U.S. patent application number 10/116790 was filed with the patent office on 2002-11-07 for container closure having an air intake valve.
Invention is credited to Auer, Robert T., Stull, Gene.
Application Number | 20020162839 10/116790 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26814622 |
Filed Date | 2002-11-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020162839 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stull, Gene ; et
al. |
November 7, 2002 |
Container closure having an air intake valve
Abstract
A container having an air intake value, enables a minimal amount
of air to enter the container that the one way directional airflow
eliminates the flexible walls of a container from being drawn
inward and container distortion (product paneling) due to
temperature and altitude changes. The inside design of the cover
cap makes direct contact with the valve top slit area but generally
not the outside of the slit area. With the top cover cap in place
and covering the soft concave valve, the slits are restricted from
opening outward because to the bottom contour contact fit of the
cover cap. The flexible slit valve pieces are unrestricted from
moving inward and open automatically to let air in when necessary
and eliminating the paneling affect. In the closed position the top
snap cover cap is designed not to be completely airtight with two
butt joint areas on the hinge side of the cap. This enables air to
enter around the hinge, up into the cap interior circumference,
down through the flexible valve and into the main container.
Inventors: |
Stull, Gene; (Far Hills,
NJ) ; Auer, Robert T.; (East Stroudsburg,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KATTEN MUCHIN ZAVIS ROSENMAN
575 MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10022-2585
US
|
Family ID: |
26814622 |
Appl. No.: |
10/116790 |
Filed: |
April 4, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60281599 |
Apr 4, 2001 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/229 ;
215/235; 215/307; 220/259.1; 222/490 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/165 20130101;
B65D 47/0804 20130101; B65D 51/1661 20130101; B65D 47/2031
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/229 ;
220/259.1; 215/235; 215/307; 222/490 |
International
Class: |
B65D 047/08 |
Claims
1. A container closure, comprising: a cover cap; and passage
permitting air to enter into said container when said closure is in
a closed position.
2. The closure of claim 1, further comprising a valve member.
3. The closure of claim 2, wherein said valve member includes at
least one opening.
4. The closure of claim 3, wherein said passage and said at least
one opening are in communication.
5. The closure of claims, wherein said communication is facilitated
by contact of the underside of the cover cap with the surface of
the valve.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a non-provisional counterpart to U.S. Provisional
Application Serial No. 60/281,599, filed on Apr. 4, 2002.
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
[0002] None.
REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING
[0003] None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Closures and valves for various containers are, of course,
well known and are disclosed in numerous publication and patents.
Many of the patents are owned by the assignee herein.
[0005] Closures serve both utilitarian and aesthetic functions.
Many containers with closures today are equipped with valves, often
made from thermoplastic elastomer. Such valves facilitate generally
the one-way flow of the product, prevent spillage and may be
created in several ways including being molded (as opposed to being
subsequently cut), stretched and punched or laser pierced.
[0006] One of the problems facing the industry of consumer goods
containers, which are often air-tight is the unsaleability of some
goods due to "paneling"--or the drawing inward and distorting of
the configuration of the containers because of environmental,
storage, transport or other conditions such as temperature and
elevational changes. Many retail consumers believe that paneled
goods are damaged goods which therefore end up sitting on the store
shelf, unsold.
[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
container closure having an air intake valve which reduces or
eliminates paneling.
[0008] Another object of the invention to provide a container
closure having an air intake valve which reduces or eliminates
paneling in a simple, cost effective manner.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] These and other object of the invention, which shall be
hereafter apparent, are achieve by a container closure having an
air intake valve, in which the covercap makes direct contact with
the (TPE) valve top slit area only, but not with the outside slit
area of the valve face, leaving an air space. With the cover cap in
place and covering the concave (TPE preferably) valve, the slit or
slits are restricted from opening outward because of the bottom
contour contact fit of the cover cap. The flexible slit valve
pieces are however unrestricted from moving inward and open
automatically to let air in when necessary and eliminates the
paneling affect. In the closed position, the cover cap is designed
not to be completely airtight with two butt joint areas on the
hinge side of the cap. This enables air to enter around the hinge,
into the cap interior circumference, down through the flexible
valve and into the main container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention will be better understood by the Detailed
Description of the Invention, with reference to the drawings, in
which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a container closure
having an air intake valve according to the invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the container
closure having an air intake valve showing the airway from outside
the container closure and leading into the body of the
container;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve used with the
invention; and
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container closure having
an air intake valve, showing also a base cap and two air slots on
the cover cap on either side of a living hinge on the cover
cap.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals depict
like elements throughout the various views, FIG. 1 is a
cross-sectional view of a container closure 10, preferably
(although not necessarily) a base cap 20 and a covercap 30 intended
to be used on a flexible-walled container (not shown) and is
similar to applicants' copending U.S. application Ser. No.
______.
[0016] The covercap 10 includes generally a lid 16 and an
overlapping snap ring 13 to fit over the base cap 20. To assemble
the snap ring 13 to the base cap 20, the ring 13 is placed over the
lip 24 of the base cap 20 and snapped into place. The lid 16 has a
lifting tab 18, which facilitates the opening of the cap 10 merely
by one's finger.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a detailed, cross-sectional view of the container
closure 10 having an air intake valve 40 and also showing an airway
41 beginning from outside the container closure 10 around each side
of a living hinge 50 connecting the snap ring 13 and the lid 16.
The airway 41 continues upwardly along the inside wall 17 of the
lid 16 and turning perpendicularly along the lid ceiling 15 and
between the ceiling 15 and the upper face 42 of the valve 40 and
entering the body of the container through a slit 43 in the valve
40. The preferably thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) valve is designed
to dispense product and, with the lid 16 in place, enables a
minimal amount of air to enter the container. This one way
directional airflow eliminates the paneling problem from the
flexible walls of a container.
[0018] In operation, the inside design of the cover cap 30 makes
direct contact with the (TPE) valve top slit area 44 only (see FIG.
3). The cover cap 30 does not make significant contact with the
valve 40 outside slit area 44, leaving the air space 45. With the
lid 16 in place and covering the soft concave (TPE) valve, the slit
or slits 43 are restricted from opening outward because of the
bottom contour contact fit of the cover cap 30. The flexible slit
valve pieces are unrestricted from moving inward and open
automatically to let air in when necessary and eliminating the
paneling affect.
[0019] In the closed position, the top snap cover cap is designed
not to be completely airtight with two butt joint areas on the
hinge 50 side of the cap 30. This enables air to enter around the
hinge 50, up into the cap interior circumference, down through the
flexible valve 40 and into the main container as described.
[0020] The valve slit 43 may be created in several ways, including
being molded (as opposed to being subsequently cut), stretched and
punched or laser pierced. The valve can also be placed inside the
syerisis trap channel and held in place with a separate locking
retainer piece. The valve can be co-injected and fused to the
overcap ring or molded in the nozzle of the base cap. The valve can
also be insert molded or manufactured as a separate piece held in
place by the overcap ring.
[0021] The base cap 20 in this embodiment has trap channel 35 so
that when the container is tipped slightly (for instance if a
liquid and a portion of the product separates from the product
because of the differing viscosities) the liquid is trapped in the
channel created between the inner side wall 36 of the base cap 20
and inner channel guide 37.
[0022] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been
depicted in detail, modifications and adaptations may be made
thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as delineated in the following claims:
* * * * *