DISPENSER AND APPLICATOR THAT BRING REACTIVE SUBSTANCES INTO CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER AT TIME OF USE

• US 20100240013A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GLO Science, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jbl Radical Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: LEVINE, Jonathan B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,262,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/215
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2202/00 Packaging for dental appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 5/62 Applicators, e.g. syringes or guns
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/006 using sponges, foams, absorbent pads or swabs as spreading means

Abstract

A squeezable hermetically sealed vessel contains a whitening compound and an elongated applicator tip extending outwardly from the vessel. A cap closed and seals the applicator tip and the vessel, but may be removed under manual force. Once the cap is removed, the walls of the vessel may be squeezed together to urges the contents of the vessel to flow through a fluid passage through the elongated applicator tip to reach an accommodating surface. The accommodating surface may either be impregnated with a different material that reacts with the contents of the vessel upon contact or covers a chamber that in turn contains such a different material.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing contents, comprising a dispenser that includes an applicator tip with an accommodating surface, a vessel having walls that contain contents, and a fluid passage from an interior of the vessel through the applicator tip to the accommodating surface, the walls configured to squeeze together under force from a non-flattened condition into a flattened condition to urge the contents to leave the vessel and pass through the fluid passage to reach the accommodating surface of the applicator tip provided the fluid passage is open, the walls being spaced further away from each other in the non-flattened condition than in the flattened condition, and mating structures arranged to mate with each other to close and seal the fluid passage until the mating structures are separated from each other to open the fluid passage.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the applicator tip is elongated, the accommodating tip defining an angle of approximately 30°

to 45°

relative to a direction of elongation of the applicator tip

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the accommodating surface is porous.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the accommodating surface is a reactive material that reacts with the contents upon contact.

5. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the accommodating surface covers a chamber, the chamber holding a particular material, the vessel containing a different material that reacts with the particular material held in the chamber upon contact.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the mating structures include a stopper and a sealing bead that cooperate with each other in a mated condition to seal the fluid passage, the stopper passing through an opening in the accommodating surface to reach the mated condition.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the accommodating surface is an elastomeric surface, the vessel having a distal end portion formed as a rigid substructure, the elastomeric surface being supported by the rigid substructure.

8. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the rigid substructure is elongated with opposite sides each with a series of spaced apart channels that extend in a direction of elongation of the rigid substructure and substantially parallel to each other.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the rigid substructure has a central tube that is elongated to extend in the direction of elongation of the rigid substructure, the series of channels includes two sets each separated from each other by the central tube and each being configured and arranged so as to be symmetric with each other.

10. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the applicator tip has one end with a recess, the elastomeric surface being part of a component that is within the recess.

11. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the component is a foam sponge pad that has the elastomeric surface.

12. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the applicator tip has a recess, further comprising a foam sponge pad at least partially within the recess.

13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the applicator tip has a recess, further comprising tabletized inserts that are at least partially within the recess.

14. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the applicator tip has a recess, further comprising treated blotter paper at least partially within the recess.

15. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser has a portion having a heat seal construction.

16. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the applicator tip is elongated with a recess at one end and two legs at another end, the two legs being separated from each other by a slot.

17. The dispenser of claim 18, wherein the two legs have ends with grooves spaced from each other.

18. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the reactive material and the contents are suitable for whitening teeth upon contact with each other.

19. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the reactive material and the contents are suitable for polishing teeth upon contact with each other.

20. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the reactive material and the contents are suitable for dermatological applications.

21. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the reactive material and the contents are suitable for adhesive applications.

48. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the vessel contains a tooth whitening gel.

