ES2941986T3 - Bowl - Google Patents

Abstract

A container (1) for a liquid product is described comprising a base wall (2), at least one side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) extending from the base wall (2) along a direction main extension D of the container, and an end portion (7), comprising a neck (8) for discharging the product, placed at one end of the container (1) opposite the base wall (2) in the main direction of extension D; The container comprises a gripping system (9) comprising at least one recess (10) in the side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) that extends mainly in the main extension direction D and has a first and a second edge (11, 12) converging towards the neck (8) and towards the base wall (2); The second edge (12) defines, with a profile (3a) of the side wall (3, 4, 5, 6), a gripping part (14) of the container (1). (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Bowl

The invention relates to a container, and in particular to a container for liquids, of the type commonly also called a "bottle" to which reference is made below.

The bottles of interest for this specification are those preferably designed to contain products such as liquid soap, gel and the like for washing, for example, dishes, kitchen utensils or even linen.

The containers in question have sizes ranging from approximately half a liter to one and a half liters of product contained, so that they are relatively heavy in particular when full.

The containers of the prior art mainly extend in height, have a base wall or substantially flat base, a front wall and a rear wall, which extend from the base, and two side walls, which also extend from the base, and that unite the front and rear walls.

The bottles have a neck for the discharge of the liquid product, provided with a stopper and placed at one end of the container opposite the base wall.

Generally, the front and rear walls, and even more so the side walls, have a curvilinear profile that gives the container a sinuous appearance, but makes it difficult to move, even because of the weight, when the product is in use.

To overcome this drawback, bottles have recently been developed which have grips on the outer surface to better grip the bottle.

More specifically, the grips are in the form of finger recesses made in at least one front or rear wall, ie configured to have the recesses. Examples of this type of containers are described in document WO 2005075308 A1, which describes a container according to the preamble of claim 1, and in documents US 6029837 A or US 2008173653 A1.

In other prior art solutions, the recesses in the front or rear walls extend as far as a side wall and are accessible, that is to say open, in the side wall, which therefore in turn presents recesses for the passage of the user's hands. . Container solutions with grips also have several drawbacks.

The grips described above do not make it possible to effectively retain the bottle and the bottle can slip out of the hand since the fingers do not encounter special resistance to slip out of the grip, especially in the case of wet hands, for example.

In order to maximize gripping effectiveness, the recesses extend to the front or rear walls, eliminating considerable space for labels and consumer information.

In this context, the main objective of this invention is to provide a container that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.

The object of the invention is to provide a bottle for products such as liquid soap, gel and the like to wash, for example, dishes, kitchen utensils or even linen, which can be easily lifted and handled.

Another aim is to provide a container in which the front or rear walls can be used more, compared to prior art solutions, also for labels or consumer information.

These objects are fully achieved by a container having the features resulting from the combination of one or more of the appended claims. According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a container for a liquid product, such as dish soap, dishwashing or laundry detergent, fabric softener and the like.

The container comprises a base wall, at least one side wall extending from the base wall along a main direction of extension D of the container, an end portion comprising a neck for discharging the product, positioned in one end of the container opposite the base wall in the main direction of the extension D.

The base wall, the side wall and the end portion define an open-necked casing which can be provided with a lid, a dispensing device or other in a way that is not relevant to this description.

According to one aspect of this invention, the container comprises a system for gripping the container comprising at least one recess in the side wall.

The recess extends mainly in the main direction of extension D and according to one aspect of this invention has first and second edges that converge towards the neck of the container.

The recess has a substantially closed profile on the side wall.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, the first and second edges converge toward the base wall. The second edge defines, with a profile of the side wall, a gripping portion of the container.

The second edge is closer to the side wall profile than the first edge.

According to one aspect of the invention, the gripping portion tapers from the neck towards the base portion in such a way that it can be well gripped by a generic user.

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

According to one aspect of the invention, the second edge has a curved shape and a first section with the concavity facing the first edge and a second section, connected to the first section, having the concavity on the opposite side to the first edge, is that is, towards the profile of the lateral wall.

According to one embodiment, a second rim section with the concavity facing away from the first rim is closer to the neck of the container than a second second rim section connected to the first section, which has the concavity facing the first edge. According to one aspect of the invention, the first and second edges are joined together by the neck portion of the container.

In other words, the first and second edges are joined together substantially at the neck or end portion of the container.

In this way, since an upper end of the recess is closed at the junction of the two edges thereof, it is more difficult to lose the grip of the container compared to prior art solutions.

According to one aspect of this invention, the recess has a depth of between 4mm and 12mm depending on the volume of the container to ensure the possibility of inserting fingers into the recess.

The depth of the recess can increase as the volume (and therefore the weight) of the container increases. According to one aspect of this invention, the recess has dimensions proportional to the height, preferably measured according to the main direction D, and to the width of the wall in which it is made, so that it always has substantially the same shape or appearance in containers of different dimensions or of different capacity.

