Dispensing – Drip – leakage or waste catching or disposal – Return to main supply
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-20
2001-05-01
Derakshani, Philippe (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Drip, leakage or waste catching or disposal
Return to main supply
C222S552000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223946
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to liquid containing and dispensing packages, and more particularly to DBS container-and-closure packages which include a pouring spout and a removable closure that also functions as a measuring cup.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In one widely-used commercial type of liquid containing and dispensing package incorporating a drainback system (DBS), a pouring spout is positioned on the neck of the container, either as part of a drip-catching apron fitment or integrally molded with the container body, and a closure in the form of a combined cap and dispensing cup is removably threadably interengaged with the periphery of the container neck or spout fitment.
For example, Krall U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,356 (incorporated herein reference) shows a plastic liquid containing and dispensing package which comprises a plastic blow molded container having a body portion which terminates at its upper end in an integrally formed dispensing portion that extends from and communicates with the body portion. The dispensing portion includes an annular wall or collar which extends around the body opening and encircles a dispensing spout connected at its lower end to the surrounding collar by a integral web portion that forms the drainback channel and catch apron. The interior surface of the collar has internal threads that cooperate with external threads on a closure in the form of a combined cap and dispensing cup. The closure includes a top wall and a depending annular sidewall skirt that has a sealing ring extending radially outwardly therefrom above the external threads on the skirt. When the cap is screwed down to closed position on the container neck collar, the sealing ring of the cap engages the upper end edge of the collar to provide a seal against leakage of the contents from the container.
Other types of removable closure seals are also typically provided with such container closures. For example, Hilaire U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,704 shows a tamper-proof plastic closure provided with an internal slirt forming a plug-type seal with the inner surface of the container neck as well as a V-shaped annular rib engaged in the upper end edge of the container neck to form a second seal. Likewise, Mumford U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,945 shows another type of child resistant safety closure in which sealing of the closure with the upper end of the container may be effected by a multiple sealing system including, in various disclosed embodiments, a resilient, fluid-impermeable sealing liner provided on the underside surface of the end wall of the closure, a continuous annular sealing rib of flexible and resilient material that engages the exterior cylindrical surface of the container neck as well as a sealing plug of resilient material that engages the internal surface of the container neck.
With such prior art DBS containers with cup/cap closures or with such child resistant safety closures, low viscosity products and pressure building products packaged in the container have the potential to leak past such sealing systems due to a number of factors. In the case of a plug-type seal on the closure, using a plastic container having an internal thread cooperating with an external thread on the plastic closure has in the past led to poor strip torque capability and leakage over time due to material creep. Providing an interference fit of the plug seal of the closure tends to push the container neck wall away from the plug, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the seal. Also, use of a plug-type seal in of itself may not provide sufficient torsional resistance in the fully closed and sealed position of the closure on the container to prevent the closure thread from stripping past the container thread under excessive, but often typical, hand applied final closure tightening force. However, plug-type seals are advantageous in that they can be used to help re-form an out-of-round container neck to a more true round condition to thereby improve centering of other concentric seals when a multiple array sealing system is provided between the closure and container.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, among the objectives of the present invention are to provide an improved liquid containing and dispensing package of the type employing a plug seal in a closure-and-container system, and of the type in which the closure has an externally threaded skirt received within an internally threaded container neck or finish, and wherein (1) the closure and container neck are constructed to create a plug seal fit with enough interference to create a positive seal and withstand the normally applied torque without stripping of the closure/container thread system, (2) sealing engagement force is directly proportional to screw-down force applied to the closure in reaching closed position on the container, (3) the closure seals and container cooperate to improve the centering of a multiple concentric array sealing system, (4) improved correction of any out-of-round condition of the container is effected during seal closure application, (5) the closure construction is readily adaptable to provision of multiple sequential seals of the liner type or V-ring type, final closure screw-down increases the torque required to cause the closure thread to strip past the container thread to thereby achieve high torque capability without danger of thread stripping, and improved removal torque capability is also achieved.
A further object is to provide an improved method of forming an improved plug seal between a plastic container and a plastic closure that is capable of achieving the aforementioned objectives while utilizing economical, mass production plastic molding techniques and equipment already available and that is readily adaptable to manufacture of a variety of closure-and-container systems utilizing plug-type seals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, and by way of summary description and not by way of limitation, the invention accomplishes the foregoing as well as additional objects set forth hereinafter by providing an improved closure for a container-and-closure sealing system embodied in a container and closure package, and an improved method of making the same, wherein the container has an open mouth surrounded by a cylindrical neck wall having internal threads and an open upper edge. The closure is preferably of the cap-and-dispensing cup type and has a skirt with external threads for threaded receipt within the container neck wall. A circumferentially continuous flange projects outwardly from the skirt that is constructed and arranged with a conical portion for cam engaging, trapping and sealing with the open upper edge of the neck wall as the closure is threaded into this wall. The closure skirt also has a circumferentially continuous plug-type sealing surface that extends radially outwardly from the skirt between the trapping flange and closure external threads for interference sealing engagement with the neck wall as the closure is threaded thereinto.
At least one of the container and closure components is made of resiliently deformable plastic material, and preferably both the closure and container are made of plastic material, and the materials of the closure and container preferably differ in hardness relative to another, so that either the plug seal rib or the juxtaposed neck wall surface defonns under closure/container engaging forces to thereby enhance the sealing capability and life.
Preferably, the closure is injection molded in one piece from plastic material so that the trapping flange comprises an annular innermost wall portion integrally joined to the closure skirt that protrudes radially outwardly and also is inclined upwardly (in the container package storage orientation) and thus away from said closure threads. The trapping flange also is formed with a radially outwardly extending wall portion integrally joined with the flange inner wall portion that radially overlaps the container neck open upper edge in assembly. The flange conical portion is formed by a conical skirt wall portio
Geisinger Gregory A.
Haffner Eugene F.
Kidd Mark R.
Trepina George R.
Bui Thach H
Derakshani Philippe
Owens Illinois Closure Inc.
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