Abstract:
Described is a handled bottle having a flip top, child-resistant closure with a pour spout. In one embodiment, the closure cap has a pair of tabs that lock into the latches on the closure base member.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to bottle closures on bottles for dispensing liquids, such as liquid cleaners and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates generally to flip top and screw top closures on handled bottles with pouring spouts. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    A typical directional pour spout with a flip top cap is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,559 to Conroy et al. A child-proof closure for a flip top cap is described in U.S. Pat. 2007/0144996 to Sawyer. A typical bottle with an integral handle and method of making is described in U.S. 2005/0163952 to Beale and U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,598 to Thompson. 
         [0005]    A variety of solutions have been disclosed for storage venting of screw top closures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,870 to Pearce discloses ridges with slots or grooves on the inside top horizontal surface of a screw cap to allow venting from inside the bottle. Another example of screw cap venting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,140 to Caldwell, where the screw cap is slotted through the threads and on the inside top surface. Other venting solutions applicable to screw top containers have used venting liners, i.e. U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,857, U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,728, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,074. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, what is needed is a suitable flip top, child-resistant closure with a pour spout for a handled bottle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In accordance with the principles of the present invention, in one embodiment, a bottle comprises a container having a threaded neck on the container top front surface and having an enclosed handle on the container top rear surface wherein the neck comprises a container outlet and a separate handle inlet; a dispensing closure comprising a base member, a cap having a top and sidewalls, and a hinge connecting the base member and the cap, wherein the base member has a top wall with a depending outer concave flared sidewall and a depending intermediate wall having a pair of latches and a thread segment and connecting to an intermediate deck with a depending inner wall connecting to a lower deck having a beveled spout wherein the cap has a pair of tabs each having a tab wall connecting a tab lug that locks into one of the latches. 
         [0008]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, a bottle comprises a container having a threaded neck on the container top front surface and having an enclosed handle on the container top rear surface wherein the neck comprises a container outlet and a separate handle inlet; a dispensing closure comprising a base member, a cap having a top and sidewalls, and a hinge connecting the base member and the cap, wherein the base member has a top wall with depending outer sidewall and a depending inner wall with a pair of latches on opposite sides of the base member and a deck member wherein the deck member comprises a beveled spout; wherein the cap sidewall has a pair of tab cutouts each containing a tab having a tab wall with tab lug that locks into a corresponding latch. 
         [0009]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a bottle comprises a container having a threaded neck on the container top front surface and having an enclosed handle on the container top rear surface wherein the neck comprises a container outlet and a separate handle inlet; a dispensing closure comprising a base member, a cap, and a hinge connecting the base member and the cap, wherein the base member has a depending outer sidewall and an inner threaded wall with a pair of latches on opposite sides of the base member and a deck member wherein the deck member comprises a beveled spout, wherein the cap has a pair of tabs having tab lugs that lock into the latches, wherein the base member is opaque and the cap is from a group consisting of translucent, transparent, or a combination thereof. 
         [0010]    The use of the bottle of the present invention, from a consumer perspective, would not differ from the use of any conventional dispensing bottle known in the art. The user would simply open the closure mechanism to dispense fluid from the bottle. The user in one embodiment of invention must squeeze two opposing tabs while at the same time lifting the cap. 
         [0011]    Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of embodiments below, when considered together with the attached drawings and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The foregoing aspects and others will be readily appreciated by the skilled artisan from the following description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows a side plan view of a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  shows a side plan view of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  shows a rear plan view of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a closure portion according to the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of a closure portion according to the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of a closure according to the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a closure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  shows a plan view of a closure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of a closure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of a closure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  shows a top view a closure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 13  shows a cross-sectional view of the closure of  FIG. 12  along A-A in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 14  shows an bottom view of the closure of  FIG. 12  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 15  shows a side perspective view of a closure and container in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. For ease of description, the components of this invention are described in the normal (upright) operating position, and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, top, bottom, etc., are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the components embodying this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in an orientation other than the position described. 
