Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTAINER CLOSURE
Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to plastic closures for
fluid containers that dispense product through a container
opening upon application of hand pressure.
Background Of The Invention
Prior art closures for fluid containers are myriad in
design and construction. These often require complicated
molding, assembly of parts, are expensive to manufacture, do
not close and seal properly, do not provide a variable closure
opening dependent on the hand pressure used to dispense, are
subject to opening upon inadvertent squeezing, and/or are of
a shape not conducive to easy handling and shipping.
Prior art U.S. Patent No. 1,977,227 (1934) discloses a
closure wherein panels are separately placed in a mold in an
overall frusto-conical shape, with rubber then poured over and
under the panels to form a resilient part between the panels.
An opening slit is then cut in the rubber. The frusto-conical
shape of the panels is the closed position of the closure, and
the panels cannot be folded to a flat position for ease of
handling and shipping. Accordingly, the rubber is not folded
in either the open or closed positions of the closure, and the
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sides of the panels are always separated. This multi-piece
closure among other deficiencies is labor intensive and
expensive to manufacture.
A further prior art closure is shown in PCT International
Publication Number WO 82/01360 (1982), having a complex
arrangement of triangular panels in overlapping layers of
inner and outer seals, or a single layer of such panels but
without interconnecting webs or membranes or other sealing
means between the panels. In the latter instance, reliable
sealing is unlikely, and opening upon inadvertent squeezing is
not prevented.
Other prior art closures are known that have slitted
configurations or various other constructions.
Summary Of The Invention
The present invention is intended to provide a plastic
one-piece container closure which is strongly constructed,
easily and cheaply manufactured, requires no assembly,
functions reliably and efficiently, closes and seals properly,
provides a variably-sized closure opening depending on hand
pressure of the user, does not inadvertently open, and is easy
to handle and ship by virtue of its shape. The closure will
be used to dispense lotions and various other fluid products
from a container.
The closure has an annular collar for attachment to the
container about its opening. A plurality of leaflets are
attached by hinges to the collar, and a plurality of flexible
and foldable webs are attached to and extend between adjacent
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pairs of leaflets. The leaflets extend adjacent one another
in an essentially flat horizontal configuration in the closed
position of the closure with the webs folded in pleats beneath
the adjacent leaflets. When the container is squeezed to
dispense product, the leaflets pivot upwardly at their hinges
under the influence of fluid pressure. The leaflets separate
from one another upon upward pivoting and the webs unfold and
extend between the separated leaflets to form with the
leaflets the closure dispensing opening.
The leaflets are quasi-triangular in shape, having long
sides that converge toward the central axis of the closure.
The webs are attached to the long sides of the leaflets.
A cap for the closure is integrally attached to the
collar by a snap-action, bow-tie hinge. The cap has a central
pin in its undersurface that seals against the radially
innermost portions of the leaflets upon closing the cap into
the closure.
The closure for the present invention is molded as a
unitary member. The closure is initially molded in the open
position with the leaflets extending angularly upward and
separated from one another, and with the webs unfolded and
extending between adjacent pairs of leaflets. Thereafter,
while the leaflets and hinges are warm, the leaflets are
pivoted downwardly to the closed closure position where the
leaflets extend adjacent one another in an essentially planar
surface and the webs are folded beneath the adjacent leaflets.
Upon cooling, the elastic positional memory of the closure
accordingly is in the closed position.
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In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a
closure for a fluid container that dispenses product through a container
opening by
the application of hand pressure, comprising: an annular collar for attachment
to the
container about its opening; a plurality of leaflets attached by hinges to the
collar; a
plurality of flexible and foldable webs attached to and extending between
adjacent
pairs of the leaflets; said leaflets extending adjacent one another in an
essentially flat
surface in a closed position of the closure with the webs folded like pleats
beneath
the adjacent leaflets; said leaflets upon product dispensing being pivotable
upwardly
at their hinges by fluid pressure to separate from one another in an open
position of
the closure, with said webs unfolding and extending between the separated
leaflets
to form with the leaflets a closure dispensing opening; said leaflets in the
absence of
product dispensing being pivotable downwardly to return to their closed
closure
position adjacent one another with said webs folded beneath the leaflets.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method of forming a plastic closure for a fluid container, said closure having
an
annular collar, a plurality of leaflets, and a plurality of flexible and
foldable webs,
comprising: molding said closure with said leaflet members attached by hinges
to the
collar and said webs attached to and extending between adjacent pairs of the
leaflets, further comprising initially molding said closure in an open
position with said
leaflets extending upwardly at an angle and separated from one another and
with
said webs unfolded and extending between the separated leaflets; and
thereafter
pivoting said leaflets, while said hinges are warm, downwardly to a position
where
said leaflets extend adjacent'one another in an essentially planar surface and
said
webs fold beneath the adjacent leaflets.
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Other features and advantages of the present invention
will be apparent from the following description, drawings and
claims.
Brief Description Of The Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the closure of the
present invention in closed position but with its then
normally closed cap open for clarity of illustration;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the closure of the
present invention in open position;
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of the
present invention in closed position but with its normally
closed cap open;
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the closure of the present
invention in closed position but with its normally closed cap
open;
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view taken from Fig. 3 and
illustrating in cross-section the hinging of the leaflets to
the collar in the closure of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of the
present invention in open position.
Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the closure of the present
invention in open position; and
Fig. 8 is a rear elevational view of the closure of the
present invention in closed position and illustrating the
bow-tie hinge connecting the closure cap to the closure
collar.
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Detailed Description Of Embodiment
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, plastic closure 10 is shown
having annular collar 11 for attachment to a fluid container
(not shown) about a dispensing opening in the container.
5 Attachment for example may be by threads 12 (see Fig. 3), snap
fittings (not shown), or other known attachment means.
A plurality of leaflets 13 are positioned at the top of
collar 11 and are attached by integral hinges 14 (see in
particular Fig. 5) to collar 11. Eight such leaflets 13 are
shown, although the number may obviously vary. In the closed
position of closure 10, leaflets 13 are shown in Figs. 1,3,4
and 5 extending adjacent one another in an essentially flat
horizontal surface. Each leaflet 13 is a quasi-triangular
shape having two long sides 15 that converge in a direction
away from the hinge 14 associated with the particular leaflet
13. The long sides 15 of each leaflet 13 lie adjacent the
long sides of adjacent leaflets 13 in the closed position of
closure 10.
Integrally attached to and extending between the leaflets
13 are a plurality of thin, flexible and foldable webs 16,
webs 16 each extending between and attached to the long sides
15 of two adjacent leaflets 13. Webs 16 might be of the order
of .005 inches thick and leaflets 13 might be of the order of
.040 inches thick, solely as an example. in the closed
position of closure 10, each web 16 folds beneath the adjacent
pair of leaflets 13 and the long leaflet sides 15 lie adjacent
one another. When the closure opens, the long leaflet sides
15 will be spaced from one another.
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Closure 10 will generally be attached to a squeezable
fluid container, for example. When the container is manually
squeezed, the pressure of the fluid to be dispensed forces the
leaflets 13 from their essentially planar Fig. 1 position to
the Fig. 2 position wherein each leaflet has pivoted upwardly
about its hinge 14 and is now spaced from its adjacent
leaflets. Webs 16 have now unfolded and straightened out
between leaflets 13. Dispensing opening 17 is thereby created
in closure 10 to allow dispensing of the fluid product. Less
hand pressure on the container will create a smaller opening
17, and more hand pressure will create a larger opening. This
open condition of the closure 10 is illustrated in Figs. 2,6
and 7, with all but one of the webs 16 not shown in Fig. 6 for
clarity of illustration.
After the desired amount of product has been dispensed by
closure 10 and the squeezing pressure is released, leaflets 13
will pivot back downwardly about. their hinges 14 to again
assume the Fig. 1 closed position of closure 10, with webs 16
once again folding up between and beneath adjacent leaflets
13. This pivoting downwardly of leaflets 13 is assisted by
the suction of product back into the container after the
container is no longer squeezed to dispense product.
Closure 10 also includes cap 20 integrally attached to
collar 11 by bow-tie hinge 21. Cap 20 has central pin 22 and
surrounding surface 23 extending from the under surface (when
closed) of the cap 20. Bow-tie hinge 21 snaps between the
open and closed positions of cap 20 on closure 10. When cap
20 is in its closed position and leaflets 13 are in their
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essentially flat orientation, central pin 22 extends into
central opening 18 at the central axis of the closure defined
by the radially inward tips 19 (see Fig. 4) of leaflets 13.
Tips 19 seal against central pin 22. Under surface 23 of cap
20 acts to hold leaflets 13 flat in the closed cap position.
Snap means may be provided for cap 20 to snap at its periphery
onto the periphery of collar 11 in the closed position. The
bow-tie hinge 21 acts to hold cap 20 in closed position even
in the presence of accidental squeezing of the container.
Collar 11, leaflets 13, hinges 14, webs 16, cap 20 and
bow-tie hinge 21 may all be integrally molded with one another
into a one-piece plastic closure, in a single molding
operation. The plastic may be polypropylene, for example. In
particular, the closure is molded in a single molding
operation of all the parts into the orientation of parts as
shown in Fig. 2. Webs 16 are therefore molded in their
unfolded position. Thereafter, while the hinges 14 and
leaflets 13 are still warm, the leaflets 13 are pivoted
downwardly to the closed Fig. 1 position. Webs 16 accordingly
fold under the leaflets 13. When the closure has cooled, the
elastic positional memory of the leaflets 13 and hinges 14 is
in the Fig. 1 position rather than the Fig. 2 position. Cap
20 is then swung upwardly (see Fig. 3) and snapped over and
onto the top of collar 11. The closures 10 are then ready for
packing and shipping, and no assembly operation is required.
The several features of the present invention described
above together define a unique and simple one-piece container
closure which is easily manufactured, inexpensive, requires no
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assembly, provides a variable flow depending on hand pressure,
prevents dispensing in the presence of inadvertent squeezing
of the container, functions reliably and efficiently for the
consumer, is easily handled and shipped, and may be placed
upside down on a surface if desired.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that
variations and/or modifications may be made to the present
invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be
considered as illustrative and not restrictive. It should
also be understood that positional terms as used in the
specification are used and intended in relation to the
positioning shown in the drawings, and are not otherwise
intended to be restrictive.
