U.S. patent number 3,656,660 [Application Number 04/877,138] was granted by the patent office on 1972-04-18 for closure member and dispensing device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Air-Ject Corporation. Invention is credited to John J. Mueller.
United States Patent |
3,656,660 |
Mueller |
April 18, 1972 |
CLOSURE MEMBER AND DISPENSING DEVICE
Abstract
A closure member, for use with a flexible, resilient, container.
The closure member provides an inlet orifice and an outlet orifice
to the container and an expansible chamber for containing
displacement fluid. The outlet orifice is constructed to
communicate directly with the interior of the container, to permit
outflow of material when the container is squeezed, and to prevent
inflow of displacement fluid. The inlet orifice is constructed to
communicate with the expansible chamber, to permit inflow of
displacement fluid to the expansible chamber when the container
wall returns to original shape after being squeezed, and to prevent
outflow of displacement fluid. A flexible bladder, initially
collapsed, forms the expansible chamber. The closure member
includes structure to which the bladder is attached and which
contains the initially collapsed bladder, and structure that
inhibits the bladder from sealing off the outlet orifice from the
contents of the container. The structure that contains the
initially collapsed bladder can be elongated to limit the extent to
which the container can be flexed.
Inventors: |
Mueller; John J. (Richmond
Heights, OH) |
Assignee: |
Air-Ject Corporation (Richmond
Heights, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
25369334 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/877,138 |
Filed: |
November 17, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/94;
222/212 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
11/0041 (20180801); B65D 47/2075 (20130101); B65D
83/0055 (20130101); B05B 11/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
11/00 (20060101); B65D 47/04 (20060101); B65D
47/20 (20060101); B65D 83/00 (20060101); B05B
11/04 (20060101); B65d 035/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/92,94,95,212 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wood, Jr.; M. Henson
Assistant Examiner: Grant; Edwin D.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A closure member for use with a flexible, resilient container,
said member comprising: a cover part adapted to close an opening of
a flexible, resilient container, said cover part having a portion
for connecting the part to a container; a flexible bladder,
substantially empty initially, forming an expansible chamber
carried by said cover part and adapted to fit through a container
opening closable by said cover part, said bladder being connected
at one end to said cover part and the remainder of the bladder
being flexible and freely expansible; two orifices in said cover
part, one adapted to communicate directly with the interior of a
flexible, resilient container when the closure member is connected
thereto and the other opening into said bladder, said one orifice
constructed to permit outflow of material from a container when the
closure member is connected thereto and to prevent inflow of
displacement fluid; and a one-way valve in said other orifice that
permits flow of displacement fluid into the expansible chamber and
prevents outflow of fluid therefrom.
2. A closure member as defined in claim 1 wherein said bladder is
initially in a compact, compressed condition and including means to
retain the bladder in said compressed condition while empty to
facilitate insertion of the bladder into a container.
3. A closure member for use with a flexible, resilient container,
said member comprising: a cover part adapted to close an opening of
a flexible, resilient container, said cover part having a portion
for connecting the part to a container; a flexible bladder,
substantially empty initially, forming an expansible chamber,
carried by said cover part and adapted to fit through a container
opening closable by said cover part; two orifices in said cover
part, one adapted to communicate directly with the interior of a
flexible, resilient, container when the closure member is connected
thereto and the other opening into said bladder, said one orifice
constructed to permit outflow of material from a container when the
closure member is connected thereto and to prevent inflow of
displacement fluid; a one-way valve in said other orifice that
permits flow of displacement fluid into the expansible chamber and
prevents outflow of fluid therefrom; and means carried by said
cover part to constrain a portion of the bladder that is adjacent
the cover part against expansion to an extent that, or movement to
a location where, it obstructs passage of material about the
bladder to the said one orifice during use.
4. A closure member as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means to
constrain a portion of the bladder includes a plurality of flexible
fingers fixed to said cover part, peripherally spaced about the
bladder, and extending from the cover part at locations and in a
direction to enter a container opening closable by said cover
part.
