VALVE TOP

• US 20090283555A1
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tablecraft Products Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tablecraft Products Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Maxwell, Charles P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,162,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/494
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/32 Containers adapted to be temporarily deformed by external pressure to expel contents B65D47/2018, B65D83/0055 take precedence ; containers for pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/20, A61M5/19; containers with disinfecting linings A61L2/00; liquid sprayers B05B; oil cans F16N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2501/0063 Additional discharging means B65D1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2031 the element being formed by a slit, narrow opening or constrictable spout, the size of the outlet passage being able to be varied by increasing or decreasing the pressure B65D47/2025 takes precedence

Abstract

A refillable bottom dispensing package forming a closed space in which fluid material can be stored and from which such material can be dispensed, the package having a rigid wall adjacent a bottom thereof, the wall having a hole, a resilient valve regulating dispensing of the fluid material contained in the package through the hole, the valve being closed to the passage of fluid material through the hole when the contents of the package are substantially at atmospheric pressure and being opened by pressure on the contents when said pressure is above atmospheric pressure, the valve forming a flap seal against a surface of said wall, the sealing action of the flap seal against said wall surface being free of influence from structural elements of the package while being directly responsive in its sealing force against the wall surface to the pressure level of the contents in the package space, the inter-relationship of the flap seal and the wall within the package being arranged to avoid impeding removal of the valve from the wall and the package.

Claims

1. A refillable bottom dispensing package forming a closed space in which fluid material can be stored and from which such material can be dispensed, the package having a rigid wall adjacent a bottom thereof, the wall having a hole, a resilient valve regulating dispensing of the fluid material contained in the package through the hole, the valve being closed to the passage of fluid material through the hole when the contents of the package are substantially at atmospheric pressure and being opened by pressure on the contents when said pressure is above atmospheric pressure, the valve forming a flap seal against a surface of said wall, the sealing action of the flap seal against said wall surface being free of influence from structural elements of the package while being directly responsive in its sealing force against the wall surface to the pressure level of the contents in the package space, the inter-relationship of the flap seal and the wall within the package being arranged to avoid impeding removal of the valve from the wall and the package.

2. A bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve is molded of an elastomeric material.

3. A bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve is locally slit in a pattern, the slit pattern remaining essentially closed when the contents of the package are at near atmospheric pressure and open when the pressure in the package is increased above atmospheric pressure.

4. A refillable bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve is molded of silicone with a Shore hardness of about 40 A.

5. A refillable bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flap seal is an annular generally flat thin wall structure forming an outer periphery of said valve.

6. A refillable bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said package comprises a squeeze bottle, and said wall is formed by a closure on a lower part of said bottle.

7. A refillable bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 6, wherein said closure is threaded onto said bottle.

8. A refillable bottom dispensing package as set forth in claim 7, wherein internal surfaces of said bottle and closure are devoid of internal corners of a radius of substantially less than ⅛

″

.

9. A bottom dispensing squeeze bottle and dispensing closure combination, the bottle being molded of a thin wall relatively soft resilient plastic with a threaded neck opening, the closure being releasably threaded onto the bottle neck and having a hole therethrough, a resilient pressure responsive valve attached to the closure by removably capturing it in the hole by virtue of a part of the valve being larger than the hole and being inserted in the hole, the valve including a relatively thin flap seal on its periphery adapted to seal on an interior surface of the closure surrounding the hole.

10. A bottom dispensing squeeze bottle and dispensing closure combination as set forth in claim 9, wherein said valve has a slit formed orifice.

11. A bottom dispensing squeeze bottle and dispensing closure combination as set forth in claim 10, wherein the slit formed orifice is supported by a connector sleeve joined to said flap seal.

12. A valve for a bottom dispensing package comprising an elastomeric body molded as a single piece with a valve head, the valve head being slit to form a pressure responsive dispensing orifice, a connector sleeve connected at one end to a periphery of the valve head and at an opposite end connected to a circular mounting base, a flap seal above at least a portion of the mounting base and extending radially in a plane transverse to the direction of flow of fluid passing through the slit formed orifice, the flap seal being relatively thin and thereby capable of sealing in a free state against a flat surface of a molded plastic surface, the width of the flap seal radially outward of the connection sleeve being at least as large as five times its average thickness.

13. A valve as set forth in claim 12, the circular mounting base including a cylindrical tubular portion disposed between said connector sleeve and said flap seal, said tubular portion being configured to fit in a hole in the wall against which said flap seal seals.

14. A valve as set forth in claim 13, wherein said cylindrical tubular portion distal from said flap seal has a peripheral flange larger in diameter than the outside diameter of said cylindrical tubular portion.