Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention relates to a system for dispensing a material from a container.
There are a variety of types of conventional dispensing closures. One type of prior art dispensing closure system includes a body or base for being attached to the top of a container. The body defines a dispensing opening. The system further includes a lid which is hingedly mounted on the body and which can be lifted up to open the dispensing opening.
Dispensing closures are typically used for dispensing a product from a container. With some types of fluent material products, it would be desirable to provide a closure with a hinged top or lid structure that could accommodate pouring of the fluent material product through the closure, and also alternatively accommodate the insertion of a utensil through the open closure to permit the fluent material product to be scooped out or ladled out of the container. Such a closure could also permit the user to scoop or ladle out products such as nuts, candy, cookies, crackers, etc.
It would be desirable to provide an improved dispensing closure, especially one with a relatively large lid, wherein the arrangement for holding the lid closed could provide increased resistance to opening of the lid.
It would also be advantageous if an improved dispensing closure could be provided that would be readily adjustable to accommodate the scooping out of various materials as well as the pouring or scooping out of a fluent material product.
It would also be advantageous if the lid structure of such an improved dispensing closure could be readily and easily manipulated as necessary to permit the closure either to be used for pouring a fluent product from the container or to accommodate the scooping of the fluent material product or other product out of the container.
Additionally, it would be beneficial if an improved dispensing closure could provide a relatively narrow pour stream of a the fluent material product and yet be wide enough to readily accommodate a conventional, wider container opening.
It would also be advantageous if such an improved dispensing closure could accommodate containers which have a variety of shapes and which are constructed from a variety of materials.
Such an improved dispensing closure should accommodate ease of use. Preferably, such an improved closure should also facilitate cleaning of the closure.
It would also be desirable if an improved dispensing closure could be molded as one piece, and not require assembly of multiple parts.
Further, it would be desirable if an improved dispensing closure could accommodate alternative designs for a narrow pour stream or a wider pour stream wherein the basic closure structure could be molded from one, common mold cavity to produce either of the designs.
It would also be beneficial if an improved dispensing closure could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved system could accommodate efficient, high-quality, high-speed, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate to produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with high reliability.
The dispensing closure system of the present invention can accommodate designs that include one or more of the above-discussed desired features.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a first form of a dispensing closure system is provided for a container that has an interior where a fluent material product or other type of product may be stored. The closure system includes a peripheral wall for extending from the container around an opening to the container interior, and includes a top that is unitary with the peripheral wall.
According to one form of the present invention, the peripheral wall defines at least one access region to the container interior, and at least a portion of the peripheral wall has a rim. The rim has at least one latch aperture defined by a surrounding shoulder on the underside of the rim. The rim can be temporarily, elastically deformed laterally around the at least one latch aperture. The top includes at least one lid movable between a closed position occluding the at least one access region and an open position exposing the at least one access region. The at least one lid includes at least one latch post for being pushed into the at least one latch aperture when the at least one lid is closed. The at least one latch post includes a laterally extending latching bead for causing the rim around the at least one latch aperture to deform elastically and laterally to temporarily increase the size of the at least one latch aperture as the at least one latch post is pushed into the at least one latch aperture so that the at least one latch post latching bead becomes disposed inwardly of the latching shoulder in a snap-fit engagement when the at least one latch post is received in the at least one latch aperture whereby the opening resistance of the at least one lid is increased.
According to another aspect of the invention, the peripheral wall defines a first access region and a second access region. The first access region has a first configuration and a size to accommodate pouring of the product out of the container. The first access region has a wide end and has a narrow end with a converging shape for pouring. The second access region has a second configuration and a size to accommodate scooping of the product out of the container interior.
