Threaded dispensing closure with flap

• US 5,330,082 A
• Filed: 12/28/1992
• Issued: 07/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Weatherchem Corporation (Mold-Rite Plastics, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherchem Corporation (Mold-Rite Plastics, LLC)
• Inventors: Forsyth, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bomberg, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US07/997,650
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 220/254, 222/153, 222/480, 222/485, 222/482, 222/556, 222/565, 222/498, 222/517, 222/545
• US Class Current: 222/480
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/0847 located within a flat surface of the base element

Abstract

A screw-on flap-style dispensing cap having a snap catch for releasably holding the flap in its closed position. The snap catch and supporting cap body and flap areas are configured to increase the retaining force produced by the snap catch when the cap is locally deformed as the cap is applied to a container mouth with a relatively high torque level so that a tendency of the flap to pop open when over-tightened is compensated.

Claims

1. An injection molded thermoplastic screw-on dispensing cap for a container with a circular mouth and an externally threaded neck, the cap having a generally cylindrical internally threaded skirt adapted to be threaded onto the neck of the container, a generally circular end wall radially inward of the skirt, the end wall having at least one dispensing opening therethrough for dispensing granular or particulate products from the container, a flap, a living hinge on the end wall formed integrally with the flap supporting the flap for movement between a closed and an open position, the flap being relatively rigid in its construction apart from the hinge, catch means for releasably holding the flap in its closed position with a retaining force that is sufficiently low to be overcome with a finger force applied by a user, the hinge being arranged such that when the flap is held closed by the catch means the hinge is adapted to resist forces on the flap, generally in the plane of the flap and away from the hinge, substantially exclusively by tensile reaction forces therein, the end wall including an annular area radially within the skirt for applying a circumferentially continuous pressure on the mouth of the container, the dispensing opening being relatively large with a dimension in the plane of the end wall generally at least an order of magnitude greater than the average wall thickness of the end wall and skirt and being adjacent a portion of said annular area, the annular area tending to deform axially upwardly when the cap is tightened onto the container neck and tending to move the flap in a direction to open it, means associated with said catch means and effectively responsive to axial upward deformation of the annular area to maintain an adequate level of retaining force of said catch means and thereby reduce the risk that the flap will open when the cap is over-tightened on the container neck.

2. A cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein said responsive means includes a wall element that extends axially away from said annular area.

3. A cap as set forth in claim 2, wherein said wall element is spaced radially inwardly from said skirt.

4. A cap as set forth in claim 3, wherein said annular area has an inner perimeter and said wall element is situated on or adjacent said inner peripheral area.

5. An injection molded thermoplastic screw-on dispensing cap for a container with a circular mouth and an externally threaded neck, the cap having a body with a generally cylindrical internally threaded skirt adapted to be threaded onto the threaded neck of the container, and a generally circular end wall radially inward of the skirt, the end wall having at least one dispensing opening therethrough for dispensing granular or particulate products from the container, a flap, a living hinge on the end wall formed integrally with the flap supporting the flap for movement between a closed and an open position, the flap being relatively rigid in its construction apart from the hinge, catch means for releasably holding the flap in its closed position with a retaining force that is sufficiently low to be overcome with a finger force applied by a user, the hinge being arranged such that when the flap is held closed by the catch means the hinge is adapted to resist forces on the flap, generally in the plane of the flap and away form the hinge, substantially exclusively by tensile reaction forces therein, the end wall including an annular area radially within the skirt for applying a circumferentially continuous pressure on the mouth of the container, the dispensing opening being relatively large with a dimension in the plane of the end wall generally at least an order of magnitude greater than the average wall thickness of the end wall and skirt and being adjacent a portion of said annular area, the annular area tending to deform axially upwardly when the cap is tightened onto the container neck and tending to move the flap in a direction to open it, the catch means including surface areas on said body and said flap, the catch means surface areas on the body facing generally radially outwardly and the catch means surface areas on the flap facing generally radially inwardly, said catch means being effectively responsive to axial upward deformation of the annular area to maintain an adequate level of retaining force of said catch means and thereby reduce the risk that the flap will open when the cap is over-tightened on the threaded neck of the container.

6. A cap as set forth in claim 5, wherein said catch surfaces areas are disposed axially above said annular area.

7. An injection molded thermoplastic screw-on dispensing cap for a container with a circular mouth and an externally threaded neck, the cap having a generally cylindrical skirt formed with an internal thread with a minor radius and adapted to be threaded onto the neck of the container, a generally circular end wall radially inward of the skirt, the end wall having at least one relatively large dispensing opening therethrough for dispensing granular or particulate products from the container, the dispensing opening having a dimension in the plane of the end wall an order of magnitude larger than the average wall thickness of the skirt and end wall, a flap, a hinge on the end wall supporting the flap for movement between a closed and an open position, the flap being relatively unextensible in its construction, catch means for releasably holding the flap in its closed position with a retaining force that is sufficiently low to be overcome with a finger force applied by a user, the hinge and the flap being arranged such that when the flap is held closed by the catch means, the hinge is adapted to provide substantially the exclusive resistance to forces on the flap generally in the plane of the flap and away from the hinge, the end wall including a generally circumferentially continuous annular sealing area radially within the skirt for applying a circumferentially continuous pressure on the mouth of the container, the annular area tending to deform axially upwardly when the cap is tightened onto the container neck and applying a force on the flap which is in a direction to open the flap, the catch means including an interengaging surface structure on the end wall facing radially outwardly and a complimentary interengaging surface structure on the flap facing radially inwardly, the interengaging surface structure of the end wall overlying a zone that is radially inward of the minor radius of the thread, said interengaging surface structures mutually cooperating in a manner that is effectively responsive to axial upward deformation of the annular area to maintain a level of flap retaining force and thereby reduce the risk that the flap will open when the cap is over-tightened on the container neck.

8. An injection molded thermoplastic screw-on dispensing cap according to claim 7, wherein the interengaging surface structure of the end wall radially overlies the sealing area.

9. An injection molded thermoplastic screw-on dispensing cap according to claim 8, wherein the interengaging surface structure of the end wall radially overlies an area immediately adjacent the radially inward extent of the sealing area.

10. An injection molded thermoplastic screw-on dispensing cap according to claim 7, wherein the dispensing opening is a relatively large spoon opening and the interengaging surface structure of the end wall is adjacent the radially outward boundary of the spoon opening.