product may be dispensed by the user while dispenser  10  is secured by clip  12  to another article or while dispenser  10  is freely held by the user. Clip  12  allows the user to easily find and access dispenser  10  by securing dispenser  10  to another article. Examples of such articles include, but are not limited to, a user&#39;s clothing, belt, or pocket, or an automobile interior such as a visor, storage console, or glove compartment. Dispenser  10  may also be secured to a carrying case such as a briefcase, purse, athletic bag, or other device for transporting articles to enable the user to readily access the dispenser.  
     [0032]FIG. 2 a  illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein dispenser  30  is constructed from a single molded form. FIG. 2 a  illustrates the interior of dispenser  30  with living hinge  32  interconnecting first body portion  34  and second body portion  36 . First body portion  34  and second body portion  36  can be folded together using living hinge  32  to form the enclosure  33  in dispenser  30 . Living hinge  32  functions similarly to living hinge  22  described in FIG. 1 b . Snap closures  38  may be used to mate first body portion  34  and second body portion  36 . Alternatively, first body portion  34  can be joined to the second body portion  36  by use of a unique and effective heating operation. A heat plate can be utilized to locally melt plastic at the periphery  39  of one of both of the body portions  34 ,  36  preferably after product is placed in recess  35  created by one of the body portions. After a heat plate is applied to periphery  39 , the body portions  34  and  36  are folded about living hinge  32 . The locally melted plastic is then allowed to solidify, creating an enclosure between body portions  34  and  36 . As described in the previous embodiment, the product contained in enclosure  33  is accessible through lid  40 . Importantly, if the heat plate operation is utilized, the heat plate is not applied to the periphery used by the lid  40 . As noted above, the perimeter of lid  40  remains free from solidification, allowing product to be dispensed when lid  40  is opened using living hinge  42 . An integral clip may also be formed with the single molded embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2 a , preferably on the second body portion  36  to allow dispensing of the product while container  30  is secured to another object. This operation is discussed in more detail in reference to FIG. 3.  
     [0033]FIG. 2 b  illustrates product dispenser  50  constructed from separately molded first body portion  52  and second body portion  54 . In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 b , the first body portion has lid  56  with living hinge  58 . The second body portion  54  comprises integral clip  60  and snap lock  62 . The enclosure of dispenser  50  is formed with snap closures  64  (mating components not shown) joining first body portion  52  to second body portion  54 . Alternatively, the enclosure is formed by mating first body portion  53  to second body portion  54  with a heat plate operation around portions of the perimeter  49  of the dispenser  50 .  
     [0034] Body portions can be formed by a molding process, preferably an injection molding process wherein a heated thermoplastic polymer is injected into a cavity of a mold thereby forming a unitary component. FIG. 3 illustrates mold  70  used for injection molding a unitary product dispenser with first body portion (not shown) and second body portion  74  with integral clip  76 , and living hinge (not shown). The second body portion  74  includes a stand to ensure the integrity of the enclosure formed between the body portions.  
     [0035] Mold  70  is injected through nozzle  80  to form a single piece product dispenser. To create an integral clip described above, a mold slide  72  is utilized. Mold slide  72  is disposed between the mold location for the body portion  74  and the clip  75 . Mold slide  72  is adapted to translate along the place of the body portion  74  (in and out of the plane of FIG. 3). During the injection of a thermoplastic polymer, mold slide  72  is disposed directly between clip  75  and body portion  74 . After the mold process is complete, mold slide  72  translates such that the slide is laterally offset from clip  75  allowing for the dispenser to be removed from mold  70 . Body portion  74  is preferably molded with a second body portion  76  connected thereto by a living hinge  78 .  
     [0036]FIG. 4 a  illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein dispenser  90  is selectively engageable with a clip structure  92 . Dispenser  90  may be formed from a first body portion mated to a second body portion to form a compartment for reception of a product when mated as described herein. Dispenser  90  and clip structure  92  form an interlocking mechanism with the tongue ridge  94  on second body portion  96  of dispenser  90  and slot  98  in clip structure  92 . Tongue ridge  94  projects from body portion  96  and forms a T-shaped structure. Clip structure  92  includes a planar base portion  93  and a clip arm portion  95  interconnected by a C-shaped formation  97  such that arm  95  folds back onto base  93 . Clip structure  92  includes a slot  98  formed therein. Slot  98  begins on the planar base portion  93  and extends through at least portions of C-shaped formation  97 . It should be noted that slot  98  extends into C-shaped formation  97  to allow for easy insertion of tongue ridge  94  into slot  98 . Slot  98  may be of diminishing width to ensure that the engagement of tongue ridge  94  by slot  98  is sufficiently tight to allow exchange of dispenser  90  by the user but prevent accidental release of dispenser  90  from clip  92 . Clip  92  is adapted to allow dispenser  90  to be secured to another object as described in detail for clip  12  of dispenser  10 . It should also be appreciated that clip  92  may be formed from plastic or other materials such as steel.  
