Fitment Having Removable Membrane

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a new and improved fitment having a removable membrane which closes off the interior of the fitment spout. More particularly, the invention relates to a fitment which fits around and through a hole in a panel of a paperboard carton, or around a hole in a flexible container or the like, used for packaging liquids and powders and also to a closure for such fitment.

2. Description of Related Art

Fitments having membranes are shown in such patents as U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,838, issued Apr. 19, 1994, and particularly FIGS. 14-16 thereof. Other patents showing membranes are U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,080, issued Jul. 29, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,303, issued Apr. 19, 1983, and others. The present invention is an improvement on the prior art in that the membrane is located approximately midway of the height of the spout and is concave. Hence if the container on which the spout is attached is compressed, the membrane serves as a bellows to absorb such compression without danger of the membrane being detached from the spout of the fitment.

The fitment cap may be attached by downward, non-rotative motion and has a tamper-evidencing band engaging the fitment.

The fitment of the present invention comprises a spout portion having a peripheral flange which may be welded or otherwise attached to a panel of a paperboard carton or to a flexible plastic container. A spout projects upward from the flange and, in the preferred embodiment, is externally threaded adjacent its upper end. Approximately midway of the height of the spout is an internal membrane which is concave and is joined to an inward projection of the spout along a line of weakness. A ring is connected to the membrane in such fashion that by pulling the ring the membrane is detached from the inward projection of the spout. The concave membrane may serve as a bellows, as hereinabove explained. The concavity also facilitates the consumer gripping the ring and has certain advantages in molding the part.

The cap of the present invention has a skirt which is internally threaded to engage the threads of the spout. A lower portion of the cap has a tear band having a bead which snaps under a shoulder on the lower portion of the spout. The tear band is connected to the upper portion of the skirt by frangible means so that the cap may not be removed without giving evidence of tampering.

In one modification of the invention the cap is provided with a hollow plug depending from the top of the cap which seals against the inside of the upper end of the spout. As an alternate, the plug may be eliminated. It will be understood that after the cap has been removed and the membrane torn from the spout and a portion of the contents of the container dispensed, the cap may be used for reclosure purposes. In the alternate modification, a rib is formed on the underside of the top of the cap. When the cap is screwed back onto the spout, the rib engages the upper end of the spout to prevent leakage.

One of the features of the invention is the fact that the cap may be attached to the spout by pressing the cap downward relative to the spout, the mating threads on the spout and cap skirt slipping past each other and then interengaging. The tamper-evident band has a bead which engages a shoulder on the spout so that the cap cannot be unscrewed without severing the bridges which connect the band to the skirt and giving evidence of tampering.

The center of the concave membrane, as will occur to one skilled in the art, is an ideal location for the hot tip or gate through which plastic is injected during molding. The heat of the molten plastic is thus remote from the outer portions of the part. Hence, the fitment cools more rapidly and thus the parts may be molded faster.

Since the gate is located centrally of the part, the end points of the part are approximately equidistant from the gate and the mold fills adequately. These end points comprise the outer limit of the flange, the upper end of the spout and the pull ring.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the cap and spout in assembled condition.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the spout of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the cap.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the cap of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 7--7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7A is a fragmentary enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 8--8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8A is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of FIG. 8.

FIG. 8B is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is a view similarly to FIG. 8A of a modified cap.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing how the fitment may be temporarily attached to the spud of an anvil of a machine for inserting the fitment into a panel of a carton.

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

One environment in which the present invention may be employed is by attachment to a carton panel 11 having a hole 12 therein. Fitment 16 is provided with a flange 17 which is welded or otherwise attached to the underside of panel 11 surrounding hole 12. Projecting up from the inner edge of flange 17 is a step 18 having an outside dimension to fit within the hole 12 and having a height approximately equal to the thickness of panel 11. Above step 18, the fitment has an inward extending portion 19. Extending upward from the inner edge of portion 19 is lower spout stretch 21 and thereabove is an upward inward extending slanted stretch 22 which merges into a vertically extending upper stretch 23 terminating in a top edge 24. The inner and outer surfaces of the spout stretches may be termed the "inner wall surface" and "outer wall surface", respectively.

Formed on the inside of the lower portion of lower spout stretch 21 is an inward downward slanted bead 26 having a purpose which hereinafter appears.

