Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/988,934, filed on May 6, 2014, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    I. Field of the Invention. 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates generally to dip tubes for pump dispensers, and more specifically to a lotion container dip tube for removing any remaining product after the pump has exhausted its product dispensing capabilities. 
         [0004]    II. Description of the Prior Art. 
         [0005]    It is well known to obtain lotion, e.g. soap, skin lotion, shampoo, conditioner, cosmetic agents, cleaning agents, etc., from a container and/or bottle by hand squeezing the bottle/container. There also exists a variety of packages that utilize pump dispensers for the evacuation of such liquid/lotion contents within the packages. The pump dispenser is usually sealingly fitted to the mouth of the package, e.g. by a screw-on or snap-on cap. With each press of the pump head, a certain amount of the contents is pumped up. 
         [0006]    Whether the contents of the container are squeezed out of the container by hand, or pumped out via a dispenser, there inevitably remains a certain amount of product that is not removed from the container and therefor wasted. 
         [0007]    In an attempt to address this issue of wasted product, there have been a plethora of container, pump and dip tube designs and redesigns. Such concepts include, for example, modifying the shape of the bottom of the container such that the product better migrates to the dip tube opening; redesigning the pump mechanism such that it provides a greater amount of suction; and weighing down the end of the dip tube by a variety of methods such that the tube may better reach all of the contents of the container. For various reasons, including but not limited to functionality and cost, such prior art designs have not been able to adequately address the issue of wasted product. Accordingly, there exists a need for a new and improved device for retrieving the remaining product. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is a general object of this disclosure to provide a cost effective and easy to use device for retrieving the remaining product left in a pump dispensing container. 
         [0009]    It is another general object of the present disclosure to provide an apparatus for removing the remaining product left in a pump dispensing container that does not interfere with the regular suction process of the pump. 
         [0010]    It is more specific object of the present disclosure to provide a device for removing the remaining product left in a pump dispensing container that can be used with any shape container. 
         [0011]    It is another more specific object of the present disclosure to provide a device for removing the remaining product left in a pump dispensing container that can be used with any pump mechanism. 
         [0012]    These and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a dip tube for use with a pump dispenser having a tube portion with one end coupled to the pump mechanism, a longitudinal body and a distal end, the distal end having an extension portion having a generally flat top surface for removing residual product from the container. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The present disclosure will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views and in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is an elevational side view of a full lotion container and prior art dip tube. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is an elevational side view of a pump exhausted lotion container and dip tube of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a side view of lotion container dip tube according to the principles of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is an elevational side view of a full lotion container and the dip tube of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is an elevational side view of a pump exhausted lotion container and dip tube of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a top cross-sectional view of the pump exhausted lotion container and dip tube taken along lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the lotion container dip tube of  FIG. 3  with product thereon. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is top view of the container and dip tube of  FIG. 6  with a portion of product removed. 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the container and dip tube of  FIG. 6  with all of the product removed. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged elevated side view of the extension portion of the dip tube according to the principles of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    One or more embodiments of the subject disclosure will now be described with the aid of numerous drawings. Unless otherwise indicated, use of the term “container” will be understood to include a bottle and any other type of package for holding product. Similarly, use of the term “product” will be understood to include, but not be limited to, lotions and the like. 
         [0026]    In any event, turning now to the Figures, and in particular  FIG. 1 , a container  10  is shown having a full amount of lotion  12  and minimal empty space  14 . The prior art pump mechanism  16  includes a pump head  18 , cap  20 , and a dip tube  22  with a distal end  24 . During use, the pump head  18  is depressed and lotion enters the distal end  24 , travels through the tube  22  and exits the mouth  26  of the pump head  18 . As  FIG. 2  illustrates, when the pump mechanism is no longer able to suction the product up the dip tube, it has lost is functionality and there inevitably remains product residue  28  within the container  10 . This is due to the fact that the distal end  24  of the prior art dip tube  22  cannot reach the remaining product and accordingly there is no longer the necessary suction for the pump mechanism  16  to effectively operate. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is illustrative of the pump mechanism according to the principles of the present disclosure. Specifically, while it includes pump head  18 , cap  20  and dip tube  22 , it further includes an extension  30  portion extending from the distal end  24 . The extension  30  has a generally flat top surface  32  and may also include a flange  34 . The extension is preferably made of the same material as the dip tube  22  and when outside of a container is angled  36  from the longitudinal axis  38  of the dip tube  22 . When the dip tube  22  is inserted into a container, the extension  30  bends and lays flat along the bottom of the container. 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 4 , a container  10  is shown having a full amount of lotion  12  and a minimal empty space  14 . The pump mechanism includes a pump head  18 , cap  20  and a dip tube  22  with a distal end  24  and an extension  30  lying on the bottom  40  of the container  10 . During use, the pump head  18  is depressed and lotion enters the distal end  24 , travels up the dip tube  22  and exits the mouth  26  of the pump head  18 . The extension  30  does not interfere with this process. As  FIG. 5  illustrates, when the pump mechanism is no longer able to suction the product up the dip tube, it has lost its functionality and there inevitably remains product residue within the container  10 . 
         [0029]    The remaining product can be best seen via the cross-sectional top view of  FIG. 6 . In particular, the remaining product  28  is shown on the bottom of the container  10 , together with the distal end  24  of the dip tube and the extension  30  including top flat surface  32  and flanges  34 . In order to obtain the remaining product, the user unscrews the cap from the bottle, rotates  42  the mechanism, and removes the tube from the container.  FIG. 7  shows the removed tube of  FIG. 3  with an amount of remaining product  28  from the container on the flat surface  32  thereof. The product can then be used and the tube reinserted into the container.  FIG. 8  is illustrative of a clockwise rotation of the dip tube in order to acquire some of the remaining product. The extension clears the product and the bottom  40  of the container  10  is revealed. The user continues to rotate, remove the tube and use the product thereon until all of the remaining residual product has been cleared from the container and the bottom  40  of the container  10  is clear as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0030]    The enlarged side view of  FIG. 10  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the extension. In particular, while the extension  30  includes the flat top surface  32  and optional flange(s)  34 , it may further include side wall  44  on one or both sides of the flat top surface  32 . This side wall aids in keeping the residual product  28  on the extension during rotation  42  as described above. 
         [0031]    The extension is able to reach every corner and all sides of the bottom on the bottle easily. Unlike the prior art dip tube that can&#39;t reach once the pump top is unscrewed and removed from the bottle enough to try to see where the remaining product is located. The dip tube extension is preferably all one piece and preferably cut from existing dip tube material. However, the extension may also be attached to an existing dip tube via band  46  or other attachment mechanism. In any event, the extension while more flexible is still sturdy enough to function effectively as a scoop. 
         [0032]    The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom. Accordingly, while one or more particular embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention if its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Technology Category: b