Closure member
阅读说明:本技术 封闭件 (Closure member ) 是由 S·塞萨雷 G·拉利耶 于 2018-05-30 设计创作,主要内容包括:一种非常耐用的改进卡扣/拧开式封闭件(22)。本发明还涉及一种包括封闭件的包装,例如与封闭件(22)组合的瓶子(20)。该封闭件包括限定出开口(36)的上壁(25)以及从上壁(25)悬垂的筒形卡扣管(30)。该管(30)包括设计成与瓶子颈部上的外螺纹(60)配合的螺纹(34)。当在制造过程中将封闭件卡扣到瓶子上时,管上的螺纹和瓶子颈部上的螺纹会彼此越过。该管包括阻力凹部(42)和引导凹部(70)。阻力凹部(42)和引导凹部(70)容纳瓶子的肩部上的施力元件并允许旋开封闭件。(An improved snap/twist closure (22) that is very durable. The invention also relates to a package comprising a closure, such as a bottle (20) in combination with a closure (22). The closure includes an upper wall (25) defining an opening (36) and a cylindrical snap tube (30) depending from the upper wall (25). The tube (30) includes threads (34) designed to mate with external threads (60) on the neck of the bottle. When the closure is snapped onto the bottle during manufacture, the threads on the tube and the threads on the neck of the bottle may pass over each other. The tube includes a resistance recess (42) and a guide recess (70). The resistance recess (42) and the guide recess (70) accommodate a force applying element on the shoulder of the bottle and allow unscrewing of the closure.)
1. A closure comprising
a. An upper wall defining an opening;
b. a cylindrical snap tube depending from said upper wall and extending axially to a bottom end;
c. the cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess at a bottom end thereof;
d. the cylindrical snap tube further comprises at least one thread on an inner wall thereof;
e. the cylindrical snap tube defining opposing first and second walls of the resistance recess;
f. the first and second drag recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second drag recess walls is at least at one point less than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point at the same axial height; and
g. said bottom end of said cylindrical snap tube being shaped to include a guiding recess for lowering a cylindrical snap tube thread relative to a container neck,
the closure is configured such that the guiding recess comprises a first guiding recess wall with an upward gradient and a second guiding recess wall with a downward gradient, such that in a closing rotational direction of the closure the first guiding recess wall allows the cylindrical snap tube to be axially lowered towards the container neck with the force application element and the second wall coinciding with the closure cylindrical snap tube to be raised relative to the container, and when the force application element contacts the small gradient resistance recess wall the thread maintains its axial position relative to the thread on the bottle neck to which the closure is being applied, at least until the force application element reaches a position below the second guiding recess wall.
2. The closure of claim 1, further comprising a closure cap for closing the opening, the closure cap hingedly attached to a closure base of the closure.
3. A closure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, in the direction of rotation to unscrew the closure, upon encountering the resistance recess, the force application element encounters the first guide recess wall and then the second guide recess wall.
4. A closure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cylindrical snap tube thread and the container thread retain the container thread in a relative axial position above the snap tube thread when the force application element reaches a position below the first guide recess wall.
5. A closure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second resistance recess wall has a lesser gradient and the lesser gradient of the second resistance recess wall is in the range of 10 degrees less to 10 degrees greater than the gradient of a side wall of the force application element of the container which side wall faces the second resistance recess wall during unscrewing of the closure, and the lesser gradient of the second resistance wall and the side wall of the force application element which side wall faces the second resistance wall have a gradient between 30 and 85 degrees.
6. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the distance between the resistance recess and the guide recess in the unscrewing direction is at least 2 mm.
7. A closure according to claim 7, wherein the distance between the resistance recess and the guide recess in the unscrewing direction is from 2mm up to 5 mm.
8. A closure according to claim 8, wherein the distance between the resistance recess and the guide recess in the unscrewing direction is from 2mm up to 4 mm.
9. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first guide recess wall has a gradient in the range 90 to 135 degrees.
10. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second guide recess wall has a gradient in the range 0 to 10 degrees.
