GB2522702A

GB2522702A - A container with a clip-on cap

Info

Publication number: GB2522702A
Application number: GB1401861.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neville Walker
Original assignee: JOCELYN IWANOCZKO
Current assignee: JOCELYN IWANOCZKO
Priority date: 2014-02-04
Filing date: 2014-02-04
Publication date: 2015-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 2034-02-04
Also published as: GB201401861D0; GB2522702A8; GB2522702B; GB2522702B8

Abstract

A closure device comprises a container 10 with a neck 14 and upward facing rim 16 with at least one flange 18 radially projecting from it. The device further comprises a container cap 20 comprising an upper portion 22 sized to overlie the rim, a sealing surface 24 arranged to contact said rim, a skirt 26 arranged to surround said rim, a lip 28 arranged to project inward from the skirt and engage under the flange, and a displaceable clip 30 as or on a segment of the skirt for engagement under the flange to secure the cap on the rim. The clip may have spring means and may be configured to pivot relative to the upper portion of the cap. There may further be a handle portion extending above the clip. The seal surface 24 may be an elastomeric seal, and the container cap may comprise a teat 54. The teat may be a moulded polymer body, or a separate unit which may be bonded to the cap or extending through an aperture 52 in the cap. The closure may be ideally suited to babies feeding bottles, being readily openable with one hand.

Description

A container with a clip-on cap

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to closure devices, in particular containers having closures that are readily openable or closable with one hand, for example to closures that clip in place; more particularly but not exclusively closures for use in babies' feeding bottles.

Background

Containers for liquids which have a lid that seals to the neck of the container are known that are adapted for easy use by one hand, for example for use by people who might have only one hand free during use of the container, or who have a weak grip and so are not readily able to seal a standard screw-top jar.

In particular in the design of babies' feeding bottles, conventionally a screw-seal lid is used that has an aperture through it to retain a teat that is brought into sealing contact with an upper portion of the rim of the neck of the bottle. Such bottles have the disadvantage that two hands are needed to open and to close them, which is a problem when one hand is needed to hold a child, and also the sealing force is not clearly defined: a strong person might over-tighten the seal, so damaging the seal surface against which the rim seals, and a weaker person might under-tighten the seal, leading to leakage.

Clip-on seals are known in the art, but have disadvantages such as requiring a complex mechanism or being adapted such that the lid clips on, but screws off, which is not an optimal solution. It is the aim of the invention to provide an improved container having a clip on I clip off action, adapted in particular for use in babies' bottles.

Prior Art

Accordingly a number of patent applications have been filed in an attempt to resolve the problem or similar, including the following: U320090255894 discloses: The boftie has a connecting ring fixing a nipple in an opening of a flask. The ring has a locking piece provided with locking elements cooperated with corresponding cylindrical lugs of a cylindrical neck of the bottle.

Each locking element is movable with respect to the ring so as to occupy locking and unlocking positions, when the ring is placed on the flask. The locking element cooperates with the corresponding lug of the flask to fix the ring on the flask, in the locking position, and the locking element allows withdrawal of the ring from the flask, in the unlocking position.

This device has a clip fixing means with a lever operable to fix the teat to the top of the bottle, operable with one hand, but requires a complex mechanism and detailed moulded parts, and as such will have more complex and costly fabrication than is desirable.

US4930690 discloses: A container and teat feeding assembly includes a locking ring which secures a base of the teat to a rim integral with the container which extends away from an open end of the container. At least three projections integral with the rim extend from an edge of the rim away from the container. The locking ring has a lip which abuts an upper surface of the rim and has a groove which accommodates the base of the teat between it and the rim. The locking ring also has a skirt extending from the lip about the rim edge. The skirt has a recess which accommodates the rim projections, and lugs extend from the skirt to provide for locking engagement with the rim projections.

This device requires a rotating motion to move locking lugs on the container to engage with a skirt provided on the locking ring and so is not adapted for single hand operation.

