US20090236339A1

US20090236339A1 - Dispensing closure with orifice external seal

Info

Publication number: US20090236339A1
Application number: US12/077,664
Authority: US
Inventors: Corinne M. Blomdahl
Original assignee: Seaquist Closures LLC
Current assignee: Seaquist Closures LLC
Priority date: 2008-03-20
Filing date: 2008-03-20
Publication date: 2009-09-24
Also published as: EP2252526A4; AR071023A1; EP2252526A2; RU2010142892A; MX2010009613A; CN101977823A; WO2009117053A3; WO2009117053A2; AU2009226173A1; CA2717928A1; BRPI0909414A2

Abstract

A dispensing closure system is provided for a container that has an opening to the container interior. The system includes a closure body with a dispensing orifice surrounded by an annular sealing surface. A removable cover includes a seal that is attached to the annular sealing surface and extends across the orifice to occlude the orifice. The cover also includes a tab having a free end that can be gripped by the user and pulled to remove the seal from the sealing surface and carry the cover away from the orifice.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to container closures for dispensing a fluent substance. The invention is more particularly related to a dispensing closure system that is especially suitable for a hand-held container and that may or may not include a lid that can be opened and closed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART

Fluent materials, including liquids, creams, powders, etc., may be conventionally packaged in a container having a dispensing closure which includes a closure body that is disposed over an open end of the container and that defines one or more dispensing orifices communicating with the container interior. A cap or lid is typically provided for being closed on the body for occluding the body dispensing orifice(s) when the container is not in use. This prevents spillage if the container is dropped or tipped over. The lid may also help keep the contents fresh and may reduce the ingress of contaminants.
The inventor of the present invention has discovered a novel closure system for dispensing a fluent substance, including liquid, wherein the closure system includes advantageous features not heretofore taught or contemplated by the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, an improved dispensing closure system is provided for a container that has an opening to the container interior where a fluent substance may be stored. The system includes a closure base or body for extending from the container at (and over) the container opening. The closure body has a reduced size dispensing orifice for communicating with the container interior (which interior can be filled with a substance that can be dispensed through the orifice). The closure body also has a peripheral sealing surface around the dispensing orifice. The system further includes a removable member or cover initially occluding the dispensing orifice. The cover includes a seal removably adhered to the peripheral sealing surface. The cover has a tab extending from the seal. The tab has a free end that can be grasped by a user and pulled to remove the seal from the closure body peripheral sealing surface and carry the cover away from the dispensing orifice.
The dispensing closure system may also include an optional lid for moving between (1) a closed position on top of the closure body to enclose said dispensing orifice and cover, and (2) an open position away from the dispensing orifice and cover to permit the removal of the cover. If a lid is provided, the closure may also have a hinge connecting the lid with the closure body.
The dispensing closure system components can be designed for easily accommodating the assembly of the components during manufacture of the closure system.
The dispensing closure system can be provided with a design that accommodates efficient, high quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate.
The dispensing closure system can optionally be designed to accommodate its use with a variety of conventional or special containers having a variety of conventional or special container finishes, including conventional threaded or snap-fit attachment configurations. The dispensing closure system could also be incorporated in a unitary container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends and a dispensing orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g., with thermal welding or adhesive) to a container.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, isometric view of a first embodiment of a closure system of the present invention in the form of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing closure according to a preferred use of the invention, and the closure is shown installed on a container with the closure lid closed;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to FIG. 1, but in FIG. 2 the closure is shown with the lid in an opened condition and with the cover sealed to the spout over the dispensing orifice;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to FIG. 2, but FIG. 4 shows the cover lifted off of the spout to open the orifice;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but in FIG. 5 the closure is shown prior to sealing the cover to the spout, prior to closing the lid, and prior to installing the closure on a container;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a roll, reel, or spool of a ribbon or strip product from which the dispensing orifice cover can be cut or stamped;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, isometric view of the leading end of a portion of the