U.S. patent application number 11/385622 was filed with the patent office on 2007-09-27 for dispensing seal for flexible container.
Invention is credited to Edward W. Phillips, William E. Phillips.
Application Number | 20070221687 11/385622 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38532292 |
Filed Date | 2007-09-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070221687 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Phillips; Edward W. ; et
al. |
September 27, 2007 |
Dispensing seal for flexible container
Abstract
A dispensing seal for use with a flexible container for pouring
viscous fluids. The seal includes a seat member disposed about the
dispensing opening of the container and a flexible sealing member.
When the sealing member is in its seated position, it forms a
region having a generally concave shape as viewed from the exterior
of the container, i.e., a region depressed inward toward the
interior of the container. In this configuration the sealing member
seals off the dispensing opening, fitting snugly within the wall or
walls defining the dispensing opening. The sealing member is
movably mounted so as to enable it to move with respect to the
container between the seated position for retaining said fluid in
the container under the weight of the fluid when said container is
inverted and an unseated position for dispensing the fluid. The
sealing member is formed of a material stiff enough to maintain the
generally concave shape when in the seated position under the
weight of a full container of the viscous fluid, yet flexible
enough for the region to be deformed across the mid or median plane
out of said generally concave shape when the container is squeezed
to initiate pouring of the viscous fluid. Squeezing the container
when the container is in inverted position exerts sufficient
pressure on the sealing member to flex it to its convexly bulging
shape thereby breaking the seal and allowing the fluid contents to
pour out.
Inventors: |
Phillips; Edward W.;
(Algonac, MI) ; Phillips; William E.; (Oakland,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ELLIOT B. ARONSON
5001 HARBORD DRIVE
OAKLAND
CA
94618
US
|
Family ID: |
38532292 |
Appl. No.: |
11/385622 |
Filed: |
March 21, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/500 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 47/2062 20130101;
B65D 51/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/500 |
International
Class: |
B65D 25/40 20060101
B65D025/40 |
Claims
1. A dispensing seal for use in combination with a flexible
container for a pourable viscous fluid, the container having a
dispensing opening for pouring the fluid from the container,
comprising: a seat member disposed about said dispensing opening,
said seat member defining a median plane; and a sealing member
having a seated position on said seat member, said sealing member
having a region forming a generally concave shape when in said
seated configuration; wherein said sealing member is movably
mounted so as to enable movement of said sealing member with
respect to said container between said seated position for
retaining said fluid in said container under the weight of said
fluid when said container is inverted and an unseated position for
dispensing said fluid; wherein said sealing member is shaped and
sized to fit snugly within said dispensing opening when in said
seated position; and wherein said sealing member is formed of a
material stiff enough to maintain said generally concave shape when
in said seated position under the weight of a full container of
said pourable viscous fluid and flexible enough for said region to
be deformed across said median plane out of said generally concave
shape when the container is squeezed to initiate pouring of said
viscous fluid.
2. The dispensing seal of claim 1, further comprising: a plunger
fixed at a first end to said sealing member; and a plunger support
bracket mounted in said dispensing opening and having a bore for
receiving said plunger; wherein said plunger extends through said
bore and is sized to slide in said bore to permit said sealing
member to travel between said seated and unseated positions.
3. The dispensing seal of claim 1 wherein said sealing member is
formed with a tab hingedly connected to said sealing member at the
periphery of the sealing member, and a slot is defined at said
dispensing opening receiving said tab for movably mounting said
sealing member at said dispensing opening.
4. The dispensing seal of claim 3 wherein said slot is defined in
said seat member.
5. The dispensing seal of claim 1 wherein said sealing member is
hingedly connected directly to a wall defining said dispensing
opening.
6. The dispensing seal of claim 5 wherein said wall defining said
dispensing opening, said sealing member, and said seat member are
integrally formed together.
7. An insert providing a dispensing seal for use in combination
with a flexible container for a pourable viscous fluid, the
container having a dispensing opening for pouring the fluid from
the container, comprising: an insert wall sized and shaped to mount
within said dispensing opening; a seat member disposed in said
insert about said insert wall, said seat member defining a median
plane; and a sealing member having a seated position on said seat
member, said sealing member having a region forming a generally
concave shape when in said seated configuration; wherein said
sealing member is movably mounted so as to enable said sealing
member to move with respect to said insert wall between said seated
position for retaining said fluid in said container under the
weight of said fluid when said container is inverted and an
unseated position for dispensing said fluid; wherein said sealing
member is shaped and sized to fit snugly within said insert wall
when in said seated position; and wherein said sealing member is
formed of a material stiff enough to maintain said generally
concave shape when in said seated position under the weight of a
full container of said pourable viscous fluid and flexible enough
for said region to be deformed across said median plane out of said
generally concave shape when the container is squeezed to initiate
pouring of said viscous fluid.