5. A closure member as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means to
constrain a portion of the bladder is a rigid top portion to the
bladder, located beneath the said one orifice, to provide a
definite passageway between the top portion of the bladder and said
one orifice.
6. A closure member for use with a flexible, resilient container,
said member comprising: a cover part adapted to close an opening of
a flexible, resilient container, said cover part having a portion
for connecting the part to such a container; first and second
orifices in said cover part, said first orifice constructed to
communicate directly with the interior of a flexible, resilient
container when the closure member is connected thereto and to
permit outflow of material from the container and to prevent inflow
of displacement fluid; a cuplike member secured to said cover part,
located with respect thereto to fit through a container opening
closable by said cover part, said cuplike member opening in a
direction away from said cover part; a passageway between said
cuplike member and cover part opening through said second orifice;
a flexible bladder, substantially empty initially, forming an
expansible chamber, secured to said cuplike member, the interior of
the bladder communicating with the interior of the cuplike member,
the bladder being sealed about and substantially contained within
the cuplike member when said bladder is initially empty; and a
one-way valve controlling flow through said passageway between said
cuplike member and said cover part, said valve arranged to permit
flow from outside of the bladder through said first orifice and
passageway into the cuplike member and bladder and to prevent
outflow therefrom.
7. A closure member as set forth in claim 6 wherein said cuplike
member extends in a direction away from said cover part a distance
sufficient to mechanically restrict inward flexing of a substantial
portion of a container to which the closure member is adapted to be
attached.
8. A closure member for use with a flexible, resilient container,
said member comprising: a cover part adapted to close an opening of
a flexible, resilient, container, said cover part having a portion
for connecting the part to such a container; first and second
orifices in said cover part, said first orifice constructed to
communicate directly with the interior of a flexible, resilient
container when the closure member is connected thereto; a one-way
valve in said first orifice arranged to permit outflow of material
from a container to which the closure member is connected and to
prevent inflow of displacement fluid; a cuplike member secured to
said cover part, located with respect thereto to fit through a
container opening closable by said cover part, said cuplike member
opening in a direction away from said cover part; a passageway
between said cuplike member and cover part opening through said
second orifice; a flexible bladder, substantially empty initially,
forming an expansible chamber, secured to said cuplike member, the
interior of the bladder communicating with the interior of the
cuplike member, the bladder being sealed about and substantially
contained within the cuplike member when said bladder is initially
empty; a one-way valve controlling flow through said passageway
between said cuplike member and said cover part, said valve
arranged to permit flow from outside of the bladder through said
first orifice and passageway into the cuplike member and bladder
and to prevent outflow therefrom; and means forming a part of said
closure member to constrain a portion of the bladder that is
adjacent the cover part against expansion to an extent that, or
movement to a location where, it obstructs passage of material
about the bladder to the said one orifice during use.
9. In combination, a flexible, resilient container adapted to
directly contain material to be dispensed, a flexible bladder
within the container forming an expansible chamber, a first opening
in the container providing a passage to the bladder, a one-way
valve in said passage that permits flow of fluid into the bladder
and that prevents outflow, a second opening in the container
communicating with a zone within the container external to the
bladder, constructed to permit outflow of material from the
container when the container is squeezed and to prevent inflow of
displacement material, and a relatively rigid tubular member
extending from one end of the container and open at the extending
end, adapted to receive a portion of the bladder when the bladder
is collapsed and which limits the extent to which the flexible
container can be flexed inwardly.
10. In combination, a flexible, resilient container with a single
opening and adopted to directly contain material to be dispensed, a
closure member secured to said container, said closure member
having a cover part that receives and closes the container opening,
said cover part including a threaded portion connecting the member
to the container; a flexible bladder secured to the cover part,
forming an expansible chamber, and adapted to fit through the
container opening, said bladder being initially in an empty,
compact or compressed condition and expansible to substantially
fill the container; means to temporarily retain the bladder in said
compressed condition, while empty, to facilitate insertion of the
bladder into the container during assembly, said bladder in its
compressed condition being located beyond said closure member cover
part and entirely within said container; two orifices in said cover
part, one communicating directly with the interior of the container
and the other opening into said bladder, said one orifice
constructed to permit outflow of material from the container when
the container is squeezed and its volume reduced and to prevent
inflow of displacement fluid when the container returns to its
original volume; and a one-way valve in said other orifice that
permits flow of displacement fluid into the expansible chamber when
the container returns to its original volume after being squeezed
and that prevents outflow of fluid therefrom when the container is
squeezed to dispense material.
