US20140326725A1

US20140326725A1 - Three-part closure sealing and dispensing device for all types of Containers

Info

Publication number: US20140326725A1
Application number: US14/362,679
Authority: US
Inventors: Aron Joseph Clarkson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-12-15
Filing date: 2012-12-17
Publication date: 2014-11-06
Also published as: EP2791025A2; WO2013088422A2; EP2791025A4; WO2013088422A3

Abstract

A container closure device with a flexible three-dimensional formed sealing wad with a circumferential ridge, the closure body (1) is formed with a top wall and a cylindrical wall, wherein the top wall has a circumferential trapezoidal groove on the inner side of its rim, adjacent to the cylindrical wall. A sealing wad (2) is arranged below the inner side of the top wall of the closure body, whereby the ridge is located under the groove and has an internal circumferential recess in the ridge running around the perimeter of the underneath side of the sealing wad, serving to receive the edge of the spout forming the opening of the container, whereby the protruding ridge is oversized compared to the groove, the width of the recess is reduced and compressed when the ridge is forced into the groove. The recess has sealing fingers and on its inner and outer side walls which creates the seal with the container.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a multifunction closure device to seal and dispense many types of industrial substances and relates particularly to a container closure and sealing wad which can seal distorted and un-evenly formed containers through the characteristics of the closure in combination with the unique shape of the three dimensional flexible sealing wad and is adapted to engage a container to create a improved method of sealing one or more substances, and additionally can facilitate the dispensing and mixing of a material, such as a liquid, solid, powder or granular material, into the container while offering a number of tamper-proof security features for many types of industries, packaging harmful or toxic substances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This three-part closure sealing and dispensing device seals the contents in the container providing a solution for the handling, mixing and the transporting of harmful chemicals when handled or shipped as previous closure devices many times fail when toxic or dangerous chemicals are stored in them, as the closures and sealing wads consistently fail when the closures crack through pressure or the sealing wad material becomes old and deteriorates or when the container is stored in extreme climates or altitudes or when they are mishandled in storage or the transport or shipping of them.
This unique purpose multifunction dispensing closure has been invented to be used in the harmful goods and toxic chemical industry or the like to provide a much safer system when handling chemicals by sealing the container through a specially designed and shaped closure with a one or two-part three dimensional moulded sealing wad, which also incorporates a separate chamber dispensing closure device that keeps apart toxic or harmful chemicals until the time of use in a separate isolated chamber with an activation mechanism that can be activated automatically when the closure is undone from the container at the time of use.
The three-dimensional designed sealing wad system prevents dangerous chemicals from leaking when the container closure cracks when applied under load or pressure with damage occurring through dropping accidentally or through extreme temperature differences or mishandled in transport and has brought about many important security features through the introduction of a sophisticated tamper-proof evident security feature to prevent children tampering with any of the harmful or toxic chemical substances stored in the container.
Thus creating an invaluable three-part sealing closure device which has the capability of sealing the container through the culmination of the shape of the closure and the three-dimensional sealing wad only, or in a combination by employing the aluminium induction seal tamper-proof evident security system which provides a complete tamper-proof seal which prevents the harmful chemicals spilling out if the closure was to release or crack accidentally or if a child was to undo the closure for any reason, or further mixing of the harmful chemicals together at the time of use, through releasing the chemicals held in the separate part of the chamber of the closure by activating the dispensing device mechanism before completely removing the closure, which in turn provides valuable safety benefits when handling the mixing of harmful or toxic substances together and dispensing them so as not to cause unnecessary risk through coming into contact with the substances at the time of the mixing process.
With this invention, even if the container wall thickness and shape varies and the container neck spout lip and walls are distorted and severely out of round, this particular closure will still create a seal through its unique three-dimensional wedge-shaped design that forces the container back into shape and round when the closure is screwed on and tightens and prevents any possibility of leakage, making it ideal for such extruded below moulded containers used widely through the chemical industry or the like.
One of the important features of this invention, through this unique three-dimensional sealing wad and closure, is the way it requires very low torque to seal the closure onto the container which prevents the closure from distorting or cracking and thus prevents the closure from leaking out the harmful chemicals which in turn prevents the closure from failing under these extreme conditions through many different types of climate and temperature variations and extreme altitude differentials throughout the world while in storage or transport.
By understanding the manufacturing process, and how the containers are produced through a extrusion below forming method which is used to create the type of containers used in this industry or the like extensively, as through this method of manufacturing the container can never be produced with even wall thicknesses consistently or evenly consistent symmetrical surfaces or evenly thread dimensions and most importantly the inconsistently formed container neck spout lip rim and wall surface, and out of round wall which creates the sealing problem when the closure is engaged with the container, hence it is this exact problem why the containers do not allow the closure to seal the container in a reliable way. It will also be appreciated that this problem is aspirated through these containers being produced in many different locations by many independent manufactures throughout the world for the same products without any reliable consistency.
