U.S. patent application number 11/007511 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-22 for bottle closure.
This patent application is currently assigned to Guest Supply, Inc.. Invention is credited to William N. Lewis.
Application Number | 20060131256 11/007511 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36594371 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060131256 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lewis; William N. |
June 22, 2006 |
Bottle closure
Abstract
A closure system for a container reduces the needed torque for
assembly by minimizing frictional resistance to rotation of the
closure into its desired alignment with the container before the
closure is driven home onto the container neck. The reduction in
the torque resistance during the application of the closure allows
the rotary filling machinery to work within its torque limits and
minimizes damage to the parts during the filling and sealing
operation in a bottle filling line.
Inventors: |
Lewis; William N.; (Hamilton
Square, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DUANE, MORRIS, LLP
3200 SOUTHWEST FREEWAY
SUITE 3150
HOUSTON
TX
77027
US
|
Assignee: |
Guest Supply, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
36594371 |
Appl. No.: |
11/007511 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/317 ;
220/780 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 41/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/317 ;
220/780 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/22 20060101
B65D041/22; B65D 41/18 20060101 B65D041/18 |
Claims
1. A closure system for a container, comprising: a container
terminating in a neck terminating in an end, said neck comprising
one of an indexing groove and a key on an exterior potion thereof;
a closure further comprising the other of an indexing key and an
indexing groove for selective insertion of said key into said
indexing groove to prevent relative rotation between said closure
and said neck; a first support surface on said closure selectively
engaging a second support surface on said neck to support said
closure in a position where said indexing member provides no
substantial resistance to relative rotation between said closure
and said neck to facilitate alignment of said key with said
indexing groove.
2. The closure system of claim 1, wherein: said second support
surface comprises a support groove and said first support surface
comprises a projection that rides in said support groove during
said relative rotation to align said key with said indexing
groove.
3. The closure system of claim 2, wherein: said support groove is
formed between a pair of rings.
4. The closure system of claim 3, wherein: said rings are
continuous.
5. The closure system of claim 3, wherein: said projection
comprises a ridge that jumps over one of said rings to land in said
support groove to support said closure in a position with said key
extending past said end of said neck and above said rings.
6. The closure system of claim 5, wherein: said ridge jumps over
another of said rings when said key is aligned with said indexing
groove.
7. The closure system of claim 1, further comprising: a guide
surface on said closure that enters said end of said neck when said
first and second support surfaces initially engage to guide said
relative rotation between said closure and said neck without
providing substantive resistance to said relative rotation.
8. The closure system of claim 7, wherein: said neck is circular
and defines an inner wall extending from said end thereof; said
guide surface comprises a tapered annular surface that is suspended
adjacent said inner wall as said indexing key is rotated into
alignment with said indexing groove.
9. The closure system of claim 8, wherein: said tapered annular
surface wedges against said inner wall as said closure is advanced
over said neck with said key aligned to said indexing groove.
10. The closure system of claim 5, wherein: a guide surface on said
closure that enters said end of said neck when said first and
second support surfaces initially engage to guide said relative
rotation between said closure and said neck without providing
substantive resistance to said relative rotation.
11. The closure system of claim 10, wherein: said neck is circular
and defines an inner wall extending from said end thereof; said
guide surface comprises a tapered annular surface that is suspended
adjacent said inner wall as said indexing key is rotated into
alignment with said indexing groove.
12. The closure system of claim 11, wherein: said tapered annular
surface wedges against said inner wall as said closure is advanced
over said neck with said key aligned to said indexing groove.
13. A method of mounting a closure on the neck of a container,
comprising: providing an indexing key on one of said closure and
said neck; providing an indexing groove on the other of said
closure and said neck temporarily supporting the closure on the
neck so that said key does not provide substantive resistance to
relative rotation between said neck and said closure as said key is
brought into alignment with said indexing groove.
14. The method of claim 13, comprising: defeating said temporary
support of said closure when said indexing key is aligned with said
indexing groove.
15. The method of claim 14, comprising: extending a guide between
said closure and said neck when said closure is in said temporarily
supported position in a manner where said guide does not
substantively impede relative rotation between said neck and said
closure as said indexing key is brought into alignment with said
indexing groove.
16. The method of claim 15, comprising: wedging said guide to said
neck as a result of said defeating of said temporary support.
17. The method of claim 16, comprising: providing a projection to
extend into a recess as said temporary supporting.
18. The method of claim 17, comprising: defining said recess as a
pair of spaced rings on said neck and said projection as a
circumferential bead on said closure; jumping one of said rings
with said bead to provide temporary support for said closure in
said recess using said bead.
19. The method of claim 18, comprising: positioning said indexing
key on said closure and above said rings when said bead is disposed
in said recess.