Description
This invention relates to a closure member that converts a
flexible, resilient, container into a squeeze-type dispenser, and
to a combination of the closure member and container.
The closure member is constructed to be secured to and close an
opening of a flexible container, and includes an outlet orifice
through which material from the container is dispensed and an inlet
orifice through which displacement fluid is admitted to the
container. The closure member further includes structure insertable
into the container when the closure member is secured thereto,
which defines an expansible chamber for receiving and containing
displacement fluid that enters the container after material is
dispensed. The container itself, with which the closure member is
used, directly contains the material to be dispensed. The outlet
orifice of the closure member is constructed and arranged to
communicate directly with the interior of the container, to permit
outflow of material when the container is squeezed, and to prevent
inflow of displacement fluid. The inlet orifice is constructed to
communicate with the expansible chamber, to permit inflow of
displacement fluid to the chamber when the flexible, resilient,
wall of the container returns to shape after being squeezed, and to
prevent outflow of displacement fluid during squeezing of the
container. As a result, the container and closure member form a
dispenser of the constant volume type, which is divided into two
separate zones, one for the material being dispensed and one for
air or other fluid to displace the dispensed material. The
respective volumes of the two zones vary inversely as the outer
container, originally full of material to be dispensed, is emptied
through use. This device operates in the same manner as the devices
disclosed and claimed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,837 issued May 16,
1967 and titled "Dispensing Device," and is an improvement which
facilitates the filling and assembly of containers and most
importantly provides a closure member that can convert a standard
flexible, resilient, container into a dispenser of the type
described. Accordingly, a combined container and improved cover
member embodying this invention has, in addition to its own
specific advantageous features, the functionally advantageous
features of the devices disclosed in the aforementioned patent,
including the ability to dispense flowable material ranging from
liquids to heavy creams or pastes and powders, the characteristic
of isolating the contents from the displacing fluid, the lack of
any need for propellants and hence avoidance of internal pressure
until the wall is flexed, the efficient utilization of the volume
of the container for material to be dispensed, and the
characteristic of being, in effect, always full until empty.
A preferred embodiment of this invention utilizes an inner inverted
cup or cuplike member beneath a cover part or cap portion of the
closure member that is adapted to attach to a flexible container at
the opening thereof. The cap portion is suitably threaded or
otherwise constructed to attach to the container across the
opening. The cup is secured to the cap and has a conduit that
extends upward through the cap and opens externally of the
container. A flexible bladder forms a displacement chamber of
variable volume. The bladder is attached to the cup and is
initially collapsed and contained in a compact condition within the
cup. As displacement fluid is introduced into the bladder, it
expands and extends from the cup into the flexible container. A
one-way valve is located in the conduit to the cup and bladder to
permit flow into the bladder but to prevent outflow. In the
preferred embodiment, which is adapted for use with all flowable
materials, a discharge orifice through the cap includes a one-way
valve to permit outflow of material being dispensed but to prevent
inflow of displacement fluid. Where the material to be dispensed is
limited to highly viscous substances, the orifice alone, in
cooperation with the material within the orifice, will serve to
prevent inflow of displacement fluid and in such instances it is
possible to omit specific valve elements otherwise required for
more fluid substances.
The preferred closure member includes a plurality of flexible
fingers extending from the member and adapted to be received within
the container to which the closure member is attached. These
fingers constrain the upper part of the expansible bladder against
expansion to an extent that, or against movement to a location
where, the bladder obstructs passage of material about the bladder
to the discharge orifice. For example, the fingers will restrict
the bladder to a position slightly below the outlet orifice of the
closure member and, in containers with a mouth of smaller diameter
than the container, to a position somewhat below a neck portion
thereof, and thereby assure that a passageway is maintained about
the bladder to the outlet orifice.
