Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
113~V
PRESSURIZED CONTAINER PROVIDING FOR THE
SEPARATE STORAGE OF A PLURALITY OF MATERIALS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to
pressurized containers and, more particularly,
pertains to pressurized containers having facilities
for the separate storage of several different
ingredients of a product until it is desired to
admix them, at which time it is possible to estab-
lish communication between the ingredients for
admixing thereof prior to being dispensed from the
containers.
Pressurized containers of this type are useful
for the separate storage of ingredients or materials
for a variety of products, and have particular
applicability to products in the fields of pharma-
ceuticals and cosmetics, for instance, where at
least two ingredients can be stored separately for
reasonably lengthy periods of time, but if admixed
: will produce a product which deteriorates rather
rapidly. Such products usually, but not necessarily,
comprise at least one liquid component and one other
ingredient which may be either in the form of a
liquid component or in the form of dry granules or
powder.
Another important field of application for
containers of this type lies in the packaging of
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food products and, particularly, the storage of
beverages. At least one new flavoring for carbon-
ated beverages is being investigated which has
significant potential consumer appeal in comparison
with existing products. However, the beverage has a
limited shelf life after the flavoring, which is in
the form of a dry powderous or granular material, is
mixed with carbonated water, inasmuch as the admix-
ture of the two ingredients deteriorates fairly
rapidly because of a hydrolysis reaction which takes
place between them. The flavoring has a much longer
shelf life when it is stored in a dry condition and
separated from the water-based liquid. The product
is inherently more flavorful and marketable when
packaged in a container which maintains the flavor-
ing and carbonated water in separate compartments
and inaccessible to each other up to the point in
time at which the container is opened for the pur-
pose of dispensing the beverage.
Discussion of the Prior Art
At present, the prior art discloses several
; different types of containers or receptacles which
are designed to separately store the ingredients or
materials of a product prior to the opening of the
containers.
Nosik U.S. Patent 2,721,522; Bowes et al. U.S.
Patent 3,156,369; Magni U.S. Patent 3,603,469; and
- Lanfranconi et al. U.S. Patent 3,840,136 each dis-
close multi-compartmented containers for the separ-
ate storage of various ingredients or materials of a
product which are adapted to be admixed prior to
dispensing from the containers. Each of these
patents discloses a type of container in the shape
of a bottle, can or the like wherein a frangible
member is adapted to be severed or ruptured by the
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depression of a plunger so as to dispense a material
stored within the neck of the bottle into a liquid
which is located in the container. ~owever, sever-
ance of the frangible member is caused by a
relatively complex mechanism usually requiring the
depression of a plunger which causes the frangible
member to rupture or sever. Admixing of the separ-
ate ingredients in these prior art arrangements is
not accomplished automatically in response to
changes in pressure within the container. Moreover,
in various of these earlier patents, loose debris is
released into the container upon admixing of the
materials therein and prior to dispensing of the
product, which will render the containers unattrac-
tive from a consumer standpoint.
Winsten U.S. Patent 2,562,402 and Cohen U.S.Patent 2,687,130 each discloses containers having
facilities for separate storage of two ingredients
wherein one of the ingredients is stored within a
pressure-responsive capsule located in a liquid in
the container. The container is flexible, and may
be manually squeezed to increase the pressure
therein so as to cause the capsule to rupture and
resultingly cause the release of its contents into
the liquid in the container. These known prior art
designs are quite distinct from the present inven-
tion in that each requires the container to be
squeezed to cause the release of the contents of the
capsule into the liquid in the container. Neither
of these prior designs is responsive to a pressure
change taking place within the container which
occurs upon opening thereof to automatically cause
the admixing of the separately stored materials or
ingredients.
1131:~80
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Chalfin et al. U.S. Patent 2,753,990 disclose a
glass bottle having large and small-sized separate
compartments for the segregated storage of first and
second liquids in the separate compartments. Open-
05 ing in the large compartment causes its pressure tobe released so as to cause its pressure to drop to a
level lower than that of the smaller compartments.
