Plastic closure for containers

Abstract

A plastic closure for receipt on a container includes a plastic ring having an internal recess adapted to be received by snap fit over an external crown or bead on the container neck finish such that the ring is retained against axial movement on the container neck finish. A plastic lid is coupled by a hinge to the ring, with the ring, the lid and the hinge being of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction. The lid has a skirt that is adapted releasably to be snapped to the ring in a closed position of the lid over the ring. The lid skirt may have an external bead that is adapted to be received by snap-fit within an internal channel on the ring in the closed position of the lid over the ring, and a conical internal surface on the ring may be provided to guide the bead on the lid into the channel on the ring.

Description

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 elevational view of a package in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the package in FIG. 1 with the closure lid partially opened;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the package illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the closure in the package of FIGS. 1-3 as molded;

FIG. 5 is an end perspective view of the closure in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines 6-6 and 7-7 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a package in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the package in FIG. 8 with the lid closed;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure of FIGS. 1-7 on a plastic container neck finish;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure of FIGS. 8-9 on a plastic container neck finish;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a package in accordance with a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a closure in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 14-14 in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of a package in accordance with a further embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the closure in the package of FIG. 15 with the lid open;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of a package in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the closure in FIG. 17 with the lid open;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of a package in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of the portion of FIG. 19 within the area 20;

FIG. 21 is a top plan view of the closure in FIGS. 19 and 20 with the lid open;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 22-22 in FIG. 21;

FIGS. 23 and 24 are fragmentary views on enlarged scales of the portions of FIG. 21 within the respective areas 23 and 24; and

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary perspective view that illustrates the elements of FIGS. 23 and 24 in the closed position of the lid.

Claims

1. A plastic closure for receipt on a container having a neck finish with an end surrounded by an external bead, said closure including: a plastic ring having an internal recess adapted to be received by snap fit over the container neck finish bead such that said ring is retained against axial movement on the container neck finish, anda plastic lid coupled by a hinge to said ring, said ring, said lid and said hinge being of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction,said lid having a skirt adapted to be releasably snapped to said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring.

2. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said lid has an external bead on said skirt that is adapted to be received by snap fit in an internal channel on said ring in said closed position of said lid over said ring.

3. The closure set forth in claim 2 wherein said ring has a conical internal surface adjacent to said internal channel for guiding said bead on said lid into said channel on said ring.

4. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said lid has an internal bead on said skirt that is adapted to be received by snap fit over an external bead on said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring.

5. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said ring has a conical internal surface facing away from said lid and disposed adjacent to said recess for guiding said ring over the external bead on the container finish.

6. The closure set forth in claim 1 including a foil seal for receipt over the end of the container finish within said ring.

7. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said ring is adapted to be disposed at or below the end of the container neck finish when said ring is snapped onto the container neck finish.

8. The closure set forth in claim 1 including a pour lip integrally connected to said ring, said pour lip having an inner portion adapted to be received within the container neck finish when the ring is snapped onto the container neck finish and an outer portion that extends outwardly from said inner portion.

9. The closure set forth in claim 8 including an annular deck integrally connecting said pour lip to said ring.

10. The closure set forth in claim 9 including a tube disposed within said inner and outer portions of said pour lip and integrally connected to said pour lip by angularly spaced spokes.

11. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said ring and said lid have circular external geometries.

12. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said ring and said lid have polygonal external geometries.

13. The closure set forth in claim 12 wherein said lid has a point opposite said hinge and said ring has a thumb recess opposite said hinge.

14. The closure set forth in claim 12 wherein said ring has a flat opposite said hinge and said lid has a thumb tab opposite said hinge.

15. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein said lid has an internal bead, and wherein said closure includes a liner disk carried by said bead within said lid.

16. The closure set forth in claim 15 including internal ribs on said lid to hold a perimeter of said disk against said bead.

17. The closure set forth in claim 1 wherein one of said ring and said lid has notches and the other of said ring and said lid has lugs that cooperate with said notches to align said lid with said ring as said lid is closed against said ring.

18. A plastic closure for receipt on a container having a neck finish with an end surrounded by an external bead, said closure including: a circumferentially continuous plastic ring having an internal recess adapted to be received by snap fit over the neck finish bead such that said ring lies at or below the end of the container neck finish and said ring is retained against axial movement on the container neck finish, anda plastic lid coupled by a hinge to said ring, said ring, said lid and said hinge being of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction,said lid having a skirt and an external bead on said skirt,said ring having an internal channel and a conical internal surface adjacent to said channel for guiding said external bead on said lid into said channel on said ring such that said external bead on said lid is received by snap fit in said internal channel on said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring,said ring having a conical internal surface facing away from said lid and disposed adjacent to said recess in said ring for guiding said ring over the bead on the container neck finish.