The concavities of the concave sections of the two edges of the recess are preferably oriented to the respective concavities facing towards each other to obtain sufficient space for the user's hand. According to one embodiment, the maximum distance between the concave section of the first edge and the concave section of the second edge is between 18 mm and 55 mm according to the volume of the container. According to one aspect of the invention, the container comprises a first side wall defining a front wall, a second side wall defining a rear wall, at least one third side wall connecting the first and second side walls.

The first, second and third side walls are connected to each other and extend from the base wall of the container in the main extension direction D of the container.

The first, second and third side walls are closed at the top by the end portion of the container and the recess is made in the first side wall. According to one aspect of the invention, the recess can be considered to be delimited by a bottom and by a first and a second wall facing towards each other. In one embodiment, the walls that delimit the recess extend from the bottom of the recess to the wall of the container.

The walls of the recess are incident to each other at the bottom of the recess.

According to one aspect of the invention, the walls of the recess are delimited respectively, in the wall of the container, by the first and second edges.

The recess can be finished to have a rough surface to the touch that improves the grip of the container. For example, the walls of the recess may be rougher to the touch compared to the other surfaces of the container.

According to one aspect of the invention, the walls of the recess, i.e. the recess itself, may be provided with a plurality of teeth, which may be, for example, in the shape of a blade skeleton, to further facilitate gripping. of the container.

Other characteristics and advantages of this invention are more evident in the non-limiting description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a container, as illustrated in the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a container according to the invention;

figure 2 illustrates a schematic front view of a container according to the invention;

figure 3 illustrates a schematic plan view from above of a container according to the invention. With reference to the accompanying drawings, numeral 1 indicates an example of a container according to this invention.

The container 1 is designed, for example, to contain liquid products, such as, for example, dish soap, detergent for dishwashers or washing machines, fabric softener and the like.

The container 1 comprises a base wall 2 and a plurality of side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 which extend from the base wall 2 along an extension direction D of the container 1.

More specifically, in the illustrated example, a first side wall 3 defines a front wall, a second side wall 4 defines a rear wall, a third side wall 5, connecting the front wall and the rear wall, defines a first side of the container. 1, and a fourth side wall 6, connecting the front wall and the rear wall, defines a second side of the container 1.

The side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 are joined together and the container 1 comprises an end portion 7, located on the opposite side of the base wall 2 with respect to the side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 in direction D, to close container 1.

In the embodiment illustrated by way of example, the end portion 7 comprises a neck 8 for the discharge, in use, of the product, and which can be combined, for example, with a lid or a dispensing device not illustrated.

The base wall 2, the side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the end portion 7 define an open casing at the neck 8.

In alternative embodiments not illustrated, the container 1 has any shape, for example parallelepipedal or cylindrical.

As illustrated, the container 1 comprises a gripping system 9 for moving the container in use.

The system 9, as explained in more detail below, allows a generic user, not illustrated, to firmly grasp the container 1 in order to use the product contained therein.

The system 9 comprises, in the illustrated example, a recess 10 in the side wall 3.

In a preferred embodiment, the recess 10 has a maximum depth D of between 4 mm and 12 mm according to the volume of the container 1.

In general, the larger and heavier the filled container 1 is, the deeper the recess 10 will be so that the user can better grip the container 1.

In general, the recess 10 has dimensions proportional to the height, preferably measured according to the main direction D, and to the width of the wall 3 in which it is made so that it always has substantially the same shape or aspect in containers 1 of different dimensions or of different capacities. As schematically illustrated in broken line in Figure 3, the container 1 can also comprise a second recess, for example of the same type as the recess in wall 3, in rear wall 4 to further facilitate the grip of the container. 1.

The recess 10 extends mainly along the main direction of extension D and has a first and a second edge 11, 12.

The first and second edges 11, 12 converge towards the neck 8 of the container 1 and converge towards the base wall 2.

Preferably, the first and second edges 11, 12 are connected to each other on the neck side of the container. In practice, the recess 10 has substantially, on the side wall 3, a closed profile.

Preferably, the edges 11 and 12 of the recess 10 are joined together at one end 10a above the recess towards the neck 8.

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

Edge 12 has a concave section 12a facing edge 11; as illustrated, edge 11 and edge 12 each have at least one concave section with the respective concavities facing towards each other. The maximum distance D1 between the edge 11 and the edge 12, in particular, in the illustrated example, between the concave section of the edge 11 and the concave section of the edge 12, is preferably between 18 mm and 55 mm depending on the volume of the container 1.

It should be noted that the edge 11 is concave and the edge 12 is curved in shape and has the concave section 12a with the concavity facing the edge 11 and a section 12b with the concavity facing the opposite side with respect to the first edge 11.

