U.S. patent application number 10/899294 was filed with the patent office on 2005-01-13 for double shell closure with support ribs.
This patent application is currently assigned to REXAM MEDICAL PACKAGING INC.. Invention is credited to Luker, C. Edward.
Application Number | 20050006334 10/899294 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33565464 |
Filed Date | 2005-01-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050006334 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Luker, C. Edward |
January 13, 2005 |
Double shell closure with support ribs
Abstract
A bottle closure having an outer shell with a frusto-conical
configuration and a rib-supported threaded inner shell is
described. The frusto-conical configuration of the outer shell
allows the user to easily pickup the package and grip the closure
and remove it from a bottle. The inner shell is threaded to allow
the closure to engagingly mate with threads on a bottle or similar
container. The inner shell is supported by ribs which face toward
the outer shell. The ribs provide that the inner shell can be
unscrewed from a threaded core of a manufacturing mold during
production without causing noticeable distortion in the
closure.
Inventors: |
Luker, C. Edward;
(Evansville, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JOHN F. SALAZAR
MIDDLETON & REUTLINGER
2500 BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOWER
LOUISVILLE
KY
40202
US
|
Assignee: |
REXAM MEDICAL PACKAGING
INC.
|
Family ID: |
33565464 |
Appl. No.: |
10/899294 |
Filed: |
July 26, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10899294 |
Jul 26, 2004 |
|
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09876836 |
Jun 7, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/334 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 41/0485 20130101;
B65D 41/0414 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/334 |
International
Class: |
B65D 041/04 |
Claims
1. A container closure comprising: a. a top, having an interior
surface and an exterior surface; b. an annular outer skirt,
depending from and being centered on the interior surface of said
top, said outer skirt having a first face which faces inward toward
the center of said outer skirt, a second face which faces outward
from said skirt, a top edge which abuts said top, and a bottom
edge, and said outer skirt having a first diameter at the top edge
of the outward face and a second diameter at the bottom edge of the
outward face wherein said top diameter is greater than said bottom
diameter causing said outer skirt to have a frusto-conical
configuration on the exterior surface; c. at least one annular
inner skirt, depending from and being centered on the interior
surface of said top, said inner skirt having a first surface which
faces inward toward the center of the skirt and a second surface
which faces outward toward said outer skirt; d. at least one rib,
depending from said top and attached to the outward facing surface
of said inner skirt; e. said at least one rib having a width less
than a distance between said inner skirt and said outer skirt.
2. The closure of claim 1 wherein said inner skirt defines a length
and said rib is the same length as said inner skirt.
3. The closure of claim 1 wherein said inner skirt defines a length
and said rib is shorter than the length of said inner skirt.
4. The closure of claim 1 wherein said inner skirt has a diameter
that is less than the bottom diameter of said outer skirt and said
closure further includes an annular flange depending from the
interior surface of said top and being centered on the interior
surface of said top, said flange having a diameter that is smaller
than the diameter of said inner skirt.
5. The closure of claim 1 further including at least one thread
attached to the inward facing surface of said inner skirt.
6. The closure of claim 1 further including depressions along the
outward face of said outer skirt.
7. The closure of claim 1 wherein said rib extends from said inner
skirt to said outer skirt.
8. The closure of claim 1 wherein said inner skirt defines a length
and at least part of said rib is essentially the same length as
said inner skirt.
9. The closure of claim 1 wherein said outer skirt defines a length
and at least part of said rib is essentially the same length as
said outer skirt.
10. The closure of claim 1 wherein said inner skirt defines a
length and at least part of said rib is shorter than the length of
said inner skirt.
11. The closure of claim 1 wherein said outer skirt defines a
length and at least part of said rib is shorter than the length of
said outer skirt.
12. A container closure comprising: a. a top, having an interior
surface and an exterior surface; b. an annular outer skirt,
depending from and being centered on the interior surface of said
top, said outer skirt having a first face which faces inward toward
the center of said outer skirt, a second face which faces outward
from said skirt, a top edge which abuts said top, and a bottom
edge, and said outer skirt having a first diameter at the top edge
of the outward face and a second diameter at the bottom edge of the
outward face wherein said top diameter is greater than said bottom
diameter causing said outer skirt to have a frusto-conical
configuration on the exterior surface; c. an annular inner skirt,
depending from and being centered on the interior surface of said
top, said inner skirt having a first surface which faces inward
toward the center of the skirt and a second surface which faces
outward toward said outer skirt; d. at least one thread attached to
the inward facing surface of said inner skirt; and e. at least one
rib, depending from said top and attached to the outward facing
surface of said inner skirt and having a width less than a distance
between an outer skirt and an inner skirt.
13. The closure of claim 12 wherein said inner skirt defines a
length and said rib is the same length as said inner skirt.
14. The closure of claim 12 wherein said inner skirt defines a
length and said rib is shorter than the length of said inner
skirt.
15. The closure of claim 12 wherein said inner skirt has a diameter
that is less than the bottom diameter of said outer skirt and said
closure further includes an annular flange depending from the
interior surface of said top and being centered on the interior
surface of said top, said flange having a diameter that is smaller
than the diameter of said inner skirt.