An external shoulder 27 is formed at the juncture of lower spout stretch 21 and slanted stretch 22 for the purpose of attachment to the tamper-evidencing band of the cap as herein after explained. On the interior of the spout at approximately the juncture of the slanted stretch 22 and the upper stretch 23 is an inward projection 29 having an upper inner corner 31. The underside of projection 29 and its juncture with lower spout stretch 21 is a curved surface 30 which facilitates dispensing the contents of the container. Projection 29 is approximately midway of the length of the spout. On the exterior of upper spout stretch 23 are external threads 28, here shown as eight in number, of an arcuate length of approximately 270.degree., and of shallow pitch.

Above and inward of corner 31 is membrane 32 molded integrally with the fitment 16. The central portion of membrane 32 is concave as shown by reference numeral 33. The lower outer edge 34 of membrane 32 joins the upper inner corner 31 of projection 29 and the connection therebetween is thin and constitutes a line of weakness or tear line 36. At one portion of member 32 is an upward connection 37 reinforced by thin vertical gusset 38 and connected to horizontal pull ring 39 which is located below the level of top edge 24. When the user grips ring 39 and pulls upward, the tear line 36 breaks and the membrane 32 may be removed.

Cap 46 used with fitment 16 has a top 47 from which depends an upper skirt 48 joined to top 47 by a downwardly rounded corner 49. On the exterior of upper skirt 48 are vertical ribs 51 which assist the user in unscrewing the cap from the fitment. Upper skirt 48 is provided with internal threads 52 mating with the external threads 28 of fitment 16. The shape of the threads is such that when the cap 46 is pressed vertically downwardly on fitment 16, the threads 52 slip over threads 28 and re-engage.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5-8, a hollow plug 53 is formed on the underside of top 57, and the lower outer corner thereof having a curved edge 54 which engages the inside of upper fitment 23 in a liquid tight seal.

A tamper-evident band 56 is integrally attached to the bottom of upper skirt 48 by means of 8 angularly-spaced frangible bridge connections 61, it being understood that the number and placement of such connections is subject to variation. Band 56 is provided with an internal bead 57 which snaps under shoulder 27 when the cap is applied to the fitment. To facilitate engagement of shoulder 27, an internal groove 58 is formed in band 56 immediately above internal bead 57. An external rabbet 59 is formed on the upper outer edge of band 56. A plurality of upwardly extending bumpers 62 are formed on the upper edge of band 56 inside rabbet 59 and between frangible connections 61. Such bumpers 62 are used to keep the band 56 from collapsing when the cap is removed from the injection mold in which it is formed. Further, during assembly of the cap to the spout by a snap-on action, the bumpers reduce the tendency of the band 56 to collapse and for connections 61 to be prematurely broken. Because of rabbet 59 the consumer can more readily observe whether connections 61 are intact and thus detect tampering.

In the modification shown in FIG. 9, the plug 53 is eliminated. Formed depending from the underside of top 47a is a bead 66 considerably shorter than plug 53. It will be understood that after the cap 46 has been unscrewed from fitment 16 and membrane 32 removed, the user may wish to dispense only part of the contents of the container. The upper portion of cap 46 serves as a reclosure cap. Bead 66 engages the interior of the upper stretch 23 of the spout. In other respects the modification of FIG. 9 resembles that of the preceding modifications and the same reference numerals followed by the subscript a are used to designate corresponding parts.

Directing attention to FIG. 10, automatic equipment for welding the fitment flange 17 to the underside of panel 11 is known in the art. In one form of such equipment an anvil or mandrel 71 has a flange 72 to which is attached a spud or fitment holder 73 which picks the fitment off of a chute (not shown) by fitting inside the lower spout stretch 21. The lowest portion of the concave area 33 of membrane 32 is above the upper edge of spud 73. In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 10, spud 73 has an external diameter such that when it is inserted through the lower end of the fitment 16 the inner bead 26 frictionally engages the exterior of spud 73. The spud is formed with a concavity 74 so as not to conflict with the concavity 33 of membrane 32. Holes 76 in spud 73 relieve any vacuum which might tend to impede release of fitment 16 from spud 73 when the fitment has been positioned in the carton panel 11, as shown in FIG. 1.

For purpose of convenience, as used in the accompanying claims, "upper", "lower", "upward", "downward", "above" and "below" refer to the position of the fitment shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that during manufacture, attachment and use, the parts may be positioned in other orientations.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.