8. The insert of claim 7, further comprising: a plunger fixed at a
first end to said sealing member; and a plunger support bracket
mounted in said dispensing opening and having a bore for receiving
said plunger; wherein said plunger extends through said bore and is
sized to slide in said bore to permit said sealing member to travel
between said seated and unseated positions.
9. The insert of claim 7 wherein said sealing member is formed with
a tab hingedly connected to said sealing member at the periphery of
the sealing member, and a slot is defined at said insert wall
receiving said tab for movably mounting said sealing member to said
insert wall.
10. The dispensing seal of claim 9 wherein said slot is defined in
said seat member.
11. The dispensing seal of claim 7 wherein said insert wall, said
sealing member, and said seat member are integrally formed
together.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to containers for pourable
viscous fluids such as motor oil and is more particularly directed
to a form of closure or seal for the pouring spout of such
containers.
[0002] Automotive motor oil is commonly sold in individual
bottle-like containers formed of a flexible plastic material. Oil
is added to the engine by pouring it directly from the container
typically one quart at a time into the engine's oil fill tube. It
is common to spill a bit of oil on the engine as the container is
tipped to bring the pouring spout to the oil fill tube. The spilled
oil is unsightly, can leave a messy residue on the engine, and can
burn off of hot engine surfaces giving off an undesirable odor as
it burns.
[0003] A common way of dealing with the spillage problem is to use
a wide-mouth funnel to catch the initial spurt of oil as the
container is tipped. Another approach especially adapted to the
flexible plastic bottle-like container is to provide a closure over
the pouring spout of the container that initially supports the
weight of the oil as the container is tilted to bring its pouring
spout into position over the oil fill tube, but that ruptures when
the container is squeezed to let the oil pour out. Such an approach
is taken for example in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,328 of
Rhodes, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,390 of Markva, U.S. Pat. No.
5,353,968 of Good, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,613 of Patterson.
This type of prior-art approach may be subject to one or more of
the following deficiencies. The ruptured closure may restrict the
flow of oil to substantially less than that allowed by the full
size of the dispensing opening. The pressure required to initiate
the rupture of the closure may be sufficiently great as to cause
the oil to spurt uncontrollably as the closure is ruptured or may
be sufficiently little as to allow premature rupture of the closure
for example while grasping the container to remove the cap. Once
ruptured, the closure may cause the flow to be uneven and
irregular. Pieces of the closure material may dislodge and be
carried into the engine along with the oil.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention provides a dispensing seal for use
with a flexible container that is especially suited for pouring
viscous fluids such as motor oil and that does not use a rupturable
closure, and thus is not subject to the disadvantages mentioned
above. Moreover, since the seal of the present invention is not
rupturable, in at least one of its embodiments it may be resealable
when only a portion of the contents of the flexible container is
poured out. The seal is secured to the pouring spout or other
dispensing opening of the container and retains the viscous fluid
in the container as the container is first brought into inverted
position for pouring. As with the rupturable-membrane seals, when
the container cap is removed and container is inverted, it only
takes a small squeeze to release the seal, allowing the fluid to
flow freely from the container.
[0005] Briefly, a seal according to the invention includes a seat
member disposed about the dispensing opening and a flexible sealing
member. When the sealing member is in its seated position, it forms
a region having a generally concave shape as viewed from the
exterior of the container, i.e., a region depressed inward toward
the interior of the container. In this configuration the sealing
member seals off the dispensing opening, fitting snugly within the
wall or walls defining the dispensing opening. The sealing member
is movably mounted so as to enable it to move with respect to the
container between the seated position for retaining said fluid in
the container under the weight of the fluid when said container is
inverted and an unseated position for dispensing the fluid. The
sealing member is formed of a material stiff enough to maintain the
generally concave shape when in the seated position under the
weight of a full container of the viscous fluid, yet flexible
enough for the region to be deformed across the mid or median plane
out of said generally concave shape, into a more or less convex
shape bulging across the median plane, when the container is
squeezed to initiate pouring of the viscous fluid. Squeezing the
container when the container is in inverted position exerts
sufficient pressure on the sealing member to flex it to its
convexly bulging shape thereby breaking the seal and allowing the
fluid contents to pour out.
