Sealing arrangement for a closure for a fitment

• US 6,889,857 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Berry Plastics Corporation (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rexam Plastic Packaging Inc. (Ball Corporation)
• Inventors: Winstead, Chris W., Luker, C. Edward, Shankland, William J., Francois, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Lien M.
• Application Number:
  US10/061,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 215/232, 215/DIG.1, 215341-345, 215/346, 215/234, 215/352, 215/354
• US Class Current: 215/344
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/0421 and combined with integral sealing means contacting other surfaces of a container neck

Abstract

A closure for a fitment is provided with an outer side wall extending downwardly therefrom and spaced from an inner sealing ring wherein the outer side wall adjacent the top wall is provided with a plurality of spaced inwardly extending ribs, adapted for embedding into a lip at the outlet of a fitment neck.

Claims

1. A closure in combination with a fitment for a container comprising:

said fitment having a fitment neck;

said closure having a top wall with an outer side wall extending downwardly therefrom and an inner sealing ring spaced inwardly from said side wall, the outer side wall having circumferentially spaced vertically extending ribs along an upper inner surface adjacent said top wall, the inner sealing ring having a lower terminating edge engagable with a lip of a fitment neck inner surface, the spacing between an upper portion of said ribs and an upper portion of an outer surface of said sealing ring being less than the thickness of said fitment neck, said vertically extending ribs contacting said fitment neck at the spaced locations of said circumferentially spaced ribs embedding into said fitment neck and preventing said closure from inadvertently unthreading from said fitment.

2. The combination of claim 1, the spacing between lower terminating edges of said outer edges of said ribs and said outer surface of said sealing ring being greater than the thickness of said fitment neck.

3. The combination of claim 1, said lower terminating edge of said sealing ring being beveled.

4. The combination of claim 1, said top wall having a downwardly extending flanged portion spaced between said upper portion of said rib and said outer surface of said inner sealing ring.

5. The combination of claim 1, said closure having at least one thread disposed circumferentially along an inner surface of said outer wall.

6. The combination of claim 1, said fitment being unitary with said container.

7. The combination of claim 1, said closure and said fitment being made of plastic materials, said closure being of a harder plastic material than said fitment.

8. A closure and container combination, comprising:

a container neck extending upward and having at least one thread formed thereon;

said closure threadably engaging said container neck, said closure having a top wall, a depending annular outer side wall and a depending annular seal, said side well having at least one thread thereon and a spaced from said depending annular seal, said closure also having a defined area about the joinder of said side wail and said lop wall, said defined area populated with a plurality of abutments thereby forming a decreased width between said plurality of abutments and said annular seal wherein said decreased width is less than the thickness of said container neck, said decreased width causing said neck to contact said closure top wall and said plurality of abutments to embed into said container neck due to said closure being constructed of a material harder than said container neck.

9. A closure for a fitment, comprising:

said fitment having an upstanding neck and at least one thread formed thereon;

said closure having a top wall and a depending annular side wall with at least one thread on an interior surface thereof, a plurality of ribs formed along an interior area defined by the joining of said side wall and said top wall, said ribs being substantially vertically extending with outer edges downwardly in a direction towards an inner surface of said annular side wall, said closure further having a seal depending from said top wall and spaced interiorly from said plurality of ribs;

wherein said ribs cause a top portion of said upstanding neck to be compressed between said ribs and said seal by embedding into said fitment neck when said closure is fully threaded onto said fitment.

10. A closure and fitment combination, comprising:

a fitment having an upstanding fitment neck with at least one helical thread;

a closure threadably engageable with said fitment neck and having a top wall and depending annular side wall, a depending annular seal extending downward from said top wall, a plurality of vertical ribs extending inward from said side wall near said top wall, said plurality of vertical ribs and said depending annular seal forming a predefined width, said predefined width smaller than the thickness of said upstanding fitment neck, said fitment neck having a lip which contacts said top wall of said closure upon application of said closure to said fitment neck, said plurality of vertical ribs extending inward to engage said fitment neck and embed into said neck to prevent accidental unthreading of said closure from said fitment.