     [0037]FIG. 4 b  illustrates a top view of the dispenser  90  with tongue ridge  94  and clip structure  92  with slot  98  adapted for reception of tongue ridge  94 . It should be appreciated that tongue ridge and slot arrangement for slidably connecting the dispenser to the clip may be of any shape that allows the slot to tightly receive the tongue ridge.  
     [0038]FIGS. 5 a ,  5   b , and Sc illustrate an embodiment of the invention wherein dispenser  110  is held by a clip holder  112 . Clip holder  112  tightly receives dispenser  110  to allow the user to secure dispenser  110  to another article. Clip holder  112  comprises clip  114  integrally formed with vertical member  116  parallel with the integral clip  114 , base  118  perpendicular to the vertical member  116 , horizontally extending out from vertical member  116  for the width of the container  110 , and curvilinear arms  120  extending horizontally from vertical member  116  to hold the container  110  securely against the vertical member  116 . It should be appreciated that curvilinear arms  120  limit movement of dispenser  110  laterally and base  118  limits movement of the dispenser  100  vertically. It should also be noted that dispenser  110  is tightly received in holder  112  to create engagement between holder  112  and dispenser  110 . Tightly receiving the dispenser with the holder can be accomplished in a number of ways. For example, the curvilinear arms  120  could be forced outward during reception of dispenser  110 . This creates a resilient or return force upon the dispenser  110  that acts to maintain the engagement between holder  112  and dispenser  110 . Another method could be to provide a button like projection on, for example, the dispenser  110  and a mating depression on the holder  112 . The mating of the depression and button projection will act to maintain engagement between holder  112  and dispenser  110 . It should be appreciated that many other equivalent methods of tightly receiving the dispenser in the holder are known in the art.  
     [0039]FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b  illustrate an embodiment of the invention similar to dispenser  10  in FIGS. 1 a  and  1   b . Dispenser  130  comprises integral clip  132  and differs from dispenser  10  by having sliding lid  134  to allow the user to dispense the product from the enclosure  133  formed therein. Sliding lid  134  operates by sliding parallel to one edge of dispenser  130 . Sliding lid  134  comprises protruding parallel ridges extending lengthwise thereon. The ridges are tightly received in a channel formed in first body portion  136  and a parallel channel formed in second body portion  138 . A protrusion (not shown) in sliding lid  134  allows the user to slide lid  134  along dispenser  130  until sliding lid  134  is stopped by contact between the protrusion and body portion  140 . It should be appreciated that the opening created by sliding lid  134  is large enough to dispense product enclosed therein. FIG. 6 b  shows the sliding lid  134  in the open position for dispensing products.  
     [0040]FIGS. 7 a  and  7   b  show another embodiment of the invention wherein the dispenser  150  comprises first body portion  152  and second body portion  154  with integral clip  155 . The second body portion  154  includes a planar surface  155  having a raised continuous periphery  153  to form a repository for the product to be dispensed. The first end  157  of the second body portion  154  protrudes along the peripheral contour of second body portion  154  to form tab stop  156  to cooperate the closure of the first body portion  152 . First body portion  152  has generally the same shape as the second body portion, a planar surface  161  with opposite side walls  163 . Side walls  163  extend perpendicularly from the planar surface  161  on opposite sides of the raised periphery  153  of first body portion  152  leaving the ends of first body portion  152  open. The sides  158  of first body portion  152  extend and curve around the corner of the second end  165  of first body portion  152  to form stop taps  160 . Side edges  158  preferably contain perpendicular ridges to glide along grooves in second body portion  154 . First body portion  152  and second body portion  154  slide together to enclose a compartment from which products are dispensed by the user.  
     [0041] In another embodiment of the invention, the compartment formed in the product dispenser may be divided into sub compartments, each sub compartment having a separate lid to allow the user to dispense multiple products from one dispenser. The sub compartments may be formed during the molding process and may be molded into the first body portion parallel to the projections on at least one side of the first body portion. The projections forming the sub compartments extend perpendicularly from the planar surface of the first body portion to the same distance as the projections on the peripheral contour of the first body portion. Each lid for a sub compartment may be integrally formed with the second body portion. Each lid operates by a living hinge as described for dispenser  10 .  
     [0042] The foregoing description constitutes the preferred embodiments devised by the inventors for practicing the invention. It is apparent, however, that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change that will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Inasmuch as the foregoing description is intended to enable one skilled in the pertinent art to practice the invention, it should not be construed to be limited thereby but should be construed to include such aforementioned obvious variations and be limited only by the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.