         [0029]    Figures illustrating the components of this invention show some conventional mechanical elements that are known and that will be recognized by one skilled in the art. The detailed descriptions of such elements are not necessary to an understanding of the invention, and accordingly, are herein presented only to the degree necessary to facilitate an understanding of the novel features of the present invention. 
         [0030]    All publications, patents and patent applications cited herein, whether supra or infra, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. 
         [0031]    As used herein and in the claims, the term “comprising” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional unrecited elements, compositional components, or method steps. Accordingly, the term “comprising” encompasses the more restrictive terms “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of”. 
         [0032]    It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “surfactant” includes two or more such surfactants. 
         [0033]    Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although a number of methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. 
         [0034]    The term “bottle”, as used herein, is meant to mean and include any plastic container and closure for holding a fluid. 
         [0035]    In a suitable embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the bottle  100  comprises a container  102  having a body portion  104  for holding container content, with a container front side  106  adjacent to the dispensing opening  108  and a rear side  110  adjacent to the handle  112 , and a lower closed bottom end  114  for supporting the container  102 . The container has an upper end including a neck  116  delimiting a dispensing opening  108 . A dispensing closure  120  of the present invention, having a base member  122  with a curved flared sidewall  126 , a cap  124 , and a connecting hinge  118  may be securely mounted onto said container  102  via its base member  122 , using any means of attachment commonly know to those skilled in the art including cooperative threads, crimping, clipping means, heat sealing, force fitting, clasp elements, snap-fit bead, groove arrangements, and mixtures thereof. The curved flared sidewall  126  of the base member  122  provides for a more stable grip of the base member  122  as one hand grips the base member  122  and the other hand opens the cap  124 . 
         [0036]    The container  102  can have an enclosed handle  112  with an extended handle exterior  126  and an enclosed extended handle interior  128 . The bottle has a thumb pad  130  on the extended handle exterior  126  and a forefinger alignment nub  132  on the extended handle interior  128 . These handle easy-grip features are suitable for a forward directed pouring spout which is tipped during pouring to a lesser extent than is required for a more central directed pouring spout on the top of a bottle. A solid web  134  separates the handle top end  136  from the container front side  106  where the handle top end  136  and the container front side  106  both enter the neck  116 . The handle bottom end  135  is fluidly connected to the container body portion  104  about half way up the container rear side  110 . The handle top end  136  is fluidly connected to the dispensing opening  108  at the neck  116 . Below the handle  112  is an indented label wall  138 . As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the container  102  is an elongated circle rather than round. In other embodiments, the container is round. In a suitable embodiment, the container  102  has a length  140  and a width  142 . In one embodiment, the neck  116  is entirely within the front 20% of the length  140  of the container  102  and the handle  112  stretches across greater than 80% of the length  140  of the container  102 . The elongated container, the extended handle position, the separate handle opening to the neck, the forward neck, or combinations of these allow for effective directed pouring out of the front of the bottle. 
         [0037]    Suitably, the dispensing closure  120  of the invention is provided with an inner female thread typically located in the base member  122 , as described hereinafter, and the container neck  116  is provided with an exterior male thread  150  formed adjacent its dispensing opening  118 . Typically, the dispensing closure  120  is mounted onto the container  102  with the female thread of the base member  122  screwed on the male thread  150  of the container  102 . Alternatively, the container  102  may not need having a neck  116 . Instead the container  102  may consist of a just a body portion  104  with a dispensing opening  118 . The dispensing closure  120  of the present invention is suitable for use with a variety of conventional or special containers having various designs, the details of which, although not illustrated or described, would be apparent to those skilled in the art. The container  102  may have a rigid wall or walls, or may have a somewhat flexible wall or walls. 
         [0038]    In a suitable aspect of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the dispensing closure  120  is a separate element which is adapted to be removably or non-removably mounted, via its base member  122 , to a previously manufactured container  102  which has a dispensing opening  108  to the container interior. In an alternative execution, the dispensing closure  120  may be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of the container  102 . The dispensing closure  120  is adapted to be used with a container  102  having a dispensing opening  108  to provide access to the container interior volume and to a product contained therein, which is preferably a pourable product. However, the dispensing closure  120  of the invention may be used with many products, including but not limited to, relatively low or high viscosity liquids, creams, gels, suspensions, mixtures, lotions, pastes, particulates, granular products, and mixtures thereof. Typical products for use in the present invention may be those constituting a food product, a personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other compositions of matter for use in activities involving manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture. Suitably, said pourable product is a liquid composition. 
