Patent Publication Number: US-2009236339-A1

Title: Dispensing closure with orifice external seal

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to container closures for dispensing a fluent substance. The invention is more particularly related to a dispensing closure system that is especially suitable for a hand-held container and that may or may not include a lid that can be opened and closed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART 
     Fluent materials, including liquids, creams, powders, etc., may be conventionally packaged in a container having a dispensing closure which includes a closure body that is disposed over an open end of the container and that defines one or more dispensing orifices communicating with the container interior. A cap or lid is typically provided for being closed on the body for occluding the body dispensing orifice(s) when the container is not in use. This prevents spillage if the container is dropped or tipped over. The lid may also help keep the contents fresh and may reduce the ingress of contaminants. 
     The inventor of the present invention has discovered a novel closure system for dispensing a fluent substance, including liquid, wherein the closure system includes advantageous features not heretofore taught or contemplated by the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, an improved dispensing closure system is provided for a container that has an opening to the container interior where a fluent substance may be stored. The system includes a closure base or body for extending from the container at (and over) the container opening. The closure body has a reduced size dispensing orifice for communicating with the container interior (which interior can be filled with a substance that can be dispensed through the orifice). The closure body also has a peripheral sealing surface around the dispensing orifice. The system further includes a removable member or cover initially occluding the dispensing orifice. The cover includes a seal removably adhered to the peripheral sealing surface. The cover has a tab extending from the seal. The tab has a free end that can be grasped by a user and pulled to remove the seal from the closure body peripheral sealing surface and carry the cover away from the dispensing orifice. 
     The dispensing closure system may also include an optional lid for moving between (1) a closed position on top of the closure body to enclose said dispensing orifice and cover, and (2) an open position away from the dispensing orifice and cover to permit the removal of the cover. If a lid is provided, the closure may also have a hinge connecting the lid with the closure body. 
     The dispensing closure system components can be designed for easily accommodating the assembly of the components during manufacture of the closure system. 
     The dispensing closure system can be provided with a design that accommodates efficient, high quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate. 
     The dispensing closure system can optionally be designed to accommodate its use with a variety of conventional or special containers having a variety of conventional or special container finishes, including conventional threaded or snap-fit attachment configurations. The dispensing closure system could also be incorporated in a unitary container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends and a dispensing orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g., with thermal welding or adhesive) to a container. 
     Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, 
         FIG. 1  is a fragmentary, isometric view of a first embodiment of a closure system of the present invention in the form of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing closure according to a preferred use of the invention, and the closure is shown installed on a container with the closure lid closed; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to  FIG. 1 , but in  FIG. 2  the closure is shown with the lid in an opened condition and with the cover sealed to the spout over the dispensing orifice; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary, isometric view similar to  FIG. 2 , but  FIG. 4  shows the cover lifted off of the spout to open the orifice; 
         FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 3 , but in  FIG. 5  the closure is shown prior to sealing the cover to the spout, prior to closing the lid, and prior to installing the closure on a container; 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of a roll, reel, or spool of a ribbon or strip product from which the dispensing orifice cover can be cut or stamped; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged, fragmentary, isometric view of the leading end of a portion of the strip product shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view of a leading end portion of the strip product shown in  FIG. 7 , and  FIG. 8  further shows circular disks that can be punched or cut in the strip to provide the circular cover shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a separate dispensing closure according to a preferred use of the invention, and the closure is shown in a closed condition prior to installation on a container; 
         FIG. 10  is an isometric view similar to  FIG. 9 , but in  FIG. 10  the closure is shown with the lid in an as-molded, opened condition and with the cover sealed to the spout over the dispensing orifice; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane  11 - 11  in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an isometric view similar to  FIG. 10 , but  FIG. 12  shows the cover lifted off of the spout to open the orifice; and 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 11 , but in  FIG. 13  the closure components are shown in an exploded relationship. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only one specific form as an example of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment so described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims. 
