Patent Publication Number: US-6986434-B1

Title: Container closure with hinged lid

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to molded container closures with an integral lid joined to a base by a living hinge, and having the positioning members that fix the lid at a selectable position in a range of positions between a full open position and a closed position in which the lid is latched. 
   2. Background Information 
   Some containers are provided with a closure that includes a base part engaging the open top of the container and having an opening through which the contents of the container may be dispensed. These closures have a lid integrally molded with and connected to the base part by a living hinge. The living hinge is formed by a thin film of the resin material from which the closure is molded. When closed, the lid covers the dispensing opening. One such closure has integral straps that serve as springs to bias the lid either closed or open with a snap action. The open position is set with the lid about 90° to the base by abutment elements which project from the lid and the base. The closure is molded with the lid open 180°. The abutment elements are flexible and yield to allow the lid to be initially closed from the as-molded position. In use, the lid is toggled between the open (90°) position and the closed position by the spring straps. 
   Other closures have various arrangements for setting a similar open position, which may extend beyond the 90° position, such as to 135° open. While such closures serve specific purposes, there is room for improvement. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the invention, a container closure has a base part and a lid part pivotally joined by a hinge which can be a living hinge. A lid positioner comprises on one of the base part and the lid part a first positioning member extending in a plane perpendicular to and laterally offset from the hinge axis and has adjacent a free end, a first stop surface. The lid positioner further includes on the other of the base part and the lid part a second positioning member also extending in the plane perpendicular to and laterally offset from the hinge axis. The second positioning member has a free end and a second stop surface which engages the stop surface on the first positioning member to set a selected full open position of the lid part. The second positioning member also has a contact surface which frictionally engages the first positioning member to retain the lid in a selected partially open position over an extended range of movement of the lid between the closed position and the full open position. At least one of the first and second positioning members is resilient to bias the contact surface into frictional contact with the second positioning member throughout the extended range of movement. Preferably, the one part from which the first positioning member extends is the base part and the other part is the lid part, in which case, the second positioning member preferably extends from the lid part and partially around the hinge axis with an outer surface facing away from the hinge axis forming the contact surface. The first stop surface on the first positioning member can be defined by a first hook projecting generally toward the hinge axis and the second stop surface on the second positioning member can be defined by a second hook projecting generally away from the hinge axis. When the container closure is molded with the lid part in a molded position in which the lid part is open beyond the full open position, these first and second hooks can have beveled heads which allow the first and second positioning members to cam past one another for closing from the molded position. 
   Preferably, the lid part has a latch projecting from the lid toward the base part and terminating in a latch bead that engages an undersurface on the base part along a latch edge. The base part has a guide member between the hinge axis and the latch facing toward the latch edge that cams the latch away from the hinge axis as the lid is closed to assure engagement of the latch bead with the undersurface of the base member. This undersurface on the base part can be accessible through a latch opening in the base part, in which case the guide member is adjacent this latch opening on the side toward the hinge axis, and may be in the form of a tongue projecting in the plane of the base member into the latch opening from the hinge side of the latch opening. The latch bead may be curved to follow the curvature of the skirt on the lid part and may engage either a linear or similarly curved latch edge. Alternatively, the latch bead may project toward the hinge axis and engage the tongue. Also, the latch bead can be bifurcated to provide flexibility in setting the retention force. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a dispensing package incorporating the invention and showing the lid of the closure in the full open position. 
       FIG. 2  is a fragmentary isometric view illustrating the relationship of the lid and base part of the closure of the invention shown in the “as-molded” position. 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary isometric view during initial closing of the lid from the as-molded position of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure in the fully closed position. 
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure in the full open position. 
       FIG. 6  is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure in a partially open position. 
       FIG. 7  is an isometric view in section of the closure with the lid fully closed. 
       FIG. 8  is an enlargement of the encircled portion of  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 9  is similar to  FIG. 8  but shows another embodiment of the invention in which the direction of the latch bead is reversed. 
       FIG. 10  is a fragmentary isometric view of an alternative embodiment in which the latch bead of the closure is bifurcated. 
       FIG. 11  is a fragmentary sectional view taken just above the base part of another embodiment in which the curved latch bead engages a substantially linear latch edge. 
       FIG. 12  is a fragmentary bottom plan view of yet another embodiment in which the latch edge is curved to match the curved latch bead. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  shows a dispensing package  1  constituting a container  3  and a closure  5  in accordance with the invention. In the exemplary dispensing package  1 , the closure is adapted for dispensing baby wipes, that is, moistened tissues. However, it will be appreciated that the closure in accordance with the invention has application to dispensing various types of products. 
   The closure  5  has a base part  7  which snaps onto the container  3  in a conventional manner. This base part  7  has a planer, generally elliptically shaped center section  9  between two raised end sections  11 . The center section  9  has a dispensing opening  13  through which product stored in the container  3  may be dispensed. In the exemplary closure  5 , this dispensing opening is elliptical, but may assume any manner of shapes as the configuration of the dispensing opening is not essential to the present invention. This center section  9  of the base part  7  also has a latch opening  15  which will be described below in greater detail. 
   The closure  5  has in addition to the base part  7  a lid part  17  joined to the base part by a hinge  19 . Preferably, the base part  7  and lid part  17  are integrally molded and the hinge  19  is a living hinge. The lid part  17  can be pivoted about the hinge axis  21  of the living hinge  19  shown in  FIG. 2  between open and closed positions shown in  FIGS. 5 and 4 , respectively. The living hinge  19  is divided into two sections  19   1  and  19   2  by a gap  23  in which a lid positioner  25  is provided. 
