In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:
Referring now to the drawings, the dispensing closure of the instant invention is illustrated and generally indicated at 10 in
Generally, each of the embodiments includes a closure body 20 having an upper deck 30, and a skirt 40 depending from the upper deck 30 where the skirt 40 is configured and arranged to mount to a product container (not shown), such as a conventional squeeze-type container. The skirt 40 is internally threaded for threaded mounting on a product container. However, it is to be understood that other skirt mounting arrangements are also contemplated within the scope of the invention, and the invention should not be limited to the inwardly threaded skirt as the only means for mounting.
Referring briefly to
Still referring to
In order to define an unobstructed central flow path and a partially obstructed peripheral flow path, the closure 10 is provided with at least one inhibitor structure extending at least partially inwardly from the inner wall 50C. Still referring to
As seen in
In operation, in an inverted product container, the surface area provided by the interior wall 50C of the flow conduit 50 and the helically threaded flights 60 creates a passive capillary surface attraction with the product sufficient to overcome the head pressure of the product when inverted and prevents free flow of the product out of the unobstructed center channel 51. Accordingly, the product will not immediately spurt out of the container when first opened. Yet when a moderate amount of pressure is applied to the container, the product has an unobstructed central channel 51 to pass through and product is easily dispensed. The combination of the helically threaded flights 60 and the unobstructed center channel 51 have also been found to provide a “suck-back” effect, withdrawing the product back into the container when pressure is released from the container. The “suck-back” phenomenon effectively keeps the product off of the upper deck 30 of the closure 10, and keeps the closure 10 clean during use. Looking at possible alternative embodiments, more than one helically threaded flight 60, such as a double helix thread, may be provided.
Before proceeding with a description of other embodiments, it is important to note that the desired effect of the flow conduit 50 can only be achieved with viscous products. For example, ketchup and mustard are considered to be viscous. Obviously, the invention would not work properly when attempting to dispense water. The invention is also considered to be useful for dispensing honey and maple syrup, which are slightly less viscous. However, the geometry of the structures would need to be modified for proper dispensing thereof, the key being that the designer would need to adjust the size of the unobstructed central channel 51 and adjust the surface area of the flow obstructions to achieve the right balance of flow obstruction.
Referring to
In another alternative embodiment, as illustrated in
It can therefore be seen that the invention is adaptable to a range of products having varying viscosity by varying the dimensions of the dispensing closure 10. The variable dimensions of the dispensing closure 10 include: the diameter D1 of the inner wall 50C (as illustrated in
It is noted that for all of the embodiments in
Accordingly, the embodiments above provide a dispensing closure 10 that does not include a valve structure. Also, the embodiments provide a one-piece dispensing closure 10 having a “clean-pour” dispensing characteristic. In addition, the embodiments provide a one-piece dispensing closure 10 having a sufficient flow restriction to counter product head pressure created by storing the product in an inverted condition. Most importantly, the embodiment provides a direct path from an interior of the dispensing closure 10 along with a passive capillary surface attraction with the product sufficient to overcome the head pressure when inverted.
It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. All such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
This application is related to and claims priority from earlier filed provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/824,322 filed Sep. 1, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60824322 | Sep 2006 | US |