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.
1. A package comprising
a preassembled closure unit comprising a pour spout formed to include a discharge tube having a fluid-discharge outlet and a closure cap mated to the pour spout to cover the fluid-discharge outlet and
a container neck finish formed to include a cylindrical outer surface having an upper edge and an opposite lower edge and a spout-catch retainer coupled to the cylindrical outer surface,
wherein the pour spout further includes an annular rim, a product drainback cup coupled to the rim and to the discharge tube, and a spout catch coupled to the annular rim,
the spout catch includes an internal flange coupled to an interior surface of the annular rim and an anti-rotation lug-receiving slot formed between spaced-apart first and second portions of the internal flange, and
the spout-catch retainer includes an external flange coupled to the cylindrical outer surface and located adjacent to the upper edge of the cylindrical outer surface configured to mate with the internal flange and an anti-rotation lug extending downwardly from the external flange along the cylindrical outer surface sized to extend into the anti-rotation lug-receiving slot upon arrival of the pour spout at a stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish.
2. 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 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, the pour spout including a finish mount and a discharge tube coupled to the finish mount, 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 finish mount retaining 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 container neck finish includes a spout catch retainer and the finish mount of the pour spout includes a rim formed to include an opening receiving the container neck finish therein and a spout catch coupled to the rim and configured to mate with the spout catch retainer included in the container neck finish to fasten the pour spout to the container neck finish so as 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 and to allow separation of the closure cap from the pour spout while the pour spout is fastened to the container neck finish,
wherein the finish mount of the pour spout further includes a product drainback cup having an outer edge coupled to the rim and an inner edge coupled to the discharge tube, the product drainback cup cooperates with the discharge tube to form a product-drainback reservoir arranged to surround the discharge tube and to receive fluid material exiting the fluid-discharge outlet of the discharge tube, the product drainback cup is formed to include a product-drainback aperture to allow any fluid material extant in the product-drainback reservoir to flow therethrough into the interior region of a container mated with the container neck finish when the pour spout is fastened to the container neck finish, and the rim of the finish mount includes an outer surface arranged to face outwardly toward a portion of the closure cap when the closure cap is mated with the container neck finish and an inner surface arranged to face inwardly toward the container neck finish when the pour spout is fastened to the container neck finish, and wherein the spout catch is coupled to the inner surface of the rim of the finish mount,
wherein the spout catch of the pour spout includes an anti-rotation lug-receiving slot associated with the rim and the spout catch retainer of the container neck finish includes an anti-rotation lug arranged to extend into the anti-rotation lug-receiving slot to mate with the spout catch to establish a stationary, anchored position of the pour spout on the container neck finish, and
wherein the container neck finish includes a cylindrical outer surface having an upper edge configured to define the wide mouth opening and an opposite lower edge, the spout retainer includes further a radially outwardly extending exterior flange coupled to the cylindrical outer surface and located adjacent to the upper edge with the anti-rotation lug extending from the outwardly extending exterior flange toward the opposite lower edge of the cylindrical outer surface, and the spout catch further includes a radially inwardly extending interior flange cooperating with the exterior flange to establish means for providing a snap-fit connection to couple the pour spout of the closure unit to the container neck finish along an interface between the container neck finish and the pour spout.
3. The package of claim 2 , wherein the rim has an annular shape, an interior facing inwardly toward and surrounding the container neck finish when the pour spout is retained in the stationary, anchored position, and an exterior facing outwardly away from the container neck finish, and the spout catch is coupled to the interior of the rim.
4. The package of claim 2 , wherein the radially inwardly extending interior flange includes first and second portions arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define the anti-rotation lug-receiving slot therebetween.
5. The package of claim 4 , wherein an end surface of the first portion, an opposing end surface of the second portion, and a radially inwardly facing surface of the annular rim arranged to lie and extend between the end surfaces of the first and second portions cooperate to define the anti-rotation lug-receiving slot therebetween.
6. The package of claim 4 , wherein the anti-rotation lug is coupled to the exterior flange.
7. The package of claim 6 , wherein the external flange is ring-shaped.
8. The package of claim 7 , wherein the anti-rotation lug is arranged to extend from the lower edge of the container neck finish to the external flange.
9. The package of claim 2 , wherein the anti-rotation lug is arranged to extend from the lower edge of the container neck finish to the external flange.
10. The package of claim 2 , wherein the annular rim is formed to include a downwardly opening annular channel receiving the container neck finish therein when the pour spout is mated with the container neck finish and the anti-rotation lug is arranged to extend through the downwardly opening annular channel and into the anti-rotation lug-receiving slot upon arrival of the pour spout at the stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish.
11. The package of claim 10 , wherein the exterior and interior flanges are arranged to lie in the downwardly opening annular channel when the pour spout is located in the stationary, anchored position on the container neck finish.
12. The package of claim 1 , wherein the anti-rotation lug is coupled to the external flange.
13. The package of claim 12 , wherein the external flange is ring-shaped.
14. The package of claim 13 , wherein the container neck finish has a lower edge and an opposite upper edge configured to define in the container neck finish a wide mouth opening into a fluid-conducting passageway formed in the container neck finish, the external flange is coupled to the container neck finish to surround the upper edge of the container neck finish, and the anti-rotation lug is arranged to extend from the lower edge to the external flange.