Container

• US 6,073,803 A
• Filed: 04/17/1998
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Plastikwerk Expan GmbH (Greiner AG)
• Original Assignee: Plastikwerk Expan GmbH (Greiner AG)
• Inventors: Sturm, Josef, Schmuck, Augustin
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAVER, KEVIN P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quinalty, Keats
• Application Number:
  US09/061,873
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 222/80, 222/83, 222/81, 222/83.5, 222/89, 222/90, 222/91, 222/420, 222/129, 215/DIG. 8, 206/219, 206/222
• US Class Current: 222/80
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2871 the plug falling into the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3211 coaxially and provided with means facilitating admixture

Abstract

A container (1) with two receiving spaces (3, 5) for liquids that are to be mixed only just prior to use has a bottle-shaped lower part (2) with first receiving space (3) and an upper part (4) which can be mounted on lower part (2) and has a second receiving space (5). Second receiving space (5) is connected to receiving space (5) of lower part (2) by an opening, which is initially closed by a diaphragm (20) or a closure plug (35) and is opened only just before the mixed liquids are to be used. To do this, diaphragm (20) is slit by a cutting edge (36) corresponding to closure top (10). If the opening is closed by a stopper-shaped closure (35), closure top (10) has a plunger (40) for pushing closure plug (3) out. Both cutting edge (36) and plunger (40) are connected to the closure top so that they can be activated by a screwing motion of closure top (10). The parts of container (1) according to the invention, namely lower part (2) and upper part (4), can be connected together by a screw connection or a snap connection.

Claims

1. Container with two receiving spaces for liquid media which are initially to be stored separately from one another, and which are to mixed with one another before use, the container comprising;

a bottom part having a closed first end, an open neck at an opposite second end, and defining a first receiving space for storing a first liquid medium, said bottom part being bottle-shaped and having a wall which terminates at an upper end at the neck;

an upper part comprising a tubular-shaped connection piece having a lower end closed by a partition means and adapted to fit into the neck of the bottom part, and an opposite upper end;

said connection piece defining a second receiving space for storing a second liquid media, said neck resting against an outer surface of the lower end, said connection piece having a bell-shaped wall part projecting therefrom, said bell-shaped wall part having a free edge which is connected to the wall of the lower part of the container;

said upper part being separate from said bottom part; and

a closure top extending in a longitudinal direction, and having a first end adapted to fit over the upper end of the connection piece, a discharge opening at an opposite second end for discharging mixed media, and including means for creating a connecting opening for liquid communication between the two receiving spaces.

2. Container according to claim 1, wherein the closure top has internal threading for screwing onto the connection piece.

3. Container according to claim 1, wherein the partition means is a diaphragm.

4. Container according to claim 3, wherein the closure top comprises a tube-shaped lug having at least one slot and whose free end has a cutting edge for cutting the diaphragm.

5. Container according to claim 4, wherein the lug that has the cutting edge has an outer surface which is guided so as to rest on an inner surface of the connection piece.

6. Container according to claim 4, further comprising a removable guarantee ring positioned between a wall part which projects laterally from the connection piece and a free edge of the closure top.

7. Container according to claim 6, wherein the guarantee ring has a pull tab.

8. Container according to claim 4, wherein the cutting edge is located directly adjacent the membrane near the guarantee ring which is located between the closure top and the wall part.

9. Container according to claim 1, wherein the partition means is a closure plug, and disposed in the connection piece is a plunger, whose free end corresponds to the closure plug.

10. Container according to claim 9, wherein the plunger consists of at least two curved wall parts having at least one slot therebetween.

11. Container according to claim 9, wherein the closure plug has a ring-shaped lug that grips into the opening at the lower end of the connection piece.

12. Container according to claim 11, wherein on the outside of the ring-shaped lug of the closure plug there is an outward-pointing ring grip which, when the closure plug is in place, grips a free edge of a wall part of the connection piece that bounds the connecting opening.

13. Container according to claim 9, further comprising a sleeve between an outer wall of the closure top and the plunger, said sleeve adapted to rest against an inner surface of the connection piece.

14. Container according to claim 9, further comprising a removable guarantee ring positioned between a wall part which projects laterally from the connection piece and a free edge of the closure top.

15. Container according to claim 14, wherein the guarantee ring has a pull tab.

16. Container according to claim 14, wherein the free end of the plunger is located directly adjacent to the closure plug near the guarantee ring, which is located between the closure top and the wall part.

17. Container according to claim 1, wherein the upper part is connected to the lower part by a snap connection.

18. Container according to claim 1, wherein the upper part is connected to the lower part via the bell-shaped wall part.

19. Container according to claim 1, further comprising a snap connection arranged at the free edge of the bell-shaped wall part of the upper part, and at the upper end of the wall of the lower part.

20. Container according to claim 1, wherein the neck has external threading and the lower end of the connection piece has an extension for connection to the neck.

21. Container according to claim 20, wherein the neck and the extension are connected together by threading.

22. Container according to claim 20, further comprising a ring grip projecting from the lower end of the connection piece in the same direction as the extension, the ring grip resting against the inside of the neck of the lower part.

23. Container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge opening is closed by a separate closure part.

24. Container according to claim 1, wherein the closure top includes a lug having on an outer surface, at least one elevation or depression which interacts with the connection piece, whereby when the closure top is partly screwed down, a connection is created between an inner space of the upper part and surroundings.

25. Container according to claim 24, wherein the outer surface of the lug comprises a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface, the first sealing surface interacting with the connection piece of the container in a first position of the closure top, and the second sealing surface interacting with the connection piece in a second position of the closure top.

26. Container according to claim 25, wherein said at least one depression comprises at least one groove which extends between the sealing surfaces.

27. Container according to claim 25, wherein the lug has a free edge, and the diameter of the first sealing surface at the free edge of the lug is smaller than the diameter of the second sealing surface which is located in a transition area between the lug and the closure top.

28. Container according to claim 24, wherein elevations or depressions extend in the longitudinal direction of the closure top between the sealing surfaces.

29. Container according to claim 24, wherein said at least one elevation comprises at least one bridge which extends in the longitudinal direction of the closure top.

30. Container according to claim 29, wherein the bridge which projects outwardly is higher from the first sealing surface toward the second sealing surface.