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WO1999032364A1 - Fermeture etanche et mobile avec partie ejection - Google Patents

Fermeture etanche et mobile avec partie ejection Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1999032364A1
WO1999032364A1 PCT/US1998/027453 US9827453W WO9932364A1 WO 1999032364 A1 WO1999032364 A1 WO 1999032364A1 US 9827453 W US9827453 W US 9827453W WO 9932364 A1 WO9932364 A1 WO 9932364A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
base
rotor
panel
closure
dispensing
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1998/027453
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
David C. Baxter
Original Assignee
Weatherchem Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Weatherchem Corporation filed Critical Weatherchem Corporation
Priority to AU19457/99A priority Critical patent/AU1945799A/en
Publication of WO1999032364A1 publication Critical patent/WO1999032364A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
    • B65D47/04—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps
    • B65D47/20—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge
    • B65D47/26—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge with slide valves, i.e. valves that open and close a passageway by sliding over a port, e.g. formed with slidable spouts
    • B65D47/261—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge with slide valves, i.e. valves that open and close a passageway by sliding over a port, e.g. formed with slidable spouts having a rotational or helicoidal movement
    • B65D47/265—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge with slide valves, i.e. valves that open and close a passageway by sliding over a port, e.g. formed with slidable spouts having a rotational or helicoidal movement between planar parts

