WO2008144714A1

WO2008144714A1 - Closure valve

Info

Publication number: WO2008144714A1
Application number: PCT/US2008/064326
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alex S. Szekely; Richard H. Seager
Original assignee: Plastek Industries, Inc.
Priority date: 2007-05-21
Filing date: 2008-05-21
Publication date: 2008-11-27

Abstract

A closure (24) opens by a shift including user-actuated rotation of a closure element (42) relative to a closure body (40) about a longitudinal axis (500). The shift may unblock a port (50; 210; 360) of the closure body and cause a portion of the closure body bearing the port to protrude from an aperture (60; 230; 322) in the closure element.

Description

CLOSURE VALVE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] Benefit is claimed of US patent application 60/939,177, entitled "CLOSURE VALVE", and filed May 21, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein as if set forth at length.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to closures. More particularly, the invention relates to screw and snap cap valve closures for bottles and the like. [0003] A well-developed art exists regarding bottle closures. Such closures may be of screw-on or snap-on varieties and may have tamper-evident features. Such closures may also include valves.

[0004] A typical basic screw cap closure is molded of a plastic material (e.g., polypropylene, low density polypropylene (LDPE), or high density polyethylene (HDPE)). The closure body typically comprises an internally threaded sidewall portion. A bottom of the sidewall forms a tamper-evident ring. There may be an interrupted or otherwise weakened connection between the ring and adjacent portion of the sidewall. At the upper end of the sidewall main portion, a web may close the closure. [0005] In valve-type closures, any of a number of forms of open valve seat may be formed to which a separate valve element (e.g., a poppet) is movably mounted to open and close the closure. For example, an overwhelmingly dominant form of valve used on bottles for sports drinks and syrups is a two-piece pull-type valve wherein the valve element is longitudinally pulled from a closed condition to an open condition and may be pressed/pushed back to the closed condition. The valve element includes a central outlet which, in the closed condition, may receive the tip of the valve/closure body.

[0006] Such a typical prior art closure may be installed to a threaded neck of the bottle by screwing/threading. The screwing may flex/stretch the ring over the bottle external threads. Upon unscrewing of the closure, however, the tensile strength of the connection may be insufficient to draw the ring back over the bottle threads, thereby rupturing the connection and leaving the ring on the bottle. Even upon reinstallation of the remaining portion of the closure, the severed connection provides clear evidence that the closure has previously been opened. A separate overcap and dust cover element may initially cover the valve element and may be engaged to the closure body via a tamper-evident feature (e.g., a tear-off or snap-off ring).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] One aspect of the invention involves a closure that opens by a shift including a user actuated rotation of a closure element relative to a closure body about a longitudinal axis. The shift may unblock a port of the closure body and cause a portion of the closure body bearing the port to protrude from an aperture in the closure element.

[0008] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a view of a first closure.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a top view of the closure of FIG. 1. [0011] FIG. 3 is a side view of the closure of FIG. 1.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a vertical/longitudinal sectional view of the closure of FIG. 1, with a bottle shown in broken lines.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a second vertical/longitudinal sectional view of the closure of FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a first exploded view of the closure of FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 7 is a second exploded view of the closure of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a top view of a body of the closure of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a cap of the closure of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 10 is a view of the closure of FIG. 1 with a tamper evident tab removed.

[0019] FIG. 11 is a view of the closure of FIG. 1 in an intermediate stage of opening. [0020] FIG. 12 is a view of the closure of FIG. 1 in a fully opened condition.

[0021] FIG. 13 is a view of a second closure.

[0022] FIG. 14 is a top view of the closure of FIG. 13.

[0023] FIG. 15 is a side view of the closure of FIG. 13.

[0024] FIG. 16 is a front view of the closure of FIG. 13. [0025] FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the closure of FIG. 13.

[0026] FIG. 18 is a vertically/longitudinally cutaway view of the closure of FIG. 13. [0027] FIG. 19 is a vertically/longitudinally cutaway view of the closure of FIG. 13 in a fully opened condition.

[0028] FIG. 20 is a view of a third closure.

[0029] FIG. 21 is a top view of the closure of FIG. 20. [0030] FIG. 22 is a side view of the closure of FIG. 20.

[0031] FIG. 23 is a front view of the closure of FIG. 20.

[0032] FIG. 24 is an exploded view of the closure of FIG. 20.

[0033] FIG. 25 is a vertically/longitudinally cutaway view of the closure of FIG. 20.

