Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1093034
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INUENTION
This invention relates to a clo~ure ~or a resilient dispensing
tube or package and more particularly to a self-closing closure
utilizlng ~ diaphragm.
Sel~-closing closures for tubes or the like for dispensing
flowable materlal upon the application of pressure upon the tube Kave
been well known ~or many years. C~ntinuing efforts have been mada to
develop such closures which ars inexpensive to manufacture and yet
absolutely secure for cutting off the flow of material and sealing the
tube upon the relaxation of pressure on the tube.
Patent No. 2,025,810 which issued December 31, 1935 to W.
Dinnes teaches a sel~-closing closure using a single diaphragm. In
this device a planar diaphragm having an aperture therein is formed to
have a rest position surrounding the top of a stem. Upon application
o~ pressure on ths tubo, the diaphr~gm is bowed outwardly to open the
ualve and upon release o~ preseure the patent states that the diaphragm
returns to its rest position. Any small amount o~ pressure on the tube
would tend to de~lect the diaphragm outwardly so that the clo9ure i9 not
secure. This closure unit was built to be threaded onto the neck of
a tube.
~; ~ Subsequently, devices were developed in which the closure became
;~ an integral part o~ the tube itsal~. In the prior art, however, these
closure devices were often relatively compl~cated and expensive to make,
have not been secure in their closure o~ the tube, or have had other
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operational di8advantages.
RIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is there~ore the primary ob~ect of this invention to
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~mprove sel~closing closures for dispensing tubes and packages having
SO at least one resilient wall.
It is another ob~ect of this invention to prouide improved
self-closing closures whose diaphragms move from a cùncave to a convex
position during the operation of the closure to provide adequate
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1093034
discharge area ~or th~~substance being dispensed, and return
automati~ally to a concave position to provide a tight seal when
dispensing terminates.
It is a further ob~ect o~ this invention to reduce the cost
and improve the closing security of tubes or the like ~or dispensing
~lowable material upon the application o~ pressure to the tube.
A still further object of ths invention is to provide a means
whereby the clo~ure can be locked against opening, for example during
transport.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set
~orth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be
obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice o~ the
invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realizsd
and attainad by means o~ the instrumentalitie~ and combinations
p~rticularly pointed out in the sppended clsim0.
To achieve the ~oregoing ob~ecte and in accordance with the
purpoee o~ the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the
selP-closing closure of this invention comprises a disc member having
a peripheral portion and an outwsrdly extending valve stem having an
outer surface, and a diaphragm member including a relatively thick flange
portion for interconnecting with the peripheral portion of the disc to
~ ~ form a closure unit, a relatively thin resilient planar portion
; ~ ~ extending inwardly toward the valve stem, and a substantially tubular
portion surrounding the stem and terminating in an open lip which
makes a close~ sllding fit with the outer sur~ace of the valve stem to
~orm a valve with the stem~ the planar portion o~ the diaphragm being
formed to hava an unstressed concave con~iguration with respect to the
flange, and the stem pressing against the lip in the closed position
; of!ths planar portion to lift the planar portion ~rom its ~ormsd
position to a stressed rest position for securing the clDsura of the
vslve by reduaing the concevity of the planar portion. When the
valve is opened by pressurè on the tube~ the planar portion reaches a
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1093034
convex configuration, returning to the stressed concave rest position
when the pressurs is releas~d.
It is preferred that the planar portion of the diaphragm member
be formed with a negative angle of substantially 5 to 15 with a
plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube and thst, when
assembled with the disc, the stem interacts with the lip o~ the tubular
portion of tha diaphragm membsr to reduce the negative angle by about
2.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification illustrate three embodlments
o~ the invention and, together with a description, serve to explain
the principles of the invention.
Of the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a oroos sectlon of one embodiment of the closure of
the invention inserted into the open end of a tube;
FIG. 2 is a cross section of the embodiment of fIG. l taken
along the lines 2- -2;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation o~ the movement of the
diaphragm of FIG. l;
: ~ FIG. 4 is a cross section of a second embodiment o~ the
invention;
: FIG. S is a section through a third embodiment of the invention,
the closure being illu8tratad in its closed and locked position;
FIG. 6 i9 a plan view from the under ~ide of one member of the
: closure of FIG, 5;
~ FIG. 7 is a plan view ~rom the under side of the second member
: ~ a~.the closure of FIG. 5;
: FIG. 8 is a section through a fourth embodiment of the invention;
30 and
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the closure of FIG. 8 , the diaphragm
being transparent.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMSODIMENTS
~eference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the invention, exarnples oF which are illustra-ted in ths
accompanying drawings.