         [0039]    The container neck  116  may be a simple threaded closure or may have in addition to the male thread  150 , several functional elements to prevent removal of the base member  122  of the dispensing closure  120 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the container neck  116  has two or more ratchets  152 ,  153  and a closure stop  154  on the neck base  156  to interact with the dispensing closure  120  during attachment of the dispensing closure  120 . Suitably, one or more of the ratchets  153  is located at the top of the handle neck base  158  and one or more of the ratchets  152  is located on the container front neck base  160 . The closure stop  154  is suitably located on the container front neck base  160 . An anti-removal stop  155  is located on the handle neck base  158 . At the bottom of the neck  116  are the container outlet  162  and the handle venting inlet  164 . 
         [0040]    Showing the dispensing means  120  in an open position in  FIG. 5  the base member  122  may have any suitable configuration, form or dimension for accommodating an upwardly projecting neck  116  or portion of a container  102  ( FIG. 2 ). In a suitable execution of the present invention, the base member  122  has a substantially round shape when seen from the top perspective, as represented in  FIG. 5 . The base member  122  is comprised of two distinct parts, an annular skirt member  170  and a deck member  172 . The skirt member  170  generally forms the external and surrounding wall of the base member  122  and extends substantially towards the container direction, typically parallel to the neck  116  of the container  102  ( FIG. 3 ). The deck member  172  which typically extends substantially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the container  102  is generally substantially flat and horizontal or slightly slanted. 
         [0041]    More specifically, and as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the female thread means  174  for attachment of the base member  122  to the neck  116  is suitably located onto the inner portion of the outer wall  176  of the skirt member  170  of the base member  122 . The skirt member has an inner wall  177  connecting to the deck member  172 . The deck member  172  of the base member  122  comprises a venting channel  178  adapted to communicate with the interior volume of the handle  112  through the handle inlet  164  ( FIG. 4 ). The deck member  172  also comprises a beveled spout member  180  which extends upward from the deck member  172  to dispense product from the container  102  through the container outlet  162  ( FIG. 4 ). Also shown is a spout deflector  182  at the bottom of the spout member  180  which acts to moderate the pouring stream out of the spout member  180 . The top  184  of the cap  124  can also have a venting pad  186  for venting during storage. The venting pad  186  can overlay a hole in the top of the cap  124  and provide grooved channels for passage of air between the bottle interior and the bottle exterior. 
         [0042]    Another embodiment of the dispensing closure  120  is shown in  FIGS. 7-9 .  FIG. 7  shows a dispensing closure  120  in the closed position and having a base member  122 , a cap member  124  and a hinge  118 .  FIG. 8  shows the dispensing closure  120  of  FIG. 7  in an open position having a base member  122 , a cap member  124  and a hinge  118 . The skirt member  170  comprises an outer annular shirt  188  having latches  190  and a contiguous indented inner annular skirt  192  having an inner skirt inner surface  194 . On each side of the cap member  124  is a tab  196 . The tabs  196  can be pushed inward towards each other to release the tabs  196  from the latches  190  in the outer skirt  188  of the skirt member  170  to allow the cap member  124  to swing on the hinge  118  to the open position. As shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , the cap member  124  also has an inner annular wall  198  concentric with the outer annular wall  199  that frictionally mates with the inner skirt inner surface  194  of the base member  122  to prevent product from leaking from the container  102  (in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0043]    When the bottle contains liquid contents that expand or generate gas during storage of the bottle when the nozzle is in the closed position, it may be necessary to include a storage venting means. This passive storage venting means can be achieved by a circuitous channel, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,870 to Pearce, or by a porous liner, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,306 to Costa et al., both of which are incorporated in the entirety herein. In one embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 11 , the storage venting means can achieved by a pattern of channels  195  on the outer surface  199  of the inner wall  198  of the cap member  124 . Alternately, there can be a pattern of channels  197  on the inner skirt inner surface  194 . Because these channels  195 ,  197  are only on vertical surfaces of the dispensing closure  120 , there may be less likelihood to foul from product gassing than grooves on horizontal surfaces. In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to have channels  195 ,  197  on both the outer surface  199  of the inner wall  198  of the cap member  124  and the inner skirt inner surface  194  in order to reduce mold wear. These channels are especially advantageous where two smooth injection molded surfaces fit together. The channels can be laser etched or chemical etched into the molds. 
