Patent Application
20210362919
The present invention relates generally to a dispensing closure for use with a container of a fluent substance.
Closures are employed to selectively prevent or permit communication between the exterior and interior of a container (e.g., bottle, flexible pouch, vessel, etc.) through an opening in the container. A typical closure includes at least a receiving structure or body arranged at the opening to the container interior, and a closing dement or cap that is cooperatively received by the receiving structure.
The receiving structure of the closure can typically be either (1) a separate structure that can be attached at the container opening, and that defines a passage through the structure for communicating with the container opening and the container interior, or (2) an integral structure that is a unitary portion of the container, and which defines a passage through the structure such that the passage functions as the opening to the container. Also, the closing dement may be formed together with the receiving structure as a unitary article, or the receiving structure and closing element may be separately made and then assembled.
The closing dement typically is movable relative to the receiving structure passage between (1) a closed condition or position for completely, or at least partially, occluding the passage, and (2) an open condition or position for completely, or at least partially, exposing the passage. Some closures may include additional elements (e.g., freshness seals, dispensing valves, tamper-evident features, child safety features, locking elements, etc.).
A closure may be provided on a rigid, flexible, or collapsible container of one or more fluent substances (e.g., liquids, gels, granules, powders, oils, lotions, creams, cleaning products, etc.). The container may be inverted by a user to dispense, or assist in dispensing, the substance from the container through the opened closure. The container with the closure mounted thereon, and the fluent substance or substances stored therein, may be collectively characterized as a “package” that may be encountered by a consumer.
One type of prior art dispensing closure includes a body attached to a container at the container opening, by mating screw threads, snap fit beads, welding, adhesive, etc., and the closure further includes a lid or cap that is screw threaded to the closure body. The inventors of the present invention have noted that such prior art dispensing closures, when installed on a container of a fluent substance, may be susceptible to a likelihood of inadvertent opening during shipping or handling, which can result in premature or messy leaking of the fluent substance stored within the container. For example, the closed lid may be accidentally bumped or twisted open, when subjected to vibrations, a sudden impact, or from internal pressure of a fluent material within the container. The inventors have found that such a likelihood of premature leakage through prior art dispensing closures may be especially pronounced in an e-commerce scenario, whereby an individual package containing a container and the prior art closure is shipped and handled in an unconstrained manner and may be subjected to a variety of forces, orientations, and temperatures.
The likelihood of inadvertent opening of such a closure may be prevented, or at least minimized, by applying an adhesive seal or a film wrap around at least a portion of the closure to mechanically prevent movement of the lid until the seal or wrap has been removed by a user of the closure. However, such additional adhesive seals and film wraps are typically designed and provided for only a “one-time” use (non-reusable) application to withstand lid opening forces during shipping. Moreover, such additional seals or wraps may increase the cost of the closure, require additional manufacturing steps and machinery, or present a nuisance to the user who must remove and discard such a seal.
The inventors of the present invention have determined that it would be desirable to provide a robust closure that may prevent or minimize the likelihood of the inadvertent opening of the closure during shipping or handling. The inventors of the present invention have also determined that, in many applications, it may be desirable to provide such an improved closure that eliminates the need for any additional protective packaging, such as a larger box or carton, or the inclusion of dampening structures or inserts that would otherwise be included to minimize the likelihood of the inadvertent opening of the closure.
The inventors of the present invention have also determined that it would be desirable to provide an improved closure that minimizes the likelihood of inadvertent opening of the closure during shipping or handling and that such an improved closure would open only when engaged by a user applying a specific, yet simple, action to disengage the lid from the body of the closure.
The inventors of the present invention have further determined that, in many applications, it may be desirable to provide an improved closure as part of a package wherein the closure structure facilitates or accommodates the cleaning of the closure and/or minimizes the potential for accumulation of residue, dirt, grime, etc. during the useful life of the package.
The inventors of the present invention have also determined that it would be desirable to provide an improved closure that can be configured for use with a container of a fluent substance so as to have one or more of the following advantages: (1) an improved ease of manufacture and/or assembly, and (ii) a reduced cost of manufacture and/or assembly.
