RS64112B1 - Container - Google Patents

Description

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a container, and more specifically to a container for liquids, of the type commonly referred to as a "bottle" referred to below.

[0002] Bottles of interest for this specification are bottles which are preferably designed to hold products such as liquid detergent, gel and the like for washing, for example, dishes, kitchenware or even laundry.

[0003] The containers in question have sizes that vary between approximately half a liter and a liter and a half of the contained product, so they are relatively heavy, especially when full.

[0004] Prior art containers generally extend in height, have a substantially flat base wall or base, a front wall and a back wall, which extend from the base, and two side walls, which also extend from the base, and connect the front and back walls.

[0005] The bottles have a spout for pouring the liquid product, equipped with a closure and located at one end of the container which is opposite the wall of the base.

[0006] The front and back walls, and even more so the side walls, usually have a curvilinear profile that gives the container a curved appearance, although it makes it difficult to move it, even because of the mass, when the product is in use.

[0007] In order to overcome this shortcoming, bottles have recently been developed that have gripping areas on the outer surface for better gripping of the bottle.

[0008] More precisely, the gripping places are in the form of finger recesses formed in at least one front or rear wall which, in other words, is shaped to have recesses. Examples of such types of container are disclosed in document WO2005075308A1, which discloses a container according to the preamble of patent claim 1, and in documents US6029837A or US2008173653A1.

[0009] In other solutions from the state of the art, recesses in the front or rear walls extend to the side wall and are accessible, that is open, on the side wall which, in turn, accordingly has recesses for the passage of the user's hands. And solutions of containers with catch points have several disadvantages.

[0010] The above-described gripping places do not allow the bottle to be held effectively, so the bottle may fall out of the hand because the fingers do not find a particular resistance in order not to get out of the grip, especially in the case of, for example, wet hands.

[0011] In order to maximize the efficiency of the operation, the recesses extend deep into the front or back walls, thus providing a significant space for labels and information for the user.

[0012] In this context, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a container that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0013] The object of this invention is to provide a bottle for products such as liquid detergent, gel and the like for washing, for example, dishes, kitchen utensils or even laundry, which can be easily lifted and which can be easily handled.

[0014] Another object is to provide a container in which the front or back walls can also be used more for labels or information for the consumer, compared to solutions from the prior art.

[0015] Those objects are fully achieved by a container with features resulting from a combination of one or more associated patent claims. According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a container for a liquid product, such as, for example, dishwashing liquid, detergent for dishwashers or washing machines, fabric softener and the like.

[0016] The container includes a base wall, at least one side wall extending from the base wall along the main direction of extension D of the container, an end part that includes a spout for pouring the product, located at the end of the container that is opposite the wall of the base in the main direction of extension D.

[0017] The base wall, the side wall and the end portion define a sleeve open to the throat which may be equipped with a closure, a dispensing device or otherwise, in a manner not relevant to this description.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, the container includes a container gripping system that includes at least one recess in the side wall.

[0019] The recess generally extends in the main direction of extension D and according to one aspect of the present invention, it has first and second edges that converge towards the neck of the vessel.

[0020] On the side wall, the recess essentially has a closed profile.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, the first and second edges converge toward the base wall.

[0022] The other edge, with the profile of the side wall, defines the part for catching the container.

[0023] The second edge is closer to the profile of the side wall than the first edge.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present invention, the grip portion tapers from the neck toward the base portion in such a way that the average user can grip it well.

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, the first edge has a curved shape with the concavity facing the second edge.

[0026] According to one aspect of this invention, the second edge has a curved shape and a first part with a concavity facing the first edge and a second part, connected to the first part, which has a concavity towards the side that is opposite to the first edge, that is, towards the profile of the side wall.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the part of the second edge with the concavity facing the opposite side in relation to the first edge is closer to the neck of the container than the second part of the second edge, which is connected to the first part, with the concavity facing the first edge.

[0028] According to one aspect of the present invention, the first and second edges are connected to each other at the neck part of the container.

[0029] In other words, the first and second edges essentially join each other at the neck or the end part of the container.

[0030] It is therefore more difficult to drop the container compared to solutions from the prior art because the upper end of the recess is closed by joining two of its edges.

[0031] According to one aspect of the present invention, the depth of the recess is between mm 4 and mm 12 depending on the volume of the container to ensure the possibility of inserting fingers into the recess.

[0032] The depth of the indentation can increase with the increase in the volume (and therefore the mass) of the container.

[0033] According to one aspect of this invention, the recess has dimensions proportional to the height, which is preferably measured against the main direction D, and the width of the wall in which it is made, in such a way that it always has essentially the same shape or appearance in containers of different dimensions or different capacity.

[0034] The concavities of the concave parts of the two edges of the indentation preferably face the respective concavities facing each other in order to obtain sufficient space for the user's hand.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the maximum distance between the concave part of the first edge and the concave part of the second edge is between 18 mm and 55 mm in accordance with the volume of the container. According to one aspect of the present invention, the container includes a first side wall defining a front wall, a second side wall defining a rear wall, and at least a third side wall connecting the first and second side walls.