An advantageous feature of the present invention is that the
dispenser may be constructed to consistently dispense a
substantially uniform and predetermined amount of the contents with
each flexing, by limiting the maximum flexure of the container at a
predetermined location. This is conveniently accomplished in
accordance with the present invention by providing an elongated
tubular member within the container, with an open end that receives
the collapsed bladder and that limits inward flexure of the
container. Advantageously, the cuplike member that extends from the
cap of the closure member can be lengthened to provide this
structure. This elongated cup, which typically will be cylindrical,
forms a rigid structure centrally within the flexible container
opposite the portion of the container to be squeezed. By providing
a cup oval in cross section, two different predetermined volumes
can be dispensed, depending upon the location at which the flexible
container is squeezed. If squeezed opposite the major cross
sectional axis of the oval cup, a smaller volume will be dispensed
than when it is squeezed opposite the minor cross sectional axis of
the cup. The similar usefulness of other shapes will be
apparent.
Other embodiments of closure structures and bladders are
contemplated to provide particular features and structural variants
of the basic elements. For example, for convenience in manufacture,
a one-way valve in the discharge orifice of the closure member can
be formed integrally with the cap member. Various ways of attaching
the bladder to the closure member are contemplated to facilitate
manufacture and assembly and particular bladder structures are
contemplated that inherently inhibit the bladder from blocking flow
to the discharge orifice in particular embodiments.
These and other features and advantages of this invention and
various embodiments therefore will be better understood by
reference to the following detailed description, when considered in
connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a closure
member embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a dispenser formed of a flexible,
resilient, container and the closure member of FIG. 1, with the
container filled with material to be dispensed;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 in which the
material has been substantially dispensed and the space filled with
an expansible bladder;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a closure
member similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but constructed to limit the
extent to which a container with which it is used can be
squeezed;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a closure
member for use with a flexible resilient tube-type container;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a modified construction of portion of
the closure member of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another modified construction of a
similar portion of a closure member to that shown in FIG. 6;
and
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a modified closure member embodying
the present invention.
With reference now to the drawings, a closure member 10 embodying
the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, suitable for attachment
to a flexible and resilient container, such as a plastic bottle 12,
as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and provides an inlet orifice 14, an
outlet orifice 16 and structure 18 forming an expansible chamber
for the container. The closure member 10 includes a cap portion 20,
an inverted cup 21 secured beneath the cap, and a flexible bladder
secured to the cup and comprising the structure 18 forming the
expansible chamber. The cap 20 includes a top surface 22 and a
peripheral depending flange 23 having internal threads 24. A spout
25 extends from a central portion of the top surface 22 and forms
the outlet or discharge orifice 16. A valve seat 26 is formed at
the outer end of the spout and an internal shoulder 27 is formed
within the spout for cooperating with a one-way valve 28 within the
spout. The outer surface of the spout is constructed to receive an
optional outer cover (not shown).
The one-way valve 28 is a relatively small valve and in the
preferred embodiment is preferably molded of plastic so that it
will not deteriorate in use or contaminate the material contained
in the dispenser. The construction of the particular valve 28
disclosed provides rotary as well as axial movement to assure a
good seal. The valve 28 includes a stem portion 30, a tapered valve
head 32 integral with the stem, and a spring portion 34. The spring
portion 34 includes an end cup 35, three helical spring strips 36
and a flat ring 38. The end cup, spring strips, and ring are
integral, with the spring strips extending between the end cup and
ring, about the stem portion 30. The ring encircles the stem and
abuts against the internal shoulder 27 in the spout 25. In the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the stem is a separate piece from
the spring portion 34 and is pressed into a central opening in the
end cup 35 during assembly and after being inserted into the
central orifice 16 and is held in place by a retaining groove in
the stem that provides a snap fit with the cup. Alternatively, the
stem and spring portion can be molded of one piece, without the
tapered head 32. The top of the stem is then extended through the
opening or orifice 16 and flared to form the head. The parts of the
one-way valve 28 are of a size and the shoulder 27 is located so
that the spring portion 34 biases the valve head 32 into a seated
condition against the valve seat 26 under sufficient pressure to
provide a seal and to seat the valve in the absence of a flow of
material through the orifice. With the valve 28 of molded plastic,
the spring strips are inherently flexible and resilient.
