Abstract:
A packaging assembly includes a container body defining an interior for housing a product and an opening leading to the interior. The assembly further includes a cap that moves with respect to the container body to move the assembly between a closed position in which the cap covers the opening, and an opened position in which the opening is exposed. A first seal ( 40 ) is defined between the container body and the cap. The first seal includes a protrusion ( 42 ) formed on one of the container body about the opening or the cap, and a groove ( 44 ) formed on the other of the container body about the opening or the cap. The protrusion is received by the groove when the assembly is in the closed position, such that contact is maintained in a sealing relationship around the opening between the groove and the protrusion.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention is directed to a sealing system for packaging, and in particular to sealing system capable of independently creating a seal or acting in conjunction with another seal to enhance the sealing property of both seals, in such packaging. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a packaging assembly including a container body defining an interior for housing a product and an opening leading to the interior. The assembly further includes a cap that moves with respect to the container body to move the assembly between a closed position in which the cap covers the opening, and an opened position in which the opening is exposed. A first seal is defined between the container body and the cap. The first seal includes a protrusion formed on one of the container body about the opening or the cap, and a groove formed on the other of the container body about the opening or the cap. The protrusion is received by the groove when the assembly is in the closed position, such that contact is maintained in a sealing relationship around the opening between the groove and the protrusion. 
         [0003]    The present invention further relates to a first seal having the properties described above. 
         [0004]    The present invention further relates to a packaging assembly. The packaging assembly includes a container body having a base, a sidewall extending upwardly from the base, an interior defined by the base and the side wall, and a rim at a top portion of the sidewall. The rim defines an opening leading to the interior. The assembly further includes a cap that moves with respect to the container body to move the assembly between a closed position in which the cap covers the opening, and an opened position in which the opening is exposed. The cap includes a top wall and a skirt extending downwardly therefrom. A second seal is defined between the skirt and the rim. The second seal includes a channel formed on an inner radial side of the skirt, and an annular bead formed at a top portion of the rim. The bead has first and second radially spaced bumps that each contact an upper surface of the channel to form a sealing relationship therebetween. 
         [0005]    The present invention further relates to a second seal having the properties described above. 
         [0006]    The present invention further relates to a packaging assembly having a first seal and as second seal. 
         [0007]    The present invention further relates to a packaging assembly having a first seal having the properties described above, and a second seal having the properties described above. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a packaging assembly including a sealing system in accordance with the present invention, in an opened position; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the packaging assembly of  FIG. 1 , in a closed position; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a packaging assembly including a sealing system in accordance with the present invention, in an opened position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the packaging assembly of  FIG. 3 , in a closed position; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a packaging assembly including a sealing system in accordance with the present invention, in an opened position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the packaging assembly of  FIG. 5 , in a closed position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a packaging assembly including a sealing system in accordance with the present invention, in an opened position; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the packaging assembly of  FIG. 7 , in a closed position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view of a packaging assembly including an embodiment of a sealing system in accordance with the present invention, in an opened position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged detail of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a cross sectional view of the packaging assembly of  FIG. 9 , in a closed position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged detail of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  is a cross section of a portion of a packaging assembly showing a another embodiment of a sealing system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13A  is an enlarged detail of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a cross section of a portion of a packaging assembly showing another embodiment of a sealing system in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is a cross section of a portion of a packaging assembly showing another embodiment of a sealing system in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is a cross section of a portion of a packaging assembly showing another embodiment of a sealing system in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    Certain terminology is used in the foregoing description for convenience and is not intended to be limiting. Words such as “front,” “back,” “top,” and “bottom” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. This terminology includes the words specifically noted above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Additionally, the words “a” and “one” are defined as including one or more of the referenced item unless specifically noted. The phrase “at least one of” followed by a list of two or more items, such as “A, B or C,” means any individual one of A, B or C, as well as any combination thereof. