Abstract:
An overcap assembly for a liquid container that prevents dirt from contaminating the container&#39;s integral top lid and sufficiently reseals the container&#39;s product-dispensing orifice after initial opening by means of a resiliently deformable sealing member which allows subsequent shaking of the container to redistribute suspended solids such as orange juice pulp. The overcap assembly may be hingedly fixed to or fully removable from the container.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention pertains to container overcaps, and more particularly to a liquid container overcap that simultaneously prevents dirt from accumulating on the container&#39;s top lid and reseals the container after one or more discrete content-dispensing apertures have been made or opened in the container&#39;s integral top lid. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Easy open containers are in wide use today, particularly in the soft drink and fruit juice industry. The top lids of these containers are usually opened by either punching a hole, removing a pre-scored pull tab, or by removing a tape tab that covers one or more pre-formed dispensing apertures. While these easy open containers have proved to be a tremendous commercial success, they are the source of three major consumer complaints. First, dirt and other foreign matter tend to accumulate on the container&#39;s top lid during shipping and storage. When a consumer drinks the product directly from the container, the person&#39;s lips come into direct contact with the contaminated top surface. Second, if the product is not entirely consumed, foreign matter can easily enter the opened container during storage. Finally, once opened, the container cannot be resealed and subsequently shaken to redistribute suspended solids such as orange juice pulp. 
     It is well known in the art to provide a container with an overcap to prevent dust and dirt from contaminating the container&#39;s top lid and, ultimately, the product itself, as for example shown by the embodiments in U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,181. However, once the container has been opened, these overcaps cannot be used to reseal the container&#39;s dispensing orifice to allow subsequent shaking of the container. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a container with an overcap assembly that prevents dust and dirt from accumulating on the container&#39;s top lid and that also sufficiently reseals the container after initial opening to allow the unused product to be shaken. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a container with a protective, resealing overcap that may be hinged to or fully removable from the container&#39;s top lid. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to enhance a container&#39;s aesthetic appearance by covering the container&#39;s top lid with a protective, resealing overcap having a top surface suitable for printed graphics and labeling. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an overcap assembly is hingedly fixed to the integral top lid of a liquid container having an upwardly projecting outer rim. The container&#39;s top lid includes one or more dispensing apertures made by either punching a hole or removing a pre-scored pull tab. Alternatively, the top lid may have a pre-cut dispensing aperture initially sealed with a removable tape tab. A sealing member, preferably made of a soft, resiliently deformable, sponge-like material, is attached to the overcap&#39;s inner surface directly above the container&#39;s dispensing aperture. The overcap&#39;s outer edge is in the form of a U-shaped flange that is complementary to the container&#39;s upwardly projecting outer rim. When the overcap assembly is re-applied to the container, the U-shape flange and the upwardly projecting outer rim tightly engage and force the sealing member against the dispensing aperture thus forming a seal. This seal between the dispensing aperture and the sealing member may be enhanced by applying finger pressure to the area of the overcap directly above the dispensing aperture. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said embodiment being hingedly attached to the top of a container having a upwardly projecting outer rim. 
     FIG. 2 is a partially segmented plan view of the overcap assembly illustrated in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a partially segmented plan view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said embodiment having a sealing member that completely covers the container&#39;s top integral lid and being fully removable from a rimless container. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on section line 4--4 of FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a partially segmented plan view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said embodiment having a sealing member that completely covers the container&#39;s top lid and being fully removable from a container having an upwardly projecting outer rim. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on section line 6--6 of FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 7 is a partially segmented plan view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said embodiment having an X-shaped sealing member and being fully removable from a container having an upwardly projecting outer rim. 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on section line 9--9 of FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 10 is an exploded, partially segmented perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said embodiment being fully removable from a container and having a sealing member hingedly attached to the container&#39;s integral top lid adjacent to the dispensing aperture. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said embodiment being hingedly attached to the top integral lid of a container and having a sealing member attached to the contaner&#39;s integral top lid in the form of a thin strip that follows the outer contour of the dispensing aperture. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     It should be noted that although the following detailed description of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is specifically directed to an overcap assembly that is hingedly fixed to the top lid of a container, the present invention may be practiced with equal facility in applications where the overcap assembly is completely removable from the container, as generally shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 3, 5, 7 and 10. 
