EP0357981A1

EP0357981A1 - Closing and dispensing cap for fluid materials

Info

Publication number: EP0357981A1
Application number: EP89114652A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marco Dr. Rossi
Original assignee: Mira Lanza SpA
Current assignee: Mira Lanza SpA
Priority date: 1988-09-02
Filing date: 1989-08-08
Publication date: 1990-03-14
Also published as: IT8815158V0; IT216038Z2

Abstract

A closing and dispensing cap for either liquid or powder materials, comprising a closure portion (1) to be connected on the mouth of a container, and a cooperating shutter (3). The closure portion (1) is shaped, at the free end thereof, as a spherical segment (201) provided with one or more dispensing holes (2, 2′) and the shutter is constructed as an oscillatable sector shutter (3) matching the outer surface of the spherical segment (201) and it may be displaced angularly over the surface of the spherical segment (201) about a central axis of said segment, from a position wherein it closes all the dispensing holes (2, 2′) to a plurality of opening positions in each of which only one or more dispensing holes (2, 2′) are opened and all the remaining dispensing holes (2′, 2) are closed.

Description

The invention relates to a closing and dispensing cap for fluid materials, more particularly for liquid or powder materials, comprising a closure portion to be either fixedly or removably connected to the mouth of a container, said closure portion being provided with one or more dispensing holes which may be closed by means of a shutter.
The invention aims to provide a closing and dispensing cap of the type described in the preamble, which is of simple and economical construction and permits the container to be either opened and closed in a simple and easy manner, while permitting at the same time an accurate proportioning of the amount of the desired product, so as to avoid any waste.
This invention solves this problem by providing a closing and dispensing cap of the type described in the preamble, wherein the closure portion is constructed, at the free end thereof, as a spherical segment provided with one or more dispensing holes, and the shutter is in the shape of an oscillatable sector matching the outer surface of said spherical segment and adapted to be displaced angularly over the surface of the spherical segment about a central axis of said segment, from a position wherein it closes all the dispensing holes to a plurality of opening positions in each of which only one or more dispensing holes are opened and all the remaining dispensing holes are closed.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the spherical segment of the closure portion is provided with only two dispensing holes of different size which are located on the same maximum circle of the spherical segment, perpendicular to the pivotal axis of the oscillatable sector shutter, and symmetrically with respect to the vertical central plane which is perpendicular to said maximum circle, and said shutter is provided with two closing protrusions which are spaced correspondingly with the dispensing holes and cooperating therewith, so that each of the two holes is opened alternatively by angularly displacing the oscillatable sector shutter in a direction or in the opposite direction from its intermediate closing position to each of two lateral end opening positions.
In a further improvement of the invention, the angular spacing between the individual dispensing holes along the maximum circle is about 60°, while at both outer lateral opening areas of the oscillatable sector shutter said spherical segment is provided with retaining notches for said shutter, co-operating with the respective lower closing protrusion and arranged at the same angular spacing of about 60° from the next dispensing opening.
The oscillatable sector shutter is fixed so as to be movable angularly at the central axis of the spherical segment, by means of two pivot-like protrusions which are engaged within corresponding recesses in the spherical segment.
In a modified embodiment of the invention, the oscillatable sector shutter is fixed to the spherical segment by means of a ring-member which is engaged with the base of said segment, the shutter being connected to said ring member by a thin flexible connecting member.
The invention also relates to other characteristics which further improve closing and dispensing cap and which are the subject of the subclaims.
The particular characteristics of the invention and the advantages resulting therefrom will become more apparent from the description of two preferred embodiments, shown as non-limiting examples in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the closing and dispensing cap of the invention on the plane of the maximum circle containing the two dispensing holes, with the oscillatable sector shutter in the intermediate closing position thereof;
Fig. 2 is a cross-section as in Fig. 1, the oscillatable sector shutter being in one of its lateral end opening positions;
Fig. 3 is a cross-section as in Fig. 1, the oscillatable sector shutter being in the lateral end closing position opposite to that of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the closing and dispensing cap of Fig. 1 on the intermediate vertical plane containing the pivotal axis of the oscillatable sector shutter.
Fig. 5 is a cross-section similar to the section of Fig. 1 of a modified embodiment concerning the arrangement of the oscillatable sector shutter.

