TITLE

Dispensing Container for Spices or the Likes

BACKGROUND

[0001] It has been known for many years in the food distribution industry to sell spices or similar food products in a container ready to be used for dispensing the product.

[0002] Usually these containers include an opening closed by a cap construction which is configured to provide access to the opening through one or two dispensing portions, each closed by a flap.

[0003] A first drawback of such containers from the prior art is that the cap or closure does not allow easy access to the spices or food products by the main opening without detaching the cap from the container.

[0004] Moreover, most of these dispensing containers for spices are tedious to open, which renders their use unpractical in uncontrolled conditions such as outdoor. Finally their constructions, especially of the closure, are often complex, which render the final products relatively costly to produce.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] In the appended drawings:

[0006] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a container for spices according to a first embodiment, illustrating both the lid of the container and the flaps on the lid closed;

[0007] Figure 2 is a top plan view of the container from Figure 1 ;

[0008] Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the container from Figure 1 ;

[0009] Figure 4 is a top perspective view similar to Figurei , illustrating the lid opened;

[0010] Figure 5 is a top exploded view of the container from

Figure 1 , showing the mounting of the two flaps on the lid;

[0011] Figure 6 is a top perspective view of the container from

Figure 1 , illustrating the lid closed and both flaps opened;

[0012] Figure 7 is a top perspective view of a container for spices according to a second embodiment, illustrating a second mounting assembly for the two flaps on the lid;

[0013] Figure 8 is a top perspective view of a container for spices according to a third embodiment, illustrating the lid closed; and

[0014] Figure 9 is a top perspective view of the container from

Figure 8, illustrating the lid opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a precedent figure.

[0016] According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a dispensing container for spices comprising:

[0017] a single compartment receptacle having an opening;

[0018] a lid mounted to the receptacle for closing the opening; the lid having first and second dispensing apertures for allowing the spices therethrough when the lid is closed; and

[0019] first and second flaps mounted on the lid for independently and selectively closing the respective first and second dispensing apertures.

[0020] The use of the word "a" or "an" when used in conjunction with the term "comprising" in the claims and/or the specification may mean "one", but it is also consistent with the meaning of "one or more", "at least one", and "one or more than one". Similarly, the word "another" may mean at least a second or more.

[0021] As used in this specification and claim(s), the words

"comprising" (and any form of comprising, such as "comprise" and "comprises"), "having" (and any form of having, such as "have" and "has"), "including" (and any form of including, such as "include" and "includes") or "containing" (and any form of containing, such as "contain" and "contains"), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements.

[0022] A container 10 for spices according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference first to Figures 1-5.

[0023] The container 10 comprises a single compartment receptacle 12 made of a polymeric material having an opening 13 providing access to the compartment and an integral lid 14 mounted thereto via two integral hinges 15 for selectively closing the opening 13.

[0024] The receptacle 12 includes four peripheral walls 16-22, a bottom wall 21 attached thereto and the top opening 13, together defining the single compartment.

[0025] The four walls 16-22 are slanted so as yield a receptacle having a rectangular conical shape. The walls 16-22 are also embossed so as to define four protruding embossed legs 24-30 at the corner edges of the receptacle 12. The receptacle 12 further includes a peripheral flange 32 adjacent the opening 13. The top edge 34 of the receptacle 12, which extends beyond the flange 32, includes two facing notches 36, each on a respective one of the two lateral walls 20-22. The purpose of the notches 36 will be explained hereinbelow.

[0026] The lid 14 includes a peripheral skirt 38 and is configured and sized so as to snuggly fit on the top edge 34 of the receptacle 12. The lid 14 further includes a peripheral flange 40 which extends below the skirt 38 perpendicularly therefrom. The height of the skirt 38 is such that the flange 40 abuts the flange 32 when the lid 14 is closed.

[0027] The top side of the lid 14 further includes a C-shaped collar 42 on the side of the lid 14 adjacent the hinges 15 and a further collar element 44 protruding from the top side of the lid 14 near the periphery thereof on the side opposite the hinges 15. The C-shaped collar 42 and the collar element 44 together define a rim which aimed at stabilizing a second container

10 when it is received on the container 10. The lid 14 and bottom 21 are therefore configured so that the container 10 is stackable.

[0028] The receptacle walls 16-22 are so dimensioned and slanted for snuggly fitting of the receptacle 12 of a first container 10 within the interspaces defined by the c-shaped collar 42 of the lid of a second container 10 and a collar element 44 thereof, thereby providing stability when stacking such containers 10. Two additional collar elements 43 and 43' are provided at the front corner of the lid 14 for a similar purpose.

