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US 12,612,228 B2Granted
Closure
AssigneeBerry Global, Inc.
InventorsSteven Gift, Benson P. Weaver, Frank A. Bond, John A Vassallo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A package comprises a container and a closure. The container includes a body formed to include a product-receiving space, a filler neck coupled to the body, and a thread coupled to the filler neck. The closure includes an outer cap, an inner cap arranged radially inward of the outer cap, and an electronic system arranged between the outer cap and the inner cap.
Claims16
A package comprising:
- a container including a body formed to include a product-receiving space, a filler neck coupled to the body to extend upwardly away from the body, and a thread coupled to the filler neck, the filler neck formed to include an aperture arranged to open into the product-receiving space, and
- a closure configured to close selectively the aperture of the container, the closure including an outer cap having a first top wall and a first side wall coupled to the first top wall to extend downwardly away from the first top wall, an inner cap arranged radially inward of the outer cap relative to a vertical axis of the closure and including a second top wall and a second side wall coupled to the second top wall and formed to include a thread configured to mate with the thread of the filler neck, and an electronic system arranged axially between the first top wall of the outer cap and the second top wall of the inner cap relative to the vertical axis and coupled to an inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap, the electronic system including a battery and a switch arranged to extend downwardly away from the first top wall toward the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the package is configured to change between a closed configuration in which the closure is coupled to the container in a locked arrangement to close the aperture of the container and an opened configuration in which the closure is changed to an unlocked arrangement and separated from the container in response to a downward force and a rotational force on the outer cap, the downward force on the outer cap causes the switch of the electronic system to move from a first position in which the switch is spaced apart from an outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap to a second position in which the switch directly contacts the outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a retainer arranged to extend downwardly from the first top wall of the outer cap toward the inner cap and spaced apart radially from the vertical axis of the closure, and wherein the electronic system is coupled to the inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap radially inward of the retainer,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a first protrusion extending downwardly from the first top wall toward the inner cap and located radially outward of the retainer, and wherein the inner cap is formed to include a second protrusion extending upwardly from the second top wall of the inner cap toward the outer cap, the first protrusion and the second protrusion engage one another in response to the downward force on the outer cap so that the outer cap and the inner cap rotate with one another in response to the rotational force on the outer cap.
2 more elements
A package comprising:
- a container including a body formed to include a product-receiving space, a filler neck coupled to the body to extend upwardly away from the body, and a thread coupled to the filler neck, the filler neck formed to include an aperture arranged to open into the product-receiving space, and
- a closure configured to close selectively the aperture of the container, the closure including an outer cap having a first top wall and a first side wall coupled to the first top wall to extend downwardly away from the first top wall, an inner cap arranged radially inward of the outer cap relative to a vertical axis of the closure and including a second top wall and a second side wall coupled to the second top wall and formed to include a thread configured to mate with the thread of the filler neck, and an electronic system arranged axially between the first top wall of the outer cap and the second top wall of the inner cap relative to the vertical axis and coupled to an inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap, the electronic system including a battery and a switch arranged to extend downwardly away from the first top wall toward the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the package is configured to change between a closed configuration in which the closure is coupled to the container in a locked arrangement to close the aperture of the container and an opened configuration in which the closure is changed to an unlocked arrangement and separated from the container in response to a downward force and a rotational force on the outer cap, the downward force on the outer cap causes the switch of the electronic system to move from a first position in which the switch is spaced apart from an outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap to a second position in which the switch directly contacts the outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a retainer arranged to extend downwardly from the first top wall of the outer cap toward the inner cap and spaced apart radially from the vertical axis of the closure, and wherein the electronic system is coupled to the inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap radially inward of the retainer,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a first protrusion extending downwardly from the retainer toward the inner cap, and wherein the inner cap is formed to include a second protrusion extending upwardly from the second top wall of the inner cap toward the outer cap, the first protrusion and the second protrusion engage one another in response to the downward force on the outer cap so that the outer cap and the inner cap rotate with one another in response to the rotational force on the outer cap.
2 more elements
A package comprising:
- a container including a body formed to include a product-receiving space, a filler neck coupled to the body to extend upwardly away from the body, and a thread coupled to the filler neck, the filler neck formed to include an aperture arranged to open into the product-receiving space, and
- a closure configured to close selectively the aperture of the container, the closure including an outer cap having a first top wall and a first side wall coupled to the first top wall to extend downwardly away from the first top wall, an inner cap arranged radially inward of the outer cap relative to a vertical axis of the closure and including a second top wall and a second side wall coupled to the second top wall and formed to include a thread configured to mate with the thread of the filler neck, and an electronic system arranged axially between the first top wall of the outer cap and the second top wall of the inner cap relative to the vertical axis and coupled to an inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap, the electronic system including a battery and a switch arranged to extend downwardly away from the first top wall toward the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the package is configured to change between a closed configuration in which the closure is coupled to the container in a locked arrangement to close the aperture of the container and an opened configuration in which the closure is changed to an unlocked arrangement and separated from the container in response to a downward force and a rotational force on the outer cap, the downward force on the outer cap causes the switch of the electronic system to move from a first position in which the switch is spaced apart from an outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap to a second position in which the switch directly contacts the outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the electronic system includes a circuit board coupled to the inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap and the battery and the switch are each coupled with the circuit board to extend downwardly from the circuit board toward the inner cap, and wherein the battery has a first height, the switch has a second height, and the second height is greater than the first height so that the switch directly contacts the outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap in response to the downward force on the outer cap.
