U.S. patent application number 12/599002 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-10 for dispensing closure with hinged lid.
This patent application is currently assigned to PORTOLA PACKAGING, INC.. Invention is credited to Richard Lohrman, Mike Xiaoli Ma.
Application Number | 20100140266 12/599002 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40002608 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100140266 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lohrman; Richard ; et
al. |
June 10, 2010 |
DISPENSING CLOSURE WITH HINGED LID
Abstract
In an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a
closure for attachment to a container. The closure includes a base
having an orifice and a skirt depending from the base. A lid is
provided and is joined to the base through an integral hinge. The
lid has a plug depending from an underside section of the lid. The
plug is preferably sized to fit within the orifice when the lid is
closed. The closure further includes rails projecting upwardly from
a top portion of the base and rails projecting downwardly from the
underside section of the lid. The rails further include at least
one bead projecting (radially inwardly from each of the first
rails) and (radially outwardly from each of the second rails). The
beads are positioned to interfere with each other to form a snap
fit when the lid is closed.
Inventors: |
Lohrman; Richard; (Aurora,
IL) ; Ma; Mike Xiaoli; (San Jose, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JAMES P. HANRATH
191 NORTH WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 1800
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
PORTOLA PACKAGING, INC.
Batavia
IL
|
Family ID: |
40002608 |
Appl. No.: |
12/599002 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
May 9, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US08/63223 |
371 Date: |
November 5, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60916942 |
May 9, 2007 |
|
|
|
61021185 |
Jan 15, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/254.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 47/0838
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/254.3 |
International
Class: |
B65D 51/18 20060101
B65D051/18 |
Claims
1. A dispensing closure for attachment to a container having an
opening for dispensing fluids contained within the container, the
closure comprising: a base having a substantially circular skirt
depending therefrom and said base having an oval orifice aligned
with at least a portion of the opening defined in the container and
positioned such that a semimajor axis of the oval has a
substantially vertical orientation during pouring; a lid member
having a first section joined to a first section of the base
through an integral hinge; the lid member further having a plug
depending from an underside section of the lid member, the plug
being sized to frictionally fit against the internal perimeter of
the orifice such that when the lid member is moved against the
base, the plug engages the orifice to substantially seal the
orifice; a pair of first rails projecting upwardly from a top
portion of the base, the first rails being oppositely positioned
about the orifice; a pair of second rails projecting from the
underside section of the lid member, the second rails being
oppositely positioned about the plug such that when the lid member
is moved against the base, the pair of second rails are positioned
within the pair of first rails, wherein the pair of first and
second rails are further defined as each having one end nearly
adjacent to the integral hinge and being linearly divergent to a
mid point and having another end terminating at a section opposite
said integral hinge and being linearly divergent to said mid point
to define pairs of first and second linear divergent rails, whereby
the pair of first linear divergent rails forms a boarder about the
substantially vertical orientated oval orifice and the pair of
second linear divergent rails forms a boarder about the plug; and
at least one first bead projecting radially inwardly from each of
the first rails, and at least one second bead projecting radially
outwardly from each of the second rails, the at least one second
bead being positioned to interfere with the at least one first bead
defined on the first rails such that when the lid member is moved
towards the base, the at least one first bead and the interfering
at least one second bead form a snap fit to more securely hold the
lid member in a closed position.
2. The closure of claim 1, wherein the first rails each include a
single first bead projecting radially inwardly and wherein the
second rails each include a single second bead projecting radially
inwardly and positioned to interfere with the single first
beads.
3. The closure of claim 2, wherein the single first beads and
interfering single second beads are positioned towards a front
portion of the orifice, said front portion of the orifice defined
as being diametrically opposed from the integral hinge.
4. The closure of claim 1, wherein the first rails each include a
pair of first beads projecting radially inwardly and wherein the
second rails each include a pair of second beads projecting
radially inwardly and positioned to interfere with the pair of
first beads.
5. The closure of claim 1, wherein the base has a diameter selected
from at least one of the following sizes: 33 mm, 38 mm, 48 mm, 55
mm, or 63 mm.
6. The closure of claim 1, wherein the skirt includes container
engaging structure such that the closure may be secured to the
container.
7. The closure of claim 1, wherein the first and second rails are
positioned to form truncated parallelograms.
