EP1386849A1 - Wasserdichter Verschluss - Google Patents

Wasserdichter Verschluss Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1386849A1
EP1386849A1 EP02255436A EP02255436A EP1386849A1 EP 1386849 A1 EP1386849 A1 EP 1386849A1 EP 02255436 A EP02255436 A EP 02255436A EP 02255436 A EP02255436 A EP 02255436A EP 1386849 A1 EP1386849 A1 EP 1386849A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
lid
closure
container
dispensing
upper deck
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP02255436A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Rick Gaiser
Valentin Hierzer
Robert Simpson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Crown Packaging Technology Inc
Original Assignee
Crown Packaging Technology Inc
Crown Cork and Seal Technologies Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Crown Packaging Technology Inc, Crown Cork and Seal Technologies Corp filed Critical Crown Packaging Technology Inc
Priority to EP02255436A priority Critical patent/EP1386849A1/de
Publication of EP1386849A1 publication Critical patent/EP1386849A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
    • B65D47/04—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps
    • B65D47/06—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages
    • B65D47/08—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures
    • B65D47/0804—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures integrally formed with the base element provided with the spout or discharge passage
    • B65D47/0809—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures integrally formed with the base element provided with the spout or discharge passage and elastically biased towards both the open and the closed positions
    • B65D47/0814—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures integrally formed with the base element provided with the spout or discharge passage and elastically biased towards both the open and the closed positions by at least three hinge sections, at least one having a length different from the others
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/10—Details of hinged closures
    • B65D2251/1016—Means for locking the closure in closed position
    • B65D2251/1041—The closure having a part penetrating in the dispensing aperture and retained by snapping over integral beads or projections
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
    • B65D2251/20—Sealing means

