1. Field of the Invention
The present application is related to closures for fluid containers and, more specifically, to closures having an open/close type spout and plug, where at least one of the sealing surfaces within the closure includes a more resilient material molded over a more rigid material, thereby improving the performance and consistency of the closure product. This application is relevant to both push/pull type spouts and to twist open/close spouts.
2. Brief Discussion of Related Art
Prior art closures having an open/close type spout and plug typically include at least two components: a base component that attaches to the throat of a beverage container, and a spout component that is carried on the base component and is adapted to be reciprocated between an open and close position with respect to the base component by a consumer. Typically, the base component includes an opening coaxial with the throat of the beverage container and a coaxial plug extending from the opening, and the spout component includes a coaxial orifice that is in fluid communication with the opening of the base component when the spout is in its open position and that is plugged by the plug of the base component when the spout component is in its closed position. It also known to provide a plug on the spout component rather than the base component, which cooperates with an orifice on the base component.
With such closures, the base and spout components are typically molded separately from thermoplastic materials and later assembled together in an assembly operation. Furthermore, with such prior art closures, the plugs of the base or spout components extend outwardly from the component. Thus, during the molding process, the plug's sealing surface (which will seal against the corresponding sealing surface of the orifice) can be scratched or damaged due to impacting the mold components while being stripped off or ejected from the cores of the mold. The sealing surface is also subject to slight damage during the sorting and handling that occurs during the automatic assembly process of the closure, as well as the manipulation that occurs during filling and final assembly of the closure to the container. The scratching and damage that occurs can create a seal failure that is more severe when trying to hold a positive or negative pressure in the container.
The present application is related to closures for fluid containers and, more specifically, to closures having an open/close type spout and plug, where at least one of the sealing surfaces within the closure includes a more resilient material molded over a more rigid material, thereby improving the performance and consistency of the closure product. This application is relevant to both push/pull type spouts and to twist open/close spouts.
Accordingly, it is a first aspect of the invention to provide a closure for a container adapted to contain a liquid comprising: (a) a base adapted to be attached to an opening of a fluid container, the base including a conduit extending therethrough that is adapted to be in fluid communication with fluid contents of the fluid container when attached to the opening of the fluid container, and the base further including a spout guide defining at least a portion of the conduit and having an annular deck extending inwardly from an inner circumferential surface of the base, defining an orifice in fluid communication with the conduit; (b) a spout mounted to the spout guide for reciprocation between an open position and a closed position, the spout including a plug having a leading end adapted to allow fluid flow through the orifice when the spout is in the open position; and (c) a discrete sealing member coupled to at least one of the spout and the base, adapted to be at least partially displaced between the orifice and the plug to provide a fluidic seal therebetween when the spout is in the closed position.
It is a second aspect of the invention to provide valve adapted to be operatively coupled to a fluid container to facilitate selective fluid communication between an interior of the fluid container and an exterior environment, the valve comprising a polymeric valve seat, adapted to be operatively coupled to a fluid container, and to a polymeric valve body coupled to the polymeric valve seat having a plug, the polymeric valve body being operative to manipulate fluid flow through an aperture in the polymeric valve seat by moving the polymeric valve body with respect to the polymeric valve seat such that the plug is inserted into the aperture, and a resilient member mounted to at least one of the aperture of polymeric valve seat and the plug of the polymeric valve body characterized as being partially displaced and providing a fluidic seal between the plug and the aperture when the polymeric valve body is in the closed position.
It is a third aspect of the present invention to provide a closure for a fluid container comprising a male member and a female member collectively operative to manipulate a volumetric flow of fluid from a fluid source, where the male member comprising a plug at least partially covered by a cap that is more resilient than the plug, where the male member moves axially with respect to the female member, and where the female member includes an orifice therein adapted to selectively contact the cap of the male member such that the cap of the male member deforms in response to contact with the female member to provide a fluidic seal therebetween.
It is a fourth aspect of the present invention to provide a closure for a fluid container comprising a male member and a female member collectively operative to manipulate a volumetric flow of fluid from a fluid source, where the female member including a support structure having an annular shelf defining a first orifice and a sealing member molded to the support structure and occupying at least a portion of the first orifice to define a second orifice coaxial with the first orifice, where the sealing member is more resilient than the support structure, and where the male member including a plug adapted to selectively occupy the second orifice, where at least a portion of the sealing member deforms in response to contact with the plug to provide a fluidic seal therebetween.
