Container Closure And Apparatus For Opening Same

Abstract

A closure for a container which includes an impervious disc and can also include a resilient annulus overlying the mouth of the container. A retaining ring attached to the container adjacent the mouth having an inwardly directed flange overlies the disc and the annulus to hold the disc and the annulus firmly in assembled relation forming a seal with the mouth. A cap having a tubular spout with a pointed inner end perforates the disc to discharge contents of the container.

Description

This invention relates to closures for nonrefillable containers and to apparatus for opening closures for nonrefillable containers.

An object of this invention is to provide a closure for a nonrefillable container which is liquidtight and which can be punctured with a dispensing cap when contents are to be used.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a closure in which the closure forms a seal with the dispensing cap.

Briefly, this invention provides a closure which includes a disc of puncturable material having a facing of polyethylene or other impervious resilient material which overlies and closes an opening in a container. The disc can be combined with an annular member of compressible material such as polyvinyl chloride or paper board or other resilient material which is compressible so that an annular retaining member can hold the disc firmly in engagement with the mouth of the container. A cap having a discharge tube or conduit extending therethrough can be advanced over the closure with a pointed inner end of the conduit puncturing the disc to permit dispensing of contents of the container through the conduit. The conduit can be of a size to engage the interior of the opening of the annulus to form a seal therewith.

The above and other features and objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains from the following detailed description and the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a container provided with a closure constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the container and closure illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of a dispensing cap for the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cap shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the cap shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken on an enlarged scale on the line 7-7 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a view in upright section showing the cap of FIGS. 3--5 and 7 in position for dispensing fluid from the container of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 9 is a view in upright section of a portion of a container constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention, a portion of the cap being shown in dot-dash lines in association therewith; and

FIG. 10 is a view in section of a portion of a container constructed in accordance with a further embodiment of this invention, a portion of the cap being shown in dot-dash lines in association therewith.

In the following detailed description and the drawings, like reference characters indicate like parts.

In FIG. 1 is shown a container 14, which can be of glass or the like having an open mouth 16 (FIG. 6) closed by a closure 17. The container is constructed to contain a single unit or charge of a liquid 18 and is intended for a single use.

The closure 17 includes a disc or diaphragm 18' of impervious material such as aluminum foil having a coating 19 of a resilient material such as polyethylene which can form a seal with the mouth 16 of the container 14. Outboard of the disc 18' is an annulus 21 of compressible but resilient material such as paperboard or the like. A central opening 22 of the annulus 21 overlies the center of the mouth 16 of the container 14. The annulus 21 is held tightly against the disc 18' by a retainer ring 23 of aluminum or the like to hold the disc in firm engagement with the mouth of the container. The coating 19 can be approximately 1 mil in thickness being sufficiently thick to form a seal with the mouth of the container. The retainer ring 23 includes an upper flange 24 which overlies the annulus 21, a lower flange 26 which underlies a shoulder 27 of the container 14, and a substantially cylindrical body 28 between the flanges. The upper flange 24 defines an opening 29, which overlies the opening 22 in the annulus 21 and can be slightly larger than the opening 22.

When the contents of the container are to be used, the disc 18' is perforated by means of a cap 30 (FIGS. 3--5, 7 and 8). The cap 30 includes a cup-shaped body 31 (FIGS. 3 and 5) having a substantially cylindrical wall 32 which can fit closely around the body 28 of the retaining ring 23, as shown in FIG. 8. Lengthwise ribs 33 on the inner face of the wall 32 can engage the body of the retaining ring to hold the cap in place thereon. As shown in FIG. 7, a tubular member 34 is supported by a base 36 of the cap. The tubular member 34 includes an inner disc-puncturing portion 34' and an outer spout portion 34". When the cap 30 is mounted on the container as shown in FIG. 8, a point 37 on an inner end of the inner portion 34' of the tubular member perforates the disc 18 so that contents of the container can be discharged through the outer spout portion 34" of the tubular member. The cap can be molded as piece from appropriate rigid plastic material or the like. The lower end of the inner portion 34' is cut away at an acute angle to the axes thereof with the point 37 being at the lower or inner end thereof.

