US3010619A - Container closure - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 28, 1961 E. GRONEMEYER ETAL 3,010,619

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Oct. 15, 1957 INVENTORS Exam/w gee/v5; YER

wan/1 0/5234 United States Patent Patented Nov. 28, 1961 3,010,619 CONTAINER CLOSURE Erich Gronerneyer, Pompton Plains, and Samuel Cherba,

Totowa, N.J., assiguors, by mesne assignments, to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, EL, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 15, 1957, Ser. No. 690,255 Claims. (Cl. 222-521) This invention relates to a closure for a dispensing container. The closure is of particular advantage, although it is not limited thereto, when employed with a spraytype container.

The invention has among its objects the provision of a novel, simple and economically made closure for containers of the dispensing type.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a closure which allows dispensing of the material in the container while the closure remains on the container.

Another object is the provision of a closure of the type set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the closure remains sealed to the container except at the dispensing orifice when the closure is in open position, and which is strongly sealed to the container when the closure is in closed position.

Yet another object is the provision of a closure of the type indicated which is easy to manipulate, and may be opened and closed quickly.

Still other objects of the invention are the provision of a container-attached closure having a selectively operable dispensing opening therein, and of a. closure which may be employed with a spray-type container to' provide an adjustable spray orifice.

Yet another object is the provision of a closure of the type indicated which prevents waste of the material being dispensed, and which prevents the deposition of any appreciable amount of such material on any of the outer surfaces of the closure and/or container.

A still further object is the provision of a closure having parts which may conveniently be made by being molded of plastic material.

j The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose oi illustration only and are not intended as'a definition of the limits of theinvention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary View in side elevation of a con tainer having a closure made in accordance with the invention, parts of the container at the sides and bottom thereof being broken away for economy of space;

FIG. 2 is a view in plan of the container and closure of P16. 1;

FIG. 3 is -a view in axial section through a radially inner part of the neck of the container, said part,- in the embodiment of the invention shown, being madeseparately from the other, radially outer, ot'said container neck; 1

FIG. 4 is a view in axial section through the assembled closu're and container neck, the parts of the closure and container neck being shown with the closure in open; material-dispensing or spraying position; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but with the closure in closed, container-sealing position.

The closure of the illustrative embodiment of the in'v'ention, generally designated by the reference character 10, is shown associated with 21 container generally designated 11 The container in the cmbodhnent shown and described may have flexible walls, and be made Of ficXiBl 2 resilient plastic material such as polyethylene, whereby it functions as a squeeze-type spray bottle. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the closure of the invention may be employed to advantage with other types of containers, as well as those made of other materials.

In the container and closure assembly shown, the container 11 has an upper tubular extension 15, which may be integral with the body of the container. Tubular extension 15 forms the radially outer portion of the neck 18 of the container. The radially inner portion of the neck 18, in the illustrative embodiment, is formed as a separately made insert 14 which sealingly telescopes within tubular extension 15. The closure 16 is completed by -a closure member 12 in the form of a cap having threaded engagement with the radially outer portion 15 of the neck.

It is advantageous in some instances, as here, to make the radially inner portion of the neck as an insert. The container may then readily be filled through extension 15 before insert 14 is assembled therein. Further, such construction in some instances allows the closure of the invention to be applied to existing containers. It is to be understood, however, that in accordance with the invention the radially inner and outer portions of the container neck may he made as an integral piece. With such latter construction the container may be filled, for example, through openings such as that shown at 40 in the diaphragm 25 attached to the radially inner portion of the neck, or the container may be filled through an opening in its bottom or side, the opening being sealed thereafter.

The construction of the closure is such that the cap 12 may be permanently retained on the container neck. When it is desired to dispense the material in the container, the cap is unscrewed somewhat to retract it a short distance along the container. Thereupon an orifice 16 in cap or closure member 12 is opened to allow the material in the container to pass outwardly from the container through the orifice. Upon advancing the cap 12 to fully tightened position on the container neck, the orifice 16is closed and sealed. In the closure of the invention the closure member 12 remains sealed to the container neck in all its operative positions, including those when the member 12 is open and when it is closed.

In the embodiment shown, the closure member is additionally sealed by a second sealing means which becomes fully efiective when the closure member approaches its fully closed position. As a result, the closure of the invention easily allows the container to be completely sealed and to remain fluid-tight, even though the container is subjected to relatively high external pressure. Thus the closure of the invention allows the containers to be safely shipped in filled condition without the necessity of providing any added container closing or sealing means.