Therefore this invention has been designed and developed to overcome many of these outstanding issues and problems by creating a new universal container closure incorporating a three-dimensional sealing system which does not only rely on the narrow top spout lip surface which is only one dimension, but instead engages all three neck spout different wall surfaces to alleviate and overcome this problem.
The existing closures currently used in the industrial chemical industry or the like, seal the container by sandwiching and compressing a one dimensional flat wad seal between the closure and the inside top rim wall only of the container under pressure, but by doing it this way it creates hairline fractures in the plastic closure that is used and eventually can crack completely allowing the dangerous goods to escape from the container closure as too much torque is required to actually compress and sandwich the air cells of the sealing wad enough between the container and the closure to achieve an adequate high pressure seal, hence causing the products to leak through the plastic closure cracking and in some instances causing the closure to fail completely when under pressure in storage through extreme temperatures or altitude differences at the time of their storage or transport.
Through the UN charter governing and regulating this type of industry and the packaging of these type of chemical products or the like, manufacturers may only use certain types of certified protective sealing materials which have been approved to seal these types of substances at the time of packaging which has created the closure seals to be produced in a one-dimensional way from different types of extruded PE foam sheet material or the like with a PA or EVOH lamination which protects the PE foam from being attacked by the aggressive nature of the chemical ingredients or different types of solvents used, however this current method of sealing these types of containers in this way many times fail when placed under pressure as the one dimensional flat seal is only relying and engaging on the narrow top spout rim of the container to create a pressurized seal.
It will be appreciated through this new closure invention proposed with its unique three-dimensional sealing wad engages all three dimensions of the container neck spout lip walls to reduce any possibility of the closure from cracking as the torque applied to the closure when tightening the closure on, reduces any chance of cracking the closure as the torque is reduced considerably right down from around 10 to 14, Newton metres to only 5 or 6, Newton metres, thus lowering any chance of the closure to distort or to produce any fracturing or hairline cracking which in turn prevents any chance of the closure to fail later while in transport or storage when under pressure as there is no substantial stress applied to the closure to form a seal at the time of applying the closure to the container when packaging the product.
This new type of closure with this unique three-dimensional flexible sealing wad proposed is formed through a process which forms the seal through heat and pressure molding which creates a three dimensional seal with a PA protective lamination coating which is far more superior through the forming process which achieves the exact shape, dimensions and tolerances when compared to the already existing one dimensional seals which are currently fabricated through cutting the shape of the seal out of a flat extruded sheet of PE foam polymer which has been laminated with a film of PA to create the one dimensional sealing wad which are still currently utilized widely in this industry and do not seal the container in a safe or satisfactory way.
This invention works in a number of different independent ways. Firstly the closure can be used through the combination with the flat flexible sealing wad on its own, which when used, prevents the closure from cracking and in turn, leaking when placed under extreme stress through its unique three-dimensional sealing capabilities created by the shape of the closure making the sealing wad conformed to a specific three-dimensional shape which is molded in the top inside rim of the closure which by in turn seals up the three different wall faces and the neck spout lip of the container.
Secondly, the closure can be sealed through the flexible formed three dimensional wad which has been molded into a form which seals the container even if the container has not been formed to a consistent standard or has uneven internal or external neck spout wall thicknesses where the closure sealing wad seals on to, or is out of round or the dyer-meter varies extremely or if the tops sealing surface is not flat or severely deformed, or the shape has changed since the container was first molded.
Thirdly, the container can be sealed through the closure with the molded flexible formed three-dimensional wad which can be formed with a laminated aluminium induction seal film, or can be laminated with a sensitive adhesive film which is activated by pressure or heat which provides a unique security device through the tamper-proof evident security seal which can be activated and released once the closure has been unscrewed from the container. Only then can the substance be released from the container through pulling the ring-pull lever which in turn rips open the weakened indented part of the parameter of the sealing wad removing the protective cover or strip allowing the substance to be poured out from the container through the opening created by the removal of the protective cover separating partially or completely from the three dimensional seal surrounding band while it is still attached to the three edges of the container rim that remains in place so when the container is required to be re-sealed the wad is able to form an air-tight pressure seal once again.
The fourth valuable part of this closure system is that the dangerous substances can be kept completely separate in the same container safely apart until the time of use in a separate delivery device chamber through separating for example, one chemical liquid in the container and the other toxic or dangerous part of the substance in granule form or the like in the chamber separately until the closure is activated and the two or more substances are required to be mixed together at the time of use.
Therefore it will be appreciated that this part of the invention through this unique closure and three dimensional sealing wad and dispensing device keeps liquid, granule, powder and tablet or other types of substances sealed so they will not degrade from oxygen or moisture and protects the contents in the container through providing a number of safety features which protects the dangerous substances from accidentally mixing when the container is dropped or in storage or transported providing a completely sealed unit that is safe and secure to be stored in extreme variable temperatures and is able to be transported through any extreme climate or terrain safely.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

