Field of the Invention The present invention is in the field of articles that aid in the reduction of plastic; in particular, it relates to reducing plastic by reusing bottles and bottle accessories.

Background of the Invention Majority of the cleansing and conditioning products (e.g.: shampoos, conditioners, hand dishwash liquids) are currently sold as ready to use viscous liquids. These products are prepared and packed in factories and delivered to the consumer as ready to use liquid products. Since they are in liquid format, the use of plastic for packaging is inevitable. Once the product is used completely, these plastic bottles are discarded. While it is convenient for the consumer to simply throw them away, they have also become a waste challenge.

Waste sustainability is fast becoming an issue in most of the countries, threatening to overrun landfills and create new ones from what are otherwise beautiful landscapes and endangering the water supply by contamination.

Therefore, there is a need to reduce the plastic waste generated by discarding empty bottles or plastic packaging materials, and a desire to reduce the cost and resources required to ship and store ready to use cleansing and conditioning products.

Different methods are known in the art to reduce plastics in packaging and the cost and resources required to ship and store ready to use cleansing and conditioning products. One way is to provide the consumers with reusable bottles which could be refilled. However, refill systems that are suitable and convenient for use are not widely available. This is because refilling is generally a messy process, which often takes time, effort and also leads to a certain amount of product being wasted or spilled. Known in the art are bottle couplers or lotion savers to make refilling easier and to avoid the product being wasted. However, they can be used only for the purpose of refilling and while refilling. They have to be removed from the bottle once the bottle is refilled.

US2773521 A discloses one such coupler. These couplers resemble two bottle caps of the same or different sizes, with their flat surfaces stuck to each other with holes made in the centre for the products to pass through from one bottle to the other. They are neither long-lasting nor efficient in their performance, they do not aid in a smooth refill operation as there would be pressure build up in the bottle and can only be used for refilling.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bottle connector that aids in a smooth and efficient refilling operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bottle connector may remain connected to the reusable bottle even after the refilling operation.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bottle connector that can be used to attach bottle accessories and a refill bottle to a reusable bottle.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide venting when in use for refilling and closure when used on a (reusable) bottle. Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-use connector (1) for connecting a reusable bottle (2) to a secondary means (3) said connector comprising a cylindrical body (4), comprising an open top end (5) and open bottom end (6); said bottom end (6) comprising internal female thread (7) and being detachably connectable to the reusable bottle (2); said top end comprising an internal connecting means (8) and an external connecting means (9), and being detachably connectable to a secondary means (3); characterized in that the connector comprises a venting means (10).

In a second aspect, the present invention provides use of a multi-use connector according to the invention for refilling a reusable bottle while reducing spillage.

These and other aspects, features and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description and the appended claims. For the avoidance of doubt, any feature of one aspect of the present invention may be utilised in any other aspect of the invention. The word “comprising” is intended to mean “including” but not necessarily “consisting of” or “composed of.” In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive. It is noted that the examples given in the description below are intended to clarify the invention and are not intended to limit the invention to those examples per se. Similarly, all percentages are weight/weight percentages unless otherwise indicated. Except in the operating and comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word “about”.

Numerical ranges expressed in the format "from x to y" are understood to include x and y. When for a specific feature multiple preferred ranges are described in the format "from x to y", it is understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a multi-use connector for detachably connecting a reusable bottle to a secondary means.

The secondary means according to the invention may be a refill bottle or a dispenser, such as a pump dispenser or a spray dispenser.

By a spray dispenser it is meant any device that can break apart a fluid flow into a spray pattern. A multi-use connector

The connector according to the present invention preferably has a cylindrical body.

The cylindrical body comprises a top and bottom end. Both the top and bottom end are open to detachably connect to the reusable bottle and the secondary means. The bottom end has an internal female thread to detachably connect to the reusable bottle. The top end comprises an internal connecting means and an external connecting means to detachably connect to the secondary means. Preferably, the dispenser is connected to the external connecting means on the top end of the connector and the refill bottle is connected to the internal connecting means on the top end of the connector.

The secondary means may be connected to the connector by any form of a connecting means. The connecting means may be a screw thread, bayonet connector, or providing a press-on, click-on or interference fit.

Preferably, on the top end, the internal connecting means is an internal female thread and the external connecting means is an external male thread.

The connector according to the present invention comprises a venting means. The venting means allows the air that is displaced by the liquid product inside the reusable bottle during refilling operation to escape to the outside of the bottle, but provides a closure when the bottle is being used, even when the connector remains on the bottle; wherein “use” includes uses with a cap, a flip top cap, pump device or spray dispenser. This prevents pressure building up in the system, resulting in a smooth and efficient refilling operation.