     For ease of description, many of the figures illustrating the invention show the dispensing closure system as including a separate, removable, dispensing closure in the typical orientation that the closure would have at the top of a container when the container is stored upright on its base, and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, etc., are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the closure system of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in an orientation other than the orientations described. 
     The Dispensing Closure System on a Container 
     A preferred first embodiment of a dispensing closure system of the present invention is illustrated in the figures and is designated generally therein by reference number  20  in  FIG. 1 . In the embodiment illustrated, the closure system  20  is provided in the form of a first embodiment of a separate dispensing closure  20  which is adapted to be mounted or installed on a container  22  that would typically contain a fluent substance. 
     The container  22  includes a neck  26  ( FIG. 2 ) extending upwardly from a main hollow body portion of the container. The neck  26  defines an opening  27  ( FIG. 3 ) to the container interior. 
     The container neck  26 , in the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , has an external, male thread  29  for engaging the dispensing closure system  20 . The main body portion of the container  22  may have any suitable configuration, and the upwardly projecting neck  26  may have a different cross-sectional size and/or shape than the container main body portion. (Alternatively, the container  22  need not have a neck  26 , per se. Instead, the container  22  may consist of only a main body with an opening.) 
     Although the container  22 , per se, does not form a part of the broadest aspects of the present invention, per se, it will be appreciated that at least a portion of the dispensing closure system  20  of the present invention optionally may be provided as a unitary portion, or extension, of the top of the container  22 . The dispensing closure system could also be incorporated in a unitary container/closure (e.g., a tube with unitary top and bottom ends and a dispensing orifice in one of the ends), or in a closure that is bonded (e.g., with thermal welding or adhesive) to a container. However, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the dispensing closure system  20  is a completely separate article or unit (e.g., a dispensing closure  20 ), and is adapted to be removably, or non-removably, installed either on a previously manufactured container  22  that has an opening  27  to the container interior. Hereinafter, the dispensing closure system or dispensing closure  20  will be more simply referred to as the closure  20 . 
     The illustrated embodiment of the closure  20  is adapted to be used with a container  22  having an opening  27  to provide access to the container interior and to a product (i.e., a material in the form of a fluent substance) contained therein. The closure  20  can be used to dispense substances, including, but not limited to, liquids, suspensions, mixtures, etc. (such as, for example, a food or beverage product, a personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other compositions of matter (e.g., compositions for use in activities involving manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture, medical treatment, military operations, etc.)). 
     The container  22  with which the closure  20  may be used would typically be a squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls which can be grasped by the user and squeezed or compressed to increase the internal pressure within the container so as to force the product out of the container and through the opened closure. Such a flexible container wall typically has sufficient, inherent resiliency so that when the squeezing forces are removed, the container wall returns to its normal, unstressed shape. Such a squeezable container is preferred in many applications but may not be necessary or preferred in other applications. For example, in some applications it may be desirable to employ a generally rigid container (including, but not limited to, a glass container), and to pressurize the container interior at selected times with a piston or other pressurizing system, or to reduce the exterior ambient pressure around the exterior of the closure so as to suck the material out through the open closure. 
     The General Arrangement of the Closure Components 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the presently most preferred form of the closure  20  includes two basic components: (1) a unitary molded body or base  30 , and (2) a removable seal member or cover  31 . Optionally, and as seen in the illustrated preferred embodiment, the closure  20  may also include a lid  32  and a hinge  34  connecting the lid  32  to the closure body  30 . 
     In the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention, the lid  32  is provided to be closed over, and cover, the upper part of the closure body  30 . The lid  32  can be moved to expose the upper part of the closure body  30  to accommodate dispensing of the fluent product from the container  20 . The lid  32  is movable between (1) a closed position over the body  30  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), and (2) an open position (as show in  FIG. 2 ). In the illustrated embodiment, the lid  32  is hinged to the body  30  so as to accommodate pivoting movement of the lid  32  between the closed position and the open position. 
