US3659750A

US3659750A - Dispensing closure with bonded spout seal

Info

Publication number: US3659750A
Application number: US48094A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald H La Vange
Original assignee: Silgan Dispensing Systems Slatersville LLC
Current assignee: Silgan Dispensing Systems Slatersville LLC
Priority date: 1970-06-22
Filing date: 1970-06-22
Publication date: 1972-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-02

Abstract

The disclosed invention pertains to dispensing closures having a closure body and a spout rotatably mounted on the body. In such a structure the spout is capable of being rotated between a closed position in which its base engages the closure body around an opening leading through the body so as to close off the opening and an open position in which a passage leading through the spout is aligned with the opening in the closure body. In a closure as disclosed a physical bond or seal connects the base of the spout and the closure body around the opening when the spout is in an initial closed position. When the spout is first moved to an open position this bond or seal is disrupted or broken.

Description

United States Patent La Vange [54] DISPENSING CLOSURE WITH BONDED SPOUT SEAL [72] Inventor: Donald H. La Vange, Uxbridge, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Polytop Corporatlon, Slatersville, R1.

[22] Filed: June 22, 1970 [21] Appl. No: 48,094

3,461,014 8/1969 James.... 156/272 3,227,330 1/1966 Sadler ...222/54l X 3,318,487 5/1967 Edwards ..222/54l X [4 1 May 2,1972

3,318,494 5/1967 Porter et a1. ..222/541 X Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant E.raminer-Frederick R. Handren Anorney-Edward D. OBrian ABSTRACT The disclosed invention pertains to dispensing closures having a closure body and a spout rotatably mounted on the body. ln such a structure the spout is capable of being rotated between a closed position in which its base engages the closure body around an opening leading through the body so as to close off the opening and an open position in which a passage leading through the spout is aligned with the opening in the closure body. ln a closure as disclosed a physical bond or seal connects the base of the spout and the closure body around the opening when the spout is in an initial closed position. When the spout is first moved to an open position this bond or seal is disrupted or broken.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures The term dispensing closure is normally utilized to designate a closure having a spout rotatably mounted on a closure body so that the spout can be rotated between opened and closed positions. In such a closure in a closed position a base of the spout engages the closure body around an opening. In such an open position the base of the spout engages the closure body around the opening, but a passage in the spout is in alignment with the opening so that material can move through the opening and the spout.

Dispensing closures as herein indicated may be formed in a number of different manners. Such closures are indicated in the Wilson et a1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,795 and the Mart U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,895. Normally these closures are constructed to be utilized as bottle caps on known containers. If desired they can be formed so that the closure bodies within them are integral with a container wall. Closures of this type are normally formed out of a flexible, resilient material such as polyethylene so that their parts may be snapped together after being separately manufactured. They may, however, be formed out of other materials such as polyproplyene or the like.

One problem which has been encountered with dispensing closures as indicated is the problem of leakage through such closures prior to their initial use. Such leakage will result in a customer of a package closed with such a closure not receiving the intended quantity of merchandise. Such initial leakage is different from the leakage which is apt to occur during the use of a dispensing closure primarily in point of time. In the past, all leakage in the closures of this type have been combated through the use of sealing rings or the like. The use of such sealing rings is not considered adequate in combating initial leakage with closures used in various hard-to-seal fluids, although unquestionably such sealing rings or the like are effective.

As a result of the recognition of the problem of the initial leakage prior to customer use of a dispensing closure on a con tainer several different proposals have been made. In general such proposals have involved forming a member extending across the opening in the closure body and breaking OK or otherwise disrupting such a member during the initial use of a closure. Expedients of this type are considered to have merit. However, with them there is danger of disrupting or breaking the member during closure assembly. Also, frequently with this type of structure it is considered that the disrupted member may tend to interfere with normal use of the closure after it has been opened for the first time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved dispensing closures, and more specifically closures with the spout bonded to the closure body by a frangible bond or seal capable of being easily broken at the initial time the dispensing closure is opened. A related objective of the present invention is to provide dispensing closures as indicated which may be manufactured at a comparatively nominal cost. A further objective of the invention is to provide closures of the type described which can satisfactorily seal against leakage even after they have been initially opened. A still further objective of the invention is to provide closures as indicated which are of such a character that they will operate satisfactorily after initially being opened without interference by broken parts or the like.