16. The closure of claim 12 further including depressions along the
outward face of said outer skirt.
17. The closure of claim 12 wherein said rib extends from said
inner skirt to said outer skirt.
18. The closure of claim 12 wherein said inner skirt defines a
length and at least part of said rib is essentially the same length
as said inner skirt.
19. The closure of claim 12 wherein said outer skirt defines a
length and at least part of said rib is essentially the same length
as said outer skirt.
20. The closure of claim 12 wherein said inner skirt defines a
length and at least part of said rib is shorter than the length of
said inner skirt.
21. The closure of claim 12 wherein said outer skirt defines a
length and at least part of said rib is shorter than the length of
said outer skirt.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of pending application Ser.
No. 09/876,336, filed Jun. 7, 2001.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The present invention relates to a bottle closure having a
frusto-conical outer shell and a rib-supported threaded inner
shell.
[0004] Consumer beverages, such as milk and juices, are commonly
packaged in bottles having wide necks. The wide-necked bottles are
designed to allow the user to easily dispense a portion of the
beverage from the bottle. In recent years, closures having an
enlarged top and an inwardly projecting skirt have been used with
the wide-necked bottles. The enlarged-top closures allow the
consumer to easily pick up the package and open the containers.
Further, the enlarged-top closures allow products to be more easily
stacked for packing and shipping.
[0005] Most enlarged-top closures are injection molded from
thermoplastic materials. During the closure manufacturing process,
melted material is fed into a multi-part mold where the material is
allowed to cool in the shape of the mold. Once the material has
cooled, the mold is opened and the closure is released from the
mold. If the material is not completely cooled before the mold
begins to release the closure, distortions or flaws may form in the
closure. Generally, if the molding unit releases the closure by
parting, there are few noticeable distortions in the closure.
However, if the molding unit must be unscrewed from the closure,
such as when the core for producing the threads in the closure is
removed, the torque generated by the unscrewing motion can cause
any pliable material to twist or turn slightly leaving flaws in the
finished closure. On a reverse taper closure, and particularly on a
closure having a frusto-conical outer shell with a detailed outer
surface, the conventional approach to attempt to overcome the
twisting has been to develop means to hold the outer shell as the
threaded core is removed. This has not alleviated the problem,
however.
[0006] Alternatively, the closure may have stripped type threads.
However, during production the stripped type threads are forced off
the threaded inner core by applying a force to the outer shell of
the closure. This force is transferred through the connecting top
causing the top to distort or dish. To avoid distortion of the top,
the threads can be stripped by applying pressure to the bottom edge
of the inner shell. But the stripping element to accomplish this
need to fit between the threaded core and the inner shell profile
core, generally meaning that the stripping element is relatively
thin and fragile. The inner core may also be forced off by applying
a force though the center of the inner core. However, this tends to
cause distortion or doming of the top and also restricts cooling of
the threaded core.
[0007] Thus, it would be beneficial to have a double-shelled bottle
closure having a frusto-conical outer shell and a threaded inner
shell that would not be subject to noticeable distortion as the
closure is produced.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention relates to a bottle closure having an
outer shell with a frusto-conical configuration and a rib-supported
threaded inner shell. The frusto-conical configuration of the outer
shell allows the user to easily grip the closure and remove it from
a bottle. The inner shell is threaded to engagingly mate with
threads of a complementary bottle or similar container. The inner
shell is supported by ribs which face toward the outer shell. The
ribs provide that the inner shell can be unscrewed from a threaded
core of a manufacturing mold during production without causing
noticeable distortion in the closure top. Adding support structure,
the ribs, to the closure immediately adjacent to the point of
resistance (the threads) allows for a shorter cure time and,
therefore, a faster production cycle and higher productivity.
SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES
[0009] FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of a
double-shelled bottle closure having a frusto-conical outer shell
and a rib-supported threaded inner shell made in accordance with
the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the closure of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side view of the closure of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of FIG. 2
taken along line 4-4;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of FIG. 2
taken along line 5-5;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first alternative
embodiment of a closure having a frusto-conical outer shell and a
rib-supported threaded inner shell made in accordance with the
present invention;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the closure of FIG. 6;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of FIG. 7
taken along line 8-8; and
[0017] FIGS. 9A-F are cross-sectional views of alternative ribs of
the closure of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The present invention relates to container closure having a
frusto-conical outer shell and a rib-supported inner shell. The
closure depicted in the various Figures is selected solely for the
purpose of illustrating the invention. Other and different closure
may utilize the inventive features described herein as well.
[0019] Reference is first made to FIGS. 1-5 in which a closure
constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally
noted by the character numeral 10. The closure 10 has a top 12, an
inner skirt or shell 20, and an outer skirt or shell 30. The top 12
has an interior surface 14 and an exterior surface 16. When in use
on a bottle, the interior surface 14 abuts the bottle neck and the
exterior surface 16 faces the user. Optionally, an annular flange
18 may depend from the interior surface 14 of the top 12. The
flange 18 is essentially centered on the top 12 and is proportioned
to fit within the bottle neck when the closure is being used and
prevents liquids from leaking from the bottle.
