Fluid container closure mechanism with detachable valve assembly

• US 7,753,234 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HydraPak, LLC
• Original Assignee: Product Architects, Inc.
• Inventors: Heiberger, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Christopher S
• Application Number:
  US09/237,687
• Time in Patent Office: 4,186 Days
• Field of Search: 222/153.09, 222/525, 222/546, 251/350, 251/353
• US Class Current: 222/153.09
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/243 moving linearly, i.e. without rotational motion

Abstract

A fluid container is disclosed. The container includes an enclosure for containing liquid and a first closure member. The first closure member is in the form of a fluid discharge assembly which includes a selectively removable valve body mounted for movement between an open position to permit flow of liquid from the enclosure and a closed position to prevent flow of liquid through the fluid discharge assembly. In addition, the closure includes a cap member mountable to a container, and the cap member defines a product outlet passage. The valve body is disposed for movement within the outlet passage between an open position to permit flow of product through the passage from said container and a closed position to prevent flow of product through the passage. The valve body is selectively removable from the outlet passage.

Claims

1. A closure for a container that is adapted to hold a product for dispensing, comprising:

(a) a cap member mountable to a container, said cap member having a product outlet passage and a sleeve defining said outlet passage that includes a guide member and a longitudinal slot along said guide member; and

(b) a valve body disposed for longitudinal movement within said sleeve between an open position to permit flow of product through said passage from said container and a closed position to prevent flow of product through said passage, said valve body constructed of a stiff yet resiliently bendable material and having an ear projecting radially outwardly and received in said slot during use to define a stop member for limiting movement of said valve body within said sleeve between the open and closed positions, said valve body rotatable within said sleeve with said ear configured such that, upon rotation, said ear will act against said guide member to deform said valve body and become disengaged from the slot thereby to allow removal of said valve body from said sleeve upon longitudinal movement of said valve body relative to said sleeve.

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein said valve body includes a pair of ears disposed on opposite sides of said valve body, and wherein said sleeve includes a pair of guide members defining a pair of oppositely disposed slots each sized to respectively engage one of said ears to define and limit the longitudinal movement of said valve body between said open and closed positions, each of said ears configured to act against a respective said guide member upon rotation of said valve body to deform said valve body and become disengaged from a respective said slot to allow removal of said valve body from said sleeve upon longitudinal movement of said valve body relative to said sleeve.

3. The closure of claim 1, wherein said cap member further includes a central post extending axially along of said sleeve, and wherein said valve body includes a central cavity and a closed outer end having an aperture therein, said valve body being mountable for longitudinal movement along said post, said post being engaged within said aperture when said valve body is in said closed position and disengaged with said aperture when said valve body is in said open position.

4. The closure of claim 3, wherein said deformable valve body includes an open inner end positioned within said sleeve and communicating with the interior of said container to enable said valve body to be radially outwardly deformed by internal pressure within said container to increase the sealing capacity of said valve body in conjunction with increases in the internal pressure of said container.

5. A closure for a container that is adapted to hold a product for dispensing, comprising:

(a) a cap member mountable to a container, said cap member having a product outlet passage and a sleeve defining said outlet passage that includes a guide member and a longitudinal slot along said guide member; and

(b) a valve body disposed for longitudinal movement within said sleeve between an open position to permit flow of product through said passage from said container and a closed position to prevent flow of product through said passage, said valve body includes at least one stop member that projects radially outwardly having a chamfered surface in the form of a wedge that is adapted for engagement against one said guide member and is disposed thereon for limiting the longitudinal movement of said valve body within said sleeve between said open and closed positions, said stop member being seated within said slot to also restrict the rotational movement of said valve body within said sleeve, said valve body being radially deformable for selective removability from said sleeve passage in response to selective rotational force imposed on said valve body in its open position to assist in deforming said valve body radially inwardly.

6. A closure for a container that is adapted to hold a product for dispensing, comprising:

(a) a cap member mountable to a container, said cap member including a sleeve defining a product outlet passage and a sleeve defining a central post extending coaxially with said sleeve; and

(b) a valve body having a central cavity and a closed outer end having an aperture therein, said aperture disposed for longitudinal movement along said post, said post being engaged within said aperture when said valve body is in a closed position and said post disengaged with said aperture when said valve body is in an open position, said valve body also disposed within said sleeve and movable between said open position to permit flow of product through said passage from said container and said closed position to prevent flow of product through said passage, said valve body being radially deformable for selective removability from said sleeve, said valve body including at least one stop member disposed thereon defining the longitudinal movement of said valve body along said post, wherein said sleeve includes guide members for defining a longitudinal channel within said sleeve for said stop member, said stop member being seated within said channel to both limit the longitudinal movement and restrict rotational movement of said valve body within said sleeve, and wherein said central post includes support elements disposed between said post and said valve body proximate to said channel to prevent the axial removal of said deformable valve body from said sleeve while said stop member is disposed within said channel.