Polytop Corporation

Other

Richard H. Davey, Inc.

Robert E Hazard

Woodrow S Wilson

Frederick R Handren

A container-mounted dispensing pump incorporates an elastically deformable pump wall and elastomeric valves for controlling the flow into and from the pump chamber. A mechanism at the movable end of the deformable pump wall engages the outlet valve to effect positive closure thereof when the actuator is disposed in an extended, shipping position. With the pump actuator placed in the shipping position, the close outlet valve will preclude leakage of the container contents though the pump.

Dispensing pump with deformable pump wall and positive shut-off

A container-mounted dispensing pump incorporates elastomeric duckbill valves for controlling the flow into and from the pump chamber. A mechanism within the pump employs hinged leaves which cooperate with the pump plunger to effect a pinching and closing one of the duckbill valves when the plunger is disposed in a depressed, shipping position. With the pump plunger held in the shipping position, the closed duckbill valve will preclude leakage of the container contents through the pump.

Dispensing pump with positive shut-off

An integrally molded, unitary, plastic dispensing closure comprising a body, a lid, and a 'living' hinge that joins the lid to the body. Cams and cooperating wall surfaces in the vicinity of the hinge provide forces that temporarily deform the hinge, within its plastic limits, and facilitate the movement of the lid to either an opened, or a closed, position. In one embodiment, recesses are formed at the rear of the closure body to accommodate the cams when the closure is in its closed position. In another embodiment, recesses are formed in the skirt of the lid to accept upwardly extending posts, and a cavity is defined in the upper surface of the closure body to accept cams, or lugs, depending below the lid. An efficient, aesthetically pleasing, low profile dispensing closure is achieved in each instance.

Dispensing closure employing living hinge with cams to momentarily

A unitary dispensing closure having a lid mounted on a closure part or base in such a manner that the lid will automatically move toward either a closed or an opened position when it is released after being manipulated to any position between these two positions can be constructed so as to utilize the resiliency within a 'live' hinge to provide the force necessary to move the lid. In any position intermediate these two positions the hinge connects to the lid and closure part or base so that contact between the lid and closure part causes temporary deformation of the hinge. As a result of the resiliency of the material in the hinge such temporary deformation is adequate to move the lid as described.

Dispensing closure employing living hinge

Effective, easily manufactured seals for dispensing closures in which a spout is rotatably mounted on a cap can be created using an edge on an external surface of the cap to engage an end of the spout. This edge serves to create a seal. The end of the spout and the external surface adjacent to the edge have related cross-sectional configurations such that in all positions of the spout the end engages the edge in the same manner so as to form a seal.

Dispensing closure seals

A complete closure including a closure member formed as a bottle cap or integrally with a container and lid connected to the closure member by a hinge or hinge-type structure may be constructed so as to utilize a spring structure and a cam structure serving to cooperate to hold the lid in either a closed position in which the lid covers an opening through the closure member or an open position in which the lid is spaced significantly from the opening. Preferably the complete closure is formed as an integral unit out of a polymer such as polypropylene in such a manner that the spring structure consists of upstanding resilient posts on the top of the closure member and so that the cam structure consists of substantially non-bending or rigid portions of the lid which are located so as to contact and deform the posts during movement of the lid. The complete closure is considered quite desirable because of its effectiveness and because it can be manufactured at a very nominal cost using straight pull injection molding dies to form the operative parts of the lid and the closure member.

Closure with hinged lid and cam and spring elements holding lid open or

A dispensing closure can be constructed utilizing a washer spring around an opening through the cap of such a closure so as to resiliently bias a sealing surface carried by the washer spring against the spout of such a closure.

Dispensing closure utilizing a sealing element supported by a washer

A 'toggle' type dispensing closure can be constructed so as to utilize a first closure part such as a cap or the top of a container upon which there is pivotally mounted a second closure part such as a lid so that the second closure part may be pivoted between a closed position in which an opening through the first part is closed off and an open position in which material may be moved through the opening. With such a closure one end of a spring is pivotally connected to the first closure part and the other end of the spring is pivotally connected to the other closure part. The spring is connected to these two parts at spaced locations such that the distance between the ends of the spring is decreased as the second closure part is moved between these positions. Preferably, the entire dispensing closure is formed as an integral unit of a somewhat flexible, somewhat resilient polymer material in such a manner that the first part is mounted on the second by means of trunnions and bearings which are snapped together and in such a manner that the ends of the spring are connected to the parts by integral, flexible sections of the polymer material serving to pivotally connect the spring to these parts.

