Abstract:
A closure is described which incorporates an additive delivery system integral with the closure. The system includes a dosing chamber formed in the closure, the dosing chamber exhausting the contents into the container upon initial unthreading of the closure from the container. The design prevents premature dosing of the chamber into the container and also allows the dosing chamber to be pressurized if so desired.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed towards an additive delivery system within a closure which works to deliver contents contained within a dosing chamber into a container on which the closure is placed upon first removal of the closure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a component view of each element of the additive delivery system closure of the present invention shown in exploded view; 
         FIG. 2  is an assembled perspective view of the combined closure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of the combined closure of the present invention after installation; 
         FIG. 4  is a side sectional view of the combined closure of the present invention upon initial release of the pressurized contents of the container; 
         FIG. 5  is side sectional view of the combined closure of the present invention upon release of the contents within the dosing chamber; 
         FIG. 6  is a side sectional view of the closure of the present invention after complete removal of the closure from the container neck. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to both  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , an additive delivery system closure  100  is shown. The additive delivery system closure  100  of the present invention is utilized to provide dosing of a liquid or other additive held within a dosing chamber of the closure into the container contents upon initial removal of the closure from the container. 
     It may be very desirable to keep certain additives from the contents of the container separate until initial opening of the container due to degradation of the additive, effects the container contents may have on the additive or other reasons. In such instances, mixing of the additive contents with the container contents may be accomplished only upon initial opening of the container. It is further desirable that injection of the additive contents to the container occur upon normal container opening movements, not requiring additional steps forcing or injecting the additive material into the container. As such, the present additive delivery system closure  100  works to inject the contents of the dosing chamber into the container directly upon unthreading of the closure from the container in standard fashion. 
     Such additive delivery system closures may be especially useful in carbonated beverage containers due to the acidity levels of the container contents and the degradation effect such levels have on the additive or flavoring components. In such instance, pressure generated from the carbonated beverage contents can be utilized to maintain separation of the additive and the container and its contents. The chamber of the container may be pressurized by the contents of the container and the design of the additive delivery system closure of the present invention may include means by which the dosing chamber is also pressurized after capping by contents of the container through small vent holes or similar structures. 
     Returning to both  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the additive delivery system closure  100  of the present invention is depicted as can be installed on a container neck  30 . The combined closure  100  is depicted in  FIG. 1  as being a three pieced closure which includes the closure  10 , an insert  40  received within the closure and an injection button  42  which slides over the insert and is retained thereon. Reviewing these figures in conjunction with  FIG. 3 , a dosing chamber  12  is provided in the interior cavity defined by the insert  40 . The insert  40  has an annular depending side wall  20  which depends from an insert top wall  21 , the insert top wall adjacent to the inner top wall of the closure  10 . 
     The annular side wall  20  serves as the support for ribs  28  which suspend interiorly of the side wall  20  a center ceiling plug  24 . The insert  40  and the insert side wall  20  forms interiorly thereof a dispensing chamber  12 . The dispensing chamber  12  may contain liquid contents which remain in the dispensing chamber until the closure is opened and removed from the container neck  30 . The dispensing chamber  12 , as shown, provides a sealed area in order to maintain the purity and prevent premature mixing of the contents thereof and the contents within the container. 
     As shown in the drawings of  FIG. 3 , the insert  40  contacts a top wall seal  13  to prevent the contents contained within the dosing chamber  12  from leaking up or around the insert top wall  21  and the top wall of the closure  11 . The top wall seal  13  may be an outwardly flared depending seal which contacts a rib or small abutment on the inner wall of the insert side wall  20  to provide adequate sealing surface contact. Further, the insert side wall  20  may have along a lower edge thereof an insert button  22  which contacts an inner side wall of the button  42  to provide additional sealing off of the dosing chamber  12  while also providing lateral movement between the insert  40  and the button  42 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the top wall seal  13  depends downward from the top wall  11  of closure  10 . The top wall seal  13  may be an annular seal and may have an outward flare, for example as shown, although many other known embodiments are available for use. In combination with the depending top wall seal  13  is an insert  40 , as seen in the figures, which is retained in engagement with the closure  10  by the interference contact between outward flared seal  13  and insert retention bead  29  which extends annularly about the upper portion of the insert side wall  20 . A small vertical portion  42  in the interior side wall of insert  40  defines a potential vertical slide zone on which the insert  40  may vertically slide relative to the top wall  21  of the insert and the top wall  11  of the closure. This vertical slide zone  42  is positioned between the insert retention bead  29  and a step in the insert side wall  20  wherein the internal diameter of the side wall is greater along the vertical slide zone  42  as opposed to lower portion of the insert  40  along which the insert externally engages the button  42 , button  42  described in detail herein. The inward step provides clearance for engagement of the inwardly directed button bead  19  against the outer side wall of insert  40 . 
     The insert retention bead  29  may be any of a number of structures from a continuous annular bead, an intermittent bead, engagement structure or other interference or engagement element to retain the closure  10  and the insert in slideable or non-moveable contact. 
     A gap may form between the top wall  21  of the insert and the top wall  11  of the closure  10  as is seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  when the closure  10  is pulled upward from the container side wall  30 . However, it is not required and can be designed around or prevented. The mechanism by which the closure  10  and the insert  40  interface and engage may be varied significantly in order to provide a proper resistive engagement or retaining engagement between the two structures. Further, a single piece structure may be utilized in order to prevent utilization of multi-piece structures. 