1 more element
A closure for a container, the closure comprising:
- an outer cap including a first top wall and a first side wall coupled to the first top wall and arranged to extend downwardly away from the first top wall,
- an inner cap arranged radially inward of the outer cap relative to a vertical axis of the closure and including a second top wall and a second side wall coupled to the second top wall and arranged to extend downwardly away from the second top wall, and
- an electronic system coupled to an inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap and arranged axially between the first top wall of the outer cap and the second top wall of the inner cap relative to the vertical axis, the electronic system including a circuit board coupled with the inner surface of the first top wall, a battery coupled to the circuit board, and a switch coupled to the circuit board and extending downwardly away from the first top wall toward the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the closure is configured to change between a locked arrangement in which the first top wall of the outer cap is spaced apart from the second top wall of the inner cap a first distance and an unlocked arrangement in which the first top wall of the outer cap is spaced apart from the second top wall of the inner cap a second distance that is less than the first distance in response to a downward force on the outer cap to cause the switch of the electronic system to move from a first position in which the switch is spaced apart from an outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap to a second position in which the switch directly contacts the outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a retainer arranged to extend downwardly from the first top wall of the outer cap toward the inner cap and spaced apart radially from the vertical axis of the closure, and wherein the circuit board is coupled to the inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap radially inward of the retainer,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a first protrusion extending downwardly from the retainer of the outer cap toward the inner cap in a circumferential direction, the first protrusion including a first end coupled with the retainer and a second end spaced apart axially from the retainer, and wherein the inner cap is formed to include a second protrusion, the second protrusion including a first portion coupled to the second top wall of the inner cap to extend upwardly away from the second top wall, a vertical portion coupled to the first portion and arranged to extend downwardly from the first portion away from the outer cap, and a second portion coupled to the vertical portion and arranged to extend between and interconnect the vertical portion and the second top wall of the inner cap, and wherein the second end of the first protrusion of the outer cap engages the first portion of the second protrusion of the inner cap in response to the downward force on the outer cap so that the outer cap and the inner cap rotate with one another in response to the rotational force on the outer cap.
3 more elements
A closure for a container, the closure comprising:
- an outer cap including a first top wall and a first side wall coupled to the first top wall and arranged to extend downwardly away from the first top wall,
- an inner cap arranged radially inward of the outer cap relative to a vertical axis of the closure and including a second top wall and a second side wall coupled to the second top wall and arranged to extend downwardly away from the second top wall, and
- an electronic system coupled to an inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap and arranged axially between the first top wall of the outer cap and the second top wall of the inner cap relative to the vertical axis, the electronic system including a circuit board coupled with the inner surface of the first top wall, a battery coupled to the circuit board, and a switch coupled to the circuit board and extending downwardly away from the first top wall toward the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the closure is configured to change between a locked arrangement in which the first top wall of the outer cap is spaced apart from the second top wall of the inner cap a first distance and an unlocked arrangement in which the first top wall of the outer cap is spaced apart from the second top wall of the inner cap a second distance that is less than the first distance in response to a downward force on the outer cap to cause the switch of the electronic system to move from a first position in which the switch is spaced apart from an outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap to a second position in which the switch directly contacts the outer surface of the second top wall of the inner cap,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a retainer arranged to extend downwardly from the first top wall of the outer cap toward the inner cap and spaced apart radially from the vertical axis of the closure, and wherein the circuit board is coupled to the inner surface of the first top wall of the outer cap radially inward of the retainer,
- wherein the outer cap is formed to include a first protrusion extending downwardly from the first top wall of the outer cap toward the inner cap in a circumferential direction and located radially outward of the retainer, the first protrusion including a first end coupled with the first top wall and a second end spaced apart axially from the first top wall, and wherein the inner cap is formed to include a second protrusion, the second protrusion including a first portion coupled to the second top wall of the inner cap to extend upwardly away from the second top wall, a vertical portion coupled to the first portion and arranged to extend downwardly from the first portion away from the outer cap, and a second portion coupled to the vertical portion and arranged to extend between and interconnect the vertical portion and the second top wall of the inner cap, and wherein the second end of the first protrusion of the outer cap engages the first portion of the second protrusion of the inner cap in response to the downward force on the outer cap so that the outer cap and the inner cap rotate with one another in response to the rotational force on the outer cap.
3 more elements
A method of using a package comprising:
- providing the package, the package including a container and a closure selectively coupled with the container, the closure having an outer cap, an inner cap coupled to the outer cap, and an electronic system located between the outer cap and the inner cap,
- storing a first input in response to a first force sensed on the outer cap of the closure by the electronic system in response to the outer cap moving toward the inner cap,
- storing a second input in response to a second force sensed on the outer cap of the closure by the electronic system in response to the outer cap moving toward the inner cap,
- comparing the first input to the second input to determine an output, and
- generating an indicator based on the output.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.