11. A container comprising a combined closure and bottle, the container comprising a closure and bottle having a bottle neck and at least one force applying element,
I. the closure comprises
a) An upper wall defining an opening;
b) a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to a bottom end,
c) the cylindrical snap tube including at least one resistance recess therein extending to the bottom end;
d) the cylindrical snap tube further comprises one or more threads on an inner wall thereof;
e) the cylindrical snap tube defining opposing first and second walls of the resistance recess;
f) the first and second resistive recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second sides is at least at one point less than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point at the same axial height; and
g) the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering and raising the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the bottle neck,
the bottle neck has an external thread,
the at least one bottle force application element is adapted to be at least partially received within the resistance recess of the closure cylindrical snap tube, wherein the guide recess comprises a first wall having an upward gradient and a second wall having a downward gradient, whereby in a closure rotational direction of the closure, the first guide recess wall allows the cylindrical snap tube to be axially lowered toward the force application element and the second guide recess wall, which is coincident with the closure cylindrical snap tube, to be raised relative to the closure element, and when the force application element contacts the low gradient resistance recess wall, the snap tube internal thread and bottle neck thread maintain the bottle neck thread in a relative axial position above the snap tube thread at least until the force application element reaches a position below the second guide recess wall.
12. The container of claim 11, wherein the cylindrical snap tube thread axially passes over the bottle thread with the addition of axial force after the force application element reaches a position below the second guide recess wall.
13. The container according to claim 11 or 12,
the second resistance recess wall has a smaller gradient and the smaller gradient of the second resistance recess wall is in the range of 10 degrees smaller to 10 degrees larger than the gradient of a side wall of the force application element of the container, which side wall faces the second resistance recess wall during unscrewing of the closure, and the smaller gradient of the second resistance wall and the side wall of the force application element facing the second resistance wall have a gradient between 30 and 85 degrees.
Background
Many personal care products are sold in plastic bottles. Examples of such products are body washes and shampoos. While it is convenient for consumers to dispense body wash or hair care products from bottles, plastic bottles are often discarded after a single use and sometimes undesirably enter landfills. Although plastic bottles are sometimes recycled, transportation to a recycling facility and recycling itself consume energy. It would therefore be preferable if the package were to be reused after a single use rather than discarded.
Theoretically, while some current commercial bottles can be reused by consumers, the ease of doing so is often somewhat inadequate. For example, it may be difficult for a consumer to remove the closure sufficiently to facilitate access to the body of the bottle. This creates a significant obstacle to the goal of minimizing plastic use and handling. Accordingly, there is a need for a bottle having a closure that can be easily removed by a consumer. Furthermore, it is important that the consumer can easily secure the closure to the bottle again once the consumer refills the container.
It is of course desirable for the consumer to have easy access to the interior of the bottle, but the bottle cannot be designed so that the closure is too easily separated from the bottle. Otherwise, the product will be released from the container at an inappropriate time (e.g., during shipping). Moreover, the goal of an easily separable closure must be balanced against competing goals of cheapness in placing the closure on the bottle during manufacture and the attendant production costs.
Us patent No.8,365,933 to jack discloses a closure system comprising a snap-on closure which can be pressed on a nozzle, wherein two interacting elements move by or over each other due to their flexibility. The closure can only be removed with difficulty in strictly axial/vertical directions by applying a certain force, but can be removed by a rotational movement which is much easier than an axial removal movement. The closure includes a recess in the cylindrical snap tube that engages a force applying element on the shoulder of the container. The sides of the recess are designed such that the gradient at one point on one side is smaller than the gradient at the same point on the other side.
Disclosure of Invention
The present invention seeks to provide an improved snap/twist-off closure which does not suffer from some of the disadvantages of prior closures. In particular, it is durable as seen in standard industrial drop tests. The invention also relates to a package comprising a closure, for example a bottle in combination with a closure.
The base of the closure of the present invention comprises: an upper wall defining an opening; and a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending vertically/axially to the bottom tube end. The cylindrical snap-on tube includes threads on the inner wall designed to mate with external threads on the neck of the bottle. The closure base snaps onto the bottle neck, thereby causing the threads of the cylindrical snap tube to ride over and temporarily lock under the threads of the container neck.
The closure cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess and at least one guide recess at its bottom end. The resistance recess and the guide recess function in unscrewing of the closure, so that the closure can be easily removed for refilling. The resistance recess comprises opposing first and second walls defined by the cylindrical snap tube and having a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the walls is at least at one point smaller than the gradient at a point on the other wall at the same axial/vertical height.
When the closure is closed, the force applying element from the container is at least partially received within the resistance recess. The resistive recess wall with the higher gradient is in contact with the force application element, which prevents rotation of the closure in one (non-opening/screw-down closure/closure-securing) direction, typically clockwise. When the closure is rotated in the opposite direction or opening/unscrewing/closure removal direction, contact between the gentle gradient of the opposing walls of the resistance recess and the force applying element will force the closure slightly upwards. During this initial rotation, the internal threads on the cylindrical snap tube maintain their position below the external threads of the container neck as the closure travels axially upward relative to the container neck. Axial movement is due to the angling of the threads; the end result of the angular rotational movement is an axial movement. Alternatively, the closure may be configured such that with sufficient axial force applied, for example by a consumer, even during initial rotation, once the force applying element is disengaged from the resistance recess, the internal thread on the snap tube may ride over the external thread of the container neck to facilitate removal of the closure.
