WO1998039228A1

WO1998039228A1 - Edge dispensing closure with mating container

Info

Publication number: WO1998039228A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/004439
Authority: WO
Inventors: Randall K. Julian; Gary V. Montgomery; Randall G. Bush; Ben M. Najad; Kent A. Johnson; Jeffrey C. Minnette; Eric W. Kost; William J. Shankland
Original assignee: Rexam Plastics, Inc.
Priority date: 1997-03-07
Filing date: 1998-03-06
Publication date: 1998-09-11
Also published as: AU6347098A; BR9808213A; EP1015339A1

Abstract

An edge dispensing closure (10) for a container (30) in which the closure has a downwardly extending annular plug seal (22) to effectively seal the mouth of the container when the closure is in the fully closed position. The closure also utilizes an inwardly extending leakage seal (24) just above the threads to prevent fluid from the container to leak into and drain down the threads (28). An upper limit bead (34) is formed on the rim (38) of the mouth of the container to prevent the closure from being fully removed from the container and also as an indicator of the fully open position for the aperture formed in the top wall of the closure. The closure can be combined with a tamper indicating band (50) along the lower portion on the annular skirt to indicate that the closure has been removed. Additionally, a child resistant lock can be incorporated in the design such that inwardly extending lugs are formed on the interior of the closure skirt and mating locking lugs are formed on the neck of the container.

Description

EDGE DISPENSING CLOSURE WITH MATING CONTAINER

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a one piece dispensing closure for containers and particularly to dispensing closures which contain a twist open dispensing cap which is cooperatively structured with the neck of the container. These types of containers are often utilized for dispensing liquids or other fluid type product. The closure has structure which is twist open, said twisting effectuating a raising the closure opening a path for the material held in the container to flow through. More particularly, the present invention relates to a one piece twist open/twist close dispensing closures which has a mating neck on a container so that the closure, when open, reveals a liquid pathway from the interior of the container through the closure .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many types of dispensing closures have been developed for release of liquid or like material held within a container, such as a bottle. Typically, these dispensers feature a closure which is permanently affixed to the container neck and is threadably held thereon. There is also formed on the top of these closures an aperture such that , when the closure is twisted open, the aperture reveals a pathway through an interior mouth of the container. For release of liquid held within the container, the closure is twisted to the open position, the container is overturned and liquid flows through the neck and mouth of the container and further through the aperture formed in the closure so that the material can be utilized by the consumer. However, it is evident in prior art closures of the twist open/twist close design that leakage into the threaded area of the container neck continues to be a problem. This is usually due to the lack of seals or lack of a tight seal between the closure and the container neck. Most closures utilize what is known as a plug seal to prevent the fluid held within the container to leak therefrom when the closure is in the closed position. This however fails to prevent fluid from entering the threads when the dispensing closure is utilized, pouring fluid from the mouth through the closure itself.

Additionally, in these prior art devices, it is difficult to determine when the closure is in the fully open position or in the fully closed position. Over tightening can cause the container to bend the plug seal or possibly deform it. Furthermore, by opening the closure too much, the passageway for the fluid may be overextended and the fluid can dispense from the closure too fast or can possibly leak into other areas of the threaded neck of the container. Other types of dispensing closures are fairly well known in the prior art. However, these prior art devices suffer from many of the same problems . First , leakage has always been a problem with dispensing closures due to the twist to open nature of the closures. It is difficult to prevent leakage of the liquid product stored in the container through the opening or around the threads on the neck of the container. Additionally, an effective means for defining the opening limit of the closure is also required, said means requiring minimal structure formed on either the closure or the neck of the container. Finally, it is difficult to configure the closure with an effective tamper indication device due to the small turning rotation of the closure required to allow product to flow therethrough.