20. The method of claim 19, comprising: jumping a second of said
rings with said bead after aligning said indexing key with said
indexing groove; using said bead disposed against said second ring
after jumping it to retain said closure to said neck.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The field of this invention is closures for bottles and more
particularly for bottles capped with a rotary capper.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] High speed filling lines are commonly used to fill a variety
of containers of various shapes and sizes. The machinery typically
positions the receiving container for the product in alignment with
a fill nozzle or outlet. After the product is delivered, a closure
is put on to seal the bottle. The capping machinery has controls
built in that are used in placement of the closure. In order to
assure rapid and secure placement of the closure, the equipment
needs to be able to deliver certain forces and torques to secure
the closure. For closures that secure by snap or interference fit,
there is a balance that needs to be drawn between getting a secure
slip free contact between the container and the closure and the
limits of the machinery to deliver the desired force and keep the
filling line moving at the desired speed. If the clearances are too
tight the resulting required forces can get too high for the
capping equipment. This can result in an incomplete placement of
the closure on the container and potential product leakage along
the distribution chain.
[0003] FIGS. 1-6 illustrate this problem in a prior art bottle that
uses a snap fit closure onto the neck of an elongated bottle.
Referring to FIG. 1, the bottle 10 has a neck generally indicated
at 12 at its top end. A support ring 14 defines the beginning of
the neck 12 and features an upwardly oriented shoulder 16. A ring
18 located above support ring 14 defines an undercut radial surface
20. Above ring 18 and working up to the top of the neck 12 are a
pair of transition surfaces 22 and 24 that ultimately lead to the
top 26 of the neck 12. The closure 28 is shown above the bottle 10
in the position that the capping machinery would hold it before
driving it home onto the neck 12. Closure 28 has an outer surface
30 and an inner surface 32. Inner surface 32 has a series of
circumferentially spaced inwardly oriented projections 34 that each
features a radial surface 36 adjacent a tapered and downwardly
extending surface 38. Inner surface 32 also features a
longitudinally extending and generally rectangular shaped key 40
having a taper 42 at its lower end. A ring 44 is disposed
concentrically to inner surface 32 and has a gradual exterior
outward taper 46. Neck 12 further comprises a longitudinally
oriented gap 48 which is wider than key 40, for reasons that will
be explained below. Closure 28 has an outlet 50 which can be any
known design for getting the product out of the bottle 10 when it
is placed in use.
[0004] With the components now having been described, the process
of assembling the closure 28 to the bottle 10 will now be described
and in the process, its limitations will be more readily
understood. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
machinery that is not shown receives a closure 28 in a random
orientation with regard to the location of key 40. Stated
differently, key 40 may or may not be axially aligned with gap 48
when the closure 28 is brought down on the neck 12. Comparing FIGS.
1 and 2, it can be seen that the closure 28 has been brought closer
to the neck 12 and that closure 28 has been rotated about its
vertical axis to change the orientation of the key 40 with respect
to the gap 48. In FIG. 2, they are in further misalignment than
they were in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 compared to FIG. 2 shows further
downward movement of closure 28 as well as a further rotation of
about 90.degree. about its vertical axis as compared to the FIG. 2
position. In FIG. 3, tapered surface 38 has landed on transition
surface 22 of neck 12. Taper 42 at the lower end of key 40 has
landed on tapered surface 25 just below the top 26 of the neck 12.
It is apparent that key 40 is still misaligned with gap 48 in this
position. Tapered surface 46 of ring 44 is inside the top end 26
and on the verge of contact with the inside wall of the neck 12.
Now comparing FIG. 4 to FIG. 3, the closure 28 has been pushed
further down but not rotated by much. At this point radial surface
36 has been snapped to below radial surface 20. Tapered surface 46
of ring 44 is now in contact with the inside surface of the neck 12
just below end 26. Key 40 is now straddling ring 18. Those skilled
in the art will appreciate that subsequent effort to rotate the
closure 28 after being forced down to the FIG. 4 position will
engender significant resistance from several contact points with
neck 12. The key 40 extending over ring 18 will resist rotation as
will the rubbing of ring 44 inside the upper end 26 of the neck 12.
Finally, there is an upward force that forces radial surface 36 of
closure 28 up against radial surface 20 of ring 18 on the neck 12.
This residual force results from the dimensions of the components
and the driving of the closure 28 down over ring 18. The problem in
the past with this design is that the equipment is either torque
limited or has settings that limit applied torque to the closure 28
to avoid component damage by forcing a fit in situations where the
components may not be totally in axial alignment. The compound
effect of these interference fits that are desirable in assuring
the securing of the closure 28 to the bottle 10 become a
disadvantage during the filling process. Comparing now FIG. 5 to
FIG. 4, it can be seen that the closure is rotated about its
longitudinal axis to bring key 40 closer to gap 48. The assembly is
finished when key 40 snaps off ring 18 and settles into gap 48 to
rotationally lock the closure 28 to the neck 12.
