US2211977A

US2211977A - Closable orifice for containers

Info

Publication number: US2211977A
Application number: US152099A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hunter Leo Smith
Original assignee: GATES PAPER Co Ltd
Current assignee: GATES PAPER Co Ltd; GATES PAPER COMPANY Ltd
Priority date: 1937-07-06
Filing date: 1937-07-06
Publication date: 1940-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 1957-08-20

Description

Aug. 20, 1940-, L. s. HUNTER CLOSABLE ORIFIQE FOR CONTAINERS Filed July 6, 1937 INVENTOR. [[0 5/7/74 HIM ff? A'ITORNE Patented Aug. 20,1940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOSABLE ORIFICE FOR CONTAINERS Application July 6, 1937, Serial No. 152,099

7 Claims.

My invention relates to closable orifices for containers or packages of the type wherein the' contents of the package are to be removed a portion at a time, the remaining contents to be left in the package between removal of portions thereof, and has particular reference to a relatively simple closure member which may be repeatedly operated to open and close an orifice in the package. I

In the packaging of certain commodities, such as finely divided or powdered materials, it is common practice to place such products in a can or box provided with an entrance opening in the top or one of the walls thereof, through which the contents or a portion thereof may be removed. To protect the remaining contents in the package during intervals between the removal of a portion thereof, a closure device may "be provided adapted to be repeatedly moved from an orifice-opening to an orifice-closing position. Howeven'after a few uses of the orifice closure, such closures usually become so dilapidated as to fail to completely close the orifice and hence fail to protect the remaining contents of the package.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a package of the character described wherein an orifice closure is provided having means for holding the closure member snugly in orifice-closing position even after repeated op erations of the closure member.

Another object of my invention is to provide a package and closure therefor of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the closure member may be constructed inexpensively from a single strip of paper, cardboard, fiber board or other sheet material, one portion of the closure member being constructed as a locking tongue adapted to be received within a locking slot in the wall of the package to which it is attached.

Another object of my invention is to provide a closure member of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein a looking or holding tongue is provided upon the closure adapted to pass through aslot formed in the wall of the package to which it is attached and provided with an embossed portion thereon engaging the edges of the slot to hold the closure member in a predetermined orifice-closing position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a closure member of the character set forth wherein the closure member is provided with an outwardly struck or embossed portion thereof conforming in shape and dimensions with'the orifice in the wall of the package to which it is attached to at least partiallyenter the orifice to substantially seal the same when the closure is in orifice-closing position.

Other objects and advantages of my invention 5 will .be apparent from a study of the following specifications, read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of'a package or paper can and illustrating my orificeclosing device in closing position thereon;

Fig. 2 is avertical sectional view taken through the top portion or cap of the package shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating the closure member in 15 orifice-closing position;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the closure member in orifice-opening position, permitting the removal of the contents of the package through the orifice; and

.Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 and illustrating a modified form of closure member which may be employed in the practice of my invention for sealing the orifice whenthe closure member is in orificeclosing position.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated in Fig. 1 a package or can I, which may be constructed of paper, cardboard, fiber board or other sheet material such as sheet metal, and may have any desired shape. The shape illustrated in Fig. 1 is that of a cylindrical paper can, the upper end of which is closed by a cap member 2, usually constructed from a flat disc of sheet material having a downwardly turned flange 3 adapted to fit the exterior walls of the package or can I and to be sealed thereto by suitable adhesives or in any other similar manner, as

. will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The cap member 2 is provided with an opening 40 or orifice 4 extending through the cap into communication with the interior of the package or can so that contents thereof may be poured out of the can through the orifice or opening 4. Where the can is to be employed for packaging materials, a portion of which will be repeatedly removed from the can until the entire contents are consumed, a closure member 5 should be provided to close the orifice between intervals of pouring or removing the contents from the package. I

I have illustrated a closure member 5 as comprising a strip of sheet material, preferably having the shape illustrated in Fig. 1, which includes 55 a shank 8 relatively narrow and having a hinge I by which a body portion 8 may be hingedly secured thereto. In the form illustrated herein, the closure member is shown as being constructed from a strip of paper, cardboard or fiber board, the hinge .I being formed by a scored line defining a line of bending so that the body portion 8 of the closure 5 may have a hinge movement relative to the shank I. The body portion 8 preferably tapers outwardly from the narrow shank 6 to a width somewhat in excess of the width or diameter of the opening 4 so as to insure that when the closure member is in orifice-closing position, as shown in Fig. l, considerable material of the closure member 5 will extend in overlapping relation to the material of the top 2 on all sides of the orifice 4. The forward end 8 of the body portion 8 is preferably tapered towarda relatively narrow tongue in which is preferably formed or bent along a suitable scored line H to extend at substantially right-angles to the plane of the body portion 8.

The cap 2 is provided with an elongated slot 12 spaced from'the orifice or opening l4, the slot having a shape and dimensions substantially conforming with the width and thickness of the tongue ill so that when the closure member 5 is in orifice-closing position the tongue I0 may be passed through the slot I2. The width of the slot I2 is preferably just equal to the thickness of the paper, cardboard or fiber board from which the closure member 5 is constructed so that by embossing or pressing a'portion it of the tongue outwardly of the plane of the tongue, a projection or protrusion is provided thereon which will engage the underneath surface of the cap 2 and act as a lock or holding device for holding the closure member 5 in orifice-closing position and preventing the inadvertent opening of the closure member 5. The embossed portion or projection of the tongue I! is preferably spaced from the lower surface of the body portion 8 of the closure member 5 by a distance equal to the thickness of the material from which the cap 2 is constructed so that when the closure member is in closed position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the embossed or outwardly struck portion l3 thereof will engage the underneath surface of the cap 2 and hold the lower surface of the closure member 5 snugly against the upper surface of the cap 2.

