Patents by Inventor Nicholas Robert Bull

Nicholas Robert Bull has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11964804
    Abstract: A container for dispensing a liquid can include a body and a seal. The body can include a plurality of walls that define an interior storage volume, an outlet through a first wall of the body for dispensing the liquid, and a vent opening. The seal can cover the vent opening. The seal can include an adhesive to removably couple the seal to the body of the container. The vent opening can include a plurality of openings, and the seal can cover all of the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventor: Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Patent number: 11897659
    Abstract: A container assembly includes a container having a neck, a cap removably coupled to the neck, and a spout disposed in the neck. The cap includes an upper cap portion and a skirt configured to be received on a rim of the neck. The skirt includes a skirt sidewall and a skirt flange extending radially between a sidewall of the upper cap and the skirt sidewall. The spout includes a central duct extending through an opening of the neck and defining a pouring passage in communication with an interior of the container. The spout includes an outer sidewall extending around the central duct. The spout includes a seal ring disposed on an upper end of the outer sidewall of the spout. A bottom surface of the skirt flange is inclined downward in a direction toward the neck of the container at an angle between about 1° and about 10°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Daniel Peter Sterling, Keith Jon Colacioppo, Rainer Geberzahn, Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Patent number: 11891211
    Abstract: A container assembly includes a container having a neck defining an opening into the container and a spout disposed in the neck of the container. The spout includes an outer sidewall defining an interior of the spout. The spout includes a flange projecting radially outward from the outer sidewall. The spout includes a plurality of spout teeth extending from a bottom surface of the flange and disposed around a perimeter of the outer sidewall. The neck of the container includes a plurality of neck teeth disposed along an interior surface of the neck and coupled with the spout teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Daniel Peter Sterling, Keith Jon Colacioppo, Rainer Geberzahn, Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Patent number: 11691786
    Abstract: A cap includes an upper cap portion to enclose an opening of a bottle and hold a dosage of fluid, a lower cap portion to extend into the bottle and increase the dosage capacity of the cap, and a skirt configured to engage the exterior surface of the bottle to secure the cap to the bottle. The upper cap portion includes a top and a first sidewall having one or more sections that protrude radially away from other portions of first sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Daniel Peter Sterling, Keith Jon Colacioppo, Rainer Geberzahn, Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Patent number: 11641984
    Abstract: A commodity dispenser system includes a terminal dispenser device with a container configured to contain a commodity. The terminal dispenser device includes a user-controlled dispenser for selectively dispensing the commodity from the container. The terminal dispenser device includes a sensor and a communication device, and the sensor is configured to detect an inventory condition of the commodity within the container. The system further includes a server configured to communicate with the communication device of the terminal dispenser device, receive a communication corresponding to the inventory condition detected, and initiate an order for a replenishing shipment of the commodity to the dispenser device based, at least partly, on the communication corresponding to the inventory condition detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Elif Affan, Glenn William Kaye, Nicholas Robert Bull, Daniel Peter Sterling, Mark A. Granja
  • Publication number: 20230020831
    Abstract: A container assembly includes a container having a neck, a cap removably coupled to the neck, and a spout disposed in the neck. The cap includes an upper cap portion and a skirt configured to be received on a rim of the neck. The skirt includes a skirt sidewall and a skirt flange extending radially between a sidewall of the upper cap and the skirt sidewall. The spout includes a central duct extending through an opening of the neck and defining a pouring passage in communication with an interior of the container. The spout includes an outer sidewall extending around the central duct. The spout includes a seal ring disposed on an upper end of the outer sidewall of the spout. A bottom surface of the skirt flange is inclined downward in a direction toward the neck of the container at an angle between about 1° and about 10°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Peter STERLING, Keith Jon COLACIOPPO, Rainer GEBERZAHN, Nicholas Robert BULL
  • Patent number: 11554899
    Abstract: A cap includes an upper cap portion to enclose an opening of a bottle and hold a dosage of fluid, a lower cap portion to extend into the bottle and increase the dosage capacity of the cap, and a skirt configured to engage the exterior surface of the bottle to secure the cap to the bottle. The upper cap portion includes a top and a first sidewall having one or more sections that protrude radially away from other portions of first sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Daniel Peter Sterling, Keith Jon Colacioppo, Rainer Geberzahn, Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Publication number: 20230002114