22. A method of dispensing, comprising removing a cap with manual force from a dispenser to disengage mating structures that seal the dispenser, squeezing together walls of a vessel of the dispenser under manual pressure into a flattened condition from a non-flattened condition, spacing the walls further away from each other in the non-flattened condition than in the flattened condition, passing contents of the vessel through a fluid passage in an applicator tip of the dispenser in response to the squeezing together of the walls of the vessel to reach an opening at an accommodating surface that terminates the applicator tip.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the applicator tip includes a recess that holds the accommodating surface, the contents passing through the recess while passing through the fluid passage to reach the accommodating surface.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the applicator tip has a reactive material that reacts with the contents upon contact.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the reactive material and the contents are brought into contact from the dispenser to effect teeth whitening.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the reactive material and the contents are brought into contact from the dispenser to effect teeth polishing.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the reactive material and the contents are brought into contact from the dispenser onto a skin blemish.

49. The method of claim 22, wherein the vessel contains a tooth whitening compound gel that, upon dispensing, reaches a compliant surface where the gel blends with a reactive substance to produce a tooth whitening gel.

28. An apparatus suited to dispense contents, comprising means for dispensing that includes an applicator tip with an accommodating surface, vessel means for containing contents and that has walls, and fluid passage means extending from an interior of the vessel through the applicator tip to the accommodating surface for channeling the contents to the accommodating surface, the walls being configured to squeeze together under manual force from a non-flattened condition into a flattened condition to urge the contents to leave the vessel means to pass through the fluid passage means to reach the accommodating surface of the applicator tip provided the fluid passage is open, the walls being spaced further away from each other in the non-flattened condition than in the flattened condition, and means for closing and sealing the fluid passage means that includes mating structures arranged to mate with each other to close and seal the fluid passage until the mating structures are separated from each other to open the fluid passage.

29. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the applicator tip is elongated, the accommodating tip defining an angle between 30°

and 45°

inclusive relative to a direction of elongation of the applicator tip.

30. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the accommodating surface is porous.

31. The dispenser of claim 29, wherein the accommodating surface has a reactive means for reacting with the contents upon contact.

32. The dispenser of claim 31, wherein the accommodating surface covers a chamber, the chamber holding a particular material, the vessel containing a different means for reacting with the particular material held in the chamber upon contact therewith.

33. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the mating structures include a stopper and a sealing bead that cooperate with each other in a mated condition to seal the fluid passage, the stopper passing through an opening in the accommodating surface to reach the mated condition, a cap.

34. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the accommodating surface is an elastomeric surface, the vessel having a distal end portion formed as a rigid substructure, the elastomeric surface being supported by the rigid substructure.

35. The dispenser of claim 34, wherein the rigid substructure is elongated with opposite sides each with a series of spaced apart channels that extend in a direction of elongation of the rigid substructure and substantially parallel to each other.

36. The dispenser of claim 34, wherein the rigid substructure has a central tube that is elongated to extend in the direction of elongation of the rigid substructure, the series of channels includes two sets each separated from each other by the central tube and each being configured and arranged so as to be symmetric with each other.

37. The dispenser of claim 34, wherein the applicator tip has one end with a recess, the elastomeric surface being part of a component that is within the recess.

38. The dispenser of claim 37, wherein the component is a foam sponge pad that has the elastomeric surface.

39. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the applicator tip has a recess, further comprising a foam sponge pad at least partially within the recess.

40. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the applicator tip has a recess, further comprising tabletized inserts that are at least partially within the recess.

41. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the applicator tip has a recess, further comprising treated blotter paper at least partially within the recess.

42. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the dispenser has a portion having a heat seal construction.

43. The dispenser of claim 28, wherein the applicator tip is elongated with a recess at one end and two legs at another end, the two legs being separated from each other by a slot.

44. The dispenser of claim 43, wherein the two legs have ends with grooves spaced from each other.

45. The dispenser of claim 31, wherein the reactive means and the contents are medically suited for whitening teeth upon contact with each other.

46. The dispenser of claim 31, wherein the reactive means and the contents are medically suited for polishing teeth upon contact with each other.

47. The dispenser of claim 31, wherein the reactive means and the contents are dermatologically suited for application onto skin blemishes upon contact with each other.