Patent Publication Number: US-5425483-A

Title: Dispensing cap for vessel

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to dispensing caps for vessels or containers, and more particularly to a novel dispensing cap adapted for mounting on the neck-end of a vessel and having a slide valve enabling manual movement to either of two discharge positions for dispensing flowable product from the vessel. The dispensing cap also facilitates easy storage of the vessel in an inverted position so that product is always at the discharge end of the vessel. 
     It is a common practice in marketing many types of flowable products to utilize vessels or containers having dispensing caps which remain mounted on the discharge end of the vessel during use. Such dispensing caps generally have a discharge orifice which communicates with the discharge opening of the vessel, and a movable closure element which is manually movable between a closed position closing off the discharge orifice and a discharge or operating position enabling dispensing of product from the vessel. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,803,799, 2,274,562, 2,808,186, 3,332,586, 3,355,069, 3,409,189 and 4,925,067. 
     One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide an improved novel dispensing cap which finds particular application with vessels or containers to facilitate discharge of flowable product therefrom, and wherein the dispensing cap includes a slide valve movable to either of two different discharge positions enabling dispensing of product from the vessel. 
     A more particular object of the present invention is to provide a novel dispensing cap adapted for mounting on a threaded neck discharge end of a container or vessel having flowable product therein, and wherein the dispensing cap is configured to facilitate normal storage of the container in a inverted position so that the flowable product is always disposed adjacent the dispensing cap for immediate discharge when a slide valve of the dispensing cap is moved to either of two dispensing positions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a dispensing cap or closure is provided having a base adapted for mounting on an externally threaded neck discharge end of a vessel or container. The base has an axial discharge passage which communicates with the discharge end of the vessel. The base supports a slide valve within an open channel formed transversely of the cap adjacent an outer end surface. The slide valve has a pair of spaced discharge orifices and is manually movable between a closed position preventing discharge of product from the vessel, and either of two different discharge positions enabling dispensing of product from the vessel. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the base and slide valve have mutually cooperable detent means to releasably retain the slide valve in its closed or discharge positions, and the slide valve has friction grips on its opposite ends to facilitate friction gripping and movement by a user&#39;s thumb. The outer end surface of the dispensing cap is configured to facilitate normal storage of the vessel in an inverted position so that product is adjacent the dispensing cap for immediate dispensing on moving the slide valve to a discharge position. The vessel preferably has a rounded end opposite its cap mounting neck-end, and is squeezable to facilitate dispensing of flowable product. In an alternative embodiment, the squeezable vessel has opposite externally threaded neck-ends with a dispensing cap in accordance with the present invention mounted on each end. 
     Further objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the several views. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a vessel or container and dispensing cap in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view of the dispensing cap of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the dispensing cap of FIG. 1, taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 but with the slide valve member removed; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the slide valve of the dispensing cap of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line 5--5 of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 is a foreshortened elevational view of an alternative vessel or container having similar threaded-neck opposite discharge ends enabling mounting of a dispensing cap on each end thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawing, a vessel, alternatively termed a container, adapted to receive a flowable product therein is indicated generally at 10. A dispensing cap 12 constructed in accordance with the present invention is mounted on a discharge end of the vessel 10 and facilitates selective discharge of product from the vessel. 
     The vessel or container 10 is preferably made of a suitable plastic material which is transparent or translucent to enable visual observation of a flowable product, such as a condiment or the like, internally of the vessel. The vessel has a generally cylindrical body portion 14, a generally semi-spherical end 16 and an opposite generally frustoconical end 18 which terminates in an externally threaded neck portion 20 defining an internal axial discharge passage 20a. The vessel or container may be made as an integral unitary vessel, and is preferably of a hand-holdable size, such as any desired size up to a 16 ounce or 32 ounce container, although larger sizes may also be contemplated. The vessel is preferably semi-rigid in its longitudinal direction to support itself but has sufficient flexibility to enable the generally cylindrical body portion 14 to be squeezed inwardly to facilitate dispensing of product from within the vessel. 
     The dispensing cap 12 includes a base portion 26 which may be formed from a suitable rigid plastic material as a unitary base and includes an outer annular wall 28. An inner generally frustoconical wall 30 is integrally connected at its outer diameter to annular wall 28 and has a longitudinal axis coaxial with the axis of the outer cylindrical wall 28. The wall 30 has a conical taper substantially equal to the conical taper of the frustoconical end 18 of the vessel or container 10. An annular wall 32 is preferably formed integral with the frustoconical wall 30 and has an axial internal threaded bore 32a adapted for threaded connection with the external thread on the neck end 20 of the vessel 10. The annular wall 28 has an annular wall portion 28a which has an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical body portion 14 of the vessel so that the base 26 may be mounted on the threaded neck-end of the vessel with the frustoconical wall 30 engaging the frustoconical end 18 of the vessel and with the annular wall portion 28a partially overlying the cylindrical portion 14 of the vessel. 
     The annular wall 32 within the cap base 26 has a planar end surface 32b which lies in substantially coplanar relation with an outer annular end 20b of the neck end of the vessel when the cap base is threadedly mounted on the vessel neck end. The annular wall 28 of the cap base 26 has an annular stepped end edge surface 36 which is substantially coplanar with the end surface 32b and is adapted for mutual engagement with a complimentary stepped annular edge surface 38a formed on a generally circular slide valve holder 38. The slide valve holder 38 is also preferably made of a suitable plastic material and includes a generally cylindrical boss 40 having a planar surface 40a adapted to engage the end surface 32b of the cap base portion 26 when the annular edge 38a is fixed to the stepped annular end surface 36 on the cap base. The slide valve holder 38 has a generally circular planar surface 38b which lies parallel to the surface 40a and is disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cap base 26 when the slide valve holder is fixed on the cap base. 