In accordance with this invention these objectives are achieved by forming a bond or seal between the base of a spout in a dispensing closure and the position of the body of such a closure immediately around the opening in the closure used to exhaust material through the closure body. Preferably such a bond or seal is formed on or with a flexible, resilient sealing ring located on the closure body around the opening and is of such a nature that when it is initially broken that it does not thereafter significantly interfere with or effect the operation of the sealing ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention is best more fully explained with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a presently preferred embodiment of a dispensing closure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the closure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The dispensing closure illustrated in the drawing is of a type as described in the aforenoted Wilson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,795. From a consideration of this specification it will be realized that the essential features or principles of this invention can be embodied within other differently appearing and constructed dispensing closures through the use or exercise of routine engineering skill or ability.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The closure 10 illustrated is constructed generally as indicated in the noted Wilson et a1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,795 so as to include a body part 12 and a spout 14. These parts may be conveniently formed separately out of polyethylene or other known related, flexible, somewhat resilient materials. The body part 12 includes a top 16 carrying an internally threaded dependent skirt 18 used in attaching the closure 10 to a container. The top 16 carries a dependent sealing ring 20 used in forming a seal with the neck of such a container. This top 16 also includes a centrally opening or dispensing opening 22 leading through the top 16 into a centrally located cavity 24. Preferably the top 16 includes a integral, resilient, flexible, deformable sealing ring 26 around the opening extending upwardly into this cavity 24. The sealing ring 26 used is preferably constructed as shown in the Akers U.S. Pat. No. 3,495,745 issued Feb. 17, 1970 entitled Sealing Structures." Other sealing rings of a similar or related character may be used.

In the closure 10 the top 16 carries restricted entrances 28 into bearing openings 30 so that aligned shafts or trunnions 32 on the spout 16 may be snapped through these entrances 28 into the openings 30 so as to be rotatably held by them. These trunnions 32 extend from a cylindrical base 34 on the spout 14. This base 34 fits against the sealing ring 26 so as to form a seal therewith at all times. Thus, such a seal is formed when the spout 14 is in a closed position as shown in the various figures of the drawing as well as when the spout 14 is in an open position in which it extends vertically from the top 16. In such an open position a passage 36 in the spout 14 is located in alignment with the opening 22. In the closed position the spout l4 fits generally within a slot 38 in the top 16 leading from the cavity 24.

The present invention'does not directly concern the structure of the closure 10 described in the preceding portions of this specification. It does, however, concern the base 34 of the spout 14 being bonded by a plastic to plastic weld or seal when the spout 14 is in an initial closed position as shown in the drawing. Such a bond or seal is created at a thin layer 40 containing ferromagnetic material located on the base 34 opposite the sealing ring 26. This layer 40 is contacted by the sealing ring 26 with moderate pressure in the same manner that the sealing ring 26 would contact the base 34 if the layer 40 were not present.

This layer 40 preferably is of about the thickness of a thin sheet of paper such as onion skin or thin bond typing paper and contains finally divided ferromagnetic particles, preferably 325 mesh particles. Although such particles may be iron, preferably they are of a known ferromagnetic ferrite composition. This is because ferrite particles are less reactive then iron particles and are therefore less apt to cause contamination, staining or the like. The layer 40 should contain enough other material which is compatible in forming a bond or weld with the body part 12 and the spout 14 to hold these particles in place.

If desired the layer 40 may be a separate sheet of polyethylene or the like extruded or calandered as a film so as to contain as high a proportion of ferromagnetic particles as possible. This layer may be a metalized layer of ferromagnetic material. Because of the nature of such a layer it may be considered as a particle layer. Preferably, however, because of convenience this layer 40 is of a paint-like character and is merely applied to the portion of the base 34 as shown prior to the spout 14 being assembled on the body part 12. The general type of composition which may be used so as to form such a paint-like coating is indicated in the James US. Pat. No. 3,461,014 issued Aug. 12, 1969 entitled Magnetic Induction Method for Heat-Sealing and Bonding Predetermined Sealing Areas. if desired such a composition as is used in forming the layer 40 may be located directly on the exposed surface of the sealing ring 26, although this is not preferred with the invention because of a problem of a sharp edge of the sealing ring 26 not holding" adequate ferromagnetic material for satisfactory scaling in the area of contact between the sealing ring 26 and the base 34.