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a hinged closure for containers of flowable products, such as bath gels, shampoo, conditioners and skin care creams.
  • the present invention proposes an enhanced design of hinged closure, which is adapted to minimise the ingress of water into the closure when it is in its closed configuration.
  • the closure has particular utility for use with soft plastic tube containers into which many personal care products are now packaged.
  • One of the preferred packaging configurations for such products includes a soft, squeezable, plastic, tube container having a moulded shoulder, with a threaded finish portion incorporated therein.
  • Such containers and their method of manufacture are well known to those skilled in the art.
  • tube containers are used in combination with a closure having a threaded portion, which cooperates with the threaded finish on the container.
  • a hinged closure having a body and a lid connected together by a hinge.
  • Such containers are more convenient for the user, because the closure is not removed from the container to dispense the product and is thus less likely to be lost during repeated use.
  • the body of the closure is adapted to be attached to the container (either using a co-operating screw thread arrangement as described above or using a conventional snap fit arrangement).
  • a lid is attached to the body by a hinge.
  • a dispensing opening is ordinarily defined in the body and the lid includes a complementary member that both plugs the dispensing opening and releasable locks the lid onto the body when the lid is closed and the product is not being used.
  • hinge closures are well known in the prior art and are fairly effective at preventing escape of the flowable product when the container is not in use.
  • less viscous liquids, such as water can often penetrate or escape from such closures, causing unwanted results.
  • a product such as bath gel, which is often kept within a wet shower or bathtub area by consumers is susceptible to having water trapped within the container and/or closure after use. Water can sometimes seep between the closure body and lid, even when the lid is closed. This can lead to dilution of the product and in serious cases, trapped water can stagnate and over time lead to the growth of bacteria, mould or fungus within the closure. This is of course undesirable and unhygienic and can lead to increased waste.
  • an object of the present invention is to provide an improved container/closure package for flowable products, that is watertight when closed and reduces or eliminates the problems created by poor sealing between the lid and the body of the closure and between the closure body and the neck of the container.
  • the present invention provides a dispensing closure for a container of flowable product, comprising a body, having an upper deck portion and a skirt depending from the periphery thereof, the skirt having a structure defined on its interior or exterior surface and adapted to co-operate with a complimentary structure on the neck of the container, the body further having a dispensing orifice defined in the upper deck portion, a lid, connected to the body by a hinge, and moveable between an open position, to expose the dispensing orifice, and a closed position in which the dispensing orifice is sealed, the lid having a cover portion and a sidewall portion depending from the periphery thereof, characterised in that the sidewall portion of the lid and the upper deck portion of the body are configured to form therebetween a watertight seal, when the lid is in its closed position.
  • a watertight seal is obtained between the lid and the deck portion of the body, because they are sized and configured to fit snugly together.
  • the deck portion of the body effectively forms a bore seal within the sidewall portion of the lid.
  • a bead may be provided on either of the co-operating faces of the deck portion or the lid sidewall, to compensate for any dimensional mismatch. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any such bead must be sized and shaped to compensate for extremes of dimensional tolerance, without causing fouling of the lid on the body, when dimensional similarity is achieved.
  • the lid includes a releasable locking means, which is adapted to positively engage in the dispensing orifice defined in the deck portion of the closure body.
  • the releasable locking means serves to seal the dispensing orifice when the closure lid is in its closed position, preventing product leakage from the container. This is particularly important when the container is designed to be stored either standing on the closure (as in the case of hair conditioner) or is suspended with the closure pointing downwardly (as in the case of many shower gels).
  • the releasable locking means further provides an indication to the user that the closure lid is positively located in its closed position and therefore a watertight seal has been achieved between the lid and body of the closure.
  • this problem is overcome by modifying the shape of the sidewall of the lid adjacent to the hinge and further providing a complimentary feature on the body of the closure to seal the potential flow path in the hinge area.
  • the sidewall of the lid is provided with a recess into which the hinge structure is received and the upper deck portion of the body is provided with a radially extending projection in the hinge area, which has a complimentary shape to the recess in the lid sidewall.
  • thumb tab area Another area of potential leakage is the thumb tab area provided in many conventional hinge closures.
  • the thumb tab is normally provided by a recess in the body of the closure, which allows a user to open the lid of the closure by placing a thumb or finger under the peripheral edge of the lid of the closure.
  • the disadvantage of this arrangement is that in the area of the thumb tab, the interface between the lid and the closure takes the form of a face seal, which is less effective than a bore seal for prevention of the ingress of water or other less viscous fluids. Therefore, advantageously, in the closure according to the invention, the thumb tab recess in the closure body is matched by a downwardly depending thumb tab projection from the sidewall of the lid.
  • the thumb tab projection is complimentary in shape to the thumb tab recess and defines the preferred watertight bore seal arrangement in the thumb tab area of the closure.
  • the cover of the closure may be extended radially to provide a projection or tab, which the user can use to prise open the lid of the closure, breaking the bore seal formed between the deck of the closure and the depending side wall of the lid.
  • a watertight seal is also formed between the free end of the closure body and the adjacent area of the neck of the container to which the closure is attached. This is a major area of water ingress in conventional hinged closure/container combinations.
  • a flexible extension is provided from the free edge of the closure body.
  • the co-operating structures attaching the closure and container together are positioned to ensure that the flexible extension is deformed against the adjacent surface of the container, to achieve a watertight seal.
