Bottles and jars – Closures – With separate applied fastener to hold closure in closed...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-19
2001-07-03
Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3727)
Bottles and jars
Closures
With separate applied fastener to hold closure in closed...
C220S320000, C222S153100, C222S321900, C222S385000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253941
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an assembly for securing and sealing a dispenser, such as a pump, a valve, or other dispensing means to a flanged container. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved assembly for securing a dispenser to a container without the necessity of complex mechanical operations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is often desirable to secure a dispenser, such as a pump, a valve, or other dispensing means to a container for storing a liquid product. A typical container may be made of glass and have a neck with an opening for dispensing the product. A flange having an inwardly directed ledge is often provided to facilitate attachment of a cap or dispensing device to the container.
Various methods are known for securing a dispenser onto a flanged container. One such method is to provide the dispenser with a metal mounting ferrule. To attach the dispenser to the container, the bottom of the skirt of the mounting furrule is deformed, or crimped, beneath the container flange to retain the dispenser in place. Such a crimping operation, however, requires specialized machinery made specifically for the crimping operation. Moreover, since each dispenser must be positioned accurately, and then crimped, the process of crimping the mounting furrules is relatively time consuming. Furthermore, set-up of the crimping process requires precise adjustment of the crimping head in order to fully crimp the mounting furrule onto the container. If the flange of the container varies even slightly from the dimensions defined during set-up, the crimping process may easily fail. If the flange is too small, a tight crimp may not occur, which can result in leakage. If the flange is too large or if the height of the bottle varies from what is expected, the forces necessary for crimping may crush the flange, thereby causing the container to break. Such breaking of the container requires the assembly line to be stopped so the broken container can be removed and the assembly line machinery cleaned, and results in loss of the package, including the fragrance, which is often particularly costly.
Another method for securing a dispenser onto a flanged container utilizes a hard plastic collar having an annular recess which receives the flange. An annular retaining rib snap-locks under the flange when installed. Such designs, however, typically require the use of hard plastics, which are not effective for providing a liquid seal and therefore require a gasket. As such, leakage problems often result. Moreover, as is the case with crimping, variances in flange dimensions can easily cause failure. If the flange is too small, the retaining rib snap locks may not pull the collar into sealing engagement with the container, which can result in leakage. If the flange is too large, the retaining rib snap-locks may not fit properly underneath the flange, which too can result in leakage and retention failure of the dispenser.
The disadvantages of the above discussed methods and assemblies are substantially obviated by the assembly and method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,553 to Van Brocklin, which is incorporated herein by reference. The assembly disclosed therein comprises a mounting cup having a generally cylindrical skirt around its periphery and a sealing collar. The sealing collar includes a sleeve having a diameter sized to receive the sidewall of the flange, and sized to be encased by the mounting cup. The end portion of the sleeve, which comprises a plurality of spaced tabs, is in the path of movement of the mounting cup and is deformed radially inwardly beneath the flange ledge thereby to secure the collar to the flange.
The present invention is an improvement upon the method and assembly described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,553 as well as any other sealing method and assembly employing a plastic collar and a mounting cup slideable over the plastic collar, or equivalents thereof.
What is desired, therefore, is an assembly which secures and seals a dispenser, such as a pump or valve, to a flanged container, which is less expensive than known assemblies to manufacture, which requires a reduced force to attach the assembly to the container, which provides an increased retention force of the components, which is aesthetically pleasing, and which can employ a standard collar used with known crimped assemblies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly which secures and seals a dispenser, such as a pump or valve, to a flanged container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which is less expensive than known assemblies to manufacture.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which requires a reduced force to attach the assembly to the container.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which provides an increased retention force of the components.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which is aesthetically pleasing.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which can employ a standard collar used with known crimped assemblies.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by provision of an assembly for securing and sealing a dispenser to a flanged container. The assembly includes a sealing collet formed from a resilient deformable molded polymeric material. The sealing collet has an outer surface having an outer diameter, and also has a continuous downwardly extending skirt having a bottom portion thereof extending radially outwardly. The assembly also includes a retaining collar formed from a substantially rigid material, which has a sleeve about its periphery having an inner surface with a diameter sized to encase the skirt of the sealing collet. The retaining collar is slideable through a path of movement over the sealing collet to an assembled position. The sleeve of the retaining collar deforms the bottom portion of the skirt of the sealing collet radially inwardly to a position under the flange of the container as the retaining collar is slid to the assembled position in order to maintain the sealing collet and the retaining collar in the assembled position and to maintain the seal between the sealing collet and the flange. A plurality of annular retaining rings, which preferably comprise splines, grooves or a combination thereof, are provided on inner surface of the sleeve of the retaining collar, and are positioned to engage the outer surface of the sealing collet when the retaining collar is in the assembled position. The retaining rings are formed to such an extent that they cause the outer surface of the sealing collet to deform therearound when the retaining collar is in the assembled position to enhance the maintenance of the retaining collar on the sealing collet in the assembled position.
In one embodiment, each of the splines has a frustoconical portion having an upper end having a diameter less than the diameter of the inner surface of the sleeve of the retaining collar and having a lower end having a diameter greater than the upper end. Preferably, the lower end of the frustoconical portion of each of the splines has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the inner surface of the sleeve of the retaining collar. In other embodiments, the splines are barbed or partially rounded.
In another embodiment, each of the grooves has a frustoconical portion having a lower end having a diameter greater than the diameter of the inner surface of the sleeve of the retaining collar and having an upper end having a diameter less than the lower end. Preferably, the upper end of the frustoconical portion of each of the grooves has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the inner surface of the sleeve of the retaining
Fedorjaczenko Sergei
VanBrocklin Owen F.
Crown Cork & Seal Technologies Corporation
Eloshway Niki M.
Shoap Allan N.
St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC
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