Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/094,387 filed Dec. 19, 2014 which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable. 
     APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bathing a pet, and more particularly to a method using a flexible, low-resilient or non-resilient squeeze container of liquid bathing product having a gripping portion and a centered, upward-directed nozzle to dispense the liquid bathing product in an upward direction. 
     Related Art 
     Prior art devices have been used for containing liquid bathing products and dispensing liquid bathing product on a pet. Many pets are bathed when standing on their legs in unwilling compliance with the process. A pan or bath can be used to hold water for the pet to stand in, and the liquid bathing product is administered out of a container. However, the containers are either rigid, such as glass or rigid and resilient, such as high density polyethylene, and cannot be used to direct a stream of liquid bathing product upward to dispense directly on the pet&#39;s underside and hard to reach places when the pet is standing. Because the containers are often resilient, after an initial squeeze to start a short shampoo stream, the squeeze is relaxed and air is sucked into the container as it returns to its original, un-squeezed shape. In the upright position, the headspace inside the container has air, with the liquid shampoo below it. With the container opening pointing up, the next squeeze pushes out the air, but little shampoo. So to dispense the shampoo, the container is up-ended, the shampoo moves downward to the container opening, and shampoo is applied downward onto the pet&#39;s back or neck. The shampoo must then be worked downward and under the pet&#39;s underside, which is often the dirtiest part of the pet&#39;s body. 
     Pouches have been disclosed in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,005, U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,840, U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,375, U.S. Pat. No. 7,793,618, U.S. 2004/0264816, U.S. 2009/0008103, and U.S. 2009/0208630 all disclose pouches, many modified to provide a spraying effect. None of these pouches, however, provide the present invention&#39;s method of dispensing liquid bathing product upward on a pet&#39;s underside or hard to reach places, nor do they provide the gripping portion that improves the dispensing of liquid bathing product. 
     Pouches modified to direct the stream of liquid include U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,587, U.S. Pat. No. 8,061,563, U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,544, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,646. U.S. D527,274 is a patent disclosing a soft squeezable animal shampoo dispenser. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,601 discloses a specially designed dog bath system using water from a hand held flexible shower head. U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,943 discloses a pedestal stand dog bath that uses water from a hand held flexible shower head. U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,188 discloses fully enclosed pet bathing apparatus using spray water nozzles. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,840, U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,553 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,555,819 disclose a brush for shampooing a dog that has a soap chamber and is connected to a pressured water source to dispense water and shampoo on a dog. 
     None of the above cited references disclose the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a pouch for liquid bathing products suitable for directing liquid bathing product upward, where the pouch is made of flexible and non-resilient or low-resilience materials. The pouch has bilateral symmetry, has a shoulder, a base, a two sides, with a gripping portion, and a nozzle approximately centered on the shoulder to dispense liquid bathing product. The base is sufficiently flat to rest on a flat surface and allow the pouch to stand up-right and the nozzle is perpendicular to the base. 
     The pouch with liquid bathing product of the present invention is used in a method of the present invention to bath a pet by standing the pet on its legs with its underside (belly) down, holding the container in an upright position under the pet and squeezing to dispense the liquid bathing product upward toward or near the pet&#39;s underside, thereby wetting the underside with the liquid bathing product. The container can also be angled sideways or downward as well to dispense liquid bathing product on the sides, rear, and back of the pet. 
     The pouch with liquid bathing product of the present invention is further used in a method of the present invention to dispense shampoo or other bathing products on a patient&#39;s head who, because of injury, disability, impairment which limits the motion of arms and/or shoulders, or surgery cannot lift her arms above her head to dispense shampoo or other liquid products, on top of her head. The shampoo is dispensed upward by squeezing the pouch, directing the shampoo upward toward the top of the head, where the patient can work the shampoo into the hair and then rinse it without lifting her hands above her head. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the pouch of the present invention equipped with a fitment, from an upper, front, right-side vantage; 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed perspective view of the fitment illustrated in  FIG. 1  from an upper, front, right-side vantage; 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the fitment illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a fitment with a hinged flip-cap closure; 
         FIG. 5  is an embodiment of the present invention as a front elevational view of a pouch equipped with a twist off top; 
         FIG. 6  is an embodiment of the present invention as a front elevational view of the pouch being squeezed by a hand and the liquid being dispensed upward; 
         FIG. 7  is a front elevational view of a pouch with a die cut nozzle; 
         FIG. 8  is an embodiment of a front elevational of the pouch of  FIG. 6  being used to dispense liquid bathing product onto the belly of a dog; and 
         FIG. 9  is an embodiment of a front elevational of the pouch of  FIG. 6  being used to dispense liquid bathing product onto the hair of a person. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
     The present invention comprises a pouch  20  for containing liquid bathing products which is made from a flexible, heat-sealable, polymeric sheet or from a flexible, paperboard or metal foil sheet having a heat-sealable, polymeric lining. The pouch has two opposed, flexible sides  22  sealed to one another so as to define an interior region  24 , which is adapted to contain liquid bathing products. The pouch has an opening  26  which opens to the interior region. The opening may be adapted to receive a fitment  10 , which optionally may incorporate a dispensing valve, a removable cover, or other similar or dissimilar features and which is molded from a polymeric material that can be heat-sealed to the flexible sides of the pouch. Alternatively, the opening may be a die cut nozzle without a fitment as is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The term bathing products includes liquid shampoos, conditioners, detergents, soaps, cleansers, rinses, body washes, moisturizers, scrubs, etc. 
