Dual constituent container and fabrication process

Abstract

A dual constituent container includes a compartment for liquids and an elongate inwardly directed recess open to the container exterior and isolated from the compartment. The container is formed by blow molding, using a mold that incorporates a shaping feature projected longitudinally into the mold cavity. The shaping feature incorporates an arrangement of longitudinal channels having a channel width such that when a thermoplastic preform is expanded into contact with the mold cavity walls and the shaping feature, portions of the expanded preform span the channels and cooperate with the channels to provide passages that accommodate pressurized air to facilitate separation of the expanded preform from the shaping feature. The same portions of the expanded preform can partially protrude into the channels, thus to form longitudinal ribs along the recess which aid in frictionally holding a secondary constituent.

1 . A dual constituent container, including:
 a container having a container wall shaped to provide a compartment for containing a first constituent, the container wall including a bottom section and an outer wall section extending generally upwardly from the bottom section to determine an outer periphery of the container;   the container wall further including an inner wall section spaced apart radially inwardly from the outer wall section and extending upwardly from the bottom section to define a recess elongate in a longitudinal direction and open at a bottom thereof to an exterior of the container;   the container wall further including an interior-end wall section disposed at a top of the inner wall section and cooperating with the inner wall section to isolate the compartment from the recess; and   an arrangement of elongate ribs disposed axially along an inside surface of the inner wall section, and projecting radially inward from the inside surface extending along at least a portion of a longitudinal length of the inner wall section;   wherein the ribs are adapted to exert a radially inward force upon a second constituent removably inserted into the recess, thus to frictionally engage the second constituent while allowing the second constituent to slide longitudinally relative to the inner wall section.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1  wherein:
 the arrangement of elongate ribs consists essentially of a plurality of elongate first ribs angularly spaced apart from one another, each of the first ribs extending from a bottom of the inner wall section to the top of the inner wall section. 
 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2  wherein:
 the inner wall section is concentric about a longitudinal axis, and the first ribs are parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 2  wherein the elongate recess is a truncated conical section. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 2  wherein the elongate recess is substantially cylindrical. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 5  wherein the first ribs have lower end regions that extend radially outward from the inner wall section along the bottom section. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 6  wherein:
 the first ribs have upper end regions that extend radially inwardly from the top of the inner wall section along the interior-end wall section. 
 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 3  wherein the elongate ribs have a projection distance from the inside surface of the inner wall section that is within a range of 0.001 to 0.04 inches (0.003 centimeter to 0.1 centimeter). 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1  wherein:
 the container wall is liquid impermeable and incorporates an opening for receiving a liquid into the compartment. 
 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1  wherein:
 the outer wall section surrounds and is coaxial with the inner wall section. 
 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 1  further including:
 a cylindrical cartridge including the second constituent and a compliant covering in surrounding relation to the second constituent, removably contained in the recess. 
 
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 1  further comprising a material selected from the following: polyester, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene naphthalate, and polylactic acid.