     In the preferred embodiment illustrated, wherein the lid  32  is provided and wherein the lid  32  is connected to the closure body  30  with a hinge  34  ( FIG. 2 ), the hinge  34  may be of any suitable type. One form of a hinge  31  that may advantageously be used is the snap-action type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,923. Other types of hinges could be used. In some applications, the hinge could be omitted altogether, and the lid  32  need not be connected to the body  30  at all. In other applications, it may be desirable to omit the lid  32  entirely. 
     It is presently contemplated that many applications employing the closure body  30  and lid  32  will conveniently be realized by molding from a suitable thermoplastic material or materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the closure body and lid could be molded from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as, but not limited to, polypropylene. The closure body and lid may be molded from a different material or materials. The materials may have the same or different colors and textures. 
     Additional Structural and Manufacturing Details 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the body  30  includes a deck  40  and a skirt  42  which extends downwardly from the closure body deck  40 . As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the outer edge of the deck  40  includes two latch beads  41 —one on each side. In the preferred embodiment, as can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the upper edge of the skirt  42  defines a peripheral shoulder  43 , and the exterior surface of the skirt  42  includes vertical grooves  44 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the interior of the skirt  42  defines an internal, female thread  46  for threadingly engaging the container neck external, male thread  29  ( FIG. 3 ) when the dispensing closure body  30  is installed on the container neck  26 . 
     Alternatively, the closure body skirt  42  could be provided with some other container connecting means, such as a snap-fit bead or groove (not illustrated) for engaging a container neck groove or bead (not illustrated), respectively. Also, the closure body skirt  42  could instead be permanently attached to the container  22  by means of induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the like, depending on materials used for the closure body  30  and container  22 . In another alternate design (not illustrated), the closure body  30  could be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of the container  22 . 
     In the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , an annular “crab&#39;s claw,” flexible, seal member  47  is provided to extend downwardly from the underside of the closure body deck  40  to seal against the upwardly facing annular surface of the container neck  26 . Other seal designs could be employed, including a conventional “V” seal, a conventional “plug” seal, or some other such conventional or special seal, depending upon the particular application. 
     The closure body skirt  42  may have any suitable configuration for accommodating an upwardly projecting neck  26  of the container  22  or for accommodating any other portion of a container received within the particular configuration of the closure body skirt  42 —even if a container does not have a neck, per se. The main part of the container  22  may have a different cross-sectional shape than the container neck  26  and closure body skirt  42 . The closure body skirt  42  may be adapted for mounting to other types of fluent substance handling container systems. 
     In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the container neck receiving passage in the closure body skirt  42  has a generally cylindrical configuration, but includes the inwardly projecting thread  46 . However, the closure body skirt  42  may have other configurations. For example, the closure body skirt  42  might have a prism or polygon configuration adapted to be mounted to the top of a container neck having a polygon configuration. Such prism or polygon configurations would not accommodate the use of a threaded attachment, but other means of attachment could be provided, such as a snap-fit bead and groove arrangement, adhesive, or the like. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , the closure body  30  has a reduced size, generally cylindrical, dispensing orifice  50  defined in a generally cylindrical spout  52  which projects upwardly from the deck  40  of the closure body  30 . The dispensing orifice  50  establishes communication between the exterior and the interior of the closure body  30  (and the orifice  50  can thereby establish communication with the interior of the container  22  to which the body  30  is attached). The orifice  50  provides a flow passage or discharge passage through which the contents of the container  22  can be discharged when the lid  32  is open and the cover  31  is removed. The top of the spout  52  has an upwardly facing, peripheral sealing surface  54  around the orifice  50 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the upper, outer edge of the spout  52  has a chamfer or frustoconical surface  56  which slants downwardly and outwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral sealing surface  54 . In other applications (not illustrated), the chamfer surface  56  may be omitted). In the preferred embodiment, the exterior of the spout  52  between the lower edge of the frustoconical surface  56  and the deck  40  defines a generally cylindrical surface  58 . The cylindrical surface  58  may be characterized as extending below both the spout annular surface  54  and the frustoconical surface  56 . In other applications (not illustrated), the orifice  50  (and/or spout  52 ) could be non-cylindrical. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lid  32  includes a top wall or cross wall  60  and a peripheral wall  62  which, when the lid  32  is closed top of the closure body deck  40 , has a downwardly projecting orientation and defines a downwardly facing end surface  63  for fitting on the closure body annular shoulder  41 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lid  32  also has a generally annular sleeve  64  which projects from the transverse wall  60  on the underside of the lid  32 . The sleeve  64  also preferably includes an annular seal bead  68  ( FIGS. 2-5 ). 