It is a fifth aspect of the present invention to provide a method of molding a base mounted to a sealing member adapted to be operatively coupled to a spout to comprise a container closure and provide selective fluid communication between an interior of a fluid container and an exterior environment, the method comprising the steps of: (a) configuring and closing a mold having a first cavity negatively defining one of a base of a container closure having a conduit therethrough and a sealing member having a channel therethrough; (b) injecting a first material into the first cavity to mold at least one of the base and the sealing member; (c) cooling the mold and the first material to impart rigidity to at least one of the base and the sealing member; (d) configuring the mold with respect to the first material to define a second cavity adjacent to the first material, the second cavity negatively defining the other one of the base of the container closure and the sealing member; (e) injecting a second material into the second cavity to mold the other of the base and the sealing member; (f) cooling the mold and the second material to impart rigidity to the other of the base and the sealing member; (g) opening the mold; and (g) releasing from the mold the sealing member mounted to the base.
It is a sixth aspect of the present invention to provide a closure for a fluid container comprising: (a) a container fitting including a container receiver for coupling to a mouth of a container to fluidicly seal the container fitting to the container, the container receiver including a conduit therethrough that is in communication with a spout through which material previously within the container egresses from via at least one orifice; and (b) a lid that is repositionable between a closed position where the material is inhibited from egressing from the closure fitting via the at least one orifice, and an open position where the material is allowed to egress from the closure fitting via the at least one orifice, at least one of the lid and the container fitting including a visual indicator evidencing that the lid has at least one of not been repositioned from the closed position to the open position and been repositioned from the closed position to the open position.
Referring to
The base 16 also includes a tubular spout guide 42 extending coaxially upwardly from the top wall 24. The tubular spout guide 42 is provided with an inwardly extending annular deck 44 that defines a coaxial orifice 46 for receiving a plug 48 of the spout 18 when the spout is in its closed position as shown in
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the thickness and angle of the deck 44 can vary widely to manipulate the extent of the deflection achievable for the purposes discussed herein. Typically, the thickness of the deck 44 will be in a range from about 0.025 inches to about 0.055 inches and may take into account the resiliency of the material utilized to construct the deck 44, the size of the tubular spout guide 42, and the distance from the orifice 46 to the tubular spout guide 42. For example, as the resiliency of the material decreases, the thickness of the deck 44 can decrease, and vice versa. In the exemplary embodiments, the angle of the deck 44 can vary from horizontal from about 8 degrees to about 30 degrees. However, deck 44 angles of greater than 30 degrees and approximating 90 degrees are also within the scope of the instant invention. In addition, as the deck 44 angle increases, thereby departing from horizontal and approaching vertical, the thickness of the deck can decrease, and vice versa.
Referring again to
A cylindrical cavity 68 is provided between the outer cylindrical wall 66 and the inner cylindrical wall 60 that receives the tubular spout guide 42 of the base 16. The outer cylindrical wall 66 includes an internal thread 69 for engagement with an external thread 71 of the spout guide 42. Thus, the spout 18 is received over the tubular spout guide 42 of the base 16 and is adapted to move between an open position (where the plug 48 is removed upwardly from the orifice 46) and a closed position (see
A resilient cap 73 is molded over the end of the plug 48 and provides a circumferential resilient surface 49 that abuts and seals against the inner circumferential surface defining the orifice 46 in the deck 44 when the spout is in the closed position as shown in
For example, as shown in
The base 102, which is adapted to be threaded onto the container, includes a generally cylindrical sidewall 110, an annular top wall 108 extending radially inward from the upper end portion of the sidewall, and an annular tamper band 112 connected to a lower end 114 of the sidewall 110. The tamper band 112 is attached to the sidewall 110 with a plurality of bridges 116 formed by a cutting process subsequent to the molding process, or the bridges 116 may be formed by the molding process itself. The tamper band 112 is formed with a continuous bead 122 formed along the interior radial surface of the tamper band 112, or may instead include a plurality of beads or protrusions which are circumferentially spaced apart along the interior radial surface of the tamper band 112. The bead(s) 122 cooperate with an annular bead formed on the container to lock the tamper band 112 to the container.
The base 102 also includes a tubular spout guide 128 extending upward from the top wall 108, and a coaxial plug 130 having a resilient cap 131 molded over the end of the plug that provides a circumferential resilient surface 132. The plug 130 is connected to the tubular spout guide 128 with one or more bridge(s) 134, where the bridges are spaced to define one or more openings 136 through which fluid flows when the circumferential resilient surface 132 is not sealed against a deck 144 of the spout 104. Although the base 102 will be described hereinafter as having at least two bridges 134 partially defining at least two fluid flow passageways, it should be understood that the base 102 can be provided with only one bridge 134 and only one fluid flow passageway.
The tubular spout guide 128 defines a conduit 140 in fluid communication with the openings 136 so that fluid can flow through the conduit 140 and then through the openings 136 to egress from the container. The spout 104 is received over the tubular spout guide 128 of the base 102 and is adapted to move between an open position and a closed position by rotation of the spout 104 relative to the tubular spout guide 128 along a helical thread 142, however, the spout guide 128 can be adapted to accommodate a push-pull type spout. The spout 104 includes a substantially cylindrical body 144 having a radially inwardly extending deck 146 that defines an orifice 148.