Definitions

  • the invention relates to injection-molded thermoplastic dispensing closures and, in particular, to improvements in sift-resistant closures of the rotor and base type.
  • Fine powders such as baby powder and talcum powder are notoriously difficult to package in containers with sift or sprinkle dispensing features. This problem involves the tendency of the powder to sift or escape out of the dispensing closure openings when the package is handled from the point of filling to the ultimate point of use by a consumer.
  • this unintended sifting or escaping of product while not significant in terms of the volume of the contents of the package is detrimental to the appearance of the product package on the retailing shelf. Good shelf presentation is especially important in the cosmetic and health care industries.
  • the unintended sifting occurs even though the closure is assembled in a closed position and is not operated until after it is purchased by the consumer.
  • Talcum powder and the like has been packaged in composite containers having two-part rotor-type plastic closures.
  • One part comprises a rotor and the other part comprises a base for the rotor fixed to an opening of the container.
  • the rotor is turned between positions where any dispensing apertures in the base are covered by the rotor so that the closure is closed and where one or more apertures in the base is uncovered by an aperture in the rotor turned into alignment with this base aperture. It has been attempted to seal the base aperture against the overlying rotor surface with an annular ridge around the base aperture.
  • rotor and base closures have been offered in either of two styles of rotor and base connections.
  • the rotor is rotatably fixed at its center by a post and in the other styles the rotor is rotatably fixed at its periphery to the base.
  • U.S. Patent 5,383,582 discloses a sift-resistant rotor-type closure that offers improved performance over earlier closures in both sift-resistance and ease of use by the consumer.
  • the rotor is uniformly supported slightly above the underlying adjacent surface of the closure base by a central rib and an arcuate rib both concentric with the axis of rotation of the rotor and by a sealing lip surrounding the dispensing hole in the base and located in the area of the base where the arcuate rib is absent.
  • the sealing lip is somewhat resilient and is proportioned to press against the underside of the rotor to afford good sealing effectiveness.
  • the invention provides a rotor-type dispensing closure that is sift-proof prior to opening and is highly sift-resistant once opened by the consumer.
  • the closure has the general arrangement of the product disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,383,582 and includes an integrally molded fully sealed breakout panel across the dispensing hole of the base.
  • the breakout panel in accordance with the invention, is situated within the boundary of the dispensing hole.
  • the panel is surrounded by a thin, frangible membrane that ensures a low breakout force.
  • the breakout panel is stabilized against inadvertent rupture by a series of bridge-like reinforcement elements spaced around its periphery.
  • a hinge element joins the panel to the main part of the base and serves to keep the panel from breaking loose from the base when broken out of the dispensing hole.
  • the panel is relatively thin as compared to the nominal thickness of the base. This feature allows it to be successfully molded at high production speeds despite its near isolation from remaining parts of the base resulting from the very thin, frangible membrane.
  • the panel is preferably formed within a plane of the resilient lip seal surrounding the base dispensing hole. This location enhances the ability of the panel to be broken out of its molded location with reduced effort because the flexibility of the seal allows the panel to be broken progressively along its boundary rather than requiring the user to overcome the full strength of the panel boundary at one time.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closure assembly embodying the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of the base of the closure assembly
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an initially sealed dispensing hole area of the base taken in the plane 3-3 in FIG. 2
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of a rotor of the closure assembly
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the closure assembly taken along staggered planes indicated by the lines 5-5 in FIG. 1
  • FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom view of the dispensing hole area in the base
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closure assembly embodying the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of the base of the closure assembly
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an initially sealed dispensing hole area of the base taken in the plane 3-3 in FIG. 2
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of a rotor of the closure assembly
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the
  • FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary cross- sectional view of a typical reinforcing bridge area extending radially between a sealing lip at the base dispensing hole and a breakout panel;
  • FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a hinge bridge extending radially between the sealing lip and the breakout panel;
  • FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the base schematically illustrating the flow direction of material when the base is injection molded.
  • a closure 10 constructed in accordance with the invention includes a base 11 and a rotor 12 each preferably injection molded of a suitable thermoplastic material such as polyethylene.
  • the illustrated closure 10 is particularly suited for use with composite containers known in the art.
  • the base 11, which in the illustrated case is generally circular, includes a central web or wall 13 and a peripheral rim 14 integrally molded around the web.
  • the rim 14 has the general form of a cylindrical wall.
  • the web 13 is a generally circular planar construction that lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rim 14.
  • the base rim or skirt 14 is tapered so that it has a reduced outside diameter, at a minimum at its lower edge 16, to facilitate its assembly into a container.
  • the rim 14 includes an outwardly directed radial flange 17 that forms a radial shoulder 18 adapted to abut the upper edge of a composite cylindrical container in a conventional manner.
  • the rim 14 is formed with an internal circumferential groove or recess 19 above the web 13 and bounded by a conical or radial face 21.
  • an interior surface 22 of the rim 14 is tapered slightly radially outwardly increasing in diameter with increasing distance from the web 13 preferably so that at its upper end 23 the rim 14 has an internal diameter at least as large as the major diameter of the rotor 12.
  • the web 13 has a circular hole 26 extending therethrough. Concentric with the hole 26, is an upstanding rib 27 having a rounded or semi-circular cross-section (FIG. 5) .
  • a dispensing opening 28 which in the illustrated example is circular in form.
  • a second upstanding rib 29 concentric with the center hole 26 extends on the web 13 over an arc subtending an angle that is sufficient to allow its ends 31, 32 to lie adjacent the dispensing opening or hole 28 (FIG. 2) .
  • this arcuate length is approximately 270°.
  • the arcuate rib 29 has a cross-section and height above the web 13 substantially the same as the central rib 27. It will be understood that these ribs 27, 29 have their axially upper regions in a common imaginary plane that is closely dimensionally located with respect to the undercut or groove surface 21.
  • the dispensing opening 28 has an integral sealing lip 33 that is relatively resilient due to a reduced thickness wall section compared to the average wall thickness of the base 11.
