NZ213942A - Two-piece, adjustable orifice dispensing closure - Google Patents

Description

213942 (^23 OCT V)85 No.: Date: PATENTS ACT, 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ADJUSTABLE DISPENSING CLOSURE X/We, SUNBEAM PLASTICS CORPORATION, 3245 Kansas Road, Evansville, Indiana 47711, United States of America, a corporation of the State of Indiana, United States of America hereby declare the invention for which K/ we pray that a patent may be granted to iQfe/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - - 1 - {followed by Page -lofr / 2139iC 2 The present invention relates to closures for containers and particularly to dispensing closures by which the contents of a container with which the closure is used is dispensed at a controlled rate.

Dispensing closures frequently are used with containers for packaginy a wide variety of products, usually liquids ranging widely in viscosity from edibles such as syrup and catsup to non-edibles such as liquid deteryents and shampoos. It frequently is necessary for manufacturers who package several products having different viscosities to carry inventory of dispensing closures of different sizes to accommodate packaging of the different products. It would be highly desirable in such instances to have a single dispensing closure that could accommodate a variety of products of different viscosities by offering the possibility of varyiny the orifice or selecting an orifice of a particular size. Such a closure also could offer the consumer or purchaser a choice of a dispensing opening which is larger or smaller than the one recommended by the manufacturer.

The dispensing closure contemplated by the present invention includes a closure body adapted for attachment to a container and is formed with an opening of a predeterinined size radially offset from the axis of the body to form a passage for the contents of the container. The opening is closed by a lid or cap member rotatably connected to the body. The lid member is provided with a plurality of apertures having the axes radially offset relative to the axis of the lid member a distance equal to the distance of the openiny in the clo-sure body with the plurality of apertures progressively diminishing in size to provide a range of openings so that rotation of the lid member © relative to the body member brinys a selected one of the apertures into alignment with the opening in the body member to permit dispensiny of the contents of the container.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawinys in which: Fiyure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a dispensiny closure assembly embodyiny the invention; Fiyure 'I is a top plan view of a closure body forming one element of a dispensing closure assembly; Fiyure 3 is a bottom view of a lid member forming another element of the closure assembly; and Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the two parts making up the dispensiny closure of the present invention.

The adjustable dispensing closure embodying the present invention is designated yenerally at 1U and includes a closure body 12 and a cap member 14. The closure body Yi and cap member 14 are yenerally cylindrical and have the same diameter.

The closure body 12 is yenerally cup-shaped with a top wall 16 and a depending cylindrical skirt 18. The top end 16 is provided with a dispensiny openiny 2U throuyh which the contents of the container with which the closure lu is used is dispensed. The interior wall of the skirt ltf is provided with threads ZZ by which the closure 1U may be attached to a container (not shown). Uther forms of fastening means such as snap beads or adhesive may also be used to permanently attach the closure 1U to the container.

The underside of the top wall 16 is provided with an annular seal 213942 4 2 wnich engages the top of the container opening to ensure that the contents of the container must pass through the opening 2U.

The cap member 14 has a generally disc-shaped top with a depending skirt portion 26 haviny the same perimeter as the skirt 18 of the closure body 12. In the assembled condition of the closure body 12 and cap 14 as seen in Fiyure 2, the respective skirts 18 and 26 are in alignment with each other.

The body 12 and cap 14 are held in relatively rotatable relationship to each other by an annular bead 28 formed on the underside of the cap member 14 and a complementary annular bead 3D formed on the top of the wall lb of the closure body 12. The annular bead 28 forms a radially outwardly facing yroove 32 which receives the outer lip of the annular bead 3U. Similarly, the annular bead 3U forms a radially inwardly faciny yroove 34 which receives the outer lip of the annular bead 28. The interlockiny action of the annular bead 28 and 3D serves to maintain the closure body 12 and cap 14 in axially fixed relationship to each other and at the same time permits free rotation of the cap 14 relative to the body 12 by maintaining the skirt 26 axially spaced a slight amount from a shoulder 36 formed at the upper end of the skirt 18 and by maintaining a sliyht radial spacing between the inner surface of the skirt 26 and the closure body 12. Ketention of the beads 28 and 3U in interlocking relationship with each other is further facilitated by an annular guide bead 36 seen in Figures 1 and 2 and formed on the top of the wall 16.

The interlockiny beads 28 and 3U permit free rotation of the cap member 14 relative to the closure body 12 and at the same time main- 213942 s tain the body 12 and cap 14 in axial ly fixed relationship to each other with the skirt 2b radially spaced from the bead 30 and the bottom of the skirt 2b is sliyhtly spaced from a shoulder 3a formed at the top of the skirt 18 of the body member 12.