A valve is located in a common glass wall separating
the compartments and the resultant pressure dif-
ferential generated between the two compartmentscauses the valve to open, thereby allowing admixing
of the first and second liquids. Chalfin et al.
require the provision of a rather elaborate glass
container having separate large and small glass
compartments with an aperture formed in a common
wall separating the two compartments. Further, a
pressure-responsive valve is required to be posi-
tioned in the aperture in the common wall. This
construction is relatively complex and results in it
being costly and uneconomical from a commercial
standpoint. Additionally, this prior art design has
the drawback in that each of the compartments must
be pressurized separately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates
the provision of an improved and unique container
having an arrangement for separately storing several
materials or ingredients of a product within a
container prior to opening of the container and
which, upon opening of the container, provides for
the automatic and practically instantaneous admixing
of the separately stored materials prior to being
dispensed therefrom.
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In accordance with a preEerred embodiment of
the invention, there is disclosed an arrangement for
separately storing at least first and second
materials within a container and providing for the
automatic admixing of the materials upon opening of
the container. The first material is stored within
the container at a pressure other than the ambient
pressure surrounding the container. The second
material is stored within a separate compartment in
the container which has a separable wall to allow
release of the second material therefrom. The
arrangement incorporates pressure-responsive struc-
ture which is responsive to a rapid change in pres-
sure within the container occuring upon opening
thereof, to automatically cause the separable wall
of the compartment to open and thereby allow for the
admixing of the first and second materials. Further
in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention, the compartment has a maximum of one wall
formed by a portion of the container, and several
embodiments have no walls formed by or in contact
with the container.
In several disclosed embodiments of the inven-
tion, the first material is stored in the container
at superatmospheric pressure and the externally
reigning ambient pressure is atmospheric pressure.
These embodiments are responsive to the rapid drop
in pressure which occurs within the container upon
opening thereof. Moreover, in various embodiments
of the invention, the separable wall is constituted
by a frangible wall of the compartment, whereas in
other embodiments the compartment is defined by
separable components with the separable wall being
formed by the wall along which the components are
joined together.
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Additionally, in one disclosed embodiment of
the invention, an adhesive material which is soluble
in the liquid in the container is utilized to
initially releasably glue the compartment components
together. In effect, the arrangement is such where-
by the compartment is filled with the second
material, and the components are fastened together
with the soluble adhesive. The compartment is then
placed in the liquid in the container where the
adhesive will gradually dissolve, leaving only the
pressure differential between the interior of the
compartment and the interior of the container about
the compartment to hold the separable components
together.
Furthermore, in several embodiments of the
invention, the separate compartment has an exterior
wall formed of a material which is permeable to the
gas pressurizing the container so that the pressure
in the compartment will gradually rise to the level
of the pressure in the container. In these embodi-
ments there is eliminated the need to separately
pressurize the compartments. In other disclosed
embodiments of the invention, the second material
stored within the compartment in the container
includes a material responsive to the application of
- heat to generate a given pressure within the com-
partment.
In accordance with various embodiments of the
invention, the compartment is divided into two
chambers, in essence, a first chamber which is
responsive to a rapid pressure change in the con-
tainer to cause the release of the second material
from a second chamber designed to separately hold
the second material. In several instances, the
first chamber has a small aperture provided in the
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- 113~80
exterior wall thereof which separates it from the
container so that the first chamber will gradually
reach the pressure present within the container. In
accordance with another embodiment of the invention,
the first chamber has an exterior wall separating it
from the container, which is formed of a material
permeable to the gas in the container so as to allow
the interior of the first chamber to gradually reach
the pressure prevalent within the container. In
these embodiments the interior wall separating the
first and second chambers is flexible to thereby
allow the pressure reigning within the pressure
responsive chamber to force the flexible interior
wall against the material in the second chamber and
cause the latter to be released or expelled through
a frangible exterior wall in the second chamber. In
one embodiment of the invention the flexible inter-
ior wall is a diaphragm, and in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention it is a bellows.
In these embodiments, an exterior wall of the second
chamber forms the separable wall of the compartment.
Furthermore, in accordance with one embodiment of
the invention the separable wall is formed by a
frangible wall while, pursuant to the teachings of
another embodiment, it is formed by a separable cap.
Further, as contemplated for use in several
disclosed embodiments of the invention, the first
material is carbonated water and the second material
comprises a flavoring therefor, such as a dipeptide
; 30 sweetener.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the
present invention to provide a novel arrangement for
a container for separately storing several materials
prior to the opening of the container.