The inventors of the present invention have invented a novel structure for a dispensing closure for use with a container wherein the dispensing closure addresses one or more of the above-described problems, and includes various advantageous features not heretofore taught or contemplated by the prior art.
In one form of the present invention, an improved closure for a container, the container having an opening between an exterior of the and an interior of the container where a fluent substance may be stored, wherein the closure includes a body for being located at the opening of the container. The body defines a central axis and has a pour spout defining an interior surface. The interior surface defines at least a portion of a passage for communicating with the container interior to permit the flow of a fluent substance through the body. The body includes a flexible, crushable seal that is located laterally outwardly of the pour spout, and the body further includes one or more body lateral projections extending laterally from the body.
The closure further includes a closing element for being removably attached to the body and defining an outer wall for being mounted around at least a portion of the pour spout. The closing element further includes a cover that extends laterally inwardly from the outer wall. The closing element includes at least one closing element lateral projection extending laterally from the closing element. The closing element and the body together have a closed condition, wherein in the closed condition (i) the flexible, crushable seal seals between the closing element and the body, and (ii) the body lateral projection confronts the closing element lateral projection to inhibit separation of the closing element away from the body along the central axis.
In one form of the present invention, the closure includes a metallic liner for being sealed between the body and a container. In a presently preferred form of the invention, the body of the closure has at least one liner retention projection extending laterally outwardly therefrom for retaining the metallic liner with the body prior to the metallic liner being sealed between the body and the container.
In another aspect of the present invention, the flexible, crushable seal is integrally molded with the body. In another form of the present invention, the flexible, crushable seal has a frustoconical cross-sectional shape, when viewed in a vertical plane containing the central axis.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the closing element includes an outer flange having an annular sealing surface for sealing against the flexible, crushable seal of the body in the closed condition.
In one form of the present invention, the body includes a top deck from which the flexible, crushable seal extends. The body also includes a recessed well located laterally between the pour spout and the top deck. In one preferred form of the present invention, the recessed well includes at least one drain aperture.
In still another form of the present invention, the body lateral projection includes a circumferentially-extending top portion having an open first end and a closed second end including an axially-extending stop portion. In one preferred form of the present invention, the body includes at least one ramp proximate to the open first end of the circumferentially-extending top portion for limiting rotation of the closing element relative to the closure body in the closed condition.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the closure is provided in combination with a container of a fluent substance, the substance having a viscosity between about 40 mPa·s and about 600 mPa·s, the dispensing closure, container, and substance together defining a package.
According to one form of the present invention, a portion of the body is formed from a plastic material and the flexible seal is formed from an elastomeric material that is relatively more resilient and flexible than the plastic material.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the body is one of: a separate structure for being attached to a container at the container's opening; or an integral structure that is a unitary part of a container formed at the container's opening.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the closure further includes a ring-shaped metallic liner that is located axially inwardly of the flexible, crushable seal relative to the central axis of the closure.
In one form of the present invention, the flexible, crushable seal has a tapering, arcuate shape, and it extends from a top deck of the body. The seal defines a radially inwardly facing convex surface and a radially outwardly facing concave surface.
In another form of the present invention, the closing element includes an annular projection which surrounds the flexible, crushable seal when the closing element is in its closed condition mounted atop the body.
In an alternative configuration of the present invention, the flexible, crushable seal has an arcuate shape, extending from a top deck of the closure body, and defines a radially inwardly facing concave surface and a radially outwardly facing convex surface.
In still another form of the present invention, the body includes an annular rim surrounding the flexible, crushable seal and extends axially outwardly of a sealing surface of a portion of the closing element in its closed position.
According to another form of the invention, the closing element lateral projection includes a circumferentially-extending portion having an open first end and a closed second end including an axially-extending stop portion. In a preferred form of the present invention, the closing element includes at least one ramp proximate to the open first end of the circumferentially-extending portion for limiting rotation of the closing element relative to the body in its closed condition.