strip product shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a leading end portion of the strip product shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 further shows circular disks that can be punched or cut in the strip to provide the circular cover shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a separate dispensing closure according to a preferred use of the invention, and the closure is shown in a closed condition prior to installation on a container;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 9, but in FIG. 10 the closure is shown with the lid in an as-molded, opened condition and with the cover sealed to the spout over the dispensing orifice;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 11-11 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 10, but FIG. 12 shows the cover lifted off of the spout to open the orifice; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 11, but in FIG. 13 the closure components are shown in an exploded relationship.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only one specific form as an example of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment so described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.
For ease of description, many of the figures illustrating the invention show the dispensing closure system as including a separate, removable, dispensing closure in the typical orientation that the closure would have at the top of a container when the container is stored upright on its base, and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, etc., are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the closure system of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in an orientation other than the orientations described.
The Dispensing Closure System on a Container
A preferred first embodiment of a dispensing closure system of the present invention is illustrated in the figures and is designated generally therein by reference number 20 in FIG. 1. In the embodiment illustrated, the closure system 20 is provided in the form of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing closure 20 which is adapted to be mounted or installed on a container 22 that would typically contain a fluent substance.
The container 22 includes a neck 26 (FIG. 2) extending upwardly from a main hollow body portion of the container. The neck 26 defines an opening 27 (FIG. 3) to the container interior.
The container neck 26, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, has an external, male thread 29 for engaging the dispensing closure system 20. The main body portion of the container 22 may have any suitable configuration, and the upwardly projecting neck 26 may have a different cross-sectional size and/or shape than the container main body portion. (Alternatively, the container 22 need not have a neck 26, per se. Instead, the container 22 may consist of only a main body with an opening.)
Although the container 22, per se, does not form a part of the broadest aspects of the present invention, per se, it will be appreciated that at least a portion of the dispensing closure system 20 of the present invention optionally may be provided as a unitary portion, or extension, of the top of the container 22. The dispensing closure system could also be incorporated in a unitary container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends and a dispensing orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g., with thermal welding or adhesive) to a container. However, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the dispensing closure system 20 is a completely separate article or unit (e.g., a dispensing closure 20), and is adapted to be removably, or non-removably, installed either on a previously manufactured container 22 that has an opening 27 to the container interior. Hereinafter, the dispensing closure system or dispensing closure 20 will be more simply referred to as the closure 20.
The illustrated embodiment of the closure 20 is adapted to be used with a container 22 having an opening 27 to provide access to the container interior and to a product (i.e., a material in the form of a fluent substance) contained therein. The closure 20 can be used to dispense substances, including, but not limited to, liquids, suspensions, mixtures, etc. (such as, for example, a food or beverage product, a personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other compositions of matter (e.g., compositions for use in activities involving manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture, medical treatment, military operations, etc.)).
The container 22 with which the closure 20 may be used would typically be a squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls which can be grasped by the user and squeezed or compressed to increase the internal pressure within the container so as to force the product out of the container and through the opened closure. Such a flexible container wall typically has sufficient, inherent resiliency so that when the squeezing forces are removed, the container wall returns to its normal, unstressed shape. Such a squeezable container is preferred in many applications but may not be necessary or preferred in other applications. For example, in some applications it may be desirable to employ a generally rigid container (including, but not limited to, a glass container), and to pressurize the container interior at selected times with a piston or other pressurizing system, or to reduce the exterior ambient pressure around the exterior of the closure so as to suck the material out through the open closure.
