CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER

Abstract: A closure for a container having a neck opening (6), the closure comprising a neck top portion and a cap, particularly a tube closure, wherein a flexible tongue (16) is displaceable substantially parallel to the neck portion axis and across the neck opening in a semi-spherical neck end portion, the tongue (16) thereby, in one extreme position, closing the neck opening and in another extreme position, setting free the opening for discharging the container content, the tongue (16) being guided in its displacements by first guiding means on the neck portion and across the semi-spherical neck end portion, and at least one second guiding means (14) being provided in an oblique direction in relation to the neck axis, at least one projection (17, 18) on the tongue end thereby being guided in the second guiding means (14), the first and second guiding means (14) being provided on the cap or the neck portion, respectively, such that the tongue will be displaced axially by turning the cap in relation to the neck portion thereby opening or closing the neck opening (6) by the tongue (16), preferably by a turning movement of 180<o>.

Description: Closure for a Container The present invention relates to a closure for a container having a neck opening, especially for an open- ing in a tube. Containers in the form of tubes are used for a countless number of purposes, such as toothpaste, cosme¬ tics, foodstuffs etc. For tubes used in the above-stated connections, it is of great importance that the content of the tube is prevented from drying out between each time the tube is used. It therefore is required that the tube comprises a closure which upon pressing out a desired amount of the content, sealingly is able to close the opening of the tube. To a large extent, closures at present used for this purpose, comprise individual caps or lids to be secur¬ ed to the neck opening of the tube by means of threads. When pressing out a part of the content, the cap must be screwed off, possibly and usually, placed on a table e.g., whereafter the desired amount of the content of the tube can be pressed out and the tube cap thereafter is screwed back in place. The above described principle includes a closure comprising two parts, the container or the tube itself, and the cap or the lid. In daily life very often the cap is a source of irritation as the cap has to be kept some¬ where during pressing out the content. This also is the case with the commonly known toothpaste tube where one hand normally holds the tube, whereas the other hand is occupied holding the toothbrush. Although it should not create a problem in most cases, the time-consuming search for a cap somewhere on the floor, is well known. The above-stated disadvantages of known closures, especially for tubes, are avoided by the closure according to the present invention as described in the characterizing clauses of the claims. In the drawings two embodiments of the present invention are disclosed. Figure 1 hereby disclosing a vertical section through the tube and the closure, Figure 2 disclosing a cross section along II-II in Figure 1, Figure 3 disclosing a top view of the tube part and the tongue in Figure 1, Figure 4 disclosing an elevation view of a second embodiment of the tube part. Figure 5 disclos- ing a view of the cap disclosed in Figure 6, as seen from below. Figure 6 disclosing a vertical section of a second embodiment of the cap according to the invention, and Figure 7 disclosing a vertical section of the assembled closure according to the invention. One embodiment of the closure according to the invention is disclosed in Figures 1-3. The neck portion 1 of a tube comprises a lower wedge 5 for securing a cap 2 to the tube by pressing the cap 2 on the neck portion 1 until the wedge 5 is placed in a corresponding groove in the cap. Hereby a flexible tongue 3 having a radially extending projection 4 is arranged in such a way between the neck portion 1 and the cap 2 that the projection 4 meshes into a helically shaped groove 8 in the cap, and the tongue 3 is arranged in an axially extending groove 9 of the tube portion 1. The tongue thereby is displaceable in the groove 9 in such a way that the upper top of the tongue 3 can be retracted to set an opening 6 of the tube portion 1 free when the lower end of the tongue having the projection 4 is positioned in its lower position, and when the lower part of the tongue 3, comprising the projection 4, is in its upper position, the upper part of the tongue 3 covers the opening 6 and the tip of the tongue is arranged in a part of the groove 9 extending on the other side of the opening 6. An axially extending opening 7 is arranged between the interior of the tube portion and the groove 9, the content of the tube pushed by the front edge of the tongue 3 thereby being pressed through the opening 7 into the interior of the tube when closing the opening 6. The axial and crossing movement of the tongue 3 is achieved by turning the cap 2 in relation to the tube portion 1. As the tongue 3 is captured in the groove 9 and the projection 4 on the tongue 3 is captured in the groove 8, the projection 4 will follow the curve of the groove 8 when turning the cap 2, thereby being displac¬ ed up and down as seen on Figure 1. The helical form of the groove 8 is such that the tongue 3 will set the opening 6 free by a 180 turning of the cap 2 in relation to the tube 1, and close the opening 6 by reversing the movement . A modified embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in Figures 4-7. Figure 4 discloses the tube top portion 10, having an upper opening 6 and a lower projection 5 for securing the cap 11 by means of a double wedge 12 on the lower circumference of the cap 11, as disclosed in Figure 7. Two grooves 13, 14 are arranged symmetrically on the tube top portion 10, the grooves thereby having an oblique direction as to the tube axis. By placing the cap 11 on the tube top portion 10, a tongue 16 is arranged between the cap and the tube portion. This tongue 16 has radially inward projections 17, 18 at each end of the tongue 16. The projections 17 and 18 are arranged in the grooves 13 and 14 and the tongue 16 furthermore is arranged between two rims 19 and 20 on the inner wall of the cap 11, the rims thereby being parallel and having a distance corresponding to the width of the tongue 16. An aperture 21 is arranged in the tongue 16 such that when the projections 17 and 18 are in one of their extreme positions, the opening 6 is closed, where¬ as the opening 6 is free by the aligned aperture 21 when the projections 17 and 18 are in the other extreme positi¬ ons . As opposed to the first embodiment of the present invention, the tongue of the present embodiment is turned along with the cap when the cap is turned in relation to the tube top portion 10. An abutment 15 for the project¬ ions 17 and 18 is arranged at a position where the grooves 13 and 14 meet, thereby establishing an abutment for the position of the cap in the closed as well as in the opened position. By the arrangement of opposite projections 17 and 18, the tongue 16 simultaneously will be pushed and pulled by turning the cap 11. By the arrangement of the grooves 13 and 14 in the tube top portion 10, the cap 11 as such may be very light and thin, however, provided with ribs 22 for rein¬ forcement .