Re~erring to FIG. 1J it will be seen that a closure 10 i9
inserted in the end o~ a tube 12 having a wall 14, enclosing a flowable
substance 15 in the tube.
In accordance with the invention, the closure lû includes a
disc member 16 and a diaphragm member 18. As embodied herein, the
disc member 16 includes a support 20 and a valve stem 22. The diaphragm
memoer includes a flange 24, a planar portion 26 extending inwardly
toward the stem 22, and a tubular portion 28.
The support 20 of the disc 16 has a plurality of cut-out areas
21, as shown in FIG. 2, for allowing the flowable materisl dispensed
by the tube 12 to be forced through the su4port member of the di~c.
Pre~erably~ the ~upport member 20 is formed with three spoke-like members
23 intersecting at the longitudinal axis of the tube on which
intersection is supported the vslve stèm member 22. The support 20
; should be of sufficient strength that ths valve stem 22 is substantially
immovable as the msterial dispensed by the tube is forced through the
support.
As embodied herein, the stem 22 has a circular cross-section
and extends outwardly beyond the end of the tube, the surface of the stem
being preFerably graduated as to its cross-sections to form a cone-like
surface. Preferably, toward the outer end of the stem, a portion 30 is
more steeply graduated, forming a frustum of a cone and at the end of
~` the stem a collar portion 32 9 again less steeply graduated, and may
be c~Xindrical.
As embDdied herein, the Plange 24 of the diaphragm 18 is
relatively thick and intsrconnects with the periphery of the support 20
o~ the disc member 16 to form a closure unit, the unit being inserted
; into the end o~ the wall 14 of the tube 12. The resilient, planaF
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portion 26 of the diaphragm mamber is formed to be concave with
respsct to the wall of the tubs in the normal re~t positiun of the
diaphragm member. As formed, the planar portion 26 in its unstressed
concave configuration has a negative angle of about 5 to 15 with
a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube. The
tubular portion 28, integral with the planar portion 26 and the flange
24, sxtends outwardly along and spaced from the surface of the stem
22 and terminates in an open circular lip portion 34. Lip 34 makes
a close, sliding fit with the outer surface of the stem 22 in the
closed position of the closure to form a value with the stem.
In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1, the tubular portion 28
o~ the diaphragm member 18 includas a frusto-conical portion 56
extending along and spaced ~rom the stem 22 and a more sharply inclined
portion 38 terminating in the lip 34. The lip 34 is shaped to fit
snugly into the lntersectlon of the mor~ sharply graduated portion 30
and the collar 32 of the stem 22.
In accordance with the invsntion, the valve stem 22 is pressed
into and against the lip 34 of the diaphragm member 18 to lift the
; planar portion 26 of the diaphragm member about 2 when the diaphragmmember and the disc member are assembled into the closure unit. As a
result of the pressure of the stem qgainet the lip 34, the rest position
~- of the planar portion of the diaphragm 18 when assembled forms a
negative angle o~ substantially 3 to 13 with a plane normal to the
longitudinal axis of the tube, as shown in FIG, 3, stressing the
diaphragm in its rest position.
When the disc member 16 and the diaphragm member 18 are fitted
together, substantially no radial pressure should be deu~loped to avoid
aQ~ adverss effect on the action of the diaphragm.
Pre~erably, in the closed position the lip 34 abuts the valve
stem at the intersection of the frustum of thfl cone 30 and the
cylindrical portion 32 and ia ~ormed to have a surface complementary
to the intersection.
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The h~ight of th~ valve stem 22 may vary, as convenient,
along with the height of the tubular portion 28 of the diaphragm
member ~or functional and aesthetic purposes. In any case, however,
the height o~ the stem and the dimension~ of the portions of ths
A d aphragm member should be 80 intsrrelated that, upon a~sembly, the
stem lifts the diaphragm member by an angle of about 2 ~rom its
formed rest position to its assembled rest position.