In FIG. 9 is sown a container 41, similar to the container already described, which is provided with a closure 42 constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention. The closure 42 includes a disc 43 of puncturable but impervious material such as thin polyethylene sheet material under which is mounted an annulus 44 of compressible resilient plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride. A retaining ring 46, similar to the retaining ring described above, holds the disc 43 and the annulus 44 in the firm engagement with the annulus engaging and forming a seal with a mouth 47 of the container 41. A center opening 48 of the annulus is of a size to engage the outside wall of the inner portion 34' of the tubular member 34 to form a seal therewith, being slightly smaller in diameter than the outside diameter of the tubular member 34. The disc 43 can be sufficiently thick to form a good seal but sufficiently thin to be punctured. In a preferred form, the disc 43 can be 5 mils thick. The pointed end 37 of the inner portion 34' of the tubular member enters the opening 48 of the annulus 44, and the inner portion is guided into the centered position shown in FIG. 9 in dot-dash lines.

In FIG. 10 is shown a container 51, similar to the containers already described with a closure 52 constructed in accordance with a further embodiment of this invention. The closure 52 includes a disc 53 of resilient puncturable material such as a polystyrene foam having a coating 54 of polyethylene on a lower face thereof which provides an impervious layer which forms a seal with a mouth 56 of the container. The coating can be about 1 mil in thickness while the foam is substantially thicker, a preferred foam disc being about 25 mils in thickness. An opening 57 in an upper flange 58 of a retaining ring 59 permits entry of the pointed end 37 of the inner portion 34' of the tubular member of the cap as indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 10 to puncture the disc 53 and permit discharge of the contents of the container through the central tube 34 of the cap. The retaining ring 59 can be similar to the retaining rings described hereinabove.

The closure constructions illustrated in the drawings and described above are subject to structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desired to secure by letters patent is:

1. In combination with a container having an open mouth, a closure for the container which comprises an impervious disc and a resilient annulus overlying the mouth, a retaining ring attached to the container adjacent the mouth, the retaining ring having an inwardly directed flange overlying the disc and the annulus to hold the disc and the annulus firmly in assembled relation forming a seal with the mouth of the container, there being an opening in the flange of the retaining ring aligned with an opening of the annulus, the opening of the annulus being exposed, the disc being puncturable to permit discharge of the contents of the container.

2. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a dispensing cap is mountable on the container surrounding the mouth, the dispensing cap including a tubular member having a pointed inner end portion for puncturing the disc and an outer spout portion for dispensing contents of the container, the opening of the annulus guiding the pointed inner end portion of the cap during puncturing.

3. A combination as in claim 2 wherein the annulus is of resilient plastic material and has a central opening of a size to receive and engage the exterior of the tubular member when the dispensing cap is mounted on the retaining ring to form a seal therebetween as contents of the container are dispensed.

4. A combination as in claim 1 wherein the disc includes a metal foil layer and a polyethylene layer, the polyethylene layer engaging the mouth of the container to form a seal therewith.

5. In combination with a container having an open mouth, a closure for the container which comprises a disc which includes a foam body and an impervious polyethylene layer on one face thereof overlying the mouth, the polyethylene layer engaging the mouth of the container to form a seal therewith, a retaining ring attached to the container adjacent the mouth, the retaining ring having an inwardly directed flange overlying the disc to hold the disc in sealing relation with the mouth of the container, there being an opening in the flange of the retaining ring, the disc being puncturable to permit discharge of the contents of the container.

6. A combination as in claim 5 wherein a dispensing cap is mountable on the container surrounding the mouth, the dispensing cap including a tubular member having a pointed inner end portion for puncturing the disc and an outer spout portion for dispensing contents of the container.