Liquid dispensers having collapsible containers have been known in the past. Containers of this type have been disclosed in the following group of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,544,658; 2,752,069; 2,246,807; 3,618,829 and 3,705,668. U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,154, from the application of which the present application derives, and Japanese patent No. 42-13658 also disclose a liquid dispenser having a collapsible container.
Of the foregoing group of patents, only U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,829 teaches the use of a corrugated sidewall for a liquid dispenser which collapses upon the application of a downward force thereto. The other patents of the above group have yieldable side or bottom walls which shift relative to other parts to decrease the volume of a container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,829 teaches a cap threaded on the upper end of a corrugated container and the cap has an inclined nozzle secured to its upper surface and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. The base of the nozzle thus projects directly upwardly from the top of the cap and leaves substantially no room on such upper surface to apply downward pressure with the hand or fingers on the dispenser to collapse its sidewall. To apply the downward force effectively, the upper part of the dispenser must first be grasped and then the downward force can be exerted. Only one or two fingers, at best, can be used and these must engage at least part of the base of the nozzle, making it uncomfortable to exert the force on the cap since the upper surface of the cap is substantially covered by the base of the inclined nozzle. One or two fingers will not adequately provide the necessary force because the force will be mainly on one side of the cap to cause the dispenser to tip or collapse non-uniformly, thereby impeding or disrupting the proper flow of liquid therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,154 discloses the use of a funnel-shaped dispenser member attached to the upper end of a container having a corrugated sidewall, and a hole is provided in the lower end of the funnel-shaped member for communication with a downwardly extending tube in the container. When a downward force is exerted on the top rim of the funnel member, liquid is caused to spurt upwardly and onto the palm of the hand or other object covering the open top of the funnel member so that the liquid engages the hand or object for a specific use, such as for applying liquid soap to the hand. This type of dispenser is essentially limited to coating the hand or other object in the path of the upwardly directed liquid. The Japanese patent is pertinent only in that it has a corrugated sidewall.
Other patents which relate to fluid dispensing include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,275,051; 3,124,275 and 2,824,672. However, these patents disclose only collapsible tops for containers rather than collapsible containers.
All of the forgoing patents fail to teach or suggest a liquid dispenser which delivers liquid quickly and easily to a side outlet of a collapsible container with a simple hand action applied to an unobstructed top surface of the container. A need has, therefore, arisen for an improved container capable of accomplishing this purpose so that the container can be used for liquid having viscosities in a relatively wide range, yet the dispenser is simple and rugged in construction, has a minimum of parts, and can be quickly and easily assembled.