Container closure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9474397-B2
Application number	US-201414264512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2014
Priority date	May 3, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A package includes a container and a closure for an opening into an interior region formed in the container. The closure is configured to mount on a brim of the container. The closure includes a sheet-support ring that surrounds the brim of the closure and a membrane sheet bonded permanently to the sheet-support ring to form an endless hermetic seal therebetween.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A package comprising
a container including a bowl formed to include an interior product-storage region and a brim coupled to an upper portion of the bowl and arranged to border an opening into the interior product-storage region, the brim including a radially outwardly facing side surface arranged to surround the upper portion of the bowl and an endless upwardly facing top surface arranged to lie between the upper portion of the bowl and the radially outwardly facing side surface, and
a closure configured to mount on the brim in a closed position to close the opening and block access to the interior product-storage region formed in the bowl and to be removed by a consumer to gain access to the interior product-storage region, the closure including a sheet-support ring arranged to mate with the brim when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim, the sheet-support ring including an endless upwardly facing top surface arranged to lie adjacent to a portion of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim, and the closure further including a membrane sheet coupled to the sheet-support ring to move therewith relative to the brim of the container when the closure is separated from the brim to gain access to the interior product-storage region, wherein the membrane sheet includes a ring-shaped outer portion bonded permanently to the sheet-support ring to form an endless seal therebetween, a central portion surrounded by the ring-shaped outer portion and arranged to cover the opening into the interior product-storage region when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim, and a ring-shaped middle portion arranged to interconnect an outer perimeter edge of the central portion and an inner perimeter edge of the ring-shaped outer portion, the ring-shaped middle portion includes a downwardly facing surface arranged to overlie and confront a bonding portion of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim, and the package further comprises means for bonding the downwardly facing surface of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet temporarily to the bonding portion of the upwardly facing top surface of the brim to establish an endless hermetic seal therebetween that remains until the closure is removed from the brim by a consumer for a first time to gain access to product stored in the interior product-storage region, wherein the endless upwardly facing top surface of the sheet-support ring is arranged to lie in coplanar relation with the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim.

2. The package of claim 1 , wherein the sheet-support ring is arranged to surround the brim of the container when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim.

3. The package of claim 2 , wherein the membrane sheet is flat.

4. The package of claim 2 , wherein the membrane sheet is made of a thin elastic film.

5. The package of claim 1 , wherein the membrane sheet is flat.

6. The package of claim 1 , wherein the membrane sheet is made of a thin elastic film.

7. The package of claim 1 , wherein a ring-shaped space is provided between the endless upwardly facing top surfaces of the sheet-support ring and the brim and the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet is arranged to extend across the ring-shaped space.

8. The package of claim 1 , wherein an inner perimeter edge of the upwardly facing top surface of the sheet-support ring of the closure is arranged to surround and lie in spaced-apart relation to an outer perimeter edge of the upwardly facing top surface of the brim of the container to form a ring-shaped space therebetween and the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet includes a ring-shaped anchor portion coupled to the outer perimeter edge of the central portion and formed to include the downwardly facing surface confronting the bonding portion of the upwardly facing top surface of the brim and a ring-shaped bridge portion arranged to lie between and interconnect the inner perimeter edge of the ring-shaped outer portion and the ring-shaped anchor portion and to lie in an unsupported position over and across the ring-shaped space provided between the upwardly facing top surfaces of the sheet-support ring and the brim.

9. The package of claim 8 , wherein the brim of the container also includes an axially downwardly facing bottom surface arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim and a portion of the closure is arranged to lie under and in spaced-apart relation to the ring-shaped bridge portion of the membrane sheet to locate the ring-shaped space therebetween and to extend in a radially inward direction toward the interior product-storage region to engage the axially downwardly facing bottom surface of the brim of the container when the closure is mounted on the brim in the closed position.

10. The package of claim 1 , wherein the closure further includes a pull tab coupled to the ring-shaped outer portion of the membrane sheet and arranged to extend in a cantilevered manner away from the sheet-support ring of the closure and the brim of the container when the closure is mounted on the brim in the closed position to provide means for lifting the sheet-support ring upwardly to disengage the brim owing to the permanent bond established between the annular outer portion of the membrane sheet and the endless upwardly facing top surface of the sheet-support ring to break the temporary bond that had been established between the annular middle portion of the membrane sheet and the upwardly facing top surface of the brim of the container when the closure is removed from the brim of the container for a first time to access any product stored in the interior product-storage region formed in the bond of the container.

11. The package of claim 10 , wherein the pull tab and the membrane sheet cooperate to form a monolithic element.

Assignees

• Berry Plastics Corp

Inventors

• Minnette Jeffrey C

Classifications

• B65D2543/00796

  Totality · CPC title

• B65D2577/205

  integral with the closure · CPC title

• B65D2543/00092

  circular · CPC title

• B65D2543/00657

  U-shaped or inverted U · CPC title

• B65D2543/0074

  Massive bead · CPC title