     There is sufficient resiliency in the lid sleeve  64  and/or closure body spout  52  so as to accommodate the closing of the lid  32  onto the body  30  as shown in  FIG. 1  wherein the lid sleeve seal bead  68  can be positioned on the spout cylindrical surface  58  to provide a substantially leak-tight seal. The sealing engagement between the closure body spout  52  and the closed lid sleeve  64  provides a some resistance to subsequent opening of the lid  32 . An additional resistance to lid opening is also preferably provided by other co-acting features in the lid  32  and body  30 . Specifically, each interior side of the lid flange  62  has an inwardly projecting latch bead  76  ( FIG. 2 ). When the lid  32  is closed, the lid latch beads  76  are forced past the closure body latch beads  41 . When the lid  32  is in the closed condition on the closure body  30  ( FIG. 1 ), the upwardly facing surface of each lid latch bead  76  is below, and is adapted to engage, the downwardly facing surface of an overlying closure body latch bead  41 . The closure body  32  and/or the lid flange  62  are sufficiently flexible to accommodate temporary, elastic deformation as the beads  41  and  76  move past each other during the opening and closing actions. Other conventional or special latch designs could be used instead. In some applications, there may be no need for a latch system at all (especially if the hinge  34  is of the “snap-action” type and has a very strong biasing force and/or if there is a strong, frictional sealing force between the lid sleeve  64  and the closure body spout  52 .). 
     A finger-receiving surface or thumb-receiving surface  80  ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ) may optionally be provided at the front of the closure lid  32 . To open the lid  32 , the user initially pushes with a thumb or finger upwardly on the lid surface  80 . 
     The end consumer or other user of a fluent substance product in a package consisting of a container with a closure of the present invention would initially open the closure  20  by lifting the lid  32  to expose the spout  52  with the cover  31  initially sealed thereto. If the closure was of a type that did not have a lid, than the user would first encounter the closure with the cover  31  exposed to view but initially sealed on the top of the spout  52 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the cover  31  includes a base portion or seal  80  and a tab  82  extending from the seal  80 . The tab  82  has a free end  84  that can be grasped by the user and pulled to remove the seal  80  from the closure body peripheral sealing surface  54  and carry the cover  31  away from the dispensing orifice  50  to expose the dispensing orifice  50  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the seal  80  is a generally circular disc having an exterior diameter equal to or less than the exterior diameter of the annular sealing surface  54 . Further, in the preferred embodiment, the tab  82  has a generally semi-circular configuration. 
     In the preferred embodiment, at least the peripheral margin of the underside of the cover seal  80  (which overlies, and is attached to, the spout peripheral sealing surface  54 ) is attached by heat sealing or heat bonding to the spout annular sealing surface  54 . Other forms of attachment could be used, such as adhesive or the like. In one preferred embodiment, the spout annular sealing surface  54  (which is in contact with the underside of the peripheral portion of the cover seal  80 ) preferably has a width or land dimension of about 0.060 inch. This has been found to provide a sufficiently large contact surface to which the seal  80  can be bonded with satisfactory integrity for the typical consumer application and which allows the consumer to subsequently pull the cover  31  off of the spout  52 . 