U.S. Patent No. 5,111,967 discloses a plastic dispensing closure for a container which has a twist open, twist close design. This design, however, utilizes a second softer plastic to provide an effective seal gasket around the upper portion of the cap. The application of this second softer plastic requires a dual or co- injection molding process in order to mold the closure with a hard plastic and then mold the softer plastic forming the seal thereafter. This second molding step is often prohibitively expensive, time consuming and inefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is for an improved twist open/twist close one piece dispenser closure for use with a cooperatively structured container neck. One object of the present invention is to provide an easy to use twist open/twist close dispensing container which has a closure allowing the fluid contained in the container to exit therefrom upon opening. Additionally, another object of the present invention is to offer an edge dispensing closure which has an aperture formed at the top of the closure and adequately seals the container neck and threads from leakage of fluid when the closure is in either the open or closed position. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container which has a upper limit bead to indicate the full open limit of the closure and prevent total thread disengagement of the closure and container. An even further object of the present invention is to provide a plug seal on the closure to firmly and securely seal the mouth of the container when the closure is placed in the closed position.

The present invention provides a one piece edge dispensing closure and container combination to meet the above objectives. A closure is provided which has an aperture formed on the upper surface of the peripheral edge to allow product to flow therethrough when the closure is twisted in the fully open position. In addition, the closure has an annular plug seal extending downward from the closure top interior surface to fully engage and seal the rim of the container mouth when the closure is twisted into the closed position. The present invention combines this feature with a upper limit bead formed at the upper annular rim of the container mouth in addition to a radial seal extending inward from the closure and engaging the neck of the container above the threads . The radial seal engages the rim of the container mouth just under the upper limit bead in order to prevent the fluid held within the container from entering the threaded area between the closure and the container neck. All of these features combine in the present invention to meet the above delineated objectives.

Finally, the present invention comprises an edge dispensing closure for use with a mating container, comprising a closure having an interior, exterior and top surface; a downwardly extending annular skirt depending from said top surface, said annular skirt further having threads extending inwardly from said closure interior surface; an annular plug seal extending downwardly from said interior top surface; an annular leakage seal extending inwardly from said closure interior surface and above said threads; an aperture formed along a portion of the joinder of said top surface and said downwardly extending annular skirt of said closure; said container having an upwardly extending neck, said neck having an interior and exterior surface and further having an annular rim formed where said interior and said exterior surface meet; container threads extending outwardly from said exterior surface of said container neck in threadably engaging relation with said threads of said closure; an upper limit annular bead flaring outwardly from said annular rim of said container neck wherein said leakage seal of said closure abuts directly against said exterior of said neck between said upper limit annular bead and said container threads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of the closure and container of the present invention in the fully opened position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the closure and container of Figure 1 wherein the closure is in the closed position; Fig. 3 is a top view of the closure on the container shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective sectional view of the closure of the present invention having a squeeze and turn child resistant lock; Fig.5 is a perspective view of the container mouth which goes with the closure of Fig. 4 ;

Fig.6 is a top cutaway view of the closure and container of Figs. 4 and 5; and,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the closure of Fig. 2 ; Fig. 8 is a sectional side view of an alternative embodiment of the closure and container shown in Figure 1 wherein the leakage seal and upper limit bead are shown;

