Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6564978
-
Patent Number
6,564,978
-
Date Filed
Monday, February 12, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 20, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Mancene; Gene
- Nicolas; F.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 222 15314
- 222 533
- 222 534
- 222 536
- 222 498
- 222 556
- 222 107
- 222 575
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A dispensing package for fluent products includes a container of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a hollow flexible body, and a rigid integral finish defined by a deck that spans one end of the body, a package dispensing opening in the deck and a wall upstanding from a perimeter of the deck surrounding the deck and the opening. An actuator disk is mounted within the peripheral wall overlying the deck and the dispensing opening, and is pivotal between a closed position closing the opening and an open position for dispensing product from the opening through the actuator disk.
Description
The present invention is directed to packages for dispensing fluid products such as body lotions, and more particularly to a package and method of construction that feature an actuator disk that pivots between a closed position and an open position for dispensing fluid product from the package.
Reference is made to the copending application of Craig E. McClean (17036) filed Feb. 12, 2001 and entitled Disk-Top Fluid Dispensing Package.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Disk-top fluid dispensing packages conventionally include a container with a finish, and a dispensing closure assembly having a base secured to the container finish and an actuator disk pivotally mounted on the closure base. The disk is pivotal between a closed position that closes a dispensing opening in the closure base, and an open position for dispensing fluid product from the package. A package of this type is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,963. A general object of the present invention is to provide a package of this type in which the closure is integrated into the dispensing package. Others objects of the present invention are to provide a method of making such an integrated package, and a container for use in such an integrated package.
A dispensing package for fluent products in accordance with presently preferred embodiments of the invention includes a container of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a hollow flexible body, and an integral finish defined by a deck that spans one end of the body, a package dispensing opening in the deck and a wall upstanding from a perimeter of the deck surrounding the deck and the opening. An actuator disk is mounted within the peripheral wall overlying the deck and the dispensing opening, and is pivotal between a closed position closing the opening and an open position for dispensing product from the opening through the actuator disk. Provision of a two-piece package that includes a one-piece integrally molded container with finish deck, peripheral wall and dispensing opening reduces manufacturing, tooling and inventory costs, and reduces the weight of the overall package. The dispensing opening may be enlarged for easier and more rapid filling of the container, while the dispensing rate may be tailored by varying the size of the dispensing opening in the actuator disk. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the actuator disk has laterally extending aligned trunnions or pins that are received through laterally aligned openings in the peripheral wall of the container finish. This gives greater strength to the actuator/finish connection, and the actuator is less likely to become disassembled from the finish during use. Alternatively, part-spherical pivots may be employed.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of making a fluid dispensing package contemplates integrally molding a one-piece plastic container having a hollow flexible body, and a rigid finish including a deck extending across one end of the body, a dispensing opening in the deck, a peripheral wall extending around the deck and disk mounting means in the wall. An actuator disk is mounted within the wall by the disk mounting means to pivot within the wall between a closed position closing the dispensing opening, and an open position for dispensing product from the container through the opening and the disk. The container preferably is filled with product through the dispensing opening prior to assembly of the actuator disk to the container finish. A container for a disk-top fluid dispensing package in accordance with a third aspect of the present invention is of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a hollow flexible body, and a rigid finish including a deck extending across one end of the body, a peripheral wall extending around the deck, a dispensing opening in the deck, and disk mounting means on opposed sides of the wall. The dispensing opening in the preferred embodiment of the invention is keyhole-shaped, having an enlarged portion centered on the deck and a smaller portion radially offset from the enlarged central portion. The larger diameter portion of the keyhole-shaped opening in the preferred embodiment aids in filling the container. Alternatively, the fell/dispensing opening may be circular or oval. The hollow body of the container may be in the form of a tottle, a cylindrical container with a flat bottom, or a squeezable tube.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention, together with additional objects, features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is an exploded perspective view of a fluid product dispensing package in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2
is a fragmentary sectional view that bisects the container finish and actuator disk in the package of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a view similar to that of
FIG. 2
but showing the actuator disk in the open position;
FIG. 4
is a top plan view of the container illustrated in
FIG. 1
;
FIGS. 5 and 6
are fragmentary sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines
5
—
5
and
6
—
6
in
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 7
is a bottom plan view of the actuator disk in the package of
FIG. 1
;
FIGS. 8 and 9
are fragmentary sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines
8
—
8
and
9
—
9
in
FIG. 7
;
FIG. 10
is an exploded perspective view of a fluid dispensing package in accordance with a modified embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11
is a fragmentary sectional view of the finish and actuator disk in the package of
FIG. 10
; and
FIG. 12
is a partially sectioned elevational view of a fluid dispensing package in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-3
illustrates a fluid dispensing package
20
in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the invention as comprising a container
22
and a disk-type dispensing actuator
24
. Container
22
is of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction, having a hollow flexible body
26
and an integral rigid finish
28
. Referring to
FIGS. 1-6
, container finish
28
includes a flat relatively rigid deck
30
that extends laterally across one end of container body
26
in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container body. A keyhole-shaped fill/dispensing opening
32
is formed in deck
30
, having an enlarged central portion
32
a
(
FIG. 4
) coaxial with container body
26
and centrally disposed in deck
30
, and a smaller portion
32
b
extending radially from central portion
32
a
. Fill/dispensing opening
32
is surrounded by a wall
34
that is integral with deck
30
and extends axially upwardly from the deck (in the orientation of FIGS.