Turning now to a detailed description or" the illustrative closure made in accordance with the inventioh, it will be seen that the inner wall 21 of tubular extension 15 of the container 11 is generally circular cylindrical, and that insert 14' has a cylindrical body 17 having an outer sidewall 19 which snugly fits within extension 15. As above indicated, insert 14- is preferabl'y made of a flexible, resilient, self-sustaining plastic material such as polyethylene. To aid in the assembly of insert 14 in extension 15, the lower end of body 17 has a fnlsto coni'cal shape at 20. The upper end of body 17 of the insert 14 has a radially outwardly directed fiange 22 which overlies and abuts the upper edge of extension 15 so as to position the insert in the extension. Flange 22 in the embodiment shown has a radial depth no greater than the thickness of the wall of extension- 15', whereby the flange may be received within cap 12'. Insert 14 is sealed to extension 15 by an annular sealing means 24- interposed between the insert and the extension, in the illustrative embodiment means 24'being an annular outer ridge molded integral with body 17 of the insert. The diameter of ridge 17 is such that the ridge forceably engages wall 21 of the extension and effects a seal between it and the insert 14.

Integrally connected to the body 17 of insert 14 is a transverse plate-like diaphragm member 25 which, in the embodiment shown, is positioned generally mid-waybetween the upper and lower ends of the insert. Diaphragm 25 serves as the support for a central axially extending stem 26 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which carries on its upper free end a formation, to be described, cooperating with opening or orifice 15 in cap 12 selectively to form a material-dispensing passage therewith or to close such orifice, depending upon the positioning of cap 12.

The stem 25 is made in the form of a symmetrical elongated shape which is hollow from and including its base portion attached to diaphragm 25 to a location adjacent the orifice-stopping formation on its upper free end. For a purpose which will be more fully explained hereinafter, the thickness of the sidewall 27 of stem 26 is preferably made somewhat thinner than the thickness of diaphragm 25.

Closure member or cap 12 is preferably made of a strong substantially rigid material.. In the disclosed embodiment it is molded of plastic material. The upper end member 31, which overliesthe upper end of the neck 18 of the container, has an axially extending outer flange 32 thereon, flange 32 being adapted to be telescoped over the neck, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Flange 32 is internallythreaded at 34, such threads being adapted to engage external threads 35 on portion 15 of the containerneck. Threads 34 and 35 secure the cap to the container neck and allow the cap to be advanced to container-s'ealing position, in which orifice 16 in the cap is closed, or retracted to container-open position in which orifice '16 in the cap is open, along the neck.

In the embodiment shown, orifice 16 is centrally lo cated and is of outwardly or upwardly converging conoidal shape symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the cap 12. The upper, free endof stem 26 has a conoidal' formation thereon somewhat. similar to the shape of orifice 1 6, but preferably having an apex angle A, when in its relaxed state, which is somewhat less than the apex angle B of orifice 16. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment the angle A equals 80 degrees and the angle B equals 85 degrees. The parts of the closure are preferably so constructed and arranged that when the cap 12 is advanced to container-closed position (FIG. the upper end surface 29 of stem 26 lies substantially flush with the uppersurface of end member 31 of cap 12. In the closed position of FIG. 5 the conoidal surface 30 of stem 26 strongly sealingly'engages the conoidal surface 39 of orifice 16 in cap 12.

When the cap 12 is retracted somewhat along the neck of the container, as shown in FIG. 4, the surfaces 30 and 39 lie spaced from each other so that orifice 16 is open.,

In such position of the cap the contents of the container may be dispensed through the open orifice, in the con-' tainer shown the container 11 being squeezed, and the passage formed between surfaces 30 and 39 serving as a spray nozzle. The eflective area of such passage,'and

. thus the character of the spray discharge, may be varied by suitable adjustment of the cap along the neck of the container. Communication between the interior of the container and the spray passage in the closure is afforded by one or more openings in the diaphragm 25'. 'One such opening in thediaphragm is shown at 40.

It will be appreciated that appreciable pressure is developed within the container when the container is dition. Such (first) sealing means, in the illustrative embodiment, includes an inner annular skirt 36 integral with cap 12, the skirt lying parallel to flange 32 and having an outer circular cylindrical surface 33 coaxial of the cap. The skirt 36 has such inner and outer diameters that it is telescopically received Within the annular space between the upper sidewall of insert 14 and the stem 26, that the outer surface 33 thereof closely confronts inner surface 23 of the insert, and that the inner peripheral surface of the skirt is spaced somewhat from the outer longitudinal surface of stem 26. V

The sealing means is completed by an annular resilient member 28 sealingly interposed between the inner sidewall of insert 14 and the outer surface of skirt 36. Member 28 is shown as being a radially inwardly projecting annular ridge which is integral with insert 14; ridge 28 is of such relaxed radial height that it is resiliently deformed sufficiently by skirt 36 to seal members 14 and 36 against leakage under any pressures normally developed within container 11 during material dispensing operations.

