Valve carrier ring for self-closing dispensing valve

Abstract

A valve carrier ring for carrying a self-closing dispensing valve is adapted to be assembled with a closure body of a container. The valve carrier ring includes an annular seat portion including a support surface for supporting a retaining portion of the valve and a circumferential wall located radially outwards of the support surface and extending coaxially with the support surface. The circumferential wall has a preformed radial protrusion adapted to extend over the retaining portion of the valve for providing a preliminary retention of the retaining portion in the seat portion. A snap bead is formed at a radial outer side of the valve carrier ring adapted to cooperate with a means of the closure body to provide a snap connection between the valve carrier ring and the closure body. The radial protrusion is constituted by a flexible inwardly inclined extremity of the circumferential wall.

Claims

1. A valve carrier ring for carrying a self-closing dispensing valve and adapted to be assembled with a closure body of a container, wherein the self-closing dispensing valve comprises a valve head having a dispensing orifice, a peripheral retaining portion and a connecting portion interconnecting the valve head and the retaining portion, the valve carrier ring comprising an annular seat portion comprising a continuous support surface for supporting the retaining portion of the valve and a circumferential wall located radially outwards of the support surface and extending coaxially with the support surface, wherein the circumferential wall has multiple circumferentially distributed and spaced apart flexible, to an extent to be elastically deformed, inwardly inclined extremities configured as flexible lips, extending from an end region of the circumferential wall towards an edge of the extremities, wherein each of the edges of the extremities have a larger axial distance from the support surface than the end region of the circumferential wall, the extremities having an inner side providing an undercut for retaining the retaining portion of the valve in the seat portion, and wherein one or more snap beads are formed at a radial outer side of the valve carrier ring adapted to cooperate with snap means of the closure body to provide a snap connection between the valve carrier ring and the closure body.

2. The valve carrier ring according to claim 1, wherein the support surface comprises a conical surface portion facing the circumferential wall.

3. The valve carrier ring according to claim 1, wherein the support surface is adapted to form a seal with a complementary surface of the retaining portion of the valve.

4. The valve carrier ring according to claim 1, wherein the inwardly inclined extremities have an inclination angle with respect to a vertical axis of said extremities within a range of 20° to 70°.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of a valve carrier ring according to the invention,

(2) FIG. 2 shows a top elevational view of the valve carrier ring of FIG. 1,

(3) FIG. 3 shows a cross section according to A-A indicated in FIG. 2,

(4) FIG. 4 shows a detail of the valve carrier ring as is indicated in FIG. 2 with IV,

(5) FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the valve carrier ring of FIG. 1 assembled with a valve and mounted in a closure for a container,

(6) FIG. 6 shows a view in perspective of another embodiment of a valve carrier ring according to the invention,

(7) FIG. 7 shows a top elevational view of the valve carrier ring of FIG. 6,

(8) FIG. 8 shows a cross section according to A-A indicated in FIG. 7,

(9) FIG. 9 shows a detail of the valve carrier ring as is indicated in FIG. 8 with IX,

(10) FIG. 10 shows in a view in perspective the valve carrier ring of FIG. 1 and a valve during assembly,

(11) FIG. 11 shows in a view in perspective the assembly of FIG. 10 with the valve an the carrier ring in an assembled state, and

(12) FIG. 12A-12F illustrate in a cross sectional view the steps of the assembly of the carrier ring and the valve of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(13) The invention relates to a valve carrier ring which is designed to preliminary retain a self-closing valve, which is used in dispensing closures for containers, for example squeeze bottles, containing substances such as sauces like mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard or the like, but also for example body care products, cleaning products etc.

(14) Such self-closing valves are well known in the art and are made in one piece by injection moulding, usually from a silicone or another suitable elastomer material. This type of valves comprises a valve head having a dispensing orifice, which in general is defined by a number of slits. When the container is pressurized the slits open at a certain threshold pressure. After the pressure is relieved the valve head closes and returns to its original shape automatically due to its elastic nature.

(15) This type of self-closing valves generally also have a retaining portion or in particular a retaining flange, which is adapted to retain the valve in a closure or a carrier ring, often by clamping. The valve head and the retaining portion are interconnected by a connecting portion, often referred to as a connector sleeve.

(16) The valves are flexible and relatively small, i.e. having an outer diameter of 15 mm, but in practice often smaller. These small flexible valves have a tendency to stick together in a collecting container after being produced. Moreover they are difficult to separate and handle in an automatic assembly line where they are mounted in a dispensing closure for/of a container. Therefore, the valves may be assembled first with a valve carrier ring before they are stored and later supplied to an assembly line to assemble it with a closure body of a dispensing closure. The assembly of the valve and the carrier ring can take place on a different site as the assembly of the valve/carrier ring assembly with the closure body.

(17) The valve carrier ring is a rigid part relative to the self-closing valve and is easier to handle than a separate valve. It protects the valve it carries and it prevents interruptions in the automatic assembly line.

