US2981447A - Dispensing closures - Google Patents

Description

April 25, 1961 c. R. JENNINGS DISPENSING CLOSURES Filed Jan. 12, 1959 INVENTOR. CL/FFaeo R. Janv/N65 'w22/, EM

ATTORNEY United States Patent lO DISPEN'SINS CLOSURES Cliford R. Jennings, 155 Ash St., Brockton, Mass.

Filed Jan. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,273

`6 Claims. (Cl. 222-484) This invention relates to new and improved dispensing closures, and more specifically to dispensing closures having a iirst part upon which there is rotatably mounted a second part.

Dispensing closures of this type are normally formed so that the first part serves as a common bottle cap or the like, and is provided with a skirt adapted to be attached to an appropriate container. However, if desired, such closures may be manufactured so that the first part is formed as an integral part of a container. In this type of device the second part is normally referred to as a spout since it is adapted to dispense material when rotated from the closed position to an open position 1n use.

Dispensing closures of this category are widely used with a large number of different containers.- Unfortunately common dispensing closures of this category are not manufactured in such a way as to include means for permitting air to liow into a container as the contents of the container are being dispensed so as to permit the smooth flow of such contents from the container. Because of this prior dispensing closures of the type `to which this invention pertains have been employed almost exclusively with so-called squeeze bottles formed out of polyethylene or the like, which bottles are capable of being collapsed so as to force material from them.

A broad object of the present invention is to provide dispensing closures incorporating as an integral part of them means for permitting air to enter a container while simultaneously material is being dispensed from the container. Such means can be termed vent means because of their function. Another object of the present invention is to provide dispensing closures of this category which can be satisfactorily employed with rigid containers so as to dispense fluids from thesecontainers.

These and other objects of this invention will be fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this description, including the appended claims and l the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a dispensing closure of this invention in a closed position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of this closure in an open position;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 4 4 o Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a second part or spout employed in this closure; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional View showing the nature of a sealing structure preferably employed in a closure of this invention.

The accompanying drawing is primarily intended so as to clearly indicate the construction of a presently preferred embodiment of this invention. Those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will realize,

around the openings 30 at all times.

2,981,447 Patented Apr. 25, 1961 ice however, that a number of differently appearing dispensing closures utilizing the essential features or principles of this invention may be designed through the exercise of normal, routine engineering skill.

With a two-part dispensing closure of the type to which this invention pertains the iirst part may be termed a base and may take the form of a cap which may be attached to a container in any manner or a part of a container itself. This iirst part is formed so as to have two openings located therein. One of these openings is designed to be used in dispensing a fluid while another of these openings is designed to be used in permitting air to flow in what, in effect, is a reverse direction into the interior of a container. These two openings are located in such a way as to be capable of being completely covered by the second part or spout which is rotatably mounted upon the first part. This type of construction is designed so that both of the openings in the rst part are closed when the spout is any other than a desired open or dispensing position.

This type of construction is best more fully explained by referring directly to the accompanying drawing illustrating a two-part dispensing type closure 1G having a iirst part 12 and a second part or spout 14. These two parts may conventionally be manufactured at a very nominal cost by modern high speed injection molding techniques out of such materials as common polyethf ylene so that they may be snapped together with a minimum of diiculty. Preferably at least the iirst part 12 is formed of such material so that it is capable of giving somewhat in forming a seal with the second part or spout'14.

The iirst part 12 in the closure 1t) illustrated includes a conventional threaded skirt 16 adapted to be attached to a container in a known manner, and a top 18 having as an extension from the underside thereof a backup or sealing ring 20. The upper surface of this top 18 preferably has aligned bearing cavities 22 formed therein, each of which is open to the outside of the top 18 along its entire length, through a slot 24. These slots` 24 are of a smaller Width than the diameters of the cavities 22.

In the closure 10 the cavities 22 are located at one side of the center of the top 18 and are separated by means of slots 26 having enlarged cylindrically shaped ends 28. From the bottom of each of the ends 28 of these slots 26 there extends through the top 18 an opening 20; the ends 28 in the top 18 are preferably formed so as to include as an integral part thereof a resilient, exible sealing ring 32 extending around each of the openings 30.

With this type of construction a second part or spout 14 constructed as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawing may be snapped into place so that the three aligned shafts 34 on it may be popped through the slots 24 into the bearing cavities 22 by temporary deformation of the iirst part 12. When this occurs cylindrical ends 36 on the spout 14 are rotatably held against the rings 32 so as to deform these rings slightly and form a iiuid tight seal Arms 38 extend from the ends 36 on the spout 14 so as to be within the slo-ts 26 when the second part or spout 14 is in a closed position. These arms 38 are preferably connected by means of a web `40 so that they can easily be rotated simultaneously. v

A curved dispensing passage 42 is located in one o the two ends 36 so as to extend out through the corresponding arm 38. The shape of this passage 42 is preferably such that its end 44 is shielded by a side of the slot 26 when the spout 14 is in a closed position. A venting passage 46 which preferably is of smaller diameter than the dispensing passage 42 and is located in the other of the ends 36 so as to extend directly out through the corresponding arm 38. The end 48 of the passage 46 is preferably also shielded by the side of the corresponding slot 26 when the spout 14 is in a closed position.

