CLOSURE DEVICES AND MOLD COMPONENTS FOR MOLDING CLOSURE DEVICES

Abstract

A molding apparatus for molding a closure device for a container. The closure device may be tethered to the container, and may open and close via a hinged articulation. The closure device includes a cylindrical body comprising hinge-connecting areas with pockets formed in the interior wall and defining an inner surface of the hinge-connecting areas, and hinges extending downwardly from the hinge-connecting areas and positioned at or below a bottom edge of the cylindrical body. The molding apparatus comprises a cavity insert component and a core component that cooperate to form mold surfaces to mold the closure device such that hinges are located below the cap area of the closure device, and hinge-connecting areas formed by projections in the core mold component and recesses in the cavity mold component are located within the cap area are flanked by membranous areas.

Claims

1. A closure device for a beverage container comprising: a substantially cylindrical body with a closed end and an open end; a central protrusion extending radially outwardly from a bottom edge of the cylindrical body; a first hinge-connecting area and a second hinge-connecting area flanking the central protrusion on either side thereof; a first pocket formed in the interior wall of the cylindrical body defining an inner surface of the first hinge-connecting area; a second pocket (52) formed in the interior wall of the cylindrical body defining an inner surface of the second hinge-connecting area; a first hinge extending downwardly from the first hinge-connecting area, the first hinge positioned at or below the bottom edge of the cylindrical body; a second hinge extending downwardly from the second hinge-connecting area, the second hinge positioned at or below the bottom edge of the cylindrical body; a first leash connected to the bottom of the first hinge at a first end and to a tamper band at a second end; a second leash connected to the bottom of the second hinge at a first end and to the tamper band at a second end; the tamper band (16) further connected to the bottom edge (48) of the cylindrical body via frangible connections.

2. The closure device of claim 1, further comprising: a first membranous area adjacent the first hinge-connecting area distally from the central protrusion.

3. The closure device of claim 2, further comprising: a second membranous area adjacent the second hinge-connecting area distally from the central protrusion.

4. The closure device of claim 3, further comprising: a third membranous area between the central protrusion and the first hinge-connecting area.

5. The closure device of claim 4, further comprising: a fourth membranous area between the central protrusion and the second hinge-connecting area.

6. The closure device of claim 2, further comprising: the first pocket formed in the interior wall of the cylindrical body also defining an inner surface of the first membranous area.

7. The closure device of claim 3, further comprising: the second pocket formed in the interior wall of the cylindrical body also defining an inner surface of the second membranous area.

8. The closure device of claim 4, further comprising: the first pocket formed in the interior wall of the cylindrical body also defining an inner surface of the third membranous area.

9. The closure device of claim 5, further comprising: the second pocket formed in the interior wall of the cylindrical body also defining an inner surface of the fourth membranous area.

10. The closure device of claim 1, further comprising: a first longitudinal groove defined in the first hinge at or below the bottom edge of the cylindrical body.

11. The closure device of claim 10, further comprising: a second longitudinal groove defined in the second hinge at or below the bottom edge of the cylindrical body.

12. A molding apparatus for molding a closure device for a container, comprising: a cavity mold component; and a core mold component; wherein the cavity mold component and the core mold component cooperate to form a molding cavity for molding a closure device having hinges at or below a lower edge of a cap body connected to hinge-connecting areas on the lower edge of the cap body; the core mold component comprising projections proximate the area within the molding cavity for forming the hinge-connecting areas of the closure device during the molding process.

13. The molding apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: the cavity mold component comprising recesses positioned proximate the projections for forming the hinge-connecting areas of the closure device during the molding process.

14. The molding apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: the cavity mold component comprising a recess positioned between the recesses for forming a central protrusion on the closure device during the molding process.

15. The molding apparatus of claim 12 further comprising: a first slide component comprising recessed molding surfaces positioned at a top edge of an inner surface thereof for forming leashes, hinges and half of the TE band of the closure device.

