Polytop Corporation

Woodrow S Wilson

Robert E Hazard

Donald LaVange

Ray Peters

Benjamin Gryncewicz

Dispensing closure comprising a cap including an upper surface and a depending skirt adapted to be secured to a dispenser, a spout with an enlarged base and an elongated body, and mounting members, such as trunnions and a cavity defined within the upper surface of the cap, to secure the spout in the cavity for pivotal movement. A lug is formed on the spout, and a stop is defined within the cavity; the lug and stop cooperate to positively limit the travel of the spout toward a vertical orientation. A scoop, or enlarged opening, at the inlet end of the spout enables the contents of the container to be discharged through the spout, even when the base of the spout partially eclipses the opening the cap that communicates with the interior of the dispenser.

Dispensing closure with pivotably mounted spout and means for limiting

A child resistant dispensing closure characterized by a closure member and a lid member which is mounted on the closure member for movement between closed and open positions. A peripheral edge of the lid member abuts an annular shoulder provided on the closure member in the closed position, the point of abutment being concealed by an annular ring provided on the closure member. In the closed position, thickened portions provided on the peripheral edge of the lid member engage in recesses formed in the annular shoulder. The lid member is adapted to be moved upwardly from the closed to an open position when a user applies with one hand a manual compressive force to a panel provided on the exterior skirt of the closure member. This manual force results in deformation of the panel inwardly into a slot formed clearly through an enlarged portion of the shoulder. As a result, a slight separation occurs between the peripheral edge of the lid member and the shoulder so as to allow the user, with the other hand and while continuing to compress the panel, to engage the peripheral edge of the lid member for moving the lid member to the open position.

Child resistant closure with deformable panel

A child resistant dispensing closure of the type having a cap and a spout mounted thereon for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. The upper surface of the cap is provided with a pattern of ribs. The upper surface of the spout is provided with a plurality of ribs, each of which has a distinct energy plane. All but one of the energy planes fails to allow sufficient purchase on their respective ribs and fails to produce the proper force vector required in order to initiate rotation of the spout when a manual force is applied to the latter energy planes. Only one of the energy planes is adapted so as to allow sufficient purchase and to produce the proper force vector required in order to initiate rotation of the spout when a manual force is applied to said one plane. The plurality of ribs provided on the spout, in conjunction with the pattern of ribs provided on the cap, blend together and serve to distract and confuse a child or other individual of reduced mental capacity, thereby effectively reducing to negligible the probability that the child or other individual would inadvertently discover the sole energy plane capable of realizing rotation of the spout while exploring the dispensing closure with the fingers, fingernails, teeth or other objects. The spout may be mounted on the cap in such a manner as to require relatively little rotational torque for rotation, thereby making the dispensing closure convenient and easy to utilize by adults, even those not possessing normal physical strengths.

Child resistant closure with energy planes

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

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

It is known to manufacture closure structures so that each of such structures has a cap part including two spaced, aligned bearings and a movable part extending between the bearings and including trunnions fitting within the bearings. At least one of the parts of such closure structures is formed of a material which is sufficiently resilient so that the trunnions may be snapped into the bearings during the assembly of the closure structure. Such a closure structure may be improved so as to reduce damage to one or both of the parts during the manufacture of such a closure structure by shaping the trunnions and the bearings so that they both have shapes of surfaces of revolution which decrease in diameter in accordance with the distance from the portion of the movable part fitting within and between the spaced bearings. The entrances employed should also decrease in width in a corresponding manner.

Dispensing closure structures

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.

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Johnston, RI, United States of America

Woodrow S Wilson