Patent Application
20220097928
The present invention relates to closures for containers such as, but not limited to glass and plastic bottle-type containers. More particularly, the invention relates to flexibly hinged closures for containers.
Containers with closures are well known in the art, including containers with closures that have both a closure shell or cap and a tamper evident band (e.g., a standard, single-use, plastic water bottle). Although less common, hinged and tethered closures also exist such as those described in U.S. Published Patent Application No. US20110000137; Japanese Patent No. JP11278520; Japanese Patent No. JP2005306421; and Japanese Patent No. JP08301329. In the foregoing references, the hinges of the described closures are external to the closure and therefore may be more difficult to keep sanitary when the closure shell is closed, may not be aesthetically pleasing, and/or may be prone to damage even with the closure shell in a closed position. Further, the hinges of the foregoing references may not be usable with a tamper evident band, they may lack flexibility for use on various sized container necks, they may only provide a limited opening range for the closure relative to the container, they may not effectively encourage the closure to remain in an open position after the closure has been opened, or some combination thereof.
In view of government activity in several jurisdictions, hinged and tethered closures may likely become mandatory in the near future. For example, California proposed legislation that would require all single-use plastic beverage containers have a cap that is tethered to the container primarily to deal with the problem of marine debris. Likewise, the European Commission proposed a directive to target the ten single-use plastic products most often found on Europe's beaches and seas. Specifically, the European Commission proposed that single-use drink containers made with plastic will only be allowed on the market if their caps and lids remain attached.
The present invention generally relates to a closure for a container. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the closure includes a closure shell having a first interior surface, a tamper evident band having a second interior surface, and a flexible hinge. The flexible hinge includes a first end, a second end, and a gathered portion located between the first and second ends. The first end is coupled to the closure shell and the second end is coupled to the tamper evident band. At least a portion of the gathered portion extends radially inward with respect to the interior surface of the closure shell. The flexible hinge permits the closure shell to be opened and remain tethered to the tamper evident band. The closure may further include a retaining bead to keep the tamper evident band attached to the container.
The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore do not limit the scope of the present invention, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly and legibly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Additionally or alternatively, certain dimensions or features may be exaggerated or shown in a see-through format to help visually convey certain principles, functions or relative locations. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with containers and closures may have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments of the invention.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, which is as “including, but not limited to.”
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment or aspect” or “an embodiment or aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.
In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure, relate to closures for containers, wherein the closures have a flexible hinge that allows the closure to remain tethered to the container while the container is being used. In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide for flexibly hinged and tethered closures and methods of making the same. For instance, the flexibly hinged closures described herein are generally used in connection with containers for dispensing products such as, but not limited to, food and beverages (e.g., carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, water, oils or condiments, powders or granular products such as seasonings, over the counter medicine); beauty and hygiene products (e.g., shampoos, lotions, gels); and household products (e.g., adhesives, detergents, cleaning solutions). Nevertheless, the closures of the present disclosure may also be used in connection with various other containers even though such containers have not been expressly identified herein. The closures, and various embodiments thereof, may be adapted for container applications having a screw closure, a snap closure, or some combination thereof.
For purposes of brevity and clarity, the following terms and variations thereof such as, but not limited to, “container,” “closure,” “closure shell,” “tamper evident band,” and “hinge” as used herein should be broadly interpreted. For example, container may be any type of container, but in most cases will take the form of a container for dispensing a commercially available good or product. The term “closure” includes at least the closure shell and the tamper evident band in combination. The term “closure shell” may be any type of top, cap, lid, or cover that can be moved from an open to a closed position, and vice-versa, relative to the container. The term “tamper evident band” may be any structure (e.g., ring, continuous strip) that preferably remains coupled to the container after the closure shell has been moved to the open position. Lastly, the term “hinge” may be as any type of flexible structure that couples the closure shell to the tamper evident band, and for purposes of the present invention the hinge may take the form of gathered, corrugated, bent, V-shaped, U-shaped, or some other accordion-like configuration wherein at least a portion of the hinge extends radially inward with respect to the container and/or closure when the closure shell is in a closed position. Further, the hinge permits the closure shell to remain tethered or otherwise attached to the tamper evident band when the closure shell is in an open position.