The top includes a first lid, a second lid, and a first film hinge for connecting the first lid with the second lid to accommodate movement of the first lid between a closed position occluding the first access region and an open position exposing the first access region. A second film hinge is provided unitary with both the peripheral wall and the second lid for connecting the second lid with the peripheral wall to accommodate movement of the second lid between a closed position occluding the second access region and an open position exposing the second access region. One or both of the lids may, but need not, include a latch post, and the peripheral wall may, but need not, include a latch aperture for snap-fit engagement with the latch post.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a second form of a dispensing closure system is also provided for a container that has an interior where a fluent material product or other product may be stored. The second form of the closure system includes a peripheral wall for extending from the container around an opening to the container interior. A top is provided that is unitary with the peripheral wall. The top includes a stationary panel that is unitary with the peripheral wall and that extends across the peripheral wall to define a first access region separated by the stationary panel from a second access region. The first access region has a first configuration and a size to accommodate pouring of the product out of the container. The first access region has a wide end adjacent the stationary panel and has a narrow end that (1) is located away from the stationary panel, and (2) has a converging shape for pouring. The second access region has a second configuration and a size to accommodate scooping of the product out of the container interior.
The top includes a first lid and a second lid. A first film hinge connects the first lid with the stationary panel to accommodate movement of the first lid between a closed position occluding the first access region and an open position exposing the first access region. A second film hinge connects the second lid with the stationary panel to accommodate movement of the second lid between a closed position occluding the second access region and an open position exposing the second access region. One or both of the lids may, but need not, include a latch post, and the peripheral wall may, but need not, include a latch aperture for snap-fit engagement with the latch post.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a dispensing closure system having a top with two hinged lids could be provided with an optional latching system. The optional latching system can function with a dispensing closure system for a container that has an interior where a product may be stored. The dispensing closure system includes a peripheral wall for extending from the container around an opening to the container interior. The peripheral wall defines a first access region and a second access region. At least the portion of the peripheral wall that defines the second access region has a rim. The rim has at least one latch aperture defined by a surrounding shoulder on the underside of the rim. The rim is temporarily, elastically deformable laterally around the latch aperture. The dispensing closure system also includes a top that is unitary with the peripheral wall. The top includes:
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments so described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.
For ease of description, the dispensing system of this invention is described in a generally upright orientation that it could have at the upper end of a container when the container is stored upright on its base. It will be understood, however, that the dispensing system of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in orientations other than the position described.
The dispensing system of this invention is suitable for use with a variety of conventional or special containers having various designs, the details of which, although not illustrated or described, would be apparent to those having skill in the art and an understanding of such containers. With respect to the illustrated embodiments of the invention described herein, the container, per se, forms no part of, and therefore is not intended to limit, the broadest aspects of the present invention. It will also be understood by those of ordinary skill that novel and non-obvious inventive aspects are embodied in the described exemplary dispensing system alone.
One presently preferred first embodiment of a dispensing closure system of the present invention is in the form of a dispensing closure assembly illustrated in
The container (not shown) typically has a conventional mouth which provides access to the container interior and product contained therein. The product may be, for example, nuts, candies, crackers, cookies, etc., which can be scooped out or ladled out of a container. The product may also be a more highly fluent material that can be poured, as well as scooped out, or ladled out, such as ground coffee, sugar, or other material, such as liquids, powders, slurries, etc. Such materials may be sold, for example, as a food product, a personal care product, an industrial or household product, or other composition (e.g., for internal or external use by humans or animals, or for use in activities involving medicine, manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture, etc.).
The container typically may have a neck or other suitable structure defining the container mouth having a cross-sectional configuration with which the closure 30 is adapted to engage. The body of the container may have another cross-sectional configuration that differs from the cross-sectional configuration of the container mouth. The container may, on the other hand, have a substantially uniform shape along its entire length or height without any neck portion of reduced size or different cross-section.
The container may or may not be a squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls which can be grasped by the user and compressed somewhat. However, the closure 30 is especially suitable for use with a container that has substantially inflexible walls that are not intended to be squeezed by the user.