A number of proposals have previously been made for the sealing of these types of industrial containers to be constructed in a way that the closure seals the container with different sealing methods and by employing different types of sealing materials, however these proposals do not work satisfactory and are not reliable enough under many of the different conditions which these types of products are subjected to, and do not comply in accordance with the UN recommended safety guidelines regarding the packaging and handling of such harmful chemicals or the like. There have also been a few proposals that endeavour to separate two different products until the moment of use at which time one product is mixed with the other in the container, however these existing closures that have been proposed can only dispense very small volumes accurately and reliably and do not seal the containers sufficiently to withstand the vigorous testing requirements recommended by the UN.
For example, in the testing procedures for toxic and dangerous chemicals for the container and closures many of these tests are very extreme, and one of the tests is to drop the container on it's closure from a height of 1.8, meters on to a concrete floor at a temperature of −18° C., minus also a further leak-proof test is required where the container with the closure must be held under water for a period of five minutes and must withstand an air pressure of 0.3, Bar to be applied inside the container without leaking any of the air from the container. A further hydraulic test is required where the container and closure must undergo internal hydraulic pressure for a period of 30 minutes with an internal pressure being applied of 1, to 2, Bar, and a further stacking test of the container at a height of 3, meters for a period of 28 days at a constant temperature no less than 40°, along with a environmental stress cracking test which tests the closure and seal for any stress cracking through a tube with screw threads on both ends, where two closures are threaded on and torqued up. In the tube is PFL 2323. The whole device is then merged into the respective PFL and stored at 40° C. for at least 56, days. Any initiation of stress cracking is observed twice a week. So with such testing procedures recommended by the UN many previous solutions proposed are unable to withstand such extreme testing and are not suitable to be employed in the dangerous goods category as under these extreme conditions many closures and seals fail under these tests resulting in spilling the substance held in the container out which in turn can cause much harm to anyone coming into contact with these dangerous substances.
A number of proposals have previously been made for sealing closures and to be constructed in one proposal as outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,027, a closure is disclosed having a flexible sealing wall. However these types of closures which are employed to seal beverage bottles like this one, are only suitable for containers which are matching the exact dimensions and profile of the specified closure where they have very minimal tolerance differentials and can not be used on such extruded below molded containers which are used in the dangerous good industry. They also do not have an independent sealing wad which protects the closure from coming into contact with aggressive substances stored inside the container and are not suitable or recommended for sealing dangerous goods and do not comply with many of the UN recommendations.
Another proposal is outlined in US Patent Application No. 2011/0192818, for induction sealing containers, however in the way that it is proposed, it does not work on extruded blow moulded containers where the molding tolerances very extremely, and the surface and finish on the containers are not formed consistently and are out around with large inconsistent lip rim sealing the spout lip wall rim thickness variations. It will also be appreciated in the way that this sealing closure device is connected to the container and is forming a seal, which is incapable of holding any internal pressure, along with the induction seal which is only sealing the top rim surface of the container and is a one-dimensional sealing method and can not take such large internal pressure or such extreme drop tests and environmental cracking tests as required when sealing harmful or dangerous chemicals in the way it is proposed and constructed.
Also a number of proposals have previously been made for dispensing closures to be constructed in a way that two products are maintained separated until the moment of use at which time one product is added and mixed with the other in the container. However these type of closures with dispensing devices previously proposed are relatively unreliable as they do not address the sealing issues adequately in the way that this invention does and do not have any reliable pressure sealing methods or other safety tamper-proof evident or security feature solutions that prevents children tampering with any of the harmful or toxic chemical substances stored in the closure or the container.
In one of the previous proposals which is relatively complicated. For example, in one proposal, a closure is formed from five parts, a first part including a compartment to hold one product, the compartment being adapted to engage in the neck of a container, a second part which moves relative to the first part and has a means for opening a bottom wall of the compartment to release the product into the container, and a sealing cap which engages over the compartment part to seal the closure on the container.
Such a structure is relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture, requires the assembly of five separate parts as well as the introduction of a product into the compartment during assembly, and involves a number of separate actions in order to release the product in the compartment into the container and does not seal the container in the way required when packaging dangerous goods.
I also personally have a previous U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,774, under Aron Joseph Clarkson, however the closures I proposed in this previous patent invention cannot be used for this purpose, as they are not designed to package such dangers toxic chemicals in this way, as the design structure and sealing capabilities of these closures cannot take these type of internal pressures required, and do not seal the container in a reliable or safe enough way, also the volume of chemicals substances which is required to dispense in this industry from such a closure device are much more than you can package in this type of dispensing compartment safely, and do not comply with the extreme UN recommendations which are governing this industry.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved container closure sealing system that can withstand extreme conditions and internal and external pressures, incorporating a dispensing device for containers with tamper-proof evidence which obviates at least some of the important security issues that other sealing and dispensing devices previously do not propose.
It is also desirable to provide a sealing system which can withstand pressure, heat and extreme cold conditions which incorporates tamper-proof evidence and a dispensing device incorporating an oxygen scavenger device or the like, for a variety of container types, including chemical, pharmaceutical, beverage, food, or other types of containers for a variety of different products in many different types of industries.
It is also desirable to provide an improved container closure sealing system that allows the dispensing of substances safely and conveniently for containers whereby a material or substance in liquid, powder, solid, granular or other forms is able to be automatically, quickly, easily and reliably dispensed into the product in the container on which the dispensing closure device is attached.
It is also desirable to provide a container closure sealing system which is safe and reliable to use, and is capable of withstanding considerable pressure, with tamper-proof evidence and can dispense substances from the closure into the container that is relatively easy to produce, assemble, fill and use at a low production cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This multifunction closure with three-dimensional flexible sealing capabilities with a dispensing device incorporated, has been invented for the dangerous goods and toxic chemical industry to provide a much safer system when packaging or using such harmful substances by sealing the container through a specially designed closure with a one or two-part flexible sealing wad which can be induction sealed or sealed by a pressure glue activated by heat onto the container at the time of the closure being applied to the container, and incorporates a dispensing mechanism in the closure that keeps apart toxic or harmful chemicals until the time of use in a separate isolated chamber with an activation mechanism which can be activated automatically when the closure is undone from the container, allowing the two or more substances to be dispensed into the container and mixed together by the operator at the time of use.