The deck 146 is repositionable with respect to the plug 130 so that when the spout 104 is positioned in the closed position, at least a portion of the circumferential resilient surface 132 of the plug abuts the inner circumferential surface of the deck 146 that defines the orifice 148 and forms a seal to substantially prevent fluid from passing between the deck 146 and plug 130. In contrast, when the spout 104 and deck 146 are repositioned upward and away from the plug 130 to reach the open position, the seal is discontinued so that the circumferential resilient surface 132 of the plug no longer abuts the inner circumferential surface of the deck 146 that defines the orifice 148, thereby allowing fluid to pass between the plug 130 and the deck 144 and egress from the container. The plug 130 is supported by the bridges 134 so that at least a substantial portion of the circumferential resilient surface 132 of the plug 130 is positioned axially below an upper end 138 of the tubular spout guide 128 so that the tubular spout guide will protect the sealing portion of the circumferential resilient surface 132 from damage during manufacturing and handling.
With the above embodiments of
Referring to
Referencing
Referring to
The base 182 also includes a tubular spout guide 190 extending upwardly from the top wall 184 having a radially inwardly extending annular deck 192. An orifice 194 at the end of the annular deck 192 is adapted to receive a plug 48 of the spout 18 when the spout is in its closed position as shown in
As shown in
It is to be understood that the exemplary closure 180 may be fabricated using an injection molding process that fabricates the spout 18, less the resilient cover 196, in a first step, and thereafter molds the resilient cover 196 as part of the plug in a second step. Those of ordinary skill will readily understand the alternative molding techniques that may be utilized to fabricate the exemplary closures discussed herein. Moreover, the exemplary technique for molding the spout component 18 and the base component 102 discussed previously, is likewise applicable to mold the spout 18 of this closure 180.
The components of the closures 10, 100 and 180 can be formed by any suitable process capable of forming material into the various shapes or configurations either discussed above or shown in the attached drawings. For example, the closures 10, 100 and 180, can be constructed of one or more thermoplastic materials using an injection molding process or a compression molding process. By resilient, it is meant that the material may have more bounce back properties or ability to deform without destruction of the material properties. Various compounds can accomplish this, include TPE or TPV or any similar rubber/elastomer or other thermo-plastic elastomer which can be deformed yet maintain integrity and property construction and resiliency.
Similarly, the deck 44 can be constructed of any material having some flexibility and is manufacturable to the configurations shown in the drawings and discussed herein. For example, the base 16 can be constructed of a thermoplastic or UV curable material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, or polyurethane. Those of ordinary skill are familiar with the various polymers which can be used to fabricate the instant invention. However, the instant invention is not limited to polymer substrates and may likewise be fabricated from metals, ceramics, and composite materials.
Referencing
The frame structure 216 includes a generally cylindrical sidewall 218 and an annular top wall 220 extending radially inward from the upper end portion of the sidewall. The frame structure 216 further includes a tubular spout guide 222 extending upwardly from the top wall 220. The tubular spout guide 222 is provided with a radially inwardly extending annular deck 224 at its lower end that provides a coaxial orifice 226 for seating the annular seal member 214 that defines a second, smaller diameter coaxial orifice 228 adapted to receive a plug 230 of the spout 204 when the spout is in its closed position as shown in
The seal member 214 is substantially annular and is molded over (as otherwise coupled to) an interior surface 232 of the coaxial orifice 226, a downward facing surface 234 of the annular deck 224, and a downward facing surface 236 of the annular top wall 220. The annular seal member 214 includes a coaxial, substantially cylindrical projection 237 extending downwardly therefrom and is adapted to provide a seal against the inner circumferential surface 230 of the container's throat 240. The projection 237 includes an annular rib 239 on an outer circumferential surface of the projection 237, where the annular rib 239 has an outer diameter that is slightly larger than an inner diameter of the container's throat 240 such that the projection 237 must deflect radially inwardly as the closure 200 is threaded onto the container 212, thereby forming an annular seal between the annular rib 239 and the inner circumferential surface 238 of the throat 240. Further, as the closure 200 is fitted onto the container 212 the seal member 214 provides a bushing between the frame structure 216 and a top circumferential surface 242 of the throat 240.
The annular plug-seal portion 228 of the seal member 214 is molded coaxially about the radially inner surface of the orifice 226 of the frame structure 216 and provides an annular seal 244 against the outer circumferential surface of the plug 230 when the plug is received within the orifice 226. This annular plug-seal portion 229 has an inner diameter that is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the plug 230 so that the plug-seal portion 228 must deflect slightly as the plug 230 is inserted into the orifice 226, thereby providing a fluidic seal thereabout.
