CANISTER
The invention is directed to a canister for packaging and delivering a product such as, but not limited to, infant formula. The canister of the invention includes a container and cover. The cover includes a base and a lid with the base including an easy-open sealing material and/or a utensil for dispensing the product and docking station for holding the utensil when not in use.
The present invention relates to canisters for packaging and dispensing product such as, but not limited to, infant formula. More particularly, the invention is directed to a canister having a container and a cover wherein the cover includes a base and a lid and the base may include an easy-open sealing material and/or a utensil for dispensing the product and a docking station for receiving the utensil.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONCanisters are known in the art for packaging and dispensing of products, including powder materials such as infant formula. While the present invention is broader than the packaging and delivery of infant formula, the invention will be described in relation to infant formula with the understanding that the invention is not so limited.
Canisters for infant formula should include one or more means to indicate whether the canister has been tampered with. For example, many canisters utilize a seal between the lid and the container which, if broken, indicates that that canister may have been tampered with.
In packaging and dispensing infant formula, it is important that the infant formula be sealed in the container by a sealing material prior to opening and use. For example, foil materials have been used to seal the container to retain the infant formula in the canister and also to indicate that the infant formula has not been tampered with. Such sealable materials must be (1) easy to open and prevent spillage of the infant formula when opening the canister; and (2) not subject to the foil tearing during manufacturing process or during transport to the store.
Once the infant formula canister has been opened, it is desirable that the infant formula is easily dispensed from the canister. In dispensing the infant formula, it is preferable that there is no spillage of the infant formula due to the waste of the formula and the mess that it may create. Additionally, infant formula must be dispensed in specific amounts for mixing with water in a bottle for the feeding of a baby.
In dispensing infant formula, it is known to use a utensil having a handle and a scoop to dispense an appropriate amount of the infant formula. It is also known to include and store such utensils in the infant formula canister. For example, some utensils are stored in the infant formula requiring the user to place their hand in the infant formula to remove the utensil, thereby possibly contaminating the infant formula and getting formula on the hands of the user. To alleviate this problem, it has been proposed to store the utensil in the lid of the canister. However, many of these utensils and their storage means have shortcomings such as (1) the utensils are limited in size and shape due to the storage means in the canister; (2) the utensils are difficult to remove after opening the canister; (3) the utensils are difficult to store after the canister has been opened; and (4) the utensils are difficult to remove from the storage structure.
Additionally, once the infant formula has been dispensed, it is desirable to store the utensil in the canister. As noted above, it is known to store utensils in the lid of the canister. However, such storage mechanisms, often including a bracket, may be difficult to manufacture and/or use by the consumer. For example, some utensils are stored in the lid of the canister by brackets making it difficult to place the utensil in the lid or remove the utensil from the lid, sometimes causing the canister to tip and spill formula.
It is also desirable that the infant formula canister not be constructed in such a manner as to allow the infant formula to become trapped in a gasket used to seal the container portion of the canister with the cover portion of the canister. This causes difficulty in closing the canister and spillage of the infant formula.
With known canisters, the utensil is limited in its length due to the size of the container lid in which it is stored. This may require a user to place their hand into the container body when removing infant formula. In some instances, the infant formula will come in contact with the user's hand thereby possibly contaminating the infant formula and making dispensing difficult and messy.
Known canisters also may not withstand substantial pressure. For example, when pressure is applied to the top of certain known canisters, the canisters may fail, including causing the foil material to burst or tear; causing the cover to separate from the base of the canister or the like. Additionally, when canisters are transported at different elevations, there is the possibility that an increase in pressure may cause the canister to fail, including bursting of the canister or failure of the foil material sealed to the container rim.
Although known canisters have been provided to package and dispense infant formula, there are disadvantages to the canisters on the market, some of which have been noted above. Accordingly, there is a need in the market for an improved canister for packaging and dispensing infant formula or other material which, among other things, is simple in construction, easy to manufacture, easy to use, allows for easy opening of the packaged material, provides for ease of dispensing of the material and provides for the simple and efficient storage of a utensil when the canister is not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a canister comprising a container and a cover attached to the container. The cover includes a base and a lid. The base further includes a docking station for removably holding a utensil. The docking station may include different configurations. One configuration may include a member extending from an edge on the base and having a storage structure for holding the utensil.