  • the flexibility of the extension may be provided by moulding the extension from a different, more flexible material to the remainder of the body of the closure, using known sequential moulding techniques for example. However, preferably the flexibilty of the extension is provided by using the same material for the body and extension but reducing the thickness of the extension in comparison with the thickness of the adjacent portion of the closure skirt.
  • the extension is adapted to penetrate the adjacent surface of the container, to form the watertight seal.
  • the extension has to be sufficiently rigid to "dig in” to the adjacent material of the container.
  • the extension is provided with a sharpened edge to achieve a "point" contact around the sharpened edge and thereby a good watertight seal.
  • This embodiment is particularly suitable for a container/closure combination, where the closure body is not designed to be removed from the container and the container and closure body are connected by a snap-fit arrangement.
  • a dispensing closure 10 includes a body 16 that has an upper deck portion 18 and a downwardly depending skirt 20, projecting from the periphery thereof.
  • the skirt 20 has a mounting structure 22 defined thereon, for mounting the closure 10 to the neck of a container (not shown), having a complimentary mounting structure.
  • the mounting structure 22 may take the form of a plurality of threads 24 that are defined on the interior surface of the downwardly depending skirt 20. The threads 24 are arranged to co-operate with complimentary threads (not shown) on the exterior surface of the neck of the container.
  • the screw threads 24 may be provided on the exterior surface of the skirt 20 and the complimentary threads on the container neck may be provided on the interior surface thereof.
  • the mounting structure 22 may take the form of a plurality of snap beads that are designed to snap into engagement with complimentary structures on the container neck, to prevent the closure body from being removed from the container.
  • the closure body 16 further includes a dispensing orifice 26 defined therein for dispensing the product from the container to which the closure is attached.
  • the dispensing closure 10 further includes a lid 28, which is connected to the body 16 by a hinge 30.
  • the lid 28 includes a cover portion 32 and a downwardly depending sidewall portion 34 projecting from the periphery thereof.
  • the body 16 and the sidewall portion 34 of the lid are generally cylindrical in shape, although other shapes such as "oval" may be considered.
  • the body 16, lid 28 and hinge 30 are integrally moulded and of unitary construction.
  • the closure 10 is integrally moulded from polypropylene or other plastic material such as high density polyethylene.
  • the hinge 30 is of conventional construction for closures of this general type.
  • releasable locking structure 36 is provided for releasably locking the lid 28 in its closed position with respect to the body 16.
  • the structure 36 is defined as a plug member 38 that is slightly larger at its distal end than its base end. Accordingly (as is conventional in closures of this general type) plug member 38 will be retained in the dispensing orifice 26, in a snap fit configuration, when the lid 28 is in its closed position. Thus, when the lid 28 is closed, the plug member 38 will seal the dispensing orifice 26, preventing leakage.
  • the positive engagement of the snap fit between the plug member 38 and the dispensing orifice 26 also serves to indicate to the user that the lid 28 is properly closed and a watertight seal has been formed between the lid 28 and the body 16.
  • the downwardly depending sidewall 34 of the lid 28 and the upper deck portion 18 of the body 16 are configured to form a watertight seal therebetween when the lid 28 is in its closed position with respect to the body 16.
  • the outer core 48 of the upper deck portion 18 is formed as an angled annular surface 40, that may be described as having a truncated conical shape (as shown in FIGURE 3). Surface 40 is preferably angled at an angle ⁇ with respect to the vertical.
  • the presence of the angled, annular surface 40 will, when the lower free edge of the sidewall 34 of the lid 38 is pressed thereagainst, to form a pressurised circular area of contact that optimises sealing between the upper deck portion 18 of the body 16 and the downwardly depending sidewall 34 of the lid 28.
  • the angle ⁇ is chosen such that the annular surface 40 forms a "guide surface" to direct the sidewall 34 of the lid 28 into sealing engagement with the upper deck portion 18 of the body 16, but sufficiently angled towards the vertical to form a bore seal type engagement with the sidewall 34 of the lid 28.
  • the downwardly depending sidewall 34 has a recess 42 defined therein, orientated and sized to received and accommodate the geometry of the hinge 30 and the upper deck portion 18 of the body 16 includes a projection 44 that is complimentary in shape with the recess 42, so as to ensure a watertight seal in the area about the hinge 30, whien the lid 28 is in its closed position with respect to the body 16.
  • the upper deck portion 18 of the body 16 has a substantially flat upper surface and the projection 44 has an upper surface that lies substantially flush with the upper surface of the deck portion 18. As best illustrated in FIGURE 1, the projection 44 extends outwardly in a radial direction with respect to adjacent areas of the upper deck portion 18.
  • the downwardly depending skirt 20 of the body 16 has a thumb tab recess 46 defined therein and the lid 28 includes a thumb tab projection 48 (see FIGURE 4), which has a smooth inner surface 48.
  • the thumb tab recess 46 and the thumb tab projection 48 are substantially complimentary in shape, so that a watertight seal is created in the area about the thumb tab projection 48, when the lid 28 is in its closed position with respect to the body. In this closed position, the smooth inner surface 48 of the thumb tab projection 46 presses tightly against a corresponding smooth outer surface 50 (see FIGURE 2) on the outer surface of the skirt 20 of the body 16 that defines the thumb recess 46.
  • the downwardly depending skirt 20 of the body 16 includes and extension 52 at its lowermost distal end, as best illustrated in FIGURE 5.
  • extension 52 is flexible and adapted to deform against the adjacent surface of the container 12, when the closure 10 is mounted on the container 12, thereby forming a seal between the contact surface of the container 12 and the extension 52 on the closure 10.
  • the flexible extension 52 forms a narrow annular ring at the free end of the body 16 and has a thickness that is less than the thickness of the adjacent portion of the skirt 20.
  • the container 12 takes the form of a squeeze type, tubular container having a shoulder section formed from a plastic that is softer than the material from which the closure is fabricated.
  • the extension 52 from the skirt 20 of the body 16 is designed to be substantially rigid and it's free edge has a sharpened profile. When the projection 52 is pressed against the contact surface of the container 12, the sharp edge of the projection 52 penetrates and "digs in” to the contact surface of the container 12, forming a watertight seal between the Closure 10 and the container 12.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP02255436A 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Wasserdichter Verschluss Withdrawn EP1386849A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP02255436A EP1386849A1 (de) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Wasserdichter Verschluss

