Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DISPENSING CLOSURE WITH ORIFICE EXTERNAL SEAL
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to container closures for dispensing a fluent
substance.
The invention is more particularly related to a dispensing closure system that
is
especially suitable for a hand-held container and that may or may not include
a lid
that can be opened and closed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
AND
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART
Fluent materials, including liquids, creams, powders, etc., may be
conventionally packaged in a container having a dispensing closure which
includes a
closure body that is disposed over an open end of the container and that
defines one or
more dispensing orifices communicating with the container. interior. A cap or
lid is
typically provided for being closed on the body for occluding the body
dispensing
orifice(s) when the container is not in use. This prevents spillage if the
container is
dropped or tipped over. The lid may also help keep the contents fresh and may
reduce
the ingress of contaminants.
The inventor of the present invention has discovered a novel closure system
for dispensing a fluent substance, including liquid, wherein the closure
system
includes advantageous features not heretofore taught or contemplated by the
prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, an improved dispensing closure system is
provided for a container that has an opening to the container interior where a
fluent
substance may be stored. The system includes a closure base or body for
extending
from the container at (and over) the container opening. The closure body has a
reduced size dispensing orifice for communicating with the container interior
(which
interior can be filled with a substance that can be dispensed through the
orifice): The
closure body also has a peripheral sealing surface around the dispensing
orifice. The
system further includes a removable member or cover initially occluding the
dispensing orifice. The cover includes a seal removably adhered to the
peripheral
sealing surface. The cover has a tab extending from the seal. The tab has a
free end
that can be grasped by a user and pulled to remove the seal from the closure
body
peripheral sealing surface and carry the cover away from the dispensing
orifice.
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The dispensing closure system may also include an optional lid for moving
between (1) a closed position on top of the closure body to enclose said
dispensing
orifice and cover, and (2) an open position away from the dispensing orifice
and cover
to permit the removal of the cover. If a lid is provided, the closure may also
have a
hinge connecting the lid with the closure body.
The dispensing closure system components can be designed for easily
accommodating the assembly of the components during manufacture of the closure
system.
The dispensing closure system can be provided with a design that
accommodates efficient, high quality, large volume manufacturing techniques
with a
reduced product reject rate.
The dispensing closure system can optionally be designed to accommodate its
use with a variety of conventional or special containers having a variety of
conventional or special container finishes, including conventional threaded or
snap-fit
attachment configurations. The dispensing closure system could also be
incorporated
in a unitary container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends
and a
dispensing orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g.,
with thermal
welding or adhesive) to a container.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become
readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention,
from the
claims, and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which like
numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, isometric view of a first embodiment of a closure
system of the present invention in the form of a first embodiment of a
separate
dispensing closure according to a preferred use of the invention, and the
closure is
shown installed on a container with the closure lid closed;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to FIG. 1, but in FIG. 2 the
closure is shown with the lid in an opened condition and with the cover sealed
to the
spout over the dispensing orifice;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 3-3 in FIG.
2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to FIG. 2, but FIG. 4 shows
the
cover lifted off of the spout to open the orifice;
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FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but in FIG. 5 the closure is shown prior
to
sealing the cover to the spout, prior to closing the lid, and prior to
installing the
closure on a container;
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a roll, reel, or spool of a ribbon or strip
product
from which the dispensing orifice cover can be cut or stamped;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, isometric view of the leading end of a
portion of the strip product shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a leading end portion of the strip product shown in
FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 further shows circular disks that can be punched or cut in
the strip
to provide the circular cover shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4;
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a separate dispensing
closure according to a preferred use of the invention, and the closure is
shown in a
closed condition prior to installation on a container;
FIG. 10 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 9, but in FIG. 10 the closure is
shown with the lid in an as-molded, opened condition and with the cover sealed
to the
spout over the dispensing orifice;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 11-11 in
FIG.
10;
FIG. 12 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 10, but FIG. 12 shows the cover
lifted off of the spout to open the orifice; and
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 11, but in FIG. 13 the
closure
components are shown in an exploded relationship.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms,
this specification and-the accompanying-drawings disclose only one specific
form as
an example of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to
the
embodiment so described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in
the
appended claims.