[0034] FIG. 26 is a view of the closure of FIG. 20 in a fully opened condition. [0035] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] An exemplary container (bottle) 20 (FIG. 4) is an assembly of a bottle body 22 and a closure assembly (closure) 24. The bottle body 22 includes a sidewall 28 extending upward from a bottom or base 30. The exemplary sidewall 28 extends to a shoulder 32. A neck 34 extends above the shoulder to a rim 36 defining a mouth opening. The neck 34 includes a portion 38 below the rim 36 for engaging and retaining the closure assembly. One example of the portion 38 is an external thread for engaging a screw-on closure assembly. Another example of the portion 38 is an annular rib to engage a snap-on closure assembly. [0037] The bottle interior may contain a liquid beverage 41. The exemplary body 22 and closure 24 have a common central vertical/longitudinal axis 500. The exemplary closure 24 is the assembly of a first (main) piece 40 and a second piece 42. As is discussed further below, the exemplary first piece 40 forms a closure body and the exemplary second piece 42 forms a cap and/or a valve element which may be articulated relative to the closure body 40 to open and close the bottle. [0038] In the first embodiment, the first piece or body has an outlet 50. The second piece or cap has a portion 52 initially blocking/sealing the body outlet in the closed condition. In the open condition, the cap does not block the body outlet. In the exemplary embodiment, dispensing of liquid is directly from the body outlet 50 (i.e., in normal operation, the flow of liquid would not contact the cap 42). The flow of liquid may pass through the cap (e.g., via passing through a portion of the body which extends through the cap).

[0039] In the exemplary first embodiment, the body outlet is at the distal end of a fixed spout 54 projecting upward from a lower portion of the body. The blocking portion/area 52 may comprise a recess which cooperates with the spout rim 56 as a detent mechanism, detenting the closed condition. In the exemplary first embodiment, movement from the closed condition to the open condition includes two distinct stages. A first stage is a pure rotation about the longitudinal axis 500 (e.g., to the intermediate condition of FIG. 10). This first stage may disengage the detent (if any). Exemplary rotation is a pure rotation of at least 10° (e.g., 40-120°, more narrowly 60-90°) about the axis 500. The rotation may be guided by interfitting features (e.g., guide projections 60 on one of the body and cap (e.g., the body) cooperating with a control track 62 on the other).

[0040] The second stage is distinct from the first in having a different relative combination of rotation and translation (i.e., distinguishing a mere two stages of a continuous pitch thread rotation). The exemplary second stage includes a relatively greater translation (relative to rotation). In the exemplary embodiment, the second stage comprises a combination of rotation and translation. The rotation is in the same direction as that of the first stage and the translation involves a downward shift of the cap relative to the body. The second stage causes an end portion 66 of the spout including the body outlet 50 to protrude from an aperture 68 in the cap (FIG. 11).

[0041] Initially, the aperture 68 may be closed by a unitarily molded tamper-evident feature 70 of the cap 42 to evidence opening of the valve element. An exemplary tamper-evident feature includes a portion 72 along the aperture and a user-gripable projecting portion 74. The user may grip the projecting portion and tear the feature (e.g., at integrally molded scoring 76 along the aperture) to remove the feature and create the aperture. Alternatively, the second stage camming action may cause the spout to sever the portion 72. Thus, the aperture 68 will have sufficient circumferential extent in view of the slope of the second stage rotation to allow the spout to pass through the aperture 68. Thus, in the open condition, the spout may be at one circumferential extreme of the aperture. An exemplary aperture has 1.5-2.0 times the circumferential span of the spout. The track 62 may include detent portions to also detent the open condition. A closing may be by reversal of the two stages' rotations.

[0042] In further detail, the exemplary body 40 includes a base portion 80 extending upward from a lower rim 82 and bearing an internal thread 84 for engaging the external thread 82 of the bottle body neck. The external surface of the base portion 80 may bear a contouring 88 to facilitate user gripping. An annular shoulder 90 connects the base portion 80 to a narrower neck portion 92 which extends upward to a transverse web 94 from which the spout 54 further extends upward. An exemplary three projections 60 are evenly spaced radially protruding proximate the upper end of the neck portion 92. These respectively cooperate with an exemplary three tracks 62.

