The Procter Gamble Company

Stephen W Harding

Ronald W Kock

Arthur H Dornbusch

Calvin S Cook

H Norman Reiboldt

Charles G Yeazell

Michael T Brown

Robert A Paul

A method for scaling a flexible inner bag inside a squeezebottle so that the flexible inner bag will invert in order to dispense viscous fluids. The method is particularly useful in single-piece squeezebottles which have a small ratio of discharge opening cross-section to body cross-section. In practicing the present invention, a flexible inner bag has heat-activated adhesive stripes applied to the upper half of its exterior. The flexible inner bag is inserted into a squeezebottle through the discharge opening and then expanded inside the squeezebottle by compressed air. After the flexible inner bag is fully expanded, and with pressure applied to the inside of the flexible inner bag, heat is applied either to the inside of the bag or to the outside of the squeezebottle by hot air, steam, radiation, or induction heating of metal particles in the adhesive. The adhesive is heat-activated and the upper half of the flexible inner bag is thereby attached to the inner side wall of the squeezebottle.

Method for attaching a flexible inner bag to the inside of a

A method and apparatus is for inserting a flat flexible bag having a rigid fitment into a bottle through a small bottle finish, and expanding the bag inside the bottle. The flat flexible bag can be grasped and oriented via the fitment utilizing a friction chuck. The fitment also enables the bag to be sealed to the bottle in an air-tight manner by interference fit. A biased plunger extends into the bag through the fitment. The plunger helps push the bag through a funnel while a vacuum is applied to the bag through the plunger. The funnel includes two angled plows which cause the bag to fold in a 'C' shaped configuration. This insures reliable expansion of the bag upon releasing a blast of air into the bag. During the expansion process an air vent channel permits escape of the air between the bag and the bottle. An exemplary package formed utilizing this method and apparatus is a squeeze pump package having a thin film beam spring vent valve. The valve includes a thin film beam spring located against a substantially cylindrical interior surface of the bottle over an aperture. A method and apparatus for assembling a beam spring vent valve is also discussed.

Method and apparatus for inserting a bag into a bottle

An elevator/threaded shaft dispensing package for a solid stick-form product. The package has a refill cartridge designed to telescope into a reusable base. The base is tubular and has a threaded shaft axially oriented within it through a central aperture at its bottom where the shaft is connected to a hand wheel. The cartridge holds the product in a tubular body which preferably has a non-circular cross-section. A push plate is disposed in the bottom of the cartridge and the top of the cartridge preferably has a downwardly extending annular collar on its exterior. The package has a telescoping elevator system disposed within it which includes a platform which abuts against the push plate and an internally threaded neck below the platform. The internally threaded neck receives the threaded shaft in threaded telescoping relation. When the hand wheel is turned in a predetermined direction the elevator system advances towards the top, pushing the product in the cartridge up and out of the package so the consumer can have access. The package is able to reset the elevator to its lowermost position when it is in its uppermost position without manually rotating the hand wheels.

Reset elevator/threaded shaft dispensing package for stick form product

Growing community of inventors

Hamilton, OH, United States of America

Stephen W Harding