A plurality of flexible fingers 40 (eight such fingers being
provided in the preferred embodiment) extend from the inside of the
top surface 22 of the cap 20, just inwardly of the flange 23 a
sufficient distance to clear the mouth, such as the mouth 41, of
the container adapted to be closed by the closure member 10. The
fingers extend a sufficient distance from the top surface of the
cap to project into the container adapted to be used with the cap,
e.g., beyond a neck portion 42 of the container 12 and sufficiently
far to extend beyond the cup 21 so as to engage and constrain the
upper portion of the flexible bladder 18 as it expands. In this
manner, the flexible fingers 40 prevent the bladder 18 from
expanding upward and from forming a seal between the cup and
container, especially about the neck portion of the container or
across the orifice 16 of the closure member.
Two circular apertures 43, 44 are formed in the top surface 22 of
the cap 20, on diametrically opposite sides of the spout 25. These
apertures provide means for securing the cup to the cap and provide
a passageway through the cap to the cup for a flow of displacement
fluid to the bladder.
The cup 21 is comprised of a cylindrical cup body 46 having an
opening 47, and two posts 48, 49 at diametrically opposite portions
of the cup body, extending in a direction opposite from that of the
opening 47. Additional posts can be provided for greater stability
and strength, but normally are not required. Each post 48, 49 has a
shoulder portion 50, 51, respectively, and an upper end 48a, 49a of
reduced diameter and equal in diameter to the diameter of the
apertures 43, 44. The posts 48, 49 are of a length sufficient to
locate the cup body 46 spaced below the valve 28 to provide a
passageway around the cup body, between the cup body and cap, to
the orifice 16. The lower position of the cup also locates the
bladder sufficiently below the discharge orifice, tending to
inhibit the bladder from reaching a position where it might seal
off the orifice. The post 48 is tubular and includes a valve 54 and
valve seat 55. The valve and valve seat are constructed to seal the
passageway or orifice 14 against outflow of fluid, but to permit
inflow. The valve 54 is biased against the valve seat 55 by a
spring 57 and the seat and valve are constructed so that fluid
acting in an outward direction, i.e., tending to escape through the
cup body and orifice 14 tends to further seat the valve. Thus, the
valve 54 acts as a check valve, allowing inward flow but not
outward flow.
In the preferred embodiment shown, the bladder 18 is a flexible
envelope or pouch, suitably in the form of a plastic bag or the
like. The bladder has one open end 18a, which is secured about the
cup body 46 and sealed thereto in a fluid-tight relationship. The
open end 18a of the bladder is narrower than the remainder of the
bladder, which typically widens directly beneath the cup body to
conform in shape and size to the container with which the closure
member is adapted to be used. In this manner, the bladder, when
expanded, will substantially fill the flexible container, as
illustrated in FIG. 3. Initially, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the
bladder 18 is in a collapsed condition and is tucked up into the
cup body 46, either neatly accordioned as shown or randomly
compressed into the space provided.