[0043] The exemplary cap 42 includes a wall 100 extending upward from a lower rim 102 to a lower end of a convergent wall 104 which includes the blocking portion 52 and tamper evident feature portion 72. The convergent portion 104 extends to a transverse upper end web 106. Each of exemplary tracks 62 extends from a first end 110 to a second end 112. A first portion 114 of each track 62 extends from the first end 110 to a junction 116 with a second portion 118 that extends to the second end 112. The exemplary first portion 114 is essentially purely circumferential. The exemplary second portion 118 extends with a longitudinal component. An exemplary longitudinal component is an essentially constant helix angle of between 30° and 60° whereas the exemplary first portion 114 has a helix angle of essentially zero (more broadly, less than 10°). In the initial fully closed condition, the projection 60 is proximate the first end 110. At the end of the first stage of opening (e.g., FIG. 11), each projection 60 has reached the junction 116. During the second stage of opening, the projection ascends up the track portion 118 toward the end 112 (thereby lowering the cap relative to the closure body 40).

[0044] FIG. 13 shows a second embodiment of a closure 200. The exemplary closure 200 comprises a molded first piece 202 forming a main body and a molded second piece 204 forming a cap. Manufacturing techniques and portions of the body 202 which engages the bottle may be similar to those described for the closure 24. The opening/closing articulation of the second embodiment may lack the relative vertical movement of the exemplary first embodiment. The exemplary opening movement is a rotation in a first direction about the central vertical/longitudinal axis 500 with the closing rotation being a reverse thereof. In the exemplary second embodiment, the body also includes an outlet 210 (FIG. 17) at the distal end of a spout 212. The cap 204 has a sidewall 214 (FIG. 15) and an upper web 216. The upper web 216 slopes asymmetrically around the longitudinal axis 500. The web 216 slopes from an upper end 218 to an opposite lower end 220. At the upper end, along a plateau 222 (FIGS. 18 and 19), the underside 224 of the web may include a sealing and detent recess 226 for engaging a rim 228 of the spout 212 for sealing/closing the body outlet 210 in the closed condition. The opening rotation may first disengage the detent and then bring the spout through a circumferentially elongate aperture 230 (FIG. 17) along the sloping portion 232 of the web 216 (e.g., near a first end 240). In the open condition, the spout 212 may be at a second end 242 of the aperture at or near the lower end 220 of the web. The aperture 230 may initially be covered by a tamper-evident feature (e.g., similar to 70) or the closure may include a tamper-evident overcap (not shown, e.g., of conventional configuration). As with the exemplary first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the spout protrudes from the cap in the open condition. The cap 204 may be retained to the body 202 by appropriate interfitting features 250 and 252. In the exemplary second embodiment, the feature 250 is a radially inwardly protruding annular rib along the interior surface 254 of the sidewall 214 proximate a lower rim 256 of the cap 204. The exemplary feature 252 is a complementary radially outwardly open channel in the outer surface of an intermediate portion 260 of the body 202 above a shoulder 262. An internally threaded lower portion 264 of the main body depends below the shoulder 262. The exemplary spout 212 extends upward from a web 270 at the upper end of the intermediate portion 260. [0045] FIGS. 20-26 show a third embodiment of a closure 300 which may be an extreme modification of the second embodiment 200. The exemplary closure 300 comprises a molded first piece 302 forming a main body and a molded second piece 304 forming a cap. Various structural and manufacturing details may be similar to those of the first two embodiments and are not discussed further.

[0046] The exemplary cap 304 has a sidewall 310 extending upward from a lower rim 312. The exemplary cap 304 further includes a flat upper web 314. The exemplary upper web 304 occupies more than 50% of a radial span of the cap. An arcuate shoulder 316 (e.g., outwardly convex in longitudinal section) connects an upper end 318 of the sidewall 310 to a periphery/perimeter 320 of the web 314. An aperture 322 is formed along a sector of the shoulder 316 between ends 324 and 326 and respective lower and upper edges 328 and 330 (at the sidewall upper end 318 and web perimeter 320, respectively). [0047] The body includes a lower portion 340 (e.g., as described for the embodiments above). An intermediate portion 342 extends upward from a shoulder 344 (e.g., also as described above) to an upper end 346. The body has a transverse upper web 350 which, along the outer surface thereof closely faces or abuts the underside of the cap web 314. Similarly, a convex shoulder 352 joins the intermediate portion upper end 314 to the periphery size perimeter of the web 350. The outer surface of the shoulder 352 contacts or is closely accommodated by the interior surface of the shoulder 316.