[0005] The present invention improves the configuration of the
components to greatly reduce the required torque to assemble them
while, in the end, allowing them to be securely connected to each
other as in the past. One way this is accomplished is an emphasis
on getting the components into their final alignment positions at a
time when less interference contact exists, thus greatly reducing
the required torque for rotating the closure into its final
position. In the end the closure is just as secure as in the prior
art design but the assembly process has been optimized in view of
the low applied torque required to reach the final made up position
of the components. These and other advantages of the present
invention will more readily be understood by those skilled in the
art from a review of the remaining drawings and the associated
description of the preferred embodiment as well as the claims for
the invention that appear below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A closure system for a container reduces the needed torque
for assembly by minimizing frictional resistance to rotation of the
closure into its desired alignment with the container before the
closure is driven home onto the container neck. The reduction in
the torque resistance during the application of the closure allows
the high speed filling machinery to work within its torque limits
and minimizes damage to the parts during the filling and sealing
operation in a high speed filling line.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIGS. 1-6 are a series of views showing the assembly in
progress of applying the closure to the neck of a container in the
prior art design; and
[0008] FIGS. 7-12 are sequential views of the present invention
showing the closure being applied to the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0009] Referring to FIG. 7, the container 50 accepts the closure
52. Container 50 has a neck 54 having an optional ring 56 that
features an upper surface 58 that, if used, does not necessarily
support the closure 52. Lower end 60 of closure 52 ultimately comes
to be supported off of surface 58, as shown in FIG. 12 or can lay
close to it without contact. Neck 54 further comprises a
circumferential recess 62 disposed between rings 64 and 66. Ring 66
has a ramp 68 adjacent an indexing gap 70 that spans rings 64 and
66 and recess 62. Closure 52 had an interior circumferential
surface 72 featuring a circular projection 74 that may be
continuous or in discrete segments. Inner ring 76 has an exterior
tapered surface 78. A longitudinally oriented indexing key 80 has a
tapered lower end 82 that extends down to a point short of
projection 74. Closure 52 has an outlet 84 of a type known in the
art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that indexing key 80
can be on the neck 54 and indexing groove 70 can be on the closure
52 as that option is a transposition of parts that function in the
same way. In the same manner the rings 64 and 66 and the recess 62
between them can be transposed with projection or bead 74 within
the scope of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 8 shows the closure. 52 brought closer to the container
50 while it is rotated about a vertical axis. There is still no
contact at this time. In FIG. 9 the closure has been lowered and
rotated a further amount. Note that the key 80 is still out of
alignment with the gap 70. However, at this time the circular
projection 74 has passed ring 66 and landed in recess 62 between
rings 64 and 66 for temporary support in that position. The lower
end 82 of the key 80 is just above or right at ring 66. Tapered
surface 78 of ring 76 is inside the upper end 86 of the neck 54 and
preferably out of contact or in light guiding contact with the
inside surface 88 of the neck 54. Lower end 60 of closure 52 is
above surface 58.Having reached this position, further relative
rotation can occur with minimal resistance as compared to the prior
design described in FIGS. 1-6. For one thing the key 80 is not
straddling any ring such as 64 or 66 even when it is misaligned
with the gap 70. Projection or bead 74 having jumped over ring 66
on the way down into recess 64 now loosely fits in that recess 64
and uses rings 64 and 66 for guides, as the closure 52 is further
rotated, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Finally, the closure is
guided for rotation by the extension of ring 76 into upper end 86
but without significant or any dragging of tapered surface 78 on
the inside surface 88 of neck 54. In essence the closure is guided
at three locations off of neck 54 as the closure 52 is rotated to
bring the key 80 into alignment with gap 70. These three points of
support for low resistance to applied torque are the disposing of
projection 74 loosely within recess 64; letting lower end 82 of key
80 ride on or slightly above ring 66 and guiding the top of closure
52 within neck 54 by the extension of ring 76 into end 86 when
tapered surface 78 is just out of touch or lightly contacting
inside surface 88 of neck 54.
[0011] As shown in FIG. 11, the 80 has been turned into alignment
with gap 70 to allow the closure 52 to now be pushed down as shown
in FIG. 12.By doing that, the lower end 60 comes to rest on or near
support surface 58.Projection 74 has jumped out of recess 62 to a
position under ring 64 and taper 78 of ring 76 is in an
interference contact with inside surface 88 of neck 54. It should
be noted that the movement in FIG. 12 involves no rotation as
alignment of the key 80 with the gap 70 has previously been
achieved. In this position ring 64 retains projection 74 to hold
the closure 52 to the neck 54.
[0012] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a number of
initial orientations of the key 80 to the gap 70 are possible when
the FIG. 9 position is initially reached. The purpose of the ramp
68 is to push closure 52 in a clockwise direction to begin the
orientation process until key 80 winds up in alignment with gap 70.
Of course if there is perfect initial alignment between key 80 and
gap 70 the closure is simply pushed down as the machinery senses
resistance to rotation because key 80 will not jump out of gap 70
and over ramp 68 without an amount of torque that will trip a
switch on the machinery against over-torque. At that point, the
equipment will simply push the closure 52 straight down. To reduce
resistance to rotation even further, the neck 54 and the closure 52
internals can be made from a lubricious material or can have a
small amount of a lubricant applied to the contacting surfaces to
further reduce resistance to turning to seek the proper orientation
before pushing the closure 52 to its final position on the neck
54.
[0013] The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention
are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in
the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the
illustrated construction, may be made without departing from the
invention.
* * * * *