[0029] The collar element 44 can further act as a handle when pivoting the lid 14 about the hinges 15.

[0030] The lid 14 further includes two circular dispensing apertures

46 and 48 for allowing the spices therethrough. The apertures 46-48 have different sizes so as to allow selecting one of two different dispensing flows when the lid 14 is closed.

[0031] Each of the two apertures 46-48 is closed by a respective flap

50 and 52 which is hingedly mounted to the lid. The flaps 50-52 are generally rectangular in shape with a rounded edge 49 at the distal portion thereof.

[0032] Each of the flaps 50-52 includes an embossed circular portion 58 or 60 which is registered with the respective apertures 46 and 48. In addition to being configured and sized to cooperate with their respective apertures 46 and 48, the circular portions 58-60 also allow a visual indication of the size of the aperture 46 or 48 it hides when the flaps 50-52 are closed.

[0033] The flaps 50 and 52 extend over the notches 36 when the lid

14 is closed to provide for a better grip on the flaps 50-52, thereby facilitating their opening.

[0034] The distal portion of the flaps 50 and 52 are provided with ridges 53, which further better the grip on the flaps 50-52.

[0035] According to another embodiment, the flaps 50 and 52 extend over the skirt 38 and the notches 36 are omitted or the flaps 50 and 52 do not extend over the skirt 38 and notches 36 are provided.

[0036] As can be better seen from Figure 5, the two flaps 50 and 52 are part of an independent strip 54 which is mounted to the lid 14 prior to using the container 10 and is secured thereto using high energy welding, such as ultrasound, high frequency, UV (ultraviolet) bonding or any other fastening techniques, including without limitations gluing.

[0037] The strip 54 includes two linear grooves 60 and 62, each one, acting as a hinge for a respective flap 50 and 52 and as bonding areas to secure the strip 54 to the lid 14. Indeed, the lid 14 includes two corresponding grooves 64 and 66 to respectively receive the groove 56 and 58. The grooves 60 and 62 are positioned relative to the apertures 46 and 48 so that the embossed circular portions 58-60 are registered with the apertures 46-48 when the flap mounting strip 54 is secured to the lid 14 and the flaps 50-52 are closed.

[0038] In operation, the lid 14 can be opened to fill the receptacle 12 with spices, other food product or any other product. When the lid 14 is firmly closed onto the receptacle 12, either one of the two flaps 50-52 can be opened

to selectively dispense the receptacle content (not shown) through the corresponding one of the two apertures 46 and 48.

[0039] The lid 14 can further be opened to access the receptacle's content directly with a hand, spoon or another utensil.

[0040] According to a further embodiment, the lid 14 is sealed onto the receptacle 12 after the food product (not shown) has been inserted therein. Any of the above-mentioned welding techniques, gluing or any other equivalent technique is then used for the sealing.

[0041] The collar element 44 and/or any outside surface of the container 10, such as the outer surface of the four walls 16-22 can be used to indicate the container's content or to provide any other information using a label or by directly printing on the surface. Such information can also be directly engraved or molded in the surface. Any one of the lids 14 and 50-52 and/or the receptacle 12 can also be made transparent so as to allow visualizing the container's content (not shown) without its opening.

[0042] The interspaces 45 between the pair of collar elements 43 and 44 and 43' and 44 allow receiving portions of a safety seal (not shown) that can be secured onto the lid 14 so as to show a customer whether the dispensing container 10 has been opened prior to the customer buying it for example. The safety seal may extend for example from the flange 40 to the c- shaped collar 42 and may further be used to display information about the product in the container 10. The container 10 allows accommodating one or a plurality of safety seals having different shapes and sizes. It is to be noted that the safety seal can be omitted. Since such safety seals are believed to be well- known in the art, they will not be described herein in more detail.

[0043] The container 10 is particularly suitable for outdoor used since the two apertures 46-48 and the main opening 13 can be easily accessed without risking losing their respective closures.

[0044] The container 10 can be provided in different sizes to accommodate different types or quantity of dispensing food products. Also, the container 10 can be used to store and dispense other types of products than spices.

[0045] As it would now become more apparent to a person skilled in the art, the container 10 can be made from only two (2) parts, a first one including both the receptacle 12 and the integral lid 14, and the second one being the flap mounting strip 54 with the integral flaps 50-52. Each part may result from any conventional moulding process and the two parts are assembled as described hereinabove.