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Another object of the present invention is to
provide an arrangement of the type described having
a pressure responsive compartment within the con-
tainer and storing one of the materials, which
automatically opens in response to a sudden change
in pressure encountered in the container when the
container is opened.
A more specific object of the present invention
lies in the provision of an arrangement of the type
described particularly adapted to contain a beverage
and further to hold a powder material stored separ-
ated from the beverage by an impermeable barrier.
The arrangement should also incorporate a conven-
ience type opening generally employed in standard
size beverage cans or bottles requiring only minor
modification of standard closures or containers
whereby any increase in container cost is minimal,
and should be compatible with standard beverage
filling and sealing equipment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects and advantages
of the inventive pressure responsive arrangement
consisting of a pressurized container providing for
the separate storage of several materials and con-
structed pursuant to the teachings of the presentinvention may be more readily understood by one
skilled in the art, having reference to the follow-
ing detailed description of several preferred
embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings; wherein:
Figure 1 is an elevational sectional view
of a first embodiment of the invention illustrative
of a pressurized liquid-filled container with a
separable compartment containing a separately stored
material immersed therein;
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g
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the con-
tainer of Figure l;
Figures 3a and 3b, 4a and 4b, and 5a and
5b are sectional views of different embodiments of
separable compartments shown, respectively, filled
with a material and sealed and in an opened condi-
tion, which may be utilized in lieu of the compart-
ment shown in Figure l;
Figure 6 is a side view of a clamshell
type of compartment which may be used in the arrang-
ment shown in Figure l;
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the com-
partment of Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a side view of the compartment
of Figures 6 and 7 in an opened condition;
Figure 9 illustrates a fragmentary eleva-
tional sectional view of another embodiment of the
invention wherein a container adapted to be filled
with a pressurized li~uid has an igloo-shaped com-
partment for separately storing a material therein
which has two separate chambers;
Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the
igloo-shaped compartment as viewed along line 10-10
in Figure 9;
Figure 11 is an exploded sectional view of
another embodiment of a compartment which incorpo-
rates separate material and pressure responsive
chambers;
Figure 12 illustrates another embodiment
of a compartment including a material chamber and a
pressure responsive chamber separated from each
other by a diaphragm;
Figure 13 illustrates another embodiment
of a compartment similar to that shown in Figure 12
but wherein the chambers are separated from each
other by a bellows;
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Figure 14 is an elevational sectional view
of another embodiment of the invention wherein a
separate compartment in the container contains a
material which is responsive to the application of
heat to pressurize the compartment;
Figure 15 is a top plan view of the con-
tainer of Figure 14;
Figure 16 is a partly sectioned eleva-
tional view of another embodiment of this invention
wherein the compartment is fastened beneath the top
closure surface of a container; and
Figure 17 is a top plan view of the con-
tainer of Figure 16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now in detail to the drawings, Figure
1 illustrates a cylindrical container in the form of
a can 10 in which a first pressurized material 12,
such as a carbonated drink, is stored therein. The
container has relatively flat top and bottom closure
members 14 and 16, which are crimped around their
edges and soldered at 18 and 20 to sealingly fasten
them to the cylindrical container wall. The top 14
has a pull-tab opener 22 attached thereto which is
i attached by means of a rivet-type fastener 24 to a
weakened closure member section 26 which is weakened
around its edges 28, such as through a stamped
groove. The container and pull-tab suitably may be
` formed of a metal, such as aluminum or steel, how-
ever, the top closure member preferably is formed of
a soft metal, such as aluminum, to allow the pull-
tab opener to operate easily. The container has a
separate compartment 30 therein which is formed of
separable cup-shaped component halves 32 and 34.
The halves are joined at a separable well section
36, either by an encompassing water-soluble strip or
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1131180
adhesive material, and with the compartment being
filled with a second material 38 which may be powder
or granular material, such as a flavoring for the
carbonated drink, for instance, a dipeptide sweet-
ener. It is desirable to store the dipeptide sepa-
rated from the carbonated water since the dipeptide
tends to undergo a hydrolysis reaction after being
mixed with the water so as to impart a limited shelf
life to the mixture. The compartment may be formed
of a suitable material such as metal but, prefer-
ably, is formed of plastic. The compartment has the
same internal pressure as the container which, for a
carbonated drink, is typically about five atmos-
pheres.
