EP0963324B1

EP0963324B1 - Dispensing closure

Info

Publication number: EP0963324B1
Application number: EP98912305A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nilson Satoshi MN Design Assessoria ARAI; Sandro Industrias Gessy Lever Ltda. BRAGONI; Ronald OZ Design S/C Ltda. KAPAZ; Eduardo Jr. Industrias Gessy Lever Ltda. LUPPI
Original assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Current assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Priority date: 1997-02-28
Filing date: 1998-02-13
Publication date: 2003-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2018-02-13
Also published as: WO1998038103A1; CA2281536C; DE69815300D1; AU6719798A; CN1249724A; IN190268B; CN1168636C; EP0963324A1; ZA981383B; DE69815300T2; BR9701142A; AR011890A1; CA2281536A1

Description

Technical Field

The invention relates to a closure for containers. In particular the invention relates to a closure for containers of liquids, especially viscous liquids.

Background Art

Most liquid container bottles used for containing viscous, liquids, such as liquid detergents, have preferentially large mouths to enable the detergent, usually viscous, to flow freely and adequately from the interior of the bottle or containers.

However, the lack of a system that controls the flow through the bottlemouth at the moment in which the user turns the container, ends in wasting the fluid material, for example a liquid detergent. As it is difficult for the user to mechanically control the necessary amount to be dispensed it is necessary to exert careful hand control when turning the container to dispense the fluid without spillage or pouring an exceeding quantity of fluid.

DE 92 04 076·4 discloses a closure for a container according to the preamble of claim 1, the closure comprising a sealing cap and insert coupled to the container. The insert has a valve spike which, by rotation of the cap, is displaced axially within a discharge sleeve of the cap, between an open position (in which fluid can flow from the container via the sleeve) and a closed position (in which the conical end of the spike abuts a corresponding funnel shaped region of the sleeve to prevent from through the sleeve).

DE - A - 1 536 129 discloses a closure for flexible tubes and bottles, the closure having a valve spike which seals or opens the discharge opening and which is moved by a screw thread or similar oblique surfaces in an axial direction.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the above mentioned problems. It is a particular object of the invention to provide a flow controlling system of easy and simple operation able to generate varied flows according to the amount desired by the user, thus preventing waste of product.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a closure for a container, the closure comprising:-

a cap rotatably mounted on a neck of the container, the cap having an axial product outlet passage; and
a valve movable along the axial passage to open and close the passage, the product outlet passage of the cap comprising a bore having one or more apertures in the side wall thereof, the apertures communicating with an interior of the container, and characterised in that rotation of the cap effects axial movement of the valve along the passage between a position in which the one or more apertures are open and another position in which the apertures one closed to prevent from therethrough.

A closure formed in accordance with the invention allows a user to simply and effectively control the flow of the product leaving the container. As the adjustment means comprises the cap, it is a simple and routine matter to rotate the cap and thus adjust the flow of liquid through the product outlet passage.

In one embodiment of the invention, the valve is in a threaded engagement with the product outlet passage. The valve within the cap will preferably be prevented from rotating with the cap, thus providing relative movement therebetween upon rotation of the cap. Ideally the means for preventing rotation of the valve with the cap will be guide means which will allow axial movement of the valve along the product outlet passage. Typically, the guide means will comprise a guiding sleeve which will engage a stem of the valve. Preferably the stem of the valve and the sleeve will include mutually engageable formations such as, for example, teeth on the stem of the valve and longitudinal guiding ribs within the sleeve.

In a preferable embodiment of the invention, the sleeve includes a lower guiding portion which lies beneath and generally co-extensive with the product outlet passage. An upper part of the sleeve ideally includes an upper depending lip which engages over the container neck. Typically the cap snap-fits onto the container, the cap preferably including a pair of concentric skirt members which engage, ideally in a sealing manner, against an internal and external surface of the neck of the container, or alternatively against internal and external surfaces of the sleeve lip.

Typically the valve will include a through hole so that even when the valve in positioned within the product passage to close the passage, a residual amount of product will pass out through the valve. In this manner, when the valve is in a fully closed position a residual amount of product will flow out of the container, the amount of product being such that dispensing of the liquid will be fully controlled. If a greater amount of flow is required, the cap is rotated to move the valve along the passage thereby opening the passage. The amount of movement of the valve along the passage thus determines the amount of flow through the passage.

Ideally the closure will include a circumferential sealing gasket mounted between the valve and the product outlet passage, preferably towards a mouth of the passage. The closure may further include an over cap which engages the container or the closure in a snap-fit or threaded manner. Ideally, the cap is a sealing over cap which, in a particularly preferred embodiment, includes means for sealingly engaging against a neck or mouth of the product outlet passage, these means typically being a downwardly depending skirt extending from underneath a top of the cap, which upon engagement of the cap and the container, seals against the neck of the passage.

The invention also relates to a container comprising a closure according to the invention.

