Field of The Invention
[0001] This invention pertains to an improved, tamper evident container for storing and
dispensing flowable products.
Background of The Invention
[0002] Currently, granulated or powder products, such as infant formula, are packaged in
containers. Consumers or users of such containers have often found that it is difficult
to open the container and to locate and remove the scoop from the packaging upon the
first use without experiencing spillage. Once the container lid is removed or opened,
the granulated or powdered contents are often packed into parts of the interior of
the lid or top of the container, which results in spillage as the contents fall away
from the lid or top. While some of the falling powder may fall back into the interior
of the container, much of it is wasted and contaminated as it spills onto the surrounding
workspace.
[0003] Additionally, containers may not adequately seal the contents after the container
has been opened for the first time, allowing the contents to become oxidized and/or
contaminated. The design of such containers also may permit undesirable and inadvertent
discharge of the contents from various poorly sealed areas of the container.
[0004] Certain infant formula container designs are known in the art. For example,
U.S. Patent Appl. Publ. No. 2008/0173657 discloses a container and congruent scoop assembly with a removable lid for holding
powdered material. There is a need for an improved infant formula container that is
tamper evident, that allows a user to accurately measure infant formula to be dispensed,
that enables a user to open and re-open the container without contaminating the infant
formula, that allows a user access to the measuring scoop without contamination of
the contents, that minimizes pressure differentials to the container without compromising
the contents of the container and which minimizes spillage and contamination of the
contents of the container.
Summary of The Invention
[0006] The present invention provides a container according to claim 1. The container comprises
a leveling bar located at or near the top of the reservoir to allow the contents of
the scoop to be leveled so that a consistent amount is dispensed by the scoop.
[0007] The lid closes tightly against the collar to seal the can and prevent spillage of
the contents. In the closed position, the docking station is inside the can so that
any measuring device docked therein will be secure from loss or contamination.
[0008] The container may also include a tamper evident band on a portion of the lid and/or
collar to indicate if the container has been opened. It may also include a tamper
strip on one side which will indicate the amount or condition of the contents.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0009] Features illustrated in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and the relative
sizes of certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate the features. Embodiments
will be described with reference to the following figures, in which like numerals
represent like items throughout the figures.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the infant formula container 100 in an open position with a scoop 107 held in the lid 104 by a docking station 106, with the removable seal 103 over the reservoir in a closed position.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the infant formula container 100 with the lid 104 in an open position with the seal 103 over the reservoir 101 in a partially opened position.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the container 100, collar 102 and hingedly attached lid 104.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a scoop 107.
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the infant formula container 100 in which the lid 104 is open, the seal 103 has been removed, and a scoop 107 is in contact with a leveling bar 108 at the top of the reservoir 101.
Detailed Description of The Invention
[0010] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a container suitable to hold flowable
contents, such as a powdered or granular infant formula, which includes a removable
seal to seal in the contents held in the reservoir of the container, a collar attached
to the top of the container, and a lid hingedly attached to the collar. When the lid
is open the contents of the container can be dispensed from the reservoir; when closed,
the lid tightly engages the collar to seal in the contents. The underside of the lid,
which is inside the container when the lid is closed, contains a docking station and
sufficient space so that a measuring device, such as a scoop, may be stored securely
within the can to prevent loss or contamination thereof. A leveling bar for leveling
the contents removed by the scoop is located near the top of the reservoir.
[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the infant
formula container
100 in an open position. Infant formula container
100 includes a reservoir
101 configured to hold contents to be dispensed; a collar
102 affixed to a top end of the reservoir
101; the collar further comprising a removable seal
103 that seals the contents held in the reservoir
101; a lid
104, hingedly engaged with the collar
102, providing an open position wherein the contents of the container can be dispensed
from the reservoir
101 or providing a closed position wherein the lid
104 is resealed to the collar
102. The lid
104 provides space and a docking station
106 for holding and storing a scoop
107. The container further comprises a leveling bar
108 for leveling the contents removed by the scoop
107.
[0012] The reservoir
101 of the infant formula container
100 is designed to hold granulated infant powder, or the like. The body of the container
100 is constructed of a suitable metal or plastic material to be a unitary member of
approximately uniform wall thickness.
