Patent ID: 8141731

Claim:
A dispensing closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior where a fluent substance may be stored, said dispensing closure system comprising: a closure base for extending from said container at said container opening, said closure base having (1) a dispensing orifice for communicating with the container interior, (2) a deck that defines said dispensing orifice, and (3) a skirt depending from said deck; a lid for moving between: (1) a closed position on top of said base to occlude said dispensing orifice, and (2) an open position away from said dispensing orifice to permit the dispensing of a substance from said container; a hinge connecting said lid with said closure base; and a sliding element mounted on said closure base for generally lateral movement with respect thereto from a latched position to an unlatched position, said sliding element including a latch portion engageable with said lid when said lid is in said closed position and said sliding element is in said latched position, said sliding element being movable generally laterally of said closure base from said latched position to disengage said latch portion from said lid, to permit movement of said lid from said closed position to said open position, and to thereby permit dispensing of the fluent substance within said container through said dispensing orifice, said sliding element including at least one camming surface engageable with said lid in the closed position thereof when said sliding element is in said latched position, so that lateral movement of said sliding element relative to said closure base from said latched position causes said camming surface to urge said lid out of said closed position toward said open position, wherein said dispensing orifice is positioned intermediate said hinge and said latch portion of said sliding element, wherein: said sliding element is mounted on said closure base generally beneath said deck thereof, said closure base having a hollow, generally cylindrical, internal collar depending from said deck, said internal collar including an internal, female thread for threadingly engaging a male thread on said container, said sliding element having a generally ring-shaped configuration, and being positioned generally beneath said deck between said internal collar and said skirt of said closure base.