PRODUCT DISPENSERS
A pull tab assembly is described for product dispensers such that one or more pull tabs are disposed on a dispenser. An alternative teaches opposing pull tab assemblies placed on either end of a product dispenser. A slanted edge associated with the pull tab facilitates the opening of the dispenser. Another embodiment teaches acute angle dispensing devices and alternatively having a flap about the acute angle dispensing devices.
This application claims priority to U.S. Design Application No. 29/733,683 which was filed May 5, 2020 as a continuation in part application of then co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/633,862, filed Jan. 16, 2018 and now abandoned, and is further a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/828,370, filed Nov. 30, 2017, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 10,759,579, and also as a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/721,418, filed Jan. 21, 2020 which is presently pending, the entireties of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to product dispensers; more particularly, the present invention relates to various novelties facilitating the opening of the aforementioned product dispensers for easy expulsion of the contents therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFoil type product dispensers have been available for many decades serving ketchup, mustard and similar products. Additionally, these devices have also been used to dispense other types of liquids such as soaps, conditioners, perfume and other such substances.
Typically two mirror leaves of foil material are brought together and heat sealed or glued near the perimeter thereof along the various sides of the leaves of material. A suitable pre-perforation, or weaker material is made at or near a junction point between two sides of the product dispenser so as to permit easy cutting of this junction point away from the rest of the device. Thus, a user cuts along this portion removing a piece of material of the junction zone and proceeds to dispense the material therefrom.
However, there are problems with this approach in that the current system is very messy leaving product material on the external surface of the dispenser. Also, the cutting of the junction is many times not easily performed.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a product dispenser that more readily maintains a clean surface of the product dispenser and permits the simple and easy opening of the dispenser.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with some embodiments of the inventive disclosure, there is provided a dispenser including a dispenser body having a top planar member having peripheral edges around a perimeter of the top planar member, and a bottom planar member having peripheral edges around a perimeter of the bottom planar member. The bottom planar member is joined to the top planar member around the peripheral edges, and an inner space is defined between the top planar member and the bottom planar member. The dispenser further includes a content disposed in the inner space. The dispenser further includes a flap at an end of the dispenser body on an outside of the top planar member. The flap has a at least three sides, and one of the at least three sides is integrally attached to the top planar member, and each of the other sides are attached by adhesive to the top planar member.
In accordance with a further feature, the top planar member and the bottom planar member both include foil.
In accordance with a further feature, the top planar member and the bottom planar member are joined using heat treatment.
In accordance with a further feature, the top planar member and the bottom planar member are joined using adhesive.
In accordance with a further feature, the dispenser is one of a plurality of dispensers formed along a top planar member strip and a bottom planar member strip.
In accordance with a further feature, each one of the plurality of dispensers is formed so that the end of each dispenser having the flap is adjacent to an end of a subsequent dispenser that does not have a flap.
In accordance with a further feature, the flap on the top planar member is joined to the top planar member at other sides of the flap using a weaker adhesive or heat treatment than other portions of the dispenser which configures the flap to open when pressure is applied to the dispenser.
In accordance with a further feature, a portion of the top planar member under the flap is partially perforated to form dispensing holes through which the content of the dispenser can be expelled.
In accordance with some embodiments of the inventive disclosure, there is provided a dispenser having a dispenser body including a first planar member having a perimeter and a second planar member having a perimeter corresponding to, and joined to the perimeter of the first planar member. An inner space is defined between the first planar member and the second planar member. The dispenser further includes a flap formed at an end of the dispenser body on an outside of the first planar member. The flap is attached by adhesive to the first planar member, and lifting the flap allows a content in the inner space to leave the dispenser upon application of pressure to the dispenser.
In accordance with a further feature, the first planar member and the second planar member are made of foil.
In accordance with a further feature, the first planar member and the second planar member are joined using heat treatment.
In accordance with a further feature, the first planar member and the second planar member are joined using adhesive.
In accordance with a further feature, the dispenser is one of a plurality of dispensers formed along a first planar member strip and a second planar member strip.
In accordance with a further feature, each one of the plurality of dispensers is formed so that the end of each dispenser having the flap is adjacent to an end of a subsequent dispenser that does not have a flap.
In accordance with a further feature, the flap on the first planar member is joined to the first planar member using a weaker adhesive or heat treatment than other portions of the dispenser which configures the flap to open when pressure is applied to the dispenser.
In accordance with a further feature, a portion of the first planar member under the flap is partially perforated to form dispensing holes through which the content of the dispenser can be expelled.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a product dispenser, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. The figures of the drawings are not drawn to scale.
Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term “providing” is defined herein in its broadest sense, e.g., bringing/coming into physical existence, making available, and/or supplying to someone or something, in whole or in multiple parts at once or over a period of time.
“In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, azimuth or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “inside”, “outside”, “front”, “back”, “head”, “tail” and so on, are azimuth or positional relationships based on the drawings, which are only to facilitate description of the embodiments of the present invention and simplify the description, but not to indicate or imply that the devices or components must have a specific azimuth, or be constructed or operated in the specific azimuth, which thus cannot be understood as a limitation to the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, terms such as “first”, “second”, “third” and so on are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as “installed”, “coupled”, “connected” should be broadly interpreted, for example, it may be fixedly connected, or may be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it may be mechanically connected, or may be electrically connected; it may be directly connected, or may be indirectly connected via an intermediate medium. As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” apply to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above-mentioned terms in the embodiments of the present invention according to the specific circumstances.
The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in each figure.
Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
Thus, a first longitudinal side 6A has a first endpoint connected to an endpoint of a first transverse side 6B and the second endpoint of the first longitudinal side 6A is connected to an endpoint of the second transverse side 6B. Similarly, the second longitudinal side 6A has a third endpoint connected to another endpoint of a first transverse side 6B and the fourth endpoint of the second longitudinal side 6A is connected to the other endpoint of the second transverse side 6B. Finally, at either end of the product dispenser 6 is an easy pull tab 7 mechanism for the easy opening of the dispenser as more fully shown in
The second planar member 8 is integrally formed about a portion of the first planar member 9 and extends half way along its length; thus, allowing for the placement of a corresponding pull tab 7 on a preceding or succeeding dispenser 6 in a roll 5. Midway along the total transverse width of dispenser 6 is a perpendicular edge portion 8C integrally formed and rising above the first piece of material 9 ending at a point that presents another edge portion 8B directed laterally and parallel to the top edge 9B and to the transverse side 6B.
This edge portion 8B ends and integrally forms with an extension portion 8A that also integrally forms with the junction between an end of the transverse side 6B, the longitudinal side 6A and the slant edge 9A. Because of this shape the pull tab assembly or mechanism generally formed at 7 has a tab generally formed as the second planar member 8. A user grasps this mechanism and cuts it horizontally and then down the slant edge in the picture along an edge 9A.
A variant of this system has the slant edge 9A extending all the way towards the junction between perpendicular edge portion 8C and top edge 9B instead of having a horizontal portion 9. As another alternative, there is a space between the pull tab of one sequence and the corresponding pull tab of the succeeding or preceding sequence so that there is little or no horizontal portion 9.
This forward portion two parts 15A, 15B of the dispenser 15 sits in the rear portion of the next dispenser 15 in line ahead of it. Thus, the rear portion of each dispenser 15 is shaped as an indented arrowhead having two rear parts 15E, 15F of a corresponding triangle to that of the forward portion made of two forward parts 15A, 15B. The forward parts 15A, 15B come together at an arrowhead point and each slant down meeting only one of the lateral edges 15C, 15D respectively. These lateral edges 15C, 15D proceed back down until they reach the indented arrowhead shape and integrate with the corresponding rear parts 15E, 15F such that the lateral edges 15C, 15D meet only one of the respective rear parts 15E, 15F. These two rear parts 15E, 15F slant inwards until they reach a central vertex that corresponds to the arrowhead point of a forward portion.
It should be apparent from this discussion that the forward arrowhead 15A, 15B of a current dispenser 15 is attached during manufacture to the next in line's indented arrowhead shape 15E, 15F. Similarly, the current dispenser 15 has a rear indented arrowhead shape 15E, 15F that is made for the forward arrowhead 15A, 15B of a previous dispenser 15 in the line. During manufacture the entire strip of top and bottom planar members are suitably heat treated or adhesively sealed and a cutting tool is employed to cut each dispenser as described.
The front arrowhead made of forward parts 15A, 15B also has a smaller portion thereof 16A, 16B integrally formed respectively from portions of the aforementioned. Further, along with 16A, 16B, a dotted line 16C on the body of the top and or bottom planar members thus completes a smaller triangle shape within the much large arrowhead. This is used as a location for expulsion of materials from the inner spaces of the dispenser 15. To accomplish this, the small triangular shape or tip uses weak adhesive or a small amount of heat sealing on the peripheral portions (16A, 16B) where the top and bottom planar members meet each other at this tip. Thus, when sufficient pressure is applied to the center of the packet, it would cause a puncture to the tip thereby releasing the contents. Alternatively, a user can rupture the package by cutting across the line; further, this may also be optionally partially perforated so as to facilitate the cutting thereof.