Fig. 9 is a sectional side view of an alternative embodiment of the closure and container shown in Figure 1 wherein only the upper limit bead acts as a seal; and, Fig. 10 is a sectional side view of an alternative embodiment of the closure and container of Figure 1 wherein there is utilized a push pull closure having no mating threads on the container neck or closure interior surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Figure 1, a sectional side view of the twist open/twist close edge dispensing closure 10 of the present used in conjunction with a container 30 having coacting structure is shown. The edge dispensing closure 10 has downwardly extending annular skirt 20, upper annular skirt 19, top wall 26 and aperture 23. Also shown in Fig. 1, the closure 10 is provided with a tamper indicating band 50 separated from skirt wall 20. The aperture 23 is formed between beveled lower wall 27 and beveled top wall 18. The aperture is positioned along the joinder of the top wall 26 of said closure and said depending upper annular skirt 19. Aperture 23 provides an entrance into the interior of the closure 10 and the mouth 35 of the container 30 for dispensing product when the closure 10 is raised into the open position as shown in Figure 1. Closure 10 has inwardly directed threads 28 which mate with corresponding outwardly directed threads 36 formed on the exterior of container neck wall 32 on container 30. Mating threads 28 and 36 allow the closure 10 to be turned such that it rises and lowers on the neck wall 32 of the container 30 with successive clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the closure 10. Such engagement between closure 10 and container neck wall 32 allows the closure to be opened and closed with only minimal twisting or turning of the closure itself. As shown in Figure 1, closure 10 has formed in the interior of top wall 26 a downwardly extending annular plug seal 22 which abuts directly against the interior mouth 32 of the container when the closure is placed in the twist closed position. Plug seal 22 securely and fully seals container mouth 35 thereby preventing fluid or other material which is held in the container from spilling therefrom. While plug seal 22 prevents fluid from exiting the container 30 when the closure 10 is in the closed position, it also ensures proper central alignment and securing of the closure 10 on the container neck 32 when the closure is turned in the counterclockwise direction. Thus, plug seal 22 has two purposes, the adequate sealing between the container 30 and closure 10 and the centralized positing and secure placement of the closure 10 on the neck 32. Plug seal 22 can also be effectuated by use of comparable equivalent structure which effectively seals the closure top interior surface against the rim 38, such as a pliable seal or gasket. Plug seal 22 as shown in Figure 2 has a curved or cammed surface such that the tight mating of the plug seal 22 against interior rim 38 of the container is accomplished. When threading closure 10 into the closed position, plug seal means 22, which has a diameter about the same or slightly greater than rim 38 in order to provide a tight seal, slides past rim 38 and compresses against interior of neck 32. Therefore, in order to open aperture 23 to mouth 35 of the container to allow product to flow therethrough, closure 10 is turned about 1/4 to 1/2 revolution (anything less than 1 full rotation is sufficient) thereby providing flow communication of aperture

23 and the interior mouth 35 of the container. In this situation, raising top wall 26 of closure 10 from the rim 38 of the container neck disengages plug seal 22. Plug seal 22 must extend into mouth 35 sufficiently far enough such that during the first opening of the closure 10 from the container and before the tamper indicating band is removed, a sufficient seal remains preventing fluid from escaping from the interior of the container. Depending on the type of tamper indicating band utilized on the closure, the plug seal must provide such leakage protection from anywhere between 1/8 of a turn, such as when a ratchet type tamper indicating band is utilized, to one full turn for when the tamper indicating band is a single lug contacting a single lug on the neck of the container. Thus, the plug seal

22 must extend into mouth 35 to provide for such sufficient sealing when partial opening occurs.

Working in conjunction with plug seal 22 is leakage seal

24 which extends inwardly from the upper interior portion of the closure 10. As shown in Figure 1, leakage seal 24 firmly abuts directly against the upper exterior container neck 37 directly below annular rim 38. Upper container neck wall 37 is formed above the threads 36 of the container and provides a flat surface for the leakage seal 24 to contact against. Upper container neck wall has a total vertical length sufficient allow the closure to rise upwards on threads 36 and allowing aperture 23 to be fully exposed to mouth 35 of the container. This vertical distance of upper container neck wall 37 is typically about the vertical travel distance required for full opening of the closure because of the coacting structures of both leakage seal 24 and upper limit bead 34. Upper container neck wall 37, as shown in Figure 1, additionally has a reduced interior diameter as compared to the diameter of the lower portion of the container neck containing threads 36. This reduced diameter of the container neck wall 37 provides adequate surface contact area, as indicated above, by leakage seal 24, while additionally providing allowance for formation of the upper limit bead 34. The reduced thickness of the container neck along upper neck wall 37 also reduces the amount of material required for formation of the container and also increases the mold efficiency of producing the container.

