Patent Application
20160332783
The present invention relates to a closure for closing a container such as a dairy container. In particular, the present invention relates to a closure having one or more feature providing a strong or reinforced closure while also allowing the total weight of the closure to be decreased relative to conventional closures.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a light weight, reinforced, molded, plastic closure. The closure includes an end wall including an outer peripheral edge, an upper surface, a lower surface and a first thickness measured between the upper and lower surfaces. The closure includes a sidewall extending downward and away from the outer peripheral edge of the end wall, and the sidewall includes an inner surface, an outer surface and a second thickness measured between the inner and outer surfaces. The closure includes a container engagement structure extending radially inward from the inner surface of the sidewall. The closure includes a tamper-indicating band extending from a lower end of the sidewall, and the tamper-indicating band has a frangible section configured to break upon opening to provide a visual indication that the closure had been opened. The closure includes a plurality of raised ribs extending radially outward from the outer surface of the sidewall and extending along the sidewall at least a portion of the distance between the outer peripheral edge and the tamper-indicating band. The first thickness is less than 75% of the second thickness.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a plastic closure. The closure includes an end wall having an outer peripheral edge, an upper surface, a lower surface and a first thickness measured between the upper and lower surfaces. The closure includes a sidewall extending downward and away from the outer peripheral edge of the end wall, and the sidewall includes an inner surface and an outer surface. The closure includes a container engagement structure extending radially inward from the inner surface of the sidewall. The closure includes a tamper-indicating band extending from a lower end of the sidewall, and the tamper-indicating band has a frangible section configured to break upon opening to provide a visual indication that the closure had been opened. The closure includes a plug extending downward from the lower surface of the end wall, and the plug is a continuous wall located within the outer peripheral edge of the end wall. The end wall includes an inner portion located within the plug and an outer portion located between the plug and the outer peripheral edge of the end wall. The first thickness is a thickness of the inner portion of the end wall, and the outer portion of the end wall has a second thickness. The first thickness is less than 75% of the second thickness.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a molded, plastic closure. The closure includes an end wall including an outer peripheral edge, an upper surface, a lower surface and a first thickness measured between the upper and lower surfaces. The closure includes a sidewall extending downward and away from the outer peripheral edge of the end wall. The sidewall includes an inner surface, an outer surface and a second thickness measured between the inner and outer surfaces. The closure includes threading comprising a series of threads configured to engage cooperating threads of a container, and each thread of the threading includes at least four interrupts in which a section of the inner surface of the sidewall is located along the path of the thread. The closure includes a tamper-indicating band extending from a lower end of the sidewall, and the tamper-indicating band has a frangible section configured to break upon opening to provide a visual indication that the closure had been opened. The closure includes a sealing ring extending downward from the lower surface of the end wall, and the sealing ring is a circumferentially continuous annular wall and is substantially concentric with the outer peripheral edge of the end wall. The end wall includes an inner portion located within the sealing ring and an outer portion located between the sealing ring and the outer peripheral edge of the end wall. The first thickness is a thickness of the inner portion of the end wall, and the outer portion of the end wall has a third thickness. The first thickness is less than 75% of the second thickness and less than 75% of the third thickness, and at least 60% of the area of the lower surface of the end wall is located within the sealing ring.
Various embodiments of the invention relate to any of the features, structures, elements, parameters, method steps, systems, components, subsystems, etc. described and shown herein, and various embodiments of the invention relate to any combination the features, structures, elements, parameters, method steps, systems, components, subsystems, etc. described and shown herein.
Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features and combinations of features as may be generally recited in the claims.
This application will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in which:
Referring generally to the figures, a lightweight closure having one or more reinforcement element is shown. In general, the closures discussed herein have a thin end wall and interrupted threading that allows the closure to be made using less material than typical conventional closures. However, reducing the amount of material (e.g., plastic) contained within the closure tends to result in a closure that is more prone to breakage or failure. Accordingly, the closure discussed herein includes various reinforcing elements that Applicant's have found provide both a lightweight closure and one that is sufficiently strong. For example, the closure discussed herein includes one or more localized thickened section in the end wall of the closure that provides strength at key areas of the closure (e.g., areas that tend to experience higher forces during filling, capping or handling) while allowing less material to be used in other areas. In addition, the features of the closure discussed herein provides higher capping efficiency (at least in some capping environments). For example it has been found that the closure discussed herein is flexible such that the closure is able to be bent slightly to snap the threading into place in situations where the capping machine has misaligned the closure with the container threading. This bending and increased capping efficiency is not provided by more rigid conventional closures.
Referring to
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In the embodiment shown, threading 20 comprises a series of raised, radially inwardly extending threads, shown as threads 22 and 24. As will be understood threads 22 and 24 generally follow a helical path along the inner surface of closure 10 which allows the threads to engage the cooperating structures on the container. As shown in
Referring to
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In various embodiments, sealing ring 46 is positioned such that a substantial portion of the area of top panel 12 is located within the inner radially facing surface of sealing ring 46. In one embodiment, at least 60%, and more specifically, at least 70% of the area of top panel 12 is located within the inner radially facing surface of sealing ring 46. In various embodiments, these relative percentages may relate to the area of the upper surface and/or the lower surface of top panel 12.