A piece of round material 171 having an integral pull strip 17J is attached to the top planar member at the end of the dispenser 17 near the top portion 17A. Under it a precut opening permits the expulsion of contents when the pull strip 18A is removed therefrom. Alternatively, the entire white flap where the “bottle cap” is could peel off in one swoop from left to right. This would make it look like the actual cap of the bottle was coming off for ketchup to neatly pour out of. In this option, the top planar member has slight partial perforations (or weaker material) along the white neck of the bottle cap at 17K so this permits the removal of the material at this point (or optionally more rising along the lateral edges of the bottle cap and near or at the top edge 17A thereof). This can be augmented by a peel strip that hangs from the top material thereby facilitating the ripping of the top material therefrom. Another option has the slight perforations (or weaker material) on the bottom planar member as well corresponding to the top portion perforations so as to permit the optional removal of the entire simulated bottle cap in the figure.
The main shape of the product dispenser 18 is rectangular having two narrow edges 18A, 18C opposite one another and each having two ends; each of these (18A, 18C) integrates at one end with longitudinal edges 18B, 18D that similarly are disposed opposite one another and have two ends. A top portion 19A integrates at a first end and second end with a single one of two narrow sides 19B, 19H. The narrow sides 19B, 19H proceed to integrate with one of two intermediate sides 19C, 19G that slope outwards broadening the with the of bottle shape. These intermediate sides 19C, 19G further integrate with one of two larger linear sides 19D, 19F that in turn integrate at one of two ends of a base 19E respectively. It should be apparent that the material of the top and bottom planar members proximal to the narrow sides 19B, 19H is sealed together to force the top and bottom planar members into a ketchup bottle shape. Thus, this forms two lateral flanges 20A, 20B on either side of these narrow sides 19B, 19H. The material can be expelled from the dispenser in a similar fashion as in
It should be understood that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A dispenser comprising:
- a dispenser body including: a top planar member having peripheral edges around a perimeter of the top planar member; a bottom planar member having peripheral edges around a perimeter of the bottom planar member, wherein the bottom planar member is joined to the top planar member around the peripheral edges, an inner space being defined between the top planar member and the bottom planar member;
- a content disposed in the inner space; and
- a flap at an end of the dispenser body on an outside of the top planar member, wherein the flap has a at least three sides, wherein one of the at least three sides is integrally attached to the top planar member and each of the other sides are attached by adhesive to the top planar member.
2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the top planar member and the bottom planar member both include foil.
3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the top planar member and the bottom planar member are joined using heat treatment.
4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the top planar member and the bottom planar member are joined using adhesive.
5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser is one of a plurality of dispensers formed along a top planar member strip and a bottom planar member strip.
6. The dispenser of claim 5, wherein each one of the plurality of dispensers is formed so that the end of each dispenser having the flap is adjacent to an end of a subsequent dispenser that does not have a flap.
7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the flap on the top planar member is joined to the top planar member at other sides of the flap using a weaker adhesive or heat treatment than other portions of the dispenser which configures the flap to open when pressure is applied to the dispenser.
8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein a portion of the top planar member under the flap is partially perforated to form dispensing holes through which the content of the dispenser can be expelled.
9. A dispenser comprising:
- a dispenser body including: a first planar member having a perimeter; a second planar member having a perimeter corresponding to, and joined to the perimeter of the first planar member, an inner space being defined between the first planar member and the second planar member; and
- a flap formed at an end of the dispenser body on an outside of the first planar member, wherein the flap is attached by adhesive to the first planar member, and wherein lifting the flap allows a content in the inner space to leave the dispenser upon application of pressure to the dispenser.
10. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein the first planar member and the second planar member are made of foil.
11. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein the first planar member and the second planar member are joined using heat treatment.
12. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein the first planar member and the second planar member are joined using adhesive.
13. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein the dispenser is one of a plurality of dispensers formed along a first planar member strip and a second planar member strip.
14. The dispenser of claim 13, wherein each one of the plurality of dispensers is formed so that the end of each dispenser having the flap is adjacent to an end of a subsequent dispenser that does not have a flap.
15. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein the flap on the first planar member is joined to the first planar member using a weaker adhesive or heat treatment than other portions of the dispenser which configures the flap to open when pressure is applied to the dispenser.
16. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein a portion of the first planar member under the flap is partially perforated to form dispensing holes through which the content of the dispenser can be expelled.
Type: Application
Filed: May 13, 2021
Publication Date: Aug 26, 2021
Inventor: Alyse Nicole Merritt (Odessa, FL)
Application Number: 17/319,803