16. The molding apparatus of claim 12 further comprising: the cavity mold component comprising grooves on an inner molding surface for forming knurls on an outer surface of the cap body of the closure device.

17. The molding apparatus of claim 12 further comprising: the core mold component comprising copper or a copper alloy.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The non-limiting embodiments will be more fully appreciated by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an embodiment of a closure device when the closure device is in a closed and locked configuration, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the closure device of FIG. 1 on a container when the closure device is in the closed and unlocked configuration, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a portion of the closure device.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a section of an inner wall of a closure device according to the present technology.

[0022] FIG. 5 depicts a zoomed-in perspective view of the hinge features of the closure device of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the closure device of FIG. 1, when the closure device is in a fully open position of an open configuration, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a mold of an injection molding machine in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a mold cavity component of an injection molding machine.

[0026] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a section of an inner wall of a mold cavity component of an injection molding machine.

[0027] FIG. 9 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a slide component of an injection molding machine.

[0028] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a mold core component of an injection molding machine.

[0029] The drawings are not necessarily to scale and may be illustrated by phantom lines, diagrammatic representations, and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENT(S)

[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to various non-limiting embodiment(s) of a mold apparatus for molding a closure device, such as a closure device for a beverage container. It should be understood that other non-limiting embodiment(s), modifications and equivalents will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the non-limiting embodiment(s) disclosed herein and that these variants should be considered within scope of the appended claims.

[0031] Furthermore, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that certain structural and operational details of the non-limiting embodiment(s) discussed herein may be modified or omitted (i.e. non-essential) altogether. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail.

[0032] According to non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, there is provided a closure device 10 for a container 38 (FIG. 2). The container to which the closure device 10 may be affixed is not limited to particular uses, configurations, or materials. In the embodiments illustrated herein, the container may be a bottle, such as a drink bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). For example, the container can be a blow-molded bottle for containing a still water beverage or another flat beverage. Alternatively, the container can be for a carbonated beverage. In yet further embodiments, the container can be for a hot fill type of beverage. However, the closure device can be used with other types of containers.

[0033] Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, the closure device 10 comprises a substantially cylindrical body (or shell) 14 closed at one end and frangibly connected to a tamper evident band (TE band) 16 and movable between a closed configuration (also referred to as closed position) (FIGS. 1 and 2) and an open configuration (also referred to as open position) (FIG. 6). The body 14 is configured to be actuated between the closed position to the fully open position, and from the fully open position to the closed position. The closed configuration has a locked mode (FIG. 1) and an unlocked mode (FIG. 2). In the open position, a number of different open positions are possible, including a fully open position in which the closure may be maintained in the fully open position via an interference connection (FIG. 6).

[0034] As introduced above, referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 the closure device 10 comprises a cap body 14 that is generally circular cylindrical (i.e., tube-like) in shape and has a closed first end 12 and an open second end 18. The cap body 14 is arranged to be received over an open end of a container 38 and to be frangibly connected to TE band 16 via frangible connections 36. The body 14 is also connected to TE band 16 by leashes 20a, 20b via hinges 22, 24 which are themselves connected to hinge-connecting regions 26, 28 on body 14. Hinge-connecting regions 26, 28 are areas of relatively large cross-sectional thickness (compared to membranous areas flanking them, as further described below) above the bottom edge 48 of body 14 and are connected to leashes 20a, 20b via hinges 22, 24 as further explained below.

[0035] A central protrusion 30 extends radially outward from the body 14 between hinge-connecting regions 22, 24 such that a lower edge of central protrusion 30 is substantially co-planar with a bottom edge 48 of body 14. As explained below, the central protrusion 30 is configured to interact with the TE band 16 when in the fully opened position (FIG. 6) in an interference relationship to reversibly maintain the closure 10 in the fully open position on the container 38.