According to still another form of the invention, the closure includes a body for being located at the opening of a container and defining a central axis. The body includes a wall surrounded by an annular skirt having a screw thread for mating with a screw thread on the container. The body includes a pour spout defining an interior surface and terminates in a pour lip, the interior surface defining a portion of a passage for communicating with the container interior to permit the flow of a fluent substance through the body. The body includes a top deck from which extends a flexible, crushable seal that is located laterally outwardly of the pour spout. The body has a plurality of body lateral projections extending laterally from the body each of which includes an open first end, a closed second end in the form of an axially-extending stop portion, a ramp located in between the open first end and the stop portion. The body includes a liner retention projection that extends laterally outwardly from the wall.
The closure further includes a closing element for being removably attached to the body and including an outer wall for being mounted around at least a portion of the pour spout of the body. The closing element includes a cover that extends laterally inwardly from the outer wall and a flange surrounding the outer wall including an annular sealing surface for engagement with the flexible, crushable seal and having a plurality of lateral projections extending laterally inwardly therefrom for engagement with the body lateral projections.
The closure also includes a ring-shaped metallic liner disposed around the wall proximate the liner retention projection. The closing element and the body have a closed condition, wherein in the closed condition (i) the flexible, crushable seal contacts the sealing surface of the closing element and (ii) each one of the plurality of lateral projections is retained between one of the ramps and one of the stop portions to inhibit separation of the closing element away from the body along the central axis.
In another aspect of the present invention, a body is provided for assembly with a closing element to define a closure for use on a container. The body includes a central axis and includes a pour spout defining an interior surface defining at least a portion of a passage for communicating with a container interior to permit the flow of a fluent substance through the body. The body includes a flexible, crushable seal located laterally outwardly of the pour spout and further includes at least one body lateral projection extending laterally from the body. The body is configured to have a closed condition with a closing element wherein in the closed condition (i) the flexible, crushable seal seals between the closing element and the body, and (ii) the at least one body lateral projection confronts a portion of the closing element to inhibit separation of the closing element away from the body along its central axis. In one preferred form of the invention, the body includes a ring-shaped metallic liner loosely retained around a portion of the body for being sealed between the closure body and the container.
In still another form of the invention, a closure is provided for use with a container, the closure including a body for being located at an opening of the container, and the body defining a central axis. The body includes a pour spout defining an interior surface and at least a portion of a passage for communicating with the container interior to permit the flow of a fluent substance through the body. The body includes a flexible, crushable seal located laterally outwardly of the pour spout. The body further includes at least one retention bead extending radially from the body and located axially inwardly of the flexible, crushable seal for engaging a portion of the container to retain the body at the opening of the container.
The closure further includes a closing element defining an outer wall for being mounted around at least a portion of the pour spout of the body, a cover that extends laterally inwardly from the outer wall, and a means for securing the closing element with a container, preferably in the form of mating screw threads. The closing element and the body have a closed condition, wherein in the closed condition (i) the flexible, crushable seal seals between the closing element and the body, and (ii) the means of the closing element is engaged with a portion of a container to inhibit separation of the closing element away from the body along its central axis.
In one preferred form of the present invention, the flexible, crushable seal has an L-shaped cross-section, when viewed in a vertical plane containing the central axis and defines a radially-outwardly extending upper portion and a radially-outwardly extending lower portion. The upper portion of the seal extends further in a radial direction than the lower portion, with respect to the central axis.
In one preferred form of the present invention, the flexible, crushable seal includes an annular projection that extends axially upwardly from the upper portion of the flexible, crushable seal.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the closure includes a body for being located at the opening of a container. The body defines a central axis and a pour spout defining an interior surface and at least a portion of a passage for communicating with the container interior to permit the flow of a fluent substance through the body. The body includes at least one body lateral projection extending laterally from the body.
The closure includes a closing element for being removably attached to the body. The closing element defines an outer wall for being mounted around at least a portion of the pour spout of the body and further includes a cover that extends laterally inwardly from the outer wall, at least one closing element lateral projection extending laterally from the closing element, and a flexible seal extending laterally outwardly from the outer wall. The closing element and the body have a closed condition, wherein in the closed condition (i) the flexible seal seals between the closing element and the body, and (ii) the at least one body lateral projection confronts the at least one closing element lateral projection to inhibit separation of the closing element away from the body along the central axis.
