Abstract:
A closure is removably attachable to a container and comprises a dispensing orifice and a valve element that is biased closed over the orifice. By inverting the container so that a liquid contents of the container exerts pressure on the valve element, or by squeezing the container causing the liquid contents to exert pressure on the valve element, the valve element opens the dispensing orifice allowing the liquid contents to be dispensed from the container. On removing the pressure from the valve element, the valve element resiliently closes the dispensing orifice.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention pertains to a container closure for a container that is inverted and/or manually squeezed to dispense the contents of the container through an orifice of the closure. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a closure that is removably attachable to the container and comprises a dispensing orifice and a valve element that is biased closed over the orifice. By inverting the container so that a liquid contents of the container exerts pressure on the valve element, or by squeezing the container causing the liquid contents to exert pressure on the valve element, the valve element opens the dispensing orifice allowing the liquid contents to be dispensed from the container. On removing the pressure from the valve element, the valve element resiliently closes the dispensing orifice. 
     (2) Description of the Related Art 
     Containers that are inverted and/or squeezed to dispense the liquid contents of the container are employed in dispensing a wide variety of products. Dispensers of this type are commonly used in dispensing household products, for example food condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and pancake syrup, and are also used in dispensing other products such as liquid soaps and glues. The container is typically flexible and resilient, which allows the container to be manually squeezed to exert a pressure on the contents of the container that forces a portion of the contents through a dispensing orifice of the container. 
     In order to keep the contents of the container fresh in the case of food condiments, or to keep the contents from drying out in the case of soap or glue, the container dispensing orifice is often provided with a closure. A simple example of a prior art closure is a cap that is screw threaded on a threaded neck of the container. Another example is a cap that is snapped onto the container covering over a dispensing spout. Each of these basic types of prior art closures are disadvantaged in that they require some manual movement of the cap to close the container dispensing orifice. When screw threading the cap on the container, it is possible to not completely screw thread the cap on the container. This could result in the cap falling off of the container, or could result in an incomplete seal of the container dispensing orifice. In a like manner, in snapping the cap on the container, it is possible for the cap to not be properly attached to the container. This also could result in the cap falling off of the container, or the cap not sealing the container dispensing orifice. In both situations, the container dispensing orifice is left unsealed, which could result in the spoiling of the container contents or the drying out of the container contents. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The container closure of the present invention overcomes the above described disadvantages associated with prior art container closures by providing a closure that automatically opens when the container is inverted and/or manually squeezed, and automatically closes when the container is positioned uprightly and there is no squeezing pressure on the container. 
     The container closure of the invention has a simple construction that is comprised of three component parts. Each of the component parts is constructed of a plastic, with the plastic of one of the component parts being more flexible and more resilient than the plastic of the other component parts. The three component parts of the container closure include a base, a valve retainer, and a valve element. 
     The closure base is constructed similar to a typical cap that is screw threaded on the screw threaded neck of a container. The base has a generally cylindrical configuration with a cylindrical side wall and a circular exterior surface and a circular interior surface at opposite ends of the side wall. A dispensing orifice extends through the base between the interior and exterior surfaces. A cylindrical cavity is recessed into the base interior surface. A cylindrical wall on the base interior surface surrounds the cavity. A portion of the wall has internal screw threading that removable attaches the closure onto the external screw threading that surrounds an opening of a complementary container. The cylindrical wall also surrounds and is concentric with the dispensing orifice of the base. Thus, attaching the base interior surface to the container aligns the base orifice with the container opening. 
     A lid is attached to the base by a living hinge. The hinge allows the lid to be moved between a closed position where the lid is positioned over the base exterior surface and over the dispensing orifice, and an opened position where the lid is displaced from the base exterior surface and the dispensing orifice. 
     The valve retainer has a cylindrical peripheral surface that engages with the cylindrical interior wall of the base in attaching the valve retainer to the base. At least one fluid passage hole extends through the valve retainer. The hole is positioned inwardly from the valve retainer peripheral surface. 
