U.S. patent application number 12/077664 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-24 for dispensing closure with orifice external seal.
This patent application is currently assigned to SEAQUIST CLOSURES L.L.C.. Invention is credited to Corinne M. Blomdahl.
Application Number | 20090236339 12/077664 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41087857 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090236339 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Blomdahl; Corinne M. |
September 24, 2009 |
Dispensing closure with orifice external seal
Abstract
A dispensing closure system is provided for a container that has
an opening to the container interior. The system includes a closure
body with a dispensing orifice surrounded by an annular sealing
surface. A removable cover includes a seal that is attached to the
annular sealing surface and extends across the orifice to occlude
the orifice. The cover also includes a tab having a free end that
can be gripped by the user and pulled to remove the seal from the
sealing surface and carry the cover away from the orifice.
Inventors: |
Blomdahl; Corinne M.;
(Muskego, WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOOD, PHILLIPS, KATZ, CLARK & MORTIMER
500 W. MADISON STREET, SUITE 3800
CHICAGO
IL
60661
US
|
Assignee: |
SEAQUIST CLOSURES L.L.C.
|
Family ID: |
41087857 |
Appl. No.: |
12/077664 |
Filed: |
March 20, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/254.1 ;
220/810; 222/566 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 47/0804 20130101;
B65D 47/2031 20130101; B65D 47/12 20130101; B65D 2251/0093
20130101; B65D 2251/0025 20130101; B65D 55/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/254.1 ;
220/810; 222/566 |
International
Class: |
B65D 51/18 20060101
B65D051/18; B65D 43/16 20060101 B65D043/16; B65D 25/40 20060101
B65D025/40 |
Claims
1. A dispensing closure system for a container that has an opening
to the container interior where a fluent substance may be stored,
said dispensing closure system comprising: (A) a closure body for
extending from said container at said container opening, said
closure body having (1) a reduced size dispensing orifice for
communicating with the container interior, and (2) a peripheral
sealing surface around said dispensing orifice; and (B) a removable
cover occluding said dispensing orifice, said cover including a
seal removably adhered to said peripheral sealing surface, said
cover having a tab extending from said seal, said tab having a free
end that can be grasped by a user and pulled to remove said seal
from closure body peripheral sealing surface and carry said cover
away from said dispensing orifice.
2. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 further
including (A) a lid for moving between (1) a closed position on top
of said closure body to enclose said dispensing orifice and cover,
and (2) an open position away from said dispensing orifice and
cover to permit the removal of said cover; and (B) a hinge
connecting said lid with said closure body.
3. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 for use
with a container that has an annular top end defining (1) an
opening, and (2) an external, male thread around said opening, and
in which said closure system is a dispensing closure that (1) is
separate from, but releasably attachable to, said container around
said container opening, and (2) comprises (A) said closure body,
and (B) said removable cover occluding said dispensing orifice;
said closure body has a hollow, generally cylindrical skirt which
has an internal, female thread for threadingly engaging said male
thread on said container; and said closure body includes (a) a deck
at the top of said skirt, and (b) a spout that projects outwardly
from said deck to define said peripheral sealing surface around
said dispensing orifice.
4. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in
which said closure body includes a spout that (1) projects
outwardly around said dispensing orifice, and (2) has a distal end
that defines said peripheral sealing surface in the form of an
annular sealing surface around said dispensing orifice.
5. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 4 in
which said spout has a generally exterior cylindrical surface below
said annular sealing surface.
6. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 5 in
which (A) said closure system further includes a lid for moving
between (1) a closed position on top of said closure body to
enclose said dispensing orifice and cover, and (2) an open position
away from said dispensing orifice and cover to permit the removal
of said cover; (B) said closure system further includes a hinge
connecting said lid with said closure body; and (C) said lid
includes a generally annular sleeve for (1) surrounding said spout
distal end and said removable cover on said spout when said lid is
in said closed position prior to removal of said cover from said
annular sealing surface, and (2) sealingly engaging said spout
exterior cylindrical surface when said lid is in said closed
position.
7. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 4 in
which said seal is a generally circular disk having an exterior
diameter equal to or less than the exterior diameter of said
annular sealing surface.
8. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in
which said peripheral sealing surface is an annular sealing surface
having a width of not less than about 0.060 inch.
9. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 4 in
which said closure system further includes a pressure-actuatable
valve mounted within said spout below said peripheral sealing
surface.
10. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 9 in
which said closure system further includes a retaining ring holding
said valve within said spout.
11. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in
which said spout has a curved or chamfered surface around said
peripheral sealing surface.
12. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in
which said seal is a generally circular disk; and said tab has a
generally semi-circular configuration.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to container closures for dispensing
a fluent substance. The invention is more particularly related to a
dispensing closure system that is especially suitable for a
hand-held container and that may or may not include a lid that can
be opened and closed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE
PRIOR ART
[0002] Fluent materials, including liquids, creams, powders, etc.,
may be conventionally packaged in a container having a dispensing
closure which includes a closure body that is disposed over an open
end of the container and that defines one or more dispensing
orifices communicating with the container interior. A cap or lid is
typically provided for being closed on the body for occluding the
body dispensing orifice(s) when the container is not in use. This
prevents spillage if the container is dropped or tipped over. The
lid may also help keep the contents fresh and may reduce the
ingress of contaminants.
[0003] The inventor of the present invention has discovered a novel
closure system for dispensing a fluent substance, including liquid,
wherein the closure system includes advantageous features not
heretofore taught or contemplated by the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] According to the present invention, an improved dispensing
closure system is provided for a container that has an opening to
the container interior where a fluent substance may be stored. The
system includes a closure base or body for extending from the
container at (and over) the container opening. The closure body has
a reduced size dispensing orifice for communicating with the
container interior (which interior can be filled with a substance
that can be dispensed through the orifice). The closure body also
has a peripheral sealing surface around the dispensing orifice. The
system further includes a removable member or cover initially
occluding the dispensing orifice. The cover includes a seal
removably adhered to the peripheral sealing surface. The cover has
a tab extending from the seal. The tab has a free end that can be
grasped by a user and pulled to remove the seal from the closure
body peripheral sealing surface and carry the cover away from the
dispensing orifice.
[0005] The dispensing closure system may also include an optional
lid for moving between (1) a closed position on top of the closure
body to enclose said dispensing orifice and cover, and (2) an open
position away from the dispensing orifice and cover to permit the
removal of the cover. If a lid is provided, the closure may also
have a hinge connecting the lid with the closure body.
[0006] The dispensing closure system components can be designed for
easily accommodating the assembly of the components during
manufacture of the closure system.
[0007] The dispensing closure system can be provided with a design
that accommodates efficient, high quality, large volume
manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate.
[0008] The dispensing closure system can optionally be designed to
accommodate its use with a variety of conventional or special
containers having a variety of conventional or special container
finishes, including conventional threaded or snap-fit attachment
configurations. The dispensing closure system could also be
incorporated in a unitary container/closure (e.g., a tube with
unitary top and bottom ends and a dispensing orifice in one of the
ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g., with thermal welding
or adhesive) to a container.
[0009] Numerous other advantages and features of the present
invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed
description of the invention, from the claims, and from the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In the accompanying drawings forming part of the
specification, in which like numerals are employed to designate
like parts throughout the same,
[0011] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, isometric view of a first
embodiment of a closure system of the present invention in the form
of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing closure according to
a preferred use of the invention, and the closure is shown
installed on a container with the closure lid closed;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to FIG. 1,
but in FIG. 2 the closure is shown with the lid in an opened
condition and with the cover sealed to the spout over the
dispensing orifice;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the
plane 3-3 in FIG. 2;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to FIG. 2,
but FIG. 4 shows the cover lifted off of the spout to open the
orifice;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but in FIG. 5 the
closure is shown prior to sealing the cover to the spout, prior to
closing the lid, and prior to installing the closure on a
container;
[0016] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a roll, reel, or spool of a
ribbon or strip product from which the dispensing orifice cover can
be cut or stamped;
[0017] FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, isometric view of the
leading end of a portion of the strip product shown in FIG. 6;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a leading end portion of the strip
product shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 further shows circular disks
that can be punched or cut in the strip to provide the circular
cover shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4;
[0019] FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a
separate dispensing closure according to a preferred use of the
invention, and the closure is shown in a closed condition prior to
installation on a container;
[0020] FIG. 10 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 9, but in FIG.