However, the locking or holding portion ll of the tongue It may be readily drawn upwardly through the slot l2 by the mere lifting of the body portion 8 of the closure member 5 to the position shown in Fig. 3, at which position the orifice 4 is opened to permit the pouring or removing of the contents from the can or package l. Now when a sufiicient quantity of the contents has been removed the body portion 8 of the closure 5 is swung downwardly on its hinge I and the tongue l0 reinserted in the slot and pressed downwardly until the embossed portion or shoulder l3 again engages below the inner surface of the cap 2, holding the closure member 5 snugly in orifice-closing position.

The attachment of the closure member 8 may be made in any desired manner such as by stapling the same directly to the cap 2 by means of a staple l4 or the shank 6 may be secured to the upper surface of the cap 2 by suitable adhesives.

Prior to the initial opening of the package, it may be desirable to provide a paper seal over the orifice or opening 4 and I prefer that such seal,

indicated at II, should extend not only over the orifice 4 but over the entire closure member I, holding the closure member in sealed condition and'preventing contamination of the contents during periods of storage of the package. Upon the initial opening of the package the seal ll and 3, except that the body portion la is provided with an embossed or downwardly struck section I having a configuration and dimensions substantially conforming with the dimensions or diameter of the orifice 4. The embossed section It preferably extends below the normal plane of the body portion In of the closure to so that the locking projection II on the tongue in of the closure member, being located at a position spaced below the normal plane of the body portion In by a distance equal to the thickness of the material from which the cap 2 is made, will hold the closure member 5a snugly against the upper surface of the cap 2 but will press the embossed section It downwardly into the orifice 4 to seal against the periphery of the orifice.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to any of the details of construction shown or described herein, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a package, a container having a wall provided with an orifice through which contents of the container may be removed, a closure member for said orifice comprising a shank secured to the wall of the container, a body portion hingedly secured to the shank adapted to overlie the orifice, a slot extending through said wall and spaced from said orifice, a tongue formed upon said closure member adapted to be received in said slot when the body portion of said closure member is in orifice-closing position, and a projection formed upon the tongue to engage the inner surface of said wall to hold said closure member in orifice-closing position.

2. In a package, a container having a wall provided with an orifice through which contents of the container may be removed, a closure member for said orifice comprising a shank secured to the wall of the container, a body portion hingedly secured to the shank and adapted to overlie the orifice, a slot extending through said wall and spaced from said orifice, a tongue formed upon said closure member adapted to be received in said slot when the body portion of said closure member is in orifice-closing position, a projection extending laterally from said tongue and spaced from the under surface of said body portion by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said wall, said projection engaging the inner surface of said wall to hold said closure member in orifice-closing position.

3. Ina package, a container having a wall provided with an orifice through which contents of the container may be removed, a closure member for said orifice comprising a shank secured to the wall of the container, a relatively fiat body portion hingedly secured to said shank and adapted to overlie the orifice, a tongue formed upon and extending from said body portion at substantially right-angles to the plane of said body portion, and a slot extending through said "responding to the width and thickness of said 7 wall, having length and width dimensions corjection thereon adapted to pass through said slot but engageable with the inner surface of said wall to hold said body portion in orifice-closing position.

4. In a package, a container having a wall provided with an orifice through which contents of the container may be removed, a closure member for said orifice comprising a shank secured to the wall of the container, a relatively fiatbodyportion hingedly secured to said shank and adapted to overlie the orifice, a tongue formed upon and extending from said body portion at substantially right-angles to the plane of said body portion, and a slot extending through said wall, having length and width dimensions corresponding to the width and thickness of said tongue to receive said tongue when the body portion. of said closure member is in orifice-closing position, said tongue having an embossed projection thereon adapted to pass through said slot but engageable with the inner surface of said wall to hold said body portion in orifice-closing position, said projection being spaced from the under surface of said body portion by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said wall.

5. Ina package, a container having a wall provided with an orifice through which contents of the container may be removed, a closure member for said orifice comprising a relatively thin fiat strip of material including a shank portion secured upon said wall at one side of the orifice, a body portion hinged to said shank portion for movement from a position lying fiat against said wall in overlying relation with said orifice, and

a tongue portion extending at substantially rightangles. to the plane '01 said bodyportion, a slot extending through said wall and spaced said orifice for receiving said tongue when said body portion is disposed in said first-named position, and means on said tongue extending laterally thereof to engage the inner surface of said wall to hold said body portion in said orifice-clos ing position.

6. In a package, a container havinga wall provided with an orifice through which contents of the container may be removed, a closure member for said orifice comprising a relatively thin fiat strip of material including a shank portion secured upon said wall at one side of the orifice, a body portion hinged to said shank portion for movement from a position lying fiat against said wall in overlying relation with said orifice, a tongue portion extending at substantially rightangles to the plane of said body portion, and a slot extending through said wall and spaced from said orifice for receiving said tongue when said body portion is disposed in said first-named position, said tongue, having an embossed line extending laterally thereacross to form projecting means engageable with the inner surface of said wall to hold said body member in orifice-closing position.

' angles to the plane of said body portion, and a slot extending through said wall and spaced from said orifice for receiving said tongue when said body portion is disposed in said first-named position, said body member having an embossed projecting portionthereon conforming in shape and dimensions with said orifice to be received in sealing engagement in said orifice when said body portion is in said first-named position.