     A slide or guide channel 44 is formed in the slide valve holder 38 so as to lie on a diameter of the slide valve holder in symmetrical relation about a plane containing the longitudinal center axis of the guide channel and perpendicular to the end surface 38a. The laterally opposed longitudinal edges of the guide channel 44 are defined by generally radial concave edge surfaces 44a and 44b which define guide ways for mutual cooperation with correspondingly configured longitudinal guide elements 46a and 46b formed on the opposite edges of a slide valve 46 so as to enable longitudinal sliding movement of the slide valve within the guide channel. The slide valve 46 has parallel substantially planar outer surfaces 48a and 48b. The surface 48b slidably engages a planar base surface 44c of the guide channel 44 when the slide valve is inserted within the guide channel. The outer surface 48a of the slide valve 46 is then substantially coplanar with the planar end surface 38b on the slide valve holder 38. 
     In accordance with one feature of the dispensing cap 12 in accordance with the present invention, the slide valve holder 38 has a central flow orifice 40b formed axially within the cylindrical boss 40 so as to lie in coaxial relation with the discharge passage 20a in the vessel 10 when the dispensing cap is mounted thereof. Referring particularly to FIG. 4, the slide valve 46 preferably has a longitudinal length substantially equal to the longitudinal length of the guide channel 44 and has opposite arcuate end surfaces 46c and 46d having radial curvatures substantially equal to the radius of the outer annular wall 28 of the cap base 26. The slide valve 46 has a pair of longitudinally spaced discharge or dispensing orifices 50a and 50b formed therethrough which are spaced equal distances from the transverse center of the slide valve and adapted to be individually positioned in axial alignment with the discharge opening 40b in the slide valve holder 38. The slide valve 46 is thus longitudinally movable between a centered position blocking discharge from the orifice 40b and either of two operating or dispensing positions wherein one or the other of the dispensing orifices 50a and 50b is positioned in overlying axial alignment with the discharge orifice 40b. The discharge orifice 40b and dispensing orifices 50a and 50b are preferably circular in transverse cross section and are sized to facilitate dispensing of various viscosity flowable products or materials as may be stored within the vessel. 
     To maintain the slide valve 46 in either its centered non-dispensing position, or in either one of its two discharge positions, the slide valve and slide valve holder 38 have mutually cooperable detent means operative to frictionally retain the slide valve in the position to which it has been manually moved. In the illustrated embodiment, the slide valve holder 38 has a plurality of longitudinally spaced concave recesses or cavities formed in a lower planar surface 44c, as indicated at 52a-d in FIG. 3. The slide valve 46 has a plurality of similarly positioned male or convex detent projections 54a-d formed along its lower surface 48b for cooperating relation with the concave recesses 52a-d to maintain the slide valve in either its neutral non-discharge position or either of its two dispensing positions. 
     With the dispensing cap 12 mounted on the vessel 10 through threaded engagement of the internal thread 32a with the external thread on the neck end 20 of the vessel, it will be appreciated that when the slide valve 46 is in its centered position within the guide channel 44, dispensing of product from the dispensing cap is prevented. Longitudinal movement of the slide valve 46 to either of its dispensing positions aligning either one of the dispensing orifices 50a or 50b with the discharge orifice 40b in the slide valve holder 38 enables dispensing of flowable product from the vessel. To facilitate movement of the slide valve 46 by engagement with the user&#39;s thumb or a finger, a plurality of generally transverse ribs or serrations are provided on the outer exposed surface 48a of the slide valve adjacent each of its opposite ends, such as indicated at 56a and 56b in FIG. 4. 
     In accordance with another feature of the dispensing cap 12, the outer diameter of planar end surface 38b of the dispensing cap is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 14 of the vessel 10 so as to facilitate stable normal storage of the vessel in an inverted position, such as on a cabinet shelf or in a refrigerator. In this position, the flowable product within the vessel is always disposed within the discharge passage 20a of the vessel and thus ready for substantially immediate discharge upon moving the slide valve 46 to either of its dispensing positions. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a vessel, indicated generally at 10&#39;, in accordance with the present invention. The vessel or container 10&#39; is also preferably made of a suitable transparent or translucent plastic and has a squeezable cylindrical body portion 14&#39; and a pair of opposite externally threaded neck ends 20&#39; and 20&#34;, each of which has an internal discharge passage therethrough, such as indicated at 20&#39;a and 20&#34;a. The opposite threaded neck ends 20&#39; and 20&#34; of the vessel 10&#39; are adapted to have dispensing caps mounted thereon such as the aforedescribed dispensing cap 12. In this manner, the vessel 10&#39; can be stored in a vertical orientation on either of its opposite ends through engagement of the external planar end surface of the corresponding dispensing cap, with product thus being disposed adjacent the dispensing cap on which the vessel rests to facilitate substantially immediate dispensing of a flowable product from the vessel upon movement of the corresponding slide valve to either of its dispensing positions. 
     Thus, it will be appreciated that in accordance with the present invention a novel dispensing cap is provided which, in combination with a squeezable vessel or container on which the dispensing cap is mounted, facilitates storage of the vessel in a generally vertical inverted orientation resting on the associated dispensing cap so that product within the vessel flows by gravity to the dispensing cap end of the vessel and facilitates substantially immediate dispensing when the dispensing cap slide valve is moved to either of its dispensing positions with the vessel inverted. 
     While a preferred embodiment of a dispensing cap and associated vessel or container in accordance with the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Various features of the invention are defined in the following claims.