(18) FIG. 5 shows a valve carrier ring 1 assembled with a self-closing valve 2. The retaining portion of the valve is indicated with reference numeral 21, the valve head with 22 and the connector sleeve with 23. The assembly of the carrier ring 1 and the valve 2 is mounted in a closure body 3 of a closure of a container.

(19) In FIGS. 1-3 the valve carrier ring 1 is shown separately. This carrier ring 1 is made by injection moulding of a thermoplastic material. In particular polypropylene is a suitable material, but also other thermoplastic materials are possible to use.

(20) The carrier ring 1 comprises a tubular wall 11 which defines a dispensing passage 12. At one end of the tubular wall 11 the carrier ring 1 has an annular seat portion 13 for accommodating the retaining portion 21 of the valve (cf. FIG. 5). The seat portion 13 comprises a support surface 14 for supporting the retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 and a circumferential wall 15 located radially outwards of the support surface 14. The circumferential wall 15 extends coaxially with the support surface 14.

(21) The support surface 14 includes a frusto-conical surface portion 14A facing the inside of the circumferential wall 15. The retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 has a complementary frusto-conical surface 21A (cf. FIG. 12A), which in the mounted state in the closure body is clamped against the surface 14A and provides a sealing engagement (cf. FIG. 5).

(22) The circumferential wall 15 has a circumferential snap bead 16 formed on the outside thereof. The snap bead 16 is configured and arranged to cooperate with a snap rim 31 or other snap means that is formed in the closure body 3. The snap bead 16 is in the mounted state of the carrier ring 1 in a sealing engagement with the surface of the closure body 3 as can be seen in FIG. 5.

(23) A number of flexible lips 17 is formed on an end region of the circumferential wall 15. In the specific embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 there are eight flexible lips 17. The lips 17 are formed as extremities of the circumferential wall 15 with an inclined inward orientation.

(24) In the specific embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 the circumferential wall 15 is formed having recesses 18 in the wall portions between the lips 17. Thereby the circumferential wall 15 obtains a sort of crown like shape comprising upwardly extending fingers 19, wherein on the extremity of the fingers 19 the flexible inclined lips 17 are formed as a sort of fingertips.

(25) In FIGS. 6-9 is shown a different embodiment of the carrier ring 1 in which there are no recesses 18 in the circumferential wall 15. There are thus no fingers 19 formed. The other parts are the same and identified with the same reference numerals. In general the crown shape having fingers 19 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 will provide additional flexibility in the circumferential wall, which may facilitate the demoulding of the carrier ring from the injection moulding equipment.

(26) In either embodiment the flexible extremities 17 of the circumferential wall 15 extend inwardly and are configured and arranged to retain the retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 loosely in the seat portion 13.

(27) FIG. 12A-F illustrates how the self-closing valve 2 is mounted in the carrier ring 1 of FIG. 1.

(28) The retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 is formed as a ring which is thicker than the adjoining connector sleeve 23. The retaining portion 21 has a circumferential surface 21B [which in an assembled state faces the circumferential wall 15 of the carrier ring 1] having a tapering shape as can be seen in FIG. 12A, wherein is visible that the circumferential surface 21B tapers seen in the direction from the retaining portion 21 to the valve head 22, in particular in the figure from an underside to an upper side of the retaining portion 21.

(29) The radially most inwards edge 17A of the inclined extremity, in this case lips 17, of the circumferential wall 15 of the carrier ring 1 defines a circular passage indicated by a dashed circle indicated with reference numeral 20 in FIG. 2. The circular passage is configured and arranged for inserting the retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 in the seat portion 13 of the carrier ring 1. The smallest outer diameter of the tapering circumferential surface 21B is smaller than or corresponds substantially with the diameter of said circle 20 as can be best seen in FIG. 12C. The largest outer diameter of the tapering circumferential surface 21B of the retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 is larger than the diameter of said circle 20.

(30) The valve 2 and the valve carrier ring 1 can be easily assembled in an automated process. The valves 2 are supplied on a conveyor or holder to a predetermined position in which it. The smallest outer diameter of the tapering circumferential surface 21B is facing the carrier ring which is positioned over the valve 2 as is shown in FIG. 12A. The carrier ring 1 is orientated with the inclined extremities 17 facing the valve and is then placed over the retaining portion of the valve, preferably by automatic equipment. When the carrier ring 1 is placed over the retaining portion 21 of the valve 2 the radially most inwards edge of the inclined extremities 17 of the circumferential wall slides along the tapering circumferential surface 21B of the retaining portion of the valve as is illustrated in the FIGS. 12C-12E. The radially most inwards edge of the extremities 17 forces the retaining portion 21B, which is flexible, inwardly such that it passes into the seat portion 13 of the carrier ring. When the edge is passed beyond the edges 17A of the extremities, the retaining portion 21 of the valve 21 flexes back to its original shape and is now loosely caught in the valve seat by the undercut of the extremities 17 of the circumferential wall 15 as is shown in FIG. 12F.