Liquid dispenser for an inverted container

Abstract

An inverted liquid-dispensing container is described. The inverted liquid-dispensing container provides for improved dosing of liquid compositions, especially at low dosage volumes, while being more resistant to leakage, even for low viscosity liquids. The inverted liquid-dispensing container comprises a series of walls appropriately sized and spaced to allow for more accurate dosing while also reducing the likelihood of leakage.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An inverted container comprising:
 a. a container comprising a container wall terminating into a threaded section and an opening;   b. a liquid disposed within the container; and   c. a dispenser covering the opening in the container, the dispenser comprising:   d. a body comprising:
 1. a top end and an opposing bottom end; 
 2. an exterior portion in the form of an outer wall extending between the top end and the bottom end,, and wherein the exterior portion is configured to allow the inverted container to rest on the bottom end on a flat surface; 
 3. a connecting sleeve releasably engaged to the threaded section of the container, wherein the connecting sleeve is disposed radially inboard of the exterior portion such that a gap is defined between the connecting sleeve and the exterior portion; 
   e. a leakage prevention system comprising:
 1. a valve disposed within the body; 
 2. a first wall disposed radially inboard of the connecting sleeve; 
 3. a second wall disposed radially inboard of and spaced apart from the first wall, wherein the first wall encircles the second wall; 
 4. at least one inlet opening, wherein the inlet opening has a rectangular shape, wherein the at least one inlet opening comprises an upper edge and a lower edge, and wherein the upper edge is more proximal to the body than the upper edge is to a terminal edge of the second wall, and wherein the lower edge is spaced from an upper retaining surface for the valve by a distance of greater than zero and less than 1.5 mm; and 
 wherein the dispenser does not contain a closing cap so that using the inverted container includes picking the inverted container up from a resting position on a flat surface, positioning the container at a location for dispensing without having to flip the container over, and squeezing the container wall causing the valve to open from its normally closed position to allow a portion of the liquid to be dispensed. 
   
     
     
         2 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the leakage prevention system comprises an impact resistance system  1 , wherein the impact resistance system is capable of being at least partially filled with air. 
     
     
         3 . The inverted container of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first wall and the second wall are associated with the impact resistance system. 
     
     
         4 . The inverted container of  claim 3 , wherein the impact resistance system comprises a wall that is angled with respect to a longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         5 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the second wall is angled with respect to a longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         6 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one inlet opening has a total surface area of 1 mm{circumflex over ( )}2 to 15 mm{circumflex over ( )}2. 
     
     
         7 . The inverted container of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one inlet opening has a height of from between about 1 mm and 25 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The inverted container of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one inlet opening has a height of from between about 1 mm and 5 mm. 
     
     
         9 . The inverted container of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one inlet opening has a height of from between about 1 mm and about 3 mm. 
     
     
         10 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the second wall is substantially free of a baffle, and wherein the first wall and second wall are in fluid communication with the liquid. 
     
     
         11 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the second wall has a height from the upper retaining surface of from about 5 mm to about 15 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the second wall has a height from the upper retaining surface of from about 5 mm to about 10 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the second wall has a height from the upper retaining surface of from about 5 mm to about 7.5 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the second wall encircles a portion of the valve, wherein the second wall has a first diameter and a second diameter, wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is more proximal to the valve than the first diameter. 
     
     
         15 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the outer wall extends generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the inverted container. 
     
     
         16 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser comprises a temporary seal that is removed prior to a first use and can be discarded after the first use. 
     
     
         17 . The inverted container of  claim 14 , wherein the dispenser comprises a temporary seal that is removed prior to a first use and can be discarded after the first use. 
     
     
         18 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser comprises polypropylene. 
     
     
         19 . The inverted container of  claim 18 , wherein the valve comprises a silicone. 
     
     
         20 . The inverted container of  claim 18 , wherein the valve comprises a thermoplastic elastomer. 
     
     
         21 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser further comprises an intermediate surface disposed between the top end and the bottom end, the intermediate surface being configured such that the first wall and second wall each extend from the intermediate surface. 
     
     
         22 . The inverted container of  claim 21 , wherein when the dispenser is on a flat surface, the top end is disposed at a first elevation, and wherein the intermediate surface is configured such that the first wall and second wall are shorter than the first elevation. 
     
     
         23 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser comprises a first plastic material and the container comprises a second plastic material, wherein the first plastic material is harder than the second plastic material. 
     
     
         24 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid disposed within the container is a liquid detergent composition comprising a surfactant system, wherein the surfactant system comprises from between about 5% by weight to about 40% by weight of the liquid detergent composition. 
     
     
         25 . The inverted container assembly of  claim 24 , wherein the liquid detergent composition comprises from about 5% by weight to about 20% by weight of a surfactant system. 
     
     
         26 . The inverted container of  claim 24 , wherein the surfactant system comprises from 65% to 85%, by weight of the surfactant system, of an anionic surfactant. 
     
     
         27 . The inverted container of  claim 24 , wherein the surfactant system comprises from 70% to 80%, by weight of the surfactant system, of an anionic surfactant. 
     
     
         28 . The inverted container of  claim 1 , wherein the valve is spaced from the flat surface by a distance of at least 1 mm. 
     
     
         29 . The inverted container of  claim 28 , wherein the valve is spaced from the flat surface by a distance of from between about 1 mm to about 10 mm. 
     
     
         30 . The inverted container of  claim 28 , wherein the valve is spaced from the flat surface by a distance of from between about 1 mm to about 5 mm.