The present invention relates to a modular container, of the kind usually employed for containing liquids, such as drinks or the like. The invention may be applied to the field of packaging of liquid products, such as drinks, with the aim of containing the packaged liquid during transport and storage.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently there are several different containers on the market, made of different kinds of materials, intended for containing liquids and more particularly drinks.

These containers in the form of bottles or cans usually have a capacity of 10, 33 or 50 cl, when they contain the amount to be consumed at one time.

Frequently the contents of such containers is excessive, and it is frequent for the user no to finish it at one time.

This brings about in most cases a waste of part of the contents of the container, especially when the container is a can of a soft drink, which cannot be closed again after being opened, and in which the drink turns bad after a relatively short time.

The containers constituted by plastic bottles are usually provided with a screw cap which allows them to be closed again in case the content is not consumed all at once; however, use of such caps constitutes an important part of the overall price of the container.

Another possibility is buying a single container such as a can or bottle and consuming the content sharing it with another person; in order to maintain appropriate hygienic conditions this requires the use of at least one glass, which is not available when the container is purchased from a vending machine, in a supermarket or in any premise where drinks are sold for consumption in the premises themselves.

Another problem encountered when marketing food products, especially drinks, to be consumed directly from its receptacle, is ensuring a degree of hygiene around the opening of the receptacle and reducing the risk that undesirable products, such as dust or chemicals, are deposited in the region of said opening.

Furthermore, it would be an advantage to be able to make up modular containers from e.g. food and drink receptacles of the type already existing on the market, and also to make such a containers suitable for including therein in a simple and safe manner other products to be provided to the user together with the food or drink, such as small amounts of sugar, salt, sauce or the like, spoons, promotional gifts, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The modular container which forms the object of the present invention is provided with constructive features intended to define in one container at least two independent receptacles, designed to contain the same or different liquids, and which can be easily separated such that the contents can be consumed independently by two people without the need to use glasses or other additional receptacles, and also allowing that the contains of the two receptacles may be consumed by the same person independently and with the difference in time that the person considers appropriate, since the separation of the containers into the two receptacles does not imply the opening thereof.

A further aim is to provide a modular container which can be made up using currently known receptacles, such that two or more of said receptacles can be marketed together with the advantages of versatility, hygiene etc. described above.

The container according to the invention has an important application, for example, in those cases in which it is desired to market two different liquids or drinks which, after mixing, form a combined drink.

A modular container according to the invention comprises an outer wall of tubular configuration and a number of transverse walls which define, together with the outer wall, at least two independent receptacles which contain the same or different liquids, and at least one hollow partition chamber, arranged between consecutive receptacles; on the outer wall of the container, in correspondence of said hollow chamber, are provided splitting means for the partition of the container and the separation of the liquid containing receptacles.

The splitting means of the container may be embodied simply by a tear strip formed integrally on the outer wall of the container, which, once removed, causes break-up of the container and separation of the mentioned receptacles. Said receptacles may have the same capacity or different capacities, especially in case they contain different liquids intended to form a combined drink.

It is also foreseen that the mentioned liquid receiving receptacles are provided, in one of the transverse walls, with opening means for the extraction of the liquid contained therein.

The opening means defined in each of the receptacles may be embodied by a closure of the type referred to as easy opening kind, or simply by a removable sheet or a sheet pierceable by means of a straw or the like.

In another embodiment, said splitting means for the partition of the container comprise an auxiliary ring arranged such as to be placed in correspondence of the outer wall and provided with means for keeping the two receptacles tied together.

This allows inter alia to make up a modular container according to the invention using commercially available receptacles.

Advantageously said means for keeping the two receptacles tied together comprise at least one inward projection provided integral to the ring, intended to cooperate with at least one outward projection provided on the receptacles; preferably, they comprise a first set of inward projections adjacent one edge of the ring, and a second set of inward projections adjacent the opposite edge of the ring.

This is a simple and cost-effective embodiment, which allows manufacturing the ring in a single piece by moulding or the like.

In preferred embodiments, each inward projection has a beveled wall and/or a wall at right angles to the wall of the ring. This configuration allows assembling the container easily and avoiding at the same time the partition or separation of the two receptacles without breaking the ring.

Optionally, the hollow partition chamber arranged between receptacles contains an object; indeed, the presence of the chamber allows including in the container supplementary products to be supplied to the consumer, such as sugar, dressings or gifts.

In order to make the operation of splitting the container easier for the user, the ring may comprise a weakened line.

In embodiments of the invention, at least one of said receptacles can be a metal can, a glass jar and/or a plastic receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complement the present description and with the aim of easing the understanding of the features of the invention, appended to the present specification is provided a set of drawings in which, for illustrating and non- limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the modular container according to the invention, provided, in this case, with two liquid containing receptacles and an intermediate hollow chamber.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the two liquid containing receptacles, obtained from the container of the previous figure after performing separation thereof by the removal of the intermediate region which forms the container splitting means.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an auxiliary ring used to make up a container according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figures 4 and 5 are cross sections of details of the auxiliary ring of figure 3.

Figure 6 is a side elevation view of a modular container according to an embodiment of the invention, which comprises two receptacles and the auxiliary ring as shown in figures 3 to 5.

Figure 7 shows a detail of the intermediate part of the container of figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

In the exemplary embodiment shown in the appended figures 1 and 2, the container, referenced as a whole with numeral 1 , comprises an outer wall 11 of tubular configuration, and transverse walls 12 which configure two independent receptacles 2,3 containing different liquids or the same liquid, and an intermediate partition chamber 4.