     The valve element is mounted on the valve retainer in a position between the base interior surface and the valve retainer. The valve element is circular and has a dome shape with opposite convex and concave surfaces. The convex surface of the valve element opposes the base interior surface and the orifice, and the concave surface of the valve element opposes the valve retainer. An outer annular flange of the valve element is attached to the valve retainer. The valve element flange has at least one hole that aligns with the hole through the valve retainer. The attachment of the valve element annular flange on the valve retainer positions a central portion of the valve element convex surface in engagement over the dispensing orifice. 
     The resiliency and flexibility of the valve element allows the valve element to move between closed and opened positions relative to the base and the valve retainer. The resiliency of the valve element biases the valve element to the closed position where the convex surface of the valve element engages over and closes the dispensing orifice. When the container closure is attached to a liquid container and the pressure of the liquid in the container is increased, for example by inverting the container and/or squeezing the container, the liquid flows through the retainer hole to the valve element convex surface and the pressure of the liquid causes the valve element to flex away from the dispensing orifice and opens the orifice. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       Further features of the invention are set forth in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and in the drawing figures wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the component parts of the container closure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view, in section, showing the container closure of the invention with the closure lid in its opened position; 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of the container closure shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevation view, in section, showing the container closure with the lid in its closed position; and, 
         FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of the container closure as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The container closure of the invention has a simplified, inexpensive construction that is comprised of only three component parts. The closure is designed to be removably attachable to a container by being screw threaded on a threaded neck of the container that surrounds the dispensing opening of the container. Alternatively, the closure could be snap fit to the container over the container dispenser opening, or attached to the container by some other method, for example by a bayonet fitment. Although a screw threaded connector will be described on the container closure, the container closure should not be interpreted as being limited to this particular type of connector. 
     As stated earlier, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the component parts of the container closure is constructed of a plastic material. The three basic component parts of the container closure include a closure base  12 , a valve retainer  14 , and a valve element  16 . The plastic material of the valve element  16  is more flexible and more resilient than the plastic material of the base  12  and valve retainer  14 . 
     The closure base  12  has a similar construction to a typical cap that is screw threaded on the screw threaded neck of a container. The base  12  has a generally cylindrical configuration with a cylindrical side wall  22  and a generally circular exterior surface  24  and a generally circular interior surface  26  at the opposite ends of the side wall. The interior surface  26  is designed to be removably attachable to a separate liquid container over the dispensing opening of the container. To accomplish this, a cylindrical wall  28  having a center axis  32  is formed on the base interior surface  26 . The cylindrical wall  28  surrounds a cavity  34  that extends upwardly through the base and communicates with a dispensing orifice  36  of the base. The cylindrical wall  28  has a first portion  38  that is provided with internal screw threading  42 . The screw threading  42  is designed to removably attach the container closure base  12  to a separate liquid container. The cylindrical wall interior also has a second portion  44  that is provided with an internal annular groove  46  that is designed to enable attachment of the valve retainer  14  to the base  12 , as will be explained. A conical, annular surface  48  is provided at the end of the cavity  34 . The conical, annular surface  48  surrounds the dispensing orifice  36 . 
     The base exterior surface  24  has a flat, annular portion  52  that extends inwardly from the base side wall  22  toward the dispensing orifice  36 . As the flat annular surface  52  extends toward the orifice  36  it merges into an annular conical portion  54  of the exterior surface  24 . This conical portion  54  of the surface extends outwardly from the flat annular surface portion  52  to an annular lip  56  that surrounds the dispenser orifice  36 . 