In the manufacture of the closure it is assembled as a conventional practice with the layer 40 in position as shown then this closure is subjected for a short period to magnetic induction heating as in the aforenoted James US. Pat. No. 3,461 ,0l4. Such induction heating will be for a time sufficient to cause heat to be generated in the area of the ferromagnetic particles utilized, and for this heat through interaction with pressure exerted by the sealing ring 26 to cause the formation of a heat seal or weld type bond between the base 34 of the spout l4 and the sealing ring 26. This sea] area will extend completely around the opening 22 so as to completely seal off or close this opening.

The closure 10 will normally be installed on a container after it has been assembled and heated in this manner. When so installed this bonded area will present an initial resistance to the spout 14 being rotated to an open position. This will tend to prevent accidential opening. However, the spout 14 will still be able to be opened or rotated to an open position by the application of moderate force as the spout 14 is opened in this manner, the bond or seal will break or frange. Thereafter the sealing ring 26 will function in nearly its normal manner so as to form a seal with the base 34 as the spout 14 is located in open and closed positions and is rotated between these posi tions. With this structure the bond or sea] created initially acts as a true seal to prevent leakage.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout movably mounted on said body, said closure body contains an opening leading between it's sides, said spout having a base overlying said opening and a passage leading through said base and said spout, said spout being capable of being moved between a closed position in which said base engages said closure body around said opening so as to close off said opening and an open position in which said base engages said closure body around said opening in which said passage is aligned with said opening, the improvement which comprises:

a bond type seal uniting said base to said closure body and extending between said base and said closure body completely around said opening when said spout is in an initial closed position,

said spout having an extremity remote from said base capable of being engaged so as to rotate said spout,

said bond type seal being capable of being broken by rotation of said spout the first time said spout is rotated from a closed position to an open position.

2. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 1 including:

ferromagnetic particles located between said base and said closure body in the area of said bone type seal.

3. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

said ferromagnetic particles are ferrite particles. 4. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said base of said spout is formed as a surface of revolution,

said closure body includes a resilient sealing ring formed integrally therewith around said opening, said sealing ring engaging said base when said spout is in said open and closed positions so as to form a seal with said base,

said bond type seal is formed between the extremity of said sealing ring remote from said opening and said base of said spout prior to said closure being initially opened.

5. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 4 including:

ferromagnetic particles located between said sealing ring and said base in the area of said bond type seal.

6. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

said ferromagnetic particles are ferrite particles.

Claims

1. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout movably mounted on said body, said closure body contains an opening leading between it''s sides, said spout having a base overlying said opening and a passage leading through said base and said spout, said spout being capable of being moved between a closed position in which said base engages said closure body around said opening so as to close off said opening and an open position in which said base engages said closure body around said opening in which said passage is aligned with said opening, the improvement which comprises: a bond type seal uniting said base to said closure body and extending between said base and said closure body completely around said opening when said spout is in an initial closed position, said spout having an extremity remote from said base capable of being engaged so as to rotate said spout, said bond type seal being capable of being broken by rotation of said spout the first time said spout is rotated from a closed position to an open position.

2. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 1 including: ferromagnetic particles located between said base and said closure body in the area of said bone type seal.

3. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 2 wherein: said ferromagnetic particles are ferrite particles.

4. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 1 wherein: said base of said spout is formed as a surface of revolution, said closure body includes a resilient sealing ring formed integrally therewith around said opening, said sealing ring engaging said base when said spout is in said open and closed positions so as to form a seal with said base, said bond type seal is formed between the extremity of said sealing ring remote from said opening and said base of said spout prior to said closure being initially opened.

5. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 4 including: ferromagnetic particles located between said sealing ring and said base in the area of said bond type seal.

6. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 5 wherein: said ferromagnetic particles are ferrite particles.