Vial for delivery of its contents without shards
AssigneeJBL Radical Innovations, LLC
InventorJonathan B. Levine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible tubular vial is plugged at one end. The plug is pulled out to open the one end and define a gap between the open end of the vial and the plug. A sleeve bounds the gap. The sleeve has a rib as does the vial (or an intermediate component) that block each other so as to limit relative movement of the plug between a retracted relative position that plugs the open end and a cleared relative position that clears the open end. By squeezing the vial, contents of the vial are urged out through interstices in the plug. The contents may be a teeth whitening composition gel that urges out through interstices in the plug to a brush-like applicator to be applied to teeth or may be a topical medicine to be applied to skin.
Claims19
A dispenser, comprising:
- a) a flexible vial having a proximal end and a distal end, a proximal chamber containing a quantity of a substance and having a distal opening through which said substance may be selectively dispensed;
- b) a sleeve mounted over said vial and carrying a plug, said sleeve movable between a first position in which said plug seals said opening and a second position in which said plug is distal of said opening;
- c) said sleeve having internal walls reciprocable over and facing external walls of said vial, said plug being attached to said internal walls by a plurality of spaced arms extending inwardly from said internal walls, with interstices created between adjacent arms to create a flow path for said substance from said opening, through said interstices and around said plug;
- and
- d) an applicator distal of said plug to facilitate applying said substance.
A dispenser, comprising:
- a) a flexible vial having a proximal end and a distal end, a proximal chamber containing a quantity of a substance and having a distal opening through which said substance may be selectively dispensed;
- b) a sleeve mounted over said vial and carrying a plug, said sleeve movable between a first position in which said plug seals said opening and a second position in which said plug is distal of said opening, a spacing of said second position with respect to said first position being limited by interacting structures on said vial and sleeve;
- c) said sleeve having internal walls reciprocable over and facing external walls of said vial, said plug being attached to said internal walls by a plurality of spaced arms extending inwardly from said internal walls, with interstices created between adjacent arms to create a flow path for said substance from said opening, through said interstices and around said plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.