For ease of description, many of the figures illustrating the invention show
the
dispensing closure system as including a separate, removable, dispensing
closure in
the typical orientation that the closure would have at the top of a container
when the
container is stored upright on its base, and terms such as upper, lower,
horizontal, etc.,
are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that
the
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closure system of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported,
used, and
sold in an orientation other than the orientations described.
- - THE DISPENSING CLOSURE SYSTEM ON A CONTAINER
A preferred first embodiment of a dispensing closure system of the present
invention is illustrated in the figures and is designated generally therein by
reference number 20 in FIG. 1. In the embodiment illustrated, the closure
system
20 is provided in the form of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing
closure
20 which is adapted to be mounted or installed on a container 22 that would
typically contain a fluent substance.
The container 22 includes a neck 26 (FIG. 2) extending upwardly from a
main hollow body portion of the container. The neck 26 defines an opening 27
(FIG. 3) to the container interior.
The container neck 26, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3,
has an external, male thread 29 for engaging the dispensing closure system 20.
The main body portion of the container 22 may have any suitable configuration,
and the upwardly projecting neck 26 may have a different cross-sectional size
and/or shape than the container main body portion. (Alternatively, the
container
22 need not have a neck 26, per se. Instead, the container 22 may consist of
only a
main body with an opening.)
Although the container 22, per se, does not form a part of the broadest
aspects of the present invention, per se, it will be appreciated that at least
a
portion of the dispensing closure system 20 of the present invention
optionally
may be provided as a unitary portion, or extension, of the top of the
container 22.
The dispensing closure system could also be incorporated in a unitary
container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends and a
dispensing
orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g., with
thermal
welding or adhesive) to a container. However, in the preferred embodiment
illustrated, the dispensing closure system 20 is a completely separate article
or unit
(e.g., a dispensing closure 20), and is adapted to be removably, or non-
removably,
installed either on a previously manufactured container 22 that has an opening
27 to
the container interior. Hereinafter, the dispensing closure system or
dispensing
closure 20 will be more simply referred to as the closure 20.
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The illustrated embodiment of the closure 20 is adapted to be used with a
container 22 having an opening 27 to provide access to the container interior
and to a
product (i.e., a material in the form of a fluent substance) contained
therein. The
closure 20 can be used to dispense substances, including, but not limited to,
liquids,
suspensions, mixtures, etc. (such as, for example, a food or beverage product,
a
personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other
compositions of matter (e.g., compositions for use in activities involving
manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture,
medical treatment, military operations, etc.)).
to The container 22 with which the closure 20 may be used would typically be a
squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls which can be grasped by
the user
and squeezed or compressed to increase the internal pressure within the
container so
as to force the product out of the container and through the opened closure.
Such a
flexible container wall typically has sufficient, inherent resiliency so that
when the
squeezing forces are removed, the container wall returns to its normal,
unstressed
shape. Such a squeezable container is preferred in many applications but may
not be
necessary or preferred in other applications. For example, in some
applications it may
be desirable to employ a generally rigid container (including, but not limited
to, a
glass container), and to pressurize the container interior at selected times
with a piston
or other pressurizing system, or to reduce the exterior ambient pressure
around the
exterior of the closure so as to suck the material out through the open
closure.
- - THE GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE CLOSURE COMPONENTS
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the presently most preferred form of the closure 20
includes two basic components: (1) a unitary molded body or base 30, and (2) a
removable seal member or cover 31. Optionally, and as seen in the illustrated
preferred embodiment, the closure 20 may also include a lid 32 and a hinge 34
connecting the lid 32 to the closure body 30.
In the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention, the lid 32 is
provided to be closed over, and cover, the upper part of the closure body 30.
The lid
32 can be moved to expose the upper part of the closure body 30 to accommodate
dispensing of the fluent product from the container 20. The lid 32 is movable
between (1) a closed position over the body 30 (as shown in FIG. 1), and (2)
an open
position (as show in FIG. 2). In the illustrated embodiment, the lid 32 is
hinged to the
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body 30 so as to accommodate pivoting movement of the lid 32 between the
closed
position and the open position.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, wherein the lid 32 is provided and
wherein the lid 32 is connected to the closure body 30 with a hinge 34 (FIG.