8. The closure of claim 1 further comprising a pour lip extending
outward and overhanging from an outside perimeter of the skirt and
being positioned along a front portion of the orifice, the front
portion of the orifice defined as being diametrically opposed from
the integral hinge.
9. The closure of claim 8, wherein an upper side of the pour lip
has a slanted downwardly and inwardly profile.
10. The closure of claim 9, wherein the first rails extend along an
outer edge of the pour lip to define a channel therebetween on the
pour lip.
11. The closure of claim 8, wherein the lid member includes a latch
extending from the underside of the lid member and positioned about
the periphery of the lid member, the latch has an internal surface
for engagement with an external surface of the pour lip when the
lid member is moved towards the base.
12. The closure of claim 1 further comprising reinforcement ribbing
on the underside of the lid member positioned within the plug.
13. The closure of claim 12, wherein the reinforcement ribbing
includes a plurality of rib segments forming a grid pattern.
14. A dispensing closure for attachment to a container having an
opening for dispensing fluids contained within the container, the
closure comprising: a base having a substantially circular skirt
depending therefrom and said base having an oval orifice aligned
with at least a portion of the opening defined in the container and
positioned such that a semimajor axis of the oval has a
substantially vertical orientation during pouring; a lid member
having a first section joined to a first section of the base
through an integral hinge; the lid member further having a plug
depending from an underside section of the lid member, the plug
being sized to frictionally fit against the internal perimeter of
the orifice such that when the lid member is moved against the
base, the plug engages the orifice to substantially seal the
orifice; a pair of first rails projecting upwardly from a top
portion of the base, the first rails being oppositely positioned
about the orifice; a pair of second rails projecting from the
underside section of the lid member, the second rails being
oppositely positioned about the plug such that when the lid member
is moved against the base, the pair of second rails are positioned
within the pair of first rails, wherein the pair of first and
second rails are further defined as each having one end nearly
adjacent to the integral hinge and being linearly divergent to a
mid point and having another end terminating at a section opposite
said integral hinge and being linearly divergent to said mid point
to define pairs of first and second linear divergent rails, whereby
the pair of first linear divergent rails forms a boarder about the
substantially vertical orientated oval orifice and the pair of
second linear divergent rails forms a boarder about the plug; at
least one first bead projecting radially inwardly from each of the
first rails, and at least one second bead projecting radially
outwardly from each of the second rails, the at least one second
bead being positioned to interfere with the at least one first bead
defined on the first rails such that when the lid member is moved
towards the base, the at least one first bead and the interfering
at least one second bead form a snap fit to more securely hold the
lid member in a closed position; a pour lip extending outward and
overhanging from an outside perimeter of the skirt and being
positioned along a front portion of the orifice, the front portion
of the orifice defined as being diametrically opposed from the
integral hinge, and wherein the lid member includes a latch
extending from the underside of the lid member and positioned about
the periphery of the lid member, the latch has an internal surface
for engagement with an external surface of the pour lip when the
lid member is moved towards the base.
15. The closure of claim 14, wherein the first rails extend along
an outer edge of the pour lip to define a channel therebetween on
the pour lip.
16. The closure of claim 15, wherein an upper side of the pour lip
has a slanted downwardly and inwardly profile.
17. The closure of claim 15, wherein the first rails each include a
single first bead projecting radially inwardly and wherein the
second rails each include a single second bead projecting radially
inwardly and positioned to interfere with the single first beads
and wherein the single first beads and interfering single second
beads are positioned towards the front portion of the orifice.
18. The closure of claim 17, wherein the first and second rails are
positioned to form truncated parallelograms.