As shown in
In other contemplated embodiments, the closure 30 need not be a structure that is completely separate from the container. Instead, the container could be made with a dispensing end structure that incorporates the closure 30 as a unitary part of the container. In such an alternative, the illustrated first embodiment closure 30 could be modified so that it is formed as an extension of the container, and the extending portion defining the body 32 could then be characterized as a structural feature that functions to accommodate communication with the container interior.
In either of the above-discussed alternatives (i.e., a separate closure or a closure molded as an extension of a container), the container may have an initially open bottom end opposite the dispensing end on which the closure 30 is located, and such a bottom end could be used for accommodating the filling of the inverted container with the product to be dispensed. After the inverted container is filled with the product through the open bottom end of the container, the open bottom end of the container could be closed by suitable means, such as by a separate bottom end closure which could be attached to the container bottom end (e.g., through a suitable threaded engagement, snap-fit engagement, adhesive engagement, thermal bonding engagement, etc.). Alternatively, such an open bottom portion of the container could be deformed closed (e.g., with an appropriate process applying heat and force if the container bottom end portion is made from a thermoplastic material or other material that would accommodate the use of such a process).
The peripheral wall or body 32 may have a skirt 40 (
Alternatively, the closure body 32 may be permanently attached to the container by means of induction bonding, ultrasonic bonding, gluing, or the like, depending upon the materials employed for the container and closure body 32.
The interior of the body 32 may also include special or conventional seal features to provide an enhanced leak-tight seal between the closure body 32 and the container. The illustrated snap-fit closure body 32 does not employ such an enhanced seal feature.
The illustrated preferred, first form of the closure body 32 defines an inwardly extending top edge, peripheral deck, or rim (
As can be seen in
As can be seen in
The first lid 61 includes a peripheral flange 65 (
With reference to
With reference to
To assist in opening and closing the top 34, the first lid 61 includes an outwardly extending, or laterally extending, thumb lift 76 (
If it is desired to scoop or ladle the fluid contents out of the container, then the second lid 62 can also be lifted upwardly, and the entire top 34 can be positioned in a fully opened configuration as shown in
A second form or embodiment of a dispensing closure system 30A of the present invention is illustrated in
The closure body 32A also includes a peripheral shoulder 45A and a short, peripheral neck or sidewall 48A which has a laterally projecting latch bead (not visible in the small scale drawings, but which is identical with the latch bead 50 described above with reference to the first embodiment illustrated in
As can be seen in
The first access region 51A is separated from the second access region 52A by a stationary panel 55A (
The second lid 62A has a similar flange 67A with a latch bead 66A (
As can be seen in
Except for the stationary panel 55A extending across the top of the closure body 32A, the closure body 32A defines the first access region 51A and the second access region 52A with substantially the same configurations as the first embodiment access regions 51 and 52, respectively, described above with reference to
The closure body 32B has an inwardly extending peripheral top edge or rim 44B similar to the top edge or rim 44 employed in the first embodiment closure 30 illustrated in
The use of the shelf 82B facilitates flexibility in manufacturing. For example, one common mold cavity could be used to produce either the first embodiment closure 30 or the third embodiment closure 30B. This is accomplished by using a removable mold insert in the common mold cavity to define the shelf 82B when molding the third embodiment closure 30B. The mold insert is removed when molding the first embodiment closure 30.
A fourth embodiment of the closure 30C is illustrated in
The ramp 103C provides advantages in certain pouring applications. In particular, some larger particulate items (e.g., snack food pieces having a diameter of about 3/16 of an inch or more) can flow more easily, and in a more constrained discharge configuration, over the ramp 103C.