The diameter of the inwardly extending leakage seal 24 on closure 10 is slightly less than the diameter of the outermost point of upper limit bead 34. This differential in diameter prevents the leakage seal 24 from rising above the upper limit bead 34 when the closure is unthreaded, thereby retaining the closure on the container at all times. Moreover, leakage seal 24 prevents fluid or other material which is retained within container 30 from entering into the lower threaded areas between closure threads 28 and container neck threads 36. Such leakage has historically been a significant problem during both shipment and use by the consumer as fluid can drain around threads 28 and 36 onto the top or shoulder area of the container 30. Leakage seal 24 is shown as an annular projection or bead extending inwardly from the closure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and works in conjunction with upper limit bead 34 projecting outwardly from annular rim 38 of container 30 to prevent the closure 10 from being removed from the container neck. As shown in Figure 1, when the closure 10 is turned to the fully open position, leakage seal 24 and upper limit bead 34 abut tightly against one another thereby preventing any fluid from entering into the threaded area between container neck 32 and closure 10 and additionally preventing the closure from being opened too far. When the container is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 2, plug seal 22 and leakage seal 24 both work to tightly seal fluid held within the container from leaking both outward through aperture 23 and into the area between closure 10 and container neck 32.

Figure 8 details another alternative embodiment for the configuration of an leakage seal preventing product from leaking down the threads of the container and closure. Whereas, in Figure 1, leakage seal member 24 which extends inward from the closure provided the only contact and sealing surface against container neck wall 37, in the embodiment in Figure 8, edge dispensing closure 10b has two seals formed by standard leakage seal 24 in addition to the upper limit bead 34 which, when closure 10b is raised along the threads, contacts firmly against the upper interior closure wall to prevent fluid from draining down the threads. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 9, only the upper limit bead 34 of the container neck acts as a seal to prevent such leakage while the leakage seal or bead extending inward from the closure wall does not contact the container neck surface. This embodiment increases the mold efficiency of the closure/container because it is easier to mold the bead on the container as opposed to the closure. This is one of the preferred embodiments because of said mold efficiency and because the design, as shown, includes the minor bead on the closure in order to resist removal of the closure from the container neck.

As shown in both Figures 1 and 2 and more clearly in the perspective view of Figure 5, upper limit bead 34 is formed on the upper rim of the container neck 32. Upper limit bead 34 is an outwardly extending flange which coacts with leakage seal 24 formed on the closure in order to prevent the closure from backing off of or unthreading from the container neck threads 36. This upper limit structure effectively removes the possibility of accidentally removing the closure 10 from the container 30. The upper limit bead 34 also is an indicator of the fully open position for the dispensing aperture 23. As shown in Figure 3, aperture 23 of the closure 10 is visible exposing the annular rim 38 of the container neck 32. Additionally, beveled edge 18 and 27 forming the boundary of said annular rim 38 are shown. Along the exterior edges of the closure 10 are a plurality of vertically extending knurl formations or ribs 21 utilized to provide an adequate handle on the closure 10 when the user is twisting the closure to open or close the container.

The closure 10 of the present invention, as well as the container 30, can be made of a thermoplastic material which is formed or made by use of standard injection or extrusion molding techniques. The materials which may be used include, but are not limited to: polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, nylon, PET, polyethylene, cellulose compounds or acrylinitril, butadiene, or polystyrene.

As shown in Figure 7 and in Figure 1 , a tamper indicating band 50 is connected to the lower portion of the annular skirt 20 of closure 10. Tamper indicating band 50 is connected to annular skirt 20 by a plurality of frangible connectors 51. Typically, eight connectors are utilized to connect the tamper indicating band 50 to the lower edge of annular skirt 20. The formation of the frangible connections 51 creates windows therebetween. Inwardly extending annular bead 53 of said tamper indicated band 50 extends inward directly below outwardly extending tamper indicating (TI) bead 31 formed on the container neck 32, as shown in Figure 2. TI bead 31 is formed on the neck of the container 32 below the threads 36 and above the shoulder of the container 58. Tamper indicating band 50 connected to skirt 20 provides an indication of whether the closure has been opened previously. Annular TI bead 31 extends outward from the base of container neck 32, as shown in Figure 1 and 2, and abuts against the upper portion of annular bead 53 of band 50 in order to prevent tamper indicating band 50 from raising above said TI bead 31. Upon the first opening of the closure 10 after manufacturing, the closure 10 rises up threads 36 of the container thereby pressing against tamper indicating band 50 and especially the upper portion of bead 53 against TI container bead 31, breaking frangible connectors 51 and separating the band 50 from closure 10 and depending annular skirt 20 .