The arrangement provides for the automatic
opening of the compartment 30 upon opening of the
container lO by means of the pull-tab opener 22.
Upon opening of the can, a rapid pressure drop is
produced therein whereas the pressure within the
compartment 30 remains momentarily higher, in
effect, at about five atmospheres. The greater
pressure present within the compartment 30 forces it
open along the separable wall section 36 and causes
the release of its contents 38 into the container
10. Depending upon the weight of the compartment
and the contents thereof, the compartment 30 may
rest on the bottom of the container or may float
therein. The compartment 30 may be formed in vari-
ous shapes, and may take an elliptical capsule form
40 consisting of two interengageable semi-elliptical
portions 42, 44, as shown in Figures 3a and 3b.
Alternatively, it may take the form of a truncated
conical cup 46 and flat closure 48 as illustrated in
Figures 4a and 4b, or the form of a rounded or
semi-elliptical cup 50 with a flat closure 52 as
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shown in Figures 5a and 5b. These shapes are merely
illustrative of some of the many shapes the compart-
ment may take and should not be construed as limita-
tive thereof. Each of these compartments may be
pressurized prior to being sealed within container
10, or may be pressurized later on as taught by some
of the embodiments of the invention explained here-
inafter.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 illustrate another
embodiment of a compartment suitable for use in the
container arrangement of Figure 1. Figure 7 is a
top plan view of the compartment of Figure 6, while
Figure 8 is a side view of the compartment in its
opened condition. The compartment is formed of a
clamshell-like receptacle 60 having a top portion 62
and a bottom portion 64 which are joined to each
other along one edge by a hinge 66. The hinge 66
provides a spring action which normally biases the
compartment 60 open in the absence of a closing
force. The compartment may be formed of plastic or
some other suitable material and, in particular, may
~ be constituted of molded plastic. The compartment
- is filled with a second material, such as a powdered
- or granular flavoring, and the top and bottom por-
tions 62, 64 are then closed and fastened together
along their adjoining edges with cement, or some
other suitable adhesive material 68. The adhesive
material 68, which may be in the form of a strip or
a cementitious adhesive, is applied to the joining
edges of the clamshell receptacle halves, and is
chosen to be soluble in the containerized liquid so
as to allow for separation of the portions 62, 64.
For instance, in the case wherein the first material
is carbonated water, the adhesive might be a suit-
able water soluble glue, harmless when dissolved,
11311~30
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many of which are commerically available. The
compartment is then placed within the container
wherein the adhesive 68 is dissolved by the liquid
leaving only the pressure differential between the
interior of the container, which is typically at
five atmospheres, and the interior of the compart-
ment 60 to hold the compartment closed. In one
embodiment of the invention, the compartment may be
sealed in an atmospheric environment prior to being
inserted in the container, and accordingly would have
an internal pressure of one atmosphere. Upon open-
ing of the container, the pressure differential
disappears, thereby allowing the spring action of
hinge 66 to open the clamshell compartment 60 and
permit the release of its contents into the liguid
stored in the container.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate an elevational
sectional view of a portion of a container wherein
the compartment 70 is formed in the shape of an
inverted igloo. The igloo compartment has a first
pressurization chamber 72 and a second material
chamber 74, with the chambers being separated by a
common flexible wall 76. The compartment is mounted
on a disc-shaped base 78 which has a centrally
formed aperture 80 therein. The common flexible
wall 76 is shaped like a small igloo centrally
positioned within a larger igloo and forms an ex-
ternal surface for material chamber 74. A ruptur-
able film 82 is applied to the top of base 78 and,
because of the position of aperture 80, forms the
top wall surface of material chamber 74. All of the
components forming the igloo-type structure may be
formed of suitable plastic materials. Alternatively,
the rupturable wall 82 may be formed of a metallic
foil, such as aluminum foil. In this embodiment,
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the compartment is supported in place in the con-
tainer by having base 78 extend diametrically across
the interior of the container into engagement with
the inner cylindrical wall thereof. Base wall 78
may take any number of shapes, such as annular or
strut-like, may be formed of metal or plastic, and
may be glued or soldered to the inner cylindrical
wall of the container. This embodiment operates as
follows:
When the container is pressurized, aper-
ture 84 in wall 86 allows the first chamber 72 to
gradually assume the pressure within the container.