2), the
hinge 34 may be of any suitable type. One form of a hinge 31 that may
advantageously be used is the snap-action type described in U.S. Patent No.
6,321,923. Other types of hinges could be used. In some applications, the
hinge
could be omitted altogether, and the lid 32 need not be connected to the body
30 at all.
In other applications, it may be desirable to omit the lid 32 entirely.
It is presently contemplated that many applications employing the closure
body 30 and lid 32 will conveniently be realized by molding from a suitable
thermoplastic material or materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the
closure body
and lid could be molded from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as, but
not
limited to, polypropylene. The closure body and lid may be molded from a
different
material or materials. The materials may have the same or different colors and
textures.
- - ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL AND MANUFACTURING DETAILS
As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the body 30 includes a deck 40 and a skirt 42
which extends downwardly from the closure body deck 40. As can be seen in FIG.
2,
the outer edge of the deck 40 includes two latch beads 41--one on each side.
In the
preferred embodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 2, the upper edge of the skirt 42
defines
a peripheral shoulder 43, and the exterior surface of the skirt 42 includes
vertical
grooves 44. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the interior of the skirt 42
defines an
internal, female thread 46 for threadingly engaging the container neck
external, male
thread 29 (FIG. 3) when the dispensing closure body 30 is installed on the
container
neck 26.
Alternatively, the closure body skirt 42 could be provided with some other
container connecting means, such as a snap-fit bead or groove (not
illustrated) for
engaging a container neck groove or bead (not illustrated), respectively.
Also, the
closure body skirt 42 could instead be permanently attached to the container
22 by
means of induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the like, depending
on
materials used for the closure body 30 and container 22. In another alternate
design
(not illustrated), the closure body 30 could be formed as a unitary part, or
extension,
of the container 22.
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In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, an annular "crab's claw,"
flexible, seal member 47 is provided to extend downwardly from the underside
of the
closure body deck 40 to seal against the upwardly facing annular surface of
the
container neck 26. Other seal designs could be employed, including a
conventional
"V" seal, a conventional "plug" seal, or some other such conventional or
special seal,
depending upon the particular application.
The closure body skirt 42 may have any suitable configuration for
accommodating an upwardly projecting neck 26 of the container 22 or for
accommodating any other portion of a container received within the particular
configuration of the closure body skirt 42--even if a container does not have
a neck,
per se. The main part of the container 22 may have a different cross-sectional
shape
than the container neck 26 and closure body skirt 42. The closure body skit 42
may
be adapted for mounting to other types of fluent substance handling container
systems.
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the container neck receiving
passage in the closure body skirt 42 has a generally cylindrical
configuration, but
includes the inwardly projecting thread 46. However, the closure body skirt 42
may
have other configurations. For example, the closure body skirt 42 might have a
prism
or polygon configuration adapted to be mounted to the top of a container neck
having
a polygon configuration. Such prism or polygon configurations would not
accommodate the use of a threaded attachment, but other means of attachment
could
be provided, such as a snap-fit bead and groove arrangement, adhesive, or the
like.
As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the closure body 30 has a reduced size, generally
cylindrical, dispensing orifice 50 defined in a generally cylindrical spout 52
which
projects upwardly from the deck 40 of the closure body 30. The dispensing
orifice 50
establishes communication between the exterior and the interior of the closure
body
(and the orifice 50 can thereby establish communication with the interior of
the
container 22 to which the body 30 is attached). The orifice 50 provides a flow
passage or discharge passage through which the contents of the container 22
can be
30 discharged when the lid 32 is open and the cover 31 is removed. The top of
the spout
52 has an upwardly facing, peripheral sealing surface 54 around the orifice
50.
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the upper, outer edge of the spout 52 has a chamfer
or frustoconical surface 56 which slants downwardly and outwardly from the
outer
edge of the peripheral sealing surface 54. In other applications (not
illustrated), the
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chamfer surface 56 may be omitted). In the preferred embodiment, the exterior
of the
spout 52 between the lower edge of the frustoconical surface 56 and the deck
40
defines a generally cylindrical surface 58. The cylindrical surface 58 may be
characterized as extending below both the spout annular surface 54 and the
frustoconical surface 56. In other applications (not illustrated), the orifice
50 (and/or
spout 52) could be non-cylindrical.