The present invention is further directed to a canister comprising a container and a cover attached to the container. The cover includes a base and a lid. The base may further include a docking station for removably holding a utensil. The base of the cover further includes an opening for dispensing a material in the container when the lid is in the open position. The base of the cover initially includes a sealable material to enclose the material in the canister. The sealable material may be removed by a removable closure mechanism which may comprise a ring tab. The ring tab includes a finger member and may have teeth at the end thereof for initially cutting into the sealing material to open the sealing material. Around the periphery of the base are perforations for the ring tab to follow when removing the sealable material.
The present invention is further directed to a canister comprising a container and a cover; the cover including a base and a lid; and the base further including a docking station for removably holding a utensil. The base further includes a utensil initially connected to the base by frangible members. When the canister is to be used, the lid is opened and the utensil may be removed from the base by breaking the frangible connections. The utensil may then be used to dispense material from the canister. When the utensil is not in use, it may be stored in the docking station.
The present invention is further directed to a canister comprising a container and a cover attached to the container, wherein the cover includes a base and a lid. The base further includes an opening for dispensing a material in the container when the lid is in the open position. The base of the cover initially includes a sealable material to enclose the material in the canister. The sealable material may be first attached to the underside of the base. The cover may then be attached to the canister container by induction sealing. The container may include reinforcing ribs and grooves at the rim of the container to add rigidity and strength to the container during the manufacturing process and to the finished container.
The canister is constructed and arranged to withstand substantial pressure during the manufacturing process, e.g. at least 40 psi. The completed canister will also withstand substantial vacuum pressure providing for a more durable canister, including during transport.
The present invention is further directed to a canister comprising a container and a cover attached to the container, wherein the cover includes a base and a lid. The base further includes a docking station for removably holding a utensil, and the container includes a gripping means for gripping the container.
These and other embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and from the accompanying drawings.
The following detailed description of specific non-limiting embodiments of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structures are indicated with like reference numbers.
Preferred embodiments of the canister invention are illustrated in
The canister of the invention as illustrated, for example, in
We will hereafter describe the primary aspects of the canister invention and then illustrate the operation of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Specifically, referring to
The container 22 includes a front 50, back 52, sides 54 and 56, bottom 58 and rim 60. Rim 60 includes a shoulder portion 62. Referring to
The cover 24 includes base 26 and lid 28, preferably made of the same material and molded as a single unit by, for example, injection molding. Base 26 and lid 28 are joined by a hinge 38. Hinge 38 is preferably a living hinge having two members 38a and 38b, although a single member or multiple members may be used. It is further understood that other hinge mechanisms as known to those skilled in the art may be used without departing from the scope of the invention, e.g. pin and socket hinges.
Referring to
Base 26 further includes a docking station 36. Referring to
Referring to
While the preferred embodiment discloses and uses a single ring tab 30, an alternate embodiment of the invention may use two ring tab members 30. For example, a first ring tab 30 may be adjacent to a second ring tab member 30, whereby the first ring tab is pulled to the left and the second ring tab'is pulled to the right. This may allow for greater ease in opening the container. Additionally, a single ring tab may be used which may be constructed and arranged so that when pulled up the perforation will break in both directions and meet at the opposite side to remove the ring tab and foil.
The base 26 further includes a utensil 34. Utensil 34 includes a handle portion 140 and scoop portion 142. Referring to
Lid 28 includes a vertical outer wall 150 with a ledge 152 and an inner vertical wall 154. Wall 154 extends inwardly and upwardly to a juncture 156 providing at the top of the lid a generally flat rectangular track 158 having adjacent thereto slightly recessed portions 160. The recessed portions 160 extend upwardly meeting at an oval track 162 which extends upwardly to provide an oval ridge 164. The oval ridge 164 provides for an aesthetically pleasing appearance. It is also sized to mate with bottom 58 for stacking one or more of the canisters 20, wherein oval ridge 164 mates with recess 70 and the outer edge of track 158 mates with the inner edge of base 64. However, shapes other than oval may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.
The inner portion of lid 28 includes a groove 158 formed by walls 150 and 154 and ledge 152. As seen in
Latch 40 includes a downwardly extending member 160 from lid 28 having an aperture 162. Latch 160 engages member 164 of the base 26 which includes a recessed area 166 in the wall 80 and adjacent shoulder portions 168. Recessed area 166 in wall 80 provides for a substantially smooth surface and a pleasing appearance.
