Patent Description:
Containers with closures are well known in the art, including containers with closures that have both a closure shell or cap and a tamper evident band (e.g., a standard, single-use, plastic water bottle). Although less common, hinged and tethered closures also exist such as those described in <CIT>; Japanese Patent No. <CIT>; Japanese Patent No. <CIT>; and Japanese Patent No. <CIT>. In the foregoing references, the hinges of the described closures are external to the closure and therefore may be more difficult to keep sanitary when the closure shell is closed, may not be aesthetically pleasing, and/or may be prone to damage even with the closure shell in a closed position. Further, the hinges of the foregoing references may not be usable with a tamper evident band, they may lack flexibility for use on various sized container necks, they may only provide a limited opening range for the closure relative to the container, they may not effectively encourage the closure to remain in an open position after the closure has been opened, or some combination thereof. The document <CIT> defines the preamble of claim <NUM>.

In view of government activity in several jurisdictions, hinged and tethered closures may likely become mandatory in the near future. For example, California proposed legislation that would require all single-use plastic beverage containers have a cap that is tethered to the container primarily to deal with the problem of marine debris. Likewise, the European Commission proposed a directive to target the ten single-use plastic products most often found on Europe's beaches and seas. Specifically, the European Commission proposed that single-use drink containers made with plastic will only be allowed on the market if their caps and lids remain attached.

The present invention, as defined in claim <NUM>, relates to a closure for a container and method of making the same, as defined in claim <NUM>. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the closure includes a closure shell having a first interior surface, a tamper evident band having a second interior surface, and a flexible hinge. The flexible hinge includes a first end, a second end, and a gathered portion located between the first and second ends. The first end is coupled to the closure shell and the second end is coupled to the tamper evident band. At least a portion of the gathered portion extends radially inward with respect to the interior surface of the closure shell. The flexible hinge permits the closure shell to be opened and remain tethered to the tamper evident band. The closure may further include a retaining bead to keep the tamper evident band attached to the container. The closure further comprises at least one retaining bead that extends inward from and circumferentially along the second interior surface of the tamper evident band, wherein a first portion of said at least one retaining bead is vertically offset from a second section of said at least one retaining bead and said second section is positioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge and configured to prevent the tamper evident band from moving over a neck ring of a container.

The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore do not limit the scope of the present invention, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly and legibly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Additionally or alternatively, certain dimensions or features may be exaggerated or shown in a see-through format to help visually convey certain principles, functions or relative locations. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with containers and closures may have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments of the invention.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word "comprise" and variations thereof, such as, "comprises" and "comprising" are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, which is as "including, but not limited to.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment or aspect" or "an embodiment or aspect" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.

In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure, relate to closures for containers, wherein the closures have a flexible hinge that allows the closure to remain tethered to the container while the container is being used. In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide for flexibly hinged and tethered closures and methods of making the same. For instance, the flexibly hinged closures described herein are generally used in connection with containers for dispensing products such as, but not limited to, food and beverages (e.g., carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, water, oils or condiments, powders or granular products such as seasonings, over the counter medicine); beauty and hygiene products (e.g., shampoos, lotions, gels); and household products (e.g., adhesives, detergents, cleaning solutions). Nevertheless, the closures of the present disclosure may also be used in connection with various other containers even though such containers have not been expressly identified herein. The closures, and various embodiments thereof, may be adapted for container applications having a screw closure, a snap closure, or some combination thereof.

For purposes of brevity and clarity, the following terms and variations thereof such as, but not limited to, "container," "closure," "closure shell," "tamper evident band," and "hinge" as used herein should be broadly interpreted. For example, container may be any type of container, but in most cases will take the form of a container for dispensing a commercially available good or product. The term "closure" includes at least the closure shell and the tamper evident band in combination. The term "closure shell" may be any type of top, cap, lid, or cover that can be moved from an open to a closed position, and vice-versa, relative to the container. The term "tamper evident band" may be any structure (e.g., ring, continuous strip) that preferably remains coupled to the container after the closure shell has been moved to the open position. Lastly, the term "hinge" may be as any type of flexible structure that couples the closure shell to the tamper evident band, and for purposes of the present invention the hinge may take the form of gathered, corrugated, bent, V-shaped, U-shaped, or some other accordion-like configuration wherein at least a portion of the hinge extends radially inward with respect to the container and/or closure when the closure shell is in a closed position. Further, the hinge permits the closure shell to remain tethered or otherwise attached to the tamper evident band when the closure shell is in an open position.

