SOFT-SIDED CONTAINER FOR FLUIDS
A soft-sided container for containing a fluid, which includes a first end, a second end and at least one elongated side wall extending between the first end and the second end. The container further includes a primary outlet for being selectively opened by a user to permit the fluid to be dispensed from the container and a secondary outlet that is selectively opened by a user to permit the fluid to be dispensed from the container.
This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 61/700,341 filed Sep. 13, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUNDSoft-sided containers for containing fluids are generally known. One example of such a container includes toothpaste tubes. Such containers, however, suffer from certain shortcomings. For example, such containers generally include a single inlet/outlet. When the contained fluid is relatively viscous, the single inlet/outlet structure necessarily results in wasted fluid left at the bottom on the container. For example, consumers are regularly frustrated when it is no longer possible to push the last remaining amount of toothpaste from the bottom of a toothpaste tube to the sole outlet at the other end of the tube. Similar frustrations occur with respect to other types of fluids contained in various soft-sided containers, including for example creams, ointments and other cosmetic products.
A second shortcoming of various soft-sided fluid containers is that they do not include a mechanism for preventing tampering prior to purchase. Accordingly, it is possible that the fluids contained in soft-sided containers could be tampered with after leaving the manufacturing facility but before purchase. For example, known toothpaste tubes lack a security mechanism to ensure that the contents of the tube have not been altered since their manufacture. Similar soft-sided containers, including containers for creams, ointments and other cosmetic products suffer from similar deficiencies
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved soft-sided container for containing fluids that addresses these shortcomings of the existing art.
SUMMARYA soft-sided container for containing a fluid, which includes a first end, a second end and at least one elongated side wall extending between the first end and the second end. The container further includes a primary outlet for being selectively opened by a user to permit the fluid to be dispensed from the container and a secondary outlet that is selectively opened by a user to permit the fluid to be dispensed from the container.
The disclosure herein provides embodiments of soft-sided containers that permit a user to extract more fluid from the container, particularly when the fluid is viscous, than in known embodiments. The disclosed embodiments can be used to contain toothpaste, creams, ointments and other cosmetics. The disclosed embodiments may also include a security mechanism to prevent the container from being opened and re-closed (without detection) between the time that the container is manufactured and the time that it is purchased by a consumer.
The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many alternative approaches or applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future examples. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.
The present embodiments have been particularly shown and described, which are merely illustrative of the best modes. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various alternatives to the embodiments described herein may be employed in practicing the claims without departing from the spirit and scope as defined in the following claims. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby. This description should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application.
All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.
Claims
1. A soft-sided container for containing a fluid, comprising:
- A first end, a second end and at least one elongated side wall extending between the first end and the second end;
- a primary outlet for being selectively opened by a user to permit the fluid to be dispensed from the container; and
- a secondary outlet that is selectively opened by a user to permit the fluid to be dispensed from the container.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 13, 2013
Publication Date: Mar 20, 2014
Applicant: Tattle Tale Protable Alarm Systems, Inc. (Westerville, OH)
Inventor: BRIAN K. HESS (Westerville, OH)
Application Number: 14/026,755
International Classification: B65D 35/02 (20060101);