19. A dispensing closure for attachment to a container having an
opening for dispensing fluids contained within the container, the
closure comprising: a base having a substantially circular skirt
depending therefrom and said base having an oval orifice aligned
with at least a portion of the opening defined in the container and
positioned such that a semimajor axis of the oval has a
substantially vertical orientation during pouring; a lid member
having a first section joined to a first section of the base
through an integral hinge; the lid member further having a plug
depending from an underside section of the lid member, the plug
being sized to frictionally fit against the internal perimeter of
the orifice such that when the lid member is moved against the
base, the plug engages the orifice to substantially seal the
orifice; a pair of first rails projecting upwardly from a top
portion of the base, the first rails being oppositely positioned
about the orifice; a pair of second rails projecting from the
underside section of the lid member, the second rails being
oppositely positioned about the plug such that when the lid member
is moved against the base, the pair of second rails are positioned
within the pair of first rails, wherein the pair of first and
second rails are further defined as each having one end nearly
adjacent to the integral hinge and being linearly divergent to a
mid point and having another end terminating at a section opposite
said integral hinge and being linearly divergent to said mid point
to define pairs of first and second linear divergent rails, whereby
the pair of first linear divergent rails forms a boarder about the
substantially vertical orientated oval orifice and the pair of
second linear divergent rails forms a boarder about the plug; at
least one first bead projecting radially inwardly from each of the
first rails, and at least one second bead projecting radially
outwardly from each of the second rails, the at least one second
bead being positioned to interfere with the at least one first bead
defined on the first rails such that when the lid member is moved
towards the base, the at least one first bead and the interfering
at least one second bead form a snap fit to more securely hold the
lid member in a closed position; a pour lip extending outward and
overhanging from an outside perimeter of the skirt and being
positioned along a front portion of the orifice, the front portion
of the orifice defined as being diametrically opposed from the
integral hinge, and wherein an upper side of the pour lip has a
slanted downwardly and inwardly profile, and wherein the lid member
includes a latch extending from the underside of the lid member and
positioned about the periphery of the lid member, the latch has an
internal surface for engagement with an external surface of the
pour lip when the lid member is moved towards the base.
20. The closure of claim 14, wherein the first rails extend along
an outer edge of the pour lip to define a channel therebetween on
the pour lip.
21. The closure of claim 1, wherein the semimajor axis of the oval
orifice is at least 50% of the diameter of the substantially
circular skirt.
22. The closure of claim 14, wherein the semimajor axis of the oval
orifice is at least 50% of the diameter of the substantially
circular skirt.
23. The closure of claim 19, wherein the semimajor axis of the oval
orifice is at least 50% of the diameter of the substantially
circular skirt.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application 60/916,942 filed May 9, 2007 and to U.S. Provisional
Application 61/021,185 filed Jan. 15, 2008.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] One or more embodiments contained within this invention
relate to closures having a hinged lid used with containers to
dispense liquids contained therein.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Closures having a hinged lid for opening and resealing a
dispensing orifice in a top of a base closure are ubiquitous in the
packaging industry. These closures normally comprise a lid joined
to a base cap through a hinge. The lid portion may be initially
separate from the base closure and then joined to the closure
employing complimentary hinge forming structures on the lid and
base cap. Often, however, the lid and base closure are monolithic
and are joined through a hinge in a single shot of an injection
molding operation. In this latter case the hinge is normally
referred to as a "living hinge". The hinging motion may be
optionally altered by the presence of bi-stable structure imparting
a spring like action to the lid.
[0004] The base closure is most often characterized as having a top
portion and an annular skirt depending from the top portion.
"Container engaging" structure is normally positioned on the skirt
portion functioning to interact with complimentary "closure
engaging" structure on the container to secure the base closure to
the container. For example, the "container engaging" and "closure
engaging" structures may comprise complimentary screw threads. The
top portion of the base closure may be substantially flat and have
dimensions sufficient to span the region defined by the annular
skirt. The top may have structure depending from its underside
intended to promote sealing with a feature on the container neck
such as its internal bore or uppermost surface.
[0005] Characteristically, the top of the base closure portion of
the hinged dispensing closure has an orifice which, when open,
allows product dispensing from the container. This orifice may be
sealed closed by a plug member depending from the lid portion. When
the lid is positioned in the closed position, the lid's plug member
is inserted in the orifice in the top of the base closure. In
addition, interference or frictional engagement between the plug
diameter and orifice diameter is often the primary mechanism to
retain the lid in closed position. Communication between the
container interior and the outside is achieved by removing the lid
plug from the orifice. This is conveniently achieved by rotating
the lid about the joining hinge through an upward extending arc.
The hinge allows this rotation while maintaining the attachment of
the lid portion to the base closure.
[0006] Most dispensing closures are intended to significantly
restrict flow of contents from the container. This is achieved by
having a relatively small orifice and lid plug. The small orifice
and consequent flow restriction allows the container to be squeezed
to build up interior container pressure while simultaneously
achieving a controlled and directional flow of a relatively viscous
fluid product. The familiar squeeze bottle packages for ketchup and
shampoos are quintessential examples of this technique. In this
case the orifice and container are relatively small and the
dimensions of these features may be very precisely controlled.
