Closure unit with cap and pour spout for container neck finish
View Patent ↗A package includes a pour spout and a closure cap. The pour spout is adapted to fit into a neck finish associated with a container using a wedging action.
1. A package comprising
a container neck finish formed to include a wide-mouth opening and adapted to mate with a container formed to include an interior region to place the wide-mouth opening in communication with the interior region, and
a preassembled closure unit configured to mate with the container neck finish to close the wide-mouth opening into the interior region of the container, the preassembled closure unit including a pour spout having a fluid-discharge outlet and a closure cap configured to mate with the pour spout to cover the fluid-discharge outlet and separate from the pour spout while the pour spout is mated with the container neck finish to expose the fluid-discharge outlet,
wherein the closure cap includes a top wall, a cylindrical sleeve extending downwardly from the top wall and cooperating with the top wall to form a liquid-receiving region, and an outer shell coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and arranged to extend around the cylindrical sleeve and mate with the container neck finish to retain the closure cap on the container neck finish,
wherein the cylindrical sleeve includes an outer sleeve portion extending from the outer shell to the top wall and an inner sleeve portion extending from the outer sleeve portion in a downward direction away from the top wall,
wherein the pour spout includes a product drainback cup and a discharge tube coupled to the product drainback cup, the discharge tube having an inner portion formed to include a fluid-admission inlet arranged to open into the interior region of a container mated with the container neck finish and an outer portion formed to include the fluid-discharge outlet, the product drainback cup providing first interference-fit means for establishing an interference fit between the pour spout and the container neck finish to retain the pour spout in a stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish to place the fluid-admission inlet formed in the discharge tube in communication with the interior region of a container mated to the container neck finish when the preassembled closure unit is first mated with the container neck finish to close the wide-mouth opening into the interior region of the container and during later movement of the closure cap between a capped position covering the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube and an uncapped position uncovering the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube, and
wherein the pour spout further includes at least two circumferentially spaced apart cap-centering guide ribs coupled to the product drainback cup and located in a product-drainback reservoir formed in the product drainback cup, the cap-centering guide ribs cooperating with the inner sleeve portion of the closure cap to provide second interference-fit means for establishing an interference fit between the pour spout and the closure cap that is relatively loose as compared to the interference fit established between the pour spout and the container neck finish so that the relatively loose interference fit established by the second interference-fit means will be broken to allow separation of the closure cap from the pour spout without disrupting or otherwise breaking the relatively tighter interference fit established between the pour spout and the container neck finish by the first interference-fit means.
2. The package of claim 1 , wherein the product drainback cup includes a bottom wall and an annular wall coupled to the bottom wall to form the product-drainback reservoir and the cap-centering guide ribs are coupled to an interior surface of the annular wall.
3. The package of claim 2 , wherein each cap-centering guide rib is an elongated member having a lower end arranged to lie near the bottom wall of the product drainback cup and an upper end arranged to lie near a top edge of the annular wall that is arranged to lie above and in spaced-apart relation to the bottom wall.
4. The package of claim 2 , wherein a first and a second of the cap-centering guide ribs is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to locate the discharge tube therebetween.
5. The package of claim 4 , wherein each cap-centering guide rib is an elongated member having a lower end arranged to lie near the bottom wall of the product drainback cup and an upper end arranged to lie near a top edge of the annular wall that is arranged to lie above and in spaced-apart relation to the bottom wall.
6. The package of claim 2 , wherein the closure cap further includes a drive lug coupled to an exterior surface of the inner sleeve portion of the cylindrical sleeve, and the pour spout further includes a driven lug coupled to the interior surface of the annular wall and arranged to be engaged by the drive lug of the closure cap during rotation of the closure cap relative to the container neck finish to transmit rotary motion about a vertical axis from a rotating closure cap to the pour spout during mounting of the preassembled closure unit onto the container neck finish and to establish a predetermined orientation of the pour spout relative to the container neck finish in the stationary, anchored position of the pour spout on the container neck finish.