Upon opening of the container, the internal pressure
thereof rapidly drops to atmospheric, and aperture
84 in wall 86 is too small to allow the pressure in
chamber 72 to adjust too rapidly to the lower pres-
sure now present in the container. Accordingly,
chamber 72 is momentarily at a much higher pressure
than the surrounding container interior so as to
cause flexible wall 76 to expand outwardly, pushing
the second material in chamber 74 against the base
78 to cause it to rupture and to thereby allow the
release of the second material into the contents of
the container. Wall 86 must be sufficiently strong
so that wall 82 ruptures rather than the former.
Figure 11 is an elevational sectional view
of another embodiment of a compartment 90 which
includes a separate material chamber 92 and a sepa-
rate pressure responsive chamber 94. An elongated
hemispherical housing 96 has external threads 98
formed at its upper circumference, and also has a
small aperture 100 extending through its bottom
communicating with pressure responsive chamber 94.
An annular cap 102 has internal threads 104 engage-
able with the external threads 98 of housing 96.
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1131~81()
Both of these parts 96, 102 may be formed from many
suitable materials, and are preferably constituted
of molded plastic. A flexible membrane 106, such as
a sheet of flexible rubber, extends so as to hang
into the compartment, and the volume between mem-
brane 106 and housing 96 defines the pressure
responsive chamber 94. The second material is
placed on top of or in the loop formed by the
flexible membrane 106, and a rupturable membrane
108, such as a thin sheet of flexible plastic, is
placed over the second material. The volume between
the flexible and rupturable membranes 106, 108
defines the material chamber 92. Both membranes are
positioned with their outer edge portions extending
over the external threads 98 of housing 96, and cap
102 is then screwed thereon to secure the compart-
ment together while sealingly clamping the membrane
edges between the threads 98, 104. In operation,
the assembled compartment is placed within a con-
tainer, with or without a retaining member similarto element 78 in Figure 9 to secure it in place
therein. Pressure responsive chamber 94 gradually
assumes the pressure present within the container
through aperture 100. Upon opening of the con-
tainer, the pressure therein rapidly drops to atmos-
pheric, momentarily leaving the pressure in chamber
94 much higher. The pressure differential forces
flexible membrane 106 outwardly, pushing the second
material against the membrane 108 and eventually
forcing it to rupture, thereby resulting in the
release of the second material into the contents of
the container.
Figure 12 illustrates another embodiment
of the invention, showing a compartment 110 having a
first pressure responsive chamber 112 and a second
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material chamber 114. The compartment has a gen-
erally cylindrical housing 116 with a small
frustoconical depending portion 118 a-t its bottom in
which there is provided a relatively small orifice
120. The orifice 120 extends from the container to
the pressure responsive chamber 112, and allows the
chamber to gradually assume the internal pressure of
the container. Chamber 114 is adapted to hold a
quantity of the second material therein, and is
separated from chamber 112 by a flexible wall 122
which may be in the form of a diaphragm. Chamber
114 is sealed at its top by a liquid-tight cap 124
which is placed over the material in chamber 114 and
is held snugly in place by the cylindrical side
walls which may have gripping ridges 126 formed
therein to help secure the cap in place. The hous-
ing and cap may be formed of molded plastic or some
other suitable material, and diaphragm 122 may be
formed of a sheet of flexible plastic or metal.
Upon opening of the container, the momentarily
greater pressure present within the pressure chamber
112 forces diaphragm 122 to expand in an upward
direction, pushing cap 124 upwardly and forcing the
release of the second material from the material
chamber 114 into the container.
Figure 13 illustrates yet another embodi-
ment of a compartment 130 constructed according to
the teachings of the present invention. The com-
partment has a pressure chamber 132 and a material-
containing chamber 134, with the chambers beingseparated from each other by a bellows 136 having a
flat top surface 138. Bellows 136 may be formed
of a suitable flexible metal or plastic material.
Material chamber 134 has its top closed by a liquid-
tight cap 140 similar in construction and function
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to that shown in Figure 11. Pressurized chamber 132
has an orifice 142 formed in its bottom exterior
wall 144 which allows it to gradually assume the
pressure present in the encompassing container.
