Background

Cosmetic pump bottles waste about 25% of the products because of issues with emptying all the contents. This is part of the business model of many industries, as consumers must purchase additional products more frequently. Bottles in the market come in various sizes and heights, and the most common household practices to resolve product wastage include diluting with water, repeated shaking, cutting open the bottle, and scraping the insides. Highly viscous products like hair conditioner and lotion require more than just shaking to extract the product. Current technologies in the market include a gliding device that is focused on squeeze bottles, an airless pump that is limited to large bottles, and upside-down bottles that risk leakage. An affordable, reusable, adaptable device is needed that can help remove all of the product from containers

Technology Overview

Northeastern researchers have designed a new pump that uses a magnetic scraper system to adjust the position of the dip tube to reach all nooks and crannies of the bottles. A flexible silicone-straw tube allows access and rotation inside the bottle, while also providing a range of adjustable lengths. The magnetic scraper, essentially a cupped surface, is embedded with a magnet that allows the user-enabled magnetic sleeve to manipulate its location to scoop up all remaining product. The sleeve also contains a see-through section, and the scraper has a headlight to clearly visualize sections with product residue inside the bottle. While this invention saves product and reduces wastage, it also increases the recycling efficiency of the container.

Benefits

• Reduced product wastage due to efficient scraping of all product
• Adjustable height of internal dip-tube to allow function in different bottle types
• Re-usable magnetic sleeve and scraper system
• Ribbed lid cork allows usage in different sized openings of bottles

Applications

• Industrial usage across a wide range of bottle shapes and sizes
• Can be used for highly viscous cosmetics

Opportunity

Seeking licensee and/or industry partner