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 1-8  show examples of packaging assemblies  10 A-D that could include the sealing system(s) of the present invention. The packaging assemblies  10 A-D shown are rigid packaging assemblies, and in particular, vials that can house, for example, pharmaceutical products, confections, other food items, or any other type of products in which a substantially moisture-tight packaging environment is desirable. Each of the assemblies shown includes a container body  12 A- 12 D formed of a base  14 A- 14 D and a sidewall  16 A- 16 D extending upwardly therefrom. The base  14 A-D and sidewall  16 A-D together define a container interior  18 A-D for housing products therein. An opening  20 A-D leading to the interior  18 A-D is defined about a top edge of the sidewall  16 A-D. A cap  22 A-D is removably affixed over the opening  20 A-D, to move the assembly  10 A-D between an opened position, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  5  and  7 , and a closed position, as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  6  and  8 . The caps  22 A-D each include a top wall  30 A-D and downwardly extending skirt  32 A-D. In the illustrated embodiments, the caps  22  are pivotably affixed to the container bodies  12 A-D by hinges  24 A-D, such that the caps  22 A-D pivot between the opened and closed positions. In each of the illustrated embodiments, the hinges  24 A-D extend between bottom edges of the caps  22 A-D, and rims  26 A-D that extend outwardly from container bodies  12 A-D at upper regions thereof. In both of the assemblies show in  FIGS. 1-4 , a lip  28 A,  20 B extends upwardly from the rim  26 A,  26 B. It should be understood that the sealing system(s) of the present invention could be applied to various packaging assemblies, including those shown and described above, as well as those disclosed in US 2011/0127269, D631,168, US D599,032, US D644,336, US D644,739, US D644,740, US D644,337 and D649,659 as well as other types of packaging assemblies, and suitable assemblies would be recognizable to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0027]    A first embodiment of a sealing system  40  for use with any of the packaging assemblies described above is shown in  FIGS. 9-12 . As shown, this embodiment of the sealing system  40  includes an annular protrusion  42  that extends downward from a bottom edge of the skirt  32 , and an annular groove  44  defined in an upper surface of the rim  26 . In another embodiment, a protrusion such as that shown in  FIGS. 9-12  could be formed in the upper surface of the rim  26 , and an annular groove  44 , such as that shown in  FIGS. 9-12 , could be formed in the bottom edge of the skirt  32 . When the container is in the closed position, as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the protrusion  42  is housed within the groove  44  to form a seal between the cap  22  and the container body  12 . The protrusion  42  may be formed of a rigid material, for example, the same material as that of the remainder of the assembly  10 , which could be, for example, a rigid plastic material such as polypropylene. In such an embodiment, the entire assembly  10  could optionally be molded as a single, integral unit. 
         [0028]    The protrusion  42  has an inner radial side  46  and an outer radial side  48 . Similarly, the groove  44  has an inner radial side  50  and an outer radial side  52 . As can be best seen in  FIG. 12 , the protrusion  42  has a smaller radial thickness than that of the groove  44 . As a result, the protrusion  42  and groove  44  make contact and form a seal, only at the inner radial sides  46 ,  50  or outer radial sides  48 ,  52  thereof. This helps to compensate for any minor dimensional differences between the cap  22  and the rim  26  of the vial. This also facilitates alignment of the cap  22  and the container body  12  when in the closed position, such that their respective axes X 1 , X 2 , align to form a single assembly axis X 3 , when in the closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusion  42  and groove  44  contact each other along their outer radial sides  48 ,  52 , though it should be understood that in some embodiments they will contact each other along their inner radial sides  46 ,  50 . 
         [0029]    In addition to creating a seal at the area of contact, the configuration shown, in which the protrusion  42  and groove  44  contact along their outer radial sides  48 ,  52 , results in the skirt  32  of the cap  22  being urged radially inward, by way of the radially inward force applied to the protrusion  42  by the radially outer side  42  of groove  44 . This helps maintain contact between the inner surface  54  of the skirt  32  and the outer surface  56  of groove  44 . This can be helpful in embodiments in which an additional seal  60  is created between the lip  28  and the skirt  32 . In the embodiment shown, the assembly includes a first seal  40  or sealing system  40 , formed between the protrusion  42  and the groove  44 , and a second seal  60  formed between the lip  28  and the skirt  32 , with it being understood that the terms “first” and “second” are assigned for distinction and are not necessarily indicative of the order of formation, strength, importance, or significance of the seals. In the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 9-12 , the inner surface of the skirt  54  defines an annular channel  62 , and the outer surface  56  of the lip  28  defines an annular bead  64  that engages the annular channel  62 , forming the second seal  60  therebetween. Other secondary seal configurations could be used in conjunction with the first seal  40  described above. For example, any of the sealing configurations described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,720 or U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,137, such as a lip seal configuration, or a sealing configuration such as that described below with reference to  FIG. 14  could be employed. 
