Sunflower seed dispenser and shell diposal container

Abstract

A dual-compartment container designed specifically to dispense unshelled sunflower seeds and to hold sunflower seed refuse. The container comprises a dispenser compartment, a disposal compartment, and a dividing wall. The two compartments are separately blow molded, and the dividing wall is made up of one surface of the dispenser compartment and one surface of the disposal compartment. The two compartments are held together by packaging and / or surface mating means. The volumetric ratio of the dispenser compartment to the disposal compartment is preferably 1:1.7. The container is dimensioned so as to fit in a standard vehicle cup holder. The disposal compartment has ventilation holes and is optionally made of an opaque material to conceal the enclosed refuse. The neck of the disposal compartment is situated on top of the container and is wider than the neck of the dispenser compartment to facilitate spitting refuse into the disposal compartment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is an original nonprovisional application. It does not claim priority back to any previously filed patent application. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to the field of containers for food items, and in particular, a container for dispensing sunflower seeds and disposing of sunflower seed shells. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Although there are a number of patented inventions relating to various forms of drink containers, and a few patented inventions relating to containers for food items, no one has ever patented a container that is designed specifically to dispense sunflower seeds and dispose of sunflower seed shells. The present invention is not only volumetrically calibrated to hold both unused sunflower seeds and discarded sunflower seed shells, but its size and shape are designed to allow the user to consume sunflower seeds while driv...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The present invention is a portable, dual-compartment container designed specifically to dispense unshelled sunflower seeds and to hold sunflower seed refuse. The container comprises a dispenser compartment, a disposal compartment, and a dividing wall. The two compartments are separately blow molded, and the dividing wall is made up of one surface of the dispenser compartment and one surface of the disposal compartment. The two compartments are held together by packaging and/or surface mating means, such as snaps. The dispenser compartment contains sunflower seeds, and the disposal compartment contains sunflower seeds refuse, which includes sunflower seed shells and may include saliva if the consumer shells the sunflower seeds in his mouth and spits out the shells. In the...

Problems solved by technology

Although there are a number of patented inventions relating to various forms of drink containers, and a few patented inventions relating to containers for food items, no one has ever patented a container that is designed specifically to dispense sunflower seeds and dispose of sunflower seed shells.

Despite the evolving technology discussed above, it is apparent that no one has invented a container that is specifically designed, and in fact volumetrically calibrated, to allow a person to consume sunflower seeds and neatly dispose of their shells while driving.

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