Composite closure having improved seal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11999534-B2
Application number	US-202217689395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2022
Priority date	Feb 23, 2021
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

A composite closure which includes an improved sealing gasket material and shape. The Closure includes an end panel that is received in a circular plastic fitment having a central opening therein defined by an inwardly extending flange which over-lies in an outer periphery of the end panel and an integral skirt downwardly depending from the flange. The fitment includes an inwardly extending circumferential bead or bead segments which include a substantially non-deformable flat vertical surfaces that are substantially parallel to the axis of the closure and axially positioned to contact the radial outer-most edge of the end panel when the closure is fully applied to a container. The sealing gasket has the shape of an annulus with a particular cross-section and formed from a PVC free material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composite closure for a container, the composite closure comprising:
a circular plastic fitment having a central opening defined by an inwardly extending circumferential flange and a downwardly depending skirt extending from the flange;
an end panel received in the fitment, an upper, outer peripheral surface of the panel underlying a bottom surface of the flange and in intimate contact therewith when the composite closure is fully applied to a container;
the skirt of the plastic fitment including a radially inwardly extending circumferential contact bead that includes a substantially non-deformable vertically flat surface in cross-section that is substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the closure and axially positioned for contact with a radial outermost surface of the end panel when the closure is fully applied to the container, the bead being sized so that the vertical contact surface thereof imparts a predetermined radial force on the radial outermost surface of the end panel which produces a perceptible resistance upon initial rotation of the closure from its fully applied state and provides assurance to a user that the composite closure has been fully applied to the container prior to the initial rotation; and
an annular sealing gasket formed directly on the end panel to define a unitary integral fitment and gasket arrangement, the annular gasket having a ring shaped body, the gasket having a profile capable of forming a seal when the closure is applied to a container, wherein the gasket is composed of a non-PVC material and wherein the material comprises at least one type of rubbery block copolymer and a thermoplastic polymer.

2. The composite closure of claim 1 wherein the end panel is metal.

3. The composite closure of claim 2 wherein the radial outermost surface of the end panel includes an arcuate curl.

4. The composite closure of claim 3 wherein the bead is in the form of a plurality of circumferential individual segments.

5. The composite closure of claim 4 wherein the segments are uniformly spaced around the inner circumference of the plastic fitment.

6. The composite closure of claim 1 wherein the circular plastic fitment is composed of a propylene polymer.

7. The composite closure of claim 1 wherein the initial rotation produces a disengagement of the contact bead from the radial outermost surface of the end panel.

8. The composite closure of claim 1 wherein the gasket materials have a Shore A hardness between 30 and 100 and a compression set between 30% and 95% in a compression test similar to ASTM D 395-97, method B after 22 h at 70° C.

9. A composite closure and container package, comprising:
a container having a neck with container threads formed on an outer surface thereof, the neck including an end surface defining an open mouth of the container;
a circular plastic fitment having a central opening therein defined by an inwardly extending circumferential flange and a depending skirt extending downwardly from the flange;
a circular end panel received in the plastic fitment, the end panel including circumferential, downwardly facing channel in which a resilient composition is contained for forming a seal with the end surface of the container neck;
an upper, outer peripheral surfaces of the end panel underlying the flange which is in intimate contact with a bottom surface thereof when the composite closure is fully applied to the container, the outer peripheral edge of the end panel terminating in an arcuate curl;
the skirt of the plastic fitment including a radially, inwardly extending circumferential bead that includes a substantially non-deformable, vertically flat surface in cross-section that is substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the container and axially positioned for contact with the curl, the flat vertical surface of the bead being in its as-molded shape, without deformation as a result of its contact with the curl;
the bead being sized and configured so that the flat vertical surface of the bead imparts selected predetermined radial force which imparts a perceptible resistance upon initial rotation of the closure while fully applied to the container so as to provide a user with assurance upon rotation of the closure that it was fully applied to the container prior to the initial rotation; and
an annular sealing gasket formed directly on the end panel to define a unitary integral fitment and gasket arrangement, the annular gasket having a ring shaped body, the gasket having a profile capable of forming a seal when the closure is applied to a container, wherein the gasket is composed of a non-PVC material and wherein the material comprises at least one type of rubbery block copolymer.

10. The composite closure and container package of claim 9 wherein the bead is in the form of a plurality of circumferential space-apart individual segments.

11. The composite closure and container package of claim 10 wherein the individual bead segments are generally uniformly spaced around the inner circumference of the plastic fitment.

12. The composite closure and container package of claim 9 wherein the circular plastic fitment is composed of a propylene polymer.

13. The composite closure and container package of claim 9 wherein perceptible resistance upon initial rotation of the closure produces a disengagement of the contact bear from the curl of the end panel.

14. The composite closure of claim 1 , wherein the gasket has an uncompressed cross-sectional shape including a generally rectangular portion connected to a curved end.

15. The composite closure of claim 1 , wherein the gasket has a volume between 0.01 in 3 to 0.05 in 3 .

16. The composite closure and container package of claim 9 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the gasket is defined by a curved edge that extends into and connects to a generally horizontal edge, the generally horizontal edge extends into and connects to a generally vertical edge, the generally vertical edge extends into and connects to a generally horizontal connecting edge that extends and connects to the curved edge.

17. The composite closure and container package of claim 9 , wherein the gasket has a weight of about 47 grams.

Assignees

• Silgan White Cap LLC

Inventors

• Hewett Mark
• Szczesniak Dennis
• Kapolas William J
• Neputy Darren
• Liang Tian
• Vance Dustin

Classifications

• B65D43/0283 Primary

  only on the outside, or a part turned to the outside, of the mouth of the container (B65D43/0279 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D53/02

  Collars or rings · CPC title

• F16J15/10

  with non-metallic packing · CPC title

• B65D2401/15

  Tearable part of the closure (B65D2401/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D2543/00092

  circular · CPC title