Canister 20 may include multiple means for determining whether the canister has been tampered with. For example, as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Alternative embodiments of the docking station are shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring again to
The present invention further provides a canister which can withstand substantial pressure during the manufacture process, and it is believed greater than the known infant formula canisters. Specifically, when attaching the cover 24 to the container 722 as referenced above with respect to the canister of
Additionally, the canister shown in
As stated above, the container 22 and cover 24 are made by separate manufacturing processes. In a preferred embodiment the container is made of polyethylene and the cover is made of polypropylene. The container and cover are usually opaque and may be different colors, e.g. the container white and the cover blue. In a preferred embodiment, the cover and utensil, which are made in the same process, are the same color and opaque. However, it has been found useful to make the cover opaque and the utensil transparent. This allows the caregiver to see the amount of infant formula in the scoop portion of the utensil.
OperationIn operation, the canister is used as follows. First, tamper resistant seal 170 is either removed or broken. Then latch 40 is opened as shown in
The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, various modifications can be made within the scope of the aforesaid description. Such modifications being within the ability of one skilled in the art form a part of the present invention and are embraced by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A canister comprising wherein said base of said cover includes a docking station for removably holding a utensil.
- a container,
- a cover attached to said container and comprising a base and a lid, said base includes an opening for access to said container, a sealable material removably attached to said base and a means for removing said sealable material comprising a ring tab mechanism, and
2. The canister of claim 1 wherein the docking station comprises a horizontal member extending from an edge of said base and includes a storage structure for removably holding said utensil.
3. The canister of claim 2 wherein said canister is substantially rectangular and said horizontal member extends from a side of said base and is substantially triangular in shape.
4. The canister of claim 3 wherein said storage structure comprises at least one of: an inverted U-shaped member having a slot therein for receiving said utensil; a protruding member constructed and arranged to mate with said utensil; a raised annular member having an aperture therein constructed and arranged for receiving said utensil; or an aperture constructed and arranged for receiving said utensil.
5. The canister of claim 1 wherein said ring tab mechanism comprises a ring tab, a finger member and a plurality of perforations around the periphery of said base for removal of said sealable material.
6. The canister of claim 5 wherein said ring tab mechanism further includes one or more teeth members for initially opening said sealable material.
7. The canister of claim 1 wherein said base further includes a utensil attached to said base by one or more frangible members, wherein said utensil may be removed from said base by severing said one or more said frangible members.
8. The canister of claim 7 wherein said utensil includes a handle and a scoop and the length of said utensil is greater than the depth of said container.
9. The canister of claim 1 wherein said container includes two gripping means for gripping said container.
10. The canister of claim 9 wherein each of said gripping means comprises a first recess for gripping said canister in a first position and a second smaller recess for gripping said canister in a second position.
11. The canister of claim 1 wherein the bottom of said container and the top of said cover are constructed and arranged to allow the stacking of multiple canisters.
12. The canister of claim 1 wherein said canister includes a recessed portion and an EAS device secured therein.
13. The canister if claim 12 wherein said canister further includes a label adhered to said canister and covering said recessed portion and said EAS device, and wherein said label does not include any adhering material adjacent to said recessed portion and said EAS device.
14. The canister of claim 1 wherein said container and cover are attached to each other by means of induction sealing.
15. The canister of claim 14 wherein said container comprises front, back, and side walls having an upper portion, wherein said upper portion includes ribs in said front and back walls and grooves in said side walls, wherein said ribs and grooves provide rigidity and strength to said canister.
16. The canister of claim 14 wherein said cover is attached to said base by applying pressure to said cover in excess of 40 lbs. per square inch.
17. The canister of claim 1 wherein the container includes front, back and side walls and said utensil includes a scoop member, and wherein at least one of said front wall and said side wall and said back wall and said side wall is sized to complement the size of said scoop member.
18. A canister comprising
- a container,
- a cover attached to said container comprising a base and a lid,
- said base of said cover comprising an opening for access to the interior of said container, a sealable material removably attached to said base and a ring tab mechanism for removing said sealable material,
- said ring tab mechanism comprising a ring tab, a finger member and a plurality of perforations around the periphery of said base for removal of said sealable material, and
- said base further includes a utensil attached to said base by one or more frangible members, wherein said utensil may be removed from said base by severing said one or more frangible members.
19. The canister of claim 18 wherein said ring tab mechanism further includes one or more teeth members for initially opening said sealable material.
20. The canister of claim 18 further comprising a docking station for removably holding a utensil.
21-56. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 21, 2012
Publication Date: Apr 10, 2014
Inventors: James W. McGrath (Daytona Beach, FL), George M. Salg (Enosburg Falls, VT)
Application Number: 14/122,100
International Classification: B65D 51/24 (20060101);