Tamper-indicating closure with lugs on a stop flange for spacing the flange from the finish of a container

#The present invention relates to tamper-indicating closures, to methods of manufacturing such closures, and to a package that includes such a closure on a container.

#It is conventional to form a tamper-indicating closure having a band connected to the skirt of the closure by integral frangible bridges or webs. The band has a stop element (e.g., a flange or a bead) that engages a bead on the container to resist unthreading of the closure, so that removal of the closure ruptures the frangible elements that connect the band to the closure skirt. U.S. patent Re 33,265, assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses a tamper-indicating closure of this character, in which the tamper-indicating band is completely severed from the closure skirt and remains with the container upon removal of the closure from the container. U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,600, also assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses a tamper-indicating closure in which the tamper-indicating band remains connected to the closure skirt and is removed from the container with the closure.

#Although tamper-indicating closures of the types disclosed in the noted patents have enjoyed substantial commercial acceptance and success in the art, further improvements remain desirable. In particular, problems are encountered when employing this type of closure with a container in so-called wet finish applications, in which liquid may spill during or after the filling operation onto the outside surface of the container finish so as to be disposed between the container finish and the closure skirt after capping. Wet finish situations of this type are encountered during hot-fill, cold-fill and aseptic-fill situations, in which the containers are filled close to the brim or to overflow prior to capping. Wet finish situations can also be encountered during filling operations in which liquid may drip from the filling machinery onto the container finish. In wet-finish situations of this type, problems are encountered in connection with draining and drying of the area between the outer surface of the container finish and the closure skirt—i.e., between the threads on the container finish and skirt, and around the tamper-indicating band and the stop element. Liquid trapped within this area can result in growth of mold and mildew. This drainage problem is particularly exacerbated in situations in which the self-resiliency of the closure biases the stop flange into opposed engagement with the so-called A1 diameter of the container finish. While wet finish applications are not usually recommended by closure manufacturers because of the potential for entrapment of product in the closure threads and the consumer problems that result therefrom, the present invention will help alleviate the potential for product entrapment when the product filler finds it necessary to use such a filling process.

#The invention, together with additional objects, features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container and closure package in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view that illustrates the container finish and closure in the package of FIG. 1;

#FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a package 20 in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the invention as comprising a container 22 of glass or molded plastic construction and a tamper-indicating closure 24 threaded thereon. Container 22 has an axially extending finish 26 for receiving closure 24. Closure 24 has a flat base wall 30 on which a sealing liner 32 is secured. An annular peripheral skirt 34 extends downwardly from closure base wall 30, and has an internal thread 36 for securing closure 24 over an external thread 28 on container 22. (Direction adjectives such as “downwardly” are taken with reference to the vertical orientation of the container and closure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.) A tamper-indicating band 38 is secured to the lower end of skirt 34, being separated therefrom by a circumferential score 40. Tamper-indicating band 38 is coupled to closure skirt 34 by a circumferentially spaced array of frangible bridges 41 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Bridges 41 preferably are formed during the scoring operation, as described in patents referenced hereinafter. Alternatively, the bridges may be molded onto the inside surface of skirt 34 and band 38, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,422 and 4,418,828. Alternatively, but less preferably, band 38 may be connected to skirt 34 by one or more thin frangible webs integrally molded with the closure. A stop flange 42 extends radially inwardly and axially upwardly (FIG. 2) from the lower end of band 38 to a position beneath a radially outwardly extending bead 43 on container 22 beneath threads 28. Bead 43 is sometimes called the container transfer bead or the A bead, referring to the fact that bead 43 defines the A dimension of the container finish.

#Closure 24 may be injection molded, or may be compression molded as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,327. Liner 32 may be separately formed, or more preferably compression molded in situ within a preformed closure as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,984,703 and 5,451,360. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,488,888, 5,522,293 and 5,564,319 disclose techniques for forming score 40 and bridges 41 in the scoring operation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,347 and Re 33,265 disclose techniques for inverting stop flange 42 from the as-molded configuration of FIG. 3 to the configuration of FIG. 2 ready for use. All patents noted herein, assigned to the assignee hereof, are incorporated herein by reference for purposes of background.

#FIGS. 3-8 illustrate closure 24 as molded—i.e., before inversion of stop flange 42, formation of score line 40 and molding of liner 32. Stop flange 42 in accordance with one aspect of the present invention comprises a circumferentially continuous base 44 on which a plurality of lugs 46 are integrally molded. Flange base 44 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5 is of uniform thickness both circumferentially of flange 42, and radially and axially of flange 42. Thus the radially and axially outer surface of base 44 is parallel to the radially and axially inner surface thereof, as best seen in FIG. 4. Lugs 46 are of identical and uniform circumferential dimension as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, and widen or thicken axially and radially of flange 42 from zero thickness at the juncture of flange 42 with band 38, to a maximum thickness at the free edge of flange 42. As best seen in FIG. 5, circumferentially spacing between lugs 46 preferably is greater than the circumferential dimension of lugs 46. Lugs 46 serve not only to space flange base 44 from the container finish as will be described, but also to strengthen the flange 42 during abutting engagement with finish bead 44 during frangible separation of band 38 from skirt 34. It is presently preferred that lugs 46 occupy minimum circumferential dimension of flange 42 consistent with this strengthening function.