In correspondence with the intermediate partition chamber 4, the outer wall 1 1 of the container 1 forms a tear strip 5, which provides means for splitting or opening the container 1 : by the removal of the tear strip 5, the partition of the container 1 and the separation of the two liquid containing receptacles 2,3 is achieved, as can be seen in figure 2.

Both receptacles 2,3 are provided with opening means 21 and 31 which, in this particular example of embodiment, are formed by a sheet of flexible pierceable material.

In this particular example of embodiment it is foreseen that the opening means 21 ,31 are defined in those transverse walls 12 which limit the intermediate or partition chamber 4, such that opening means 21 ,31 are not accessible from the outside, and it is necessary to previously remove the tear strip 5 and thus to cause the partition of the container 1 in order to access them.

In a second exemplary embodiment, which is shown in its assembled condition in figure 6, a modular container 1 comprises two receptacles 2,3, in the example two metal cans of the kind usually employed for soft drinks, beer and the like, and an auxiliary ring 50, usually made of a suitable plastic material. Said ring 50 is arranged such as to be placed in correspondence of the outer wall 11 of the assembly which constitutes the container 1 , in the area of contact between the two receptacles; it may remain flush with said outer wall, or it can be somewhat wider or narrower, depending on the shape of the receptacles and the thickness of the ring itself.

The ring 50 is provided, in its inner part, with means for keeping the two receptacles 2,3 tied together forming a modular container 1 , as will be described in the following, such as to constitutes a splitting means which needs to be broken in order to separate the two receptacles.

Figures 3, shows the ring 50 in more detail; figures 4 and 5 are cross sections along line IV-IV and V-V, respectively, of figure 3. As shown in these figures, the inner surface of the ring 50 presents a number of inward projections 51 , 52, which constitute the means for keeping tied or fastened together the two receptacles 2,3.

A first set of three projections 51 is provided adjacent one edge of the ring, and a second set of three projections 52 is provided adjacent the opposite edge of the ring, the two sets of projections being arranged staggered, as partly visible in figure 3.

As shown in figures 4 and 5, the wall of the projections 51 ,52 in correspondence with the edge of the ring 50 is chamfered or bevelled, as shown by numerals 53 and 54 in figures 4 and 5, while their other wall is straight, as shown by numerals 55 and 56 in figures 4 and 5; i.e. this wall extends substantially at right angles to the wall surface of the ring 50.

The bevels 53,54 of the projections 51 ,52 make the ring 50 appropriate for being forcibly coupled to receptacles 2,3 that are provided with an outward projection at their edges, in the vicinity of the transverse walls 12, or somewhat spaced from such walls. For example, conventional metal cans for soft drinks have such a projection, as well as many other foodstuff receptacles.

Once the container 1 of figure 6 has been assembled, its partition in order to separate the two receptacles 2,3 requires breaking the ring 50, as will be described in the following with reference to figure 7. This figure represents the central portion of the container 1 of figure 6 in cross section.

As shown in the figure, when the container 1 is assembled, outward projections 22,32 of the receptacles 2,3 are trapped by inward projections 51 ,52 of the ring 50. The assembly operation is possible by virtue of the bevel of projections 51 ,52 and a very small amount of flexibility of the ring itself; on the contrary, disassembly is impossible unless the ring itself is broken, due to the straight shape of the wall of the projections 51 ,52 that is in contact with the projections 22,32 of the receptacles.

It will be appreciated that if the receptacles 2,3 have their opening means 21 ,31 (not shown in figure 7) on the transverse walls 12 that face each other in the assembled condition of the container 1 , access to said opening means is impossible unless the ring 50 is broken; the assembly thus provides a safeguard for consumers that purchase the container.

In order to make easier the operation of splitting the container and separate the two receptacles, the ring 50 may be provided with a weakened line along its whole circumference, such as indicated by line 57 in figure 3; however, this line is not essential, since the ring could also be broken forcibly by pulling apart the receptacles with enough strength; either the projections or the wall of the ring can be broken in this way, depending on its design. Any other kind of weakened line or portion on the ring could also be foreseen.

Figure 7 illustrates another optional feature of the invention. As can be seen, the hollow chamber 4 left between the transverse walls 12 of the two receptacles 2,3 can be employed for housing a further product that needs to be supplied to the consumer together with the contents of the two receptacles. In figure 7, a sachet of sugar 8 has been depicted by way of example; however, any other object or product matching in size the available space could be foreseen, ranging from promotional gifts to cutlery, salad dressing, spices, etc.

Modular containers such as described can be formed using many different kinds of receptacles, such as glass or plastic yoghourt jars, bottles for drinks, receptacles for pre-cooked food, etc. In each case, the ring 50 will have dimensions suitable to the receptacles to be joined together to form the modular container; furthermore, the ring does not need to be round, but could have any shape: for example it could be square, or square with rounded corners.

Once the nature of the invention and a preferred embodiment thereof have been sufficiently described, it is stated for the appropriate effects that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the described elements may be amended, provided this does not alter the essential features of the invention which are claimed in the following.

For example, the number and particular layout of the projections 51 ,52 of the ring 50 may be different from those shown and described herein, depending on the shape of the receptacles and on the circumstances of each case. Furthermore, although in the present specification reference has been made to the liquid contents of the receptacles, it will be obvious to the skilled man that a container as described herein may be used for a product in any form, i.e. liquid, granulate, solid, viscous, etc. Similarly, the products to be contained in the receptacles have been described as food or drink; but the receptacles could also be employed for non-edible products.