[0013] In one embodiment, the body of the container
100 is constructed from a metal material, including but not limited to tin, metal plated
tin, and aluminum. In a separate embodiment, the body of the container
100 is constructed from a suitable plastic material that is recyclable or non-recyclable.
Suitable plastics for forming the container
100 include, but are not limited to, polystyrene, polystyrene-acrylonitile, acrylonitile-butadiene-styrene,
styrene-maleic anhydride, polycarbonate, high density polyethylene, polyethylene copolymers,
polypropylene, polypropylene copolymers, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylcyclohexane,
and the like, and blends thereof.
[0014] In one embodiment, the container
100 will have a semi-transparent to transparent tamper evident strip as part of the side
wall to allow one to see into the reservoir
101 and thus to visually indicate to a potential user the quality and/or volume of the
granulated infant formula in the reservoir. Typically, containers of the invention
are constructed to accommodate infant powder weights of: 100 to 2000g; more typically
500 to 1000g; for example 900g.
[0015] In one embodiment, the container
100 has a cylindrical body, providing a circular cross-section, and the collar
102 is circular. In another example, the body has a rectangular cross-section and the
collar is likewise rectangular. In any case, the lid
104 is shaped to snugly mate with the collar
102. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that other shapes are also feasible
in the practice of this invention; the invention is not limited to the shapes described
herein.
[0016] Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a perspective view of the infant formula
container
100 with the lid
104 in an open position with the removable seal
103 in the collar
102 in a partially opened position.
[0017] In one embodiment, the lid
104 will have a tamper evident band that is wrapped around the lid
104 of the infant formula container
100. In one example of the band, there is a noticeable red strip between perforated lines
to indicate to a user where to tear the tamper evident band off, and a container opening
icon located in four places on the tamper evident band communicating to the user the
best way to open the infant formula container. The tamper evident band also adds a
level of security preventing the closure from opening during transporting, handling,
shipping, shelf stocking and consumer handling.
[0018] A removable seal
103 is attached to container
100 at the top of the reservoir
101 to vacuum seal the contents in the reservoir
101. The removable seal
103 allows for vacuum packaging of the contents in the container
100 and acts as an anti-tamper inner liner. One skilled in the art of food packaging
will be familiar with such releasably or removably attached packaging seals. Specifically,
metal processing, adhesive or heat may be used to attach a seal formed of polyvinyl
chloride, polystyrene, metal foil, plastic foil or other suitable material to form
an airtight seal. Therefore, opening of the lid
100 will not disturb the seal
103 unless the seal
103 is cut or removed by the use.
[0019] Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a side view of the container
100 having reservoir
101, collar
102, and hingedly attached lid
104. In one embodiment, the lid and collar are constructed from a suitable plastic material
that is recyclable or non-recyclable.
[0020] Suitable plastics for forming the lid and collar include, but are not limited to,
various polymers such as polystyrene, polystyrene-acrylonitile, acrylonitile-butadiene-styrene,
styrene-maleicanhydride, polycarbonate, high density polyethylene, polyethylene copolymers,
polypropylene, polypropylene copolymers, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylcyclohexane,
and the like, and blends thereof.
[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, the lid
104 is dome shaped and hingedly attached to the collar
102, in a skirt and a sleeve type arrangement that allows them to snap together. The
lid
104 and the collar
102 are connected together by a butterfly hinge and are molded as one piece. When closing
the lid
104, the the lid
104 swings into the collar
102 to form a sleeve type seal. The outer diameter of the lid
104 and the inner diameter of the collar
102 are designed to have minimum clearance for air passing and to minimize air oxidation
of the contents. On top of the collar
102, there is a sealing rim (bead), which has an interference fit with the lid
104, so that when the lid is pushed down to pass the sealing bead and the skirt, air is
forced out through the minimum space between lid
104 and the collar
102 and a tight seal is obtained.