Preferably, the venting means is an opening for venting gas which, when in operation, i.e. when the connector is connected to the reusable bottle and the secondary means, allows air to escape from the inside to the outside of the connector at a rate of from 0.00002 L/s to 1.2L/s, preferably at least 0.0001 L/s, more preferably at least 0.001 L/s, or even at least 0.01 L/s, or especially at least 0.1 L/s; while preferably not more than 1 L/s, more preferably not more than 0.8 L/s, or even not more than 0.5 L/s.

In one embodiment, the venting means consists of one or more thread breaks on an internal female thread, more preferably on the internal female thread on the bottom end of the body, but provides a closure when the bottle is being used, even when the connector remains on the bottle.

In another embodiment, the venting means consists of one or more vertical slits in the top end of the body (4).

In a third embodiment, the venting means is formed by increasing the area of cross- section between the thread of connector and the thread of the reusable bottle when connected.

Preferably, the closure is obtained by fully screwing the bottom end of the connector onto the bottle to the point where the edge of the bottle neck (2) touches the inner seal (11), while closure at the top end is achieved by a screw cap (including screwed on flip top cap, pump or spray dispenser) being screwed onto the external thread of the top end of the connector.

This is achieved when the diameter (D _me ) of the external male thread of the reusable bottle is greater than the diameter (D _f ,) of the internal female thread (7) of the bottom end of the connector and when connected to the bottle, the area of cross-section formed between the male and the female thread of a single thread point (Acs) is at least 1.05 times greater than the cross-section of a single thread point of the metric standard measurement (D metric), defined as the closest integer to diameter (D _me ) in millimeters. Having an area of at least 1.05 times greater than the cross-section between the male and female thread of a single thread point (A _cs ) allows sufficient gap to be formed between the threads for air to escape.

Preferably, the area of cross-section formed between the male and the female thread of a single thread point (Acs) is at least 1.10 times, more preferably at least 1.15 times, still more preferably at least 1.20 times, even more preferably at least 1.25 times or even at least 1.30 times or even at least 1.40 times or even at least 1.50 times greater than the cross-section of a single thread point of the metric standard measurement (D metric), defined as the closest integer to diameter (D _me ) in millimeters.

The connector according to the present invention may comprise an inner seal. The seal is present between the inner female thread on the bottom end of the connector and the connecting means on the top end of the connector. The seal helps in sealing the refill bottle to the connector and prevents product leakage from the top part of the connector.

The connector according to the present invention may comprise an inner sleeve extending from the seal and running concentrically to the body towards the bottom end. the diameter of the sleeve is at least 0.5 mm less than the diameter of the opening of the bottle, preferably at least 1 mm, more preferably at least 1.5 mm, still more preferably at least 2 mm, even more preferably at least 2.5 mm or even 3 mm but typically not more than 1 cm, preferably not more than 8mm, more preferably not more than 6, still more preferably not more than 5.5 mm, even more preferably not more than 5 mm or even 4.5 mm or even 4 mm or even 3.5 mm. This creates a gap whereby the escaping air can pass without being blocked by the inward flowing liquid product. The sleeve also prevents the venting means on the bottom end of the connector from being clogged by the liquid formulation.

Reusable Bottle

The bottle of the present invention is preferably for an FMCG product. The FMCG product may be a personal care product such as a shampoo, a conditioner, a liquid hand soap or a home care product such as a hand dish wash liquid, a household cleaning liquid. Preferably, the FMCG product is a personal care product which is a shampoo or conditioner. The bottles of such products are typically shaped obround, elliptical, oval or rectangular as such shapes are preferred by the consumers for use. The reusable bottle of the present invention is preferably made of aluminium or durable reusable plastics.

The use of a multi-use connector according to the invention for refilling a reusable bottle aids in reducing spillage.

Brief Description of the Figures

Figure 1 is top-front perspective view of one embodiment of the multi-use connector.

Figure 2 is a cross sectioned view of one embodiment of the multi-use connector comprising an inner sleeve and an inner seal.

Figure 3 is a top view of one embodiment of the multi-use connector comprising an inner sleeve and an inner seal.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of one embodiment the multi-use connector comprising an inner sleeve and an inner seal.

Figure 5a is a top-front perspective view of one embodiment of the multi-use connector with vertical slits in the top end of the connector.

Figure 5b is a cross sectioned view of another embodiment of the multi-use connector with thread breaks on the inner female thread on the bottom end of the connector and an inner seal.

Figure 5c is a cross sectioned view of another embodiment of the multi-use connector with thread breaks on the inner female thread on the top end of the connector and an inner seal. Figure 6a is a cross sectioned view of one embodiment of the multi-use connector comprising an inner sleeve and an inner seal when attached onto a reusable bottle.

Figure 6b is a cross sectioned view of a blow up of a part of Figure 6a. Figure 6c is a cross sectioned view of a blow up of a part of Figure 6b.

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a connector, reusable bottle and the refill bottle.

Figure 8 is an exploded view of a connector, reusable bottle and the spray nozzle.