Patent Publication Number: US-6213350-B1

Title: Closure having tube aperture

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to closures and in particular to a closure for use in sealing containers for fluids. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Like the manufacturers of foodstuffs and beverages, the manufacturers of motor vehicle oils, such as engine and transmission oil, have become concerned to ensure that the product sold to consumers has not suffered tamper prior to its use by the consumer. To provide a greater indication of attempted or successful tamper, tamper evident bands that at least partially fracture from the closure on removal of the closure from the container have been used. 
     Because of the increase in recent years of self-service petrol stations and the sale of vehicle products, including oil, from convenience and department stores, it has now become common for the general public to both check their vehicle&#39;s various oil levels and top up the level as required. In order to ensure a minimum of fuss and mess, oil is now sometimes sold in containers in which instead of having to remove the closure, a tube is pre-positioned through an aperture in the top of the closure. The tube can be extended by the consumer without removing the closure to allow more precise pouring of the oil where required and so lessen the likelihood of mess. 
     While the provision of a tube through an aperture in the closure has a number of advantages, it does have the disadvantage of providing an alternative means of accessing and tampering with the contents of the container to the later detriment of the consumer of the product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention consists in a closure for a container, the closure comprising a top portion having an outer surface and a skirt depending from the top portion, there being an aperture through the top portion adapted to receive therethrough a tube having a first end, the outer surface being connected by a frangible connection to a cap adapted to prevent fluid communication between the first end of a tube received through the aperture and the outer surface. 
     In one embodiment, the cap for the tube is connected by the frangible connection to a collar that surrounds the aperture and extends upwardly from the top portion. The inner surface of the collar is preferably arranged to guide the tube through the aperture and also provide a seal to substantially prevent leaking of the contents of the container between the tube and the closure. 
     In a further embodiment, a further collar that surrounds the aperture can extend downwardly from the top portion to further help guide the tube through the aperture. The inner surface of the collar extending downwardly from the top portion can be frusto-conical to enhance the engagement and the sealing between the collar and the tube. 
     The frangible connection can comprise a plurality of frangible bridges or an area of weakness that will easily fracture on movement of the cap for the tube relative to the top portion. Fracture of the frangible connection serves to readily identify to the consumer that the tube has been previously extended from the container and that tamper of the contents of the contents may have occurred. 
     The cap for the tube can have a circular top portion and a skirt depending from an underside of the top portion. This circular top portion can extend outwardly beyond the radial extent of the skirt. An annular sealing rib can also extend from the underside of the top portion and seal with the outer surface, inner surface and/or the end of the tube. The skirt of the cap preferably has engagement means arranged to engage the cap with the tube. The tube is preferably a resiliently flexible material and the engagement means preferably comprises a screw thread that engages with the outer surface of the resiliently flexible tube. 
     The container closure can also have an annular sealing rib extending downwardly from the underside of its top portion and proximate the skirt. This annular sealing rib can also seal with either the outer surface, inner surface and/or the end of the container. 
     The inner surface of the skirt depending from the top portion of the container closure preferably has a screw thread complementary to a screw thread on the neck of the container. 
     A free edge of the skirt of the container closure is also preferably connected by a frangible connection to a tamper evident band. This frangible connection can comprise a plurality of fragile bridges or an area of weakness between the skirt and the band. The inner surface of the band preferably has a locking means which engages with a complementary locking means on the neck of the container below the screw thread thereon. On removal of the closure from the container, the locking means on the band engages with the locking means on the neck of the container such that at least partial fracture occurs to the frangible connection between the skirt and the band. In one embodiment, the locking means on the inner surface of the band can comprise inwardly extending projections that engage under the outwardly extending projections on the container neck as the closure is removed from the container. 
     The closure can be fabricated to seal a container for liquid. In a preferred embodiment, the closure is fabricated from materials suitable for sealing a container for oils and, in particular, various oils for motor vehicles and the like. In on embodiment, the closure is fabricated from a resilient plastics material, preferably polypropylene. The tube is preferably fabricated from poly(vinyl chloride). 