     The cover  31 , according to a preferred form of the invention, is made from a roll stock product marketed under the designation “unipac Lift ‘n’ Peel™ LP-E” by Unipac Company (an ITW company), having an office at 125 Edward Street, Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 1W3. Such a product is illustrated in  FIG. 6-8 . In  FIG. 6 , the roll stock product is designated generally by the reference number  90  and is shown with an outwardly extending, unrolled portion, ribbon, or strip  92 . As can be seen in the enlarged view shown in  FIG. 7 , the strip  92  includes a base or seal portion  80 A extending across the width of the strip, and also includes a tab portion  82 A. The tab portion  82 A extends from the center of the width of the strip  92  along a bend line or hinge line  94 . 
     According to Unipac literature, the above-discussed Unipac roll stock product includes a base sealable layer, a polyester layer, an aluminum foil layer, a polyolefin foam layer, a polyester tab, a polymer adhesive layer, and a polyester film layer. The base sealable layer, in conjunction with the aluminum foil layer, provides the strip product with the capability for being heat sealed by conventional induction heat sealing equipment. According to Unipac literature, the sealable layer provided on the bottom of the strip product is adapted to seal to various substrates, including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyester, and ABS. The Unipac literature notes that this product is a “tabbed inner seal” providing the advantage to a cap manufacturer of permitting the use of a conventional punch and die set for use when lining caps. 
     According to the present invention, individual covers  31  can be cut or punched from the strip  92  to form the circular configuration of each cover  31  and to create the semi-circular tab  82 . 
     The closure manufacturer molds the closure body (as well as a lid if the closure includes a lid) and maintains the closure in an open configuration ( FIG. 4 ) so as to be able to receive one of the covers  31  stamped from the roll stock strip  92 . Suitable conventional liner placement equipment and induction sealing unit equipment can be employed to place the cover  31  on the closure spout  52  and then thermally bond the cover seal  80  ( FIG. 3 ) to the peripheral sealing surface  54  of the closure body spout  52 . Such liner punch equipment, liner placement equipment, and induction sealing unit equipment may be of any suitable conventional or special type, the details of which form no part of the present invention. 
     According to the present invention, the manufacturer of the closure cuts or stamps each cover  31  from the roll stock strip  92  so that the cover  31  has a size such that when the cover  31  is applied to the spout  52  over the orifice  50 , no peripheral portion of the cover  31  extends outwardly (laterally) beyond the edge of the sealing surface on the top of the spout. This provides a clean, aesthetically pleasing assembly. In alternate forms of the invention (not illustrated), the cover  31  could have a shape other than circular. Also, the closure need not have a spout  52 , per se. The annular sealing surface could instead be defined directly on a portion of the closure body deck  40 . 
     According to the preferred form of the invention, the closure manufacturer can provide the completed closure  20  in a closed condition to the product filler. A product filler is typically a company that fills a bottle or other container with a fluent substance product, and thereafter installs a closure on the filled container. With some types of conventional packaging, a closure manufacturer provides each closure to the filler with a liner stuffed into the inside of the closure below the closure body deck (i.e., below the dispensing orifice in the deck). The filler must then install the closure (with the liner under the closed body deck) on the container to compress the liner between the underside of the closure body deck and the top of the container. Then the filler must convey the package through induction sealing equipment so that the liner is heat-sealed to the top of the container under the closure body deck. 
     In contrast, the present invention permits the closure manufacturer to supply a completed, closed closure to the filler with the orifice already covered with a heat-bonded cover or seal so that the filler does not have to procure and use heat-sealing equipment. 
     The present invention also allows for the use of a much smaller diameter, heat-sealed cover or seal compared to a typical conventional liner that is provided under the closure body deck and which must extend across the entire larger opening of the container on which the closure is installed. The use of such a conventional, larger diameter liner sealed by induction sealing equipment after installation of the closure on the container can slow down the filling lines. In contrast, in the present invention, the use of a smaller diameter cover applied by the closure manufacturer to a smaller spout (or other orifice-defining region) on a closure enables the filler to run its filling line at a higher speed. 
