Multi-chamber container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9597698-B2
Application number	US-201214443586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2012
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a multi-chamber dispenser ( 1 ) of flowable substances, comprising: a rigid body ( 100 ) disposed around first ( 113 ) and second ( 123 ) storage chambers for storing respective first and second flowable substances, a first inlet fluidly connecting the first storage chamber ( 113 ) with a first outlet ( 141 ), a second inlet fluidly connecting the second storage chamber ( 123 ) with a second outlet ( 151 ), a first user-operable apparatus ( 140 ) at an exterior of the container and configured, on movement relative to the rigid body ( 100 ), to cause a volume of the first flowable substance to be dispensed from the first storage chamber ( 113 ) via the first inlet to the first outlet ( 141 ), and a second user-operable apparatus ( 150 ) at the exterior of the container and configured, on movement relative to the rigid body ( 100 ), to cause a volume of the second flowable substance to be dispensed from the second storage chamber ( 123 ) via the second inlet to the second outlet ( 151 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multi-chamber container for dispensing flowable substances, comprising:
a rigid body disposed around first and second storage chambers for storing respective first and second flowable substances, wherein the rigid body defines first and second windows,
a first inlet fluidly connecting the first storage chamber with a first outlet,
a second inlet fluidly connecting the second storage chamber with a second outlet,
a first user-operable apparatus comprising a first sheet of resilient material at an exterior of the container and configured, on movement relative to the rigid body, to cause a volume of the first flowable substance to be dispensed from the first storage chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet, and
a second user-operable apparatus comprising a second sheet of resilient material at the exterior of the container and configured, on movement relative to the rigid body, to cause a volume of the second flowable substance to be dispensed from the second storage chamber via the second inlet to the second outlet,
wherein the first and second storage chambers are chambers in respective non-unitary first and second vessels of the body,
wherein the first window is defined in a wall of the first vessel and the second window is defined in a wall of the second vessel,
and wherein the first sheet of resilient material and the second sheet of resilient material cover the respective first and second windows and are movable relative to the respective first and second windows.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are movable relative to the rigid body independently of each other.

3. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are moveable over equal distances relative to the rigid body to cause equal volumes of the respective first and second flowable substances to be dispensed from the respective first and second storage chambers via the respective first and second inlets to the respective first and second outlets.

4. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are moveable over unequal distances relative to the rigid body to cause unequal volumes of the respective first and second flowable substances to be dispensed from the respective first and second storage chambers via the respective first and second inlets to the respective first and second outlets.

5. The container of claim 4 , wherein movement of the first user-operable apparatus relative to the first window causes a reduction in volume of the first storage chamber, and movement of the second user-operable apparatus relative to the second window causes a reduction in volume of the second storage chamber.

6. The container of claim 1 , wherein the resilient material comprises an elastomeric material.

7. The container of claim 1 , wherein movement of the first user-operable apparatus towards the second user-operable apparatus causes the volume of the first flowable substance to be dispensed from the first storage chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet, and wherein movement of the second user-operable apparatus towards the first user-operable apparatus causes the volume of the second flowable substance to be dispensed from the second storage chamber via the second inlet to the second outlet.

8. The container of claim 1 , wherein movement of the first user-operable apparatus towards a longitudinal plane of the body causes the volume of the first flowable substance to be dispensed from the first storage chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet, and wherein movement of the second user-operable apparatus towards the longitudinal plane of the body causes the volume of the second flowable substance to be dispensed from the second storage chamber via the second inlet to the second outlet.

9. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are disposed at opposite lateral sides of the container.

10. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are biased away from each other.

11. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first outlet is separate from the second outlet.

12. The container of claim 1 comprising a base face, wherein the first and second storage chambers are disposed between the base face and the first and second outlets.

13. The container of claim 12 , wherein the first and second storage chambers are disposed in parallel between the base face and the first and second outlets.

14. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container is elongate with a base face and a longitudinal axis that extends through the base face.

15. The container of claim 14 , wherein the longitudinal axis is orthogonal to the base face.

16. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first user-operable apparatus comprises a first pump and the second user-operable apparatus comprises a second pump.

17. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first inlet comprises a first dip tube extending to the first storage chamber, and the second inlet comprises a second dip tube extending to the second storage chamber.

18. A multi-chamber container for dispensing flowable substances, comprising:
a rigid body disposed around first and second storage chambers for storing respective first and second flowable substances,
a first inlet fluidly connecting the first storage chamber with a first outlet,
a second inlet fluidly connecting the second storage chamber with a second outlet,
a first user-operable apparatus at an exterior of the container and configured, on movement relative to the rigid body, to cause a volume of the first flowable substance to be dispensed from the first storage chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet,
a second user-operable apparatus at the exterior of the container and configured, on movement relative to the rigid body, to cause a volume of the second flowable substance to be dispensed from the second storage chamber via the second inlet to the second outlet, and
a further apparatus which is non-unitary with the first and second storage chambers,
wherein a portion of the further apparatus has a substantially circular shape, and the first and second outlets are comprised at a distal end of a spout portion of the further apparatus that extends from the portion of the further apparatus, with the first and second outlets facing in the same direction away from the portion of the further apparatus,
and wherein the further apparatus defines the first outlet and the second outlet and comprises a collar attached to the rigid body, wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are connected to the collar and movable in the same direction relative to the collar.

19. The container of claim 18 , wherein the first and second user-operable apparatuses are movable in the same direction relative to the rigid body to cause the respective volumes of the first and second flowable substances to be dispensed from the respective first and second storage chambers via the respective first and second inlets to the respective first and second outlets.

20. The container of claim 19 , wherein movement of the first user-operable apparatus towards a lateral plane of the body causes the volume of the first flowable substance to be dispensed from the first storage chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet, and wherein movement of the second user-operable apparatus towards the lateral plane of the body causes the volume of the second flowable substance t

Assignees

• Colgate Palmolive Co

Inventors

• Duncan Kelly Gail
• Crawford John C
• Kolb Matthew Lee

Classifications

• B05B11/1084

  each liquid or other fluent material being pumped by a separate pump · CPC title

• B05B11/1001

  Piston pumps (B05B11/1087, B05B11/1088, B05B11/109 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05B11/3084

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G01F11/028

  the dosing device being provided with a dip tube and fitted to a container, e.g. to a bottleneck · CPC title

• B65D1/323

  the container comprising internally a dip tube through which the contents pass · CPC title