Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SPECIFICATION
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Package
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the structure of a small
package for 3toring therein a liquid, pa~te-like, powdery or
granular content such a~ qeasonings and drinks, cosmetics,
chemicals, and ~o forth. More particularly, the prexent
invention relates to a package which stores at least one
kind of content in itq independent pockets and can dispense
the contents simultaneously and easily by pinching and
rupturing the package by fingerq of one hand without mixing
the contents (.~uch as vinegar and oil, coffee and cream,
powdery detergents and powdery bleacher, and the like).
De~cription of the Conventional Art
Various small packageq whose content can be taken out
easily by a finger-pinching operation have been proposed in
the pa~t as typified by the packages of Japanese Patent
Laid-Open Nos. 103,866/1984 and 140,973/1986. These
packages have the ~tructure in which the peripheral portion
of a flexible container member is fixed to the reverse of a
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relatively stiff, flat and sheet-like lid to define a
pocket, a content i~ sealed in the pocket, a bending line
such a~ a perforation is formed on the axis at the center of
the lid surface so as to make the lid easily bendable and a
projection having a pyramidal shape or a shape of a circular
truncated cone is formed at the center of the axis in order
to easily dispense the content. In this structure, the
content can be dispensed with directivity from a narrow zone
such as the projection formed on the lid by pinching the
package between fingers and bending the lid in a V-shape in
such a manner as to compress the pocket with the axis of the
lid being the center.
However, in the conventional packages such as described
above, the lower part of the pyramidal or circular truncated
conical projection disposed at the center of the lid is used
a a communication portion communicating with pockets on
both sides. Accordingly, the contents can freely move
between these pockets, and the package cannot be u~ed when
the content~ must not mix with each other. Mixing of the
contents before use deteriorates the appearance or reduces
the quality of a product when, for example, two kinds of
medicine~ (e.g. powdered medicine and liquid medicine for a
patient or peanut butter and strawberry jam to be spread on
bread are sealed independen~l ~n the pochets.
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SUMMARY OF THE INV~NTION
The present invention i-~ directed to provide the
structure of a small package which can eliminate the problem
of the conventional art described above, does not mix the
different kind~ of contents stored independently in the
respective pockets before use and can dispense
simultaneously these contents from Yeparate discharge ports
by a one-touch operation.
The package in accordance with the present invention is
characterized in that it compri~eY a lid having a bending
line at the center of its surface and made of a stiff
material, and a container member fixed to the reverse of the
lid around its peripheral portion, forming pockets on both
~ides of the bending line and made of a flexible material,
each of the pockets having a communication portion
communicating with one of different portion~ on the bending
line of the lid but not communicating with another pocket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig.l show~ one embodiment of the package in accordance
with the pre~ent invention, wherein Fig.l(a) is a
perspective view, Fig.l(b) is a sectional view taken along
line X - X and Fig.l(c) is a perspective view showing the
state of its use.
Fig.2 shows another embodiment of the present
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invention, wherein Fig.~(a) is a perspective view, Fig.2(b)
is a sectional view taken along line Y - Y, Fig.2(c) is a
sectional view taken along line Y'- Y' and Fig.2(d) is a
perspective view showing the state of its use.
DESCR~PT~ON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI~IENTS
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described
with reference to its embodiments shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Fig.1 shows one example (P) of the package in
accordance with the present invention. Fig.l(a) shows its
appearance, Fig.l(b) does its internal structure and
Fig.l(c), the state of its use.
In the drawing, reference numeral 1 represents a flat
sheet-like lid which is made of a bendable but stiff
material such as a synthetic resin (e.g. polyethylene or
polystyrene copolymer) but does not have any projection or
the like. A bending line 4 consisting of a perforation is
formed along the axi~ at the center of the lid surface.
Reference numeral 5 represents a container member whose
peripheral portion i~ fixed to the reverse of the lid 1 and
which con~ist~ of a flexible sheet member such as
polyethylene or aluminum. The bottom of the container
member 5 is recessed greatly in such a manner as to define
two pockets 6, 6 having a substantially equal capacity with
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the bending line 4 of the lid 1 being the center, a~ shown
in Fig.l(b). The container member 5 has communicat~on
portions 7, 7 which, formed when the pockets 6, 6 are
formed, communicate separately with those portions which are
spaced apart from each other on the reverse of the bending
line 4 (hereinafter the portions on the bending line 4
communicating with the communication portions 7, 7 are
referred to aY "rupture zone 3). In other words, the lid 1
and the pockets 6, 6 are fixed along the bending line 4 so
that rear sides of the rupture zones 3, 3 are fixed
alternately on both sides of the bending line 4 as the axis
of symmetry and the peripheral portions of the rupture zones
3, 3 are fixed except for the rupture zones 3, 3 which are
left unfixed, thereby forming a fixed zone 2. Paste-like
different contents A and B are sealed into the pockets 6, 6
of the package (P) having the structure described above by a
suitable sealing method, respectively.