     The insert side wall  20  defines an interior dosing chamber  12  which can contain fluid or other material or additive for insertion into the container upon opening of the closure for the first time. The dosing chamber  12  may be pressurized or non-pressurized and is sealed to prevent material leakage out of the dosing chamber  12  into the container or between the closure and insert  40 . Additive in the dosing chamber  12  is inserted into the container upon initial separation of the closure from the container, the additive flowing between the insert sidewall  20  and the center bore insert  24 . The center bore insert  24  is held in place centrally within the insert by a plurality of support ribs  28  which extend inwardly from sidewall  20 . The support ribs  28  suspend the center bore insert  24  centrally and internally within insert  40  and provides a guided flow path  53 , shown in  FIG. 5 , for additive to follow. 
     The center bore insert  24  provides a surface for sealing engagement between button  42  and insert  40  effective sealing off the dosing chamber  12  and maintaining the additive material therein until dosing of the additive is required. The lower portion of the center bore insert  24  contacts button seal  16  to seal the dosing chamber. Button seal  16  may be a pliable annular seal which sealingly engages the center bore insert  24 , as shown. Additive material is maintained within the dosing chamber  12  due to the seal  16  and is released upon upward travel of the insert  40  relative to the button  42 , as is shown in  FIG. 5 . A number of known sealing mechanisms may be utilized between the two structures in order to maintain the sealing engagement mentioned or in or order to seal the dosing chamber  12 , the embodiment shown being one example of such a structure. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , closure  10  and insert  40  move together upon unthreading of the closure on container threads  32 . Upon initial vertical upward movement of the closure and insert, insert bead  22  travels upward interiorly of the button  42  disengaging the button seal  16  from the center bore insert  24  thereby releasing the additive material. The outer diameter of the insert bead  22  is such that it interferes with button bead  19  when the insert is pulled upward by closure  10 . This interference or engagement between the insert bead  22  and the button bead  19  represents the maximum floating vertical travel distance of the insert within the button wherein continued upward travel of the closure/insert combination is translated to the button  42  thereby causing the button to become disengaged from the interior side wall  30  of the container. 
     The button is maintained in position within the interior side wall  30  of the container by the upper container bead  31   a  and lower container bead  31   b  which lock the button retention bead  18  therebetween. However, the inward dimension of the upper container bead  31   a  is such that button retention bead  18  may travel over the upper bead  31   a  with sufficient upward force which is met by removal of the closure from the container. Thus, initial removal of the closure from the container causes vertical sliding movement between the insert  40  and button  42  since button  42  is maintained in position within the container throat. This initial separation between the insert  40  and button  42  disengages the button seal  16  from the center bore insert  24  allowing the contents of the dosing chamber  12  to flow through flow path  53  shown in  FIG. 5 . Continued upward travel of the closure  10  on the container side wall threads  32  pulls the closure  10  and insert  40  further upward such that the free travel limit of the insert  40  within the button  42  is met due to the interference between insert bead  22  and button bead  19 . Once this free travel limit is met, the continued vertical movement is translated to the button  42  causing the button  42  to move upward. Button retention bead  18  overcomes the resistance implied to restrict vertical travel by upper container bead  31   a  and the button  42 , insert  40  and closure  10  can be removed from the container. Further, the contents of the dosing chamber  12  are emptied into the container prior to removal of the closure from container. 
     The combined multi-piece closure  10  of the present invention may be utilized with pressurized container contents, such as carbonated beverages. In use with pressurized contents, seal  16  may be biased upwardly as is shown in order to allow internal container pressure to more readily infiltrate dosing chamber  12 . After the container is filled and capped, pressure within the container caused by the carbonation increases and can infiltrate the dosing chamber  12 . Thus, the chamber  12  becomes pressurized with the additive contents. The multipiece closure  10  is designed to allow release of the internal container pressure first followed by opening of the dosing chamber  12  causing spraying of the additive through the flow path  53  due to pressurization of the dosing chamber. 
     In  FIG. 4 , initial release of the pressure within the container through pressure flow path  52  is depicted. Unthreading of the closure  10  from the container neck  30  separates the lower surface of the insert top wall  21  from the container rim. The button retention bead  18  may be notched, as depicted in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , such that notch  15  provides a flow path to release the pressure within the container. Multiple notches or gaps  15  may be provided to provide adequate pressure release flow paths. This may work in combination with the pressure flow paths  55  formed in the container threads  32 . Such initial release of the container pressure then creates a pressure difference between the dosing chamber  12  and the internal contents of the container. The pressure difference may then aid in ensuring the full dispensing of the container contents as depicted in  FIG. 5 . The pressure existent in the dosing chamber causes sudden release of the additive contents in the dosing chamber  12  once the center bore retention bead  24  is removed from contact with the sealing bead  16 . Alternatively, this pressure difference may be used to trigger release of the additive into the container by use of a one way valve, biased seal flange  16  or other known mechanism to aid in dispersal of pressurized contents. 
     Button  42 , as shown in  FIG. 1  and the remaining sectional drawings, is part of the combined multi-piece closure  10  and forms a mechanism by which the contents of the dosing chamber may be released. Button  42  travels vertically upon insert side wall  20  above insert bead  22  and transition surface  57  on the exterior side wall of the insert  40 . This vertical travel distance allows the contents of the dosing chamber  12  to be released properly upon initial opening of the closure, whether the dosing chamber is pressurized or unpressurized.