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP02255436A EP1386849A1 (de) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Wasserdichter Verschluss

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1386849A1 true EP1386849A1 (de) 2004-02-04

Family

ID=30011259

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02255436A Withdrawn EP1386849A1 (de) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Wasserdichter Verschluss

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1386849A1 (de)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2406561A (en) * 2003-09-22 2005-04-06 Polytop Corp Dispensing closure with stop wall for positive alignment on container
DE102004049633A1 (de) * 2003-10-09 2005-06-23 Polytop Corp. Abgabeverschluss mit einer vollständig umlaufenden Abdichtung
US7617954B2 (en) 2004-10-07 2009-11-17 Polytop Corporation, A Rhode Island Corporation Dispensing closure with latch back
US7762438B2 (en) 2003-10-09 2010-07-27 Polytop Corporation Dispensing closure with latch back

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4638916A (en) * 1985-07-12 1987-01-27 Owens-Illinois, Inc. Closure with snap-type hinge cap
EP0316269A1 (de) * 1987-11-10 1989-05-17 Soplar Sa Verschluss für Behälter, insbesondere Flaschen
US5096077A (en) * 1990-07-25 1992-03-17 Astra Plastique Stoppering device non-removably attached to the neck of a container
US5437383A (en) * 1993-06-11 1995-08-01 Stull; Gene Snap-hinge closure cap with full circumferential seal
US5865354A (en) * 1996-10-16 1999-02-02 Lipton, Division Of Conopco, Inc. Easy open dispensing cap
DE19734874A1 (de) * 1997-08-12 1999-02-18 Alpla Design Lehner Gmbh Verschluß

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4638916A (en) * 1985-07-12 1987-01-27 Owens-Illinois, Inc. Closure with snap-type hinge cap
EP0316269A1 (de) * 1987-11-10 1989-05-17 Soplar Sa Verschluss für Behälter, insbesondere Flaschen
US5096077A (en) * 1990-07-25 1992-03-17 Astra Plastique Stoppering device non-removably attached to the neck of a container
US5437383A (en) * 1993-06-11 1995-08-01 Stull; Gene Snap-hinge closure cap with full circumferential seal
US5865354A (en) * 1996-10-16 1999-02-02 Lipton, Division Of Conopco, Inc. Easy open dispensing cap
DE19734874A1 (de) * 1997-08-12 1999-02-18 Alpla Design Lehner Gmbh Verschluß

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2406561A (en) * 2003-09-22 2005-04-06 Polytop Corp Dispensing closure with stop wall for positive alignment on container
GB2406561B (en) * 2003-09-22 2006-11-22 Polytop Corp Dispensing closure with stop wall for positive alignment on container
DE102004049633A1 (de) * 2003-10-09 2005-06-23 Polytop Corp. Abgabeverschluss mit einer vollständig umlaufenden Abdichtung
US7314150B2 (en) 2003-10-09 2008-01-01 Polytop Corporation Dispensing closure with cap structure having dual living hinges
US7322493B2 (en) 2003-10-09 2008-01-29 Polytop Corporation Dispensing closure having complete peripheral seal
US7762438B2 (en) 2003-10-09 2010-07-27 Polytop Corporation Dispensing closure with latch back
DE102004049633B4 (de) * 2003-10-09 2012-03-29 Polytop Corp. Abgabeverschluss mit einer vollständig umlaufenden Abdichtung
US7617954B2 (en) 2004-10-07 2009-11-17 Polytop Corporation, A Rhode Island Corporation Dispensing closure with latch back

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