[0020] The inner and outer skirts 20, 30 are concentric rings which
depend from and are essentially centered on the interior surface 14
of the top 12. The diameter of the outer skirt 30 is greater than
the diameter of the inner skirt 20, and if the flange 18 is
present, the diameter of the inner skirt 20 is greater than the
diameter of the flange 18.
[0021] The inner skirt 20 has an inward facing surface 22 and an
outward facing surface 24. Similarly, the outer skirt 30 has an
inner face 32 and an outer face 34. The inner skirt inward facing
surface 22 includes one or more threads 26 which are configured to
engage complementary bottle neck threads. The inner skirt outward
facing surface 24 faces toward the inner face 32 of the outer skirt
30. The outer skirt outer face 34 has a top edge 36 and a bottom
edge 38. Measured across the outer face, the diameter dT of the top
edge 32 is greater than the diameter dB of the bottom edge 34
causing the outer skirt 30 to have a frusto-conical configuration
on the exterior surface. Optionally, the outer skirt 30 may include
finger grips 40 or depressions along the outer face 34. The finger
grips 40 allow the user to more easily grasp and rotate the closure
10, which can be useful when manipulating a large diameter closure,
but the finger grips 40 are not required for the closure to
function as intended.
[0022] The closure 10 further includes one or more ribs 28 which
depend from the top 12 and are attached to the outward surface 24
of the inner skirt 20. The ribs 28 may extend the entire length
"L.sub.IS" of the inner skirt 20 or they 28 may be shorter than the
inner skirt 20, such as shown in FIGS. 1-5. The number of ribs 28
and location about the inner skirt may vary as necessary for the
particular application. In the embodiment shown, the ribs 28 have
an essentially square cross-section, but any design which allows
the rib 28 to be firmly attached to the inner skirt 20 may be used.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A-F, the cross-sectional
configuration of the ribs 28 may be square (A), semi-circular (B),
rectangular (C, D), wedged (E), semi-ovoid (F), or any other
configuration which will support the inner skirt 20. More than one
cross-sectional configuration may be used on a single closure 10 if
so desired by the user.
[0023] The closure 10 is preferably manufactured from a semi-rigid
thermoplastic material and can be produced using an injection
molding process, as is known in the art. Typically during the
closure manufacturing process, melted material is fed into a
multi-part mold where the material is allowed to cool in the shape
of the mold. Once the material has cooled, the mold is opened and
the closure is released from the mold. For a double-shelled closure
having a frusto-conical outer shell and a threaded inner shell, the
multi-part mold includes a first unit with a cavity that forms the
exterior portion of the top, a second unit with a cavity that forms
the skirt of the outer shell and the outward face of the inner
shell, and a threaded core which forms the inner threaded face of
the inner shell. It is common practice to feed the melted material
into the mold through the first unit and to force the material into
cavities in the second unit and around the threaded core. After a
closure is formed in the mold, the second unit pulls away from the
first unit and the core unscrews from the closure. The closure then
drops out of the mold.
[0024] Because a relatively large quantity of material is used to
make enlarged-top closures, the material does not cool completely
before the mold begins to release the closure. Thus, portions of
the closure remain soft and pliable even as the mold releases the
finished closure. If the molding unit releases the closure by
parting, such as when the second unit separates from the first
unit, there is essentially no noticeable distortion of the closure
caused by the soft material. However, when the core is unscrewed
from the closure, the torque generated by the unscrewing motion can
cause the soft material to twist or turn slightly leaving flaws in
the finished closure. By adding the ribs 28 immediately adjacent to
the resistance (the threads 26), sufficient support is added to the
inner skirt 20 that the threaded core can be removed from the
closure 10 without allowing the inner skirt 20 to twist. The
probability of manufacturing noticeably flawed closures is thereby
reduced without the need for a longer processing cycle (adding a
longer curing or cooling period so the closure can completely set
before being unscrewed from the core).
[0025] A first alternative embodiment 110 is shown in FIGS. 6-8.
The closure 110 is essentially identical to the closure 10 of FIGS.
1-5 except that the ribs 128 extend from the inner skirt 120 to the
outer skirt 130. A segment of the ribs 128 may extend the entire
length of the inner skirt 120, such as shown in FIGS. 6-8, or they
128 may be shorter than the inner skirt 120; a segment of the ribs
128 may extend the entire length of the outer skirt 130, such as
shown in FIGS. 6-8, or they 128 may be shorter than the outer skirt
130. The number of ribs 128 and location about the inner skirt may
vary as necessary for the particular application. Similar to the
closure 10 of FIGS. 1-5, the ribs 128 support the inner skirt 120
so that noticeable twisting flaws are not formed in the closure 110
during production.
[0026] From a reading of the above, one with ordinary skill in the
art should be able to devise variations to the inventive features.
For example, the ribs may have different shapes or configurations,
and the closure detail, such as the finger grips on the outer
shell, may vary in design. These and other variations are believed
to fall within the spirit and scope of the attached claims.
* * * * *