Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COMBINATION BOTTLE AND STICK
Field of Invention
This invention relates to a combination bottle container and stick
container/dispenser. In particular, this invention relates to a bottle
container
having a cavity for releasably retaining the stick type container/dispenser.
Backeround of Invention
Many liquid or semi-liquid products, such as glues, hand lotions,
shampoos, are bottled in plastic containers or bottles. Plastic provides a
lightweight inexpensive method of marketing a product. Plastic bottles come in
a variety of sizes and shapes, from cylindrical to oval to rectangular.
Many other products, such as glues, cosmetics, lipsticks and lip
balms and antiperspirants, are contained within a tube or stick type container
or
dispenser. The stick container will advance the product out of the container
as
the consumer uses the product. Such stick dispenser/container is described in
United States Patent No. 3,912,403.
For many marketing reasons, it is desirable to package and sell two
compatible products together. However, due to the incompatible shape of the
stick dispenser/container, a stick dispenser cannot be packaged with a bottled
product without adding a cardboard container.
Alternatively, the two products could be wrapped in a clear plastic
or cellophane wrapper and shrink-wrapped together or bonded together with a
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strap or tape. However, such a product would occupy excessive amount of shelf
space and difftcult to align neatly. As a result, retailers would not want to
carry
such products.
Further, once the consumer has unwrapped the package, the two
products may become separated and any advantage for purchasing the two
compatible products is lost.
In United States Patent No. 5,065,875, there is disclosed a bottle and
stick dispenser combination. The bottle has a cavity in a face for nesting the
stick
dispenser. The bottle has retaining means for releasably retaining the
dispenser
within the cavity in a snap or frictional fit.
The bottle and stick dispenser combination of United States Patent
No. 5,065,875 may provide a suitable marketing vehicle. However since the
cavity
occupies one face of the bottle, the stick dispenser must be nested within
either
the front face or the rear face of the product. If the stick dispenser is
nested on
the front face, there is very little room left for labelling the product. If
the stick
dispenser is nested on the rear face, the consumer will not see the uniqueness
of
the product when it sits on the retail shelf.
It has also been found that the molded undercut retaining means of
the bottle according to the co-pending application does not provide a high
degree
of gripping force. The gripping force can be increased by increasing the
length
of the molded undercut surface. However, increasing the length of the undercut
surface presents serious molding problems, making molding more difficult with
a
higher rate of defective products being molded.
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Summary of the Invention
The disadvantages of the prior art may be overcome by providing
a bottle with a molded cavity in the side of the bottle for releasably
retaining a
stick type container/dispenser.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided in
combination, a molded bottle and a stick dispenser wherein the bottle
comprises
front and rear faces and side edges. One of the side edges has a cavity for
nesting
the stick dispenser. The stick dispenser has end surfaces and the cavity has
end
surfaces. Each of the end surfaces of the stick dispenser has a recess and
each
of the ends of the cavity has a domed surface. The domed surfaces are sized
and
spaced to receive each of the recesses of the stick dispenser in a snap fit.
Description of the Drawingss
In figures which illustrate embodiments of the invention,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle and stick dispenser
of the first embodiment of the invention wherein the
stick dispenser extends outwardly from the bottle
faces;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bottle and
stick dispenser of the invention of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the stick dispenser of the
invention of Figure 1, illustrating the bottom end
thereof;
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Figure 4 is a sectional view of the bottle of the invention of
Figure 1 along the lines 1-1;
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a bottle and stick
dispenser of a second embodiment of the invention
wherein the bottle has offset retaining flanges;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a bottle and stick dispenser
of a third embodiment of the invention wherein the
stick dispenser is stored flush with the bottle faces;
Figure 7 is a partial sectional view of a bottle and stick
dispenser of the embodiment of Figure 6.
Description of the Invention
The present invention is generally illustrated as 10 in Figure 1. The
invention includes a bottle 12 and a stick dispenser 14.
Referring to Figure 2, bottle 12 has a cavity 16 which extends
inwardly from a side edge 8. The cavity extends in a longitudinal direction of
the
bottle 12. The cavity 16 has an opening sized to receive and nest the stick
dispenser 14. Bottle 12 may be any desirable shape, including cylindrical.
The edge of the cavity 16 has at least two flanges 18 and 20 on
opposite sides thereof. The flanges 18 and 20 extend from a rear face 22 and
front face 24 of the bottle, respectively. The inner faces 26 of flanges 18
and 20
are curved to cradle the stick dispenser 14.