     A lid  62  is connected to the base  12  by an integral, living hinge  64 . In alternate embodiments of the invention, the lid  62  could be separate from the base  12 . The lid  62  has a cylindrical side wall  66  that is connected to the hinge  64 . A circular wall  68  of the lid extends inwardly from the side wall  66  toward a center, cylindrical protrusion  72  on the lid. The hinge  64  allows the lid  62  to move between a closed position over the dispensing orifice  36  shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , to an opened position where the lid  62  is displaced from the base exterior surface  24  and the dispensing orifice  36  shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  5 . The protrusion  72  is dimensioned to engage inside the dispensing orifice  36  sealing the orifice closed when the lid is moved to its closed position shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
     The valve retainer  14  has a cylindrical wall  74  with a peripheral surface portion  76  that is dimensioned to engage inside the second portion  44  of the base cylindrical wall  28  in attaching the valve retainer  14  to the base  12 . An annular rib  78  is provided on the valve retainer wall  74 . The rib  78  engages in the annular groove  46  of the base cylindrical wall  28  in securely attaching the valve retainer  14  to the base  12 . A flat, circular platform  82  extends across the valve retainer cylindrical wall  74 . A center post  84  projects upwardly from the top surface of the platform  82 , and an annular rim  86  projects upwardly from the platform and extends around the post. A plurality of liquid passage holes  88  extend through the valve retainer platform  82 . The holes  88  are spatially arranged around the platform  82 , as seen in  FIG. 5 . Hook shape flanges  92  project upwardly from the platform  82  adjacent every other hole  88  through the platform. 
     The valve element  16  has a circular, disc shape with a flat annular flange  94  that extends around the outer periphery of the valve element. A plurality of holes  96  pass through the valve element flange. The number of valve element holes  96  corresponds to the number of valve retainer holes  88 . In addition, the positions of the valve element holes  96  correspond to the positions of the valve retainer holes  88 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the valve retainer flanges  92  extend upwardly through every other valve element hole  96  and attach the valve element  16  to the valve retainer  14 . The valve retainer holes  88  that are positioned between adjacent flanges  92  align with valve element holes  96  and together they define a fluid passageway through the valve retainer  14  and the valve element annular flange  94 . 
     The valve has a dome shape with a convex exterior surface  98  and an opposite concave interior surface  102  inside the valve element annular flange  94 . The concave surface  102  engages around the valve retainer rim  86  and seals the concave surface  102  from the fluid passageways defined by the aligned valve retainer holes  88  and valve element holes  96 . The valve element convex surface  98  extends upwardly from the annular flange  94  to a circular protrusion  104  at the center of the convex surface. The circular protrusion  104  is dimensioned to fit inside the dispensing orifice  36  of the base. 
     The resiliency and the flexibility of the valve element  16  allows the valve to move between closed and opened positions relative to the base  12  and the valve retainer  16 .  FIG. 2  shows the valve element  14  in its closed position with the lid  62  being moved to its opened position relative to the base  12 . The resiliency of the dome shaped portion of the valve element  16  positions the convex surface  98  against the conical annular surface portion  48  of the base interior surface  26 , and positions the valve element protrusion  104  in the dispensing orifice  36 , sealing closed the orifice. 
     When the closure base  12  is attached to a liquid container and the container is inverted and/or a squeezing pressure is exerted on the container, liquid passes through the dispensing opening of the container and through the liquid passageway defined by the aligned valve retainer holes  88  and valve element holes  96 . This liquid under pressure enters the area between the valve element concave surface  102  and the conical annular surface portion  48  of the base interior surface  26 . The fluid pressure acts against the valve element  16 , causing the valve element to resiliently flex away from the conical annular surface portion  48  of the base interior surface  26  and causing the valve element protrusion  104  to be displaced from the dispensing orifice  36 , opening the orifice. This allows the liquid to be dispensed from the liquid container through the dispensing orifice  36 . When the liquid pressure is removed from the concave surface  102  of the valve element  16 , the resiliency of the valve element pushes the concave surface  102  back into engagement with the conical annular surface portion  48  of the base interior surface  26  and positions the valve element protrusion  104  in the dispensing orifice  36 , again sealing closed the orifice. To further seal closed the orifice, the lid  62  can be attached over the base exterior surface  24  positioning the lid cylindrical protrusion  72  in the base dispensing orifice  36 . 
     Although the container closure of the invention has been described above by reference to a single embodiment, it should be understood that modifications and variations could be made to the dispenser without departing from the intended scope of the invention defined by the following claims.