When the closure member 10 is attached to a flexible, resilient,
container, such as the container 12 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which
has external threads 63 about the neck portion 42 engageable with
the threads 24, the cap seals the opening 41 and the cup and
bladder extend into the container. Little space is occupied
initially by the cup and bladder due to the compact collapsed
condition of the bladder. The closure member is applied after the
container is filled with material M to be dispensed. When the
flexible, resilient, wall of the container 12 is squeezed to
deflect the wall inwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, material M is
forced through the discharge orifice 16, the increased pressure of
the material easily opening the one-way valve 28. Upon release of
pressure upon the container walls, the resiliency of the container
returns the wall to the original condition. As the wall returns,
expanding the volume of the container, displacement fluid, such as
air, enters through the passageway 14 of the tubular post 48,
readily opening the one-way valve 54. This expands the bladder 18
to an increased volume within the container 12 equal to the volume
of the material dispensed. When the container is subsequently
squeezed to discharge additional material, the displacement fluid
within the bladder is retained by the one-way valve 54 so that
pressure applied to the flexible wall of the container can only
cause material M to be discharged. Conversely, removal of pressure
from the wall and the expansion of the flexible wall to its
original condition can only draw displacement fluid into the
bladder 18 and not directly into the container 12 because of the
one-way valve 28 in the discharge orifice 16. As additional
material is dispensed, the bladder expands until finally the
bladder reaches a condition of full expansion, as approximated in
FIG. 3, in which substantially all of the material M has been
dispensed. During expansion of the bladder 18, the fingers 40 will
be deflected outward, but nevertheless will maintain the bladder
beneath the neck portion 42 so that the bladder does not seal off
the neck portion from the main body of the container 12. As a
result, material beneath and/or around the bladder during expansion
of the bladder can always flow between the bladder and container
wall to the discharge orifice 16.
A modified construction of a closure member 66 embodying this
invention is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The closure member 66
includes a cap portion 200 with a spout 250, one-way valve 280, and
fingers 400, all identical to corresponding portions of the closure
member shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. This construction utilizes an
inverted cup 210 with an inlet orifice 140 and one-way valve 540 in
a post 480, of similar construction to the cup 21, except that a
cylindrical cup body 460 of substantially greater length than the
cup body 46 is provided, which is adapted to extend a substantial
distance into the flexible and resilient container with which the
closure member is to be used. A flexible bladder 180 similar to the
bladder 18 is secured about the cup body 460, but substantially
above a lower end 461 of the cup body. When the bladder is
collapsed, in its initial state, it is extended along the length of
the cup body and tucked up within the body to a position adjacent
the upper end thereof, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, the larger cup
construction does not significantly reduce the capacity of the
outer container. When the bladder 180 is expanded by the
introduction of displacement fluid, the bladder expands within the
container in the manner previously described. Assuming the outer
container with which the closure member 66 is used is squeezed at a
position laterally opposed to the cup 160, the cylindrical wall of
the cup will limit the inward extent to which the container can be
squeezed and thereby limit the volume that can be dispensed for
each squeeze of the container. The cup body 460 may be of other
shapes than cylindrical and if provided with a major and a minor
transverse axis, it will facilitate the dispensing of two different
predetermined volumes for any given squeeze, depending upon the
location at which the container is squeezed.
It will be apparent from FIG. 4 that a quantity of air may be
trapped in the space within the cup body 460 but outside of the
bladder wall when the closure member 10 is inserted into the mouth
of the container filled with material. This would result in a
substantial loss of the effective volume of the container and is
undesirable. The entrappment of such a volume of air can be avoided
by initially introducing a quantity of diaplacement fluid, such as
air, into the bladder, to a degree sufficient to inflate the
bladder to a position adjacent the lower edge 461 of the cup body.
The closure member is then introduced into the opening of the
container, and as the lower edge 461 of the cup body contacts the
flowable material within the container, the inlet valve 540 is
mechanically opened, as by being depressed through the open end of
the post 480. As the cup is lowered into the container, the
hydrostatic pressure of the material within the container forces
the displacement fluid within the bladder out through the valve
540. Once the cap member is secured to the container, the valve 540
is allowed to close and the device is in condition for use.
A further embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 5 and
illustrates the manner in which a closure member 70, of generally
similar construction to the closure member 66 of FIG. 4, can be
used to form the upper part of a flexible and resilient tube 71. As
shown, the closure member 70 includes a cap portion 72, an inverted
cup 73, which as shown is elongated similar to the cup 210 of FIG.