One of the embodiments of the invention, the closure body, includes an outer cylindrical wall and a coaxial inner wall. The closure is sealed onto the container through a flexible compression wad which carries a protective lamination which conforms to the exact contour of the closure internal protruding wedge ridge shape pressurizing the sealing wad and intern conforms to the exact shape of the three sealing neck spout edges, being the top inside wall, top lip rim and the top of the outside wall of the container.
With this embodiment, the actual shape of the tapered angle of the top wall of the closure performs an important function by wedging the seal against the three surrounding sealing edge surfaces of the container, which in turn provides a seal, being the inside wall edge, the top rim lip and the outside edge of the neck spout of the container and as a result of the unique protruding wedge ridge shape in the underneath side of the closure, pressurizes the inside sealing edge of the container through internal forcing evenly the container neck walls to straighten and to become round so as the edges of the lip walls of the container are aligned with the closure caring the seal and when the closure is torque down on to the container, through engaging all three sealing spout edges of the container, in turn provides this airtight seal to be achieved between all three container wall edges and the closure seal.
Another embodiment of the invention, the three-dimensional closure seal wad can be molded by forming the sealing material to the desired shape through pressure molding, prior to the assembly of the sealing wad into the closure. When the seal is assembled into the closure the seal fits into an oversize recess groove provided in the wall of the closure which allows the seal to stay fully expanded in a relaxed position with large tolerances so that the container which is out of round and has variable and different neck dimensions and sealing spout wall thicknesses can still enter into the internal seal recess without any resistance so when the closure is threaded onto the container, the container makes contact with the closure seal first in the relaxed state and when the closure is screwed further onto the container the container in turn picks up the sealing wad and carries it further into the unique protruding wedge ridge shape recess in the underneath side of the closure. By placing the sealing wad into the closure when torque down further on to the container in this way, the seal engages with all three sealing edges of the container, in turn providing a successful airtight seal to be achieved between all of the three container neck spout wall edges and the flexible seal wad with the closure.
Another embodiment of the invention uses a similarly constructed molded sealing wad as described above, however it is laminated with an aluminium induction foil seal creating a two-part laminated wad induction seal system that seals the container through the closure and sealing wad and is induction sealed to the container at the time of packaging. The lamination sealing material is specially produced for the resistance of all toxic or dangerous chemicals and is a flexible compression PE foam or the like, with an aluminium induction seal bonded to the underneath side of it which provides the safety tamper-proof evident part of the system, when the closure is screwed on to the container then a high frequency electrical current is applied creating heat to the top of the closure which in turn, bonds the induction foil attached to the sealing wad to the three edges of the neck spout of the container, being the inner side wall, the top lip of the wall and the outside wall creating a permanent or temporary bond of the induction material and sealing wad together to the container.
It will be also appreciated that this induction sealing method can be achieved through having the aluminium induction foil formed to the desired shape independently from the PE foam seal or the like, by applying an induction seal coating or glue which bonds through heat or is activated by pressure and is applied to both sides of the aluminium foil or has been laminated to the PA film or laminated to the PE foam before or after molding the seal. By applying the closure to the container in this way, the seal coating can be bonded to the container either through the induction sealing method, or by applying heat onto the closure and seal, in turn activating the pressure glue creating the bond or through injecting hot steam into the container before applying the closure creating a vacuum seal or by preheating the container as practiced in the food industry to fill and package glass jars.
The closures sealing wad can be produced through pressure molding and is die-cut or knifed out at the same time creating the rip-line and pull-ring tab indentation where the aluminium induction foil or the PA foam sealing material will be ripped out from the middle of the seal wad area once the closure is removed from the container leaving the seal still bonded in place to the container. Through pulling up the pull-ring tab leaver or the like, in turn causes the aluminium induction film or PA lamination weakened portion of the sealing wad to rip open allowing the middle part of the seal wad to be partially or completely removed from the container, thus allowing the substances to be dispensed from the container. It will also be appreciated that the sealing wad can be transferred or fitted into the closure at the time of injection molding the closure or could be molded through a two part cavity injection process at the same time, depending on the application of the closure and seal and what protective coating is required and what it is to be used for.
A further embodiment aspect of this invention, there is a dispensing closure mechanism device that can dispense at least one product into the container, the dispensing device when activated dispenses the substance into the container which are held in the dispensing chamber and released into the container when the closure is undone from the container, the motion created through undoing the closure of the container automatically releases the bottom wall of the dispensing chamber, releasing the substance held in the chamber to release into the liquid, commencing the mixing of the two substances together ready for use.
The dispensing closure compartment is formed in such a way so it seals completely to the underneath side of the top inside edge of the closure body, having securing means to secure the device to the container, a compartment to contain the substances, at least one or more to be dispensed, the compartment being adapted to fit within the container and closure and being defined by a side wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, and releasing means moveable relative to the side wall, and the bottom wall by releasing and opening the bottom wall of the compartment to dispense the contents of the compartment into the container.
The closure and dispensing compartment is formed into two separate parts, one part being the closure body, the other part is the cylindrical wall of the dispensing compartment and the bottom spring hinge end wall and seal is moulded together in one piece. The closure body is aligned with the dispensing compartment creating a sealed compartment when assembled together. The compartment is fitted to the underneath side of the closure, the upper end of the dispensing compartment is formed with a flange which engages with the corresponding recess groove which runs around the inside of the closure body. In this way, the two parts, the closure and the dispensing compartment is able to be snap-fitted together with the closure body before the filling of the compartment.
The dispensing closure compartment is filled with the substance which is desirable to dispense, then the bottom end wall is closed sealing the compartment together and is held in place by snap-fitting and locking to the internal rod which protrudes downwards from the inside top wall of the closure creating an airtight seal in the compartment, this allowing the chamber if needed to be vacuum or pressure sealed or flushed with different types of gases at the time of filling of the substance into the compartment.
When the dispensing compartment is activated by undoing the closure from the container the substance releases from the chamber and dispenses into the container assisted through a spring hinge which also assists in the lining up of the sealing wall together when assembled, and when activated forces the bottom half of the compartment to completely open allowing the content to dispense from the compartment permitting contents thereof to be dispensed into the container to which the dispensing closure device is incorporated in or fitted to.
It will also be appreciated this method employed not only creates a much improved sealing child resistant system, but also a closure that is sealed completely with a much lower torque rate which provides a valuable tamper-proof system that is much easier for older or disabled people to remove when undoing this closure.
In order that the invention is more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 2 and 3 is a side half cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 5 and 6 is a side half cross sectional, elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7 8 and 9 is a side half cross sectional elevational view of a third embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 10 11 and 12 is a half cross sectional elevational view of a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a side half elevation and a cross sectional, elevational view of a fifth embodiment of the invention being activated.