Upon further turning of the closure in the counter-clockwise or unscrewing/opening direction, the force-exerting element will encounter the trailing end of the resistance recess, followed by the bottom edge of the snap-tube, and then the guide recess. During rotation of the closure in the unscrewing/opening direction, the guide recess first extends upwardly from the bottom end to allow the cylindrical snap tube to be lowered relative to the container neck while the mating threads on the closure cylindrical snap tube and the container neck are in contact with each other. Thereafter, with the cylindrical snap tube and neck threads still engaged, the guide recess includes a gradual downward gradient toward the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube as the closure is further rotated in the unscrewing/opening/closure removal direction.
The downward gradient of the guide recess, and the resulting relative upward movement of the closure in line with the gradient of the mating threads on the container neck and skirt, provides guidance and provides minimal resistance to rotation of the closure in the unscrewing/opening direction. The consumer can continue to turn the closure with minimal resistance to final removal of the closure. The presence of the guide recess also facilitates a reverse process in which the consumer rotates the closure in the closing direction (typically clockwise) after refilling the bottle. It is believed that without the guide recess, the bottom of the snap tube would prevent engagement of the threads when the closure is tightened.
The closure may include a closure element that contacts and/or covers the top wall of the closure base to seal the closure opening, but which is removable from the opening to dispense the product. Preferably, the closure element remains associated with the closure base when the closure element is removed to dispense product, for example by a hinge or other attachment.
The length of the bottom edge of the snap tube extending between the resistance recess and the guide recess is preferably at least 2mm and as long as 5mm, especially 2-4mm, in order to maximise the durability of the closure, including promoting a good, comfortably tight fit of the closure on the bottle during prolonged use.
The closure of the present invention allows the closure to be securely placed on the bottle neck during manufacture, but the consumer can easily remove the closure from the bottle and easily reapply the closure to the bottle, thereby encouraging removal of the closure to refill the container. The closure is durable, e.g. resistant to wear and tear.
It is apparent that changes such as the direction of screwing/unscrewing and the position of the screw thread may require adjustment of the positions and shapes of the resistance recess and the guide recess.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a side view of a bottle and closure of the present invention, with the closure shown in cross-section.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the bottle of the present invention with a portion of the neck cut away and showing the closure base above it in cross-section with the closure cap removed.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view from above of the closure according to the invention in the open position.
Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the closure of fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the package of the present invention with the closure partially rotated in a unscrewing/opening/closure removal direction and a portion of the closure cut away to expose the cylindrical snap tube.
Fig. 6 is a side view of the upper portion of the container with a portion of the closure broken away and the closure in a fully closed position.
Fig. 7 is a side view of the closure with a portion broken away.
Detailed Description
A
The
The
As best shown in fig. 5-7, the
Typically, the closure is unscrewed/opened/removed by a counter-clockwise rotation, so for the purposes of this specification, a counter-clockwise unscrewing/opening will be assumed. It will be apparent, however, that different orientations may be used if desired, and that the shape of the
As best shown in fig. 6, the
The rearward resistance recess wall during the unscrewing/opening rotation, shown at 44 in fig. 7, comprises a more gradual gradient at its
Starting from the initial closed position shown in fig. 6, if the closure is rotated in a clockwise direction as the user turns the closure, the steep gradient of the force
The lesser, more gradual gradient of the
During consumer removal of the closure, further counterclockwise rotation of the
The distance between the
The presence of the guide recess in addition to the resistance recess also facilitates rotation of the closure in the opposite, normally clockwise, closing direction. As the closure is rotated in the clockwise closing direction, at point 75 (fig. 5), the
In operation, during manufacture of the package, the
In normal use, the product is dispensed with the
When the bottle is substantially free of shampoo, body wash, lotion or other product originally contained therein, the consumer removes
Next, the
At some point in the opening rotation, preferably after the force application element has passed a position below the second guide recess wall, the cylindrical snap tube thread may optionally pass axially over the bottle thread, thereby facilitating removal of the closure. If this occurs, it will typically rotate further in the opening direction than the position of the
With the closure removed, the consumer then refills the bottle with shampoo or other product. The consumer then either applies the closure back to the bottle by snapping it down on the bottle neck in an axial direction, or screws it back on to the bottle neck, similar to that used in manufacture. If the latter is selected, the clockwise moving
The front and/or top wall of the force application element encounters the
By strictly vertical/axial placement on the bottle during manufacture, the closure can be safely and economically placed on the container neck, while refilling the container is improved by providing the consumer with the ability to easily rotate the closure to remove and reapply it to the bottle. The
The upward or downward movement referred to herein assumes that the
The closure may be made of polypropylene or polyethylene or similar polymeric material and the bottle may be moulded from high density polyethylene or polypropylene or PET. The closure is designed to be durable and resistant to normal wear and tear caused by opening and closing the closure and even dropping.