  • the sealing lip 33 extends above the ribs 27 and 29 a substantial distance.
  • the base dispensing opening 28 is initially closed by a breakout panel 51 integrally molded with the base 11.
  • the panel 51 which is generally planar and in a plane parallel to the plane of the web or wall 13 is substantially thinner than the thickness of the web; for example, the panel can have a thickness of about .028 inches while the web can have a thickness of .040 inch.
  • the panel 51 is joined to the sealing lip 33 continuously along its periphery by a very thin membrane 52 which can be about .003 inch thick, for example.
  • the radial width, measured in a direction parallel to the base wall or web 13 , of the membrane 52 is similarly small depending on the geometry of the adjacent surfaces of the panel 51 and sealing lip 33.
  • a plurality of integral reinforcing bridges 53 are spaced around the perimeter of the breakout panel 51.
  • the bridges 53 which underlie and merge with the membrane 52, extend radially between the sealing lip 33 and the panel 51.
  • the reinforcing bridges 53 are shown in typical cross-section in FIG. 7 taken in a plane transverse to a radial line from the center of the panel 51.
  • the bridges 53 are relatively small, for example, having a height of approximately .009 inch and in the illustrated embodiment are 7 in number.
  • An integral hinge 54 like the bridges 53, lies radially between the sealing lip 33 and panel 51 and merges with the lower surface of the membrane 52.
  • the cross-section of the hinge 54 taken in the plane transverse to a radial line from the center of the panel 51, is shown in FIG. 8.
  • this cross-section can have dimensions of about .009 inch high by about .069 inch in length, i.e. measured in a direction parallel to the plane of the panel 51.
  • the hinge 54 is on a side of the panel 51 remote from the gate.
  • the base 11 is injection- molded from a gate located at a point indicated at 56.
  • the hinge 54 is on a side of the panel 51 remote from the gate 56.
  • the rotor 12 has a circular main body or disc 36 with a central hollow hub or post 37 depending from its lower face designated 38.
  • the rotor 12 On an upper face 39 the rotor 12 includes an upstanding chordal finger grip bar 41 to facilitate manual turning of the rotor 12 on the base 11.
  • the rotor 12 is imperforate except for an array of sift holes 42 and a pour hole 43.
  • the array of sift holes 42 and the pour hole 43 have the same eccentricity or distance from the center of the rotor 12 as the dispensing hole 28 has from the base center hole 26 so that these holes 42 or 43 can be alternatively turned into superadjacent alignment with the dispensing hole 28 by manually rotating the rotor 12 on the base 11.
  • a depending flange 44 is formed adjacent the periphery of the rotor 12 at its lower face 38.
  • the flange 44 particularly when the rotor 12 is gated for molding purposes at its periphery, serves to improve molding performance and during use serves to stiffen and maintain the desired flat shape of the rotor.
  • the bottom or underside surface 38 of the rotor 12 is substantially flat between the flange 44 and the hub 37. As shown in FIG. 5, the axial extent of the flange 44 is less than the height of the base ribs 27, 29 so that the flange, when the rotor is assembled on the base, does not touch the web 13.
  • the hub 37 is a thin walled round structure depending from the center of the bottom or lower face 38 of the rotor 12.
  • the lower end of the hub 37 is slightly tapered on its exterior from a minimum diameter slightly less than that of the base hole 26 to facilitate assembly into this hole.
  • the hub 37 In its free state, the hub 37 has a major outside diameter at its mid-section 46 that is greater than the diameter of the hole 26 enabling the hub 37 to be snapped into the hole.
  • the hub 37 is retained in assembly by a rearwardly or upwardly facing annular shoulder 47 that engages the lower edge of the hole 26.
  • the outside diameter of the hub 37 above the shoulder 47 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole 26 to reduce friction between these areas.
  • the major outer diameter of the rotor 12 is dimensioned to snap past the internal rim shoulder formed by the conical or radial face 21 on the rim 14 into the groove formed between it and the web 13.
  • the rotor 12 is automatically assembled on the base by a machine known in the art. It can be seen in FIG. 5 that, in assembly, the rotor 12 is retained on the base 11 both at its center and at its periphery. The retention at the center is produced by the interengagement or abutment between the hub shoulder 47 and the lower edge of the hole 26. The retention at the outer periphery of the rotor is provided by interengagement or abutment between the upper face of the rotor 39 and the shoulder 21.
  • the various elements of the base 11 and rotor 12 are proportioned and dimensioned so that the ribs 27, 29 hold the rotor in a flat plane with the upper peripheral rotor edge urged against the rim shoulder 21 and, simultaneously, the hub shoulder 47, urged against the underside of the rotor 12 by the resilient sealing lip 33.
  • the reinforcement bridges 53 and hinge 54 serve to support the panel 51 in its molded hole closing position and resist normally expected forces on the panel that occur during manufacture of the closure including assembly with the rotor and assembly of the closure with a container as well as forces, impacts, etc. occurring during handling and shipping of the container from a filling line to the ultimate consumer of a package.
  • the panel 51 simplifies assembly of the rotor 12 and base 11 since it eliminates the need to orient the rotor on the base at a closed position prior to assembly with a container.
  • a user rotates the rotor 12 to the location where the rotor opening 43 overlies the base opening 28.
  • the panel is pushed downwardly with a force ideally at an arrowhead 58 imprinted on the panel 51.
  • the strength of the bridges 53, progressively one or two at a time, as well as the membrane 52, is readily overcome and broken away and the panel swings downwardly about the hinge 54.
  • the material of the base at the hinge has enough plastic elongation characteristics to allow the panel 51 to move to a plane generally perpendicular to the base web 13 and retain it in this general position. With the panel 51 displaced in this manner, the user can dispense product or rotate the rotor to the sprinkle position where the holes 42 overlie the opening 28 and then eventually turn the rotor 12 to a closed position where its solid area overlies the opening 28. In this position, the sealing lip 33 is pressed against the underside of the rotor to maintain a sift-resistant condition.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une fermeture de distribution étanche et mobile (10), fabriquée dans une matière thermoplastique moulée par injection. Cette fermeture présente une base (11) qui constitue un joint élastique (33) sur son orifice de distribution (28), une partie mobile (12) reposant sur cette base (11) dans une position destinée à comprimer ledit joint (33) afin d'obtenir une plus grande étanchéité. Cette partie mobile (12) est maintenue avec précision dans une configuration plate par ladite base (11), qui retient cette partie mobile (12) en son centre et à sa périphérie (14). Des nervures saillantes de support (27, 29), placées entre le centre et la périphérie (14) de ladite partie mobile (12), permettent par ailleurs de protéger cette partie mobile (12) contre toute déformation. L'orifice de distribution (28) ménagé sur la base (12) est constitué d'un panneau d'éjection (51) qui permet d'assurer l'étanchéité et de simplifier l'assemblage de cette fermeture, tout en restant facile à ouvrir.
PCT/US1998/027453 1997-12-23 1998-12-23 Fermeture etanche et mobile avec partie ejection WO1999032364A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU19457/99A AU1945799A (en) 1997-12-23 1998-12-23 Sift-resistant rotor cap with knockout