In one presently preferred form of the invention, the flexible seal has the form of a frustoconical, annular extension from the outer wall of the closing element that is configured for sealing against a frustoconical sealing surface of the body.
In another presently preferred form of the invention, the at least one closing element lateral projection includes a circumferentially-extending portion having an open first end, a closed second end including an axially-extending stop portion, and a ramp located proximate to the open first end for limiting rotation of the closing element relative to the body in its closed condition.
In another presently preferred form of the invention, the flexible seal has the form of a frustoconical, annular extension of the outer wall and it includes an axially-extending sealing portion for sealing against a frustoconical sealing surface and an annular, vertical sealing surface projecting axially upwardly from a top deck of the body.
In another preferred form of the present invention, the closure further includes a metallic liner for being sealed between the body and a container. The body more preferably includes at least one liner retention projection extending laterally outwardly therefrom for retaining the metallic liner with the closure body prior to the metallic liner being sealed between the body and the container.
In yet another form of the present invention, the flexible seal is integrally molded with the body. In a preferred form of the present invention, the body includes a drain aperture.
In still another form of the present invention, the closure is in provided in combination with a container of a fluent substance having a viscosity between about 40 mPa·s and about 600 mPa·s, the dispensing closure, the container, and the substance together defining a package. In one preferred form of the invention, the body is one of: a separate structure for being attached to a container at the container opening; or an integral structure that is a unitary part of a container formed at the container opening. In another form of the present invention, the closure further includes a ring-shaped metallic liner located axially inwardly of the flexible seal relative to its central axis with the closing element in its closed position.
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 specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments so described, and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.
With reference to
The closures of this invention are especially suitable for use with a variety of conventional or special containers, the details of which, although not fully illustrated or described, would be apparent to those having skill in the art and an understanding of such containers. The particular containers described and illustrated herein are not intended to limit 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 closures alone.
The closures described herein are especially suitable for use on a container that contains a fluent material or substance in the form of a liquid detergent or soap that can be dispensed, or otherwise discharged, from the container through the opened closure. Such fluent substances may be, for example, a personal care product, a food product, an industrial product, a household product, or other types of products. Such substances may be for internal or external use by humans or animals, or for other uses (e.g., activities involving medicine, commercial or household maintenance, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.).
A first embodiment of a dispensing closure of the present invention, and/or its components, are illustrated in
It will be understood that the container may be any conventional type, such as a collapsible, flexible pouch, or may be a generally rigid bottle that has somewhat flexible, resilient walls. The container, or a portion thereof, may be made from a material suitable for the intended application. For example, the container may be a pouch made from a thin, flexible material, wherein such a material could be a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film or a polyethylene film and/or an aluminum foil. Alternatively, a more rigid container in the form of a bottle could be made from a thicker, less flexible material such as molded polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylchloride, glass, metals, or other materials.
In applications wherein the closure is mounted to a container such as a bottle, it is contemplated that typically, after the closure manufacturer would make the closure (e.g., by molding the closure from a thermoplastic polymer), the closure manufacturer will then ship the closure to a container filler facility at another location where the container is either manufactured or otherwise provided, and where the container is filled with a product prior to installation of the closure. If the container is a collapsible pouch, then the closure may include a suitable fitment portion that can be sealed or otherwise attached to the pouch as the pouch is being made and filled, or as the pouch is being made but before the pouch is subsequently filled through the open closure or through open regions of the pouch walls that are later sealed closed.
In the first illustrated embodiment of the closure 40 in
The container, per se, does not form a part of the broadest aspects of the present invention. The container may have any suitable configuration.
The first illustrated embodiment of the closure 40 depicted in the
In other applications, it may be desirable to pressurize the container interior at selected times with a piston or other pressurizing system (not illustrated), or to reduce the exterior ambient pressure to suck the material out through the open closure. In some other applications, it may be desirable to also accommodate filling or refilling of the container with the fluent contents through the opened closure 40 into the container interior.