[0036] The first, second and third side walls are interconnected and extend from the base wall of the vessel in the main direction of extension D of the vessel.

[0037] The first, second and third side walls are closed at the top by the end part of the container, and a recess is made in the first side wall. According to one aspect of the present invention, the recess may be considered to be bounded by the base and the first and second walls facing each other in the long direction.

[0038] In one exemplary embodiment, the walls that limit the recess extend from the base of the recess to the vessel wall.

[0039] The walls of the recess are mutually incident on the base of the recess.

[0040] According to one aspect of the present invention, the walls of the recess are, on the wall of the container, respectively limited by the first and second edges.

[0041] The indentation may have a surface finish that is rough to the touch which improves gripping of the container.

[0042] For example, the walls of the well may be rougher to the touch compared to other surfaces of the vessel.

[0043] According to one aspect of the present invention, the walls of the recess, that is to say, the recess itself, can be equipped with a greater number of teeth, which can be, for example, in the form of a leaf rib, in order to further facilitate the gripping of the container.

[0044] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear after reading the non-limiting description of a preferred, but non-exclusive, embodiment of the container, as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

- Fig.1 shows a schematic axonometric view of a container according to the present invention;

- Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of the container according to this invention from the front;

- Fig.3 shows a schematic top view of a vessel according to the present invention.

[0045] With reference to the accompanying drawing, reference numeral 1 designates an exemplary container according to the present invention.

[0046] Container 1 is, for example, designed to contain liquid products, such as, for example, dishwashing liquid, detergent for dishwashers or washing machines, fabric softener and the like.

[0047] The container 1 includes the wall 2 of the base and a number of side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 that extend from the wall 2 of the base along the direction of extension D of the container 1.

More precisely, in the example shown, the first side wall 3 defines the front wall, the second side wall 4 defines the back wall, the third side wall 5, which connects the front wall and the back wall, defines the first side of the container 1, and the fourth side wall 6, which connects the front wall and the back wall, defines the second side of the container 1.

[0049] The side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 are connected to each other and the container 1 includes the end part 7, located on the opposite side of the base wall 2 in relation to the side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the direction D, in order to close the container 1.

[0050] In the embodiment shown by way of example, the end part 7 includes a spout 8 for pouring the product during use and it can be combined, for example, with a closure or a dosing device that are not shown.

[0051] The wall 2 of the base, the side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the end part 7 define a sleeve open on the throat 8.

[0052] In alternative embodiments that are not shown, the vessel 1 has any shape, for example parallelopiped or cylindrical.

[0053] As shown, the container 1 includes a gripping system 9 for moving the container during use.

[0054] The system 9, as will be explained in more detail below, allows the average user, not shown, to firmly grasp the container 1 in order to use the product contained therein.

[0055] In the example shown, the system 9 includes a recess 10 in the side wall 3.

[0056] In the preferred embodiment, the maximum depth D of the recess 10 is between 4 mm and 12 mm in accordance with the volume of the vessel 1.

[0057] Generally, the larger and heavier the full container 1 is, the deeper the recess 10 will be so that the user will be able to grip the container 1 better.

[0058] The recess 10 generally has dimensions proportional to the height, which is preferably measured against the main direction D, and the width of the wall 3 in which it is made, in such a way that it always has essentially the same shape or appearance in containers 1 of different dimensions or of different capacity.

[0059] As shown schematically by the broken line in Fig. 3, the container 1 may include a second recess, for example of the same type as the recess in the wall 3, on the rear wall 4 to further facilitate the grasping of the container 1.

[0060] The recess 10 extends generally along the main direction of extension D and has first and second edges 11, 12.

[0061] The first and second edges 11, 12 mutually approach the neck 8 of the container 1 and mutually approach the wall 2 of the base.

[0062] The first and second edges 11, 12 preferably connect to each other on the side of the container's neck.

[0063] In practice, the recess 10, on the side wall 3, essentially has a closed profile.

[0064] The edges 11 and 12 of the recess 10 are preferably connected to each other at the end 10a above the recess towards the neck 8.

[0065] The first edge 11 has a curved shape with the concavity facing the second edge 12.

[0066] The edge 12 has a concave part 12a facing the edge 11; as shown, both edge 11 and edge 12 have at least one concave portion with respective concavities facing each other.

[0067] The maximum distance D1 between the edge 11 and the edge 12, more precisely, in the example shown, between the concave part of the edge 11 and the concave part of the edge 12, is preferably between 18 mm and 55 mm in accordance with the volume of the container 1.

[0068] It should be noted that the edge 11 is concave and that the edge 12 has a curved shape and has a concave part 12a with the concavity facing the edge 11 and a part 12b with the concavity facing the opposite side in relation to the first edge 11.