Personal care products include products for the skin, scalp or oral cavity such as shampoos, body washes, skin lotions and the like.
The invention includes the following numbered aspects:
1. a closure comprising
a. An upper wall defining an opening;
b. a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to the bottom end;
c. the cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess at a bottom end thereof;
d. the cylindrical snap tube further comprises at least one thread on an inner wall thereof;
e. a cylindrical snap tube defining opposing first and second walls of a resistance recess;
f. the first and second drag recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second drag recess walls is at least at one point less than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point located at the same axial height; and
g. the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the container neck,
the closure is configured such that the guiding recess comprises a first guiding recess wall with an upward gradient and a second guiding recess wall with a downward gradient, such that in a closing rotational direction of the closure the first guiding recess wall allows the cylindrical snap tube to be axially lowered towards the container neck with the force application element and the second wall, coinciding with the closure cylindrical snap tube, to be raised relative to the container, and when the force application element contacts the small gradient resistance recess wall, the thread maintains its axial position relative to the thread on the bottle neck to which the closure is applied, at least until the force application element reaches a position below the second guiding recess wall.
2. The closure of item 1, further comprising a closure cap for closing the opening, the closure cap hingedly attached to the closure base of the closure.
3. The closure of item 1, wherein, in the rotational direction of unscrewing the closure, upon encountering the resistance recess, the force application element encounters the first guide recess wall and then the second guide recess wall.
4. The closure of item 1, wherein the cylindrical snap tube thread and the container thread retain their relative axial positions when the force application element reaches a position below the first guide recess wall, with the container thread being above the snap tube thread.
5. The closure of clause 1, wherein the second resistance recess wall has a lesser gradient, and the lesser gradient of the second resistance recess wall is in the range of 10 degrees less to 10 degrees greater than the gradient of the sidewall of the force application element of the container that faces the second resistance recess wall during unscrewing of the closure, and the lesser gradient of the second resistance wall and the sidewall of the force application element that faces the second resistance wall have a gradient between 30 and 85 degrees.
6. A container comprising a combined closure and bottle, the container comprising a closure and bottle having a bottle neck and at least one force applying element,
I. the closure member comprises
a) An upper wall defining an opening;
b) a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to the bottom end,
c) the cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess therein extending to the bottom end;
d) the cylindrical snap tube further comprises one or more threads on an inner wall thereof;
e) a cylindrical snap tube defining opposing first and second walls of a resistance recess;
f) the first and second resistive recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second sides is at least at one point smaller than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point located at the same axial height; and
g) the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering and raising the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the bottle neck,
the bottle neck has external threads and the at least one bottle force element is adapted to be at least partially received within a resistance recess of the closure cylindrical snap tube, wherein the guide recess comprises a first wall with an upward gradient and a second wall with a downward gradient, whereby in a closing rotational direction of the closure the first guide recess wall allows the cylindrical snap tube to be axially lowered towards the force element and the second guide recess wall, which coincides with the closure cylindrical snap tube, to be raised relative to the closure element, and when the force element contacts the small gradient resistance recess wall, the snap tube internal threads and the bottle neck threads maintain the bottle neck threads in a relative axial position above the snap tube threads at least until the force element reaches a position below the second guide recess wall.
7. The container of clause 6, wherein the cylindrical snap tube thread axially passes over the bottle thread with the addition of axial force after the force application element reaches a position below the second guide recess wall.
8. The closure of item 1, wherein the distance between the resistance recess and the guide recess in the unscrewing direction is at least 2 mm.
9. The closure according to item 8, wherein the distance between the resistance recess and the guide recess in the unscrewing direction is 2mm to 5 mm.
10. The closure according to item 9, wherein the distance between the resistance recess and the guide recess in the unscrewing direction is from 2mm up to 4 mm.
