Dispensing – Plural sources – compartment – containers and/or spaced jacket – With discharge assistant for each source
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-02
2001-10-30
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Plural sources, compartment, containers and/or spaced jacket
With discharge assistant for each source
C222S183000, C239S304000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308863
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a package for containing and simultaneously dispensing a plurality of fluent products. More particularly, this invention relates to a package of the foregoing character in which each of the products is pressurized in its packaged condition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,736 (Portas) discloses a package that is made up of a pair of pressurized containers held together in a common frame. Products from the separate containers are simultaneously dispensed by providing a common pressure plate in engagement with the actuation valves of the separate containers with a single actuation key to operate the pressure plate to thereby operate the valves of the containers. The package of this reference requires a handle that projects perpendicularly from a plane extending through the central axes of the containers. Such handle, as well as the actuation key that extends thereabove, increases the area occupied by the package, which thereby substantially increases the space occupied by the package during shipment and storage, relative to the space that would be occupied by the pressurized containers themselves if packaged separately.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,562 (Gueret) also discloses a package that is made up of a pair of pressurized containers, the arrangement of this reference involving the use of a single shell, which is closed at its bottom end, surrounding the pressurized containers. The closed bottom end of the package of this reference would make it very difficult to replace the pressurized containers upon completion of the dispensing of their contents.
What is needed in the way of a package for two or more internally pressurized products that is not provided by the foregoing references, then, is a package for containing two or more pressurized products in separate containers that does not occupy materially more space than the total of that occupied by the containers themselves and readily permits replacement of the containers upon completion of the dispensing of their contents from the bottom of the package, away from the dispensing ends of the containers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a package for two or more pressurized fluent products, each of which is contained in its own internally pressurized container. The bottom ends of the containers, that is, the ends away from the dispensing ends thereof, are removably engaged by a fitment, and the fitment is removably and replaceably secured to an open end of a cup-shaped outer housing, a body portion of which surrounds the body portions of the individual containers, which are positioned side by side within the outer housing. The outer housing is molded from a flexible polymeric material.
The upper end of each of the containers is provided with a dispensing valve that permits the contents of the container to be dispensed by the pressure within the container when the valve is deflected from its normal orientation. The outer housing has a domed end, and the domed end, which extends perpendicularly to the central axes of the pressurized containers engages the dispensing valves of the containers. Because the outer housing is formed from a flexible polymeric material, the domed end is manually distortable from a non-operating position to simultaneously deflect the dispensing valves of the pressurized containers, to thereby release products from each of the containers, and is provided with internal passages to permit the products being dispensed from the package to be dispensed in the same direction from closely spaced dispensing openings. The resilience of the material of the outer housing will cause the domed end thereof to return to its normal, non-operating position upon release of hand pressure or any other load imposed thereon to cause the contents of the containers to be dispensed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved package for holding and simultaneously dispensing fluent products from at least two internally pressurized containers. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a package of the foregoing character that occupies not materially more than the space occupied by the containers themselves during shipment and storage.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a package of the foregoing character whose outer housing can be reused, after the contents of the pressurized containers are exhausted, by replacing the containers within the outer housing.
For a further understanding of the present invention and the objects thereof, attention is directed to the drawing and the following brief description thereof, to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, and to the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3236418 (1966-02-01), Dalle et al.
patent: 3236457 (1966-02-01), Kennedy et al.
patent: 3269605 (1966-08-01), Silver
patent: 3451593 (1969-06-01), Dillarstone
patent: 3613956 (1971-10-01), McCullouch
patent: 3635372 (1972-01-01), Van Dyck et al.
patent: 4773562 (1988-09-01), Gueret
patent: 4792062 (1988-12-01), Goncalves
patent: 4826048 (1989-05-01), Skorka et al.
patent: 4902281 (1990-02-01), Avoy
patent: 5005736 (1991-04-01), Portas
patent: 5301841 (1994-04-01), Fuchs
Keasel Eric
Owens-Brockway Plastic Products Inc.
Shaver Kevin
LandOfFree
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