With reference now to
The closure body 54 and closing element 56 components (discussed in detail below) are preferably formed or molded as separate structures from a suitable rigid thermoplastic material such as polypropylene (“PP”) or polyethylene (“PE”). Other materials may be employed instead. The sealing means is preferably molded or formed with the closure body 54, such as by bi-injection molding, from a suitable resilient, elastomeric material such as an injection moldable grade of thermoplastic elastomer (“TPE”). Other materials may be employed instead.
The liner 60 is depicted in the Figures has having an annulus or ring-like form that may be disposed between, and bonded or otherwise attached to, both a portion of the closure body 54 and the upper end of the container 44 to provide a tamper-evident seal and/or a substantially permanent seal between the closure body 54 and the container 44. Such a seal may also prevent or minimize the probability of out-leakage of the product to the ambient environment or in-leakage from the ambient environment of atmospheric gases or other substances (which could be liquid, solid or gaseous contaminants). Some liners may be manufactured by providing a sheet of liner material having a metallic (e.g., aluminum) substrate layer, and punching or stamping the sheet of liner material to create a generally annular configuration or other configuration having a through hole that is defined by one or more cut edges that are exposed to the open interior of the container. U.S. Pat. No. 8,573,423, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses such a liner wherein the metallic substrate layer (e.g., aluminum foil) is sandwiched between, and attached to, two outer, heat-sealable thermoplastic layers. The metallic substrate layer of the liner functions to heat up in an induction heating system through which the assembly of the closure, liner, and top end of the container pass so as to fuse and heat seal (bond) each of the two, outer, heat-sealable layers to a respective one of the closure body 54 and container 44.
Although a metallic layer is not required in a liner 60 that is to be installed using other processes such as adhesive or conduction heat bonding (instead of induction heat sealing), such other bonding processes could be employed even with liners that have a metallic substrate layer (that in such an application would not serve an induction heating function).
In the Figures, the liner 60 is shown in a simplified manner for ease of illustration, wherein the liner 60 is shown as a single metallic structure. It will be understood that the liner 60 would be much thinner relative to the closure body 54, the closing element 56, and the container 44, and would have a metallic substrate layer disposed between at least a pair of heat-sealable polymer layers that can be bonded together by suitable means, including thin film adhesive layers. Further, it will be understood that the metallic substrate layer and/or the heat-sealable layers can be composed of a plurality of thinner layers (i.e., a plurality of thinner strata, sub-layers, or laminae).
The separately formed components of the body 54, closing element 56, and liner 60 are subsequently assembled into the dispensing closure 40. It will be understood that in alternative designs (not illustrated), one or more of the basic components or sub-components may be separately or sequentially formed or molded (such as through bi-injection molding). Alternatively, the basic components may be molded initially as one connected structure, and then broken apart, and then re-assembled into an operative combination. Further, it will be understood that in an alternate embodiment (not illustrated), the body 54 may be unitarily formed or molded as an extension of the open end of the container 44 and need not be a separately formed article of manufacture.
With reference now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
With reference to
With reference to
It will be understood that while the closure body 54 is illustrated as having a generally cylindrical shape, the body 54 may take a variety of forms such that the outer wall 61 and/or the surrounding flange 63 may be square, elliptical, polygonal, or some other, irregular cross-sectional shape (in the plane extending normal to the central axis 30).
If the closure body 54 is to be used on a container 44 in the form of a flexible pouch (not illustrated), then it is presently contemplated that the closure body 54 end would have a suitable fitment configuration (e.g., such as that shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,124,936, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety) for being sealed with such a pouch, and most pouch manufacturers will prefer to install the closure body 54 inlet end at an opening formed in the pouch with heat sealing techniques or ultrasonic sealing techniques.
With reference now to
Referring now to
The inventors have found that the closure 40 may be advantageous as compared to prior art closures to provide a substantially leak-free seal between a container and the closure 40 and a substantially leak-free seal between the closure body 54 and the closing element 56 in the form of a removable measuring cup, and all of such seals may exhibit more robustness to typical forces, heat, hydraulic hammer, and pressures experienced by a package containing the closure 40 and the bottle during shipping and handling of the package, particularly in e-commerce distribution chains. The sealing and retaining means between the closure body 54 and the closing element 56 enables the seal between these structures to be maintained even if the closing element 56 rotates or twists slightly during transit. In addition, the closing element 56 may be removed by simple rotation relative to the body 54, and no special or complex action is required by the user of the closure 40.