[0022] In Figure 4, there is shown a perspective view of a scoop
107. The scoop
107 consists of a bifurcated handle attached to a scoop bowl. The scoop handle is bifurcated
where it connects to the scoop bowl to allow the scoop
107 to efficiently collect infant powder and avoid powder build-up on the handle, so
less powder spills on the preparation area.
[0023] In one embodiment, the scoop
107 is molded from a suitable plastic material, which may be blow molded, by extrusion
or injection. Suitable plastics for forming the scoop include, but are not limited
to, various polymers such as polystyrene, polystyrene-acrylonitile, acrylonitile-butadiene-styrene,
styrene-maleic anhydride, polycarbonate, high density polyethylene, polyethylene copolymers,
polypropylene, polypropylene copolymers, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylcyclohexane,
and the like, and blends thereof. In one embodiment, the scoop has a small opening
at the bottom of the bowl to allow air to exit while collecting infant powder so that
the powder will pack better in the scoop.
[0024] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the leveling bar
108.
[0025] Many of the problems of the prior art are solved by the infant formula container
of this invention, which provides previously unavailable features including improved
sealing capabilities, new ways to minimize contamination of infant formula and control
spillage of the contents, integrated dispensing scoops, and strengthened containers
that can further protect against spillage and damage to product due to adverse pressure
differentials between the sealed product container and the external environment.
[0026] The embodiments of the present invention are suitable for use in many applications
that involve manufacture, distribution, storage, sale, and use of flowable substances
such as powders, granular materials, or liquids. The configurations of the inventive
container can be modified to accommodate nearly any conceivable type of such materials,
and the shape, size, and arrangement of the features and components of the novel container
can be modified as may be required to suit a particular type or quantity of flowable
material, as well as a preferred mode of use, storage, manufacture, distribution,
and/or sales environment.
[0027] Modifications and alternative embodiments which may be necessary or desired to establish
compatibility with the wide variety of possible applications for the container of
this invention are contemplated herein. Accordingly, even though only a few embodiments
and modifications of the present invention are described and illustrated, it is to
be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and embodiments are
within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
1. A container (100) comprising:
a body having a bottom and a side wall defining a reservoir (101);
a collar (102) attached to a top end of said body;
a removable seal (103) at the top end of said body to seal the reservoir (101); and,
a lid (104) hingedly engaged with said collar (102), said lid (104) having an underside
and configured to provide space and a docking station (106) on the underside for holding
a measuring device (107) in the form of a scoop;
a leveling bar (108) at the top of the reservoir (101);
wherein said collar (102) comprises said removable seal (103) that seals the content
held in said reservoir (101);
characterized in that the side wall is a cylindrical sleeve attached at one end to the bottom and at the
other end to the collar (102).
2. The container of claim 1, wherein a semi-transparent to transparent tamper strip is
disposed on said side wall to allow a user to see into the reservoir (101) and thus
visibly indicates the volume or condition of the contents in the container (100) to
the user.
3. The container of any of claims 1-2, wherein a tamper evident band is wrapped around
the lid (104).
4. The container of any of claims 1-3, wherein the lid (104) and collar (102) are constructed
from a plastic material.
5. The container of claim 4, wherein the lid (104) and the collar (102) are connected
together by a butterfly hinge and are molded as one piece.
6. The container of any of claims 1-5, wherein the removable seal (103) is a metal or
polymer foil.
7. A container (100) of claim 1 for holding powdered or granulated infant formula.
8. A container (100) as in claim 7 further comprising a measuring device (107) designed
to fit into the docking station (106), wherein said measuring device is a scoop (107)
comprising a bowl and a handle affixed to the bowl.
1. Behälter (100), umfassend:
einen Körper, der eine Boden- und eine Seitenwand aufweist, die ein Reservoir (101)
bilden;
einen Kragen (102), der an einem oberen Ende des Körpers angebracht ist;
eine entfernbare Versiegelung (103) an dem oberen Ende des Körpers, um das Reservoir
(101) zu versiegeln; und,
einen Deckel (104), der klappbar mit dem Kragen (102) des Deckels (104) in Eingriff
steht, wobei der Deckel eine Unterseite aufweist und darauf ausgelegt ist, einen Raum
und eine Andockstation (106) an der Unterseite bereitzustellen, um eine Abmessvorrichtung
(107) in der Form eines Portionierlöffels zu halten;
eine Nivellierungsleiste (108) an der Oberseite des Reservoirs (101);
wobei der Kragen (102) die entfernbare Versiegelung (103) umfasst, die den Inhalt,
der in dem Reservoir (101) gehalten wird, versiegelt;
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
die Seitenwand eine zylindrische Hülse ist, deren eines Ende an der Bodenwand und
deren anderes Ende an dem Kragen (102) angebracht ist.