FIGS. 14 15 and 16 is a side elevation and a cross sectional, elevational view of a sixth embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 2 and 3
Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 2 and 3 illustrations show a first embodiments of the invention, the closure body, includes an outer cylindrical wall and a coaxial inner wall of the invention in which a container closure body 1 defined by an and a cylindrical out side wall 1 b and inside top wall rim 1 a with an inner rim angle side wall 1 c and 1 d with a tamper-proof evident band 8 the sealing closure device 1 carries internal molded threads 11 and is threaded onto the container 4 to close the container, the container has a sealing top lip 10 and a sealing outer wall 10 a with a sealing inner wall 10 b and external threads that the closure is held on to the container by 11 a having a rim 12 which engages the tamper-proof evident band 8 incorporating a saw tooth gear 9 around the outside perimeter just above the tamper-proof evident band 8 to orientate the closure with the dispensing compartment mechanism with the closure when assembling the closure together as well as in the printing of the closure through specialized equipment at the time of packaging.
The top of the three-dimensional flexible compression sealing wad 2 is formed with angled facets being the outside facet 2 e the top facet 2 f and inside facet 2 g and carries a internal recess running around the perimeter of the underneath side of the sealing wad which comprises of a top sealing wall 2 a and three protruding outwardly angled flexible compression sealing fingers 2 b 2 c and 2 d when the flexible compression sealing wad 2 is assembled into the closure 1 the seal fits into a large oversize recess groove 13 provided in the inside wall edge of the closure body 1 which allows the flexible seal wad 2 to stay fully expanded in a relaxed position with large tolerances so that the container 4 which is out of round and has variable different neck dimensions and sealing wall thicknesses can still enter into the internal recess of the flexible seal 2 unhindered without any resistance so when the closure is threaded onto the container 4 and the three sealing lip edges of the container 10 10 a and 10 b makes contact with the flexible sealing wad 2 still in its relaxed state, as the closure 1 is screwed further onto the container 4 the three sealing edges of the container enter into the recess of the sealing wad 2 and in turn picks up the flexible sealing wad and carries it further into the unique wedge shape recess of the closure 1 a 1 c 1 d in the underneath side of the closure, forcing the flexible seal 2 further up into the closure body in turn creating pressure on the three protruding outwardly angled flexible compression sealing fingers 2 b 2 c and 2 d forcing all of the sealing fingers hard against all of the three sealing edges of the container 10 10 a and 10 b of the container 4 and locking the flexible seal into positioned by the outwardly protruding rip 13 a in turn providing a successful airtight seal to be achieved between all of the three container wall edges and the flexible seal wad and closure.
FIGS. 4 5 and 6
Referring to FIGS. 4 5 and 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention, this embodiment is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 2 and 3 and illustrates the invention in which a container closure body 1 defined by a inside top wall rim 1 a and a cylindrical outside wall 1 b and inner rim angle side wall 1 c the container has a sealing spout top lip 10 and a sealing outer spout wall 10 a with a sealing inner spout wall 10 b and external threads that the closure is held onto the container by, except where the three-dimensional flexible sealing wad 2 has been completely inserted into the underneath top portion of the closure body 1 and is formed in such a way as to engage the container 4 when the closure 1 is threaded onto the container neck, by in turn forcing the flexible sealing wad fingers 2 a 2 b 2 c and 2 d to flex when coming into contact with all three sealing spout wall's 10 10 a and 10 b of the container 4 through in turn torque up further the closure 1 applying increasing pressure to compress and sandwich the sealing fingers further to the three sealing walls of the container 4 thus achieving a three-dimensional pressure seal of the closure and container.
Another feature of this embodiment is the internal flexible sealing wad 2 through the engagement of the sealing fingers 2 a 2 b 2 c and 2 d which can be internally bonded to all three sealing spout walls, the top lip wall 10 and a sealing outer wall 10 a with a sealing inner wall 10 b of the container 4 through applying a precious sensitive glue or the like, or by laminating a film to the underneath side of the sealing foam before forming the seal wad 2 this bond then is formed through applying heat on the top of the closure body 1 or through injecting hot steam into the container 4 before applying the closure 1 or the glue can be activated through the pressure been created when the closure is torque on to the container which in turn resolidifies the bonding agent used providing a permanent sealing bond.
The flexible sealing wad 2 has a child resistant tamper-proof evident security feature formed in the sealing wad created by a recess groove 21 a which runs around the outer surface of the inside perimeter edge of the sealing wad 2 formed in such a way to create a weakened indentation rip line created at the time of molding the seal 2 through knifing partially into the groove 21 a on both sides of the sealing wad, but not cutting all the way through which provides a partly weakened rip line connecting both parts of the seal together still.
Once the closure 1 has been removed from the container 4 the child resistant tamper-proof evident inner portion of the sealing wad is remove by placing your finger into the recess 21 pulling in an upward direction, which in turn allows the weakened recess groove carrying the rip line portion 21 a to rip around the outer edge of the sealing wad 2 allowing the weakened portion of the sealing wad to open and be partially or completely removed from the container 4 exposing the contents of the container.
FIGS. 7 8 and 9
Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 7 8 and 9 this illustrates of a third embodiment of the invention in which is similar to that shown in FIGS. 4 5 and 6, except that the three-dimensional flexible sealing wad 2 has been formed with an aluminum induction sealing foil lamination 3 to the underneath side of the sealing wad 2 or coated with a heat activation substance which can be bonded through either induction seal methods or activated by heat or hot steam at the time of the packaging process.
The child resistant tamper-proof evident security feature has been formed in the same way by creating a recess groove 21 a which runs around the outer top surface of the inside perimeter edge of the sealing wad 2 formed in such a way to create a weakened indentation rip line created at the time of molding the seal 2 through knife cutting partially into the top groove 21 a side only of the sealing wad foam 2 but not cut all the way through to weaken or cause damage to the aluminium induction film seal 3 thus provides a partly weakened rip line in the seal wad 2 connecting both parts of the seal together and carries a flexible hinge pull-ring tab 21 or the like, which folds into the recess 21 c on the top side of the sealing wad.