In a typical method of assembling and installing the closure 40 on a container 44 of a fluent substance to create a package, the closure body 54 would first be assembled with the liner 60 as a subassembly. With reference to
With reference to
The container 44 may be filled with contents or fluent product prior to the installation of the closure 40 onto the container 44, or after closure 40 installation by filling the container 44 through the closure passage 132 with a suitable nozzle or cannula.
With reference to
Typically, a closure manufacturer would make or provide several of the package components (e.g., the closure body 54, the liner 60, and the closing element 56—but usually not the container 44), then assemble some or all of those components, and then ship the assembly or components to a bottler for installation on a filled container 44.
Alternatively, depending on the manufacturing capability of the bottler, some of the steps of assembling the closure 40 components could be performed by the bottler instead of the closure manufacturer. For example, the closure body 54, the liner 60, and the closing element 56 may be shipped by the closure manufacturer to a bottler as separate, unassembled components, and then the bottler can assemble the closure components, fill the container, and subsequently install the assembled closure components on the container 44.
The detailed operation and function of the dispensing closure 40 will next be described with initial reference to
The closure 40 is presented to a user in its non-dispensing, closed condition with the closing element 56 oriented around the pour spout 72 of the closure body 54. With reference to
With reference to
When the user ceases to tip or invert the container 44 and the closure body 54, the closing element 56 may then be reinstalled over the closure body 54. As described above, the closing element 56 is brought axially toward the closure body 54 and rotated clockwise about the central axis 30 until the four lateral projections 220 of the closing element 56 contact the open first ends 213 and are guided along the circumferentially-extending top portions 212, then moving against and overtop (radially outwardly of) the ramps 216 into the area between the ramps 216 and the stop portions 214. As the closing element 56 is brought into contact with the closure body 54, the annular sealing surface 142 contacts and compresses the crushable seal 200 axially inwardly toward the top deck 66 and the crushable seal 200 may expand radially outwardly.
The inventors have found that the closure 40 is especially suitable for viscous fluent substances having a viscosity between about 40 mPa·s and about 600 mPa·s, such as liquid laundry detergent. In addition, the inventors have found that the dispensing closure 40 described herein may be mass produced for less cost compared to current taps and dispensing closures that have additional complex components such as valves and metal springs etc., and the closure 40 may be more easily actuated or operated by the user, and yet is still readily resistant to accidental opening.
While a closure could be provided with a standard helical threaded attachment between the closure body and the closing element employing an integrally molded flat seal, the inventors have found that such a closure would be prone to leaking if there is appreciable unthreading of the closing element relative to the closure body during shipping as a result of vertical movement allowed by the helical thread.
Furthermore, the closure could be provided with a conventional removable liner inserted between the container and the closure during package filling and capping, to prevent leakage during shipping. However, the inventors have found that such a liner requires that for a user to access the product, the consumer needs to unthread the closure from the bottle, remove the liner, and then reattach the closure. Additionally, a shrink wrap seal may be applied over the closure assembly to keep the closing element on the container. The inventors have found that this solution may keep the closing element and the closure body together during shipping, but this solution may not adequately secure the closure body to the container.
The inventors have considered utilizing ratcheting “locks” which may be incorporated into the container and closure body designs to retain these structures, locking the closure body to the container. Execution of this attachment system depends on the accuracy of a blow molded container or bottle, which generally has more variance than injection molded parts and may require a very specific container neck design to engage the ratchets on the closure body. Further, the closure body could be glued to the bottle and a helical threaded closing element. The use of glue makes for a challenging package capping line system and the helical threaded closing element can be dislodged by typical shipping impacts.
A second embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention (or components thereof) is illustrated in
With reference to
Still referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The inventors have found that the closure 40A may be advantageous as compared to prior art closures to provide a substantially leak-free seal between a container and the closure 40A and a substantially leak-free seal between the closure body 54A and the closing element 56A in the form of a removable measuring cup, and all of such seals may exhibit robustness to typical forces, heat, hydraulic hammer, and pressures experienced by a package containing the closure 40A and the bottle during shipping and handling of the package, particularly in e-commerce distribution chains. The sealing and retaining means between the closure body 54A and the container 44A eliminates the need for additional components such as a foil liner. In addition, the closing element 56A may be removed by simple rotation relative to the body 54A, and no special or complex action is required by the user of the closure 40A.