         [0044]    The bottle may have an integrated spout fitment such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,803 to Sprick, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
         [0045]    The inside of an open flip top closure  200  is shown in  FIG. 12  with a cross-sectional view along A-A in  FIG. 13 , with a base member  202  connected to a cap  204  by a hinge  206 . The base member  202  has a top wall  208  including a depending curved flared exterior skirt  210 , an intermediate wall  212  connecting to an intermediate deck  214  with a depending inner wall  216  connecting to a lower spout deck  218 . The base member curved flared exterior skirt  210  has a bottom surface  220  having a bottom diameter  222  and a top surface  224  having a top diameter  226 , where the top diameter  226  can be greater that 5% less than the bottom diameter  222 . For example, in one embodiment, the top diameter  226  can be 45 mm and the bottom diameter can be 48.6 mm. The curved flared exterior shirt  210  is a concave curved exterior skirt. The top wall  208  has a pair of guide flanges  230 . The intermediate wall  212  has a pair of latches  232  on opposite sides of the interior surface of the intermediate wall  212  orthogonal to the hinge  206 . The bottom of the intermediate wall  212  depends from the intermediate deck  214  and has a thread segment  234  on the interior surface of the intermediate wall  212 . The term “thread segment” is employed in its usual broad sense to include both single and multiple threads, and both interrupted and continuous threads. The spout deck  218  contains a beveled spout  236 . The inner wall  216  contains a drainback hole  238  that can be aligned with the container handle (shown in  FIG. 15 ). 
         [0046]    The cap  204  has a cap top  240  and depending exterior cap sidewalls  242 . A cap interior wall  244  depends from the cap top  240  and mates with the base inner wall  216  when the flip top closure  200  is closed. The exterior cap sidewall  242  is connected to the cap interior wall  244  by multiple bracing flanges  246 . The exterior cap sidewall  242  is discontinuous broken by a pair tab cutouts  247  with tabs  248  on opposite sides and orthogonal to the hinge  206 . Each of the tabs  248  is shorter than the corresponding tab cutout  247 . Each of the tabs  248  have multiple finger grip flanges  250  attached to the tab wall  252 . At the top of each of the tab walls  252  is a lug  254  shorter than the tab wall  252  and having at least one beveled edge  256 . The beveled edge  256  is on the side of the lug  254  facing the hinge  206 . The beveled edge  256  can have two parallel sides  258  and at least one curved side  260 . The beveled edge  256  allows better snap fitment as the cap tab lugs  254  are inserted into the base member latches  232 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 14  shows the open closure  200  with the cap  204  having the cap top  240  with exterior cap sidewalls  242  and the bottom of the base member  202 . In one embodiment, the base member  202  has an opaque exterior skirt  210  and the cap  204  has a transparent or translucent cap top  240  and translucent exterior cap sidewalls  242 . When the cap top  240  is transparent, it is possible to see the beveled spout  236  when the closure  200  is in the closed position. The transparent cap top  240  also allows translucent instructions to be molded onto the cap top  240 . The instructions to squeeze and lift and two arrows are molded onto the cap top  240  and may be translucent for contrast. 
         [0048]      FIG. 15  shows an open closure  200  with a cap  204  and base member  202  on a bottle  300 . The beveled spout  236  has a pouring lip  237  facing the front of the bottle  300  and the drainback hole  238  over the handle  302 . The handle  302  may have an inlet as in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0049]    This invention has been described herein in detail to provide those skilled in the art with information relevant to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by different equipment, materials and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.