The cap member 14 is provided with a plurality of apertures 41, 42, 43, 44 and 4b. The laryest of the apertures 41 corresponds yenerally in size to the openiny Zl) in the closure body 12 and the remaining openinys proyressively decrease in size to openiny 4b which is the smallest of the openinys. The openiny 2U in the top wall lb is surrounded by a collar 48 which has an annular seatiny surface bU surroundiny the openiny. The seatiny surface bU is complementary to a raised seatiny surface 52 which surrounds each of the openinys.

The openiny 20 is offset a predetermined radial distance from the axis of the closure body 12 and similarly, the apertures 41 through 4b are disposed on an arc haviny a radius equal to the same predetermined distance so that upon rotation of the cap 14 which is selectively rotatable through 360°, selected ones of the openings or apertures come into alignment with the opening 20. A portion of the same arc indicated generally at 54 which is disposed between the largest of the openings 41 and the smallest of_the openings 45 can be brouyht into aliynment with the openiny 20 to maintain it in a closed condition preventiny the dispensiny of the contents of the container with which the closure 1U is used.

After a container with which the closure 1U is used has been filled with its intended contents, the closure 10 is used by rotating the cap member 14 relative to the stationary closure body 12 to briny a selected one of the apertures 41 throuyh 4b into aliynment with the Z-3DECI987S3 openiny ZD and the closure body 12. Upon selecting one of the apertures, the closure body 12 and cap 14 are held the selected relationship by the coaction of the seatiny surface b2 surrounding the selected openiny and the seat bU in the collar 48.

Claims (14)

WHAT fll/WE CLAIM IS:

1. A two piece adjustable orifice dispensing closure comprising: a closure body adapted for attachment to a container and having a top wall containing a opening of a predetermined size radially offset a predetermined distance from the axis of the body, an annular sealing surface surrounding said opening and raised above said top wall, a lid member rotatably connected to said body, said lid member having a plurality of apertures with their axes radially offset relative to the axis of said lid member a distance equal to said predetermined distance, said plurality of apertures progressively diminishing in size from a size substantially equal to the opening in said top wall to a predetermined minimum size, raised annular sealing seats surrounding each of said apertures, each seat being complementary to said sealing surface independent of said aperture size whereby rotation of said lid member relative to said body permits alignment of a selected one of said apertures with the opening in said body and one of said sealing seats will engage said sealing surface to resj.li^ntly resist rotation of said lid member relative to said closure body.

2. The dispensiny closure of claim 1 wherein said closure body is substantially cylindrical and wherein said lid member is circular and has its periphery aligned with the periphery of said cylindrical body member.

3. The dispensiny closure of claim i wherein said closure body and said lid member are substantially cylindrical and have substantially equal diameters. 213942 -s-

4. The dispensing closure of claim 1 wherein said closure body has an annular bead and said lid member has a complementary annular bead enyayeable with tne bead on said body to hold said body and lid member in axially fixed relationship pennittiny relative rotation between said body and said lid.

5. The dispensiny closure of claim 4 wherein said lid member has an annular skirt coextensive with the cylindrical body and wherein said skirt is radially spaced from said annular bead. b.

The dispensiny closure of claim 1 wherein said apertures are circular and have their axes on an arc haviny a radius equal to said predetermined distance.

7. The dispensiny closure of claim 6 wherein a closure portion is formed by said lid member on the reinaininy portion of said arc not occupied by said apertures. y.

The dispensiny closure of claim 1 wherein said lid member has a skirt portion defining the circumference of said lid member, said skirt portion beiny adjacent to but in axially and circuinferentially spaced relationship to said closure body.

9- The adjustable dispensiny closure assembly of claim 1 wherein said lid member is snap fit to said cap member.

10. The adjustable dispensiny closure assembly of claim 1 wherein said cap member is threadably secured to said container.

11. The adjustable dispensiny closure assembly of claim 1 wherein said cap member is secured to said container by means of a bead.

12. The adjustable dispensing closure assembly of claim 1 wherein said cap member is sealed against said container by means of an annular seal. o 3DECI987£ -1- 213942

13. [lie adjustable dispensiny closure assembly of claim 1 wherein said lid member is selectively rotatable throuyh 3bu deyrees.

14. A dispensiny closure substantially as herein described with reference to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. dated thiday of dece»-r->beif -jg^. iiM 3DECI987;