It is also within the scope and spirit of the present invention to manipulate the geometries of the deck and plug with respect to one another, such as having the plug embody a conical shape and the deck be beveled accordingly to accept such a plug. It is further within the scope and spirit of the present invention for the seal member 214 to extend along an interior portion of the spout guide 222 (see
Referencing
To fabricate the base 202″, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Alternatively, a mold may allow reconfiguration to be carried out without necessitating opening the mold. Such a mold would include internal elements that are repositionable to selectively define the respective cavities necessary to mold the seal member 214″ and the frame structure 216″. Such internally reconfigurable molds are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The exemplary closures of the present invention are used in a similar manner, and thus, reference will be had to the closure 10 of
The materials used in the formation of the base 16 and the spout 18 can vary widely depending upon the desired application of the closure 10. In an exemplary embodiment, the base 16 and the spout 18 are constructed of different materials to avoid cohesive bonding which can occur between similar materials. For example, the base 16 can be constructed of polyethylene and the spout 18 can be constructed of polypropylene.
The base 16 and the spout 18 are typically formed as separate components which are interconnected to form the closure 10 by an automated assembling machine.
The closures 10, 100 and 180 can be used as a liner-less closure for the container 12. The container can be filed with the fluid by any suitable process, such as a hot fill process, an ambient fill process, or an aseptic process and the closures 10, 100 and 180 can be applied to the container 12 by a conventional closure applicating machine. The fluid can be a beverage having a high sugar content, such as tea or juice, or beverages rich in mineral salts, such as an isotonic beverage.
The pressure maintained within the container 12 by the closures 10, 100 and 180 can vary widely. For example, the fluid may be a non-carbonated or low carbonated beverage such that the pressure within the container 12 is less than about 110 lbs/in2 and typically in the vicinity of about 30 lbs/in2. Positive pressure can be added to the container 12 by inserting liquid nitrogen into the container 12 and then immediately applying the closures 10, 100 or 180 to the container 12. The closures 10, 100 and 180 can be repeatedly opened and closed.
As an example, the closures 10, 100 and 180 can serve as liner-less closures for a container 12 that has been filled with a hot-fill process. In the hot-fill process, the medium is heated in the vicinity of about 180° F.-190° F. to kill any bacteria present in the medium. The container 12 is then filled with the heated medium and the closure 10, 100 or 180 is applied immediately while the medium is still hot. The container 12 is then immediately cooled by any manner known in the art, such as by passage of the container 12 through a cold water bath. As the medium cools, a negative gauge pressure will result within the container 12 and be maintained by the closure. When the closures 10, 100 and 180 are used during the hot-fill process, the closures will typically be constructed of a heat resistant material. For example, the base can be constructed of polypropylene, and the spout can be constructed of polyethylene.
As another example, the closures 10, 100 and 180 can be used for closing containers 12 filled by an aseptic process. In the aseptic process, the medium is heated in the vicinity of about 180° F.-190° F. to kill any bacteria present in the medium. The medium is then cooled in the vicinity of about 80° F.-90° F. The container 12 and the closures 10, 100 and 180 are sterilized and then the containers 12 are filled and capped in a sterile environment. Once the containers 12 are filled and capped, such containers typically cool to room temperature thereby creating a negative gauge pressure, e.g. −2 lbs/in2 within the containers 12.
Following from the above description and invention summaries, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the apparatuses herein described and illustrated constitute exemplary embodiments of the present inventions, it is understood that the inventions are not limited to these precise embodiments and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions as defined by the claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that the inventions are defined by the claims and it is not intended that any limitations or elements describing the exemplary embodiments set forth herein are to be incorporated into the meanings of the claims unless explicitly recited in the claims themselves. Likewise, it is to be understood that it is not necessary to meet any or all of the recited advantages or objects of the inventions disclosed herein in order to fall within the scope of any claim, since the inventions are defined by the claims and since inherent and/or unforeseen advantages of the present inventions may exist even though they may not have been explicitly discussed herein.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 10/941,365 filed Sep. 15, 2004, entitled “BEVERAGE CLOSURE WITH OPEN/CLOSE SPOUT AND PROTECTED SEAL SURFACES”, which is a divisional of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 10/624,924 filed Jul. 22, 2003, entitled “BEVERAGE CLOSURE WITH OPEN/CLOSE SPOUT AND PROTECTED SEAL SURFACES”, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/397,974 entitled “CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER” filed on Jul. 22, 2002.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60397974 | Jul 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10624924 | Jul 2003 | US |
Child | 11382576 | May 2006 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10941365 | Sep 2004 | US |
Child | 11382576 | May 2006 | US |