FORM - 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)
CONTAINER WITH FACILE DISPENSABILITY OF LIQUID PRODUCT
HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED, a company incorporated under
the Indian Companies Act, 1913 and having its registered office
at 165/166, Backbay Reclamation, Mumbai -400 020, Maharashtra, India
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed

CONTAINER WITH FACILE DISPENSABILITY OF LIQUID PRODUCT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a container particularly for liquid personal care products which
features a slanted closure with hinged flip top lid.
The Related Art
Pourable substances are not always easily dispensed in a mess-free manner. Liquid residue can linger on shoulders, side-walls and other structures adjacent to a dispensing orifice. The problem is particularly acute with viscous and semi-viscous liquids. Consumers can become annoyed at having to grasp soiled outer areas of a container.
A related problem is difficulty for consumers to open the dispensing orifice. There is a preference for single handed combined opening and pouring of product from a container. This releases a consumer's other hand for holding a receptacle to collect a dispensed dosage from the container. Flip top lids can be useful to solve this problem.
In the mouthwash packaging area are reported dual-compartmented dispensers. See US 5 252 312; US 5 392 947 and US 5 579 957 all to Gentile et al. Therein are disclosed closures having a hingedly pivoting lid attached to a slanted deck. Pouring spouts extend upwardly from the slanted surface to ensure that components from one compartment do not intermingle with the other. A problem with this system is that the lid is difficult to open, particularly in a one-handed fashion.
Flip top lids have been used as caps on oval containers. See US Design 525 873 (Haubert et al.) and Hong Kong Certificate of Design Registration 04 12115.2 (Unilever). These types of lids do not ensure that liquid product at a point of terminating pouring would avoid soilage of the outer container walls. US Design 589 806 (Snyder) reveals an oval bottle with a slanted deck, possibly for easier pourability. No closure is described.
Accordingly there is a need for dispensing liquid cleanly from an easily grippable container of the flip top variety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A container for a pourable liquid is provided that includes:
an elongate body for containing the liquid, the body having a closed bottom end and an open top end; and
a closure covering the open top end including a fitment and a cap pivotably attached to the fitment, the fitment at an upper end having an elliptical deck with an angularly pointed end at an uppermost portion and surrounded by a skirt with upper, lower and two lateral regions, the deck featuring an opening for dispensing the liquid, a longitudinal axis traversing the deck and the deck being slanted at an angle of 5 to 70 degree relative to the longitudinal axis, a hinge connected to one of the lateral regions off-centered thereof and pivotable along a hinge-line orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and non-parallel to a plane of the deck.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily
apparent by consideration of the drawing in which:
Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the container with its cap in a closed position;
Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the container shown in figure 1;
Figure 3 is a left side (lateral) view of the container shown in figure 1;
Figure 4 is a right side (lateral) view of the container shown in figure 1;
Figure 5 is a top plan view of the container shown in figure 1;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the closure attached to a portion of a body of the
container and showing the cap in a partially open position; and
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the closure attached to a portion of the body of the
container and showing the cap in a fully open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figures 1-5 illustrate various views of container 2 according to the present invention. This container is useful for dispensing a pourable liquid. Particularly appropriate liquids for the present invention are those related to personal care products including but not limited to skin lotions, shampoos, hair conditioners, suntan lotion, sunless tanning liquids, nail polish remover, and cleansers. Ordinarily a personal care liquid will have a viscosity from 100 to 200,000 centipoise at 25°C, These liquids may be formulated with a

surfactant or emulsifier at levels from 0.05 to 50% by weight and often may have from 1 to 99% by weight of water as a carrier. Fragrances and colorants may also be present in effective amounts.
Container 2 has an elongate body 4 containing the liquid. The body is bounded by a closed bottom end 6 and an open top end 8.
A closure 10 is arranged over the open top end. The closure includes a fitment 12 and a cap 14, the latter pivotably attached to the fitment 12. Below the cap is a concave depression 15 useful .to cue placement of a consumer's thumb for leverage to open the cap.
Figure 1 best illustrates major panel 13 of the elongate body 4. A second major panel 17 is best shown in figure 2. Minor side panels 19a and 19b are shown in figures 3 and 4.
Figure 6 illustrates the fitment 12 with cap 14 in a partially open position. At an upper end 16 of the fitment is a deck 18 of substantially elliptical shape. More specifically the deck is defined by a major axis 20 and a minor axis 22, each axis traversing a dispensing opening 24 centered on the deck for dispersing the liquid.
A longitudinal axis 26 traverses through the container and the dispenser opening. Deck 18 is slanted at an angle between 5 to 70 degree, more preferably at an angle of 10 to 60 degree, relative to the longitudinal axis.
The deck is surrounded by a skirt 28 defined by a rear region 30, a front region 32 and a pair of lateral regions 34. A hinge 36 is connected to one of the lateral regions 34 of the skirt and pivotable along a hinge-line 38. The hinge-line is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and non-parallel to a plane of the deck.
A tab 40 connects the cap to the hinge by extending to the hinge-line. The tab has a non-symmetrical shape with an upper lateral perimeter 42 longer than a tower lateral perimeter 44.