[0006] In one form of embodiment the seat for the seal may be
formed directly on an interior wall defining the dispensing
opening, and the sealing member may be connected to the interior
wall. In another form of embodiment the seal mechanism is formed in
a separate insert, which may then be inserted into the dispensing
opening of the container.
[0007] The sealing member is connected to the container or insert
through an intermediate connecting structure, and examples of forms
of connecting structures are provided herein. In one form of
embodiment the sealing member may be hinged to the container in a
manner integrally formed with the container or insert.
[0008] It is an object of the invention to provide a closure that
prevents premature release of the contents as the container is
brought into inverted position for pouring and that opens smoothly
when the fluid starts to pour. It is a further object to provide
such a seal that achieves its effect without relying on a
rupturable membrane.
[0009] It is another object of the invention to provide a seal that
can be readily resealed when less than the full contents of the
container is poured out.
[0010] Other aspects, advantages, and novel features of the
invention are described below or will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art from the following specifications and drawings
of illustrative embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a bottle with
an embodiment of seal according to the invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the seal in the
embodiment of FIG. 1 shown in seated position in the bottle.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative
embodiment of seal shown in seated position in a bottle.
[0014] FIG. 3A is an overall view of the seal member in FIG. 3.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an overall view of a sealing member hinged to the
container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a flexible container 10 that holds a pourable
viscous fluid such as automotive motor oil. Container 10 is made of
a flexible plastic material that has sufficient give that it
deforms slightly when squeezed. Such containers are commonplace for
use with motor oils and other substances. The container has a
dispensing opening 11 through which the oil is poured, and the
opening is covered by a sealing member 12, which is movable between
a dispensing position (seen in FIG. 1) and a seated position (seen
in FIG. 2). The container is shown in FIG. 1 in inverted position
with its viscous contents, indicated generally at reference numeral
13, pouring past the sealing member. As the container is brought to
its inverted position, the seated sealing member 12 retains the
viscous fluid in the container so that the fluid will not drip or
spurt out. When the container is in position over the intended
receptacle, the user gently squeezes the container causing sealing
member 12 to be released and allow the viscous fluid to flow. The
dispensing seal disclosed herein provides for improved retention of
the viscous fluid as the container is brought to its inverted
position and improved pouring of the viscous fluid once the
container is squeezed. In addition, it is resealable.
[0017] The structure and operation of the dispensing seal will now
be described by reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2.
The cross section of the wall of the container that defines the
dispensing opening is shown at 16. The upper portion of wall 16 is
formed in conventional manner with exterior threads 17 for screwing
on a cap. The interior of wall 16 is formed with a small annular
rim 18 proximate the top of the dispensing opening that serves as a
seat for sealing member 12. The sealing member is formed of a
flexible, yet somewhat stiff material. A range of different sealing
member materials may be used as will be appreciated from the
discussion below. When the sealing member is seated on annular rim
18, it has a depressed region 19 forming a generally concave shape.
The sealing member is flexible, yet stiff enough to hold this
generally concave shape. Concave here means that the sealing member
is deformed to extend inward into the dispensing opening. That is,
the sealing member in its seated configuration looks concave as
viewed from the outside of the container. The shape is referred to
herein as generally concave to allow for minor variations from
strict concavity due to such factors as minor imperfections in the
material of the sealing member or minor structural features such as
ribbing or decorative patterns that may be included on the sealing
member and that might depart from strict concavity.
[0018] The sealing member is attached to the container generally
through an intermediate connection. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1
and 2 the sealing member is attached to the container by a movable
plunger support bracket formed of a plunger guide 21 attached to a
side of the container wall 16 by web 22. The guide 21 defines an
elongate bore 23 through which a plunger 24 slides. Plunger 24 is
provided with a stop 25 at its inner end and a stop 26 at its outer
end. The stop 26 is secured to sealing member 12 at a generally
central position as shown in FIG. 2. The sealing member and stop 26
may be secured to one another by any appropriate means, for
example, with an adhesive or by heat welding. For ease of assembly
stop 25 in the illustrated embodiment has a split conical shape.
