Containers comprising at least one label made of an elastomeric material adhered to a wall

Abstract

Containers for delivering flowable compositions comprising a squeezable, resilient wall on which at least one label made of an elastomeric material is adhered to and their use. The containers can comprise a composition having a viscosity of at least 1 Pa.s or can be of the bag-in-bottle type. Containers for dispensing a detergent composition in a washing machine drum comprising a hollow body having at least one wall on which at least one label made of an elastomeric material having a shore A hardness (ASTM D 2240) adheres are also described.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A container for delivering a flowable composition, said container comprising: 
 a) a reservoir containing the flowable composition; and    b) delivery means for delivering the flowable composition out of the reservoir,    wherein said flowable composition has a viscosity of at least about 1 Pa.s, and wherein said reservoir comprises a squeezable, resilient wall to which adheres at least one label made of an elastomeric material having a Shore A hardness of at least about 35.    
     
     
         2 . A container according to  claim 1  wherein said squeezable, resilient wall is at least partly made of a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene propylene, copolymer resin, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin, other polyolephin resins, polyamide resins, ionomer resins, ABS resins, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene terephtalate resins and other synthetic resins, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         3 . A container according to  claim 1  wherein said label is adhered to an external surface of the squeezable wall of the container by in-mold labeling.  
     
     
         4 . A container according to  claim 1  wherein said label has an average thickness of at least about 150 micrometers.  
     
     
         5 . A container according to  claim 1  wherein two labels at least partly made of a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore A hardness of at least about 35 are adhered to diametrically opposite surfaces of said squeezable wall.  
     
     
         6 . A container of the bag-in-bottle type for delivering a flowable composition, said container comprising: 
 a) an outer squeezable, resilient wall,    b) an inner collapsible layer distinct from said outer squeezable, resilient wall, said inner collapsible layer defining a reservoir containing the flowable composition,    c) a buffer zone separating said outer squeezable, resilient wall from said inner collapsible layer,    d) delivery means for delivering the flowable composition out of the reservoir,    wherein at least one label at least partly made of an elastomeric material having a Shore A hardness of least about 35 adheres to said outer squeezable, resilient wall.    
     
     
         7 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein the delivery means comprises 
 a) a first passageway distinct from a second passageway, the first passage way being in communication with the buffer zone and the second passageway being in communication with the reservoir, and  
 b) valve means operable to control entry of air into the buffer zone through the first passageway and exit of the flowable composition from the reservoir through the second passage way.  
 
     
     
         8 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein said inner collapsible layer is laminated on the outer layer so as to be freely peeled therefrom as the buffer zone expands.  
     
     
         9 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein said flowable composition contained in said reservoir has a viscosity of at least about 1 Pa.s.  
     
     
         10 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein said squeezable, resilient wall is at least partly made of a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene propylene, copolymer resin, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin, other polyolephin resins, polyamide resins, ionomer resins, ABS resins, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene terephtalate resins and other synthetic resins, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         11 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein said label is at least partly made of thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers.  
     
     
         12 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein said label is adhered to an external side of the squeezable wall of the container by in-mold labeling.  
     
     
         13 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein said label has an average thickness of at least about 150 micrometers.  
     
     
         14 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein a ratio of the thickness of the label to the thickness of the wall of the bottle to which the label adheres is from about 1:5 to about 5:1.  
     
     
         15 . A container according to  claim 6  wherein two labels at least partly made of a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore A hardness of at least 35 are adhered to diametrically opposite sides of said outer squeezable, resilient wall.  
     
     
         16 . A container for dispensing a detergent composition in a washing machine drum, said container comprising a hollow body having at least one wall, wherein at least one label made of an elastomeric material having a Shore A hardness of at least about 35 adheres to said wall.  
     
     
         17 . A container according to  claim 16  wherein said wall is non-squeezable.  
     
     
         18 . A container according to  claim 16  wherein said wall is deformable within the drum of the washing machine by wash liquor loaded textile articles and resilient to return to its original shape when the deforming force is removed.  
     
     
         19 . A container according to  claim 16  wherein said label is at least partly made of thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers.  
     
     
         20 . A container according to  claim 16  wherein said thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer is a blend of a thermoplastic polyolefin with a curable rubber selected from the group consisting of ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, butyl rubber, natural rubber, nitrile rubber, polyisoprene rubber, polychloroprene rubber, copolymer of C 4-7  isomonoolefin and para-C 1-8  alkyl styrene or its halogenated derivatives, polybutadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, styrene/conjugated diene/styrene block copolymer, styrene block copolymer and their variants, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         21 . A method of improving the resilience of a container having a squeezable wall, said method comprising the step of adhering a label made at least partly of an elastomer having a Shore A hardness of at least about 35 to said squeezable wall.