Thus, the relative interference between the plug and orifice may be
precisely controlled to achieve proper sealing yet allow facile
plug removal for dispensing. In addition, the normally viscous
nature of the product reduces sealing demands.
[0007] It is now desired that larger packages such as gallons or
half gallons, such as those typically packaging products such as
juice or milk, be equipped with the convenience of a dispensing
closure. In this case a number of factors are different than the
conventional squeeze bottle packaging. First, relatively large
volumes of product must be quickly dispensed. The package size,
expected volumes and product viscosity are unsuitable for squeeze
type dispensing. Thus, the closure orifice and complimentary lid
plug must be relatively large to allow free gravity flow of product
and also allow natural venting of the container. This larger size
significantly reduces the ability to consistently produce accurate
mating dimensions for the plug and orifice. Moreover, in order to
achieve opening ease and conserve material consumption, the lid
plug length should be minimized. Thus, a combination of enlarged
orifice, low viscosity product and reduced dimensional control work
against achieving the desired closure performance.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention there is provided
a dispensing closure for attachment to a container having an
opening for dispensing fluids contained within the container. The
closure includes a base having an orifice aligned with at least a
portion of the opening defined in the container such that the
contents may be dispensed through the orifice. The base further
includes a skirt depending therefrom and a lid member having a
first section joined to a first section of the base through an
integral hinge. The lid member further includes a plug depending
from an underside section of the lid member. The plug is preferably
sized to frictionally fit against the internal perimeter of the
orifice such that when the lid member is moved against the base,
the plug engages the orifice to substantially seal the orifice. The
closure further includes a pair of first rails projecting upwardly
from a top portion of the base and are oppositely positioned about
the orifice. A pair of second rails project from the underside
section of the lid member and are oppositely positioned about the
plug such that when the lid member is moved against the base, the
pair of second rails are positioned within pair of first rails. The
rails further include at least one bead projecting (radially
inwardly from each of the first rails) and (radially outwardly from
each of the second rails). The beads are positioned to interfere
with each other when the lid member is moved towards the base, such
that the beads form a snap fit to more securely hold the lid member
in a closed position.
[0009] In addition, other embodiments include providing a single
bead projecting radially inwardly from the first rail and a single
bead projecting radially outwardly from the second rail and
positioned to interfere with the single bead projecting from the
first rail. In another embodiment the single beads are positioned
towards a front portion of the orifice, where the front portion of
the orifice is defined as being diametrically opposed from the
integral hinge.
[0010] In yet another embodiment, the first rails each include a
pair of first beads projecting radially inwardly and the second
rails each include a pair of second beads projecting radially
inwardly and positioned to interfere with the pair of first
beads.
[0011] The closure may also include a pour lip extending outward
and overhanging from an outside perimeter of the skirt and is may
be positioned along the front portion of the orifice. The pour lip
may further include a slanted downwardly and inwardly profile. In
embodiments that include the pour lip, the first rails may extend
along an outer edge of the pour lip to define a channel
therebetween on the pour lip.
[0012] To coact with the pour lip, the closure may also include a
latch extending from the underside of the lid member and positioned
about the periphery of the lid member. The latch could include an
internal surface for engagement with an external surface of the
pour lip when the lid member is moved towards the base.
[0013] Other embodiments include providing a base that has a
diameter selected from at least one of the following sizes: 33 mm,
38 mm, 48 mm, 55 mm, or 63 mm.
[0014] Still in other forms, the first and second rails are defined
to form truncated parallelograms.
[0015] Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will
become readily apparent from the following detailed description of
the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and
from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] A fuller understanding of the foregoing may be had by
reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a dispensing closure
having an opened lid member made in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1 showing the lid member in a
closed position;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 4;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a top view of FIG. 1 illustrating the lid member
in a closed position;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of FIG. 7;
[0025] FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG. 7;
[0026] FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of a dispensing closure
having an opened lid member with reinforcement ribbing at an
orifice facing surface within the boundary of the top plug thereof
made in accordance with a further embodiment of the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a dispensing closure having
an opened lid member made in accordance with another embodiment of
the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 12 is a top view of FIG. 11;
[0029] FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG. 11;
[0030] FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 11 taken across
line 14-14;
[0031] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of FIG. 11 illustrating the
lid member in a closed position;
[0032] FIG. 16 is a top view of FIG. 15; and
[0033] FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 15 taken across
line 17-17.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0034] While the invention is susceptible to embodiments in many
different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be
described herein, in detail, the preferred embodiments of the
present invention. It should be understood, however, that the
present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the
principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit
or scope of the invention and/or the embodiments illustrated.