1
-
3
).
A peripheral wall
36
extends upwardly from deck
30
around the perimeter of the deck. Peripheral wall
36
has a recessed portion
38
laterally aligned with the long dimension of keyhole-shaped opening
32
on a side thereof remote from smaller keyhole portion
32
b
. An abutment rib
40
extends upwardly from deck
30
along wall
36
beneath recessed portion
38
to serve as an abutment stop for the actuator disk in the fully open position of the latter (FIG.
3
). A second abutment rib
42
extends from deck
30
along wall
36
adjacent to the ensmalled portion
32
b
of dispensing opening
32
to act as an abutment stop for the disk actuator in the fully closed position of the latter (FIG.
2
). A pair of circular openings
44
(
FIGS. 1 and 6
) are laterally aligned with each other across wall
36
at a position offset from enlarged portion
32
a
of dispensing opening
32
. A pair of bearing ribs
46
extend upwardly from deck
30
beneath respective openings
44
, and terminate in concave arcuate bearing surfaces
48
for supporting the disk actuator during opening and closing of the latter, as will be described.
Actuator disk
24
is a one-piece generally flat body having a base wall
50
from which a peripheral wall
52
depends. Disk
24
is generally circular, having diametrically opposed flat portions
54
for disposition within opposed flats
56
on container wall
36
(FIG.
4
). Alternatively, the disk may be non-circular if desired. A pair of cylindrical trunnions or posts
58
are laterally aligned with each other and extend outwardly from flat portions
54
of disk wall
52
for receipt by snap fit within openings
44
on container wall
36
. Beneath posts
58
, disk wall
52
has a pair of convex circular bearing portions
60
that ride on bearing surfaces
48
of ribs
46
to support disk
24
during pivoting of the disk around the axis of posts
58
and openings
44
. Within the periphery of disk base wall
50
, there are inner and outer keyhole-shaped walls
62
,
64
that are disposed, in assembly with container
26
, inside of and outside of wall
34
on container finish
28
, as best seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3
. Inner wall
62
is continuous and forms a plug seal within fill/dispensing opening wall
34
in the closed position of actuator disk
24
(FIG.
2
). Outer wall
64
is interrupted by a lateral passage
66
that extends to the periphery of actuator disk
24
forming a fluid dispensing outlet passage from the actuator disk. A shield
68
depends from passage
66
and cooperates with wall
34
on container finish
28
to route fluid through actuator dispensing passage
66
in the open position of the actuator disk (FIG.
3
).
Container
22
, including container body
26
and integral finish
28
, may be formed in an injection/extrusion/blow molding operation, in which finish
28
is first injection molded, a tubular preform is then extruded from the injection molded finish, blow mold sections are closed around the tubular preform, and container body
26
is then blow molded to the internal confines of the blow mold sections. Container body
26
is relatively flexible to permit squeezing of the container body in order to dispense product from the actuator passage when the actuator is in the open position. The finish is relatively rigid to maintain its geometry during transport and use. Container
22
may be of high density polyethylene construction, for example. Actuator disk
24
is preferably injection molded of suitable material, such as polypropylene. Container finish
28
and actuator disk
24
are circular in the embodiment of
FIGS. 1-9
. However, other geometries, such as oval or elliptical geometry, are also contemplated. Likewise, although the pivot axis of disk
24
is parallel to the long lateral dimension of the non-circular geometry of container body
26
in the illustrated embodiment, the pivot axis could be perpendicular to such dimension. The finish and actuator disk could also be used with containers having a body that is cylindrical or other suitable shape.