10 the closure is shown with the lid in an as-molded, opened
condition and with the cover sealed to the spout over the
dispensing orifice;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the
plane 11-11 in FIG. 10;
[0022] FIG. 12 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 10, but FIG. 12
shows the cover lifted off of the spout to open the orifice;
and
[0023] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 11, but in
FIG. 13 the closure components are shown in an exploded
relationship.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0024] While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many
different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings
disclose only one specific form as an example of the invention. The
invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment so
described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in
the appended claims.
[0025] For ease of description, many of the figures illustrating
the invention show the dispensing closure system as including a
separate, removable, dispensing closure in the typical orientation
that the closure would have at the top of a container when the
container is stored upright on its base, and terms such as upper,
lower, horizontal, etc., are used with reference to this position.
It will be understood, however, that the closure system of this
invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold
in an orientation other than the orientations described.
[0026] The Dispensing Closure System on a Container
[0027] A preferred first embodiment of a dispensing closure system
of the present invention is illustrated in the figures and is
designated generally therein by reference number 20 in FIG. 1. In
the embodiment illustrated, the closure system 20 is provided in
the form of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing closure 20
which is adapted to be mounted or installed on a container 22 that
would typically contain a fluent substance.
[0028] The container 22 includes a neck 26 (FIG. 2) extending
upwardly from a main hollow body portion of the container. The neck
26 defines an opening 27 (FIG. 3) to the container interior.
[0029] The container neck 26, in the preferred embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 3, has an external, male thread 29 for engaging
the dispensing closure system 20. The main body portion of the
container 22 may have any suitable configuration, and the upwardly
projecting neck 26 may have a different cross-sectional size and/or
shape than the container main body portion. (Alternatively, the
container 22 need not have a neck 26, per se. Instead, the
container 22 may consist of only a main body with an opening.)
[0030] Although the container 22, per se, does not form a part of
the broadest aspects of the present invention, per se, it will be
appreciated that at least a portion of the dispensing closure
system 20 of the present invention optionally may be provided as a
unitary portion, or extension, of the top of the container 22. The
dispensing closure system could also be incorporated in a unitary
container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends
and a dispensing orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that
is bonded (e.g., with thermal welding or adhesive) to a container.
However, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the dispensing
closure system 20 is a completely separate article or unit (e.g., a
dispensing closure 20), and is adapted to be removably, or
non-removably, installed either on a previously manufactured
container 22 that has an opening 27 to the container interior.
Hereinafter, the dispensing closure system or dispensing closure 20
will be more simply referred to as the closure 20.
[0031] The illustrated embodiment of the closure 20 is adapted to
be used with a container 22 having an opening 27 to provide access
to the container interior and to a product (i.e., a material in the
form of a fluent substance) contained therein. The closure 20 can
be used to dispense substances, including, but not limited to,
liquids, suspensions, mixtures, etc. (such as, for example, a food
or beverage product, a personal care product, an industrial or
household cleaning product, or other compositions of matter (e.g.,
compositions for use in activities involving manufacturing,
commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture,
medical treatment, military operations, etc.)).
[0032] The container 22 with which the closure 20 may be used would
typically be a squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls
which can be grasped by the user and squeezed or compressed to
increase the internal pressure within the container so as to force
the product out of the container and through the opened closure.
Such a flexible container wall typically has sufficient, inherent
resiliency so that when the squeezing forces are removed, the
container wall returns to its normal, unstressed shape. Such a
squeezable container is preferred in many applications but may not
be necessary or preferred in other applications. For example, in
some applications it may be desirable to employ a generally rigid
container (including, but not limited to, a glass container), and
to pressurize the container interior at selected times with a
piston or other pressurizing system, or to reduce the exterior
ambient pressure around the exterior of the closure so as to suck
the material out through the open closure.
[0033] The General Arrangement of the Closure Components
[0034] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the presently most preferred form
of the closure 20 includes two basic components: (1) a unitary
molded body or base 30, and (2) a removable seal member or cover
31. Optionally, and as seen in the illustrated preferred
embodiment, the closure 20 may also include a lid 32 and a hinge 34
connecting the lid 32 to the closure body 30.