<FIG> shows a container system <NUM> having a container <NUM> and a closure <NUM>. For purposes of illustrative clarity, the closure <NUM> is shown as partially transparent or see-through to illustrate a transportation ring <NUM> (also referred to as a support ring) and a tamper evident neck ring <NUM> formed as part of the neck finish of the container <NUM>. The closure <NUM> includes a closure shell <NUM> and a tamper evident band <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the container system <NUM> with the closure shell <NUM> in an open position relative to the container <NUM> with the tamper evident band <NUM> of the closure <NUM> remaining coupled to or otherwise attached to the container <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, a flexible hinge <NUM> couples or tethers the closure shell <NUM> to the tamper evident band <NUM>. When in the open position, the flexible hinge <NUM> tends to straighten, as compared to its bent or gathered configuration shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows the closure <NUM> with the closure shell <NUM> in a closed and aligned position relative to the tamper evident band <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the tamper evident band <NUM> optionally includes a guide tab <NUM> that extends vertically upward from the tamper evident band <NUM>. The guide tab <NUM> may be coupled to or integrally formed with the tamper evident band <NUM>. The guide tab <NUM> primarily operates to keep dust and debris from entering the closure <NUM> and becoming trapped around the neck of the container <NUM> (<FIG>). The guide tab <NUM> prevents dust and debris to from residing on portions of the closure <NUM> and container <NUM>, which create unacceptable food and beverage conditions.

In some embodiments, as shown, the guide tab <NUM> extends from the tamper evident band <NUM> upward towards the closure shell <NUM>. In other embodiments, the guide tab <NUM> may extend downward from the closure shell <NUM> towards the tamper evident band <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the closure shell <NUM> can optionally include one or more protuberances <NUM> coupled to or integrally formed with the closure shell <NUM>. In some embodiments, the tamper evident band <NUM> additionally includes one or more protuberances <NUM> coupled to or integrally formed with the tamper evident band <NUM>. When the closure shell <NUM> is opened, the protuberances <NUM> may interact or interlock with the protuberances <NUM> to secure or otherwise maintain the closure shell <NUM> in the open position.

In the present invention, the closure <NUM> includes one or more flexible hinges <NUM>. Referring to the illustrated embodiment of <FIG>, the closure <NUM> includes two flexible hinges <NUM> located on either side of the guide tab <NUM>. The flexible hinges <NUM> are attached or otherwise coupled to the closure shell <NUM> and the tamper evident band <NUM>, respectively. As explained in further detail below and in association with <FIG>, one purpose of the flexible hinges <NUM> is to allow the closure shell <NUM> to remain open without the tendency to move back towards the closed position. Moreover, the configuration of the flexible hinges <NUM> allows additional extension of the closure shell <NUM> when the closure shell <NUM> is moved from a closed position to an open position because the flexible hinges <NUM> will unfold and tend to straighten, which allows the closure shell <NUM> to move over threads on the neck and ultimately over the opening of the container <NUM>. Additionally, the flexible hinges <NUM> withstand an amount of torsional or rotational flexibility that allows the closure shell <NUM> to stretch and thereby clear the threads and opening of the container.

In some embodiments, the flexible hinges <NUM> may be made of a material that is a different material from that of the closure shell <NUM>, the tamper evident band <NUM>, or both. By way of example, the flexible hinges <NUM> may be made from a more flexible plastic, silicon, a molded rubber material, or some other material that allows for the necessary amount of torsional flexibility or stretching during the opening process of the closure shell <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show the interior structure of the closure <NUM> in two, slightly different cut-away, perspective views, respectively. Referring primarily to <FIG>, the flexible hinges <NUM> take the form of a band of material having a gathered portion <NUM> located between a first end <NUM> and a second end <NUM> of the flexible hinge <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the first end <NUM> is coupled to or integrally formed with the closure shell <NUM> and the second end is coupled to or integrally formed with the tamper evident band <NUM>, respectively.

In at least one embodiment, the gathered portion <NUM> takes the form of bent, folded, corrugated or accordion-like section of material having multiple V-shape or U-shape portions (e.g., connected end to end). At least a portion of the gathered portion <NUM> extends radially inward with respect to a first interior surface <NUM> of the closure shell <NUM>, and more specifically with respect to a second interior surface <NUM> (<FIG>) of the tamper evident band <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second interior surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> are flush with each other, but in other embodiments the surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> may not be flush with each other. The gathered portion <NUM> of the flexible hinge <NUM> may be comprised of a single gathered portion <NUM> or a plurality of gathered portions forming an accordion-type configuration (<FIG>).

Advantageously, the flexible hinge <NUM> is situated such that at least a portion of the gathered portion <NUM> is inside of the closure, which may provide for improved cleanliness or sanitation, and may limit damage to the flexible hinge during transportation. Further, the flexible hinge <NUM> functions in conjunction with a tamper evident band <NUM>, may provide flexibility for use on various sized container necks, may provide a wider opening range for the closure relative to existing closures, may assist in maintaining the closure into an open position after the closure has been opened, or any combination thereof.

Now referring primarily to <FIG>, the tamper evident band <NUM> includes a retaining bead <NUM>. When the closure shell <NUM> is initially opened (e.g., unscrewed or unsnapped), the tamper evident band <NUM> wants to remain attached to the closure shell <NUM> and raise upwards relative to the container <NUM> (<FIG>). The configuration of the retaining bead <NUM>, which will be described in more detail below, prevents the tamper evident band <NUM> from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring <NUM> of the container <NUM> (<FIG>).

