Container With Zipper Members Tapered At A Spout

Abstract

A container comprising: a base and freestanding sides extending from the base to define a mouth opposite the base, wherein the mouth has first and second spouts opposite each other and first and second interior sides opposite each other between the first and second spouts; a first zipper member extending from the first interior side of the mouth from the first spout to the second spout; a second zipper member extending from the second interior side of the mouth from the first spout to the second spout, wherein the mouth is deformable between open and closed configurations and the first and second zipper members are disengagable when the mouth is open and engagable when the mouth is closed, wherein the base, sides, and zipper members are a unitary whole container without assembled parts, wherein the container comprises silicone.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A container comprising:
 a container portion defining a mouth, wherein the mouth has at least one spout and first and second interior sides opposite each other;   a zipper portion, wherein the container portion and the zipper portion are molded as one unitary whole, the zipper portion comprising:
 a female zipper member extending from the first interior side of the mouth, the female zipper member comprising:
 a female middle section comprising two middle flanges defining a middle channel between the two middle flanges, and 
 at least one female end section proximate the at least one spout and comprising two end flanges extending from the first interior side of the mouth to define an end channel between the two end flanges, 
 wherein the two middle flanges extend farther from the first interior side of the mouth than the two end flanges; 
 
 a male zipper member extending from the second interior side of the mouth, wherein the female and male zipper members are positioned opposite each other so as to be engageable when closing the mouth, the male zipper member comprising:
 a male middle section comprising a middle trunk; and 
 at least one male end section proximate the at least one spout comprising an end trunk, 
 wherein the middle trunk extends farther from the second interior side of the mouth than the end trunk; 
 
 wherein the male and female zipper members do not extend across the at least one spout when the mouth is in an open configuration. 
   
     
     
         22 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the female middle section further comprises a distal female middle shoulder extending from at least one of the two middle flanges toward the middle channel. 
     
     
         23 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the at least one female end section further comprises a distal female end shoulder extending from at least one of the two end flanges toward the end channel. 
     
     
         24 . The container, as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the distal female middle shoulder extends farther from the middle flange than the end distal female end shoulder extends from the end flange. 
     
     
         25 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the female middle section further comprises a distal female middle shoulder extending from each of the two middle flanges toward the middle channel, wherein the two distal female middle shoulders are opposite each other. 
     
     
         26 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the at least one female end section further comprises a distal female end shoulder extending from each of the two end flanges toward the end channel, wherein the two distal female middle shoulders are opposite each other. 
     
     
         27 . The container, as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the two distal female middle shoulders extend farther from the two middle flanges than the two distal female end shoulders extend from the two end flanges. 
     
     
         28 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the male middle section further comprises a distal male middle shoulder extending from the middle trunk. 
     
     
         29 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the male middle section further comprises two distal male middle shoulders extending opposite each other from the middle trunk. 
     
     
         30 . The container, as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the distal male middle shoulder extends farther from the middle trunk than the distal male end shoulder extends from the end trunk. 
     
     
         31 . The container, as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the at least one female end section tapers non-linearly toward and terminates at the at least one spout, and wherein the at least one male end section tapers non-linearly toward and terminates at the at least one spout. 
     
     
         32 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the container portion comprises a wall thickness greater than 0.5 mm, and wherein the zipper portion comprises a thickness of each of the male and female zipper members less than 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         33 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the mouth is biased toward the open configuration such that when the container stands freely on its container section the mouth stays open when in the open configuration. 
     
     
         34 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the mouth comprises at least two spouts. 
     
     
         35 . The container, as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the container consists essentially of silicone. 
     
     
         36 . A container comprising:
 a container portion defining a mouth, wherein the mouth has at least one spout and first and second interior sides opposite each other;   a zipper portion comprising:
 a female zipper member extending from the first interior side of the mouth, the female zipper member comprising:
 a female middle section comprising two middle flanges defining a middle channel between the two middle flanges, and 
 at least one female end section proximate the at least one spout and comprising two end flanges extending from the first interior side of the mouth to define an end channel between the two end flanges, wherein the two end flanges extend from the first interior side of the mouth by the same amount as the two middle flanges where they merge with the two middle flanges, wherein the two end flanges extend from the first interior side of the mouth by lesser amounts as they taper toward and terminate at the at least one spout; 
 
 a male zipper member extending from the second interior side of the mouth, wherein the female and male zipper members are positioned opposite each other so as to be engageable when closing the mouth, the male zipper member comprising:
 a male middle section comprising a middle trunk; and 
 at least one male end section proximate the at least one spout comprising an end trunk, 
 at least one male end section proximate the at least one spout and comprising an end trunk extending from the second interior side of the mouth, wherein the end trunk extend from the second interior side of the mouth by the same amount as the middle trunk where it merges with the middle trunk, wherein the end trunk extends from the second interior side of the mouth by lesser amounts as it tapers toward and terminates at the at least one spout; 
 
 wherein the male and female zipper members do not extend across the at least one spout when the mouth is in an open configuration. 
   
     
     
         37 . The container, as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein the taper of the two end flanges toward the at least one spout comprises a single radius of curvature from where the two end flanges merge with the two middle flanges to where they terminate at the at least one spout, and wherein the taper of the end trunk toward the at least one spout comprises a single radius of curvature from where the end trunk merges with the middle trunk to where it terminates at the at least one spout. 
     
     
         38 . The container, as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein the container consists essentially of silicone and the container portion and the zipper portion are molded as one unitary whole of the same silicone material. 
     
     
         39 . The container, as claimed in  claim 36  wherein the container portion comprises a wall thickness greater than 0.5 mm, and wherein the zipper portion comprises a thickness of each of the male and female zipper members less than 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         40 . A container comprising:
 a container portion defining a mouth, wherein the mouth has at least one spout and first and second interior sides opposite each other;   a zipper portion, wherein the container consists essentially of silicone and the container portion and the zipper portion are molded as one unitary whole of the same silicone material, the zipper portion comprising:
 a female zipper member extending from the first interior side of the mouth, the female zipper member comprising:
 a female middle section comprising two middle flanges defining a middle channel between the two middle flanges, and 
 at least one female end section proximate the at least one spout and comprising two end flanges extending from the first interior side of the mouth to define an end channel between the two end flanges, wherein the two end flanges extend from the first interior side of the mouth by the same amount as the two middle flanges where they merge with the two middle flanges, wherein the two end flanges extend from the first interior side of the mouth by lesser amounts as they taper according to a radius of curvature toward and terminate at the at least one spout; 
 
 a male zipper member extending from the second interior side of the mouth, wherein the female and male zipper members are positioned opposite each other so as to be engageable when closing the mouth, the male zipper member comprising:
 a male middle section comprising a middle trunk; and 
 at least one male end section proximate the at least one spout comprising an end trunk, 
 at least one male end section proximate the at least one spout and comprising an end trunk extending from the second interior side of the mouth, wherein the end trunk extend from the second interior side of the mouth by the same amount as the middle trunk where it merges with the middle trunk, wherein the end trunk extends from the second interior side of the mouth by lesser amounts as it tapers according to a radius of curvature toward and terminates at the at least one spout; 
 
 wherein the male and female zipper members do not extend across the at least one spout when the mouth is in an open configuration.