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A closure for a container having a neck opening, the closure comprising a neck top portion and a cap, parti- cularly a tube closure, CHARACTERIZED IN a flexible tongue being displaceable substantially parallel to the neck portion axis and across the neck opening in a semi-spheri¬ cal neck end portion, the tongue thereby, in one extreme position, closing the neck opening and in another extreme position, setting free the opening for discharging the container content, the tongue being guided in its displace¬ ments by first guiding means on the neck portion and across the semi-spherical neck end portion, and at least one second guiding means being provided in an oblique direction in relation to the neck axis, at least one projection on the tongue end thereby being guided in the second guid¬ ing means, the first and second guiding means being provid¬ ed on the cap or the neck portion respectively, such that the tongue will be displaced axially by turning the cap in relation to the neck portion, thereby opening or closing the neck opening by the tongue, preferably by a turning movement of 180 . 2. Closure according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN the first guiding means being two parallel rims provided on the inner surface of the cap, the rims thereby having a distance corresponding to the tongue width, the second guiding means being at least one groove provided on the neck portion, a radially inwardly extending projection thereby being provided at least at one end of the tongue, which projection or projections is/are guided in the groove or grooves . 3. Closure according to claim 1-2, CHARACTERIZED IN the grooves of the second guiding means being provided symmetrically on each side of the neck portion, a project¬ ion thereby being provided on each end of the tongue for guidance in opposite grooves, the tongue in one extreme position thereby having a first projection in a position of the groove remote from the neck end, and a second pro¬ jection in a position of the opposite groove near the neck end, thereby providing an aperture in the tongue aligning the neck opening, whereas the tongue in the other extreme position closes the neck opening, having the first and second projections in positions near and remote from the neck end, respectively. 4. Closure according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN the first guiding means being a first groove provided in the neck portion and across the neck and having a rim corresponding to the tongue width,one radially outward- ly extending projection thereby being provided at least in one end of the tongue, which projection is guided by second guiding means comprising a second groove in the inner surface of the cap arranged in an oblique direction in relation to the neck axis, the tongue thereby being displaced axially by turning the cap relative to the neck portion. 5. Closure according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED IN the first guiding means terminating in the neck end portion, opposite the substantially axial portion of the groove, in an opening to the interior of the container, thereby providing a passage for part of the container content which is pushed to the end of the first groove by closing the tongue, back into the container.

Inventors: ENDRERUD FINN ERIK, ENDRERUD, FINN, ERIK
Applicants: ENDRERUD FINN ERIK, ENDRERUD, FINN, ERIK
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65D35
IPC codes: B65D47