- As embodied herein, under this arrangement the inherent bias
of the diaphragm 18 forms a secure closure between the lip 34 of the
diaphragm member 1~ and the collar and frusto-conicsl portion o~
the stem 22. Thug, a tight valve seal against leakage or post-
; dispensing drippage is provided.
It is advantageous ~or the user of the tube to be able to
actuate the uelve to dispense the contents o~ the tube without having
to 0xert undue preseure on the tube. The ~lowability of the material
to be dispensed i9 a factor which must be taken into consideration.
For ~ree-~lowing produot~:the diameter of the diaphragm
member 26 may be, for sxample, 15-35 millimeters (preferably 20-35mm)
and the negative, assembled rest angle of the planar portion of the
; 20 diaphragm member preferably is about 10. For pasty products, the
corresponding negative angle would be about 12.
the valve diameter, i.e. the diameter o~ the diaphragm
; mumber 26, is increased the same lever arm movement is achieved by
a smaller negative rest angle. For valve dismeters up to 60 millimeters,
assembled negative rest angles down to 5 are normal. For practical
purposes, a ~ormed negative angle o~ 5 to 15 ~or the planar portion
o~ the diaphragm member 18~ with a resulting 3 to 13 assembled
~ ne~gative angle, is operative.
`~ The ~lange 24 of the diaphragm member 18 may be ~ormed with
a bulging ring 40 for snap-~itting into a channel 42 in the wall of
~, the tube. If the closure 10 is snap-fitted into the tube 12, care
rust be taken that pressure i~ not exerted on the diaphragm member 18
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~093034
so as to affect the closure relationship of the diaphragm member la
with the stem 22. It is pref~rred that no substantially radial
pressure be applied to the closure member lO by the wall of the tube
and, if radial pressure is developed, such pressure should not exceed
that which would cause the negative angle of the diaphragm to move
more than ~ 1.
It is apparsnt that the closure lO may be secured in the
tube 12 by means other than snap-~itting, as known in the art, such
as by soldering, thermo-setting adherents, or rolling revarse flangss.
When the olosure un~t lO is secured in the tube 12 by one o~ these
alternative means, substantially no radial forces would normally be
applied to the diaphragm member lB.
As embodied herein, the flange 24 o~ the diaphragm membar
18 should be relatively thick with respect to the plsnar portion 26
ln order to sustain the radial pres~res applied when the planar
portion 26 i~ ~orced outwardly by pressure on rssilient portione o~
the tube 12. On the other hand, ~he planar portion 26 must be relative-
ly thin with respect to the flange portion 24 to permit the de~lection
o~ the planar portion as the diaphragm moves from its closed rest
pos1tion to its open position.
Preferably the diaphragm member lB is ~ormed by injection
:
-~9~ mo1ding plastic material such as polypropylene, but othsr ~orms of
manufacturs and material can be used. The planar portion 26 o~ the
diaphrsgm member 18 has a thickness of about .20 to .40 mm. It is
apparent that the material ~orming the diaphragm member must be stron~
enough to avoid rupture while retaining the resiliency to deflect
un\der manual pressure on thc tube.
` As embodied herein, in the open position o~ the valve the planar
portion 26 o~ the diaphr~gm member ~qrms a positive angle not to exceed
8, and preferably~not to exceed 5~ with a pl~ne perpendicular to the
-~ longitudinal axis of the tube. Pre~erably the positive angle is
between 3 and 5.
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~1)93034
With tha specifications stated, as smbodied herein, the
planar portion 26 of the diaphragm member 18 will returo to its
original negative reqt position when pressure is relaased on the
tube.
The opsration of applicant~ sel~-closing clo~ure is such
that the action of ths disphragm is practically instantaneous both
in opening and in closing the tube. Due to the built-in bias on the
diaphragm member, the resiliant planar portion 26 does not deflect
until a predetermined value of pressure is reached. This pressure
will normally vary, depending on the valv~e dimsnsions, from about 20
to 200 millibars.
Upon the application oP opening preesure to the tube, there
is a relatively large axial movement of the planar portion of
the diaphragm from its negative-angle closed position to its positive-
angle opened posltion. This movement li~ts the lip 34 awsy Prom the
stem to an extent that a large dispensing passage for the tube contents
is provided between ths stem 32 and the interior o~ the tubular portion
Z8 of the diaphragm. The substance being dispensed can flow relatively
j~ unrestricted pa~t the stem 22 and through open lip 34.