The General Arrangement of the Closure Components
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the presently most preferred form of the closure 20 includes two basic components: (1) a unitary molded body or base 30, and (2) a removable seal member or cover 31. Optionally, and as seen in the illustrated preferred embodiment, the closure 20 may also include a lid 32 and a hinge 34 connecting the lid 32 to the closure body 30.
In the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention, the lid 32 is provided to be closed over, and cover, the upper part of the closure body 30. The lid 32 can be moved to expose the upper part of the closure body 30 to accommodate dispensing of the fluent product from the container 20. The lid 32 is movable between (1) a closed position over the body 30 (as shown in FIG. 1), and (2) an open position (as show in FIG. 2). In the illustrated embodiment, the lid 32 is hinged to the body 30 so as to accommodate pivoting movement of the lid 32 between the closed position and the open position.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, wherein the lid 32 is provided and wherein the lid 32 is connected to the closure body 30 with a hinge 34 (FIG. 2), the hinge 34 may be of any suitable type. One form of a hinge 31 that may advantageously be used is the snap-action type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,923. Other types of hinges could be used. In some applications, the hinge could be omitted altogether, and the lid 32 need not be connected to the body 30 at all. In other applications, it may be desirable to omit the lid 32 entirely.
It is presently contemplated that many applications employing the closure body 30 and lid 32 will conveniently be realized by molding from a suitable thermoplastic material or materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the closure body and lid could be molded from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as, but not limited to, polypropylene. The closure body and lid may be molded from a different material or materials. The materials may have the same or different colors and textures.
Additional Structural and Manufacturing Details
As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the body 30 includes a deck 40 and a skirt 42 which extends downwardly from the closure body deck 40. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the outer edge of the deck 40 includes two latch beads 41—one on each side. In the preferred embodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 2, the upper edge of the skirt 42 defines a peripheral shoulder 43, and the exterior surface of the skirt 42 includes vertical grooves 44. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the interior of the skirt 42 defines an internal, female thread 46 for threadingly engaging the container neck external, male thread 29 (FIG. 3) when the dispensing closure body 30 is installed on the container neck 26.
Alternatively, the closure body skirt 42 could be provided with some other container connecting means, such as a snap-fit bead or groove (not illustrated) for engaging a container neck groove or bead (not illustrated), respectively. Also, the closure body skirt 42 could instead be permanently attached to the container 22 by means of induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the like, depending on materials used for the closure body 30 and container 22. In another alternate design (not illustrated), the closure body 30 could be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of the container 22.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, an annular “crab's claw,” flexible, seal member 47 is provided to extend downwardly from the underside of the closure body deck 40 to seal against the upwardly facing annular surface of the container neck 26. Other seal designs could be employed, including a conventional “V” seal, a conventional “plug” seal, or some other such conventional or special seal, depending upon the particular application.
The closure body skirt 42 may have any suitable configuration for accommodating an upwardly projecting neck 26 of the container 22 or for accommodating any other portion of a container received within the particular configuration of the closure body skirt 42—even if a container does not have a neck, per se. The main part of the container 22 may have a different cross-sectional shape than the container neck 26 and closure body skirt 42. The closure body skirt 42 may be adapted for mounting to other types of fluent substance handling container systems.
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the container neck receiving passage in the closure body skirt 42 has a generally cylindrical configuration, but includes the inwardly projecting thread 46. However, the closure body skirt 42 may have other configurations. For example, the closure body skirt 42 might have a prism or polygon configuration adapted to be mounted to the top of a container neck having a polygon configuration. Such prism or polygon configurations would not accommodate the use of a threaded attachment, but other means of attachment could be provided, such as a snap-fit bead and groove arrangement, adhesive, or the like.
As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the closure body 30 has a reduced size, generally cylindrical, dispensing orifice 50 defined in a generally cylindrical spout 52 which projects upwardly from the deck 40 of the closure body 30. The dispensing orifice 50 establishes communication between the exterior and the interior of the closure body 30 (and the orifice 50 can thereby establish communication with the interior of the container 22 to which the body 30 is attached). The orifice 50 provides a flow passage or discharge passage through which the contents of the container 22 can be discharged when the lid 32 is open and the cover 31 is removed. The top of the spout 52 has an upwardly facing, peripheral sealing surface 54 around the orifice 50.