7. The package of claim 6 , wherein a first and a second of the cap-centering guide ribs are coupled to the interior surface of the annular wall to define a first surface section therebetween and the driven lug is coupled to the first surface section to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to each of the first and second cap-centering guide ribs.
8. The package of claim 6 , wherein the driven lug includes a ramp terminating at a stop wall provided on the interior surface of the annular wall of the pour spout, the drive lug includes a ramp terminating at a stop wall provided on an exterior surface of the inner sleeve portion of the cylindrical sleeve, and the stop walls of the driven and drive lugs mate upon arrival of the pour spout in the stationary, anchored position of the pour spout on the container neck finish.
9. The package of claim 1 , wherein the product drainback cup includes a bottom wall and an annular wall coupled to the bottom wall to form the product-drainback reservoir and arranged to surround and lie in spaced-apart relation to the inner sleeve portion of the cylindrical sleeve.
10. A package comprising
a container neck finish formed to include a wide-mouth opening and adapted to mate with a container formed to include an interior region to place the wide-mouth opening in communication with the interior region, and
a preassembled closure unit configured to mate with the container neck finish to close the wide-mouth opening into the interior region of the container, the preassembled closure unit including a pour spout having a fluid-discharge outlet and a closure cap configured to mate with the pour spout to cover the fluid-discharge outlet and separate from the pour spout while the pour spout is mated with the container neck finish to expose the fluid-discharge outlet,
wherein the closure cap includes a top wall, a cylindrical sleeve extending downwardly from the top wall and cooperating with the top wall to form a liquid-receiving region, and an outer shell coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and arranged to extend around the cylindrical sleeve and mate with the container neck finish to retain the closure cap on the container neck finish,
wherein the cylindrical sleeve includes an outer sleeve portion extending from the outer shell to the top wall and an inner sleeve portion extending from the outer sleeve portion in a downward direction away from the top wall,
wherein the pour spout includes a product drainback cup and a discharge tube coupled to the product drainback cup, the discharge tube having an inner portion formed to include a fluid-admission inlet arranged to open into the interior region of a container mated with the container neck finish and an outer portion formed to include the fluid-discharge outlet, the product drainback cup providing first interference-fit means for establishing an interference fit between the pour spout and the container neck finish to retain the pour spout in a stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish to place the fluid-admission inlet formed in the discharge tube in communication with the interior region of a container mated to the container neck finish when the preassembled closure unit is first mated with the container neck finish to close the wide-mouth opening into the interior region of the container and during later movement of the closure cap between a capped position covering the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube and an uncapped position uncovering the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube,
wherein the pour spout further includes at least two cap-centering guide ribs coupled to the product drainback cup and located in a product-drainback reservoir formed in the product drainback cup, the cap-centering guide ribs cooperating with the inner sleeve portion of the closure cap to provide second interference-fit means for establishing an interference fit between the pour spout and the closure cap that is relatively loose as compared to the interference fit established between the pour spout and the container neck finish so that the relatively loose interference fit established by the second interference-fit means will be broken to allow separation of the closure cap from the pour spout without disrupting or otherwise breaking the relatively tighter interference fit established between the pour spout and the container neck finish by the first interference-fit means, and
wherein the product drainback cup includes a bottom wall, an annular wall coupled to the bottom wall to form the product drainback-reservoir, and a rim coupled to the annular wall and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the bottom wall and extend radially outwardly away from the discharge tube, the outer shell of the closure cap includes an annular side wall arranged to surround the annular wall of the product drainback cup and an annular top wall arranged to interconnect the cylindrical sleeve and the annular side wall, the rim of the product drainback cup includes a radially outwardly facing edge facing toward an interior surface of the annular side wall of the outer shell and an axially upwardly facing surface facing toward an underside of the annular top wall of the outer shell, and the outer shell is arranged to mate with the radially outwardly facing edge of the rim of the product drainback cup to provide temporary retention means for establishing temporarily a retentive grip on the pour spout in mated relation to the closure cap upon preassembly of the pour spout and the closure cap to define the closure unit and for releasing the retentive grip on the pour spout once the pour spout is moved to assume the stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish so as to facilitate release of the closure cap from the pour spout.