The retaining bead <NUM> is located on the tamper evident band <NUM> and extends radially inward from the second interior surface <NUM> of the tamper evident band <NUM>. The retaining bead <NUM> may be coupled to or integrally formed with the tamper evident band <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment according the invention, the retaining bead <NUM> is a continuous protuberance having a first section <NUM> and a second section <NUM> with a vertically offset <NUM> from each other. The first section <NUM> may be the lower section and the second section <NUM> may be the upper section as illustrated in <FIG>, or these may be interchanged for another retaining bead <NUM> located on an opposing surface of the closure <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The tamper evident band <NUM> may have one, two, or more retaining beads. For purposes of clarity, the stepwise configuration of the retaining bead <NUM> is intended to prevent the tamper evident band <NUM> from moving over or off of the tamper evident ring <NUM> located on a neck of the container <NUM> (<FIG>).

The first section <NUM> is positioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge <NUM> or the area including the flexible hinges <NUM>. In particular, the first section <NUM> is positioned at a height on the tamper evident band <NUM> such that the section <NUM> prevents the tamper evident band <NUM> from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring <NUM> of the container <NUM>. For example, the first section <NUM> may be at a height that is lower when compared to the remainder of the retaining bead <NUM>, thus forming the vertical offset <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining bead <NUM> is continuous in that the first section <NUM> continuously flows into the second section <NUM> through a curved or sloped section <NUM>. In an alternate embodiment, the retaining bead <NUM> may be staggered, spaced apart, or otherwise non-continuous. By way of example, the retaining bead <NUM> may comprise a plurality of protuberances that function in the same or similar manner as the continuous retaining bead <NUM>.

In another embodiment, shown in <FIG>, a tamper evident band <NUM> is a foldable band on which a plurality of outwardly projecting ratchets <NUM>, <NUM> (or lugs) are positioned around the perimeter of the tamper evident band <NUM>. The ratchets <NUM>, <NUM> are positioned such that when the band <NUM> is in an unfolded position (not shown) the ratchets <NUM>, <NUM> are located on the external perimeter of the closure <NUM>. When the band <NUM> is folded along a hinge <NUM> (e.g., thinned material) into a folded position as seen in <FIG>, the ratchets <NUM>, <NUM> are located within the interior perimeter of the closure <NUM>.

The configuration of the ratchets <NUM>, <NUM> prevents the tamper evident band <NUM> from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring <NUM> of the container <NUM>. For example, the ratchet(s) <NUM> has a first height that is configured to prevent a portion of the band <NUM> from moving over the neck ring <NUM>, and the ratchet(s) <NUM> has a second height that is configured to prevent a remaining portion of the band <NUM> from moving over the neck ring <NUM> approximately near the location of the flexible hinge <NUM>. Specifically, the ratchet(s) <NUM> extend around a portion <NUM> of the tamper evident band <NUM> that, when in the folded position, is positioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge <NUM>.

In some embodiments (not illustrated), at least one ratchet is positioned between the ratchets <NUM>, <NUM>. This intermediate ratchet would have a height intermediate the first height and the second height and be positioned to create a transition region. For example, the portion <NUM> would include the third ratchet(s) having the intermediate height to create a region of gradual transition from the higher height of the ratchet <NUM> to the lower height of the ratchet <NUM>. Lastly, the closure <NUM> includes a plurality of frangible attachment bridges <NUM> that couple the closure shell <NUM> to the tamper evident band <NUM>. The bridges <NUM> are readily breakable when the closure shell <NUM> is moved (e.g., twisted, rotated, moved or lifted upwards by an unsnapping movement) relative to the tamper evident band <NUM>.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects can be modified, if necessary, to employ devices, features, and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

Claim 1:
A closure (<NUM>) for a container (<NUM>), the closure (<NUM>) comprising:
a closure shell (<NUM>) having a first interior surface (<NUM>);
a tamper evident band (<NUM>) having a second interior surface (<NUM>); and
a flexible hinge (<NUM>) having a first end (<NUM>), a second end (<NUM>), and a gathered portion (<NUM>) located between the first and second ends (<NUM>, <NUM>), the first end (<NUM>) is coupled to said closure shell (<NUM>) and the second end (<NUM>) is coupled to said tamper evident band (<NUM>), wherein at least a portion of the gathered portion (<NUM>) extends radially inward with respect to the first interior surface (<NUM>) of the closure shell (<NUM>), characterized by further comprising at least one retaining bead (<NUM>) that extends inward from and circumferentially along the second interior surface (<NUM>) of the tamper evident band (<NUM>), wherein a first portion (<NUM>) of said at least one retaining bead (<NUM>) is vertically offset from a second section (<NUM>) of said at least one retaining bead (<NUM>) and said second section (<NUM>) is positioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge (<NUM>) and configured to prevent the tamper evident band (<NUM>) from moving over a neck ring (<NUM>) of a container (<NUM>).