CONTAINERS
United States Patent 3603485
A container for two products which must be kept separately from each other, but which should be mixed at the time of use, comprises a body having an open upper end and a lower bottom provided with an upwardly extending partition to determine two separate chambers. A cover closes both chambers in a fluidtight manner and it includes a upwardly directed hollow extension having an inner dividing partition which delimits therein two subspaces each communicating with one of the chambers. At the time of use this extension is cut horizontally below its closed upper end and it thus forms a double discharging spout for the contents of both chambers.
US Patent References:
Salt and pepper shaker
Watson - April 1933 - 1904757

Closure with jigger-type of seal
Tupper - July 1958 - 2842167


Application Number:
04/835600
Publication Date:
09/07/1971
Filing Date:
06/23/1969
View Patent Images:
Assignee:
Societe Astra de Bouchage, Surboichage et Conditionnement (Rhone, FR)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
426/120, 222/570
International Classes:
B65D25/04; B65D47/06; B65D81/32; B67D5/56
Field of Search:
222/129,142.1-142.9,541,94,215,206,570,145 206/47A
Primary Examiner:
Reeves, Robert B.
Assistant Examiner:
Shannon Jr., John P.
Claims:
We claim

1. A container for two products to be kept separately but to be used in the mixed state, comprising a body having an upper open end, said body including an outer wall, a bottom, and an upwardly extending annular partition carried by said bottom; said outer wall and said annular partition defining within said body a first chamber exterior to said partition and a second chamber interior to said partition, and said outer wall and said annular partition each having an upper edge; a cover having a downwardly directed peripheral rim to receive in a fluidtight manner the upper edge of said outer wall, and a downwardly opening inner groove of dimensions to receive in a fluidtight manner the upper edge of said annular partition, so as to sealingly close the upper end of said body with said first and second chambers separated from each other; said cover further including an upwardly directed hollow extension with a closed upper end, said extension including an inner dividing partition which delimits therein to closed subspaces isolated from each other, each communicating with one of said chambers, in such manner that by severing said extension substantially horizontally in the vicinity of its closed upper end, said extension may form a double discharging spout for the contents of said chambers; said outer wall being substantially cylindrical and said inner annular partition of said container body being of substantially cylindrical form and being coaxial to said outer wall; said peripheral rim of said cover being formed by the outer side of a downwardly opening peripheral groove of said cover; said cover comprising a flat annular portion comprising between said peripheral groove and said inner groove, and a flat disclike central portion delimited by said inner groove; said peripheral groove and said inner groove being respectively provided in a peripheral and an inner upwardly protruding rib formed on said cover; said hollow upward extension including a substantially cylindrical wall overlapping a portion of said inner rib; said inner dividing partition of said extension being disposed between said second rib, said substantially cylindrical wall of said extension and said closed upper end of same; said closed upper end of said extension being formed of two oblique walls converging downwardly toward an arcuate line situated above said inner dividing partition of said extension.

2. A container for two products to be kept separately but to be used in the mixed state, comprising a body having an upper open end, said body including an outer wall, a bottom, and an upwardly extending annular partition carried by said bottom; said outer wall and said annular partition defining within said body a first chamber exterior to said partition and a second chamber interior to said partition, and said outer wall and said annular partition each having an upper edge; a cover having a downwardly directed peripheral rim to receive in a fluidtight manner the upper edge of said outer wall, and a downwardly opening inner groove of dimensions to receive in a fluidtight manner the upper edge of said annular partition, so as to sealingly close the upper end of said body with said first and second chambers separated from each other; said cover further including an upwardly directed hollow extension with a closed upper end, said extension including an inner dividing partition which delimits therein two closed subspaces isolated from each other, each communicating with one of said chambers, in such manner that by severing said extension substantially horizontally in the vicinity of its closed upper end, said extension may form a double discharging spout for the contents of said chambers; said upper edge of said body being formed with an outwardly protruding bead and said peripheral rim having an inner tooth which snaps below said bead when said cover is pressed downwardly on said body to secure said body to said cover; said cover comprising an annular flange portion having an outer edge and an inner edge with said outer edge carrying said peripheral rim; an outer upwardly converging conical portion having a circular base integral with the inner edge of said flange portion; an inner upwardly converging conical portion having a circular base formed with a circular rib, with said inner groove being formed in said circular rib; radial arms to connect with each other the circular bases of said outer and inner conical portions; and said outer and inner conical portions having a common closed apex.

Description:
This invention has for its object a container adapted to contain two products which must be kept separate from each other but which should be used simultaneously.