     The present invention provides the end use consumer or user with the advantage of not having to initially remove a closure from a container to expose a seal liner on the container top in order to remove that seal liner. With the present invention, the closure does not have to be removed, and the end use consumer can conveniently remove the sealing cover from the top of the closure spout by readily lifting up on the tab. 
     Because the present invention employs a sealable cover which can be much smaller than a conventional liner that extends completely across the entire top of a container, there can be a significant difference in material cost, and thus the present invention system may have a lower cost than such a conventional container top liner system. 
     Alternate Embodiment 
     A second embodiment of a closure system of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 9-13 . The second embodiment of the system includes a separate dispensing closure  20 A which is adapted to be installed on the neck of a container (not illustrated). The container may be of any suitable configuration. One suitable kind of container is the container  22  illustrated in  FIG. 3  and described above with reference to the first embodiment of the closure  20 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 10 , the closure  20 A includes a unitary base or body  30 A, a removable seal member or cover  31 A, and a lid  32 A connected by a hinge  34 A to the body  30 A. The closure  20 A also includes a valve  36 A, and a valve retainer  38 A visible in  FIGS. 11 and 13 . 
     The second embodiment closure body  30 A is similar to the first embodiment closure body  30  described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-5 . However, the second embodiment closure body  30 A has a spout  52 A ( FIG. 13 ) which is located in the center of the generally circular closure body  30 A, rather than toward the front of the closure body where the first embodiment closure spout  52  is located (compare to  FIGS. 2  and  10 ). The second embodiment closure body spout  52 A projects upwardly from a deck  40 A of the closure body  30 A and defines a dispensing orifice  50 A ( FIG. 13 ) to provide a flow passage or discharge passage through which the contents can flow from a container (not illustrated) to which the closure  20 A is attached. Below the deck  40 A, the closure body  30 A defines a female thread  46 A for threadingly engaging a mating male thread of a container. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the top of the spout  52 A has an upwardly facing, peripheral sealing surface  54 A around the orifice  50 A. The upper, outer edge of the spout  52 A has a curved surface  56 A ( FIG. 13 ) which slants outwardly and downwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral sealing surface  54 A. In the preferred form of the second embodiment of the closure  20 A, the spout  52 A has an exterior surface between the upper curved surface  56 A and the closure body deck  40 A, and that exterior surface defines a generally cylindrical surface  58 A ( FIG. 13 ). 
     On the interior of the spout  52 A, the spout defines a generally frustoconical surface  59 A ( FIG. 13 ) for engaging the valve  36 A as described in detail hereinafter. 
     The second embodiment closure lid  32 A has generally the same structure as described above for the first embodiment closure lid  32  illustrated in  FIG. 5 , except that the second embodiment closure lid  32 A has an annular sleeve  64 A located in the center of the lid  32 A (rather than near the front edge) for fitting over, and sealing against, the spout  52 A when the lid  32 A is closed. 
     The valve  36 A is adapted to be mounted in the closure spout  52 A as shown in  FIG. 11 . The preferred form of the valve  36 A is a pressure-actuatable, flexible, slit-type valve which is retained on the inside of the spout  52 A by means of the retaining ring  38 A as described in detail hereinafter. 
     The valve  36 A is preferably molded as a unitary structure from material which is flexible, pliable, elastic, and resilient. This can include elastomers, such as a synthetic, thermosetting polymer, including silicone rubber, such as the silicone rubber sold by Dow Corning Corp. in the United States of America under the trade designation D.C. 99-595-HC. Another suitable silicone rubber material is sold in the United States of America under the designation Wacker 3003-40 by Wacker Silicone Company. Both of these materials have a hardness rating of 40 Shore A. The valve  36 A could also be molded from other thermosetting materials or from other elastomeric materials, or from thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic elastomers, including those based upon materials such as thermoplastic propylene, ethylene, urethane, and styrene, including their halogenated counterparts. 