[0036] As best illustrated in FIG. 3, on either side of the hinge-connecting regions 26, 28 are membranous areas (or zones) 26a, 26b, 28a, 28b of substantially lesser transverse cross-sectional thickness than the central protrusion 30, the hinge-connecting regions 26, 28, and the remainder of the circumference of body 14. Referring to FIG. 4, the reduced cross-sectional thickness of membranous areas 26a, 26b, 28a, 28b is achieved by molding pockets, or indentations 50, 52 into the inner wall of the cap body 14. As seen in FIG. 4, pocket 50 comprises the inner surfaces of hinge-connecting region 26 and membranous areas 26a and 26b, and pocket 52 comprises the inner surfaces of hinge-connecting region 28 and membranous areas 28a and 28b.

[0037] As introduced above, hinges 22, 24 extend downwardly from hinge-connecting regions 26, 28 (as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2). The opposite ends of the hinges 22, 24 (distally from hinge-connecting regions 26, 28) are connected to leashes 20a, 20b, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the hinges 22, 24 may have one or more grooves 22a, 24a defined on outwardly facing surfaces thereon at or below the plane of the bottom edge 48 of the body 14 to facilitate opening (and closing) of the closure device 10.

[0038] The outer surface 32 of the cap body 14 (FIG. 1) is textured to facilitate gripping of the cap body 14. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the texturing comprises the plurality of ribs 34 (also known as knurls) extending longitudinally between the first end 12 substantially to the lower edge 48 of cap body 14. It should be noted that the sizing and the pattern of the plurality of ribs 34 is not limited to those depicted herein. It is also noted that in alternative embodiments of the present technology, the plurality of ribs 34 can be omitted altogether.

[0039] The cap body 14 is also connected to the TE band 16 by the plurality of frangible links (bridges) 36 (FIG. 1). The links 36 are arranged to be severed when the cap body 14 is rotated relative to the neck of the container 38 (FIG. 2). The tensile strength of the links 36 are lower than the tensile strength of the cap body 14 and TE band 16 such that the links 36 will be severed before damage to the cap body 14 or TE band 16 can occur.

[0040] In use, in the locked closed configuration (FIG. 1), the cap body 14 is retained over the open end of the container 38, adjacent the TE band 16, and connected thereto by one or more of the links 36 (when they are intact) and the concatenation of hinge-connecting regions 26, 28/hinges 22, 24/leashes 20a, 20b to form a retaining mechanism 40 (FIG. 2).

[0041] In the unlocked closed configuration (FIG. 2), the links 36 are severed and the cap body 14 is connected to the TE band 16 by means of the retaining mechanism 40 only. The cap body 14 is moveable between the closed configuration (FIG. 2) (in the unlocked mode) to the fully open configuration (FIG. 6) through a hinged movement proximate the grooves 22a, 24a of the hinges 22, 24 at or below the plane defined by the bottom edge 48 of the body 14.

[0042] Attention is now turned to the retaining mechanism 40, which enables retention of the cap body 14 on the container 12 in the locked and unlocked closed configurations, and also enables retention of the cap body 14 in open configurations.

[0043] As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the retaining mechanism 40 comprises the first and second hinge-connecting regions 26, 28, first and second hinges 22, 24 and first and second leashes 20a, 20b. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the first leash 20a connects the TE band 16 to the first hinge 22, and the second leash 20b connects the TE band 16 to the second hinge 24. The first leash 20a is connected to the TE band 16 at the first connection point 42 and the second leash 20b is connected to the TE band 16 at the second connection point 44. The first and second connections points 42, 44 are positioned one on either side of the first and second hinges 22, 24. A length of the first leash 20a and the second leash 20b is sufficient to enable the removal of the cap body 14 from the neck of the container 38.