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the upper, outer edge of the spout 52 has a chamfer or frustoconical surface 56 which slants downwardly and outwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral sealing surface 54. In other applications (not illustrated), the chamfer surface 56 may be omitted). In the preferred embodiment, the exterior of the spout 52 between the lower edge of the frustoconical surface 56 and the deck 40 defines a generally cylindrical surface 58. The cylindrical surface 58 may be characterized as extending below both the spout annular surface 54 and the frustoconical surface 56. In other applications (not illustrated), the orifice 50 (and/or spout 52) could be non-cylindrical.
As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 32 includes a top wall or cross wall 60 and a peripheral wall 62 which, when the lid 32 is closed top of the closure body deck 40, has a downwardly projecting orientation and defines a downwardly facing end surface 63 for fitting on the closure body annular shoulder 41. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 32 also has a generally annular sleeve 64 which projects from the transverse wall 60 on the underside of the lid 32. The sleeve 64 also preferably includes an annular seal bead 68 (FIGS. 2-5).
There is sufficient resiliency in the lid sleeve 64 and/or closure body spout 52 so as to accommodate the closing of the lid 32 onto the body 30 as shown in FIG. 1 wherein the lid sleeve seal bead 68 can be positioned on the spout cylindrical surface 58 to provide a substantially leak-tight seal. The sealing engagement between the closure body spout 52 and the closed lid sleeve 64 provides a some resistance to subsequent opening of the lid 32. An additional resistance to lid opening is also preferably provided by other co-acting features in the lid 32 and body 30. Specifically, each interior side of the lid flange 62 has an inwardly projecting latch bead 76 (FIG. 2). When the lid 32 is closed, the lid latch beads 76 are forced past the closure body latch beads 41. When the lid 32 is in the closed condition on the closure body 30 (FIG. 1), the upwardly facing surface of each lid latch bead 76 is below, and is adapted to engage, the downwardly facing surface of an overlying closure body latch bead 41. The closure body 32 and/or the lid flange 62 are sufficiently flexible to accommodate temporary, elastic deformation as the beads 41 and 76 move past each other during the opening and closing actions. Other conventional or special latch designs could be used instead. In some applications, there may be no need for a latch system at all (especially if the hinge 34 is of the “snap-action” type and has a very strong biasing force and/or if there is a strong, frictional sealing force between the lid sleeve 64 and the closure body spout 52.).
A finger-receiving surface or thumb-receiving surface 80 (FIGS. 1 and 3) may optionally be provided at the front of the closure lid 32. To open the lid 32, the user initially pushes with a thumb or finger upwardly on the lid surface 80.
The end consumer or other user of a fluent substance product in a package consisting of a container with a closure of the present invention would initially open the closure 20 by lifting the lid 32 to expose the spout 52 with the cover 31 initially sealed thereto. If the closure was of a type that did not have a lid, than the user would first encounter the closure with the cover 31 exposed to view but initially sealed on the top of the spout 52.
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the cover 31 includes a base portion or seal 80 and a tab 82 extending from the seal 80. The tab 82 has a free end 84 that can be grasped by the user and pulled to remove the seal 80 from the closure body peripheral sealing surface 54 and carry the cover 31 away from the dispensing orifice 50 to expose the dispensing orifice 50 (see FIG. 4).
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the seal 80 is a generally circular disc having an exterior diameter equal to or less than the exterior diameter of the annular sealing surface 54. Further, in the preferred embodiment, the tab 82 has a generally semi-circular configuration.
In the preferred embodiment, at least the peripheral margin of the underside of the cover seal 80 (which overlies, and is attached to, the spout peripheral sealing surface 54) is attached by heat sealing or heat bonding to the spout annular sealing surface 54. Other forms of attachment could be used, such as adhesive or the like. In one preferred embodiment, the spout annular sealing surface 54 (which is in contact with the underside of the peripheral portion of the cover seal 80) preferably has a width or land dimension of about 0.060 inch. This has been found to provide a sufficiently large contact surface to which the seal 80 can be bonded with satisfactory integrity for the typical consumer application and which allows the consumer to subsequently pull the cover 31 off of the spout 52.