[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 1-9, a preferred embodiment of the
instant invention is directed to a dispensing closure 10 for
achieving free flowing, high volume dispensing of fluids of
relatively low viscosity. The closure 10 comprises a base 12 joined
to a lid member 14 through an integral hinge 16. The closure 10 is
characterized as being of a relatively large diameter D (such as
but not limited to 33 mm, 38 mm, 48 mm, 55 mm, 63 mm). This permits
the presence of a relatively large orifice 18 for the base 12 to
allow free gravity pouring of contents while at the same time
allowing venting for smooth flow.
[0036] In a preferred embodiment the orifice 18a is oval, with the
closure 10a oriented relative to a container (not shown) such that
the large dimension of the oval orifice 18a has a substantially
vertical orientation during the pouring of contents. Such a
condition promotes proper venting and smooth "glug free" pouring.
The base 12a includes a depending skirt 20a comprising "container
engaging" structure 22a to mate with "closure engaging" structure
on a container in a conventional way. In a preferred embodiment the
container engaging structure 22a may comprise screw threads.
Alternatively, the same may comprise snap fit structures.
[0037] In a preferred embodiment of the invention a top plug 26a
depends from the underside 28a of the lid member 14a. The top plug
26a has minimal height in order to conserve material use and
facilitate ease of opening and reclosure. However, the relatively
large size of orifice 18a and top plug 26a works against
maintaining a tight dimensional relationship between the top plug
26a and the orifice 18a. The tight dimensional relationship between
a top plug and an orifice, with conventional dispensing closures
having a small orifice, becomes very difficult to maintain with the
relatively large orifice of the closure of the instant embodiment.
In addition, the shortened top plug 26a of the instant embodiment
presents a significantly reduced surface to achieve adequate
sealing against the internal perimeter 30a of the orifice 18a.
[0038] Thus, the closure 10a of the instant embodiment is equipped
with structure supplying a unique and novel hold down effect when
the lid member 14a is in the closed or sealed position. In a
preferred embodiment, multiple first "rails" 32a project upward
from a top portion 34a defined by the base 12a. The first rails 32a
are positioned to be just outside an edge portion 36a of the lid
member 14a when the lid member 14a is in its closed position. In a
preferred embodiment, the first rails 32a are in the form of a
parallelogram truncated on two opposing ends, yet the first rails
may be of an alternate form such as a pair of arcuate members or a
plurality of segmented sections. One will understand that forms
other than the truncated parallelogram of the embodiment are
possible depending in large measure on the shape of the lid and
complimentary rails present on the bottom portion of the lid as
will become clear hereinafter.
[0039] Projecting radially inwardly from the first rails 32a of the
base 12a are one or more first rail beads 38a. The first rail
bead(s) 38a either do not extend the full height of the first rails
32a and therefore form undercut projection(s) 40a along the length
of the first rails 32a or have an undercut section defined therein.
Those familiar with the terminology of the art will recognize the
beads used herein as snap beads. In the preferred embodiment, four
first rail beads 38a are shown.
[0040] Depending from the underside 28a of the lid member 14a are
multiple second rails 42a. These second rails 42a are disposed
along edges 36a of the lid member 14a such that they will fit
snugly with the confines of a region 44a generally defined by the
first rails 32a. Such a snug fit between the first and second rails
may also be a frictional engagement. One or more complementary
second rail beads 44a are positioned on the second rails 42a and
project outwardly and positioned to interfere with the inwardly
projecting first rail beads 38a as the lid member 14a is moved to
its closed position. The interaction of the first and second beads
thus achieve a snap fit and hold down the lid member when fully
closed. The lid member 14a is securely held down with the top plug
26a in sealing contact with the internal perimeter 30a of the
orifice 18a by virtue of the snap interaction of the complimentary
first and second rail beads. As a result, one does not have to
achieve close dimensional relationship between the top plug 26a and
the orifice 18a to promote adequate sealing or to hold the lid
member 14a in its closed position to prevent unintentional opening.