Turning to Figures 4, 5 and 6, an alternative embodiment of the closure of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, closure 10a is constructed with a child resistant feature in order to prevent the opening of the closure without opposing force applied to the closure concurrent with counterclockwise rotation. Thumb or finger compression pads 70 are provided on the exterior surface of the closure 10 directly opposite each other. Pads 70 slightly increase the thickness of the closure skirt 20 at the location where pads 70 are formed and provide an indication of compression placement for opening the closure. Child resistant fingers or lugs 72,73 are formed on the interior of the closure skirt 20 and are angled inwardly in order to act against cams or cooperating lugs 76,77 formed on the base of container neck 32. During normal opening of the closure, lugs 72,73 rotate against outwardly extending lugs or cam surfaces 76,77 in order to prevent continued counterclockwise rotation thereby providing a child resistant feature. To overcome the child resistant feature, pressure must be applied to the opposing pads 70 of the closure 10a to deform the skirt 20 and cause the lugs 72,73 to expand outward. Pads 70 are ideally formed 90 degrees from each of the lugs 72,73 extending inward from the closure 10a. This positioning maximizes deformation efficiency of the closure and thus requires minimal pressure to overcome the resistant feature while also preventing a child from opening the closure due to the dexterity required in applying opposing squeeze pressure against thumb pads 70 while at the same time turning the closure 10a counterclockwise.

In Figure 6, a top cutaway view of the engagement of lugs 72 and 73 , extending inwardly from the interior annular skirt 20 of closure 10a are shown. Lugs 72,73 are engaged with mating lugs 76,77 formed on the base of the container neck 32. Pads 70 are formed at a 90 degree offset from lugs 72,73 in order to maximize the deformation of the closure skirt 20 when pressure is applied to said pads. Lugs 76,77 have a cammed or beveled surface such that, when tightening the closure 10a onto the container neck 32, lugs 72,73 pass easily over lugs 76,77 when the closure 10a is rotating in the clockwise direction. However, when the closure 10a is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the lugs interact and prevent the edge dispensing closure from being opened.

Turning to Figure 10, another embodiment of the closure lOd of the present invention is shown. Instead of threads which are utilized in the previous embodiments for raising and lowering the closure, the closure and container combination utilizes a push pull function wherein the closure lOd is raised by merely pulling upward on the edge dispensing closure lOd. In the push-pull embodiment shown in Figure 10, upper limit bead 34 is provided to define the full open position of the closure lOd by the resistance provided against leakage seal 24. When the push-pull closure lOd is pulled upward in order to open the aperture for release of the contents, upward movement by closure lOd is discontinued after such contact. Simple push-pull design of the closure lOd shown in Figure 10 still has the effectiveness however of the plug seal 22 and leakage seal 24 combined to prevent leakage of material or fluid to the space located between the container and closure lOd.

The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An edge dispensing closure, comprising: a top wall having an annular plug seal extending downward therefrom, said top wall having an aperture formed therethrough; an annular skirt depending from said top wall; threads extending inwardly from said annular skirt; a mating container having a neck extending upward therefrom and having outwardly extending threads threadably engaging said threads of said closure; characterized in that said closure further comprises a leakage seal extending inwardly from said annular skirt above said threads; and, said closure further comprises a tamper indicating band depending from said annular skirt .

2. The closure of claim 1 wherein said leakage seal engages said container neck preventing material contained within said container from leaking to said container neck threads .

3. The closure of claim 2 wherein said container neck has a flat upper neck wall above said threads, said leakage seal contacting said upper neck wall.

4. The closure of claim 1 wherein said mating container has at its topmost edge an outwardly extending upper limit bead.

5. The closure of claim 1 further comprising: at least one child resistant finger tab extending inwardly from said annular skirt ; a matching lug formed on said container neck below said threads; a pair of opposing thumb pads formed on said annular skirt of said closure for deforming said annular skirt; such that said deformation of said annular skirt causes said finger to pass over said lug on said container neck.