[0069] The part 12b of the edge 12 is closer to the neck 8 of the container 1 in relation to the part 12a of the edge 12.

[0070] The edge 11 and the edge 12, for example the part 12b, are connected to each other at the upper end 10a of the recess 10.

[0071] Preferably, therefore, when the fingers of the above-mentioned user's hand are inserted into the recess 10, they are more difficult to slip out of the recess compared to prior art solutions since, if the container moves downwards, it will be stopped in the converging part of the recess.

[0072] According to an alternative way of realization, the edges 11 and 12 do not even have to meet at the upper end of the recess, which, in any case, gives the same effect. The recess 10 is bounded by a base 20 and, in the example shown, by first and second walls 21, 22 which face each other and extend from the base 20 to the wall 3.

[0073] In the example shown, the walls 21 and 22 are mutually incident on the base 20 of the recess 10.

[0074] On wall 3, walls 21 and 22 are bounded by edges 11 and 12, respectively.

[0075] Considering the shape of the edges 11 and 12, it should be noted that the recess 10 is limited by a leaf-shaped profile on the wall 3.

[0076] The recess 10 may have a finish such that it has a surface 23 that is rough to the touch, which improves the gripping of the container 1 .

[0077] For example, the walls 21, 22 and, if necessary, the base 20 of the recess 10, may be rougher to the touch in

Claims (9)

in relation to other surfaces of vessel 1. [0078] According to the preferred method of realization, the walls 21, 22 of the recess 10, that is to say, the recess itself, can be equipped with a greater number of teeth 24, which can be, for example, in the form of the ribbing of a leaf, in order to further facilitate the gripping of the container 1. [0079] In addition, a larger part of the surface of the front wall 3 is free and can be used, for example, to apply a label 13. [0080] As shown, the edge 12 defines, with the profile 3a of the wall 3, a part 14 for gripping the container 1. [0081] The gripping part 14 defines a free space for a part of the fingers which therefore, during use, enter the grip with the recess 10; the thumb of that hand can then rest on the wall 5 and on the end part 7, under the throat 8. [0082] During use, the user can, partially, insert his hand into the recess 10 and hold the container 1 acting at least on the wall 22. [0083] As shown, especially in Fig. 2, the part 14 for catching on the wall 3 becomes thinner from the throat 8 towards the wall 2 of the base. [0084] The curved shape, more precisely with the concavity facing the opposite side in relation to the recess 10, of the part 12b of the edge 12 determines the shape of the part 14 which optimizes the gripping of the container 1. Patent claims 1. A container for a product that is preferably liquid, wherein the container includes: wall (2) of the foundation, at least one side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) extending from the wall (2) of the base in the direction of extension D of the container, the end part (7), which includes the neck (8) for pouring the product, located at the end of the container opposite to the wall (2) of the base in the main direction of extension D, wherein the wall (2) of the base, the side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) and the end part (7) define a container open at the neck (8), where the container includes the system (9) for gripping comprising at least one recess (10) in the side walls (3, 4, 5, 6), wherein said recess (10) extends generally along the main axis of extension D and has first and second edges (11, 12) mutually approaching the throat (8) and mutually approaching the wall (2) of the base, where the second edge (12) defines with the profile (3a) of the side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) part (14) for catching in a container, wherein the container is characterized by the fact that the first edge (11) has a curved shape with the concavity facing the second edge (12) and the second edge (12) has a curved shape and has a first part (12a) with a concavity facing the first edge (11) and a second part (12b), which is connected to the first part (12a), with a concavity facing in the opposite direction in relation to the first edge (11). 2. Container according to claim 1, in which the gripping part (14) tapers from the throat (8) towards the wall (2) of the base. 3. A container according to claim 1, in which the second part (12b) of the second edge (12) is closer to the neck (8) of the container than the first part (12a) of the second edge (12). 4. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the first and second edges (11, 12) are joined to each other on the neck side of the container. 5. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the depth D of the recess (10) is between mm 4 and mm 12 according to the volume of the container. 6. Container according to claim 1, in which the maximum distance D1 between the concave part of the first edge (11) and the concave part of the second edge (12) is between 18 mm and 55 mm according to the volume of the container. 7. A container according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a first side wall (3) defining a front end wall, a second side wall (4) defining a rear end wall, at least a third side wall (5, 6) connecting the first and second side walls (3, 4), wherein the first, second and third side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) extend from the wall (2) of the base in the main extension direction D, are interconnected and closed at the top by the end part (7). container, where the recess (10) is formed on the first side wall (3). 8. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the recess (10) is limited by at least one base (20), a first wall (21) and a second end wall (22), wherein the first and second end walls (21, 22) start from the base (20) and face each other. 9. Container according to claim 8, in which the first and second walls (21, 22) of the recess (10) extend from the base (20) towards the side walls (3, 4, 5, 6), wherein, on the wall (3, 4, 5, 6), the first and second walls (21, 22) of the recess (10) are respectively limited by the first and second edges (11, 12).