[0046] The container 10 is advantageously made of a biodegradable material, for example corn-based. It can however be made of any other rigid material.

[0047] According to a further embodiment (not shown), the container

10 includes a single part resulting or not from a moulding process.

[0048] According to still another embodiment, any one of the lid 14, or flap 50 or 52 can be made of an independent part respectively mounted to the receptacle 12 or lid 14 via a hinge (not shown).

[0049] Also, as will now be described with reference to a second embodiment of a dispensing container 68 for spices or the likes, the

configuration and mounting of the flaps 70-72 onto the lid 14 are not limited to the construction illustrated with reference to the container 10.

[0050] Since the container 68 is very similar to the container 10, and for concision purposes, only the differences between these two containers 68 and 10 will be described herein. As discussed hereinabove, the main difference between the two containers 68 and 10 lies in the construction of the flaps 70 and 72 and more specifically in their mounting to the lid 14.

[0051] Each of the flaps 70 and 72 is hingedly mounted to the lid 14 via a respective hinge mechanism which includes, in addition to the respective linear grooves 60 and 62, an integral tension tab 74 which causes the respective flap 70 or 72 to remain open when it is pivoted beyond 90 degrees, thereby easing the dispensing of the content through the aperture 46 or 48 respectively.

[0052] Turning now to Figures 8 and 9 of the appended drawings, a dispensing container 76 for spices or the likes according to a third embodiment will be described. Since the container 76 is similar to the container 10, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the two containers 10 and 76 will be described herein.

[0053] While the container 10 has two opposite front and back walls

16 and 18 which are longer than the two side walls 20 and 22, the container 76 has four walls 78-84 having the same dimension.

[0054] Also, while the two flaps 50 and 52 of the container 10 are generally rectangular in shape with a rounded edge 49, the lid 86 of the container 76 includes rounded flaps 88 and 90.

[0055] Moreover, the flaps 88 and 90 are so mounted to the lid 86 as to be positioned at an angle relatively to one another. Moreover, the top edge 92 of the receptacle 94 includes two notches 96 positioned at the two front corners of the receptacle 94 on of the walls adjacent the hinges 98. Indeed, another difference between the containers 76 and 10 is that the apertures 100 and 102 in the lid 86 are not positioned generally along the wall 84 opposite the hinges 98. The notches 96 serve similar purposes than the notches 36 of the container 10.

[0056] Each of the rounded flaps 88 and 90 includes a ridged lip 104 extending therefrom and over a respective notch 96 when the flaps 88 and 90 are closed.

[0057] It is to be noted that many modifications could be made to the container 10 described hereinabove, for example:

[0058] - The container 10 can be assembled from a plurality of parts. For example, the lid 14 can be made removable from the receptacle 12. The lid 14 can also be assembled to the receptacle 12 for example via an independent hinge. Similarly, a container according to a further illustrative embodiment of the present invention (not shown) includes flaps which are assembled to the lid so as to be removable, for example;

[0059] - Even though the lid 14 and bottom 21 of the container 10 are configured so that two or more containers 10 can be stacked, this feature can be omitted;

[0060] - Many features of the containers 10, 68 and 76 may be omitted, such as the flange 32, notches 36 and ridges;

[0061] - The sizes and configuration of the apertures in the lid may differ than those illustrated. For example, one or both of the apertures may be replaces by a plurality of small apertures, the difference in dispensing debit being provided by the number and/or dimension of such small apertures. In such a case, the embossed circular portions 58 and 60 are adapted for the provided apertures. It is to be noted that the expression "dispensing aperture(s)" is to be construed herein and in the appended claims broadly as to include a single aperture or a plurality of smaller apertures. Moreover, the dispensing apertures in the lid 14 can have other configuration than circular;

[0062] - The number and length of the hinges used to pivotably mount the lids 14, 86 and flaps 50-52, 70-72 and 88-90 may vary. Also, even though each of these hinges have been illustrated as being integral, a mechanism separated from either one or both of the two elements it connects can alternatively be provided;

[0063] - The number of apertures in the lid and the number of corresponding closures may vary; and

[0064] - Even though the containers hereinabove have been described as being made of a polymeric material, they can be made of any other material inert to the intended content, such as metal, wood, glass, ceramic, composite material or a combination thereof;

[0065] - Even though the containers 10, 68 and 76, including the receptacle 12 and 94 respectively, have been described herein as being generally rectangular, it can have any other shape, including without limitation cylindrical.

[0066] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation. Hence, although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of illustrative embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit, scope and nature of the subject invention.