During assembly the plunger with sealing member pre-attached is
inserted through bore 23, and the split conical end squeezes
through the bore and expands to provide the stopping action.
[0019] In operation, the seal works as follows. In the normal state
the sealing member is in its concave configuration seated on
seating ring 18 as shown in FIG. 2. When the cap is removed and as
container 10 is inverted, its fluid contents impinges upon sealing
member 12, and the weight of the fluid presses on the inward-facing
convex side of the sealing member tending to flatten out the
sealing member. As the sealing member starts to flatten, the
sealing member is caused to spread slightly in the radial
direction. The periphery of the sealing member in its seated
configuration, however, fits snugly within the dispensing opening,
generally engaging the container wall, and thus is urged into
greater engagement with the container wall as the sealing member
flattens out, thereby causing the sealing member to be squeezed
more tightly in the dispensing opening. Thus, a small force tending
to flatten out the sealing member will have the initial net result
of making the sealing member fit more tightly in the dispensing
opening, and this retains the fluid in the container against its
own weight even when the cap is removed. If the user should
inadvertently squeeze the bottle slightly in the process of
inverting it, the increased pressure on the sealing member caused
by the squeezing action will in fact help tighten the seal. When
the bottle is in inverted position and the user is ready to release
the contents, the user applies a greater squeeze, thereby exerting
sufficient pressure on the (now inverted) sealing member, pushing
it through its median plane (that is, the plane of rim 18) so that
it starts to bulge slightly in the opposite direction; that is, the
sealing member is deformed through the median plane out of the
initial generally concave shape to become more or less concave in
the opposite direction. This has the effect of releasing the
sealing member and allowing the fluid contents of the container to
pour out. When the container is brought into upright position
again, the plunger slides back in bore 23 and sealing member 12
falls back onto rim 18. The flexible sealing member can then be
pushed into its concave sealing configuration on the rim to reseal
the container. For example, the user can simply push on the sealing
member slightly to urge it past the median plane back into its
seated concave configuration to reseal the container. The cap for
the container may also be formed with a central projection on its
inside that is sized and positioned so that when the cap is screwed
onto the container, the central projection presses against the
sealing member and maintains it in its generally concave sealing
configuration. This ensures that when the cap is screwed on, no
amount of squeezing or shaking of the container will inadvertently
cause the sealing member to flex in the opposite direction and
break seal. Moreover, if the material of the sealing member is able
to hold its generally concave sealing shape on its own and is
sufficiently resilient, the sealing member will automatically
return to its generally concave shape and come to rest in the
seated position on the rim already in its starting concave shape
ready for sealing.
[0020] It may now be appreciated that the sealing member requires
the right combination of size and flexibility/stiffness of the
material to function properly. It must be sized so that it fits
snugly within the dispensing opening when it is in its concave
sealing configuration seated on the rim. That means that when the
sealing member is flat, it will be dimensioned slightly larger than
the dispensing opening, even if only minutely so. Thus, for a
circular dispensing opening and circular sealing member, the
sealing member, when flat, will have a diameter slightly greater
than the inside diameter of wall 16 defining the dispensing
opening. The difference in diameters may be only slight, and in
some cases barely noticeable, but it must be sufficient that the
sealing member in its concave sealing configuration fit snugly in
the dispensing opening so that the seal will become tighter as the
sealing member flattens out. The seal is formed primarily by
frictional engagement of the peripheral edges of the sealing member
against the container wall. The friction of this engagement is
increased when pressure is applied to the sealing member in its
starting concave seated configuration, thereby making a tighter
seal. The radial force exerted by the sealing member against the
container wall then diminishes as the sealing member bulges in the
opposite direction until the seal is finally released. The sealing
member can be formed of any material having sufficient flexibility
and stiffness and, if desired, resilience, to behave as just
described.
[0021] In one embodiment the sealing member has no significant
resilience so that it does not snap back automatically to its
original concave configuration when the pressure is removed. In
this embodiment if it is desired to reseal the container, it will
generally be necessary to apply a force to the outside of the
sealing member to push it back into its original concave
configuration, for example, by pressing on the sealing member with
the user's finger or with a projection within the container cap as
mentioned above. This embodiment of sealing member will suffice for
most applications and may be preferable if more economical to
manufacture. In another embodiment it is desirable that the sealing
member return automatically to its initial concave shape when the
force on it is removed. In this embodiment the sealing member
behaves like the bottom of an oil can. When a user presses on the
bottom of an oil can, the bottom of the can snaps in slightly and
then automatically snaps back out when the force is removed. A
sealing member behaving such as this may be desirable because the
member is returned automatically to its sealing configuration,
ready to reseal the container. This is plainly desirable where it
is expected that not all of the contents of the container will be
poured out at one time.