Also, as can be seen in
The flat shelf 82B and ramp 103C of the third and fourth embodiments, respectively, can also each be employed in modifications of the second embodiment closure 30A described above with reference to
A fifth embodiment of the closure 30D is illustrated in
The fifth embodiment closure body 32D has a first access region 511D (
The closure body 32D has a peripheral latch bead 50D (
The top 34D includes a first lid 61D (
The first lid 61D includes a peripheral flange 65D (
If the first lid 61D is subjected to an upwardly directed force (e.g., from an unintentional impact or from an intentional push by a user's finger or thumb), then the first lid 61D may move slightly upwardly until the latch beads 64D and 50D engage. At this point, substantially greater force is required to move the latch bead 64D past and over the closure body latch bead 50D. This arrangement of the latch beads 50D and 64D functions to hold the first lid 61D in the closed position during normal handling of the closure 30D and associated package. However, the latch bead arrangement accommodates deliberate opening of the lid 61D when a sufficient opening force is applied. Further, when the lid 61D is closed, the arrangement of the spaced-apart latch beads 50D and 64D accommodates slight variations in vertical dimensions owing to manufacturing tolerances.
The second lid latch bead 66D is arranged to be spaced slightly below the closure body latch bead 50D when the second lid 62D is closed. If the second lid 62D is subjected to an upwardly directed force (e.g., from an unintentional impact or from an intentional push by a user's finger or thumb), then the second lid 62D may move slightly upwardly until the latch beads 66D and 50D engage.
At that point, more force must be applied to the second lid 62D to open it. The beads 66D and 50D serve to hold the second lid 62D in the closed position during normal handling of the closure 30D and associated package. However, in some applications where the package contains a relatively large quantity of product or a relatively heavy product, the weight of the product in the package may subject the relatively large inside surface area of the closed second lid 62D to a significant total force when the package is tipped over or inverted for dispensing through the opened, first lid 61D. Such increased force on the inside of the second lid 62D could cause the second lid 62D to open even though that is not the user's intention. The possibility of the second lid 62D being opened unintentionally may be increased if the package is shaken while it is inverted.
In order to minimize the likelihood of such unintentional opening of the lid 62D, a secondary latch system is provided, and the secondary latch system includes at least one latch aperture 120D in the closure body top edge or rim 44D (
As can be seen in
As can be seen in
When the second lid 62D is closed (
The snap-fit engagement established by the latch apertures 120D and latch posts 130D create a positive latching system which requires more force to open the second lid 62D, and this required opening force is greater than the force that is applied to the inside of the second lid 62D when the closed package containing a heavy product is inverted and shaken. To open the second lid 62D, the user must apply a greater opening force to the lid 62D.
The first lid 61D and the closure body 32D could also be provided with analogous, secondary latching system latch posts and latch apertures, respectively. However, in the typical applications for which the closure 32D is designed to be used, the first lid 61D is relatively small so that the interior surface area of the first lid 61D is relatively small. Therefore, in typical applications for which the closure 32D is contemplated, there will not be a great enough impact force imposed upon the closed, small, first lid 61D by the shaken product to cause the first lid 61D to open. Thus, use of only the primary first lid latch 64D and cooperating closure body latch bead 50D will be sufficient in most applications to prevent inadvertent opening of such a small, first lid 61D.
The above-described latch post and latch aperture system to retain a lid closed as employed in the closure 30D could also be employed in the first through fourth embodiments of the closure (30, 30A, 30B, and 30C) illustrated in
The above-described latch post and latch aperture system to retain a lid closed as employed in the closure 30D could also be employed with a closure having only one lid or three or more lids. Such lids could be attached to the peripheral wall or base of the closure system with a tether or hinge, or such a lid or lids could be completely removable.
It will be readily apparent from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and from the illustrations thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/993,564, filed Nov. 19, 2004 of Travis Hoepner and Cori M. Blomdahl. This application is an application filed under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 371 as a national stage of international application PCT/US2005/040983, which was filed Nov. 9, 2005, and which claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/993,564, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,380.
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PCT/US2005/040983 | 11/9/2005 | WO | 00 | 5/1/2007 |
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WO2006/055433 | 5/26/2006 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10993564 | Nov 2004 | US |
Child | 11666804 | US |