As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 32 includes a top wall or cross wall
60
and a peripheral wall 62 which, when the lid 32 is closed top of the closure
body deck
40, has a downwardly projecting orientation and defines a downwardly facing
end
surface 63 for fitting on the closure body annular shoulder 41. As can be seen
in
FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 32 also has a generally annular sleeve 64 which
projects from
the transverse wall 60 on the underside of the lid 32. The sleeve 64 also
preferably
includes an annular seal bead 68 (FIGS. 2-5).
There is sufficient resiliency in the lid sleeve 64 and/or closure body spout
52
so as to accommodate the closing of the lid 32 onto the body 30 as shown in
FIG. 1
wherein the lid sleeve seal bead 68 can be positioned on the spout cylindrical
surface
58 to provide a substantially leak-tight seal. The sealing engagement between
the
closure body spout 52 and the closed lid sleeve 64 provides some resistance to
subsequent opening of the lid 32. An additional resistance to lid opening is
also
preferably provided by other co-acting features in the lid 32 and body 30.
Specifically, each interior side of the lid flange 62 has an inwardly
projecting latch
bead 76 (FIG. 2). When the lid 32 is closed, the lid latch beads 76 are forced
past the
closure body latch beads 41. When the lid 32 is in the closed condition on the
closure
body 30 (FIG. 1), the upwardly facing surface of each lid latch bead 76 is
below, and
is adapted to engage, the downwardly facing surface of an overlying closure
body
latch bead 41. The closure body 32 and/or the lid flange 62 are sufficiently
flexible to
accommodate temporary, elastic deformation as the beads 41 and 76 move past
each
other during the opening and closing actions. Other conventional or special
latch
designs could be used instead. In some applications, there may be no need for
a latch
system at all (especially if the hinge 34 is of the "snap-action" type and has
a very
strong biasing force and/or if there is a strong, frictional sealing force
between the lid
sleeve 64 and the closure body spout 52.).
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A finger-receiving surface or thumb-receiving surface 80 (FIGS. 1 and 3) may
optionally be provided at the front of the closure lid 32. To open the lid 32,
the user
initially pushes with a thumb or finger upwardly on the lid surface 80.
The end consumer or other user of a fluent substance product in a package
consisting of a container with a closure of the present invention would
initially open
the closure 20 by lifting the lid 32 to expose the spout 52 with the cover 31
initially
sealed thereto. If the closure was of a type that did not have a lid, than the
user would
first encounter the closure with the cover 31 exposed to view but initially
sealed on
the top of the spout 52.
As can be seen in Fig. 3, the cover 31 includes a base portion or seal 80 and
a
tab 82 extending from the seal 80. The tab 82 has a free end 84 that can be
grasped
by the user and pulled to remove the seal 80 from the closure body peripheral
sealing
surface 54 and carry the cover 31 away from the dispensing orifice 50 to
expose the
dispensing orifice 50 (see Fig. 4).
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the seal 80 is a generally circular
disc
having an exterior diameter equal to or less than the exterior diameter of the
annular
sealing surface 54. Further, in the preferred embodiment, the tab 82 has a
generally
semi-circular configuration.
In the preferred embodiment, at least the peripheral margin of the underside
of
the cover seal 80 (which overlies, and is attached to, the spout peripheral
sealing
surface 54) is attached by heat sealing or heat bonding to the spout annular
sealing
surface 54. Other forms of attachment could be used, such as adhesive or the
like. In
one preferred embodiment, the spout annular sealing surface 54 (which is in
contact
with the underside of the peripheral portion of the cover seal 80) preferably
has a
width or land dimension of about 0.060 inch. This has been found to provide a
sufficiently large contact surface to which the seal 80 can be bonded with
satisfactory
integrity for the typical consumer application and which allows the consumer
to
subsequently pull the cover 31 off of the spout 52.
