Liquid dispensing closure
AssigneeWeatherchem Corporation
InventorDouglas S. Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquid dispensing closure for bottles and the like comprising a one-piece body having an end wall for covering the mouth of the bottle and a depending skirt for threading onto the neck of the bottle. A dispensing aperture in the end wall is surrounded by a spout that affords directional control of a stream of liquid being dispensed and reduced dribbling when dispensing is discontinued. A flap is hinged on the end wall to open and close the aperture with an associated depending plug that fits in the spout. The end wall, spout and hinged flap are arranged in a manner relative to one another that permits the flap to be advantageously molded in an upright position.
Claims23
A one-piece thermoplastic screw-on closure for dispensing liquids from a bottle comprising an end wall and a generally cylindrical skirt depending from the end wall, the skirt having internal threads for mating with the external threads on the neck of the bottle, the end wall having a central region in which is formed an elongated dispensing aperture, the end wall having an underside on which is formed a circumferentially continuous bottle sealing surface area lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical skirt, a flap for opening and closing the aperture, the flap being pivotally joined to the end wall by a living hinge, the axis of the hinge being generally perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the aperture, the end wall having a first elevation above the plane of the sealing surface area adjacent an end of the aperture distal from the hinge and a second elevation above the plane of the sealing surface area greater than the first elevation adjacent an end of the aperture proximal to the hinge, the hinge having an elevation above the plane of the sealing surface area at least as high as said second elevation, a spout surrounding said aperture, the spout having an elevation adjacent the distal end of the aperture substantially greater than the first elevation and less than the elevation of said hinge, the flap including a hollow plug proportioned to fit into said spout and close said aperture in a fluid-tight manner.
A one-piece injection-molded thermoplastic cap for dispensing liquids from a container comprising an end wall, a sealing surface area adjacent a periphery of the end wall for sealing a container, a dispensing opening in the end wall, a spout surrounding the opening, the spout extending upwardly from the end wall a distance substantially greater than the nominal wall thickness of the cap, a flap for opening and closing the aperture, a flap being pivotal on a living hinge on the end wall that is spaced inwardly from the periphery of the end wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.