The present invention relates generally to a method and system for foldably closing a cap having a base and cover connected by a hinge and, more particularly, to a fixture for supporting the cap during the folding operation.
One piece molded reclosable caps are well known for use in covering a wide variety of containers. These closures or caps are typically a single piece molded flip-type part having a base and a cover connected by a hinge. The base is attached to the container and the cover is movable with respect to the base between a closed position and an open position permitting access to the contents of the container. Examples of such closures may be found in the cosmetics and food industries.
Closures such as these are typically produced by low cost injection molding. The parts are molded in large cavity molds for cost effectiveness. These molds produce the parts in an open condition. The ejected open parts must be subsequently closed before being applied to the container. Thus, the cover must be foldably closed over the base.
There exists in the art conventional automatic closing equipment designed to capture the molded part, orient it in the correct position, and close the cap by pivoting the cover onto the base. One such apparatus is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,988. As shown therein, the parts are progressively moved using a turntable. The turntable includes pockets to support the part during the closing operation.
Improvements which facilitate the accuracy and speed of such closure equipment are desirable.
The present invention provides a fixture for supporting a pivotally closable cap during a closure operation. The cap includes a base and a cover closably connected at a foldable hinge. The fixture includes a U-shaped slide member having a back wall and a pair of side walls. The U-shaped slide member accommodates the cap with the base and the cover in an open condition. The side walls of the slide member have distal extents, which extend beyond the transverse mid-line of the cover so as to prevent angular movement of the cap within the slide member.
It is also contemplated that the side walls of the slide member have upper extents which extend beyond the mid-line of the cover during folding.
The present invention also provides a closure system for closing a cap having a base and a cover connected to the base at a foldable hinge. The closure system includes a movable platform for supporting the cap. A retractable tamper is provided for engagement with the cap. A retractable closure tool is provided to fold the cover with respect to the base. A fixture is provided for supporting the cap on the platform. The fixture comprises a U-shaped slide member having a back wall and a pair of side walls for accommodating the cap with the base and the cover being in an open condition. The side walls include distal extents which extend beyond the transverse mid-line of the cover so as to prevent angular movement of the cap within the slide member. The retractable tamper is movable with respect to the platform from a forward position holding the base to the platform to a retracted position permitting the closure tool to effect folding of the cover onto the base and back towards the forward position closing the cover onto the base.
In a method aspect of the present invention, a method of closing a cap having a base and a cover connected by a foldable hinge is provided. The method includes providing a platform for supporting the cap in the open condition. A tamper is advanced to engage the base. A fixture is advanced to hold the cap. The tamper is retracted once the fixture holds the cap. A closure tool is advanced to fold the cover and once folded the fixture is retracted. The tamper is then advanced to engage the folded cover to secure the cover to the base. The fixture includes a U-shaped slide member that has a back wall and a pair of side walls. The U-shaped slide member accommodates the cap with the base portion of the cap closest to the back wall. The side walls have distal extents which extend beyond the transverse mid-line of the cover so as to prevent angular movement of the cap and rotational movement of the base within the slide member.
The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for closing a molded flip-top cap. In conventional molding operations used to manufacture such caps, the cap is molded in the open condition with the cover and the base being generally coplanar and connected by a strip that serves as a hinge. In order to move the cap from an open condition to a closed condition, the cover must be folded or rotated about the hinge and onto the base and secured thereto. The cap may then be placed on the appropriate container for use.
The present invention includes a fixture used to hold a cap having a cover integrally connected by a hinge to a base during an operation to close the cover on the base. The cap typically has a circular shape; however, other configurations are within the contemplation of the present invention. For example, the fixture can be used with caps having other shapes, such as oval, rectangular or square, with only minor modifications that can easily be made by one of ordinary skill in the art. The present invention provides an efficient system for accurately aligning the open cap to permit accurate and efficient closure of the cap. The art has seen the use of machinery for closing such flip-type caps. One such machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,988 to Eitinger, entitled “Automatic Flip Top Cover Machine” and issued on Jul. 18, 1989, which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
Referring now to the figures, the features of the present invention are described in more detail.
After the cap 90 is molded, it is mounted on a movable platform 30 that positions the cap 90 in the fixture 10, where a tamper 32 is advanced to contact the cap 90 and ensure that it is properly positioned. The fixture 10 is then advanced and the ledge 24 holds the base 92 to the fixture 10. The ledge 24 extends from the back wall 14 and overlies the base 92. In some embodiments, the base 92 has an extended neck 93 and the ledge 24 has an arcuate shape and surroundingly engages the base around the neck 93. The ledge 24 holds the base 92 of the cap 90 down in place as the cover 94 is pivotably folded onto the base 92 by a closure tool 34. The tamper 32 is then advanced to push down on the cover 94 and secure it to the base 92, such as by snapping the cover onto the base.
The fixture 10 is movable with respect to the cap 90 from a retractable position to an extended position. The cap 90 is accommodated for non-angular and non-rotational movement within the U-shaped slide member 12 when the fixture 10 is in the extended position. In the extended position, the distal extents 18 of the side walls 16 extend beyond the transverse mid-line 98 of the cover 94.
The operation of the fixture 10 is illustrated in the sequential positions of the cap 90 with respect to the fixture 10 and the U-shaped slide member 12 in
Thus, while there have been described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that other embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to include all such further modifications and changes as come within the true scope of the claims set forth herein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/472,793, filed on Apr. 7, 2011, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/478,567 filed on Apr. 25, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120255154 A1 | Oct 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61472793 | Apr 2011 | US | |
61478567 | Apr 2011 | US |