A third embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention (or components thereof) is illustrated in
With reference to
With reference to
As can be seen in
The closure 40B may be particularly advantageous as compared to prior art closures to provide a substantially leak-free seal between a container and the closure 40B and a substantially leak-free seal between the closure body 54B and the closing element 56B in the form of a removable measuring cup, and all of such seals may exhibit robustness to typical forces, heat, hydraulic hammer, and pressures experienced by a package containing the closure 40B and the bottle during shipping and handling of the package, particularly in e-commerce distribution chains. The formation of the seal 200B as a unitary extension of the closure body 54B may further reduce cost and manufacturing complexity when compared to other closures of the prior art. In addition, the closing element 56B may be removed by simple rotation relative to the body 54B, and no special or complex action is required by the user of the closure 40B.
A fourth embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention (or components thereof) is illustrated in
With reference to
With reference to
Still referring to
The closure 40C may be particularly advantageous as compared to prior art closures to provide a substantially leak-free seal between a container and the closure 40C and a substantially leak-free seal between the closure body 54C and the closing element 56C in the form of a removable measuring cup, and all of such seals may exhibit robustness to typical forces, heat, hydraulic hammer, and pressures experienced by a package containing the closure 40C and the bottle during shipping and handling of the package, particularly in e-commerce distribution chains. The formation of the seal 200C as a unitary extension of the closing element 56C may further reduce cost and manufacturing complexity when compared to other closures of the prior art. In addition, the closing element 56C may be removed by simple rotation relative to the body 54C, and no special or complex action is required by the user of the closure 40C. Furthermore, the structure of the closure 40C, prevents the seal 200C from being over-stressed when the closing element 56C is installed atop the closure body 54C.
A fifth embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention (or components thereof) is illustrated in
With reference to
With reference to
Still referring to
The closure 40D may be particularly advantageous as compared to prior art closures to provide a substantially leak-free seal between a container and the closure 40D and a substantially leak-free seal between the closure body 54D and the closing element 56D in the form of a removable measuring cup, and all of such seals may exhibit robustness to typical forces, heat, hydraulic hammer, and pressures experienced by a package containing the closure 40D and the bottle during shipping and handling of the package, particularly in e-commerce distribution chains. The formation of the seal 200D as a unitary extension of the closing element 56D may further reduce cost and manufacturing complexity when compared to other closures of the prior art. In addition, the closing element 56D may be removed by simple rotation relative to the body 54D, and no special or complex action is required by the user of the closure 40D. Furthermore, the structure of the closure 40D prevents the seal 200D from being over-stressed when the closing element 56D is installed atop the closure body 54D.
A sixth embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention (or components thereof) is illustrated in
With reference to
With reference to
Still referring to
The closure 40E may be particularly advantageous as compared to prior art closures to provide a substantially leak-free seal between a container and the closure 40E and a substantially leak-free seal between the closure body 54E and the closing element 56E in the form of a removable measuring cup, and all of such seals may exhibit robustness to typical forces, heat, hydraulic hammer, and pressures experienced by a package containing the closure 40E and the bottle during shipping and handling of the package, particularly in e-commerce distribution chains. The formation of the seal 200E as a unitary extension of the closure body 54E may further reduce cost and manufacturing complexity when compared to other closures of the prior art. In addition, the closing element 56E may be removed by simple rotation relative to the body 54E, and no special or complex action is required by the user of the closure 40E. Furthermore, the structure of the closure 40E prevents the seal 200E from being over-stressed (e.g., plastically deformed or sheared) when the closing element 56E is installed atop the closure body 54E.
Various modifications and alterations to this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Illustrative embodiments and examples are provided as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62/802,975, filed Feb. 8, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US20/17210 | 2/7/2020 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62802975 | Feb 2019 | US |
