Container, closure, and methods for manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11891218-B2
Application number	US-202017417041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2020
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to contain and dispense a fluid, such as a thixotropic fluid. In some embodiments, a bottle having a closure cap includes a control device, a base, and a disk, where the base and disk define a mixing chamber configured to facilitate mixing of any serum or liquid separated from the fluid back therein. In some embodiments, a dispensing bottle includes a non-removable closure cap with a tamper evident feature that indicates whether the cap was previously opened. By one approach, the dispensing bottle includes discontinuous threads on a bottle neck and ratchet projections on a closure cap that engage the discontinuous thread(s) to prevent or inhibit manual removal of the cap from the bottle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing bottle comprising:
a container body having a neck with container body threads thereon, the container body threads being discontinuous such that the container body threads have at least one space between a first thread portion and a second thread portion, the container body not including an inner liner;
a closure cap having a base and a control device,
the base having an inner skirt with an inner surface having base threads disposed thereon and base ratchet projections extending from the inner surface thereof, the base threads configured to engage the container body threads on the neck and at least a portion of the base ratchet projections configured to engage the at least one space between the first thread portion and the second thread portion to prevent or hinder manual removal of the closure cap from the container body, the base having a central portion including a non-planar surface having an opening therein,
the control device being reclosably movable between a closed first position to an open second position, where a portion of the control device inhibits egress of a fluid inside the container body in the first position and the second position permits egress of the fluid, the closure cap not including a silicone rubber valve;

the cap further including a disk attached to an interior of the base, the disk including a body having a pinhole and partial annular slots disposed around the pinhole; and
the cap further comprising a mixing chamber defined by the disk and the base;
wherein the cap is capable of maintaining the fluid in stable equilibrium without leakage with the bottle in an inverted position, with the control device in the closed first position; and
wherein application of pressure to the container body with the control device in the open second position enables controlled dispensing of the fluid, with fluid being dispensed through the partial annular slots and through the mixing chamber before exiting the dispensing bottle via the opening in the base, and wherein release of pressure on the container body enables prompt cessation of dispensing and wherein air is permitted to flow back into the container body without movement of the disk relative to the base.

2. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the opening of the central portion is aligned with an internal shaft terminating at a non-planar end surface opposite the central portion.

3. The dispensing bottle of claim 2 wherein the opening permits the fluid to egress therethrough when the opening is unobstructed, the portion of the control device blocking the opening of the base in the first position.

4. The dispensing bottle of claim 3 wherein multiple fluid channels are formed by the non-planar end surface of the internal shaft and the disk, the fluid further being dispensed through the fluid channels before exiting the dispensing bottle via the opening in the base.

5. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the non-planar surface of the central portion is a dome-shaped surface.

6. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the control device comprises a hingedly attached flip-top lid and wherein the container body threads being discontinuous form one or more bottle ratchet projections.

7. The dispensing bottle of claim 6 wherein the container body threads comprise multiple bottle ratchet projections extending from the neck of the container body in between a first elongated thread and a second elongated thread.

8. The dispensing bottle of claim 6 wherein the one or more bottle ratchet projections have a thickness that is approximately equal to other bottle ratchet projections and the base projections have a base thickness that is approximately equal to each of the other base projections.

9. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the control device comprises a push-pull valve.

10. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the base ratchet projections of the base extend from the interior surface at an angle.

11. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the base ratchet projections of the base extend from the interior surface at an angle of less than about 60 degrees from the interior surface of the base.

12. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the container body is comprised of a blow molded PET material.

13. The dispensing bottle of claim 1 wherein the closure cap is comprised of a molded plastic material.

14. The dispensing bottle of claim 6 wherein the closure cap cannot be manually removed from the container body without visibly damaging one or both of the closure cap and container body, further comprising a tamper evident feature permanently adhered to the base and the flip-top lid.

15. The dispensing bottle of claim 14 wherein the tamper evident feature comprises a shrink wrap film or a length of tape that is not permanently adhered to the container body.

16. The dispensing bottle of claim 6 wherein an interior surface of the flip-top lid includes a projection that engages and blocks the opening in the base of the closure cap when the flip-top lid is in the closed position to prevent egress of the fluid from the container body.

17. A dispensing bottle comprising:
a container body having a neck with bottle threads thereon, the bottle threads being discontinuous such that the bottle threads have at least one space between a first thread portion and a second thread portion;
a closure cap having a base and a control device,
the base having, at least, a dome-shaped wall with an opening therethrough, an outer skirt with an inner surface thereof having base threads disposed thereon and base ratchet projections extending from the inner surface thereof, an inner skirt connected to the outer skirt by a planar portion, and an internal shaft inwardly depending from the dome-shaped wall, the internal shaft terminating at a non-planar end surface;
the control device being movable from a closed position to an open position;

a disk attached to an interior of the base by snapping the disk into the base, the disk having a plurality of annular slots and a plurality of intermediate openings therethrough, wherein the intermediate openings are disposed between the plurality of annular slots and a center of the disk; and
a mixing chamber defined by the disk, the dome-shaped wall, the inner skirt, and the internal shaft, wherein multiple fluid channels are formed by the non-planar end surface of the internal shaft and the disk,
wherein the bottle threads are sized and located to threadingly engage the base threads once the closure cap is secured to the container body and at least a portion of one of the ratchet projections engages the at least one space between the first thread portion and the second thread portion to prevent or hinder manual removal of the closure cap from the container body.

18. The dispensing bottle of claim 17 , wherein the control device is a flip-top lid hingedly connected to the base, the flip-top lid having a projection and being movable between the closed position where the projection blocks the opening and the open position where the projection does not obstruct the opening of the base.

19. A dispensing bottle comprising:
a monomaterial container body having a neck with bottle threads thereon, the bottle threads being discontinuous such that the bottle threads have at least one space between a first thread portion and a second thread portion;
a monomaterial closure cap having a base and a control device,

the base having, at least, a dome-shaped wall with an opening therethrough, an outer skir

Assignees

• Heinz Co Brands H J Llc

Inventors

• Hiltser Balint
• Lueb Guus
• Devries Charlotte Catherine Erik
• Bertens-Vlems Kim
• Cox Thomas
• Fox Jamie

Classifications

• B65D55/022

  with ratchet effect between relatively rotating parts (B65D41/3404, B65D50/04 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D41/04

  Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation · CPC title

• B65D41/0471

  with means for positioning the cap on the container, or for limiting the movement of the cap, or for preventing accidental loosening of the cap · CPC title

• B65D47/0838 Primary

  located at an edge of the base element · CPC title

• B65D47/2081

  in which the deformation raises or lowers the valve port · CPC title