     The liquid container illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is comprised of an integral top lid 10 rigidly fixed to the container&#39;s side wall 11 (using any common technique well known in the art) which creates an upwardly projecting outer rim 12. An illustrative example of this type of container is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,891. The integral top lid 10 has a dispensing aperture 13 pre-cut in the area adjacent to the rim 12 and is initially sealed with a fully-removable adhesive tape tap 14 of a type also known in the art (shown fully removed in FIG. 1), as generally exemplified by U.S. Pat. N0. 2,870,935. 
     The overcap assembly generally denoted as 20 is preferably made of material exhibiting some degree of flexibility such as plastic, waxed cardboard, polyethylene-coated boardstock, or thin metal. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, overcap assembly 20 comprises a closure member 21 having an inner surface 22, an outer surface 23, a hingedly movable portion 24, a fixed portion 25 (as shown in FIG. 2), a score line 26 between the hingedly moveable portion 24 and the fixed portion 25, and a U-shaped raised outer flange 27. The U-shaped raised outer flange 27 releasably engages the corresponding upwardly projecting rim 12 of the container via an interference fit when the overcap assembly 20 is in its closed position (as shown in FIG. 2). The closure member 21 preferably has two small notches 28 cut in its sides near the score line 26 that releasably engage the container&#39;s upwardly projecting rim 12 to hold the overcap assembly in its opened position as shown in FIG. 1. 
     A sealing member 29 is securely attached to the inner surface 22 of the hingedly moveable portion 24 directly above the dispensing aperture 13. This sealing member is preferably made of a soft, resiliently deformable, sponge-like material such as closed-cell polyethylene available from Voltek Engineering, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and need be only slightly larger than the dispensing aperture 13. When the overcap assembly 20 is in its closed position (FIG. 2), the resultant gap between the inner surface 22 of the closure member 21 and the integral top lid 10 is smaller than the thickness of the sealing member 29. Consequently, the sealing member 29 is compressed against the integral top lid and forms a continuous tight seal around the periphery of the dispensing aperture 13. This tight seal allows the opened container to be reclosed and shaken without spilling the contaner&#39;s contents. If desired, the seal may be enhanced by applying finger pressure to the outer surface 23 of the closure member 21 in the area directly above the dispensing aperture 13. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an independent overcap assembly generally referred to as 30. As shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, taken along section line 4--4 of FIG. 3, the overcap assembly 30 is removably attached to the top of a cylindrical container having an integral top lid 31 and side wall 32 and comprises a closure member 33 having an inner surface 34, an outer surface 35, and a downwardly projecting flange 36 running around the edge of closure member 33. The downwardly projecting flange 36 releasably engages the side wall 32 via an interference fit when the overcap assembly is applied to the container. A resiliently deformable sealing member 37, which is slightly smaller in diameter than the integral top lid 31, is attached to the inner surface 34 of the closure member 33. When the overcap assembly is applied to the container, the resultant gap between the inner surface 34 of the closure member 33 and the integral top lid 31 is smaller than the thickness of the sealing member 37. Consequently, the sealing member 37 is compressed against the integral top lid 31 and forms a tight seal around the periphery of any dispensing aperture (not shown) made in the top lid 31. The location of the dispensing aperture is not critical since the sealing member 37 completely covers the top lid 31. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates another independent overcap assembly generally referred to as 40. The overcap assembly is removably attached to the top of a cylindrical container having an integral top lid 41, a side wall 42, and an upwardly projecting outer rim 43. As shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, taken along section line 6--6 of FIG. 5, the overcap assembly 40 comprises a closure member 44 having an inner surface 45, an outer surface 46, and a U-shaped raised outer flange 47 running around the outer edge of closure member 44. The U-shaped outer flange releasably engages the upwardly projecting outer rim 43 of the container when the overcap is applied to the container. A resiliently-deformable sealing member 48, which is slightly smaller than the integral top lid 41, is securely attached to the inner surface 45 of the closure member 44. When the overcap assembly is applied to the container, the closure member 44 forces the sealing member 48 against the integral top lid 41 and forms a tight seal around the periphery of any dispensing aperture (not shown) made in the top lid 41. Since the sealing member completely covers the integral top lid 41, the exact location of the dispensing aperture is not critical. Accordingly, this type of overcap assembly is particularly suited for containers that do not have a pre-cut dispensing aperture, i.e., containers that are opened with a conventional punching device. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates still another embodiment of the present invention removably attached to a rectangular container and generally referred to as 50. As shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 9 taken along section line 9--9 of FIG. 7, the overcap assembly 50 comprises a closure member 51 having an inner surface 52, an outer surface 53, and a U-shaped raised outer flange 54 running around the outer edge of closure member 51. The outer flange 54 releasably engages the upwardly projecting rim 12 of the container when the overcap is applied to the container. A resiliently deformable X-shaped sealing member 55 is attached to the inner surface 52 of the closure member 51. This type of overcap is particularly useful on a container having a pre-cut dispensing aperture 13 that is initially sealed with an adhesive tape tab 14 in one of the corners of the integral top lid 10. The X-shape of the sealing member 55 ensures that the overcap assembly will reseal the container&#39;s dispensing aperture 13 regardless of the overcap assemblie&#39;s orientation when applied to the container. Additionally, the X-shaped sealing member 55 has only small surface contact with the integral top lid 10 in the area of aperture 13 and consequently even light finger pressure applied to the outer surface 53 of closure member 51 will significantly enhance the seal formed between the dispensing aperture and the X-shaped sealing member 56. 
     A slight variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 would have a sealing member only slightly larger than the dispensing aperture 13 securely attached to the inner surface 52 of the closure member 51. Of course this sealing member would be cheaper than the X-shaped sealing member but the overcap assembly could be accidentally re-applied to the container in such a way that the sealing member would not coincide with the location of the pre-cut aperture 13. Possible solutions to this problem would include making the closure member out of visually transparent material, or printing visual indicia on the outer surface 53 of the closure member 51 and side wall 11 such as a color coding with the printed words &#34;align colored bars before shaking&#34; or the like. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention generally referred to as 60. In FIG. 10, the sealing member 68 is hingedly attached to the container&#39;s integral top lid 61 in close proximity to the pre-cut aperture 13 (shown in the open position). Alternatively, this feature could be obtained by attaching sealing member 68 to the inner surface of a small piece of tape and hingedly attaching one end of the tape to the integral top lid 61. When the closure member 64 is re-applied to the container, the inner surface 65 forces the sealing member 68 firmly against the dispensing aperture 13 thus forming a tight seal. The closure member 64 is held tightly on the container by way of an interference fit between the downwardly projecting flange 67 and the side wall 62 of the container. 
     FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention generally referred to as 70. The embodiment is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except that the sealing member 71 is attached to the integral top lid 10 rather than the inner surface 22 of the closure member 21. The sealing member 71 is a thin strip that follows the contour of the dispensing aperture 13. When the overcap assembly is in its closed position, the interference fit between the U-shaped raised outer flange 27 and the upstanding outer rim 12 of the container tightly holds the inner surface 22 of the closure member 21 against the sealing member 71 thus forming a seal. If desired, the seal may be enhanced by applying finger pressure to the outer surface 23 of the closure member 21 in the area directly above the dispensing aperture 13. 
     From the proceding descriptions, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many different configurations and variations of the present invention may be practiced to achieve the present invention&#39;s objectives. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to embrace all such configurations and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the present invention.