US20040256345 discloses a single use recyclable infant feeding bottle. The single use recyclable infant feeding bottle of the invention comprises a container with a container lip having an outer securing hook and an inner securing rib, and an integrated assembly that has a teat and a sealing cap in a single piece. The sealing cap has a snap-on feature that engages with the container lip. Thus, the single use recyclable infant feeding bottle can be easily assembled by putting the integral assembly and the container together through the snap-on feature. Moreover, moulding the teat and sealing cap into one piece makes the manufacture process of the single use recyclable infant feeding bottle efficient and economical.

This is an example of a push-on integrated teat and cap unit which relies on standard design techniques as used in a cup to lid seal around the circumference of the cup -such closures need two hands to operate them reliably: one to hold the cup and the other to prise the cap off.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a closure device comprising: a container with a neck providing an opening into the container and an upward facing rim comprising at least one radially projecting flange; and a container cap comprising an upper portion sized to overlie the rim of the container, a sealing surface arranged in use to contact said rim, and a skirt arranged in use to surround said rim, a lip arranged in use to project radially from the skirt and engage under the at least one radially projecting flange, and a displaceable clip arranged as or on a segment of the skirt for engagement under the at least one flange to secure the cap on the rim.

In this way the clip pulls the skirt towards engagement with the flange(s) when clipping down, and disposes sufficient of the lip to prevent return of the skirt from the flange(s) when fully clipped down.

In some embodiments the container is an independently provided container of standard construction.

Preferably the clip comprises spring means to retain it in a clipped position in which the clip projection is engaged under one of the said horizontal flanges, the clip being configured to pivot relative to the upper portion to move the clip projection outwards from the neck to a released position beyond the said horizontal flange.

Herein the terms upwards and downwards are as shown in the accompanying drawings, upwards being generally in the direction away from the interior of the container towards the rim of the neck and downwards being generally towards the interior of the container so in use.

In some embodiments the clip is attached to the cap by a pivot means and comprises a handle portion extending above the pivot means.

In some embodiments the clip is formed as part of the cap and the pivot means comprises a region of material of the cap between the upper portion and the clip.

In some embodiments the clip is formed as part of the cap and the pivot means and the spring means are provided by a living hinge between the cap and the clip.

In some embodiments the lip is provided in a first half of the perimeter of the cap and the clip is provided in the other half perimeter.

In some embodiments the container comprises a single flange provided in part or whole around the outer perimeter of the neck. In some embodiments the container comprises a plurality of flanges projecting from the outer perimeter of the neck with gaps between them.

In some embodiments the seal surface is provided by a resiliently deformable material or an elastomer. In some embodiments the cap comprises a seal component to provide the seal surface, such as an 0-ring having a flat surface. In some embodiments the seal surface is provided by a region of elastomer co-moulded with the material of the cap.

In this way the container and cap of the invention provide means to apply the cap to the container readily with one hand by means of locating the cap on the neck such that the lip is engaged under the flange on the neck and the sealing surface contacts the rim, then pressing downwards on the cap such that the spring means causes the clip projection to engages under the, or a, flange. The cap is then held tightly on the rim by the clip. The cap may then be released using one hand by lifting the clip projection outwards from under the flange to release the seal and then lifting the lip from under the flange, allowing the cap to be lifted off the neck. The closure device of the invention has the advantage over conventional screw action closures that the sealing force is controlled by the geometry and material of the container and cap rather than by force applied by a user, so improving reliability of sealing. The closure device provide an easy to operate closure means that is adapted for use with a single hand by for example parents holding children with the other hand, or for example by people for whom a twisting motion is uncomfortable or impossible, for example the elderly or those who have only one functional, or strong enough, hand.

In some embodiments the cap forms a blind closure to contain liquids/solids within the container.

In some embodiments the cap comprises a teat extending from the upper portion having a hollow interior and an aperture for liquid at its top end.

In some embodiments the teat is formed as part of the cap, for example as a common moulded polymer body, for example by co-or over-moulding of an elastomeric teat portion with a rigid cap upper portion, skirt and clip.

In some embodiments the teat is formed as a separate teat unit bonded permanently to the cap.