Detailed Description

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig.1 is a cross sectional view of a closure according to the invention, shown attached to the neck of a container and including a sealing overcap;

Fig.2 is a cross sectional view of the closure and container of Fig.1, with a valve in a fully extended position;

Fig.3 is a cross sectional view of the closure and container of Fig.1 with the valve in a fully retracted position;

Fig.4 is a partial cross sectional view of a cap forming part of the closure of Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig.5 is a bottom plan view of the cap of Fig.4;

Fig.6 is a partial cross sectional view of a guide sleeve which forms part of the closure of Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig.7 is a top plan view of the guide sleeve of Fig.6;

Fig.8 is a partial cross sectional view of a valve which forms part the closure of Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig. 9 is a view from above the valve of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional side view of the sealing over cap which forms part of the closure of Figs. 1 to 3.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, there is illustrated a closure according to the invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, shown attached to a neck 2 of a container 3. The closure 1 comprises a cap 5, rotatably mounted to the neck 2 of the container 3, having a threaded axial product outlet passage 6 and a threaded valve 7 which, in response to rotation of the cap 5, is movable along the passage 6. Apertures 8 in the passage communicate with an interior of the container 3, the valve being movable along the passage 6 to open and close the apertures 8. Guide means for preventing rotation of the valve 7 with the cap 5, and thus providing relative movement therebetween, comprises a guiding sleeve 10 mounted to the neck 2 of the container 3, which sleeve 10 projects into the neck 2 of the container 3, to lie beneath and generally coextensive with the outlet passage 6.

In more detail, and referring to figs. 6 and 7, the sleeve 10 includes an upper lip 12 for engaging the neck 2 of the container 3, which lip 12 includes an external circumferential thread 13 for retaining the cap 5. Througholes 14 in an upper portion of the sleeve 10 allow the passage of product through to the outlet passage 6. An interior of the sleeve 10 further includes a series of longitudinal ribs 15, the purpose of which is explained below.

Referring to Figs 4 and 5, the cap 5 includes a pair of concentric skirts, an outer skirt 30 which engages against an external portion of the lip 12 of the sleeve 10, and an inner skirt 31 which sealingly abuts an internal portion of the lip 12.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, the valve 7 comprises an upper threaded part 17 and a lower stem 18 which slides in the sleeve 10. The stem 18 includes a series of circumferentially arranged teeth 19 which fit into gaps between the ribs 15 of the sleeve 10 thus guiding the movement of the valve 7 along the passage 6 while preventing rotation of the valve 7 with the cap 5. The valve 7 further includes a through bore 20. On assembly, a circumferential sealing gasket 21 lies adjacent a top of the passage 6 between the valve 7 and the passage 6.

Referring to Fig. 10, the sealing over cap 25 comprises a threaded cap body 26 having a skirt 27 extending downwardly from a top thereof, the skirt 27 being dimensioned to sealingly fit against an interior of a neck (28) of the passage 6.

In use, rotation of the cap 5 in one direction will move the valve 7 to an extended position as shown in Fig. 2. In this position, the apertures 8 in the passage 6 are completely covered by the valve 7 and no product can leave the container through the outlet passage 6. A residual amount of product may however be dispensed through the through bore 20 in the valve 7. Rotation of the cap 5 in an opposite direction will effect the retraction of the valve 7 into the passage as is shown in Fig.3. In this fully retracted position the valve 7 exposes the apertures 8 thus providing, in addition to the bore 20 through the valve 7, a further dispensing outlet through the outlet passage 6. The flow of product out of the container in this orientation is indicated by the arrows marked A. The flow through the outlet passage 6 may be varied by movement of the valve 7 along the passage 6.

The upper flow passage openings (14) of the sleeve may have other shapes, for example may be an orifice plate or a moulded plate having spacings with different shapes. The ribs (15) may be in number of two or more, preferentially four, and the sleeve itself may be also of another shape, provided that it allows, besides the fluid passage, the retention of the body of the valve in its upwards or downwards movement.

The combined shapes of ribs of the sleeve and of the teeth of the valve may have other shapes besides the exemplified ones, provided they engage to prevent rotational movement of the valve with respect to the cap.

The outlet and inlet flow openings of the valve may be totally free-as exemplified or may be partially reduced to diminish even more the flow and have a more precise control of the fluid to be discharged.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail without departing from the invention, according to the appended claims.

Claims

A closure (1) for a container (3), the closure comprising:

a cap (5) rotably mountable on a neck (2) of a container (3), the cap having an axial product outlet passage (6); and

a valve (7) movable along the axial passage (6) to open and close the passage (6),

the product outlet passage (6) of the cap comprising a bore having one or more apertures (8) in a sidewall thereof, the apertures (8) communicating with an interior of the container (3), and characterised in that rotation of the cap (5) effects axial movement of the valve (7) along the outlet passage (6) between a position in which the one or more apertures (8) are open and another position in which the apertures are closed to prevent flow therethrough.
A closure as claimed in Claim 1 in which the valve (7) is in a threaded engagement with the passage (6).
A closure (1) as claimed in Claims 1 or 2 wherein the device includes guide means (10) for preventing rotation of the valve (7) with the cap (5) while allowing axial movement of the valve along the passage (6).
A closure (1) as claimed in Claims 2 or 3 in which the guide means comprises a guiding sleeve (10) which engages a stem (18) of the valve (7).
A closure (1) as claimed in Claim 4 in which the sleeve (10) includes longitudinal guiding ribs (15) which engage teeth (19) on the stem (18) of the valve (1).
A closure (1) as claimed in any preceding claim in which the valve (7) includes a through hole (20).
A closure (1) as claimed in any preceding claim further including a circumferential sealing gasket (21), mounted between the valve (7) and the product outlet passage (6).
A closure (1) as claimed in any preceding claim further including a sealing over-cap (25).
A closure (1) as claimed in Claim 8 in which the sealing over-cap (25) sealingly engages against a neck of the product outlet passage (6).
A container (3) incorporating a closure (1) according to any preceding claim.
A closure (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 9 for use with viscous liquids, especially viscous detergent liquids.