When the closure is applied to the container, it engages the three surfaces of the sealing wad in the container respectively. The top of the three-dimensional flexible compression sealing wad 2 is formed with angled facets being the outside facet 2 e the top facet 2 f and inside facet 2 g and carries a internal recess running around the perimeter of the underneath side of the sealing wad which comprises of a top sealing wall 2 a and two flexible sealing walls 2 b and 2 d when the flexible compression sealing wad 2 is assembled into the closure 1 the seal fits into a large oversize recess groove 13 provided in the inside wall edge of the closure body 1 which allows the flexible seal wad 2 to stay fully expanded in a relaxed position with large tolerances so that the container 4 which is out of round and has variably different neck dimensions and sealing wall thicknesses can still enter into the internal recess of the flexible seal 2 unheeded without resistance so when the closure is threaded onto the container 4 and the three sealing lip edges of the container 10 10 a and 10 b makes contact with the flexible sealing wad 2 still in its relaxed state, as the closure 1 is screwed further onto the container 4 the three sealing spout edges of the container enter into the recess of the sealing wad 2 and in turn picks up the flexible sealing wad and carries it further into the unique wedge shape recess of the closure 1 a 1 c 1 d in the underneath side of the closure, forcing the flexible seal 2 further up into the closure body in turn creating pressure on the three engaging flexible compression sealing walls forcing and sandwiching all of the sealing walls 2 b 2 c and 2 d hard against the three sealing spout edges of the container 10 10 a and 10 b of the container 4 locking the flexible seal wad 2 into and positioned through the engaging outwardly protruding rip 13 a in turn holding the seal in place.
Once the closure has been torque down onto the container the aluminum induction seal foil 3 is induction seal to all three walls surfaces of the spout neck of the container 4 through engaging the induction sealing head of the device, which in turn applies high voltage electricity creating heat directly onto the top of the closure body 1 thus ensuring complete permanent bond between all three surfaces of the closure sealing wad 2 and the container 4,
When using the product by removing the closure from the container 4 the child resistant tamper-proof evident inner portion of the sealing wad 2 is removed by placing your index finger underneath the flexible hinge pull-ring tab 21 held in the recess 21 c in turn by holding the tab between your thumb and index finger 22 pulling in an upward direction, which in turn allows the aluminium induction seal 21 b portion and the corresponding weakened recess groove carrying the rip line portion 21 a to rip around the outer edge of the sealing wad 2 allowing the weakened portion of the sealing wad to open and be partially or completely removed from the container 4 exposing the contents of the container, but still leaving the outside perimeter of the sealing wad 2 bonded to the three sealing walls of the container, so the container can be re-sealed once again providing a reliable pressure seal as before. Thus creating a complete tamper-proof evident system which is childproof and prevents the closure from ever leaking when damaged through transport or if accidentally dropped before it is used, and will be appreciated that the invention can be made to any size and fitted to any container with the same safety and accuracy with the same operating techniques.
FIGS. 10 11 and 12
Referring to FIGS. 10 11 and 12 this illustration shows a fourth embodiment of the invention the closure of this embodiment is designed particularly for use on a plastic or glass container having a threaded neck which is consistently out of round or formed severely out of shape through the manufacturing process, such as a beverage bottle or glass jar for example. The closure comprises of single flat flexible sealing wad foam material laminated with a protected film to protect the foam seal, or can be laminated with an aluminum peel-able induction sealing film which can easily be removed with or without the seal wad still being attached.
In this cross-section elevational view shows the flat one piece flexible compression sealing wad 5 is assembled into the closure 1 the seal fits into a large oversize recess groove 13 provided in the inside wall edge of the closure body 1, which allows the over size flexible seal wad 5 to stay fully expanded in a relaxed position with large tolerances so that the container 4 which is out of round and has variable different neck dimensions and sealing wall thicknesses engage easily with the flat one-dimensional flexible seal wad 5 unhindered without resistance so when the closure is threaded onto the container 4 and the three sealing lip edges of the container 10 10 a and 10 b makes contact with the flexible sealing wad 5 still in its relaxed state, as the closure 1 is screwed further onto the container 4 the three sealing edges of the container press the sealing wad 5 further into the unique wedge shape recess of the closure 1 a 1 c 1 d in the underneath side of the closure body 1 forcing the flexible seal 5 further up into the closure body in turn creating pressure on the flexible sealing wad 5 forcing the flat sealing wad to change shape and to conform to the contours of the internal closure cavity walls 2 b 2 c and 2 d in turn pressuring and sandwiching the sealing wad 5 hard against the closure and the three sealing wall edges of the container 10 10 a and 10 b of the container 4 locking the flexible seal wad 5 into position through the engaging outwardly protruding rip 13 a in turn holding the seal in place providing a complete pressure seal with the container every time.
FIG. 13
Referring to FIG. 13 illustrations show a fifth embodiment of the invention this embodiment shows the closure 1, threaded onto the container and has a unique oxygen scavenger device fitted into the recess 23 of the sealing wad, which works by eating up any oxygen entering the container 4 continuously, through the container being flushed with a mixture of two different gases at the time of packaging, which creates a cartelisation conversation between the palladium disk woven material or the like, and the incoming oxygen entering through the porous container walls which is common in such blow molded plastic polymer containers, and with the charge gases placed in the container. This oxygen scavenger device woven palladium flat disk material 23 a or the like, is placed into the recess 23 formed into the sealing wad 2 and covered with a external micro thin porous breathable covering film 23 b and is sonically welded to the sealing wad recess wall protecting the oxygen scavenger device from harmful substances in the container through coming in direct contact with it. It will also be appreciated that this oxygen scavenger device can be utilized in any of the combinations of the flexible pressure sealing wads previously mentioned with the same performance and filling techniques at the time of packaging.