As an example of such products reference may be had to sauces for salad. Such sauces are generally formed of a mixture in suitable proportions of oil, vinegar and condiments (salt, pepper, mustard, etc...). Experience demonstrates that the vinegar with the condiments in the diluted state should be kept separately of the oil, the mixture being effected at the time of use.

The container according to the invention comprises two coaxial chambers separated from each other by an inner annular partition, and a cover formed with two concentric ribs having a groove adapted to fit on the upper edge of the container body and of its inner annular partition, the said cover further being formed with an upward hollow extension having an inner dividing partition which delimits therein two subspaces each communicating with one of the said chambers. This extension is adapted to be severed at the time of use of the contents in order to form a combined discharging spout.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of an embodiment of a container according to the invention, the cover being shown spaced from the container body.

FIG. 2 is a fragmental view similar to FIG. 1, but with the cover mounted in position on the container body.

FIG. 3 is a small scale vertical section of a modified embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 the container illustrated comprises a body 1 having an open upper end and a cover 2 adapted to form a fluidtight closure for the open end of body 1.

The body 1 of the container is of generally cylindrical shape. It comprises an outer wall 10 which preferably flares slightly upwardly as shown, the lower end of this outer wall being closed by a flat disclike bottom 11 disposed somewhat above the lower edge of the said wall in order too provide a lower circular supporting rib in a per se known manner. The upper edge of the outer wall of body 1 is formed with an outwardly protruding bead 12. The bottom 11 supports an inner annular partition 13, coaxial to the outer wall 10 and which extends upwardly within body 1 so as to define therein two coaxial chambers 14 and 15 of predetermined volumes. It will be noted that the upper edge of partition 13 is substantially situated at the same level as the beaded edge 12 of the outer wall 10 of body 1.

Body 1 is preferably made of an appropriate rigid or semirigid synthetic material, wall 10, bottom 11 and partition 13 being integral with each other.

The cover or closure member 2 is preferably made of a relatively flexible synthetic material. It comprises a flat annular portion 20 delimited by two circular ribs 21 and 22 of inverted U-shaped section which protrude upwardly above the upper side of portion 20. Each rib 21, 22 thus defines a downwardly opening circular groove 21a, 22a adapted to respectively receive the upper edge of the outer wall 10 of the container body 1 and of the inner annular partition 13 of same. The groove 21a of the outer rib 21 has on its outer wall an inwardly projecting circular tooth 23 of substantially triangular cross section, adapted to resiliently snap under the outer bead 12 of the upper edge of wall 10. Cover 2 further comprises a flat disclike central portion 24 situated at a somewhat lower level than the annular portion 20.

Cover 2 is further formed with a tubular boss 25 forming an upwardly directed hollow cylindrical extension disposed at an eccentric position on the upper side of cover 2 in such manner as to overlap a portion of the inner rib 22. The upper end of boss 25 is closed by two oblique walls 26 and 27 which form an upwardly opening V-shaped valley, as shown, the bottom of this valley being in plan view in the form of an arc of a circle disposed just above the portion of rib 22 situated within boss 25. This bottom is connected with rib 21 and with the cylindrical wall of boss 25 by an arcuate partition 28 which may be considered as a solid upward extension of rib 22. The downwardly opening groove of the latter extends in the portion corresponding to partition 28, as indicated at 29.

It will be understood that the cover 2 thus constructed may be forced downwardly on the container body 1 to close the latter in a perfectly fluidtight manner, with the tooth 23 snapping under the bead 12 of wall 10 to retain the said cover in position. Chambers 14 and 15 are thus separated from each other, each communicating with one of the subspaces determined by partition 28 within boss 25. At the time of use the user merely severs boss 25 substantially along the horizontal plane X-Y of FIG. 2 in such manner as to uncover the two inner subspaces situated on each side of partition 28. The contents of both chambers 14 and 15 are thus mixed and discharged simultaneously through boss 25 which thus forms a discharging spout.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 3 the cover 120 adapted to be associated with the container body 1 is formed of two coaxialy conical walls 121 and 122 having a common upper apex. The outer conical wall 121 has a lower horizontal annular flange portion 123 formed with an outer depending rim adapted to fit around the beaded upper edge of the outer wall of the container body 1, while the lower edge of the inner conical wall 122 comprises a downwardly opening U-shaped circular rib 124 which receives in a fluidtight manner the upper edge of the annular partition of body 1. The conical walls 122 and 123 are further connected with each other by a number of radial stays 125. Here again when the cover 120 is mounted on the container body 1, the coaxial chambers 14 and 15 are wholly separated from each other. The upper end of the cover may be severed horizontally in such manner as to determine an an double opening through which the contents of both chambers may be poured in the mixed state.




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