[0035] In the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention,
the lid 32 is provided to be closed over, and cover, the upper part
of the closure body 30. The lid 32 can be moved to expose the upper
part of the closure body 30 to accommodate dispensing of the fluent
product from the container 20. The lid 32 is movable between (1) a
closed position over the body 30 (as shown in FIG. 1), and (2) an
open position (as show in FIG. 2). In the illustrated embodiment,
the lid 32 is hinged to the body 30 so as to accommodate pivoting
movement of the lid 32 between the closed position and the open
position.
[0036] In the preferred embodiment illustrated, wherein the lid 32
is provided and wherein the lid 32 is connected to the closure body
30 with a hinge 34 (FIG. 2), the hinge 34 may be of any suitable
type. One form of a hinge 31 that may advantageously be used is the
snap-action type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,923. Other types
of hinges could be used. In some applications, the hinge could be
omitted altogether, and the lid 32 need not be connected to the
body 30 at all. In other applications, it may be desirable to omit
the lid 32 entirely.
[0037] It is presently contemplated that many applications
employing the closure body 30 and lid 32 will conveniently be
realized by molding from a suitable thermoplastic material or
materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the closure body and lid
could be molded from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as,
but not limited to, polypropylene. The closure body and lid may be
molded from a different material or materials. The materials may
have the same or different colors and textures.
[0038] Additional Structural and Manufacturing Details
[0039] As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the body 30 includes a deck
40 and a skirt 42 which extends downwardly from the closure body
deck 40. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the outer edge of the deck 40
includes two latch beads 41--one on each side. In the preferred
embodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 2, the upper edge of the skirt
42 defines a peripheral shoulder 43, and the exterior surface of
the skirt 42 includes vertical grooves 44. As can be seen in FIGS.
3 and 5, the interior of the skirt 42 defines an internal, female
thread 46 for threadingly engaging the container neck external,
male thread 29 (FIG. 3) when the dispensing closure body 30 is
installed on the container neck 26.
[0040] Alternatively, the closure body skirt 42 could be provided
with some other container connecting means, such as a snap-fit bead
or groove (not illustrated) for engaging a container neck groove or
bead (not illustrated), respectively. Also, the closure body skirt
42 could instead be permanently attached to the container 22 by
means of induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the
like, depending on materials used for the closure body 30 and
container 22. In another alternate design (not illustrated), the
closure body 30 could be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of
the container 22.
[0041] In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, an
annular "crab's claw," flexible, seal member 47 is provided to
extend downwardly from the underside of the closure body deck 40 to
seal against the upwardly facing annular surface of the container
neck 26. Other seal designs could be employed, including a
conventional "V" seal, a conventional "plug" seal, or some other
such conventional or special seal, depending upon the particular
application.
[0042] The closure body skirt 42 may have any suitable
configuration for accommodating an upwardly projecting neck 26 of
the container 22 or for accommodating any other portion of a
container received within the particular configuration of the
closure body skirt 42--even if a container does not have a neck,
per se. The main part of the container 22 may have a different
cross-sectional shape than the container neck 26 and closure body
skirt 42. The closure body skirt 42 may be adapted for mounting to
other types of fluent substance handling container systems.
[0043] In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the
container neck receiving passage in the closure body skirt 42 has a
generally cylindrical configuration, but includes the inwardly
projecting thread 46. However, the closure body skirt 42 may have
other configurations. For example, the closure body skirt 42 might
have a prism or polygon configuration adapted to be mounted to the
top of a container neck having a polygon configuration. Such prism
or polygon configurations would not accommodate the use of a
threaded attachment, but other means of attachment could be
provided, such as a snap-fit bead and groove arrangement, adhesive,
or the like.
[0044] As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the closure body 30 has a reduced
size, generally cylindrical, dispensing orifice 50 defined in a
generally cylindrical spout 52 which projects upwardly from the
deck 40 of the closure body 30. The dispensing orifice 50
establishes communication between the exterior and the interior of
the closure body 30 (and the orifice 50 can thereby establish
communication with the interior of the container 22 to which the
body 30 is attached). The orifice 50 provides a flow passage or
discharge passage through which the contents of the container 22
can be discharged when the lid 32 is open and the cover 31 is
removed. The top of the spout 52 has an upwardly facing, peripheral
sealing surface 54 around the orifice 50.