Referring to
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In various embodiments, T1 is less than 75% of T2 and T3, and more specifically is less than 70% of T2 and T3. In various embodiments, T1 is between 0.01 inches and 0.03 inches, specifically is between 0.015 inches and 0.028 inches and more specifically is 0.020 inches plus or minus 0.003 inches. In various embodiments, T2 is between 0.025 inches and 0.045 inches, specifically is between 0.030 inches and 0.040 inches and more specifically is 0.032 inches plus or minus 0.003 inches. In various embodiments, T3 is between 0.02 inches and 0.04 inches, specifically is between 0.025 inches and 0.035 inches and more specifically is 0.030 inches plus or minus 0.003 inches.
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Referring back to
In order to provide substantial light weighting and materials savings, a substantial portion of top panel 12 is formed at thickness T1. In various embodiments, at least 50% of top panel 12 has a thickness at T1 as discussed herein, and in a specific embodiment, at least 75% of top panel 12 has a thickness at T1 as discussed herein. In various embodiments, the percent of top panel 12 having thickness T1 is determined by the percentage of the surface area of lower surface 52 at which top panel 12 has thicknesses of T1 as discussed herein relative to the total surface area of lower surface 52. In various embodiments, the absolute and relative thicknesses discussed herein may relate to the average thicknesses within particular regions of the closure, and in other embodiments, the absolute and relative thicknesses discussed herein may relate to a thickness measured at one or more positions within a particular regions of closure 10.
In various exemplary embodiments, Applicants have found that the various relative thicknesses, absolute thicknesses and dimensions discussed herein provide various functional improvements including a satisfactorily strong closure while also reducing the overall weight of the closure. In addition, the closure design discussed herein provides a cap that maintains a seal on a container while also having a reduced weight. Further, the closure design discussed herein provides a cap that decreases the rate of capping errors by the capping machinery due to the flexibility of the lightweight closure (particularly in skirt 14 provided by interrupted threading 20). This flexibility allows snap on of closure 10 in the event of misalignment of the threads of the closure and of the cap. These functional improvements are believed to result directly from the various relative thicknesses and absolute thicknesses discussed herein while at the same time providing a strong, robust, break-resistant closure able to seal tightly onto the container neck.
Referring to
Referring to
In order to provide substantial light weighting and materials savings a substantial portion of top panel 102 is formed at thickness T6. In various embodiments, at least 50% of top panel 102 has a thickness at T6 as discussed herein, and in a specific embodiment, at least 75% of top panel 12 has a thickness at T6 as discussed herein. In various embodiments, the percent of top panel 102 having thickness T6 is determined by the percentage of the surface area of lower surface 52 at which top panel 102 thicknesses T6 as discussed herein relative to the total surface area of lower surface 52. In various embodiments, the absolute and relative thicknesses discussed herein may relate to the average thicknesses within particular regions of closure 100, and in other embodiments, the absolute and relative thicknesses discussed herein may relate to a thickness measured at one or more positions within a particular regions of closure 100.
In various embodiments, the closures discussed herein may be used to seal a wide variety of containers. In various embodiments, the closures discussed herein are closures suitable for maintaining a hermetic seal. In various embodiments, closure 10 is a closure configured to seal a container configured to hold consumable or edible products (e.g., beverages, water, food, etc.). In various embodiments, closure 10 is configured to seal a container that is a molded (e.g., blow-molded) thermoplastic beverage container configured to hermetically hold a beverage (e.g., water, juice, fortified or nutrient water, tea, sports drink, energy drink, milk, milk-based beverages, etc.). In other embodiments, closure 10 can be used to seal a wide variety of containers including pouches, jars, metal bottles, paper board cartons, etc. In a specific embodiment, closure 10 is configured to seal a dairy container, such as a milk jug or milk carton.
In various embodiments, the closure and spout discussed herein are made from plastic. In various embodiments, the closure and spout are made from compression molded plastic, and in other embodiments, the closure and spout are made from injection molded plastic. In various embodiments, the plastics include PE, PP, PET, PVC, etc.
It should be understood that the figures illustrate the exemplary embodiments in detail, and it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only. The construction and arrangements, shown in the various exemplary embodiments, are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Some elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process, logical algorithm, or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” means the joining of two components directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature.
In various exemplary embodiments, the relative dimensions, including angles, lengths and radii, as shown in the Figures are to scale. Actual measurements of the Figures will disclose relative dimensions, angles and proportions of the various exemplary embodiments. Various exemplary embodiments extend to various ranges around the absolute and relative dimensions, angles and proportions that may be determined from the Figures. Various exemplary embodiments include any combination of one or more relative dimensions or angles that may be determined from the Figures. Further, actual dimensions not expressly set out in this description can be determined by using the ratios of dimensions measured in the Figures in combination with the express dimensions set out in this description. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