Upon opening of the container, the momentarily
greater pressure present within the pressurized
chamber 132 forces the top surface 138 of the bel-
lows 136 upwardly, causing cap 140 to be disengaged
and forcing the release of the material stored in
chamber 134 into the contents of the container.
In other embodiments of the invention, the
pressure chambers 72, 94, 112 and 132 may each be
formed with an external wall which is permeable to
the pressurizing gas in the container. The perme-
able wall will permit the pressure chamber to
gradually reach the pressure of the surrounding
container after being sealed therein, and eliminates
the need for a small aperture through an exterior
wall of the pressure chamber.
Figures 14 and 15 illustrate, respectively,
elevational sectional and top plan views of a liquid-
filled can-like container 150 having a compartment
152 therein for the separate storage of a second
material. The compartment 152 is releasably
attached, as by a suitable adhesive, to the inner
surface of bottom closure 154 of the container. The
second material in the compartment includes a
material responsive to the application of some
external factor, such as the application of heat, to
generate a given pressure within the compartment.
In this embodiment, the container is sealed with the
compartment located therein, and the sealed con-
tainer is subjected to the application of heat for a
given period of time. This embodiment of the inven-
tion may find particular utility with products which
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must be pasteurized after packaging, as is common
with various types of edible products, and also with
soft and hard drinks. The top closure 156 of con-
tainer 150 is provided with a normally closed pres-
sure vent aperture 158, which is simply a smallcircular section in the top closure weakened around
its circumference, such as by a stamped groove. The
pressure release vent hole is smaller in area than a
similarly formed main dispensing orifice 160, and is
therefore easier to initially push into the con-
tainer in opposition to the internal pressure there-
in. After the pressure vent aperture 158 has been
pressed open, the larger main access aperture 160
may be opened fairly easily as the internal pressure
of the container no longer impedes its opening.
When vent 158 is opened, the pressure within the can
drops rapidly to atmospheric, and the greater pres-
sure present within compartment 150 forces it away
from the bottom 154 of the container, thereby releas-
ing the contents of the compartment into the con-
tainer. The top and side walls of the compartment
152 may be suitably constructed from plastic or
metal, while the bottom wall thereof is constituted
of the bottom of the container. The container may
be constructed of steel, aluminum, or some other
suitable material, but its top is preferably formed
of a soft material, such as aluminum, to allow for
the ready opening of aperture 158 and orifice 160.
Figures 16 and 17 illustrate, respec-
tively, elevational sectional and top plan views ofanother embodiment of a container 170 wherein a
pressure responsive compartment 172 is located
beneath the top closure 174 of a container. The
compartment 172 is releasably attached to the inner
top surface of the container, as by some suitable
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adhesive, and may be internally pressurized in a
manner as taught by any of the previously described
embodiments. The top closure wall includes a small
vent aperture 176 and a larger dispensing orifice
178, both of which are formed by weakening the top
closure wall in sections thereof, as by stamping.
Opening of the vent aperture 176 lowers the pressure
in the container to atmospheric and causes the
presently higher pressure in compartment 172 to
forcibly detach the compartment from engagement with
the top closure wall 174 so as to release its con-
tents into the container. As shown by phantom lines
in one variation of this embodiment the compartment
172 may be positioned so as to extend beneath the
dispensing orifice 178, which further ensures that
the compartment is detached from the top surface
when the orifice 178 is pressed into the container.
While several embodiments of pressurized con-
tainers have been disclosed providing for the
segregated storage of several materials, the teach-
ings of the present invention will suggest many
alternative embodiments to those skilled in the art.
For instance, the disclosed embodiments of the
invention provide for the separate storage of only
two materials. However, it is readily apparent that
other embodiments of the invention may separately
store three or more materials prior to the opening
of the container. Additionally, in the disclosed
embodiments of the invention, the ambient pressure
is atmospheric pressure and the superambient pres-
sure in the container is approximately five atmos-
pheres, however, in other modifications of the
invention, the superambient pressure, which generally
depends upon the nature of the first material, may
be different. In some environments, the ambient
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pressure may also be other than atmospheric.
Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention,
the interior of the container may be at a sub-
atmospheric pressure, and the compartment may be
made responsive to a pressure increase upon opening
of the container, as by a pressure responsive latch,
to automatically cause the release of the second
material into the contents of the container.
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