Before the package (P) having the structure described
above is used, the contents A and B stored in the pockets 6,
6 are æealed completely by the lid 1, the fixed peripheral
zone of the container member 5 and its fixed portion along
the bending line 4 and cannot therefore move freely between
the pocket~. When both ends of the lid 1 are pinched by
fingers with the bending line 4 being the center and the lid
1 is bent in a V-shape in such a manner as to attract the
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pockets 6, 6 to each other, the pockets 6, 6 come into
contact with each other and are compressed so that a large
load i~ applied to the contents A, B and this internal
pressure is as such applied straight to the rupture zones 3,
3 on the bending line 4 consisting of a perforation or the
like. Then, the rupture zones 3, 3 are broken and the
contents A, B are simultaneously flown from the right and
left pockets 6, 6 through the respective communication
portions 7, 7 and the respective rupture zones 3, 3 to the
outside. In this instance, ~ince the portions near both
sides of the bending line other than the rupture zones 3, 3
are fixed in the same way as the fixed zone 2 between the
reverse of the lid 1 and the peripheral portion of the
container member 5, they are not ruptured even when the
internal pressure described above is applied thereto, and
the internal pressure acts concentratedly upon the unfixed
rupture zone~ 3, 3. Incidentally, the rupture will more
easily occur if, in order to facilitate opening, a notch or
tongue is formed in advance in the rupture zones 3, 3 on the
surfaoe of the lid 1 in addition to the perforation.
Therefore, the content~ A, B can be dispensed easily with
directivity from the extremely narrow zone on the lid
surface, that is, the rupture zones, 3, 3, by the one-hand
operation.
Fig.2 shows another embodiment (Q) of the package in
accordance with the present invention. Fig.2(a) shows the
appearance of the package, Figs.2(b) and 2(c) do its
internal struoture and Fig.2(d) shows the state of its use.
In the drawing, reference numeral 1 represents a lid made of
a bendable but stiff material (the definite example of which
is the same as that of the package P of the foregoing
embodiment; hereinafter the same), and a fixed zone 2' with
the open peripheral portion of a container member 5 made of
a flexible material (the definite example of the material of
which iQ the same as that of the package P of the foregoing
embodiment) is disposed on the reverse of this lid 1. The
bottom of the container member 5 is recessed greatly in such
a manner as to define two pockets 6, 6 having a
substantially equal capacity with a bending line 4 of the
lid 1 being the oenter, as shown in Figs.2~b) and 2~c). Two
pyramidal projections la, la are formed on the bending line
of the lid l by recessing its reverse. The projections la,
la croQs the bending line 4 at two positions on the center
axis of the lid 1 ~not shown), and have tips 3', 3' which
are easily ruptured or opened when the lid 1 is bent along
the bending line 4. Fixing of the pockets 6, 6 inside the
zones along the bending line 4 is the same as in the
foregoing embodiment. Therefore, the pockets 6, 6 have
their respeotive communication portions 7, 7 communicating
with the lower portions of the respective projections la,
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la. Paste-like different contents A and B are sealed into
the pockets 6, 6 of the structure having the structure
described above by a suitable sealing method.
Before the package (Q) having the structure described
above i~ u~ed, the content~ A, B stored in the pockets 6, 6
are ~ealed completely by the peripheral fixed zone 2'
between the lid 1 and the container member 5 by the fixed
portion of the container member 5 along the bending line 4
and cannot therefore move freely between the pockets. To
dispense these content~ A, B, the lid 1 is first pinched
between fingers in such a manner that the tips 3', 3' of the
projections la, la of the lid 1 face downward. Then, when
the lid 1 iY bent along the bending line 4 in such a manner
as to clamp the right and left pockets 6, 6, both pockets 6,
6 come into contact with each other and are compressed.
Thus, a high load is exerted on the contents A, B and the
internal pressure is applied as it is through the
oommunication portions 7, 7 to the tip portions 3', 3' of
the respective projections la, la on the bending line 4. As
a re~ult, rupture occurs on the lid 1 from the tip portions
3', 3' so that the contents A, B are dispensed from the
rupture portions, respectively. Therefore, with the package
(Q), in the ~ame way as the paokage (P), the contents A, B
can be easily taken out with directivity from the extremely
narrow zone of the lid surface, that is, the tips 3', 3' by
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one-hand operation.
As described in detail, the package in aocordance with
the present invention does not permit free movement of the
contents stored in the respective pockets between them.
Therefore, the present invention can prevent the mixture of
the contents or non-uniform existence of the contents in
either one of the pockets during storage and transportation
of the package before its use. Therefore, the appearance of
the package can be improved and different kinds of contents
which, although to be used simultaneously, will cause
degradation of qual~ty upon mixture, can be sealed
qeparately into the same package. Since the contents can be
dispensed extremely easily by one-touch operation, the
package of the present invention can be used in various
fieldq for dispensing drinks, cosmetics, chemicals, and so
forth.
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