[0045] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the upper, outer edge of the spout
52 has a chamfer or frustoconical surface 56 which slants
downwardly and outwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral
sealing surface 54. In other applications (not illustrated), the
chamfer surface 56 may be omitted). In the preferred embodiment,
the exterior of the spout 52 between the lower edge of the
frustoconical surface 56 and the deck 40 defines a generally
cylindrical surface 58. The cylindrical surface 58 may be
characterized as extending below both the spout annular surface 54
and the frustoconical surface 56. In other applications (not
illustrated), the orifice 50 (and/or spout 52) could be
non-cylindrical.
[0046] As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 32 includes a top
wall or cross wall 60 and a peripheral wall 62 which, when the lid
32 is closed top of the closure body deck 40, has a downwardly
projecting orientation and defines a downwardly facing end surface
63 for fitting on the closure body annular shoulder 41. As can be
seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 32 also has a generally annular
sleeve 64 which projects from the transverse wall 60 on the
underside of the lid 32. The sleeve 64 also preferably includes an
annular seal bead 68 (FIGS. 2-5).
[0047] There is sufficient resiliency in the lid sleeve 64 and/or
closure body spout 52 so as to accommodate the closing of the lid
32 onto the body 30 as shown in FIG. 1 wherein the lid sleeve seal
bead 68 can be positioned on the spout cylindrical surface 58 to
provide a substantially leak-tight seal. The sealing engagement
between the closure body spout 52 and the closed lid sleeve 64
provides a some resistance to subsequent opening of the lid 32. An
additional resistance to lid opening is also preferably provided by
other co-acting features in the lid 32 and body 30. Specifically,
each interior side of the lid flange 62 has an inwardly projecting
latch bead 76 (FIG. 2). When the lid 32 is closed, the lid latch
beads 76 are forced past the closure body latch beads 41. When the
lid 32 is in the closed condition on the closure body 30 (FIG. 1),
the upwardly facing surface of each lid latch bead 76 is below, and
is adapted to engage, the downwardly facing surface of an overlying
closure body latch bead 41. The closure body 32 and/or the lid
flange 62 are sufficiently flexible to accommodate temporary,
elastic deformation as the beads 41 and 76 move past each other
during the opening and closing actions. Other conventional or
special latch designs could be used instead. In some applications,
there may be no need for a latch system at all (especially if the
hinge 34 is of the "snap-action" type and has a very strong biasing
force and/or if there is a strong, frictional sealing force between
the lid sleeve 64 and the closure body spout 52.).
[0048] A finger-receiving surface or thumb-receiving surface 80
(FIGS. 1 and 3) may optionally be provided at the front of the
closure lid 32. To open the lid 32, the user initially pushes with
a thumb or finger upwardly on the lid surface 80.
[0049] The end consumer or other user of a fluent substance product
in a package consisting of a container with a closure of the
present invention would initially open the closure 20 by lifting
the lid 32 to expose the spout 52 with the cover 31 initially
sealed thereto. If the closure was of a type that did not have a
lid, than the user would first encounter the closure with the cover
31 exposed to view but initially sealed on the top of the spout
52.
[0050] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the cover 31 includes a base
portion or seal 80 and a tab 82 extending from the seal 80. The tab
82 has a free end 84 that can be grasped by the user and pulled to
remove the seal 80 from the closure body peripheral sealing surface
54 and carry the cover 31 away from the dispensing orifice 50 to
expose the dispensing orifice 50 (see FIG. 4).
[0051] In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the seal 80 is a
generally circular disc having an exterior diameter equal to or
less than the exterior diameter of the annular sealing surface 54.
Further, in the preferred embodiment, the tab 82 has a generally
semi-circular configuration.
[0052] In the preferred embodiment, at least the peripheral margin
of the underside of the cover seal 80 (which overlies, and is
attached to, the spout peripheral sealing surface 54) is attached
by heat sealing or heat bonding to the spout annular sealing
surface 54. Other forms of attachment could be used, such as
adhesive or the like. In one preferred embodiment, the spout
annular sealing surface 54 (which is in contact with the underside
of the peripheral portion of the cover seal 80) preferably has a
width or land dimension of about 0.060 inch. This has been found to
provide a sufficiently large contact surface to which the seal 80
can be bonded with satisfactory integrity for the typical consumer
application and which allows the consumer to subsequently pull the
cover 31 off of the spout 52.