Toggle type dispensing closure

A dispensing closure having a cap adapted to be mounted upon a container and a spout mounted on the cap so as to be capable of being moved between an open and closed position can be made child resistant through the use of an engagement structure on the spout such as, for example, a notch in the base of the spout located so that a vertically directed force exerting against the engagement structure will not tend to move the spout from the closed position. The cap and the spout employed should be dimensioned so that the spout is incapable of being manually engaged so as to be manipulated when in the closed position.

Child resistant dispensing closure

It is possible to provide a dispensing closure which is tamper evident by using a relatively flexible strap connecting the movable end of a spout as conventionally used in such a closure with a cap or cap body employed in such a closure. The use of such a strap makes it possible to mold the spout and the cap as a unitary article. The assembly of a dispensing closure from such an article avoids the possible problem of a 'wrong' spout being assembled with a specific cap or cap body. The strap employed should not extend from the cap so as to interfere with the use of conventional capping apparatus. The strap used can be shaped and dimensioned to facilitate location of the spout during the assembly of the spout on the cap or cap body and, if desired, as a cover for the passage in the spout when the spout is assembled in an operative position.

Tamper evident one-piece dispensing closures

A safety-type dispensing closure can be constructed using a spout rotatably mounted on a closure body so that it is capable of being rotated between open and closed positions and using a retainer movably mounted on the retainer body. The retainer used in such a closure is capable of being moved to a position in which it does not interfere with spout rotation between the two positions specified and to other positions in which it blocks such movement. The retainer used is preferably a ring rotatably mounted on the closure body so as to be conveniently accessible and so as to appear as a part of the body.

Safety dispensing closure with movable retainer

A conventional, relatively soft plastic bottle having a generally cylindrical threaded container neck such as a common polyethylene bottle may be used with a specially formed closure and a fitment as a child resistant container. The closure includes internal ratchets adjacent to the bottom of the skirt which are adapted to coact with corresponding ratchets on the fitment so as to prevent the closure from being unthreaded from the container neck. The fitment engages the container and/or the container neck in such a manner as to lock the fitment against rotation. Preferably the fitment is formed so that it can be moved along the container neck to an operative position in which there is such engagement with the container and/or container neck as the closure is threaded on the container neck.

Container-closure structure employing fitment to prevent closure removal

A dispensing closure having a cap adapted to be secured to a container so that it is substantially impossible to remove the cap from the container and having a spout rotatably mounted on the cap so as to be capable of being rotated between a closed position in which the spout covers an opening through the cap and an opened position in which the spout is in alignment with the opening can be easily modified so as to render the closure child resistant in character. The modification involves shaping the cap and the spout so that only the tip of the spout can be engaged to rotate the spout when the spout is in the closed position. The modification also involves forming a wall structure on the cap so as to define a slot, this slot being positioned so that the tip of the spout fits within it and is spaced from the bottom of the slot when the spout is in the closed position. The slot and the tip are dimensioned so that the tip cannot be directly engaged by a part of the hand of a user such as a finger, a thumbnail or the like so as to rotate the spout. The slot and the tip are also dimensioned so that a small coin can be inserted into the slot beneath the tip to rotate the spout from the closed position.

Child-resistant closures with limited spout accessibility

A child resistant dispensing closure can be constructed by modifying a known type of cap and a known type of spout so that the spout fits entirely within an elongated groove in the cap when the spout is in a closed position. When the spout is in such a position the end of the spout which is normally engaged to move the spout between opened and closed positions is located within this groove in the top of the cap facing the interior of a part of the skirt. This part of the skirt is preferably separated from the remainder of the skirt by slits leading from the top of the cap along opposed sides of the part. This part is capable of being temporarily distended by manual manipulation so as to permit spout movement. Preferably such spout movement is initiated by applying pressure to a portion of the spout remote from the noted end of the spout.

Growing community of inventors

N. Kingstown, RI, United States of America

Robert E Hazard