The closing and dispensing cap shown in Fig. 1 comprises a closure portion 1 either fixedly or removably connected to the mouth of any container (not shown) for fluid materials, particularly for either liquid or powder materials. Said cap includes a cylindrical connecting portion 101 extending upwards with a spherical segment 201 of reduced diameter. Along a maximum circle of the spherical segment 201, the latter comprises two dispensing holes 2 and 2′ having different ports and arranged at an angular spacing of about 60° symmetrically with respect to central vertical plane which is perpendicular to said maximum circle. Mounted on the spherical segment is an oscillatable sector shutter 3 matching the outer surface of the spherical segment 201 and displaceable angularly over its surface about a central axis of said spherical segment, said axis being perpendicular to the plane of the maximum circle containing the dispensing holes 2, 2′. The oscillatable sector shutter comprises two side walls 103 of triangular shape and an upper wall 203 having an outer planar surface and always parallel to the tangent of said spherical segment 201. At the free end thereof, each side wall 103 of the oscillatable sector shutter 3 comprises a protrusion 4, 4′ from its inner face, and said protrusion becomes engaged as a pivot in a correspon ding recess 5, 5′ in the spherical segment at the ends of its central axis. The oscillatable sector shutter 3 is provided, on the inner face of its upper wall 203, with two closing protrusions 6, 6′ corresponding to the dispensing holes 2, 2′ and co-operating therewith. In order to further simplify the cap according to the invention, the closing protrusions 6, 6′ are constructed of identical dimensions, and the dispensing holes 2, 2′ having ports of different size have the same diameter at the outer surface of the spherical segment 201, the dispensing hole 2′ having a smaller port being made of conical outline converging inwardly of the spherical segment. The protrusions 6, 6′ moreover, are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central plane of the oscillatable sector shutter 3 and are also spaced apart about 60°.
Due to this construction, the oscillatable sector shutter 3 of the closing and dispensing cap may have three positions. In the intermediate position thereof shown in Fig. 1, the closing protrusions 6, 6′ are superposed on the dispensing holes 2, 2′ and close them. By angularly displacing the oscillatable sector shutter to its end lateral position in either direction, the opening conditions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are obtained, respectively, i.e. in both cases one dispensing hole 2, 2′ is opened while the other dispensing hole 2′, 2 is kept closed.
In order to grant the oscillatable sector shutter a better stability in its end lateral opening positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the spherical segment 201 is provided with retaining notches 7, 7′ which are arranged on the same maximum circle containing the dispensing holes and are each spaced about 60° from the nearer dispensing hole 2, 2′. Thus, in the end lateral opening positions mentioned above, the closing protrusion 6, 6′ of the oscillatable sector shutter 3, that is not engaged in the respective hole 2′, 2 to be closed, will become engaged in the retaining notch 7, 7′ associated therewith, respectively, and thus it will snappingly lock the shutter 3.
The dispensing holes 2, 2′ having different ports enable a more accurate proportioning the required amount of material by a suitable selection of one of the two opening positions of the oscillatable sector shutter 3.
Fig. 5 shows a modified embodiment of the closing and dispensing cap of the invention. In this modified embodiment, the oscillatable sector shutter 3, identical to that of the embodiment of Fig. 1, is displaced angularly again about a central axis of the spherical segment 201, but it is fixed to the closing portion by means of a ring member 8 and is connected to said ring member by means of a thin and flexible connecting member 9 extending in registry with said central axis. The ring member 8 is secured at the base of the spherical segment 201 by fitting it in a mating annular groove 10 formed in the connecting portion 101. The means for fitting the ring member 8 in the groove 10 may be constructed in any manner and in Fig. 5 they are formed as an annular recess 12 in one of the side walls of the annular groove 10 and as a ridge 11 on the other side wall of the annular groove 10, while the ring member 8 is provided on the sidewalls thereof with an annular recess 108 and an annular ridge 208 which become engaged with the ridge 11 and recess 12, respectively, of the annular groove 10.
The particular construction of the oscillatable sector shutter 3 with a flat upper surface of the upper wall 203 permits the closing and dispensing cap to be used, in addition to the accurate proportioning of the amount of product being dispensed, for distributing the product on a desired area, even in case of direct dispensing on said area and, therefore, it is advantageous, for example, in case of spot removers or concentrated detergent products to be applied on portions of fabric, such as collars, cuffs, or the like.
In a further modified embodiment (not shown) of the invention, the spherical segment may be provided with a greater number of dispensing holes arranged in line along a maximum circle of said spherical segment passing through of the two dispensing holes shown herein 2, 2′ and containing the central axis of the spherical segment, around which the oscillatable sector shutter 3 is pivoted. In this instance, the oscillatable sector shutter 3 is also provided, on the surface facing the spherical segment, with two rows of protrusions arranged correspondingly with the dispensing holes. In the individual opening positions of the oscillatable sector shutter, therefore, one or the other row of dispensing holes will be opened alternatively.