In addition, the use of the first and second rail beads as taught
by the instant invention allows greater dimensional tolerance for
the complimentary beads themselves since they allow for a greater
dimensional interference between complimentary beads without
imparting excessive opening or reclosure forces.
[0041] An additional feature of the preferred embodiment is the
presence of a pour lip 48a extending outward and overhanging the
outside perimeter 50a of the depending base skirt 20a. The upper
side 52a of the pour lip 48a has a slanted downwardly-inwardly
profile 54a so that there is a natural flow back of material as the
container is moved from its tilted pour position back to an upright
position. In addition, the preferred embodiment has the first rails
32a extend along the outer edge 56a of the pour lip 48a such that
the first rails 32a create or define a channel 58a therebetween on
the pour lip 48a. The channel 58a aids in maintaining liquid
pouring out or back into the container within a confined location
and helps prevents spilling over the edge of the pour lip.
[0042] A further preferred embodiment of the instant invention is
illustrated at FIG. 10 wherein dispensing closure 60 incorporates
the numerical indicated structure previously discussed and further
includes optional reinforcement ribbing 62 at an orifice facing
surface 64 defined as a portion of the underside 28a of the lid
member 14a within the boundary of the top plug 26a. The option
reinforcement ribbing may be comprised of a plurality of rib
segments 66 disposed upon the orifice facing surface 64 to form a
grid pattern 68. The configuration formed by grid pattern 68 is
arbitrary and may take the form of a fish bone as depicted in FIG.
10 or some other configuration as is selectively chosen. The
reinforcement ribbing 62 may serve to provide a strengthened
resistance to deformation of the lid member 14 when a thumb of a
user presses against the external facing surface of lid member 14
when closing a previously opened lid member.
[0043] Referring now to FIGS. 11 through 17, another embodiment
will herein be discussed with similar references numbers being used
as with the previous embodiments. The embodiment in FIGS. 11
through 17 will use a subscript reference of "b" to denote this
embodiment.
[0044] A closure 10b is illustrated in FIGS. 11 through 17, and
comprises a base 12b joined to a lid member 14b through an integral
hinge 16b. The closure 10b is characterized as being of a
relatively large diameter (as similarly illustrated in FIG. 6 with
the first embodiment), such as but not limited to 33 mm, 38 mm, 48
mm, 55 mm, 63 mm. This permits the presence of a relatively large
orifice 18b for the base 12b to allow free gravity pouring of
contents while at the same time allowing venting for smooth
flow.
[0045] The orifice 18b is illustrated as having an oval shape, with
the closure 10b oriented relative to a container (not shown) such
that the large dimension of the oval orifice 18b has a
substantially vertical orientation during the pouring of contents.
Such a condition promotes proper venting and smooth "glug free"
pouring. The base 12b includes a depending skirt 20b comprising
"container engaging" structure 22b to mate with "closure engaging"
structure on a container in a conventional way. The container
engaging structure 22b may comprise screw threads or snap fit
structures.
[0046] A top plug 26b depends from the underside 28b of the lid
member 14b. The top plug 26b has minimal height in order to
conserve material use and facilitate ease of opening and reclosure.
However, the relatively large size of orifice 18b and top plug 26b
works against maintaining a tight dimensional relationship between
the top plug 26b and the orifice 18b. The tight dimensional
relationship between a top plug and an orifice, with conventional
dispensing closures having a small orifice, becomes very difficult
to maintain with the relatively large orifice of the closure of the
instant embodiment. In addition, the shortened top plug 26b of the
instant embodiment presents a significantly reduced surface to
achieve adequate sealing against the internal perimeter 30b of the
orifice 18b.
[0047] The closure 10b is also equipped with structure supplying a
unique and novel hold down effect when the lid member 14b is in the
closed or sealed position. Multiple first "rails" 32b project
upward from a top portion 34b defined by the base 12b. The first
rails 32b are positioned to be just outside an edge portion 36b of
the lid member 14b when the lid member 14b is in its closed
position. The first rails 32b are in the form of a parallelogram
truncated on two opposing ends, yet the first rails may be of an
alternate form such as a pair of arcuate members or a plurality of
segmented sections. One will understand that forms other than the
truncated parallelogram of the embodiment are possible depending in
large measure on the shape of the lid and complimentary rails
present on the bottom portion of the lid as will become clear
hereinafter.