4, but could alternatively be a shorter cup such as the cup 21 of
FIGS. 1 to 3. A flexible bladder 74 is secured to the inverted cup
73 and tucked into the cup body. The cap portion 72 includes a top
surface 75, a depending peripheral flange 76, typically cylindrical
and without any threads, a spout 77 providing a central orifice 78,
and two apertures 79, 80 on opposite sides of the spout. A one-way
valve 82 is provided in the spout 77, an inlet orifice 83 with a
one-way valve 84 opens into the cup 73 and communicates through the
aperture 79 of the cap portion, similar to the embodiment shown in
FIG. 4. The peripheral flange 76 is heat sealed to one end of the
tube 71, which is flexible and resilient. Typically, the opposite
end of the tube is left open until after filling. The device is
filled through the open end, which is thereafter folded and/or
crimped and sealed, as at 86. Because the inner surface of the tube
71 is substantially smooth and uniform in diameter adjacent the cap
portion 72, there is little or no neck portion and thus little or
no tendency of the bladder to form a seal with a part of the
container. Accordingly, finger members such as the fingers 40 of
the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 or the fingers 400 in the embodiment
of FIG. 4 can be omitted, as in the embodiment shown. Apart from
preventing seal-off of the discharge orifice by the bladder, the
fingers find use in providing channels between the wall and bladder
for the flow of material and to that extent may be desired even in
embodiments such as that of FIG. 5. For this purpose it is
contemplated that fingers substantially longer than those shown in
FIGS. 1 to 4 may be provided.
A modified construction 90 of a cup similar to the cup 21 is shown
in FIG. 6. The cup 90 has a cup body 92 and is identical to the cup
21 and cup body 46 except that the cup body 92 terminates in an
outwardly extending radial flange 94. The flange 94 is provided to
facilitate heat sealing the open end of a bladder 96 to the cup
body. To this end, the bladder 96 is formed with an inwardly
directed flange portion 97 and a circular aperture 98 of
approximately the same size as the cup body 92. The cup 90 can be
inserted through the aperture by stretching the bladder if it is
elastic or by inserting the cup through an open and subsequently
sealed opposite end of the bladder, which may be a tubular member
formed with the flange 97 at one end. After the cup is inserted,
the bladder flange 97 is sealed to the radial flange 94, as by
application of heat and pressure where the bladder is of a plastic
material suitable for heat sealing. Alternatively, or in addition,
an adhesive or other bonding agent can be applied. In an
alternative construction, the end of the bladder to be sealed to
the cup 90 is merely of the general tubular shape of the entire
bladder and is folded inward over the cup flange 94, gathered to
the extent necessary about the cup body 92, and heat sealed to the
flange.
Another cup member 100 with a modified cup body 101 is shown in
FIG. 7, which utilizes a snap ring type construction to attach a
bladder 102 and at the same time provide flexible fingers 104 to
restrain the upper portion of the bladder during expansion. The cup
member 100 is substantially the same as the cup 90 of FIG. 6,
except that a radial flange 106 at the lower end of the cup body
101 extends inwardly rather than outwardly. A ring 108 with an
outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the
cup body 101 is provided with a circumferential groove 109 adapted
to receive the radial flange 106. An open end 110 of the bladder
102 is placed in an inverted position and surrounded by the radial
flange 106, with the remainder of the bladder compressed into the
cup body. The ring 108 is then inserted upward inside the radial
flange 106 and open end of the bladder to clamp the open end
between the ring and the flange. The bladder expands downward
during use, through the ring and radially outward, within the
container with which the device is used, in the same manner as
previously described. The fingers 104 extend downward from the ring
108 at peripherally spaced locations to restrain the upper portion
of the bladder during its expansion, for the purposes already
described in connection with the other embodiments. In this
instance, the fingers are more centrally located than in the
previous embodiments and therefore must be sufficiently flexible so
that the bladder can expand radially to substantially the full
width of the container, even at a position very close to the ring
itself, At the same time, the fingers limit upward movement of the
bladder as it expands.
A different construction of a closure member 115 embodying the
present invention is shown in FIG. 8, constructed to facilitate the
convenient assembly of a cap member 116 and bladder 118 and to
minimize the number of separate parts. To this end, the cap member
116 is formed of an integral top surface 120, an internally
threaded flange 121, a central internally directed spout 122, an
off-center outwardly directed discharge spout 123, one-way
discharge valve structure 124 and depending, peripherally spaced,
flexible fingers 125.