         [0030]    A second embodiment of a first seal  140  according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 13 . In this embodiment, the protrusion  142  takes on a substantially inverted “T” shape, though the bottom surface may be rounded to match the inner surface of the groove  144 . The “T” shape of the protrusion  142  is formed by a single vertical member  170 , and inner and outer radial prongs  172 ,  174 . In this embodiment, the protrusion  142  may be formed of a flexible material, such as an elastomeric material, to permit flexing and bending of the prongs  172 ,  174  during engagement with the groove  144 . The flexible material could be different from the material forming the remainder of the assembly, in which case the protrusion  142  could be joined with the skirt  32  by way of adhesive, mechanical fasteners, or formed integrally with the skirt  132  by a two-shot molding process. This embodiment of the first seal  140  functions similarly to that of  FIGS. 9-12 , with one exception being the fact that, in the embodiment shown, the protrusion  142  and groove  144  engage on both their inner  146 ,  150  and outer radial sides  148 ,  152 , i.e., both prongs  172 ,  174  contact the surface of the groove  144 , and in particular, may be sufficiently flexible so as to conform to the shape of the groove  144 . In another embodiment the protrusion  142  and groove  144  could engage only on their respective inner radial sides  146 ,  150  or outer radial sides  148 ,  152 , resulting in either the inner radial prong  172  or outer radial prong  174  engaging the groove  144 . This embodiment of the first seal can also be employed with any of the second seals mentioned above with respect to the embodiment of  FIGS. 9-12 . 
         [0031]    A third embodiment of a first seal  240  according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 14 . In this embodiment, the protrusion  242  is similar to that of  FIG. 13 , but includes only a single, radially inwardly extending prong  272 . In this embodiment, the protrusion could be formed of a flexible material, such as an elastomeric material, in a similar manner to those described with respect to  FIG. 13 . In this embodiment, the single prong  272  can engage the radially inner side  250  of groove  244  on the radially inner  246  side of the prong  272 , as shown, resulting in the more flexible end portion  276  of the prong  272  contacting the groove  244 . Alternatively, the single prong  272  could engage the radially outer side  252  of groove  244  on the radially outer side  248  of the prong  272 , resulting in the somewhat less flexible portion thereof contacting the groove  244 . This embodiment of the first seal can also be employed with any of the second seals mentioned above with respect to the embodiments of  FIGS. 9-13 . 
         [0032]    A fourth embodiment of a first seal  340  according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 15 . This embodiment of the first seal  340  is similar to that of  FIGS. 9-12 , with the exception of the fact that the protrusion  342  extends from an upper surface of the rim  326 , and the groove  344  is defined in a bottom edge of the skirt  332 . In this embodiment, the protrusion  342  and groove  344  contact on inner  346 ,  350  or outer radial sides  348 ,  352 , as described above. Alternatively, the protrusion  342  and the groove  344  could contact on both the inner  346 ,  350  and outer radial sides  348 ,  352  thereof. The protrusion  342  and groove  344  in the embodiment shown each have a slightly greater axial length than those of the embodiment of  FIGS. 9-12 , but it should be understood that the dimensions could be increased or decreased as necessary for these parts to properly engage. The protrusion  342  could be formed of a flexible material, such as an elastomeric material, in a similar manner to those described above with respect to  FIGS. 13 and 14  Likewise, the protrusion  342  could be formed of a rigid material, such as the same material of the remainder of the assembly, as described with respect to the embodiment of  FIGS. 9-12 . This embodiment of the first seal can also be employed with any of the second seals mentioned above with respect to the embodiments of  FIGS. 9-14 . 
         [0033]    An embodiment of a second seal  460  according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 16 . In this embodiment, the second seal  460  is formed by engagement of the inner surface  454  of the skirt  432  and the outer surface  456  of the lip  428 . The inner surface  454  defines a channel  462 , and the outer surface defines a bead  464  that is received by the channel  462 , similarly to the second seal  60  described above with respect to  FIGS. 9-12 . In this embodiment, the channel  462  includes an uppermost, substantially horizontal surface  480  that contacts an upper edge  482  of the bead  464 . The bead upper edge  482  includes two radially spaced bumps, including an inner radial bump  484 , and an outer radial bump  486 . A divot  488  is formed between the two bumps  484 ,  486 . The bumps  484 ,  486  are equal in axial height. This is preferable in the embodiment shown in which the channel surface  480  is horizontal or perpendicular to the axis X 3  of the packaging assembly  410 , but in other embodiments the channel surface could be angled or curved and the axial heights of the bumps altered accordingly. As shown, each bump  484 ,  486  contacts the horizontal surface  480  of the channel  462 . This results in two radial sealing regions being defined between the channel  462  and the bead  464 . Additionally, the inclusion of two bumps helps to axially orient the cap  422  on the container body  12 . This embodiment of the second seal  460  could be employed with any of the first seals described above, as well as with other seals suitable for use as a first seal and known in the art. 
         [0034]    Any of the first seals described herein can be combined with any on the second seals described herein, or any other seal suitable for use as a second seal and know in the art. Likewise, any of the second seals described herein can be combined with any of the first seals described herein, or any other seal suitable for use as a first seal and known in the art. 
         [0035]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described, which should be considered as merely exemplary.