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The top and bottom ends of cavity 16 have domed surfaces 28 and
30. The domed surfaces are spaced inwardly from the inner face 26 and the
front
and rear faces 22 and 24.
The stick dispenser 14 can be any type of dispenser known in the
art. The stick dispenser 14 has a tubular body having a cap 32 at one end and
a
rotatable end 34. The rotatable end 34 is the means for advancing or
dispensing
the material housed within dispenser 14.
The cap 32 has a recess 33 formed in top surface 36. Similarly, the
rotatable end 34 has a recess 35 in the bottom end of the dispenser 14. Domed
surfaces 28 and 30 are sized to complementarily engage the recesses 33 and 35
of
the dispenser 14.
Cavity 16 is sized to snappingly fit the dispenser 14 into the cavity
16. A first end of dispenser is presented over a first domed surface, while
the
second end is levered towards the second domed surface. The second end of the
dispenser will frictionally engage the second domed surface. The dispenser is
urged beyond the frictional engagement until the dispenser is snappingly
engaged
by the bottle. To remove the dispenser, the steps are reversed.
The shape of dispenser 14 is preferably tubular but could be any
shape provided the cavity 16 is shaped to nest the stick dispenser 14 and
flanges
18 and 20 will cradle the stick dispenser 14.
In the first embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figure 1,
the stick dispenser 14 will extend outwardly of the bottle. The cap 32 and the
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rotatable end 34 will be exposed to allow the dispenser to be easily gripped
for
removal. This arrangement also has the advantage that the size of cavity 16 is
minimized increasing the volume of the bottle 12.
In the second embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figure
5, the dispenser is flush with the front and rear faces of the bottle
presenting a
very smooth appearance.
In the third embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figure 6,
flanges 18 and 20 are replaced by a plurality of offset flanges 118, 119 and
120
extending from opposite sides of the cavity 16. The flanges 118, 119 and 120
will
cradle the dispenser 14. More importantly, flanges 118, 119 and 120 are easier
to mold than flanges 18 and 20 because the amount of undercut in the mold is
minimized.
To manufacture a bottle 12, a blow molding process is used. Molds
having a shape complementary to the shape of bottle 12 are manufactured in two
half molds. The molds must be undercut to some extent in order to mold flanges
18 and 20. The undercut should not be excessive otherwise the bottle will not
be
removable from a single piece half mold. If the undercut is to be greater,
then
the molds will be required to be manufactured in multiple pieces to permit
removal of the finished bottle.
Bottle 12 may be blow molded using any suitable polymer material.
The preferred materials are olefins, and in particular polyethylene.
Polyethylene
is ideally suited for blow molding to produce a semi-rigid bottle.
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Once the bottle 12 has been manufactured, it may be filled with a
suitable substance. Similarly, the dispenser 14 may be filled with a suitable
substance, ready for final packaging. Both the bottle 12 and dispenser 14 may
be
labelled accordingly, ready for packaging. The dispenser 14 is snap fitted
into
cavity 16 and the combination is ready for shipping and sale. In order to keep
the
two products together for additional security, the bottle 12 and dispenser 14
may
be shrink-wrapped together as a single unit. Once the consumer purchases the
unit, the wrapping is removed. The dispenser may be removed for use and
replaced after use to keep the bottle and dispenser together.
In the preferred embodiment, the bottle 12 is filled with a white
non-toxic white glue and the stick dispenser filled with a non-toxic stick
glue. The
combination white glue and stick glue is particularly useful for use by school
age
children in a craft or school environment. The two types of glues can be
stored
together for easy access. After use, the stick glue may be returned to the
cavity
of the bottle 12 and then together stored for re-use.
Other combinations of products are also envisioned by the present
invention. Hand or face creams may be sold together with lip balins or
lipsticks
so that the two may be easily stored together. There are numerous possible
combinations of products, provided one product is suited for a bottle and the
other is suited for a stick type dispenser. Both products should be compatible
for
use together and complement each other.
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It is now apparent to a person skilled in the art that numerous
combinations of products could be packaged using the present invention.
However, since many other modifications and purposes of this invention become
readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon perusal of the foregoing
description, it is to be understood that certain changes in style, size and
components may be effective without a departure from the spirit of the
invention
and within the scope of the appended claims.
