One-Piece Dispensing Closure

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to closures for containers, and, more particularly, relates to such closures which have a dispensing opening therethrough for dispensing product from the container.

2. Prior Art

Various dispensing closures are known in the prior art, including those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,919,057 and 3,124,281. U.S. Pat. No. 3,124,281 shows multiple sealing areas and a detent to retain the cap closed, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,057 shows detents to limit opening movement of the cap. However, these patents do not teach or suggest the novel construction of the present invention, with its attendant advantages. Other patents of interest are: U.S. Pat. No. 2,322,527, 3,059,816, 3,122,289, 3,240,405, 3,406,909, 3,623,622, 3,762,612, 3,884,390, 4,036,413, 4,241,855, 4,281,778, 4,298,146 and 4,310,105.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece dispensing closure which is simple in construction and effective in operation, in which a cap is hinged to a closure and wherein primary and secondary seals are effected between the cap and closure when the cap is closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing closure in which a cap is hinged to the closure and detents are provided to detain the cap in both open and closed positions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a one-piece dispensing closure in which a cap is hinged to a closure and a male plug depends from the underside of the cap in a position to close a dispensing opening through the closure, and wherein the plug effects both primary ahd secondary seals relative to the closure when the cap is closed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing closure having a lateral discharge port communicating with a longitudinal bore, and a cap member has a detent thereon which cooperates with the discharge port when the cap is closed to effect both a detaining means and seal.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention are accomplished by a one-piece dispensing closure of simple and economical construction. Briefly, the closure comprises a closure which effects a seal with a container neck and has a cap integrally joined thereto via a living hinge at one side of the closure and cap. A male plug depends from the underside of the cap in a position to cooperate with a longitudinal bore through the closure, and a detent is on a marginal portion of the cap opposite the hinge to cooperate with a laterally oriented discharge port communicating with the bore. Further detent means are on the cap and closure to limit opening movement of the cap relative to the closure, although this detent means may be overcome to permit complete opening movement of the cap to facilitate access to the bore and discharge port for cleaning and the like. Primary and secondary seals are effected relative to the discharge port by a first seal on the plug and by the detent on the cap. Primary and secondary seals are also effected relative to the bore by the first seal on the plug and by a second seal on the plug. When the cap is in an open position relative to the closure, the first seal on the plug also effects a seal in the bore to prevent leakage of material through the bore.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the one-piece dispensing closure of the invention, taken in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view in elevation, taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation, similar to FIG. 2, showing the cap in an open position relative to the closure;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the closure, with the cap in a fully opened position; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view of one of the detent means to limit opening movement of the cap and is taken along line 5--5 in FIG. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the one-piece dispensing closure of the invention is indicated generally at 10, and comprises a closure body 11 having a top wall 12 and a depending skirt 13 with a threaded interior 14 for cooperation with like threads on a container neck (not shown). An annular, depending wall 15 is on the inner surface of the top wall 12 for enhancing a seal with the top of the container neck. Other forms of closure securing means may be used rather than the threaded closure securing means shown.

The closure body 11 has an upstanding superstructure or wall 16 above the top wall 12 thereof, tapering from a maximum height at one side of the body to a minimum height at the other side. An upstanding, cylindrical member 17 is formed on the top of the wall 12 adjacent said one side of the body and has a bore 18 therethrough, extending longitudinally relative to the body. A discharge port 19 extends laterally through the wall 16 at said one side of the body, and communicates at its inner end with the bore 18.

A cap 20 is integrally joined to the body 11 by a "living" hinge 21 at said other side of the body, and comprises a top wall 22 with a depending skirt 23 having a bottom marginal edge 24. A hollow male plug 25 depends from the underside of the top wall 22 of the cap in a position to extend into the bore 18.

The upper end of the cylindrical member 17 is tapered or funnel shaped at 26 to facilitate entry of the end of the male plug 25 into the bore 18. The plug itself has a reduced diameter portion 27 between the ends thereof, defining a pair of spaced sealing areas 28 and 29 thereon for cooperation with the inner surface of cylindrical member 17 defining the bore 18. Thus, when the cap is in the fully closed position shown in FIG. 2 both a primary and a secondary seal are formed in the bore 18. The primary seal 30 is effected ahead of the discharge port 19, while the secondary seal 31 is effected at the outer end of the bore 18. It should be noted that the primary sealing area 28 is spherically shaped to obtain maximum sealing effectiveness. When the cap is moved to its open position as shown in FIG. 3, the primary sealing area 28 on plug 25 is disposed at the outer end of the bore 18, effecting a seal therewith.

The inner marginal surface of skirt 23 of cap 20 has a rounded protruberance or detent 32 thereon in a position to cooperate with the discharge port 19 when the cap is in the closed position of FIG. 2, to both detain the cap in the closed position and to effect a seal with the discharge port. Thus, in the closed position of the cap, both primary and secondary seals are effected with the discharge port or path (at 30 and 32).

A pair of lugs or detents 33 and 34 are formed on the bottom edge of the skirt 23 on opposite sides of the sealing detent 32, for cooperation with stops 35 and 36 formed on the closure to limit opening movement of the cap relative to the closure. The outer surface of the closure body 11 is recessed at 37 to facilitate access to a lip or finger grip 38 on the bottom edge of skirt 23 whereby the cap may be lifted from its closed position to the open position. It should further be noted that a recess 39 is formed in the top of wall 16, which serves as a rest for the protruberance 32 to detain the cap 20 in its open position.

The one-piece closure may be made of any suitable material, such as thermoplastic and the like, and the closure may be made in various sizes and designs, with different size bores and discharge ports. Morever, if a thixotropic product is used and the bore or discharge port becomes clogged, the cap may be opened completely (as shown in FIG. 4, for example) to expose the bore and discharge port for mechanical cleaning.

While the present invention has been described in association with a particular preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such embodiment is susceptible to changes and substitutions of equivalents without departing from the scope of the present invention. Consequently, it is intended that the herein disclosed invention be defined in the following claims.