In some embodiments, as shown, the guide tab 114 extends from the tamper evident band 112 upward towards the closure shell 110. In other embodiments, the guide tab 114 may extend downward from the closure shell 110 towards the tamper evident band 112.
In some embodiments, the closure shell 110 can optionally include one or more protuberances 116 coupled to or integrally formed with the closure shell 110. In some embodiments, the tamper evident band 112 additionally includes one or more protuberances 117 coupled to or integrally formed with the tamper evident band 112. When the closure shell 110 is opened, the protuberances 116 may interact or interlock with the protuberances 117 to secure or otherwise maintain the closure shell 110 in the open position.
In the present invention, the closure 104 includes one or more flexible hinges 118. Referring to the illustrated embodiment of
In some embodiments, the flexible hinges 118 may be made of a material that is a different material from that of the closure shell 110, the tamper evident band 112, or both. By way of example, the flexible hinges 118 may be made from a more flexible plastic, silicon, a molded rubber material, or some other material that allows for the necessary amount of torsional flexibility or stretching during the opening process of the closure shell 110.
In at least one embodiment, the gathered portion 120 takes the form of bent, folded, corrugated or accordion-like section of material having multiple V-shape or U-shape portions (e.g., connected end to end). At least a portion of the gathered portion 120 extends radially inward with respect to a first interior surface 126 of the closure shell 104, and more specifically with respect to a second interior surface 128 (
Advantageously, the flexible hinge 118 is situated such that at least a portion of the gathered portion 120 is inside of the closure, which may provide for improved cleanliness or sanitation, and may limit damage to the flexible hinge during transportation. Further, the flexible hinge 118 functions in conjunction with a tamper evident band 112, may provide flexibility for use on various sized container necks, may provide a wider opening range for the closure relative to existing closures, may assist in maintaining the closure into an open position after the closure has been opened, or any combination thereof.
Now referring primarily to
The retaining bead 130 is located on the tamper evident band 112 and extends radially inward from the second interior surface 128 of the tamper evident band 112. The retaining bead 130 may be coupled to or integrally formed with the tamper evident band 112.
In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining bead 130 is a continuous protuberance having a first section 132 and a second section 134 with a vertically offset 136 from each other. The first section 132 may be the lower section and the second section 134 may be the upper section as illustrated in
The first section 132 is positioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge 118 or the area including the flexible hinges 118. In particular, the first section 132 is positioned at a height on the tamper evident band 112 such that the section 132 prevents the tamper evident band 112 from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring 108 of the container 102. For example, the first section 132 may be at a height that is lower when compared to the remainder of the retaining bead 130, thus forming the vertical offset 136.
In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining bead 130 is continuous in that the first section 132 continuously flows into the second section 134 through a curved or sloped section 140. In an alternate embodiment, the retaining bead 130 may be staggered, spaced-apart, or otherwise non-continuous. By way of example, the retaining bead 130 may comprise a plurality of protuberances that function in the same or similar manner as the continuous retaining bead 118.
In another embodiment, shown in
The configuration of the ratchets 220, 222 prevents the tamper evident band 212 from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring 108 of the container 102. For example, the ratchet(s) 220 has a first height that is configured to prevent a portion of the band 212 from moving over the neck ring 108, and the ratchet(s) 222 has a second height that is configured to prevent a remaining portion of the band 212 from moving over the neck ring 108 approximately near the location of the flexible hinge 118. Specifically, the ratchet(s) 222 extend around a portion 230 of the tamper evident band 212 that, when in the folded position, is positioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge 118.
In some embodiments (not illustrated), at least one ratchet is positioned between the ratchets 220, 222. This intermediate ratchet would have a height intermediate the first height and the second height and be positioned to create a transition region. For example, the portion 230 would include the third ratchet(s) having the intermediate height to create a region of gradual transition from the higher height of the ratchet 220 to the lower height of the ratchet 222. Lastly, the closure 104 includes a plurality of frangible attachment bridges 142 that couple the closure shell 110 to the tamper evident band 112. The bridges 142 are readily breakable when the closure shell 110 is moved (e.g., twisted, rotated, moved or lifted upwards by an unsnapping movement) relative to the tamper evident band 112.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects can be modified, if necessary, to employ devices, features, and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all types of closures, closure shells, tamper evident bands, flexible hinges, retaining beads, and attachment bridges, as well as other systems and processes in the bottling, capping and closure industry that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims.