In the embodiment of
FIGS. 1-9
, container
22
is a so-called tottle-type container, and the package is adapted to be rested on its head on a flat surface. However, the principles of the present invention may also be applied to containers having a flat bottom as illustrated in
FIGS. 10-11
, and to flexible tube-type containers as illustrated in FIG.
12
. Referring to
FIGS. 10-11
, a package
70
includes a container
72
having a hollow flexible body
26
a
and a relatively rigid finish
28
a
. Finish
28
a
is molded integrally with body
26
a
in an injection/extrusion/blow molding operation as previously described. Finish
28
a
includes an annular wall
74
that surrounds a circular fill/dispensing opening of container
72
. The remaining elements of package
70
in
FIGS. 10 and 11
are similar to those described above in connection with the embodiment of
FIGS. 1-9
, and are indicated by correspondingly identical reference numerals followed by the suffix “a”. The primary difference between package
70
of FIG.
10
and package
20
of
FIG. 1
lies in the fact that container body
26
a
has a flat bottom for placement on a support surface.
FIG. 12
illustrates a package
76
, in which container body
26
b
has a squeezable tube-type body
26
b
. A finish
28
b
is integrally molded with body
26
b
as previously described, and a disk-type actuator
24
b
is pivotally secured within finish
28
b.
Thus, in all embodiments, the container body is of flexible blow molded plastic construction, and the container finish is molded integrally with the body. The dispensing actuator disk is secured to the container finish either before or after filling of the container, depending upon the type of container. In traditional bottles or tottles having a fill opening in the finish (e.g., FIGS.
1
and
10
), the disk is secured to the container finish after filling. For flexible tube-type containers (e.g.,
FIG. 12
or U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,096), the disk may be secured to the container finish before the bottom of the tube is removed and the container filled through the bottom and then sealed.
There have thus been disclosed a package, a method of manufacture and a container that fully satisfy all of the objects and aims previously set forth. As compared with dispensing packages having conventional closure assemblies, the container and package of the present invention exhibit reduced manufacturing, tooling and inventory costs, and reduced weight. The enlarged keyhole-shaped fill/dispensing opening in the embodiment of
FIG. 1
may be rapidly filled with product to reduce manufacturing time, and dosage rate can be readily varied by varying the size of the dispensing passage
66
in the actuator disk. A number of embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, together with various modifications and variations. Other modifications and variations will readily suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A two-piece dispensing package for fluent products, which comprises:a container of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a hollow body, and an integral finish defined by a deck on an end of said body, a package dispensing opening in said deck and a wall upstanding from a perimeter of said deck surrounding said deck and said opening, and an actuator disk within said wall overlying said deck and said dispensing opening, said actuator disk and said wall having means for mounting said actuator disk within said wall to pivot between a closed position closing said opening and an open position for dispensing product from said opening through said actuator disk, said means comprising aligned apertures extending through said wall and aligned pins integral with said actuator disk extending through said apertures.
- 2. The package set forth in claim 1 wherein said hollow body has a closed bottom as molded and said opening comprises an opening for both filling and dispensing product within the container, said opening being keyhole-shaped, having an enlarged portion centered on said deck and a smaller portion radially offset from said enlarged portion, and wherein said actuator disk has a keyhole-shaped wall for plug-sealing engagement with said keyhole-shaped opening in said closed position of said actuator disk.
- 3. The package set forth in claim 2 wherein said actuator disk has a dispensing passage with one end aligned with said dispensing opening in said deck and another end at a peripheral edge of said disk.
- 4. The package set forth in claim 1 wherein said actuator disk and said finish have opposed bearing means adjacent to said aligned apertures for supporting said deck relative to said disk during pivoting of said disk between said open and closed portions.
- 5. The package set forth in claim 1 wherein said hollow body is of flexible plastic construction, and said deck, said wall and said actuator disk are of rigid plastic construction, said hollow body and said finish being injection/extrusion/blow molded in one piece of identical material construction.
- 6. A method of making a fluid dispensing package, which comprises the steps of:(a) integrally molding a one-piece plastic container having a hollow body, a closed bottom as molded, and a rigid finish including a deck extending across one end of said body, a dispensing opening in said deck, a peripheral wall extending around said deck, and laterally aligned through openings in said wall, (b) mounting within said wall an actuator disk having posts extending laterally through said openings to pivot within said wall between a closed position closing said opening and an open position for dispensing product from said container through said opening and said disk, and (c) between said steps (a) and (b), filling said container with fluid product through said dispensing opening.
US Referenced Citations (39)