Dispensing cap construction

A molded plastic dispensing cap construction for hand-held dispensers, comprising in combination:

• (a) a tubular cap body of yieldable plastic substance, comprising a dome-shaped top wall having a pouring spout and an annular outer peripheral portion provided with an annular detent bead located below the pouring spout and at the base of the dome-shaped top wall, and having a top discharge opening at said pouring spout in said top wall,
• (b) a cup-shaped captive closure cap of yieldable plastic substance, adapted to be mounted atop said cap body,
• (c) a yieldable detent bead in the side wall of the closure cap, cooperable with the annular bead on the top wall of the cap body to yieldably hold the closure cap in mounted position on the body, said beads being adapted to by-pass and be forced past one another when the closure cap is assembled to or removed from the cap body,
• (d) a flexible integral hinge structure connecting said cap body and closure cap, for holding the latter captive while enabling it to be swung from a sealing position closing off the discharge opening of the cap body, to a discharge position wherein all parts of the closure cap are removed from and out of contact with the cap body,
• (e) cooperable centering means on the closure cap and cap body, rendered operable as the closure cap is swung from the discharge position to the sealing position, for accurately aligning the detent bead of the closure cap with that of the cap body as the cap is being swung to its sealing position, said centering means becoming operative prior to engagement of any parts of the closure cap with any parts of the cap body,
• (f) said centering means comprising said pouring spout on the cap body, surrounding said discharge opening and having a sloping inner guide wall of funnel-like configuration, and a depending sealing closure pin on the underside of the closure cap, adapted to be received in the pouring spout and to be guided and centered thereby,
• (g) said pin forcing any residual product from the discharge opening back into the dispenser after use of the cap construction,
• (h) the length of said pin being sufficiently great to cause positive engagement of the same with the funnel-like guide wall of the spout prior to engagement of any other parts of the cap body and closure cap, thereby to facilitate proper alignment and centering of the closure cap on the body at the time that engagement of said annular detent beads is intended to occur,
• (i) said pin having a stiffening fillet where it joins the underside of the closure cap, thereby to strengthen the pin and thus improve the centering function thereof.