[0053] The cover 31, according to a preferred form of the
invention, is made from a roll stock product marketed under the
designation "unipac Lift `n` Peel.TM. LP-E" by Unipac Company (an
ITW company), having an office at 125 Edward Street, Aurora,
Ontario, Canada L4G 1W3. Such a product is illustrated in FIG. 6-8.
In FIG. 6, the roll stock product is designated generally by the
reference number 90 and is shown with an outwardly extending,
unrolled portion, ribbon, or strip 92. As can be seen in the
enlarged view shown in FIG. 7, the strip 92 includes a base or seal
portion 80A extending across the width of the strip, and also
includes a tab portion 82A. The tab portion 82A extends from the
center of the width of the strip 92 along a bend line or hinge line
94.
[0054] According to Unipac literature, the above-discussed Unipac
roll stock product includes a base sealable layer, a polyester
layer, an aluminum foil layer, a polyolefin foam layer, a polyester
tab, a polymer adhesive layer, and a polyester film layer. The base
sealable layer, in conjunction with the aluminum foil layer,
provides the strip product with the capability for being heat
sealed by conventional induction heat sealing equipment. According
to Unipac literature, the sealable layer provided on the bottom of
the strip product is adapted to seal to various substrates,
including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride,
polystyrene, polyester, and ABS. The Unipac literature notes that
this product is a "tabbed inner seal" providing the advantage to a
cap manufacturer of permitting the use of a conventional punch and
die set for use when lining caps.
[0055] According to the present invention, individual covers 31 can
be cut or punched from the strip 92 to form the circular
configuration of each cover 31 and to create the semi-circular tab
82.
[0056] The closure manufacturer molds the closure body (as well as
a lid if the closure includes a lid) and maintains the closure in
an open configuration (FIG. 4) so as to be able to receive one of
the covers 31 stamped from the roll stock strip 92. Suitable
conventional liner placement equipment and induction sealing unit
equipment can be employed to place the cover 31 on the closure
spout 52 and then thermally bond the cover seal 80 (FIG. 3) to the
peripheral sealing surface 54 of the closure body spout 52. Such
liner punch equipment, liner placement equipment, and induction
sealing unit equipment may be of any suitable conventional or
special type, the details of which form no part of the present
invention.
[0057] According to the present invention, the manufacturer of the
closure cuts or stamps each cover 31 from the roll stock strip 92
so that the cover 31 has a size such that when the cover 31 is
applied to the spout 52 over the orifice 50, no peripheral portion
of the cover 31 extends outwardly (laterally) beyond the edge of
the sealing surface on the top of the spout. This provides a clean,
aesthetically pleasing assembly. In alternate forms of the
invention (not illustrated), the cover 31 could have a shape other
than circular. Also, the closure need not have a spout 52, per se.
The annular sealing surface could instead be defined directly on a
portion of the closure body deck 40.
[0058] According to the preferred form of the invention, the
closure manufacturer can provide the completed closure 20 in a
closed condition to the product filler. A product filler is
typically a company that fills a bottle or other container with a
fluent substance product, and thereafter installs a closure on the
filled container. With some types of conventional packaging, a
closure manufacturer provides each closure to the filler with a
liner stuffed into the inside of the closure below the closure body
deck (i.e., below the dispensing orifice in the deck). The filler
must then install the closure (with the liner under the closed body
deck) on the container to compress the liner between the underside
of the closure body deck and the top of the container. Then the
filler must convey the package through induction sealing equipment
so that the liner is heat-sealed to the top of the container under
the closure body deck.
[0059] In contrast, the present invention permits the closure
manufacturer to supply a completed, closed closure to the filler
with the orifice already covered with a heat-bonded cover or seal
so that the filler does not have to procure and use heat-sealing
equipment.