[0048] The body includes an outlet aperture 360 (FIG. 24) along the shoulder 352 and extending between a first end 362 and a second end 364 and with lower and upper edges 366 and 368. The exemplary aperture 360 is smaller than the cap aperture 322. In the closed condition of FIG. 25, the body aperture 360 is sealed/closed by the interior surface of the cap shoulder 316. The closed condition may be detented by a projection 370 in the body interior surface interfitting with the aperture 360. The projection 370 is diametrically opposite the cap outlet 322. [0049] The exemplary opening rotation of the third embodiment is an essentially 180° rotation about the axis 500 from the FIG. 25 closed condition to the FIG. 26 opened condition. Reclosing may be via a reverse rotation. Prior to opening, a tamper evident feature (if any) or overcap (if any) may be removed. In the exemplary third embodiment, in the open condition, the spout protrudes only partially from the aperture (e.g., relative to a vertical axis of the outlet, the spout only vertically protrudes opposite the aperture). The exemplary third embodiment, by having a greater extent of intact horizontal cap web 314, may have a greater degree of stackability than the second embodiment.

[0050] An exemplary bottle body 22 is of any conventional or yet-developed type and may be unitarily molded from a plastic (e.g., HDPE). The exemplary closure main body 40; 202; 302 may similarly be unitarily molded (e.g., of HDPE or MDPE). The cap 42; 204; 304 may similarly be molded (e.g., of polypropylene). The overcap (e.g., functioning as a dust cover), if any, may also be similarly molded, advantageously of transparent material. [0051] A lower portion (not shown) of the body sidewall may form a tamper evident ring. [0052] One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described.

Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, when implemented as a reengineering of an existing closure and/or for use with an existing bottle body, details of the existing closure or bottle body may influence or dictate details of the particular implementation. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A bottle closure (24; 200; 300) comprising: a body (40; 202; 302) having: a sidewall (44) for mounting to a bottle; and a body outlet (50; 210; 360); a cap (42; 204; 304) mounted to the body and shiftable from a closed condition blocking the body outlet to an opened condition, wherein: the body and the cap have cooperating features (60, 62; 250; 252) positioned to guide the shift from the closed condition to the open condition so that a portion (66; 212; 352) of the body bearing the outlet protrudes from an aperture (68; 230; 322) in the cap in the open condition.

2. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the shift from the closed condition to the opened condition comprises extending a spout (66; 212).

3. The closure of claim 2 wherein: the extending comprises: a rotation of a radially-offset spout from a stored condition to a protruding condition.

4. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the cap is rotatable about a longitudinal axis (500) and comprises: means (70) for evidencing at least one of an opening or attempted opening of the closure responsive to a rotation of the cap about said longitudinal axis.

5. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the cooperating features (60, 62) are positioned to guide the shift from the closed condition to the open condition including a first stage and a second stage, the second stage comprising a greater relative longitudinal movement than rotation than does the first stage.

6. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the cooperating features (250, 252) are positioned to guide the shift from the closed condition to the open condition consisting essentially of rotation.

7. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the cooperating features comprise: a track (62) along one of the body and cap; and a projection (60) along the other of the body and cap.

8. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the cap includes a tamper-evidencing portion (72) initially blocking the aperture.

9. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the body consists essentially of a first unitary molding; and the cap consists essentially of a second unitary molding.

10. The closure of claim 1 wherein: the body outlet (50; 210) is at an end of a spout (54; 212) extending upward from a web (94; 270).

11. A bottled liquid comprising: a bottle body (22); a bottle closure (24; 200; 300) of claim 1 wherein the closure body (40) is mounted to the bottle body; and a liquid (41) in the bottle body.

12. The bottled liquid of claim 11 wherein: the liquid is a beverage.

13. A method for using a bottle closure (24) comprising: shifting a cap (42; 204) relative to a closure body (40; 202) to which the cap (42; 204) is mounted, wherein: the shifting unblocks an outlet (50; 210; 360) of the body and causes a portion (66; 212; 352) of the body bearing the outlet to protrude from the cap; and dispensing liquid from the bottle through the outlet of the body.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein: the shifting consists essentially of a user-actuated rotation about a longitudinal axis (500).

15. The method of claim 13 wherein; the shifting comprises a user-actuated rotation about a longitudinal axis (500) and partially simultaneous translation along said axis.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising: removing a tamper-evidencing feature (70) from the aperture.