11. The closure of item 1, wherein the first guide recess wall has a gradient in the range of 90 to 135 degrees.
12. The closure of clause 1, wherein the second guiding recess wall has a gradient in the range of 0 to 10 degrees.
13. The container of item 6, wherein
The second resistance recess wall has a smaller gradient and the smaller gradient of the second resistance recess wall is in the range of 10 degrees less to 10 degrees greater than the gradient of the sidewall of the force application element of the container, which sidewall faces the second resistance recess wall during unscrewing of the closure, and said smaller gradient of the second resistance wall and the sidewall of the force application element facing said second resistance wall have a gradient between 30 and 85 degrees.
14. A closure, comprising
a. An upper wall defining an opening;
b. a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to the bottom end;
c. the cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess at a bottom end thereof;
d. the cylindrical snap tube further comprises at least one thread on an inner wall thereof;
e. a cylindrical snap tube defining opposing first and second walls of a resistance recess;
f. the first and second drag recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second drag recess walls is at least at one point less than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point located at the same axial height; and
g. the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the container neck,
the closure is configured such that the guiding recess comprises a first wall with an upward gradient and a second wall with a downward gradient, whereby in a closing rotational direction of the closure the first guiding recess wall allows the cylindrical snap tube to be axially lowered towards the force application element and the second guiding recess wall, which coincides with the closure cylindrical snap tube, is raised relative to the closure element, the closure being made of a flexible material.
15. A container comprising a combined closure and bottle, the container comprising a closure and bottle having a bottle neck and at least one force applying element,
I. the closure member comprises
h) An upper wall defining an opening;
i) a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to the bottom end,
j) the cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess therein extending to the bottom end;
k) the cylindrical snap tube further comprises one or more threads on an inner wall thereof;
l) opposing first and second walls of the cylindrical snap tube defining a resistance recess;
m) the first and second resistive recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second sides is at least at one point smaller than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point located at the same axial height; and
n) the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering and raising the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the bottle neck,
II, the neck of the bottle is provided with an external thread,
the at least one bottle force application element is adapted to be at least partially received within a resistance recess of a closure cylindrical snap tube, wherein the guide recess comprises a first wall with an upward gradient and a second wall with a downward gradient, whereby in a closing rotational direction of the closure the first guide recess wall allows the cylindrical snap tube to be axially lowered towards the force application element and the second guide recess wall, which coincides with the closure cylindrical snap tube, to be raised relative to the closure element, the closure being filled with a personal care product from a flexible material and/or the bottle.
16. The closure according to item 14, wherein the closure is configured such that with sufficient axial force, even in the event of initial rotation, once the force application element is disengaged from the resistance recess, the internal thread on the snap tube can pass over the external thread of the container neck to facilitate removal of the closure.
17. The container of item 15, wherein the closure is configured such that with sufficient axial force, even upon initial rotation, once the force applying element disengages from the resistance recess, the internal threads on the snap tube are able to pass over the external threads of the container neck to facilitate removal of the closure.
18. A container comprising a combined closure and bottle, the container comprising a closure and bottle having a bottle neck and at least one force applying element,
I. the closure member comprises
o) an upper wall defining an opening;
p) a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to the bottom end,
q) the cylindrical snap tube including at least one resistance recess therein extending to the bottom end;
r) the cylindrical snap tube further comprises threads on its inner wall;
s) opposing first and second walls of the cylindrical snap tube defining a resistance recess;
t) the first and second resistive recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second sides is at least at one point smaller than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point located at the same axial height; and
u) the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering and raising the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the bottle neck,
II, the neck of the bottle is provided with an external thread,
the at least one bottle forcing element is adapted to be at least partially received within a resistance recess of a cylindrical snap tube of a closure made of a flexible material and/or a bottle containing a personal care product.
19. A closure, comprising
a. An upper wall defining an opening;
b. a cylindrical snap tube depending from the upper wall and extending axially to the bottom end;
c. the cylindrical snap tube includes at least one resistance recess at a bottom end thereof;
d. the cylindrical snap tube further comprises at least one thread on an inner wall thereof;
e. a cylindrical snap tube defining opposing first and second walls of a resistance recess;
f. the first and second drag recess walls have a gradient, wherein the gradient of one of the first and second drag recess walls is at least at one point less than the gradient of the other of the first and second recess sides at a point located at the same axial height; and
g. the bottom end of the cylindrical snap tube is shaped to include a guide recess for lowering the cylindrical snap tube thread relative to the container neck, and the closure is made of a flexible material.
It should be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein shown and described are intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made in the specific forms of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.
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