[0060] The present invention also allows for the use of a much
smaller diameter, heat-sealed cover or seal compared to a typical
conventional liner that is provided under the closure body deck and
which must extend across the entire larger opening of the container
on which the closure is installed. The use of such a conventional,
larger diameter liner sealed by induction sealing equipment after
installation of the closure on the container can slow down the
filling lines. In contrast, in the present invention, the use of a
smaller diameter cover applied by the closure manufacturer to a
smaller spout (or other orifice-defining region) on a closure
enables the filler to run its filling line at a higher speed.
[0061] The present invention provides the end use consumer or user
with the advantage of not having to initially remove a closure from
a container to expose a seal liner on the container top in order to
remove that seal liner. With the present invention, the closure
does not have to be removed, and the end use consumer can
conveniently remove the sealing cover from the top of the closure
spout by readily lifting up on the tab.
[0062] Because the present invention employs a sealable cover which
can be much smaller than a conventional liner that extends
completely across the entire top of a container, there can be a
significant difference in material cost, and thus the present
invention system may have a lower cost than such a conventional
container top liner system.
Alternate Embodiment
[0063] A second embodiment of a closure system of the present
invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9-13. The second embodiment of
the system includes a separate dispensing closure 20A which is
adapted to be installed on the neck of a container (not
illustrated). The container may be of any suitable configuration.
One suitable kind of container is the container 22 illustrated in
FIG. 3 and described above with reference to the first embodiment
of the closure 20.
[0064] As can be seen in FIG. 10, the closure 20A includes a
unitary base or body 30A, a removable seal member or cover 31A, and
a lid 32A connected by a hinge 34A to the body 30A. The closure 20A
also includes a valve 36A, and a valve retainer 38A visible in
FIGS. 11 and 13.
[0065] The second embodiment closure body 30A is similar to the
first embodiment closure body 30 described above with reference to
FIGS. 1-5. However, the second embodiment closure body 30A has a
spout 52A (FIG. 13) which is located in the center of the generally
circular closure body 30A, rather than toward the front of the
closure body where the first embodiment closure spout 52 is located
(compare to FIGS. 2 and 10). The second embodiment closure body
spout 52A projects upwardly from a deck 40A of the closure body 30A
and defines a dispensing orifice 50A (FIG. 13) to provide a flow
passage or discharge passage through which the contents can flow
from a container (not illustrated) to which the closure 20A is
attached. Below the deck 40A, the closure body 30A defines a female
thread 46A for threadingly engaging a mating male thread of a
container.
[0066] As can be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, the top of the spout 52A
has an upwardly facing, peripheral sealing surface 54A around the
orifice 50A. The upper, outer edge of the spout 52A has a curved
surface 56A (FIG. 13) which slants outwardly and downwardly from
the outer edge of the peripheral sealing surface 54A. In the
preferred form of the second embodiment of the closure 20A, the
spout 52A has an exterior surface between the upper curved surface
56A and the closure body deck 40A, and that exterior surface
defines a generally cylindrical surface 58A (FIG. 13).
[0067] On the interior of the spout 52A, the spout defines a
generally frustoconical surface 59A (FIG. 13) for engaging the
valve 36A as described in detail hereinafter.
[0068] The second embodiment closure lid 32A has generally the same
structure as described above for the first embodiment closure lid
32 illustrated in FIG. 5, except that the second embodiment closure
lid 32A has an annular sleeve 64A located in the center of the lid
32A (rather than near the front edge) for fitting over, and sealing
against, the spout 52A when the lid 32A is closed.
[0069] The valve 36A is adapted to be mounted in the closure spout
52A as shown in FIG. 11. The preferred form of the valve 36A is a
pressure-actuatable, flexible, slit-type valve which is retained on
the inside of the spout 52A by means of the retaining ring 38A as
described in detail hereinafter.
[0070] The valve 36A is preferably molded as a unitary structure
from material which is flexible, pliable, elastic, and resilient.
This can include elastomers, such as a synthetic, thermosetting
polymer, including silicone rubber, such as the silicone rubber
sold by Dow Corning Corp. in the United States of America under the
trade designation D.C. 99-595-HC. Another suitable silicone rubber
material is sold in the United States of America under the
designation Wacker 3003-40 by Wacker Silicone Company. Both of
these materials have a hardness rating of 40 Shore A. The valve 36A
could also be molded from other thermosetting materials or from
other elastomeric materials, or from thermoplastic polymers or
thermoplastic elastomers, including those based upon materials such
as thermoplastic propylene, ethylene, urethane, and styrene,
including their halogenated counterparts.