     In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the valve  36 A has the configuration and operating characteristics of a commercially available valve design substantially as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,289 with reference to the valve 46 disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,289. The operation of such a type of valve is further described with reference to the similar valve that is designated by reference number 3d in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144. The descriptions of those two patents are incorporated herein by reference thereto to the extent pertinent and to the extent not inconsistent herewith. 
     The valve  36 A is flexible and changes configuration between (1) a closed, rest position (as shown closed in an upright position in  FIGS. 11 and 13 ), and (2) an active, open position (not shown). The valve  36 A includes a flexible, central portion or head  160 A ( FIG. 13 ). When the valve  36 A is not actuated, the head  160 A has a concave configuration (when viewed from the exterior of the closure spout  52 A). The head  160 A preferably has two, mutually perpendicular, planar, intersecting, dispensing slits (not visible) of equal length which together define a normally closed dispensing orifice. The intersecting slits define four, generally sector-shaped, equally sized flaps or petals in the concave, central head  160 A. The flaps open outwardly from the intersection point of the slits in response to an increasing pressure differential across the valve  36 A when the pressure differential is of sufficient magnitude—in the well-known manner described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 13 , the valve  36 A includes a skirt or sleeve  164 A which extends from the valve head  160 A. The sleeve  164 A extends in a reverse angled orientation (when the valve  36 A is in the unactuated, rest condition) and merges with an enlarged, much thicker, peripheral flange  170 A which has a generally dovetail-shaped, transverse cross section (as viewed in  FIG. 13 ). 
     To accommodate the seating of the valve  36 A in the spout  52 A, the top surface of the dovetail valve flange  170 A has the same frustoconical configuration and angle as the spout frustoconical surface or seat  59 A. The other surface (i.e., bottom surface) of the valve flange  170 A is engaged and clamped by the retaining ring  38 A ( FIGS. 11 and 13 ). The retaining ring  38 A includes an outwardly or upwardly facing, frustoconical, annular clamping surface  172 A ( FIG. 13 ) for engaging the axially inner surface (i.e., bottom surface) of the valve flange  170 A at an angle which matches the angle of the adjacent, inner surface of the dovetail configuration of the valve flange  170 A. 
     The peripheral portion of the retaining ring  38 A includes an outwardly projecting flange  178 A ( FIG. 13 ) for snap-fit engagement with the annular bead  142 A ( FIG. 13 ) that projects radially inwardly on the inside of the spout  52 A. The valve  36 A can be inserted into the open bottom end of the spout  52 A along with the retaining ring  38 A. The valve  36 A is initially mounted on the retainer ring clamping surface  172 A. Then the retaining ring  38 A can be pushed past the spout bead  142 A because there is sufficient flexibility in the retaining ring  38 A and/or spout  52 A to accommodate temporary, elastic deformation of the components as the retaining ring flange  178 A passes over, and beyond, the spout bead  142 A to create a snap-fit engagement that compresses or clamps the valve flange  170 A against the spout frustoconical surface  59 A. 
     The cover  31 A has the same structure and function as does the cover  31  described above for the first embodiment of the closure  20  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-8 . To this end, the second embodiment closure cover  31 A has a base portion or seal  80 A and a tab  82 A extending from the seal  80 A ( FIG. 12 ). The tab  82 A can be grasped by the user and pulled to remove the seal  80  from the closure body peripheral sealing surface  54 A and carry the cover  31 A away from the dispensing orifice  50 A to expose the dispensing orifice  50 A ( FIG. 12 ). The detailed configuration, structure, and manner of making and applying the cover  31 A to the second embodiment of the closure  20 A are identical to what has been described above for the first embodiment closure cover  31  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-8 . 
     If desired, the second embodiment of the closure  20 A could be modified by omitting altogether the lid  32 A and hinge  34 A. 
     It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and from the illustrations thereof that numerous other variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention.