U.S. patent application number 10/041281 was filed with the patent office on 2002-05-16 for vented closures.
Invention is credited to Boulange, Michel, Davous, Philippe.
Application Number | 20020056695 10/041281 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27451558 |
Filed Date | 2002-05-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020056695 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boulange, Michel ; et
al. |
May 16, 2002 |
Vented closures
Abstract
Disclosed herein are a method of an apparatus for providing a
vented closure (10) for a container having complementary non
gas-tight features (52, 54) by which the closure may be removeably
attached to close the container, by fitting a venting member (12)
to form a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal between the closure and
the container and provide a venting gas path from the container
through the venting member to atmosphere via the complementary
closure and container features; the venting member may replace or
by-pass the existing sealing member in a closure.
Inventors: |
Boulange, Michel; (Elbeuf,
FR) ; Davous, Philippe; (Le Thuit Signol,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JOHN S. PRATT, ESQ
KILPATRICK STOCKTON, LLP
1100 PEACHTREE STREET
SUITE 2800
ATLANTA
GA
30309
US
|
Family ID: |
27451558 |
Appl. No.: |
10/041281 |
Filed: |
January 7, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10041281 |
Jan 7, 2002 |
|
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|
09308302 |
Jul 13, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/261 ;
215/307 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/1622 20130101;
B65D 51/1616 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/261 ;
215/307 |
International
Class: |
B65D 051/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 19, 1996 |
GB |
9624036.1 |
Nov 29, 1996 |
GB |
9624849.7 |
Feb 18, 1997 |
GB |
9703311.2 |
Claims
1. A method of providing a vented closure for a container, the
closure and container having complimentary none gas-tight features
by which the closure may be removeaby attached to close the
container, characterised by fitting a venting member to form a
liquid-tight, gas-venting seal between the closure and the
container and provide a venting gas path from the container through
the venting member to atmosphere via the complimentary closure and
container features.
2. A method of converting a sealed to a vented closure for a
container, the closure and container having complimentary features
by which the closure may be removeaby attached to close the
container and a sealing member to form a fluid-tight seal between
the closure and the container; characterised by replacing or
by-passing the sealing member with a venting member to form a
liquid-tight, gas-venting seal between the closure and the
container and provide a venting gas path from the container through
the venting member to atmosphere via the complimentary closure and
container features.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that
the venting member is microporous.
4. A venting closure for a container, the closure (10) and
container (48) having complimentary, none gas-tight features (52,
54) by which the closure may be removeaby attached to the
container, characterised in that a venting member (12) is shaped
and dimensioned to fit as a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal between
a given closure (10) and container (48) and, in use, provide a
venting gas path from the container through the venting member to
atmosphere via the complimentary closure and container features
(52, 54).
5. A closure as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the
venting member (12) is a microporous member (24).
6. A closure as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, characterised in
that the complimentary closure and container features (52, 54) form
an air-side labyrinth seal that, in use, acts to prevent passage of
liquid to the venting member (12).
7. A closure as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 and wherein the
closure is a cap (14) and the container (48) has a neck (44), the
cap and neck having the complimentary features (52, 54),
characterised in that the venting member is an insert (12) for the
cap (14).
8. A closure as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that gas flow
means (46) are provided between the insert (12) and the cap
(48).
9. A closure as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the gas
flow means is formed by projections (46) on a cap-facing surface of
the insert (12).
10. A closure as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, characterised in
that the insert (12) is moulded from rigid plastics material to
generally conform to the inner shape of the closure cap (14) and
has a central aperture (16) closed on the liquid-side by a
microporous membrane (24).
11. A closure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the closure cap (14)
has a depending sealing flange (40), characterised in that the
insert (12) has a corrugated rim portion (34) with two concentric
peripheral grooves (36, 38) respectively opening upwards, to
accommodate and by-pass the cap sealing flange (40), and downwards,
to accommodate the rim of the container neck (44).
12. A closure as claimed in claim 9 and claim 10, characterised in
that the insert projections are formed by integral ribs (46)
extending radially from the central aperture (16) to the rim
portion (34).
13. A closure as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the
cap-facing surfaces of said two concentric peripheral grooves (36,
38) are roughened to form venting gas flow means between the insert
(12) and the cap (14).