[0048] Projecting radially inwardly from the first rails 32b of the
base 12b are one or more first rail beads 38b. The first rail
bead(s) 38b either do not extend the full height of the first rails
32b and therefore form undercut projection(s) 40b along the length
of the first rails 32b or have an undercut section defined therein.
Those familiar with the terminology of the art will recognize the
beads used herein as snap beads. In this embodiment two first rail
beads 38b are shown and positioned distally from the integral hinge
16b.
[0049] Depending from the underside 28b of the lid member 14b are
multiple second rails 42b. These second rails 42b are disposed
along edges 36b of the lid member 14b such that they will fit
snugly with the confines of a region 44b generally defined by the
first rails 32b. Such a snug fit between the first and second rails
may also be a frictional engagement. One or more complementary
second rail beads 44b are positioned on the second rails 42b and
project outwardly and positioned to interfere with the inwardly
projecting first rail beads 38b as the lid member 14b is moved to
its closed position. The interaction of the first and second beads
thus achieve a snap fit and hold down the lid member when fully
closed. The lid member 14b is securely held down with the top plug
26b in sealing contact with the internal perimeter 30b of the
orifice 18b by virtue of the snap interaction of the complimentary
first and second rail beads. As a result, one does not have to
achieve close dimensional relationship between the top plug 26b and
the orifice 18b to promote adequate sealing or to hold the lid
member 14b in its closed position to prevent unintentional opening.
In addition, the use of the first and second rail beads as taught
by the instant invention allows greater dimensional tolerance for
the complimentary beads themselves since they allow for a greater
dimensional interference between complimentary beads without
imparting excessive opening or reclosure forces.
[0050] An additional feature of the preferred embodiment is the
presence of a pour lip 48b extending outward and overhanging the
outside perimeter 50b of the depending base skirt 20b. The upper
side 52b of the pour lip 48b has a slanted downwardly-inwardly
profile 54b so that there is a natural flow back of material as the
container is moved from its tilted pour position back to an upright
position. In addition, this embodiment has the first rails 32b
extend along the outer edge 56b of the pour lip 48b such that the
first rails 32b create or define a channel 58b therebetween on the
pour lip 48b. The channel 58b aids in maintaining liquid pouring
out or back into the container within a confined location and helps
prevents spilling over the edge of the pour lip.
[0051] The lid member 14b may further include a latch 70 that
extends from the underside 28b of the lid member 14b. The latch 70
is positioned about the periphery of the lid member 14b that is
distal from the integral hinge 16b. The latch 70 has an internal
surface 72 that faces towards the pour lip 48b and includes an
indentation 74 providing an indentation region 76 to accommodate
the edge 76 of the pout lip 48b when the lid member 14b is in the
closed position.
[0052] It should be further known that while, FIGS. 11 and 12
depict reinforcement ribbing 62b on the underside 28b of the lid
member 14b within the boundary of the top plug 26b. The
reinforcement ribbing may be removed without departing from the
spirit and scope of the embodiment.
[0053] Operation
[0054] The closure is applied to the container after filling the
container. Upon application, the closure is in its closed position.
A suitable tamper evident system (not shown) may be included in the
assembly. Suitable tamper evidencing may be achieved using
conventional techniques such as inner sealing foils as is known in
the art.
[0055] Upon initial opening of the closure it may first be removed
to allow removal of an optional inner foil, the closure is then
reapplied to the container and then the lid is lifted to dispense
container contents. (It is important to note that an inner foil
does not have to be employed.) After dispensing, the lid is moved
to its closed position, whereby the complimentary snap beads on the
closure and lid rails interact to firmly secure the lid and its
sealing plug in closed and sealed position.
[0056] From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it will be
observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected
without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of
the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with
respect to the specific methods and apparatus illustrated herein is
intended or should be inferred.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0057] The subject inventions herein advantageously provide a
closure for attachment to a container. The closure includes a base
having an orifice and a skirt depending from the base. A lid is
provided and is joined to the base through an integral hinge. The
lid has a plug depending from an underside section of the lid. The
plug is preferably sized to fit within the orifice when the lid is
closed. The closure further includes rails projecting upwardly from
a top portion of the base and rails projecting downwardly from the
underside section of the lid. The rails further include at least
one bead projecting (radially inwardly from each of the first
rails) and (radially outwardly from each of the second rails). The
beads are positioned to interfere with each other to form a snap
fit when the lid is closed.
* * * * *