Patent Application
20060273063
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly, to containers having a feature for orienting a closure with respect to the container.
2. Related Art
It is becoming more common for containers to include closures that are preferably aligned with respect to the container at a particular orientation. For example, a closure may have a spout that is preferably aligned with the front of the container. Shampoo bottles often have such a requirement. As another example, a closure may have a spout that is preferably aligned with the handle of the container, as is sometimes the case with detergent containers.
One known technique of orienting a closure with respect to a container includes orienting the thread start on the closure and/or container. Another known technique includes deforming a portion of the threads on the closure and/or container. These techniques, however, often provide an undesirable level of tolerance in the orientation of the closure with respect to the container; sometimes the tolerance is as high as 30 degrees. In addition, these techniques don't readily allow for use of a conventional, non-oriented closure in the instance where orientation of the closure with respect to the container is not needed or desired; thus requiring container manufacturers to make and store different containers for use with oriented and non-oriented closures.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for a container that has a feature for accurately orienting a closure with respect to the container. In addition, there remains a need in the art for such a container that accepts a conventional, non-oriented closure when orientation of the closure with respect to the container is not needed or desired.
In summary, the present invention relates to a container including a feature for accurately orienting a closure with respect to the body of the container, and a related method.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the container can include a body defining an interior volume of the container, the body having an opening; a finish extending around the opening, the finish defining an axis; a thread located on the finish for securing a closure to the finish; and a first orientation surface on the container for engaging a second orientation surface on the closure to orient the closure at a predetermined angle with respect to the body about the axis. The first orientation surface can be defined by a recess on the container and the second orientation surface can be defined by a protrusion on the closure. Alternatively, the first orientation surface can be defined by a protrusion on the container and the second orientation surface can be defined by a recess on the closure. Still alternatively, the first orientation surface can be defined by a first protrusion on the container and the second orientation surface can be defined by a second protrusion on the closure. The finish can be adapted and configured to accept a non-oriented closure without substantial engagement between the non-oriented closure and the first orientation surface.
According to another exemplary embodiment, the container can include a body defining an interior volume of the container, the body having an opening; a finish extending around the opening, the finish defining an axis; and a thread located on the finish for securing a closure to the finish; wherein the container includes a recess and the closure includes a protrusion for engaging the recess to orient the closure at a predetermined angle with respect to the body about the axis. The finish can include an upper region bounding the opening, and the recess can be located on the upper region. In addition, the closure can include an upper surface having an interior portion and an exterior portion, and the protrusion can be a lug located proximate the interior portion of the upper surface. Alternatively, the recess can be located on the shoulder of the container. In addition, the protrusion can be a lug extending from the skirt. The finish can be adapted and configured to accept a non-oriented closure without substantial engagement between the non-oriented closure and the recess.
The present invention also relates to a method of securing a closure to a body of a container in a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the body. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes placing the closure onto a finish attached to the body; and turning the closure about an axis to engage threads on the closure with threads on the finish until a first orientation surface on the container engages a second orientation surface on the closure to orient the closure at a predetermined angle with respect to the body about the axis. The method can further include placing a non-oriented closure onto the finish; and turning the non-oriented closure about the axis to engage threads on the non-oriented closure with threads on the finish; wherein the non-oriented closure does not substantially engage the first orientation surface.
Further objectives and advantages, as well as the structure and function of preferred embodiments will become apparent from a consideration of the description, drawings, and examples.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. In describing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a first exemplary embodiment of a container 10 and closure 12 is shown. Container 10 generally includes a body 14 that defines an interior volume for storing a wide variety of liquid, viscous or solid products including, for example, juices, other beverages, yogurt, sauces, pudding, lotions, soaps in liquid or gel form, lubricants such as motor oil, and bead shaped objects such as candy. A person skilled in the art will recognize that body 14 can be shaped and dimensioned to fit a particular application. For example, body 14 can have a symmetrical cross-section such as circular or square, or alternatively, an asymmetrical cross-section such as oval or rectangular. In addition, body 14 can have other features, such as a handle 16, as shown in
Container 10 can also include a finish 18, shown in
Container 10 can have a one-piece construction and can be prepared from a monolayer plastic material, such as a polyamide, for example, nylon; a polyolefin such as polyethylene, for example, low density polyethylene (LDPE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE), or polypropylene; a polyester, for example polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphtalate (PEN); or others, which can also include additives to vary the physical or chemical properties of the material. For example, some plastic resins can be modified to improve the oxygen permeability. Alternatively, the container can be prepared from a multilayer plastic material. The layers can be any plastic material, including virgin, recycled and reground material, and can include plastics or other materials with additives to improve physical properties of the container. In addition to the above-mentioned materials, other materials often used in multilayer plastic containers include, for example, ethylvinyl alcohol (EVOH) and tie layers or binders to hold together materials that are subject to delamination when used in adjacent layers. A coating may be applied over the monolayer or multilayer material, for example to introduce oxygen barrier properties. Container 10 can be made by conventional blow molding processes including, for example, extrusion blow molding, stretch blow molding and injection blow molding, although other methods of making container 10 are possible, as will be recognized by one skilled in the art.
Still referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, closure 12 can include an upper portion 32 and a skirt 34 extending away from the upper portion 32. Skirt 34 can have threads 35 (shown in
Closure 12 can also include a spout 36 or other known feature to facilitate dispensing of the contents of container 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, spout 36 is of the flip-up type, known to those skilled in the art, although other types of spouts or pourers known to those skilled in the art can be used instead. In an alternative embodiment, closure 12 can be without a spout. For example, closure 12 can have a plain, flat upper portion 32. Alternatively, closure 12 can take the form of an ornamental design, such as an animal figurine. One skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of shapes and configurations of closure 12 are possible.
Referring now to
Still referring to
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Referring to
Similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the first orientation surface 138 and second orientation surface 140 can be configured to contact one another once the closure 112 has been turned onto the finish 118 to a predetermined angular position, thereby positively orienting the closure 112 in the desired angular position with respect to body 114. According to an alternative embodiment, the second orientation surface 140 can be defined on closure 112 by a second protrusion or lug formed on container 110, such as the lug 44 formed on the finish in
Referring to
Referring to
The present invention is also directed to a method of securing a closure to a body of a container in a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the body. Referring back to
While the above-described method was discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 to 4, the method is not limited to use with that particular embodiment.
As discussed above, the present invention provides a container that is capable of positively orienting a closure with respect to the body of the container to a higher degree of accuracy than is achieved with known prior art designs. In addition, in some embodiments the container can still be used with a conventional, non-orienting closure (e.g., without a second orientation surface, corresponding recess, lug, or other structure) in the instance where orientation of the closure with respect to the body is not needed or desired. For example, the containers shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and
The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification are intended only to teach those skilled in the art the best way known to the inventors to make and use the invention. Nothing in this specification should be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. All examples presented are representative and non-limiting. The above-described embodiments of the invention may be modified or varied, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