14. A closure as claimed in any of claims 4 to 13, further
characterised in that the insert (12) has a liquid-side capillary
port (28) that, in use, acts to permit passage of gas and prevent
passage of liquid to the venting member (24).
15. A closure as claimed in claim 14 as dependent on claim 10,
characterised in that a cup-shaped member (26) is mounted
liquid-tight to the liquid side of the insert (12) with the
microporous membrane (24) closing the mouth of the cup-shaped
member; the capillary port (28) being formed in a wall of the
cup-shaped member.
16. A closure as claimed in any of claims 4 to 15, characterised in
that the venting member (12) is designed to replace or by-pass a
sealing member, forming a fluid-tight seal between the closure (10)
and the container (48), and form a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal
between the closure and the container.
17. A venting member for a venting closure as claimed in any of
claims 4 to 16.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for
providing a vented closure for a container and it particularly
relates to venting members for container closures.
[0002] An known type of container closure is a cap having a
none-gas tight screw thread fitting with the complimentary thread
neck of a container and a seal in the cap to form a gas and
liquid-tight seal with the container neck. Liquid containers can
become over or under pressurised and the container damaged, such as
by ballooning or crushing, depending on the liquid to be contained
and the ambient temperatures. One solution is to make the container
strong enough to resist such changes, another solution is to fit
the container with a gas vent. The choice of solution is mainly an
economic one, depending upon whether or not it is cheaper to make
the container stronger or to fit a gas vent.
[0003] Known gas vents for container require special closures
and/or modified containers.
[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method
of providing a vented closure for a container, the closure and
container having complimentary none gas-tight features by which the
closure may be removeaby attached to close the container, comprises
fitting a venting member to form a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal
between the closure and the container and provide a venting gas
path from the container through the venting member to atmosphere
via the complimentary closure and container features.
[0005] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method of converting a sealed to a vented closure for a container,
the closure and container having complimentary features by which
the closure may be removeaby attached to close the container and a
sealing member to form a fluid-tight seal between the closure and
the container, comprises replacing or by-passing the sealing member
with a venting member to form a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal
between the closure and the container and provide a venting gas
path from the container through the venting member to atmosphere
via the complimentary closure and container features.
[0006] No modification to either the closure or the container is
required when using the method of the present invention.
[0007] Also according to the present invention, in a venting
closure for a container, the closure and container having
complimentary, none gas-tight features by which the closure may be
removeaby attached to the container, a venting member is shaped and
dimensioned to fit as a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal between a
given closure and container and, in use, provide a venting gas path
from the container through the venting member to atmosphere via the
complimentary closure and container features.
[0008] The vented member may designed to replace or by-pass a
sealing member, forming a fluid-tight seal between the closure and
the container, and form a liquid-tight, gas-venting seal between
the closure and the container.
[0009] Thus, a liquid container can be provided with a gas vent
according to the present invention simply and economically; no
modification of the container or closure being required, simply the
provision of a suitable venting member together with taking
advantage of the potential gas flow path already present between
the closure and container attachment features.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the venting member is
microporous; for example a microporous membrane.
[0011] The advantages of the using microporous membranes for vented
closures is that they work at zero differential pressures and are
bidirectional; i.e. they vent gases in both directions, in and out
of a container. The main disadvantage of such use of microporous
membranes is that their operating efficiency is severely reduced
when wetted by a liquid, such that the membrane hardly works at
all.
[0012] According to a further embodiment of the present invention,
the complimentary closure and container features form an air-side
labyrinth seal that, in use, acts to prevent passage of liquid to
the venting member.
[0013] According to another embodiment of the present invention and
wherein the closure is a cap and the container has a neck, the cap
and neck having the complimentary features, the venting member is
an insert for the cap. Gas flow means may be provided between the
insert and the cap.
[0014] According to a still further embodiment of the present
invention, the insert has a liquid-side capillary port that, in
use, acts to permit passage of gas and prevent passage of liquid to
the venting member. The capillary port is dimensioned so that the
surface tension of a liquid to be contained in the container
prevents that liquid from normally contacting the microporous
membrane; this both improves membrane efficiency by preventing
membrane wetting and protects the membrane from liquid-induced
forces and loads that may occur during operational use of the
filled container.