The cover 31, according to a preferred form of the invention, is made from a
roll stock product marketed under the designation "unipac Lift `n' Peel TM LP-
E" by
Unipac Company (an ITW company), having an office at 125 Edward Street,
Aurora,
Ontario, Canada L4G 1 W3. Such a product is illustrated in Fig. 6-8. In Fig.
6, the
roll stock product is designated generally by the reference number 90 and is
shown
with an outwardly extending, unrolled portion, ribbon, or strip 92. As can be
seen in
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the enlarged view shown in Fig. 7, the strip 92 includes a base or seal
portion 80A
extending across the width of the strip, and also includes a tab portion 82A.
The tab
portion 82A extends from the center of the width of the strip 92 along a bend
line or
hinge line 94.
According to Unipac literature, the above-discussed Unipac roll stock product
includes a base sealable layer, a polyester layer, an aluminum foil layer, a
polyolefin
foam layer, a polyester tab, a polymer adhesive layer, and a polyester film
layer. The
base sealable layer, in conjunction with the aluminum foil layer, provides the
strip
product with the capability for being heat sealed by conventional induction
heat
sealing equipment. According to Unipac literature, the sealable layer provided
on the
bottom of the strip product is adapted to seal to various substrates,
including
polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyester, and
ABS.
The Unipac literature notes that this product is a "tabbed inner seal"
providing the
advantage to a cap manufacturer of permitting the use of a conventional punch
and die
set for use when lining caps.
According to the present invention, individual covers 31 can be cut or punched
from the strip 92 to form the circular configuration of each cover 31 and to
create the
semi-circular tab 82.
The closure manufacturer molds the closure body (as well as a lid if the
closure includes a lid) and maintains the closure in an open configuration
(Fig. 4) so
as to be able to receive one of the covers 31 stamped from the roll stock
strip 92.
Suitable conventional liner placement equipment and induction sealing unit
equipment can be employed to place the cover 31 on the closure spout. 52 and
then
thermally bond the cover seal 80 (Fig. 3) to the peripheral sealing surface 54
of the
closure body spout 52. Such liner punch equipment, liner placement equipment,
and
induction sealing unit equipment may be of any suitable conventional or
special type,
the details of which form no part of the present invention.
According to the present invention, the manufacturer of the closure cuts or
stamps each cover 31 from the roll stock strip 92 so that the cover 31 has a
size such
that when the cover 31 is applied to the spout 52 over the orifice 50, no
peripheral
portion of the cover 31 extends outwardly (laterally) beyond the edge of the
sealing
surface on the top of the spout. This provides a clean, aesthetically pleasing
assembly. In alternate forms of the invention (not illustrated), the cover 31
could
have a shape other than circular. Also, the closure need not have a spout 52,
per se.
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The annular sealing surface could instead be defined directly on a portion of
the
closure body deck 40.
According to the preferred form of the invention, the closure manufacturer can
provide the completed closure 20 in a closed condition to the product filler.
A
product filler is typically a company that fills a bottle or other container
with a fluent
substance product, and thereafter installs a closure on the filled container.
With some
types of conventional packaging, a closure manufacturer provides each closure
to the
filler with a liner stuffed into the inside of the closure below the closure
body deck
(i.e., below the dispensing orifice in the deck). The filler must then install
the closure
(with the liner under the closed body deck) on the container to compress the
liner
between the underside of the closure body deck and the top of the container.
Then the
filler must convey the package through induction sealing equipment so that the
liner is
heat-sealed to the top of the container under the closure body deck.
In contrast, the present invention permits the closure manufacturer to supply
a
completed, closed closure to the filler with the orifice already covered with
a heat-
bonded cover or seal so that the filler does not have to procure and use heat-
sealing
equipment.
The present invention also allows for the use of a much smaller diameter, heat
sealed cover or seal compared to a typical conventional liner that is provided
under
the closure body deck and which must extend across the entire larger opening
of the
container on which the closure is installed. The use of such a conventional,
larger
diameter liner sealed by induction sealing equipment after installation of the
closure
on the container can slow down the filling lines. In contrast, in the present
invention,
the use of a smaller diameter cover applied by the closure manufacturer to a
smaller
.25 spout (or other orifice-defining region) on a closure enables the filler
to run its filling
line at a higher speed.
The present invention provides the end use consumer or user with the
advantage of not having to initially remove a closure from a container to
expose a seal
liner on the container top in order to remove that seal liner. With the
present
invention, the closure does not have to be removed, and the end use consumer
can
conveniently remove the sealing cover from the top of the closure spout by
readily
lifting up on the tab.
Because the present invention employs a sealable cover which can be much
smaller than a conventional liner that extends completely across the entire
top of a
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container, there can be a significant difference in material cost, and thus
the present
invention system may have a lower cost than such a conventional container top
liner
system.
- - ALTERNATE EMBODIMENT
A second embodiment of a closure system of the present invention is
illustrated in FIGS. 9-13. The second embodiment of the system includes a
separate
dispensing closure 20A which is adapted to be installed on the neck of a
container
(not illustrated). The container may be of any suitable configuration. One
suitable
kind of container is the container 22 illustrated in FIG. 3 and described
above with
reference to the first embodiment of the closure 20.
As can be seen in FIG. 10, the closure 20A includes a unitary base or body
30A, a removable seal member or cover 31A, and a lid 32A connected by a hinge
34A
to the body 30A. The closure 20A also includes a valve 36A, and a valve
retainer
38A visible in FIGS. 11 and 13.
The second embodiment closure body 30A is similar to the first embodiment
closure body 30 described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5. However, the
second
embodiment closure body 30A has a spout 52A (FIG. 13) which is located in the
center of the generally circular closure body 30A, rather than toward the
front of the
closure body where the first embodiment closure spout 52 is located (compare
to
FIGS. 2 and 10). The second embodiment closure body spout 52A projects
upwardly
from a deck 40A of the closure body 30A and defines a dispensing orifice 50A
(FIG.
13) to provide a flow passage or discharge passage through which the contents
can
flow from a container (not illustrated) to which the closure 20A is attached.
Below
the deck 40A, the closure body 30A defines a female thread 46A for threadingly
engaging a mating male thread of a container.
As can be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, the top of the spout 52A has an upwardly
facing, peripheral sealing surface 54A around the orifice 50A. The upper,
outer edge
of the spout 52A has a curved surface 56A (FIG. 13) which slants outwardly and
downwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral sealing surface 54A. In the
preferred form of the second embodiment of the closure 20A, the spout 52A has
an
exterior surface between the upper curved surface 56A and the closure body
deck
40A, and that exterior surface defines a generally cylindrical surface 58A
(FIG. 13).
On the interior of the spout 52A, the spout defines a generally frustoconical
surface 59A (FIG. 13) for engaging the valve 36A as described in detail
hereinafter.
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The second embodiment closure lid 32A has generally the same structure as
described above for the first embodiment closure lid 32 illustrated in FIG. 5,
except
that the second embodiment closure lid 32A has an annular sleeve 64A located
in the
center of the lid 32A (rather than near the front edge) for fitting over, and
sealing
against, the spout 52A when the lid 32A is closed.
The valve 36A is adapted to be mounted in the closure spout 52A as shown in
FIG. 11. The preferred form of the valve 36A is a pressure-actuatable,
flexible, slit-
type valve which is retained on the inside of the spout 52A by means of the
retaining
ring 38A as described in detail hereinafter.
The valve 36A is preferably molded as a unitary structure from material which
is flexible, pliable, elastic, and resilient. This can include elastomers,
such as a
synthetic, thermosetting polymer, including silicone rubber, such as the
silicone
rubber sold by Dow Corning Corp. in the United States of America under the
trade
designation D.C. 99-595-HC. Another suitable silicone rubber material is sold
in the
United States of America under the designation Wacker 3003-40 by Wacker
Silicone
Company. Both of these materials have a hardness rating of 40 Shore A. The
valve
36A could also be molded from other thermosetting materials or from other
elastomeric materials, or from thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic
elastomers,
including those based upon materials such as thermoplastic propylene,
ethylene,
urethane, and styrene, including their halogenated counterparts.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the valve 36A has the
configuration and operating characteristics of a commercially available valve
design substantially as disclosed in the U.S. Patent No. 5,676,289 with
reference
to the valve 46 disclosed in the U.S. Patent No. 5,676,289. The operation of
such
a type of valve is further described with reference to the similar valve that
is
designated by reference number 3d in the U.S. Patent No. 5,409,144. The
descriptions of those two patents are incorporated herein by reference thereto
to
the extent pertinent and to the extent not inconsistent herewith.