     In a further aspect, the present invention consists in a closure according to the present invention with a tube being positioned through the aperture and sealed by the cap. 
     In yet a further aspect, the present invention consists in a container having the closure described above mounted thereon. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a part side elevational view, part sectional view of one embodiment of a closure according to the present invention mounted on a container; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the closure depicted in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is a half plan, half inverse plan view of the closure of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     A closure suitable for sealing a container is generally depicted as  10  in the drawings. 
     The closure  10  comprised a ten-sided top portion  11  and a skirt  12 , having a cylindrical inner surface  12   a,  depending from the periphery thereof. On the inner surface  12   a  of the skirt  12  is a screw thread  13  which is arranged to engage with a complementary screw thread  14  on the neck of a container  15 . 
     Depending from the underside of the top portion  11  is an annular sealing rib  16  which seals with the inner surface of the neck of the container  15  on mounting of the closure  10  to the container  15 . Connected by frangible bridges  18  to the free end of the skirt  12  is a tamper evident band  17 . 
     The band  17  has a plurality of tabs  19  extending inwardly and upwardly from the free edge of the band  17 . The tabs  19  are arranged to engage under an annular bead  21  present on the neck of the container  15  upon mounting of the closure  10  to the container  15 . On mounting, the tabs  19  slide up and over the bead  21  and then lock in place underneath it. On removal of the closure  10  from the container  15 , the tabs  19  engage under the bead  21  thereby causing fracture of the frangible connections  18 . 
     Located centrally in the top portion  11  is a cap generally depicted as  30 . The cap  30  comprises a top portion  31  and a skirt  32  depending from an underside of the top portion  31 . The free end of the skirt  32  is connected by a plurality of frangible bridges  34  to a collar  33  which is integral with the top portion  11  of the container closure  10 . The collar  33  surrounds an aperture  35  in the top portion  11 . The collar  33 , as is depicted in the drawings, has a downwardly extending frusto-conical portion  36 . The frusto-conical surface  37  serves to improve the seal formed between the collar  33  and a poly(vinyl chloride) tube  22  (in cross-section in FIG. 1) extending through the aperture  35  and so prevents the contents of the container  15  leaking around the outside of the tube  22 . 
     The top portion  31  of the cap  30  has an annular sealing rib  38  extending downwardly therefrom and arranged to seal with the inner surface  23  of the tube  22 . The inner surface of the skirt  32  also has a screw thread  39  arranged to engage with the outer surface of the tube  22  and so hold the cap  30  in place on the tube  22 . 
     The closure  10 , including the cap  30 , is moulded in one piece from polypropylene which is suitable for sealing containers for vehicles oils, such an engine and transmission oil. Once moulded, the poly(vinyl chloride) tube  22  is inserted upwardly through the aperture  35  and screwed into the cap  30  such that the thread  39  engages the outer surface of the tube  22  and the sealing rib  38  seals the tube  22 . 
     Once the tube  22  is positioned within the closure  10 , the closure  10  is mounted in the usual manner on a previously filled container. 
     On purchase, the consumer may wish to pour a large quantity of oil from the container  15 . In this case, the consumer may wish to remove the entire closure  10  from the container  15 . By simply unscrewing and removing the closure  10 , the contents are readily poured from the container  15 . This manner of removal of the closure  10  will lead to fracture of the frangible bridges  18  and these will provide an indication that the closure  10  has been removed previously from the container  15 . If, however, the consumer only wishes to dispense a small quantity of the contents with little or no mess, the option is open to use the tube  22 . This is accessed by twisting the cap  30  to fracture the frangible bridges  34  and remove the cap  30  from the tube  22 . The tube  22  is then drawn upwardly to extend the tube  22  partially out of the container  15 . The contents are then poured from the container  15  as required by the consumer. 
     The tube  22  can be re-sealed by screwing the cap  30  back onto the tube  22  and pushing the tube  22  back into the container  15 . 
     The fracture of the frangible bridges  34  serves to lessen the likelihood of previous tamper of the cap going unnoticed by the consumer. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.