US 7,562,796 B2
Dispensing container with flow control system
Walter Zahn, Columbia, S.C. (US); Shawn W. Miller, Columbia, S.C. (US); David Rocheleau, Lexington, S.C. (US); Mohammad R. Sadeghi, Columbia, S.C. (US); and Bernd Hansen, Laufen (Germany)
Assigned to Holopack International Corp., Columbia, S.C. (US)
Filed on Nov. 23, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/285,913.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/630716, filed on Nov. 24, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2006/0108384 A1, May 25, 2006
Int. Cl. B65D 47/10 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 222—541.9  [222/107; 222/215; 222/564; 215/11.4; 215/208] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flow-controlled dispensing container fillable with a liquid, the container comprising:
a squeezable reservoir for holding the liquid prior to dispensing;
a dispensing head that appears substantially flat in profile wherein the head is integral with the sgueezable reservoir and wherein the head has a distal end and a proximal end;
an outlet that is interconnected with the reservoir by a passage at an inlet and wherein the outlet is at the distal end of the dispensing head and the inlet is at the proximal end, wherein the outlet is sealed with a breakable seal which reveals the outlet when broken;
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; and
a flow control system comprising the inlet to the passage, the passage, and the outlet that dispenses the liquid at a desired outlet velocity and within a desired delivery time when the squeezable reservoir is squeezed, wherein the flow control system comprises a single inlet with a cross-section area sufficient to retain fluid in the reservoir by action of surface tension, and having two passages each having a semi-circular path through the dispensing head and discharging through a single outlet which has a cross-section area sufficient to retain fluid in the passage by action of surface tension of the liquid when the breakable seal is broken, wherein the cross-section areas, lengths, and surface roughness of the inlet, outlet and passage are designed to act together to control the outlet velocity and delivery time of the discharged liquid.