A first area 46 along a periphery of the deck is traversed by the major axis and is pointedly shaped. A second area 48 along a periphery of the deck traversed by the major axis opposite the first area is more rounded.
Figure 7 reveals the spacial arrangement of cap 14 relative to the deck 18. The cap features a major inner surface 50 from which projects a plug 52 and a sealing collar 54. Both the plug 52 and sealing collar 54 are angularly oriented (from 5 to 80 degrees slant) relative to a plane of the major inner surface.
Opening 24 includes an aperture 56 asymmetrically oriented within the opening 24. Upon closing of cap 14, plug 52 inserts info aperture 56 while collar 54 surrounds dispensing opening 24 to ensure a tight seal against liquid leakage.
Major inner surface 50 in a fully opened position has portions 58 and 60 respectively extending above and below the major plane of deck 18.
A congruently shaped colored plastic disk 62 covers the outer upper surface of cap 14. In a retail environment, the container with its liquid personal care product inside is intended to stand on a store shelf viewable as in figure 1. Surface 62, because of the slant, is readily viewable by customers, Different colored surfaces 62 will signal to the customer different variants of the particular liquid personal care product being displayed. In this manner, the customer can easily select the appropriate product variant sought to be purchased. Ordinarily surface 62 will not be unitarily molded onto cap 14, Instead, surface 62 can be a colored plastic disk adhesively attached or a flexible colored adhesive label of congruent geometry affixed to a top surface of the cap 14.
The method of dispensing liquid from the container involves hand gripping around the elongate body 4. Pressure is applied with a thumb of the hand against depression 15 in an upward manner to dislodge plug 52 from aperture 56 by upper pivotal movement of cap 14. Liquid is dispensed from container 2 through aperture 56 by tilting the container in a direction that fluid flows towards first area 46 with its pointed shape. This shape ensures directed delivery onto a receiving area such as an open palm of the pouring person's other hand. The orientation of first area 46 away from either panels 13, 17 or

19a/19b prevents any liquid from the pouring point falling onto any of these panels thereby avoiding soiling of package walls.

CLAIMS:
1. A container (2) for a pourabfe liquid comprising:
an elongate body (4) for containing the liquid, the body (4) having a closed bottom end (6) and an open top end (8); and
a closure (10) covering the open top end (8) comprising a fitment (12) and a cap (14) pivotably attached to the fitment (12), the fitment (12) at an upper end (16) having an elliptical deck (18) with an angularly pointed end at an uppermost portion and surrounded by a skirt (28) with upper (30), lower (32) and two Jatera! regions (34), the deck (18) featuring an opening (24) for dispensing the liquid, a longitudinal axis (26) traversing the deck (18) and the deck (18) being slanted at an angle of 5 to 70 degree relative to the longitudinal axis (26), a hinge (36) connected to one of the lateral regions (34) off-centered thereof and pivotable along a hinge-line (38) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (26) and non-parallel to a plane of the deck.
2. A container (2) according to claim 1 wherein the deck (18) is slanted at an angle of 10 to 60 degree relative to the longitudinal axis (26).
3. A container (2) according to claim 1 wherein the deck (18) is defined by a major axis (20) and a minor axis (22), each traversing the dispensing opening (24).
4. A container (2) according to claim 3 wherein a first area (46) along a periphery of the deck (18) and which is traversed by the major axis (20) is pointedly shaped.
5. A container (2) according to claim 4 wherein a second area (48) along a periphery of the deck (18) traversed by the major axis (20) opposite the first area (46) is rounded.
6. A container (2) according to claim 1 further comprising a tab (40) connecting the cap (14) to the hinge (36) by extending to the hinge-line (38), and wherein the tab (40) has a non-symmetrical shape with an upper lateral perimeter (42) hnger than a lower lateral perimeter (44).

7. A container (2) according to claim 1 wherein the liquid comprises a surfactant or emulsifier at a level from 0.05 to 50% by weight