The valve of applicant's self-closing closure not only does
~ not leak wSIen thq tube is subjsct to prs~sure less than the
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predetermined value, but cuts off cleanly the substance being dispsnsed
and provides a tight se-l whsn the pressure on the tube is released and
the plansr portion of bhe diaphragm returns to its negative rest position.
In the preforred smbodiment of FIG. 4,the tubular portion 28
of the diaphragm member lY is formed with a collar portion 44 having
~$~ q substantially constant diameter and a sharply inclined portion 46
Por~mjng a frustum of a cone and terminating in the lip 34. The planar
portion 26 and the collar portion 44 form a stiff hinge where they
interssct. In this embodiment e wider passage is provided for the Plow
of material between ths stem 22 and the tubulsr portion 28 of the
diaphragm member 18.
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1093034
Th~ di9c member 16 and the diaphragm memb~r 18 may b~
very inexpsnsively formed, for example, of plastic by injection
molding as known in the art and may be convenisntly assembled as a
clo~u~s unit by snap-fitting, welding or other known methods.
Although the invention has been particularly described with
respect to a tube, the self-closing closure of the invention i9
equally suited ~or any dispensing package ~ ving at least one resilient
wall, in which the contents of the package are dispensed through the
closure by pressure on the contents of the package by means of the
resilient wall.
The poRitive and nsgative angles of the planar portions of the
diaphragm have been described with respect to the longitudinal axis
of the tube. It is apparent tha~ the angles of the diaphragm may also
be computed with respect to the longitudinal sxis of the stem with the
same resultg.
The lnvention al~o lncludee a devlce for locking the closure
in its closed po~ition.
Referring to FIG, 5-7, the closure member 16 hae an annular
portion 47 which in one end thereof merges into a base portion 45 pro-
vided w1th a periphsral profiled groove 49. The spoke-like members 23
are here substituted by a solid wall 50 but it i9 obvious that tha
spoke-llke members may be used if they are covered by a separate disc
preventing flow communication between the interior of the container and
the interior of the closure. A number of through running openings 51
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; ~ are provided in the annular portion 47. -In order to obtsin such openings
wlthout the use of an injection moulding tool having sideways movable
plates, these openings 51 are, as will be ssen in FIG. 6, shaped as
gro~vès which radially terminate at the same distance from the centre ~!~
as the auter ~urface of the annular portion, and in the axisl direction r'
they extend from the lower sur~ace o~ the base portion to a point
.: ,,.
positioned at a higher level than the uppsr surface of th~ base
~ portion.
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The purpose of the profiled groove 49 is to lock the disc
r~lember 16 to the diaphragm member 18 and said profiled grocvs will
be further described in connection with said diaphragm member 18.
The flange 24 of the diaphragm membar 18 has i bas0 portion
62 from which projHcts a peripheral lip 53 divarging upwardly, as
seen in FIG. 5. Said lip tapers towards the free end thereo~ and
at lsast in said free end, it is thin walled to yield the flexibility
required ~or the assembling method to be described. In tha position
shown in FIG. 5, the collar 32 of stem 22 is sealingly engaging the
lip 34 and, consequsntly, the closure is closed. A number of grooves
54 are provided in the inner surfaca of the annular portion or flange
24 and said grooves are preferably located at the same sngular distance
from each other as the grooves 51 of the closure 16. It is understood
that the grooves 54 and 51 may be brought into and out of registry
wlth each other by turnlng the closure membera 16 and 18 relative to
each other. In order to ~acilitate such turning movement, the diaphragm
member lB has a plurality of axially projecting projections 55 in the
illustrated embodiment of the invention.