11. The package of claim 10 , wherein the temporary retention means includes an annular retention bead coupled to the underside of the annular top wall of the outer shell and arranged to lie between the radially outwardly facing edge of the rim and the interior surface of the annular side wall of the outer shell.
12. The package of claim 11 , wherein the outer shell further includes an annular seal coupled to the underside of the annular top wall of the outer shell and arranged to engage the axially upwardly facing surface of the rim.
13. The package of claim 12 , wherein the container neck finish and the annular top wall of the outer shell cooperate to form a seal-receiving space therebetween upon movement of the pour spout to the stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish and the annular seal is arranged to lie in the seal-receiving space above the container neck finish.
14. The package of claim 10 , wherein the rim is arranged to lie in a space provided between a first of the cap-centering guide ribs and the interior surface of the annular side wall of the outer shell.
15. A package comprising
a container neck finish formed to include a wide-mouth opening and adapted to mate with a container formed to include an interior region to place the wide-mouth opening in communication with the interior region, and
a preassembled closure unit configured to mate with the container neck finish to close the wide-mouth opening into the interior region of the container, the preassembled closure unit including a pour spout having a fluid-discharge outlet and a closure cap configured to mate with the pour spout to cover the fluid-discharge outlet and separate from the pour spout while the pour spout is mated with the container neck finish to expose the fluid-discharge outlet,
wherein the closure cap includes a top wall, a cylindrical sleeve extending downwardly from the top wall and cooperating with the top wall to form a liquid-receiving region, and an outer shell coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and arranged to extend around the cylindrical sleeve and mate with the container neck finish to retain the closure cap on the container neck finish,
wherein the cylindrical sleeve includes an outer sleeve portion extending from the outer shell to the top wall and an inner sleeve portion extending from the outer sleeve portion in a downward direction away from the top wall,
wherein the pour spout includes a product drainback cup and a discharge tube coupled to the product drainback cup, the discharge tube having an inner portion formed to include a fluid-admission inlet arranged to open into the interior region of a container mated with the container neck finish and an outer portion formed to include the fluid-discharge outlet, the product drainback cup providing first interference-fit means for establishing an interference fit between the pour spout and the container neck finish to retain the pour spout in a stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish to place the fluid-admission inlet formed in the discharge tube in communication with the interior region of a container mated to the container neck finish when the preassembled closure unit is first mated with the container neck finish to close the wide-mouth opening into the interior region of the container and during later movement of the closure cap between a capped position covering the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube and an uncapped position uncovering the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube, and
wherein the pour spout further includes a second interference-fit means for establishing an interference fit between the pour spout and the closure cap that is relatively loose as compared to the interference fit established between the pour spout and the container neck finish so that the relatively loose interference fit established by the second interference-fit means will be broken to allow separation of the closure cap from the pour spout without disrupting or otherwise breaking the relatively tighter interference fit established between the pour spout and the container neck finish by the first interference-fit means, and
wherein the product drainback cup includes a bottom wall, an annular wall coupled to the bottom wall to form the product drainback-reservoir, and a rim coupled to the annular wall and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the bottom wall and extend radially outwardly away from the discharge tube, the outer shell of the closure cap includes an annular side wall arranged to surround the annular wall of the product drainback cup and an annular top wall arranged to interconnect the cylindrical sleeve and the annular side wall, the rim of the product drainback cup includes a radially outwardly facing edge facing toward an interior surface of the annular side wall of the outer shell and an axially upwardly facing surface facing toward an underside of the annular top wall of the outer shell, and the outer shell is arranged to mate with the radially outwardly facing edge of the rim of the product drainback cup to provide temporary retention means for establishing temporarily a retentive grip on the pour spout in mated relation to the closure cap upon preassembly of the pour spout and the closure cap to define the closure unit and for releasing the retentive grip on the pour spout once the pour spout is moved to assume the stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish so as to facilitate release of the closure cap from the pour spout.