[0071] In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the valve 36A has
the configuration and operating characteristics of a commercially
available valve design substantially as disclosed in the U.S. Pat.
No. 5,676,289 with reference to the valve 46 disclosed in the U.S.
Pat. No. 5,676,289. The operation of such a type of valve is
further described with reference to the similar valve that is
designated by reference number 3d in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144.
The descriptions of those two patents are incorporated herein by
reference thereto to the extent pertinent and to the extent not
inconsistent herewith.
[0072] The valve 36A is flexible and changes configuration between
(1) a closed, rest position (as shown closed in an upright position
in FIGS. 11 and 13), and (2) an active, open position (not shown).
The valve 36A includes a flexible, central portion or head 160A
(FIG. 13). When the valve 36A is not actuated, the head 160A has a
concave configuration (when viewed from the exterior of the closure
spout 52A). The head 160A preferably has two, mutually
perpendicular, planar, intersecting, dispensing slits (not visible)
of equal length which together define a normally closed dispensing
orifice. The intersecting slits define four, generally
sector-shaped, equally sized flaps or petals in the concave,
central head 160A. The flaps open outwardly from the intersection
point of the slits in response to an increasing pressure
differential across the valve 36A when the pressure differential is
of sufficient magnitude--in the well-known manner described in the
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144.
[0073] As can be seen in FIG. 13, the valve 36A includes a skirt or
sleeve 164A which extends from the valve head 160A. The sleeve 164A
extends in a reverse angled orientation (when the valve 36A is in
the unactuated, rest condition) and merges with an enlarged, much
thicker, peripheral flange 170A which has a generally
dovetail-shaped, transverse cross section (as viewed in FIG.
13).
[0074] To accommodate the seating of the valve 36A in the spout
52A, the top surface of the dovetail valve flange 170A has the same
frustoconical configuration and angle as the spout frustoconical
surface or seat 59A. The other surface (i.e., bottom surface) of
the valve flange 170A is engaged and clamped by the retaining ring
38A (FIGS. 11 and 13). The retaining ring 38A includes an outwardly
or upwardly facing, frustoconical, annular clamping surface 172A
(FIG. 13) for engaging the axially inner surface (i.e., bottom
surface) of the valve flange 170A at an angle which matches the
angle of the adjacent, inner surface of the dovetail configuration
of the valve flange 170A.
[0075] The peripheral portion of the retaining ring 38A includes an
outwardly projecting flange 178A (FIG. 13) for snap-fit engagement
with the annular bead 142A (FIG. 13) that projects radially
inwardly on the inside of the spout 52A. The valve 36A can be
inserted into the open bottom end of the spout 52A along with the
retaining ring 38A. The valve 36A is initially mounted on the
retainer ring clamping surface 172A. Then the retaining ring 38A
can be pushed past the spout bead 142A because there is sufficient
flexibility in the retaining ring 38A and/or spout 52A to
accommodate temporary, elastic deformation of the components as the
retaining ring flange 178A passes over, and beyond, the spout bead
142A to create a snap-fit engagement that compresses or clamps the
valve flange 170A against the spout frustoconical surface 59A.
[0076] The cover 31A has the same structure and function as does
the cover 31 described above for the first embodiment of the
closure 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. To this end, the second
embodiment closure cover 31A has a base portion or seal 80A and a
tab 82A extending from the seal 80A (FIG. 12). The tab 82A can be
grasped by the user and pulled to remove the seal 80 from the
closure body peripheral sealing surface 54A and carry the cover 31A
away from the dispensing orifice 50A to expose the dispensing
orifice 50A (FIG. 12). The detailed configuration, structure, and
manner of making and applying the cover 31A to the second
embodiment of the closure 20A are identical to what has been
described above for the first embodiment closure cover 31
illustrated in FIGS. 1-8.
[0077] If desired, the second embodiment of the closure 20A could
be modified by omitting altogether the lid 32A and hinge 34A.
[0078] It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed
description of the invention and from the illustrations thereof
that numerous other variations and modifications may be effected
without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel
concepts or principles of this invention.
* * * * *