[0015] The above and other features of the present invention are
illustrated, by way of example, in the Drawings; wherein
[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a microporous membrane
vented closure for a liquid container in accordance with the
present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the closure of
FIG. 1:
[0018] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a container neck;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of FIG. 1
screwed onto the neck of FIG. 3;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 4; and,
[0021] FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail of part of FIG. 4.
[0022] As shown by the figures, a microporous membrane vented
closure 10 consists of a generally circular insert 12 moulded from
a suitable rigid plastics material, such as LDPE, to generally
conform to the inner shape of a container cap14. The insert 12 has
a central aperture 16 with an air-side, surrounding, axially
upwardly extending, cylindrical lip 18 and a radially extending
liquid-side rim 20. The rim 20 has a liquid-side, surrounding,
axially downwardly extending, cylindrical rib 22. The aperture 16
is closed on the liquid-side by a microporous membrane 24, for
example of "GORTEX.RTM.", that is bonded, such as by welding,
within the rib 22 to the rim 20 to form a liquid seal
therewith.
[0023] The membrane 24 is protected on the liquid-side by a moulded
plastic cup 26, having cylindrical upper part the external diameter
of which is an interference, liquid-tight fit within a liquid-side,
axially extending, cylindrical, outer rib 30, that co-axially
surrounds rib 22. The cup 26 has an external, radially outwardly
extending flange that acts as a stop against the rim of rib 30, to
control the depth of insertion of the cup upper part.
[0024] The cup 26 has a hernispherically-shaped bottom part that is
provided with a central port 28;
[0025] the port 28 is dimensioned so that it can act as a capillary
port, using the surface tension of a liquid to be contained in the
container act to prevent that liquid from normally entering the
cup.
[0026] Outer rib 30 is an integral part of and depends from a
dished central portion 32 of the insert 12 that flares upwardly and
outwardly from lip 18 to a corrugated rim portion 34. The rim
portion 34 has two concentric peripheral grooves 36 and 38
respectively opening upwards, to accommodate an integral sealing
flange 40 that depends within the container cap 14, and downwards,
to accommodate the rim 42 of a container neck 44.
[0027] The air-side, cap facing surface of insert 12 is roughened
and the dished central portion is provided with integral ribs 46
extending radially to the rim portion 34.
[0028] In use, and especially as shown by FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, the
vented closure 10, comprising insert 12 with membrane 24 and cup 26
is fitted within a conventional container cap 14 and the whole
assembly is screwed onto the neck 44 of a container 48.
[0029] Gases within the container 48 can vent
[0030] through the microporous membrane 24,
[0031] within the insert cylindrical lip 18,
[0032] though notches 50 in the rim of lip 18,
[0033] between the under-surface of cap 14 and the ribs 46 on the
facing surface of insert 12,
[0034] around and between cap sealing flange 40 and the roughened,
cap-facing surface of insert groove 36,
[0035] around and between the roughened, cap-facing surface of
insert groove 38 and the cap 14;
[0036] down through the cap and neck threads 52, 54; and,
[0037] past the cap anti-tamper ring 56 to atmosphere;
[0038] and as shown by the arrows in FIG. 6.
[0039] A sealing ring 58 is located between the neck rim 42 and the
insert groove 38 to seal the insert with the container; as the
insert, perforce, by-passes the cap's integral sealing flange
40.
[0040] This complex gas passage effectively forms a labyrinth seal
on the air-side of the microporous diaphragm; thus
[0041] the cap protects the membrane from any contamination coming
from outside during storage or transport of the container;
[0042] the same cap can be used for vented and non-vented
applications, simply by insertion of a vented closure into the
cap;
[0043] the membrane is welded to the insert to ensure that it
remains liquid-tight; and,
[0044] the cap has no gas ports or perforations.
[0045] By this means, a non-vented cap-closure can readily and
simply be converted to a vented closure by either replacing or
by-passing the existing sealing member within a conventional
container cap 14 with insert 12, including membrane 24 and cup 26;
provided that there is a sufficient gas leakage path between the
cap and neck threads.
* * * * *