In order still more securely to seal the cap to the container when the cap is in closed position, there is provided, in the illustrative embodiment, a second sealing means which is interposed between the first sealing means 28, 33 and the screw threads 34, 35, said second sealing means being operable additionally to seal the closure member or'cap to the container neck when the closure member is fullyadvanced to closed position on the neck.

The second sealing means shown is in the form of two concentric ridges 41 on the upper annular surface of flange 22 of insert 14, said ridges 41 cooperating with the annular upper surface 37 of the recess 38 in cap 12 which lies between flange 32 and skirt 36. As shown, recess 38 receives flange 22 within it when the parts are assembled as in FIGS. 4 and 5. The ridges 41 may if desired, have such relaxed height that they first sealingly contact surface 37 of the cap when the cap approaches the closed position shown in FIG. 5. In such closed position, the closure is sealed to the container so as to withstand relatively high pressures to which the container might occasionally be subjected, as during ship-' ment.

It will be understood from the above that'when the closure member or cap 12 is in the open position of FIG. 4, when the fluid contents of container 11 are subjected to pressure, as by squeezing the container, the fluid is forced upwardly through the one or more openings 40 in diaphragm 25, through the passage between skirt 36 and stem 26, and out through the passage between the surface 39 of opening 16 in the cap and the surface 30 on the upper free end of stem 26. With the parts having the configurations and dimensions shown and described, when the cap 12 is tightened to the closed position of FIG. 5, the surface 30 on stem 26, the sidewall 27 of the stem, and the diaphragm 25 are distorted as shown in that figure, thereby to maintain the surfaces 30 and 39 forceably in sealing contact.

' As we have seen, surface 30 has an apex angle somewhat less than that of surface 39. The stem 26 is of such axial height and surfaces 30 and 39 are so dimensioned that when the cap 12 is screwed downwardly from the position of FIG. 4 the upper smaller diametered edge of surface 30 on the stern first contacts surface 39 on the cap along an annular line somewhat below the upper gressively increases in vertical width until in the'closed squeezed as described. Consequently the closure of the invention includes means which seals the movable part of the closure to the neck of the bottle at all times, regardless of whether the closureis in open or closed conposition of FIG. 5 a very substantial V proportion of surface 30 is in contact with surface 39.

As cap 12 is screwed towardiclosed position, the engagement between surfaces '30 and 39 causes stem 26 to be placed under increasing compression, and causes diaphragm 25 to be subjected to an increasing downward thrust. As a result, the walls of stem 26 are resilient bowed outwardly, as indicated at 27' in FIG. 5, and the diaphragm 25 is resiliently bowed downwardly, as indicated at 25'. Such resilient distortion of the stem and diaphragm constantly maintain the surface 30 of the stem in sealing contact with surface 39 of the orifice 16 of cap 12.

The outward flexing of walls 27 of the stem is aided by the described interaction of surfaces 30 and 39. Since stem 26 is hollow up to a zone immediately adjacent surface 30, the effective increase in the apex angle of surface 30 as surface 39 advances relative thereto causes each element of the stem 26 immediately below surface 30 thereon to tend to pivot in a radially outward direction, thereby bowing the wall of the stem outwardly in a symmetrical manner around the stem.

The progressive approach of surfaces 30 and 39 from adjacent their upper outer ends as the cap 12 is tightened also is of advantage in minimizing the amount of fluid material which remains on the upper surface of portion 31 of the cap after the cap-is placed in the closed'position of FIG. 5. It will be seen that the described progressive approach of surfaces 30 and 39 as the cap is screwed toward the position of FIG. 5 produces a squeegee action which forces most of the dispensed material remaining on surfaces 30 and 39, when the closure is in the position of FIG. 4, downwardly into the passage between skirt 36 and stem 26. Such material then flows downwardly to the drip well constituted by the diaphragm 25, the base of stem 26, and the upper sidewall 17 of insert 14, escaping from the drip well into the container proper through the one or more openings 40.

Although only a limited number of embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in the foregoing specification, it is to be expressly understood that various changes, such as in the relative dimensions in the parts, materials used, and the like as well as the suggested manner of use of the apparatus of the invention, may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A container having a tubular neck formed of flexible resilient plastic material, a closure member for the container, the closure member being made of material which is hard and inflexible compared to the container neck, said closure member having an end portion adapted to fit over the end of the neck and an outer skirt portion adapted to telescope over the neck, interfitting screw threads on the interior of the outer skirt and the exterior of the neck whereby the closure member is secured to the neck and may be advanced onto the neck to close the neck or retracted along the neck to open the neck, means to seal the closure member to the neck throughout an appreciable range of movement of the closure member from and including its fully advanced position on the neck, said last named means comprising an inner skirt attached to the end portion of the closure member coaxial of the outer skirt and lying within, spaced from, and confronting the inner surface of the neck, and flexible resilient sealing means having an annular bead interposed between the inner skirt and the inner surface of the neck and lying in a transverse plane which is at least close to the transverse zone of the threads on the neck, the end portion of the closure member having a central opening, a central stem member extending axially toward the 6 plastic material, the stern member having a formatioii at its free end which seals the opening in the closure member when the latter is in its fully advanced position.

2. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein the radially inner portion of the neck is formed as an inseit separate from the radially outer portion of the neck, and comprising means to seal the insert to the radially outer portion of the neck and to retain the insert against movement axially inwardly of such radially outer portion of the neck.

3. A container as defined in claim I, wherein there is a further sealing means between the closure member and the neck, said further means being interposed between the first recited sealing means and the screw threads and being operable additionally to seal the closure member to the neck when the closure member is fully advanced on the neck, the end portion of the closure member between the inner and outer skirts having an annular inner surface disposed generally transversely to the longitudinal extents of the skirts, the further sealing means including an annular seal-ing bead interposed between said annular inner surface on the closure member and the outer annular end of the neck, said annular sealing bead being integral with one of said closure member or annular end of the neck.

4. A container having a tubular neck formed of flexible resilient plastic material, the radially inner portion of the neck being formed as an insert separate from the radially outer portion of the neck, means to seal the insert to the radially outer portion of the neck and to retain the insert against movement axially inwardly of such radially outer portion of the neck, said last named means including a radially outwardly directed flange at the upper end of the insert, said flange overlying the upper edge of the radially inner portion of the neck, a closure member for the container, the closure member being made of material which is hard and inflexible compared to the container neck, said closure member having an end portion adapted to fit over the end of the neck and an outer skirt portion adapted to telescope over the neck, interfitting screw threads on the interior of the outer skirt and the exterior of the neck whereby the closure member is secured to the neck and may be advanced onto the neck to close the neck or retracted along the neck to open the neck, means to seal the closure member to the neck throughout an appreciable range of movement of the closure member from and including its fully advanced position on the neck, said last named means comprising an inner skirt attached to the end portion of the closure member coaxial of the outer skirt and lying within, spaced from, and confronting the inner surface of the neck, and flexible resilient sealing means having an annular bead interposed between the inner skirt and the inner surface of the neck and lying in a transverse plane which is at least close to the transverse zone of the threads on the neck, the end portion of the closure member having a central opening, a central stem member extending axially toward the closure member and disposed within the neck, means attaching the stern member to the neck, at least one passage through such attaching means furnishing communication between the interior of the container and v the opening in the end portion of the closure member when the closure member is retracted, the stem member closure member and disposed within the neck, means ating in the end portion of the closure member when the closure member is retracted, the stem member and the means attaching it to the neck being formed of resilient member and the neck, the further sealing means including an annular sealing means interposed between an annular inner surface on the end portion of the closure member and the outer annular end of the neck, said annular sealing means comprising at least one upstanding annular rib on the upper surface of the flange on the insert.

5. A container having a tubular neck formed of flexible resilient plastic material, a closure member for the container, the closure member being made of material which is hard and inflexible compared to the container neck, said closure member having an end portion adapted to fit over the end of the neck and an outer skirt portion adapted to telescope over the neck, interfitting screw threads on the interior of the outer skirt and the exterior of the neck whereby the closure member is secured to the neck and may be advanced onto the neck to close the neck or retracted along the neck 1:00pm the neck, means to seal the closure member to the neck throughout an appreciable range of movement of the closure member from and including its fully advanced position on the neck, said last named means comprising an inner skirt attached to the end portion of, the closure member coaxial of the outer skirt and lying within, spaced from, and confronting the inner surface of the neck, and flexible resilient sealing means having an annular bead interposed between the inner skirt and the inner surface of the neck and lying in a transverse plane which is at least close to the transverse zone of the threads on the neck, the end portion of the closure member having a central opening, a central stem member extending axially toward the closure member and disposed within the neck, means atsage through such attaching means furnishing communication between the interior of the container and the opening. in the end portion of the closure member when the closure member is retracted, the stem member and the means attaching it to the neck being formed of resilient plastic material, the stem member having a formation at its free end which seals the opening in the closure member when the latter is in its fully advanced position, and a further sealing means between the closure member and the neck, the further sealing means including an annular sealing means interposed between an annular inner surface on the end portion of the closure member and the outer annular end of the neck, said annular sealing means comprising at least one upstanding annular rib on the outer annular end of the neck.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,904,739 Kroen Apr. 18, 1933 2,591,231 Boadway Apr. 1,' 1952 2,715,480 Livingstone Aug. 16, 1955 2,759,643 Dahlin -Q. Aug. 21, 1956 2,838,215 Robb et a1. June 10, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS V 1 184,866 Austria Mar. 10, 1956

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