To facilitate the forming of an integral valve structure 124 with
the spout 123, the spout is of uniform diameter. Helical strips 127
extend downward from the inside of the top surface 120 about the
lower end of the discharge spout 123 and are directly connected to
the lower end of a valve stem 128 that extends upward through the
spout 123. The upper part of the valve stem is hollow and, as
initially formed, does not have a valve head. During manufacture
the stem is biased upward above the upper end of the discharge
spout 123 and is then flared in an operation separate from the
original molding operation, to form a valve head 129 that will seat
on a valve seat 130 at the outer end of the discharge spout.
Because the valve stem was biased upward and flared, the helical
strips 127 urge the stem downward and maintain the formed valve
head in seated relationship with the valve seat 130 in normal
condition.
The central inwardly directed spout 122 is formed with external
threads 132, a downwardly directed valve seat 133 and an internal
shoulder 134 facing upward or outward. A valve stem, head and
helical spring assembly 135 of the type described in detail in
connection with FIG. 1 is provided in the spout 122 and serves as a
check valve to prevent the outflow of displacement fluid
therethrough.
The bladder 118 includes a relatively stiff molded top portion 136
and a flexible body portion 137 that is initially collapsed and
folded or compressed to a location adjacent the molded top portion
of the bladder, for convenience in applying the closure member to a
flexible and resilient container. The molded top portion 136 of the
bladder includes a radial or disk-like portion 138, with a central
neck 139 that has internal threads 140 that receive and mate with
the external threads 132 of the inwardly directed spout 122.
This embodiment is readily assembled by merely inserting the valve
135 into the central spout and threading the bladder 118 to the
spout. Depending upon the shape and construction of the flexible
and resilient container with which the closure member 115 is
adapted to be used, the flexible fingers 125 may be more or less
advantageous. For example, if there is no neck portion or shoulder
against which the flexible portion of the bladder might seat, the
fingers can be omitted. Also, the molded disk-like portion 138 of
the bladder is intended to restrain the bladder from distorting to
an upper portion where it would cut off flow to the discharge spout
123.
In the various embodiments disclosed, it is contemplated that the
bladder can be constructed of a stretchable material, rather than
being initially formed of full size, collapsed and tucked into a
cup member. Various finger constructions or equivalents are
contemplated, which will restrain the bladder to a position beneath
the discharge orifice, yet which will flex to a position adjacent
the side walls of the container, so that they do not prevent
essentially full expansion of the bladder and displacement of the
contents being dispensed. For example, a grill work or cross
fingers could be provided to form a basket-like affair to restrain
the upper portion of the bladder. Alternatively, the bladder itself
can be somewhat preformed in the upper portion, for example, it can
embody radial pleats that provide some rigidity and preshape to the
upper portion of the bladder that will inhibit distortion of the
bladder to a position that would cut off flow to the discharge
orifice. It will be apparent that the cup that contains the
collapsed bladder forms a part of the bladder or displacement
chamber. One advantage of this is that the cup can be intricately
formed of a size suitable for many sizes of containers and a
bladder of appropriate size and shape can then be secured thereto.
In addition, the top surface of the cup prevents the bladder from
expanding upward. Nevertheless, other constructions are
contemplated in which the bladder is connected directly to an inlet
orifice and may be received within a tubular or cage-like affair
that depends from the cap member and serves only to contain the
bladder in its collapsed state to facilitate insertion of the
bladder into a container.
From the foregoing specification it will be appreciated that a
closure member has been provided that converts a conventional
flexible and resilient container to a squeeze-type dispenser that
is in a sense always full and in which the material to be dispensed
is contained directly in the container. This latter feature not
only results in superior operation but also permits the use of the
improved closure member with containers that can be filled and
processed in the conventional manner and which are then merely
capped with the closure member of the present invention.
While in the foregoing disclosure certain preferred embodiments of
the invention have been disclosed, numerous modifications or
alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended
claims.
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