19. The closure set forth in claim 18 wherein said lid has an internal bead, and wherein said closure includes a liner disk carried by said internal bead within said lid.

20. The closure set forth in claim 19 including internal ribs on said lid to hold a perimeter of said disk against said internal bead.

21. The closure set forth in claim 18 wherein one of said ring and said lid has notches and the other of said ring and said lid has lugs that cooperate with said notches to align said lid with said ring as said lid is closed against said ring.

22. A plastic closure for receipt on a container having a neck finish with an end surrounded by an external bead, said closure including: a plastic ring having an external flange with an internal recess adapted to be received by snap fit over the container neck finish bead, an annular deck extending inwardly from said flange for overlying the end of the container neck finish, and a pour lip having an inner portion adapted to be received within the container neck finish and an outer portion that extends outwardly from said inner portion, anda plastic lid coupled by a hinge to said ring, said ring, said lid and said hinge being of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction,said lid having a skirt adapted to be releasably snapped to said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring.

23. The closure set forth in claim 22 including a tube disposed within said inner and outer portions of said pour lip and integrally connected to said pour lip by angularly spaced spokes.

24. A plastic closure for receipt on a container having a neck finish within an end surrounded by an external bead, said closure including: a plastic ring having an external flange with an internal recess adapted to be received by snap fit over the container neck finish bead, an annular deck extending inwardly from said flange for overlying the end of the container neck finish, and an annular wall forming a dispensing opening in said deck, anda lid coupled by a hinge to said ring and having a protrusion adapted to engage said annular wall on said ring to seal said dispensing opening,said lid, said hinge and said ring being of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction,said lid having a skirt adapted to be releasably snapped to said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring,said lid and said base having polygonal peripheral geometries that align with each other in said closed position of said lid over said ring.

25. The closure set forth in claim 24 wherein said lid has a periphery with a point opposite said hinge and said ring has a periphery with a thumb recess opposite said hinge.

26. The closure set forth in claim 24 wherein said ring has a periphery with a flat opposite said hinge and said lid has a periphery with a thumb tab opposite said hinge.

27. A package that includes: a glass container having a neck finish with an end surrounded by an external bead, anda closure that includes:a plastic ring having an internal recess received by snap fit over said container neck finish bead such that said ring is retained against axial movement on said container neck finish, anda plastic lid coupled by a hinge to said ring, said ring, said lid and said hinge being of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction,said lid having a skirt adapted to be releasably snapped to said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring.

28. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said lid has an external bead on said skirt that is adapted to be received by snap fit in an internal channel on said ring in said closed position of said lid over said ring.

29. The package set forth in claim 28 wherein said ring has a conical internal surface adjacent to said internal channel for guiding said bead on said lid into said channel on said ring.

30. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said lid has an internal bead on said skirt that is adapted to be received by snap fit over an external bead on said ring in a closed position of said lid over said ring.

31. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said ring has a conical internal surface facing away from said lid and disposed adjacent to said recess for guiding said ring over the external bead on the container finish.

32. The package set forth in claim 27 including a foil seal for receipt over the end of the container finish within said ring.

33. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said lid has a skirt that is captured against lateral movement between said bead and said ring in said closed position of said lid.

34. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said container neck finish has first and second axially spaced external beads, said ring being received over the first external bead remote from the end of said neck finish and said lid skirt having an internal surface that engages the second external bead adjacent to the end of said neck finish in said closed position of said lid.

35. The package set forth in claim 34 wherein said lid has an external bead at an edge of said skirt and said ring has an internal channel into which said external bead on said lid is received by snap fit, between said external beads on said container neck finish, in said closed position of said lid.

36. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said ring is disposed at or below the end of the container neck finish.

37. The package set forth in claim 27 including a pour lip integrally connected to said ring, said pour lip having an inner portion adapted to be received within the container neck finish when the ring is snapped onto the container neck finish and an outer portion that extends outwardly from said inner portion.

38. The package set forth in claim 37 including an annular deck integrally connecting said pour lip to said ring.

39. The package set forth in claim 38 including a tube disposed within said inner and outer portions of said pour lip and integrally connected to said pour lip by angularly spaced spokes.

40. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said ring and said lid have circular external geometries.

41. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said ring and said lid have polygonal external geometries.

42. The package set forth in claim 41 wherein said lid has a point opposite said hinge and said ring has a thumb recess opposite said hinge.

43. The package set forth in claim 41 wherein said ring has a flat opposite said hinge and said lid has a thumb tab opposite said hinge.

44. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein said lid has an internal bead, and wherein said closure includes a liner disk carried by said bead within said lid.

45. The package set forth in claim 44 including internal ribs on said lid to hold a perimeter of said disk against said bead.

46. The package set forth in claim 27 wherein one of said ring and said lid has notches and the other of said ring and said lid has lugs that cooperate with said notches to align said lid with said ring as said lid is closed against said ring.