As mentioned in the preamble of this description, the
closure only comprises two parts and said parts or members are intended
to be mutually connected by means of a snap action. To achieve this
object, the profiled groove 49 is dssigned according to FIG. 5, i.e.
having two substantially parallel surfaces 49a and 49b meeting in a
peripheral flange 49c. As a consequence of this design, the base
portion 48 has a peripheral, outwardly diverging lip 56 defined by
the surfaces 49a, 49b, 49c on the ons hand and the outer surface 49d
on the othcr hand. It is thu~ posaible to connect the closure to a
corr~pondingly shaped oart o~ a bottle, or the like) in a simple snap
ection. It is understood that by bringing the members 16 and 18
together, the lip 53 will slide against the surface 49a. Since the
maximum diameter of the lip 53 exceeds the minimum diameter of the
surface 49a, said lip 53 and the corresponding lip 56 of the base
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~L093034
portion 48 will be elastically deformed, and when lip 53 passes the
flange 49c, said two lips will return to their original shapes, whereby a
sRaling connection is obtained bstween the members 16 and 18. In said
connected position, the mernbers 16 and 1~ may be turned in relation to
eclch other, but they msy not be separated. The same condition is obtainsd
wherl said lip 56 of the baee portion 4~ i8 brought into engagement with
a correspondingly-shaped portion of a container, such as a bottle, and,
thus, it is possible to connect the two msmbers of the closure in the
simpliest manner possible and to connecb the closure to a container in
the same ~imple manner.
~hen the members 16 and la of the closure are in such an angular
position relative to each other that the openings 51 and 54 register,there
is a communication between the space 57 forming the interior of the closure
and the interior of the container.
However, in order to make the closure inoperative also when the
tube, or the lik~, is sub~cted to a pressure that normally would give
rise to thc openlng o~ the olosure, lt is only necessary to turn the
m~mber l~ 8uch that the grooves 54 thereof no longer are in register with
the grooves 51 of clasure member 16. The communication between the interior
~0 of the closure and the interior of the tube is now broken and a pressurs
applied to the contents of the tube is therefore no longer transmitted to
the diaphragm which is not deformed or ~tressed in any way.
It i8 under~tood that it is possible to provide the closure
members 16, 1~ with co-operating elements to obtaln a signal that can be
sensed when the cln~ure members are in mutually-engaging locked or unlocked
positions.
; In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5-9, the material
; t~ be dispensed is fed to ths interior 57 o~ the closure, similarly to tha
"
embodiment described above and in a substantially radial direction, but
3`0 contra~y to the described embodiment the feeding is not accomplished from
the periphery of the closure but from the central portion thereof. Further,
the olosure is designed to be threaded anto a tube or the like, but despite
the difference in design, the general designations from Figs 5-7 have been
maintalned also in figures ~ and 9, since the function of the parts is
principally the same.
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1093034
The closure mamber 16 has a circumf0rential flexible lip 58 to be
connected to the closure member 18 by a snapping action and member 18 has,to
this end, a circumferential b~ad 59 and the lip i8 pughed over said bead during
as~emblage. Hereby the two closure members ars connected to ea~h other in such
a rnanner that thfly ~ay be turned relative to each other. The wall 50 of the
closure member 16 hae further a sleeve-Rhaped connection portion 60 which, as can
be sesn, may be inwardly threaded 90 that it may be threaded onto an ordinary
tube of the tooth-paste tube type. A downwardly open recess 61 is ~ormed in
the stem 22 and may communicate with the interior 57 of the closure by means
of openings 62. The closure member 18 is provided with a slee~e ~3 extending
in a direction opposits to that of sleeve 36 and the free end thereof is guidsd
in a raçess 64 provided in wall 50. The sleeve 63 has openings 65 which may
be brought into and out of registry with the opqnings 62. It can be seen that
in the first case, a communication is prouided between the interi~r of the
closure and of the tube and that ssid communication does not exist in the
latter-msntioned case and, similarly~ to the embodiment descri,~ed above, the
locking of ~he clo~ure ie thus obtalne,d by turnlng the two closure membere
rslative to each other. In order to limit this turning mouement and also to
give an indication of the sngular positlo,n obtained, the cloaure members
may have co-operating parts, such as one or several projections 66 of cloaure
member 10 and recesses 67 of,suitable pqripheral extqnsion in closure member
16. The projection,is preferably 80 shaped that it efficiently prevents turning
movement past the position in which the closure is closed~ i.e. with the
open1ngs 62 and 65 in non-registered position and in the open poeition with
' ~ the opsnings 62 and 65 in registered position~ respectively.
'~ The lower edge portion of the flange 24 of closure member 18 may
be toothed or ~erratad, 80 that said flange will be~secured to the end of the
`~ tube upon threading.
;`~ It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modific~tions could be made in the self-closing closure of the invention
without departing from thq scope or spirit of the invention.
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