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US99650197A 1997-12-23 1997-12-23
US08/996,501 1997-12-23

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1999032364A1 true WO1999032364A1 (fr) 1999-07-01

Family

ID=25542991

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1998/027453 WO1999032364A1 (fr) 1997-12-23 1998-12-23 Fermeture etanche et mobile avec partie ejection

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU1945799A (fr)
WO (1) WO1999032364A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108045739A (zh) * 2017-12-26 2018-05-18 徐勇 一种流量可调节的液体包装瓶盖
DE102019108761B3 (de) * 2019-04-03 2020-09-03 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Abdichtbarer Einfüllstopfen

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4489864A (en) * 1983-04-27 1984-12-25 Weatherchem Corporation Interference stop punch-out closure
US5213238A (en) * 1992-01-08 1993-05-25 Tri-Made Products, Inc. Multi-functional, environmentally-oriented, tamper-evident container closure
US5383582A (en) * 1994-03-18 1995-01-24 Weatherchem Corporation Sift-resistant dispensing closure
US5566850A (en) * 1991-12-16 1996-10-22 Weatherchem Corporation Rotor-type dispenser

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4489864A (en) * 1983-04-27 1984-12-25 Weatherchem Corporation Interference stop punch-out closure
US5566850A (en) * 1991-12-16 1996-10-22 Weatherchem Corporation Rotor-type dispenser
US5213238A (en) * 1992-01-08 1993-05-25 Tri-Made Products, Inc. Multi-functional, environmentally-oriented, tamper-evident container closure
US5383582A (en) * 1994-03-18 1995-01-24 Weatherchem Corporation Sift-resistant dispensing closure

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108045739A (zh) * 2017-12-26 2018-05-18 徐勇 一种流量可调节的液体包装瓶盖
WO2019128888A1 (fr) * 2017-12-26 2019-07-04 徐勇 Couvercle de bouteille d'emballage de liquide à débit réglable
DE102019108761B3 (de) * 2019-04-03 2020-09-03 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Abdichtbarer Einfüllstopfen

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU1945799A (en) 1999-07-12

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