Claims

1 - A closing and dispensing cap for fluid materials, particularly for either liquid or powder materials, comprising a closure portion (1) to be either fixedly or removably connected on the mouth of a container, said closure portion (1) being provided with one or more dispensing holes (2, 2′) which may be closed by a shutter (3), characterized in that said closure portion (1) is shaped, at the free end thereof, as a spherical segment (201) provided with one or more dispensing holes (2, 2′) and the shutter is constructed as an oscillatable sector shutter (3) matching the outer surface of the spherical segment (201) and it may be displaced angularly over the surface of the spherical segment (201) about a central axis of said segment, from a position wherein it closes all the dispensing holes (2, 2′) to a plurality of opening positions in each of which only one or more dispensing holes (2, 2′) are opened and all the remaining dispensing holes (2′, 2) are closed.

2 - A closing and dispensing cap according to claim 1, characterized in that said spherical segment (201) of said closure portion (1) is provided with only two dispensing holes (2, 2′) having different ports and arranged on the same maximum circle of the spherical segment (201) which is perpendicular to the pivotal axis of the oscillatable sector shutter (3) and symmetrically with respect to the central vertical plane which is perpendicular to said maximum circle and said shutter (3) is provided with two closing protrusions (6, 6′) spaced apart correspondingly and co-operating with the dispensing holes (2, 2′), whereby each of the two holes (2, 2′) is opened alternatively by angularly displacing the oscillatable sector shutter (3) in one direction or in the opposite direction from its intermediate closing position (Fig. 1) to each of two end lateral opening positions (Figs. 2 and 3).

3 - A closing and dispensing cap according to claim 2, characterized in that the angular spacing between the individual dispensing holes (2, 2′) along the maximum circle is about 60°, while at both end lateral opening positions of the oscillatable sector shutter (3), the spherical segment (201) comprises retaining notches (7, 7′) co-operating with the respective closing protrusion (6, 6′) of the shutter (3) that is not engaged in a dispensing hole (2, 2′) in one of the end lateral opening positions and arranged at the same angular spacing of about 60° from the nearer dispensing hole.

4 - A closing and opening cap according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the oscillatable sector shutter (3) is fixed so as to be angularly movable at the central axis of the spherical segment (201) by means of two pivot-like protrusions (4, 4′) which are engaged in mating recesses (5, 5′) in said spherical segment (201).

5 - A closing and opening cap according to one or more of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the oscillatable sector shutter (3) is fixed to the spherical segment (201) by means of a ring member (8) fitted in an annular groove (10) provided at the base of said segment, said shutter being connected to said ring member (8) by means of a thin and flexible connecting member (9).

6 - A closing and opening cap according to the preceding claims, in which the dispensing hole (2′) has a port of smaller size than the dispensing hole (2) is of conical shape and, at the outer surface of the spherical segment (201), it has the same or about the same diameter as the dispensing hole (2), while said closing protrusions (6, 6′) have identical dimensions.

7 - A cap according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which said spherical segment (201) is provided with a plurality of dispensing holes arranged in a row along the maximum circle of said segment, passing through each of the two dispensing holes mentioned above (2, 2′) and containing the central axis of the spherical segment about which the oscillatable sector shutter (3) is pivotable, while, in this instance, the oscillatable sector shutter (3) is also provided, on its surface facing the spherical segment (201), with two rows of protrusions arranged corrrespondingly to the rows of dispensing holes.

8 - A closing and dispensing cap according to the preceding claims, in which the oscillatable sector shutter (3) comprises an upper wall (203) whose upper side is planar, whereby said upper side may be used as a means for distributing the dispensed material over the desired area.