In some embodiments the cap comprises an aperture in the upper portion adapted to receive a teat unit. The teat unit may extend through the aperture. The teat unit may comprise a seal surface configured to engage with the rim of the neck.

In some embodiments the teat unit is removable from the cap and comprises retaining features adapted to engage with the inner edge of the aperture to retain the teat unit in place.

In this way the closure device of the invention provides a baby's feeding bottle adapted to be opened and closed with one hand, with the advantage that the parent's other hand is free to handle other objects or to hold a child.

The container may be provided in a range of shapes and sizes. In many embodiments the neck of the container and the opening defined by the neck will be circular in cross section, but the invention is not limited to circular openings and caps and in some embodiments the neck and the cap may be square or rectangular, for example as in a food container.

In other embodiments the container may be used for other fluids, viscous liquids or products such as cosmetics, lotions, paints and adhesives. It may be envisaged that the container may be used for storing and dispensing liquids or solids. As a consequence variant embodiments comprise varying dispensers or pumps.

Embodiments of the container adapted for use as babies' feeding bottles may comprise some or all of the following features: The container may be provided in a range of sizes. For example for use as a baby's bottle the container may be adapted to contain lOoz or 5oz of liquid, and to have a height of around 18cm or less and a diameter of 8cm or less.

The container is preferably adapted to be anti-colic, in that the container is adapted to allow air to flow out of the bottle as baby drinks -for example by means of a breather opening to the interior of the bottle, for example via the teat, as known in the art; The container is easy to clean with a bottle brush, having no internal shoulders, nooks or crannies; Materials used in the container are safe for food contact, microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe and capable of being sterilised by steaming; The teat may be formed from silicone rubber of similar materials as known in the art.

The container may be adapted for use with one or more of a range of teats available from existing suppliers.

Teats may have slow-flow! fast flow versions (i.e. with 1, 2, 3 or 4 holes) -additional teats may be supplied separately; Size: the container may hold lOoz! 300m1 of liquid; a smaller version may hold 5oz! 150m1; The container may comprise a transparent or translucent material and have markings on the bottle, for example for each loz and 30 ml; The bottle plus teat plus cap is up to around 8cm circumference by up to around 18cm tall to fit in most change-bag pockets.

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an embodiment of a closure device of the invention in the form of a baby's drinking bottle and separable teat unit.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the embodiment of figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the embodiment of figure 1 with an outer hygienic lid to protect the teat.

Figure 4 shows a side view of the embodiment of figure 1 with an outer lid in place.

Figure 5 shows a cross-section of the cap in place on the container.

Figure 6 shows a lower isometric view of the cap removed from the container.

Detailed Description of Figures

Referring to figures 1 to 6, an embodiment of a closure device according to the invention is envisaged in the form of a baby's drinking bottle comprising: A container body 10 having a neck 12 comprising an opening 14 into the container body, an upward facing rim 16 surrounding the opening and a horizontal flange 18 projecting radially outwards from the exterior of the neck, and A cap 20 comprising: an upper portion 22 sized to overlie the rim when positioned on the rim, a sealing surface 24 provided on the lower side of the upper portion configured to contact the rim, a skirt 26 projecting axially downwards from the upper portion to surround the rim, a lip 28 projecting radially inwards from the skirt and configured to engage under one of the said horizontal flanges, and a clip 30 attached to the upper portion and projecting downwards from it and having a clip projection 32 configured to engage under the said horizontal flange when in position on the neck, the clip comprising spring means 34 to retain it in a clipped position in which the clip projection is engaged under the said horizontal flange, the clip being configured to pivot relative to the upper portion to move the clip projection outwards from the neck to a released position beyond the said horizontal flange.

In this embodiment the clip 30 is attached to the cap 20 by a living hinge 36 that provides the pivot means and the spring means, and the clip comprises a handle portion 38 extending above the pivot and a press surface 40 projecting from the clip to allow the clip to be pressed into place under the flange if needed.

