Patent Publication Number: US-2006006077-A1

Title: Dispensing closure with integral piercing unit

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to cap dispensing closures for a container, more particularly to a dispensing closure with an integral piercing unit for piercing a chamber in the cap to dispense the contents there-of into the container.  
      2. Prior Art  
      The broad concept of a container closure including a compartment for storing material separate from the container for selectively mixing with the container is very old and well known.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,745 discloses a container with two compartments and a piercing member used to rupture the wall between the compartments to allow the material stored in one compartment to mix with the material in the other.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,469 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A reciprocating piercing member is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,189 discloses a container with a completely open top (i.e. no neck finish) with a top cover that includes an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A plunger is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,872 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A piercing member is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,731 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A piercing piston is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,291 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A plunger or rod is connected to the bottom wall of the reservoir and is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,437 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and further threading of the upper portion of the cap onto the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,760 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is ruptured by a piecing plunger to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,865 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,718 discloses a container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,951 discloses a container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,017 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is ruptured through movement of a threaded reciprocating piecing member on the cap to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,819 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. The reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a top of the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the side walls of the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,523 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. The reservoir is collapsible and has a piecing member for piercing the bottom wall thereof during compression to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,922 discloses a container closure or cap that forms multiple colorants reservoirs for selectively dispensing into the container to selectively color the beverage in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,576 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an “aseptic” interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is pieced by a movement of a reciprocating piercing member to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,270 discloses a container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is ruptured by movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.  
      As noted above wide variety of cap dispensing, or cap ejecting, closures are known in the art. The prior art devices have certain drawbacks. In the designs that piece a separation membrane (e.g. a foil layer), there is no sufficient piercing structure that moves the pieced membrane out of the way to insure complete disbursement of the material in the cap. This can be of significant concern for medicaments and other measured quantities having precise dosages. Further, many of these prior art designs are impractical from a standpoint of filling the chamber or reservoir in the closure.  
      It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and provide an economical unit dosage dispensing closure with integral effective foil or seal piercing member and which is easily filled having a long shelf life.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The above objects are achieved with a single use unit dosage dispensing closure according to the present invention. The closure according to the invention includes a shell adapted to be attached to a container and having an integral piercing member, an axial movable cap attached to the shell and a sealing member coupled to the cap. The shell has an inner guide with an open end in communication with the container and the cap is moveable along the inner guide. The cap is axially movable along the inner guide. The cap has a chamber adapted to hold a unit dosage of material to be dispensed into the container. The chamber is sealed with the sealing member, e.g. foil, extending across a lower open end of the cap, wherein axial movement of the cap along the inner guide will pierce the sealing member on the piercing element to dispense the contents of the chamber into the container.  
      The axial movable cap may formed from a material with a higher oxygen and moisture barrier property than the material forming the shell. The cap may be formed from polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, polypropylene with low shrink filler, or polyethylene with low shrink filler. The low shrink filler may be talc or mica, and the shell may be formed of a polyolefin material.  
      The shell may have an outer skirt with a closure attaching mechanism, such as a thread, on the outer skirt for attaching the shell to the container. A tamper evident band can be placed on a lower end of the outer skirt. A tamper evident band may be placed around the cap to prevent premature dispensing of the contents of the chamber.  
      The piercing element may include a plurality of angled radial blades at a lower end of the inner guide, wherein the radial blades converge to form a piercing tip extending toward the upper end of the inner guide. Further, the invention may include folding elements to move the sealing member out of the way to further assist in dispensing. In another, preferred embodiment of the present invention, the blades may each have a piercing point adjacent a central post, thereby forming an array of central piercing points. The central post may form a gating point for the closure.  
      The inner guide may be an annular tube having annular seals engaging and sealing against the cap, wherein the inner guide includes an upper stop limiting the upward movement of the cap and a finger access in an upper side of the inner guide. The cap may have a top and a cylindrical side member forming the chamber.  
      These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the brief description of the preferred embodiment in connection with the attached figures in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a shell of a closure according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the shell of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of the shell of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the shell of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the shell of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a front section view of the shell of  FIG. 1  taken along section line A-A in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 7  is a side section view of the shell of  FIG. 1  taken along section line B-B of  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of a cap of a closure according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the cap of  FIG. 8 ;  
       FIG. 10  is a section of the cap of  FIG. 8  taken along section line A-A of  FIG. 9 ;  
       FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of a dust cover a closure according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 12  is a top plan view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ;  
       FIG. 13  is a bottom plan view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ;  
       FIG. 14  is a section of the cover of  FIG. 11  taken along section line A-A of  FIG. 13 ;  
       FIG. 15  is an enlarged view of the section view of  FIG. 14 ;  
       FIG. 16  is a sectional of the closure according to the present invention, with a cap thereof in a closed sealed position;  
       FIG. 17  is a sectional of the closure according to the present invention, with a cap thereof in the open, dispensing position;  
       FIG. 18  is a schematic view, partially in section of a shell with a modified three point integral piercing element according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 19  is a schematic view, partially in section of the modified shell of  FIG. 18 ; and  
       FIG. 20  is a schematic view plan view of the modified shell of  FIG. 18 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      A single use unit dosage dispensing closure  10  according to the present invention is shown in the figures. The closure  10  is adapted to be attached to a container (not shown) with a threaded neck finish (e.g. a bottle).  