The cover 31, according to a preferred form of the invention, is made from a roll stock product marketed under the designation “unipac Lift ‘n’ Peel™ LP-E” by Unipac Company (an ITW company), having an office at 125 Edward Street, Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 1W3. Such a product is illustrated in FIG. 6-8. In FIG. 6, the roll stock product is designated generally by the reference number 90 and is shown with an outwardly extending, unrolled portion, ribbon, or strip 92. As can be seen in the enlarged view shown in FIG. 7, the strip 92 includes a base or seal portion 80A extending across the width of the strip, and also includes a tab portion 82A. The tab portion 82A extends from the center of the width of the strip 92 along a bend line or hinge line 94.
According to Unipac literature, the above-discussed Unipac roll stock product includes a base sealable layer, a polyester layer, an aluminum foil layer, a polyolefin foam layer, a polyester tab, a polymer adhesive layer, and a polyester film layer. The base sealable layer, in conjunction with the aluminum foil layer, provides the strip product with the capability for being heat sealed by conventional induction heat sealing equipment. According to Unipac literature, the sealable layer provided on the bottom of the strip product is adapted to seal to various substrates, including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyester, and ABS. The Unipac literature notes that this product is a “tabbed inner seal” providing the advantage to a cap manufacturer of permitting the use of a conventional punch and die set for use when lining caps.
According to the present invention, individual covers 31 can be cut or punched from the strip 92 to form the circular configuration of each cover 31 and to create the semi-circular tab 82.
The closure manufacturer molds the closure body (as well as a lid if the closure includes a lid) and maintains the closure in an open configuration (FIG. 4) so as to be able to receive one of the covers 31 stamped from the roll stock strip 92. Suitable conventional liner placement equipment and induction sealing unit equipment can be employed to place the cover 31 on the closure spout 52 and then thermally bond the cover seal 80 (FIG. 3) to the peripheral sealing surface 54 of the closure body spout 52. Such liner punch equipment, liner placement equipment, and induction sealing unit equipment may be of any suitable conventional or special type, the details of which form no part of the present invention.
According to the present invention, the manufacturer of the closure cuts or stamps each cover 31 from the roll stock strip 92 so that the cover 31 has a size such that when the cover 31 is applied to the spout 52 over the orifice 50, no peripheral portion of the cover 31 extends outwardly (laterally) beyond the edge of the sealing surface on the top of the spout. This provides a clean, aesthetically pleasing assembly. In alternate forms of the invention (not illustrated), the cover 31 could have a shape other than circular. Also, the closure need not have a spout 52, per se. The annular sealing surface could instead be defined directly on a portion of the closure body deck 40.
According to the preferred form of the invention, the closure manufacturer can provide the completed closure 20 in a closed condition to the product filler. A product filler is typically a company that fills a bottle or other container with a fluent substance product, and thereafter installs a closure on the filled container. With some types of conventional packaging, a closure manufacturer provides each closure to the filler with a liner stuffed into the inside of the closure below the closure body deck (i.e., below the dispensing orifice in the deck). The filler must then install the closure (with the liner under the closed body deck) on the container to compress the liner between the underside of the closure body deck and the top of the container. Then the filler must convey the package through induction sealing equipment so that the liner is heat-sealed to the top of the container under the closure body deck.
In contrast, the present invention permits the closure manufacturer to supply a completed, closed closure to the filler with the orifice already covered with a heat-bonded cover or seal so that the filler does not have to procure and use heat-sealing equipment.
The present invention also allows for the use of a much smaller diameter, heat-sealed cover or seal compared to a typical conventional liner that is provided under the closure body deck and which must extend across the entire larger opening of the container on which the closure is installed. The use of such a conventional, larger diameter liner sealed by induction sealing equipment after installation of the closure on the container can slow down the filling lines. In contrast, in the present invention, the use of a smaller diameter cover applied by the closure manufacturer to a smaller spout (or other orifice-defining region) on a closure enables the filler to run its filling line at a higher speed.
The present invention provides the end use consumer or user with the advantage of not having to initially remove a closure from a container to expose a seal liner on the container top in order to remove that seal liner. With the present invention, the closure does not have to be removed, and the end use consumer can conveniently remove the sealing cover from the top of the closure spout by readily lifting up on the tab.
Because the present invention employs a sealable cover which can be much smaller than a conventional liner that extends completely across the entire top of a container, there can be a significant difference in material cost, and thus the present invention system may have a lower cost than such a conventional container top liner system.

