Metering and dispensing closure
View Patent ↗A metering and dispensing closure for a container wherein two rotatable disks rotate in conjunction with a stationary cap member to afford accurate measuring of a powder material and dispensing of it. The disks and the container cap afford a consistent measuring of the powder material, as well as provide a variety of drive members which can be utilized with the dispensing closure.
1. A dispensing closure for a container, the dispensing closure comprising:
a cap adapted to be received on the container, the cap having an inside face, an outside face, and an aperture extending from the inside face to the outside face through the cap to allow materials within the container to be dispensed;
a first movable member positioned adjacent the inside face of the cap to selectively block the aperture in the cap, the first movable member being movable between a first position in which the aperture is blocked and a second position in which the aperture is not blocked;
a second movable member positioned adjacent the outside face of the cap to selectively block the aperture in the cap, the second moveable member being movable between a first position in which the aperture is blocked and a second position in which the aperture is not blocked, movement of the first moveable member and the second moveable member is sequenced such that at least one of the moveable members is always blocking the aperture; and
a plurality of resilient fingers coupled to the first movable member and extending from the first movable member toward the cap, the fingers being movable with the first movable member between a position in which the fingers are not aligned with the aperture and a position in which the fingers are aligned with the aperture, the resilient fingers extend into the aperture of the cap when the fingers are in the aligned position.
2. The dispensing closure of claim 1 , wherein the fingers are aligned with the aperture in the cap when the first movable member is in a position that blocks the aperture and the second movable member is in a position in which the aperture is not blocked.
3. The dispensing closure of claim 1 , wherein when the fingers are not aligned with the aperture in the cap, the fingers contact the cap and are biased by cap towards a bent over position, and when the fingers are aligned with the aperture in the cap, the fingers resiliently return to a substantially unbiased position and extend into aperture.
4. The dispensing closure of claim 1 , wherein the fingers are positioned within a recessed portion of the first movable member, the recessed portion extending away from the cap.
5. The dispensing closure of claim 1 , wherein the movable members rotate between the first and second position.
6. The dispensing closure of claim 5 , wherein the first movable member has a first passage defined in the first movable member and the second movable member has a second passage defined in the second movable member, wherein rotation of the first and second movable members selectively and sequentially place the first and second passages in communication with the aperture.
7. The dispensing closure of claim 6 , wherein the first passage is rotatably offset relative to the second passage.
8. The dispensing closure of claim 7 , wherein the second movable member comprises an edge that contacts and passes over the aperture in the cap when the second movable member moves from the second position back to the first position, the edge comprises a generally angled surface terminating at a point defining an acute angle.
9. The dispensing closure of claim 1 , further comprising a hook-liked member extending from the first movable member adjacent the cap, wherein the hook-liked member is configured to drive granular or powdered materials contacted by the hook-like members toward the center of the cap.
10. The dispensing closure of claim 1 , wherein the cap and first moveable member have a substantially concave shape.
11. The dispensing closure of claim 10 , wherein the second movable member has a substantially concave shape.
12. A dispensing closure for a container, the dispensing closure comprising:
a cap adapted to be received on the container, the cap having an inside face, an outside face, and an aperture extending from the inside face to the outside face through the cap to allow materials within the container to be dispensed;
a first movable member positioned adjacent the inside face of the cap to selectively block the aperture in the cap, the first movable member being movable between a first position in which the aperture is blocked and a second position in which the aperture is not blocked;
a plurality of resilient fingers coupled to the first movable member and extending from the first movable member toward the cap, the resilient fingers extending into the aperture of the cap when the fingers are aligned with the aperture; and
a second movable member positioned adjacent the outside face of the cap to selectively block the aperture in the cap, the second moveable member being movable between a first position in which the aperture is blocked and a second position in which the aperture is not blocked, the second movable member comprises an edge that contacts and passes over the aperture in the cap when the second movable member moves from the second position back to the first position, the edge comprises a generally angled surface terminating at a point defining an acute angle, movement of the edge over the aperture removes a dispensed material coupled to an outer surface of the cap adjacent the aperture;
wherein the movement of the first moveable member and the second moveable member is sequenced such that at least one of the moveable members is always blocking the aperture.
13. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , wherein the generally angled surface of the edge includes a concave portion.
14. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , wherein the fingers are movable with the first movable member between a position in which the fingers are not aligned with the aperture and a position in which the fingers are aligned with the aperture.
15. The dispensing closure of claim 14 , wherein the fingers are aligned with the aperture in the cap when the first movable member is in a position that blocks the aperture and the second movable member is in a position in which the aperture is not blocked.
16. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , wherein when the fingers are not aligned with the aperture in the cap, the fingers contact the cap and are biased by cap towards a bent over position, and when the fingers are aligned with the aperture in the cap, the fingers resiliently return to a substantially unbiased position and extend into aperture.
17. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , wherein the fingers are positioned within a recessed portion of the first movable member, the recessed portion extending away from the cap.
18. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , wherein the movable members rotate between the first and second position.
19. The dispensing closure of claim 18 , wherein the first movable member has a first passage defined in the first movable member and the second movable member has a second passage defined in the second movable member, wherein rotation of the first and second movable members selectively and sequentially place the first and second passages in communication with the aperture.
20. The dispensing closure of claim 19 , wherein the first passage is rotatably offset relative to the second passage.
21. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , further comprising a hook-liked member extending from the first movable member adjacent the cap, wherein the hook-liked member is configured to drive granular or powdered materials contacted by the hook-like members toward the center of the cap.
22. The dispensing closure of claim 12 , wherein the cap and first moveable member have a substantially concave shape.
23. The dispensing closure of claim 22 , wherein the second movable member has a substantially concave shape.
24. A dispensing closure for a container, the dispensing closure comprising:
a cap adapted to be received on the container, the cap having an inside face, an outside face, and an aperture extending from the inside face to the outside face through the cap to allow materials within the container to be dispensed;
a first movable member positioned adjacent the inside face of the cap to selectively block the aperture in the cap, the first movable member having a first passage and movable between a first position in which the aperture is blocked and a second position in which the aperture is not blocked;
a second movable member positioned adjacent the outside face of the cap to selectively block the aperture in the cap, the second movable member having a second passage and movable between a first position in which the aperture is blocked and a second position in which the aperture is not blocked, the first passage rotatably offset relative to the second passage, the second movable member further having an edge that contacts and passes over the aperture in the cap when the second movable member moves from the second position back to the first position, the edge including a generally angled surface terminating at a point defining an acute angle, and the angled surface having a concave portion; and
a plurality of resilient fingers coupled to the first movable member and extending from the first movable member toward the cap, the fingers being movable with the first movable member between a position in which the fingers are not aligned with the aperture and a position in which the fingers are aligned with the aperture, the resilient fingers extend into the aperture of the cap when the fingers are in the aligned position,
wherein movement of the first movable member and the second movable member is sequenced such that at least one of the movable members is always blocking the aperture, and
wherein the first and second movable members rotate between the first and second positions such that the first and second passages are selectively and sequentially placed in communication with the aperture.