FIGS. 14 15 and 16
Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 14 15 and 16 illustrations show a first embodiment of the invention in which a container closure body 1 defined by an inside top wall rim 1 a. and a cylindrical outside wall 1 b and inner rim angle side wall 1 c and 1 d with a tamper-proof evident band 8 the sealing closure device 1 carries internal molded threads 11 and is threaded onto the container 4 to close the container, the container has a sealing top lip 10 and a sealing outer wall 10 a with a sealing inner wall 10 b and external threads that the closure is held onto the container by 11 a having a rim 12 which engages the tamper-proof evident band 8 incorporating a saw tooth gear 9 around the outside perimeter just above the tamper-proof evident band 8 to orientate the closure with the dispensing compartment mechanism with the closure when assembling the closure together at the time of packaging the substance that is desirable to dispense into the dispensing compartment 16.
Through adding the compartment device to the underneath side of the closure body 1 converts the closure into a dispensing compartment device by fitting a cylindrical compartment 16 together with the internal top wall of the closure body 1. The closure body 1 in culmination with the dispensing compartment 16 is formed in such a way so it seals completely to the underneath side of the top insight edge of the closure sealing wad 2 which carries a release mechanism rod 15 in a downward protruding position from the closure body 1 which in turn engages the bottom sealing wall 17 which in turn holds the compartment bottom sealing wall tightly against the bottom edge of the cylindrical compartment wall 16 b closed, thus sealing the compartment completely by locking in position through the engaging protruding rip 20 and the two corresponding ribs 15 a and 15 b carried on the rod 15 in turn snap fits together with the rod 15 with the indentation 19 sealing the dispensing compartment in a completely closed position which in turn creates pressure against the spring-hinged mechanism 18 and the spring 18 a.
Once the closure body 1 has been assembled with the dispensing compartment device 16 together, the complete dispensing closure device are turned upside down where the substance to be dispensed is loaded into the open compartment 16 and sealed by closing the compartment sealing wall 17 in turn locking it into position through snap fitting together by aligning the rod 15 with the indentations 19 and rib 20 which in turn seals the compartment.
FIG. 14 shows the embodiment when the assembled closure dispensing device is threaded onto the container, the compartment 16 engages the container 4 through a tight pressure fit creating the compartment 16 to jam tightly against all three sealing walls of the container neck, being 10 10 a 10 b thus causing a seal between the container, the flexible seal wad 2 provides a pressure seal between the closure 1, and the container 4 and employs a similar three-dimensional flexible sealing wad 2 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 5 and 6 and creates a seal when the closure with the dispensing device is threaded on to the container 4 through the force applied doing up the closure 1 this in turn compresses the flexible sealing wad 2 which applies pressure to the insight of the closure body 1 to the defined angled wedge shape on the underneath side of the closure 1 a and 1 c and 1 d which in turn forces the wad seal 2 to seal hard against all three sealing spout wall edges of the dispensing compartment 16 through forcing the compartment down on to the container 4 and creating a tight seal between the container and in turn sealing the dispensing compartment with the flexible sealing fingers 2 a 2 b 2 c and 2 d and once the closure is threaded on and torque down on to the container 4 it completely seals the contents in the dispensing compartment 16 allowing no oxygen, liquid or other types of gases to escape into or out of the seal compartment or container.
The compartment dispensing device has a protruding outwards flange 16 a which the compartment 16 has been assembled together with the closure body 1 by snap-fitting together permanently into the recess groove 13 where the space of the recess groove allows for movement between the body of the closure 1 and the dispensing compartment 16 a thus allowing the closure 1 to be unthreaded from the container at the time of use which in turn releases the bottom sealed compartment wall 17 so it can release the substances held in the compartment 16.
FIG. 15 shows the embodiment when the closure body 1 is unscrewed from the container 4 the contents packaged and held in the dispensing chamber device 16 is released into the container 4 and the mixing process takes place automatically through the bottom sealing wall 17 being released through the rod 15 moving in an upward movement as the closure is unscrewed from the container, in turn allowing the bottom sealing wall 17 to pop out of its locked position with the rod 15 which allows the bottom sealing wall 17 to be forced open through the weight of the substance and is further assisted through the spring hinge mechanism 18 and spring 18 a so that the compartment is completely open unrestricting the substance completely to be dispensed.
FIG. 16, shows an embodiment that is constructed in the same way that 14 and 15 are, but employs a different release mechanism to dispense the contents from the compartment 16 into the container 4 through unthreading the closure 1 from the container in the same way at the time of use, the bottom sealed compartment wall 17 from its locked position held in place through the rod 15 moving in an upward movement as the closure is unscrewed from the container, in turn allowing the bottom sealing wall 17 to pop out of its locked position with the rod 15 which allows the bottom sealing wall 17 to be open through the weight of the substance held in the compartment 17 sliding in a downwards direction opening the compartment dispensing the contents into the container, in turn automatically starting the mixing process of the substances held in the container to commence.
It will be appreciated that the contents 19 of the chamber 16 may be any of those referred to above or any product that is to be sealed or mixed with another within the container. Embodiments of the invention can be designed so that the dispensing device bottom sealing wall 17 doesn't have to be completely removed from the container 4 before dispensing the substance out of the container, and the invention can be made to any size and fitted to any container with the same safety and accuracy with the same operating techniques.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. Closure device for the opening of a container comprising