      The closure includes a shell  12 , shown alone in  FIGS. 1-7 , which is adapted to be attached to the container. The shell has an outer skirt  14  with a closure attaching mechanism in the form of threads  16  on the outer skirt  14  for attaching the shell  12  to the container. The lower portion  18  of the skirt  14  may be formed as a tamper evident band, as is known in the art. The inner surface of the skirt may include a sealing ring  20  for sealing against the neck finish of the container.  
      The shell  12  has a tubular inner guide  22  with an open lower end in communication with the interior of the container. The inner guide  22  includes at least one sealing ring  24 , a lower stop  26  at a lower end thereof and an upper stop  28  at an upper end thereof. The inner guide  22  further includes a finger access  30  adjacent an upper end thereof and a second stop  31  above the seal ring  24 . The shell  12  may further include an alignment nub on the exterior of the guide  22  for alignment of the guide during manufacturing.  
      A piercing element  32  is formed integral with the inner guide  22 . The piercing element  32  is formed a plurality of angled radial blades  34  at a lower end of the inner guide  22 , wherein the radial blades  34  converge to form a piercing tip extending toward the upper end of the inner guide  22 . The triangular center piercing tip gives a center point for gating of the shell  12 . Adjacent the blades  34  are folding elements  36  that are adapted to engage and fold back a sealing element to facilitate discharge of the unit dosage as will be described.  
      An important aspect of the present invention is that all of the major seals, undercuts and other “jump” features (i.e. elements that effectively deform slightly in the de-molding process) are formed in or integral with the shell  12 . The shell is made of a polymer that accommodates such features, such as polyolefin. Materials that accommodate these jump features do not have significant moisture or gas barrier properties (i.e. high moisture and gas permeability).  
      An axial movable cap  40 , shown separately in  FIGS. 8-10 , is attached to the shell  12  and moveable along the inner guide  22 . The cap  40  defines an inner chamber  42  therein adapted to hold a unit dosage of material to be dispensed into the container. The cap  40  is of a simple configuration having a top  44  and a cylindrical side member  46  forming the chamber  42 . The simple construction (no jump features) of the cap  40  allows a relatively rigid material to be used to form the cap  40 , whereby the cap  40  and the shell  12  are made from different polymer materials. In other words, the axial movable cap  40  is formed from a material with a higher oxygen and water barrier property than the material forming the shell  12 . The cap  40  may, preferably, be formed a rigid material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), nylon, polypropylene (PP) with low shrink filler, and polyethylene (PE) with low shrink filler. Low shrink fillers include talc and mica.  
      A sealing layer, or even film,  50  is coupled to the cap  40  at least prior to dispensing with the cap  40 , wherein the chamber  42  is sealed with the sealing layer  50  extending across a lower open end of the cap  40  at the open end of the cylindrical side member  46 . Axial movement of the cap  40  along the inner guide  22  will cause the piercing element formed by blades  34  to pierce the sealing layer  50  and dispense the contents of the chamber  42  into the container. Following the piercing of the layer  50 , the folding elements  36  engage the distinct pieces of the sealing layer and move them out of the way to further assist in the dispensing. The layer  50  may be a metallic foil or a plastic film. The sealing ring  24  of the guide  22  engages and seals against the cylindrical side member  46 . The upper stop  28  and the second stop  31  engage against the top  44  to limit the respective axial motion of the cap  40 . The lower stop  26  engages against the lower end of the cylindrical side member  46 .  
      The closure additionally includes a dust cover  60  shown in  FIGS. 11-14  to prevent premature actuation of the cap  40 . The dust cover has a top  62  with an extending cylindrical skirt  64 . A coupling bead  66  will engage the shell  20 . The cover  60  is removed prior to actuation of the dispensing closure and can further include tamper evident band for security. The shell  12  would include associated engaging beads for such tamper evident bands, as generally known in the art. The addition of the dust cover  60  may further assist in the stacking of vertical containers.  
       FIGS. 18-20  illustrate a modified piercing element  32 ′ according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The piercing element  32 ′ is also formed integral with the inner guide  22 , similar to element  32 . The piercing element  32 ′ is formed a plurality of angled radial blades  34 ′ at a lower end of the inner guide  22 , wherein the radial blades  34 ′ converge to a center gate  35  with each blade  34 ′ having an individual piercing tip  37  extending toward the upper end of the inner guide  22 . The center gate  35  gives a center point for gating of the shell  12  (i.e. an injection point for molding). Adjacent the blades  34  are folding elements  36  that are adapted to engage and fold back a sealing element to facilitate discharge of the unit dosage as described above. The piercing tips  37  form an array of foil piercing elements adjacent the gate  35 . The array of piecing tips  37  on the radial blades  34 ′ together with the folding members  36  serve to better piece the sealing member  50  and to completely move the sealing member  50  out of the way for complete dispersal of the contents of the cap  40 .  
      It will be apparent that various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.