Durable dispensing containers

Abstract

The need for a durable environmentally-friendly dispensing package which is easy to dispense from, while having sufficient elasticity to return back to its original shape after dispensing, while also being easy to clean, and having reduced or no leakage during use, is met by making the container of a reversibly squeezable material and by providing rigid top and bottom rings fixedly attached to the squeezable material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A package for a liquid composition comprising:
 a resiliently squeezable container for housing the liquid composition;   a base fixedly attached to the container and comprising a base ring delimiting an orifice, wherein the base ring is rigid; and   a cap comprising an attachment ring fixedly attached to the resiliently squeezable container opposite the base, wherein the attachment ring is rigid.   
     
     
         2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein a top edge of the container has a first diameter and the attachment ring of the cap has a second diameter that is greater than about 50% of the first diameter. 
     
     
         3 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein a top edge of the container has a first diameter and the attachment ring of the cap has a second diameter that is greater than about 60% of the first diameter. 
     
     
         4 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently squeezable container is made of an elastomeric material, and wherein the base ring, the attachment ring, or both, are made of one of: polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
         5 . The package of  claim 4 , wherein the base ring and/or the attachment ring are made of polypropylene or polyethylene. 
     
     
         6 . The package of  claim 5 , wherein the base ring and/or the attachment ring are made of polypropylene. 
     
     
         7 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the cap comprises a one-way air valve configured to let air flow into the container. 
     
     
         8 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package is a bottom-dispensing package, and wherein a slit-valve reversibly opens or closes the orifice of the base. 
     
     
         9 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein an interior surface of the resiliently squeezable container comprises at least one circumferentially oriented groove. 
     
     
         10 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the base comprises a base wall made of an elastomeric material and the base ring extends inwardly from the base wall. 
     
     
         11 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package may stably rest on the base wall. 
     
     
         12 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package has a longitudinal direction and the resiliently squeezable container has an elliptical cross-section in any of the planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         13 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package has a longitudinal direction and the resiliently squeezable container has a circular cross-section in any of the planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         14 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the cap comprises a lid which removably engages the attachment ring. 
     
     
         15 . The package of  claim 1 , further comprising the liquid composition housed in the resiliently squeezable container, the liquid composition having a viscosity of from about 50 mPa·s to about 3,000 mPa·s measured at a shear rate of about 10 s −1 . 
     
     
         16 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of: the base ring and the attachment ring, is fixedly attached to the resiliently squeezable container by an adhesive layer, by a mechanical snap, or by the resiliently squeezable container being overmolded on the base ring and/or the attachment ring. 
     
     
         17 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the base and the cap have a respective outer diameter, and the difference between the outer diameter of the base and the outer diameter of the cap is less than about 20%. 
     
     
         18 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package is between about 2 and about 5 times taller than wide. 
     
     
         19 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package has a longitudinal direction and the resiliently squeezable container has a longitudinal profile in a plane comprising the longitudinal direction, wherein the longitudinal profile comprises a convex portion and a concave portion, the base being closer to the convex portion than the concave portion.