a closure body (1) with a top wall and a cylindrical wall, wherein the top wall has a circumferential trapezoidal groove on the inner side of its rim adjacent the cylindrical wall, and wherein the groove has an top wall 1 a and inner and outer angle side walls (1 c, 1 d), and a sealing wad (2) arranged below the inner side of the top wall of the closure body, wherein the sealing wad (2) has a circumferential trapezoidal upward protruding ridge on its upper side facing the top wall, whereby the ridge is located under the groove and has a top facet (2 f), an outside facet (2 e) and an inside facet (2 g) and an internal circumferential recess in the ridge running around the perimeter of the underneath side of the sealing wad (2), serving to receive the edge 10 of a spout forming the opening of the container,

whereby the protruding ridge is oversized compared to the groove, so that the width of the recess is reduced and compressed when the ridge is forced into the groove.

2. Closure device according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle of inclination of the outer angle side wall (1 d) is greater than that of the outside facet (2 e) and/or the angle of inclination of the inner angle side wall (1 c) its greater than that of the inside facet (2 g).

3. Closure device according to claim 1, characterized in that the recess has sealing fingers (2 b, 2 c, and 2 d) on its inner and/or outer side walls.

4. Closure device according to claim 1, characterized in that a recess groove (13) is formed on the inside of the cylindrical wall into which the outer edge of the sealing wad (2) protrudes to be held therein loosely.

5. Closure device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inside of the cylindrical wall has a thread for screwing it onto the spout of a container.

6. Closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that glue and/or bonding agent is applied in the recess or spout so that the sealing wad (2) is bonded to the edge of the spout.

7. Closure device according to claim 6, characterized in that the sealing wad (2) has a child resistant tamper-proof closure lid.

8. Closure device according to claim 7, characterized in that the closure lid is formed in the sealing wad by a circumferential weakened indentation in the sealing wad.

9. Closure device according to claim 8, characterized in that the closure lid has a recess for placing a finger therein or a hinge pull-ring tab leaver.

10. Closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an aluminium induction sealing foil lamination (3) is attached to the underneath side of the sealing wad (2).

11. Closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that closure device has an oxygen scavenger device.

12. Closure device for the opening of a container comprising

a closure body (1) with a top wall and a cylindrical wall, wherein the top wall has a circumferential trapezoidal groove on the inner side of its rim adjacent to the cylindrical wall, and wherein the groove has a top wall (1 a) and inner and outer angle side walls (1 c and 1 d), and a flat sealing wad (5) arranged below the inner side of the top wall of the closure body, whereby a recess groove (13) is formed on the inside of the cylindrical wall into which the outer edge of the sealing wad (2) protrudes to be held therein loosely

so that the sealing wad (5) is pressed into the groove by the edge 10 of the spout forming the opening of the container when the closure body (1) is put onto the container engaging the edge (10) of the spout.

13. Closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closure device has a dispensing compartment (16) for a container, the closure body (1) being operable to dispense at least one product carried by the compartment device (16) into the container, the container having a spout portion with which the closure body (1) is engaged, the closure device comprising.

a compartment to contain at least one product to be dispensed, the compartment being adapted to fit at least partly within the container spout and being defined by a substantially cylindrical side wall, a top wall, and a removable bottom wall, wherein the removable bottom wall is detachably engaged with the closure body (1).

14. Closure device according to claim 13, characterized in that the bottom wall is moveable relative to the side wall and the top wall to open the compartment to selectively dispense contents of the compartment into the container, whereby the product to be dispensed has been filled into the compartment prior to putting the closure device onto the container spout.