Alternate Embodiment

A second embodiment of a closure system of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9-13. The second embodiment of the system includes a separate dispensing closure 20A which is adapted to be installed on the neck of a container (not illustrated). The container may be of any suitable configuration. One suitable kind of container is the container 22 illustrated in FIG. 3 and described above with reference to the first embodiment of the closure 20.
As can be seen in FIG. 10, the closure 20A includes a unitary base or body 30A, a removable seal member or cover 31A, and a lid 32A connected by a hinge 34A to the body 30A. The closure 20A also includes a valve 36A, and a valve retainer 38A visible in FIGS. 11 and 13.
The second embodiment closure body 30A is similar to the first embodiment closure body 30 described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5. However, the second embodiment closure body 30A has a spout 52A (FIG. 13) which is located in the center of the generally circular closure body 30A, rather than toward the front of the closure body where the first embodiment closure spout 52 is located (compare to FIGS. 2 and 10). The second embodiment closure body spout 52A projects upwardly from a deck 40A of the closure body 30A and defines a dispensing orifice 50A (FIG. 13) to provide a flow passage or discharge passage through which the contents can flow from a container (not illustrated) to which the closure 20A is attached. Below the deck 40A, the closure body 30A defines a female thread 46A for threadingly engaging a mating male thread of a container.
As can be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, the top of the spout 52A has an upwardly facing, peripheral sealing surface 54A around the orifice 50A. The upper, outer edge of the spout 52A has a curved surface 56A (FIG. 13) which slants outwardly and downwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral sealing surface 54A. In the preferred form of the second embodiment of the closure 20A, the spout 52A has an exterior surface between the upper curved surface 56A and the closure body deck 40A, and that exterior surface defines a generally cylindrical surface 58A (FIG. 13).
On the interior of the spout 52A, the spout defines a generally frustoconical surface 59A (FIG. 13) for engaging the valve 36A as described in detail hereinafter.
The second embodiment closure lid 32A has generally the same structure as described above for the first embodiment closure lid 32 illustrated in FIG. 5, except that the second embodiment closure lid 32A has an annular sleeve 64A located in the center of the lid 32A (rather than near the front edge) for fitting over, and sealing against, the spout 52A when the lid 32A is closed.
The valve 36A is adapted to be mounted in the closure spout 52A as shown in FIG. 11. The preferred form of the valve 36A is a pressure-actuatable, flexible, slit-type valve which is retained on the inside of the spout 52A by means of the retaining ring 38A as described in detail hereinafter.
The valve 36A is preferably molded as a unitary structure from material which is flexible, pliable, elastic, and resilient. This can include elastomers, such as a synthetic, thermosetting polymer, including silicone rubber, such as the silicone rubber sold by Dow Corning Corp. in the United States of America under the trade designation D.C. 99-595-HC. Another suitable silicone rubber material is sold in the United States of America under the designation Wacker 3003-40 by Wacker Silicone Company. Both of these materials have a hardness rating of 40 Shore A. The valve 36A could also be molded from other thermosetting materials or from other elastomeric materials, or from thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic elastomers, including those based upon materials such as thermoplastic propylene, ethylene, urethane, and styrene, including their halogenated counterparts.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the valve 36A has the configuration and operating characteristics of a commercially available valve design substantially as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,289 with reference to the valve 46 disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,289. The operation of such a type of valve is further described with reference to the similar valve that is designated by reference number 3d in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144. The descriptions of those two patents are incorporated herein by reference thereto to the extent pertinent and to the extent not inconsistent herewith.
The valve 36A is flexible and changes configuration between (1) a closed, rest position (as shown closed in an upright position in FIGS. 11 and 13), and (2) an active, open position (not shown). The valve 36A includes a flexible, central portion or head 160A (FIG. 13). When the valve 36A is not actuated, the head 160A has a concave configuration (when viewed from the exterior of the closure spout 52A). The head 160A preferably has two, mutually perpendicular, planar, intersecting, dispensing slits (not visible) of equal length which together define a normally closed dispensing orifice. The intersecting slits define four, generally sector-shaped, equally sized flaps or petals in the concave, central head 160A. The flaps open outwardly from the intersection point of the slits in response to an increasing pressure differential across the valve 36A when the pressure differential is of sufficient magnitude—in the well-known manner described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144.
As can be seen in FIG. 13, the valve 36A includes a skirt or sleeve 164A which extends from the valve head 160A. The sleeve 164A extends in a reverse angled orientation (when the valve 36A is in the unactuated, rest condition) and merges with an enlarged, much thicker, peripheral flange 170A which has a generally dovetail-shaped, transverse cross section (as viewed in FIG. 13).
To accommodate the seating of the valve 36A in the spout 52A, the top surface of the dovetail valve flange 170A has the same frustoconical configuration and angle as the spout frustoconical surface or seat 59A. The other surface (i.e., bottom surface) of the valve flange 170A is engaged and clamped by the retaining ring 38A (FIGS. 11 and 13). The retaining ring 38A includes an outwardly or upwardly facing, frustoconical, annular clamping surface 172A (FIG. 13) for engaging the axially inner surface (i.e., bottom surface) of the valve flange 170A at an angle which matches the angle of the adjacent, inner surface of the dovetail configuration of the valve flange 170A.
The peripheral portion of the retaining ring 38A includes an outwardly projecting flange 178A (FIG. 13) for snap-fit engagement with the annular bead 142A (FIG. 13) that projects radially inwardly on the inside of the spout 52A. The valve 36A can be inserted into the open bottom end of the spout 52A along with the retaining ring 38A. The valve 36A is initially mounted on the retainer ring clamping surface 172A. Then the retaining ring 38A can be pushed past the spout bead 142A because there is sufficient flexibility in the retaining ring 38A and/or spout 52A to accommodate temporary, elastic deformation of the components as the retaining ring flange 178A passes over, and beyond, the spout bead 142A to create a snap-fit engagement that compresses or clamps the valve flange 170A against the spout frustoconical surface 59A.
The cover 31A has the same structure and function as does the cover 31 described above for the first embodiment of the closure 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. To this end, the second embodiment closure cover 31A has a base portion or seal 80A and a tab 82A extending from the seal 80A (FIG. 12). The tab 82A can be grasped by the user and pulled to remove the seal 80 from the closure body peripheral sealing surface 54A and carry the cover 31A away from the dispensing orifice 50A to expose the dispensing orifice 50A (FIG. 12). The detailed configuration, structure, and manner of making and applying the cover 31A to the second embodiment of the closure 20A are identical to what has been described above for the first embodiment closure cover 31 illustrated in FIGS. 1-8.
If desired, the second embodiment of the closure 20A could be modified by omitting altogether the lid 32A and hinge 34A.
It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and from the illustrations thereof that numerous other variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention.