6. An edge dispensing closure, comprising: a circular top wall having an annular plug seal extending downward therefrom; said top wall having an aperture formed therethrough along said top wall's outer periphery; an annular skirt depending from said top wall; threads extending inwardly from said annular skirt; an annular bead extending inwardly from said annular skirt above said threads; a mating container having a neck extending upward therefrom and having outwardly extending threads in threadable engaging relation with said threads of said closure, said neck having an annular rim; characterised in that said mating container has an outwardly extending upper limit bead formed on said annular rim of said container neck; wherein said upper limit bead diameter is greater than the diameter of said annular bead of said closure; and wherein said closure further comprises a tamper indicating band depending from said annular skirt.

7. The closure and container of claim 6 wherein said container further has a flat upwardly extending upper neck wall above said threads of said container.

8. The closure of claim 6 wherein said tamper indicating band depending from said annular skirt becomes detached from said closure upon first removal of said closure from said container.

9. The closure of claim 6 further comprising: at least one finger extending inwardly from said annular skirt ; a matching lug formed on said container neck below said threads; a pair of opposing thumb pads formed on said annular skirt of said closure for deforming said annular skirt; such that said deformation of said annular skirt causes said finger to pass over said lug on said container neck.

10. An edge dispensing closure, comprising: a top wall having plug seal means extending downward therefrom and having an aperture formed therethrough; an annular skirt depending from said top wall; threads extending inwardly from said annular skirt; sealing means extending inwardly from said annular skirt above said threads; a mating container having a neck extending upward therefrom and having outwardly extending threads in threadable engaging relation with said threads of said closure, said neck having an annular rim; and an upper outwardly extending limit bead formed on said annular rim of said container neck.

11. The container and closure of claim 10 wherein said closure has a tamper indicating band connected to said annular skirt, said band further having an inwardly extending bead.

12. The container and closure of claim 11 wherein said container has a bead extending outwardly therefrom below said threads and above said bead of said tamper indicating band.

13. The container and closure of claim 10 further comprising : a pair of opposing compression pads on said annular skirt; a pair of first finger tabs formed at a normal relationship to said pads and extending inward from said closure; a pair of second lugs formed on said container neck

14. An edge dispensing closure and container, comprising: a closure having a top wall; a downwardly extending annular skirt depending from said top wall, said annular skirt further having closure threads extending inwardly therefrom; an annular plug seal extending downwardly from said top wall; an annular leakage seal extending inwardly from said annular skirt above said closure threads; an aperture formed along said top surface of said closure; a container having an upwardly extending neck with an annular rim; container threads extending outwardly from said container neck; characterised in that said container has an upper limit annular bead extending outwardly from said annular rim; wherein said leakage seal contacts said container neck below said upper limit bead and above said threads; and, said closure has a tamper indicating band frangibly connected to said annular skirt.

15. The closure and container of claim 14, wherein said skirt has having an exterior surface, said exterior surface having vertically extending ribs thereon.

16. The closure and container of claim 14 wherein said plug seal of said closure has a vertical length, said vertical length of said plug seal is less than the vertical distance between said upper limit bead and said threads formed on said container.

17. The closure and container of claim 14 wherein said tamper indicating band has an inwardly extending bead which contacts an outwardly extending bead on said container neck.

18. The closure and container of claim 14 further comprising : at least one finger compression pad formed thereon; a first pair of opposing inwardly extending tabs on said closure; a second pair of outwardly extending lugs formed on said container neck.

19. The closure and container combination of claim 18 wherein said closure is made of a thermoplastic material.

20. The closure and container of claim 14 wherein said aperture is formed along a portion of the joinder of said top wall and said annular skirt of said closure.

21. An edge dispensing closure, comprising: a circular top wall having an annular plug seal extending downward therefrom and having an aperture formed therethrough; an annular skirt depending from said top wall; a mating container having a neck extending upward therefrom and having an annular rim; characterised in that said closure has a leakage seal extending inwardly from said annular skirt; said container further has an outwardly extending upper limit bead formed on said annular rim of said container neck; said neck having a flat upper wall above said threads and below said upper limit bead, said upper wall contacted by said leakage seal; wherein the diameter of said leakage seal is less than the diameter of said upper limit bead; and, a tamper indicating band depending from and frangibly connected to said annular skirt .