In order to use the closure the second part or spout 14 is merely engaged in the hand of an individual and rotated so that the arms S8 engage the top adjacent to the ends 28. When this is done the passages 42 and 46 are simultaneously placed in alignment with the openings 30. At this point, when the closure 1t) is attached to a container, the contents of the container can be poured out through the dispensing passage 42 while air will enter the container through the venting passage 46. The center dispensing passage 42 is preferably curved slightly in order that the user of the closure 10 will normally hold this closure in such a manner that the venting passage is above the dispensing passage 42, thus preventing the -use of the venting passage 46 in dispensing material.

With the closure 10 the passages 42 and 45 are located as far apart as conveniently possible so as to tend to prevent fluid from interfering with the intended function of Itheventing passage 46. This structure is accomplished through the use of separate arms 38 connected by the web `49. If desired, however, both of the passages 42 and 46 can be located as far apart as conveniently possible in a single central portion of a spout.

It ywill be realized that closures having venting means as herein described may be constructed in a number of different manners. Thus, it is substantially immaterial as far as the invention is concerned as to whether or not the second parts or spouts on these closures are held in place by bearings or by overhanging walls of a single cavity overlying these spouts. It will be further realized that a number of different types of bearing structures can be used with the invention if desired. Thus by appropriate engineering changes the number of separate shafts and bearing openings with the closure 1G can be reduced. As an example of this the bearings employed so as to rotatably hold a second part or spout with a closure of this invention can be formed in the second part or spout and the shafts or axles held by such bearings can be formed integrally with the rst part of a closure as herein described.

It is important with the present invention that the second rotatable part, or spout, be formed so as to have at least a part of surface of revolution which is movable about its axis with respect to an appropriate dispensing opening in the first part of a closure as herein described. Such a surface of revolution need not be cylindrically shaped; further, it need only extend on the second part a sufiicient distance about its axis so as to be in contact with the first part in all operative positions of the second part or spout in order to form a seal at all times. Obviously the second part must be supported so as to rotate about the axis of this surface of revolution if such a seal is to be maintained. Because of this the axes of the axles or shafts and the bearing means employed must be aligned with or coincident with the axis of the surface of revolution.

Because of the fact that structures of this invention may be modified in a number of different manners such as are briefly indicated in the preceding discussion, this invention is to be considered as being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A two-part dispensing closure which includes: a cap part having an outer surface, said outer surface being formed so as to include first and second cavities spaced from one another and located adjacent opposed extremities of said cap part and bearing means for rotatably holding a spout part located between said first and second cavities, said bearing means having an axis, said cap part also including a pouring opening extending through said cap part into said first cavity and first sealing means for forming a seal against a surface of revolution located so as to extend into said first cavity completely around said pouring opening, said cap part also including a venting opening of smaller dimension than said pouring opening extending through said cap part into said second cavity and second sealing means for forming a seal against a surface of revolution located so as to extend into said second cavity and surround said venting opening; a spout part including shaft means held by said bearing means, said spout part being capable of being rotated between open and closed positions, said spout part including a first end having a shape of a surface of revolution located in said first cavity and a second end having the shape of a surface of revolution located in said second cavity, said ends being held against said sealing means in said cavities so as to form seals therewith at all times, first and second arms extending from said first and second ends respec tively, and a pouring passage formed in said first end and said rst arm so as to extend through said spout part across said axis and a venting passage of smaller dimension than said pouring passage formed in said second end and said second arm so as to extend through said spout part across said axis, said spout part being held so that the position of it with respect to said cap part can be changed from an open position in which said venting passage and said venting opening are aligned with one another and in which said pouring passage and said pouring opening are aligned with one another to a closed position in which said first and second ends overlie and close said pouring opening and said Venting opening, respectively, and in which said spout part extends substantially in a fiat closed position across the surface of said cap part.

2. A two-part dispensing closure as defined in claim 1 including web means spaced from said shaft means, said web means joining the extremities of said arms remote from said shaft means.

3. A two-part dispensing closure as defined in claim 1 wherein the extremities of said venting and pouring passages remote from said ends are directed away from one another.

4. A two-part dispensing closure as defined in claim 3 including shielding means for shielding the extremities of said venting and pouring passages in the closed position of said spout part formed on said cap part.

5. A two-part dispensing closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said first arm and said pouring passage formed thereon extend further from said axis than said second arm and said venting passage.

6. A two-part dispensing closure as defined in claim 1 including two other bearing means formed on said cap part, each of said other bearing means being located on the side of one of said cavities remote from said first mentioned bearing means, all of said bearing means being aligned with one another, and including other shaft means formed on said spout part located within each of said other bearing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 953,595 Clapp Mar. 29, 1910 2,127,465 Church Aug. 16, 1938 2,495,884 Beyers Ian. 31, 1950 2,717,726 Mart Sept. 13, 1955 2,839,227 Wilson et al. June 17, 1958

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