Claims

1. A dispensing closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior where a fluent substance may be stored, said dispensing closure system comprising:

(A) a closure body for extending from said container at said container opening, said closure body having (1) a reduced size dispensing orifice for communicating with the container interior, and (2) a peripheral sealing surface around said dispensing orifice; and

(B) a removable cover occluding said dispensing orifice, said cover including a seal removably adhered to said peripheral sealing surface, said cover having a tab extending from said seal, said tab having a free end that can be grasped by a user and pulled to remove said seal from closure body peripheral sealing surface and carry said cover away from said dispensing orifice.

2. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 further including

(A) a lid for moving between (1) a closed position on top of said closure body to enclose said dispensing orifice and cover, and (2) an open position away from said dispensing orifice and cover to permit the removal of said cover; and

(B) a hinge connecting said lid with said closure body.

3. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 for use with a container that has an annular top end defining (1) an opening, and (2) an external, male thread around said opening, and in which

said closure system is a dispensing closure that (1) is separate from, but releasably attachable to, said container around said container opening, and (2) comprises (A) said closure body, and (B) said removable cover occluding said dispensing orifice;

said closure body has a hollow, generally cylindrical skirt which has an internal, female thread for threadingly engaging said male thread on said container; and

said closure body includes (a) a deck at the top of said skirt, and (b) a spout that projects outwardly from said deck to define said peripheral sealing surface around said dispensing orifice.

4. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said closure body includes a spout that (1) projects outwardly around said dispensing orifice, and (2) has a distal end that defines said peripheral sealing surface in the form of an annular sealing surface around said dispensing orifice.

5. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 4 in which said spout has a generally exterior cylindrical surface below said annular sealing surface.

6. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 5 in which

(A) said closure system further includes a lid for moving between (1) a closed position on top of said closure body to enclose said dispensing orifice and cover, and (2) an open position away from said dispensing orifice and cover to permit the removal of said cover;

(B) said closure system further includes a hinge connecting said lid with said closure body; and

(C) said lid includes a generally annular sleeve for (1) surrounding said spout distal end and said removable cover on said spout when said lid is in said closed position prior to removal of said cover from said annular sealing surface, and (2) sealingly engaging said spout exterior cylindrical surface when said lid is in said closed position.

7. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 4 in which said seal is a generally circular disk having an exterior diameter equal to or less than the exterior diameter of said annular sealing surface.

8. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said peripheral sealing surface is an annular sealing surface having a width of not less than about 0.060 inch.

9. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 4 in which said closure system further includes a pressure-actuatable valve mounted within said spout below said peripheral sealing surface.

10. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 9 in which said closure system further includes a retaining ring holding said valve within said spout.

11. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said spout has a curved or chamfered surface around said peripheral sealing surface.

12. The dispensing closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which

said seal is a generally circular disk; and

said tab has a generally semi-circular configuration.