[0022] In general, the material used for the sealing member may be
a lower-durometer plastic material, although in an embodiment
having a sufficiently thin sealing member a high-density
polyethylene material or equivalent may be used. In any case the
correct combination of flexibility, stiffness and resilience
depends to some extent on the size and shape of dispensing opening
that is to be sealed and the weight of the fluid to be held in the
container as the container is inverted. The combination of
flexibility, stiffness and possibly resilience, as well as the
proper diameter of the sealing member (or other transverse
dimensions of the sealing member for non-circular configurations)
are best determined empirically for any given embodiment and may be
readily determined by the routine practitioner in the art. The
defining criteria are whether the sealing member is stiff enough to
hold its concave sealing shape when seated on the rim at least
under the weight of the intended contents of the container, and
whether the sealing member is flexible enough to be pushed through
its median plane to start to bulge in the opposite direction when
the container is given a squeeze of a magnitude normally exerted
for intentionally releasing the contents of the container.
[0023] It should now be apparent that seating rim 18 serves
primarily as a positioning stop for sealing member 12. It holds the
sealing member in place and provides a lip for the sealing member
to push against to form the concave shape. For this function it is
not necessary that the seating rim be continuous as illustrated in
the figures, but may comprise a plurality of stop segments
positioned about the periphery of the sealing member.
[0024] An alternative embodiment of dispensing seal is shown in
FIGS. 3 and 3A. FIG. 3A shows a sealing member 32 with a concave
central region 33 in the manner of sealing member 12 of FIG. 2. The
sealing member may be preformed with a concave region, or it may be
formed flat at time of manufacture and take its concave shape only
when properly seated in the dispensing opening. The sealing member
32, however, is provided with a different means of securement to
the container. Sealing member 32 is formed with a split detented
tab 34 that extends generally perpendicular to the plane of sealing
member 32. Tab 34 is inserted into a slot, indicated at reference
numeral 35 in FIG. 3 and is held in the slot by projecting detents
36. The connection between sealing member 32 and tab 34 is flexible
enough that the sealing member can rotate about the line of
connection. In general, the sealing member and tab may be formed of
the same material, and the tab 34 may be made narrow enough to
provide the appropriate flexibility.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows another aspect of the invention especially
suitable for retrofitting separately manufactured containers. In
FIG. 3 a separate insert 38 is provided for holding the sealing
member. Insert 38 has a short, generally cylindrical shape with a
seating ring 39 for receiving the sealing member. The sealing
member is secured to the insert instead of directly to the inside
of the container. The insert is then slid into the top of the
container. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the insert is held in the
top of the container by an annular friction ridge 41 although other
means of securement may also be used such as adhesives or press
fitting. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 insert 38 is provided with an
annular positioning stop 42 at its top rim for positioning the
insert flush with the top of the container. Although the annular
stop 42 provides a neater appearance and makes it easier to
position the insert, its use is not necessary.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment, in which the sealing member
47 is formed integrally with the container or insert. Wall 48 is
the outer wall of the container or of the insert. A seating rim 49
is partially visible. Sealing member 47 is hinged to wall 48 at the
top of the wall by a connecting plastic hinge 50. The sealing
member 47, hinge 50, wall 48 and generally rim 49 are integrally
formed of the same material.
[0027] The above descriptions and drawings are given to illustrate
and provide examples of various aspects of the invention in various
embodiments. It is not intended to limit the invention only to
these examples and illustrations. Given the benefit of the above
disclosure, those skilled in the art may be able to devise various
modifications and alternate constructions that although differing
from the examples disclosed herein nevertheless enjoy the benefits
of the invention and fall within the scope of the invention, which
is to be defined by the following claims. Any limitation in the
claims not expressly using the word "means" is not intended to be
interpreted as a "means plus function" limitation in accordance
with Title 35, United States Code, Section 112, and any claim
limitation expressly using the word "means" is intended to be so
interpreted.
* * * * *