BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The disclosure, together with additional objects, features, advantages and aspects thereof, will best be understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a package in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are fragmentary sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines 2-2 and 3-3 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of the portion of FIG. 3 within the area 4;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the dispensing closure in the package of FIGS. 1-4 as molded;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the dispensing closure illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6;
FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary sectional views on enlarged scales of the portions of FIG. 6 within the respective areas 8 and 9;
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a package in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 11 and 12 are fragmentary sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines 11-11 and 12-12 in FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of the portion of FIG. 12 within the area 13;
FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the dispensing closure in the package of FIGS. 11-13 with the lid open as molded;
FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 15-15 in FIG. 14;
FIG. 16 is a bottom plan view of the dispensing closure illustrated in FIGS. 14-15; and
FIGS. 17 and 18 are fragmentary sectional views on enlarged scales of the portions of FIG. 15 within the respective areas 17 and 18.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a package 20 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Package 20 includes a dispensing closure 22 secured to the neck finish 24 of a container 26. Container 26 preferably is of molded plastic construction. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, container 26 has a body 28 with a pair of laterally spaced shoulders 30, 32. A channel or recess 34 extends between shoulders 30, 32 and neck finish 24 is disposed within recess 34.
Closure 22 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 5-9, and preferably is of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction including a base 36 connected by a hinge 38 to a lid 40. Hinge 38 illustrated in the drawings is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,477. Other types of hinges can be employed. Base 36 in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 5-9 includes a pair of laterally spaced shoulders 42, 44 separated from each other by a recess or channel 46. An annular wall 48 extends from the top surface of recess 46 and a deck 50 is carried by annular wall 48. A circumferentially continuous first snap/seal bead 52 faces radially outwardly from wall 48 adjacent to the upper surface of deck 50. A wall 54 extends radially inwardly from deck 50 and has a radially inwardly and axially outwardly facing conical surface 56 that extends from the upper surface of deck 50 to a dispensing opening 58. Dispensing opening 58 preferably is circular, although other geometries can be employed. A dispensing valve can be positioned within the dispensing opening. In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1-9, an annular wall 60 extends from the lower or inside surface of recess 46 for plug-sealing engagement within neck finish 24. A segmented annular wall 62 extends from the lower or inside surface of recess 46 and has a segmented internal bead 64 for snap-receipt over an external bead 66 on container neck finish 24. Other means of closure attachment can be employed.
Lid 40 is contoured for receipt within recess 46 of base 36 in the closed position of the lid illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. In this closed position in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1-9, the upper or outer surface of lid base wall 67, which is substantially flat, preferably is substantially flush with the upper or outer surface of base shoulders 42,44. The upper or outer surfaces of lid 40 and shoulders 42, 44 may be substantially flush with or recessed slightly below the upper surfaces of container shoulders 30, 32, as best seen in FIG. 3. Lid 40 has a spud or pintle 68 surrounded by an annular wall 70. Annular wall 70 has a radially inwardly facing circumferentially continuous second snap/seal bead 72 contoured to be received by snap-fit over bead 52 on wall 48 adjacent to deck 50 in the closed position of the lid. Pintle 68 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-9 includes a plurality of angularly spaced radially extending ribs 74. Each rib 74 has an angulated outer surface 76 that is adapted to engage surface 56 that extends between deck 50 and dispensing opening 58 to center the pintle, and thereby center the lid, with respect to the dispensing opening as the lid is moved toward its closed position. One of the ribs 74 preferably extends toward hinge 38 to engage surface 56 and pull lid 40 away from hinge 38 as the lid is closed. However, as best seen in FIG. 4, the outer surfaces of pintle 68 preferably do not engage opposing surface 56 or dispensing opening 58 in the fully closed position of the lid. Rather, the lid is held in the closed position and is sealed with respect to the base by snap engagement of internal bead 72 on lid 40 over external bead 52 on base 36. The centering action provided by pintle 68 and surface 56 helps prevent end-to-end engagement that might otherwise occur between wall 70 and deck 50 as the lid is closed, which in turn helps facilitate in-mold closing of the lid over the base. That is, pintle 68 is sufficiently long as compared with wall 70 to engage surface 56 on base 36 and center lid 40 with respect to the base prior to engagement of beads 52, 72 on walls 48, 70.
A flange 78 extends from the periphery of lid 40 for engaging the opposing surface of recess 46 in the fully closed position of the lid, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-9, base 36 has an outer recess 80 (FIGS. 1-2 and 5), within which a user's thumb can engage the opposing edge of flange 78 to open the lid with respect to the base. Other lid opening arrangements could be employed. Indeed, a child-resistant latch can be provided between lid 40 and base 36, such as a latch of the type disclosed in U.S. patent document 2005/0023285 for example.
FIGS. 10-18 illustrate a package 82 in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Package 82 includes a closure 84 secured to a container 26. Elements of package 82 and closure 84 that are the same as or similar to corresponding elements in package 20 and closure 22 of FIGS. 1-9 are indicated by correspondingly identical reference numerals. The primary difference between closure 84 in FIGS. 10-18 and closure 22 in FIGS. 1-9 is in the construction of pintle 86 on lid 40. In closure 84, pintle 86 includes an annular wall 88 with a radially outwardly and axially outwardly facing conical surface 90 at the end of wall 88 remote from the base wall 67 of lid 40. This conical surface 90 cooperates with surface 56 that extends from deck 50 on closure base 36 to align the lid with the base as the lid is closed and prior to engagement of internal snap bead 72 on lid 40 with external snap bead 52 on base 36. That is, pintle 86 is sufficiently long as compared with wall 70 to engage surface 56 on base 36 and center lid 40 with respect to the base prior to engagement of beads 52, 72 on walls 48, 70. As in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-9, pintle 86 in the embodiment of FIGS. 10-18 serves to align and center lid 40 with respect to base 36 as the lid is closed, but not to seal the dispensing opening 58. Rather, the function of sealing the lid with respect to the base and the function of holding the lid in the closed are served by engaged snap/seal beads 5272.
As noted above, it is preferred that the outside surface of pintle 68 or 86 be spaced from inside surface 56 and the inner edge of the dispensing opening (i.e., the dispensing passage) in the fully closed position of the lid. In applications in which the lid is closed in the forming mold, contact between the pintle and the dispensing passage can shave off small pieces of plastic material that, over millions of mold cycles, could become problematic. However, pintle 86 in FIGS. 11-13 could be made to provide a supplemental seal if desired. It also is preferred that pintle 68 or 86 not extend out of the bottom of the dispensing opening in the fully closed position of the lid, as shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 11-13. If the pintle were to extend out of the dispensing passage, the lid could not be closed in the forming mold. However, the pintle extends into the dispensing passage sufficiently to perform the alignment function discussed above and to punch our any dried product in the dispensing opening.
There thus have been disclosed a dispensing closure, a closure and container package and a method of making a dispensing closure that fully satisfy all of the objects and aims previously set forth. The disclosure has been presented in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, and additional modifications and variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations readily will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing discussion. The disclosure is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
Patent Application
20070267451