2. Behälter nach Anspruch 1, wobei ein halb-transparenter bis transparenter Originalitätsstreifen
an der Seitenwand angeordnet ist, um einem Benutzer zu ermöglichen, in das Reservoir
(101) zu sehen, und er somit die Menge oder den Zustand des Inhalts in dem Behälter
(100) dem Benutzer sichtbar anzeigt.
3. Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 2, wobei ein Originalitätsband um den Deckel
(104) gewickelt ist.
4. Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei der Deckel (104) und der Kragen (102)
aus einem Kunststoffmaterial hergestellt sind.
5. Behälter nach Anspruch 4, wobei der Deckel (104) und der Kragen (102) über ein Schmetterlingsscharnier
miteinander verbunden und einstückig gegossen sind.
6. Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, wobei es sich bei der entfernbaren Versiegelung
(103) um eine Metall- oder Polymerfolie handelt.
7. Behälter (100) nach Anspruch 1 zum Halten von pulverförmiger oder granulierter Säuglingsformel.
8. Behälter (100) nach Anspruch 7, ferner umfassend eine Abmessvorrichtung (107), die
derart konzipiert ist, dass sie in die Andockstation (106) passt, wobei die Abmessvorrichtung
ein Portionierlöffel (107) ist, umfassend einen Schaufelkopf und einen an dem Schaufelkopf
befestigten Griff.
1. Récipient (100) comprenant :
un corps ayant un fond et une paroi latérale définissant un réservoir (101) ;
un collier (102) fixé au niveau d'une extrémité supérieure dudit corps ;
un joint amovible (103) au niveau de l'extrémité supérieure dudit corps afin de sceller
le réservoir (101) ; et,
un couvercle (104) en prise articulée avec ledit collier (102), ledit couvercle (104)
ayant un côté inférieur et étant conçu pour fournir un espace et une station de réception
(106) sur le côté inférieur afin de contenir un dispositif de mesure (107) sous la
forme d'une main ;
une barre de nivellement (108) au niveau du dessus du réservoir (101) ;
dans lequel ledit collier (102) comprend ledit joint amovible (103) qui scelle le
contenu logé dans ledit réservoir (101) ;
caractérisée en ce que
la paroi latérale est un manchon cylindrique fixé au niveau d'une extrémité au fond
et au niveau de l'autre extrémité au collier (102).
2. Récipient selon la revendication 1, dans lequel une bande d'inviolabilité semi-transparente
à transparente est disposée sur ladite paroi latérale, pour permettre à un utilisateur
de voir dans le réservoir (101) et ainsi indiquer visiblement le volume ou l'état
du contenu dans le récipient (100) à l'utilisateur.
3. Récipient selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 2, dans lequel un ruban d'inviolabilité
est enroulé autour du couvercle (104).
4. Récipient selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, dans lequel le couvercle
(104) et le collier (102) sont construits à partir d'une matière plastique.
5. Récipient selon la revendication 4, dans lequel le couvercle (104) et le collier (102)
sont reliés ensemble par une articulation papillon ou sont moulés en une seule pièce.
6. Récipient selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5, dans lequel le joint amovible
(103) est un film polymère ou métallique.
7. Récipient (100) selon la revendication 1 pour contenir une préparation pour nourrissons
en poudre ou granulée.
8. Récipient (100) selon la revendication 7, comprenant en outre un dispositif de mesure
(107) conçu pour être inséré dans la station de réception (106), dans lequel ledit
dispositif de mesure est une main (107) comprenant un bol et une poignée fixée au
bol.