In this embodiment the lip 28 is provided in a first half 41 of the perimeter of the cap and the clip 30 is provided in the other half perimeter 42, substantially diametrically opposite to the lip.

In this embodiment the cap 30 comprises a teat 44 extending from the upper portion 22 having a hollow interior 46 and an aperture 48 for liquid at its top end 50.

In this embodiment the cap comprises an aperture 52 in the upper portion adapted to receive a teat unit 54, a teat unit 54 extending through the aperture, the teat unit comprising a sealing surface 24 configured to engage with the rim of the neck.

In this embodiment the teat unit is removable from the cap and comprises a retaining feature in the form of a groove 56 adapted to engage with the inner edge of the aperture to retain the teat unit in place.

Referring to figure 5, in this embodiment the teat unit 54 comprises a first internal ridge 60 configured to fit within the interior of the neck and a second external ridge 62 configured to fit outside the material of the neck and within the skirt of the cap and a recess 64 between them within which the sealing surface 24 is provided.

In this way when the clip is in the clipped position the cap retains the teat unit sealed against the rim of the neck and when the clip is moved to the released position by means of pressure on the handle portion 38 the cap may be eased upwards away from the rim, the lip 28 moved back and away from under the flange 18 allowing the cap to be removed.

In this embodiment the container comprises a lid 66 to keep the teat clean and a groove 68 on the body of the container to receive the rim of the lid. The container comprises a scale 70 on the body of the container to indicate liquid level, the container being preferably formed from a translucent or transparent material so that the liquid level may be seen.

In this embodiment the container comprises a textured rubber base to provide extra grip to surfaces.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of invention. Firstly it will be understood that any features described in relation to any particular embodiment may be featured in combinations with other embodiments.

With respect to the specification therefore, it is to be realised that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention, with variation and implementation obvious and clear on the basis of either common general knowledge or of expert knowledge in the field concerned. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as set out in the accompanying claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A closure device comprising: a container with a neck comprising an opening into the container and an upward facing rim comprising at least one radially projecting flange; and a container cap comprising an upper portion sized to overlie the rim, a sealing surface arranged in use to contact said rim, a skid arranged in use to surround said rim, a lip arranged in use to project radially from the skirt and engage under the at least one flange, and a displaceable clip arranged as or on a segment of the skid for engagement under the at least one flange to secure the cap on the rim.
2. A closure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clip comprises spring means to retain it in a clipped position in which the clip projection is engaged under one of the said flange(s), the clip being configured to pivot relative to the upper portion of the container cap to move the clip projection outwards from the neck to a released position beyond the said flange(s).
3. A closure device according to either of claims 1 and 2 wherein the clip is attached to the cap by a pivot means and comprises a handle portion extending above the pivot means.
4. A closure device according to claim 3 wherein the clip is formed as part of the cap and the pivot means comprises a region of material of the cap between the upper portion of the container cap and the clip.
5. A closure device according to claim 4 wherein the clip is formed as part of the cap and the pivot means and the spring means are provided by a living hinge between the cap and the clip.
6. A closure device according to any preceding claim wherein the cap comprises an elastomeric seal component to provide the seal surface.
7. A closure device according to any preceding claim wherein the cap forms a blind closure to contain liquids within the container.
8. A closure device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the cap comprises a teat extending from the upper portion having a hollow interior and an aperture for liquid at its top end.
9. A closure device according to claim 8 wherein the teat is formed as part of the cap as a moulded polymer body.
10. A closure device according to claim 8 wherein the teat is formed as a separate teat unit bonded permanently to the cap.
11. A closure device according to claim 8 wherein the cap comprises an aperture in the upper portion adapted to receive a teat unit.
12. A closure device as claimed in claim 11, in which a teat unit extends through the aperture, and in which the teat unit comprises a seal surface arranged in use to engage with the rim of the neck.
13. A closure device according to claim 12 wherein the teat unit is removable from the cap and comprises retaining features adapted to engage with the inner edge of the aperture to retain the teat unit in place.
14. A closure device substantially as described herein with reference to the figures.
15. A cap for a closure device according to any of the preceding claims.