Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
  • B65D83/14—Containers for dispensing liquid or semi-liquid contents by internal gaseous pressure, i.e. aerosol containers comprising propellant
  • B65D83/38—Details of the container body
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices

Definitions

• the present invention relates to spray packages.
• the present invention has further relation to such spray packages that are ergonomically friendly.
• Spray bottles or packages have traditionally come in various shapes and sizes. Most are uncomfortable for a consumer to use. Some packages are relatively large and bulky, and are difficult to hold with one hand. Others have sharply angled shoulder areas, between the actuator and the body of the package, that make it difficult for the consumer to reach the top of the actuator with the tip of the index finger. Still others have an actuator that extends relatively high above the shoulder area of the package, making it difficult at best for a consumer to hold the body of the package with the palm area of the hand, and still comfortably reach the top of the actuator with the tip of the index finger; these packages force the consumer to uncomfortably stretch the index finger in order to reach the top of the actuator.
• an ergonomic spray package including a cylindrical container body having a top and a closed bottom, the body having a diameter of between about 1 inch and about 3 inches.
• the package also includes a shroud having a top, a bottom, and an outer surface, the shroud bottom being connected to the top of the container body, the shroud outer surface being outwardly convex with a radius of between about 5 and about 10 inches to conform to the shape of a human index finger resting upon the shroud outer surface.
• a spray actuator movably connected to and extending above the shroud top, the actuator having a top surface which is at least partially angled between about 10 degrees and about 45 degrees to conform to the tip of a human finger resting upon the actuator top surface.
• the combined positioning and configuration of the actuator, shroud, and container is such that a human hand can easily and comfortably grip the package and depress the spray actuator substantially solely by movement of the tip of the index finger.
• Figure 1 is an elevational view of an ergonomically designed spray package of the present invention.
• Figure 2 shows the package of Figure 1 as held in the user's hand with the actuator in the upmost position.
• Figure 3 shows the package of Figure 1 as held in the user's hand with the actuator depressed.
• FIG. 1 an embodiment of a spray package 10 of the present invention.
• Package 10 has container body 12, shroud area 14, and actuator 16.
• Container body 12 is typically cylindrical, having a preferred diameter of about 1 inch to about 3 inches, with a most preferred diameter of about 1.5 inches.
• Shroud area 14 has basically a cone-like shape which provides a smooth transition from the diameter of the container body up to about the diameter of the actuator, with an outside surface that is convex; the radius of the convex surface of shroud 14 is preferably between about 5 inches and about 10 inches, with a most preferred radius of about 7 inches.
• Actuator 16 is typically cylindrical, but with angled depression 18 on its top surface to accommodate the tip of a human index finger.
• the angled depression is preferably between about 10 degrees and about 45 degrees from the horizontal, with a most preferred angle of about 30 degrees from the horizontal.
• this package construction allows a consumer to easily grasp container body 12 in the palm of the hand, while gripping it with the thumb and three outer fingers, as shown.
• the index finger may then rest comfortably on the outer surface of shroud 14, while the tip of the index finger rests naturally on the angled depression atop actuator 16. As shown in Figure 3, this allows easy actuation with just the tip of the index finger.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Fertilizing (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=25132604

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-01-14 CN CN98801825A patent/CN1247517A/zh active Pending
  • 1998-01-14 WO PCT/US1998/000708 patent/WO1998031591A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-01-14 CZ CZ19992507A patent/CZ9902507A3/cs unknown
  • 1998-01-14 CA CA002277215A patent/CA2277215A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-01-14 KR KR1019997006473A patent/KR20000070245A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 1998-01-14 BR BR9812283-5A patent/BR9812283A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-01-14 AU AU59175/98A patent/AU5917598A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-01-14 EP EP98902542A patent/EP1034120A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-01-14 CO CO98001250A patent/CO4810238A1/es unknown
  • 1998-01-14 ID IDW990705A patent/ID22540A/id unknown
  • 1998-01-14 JP JP53449998A patent/JP2002513369A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-01-14 HU HU0001785A patent/HUP0001785A2/hu unknown
  • 1998-01-15 AR ARP980100168A patent/AR011417A1/es unknown
  • 1998-02-02 PE PE1998000037A patent/PE13099A1/es not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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