The valve 36A is flexible and changes configuration between (1) a closed,
rest position (as shown closed in an upright position in FIGS. 11 and 13), and
(2)
an active, open position (not shown). The valve 36A includes a flexible,
central
portion or head 160A (FIG. 13). When the valve 36A is not actuated, the head
160A has a concave configuration (when viewed from the exterior of the closure
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spout 52A). The head 160A preferably has two, mutually perpendicular, planar,
intersecting, dispensing slits (not visible) of equal length which together
define a
normally closed dispensing orifice. The intersecting slits define four,
generally
sector-shaped, equally sized flaps or petals in the concave, central head
160A.
The flaps open outwardly from the intersection point of the slits in response
to an
increasing pressure differential across the valve 36A when the pressure
differential
is of sufficient magnitude--in the well-known manner described in the U.S.
Patent
No. 5,409,144.
As can be seen in FIG. 13, the valve 36A includes a skirt or sleeve 164A
which extends from the valve head 160A. The sleeve 164A extends in a reverse
angled orientation (when the valve 36A is in the unactuated, rest condition)
and
merges with an enlarged, much thicker, peripheral flange 170A which has a
generally dovetail-shaped, transverse cross section (as viewed in FIG. 13).
To accommodate the seating of the valve 36A in the spout 52A, the top
surface of the dovetail valve flange 170A has the same frustoconical
configuration
and angle as the spout frustoconical surface or seat 59A. The other surface
(i.e.,
bottom surface) of the valve flange 170A is engaged and clamped by the
retaining
ring 38A (FIGS. 11 and 13). The retaining ring 38A includes an outwardly or
upwardly facing, frustoconical, annular clamping surface 172A (FIG. 13) for
engaging the axially inner surface (i.e., bottom surface) of the valve flange
170A
at an angle which matches the angle of the adjacent, inner surface of the
dovetail
configuration of the valve flange 170A.
The peripheral portion of the retaining ring 38A includes an outwardly
projecting flange 178A (FIG. 13) for snap-fit engagement with the annular bead
142A (FIG. 13) that projects radially inwardly on the inside of the spout 52A.
The
valve 36A can be inserted into the open bottom end of the spout 52A along with
the retaining ring 38A. The valve 36A is initially mounted on the retainer
ring
clamping surface 172A. Then the retaining ring 38A can be pushed past the
spout
bead 142A because there is sufficient flexibility in the retaining ring 38A
and/or
spout 52A to accommodate temporary, elastic deformation of the components as
the retaining ring flange 178A passes over, and beyond, the spout bead 142A to
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WO 2009/117053 PCT/US2009/001388
create a snap-fit engagement that compresses or clamps the valve flange 170A
against the spout frustoconical surface 59A.
The cover 31A has the same structure and function as does the cover 31
described above for the first embodiment of the closure 20 illustrated in
FIGS. 1-8.
To this end, the second embodiment closure cover 31 A has a base portion or
seal 80A
and a tab 82A extending from the seal 80A (FIG. 12). The tab 82A can be
grasped by
the user and pulled to remove the seal 80 from the closure body peripheral
sealing
surface 54A and carry the cover 31A away from the dispensing orifice 50A to
expose
the dispensing orifice 50A (FIG. 12). The detailed configuration, structure,
and
manner of making and applying the cover 31 A to the second embodiment of the
closure 20A are identical to what has been described above for the first
embodiment
closure cover 31 illustrated in FIGS. 1-8.
If desired, the second embodiment of the closure 20A could be modified by
omitting altogether the lid 32A and hinge 34A.
It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed description of the
invention and from the illustrations thereof that numerous other variations
and
modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope
of the
novel concepts or principles of this invention.