     An example of a suitable fitment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,307, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention is not limited to this fitment, which is disclosed as an example of a suitable fitment. Any of a number of fitments are suitable for the present invention, and include a screw-off cap, a twist-off cap, a snap-off cap and a cap with a hinged snap-on cover. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 , fitment  10  is sealed to pouch  20  for containing liquid bathing product. The pouch  20  is made to have two opposed, flexible sides  22 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The sides  22  have a seal  23  to define an interior region  24 , as shown in the cut-away in  FIG. 1 , and so as to define an opening  26 , which opens to the interior region  24  and which is adapted to receive the fitment  10  when the fitment  10  is sealed to the pouch  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the fitment  10  is molded from a polymeric material, high density polyethylene (HDPE) being preferred, which is suitable to be sealed to the sides  22  of the pouch  20  by ultrasonic bonding, which is preferred, adhesively, or otherwise. The fitment  10  is molded so as to have a cup-like body  30  opening downwardly and having two opposite, side wall portions  32 , as indicated in  FIG. 3 , and an inner end  34  and an outer end  44 , as indicated in  FIG. 3 . The inner end  34 , which has an outer periphery  36 , faces the interior region  24  of the pouch  20  when the fitment  10  is sealed to the pouch  20 . The outer end  44  has an outer periphery  46 . The outer periphery  36  of the inner end  34  of the fitment  10  defines a reference plane PR. 
     As viewed from either of the inner and outer ends  34 ,  44 , the body  30  of the fitment  10  has a boat-shaped periphery defining two opposite edges  80  and defining the opposite, side wall portions  32 . See  FIG. 2 . Moreover, as molded, the fitment has a fin  82  projecting from each of the opposite edges  80 . When the pouch  20  is sealed to the fitment  10 , the flexible sides  22  and the fins  82  tend to fuse together. Furthermore, the fitment  10  has a unitary, tubular spout  90  projecting upwardly from the outer end  44  of the body  30  and defining a passage  92  which extends through the spout  90  and which opens into the pouch  20  when the pouch  20  is sealed to the fitment  10 .  FIG. 4  shows a hinged snap-cap fitment  120  suitable for the pouch  20 . 
     In an embodiment of the invention, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the pouch  20  has a twist-off fitment  110 . The pouch is designed for gripping with one hand while being used. To facilitate the gripping, particularly if the hand is wet or soapy, a gripping portion GP of the pouch is created. The gripping portion is created by an upper protrusion  4 , a middle indentation  6 , and a lower protrusion  8 . The fitment  110  is located approximately in the middle of the pouch shoulder  2  and is directed upward. The pouch has a base  14  which is sufficiently flat to rest on a flat surface and hold the pouch upright when stored. The fitment  110  is approximately perpendicular to the base  14  when the pouch is store upright. In a preferred embodiment, the pouch shoulder  2  is narrow relative to the dimensions of the rest of the pouch. The upper protrusion  4  and the lower protrusion  8  are approximately the same width, but spaced apart by the middle indentation  6 , which is spaced approximately ⅓ to ½ of the distance from the shoulder  2  to the base  14 . The gripping portion is about mid-way between the shoulder and the base. 
     The angles created by the protrusions are oblique, creating a gripping portion that is readily accessible. The upper protrusion and the lower protrusion are spaced apart to facilitate gripping. The gripping portion is preferably from about 3 to 5 inches long. In a preferred embodiment, the length from the shoulder to the upper protrusion is about equal to the length from the lower protrusion to the base. In another preferred embodiment, the length of the gripping portion is about twice the length from the shoulder to the upper protrusion. In another preferred embodiment, the height of the pouch, from the top of the fitment to the base is from about 7 to 9 inches, the width from side to side is from 3 to 5 inches, and the depth from front to back is from about 1 to 3 inches. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the gripping portion allows the gripping hand to securely hold and squeeze the pouch  20 , directing the liquid bath product upward. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the pouch  20  has a die cut nozzle  12  in place of a fitment. 
     Illustrating the method of bathing a pet,  FIG. 8  shows the use of the pouch of the present invention being squeezed upward to dispense upward the liquid bathing product  100  directly onto the underside of a standing pet. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pouch is designed to hold from about 6 to 20 ounces of shampoo. In a more preferred embodiment, the pouch is designed to hold from about 10 to 14 ounces of shampoo. In a more preferred embodiment, the pouch is a single-use pouch, designed to be entirely used up in one bath. In another preferred embodiment, the shampoo is diluted with water so that little mixing with water is required when the shampoo is dispensed onto the pet. Preferably the shampoo is present from about 10:1 to 1:10 wt. % shampoo to water dilution. The diluted shampoo more readily lathers and requires less working into the pet&#39;s fur than is concentrated shampoo which is more viscous. A further advantage of dispensing diluted shampoo is that there are no spots of concentrated shampoo in the fur that requires extra rinsing after the animal has been bathed. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , in another embodiment of the invention, the pouch  20  is used to dispense liquid bath product, such as shampoo, upward to the hair and head. When a patient has had shoulder surgery or open-heart surgery, she is instructed to not raise her hands above her head for as long as three to five months. With the typical shampoo container, she cannot apply shampoo to the top of her head and hair while standing or sitting upright without raising her hands above her head. With pouch of the present invention, when the pouch is squeezed with one hand, the shampoo is directed upward toward the top of the head, allowing the patient to shampoo her hair. Other products, such as rinses or conditioners can be applied in a similar manner. 
     The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to persons who are skilled in the art. As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, as described above with reference to the corresponding illustrations, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Technology Category: 1