Dispensing container
View Patent ↗A dispensing container tillable with a liquid includes a squeezable reservoir for holding the liquid prior to dispensing; a substantially flat dispensing head which is integral with the squeezable reservoir and having a distal end and a proximal end; an outlet at the distal end of the dispensing head for dispensing the liquid from the container; a passage interconnecting the squeezable reservoir and the outlet; and a stop disposed near the proximal end of the dispensing head to prevent over-insertion of the dispensing head into a user's mouth when the container is used to dispense the liquid to the user. Containers that are pre-filled with liquid and a method of making the containers are also described.
1. A unitary dispensing container fillable with a liquid, the container comprising:
a squeezable reservoir having a top and a bottom for holding the liquid prior to dispensing;
a substantially flat dispensing head which is integral with the squeezable reservoir and having a distal end and a proximal end and extending outwardly from a flat surface;
an outlet at the distal end of the dispensing head for dispensing the liquid from the container;
a passage interconnecting the squeezable reservoir and the outlet; and
a stop disposed near the proximal end of the dispensing head to prevent over-insertion of the dispensing head a distance sufficient into a user's mouth past the stop when the container is used to dispense the liquid to the user, wherein the stop is a portion of an outer wall of the squeezable reservoir that is thicker than the other walls of the reservoir in order to retain its shape and function during use.
2. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , having a top and a bottom and wherein at least a portion of the bottom is flat, thereby permitting the container to rest stably on a flat surface.
3. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the squeezable reservoir has a capacity of about 5 ml of the liquid.
4. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the squeezable reservoir has a capacity of about 10 ml of the liquid.
5. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the squeezable reservoir has an outer surface having a traction aid thereon, whereby the traction aids improve the grip of the container by the user.
6. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the traction aid comprises at least one of ribs, grooves, a roughened area, or a checkered area.
7. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat dispensing head is optionally round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, or irregular in shape.
8. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat dispensing head is from about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm thick.
9. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat dispensing head is from about 2 mm to about 6 mm thick.
10. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat dispensing head is about 5 mm thick.
11. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet is closed by a breakable seal which reveals the outlet when the seal is broken.
12. The dispensing container according to claim 11 , wherein the breakable seal is integral with a tab which is designed for gripping between the thumb and forefinger for the purpose of breaking the seal.
13. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , wherein the stop is located at the proximal end of the dispensing head and extends outwardly from a flat surface of the dispensing head at an angle of from about 30° to about 90° from the plane of the dispensing head.
14. The dispensing container according to claim 13 , wherein the stop extends outwardly from a flat surface of the dispensing head at an angle of about 60° from the plane of the dispensing head.
15. The dispensing container according to claim 13 , wherein the stop extends outwardly from a flat surface of the dispensing head a distance sufficient to prevent or retard the continued insertion of the dispensing container into the mouth of an infant past the stop.
16. The dispensing container according to claim 1 , further comprising a substantially flat tail disposed from the reservoir opposite the dispensing head and in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane of the dispensing head.
17. The dispensing container according to claim 16 , having information displayed on the tail where the information comprises at least one of: volume of the liquid, date of manufacture of the liquid, date of filing, date of recommended use, expiration date, chemical name of the liquid, lot number of the liquid, or common name of the liquid.
18. A pre-filled unitary dispensing container having a liquid therein and a top and a bottom, the container comprising:
a squeezable reservoir having a top and a bottom containing the liquid;
a substantially flat dispensing head which is integral with the squeezable reservoir and having a distal end and a proximal end and a bottom, such that the bottom of the dispensing head and the bottom of the squeezable reservoir are substantially level;
an outlet at the distal end of the dispensing head for dispensing the liquid from the container;
a passage interconnecting the squeezable reservoir and the outlet; and
a stop disposed near the proximal end and extending outwardly from a flat surface of the dispensing head A distance sufficient to prevent over-insertion of the dispensing head into a user's mouth past the stop when the container is used to dispense liquid to the user, wherein the stop is a portion of an outer wall of the squeezable reservoir that is thicker than the other walls of the reservoir in order to retain its shape and function during use.
19. The pre-filled dispensing container according to claim 18 , wherein the liquid comprises at least one material that is selected from vitamins, over-the-counter drugs, or prescription drugs.
20. The pre-filled dispensing container according to claim 18 , wherein the container is sufficiently transparent or translucent that the amount of liquid in the reservoir can be determined visually.
21. The pre-filled dispensing container according to claim 18 , wherein the reservoir has walls which block the transmission of light.
22. The pre-filled dispensing container according to claim 18 , wherein the dispensing container is color-coded to identify a property of the liquid in the reservoir.
23. The pre-filled dispensing container according to claim 18 , wherein The reservoir further contains a head-space gas.
24. The pre-filled dispensing container according to claim 23 , wherein the head-space gas comprises air, sterile air, oxygen gas, nitrogen gas, other inert gas, or a mixture thereof.