The section 12b of the rim 12 is closer to the neck 8 of the container 1 with respect to the section 12a of the rim 12.

The edge 11 and the edge 12, for example section 12b, are joined together at the upper end 10a of the recess 10.

Advantageously, in this way, once the fingers of said user's hand have been introduced into the recess 10, they can slide out of the recess with greater difficulty with respect to the solutions of the state of the art since, if the container moves downwards, would be locked in the converging portion of the recess.

According to the alternative embodiments, the edges 11 and 12 may also not join the upper end of the recess, obtaining the same effect in any case. The recess 10 is delimited by a base 20 and, in the illustrated example, by a first and a second wall 21, 22 facing towards each other that extend from the base 20 to the wall 3.

In the illustrated example, the walls 21 and 22 impinge on each other at the bottom 20 of the recess 10.

Walls 21 and 22 are delimited respectively, on wall 3, by edges 11 and 12.

Given the shape of the edges 11 and 12, it should be noted that the recess 10 is delimited by a leaf-shaped profile on the wall 3.

The recess 10 can be finished in such a way that it has a rough surface 23 to the touch that improves the grip of the container 1.

For example, the walls 21, 22 and, if necessary, the base 20 of the recess 10, can be rougher to the touch in relation to the other surfaces of the container 1.

According to a preferred embodiment, the walls 21, 22 of the recess 10, that is, the recess itself, can be provided with a plurality of teeth 24, which can have, for example, the shape of a blade skeleton, to facilitate further grip on container 1.

Furthermore, most of the surface of the front wall 3 is free and can be used, for example, to apply a label 13.

As illustrated, the edge 12 defines, with a profile 3a of the wall 3, a gripping portion 14 of the container 1. The gripping portion 14 defines a free space for part of the fingers which, in use, then engage in the recess 10; the thumb of the same hand can then rest on the wall 5 and on the end portion 7, under the neck 8.

In use, the user can partially insert his hand into the recess 10 and retain the container 1 at least by acting on the wall 22.

As illustrated in particular in Figure 2, the gripping portion 14 on the wall 3 tapers from the neck 8 towards the base wall 2.

The curved shape, in particular with a concavity facing away from the recess 10, of the section 12b of the rim 12 determines the shape of the portion 14 that optimizes the grip of the container 1.

Claims (9)

1. - A container for a preferably liquid product, the container comprising: a base wall (2), at least one side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) extending from the base wall (2) in an extension direction D of the container, an end portion (7), comprising a neck (8) for discharging the product, placed at one end of the container opposite the base wall (2) in the main direction of extension D, the wall (2) of base, side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) and end portion (7) defining a container open at the neck (8), the container comprising a gripping system (9) comprising at least one recess ( 10) on the side walls (3, 4, 5, 6), the recess (10) extending mainly along the main axis of extension D and having a first and a second edge (11, 12) converging towards each other. the neck (8) and converging with each other towards the base wall (2), defining the second edge (12) with a profile (3a) of the side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) a portion (14) of grip in the container, the container being characterized in that the first edge (11) has a curved shape with the concavity oriented towards the second edge (12) and the second edge (12) has a curved shape and has a first section (12a) that has a concavity facing the first edge (11) and a second section (12b), connected to the first section (12a), with a concavity facing away from the first edge (11). The container according to claim 1, wherein the gripping portion (14) tapers from the neck (8) towards the base wall (2). 3. - The container according to claim 1, wherein the second section (12b) of the second edge (12) is closer to the neck (8) of the container with respect to the first section (12a) of the second edge ( 12). 4. - The container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and the second edge (11, 12) are joined together on the neck side of the container. 5. - The container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the recess (10) has a depth D of between 4 mm and 12 mm according to the volume of the container. 6. - The container according to claim 1, wherein the maximum distance D1 between the concave section of the first edge (11) and the concave section of the second edge (12) is between 18 mm and 55 mm according to the container volume. 7. - The container according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a first side wall (3) that defines a front front wall, a second side wall (4) that defines a rear front wall, at least one third side wall (5, 6) connecting the first and second side walls (3, 4), the first, second and third side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) extending from the base wall (2) in the main extension direction D, connected to each other and closed at the top by the end portion (7) of the container, the recess (10) being formed in the first side wall (3). 8. - The container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the recess (10) is delimited by at least one base (20), by a first wall (21) and by a second end wall (22). , the first and second end walls (21, 22) starting from the base (20) and facing towards each other. 9. - The container according to claim 8, wherein the first and second walls (21,22) of the recess (10) extend from the base (20) to the side walls (3, 4, 5, 6), the first and the second wall (21, 22) of the recess (10) being delimited respectively, in the wall (3, 4, 5, 6) by the first and the second edge (11, 12).