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US 10,882,666 B2Granted
Processes for making and using closures having container orifice reducer with tamper evident seal
AssigneeCSP Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJean-Pierre Giraud, Franklin Lee Lucas, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Containers with closures are disclosed. A closure may include at least a polymer orifice reducer configured to be permanently secured to a rim of an opening of a container and a flexible tamper evident seal disposed on the topside of the orifice reducer. The flexible tamper evident seal, optionally foil, covers one or more openings in the orifice reducer. Processes for permanently securing a closure to a container, optionally by forming a heat seal between the orifice reducer and container rim, are also disclosed.
Claims22
A process for filling and sealing a container, the process comprising the steps of:
- a. providing the container comprising a body having a base and one or more sidewalls extending from the base and leading to a rim surrounding an opening of the container, the rim having a continuous annular upper engagement surface extending from the opening to an outer periphery of the rim;
- b. filling the container with contents through the opening;
- c. providing a closure, the closure comprising a polymer orifice reducer, the orifice reducer having an underside, a topside, and at least one pre-formed dispensing opening providing passage from the underside to the topside, the underside including a downwardly facing annular engagement surface configured to be disposed over the upper engagement surface of the rim and permanently secured thereto, the orifice reducer being an injection molded piece having a first thickness and a second thickness, the first thickness being between the topside and the downwardly facing annular engagement surface directly below the topside, the second thickness being between the topside and the underside at a location radially inward from the downwardly facing annular engagement surface, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness, the closure further comprising a flexible, tamper evident seal disposed over at least a part of the topside of the orifice reducer, the flexible, tamper evident seal including a first seal section and a second seal section, the first seal section being disposed over at least some area of the topside of the orifice reducer directly above the downwardly facing annular engagement surface, the second seal section covering the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening, wherein the flexible, tamper evident seal is more flexible than the orifice reducer, the second seal section being configured to be removed at least in part from the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening and/or punctured through to provide access to the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening, the process further comprising, after step (b), placing the closure over the rim and opening of the container so that the downwardly facing annular engagement surface is disposed over the upper engagement surface of the rim;
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- d. after step (c), heating at least some of the first seal section so as to form a heat seal, upon cooling, between the downwardly facing annular engagement surface of the orifice reducer and the upper engagement surface of the rim to permanently adhere the orifice reducer to the container.
2 more elements
A process for making a closure for a container, the closure including an assembly comprising a polymer orifice reducer, a flexible tamper evident seal and a cap, the process comprising the steps of:
- a. providing the polymer orifice reducer with the flexible tamper evident seal disposed over at least part of a topside of the orifice reducer, the orifice reducer being configured to be disposed over a rim and opening of a container, the orifice reducer having an underside, the topside and at least one pre-formed dispensing opening providing passage from the underside to the topside, the underside including a downwardly facing annular engagement surface configured to be disposed over an upper engagement surface of the rim and permanently secured thereto the orifice reducer being an injection molded piece having a first thickness and a second thickness, the first thickness being between the topside and the downwardly facing annular engagement surface directly below the topside, the second thickness being between the topside and the underside at a location radially inward from the downwardly facing annular engagement surface, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness, the flexible tamper evident seal including a first seal section and a second seal section, the first seal section being disposed over at least some area of the topside of the orifice reducer directly above the downwardly facing engagement surface, the second seal section covering the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening, wherein the flexible tamper evident seal is more flexible than the orifice reducer, the second seal section being configured to be removed at least in part from the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening and/or punctured through to provide access to the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening, the first seal section comprising a material configured to be heated during induction sealing so as to cause the engagement surface of the orifice reducer to melt and, upon cooling, to then harden so that the engagement surface of the orifice reducer would permanently adhere to the upper engagement surface of the rim of the container, the flexible tamper evident seal having been previously secured to the topside of the orifice reducer;
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- b. after step (a), press-fitting the orifice reducer into an interior space of the cap, the cap having a top portion with an annular skirt depending downward from the top portion and terminating at an annular boundary, the cap defining the interior space within the skirt of the cap.
A process for making a closure for a container, the closure including an assembly comprising a polymer orifice reducer, a flexible tamper evident seal and a cap, the process comprising the steps of:
- a. providing the polymer orifice reducer with the flexible tamper evident seal disposed over, but not initially secured to, at least part of a topside of the orifice reducer, the orifice reducer configured to be disposed over a rim and opening of a container, the orifice reducer having an underside, the topside and at least one pre-formed dispensing opening providing passage from the underside to the topside, the underside including a downwardly facing annular engagement surface configured to be disposed over an upper engagement surface of the rim and permanently secured thereto the orifice reducer being an injection molded piece having a first thickness and a second thickness, the first thickness being between the topside and the downwardly facing annular engagement surface directly below the topside, the second thickness being between the topside and the underside at a location radially inward from the downwardly facing annular engagement surface, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness, the flexible tamper evident seal including a first seal section and a second seal section, the first seal section being disposed over at least some area of the topside of the orifice reducer directly above the downwardly facing engagement surface, the second seal section covering the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening, wherein the flexible tamper evident seal is more flexible than the orifice reducer, the second seal section being configured to be removed at least in part from the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening and/or punctured through to provide access to the at least one pre-formed dispensing opening, the first seal section comprising a material configured to be heated during induction sealing so as to cause the engagement surface of the orifice reducer to melt and, upon cooling, to then harden so that the engagement surface of the orifice reducer would permanently adhere to the upper engagement surface of the rim of the container;
- b. after step (a), press-fitting the orifice reducer into an interior space of the cap, the cap having a top portion with an annular skirt depending downward from the top portion and terminating at an annular boundary, the cap defining the interior space within the skirt of the cap, wherein the assembled orifice reducer, flexible tamper evident seal and cap form the closure;
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- c. subjecting the closure to heat sealing by heating the first seal section to permanently secure the flexible tamper evident seal to the topside of the orifice reduce upon cooling.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.