    Abstract: A container assembly includes a container having a neck defining an opening into the container and a spout disposed in the neck of the container. The spout includes an outer sidewall defining an interior of the spout. The spout includes a flange projecting radially outward from the outer sidewall. The spout includes a plurality of spout teeth extending from a bottom surface of the flange and disposed around a perimeter of the outer sidewall. The neck of the container includes a plurality of neck teeth disposed along an interior surface of the neck and coupled with the spout teeth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Peter STERLING, Keith Jon COLACIOPPO, Rainer GEBERZAHN, Nicholas Robert BULL
  • Publication number: 20220306361
    Abstract: A container for dispensing a liquid can include a body and a seal. The body can include a plurality of walls that define an interior storage volume, an outlet through a first wall of the body for dispensing the liquid, and a vent opening. The seal can cover the vent opening. The seal can include an adhesive to removably couple the seal to the body of the container. The vent opening can include a plurality of openings, and the seal can cover all of the openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventor: Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Publication number: 20220135282
    Abstract: A cap includes an upper cap portion to enclose an opening of a bottle and hold a dosage of fluid, a lower cap portion to extend into the bottle and increase the dosage capacity of the cap, and a skirt configured to engage the exterior surface of the bottle to secure the cap to the bottle. The upper cap portion includes a top and a first sidewall having one or more sections that protrude radially away from other portions of first sidewall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel Peter Sterling, Keith Jon Colacioppo, Rainer Geberzahn, Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Publication number: 20220135281
    Abstract: A cap includes an upper cap portion to enclose an opening of a bottle and hold a dosage of fluid, a lower cap portion to extend into the bottle and increase the dosage capacity of the cap, and a skirt configured to engage the exterior surface of the bottle to secure the cap to the bottle. The upper cap portion includes a top and a first sidewall having one or more sections that protrude radially away from other portions of first sidewall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel Peter Sterling, Keith Jon Colacioppo, Rainer Geberzahn, Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Publication number: 20220007898
    Abstract: A commodity dispenser system includes a terminal dispenser device with a container configured to contain a commodity. The terminal dispenser device includes a user-controlled dispenser for selectively dispensing the commodity from the container. The terminal dispenser device includes a sensor and a communication device, and the sensor is configured to detect an inventory condition of the commodity within the container. The system further includes a server configured to communicate with the communication device of the terminal dispenser device, receive a communication corresponding to the inventory condition detected, and initiate an order for a replenishing shipment of the commodity to the dispenser device based, at least partly, on the communication corresponding to the inventory condition detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventors: Elif Affan, Glenn William Kaye, Nicholas Robert Bull, Daniel Peter Sterling, Mark A. Granja
  • Patent number: 9221575
    Abstract: An eight-sided, octagonal carton having an increased width opening and strength as compared to a four-sided, rectangular carton, and providing for improved removal of a food product stored within the carton. The octagonal carton has a top panel, a bottom panel, and an octagonal sidewall comprising a pair of longitudinal segments and a pair of transverse end segments. The end segments further comprise a pair of individual panels that can fold at an angle to provide three sides along each end segment; two angled sides and one side perpendicular to the longitudinal segments. To gain access to the interior of the carton, only one of the panels needs to be opened creating an access opening through which the food product is extracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC
    Inventor: Nicholas Robert Bull
  • Publication number: 20140042214
    Abstract: An eight-sided, octagonal carton having an increased width opening and strength as compared to a four-sided, rectangular carton, and providing for improved removal of a food product stored within the carton. The octagonal carton has a top panel, a bottom panel, and an octagonal sidewall comprising a pair of longitudinal segments and a pair of transverse end segments. The end segments further comprise a pair of individual panels that can fold at an angle to provide three sides along each end segment; two angled sides and one side perpendicular to the longitudinal segments. To gain access to the interior of the carton, only one of the panels needs to be opened creating an access opening through which the food product is extracted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC
    Inventor: Nicholas Robert Bull