   The lid positioner  25  includes a first positioning member  27  integrally molded to extend from the center section  9  of the base part  7  in a plane  29  generally perpendicular to the hinge axis  21  and off-set laterally from the hinge axis as shown particularly in  FIG. 2 . This first positioning member  27  defines a first hook  31  projecting generally toward the hinge axis  21 , and forming a first stop surface  33 . The head  35  of this first hook  31  is beveled to form the inclined surface  37 . 
   The lid positioner  25  also includes a second positioning member  39  projecting from the lid part  17  also in the plane  29  and also laterally offset from the hinge axis  21 . This second positioning member  39  extends partially around the hinge axis to define a contact surface  41  facing away from the hinge axis  21 . The second positioning member has adjacent a free end  43 , a second hook  45  projecting away from the hinge axis  21 , and defining a second stop surface  47 . This second hook  45  also has a beveled head  49  forming the inclined surface  51 . 
   As best seen in  FIG. 7 , the lid part  17  of the closure  5  has a planar section  53  bounded by a skirt  55  which is sized to be received in the base part  7  between the two end sections  11  so that with the lid part  17  closed, the planar section  53  is co-planar with the upper surface of the end sections  11  of the base part  7 . 
   The lid part  17  has a thin root section  57  adjacent the living hinge  19  and a transition section  59  between this root section and the planar section  53  that matches the contour of the raised end sections  11  of the base part  7 , which are set back from the periphery of the base. This root section  57  has an integrally molded pocket  61  (see  FIG. 2 ) which accommodates the first positioning member  27  when the lid part  17  is fully closed (see  FIG. 4 ). 
   The closure  5  is molded with the lid part  17  open 180°, that is with the root section  57  co-planar with the planar center section  9  of the base part as shown in the fragmentary view of  FIG. 2 . During initial closing of the lid part  17  from the as-molded position shown in  FIG. 2 , the first and second positioning members  27  and  39  interfere with one another. However, the inclined surface  37  on the beveled head  35  of the first positioning member  27  and the corresponding inclined surface  51  on the beveled  49  of the second positioning member  39  engage and deflect the first positioning member  27  and the second positioning member  39  away from each other so that the lid  17  can close to the fully closed position shown in the fragmentary sectional view of  FIG. 4  and in  FIG. 7 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 8 , the lid part  17  is retained in the closed position by a latch  63  projecting downward from the front edge of the skirt  55  on the lid part  17 . This latch projects downward through the latch opening  15  in the planar center section  9  of the base part  7  and has an outwardly facing latch hook formed by a bead  67  which engages an undersurface  69  on the planar center section  9  of the base part  7 . In order to assure engagement of the latch hook  67 , a guide member  71  in the form of a tongue, extending into the latch opening  15  from the side toward the hinge axis  19  has an inclined guide surface  73  which cams the latch  63  away from the hinge axis  19 . The guide member  71  reduces the width of the latch opening  15  at a central portion to a distance at least less than the width of the latch bead  67  and even less than the width of a base portion  63   b  that extends downward from the skirt  55 . This creates an interference which assures retention of the lid part  17  in the closed position. The guide member  71  and the planar center section  9  of the base part  7  adjacent the latch opening  15  are thin enough, and therefore flexible enough, to deflect to allow engagement and disengagement of the latch hook  67 . 
   The lid part  17  is opened by engaging the overhanging brow  75  on the front of the lid part and rotating it upward about the living hinge  19 . A full open position of the lid part  17  is set by the lid positioner  25  when the stop surfaces  33  and  47  on the first positioning member  27  and second positioning member  39 , respectively, engage as shown in  FIG. 5 . This full open position, angle α, can be set as desired, such as between about 60° to about 145° from the fully closed position. As the lid part  17  is molded in the 180° open position, the set of the resin tends to bias the lid toward the full open position. 
   The lid part  17  can be selectively set at other positions by the lid positioner  25  between the full closed position of  FIG. 4  and the full open position of  FIG. 5 . As seen in  FIG. 6 , the outer contact surface  41  on the second positioning member  39  is frictionally engaged by the hook  31  on the first positioning member so that the lid part  17  can be set over an extended range of positions up to the full open position. Preferably, as can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the hook  31  does not engage the contact surface  41  near the fully closed position which allows the lid part  17  to be pulled forward to ensure engagement of the latch. 
   In an alternative arrangement shown in  FIG. 9 , the latch hook or bead  67   a  extends toward the hinge axis  21  and engages the guide member or tongue  71 , to retain the lid part  17  in the closed position. 
   Other alternate embodiments of the latch  63  include a bead  67   b  that is interrupted to form two spaced apart bead sections  67   1  and  67   2  as shown in  FIG. 10 . Use of the interrupted bead provides a means of adjusting the retention force of the latch, and therefore also, the opening force required to unlatch the lid part. 
   As is evident from  FIG. 1 , the skirt  55  is curved about its direction of projection from the lid part. The latch bead  67  can conform to this same curvature, and as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , which is a fragmentary sectional view taken just above the base part with the lid part latched, the latch edge  77  can be linear so that only the center of the latch bead engages the latch edge. Again, this is a technique for achieving a desired retention force. 
   In still another embodiment illustrated in the view from the underside of the latch that is  FIG. 12 , the latch edge  77 ′ can be curved to match the curvature of the latch bead, thereby providing extended engagement of the latch bead with the latch edge. 
   While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.