Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates generally to container caps, and more specifically to a seal for a reclosable container cap enclosure.
Caps for drinking containers are well known in the art. Such caps are generally used to provide both a dispensing aperture and a closure mechanism for opening and closing of the dispensing aperture. While caps for drinking containers according to the prior art provide a number of advantageous features, they nevertheless have certain limitations. The present invention seeks to overcome certain of these limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide new features not heretofore available. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present invention generally provides a reusable cap or lid for a liquid containing vessel. One embodiment of the cap comprises a cap body having a dispensing aperture and a seal therefore, and a reclosable closure member having a mating plug or stopper.
According to one embodiment, the cap body comprises a unitarily formed component having a bottom wall, a generally cylindrical upstanding side wall and a generally cylindrical peripheral flange. The bottom wall has an upper surface and a lower surface. The generally cylindrical upstanding side wall extends in a first transverse direction with respect to the upper surface of the bottom wall, and the generally cylindrical peripheral flange extends in a second transverse direction with respect to a lower surface of the bottom wall. A first mating member depends from a surface of the generally cylindrical peripheral flange. The first mating member is adapted to mate with the container to secure the cap to the container.
According to another embodiment, a first dispensing aperture extends through the bottom wall of the cap body. The first aperture is located in spaced, adjacent, radially interior relationship relative to the generally cylindrical upstanding wall on the cap body.
According to another embodiment, a first seal is positioned about a wall of the first aperture. Further, in one embodiment the first seal has a blade extending radially inward from a circumference of the first aperture wall and terminating a distance from a center of the first aperture, and in another embodiment the first seal comprises a plurality of blades spaced coaxially about the first aperture, the blades extending radially inward in relation to the first aperture. The stopper engages the first seal when the stopper is inserted into the first aperture to seal the dispensing aperture.
According to another embodiment, a second aperture extends through the bottom wall of the cap body. The second aperture is located in spaced, distal, radially interior relationship relative to the generally cylindrical upstanding wall on the cap body.
According to another embodiment, a second seal is positioned about the second aperture. The second seal may be positioned about a wall of the second aperture and extend through the second aperture from the upper surface of the bottom wall to the lower surface of the bottom wall.
According to another embodiment, the first and second seals are comprised of a unitary component extending from the first aperture to the second aperture. In such an embodiment, the seal may extend between the first and second apertures about one of the upper or lower surfaces of the bottom wall of the cap body. In an alternate embodiment, the seal extends between the first and second apertures about both the upper and lower surfaces of the bottom wall of the cap body. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the seal is made of a thermoplastic elastomeric material, the cap body is made of a polymer based material, and the seal comprises a component overmolded on the cap body.
According to another embodiment, a closure member is pivotally or hingedly connected to the cap body. The closure member has a stopper extending from a first surface thereof. The stopper engages the first seal when the stopper is inserted into the first aperture. In another embodiment, the closure member also has a protuberance extending from the first surface thereof. The protuberance engages the second seal to substantially close the second aperture when the first surface of the closure member is pivoted adjacent the upper surface of the bottom wall. The protuberance generally has a height that is substantially less than a height of the stopper such that the protuberance becomes disengaged from the second seal prior to the stopper being disengaged from the first seal as the closure member is pivoted about the cap body. Additionally, the closure member has a pull ring connected thereto for manipulating the closure member about the cap body.
According to yet another embodiment, an extent of the generally cylindrical peripheral flange defines a substantially horizontal plane. And, at least a portion of the bottom wall is positioned in an angled transverse relationship relative to the substantially horizontal plane.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
Referring now to the Figures, and specifically to
A generally cylindrical upstanding wall 30 extends in a first transverse direction with respect to the upper surface 18 of the bottom wall 16 of the cap body 14. In a preferred embodiment, the generally cylindrical upstanding wall 30 has a tapering height. An apex 32 of the tapering height of the upstanding wall 30 is adjacent the first aperture 24. Additionally, the cylindrical upstanding wall 30 may not traverse the entire circumference of the cap body 14. As shown in
A generally cylindrical peripheral flange 34 extends in a second transverse direction with respect to the lower surface 20 of the bottom wall 16 of the cap body 14. As shown in
As best shown in
The cap body 14 also has a second aperture 26. The second aperture 26 generally operates as a pressure equalizing vent hole for the cavity of the container 12. As shown in
A seal 44 is provided on the cap body 14 to assist in sealing the apertures in the cap body 14 against the closure member 28. More specifically, in the preferred embodiment, the seal 44 is provided adjacent both the first and second apertures 24, 26 in the cap body. Thus, in this embodiment the seal 44 comprises a first seal 46, a second seal 48 and a union 50 between the first and second seals 46, 48. It is understood, however, if only a first aperture 24 is provided that only a first seal 46 may be necessary. Further, the seals 46, 48 may not be unitary as shown in the preferred embodiment. While the seal 44 may be made of any acceptable material, it has been found that a thermoplastic elastomeric material and/or a rubber based material, including natural rubber, are acceptable. Furthermore, with respect to manufacturability, the cap body 14 is generally injection molded and then the seal 44 is overmolded on the cap body 14.
Referring to
Also as shown in
As explained briefly above, the first seal 46 and the second seal 48 may be provided as a unitary element. In such an embodiment, the seal 44 generally extends between the first aperture 24 and the second aperture 26 about at least one of the upper surface 18 or lower surface 20 of the bottom wall 16 of the cap body 14. As shown in
Referring to the Figures, the reclosable closure member 28 is connected to the cap body 14. With respect to the example shown in
The reclosable closure member 28 generally pivotally extends between a first position, as shown in
A pull ring 70 is pivotally connected to the closure member 28 to allow a user to manipulate the closure member 28 about the cap body 14, and to thereby open and close the dispensing aperture 24. A torsion spring is connected to both the closure member 28 and the pull ring 70 to maintain the pull ring 70 positioned against the closure member 28 unless a sufficient force is provided by a user to open the pull ring 70.
The closure member 28 also has first and second pivot members (not shown) extending from the sides of the reclosable closure member 28 to connect the closure member 28 to the cap body 14. The pivot members generally extend at a pivot position with respect to the closure member 28 and the cap body 14. Because of the shape of the closure member 28, in one embodiment the first and second apertures 24, 26 are positioned between the hinge position and a perimeter of the cap body 14. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second pivot members comprise shafts that extend into the closure member 28 into the cap body 14. Additionally, as shown in
The stopper 62 extends from the first surface 58 of the closure member 28. When the closure member 28 is in the first position the stopper 62 is inserted in the first aperture 24 as a plug for the dispensing aperture 24. Accordingly, the stopper 62 is generally shaped in a geometry corresponding to the geometry of the first aperture 24, and more specifically the first seal 46 in the first aperture 24 of the cap 10. Thus, the first seal 46 engages the stopper 62 when the stopper is inserted into the first aperture 24. Similarly, the protuberance 66 extends from the first surface 58 of the closure member 28 to engage the second seal 48 and substantially close the second aperture 26 of the cap 10.
With respect to the closure member 28, the stopper 62 has a height, which is the distance from the first surface 58 of the closure member 28 to the end of the stopper 62. Likewise, the protuberance 66 has a height, which is similarly the distance from the first surface 58 of the closure member 28 to the end of the protuberance 66. As best shown in
Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, a plurality of ribs may be provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall 16 to assist in precluding potential heat sink and shrinkage problems when the seal 44 is overmolded on the cap body 14.
Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth” as used herein are intended for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the embodiments in any way. Further, the term “plurality” as used herein indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number.
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.