[0044] The first and second hinges 22, 24 are spaced from one another circumferentially at or below the plane of the bottom of the cap body 14. Each of the first and second hinges 22, 24 may comprise a groove 22a, 24a running substantially parallel to the plane formed by the bottom edge 48 of body 14. Each hinge 22, 24 is bendable about a common axis running substantially along the axes of grooves 22a, 24a below the plane of the bottom 48 of cap body 14 to allow relative axial movement of the cap body 14 relative to the TE band 16. This is also referred to as a flip-top arrangement. The connection between the leash ends 42, 44 to the hinges 22, 24 and the leashes 20a, 20b are not hinged connections.

[0045] The lengths of the leashes 20a, 20b allow a degree of rotational movement of the cap body 14 to break the frangible links 36, positioned between the TE band 16 and the leashes 20a, 20b, respectively, and to disengage threads (not shown) on the neck of the container 38.

[0046] Referring again to FIG. 6, the engagement of central protrusion 30 against the TE band 16, and the contact of a portion of the outer surface 32 of body 14 against a support ring 46 on the neck of the container 12 serves to retain the position of the TE band 16 relative to the neck of the container 12 when the closure device 10 is in the fully open positions.

[0047] Referring now to FIG. 7, there is depicted a mold 100 configured to mold closure devices such as the closure device 10 described above. The mold 100 comprises a cavity portion 102 and a core portion 104 oriented generally axially symmetrically about a mold axis (X)-(X). Cavity portion 102 includes a gate insert 106 nested within a cavity insert 108. Core portion 104 includes a core component 110, itself comprised of an outer core 112, and an inner core 114, a stripper ring 116, and slides 118a, 118b. When the mold is closed, slides 118a, 118b abut cavity insert 108 at right angles to mold axis (X)-(X), forming parting line (P), and abut outer core 112 parallel to mold axis (X)-(X). Of course, mold 10 may comprise additional components not shown in FIG. 7, including core plate(s), stripper plate(s), cooling channel(s), actuator(s), etc., as would be understood by those of skill in the art of injection molding, which additional components are not described further herein.

[0048] Further with respect to FIG. 7, core 110 defines inner surfaces of molding cavity 120, while gate insert 106, cavity insert 108, and slides 118a, 118b, define outer surfaces of molding cavity 120. Molding cavity 120 is thus configured to mold closure devices, such as closure device 10 (FIG. 1).

[0049] Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 10, details of molding cavity 120 will be described further.

[0050] FIG. 8 depicts a perspective cross-sectional view of cavity insert 108. As can be seen in FIG. 8 inner surface 122 of cavity insert 108 provides the molding surface for outer surface 32 of body 14 of closure device 10 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, inner surface 122 of cavity insert 16 may comprise grooves, or channels 124 for molding ribs or knurls 34 on outer surface 32 of body 14 of closure device 10 (FIG. 1), although other embodiments may exclude this feature.

[0051] As shown in greater detail in FIG. 8A, inner surface 122 of cavity insert 108 may also comprise recesses 260, 280, and 300 configured for forming hinge-connecting regions 26, 28 and central protrusion 30, respectively, on outer surface 32 of body 14 of closure device 10 (FIG. 1).

[0052] FIG. 9 depicts a perspective cross-sectional view of slide 118a. As can be seen in FIG. 9, inner surface 124 of slide 118a provides recessed molding surfaces 126a, 126b for leashes 20a, 20b, hinges 22, 24, and half of TE band 16 of closure device 10 (FIG. 1). As would be apparent to those of skill in the art, inner surface 122 of cavity insert 108, inner surface 124 of slide 118a, inner surfaces of slide 118b (not shown) and inner surface of gate insert 14 (not shown) cooperate together to form the outer surface of closure device 10 (FIG. 1). Of course, other components may be included or substituted for gate insert 106, cavity insert 108, and slides 118a, 118b to form the outer surface of closure device 10 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention herein described. For example, in some embodiments, cavity insert 106 and gate insert 108 may be joined to comprise a single, unitary mold gate/cavity component.

[0053] FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of core 110. Projections 2600, 2800 are formed on the outer surface of outer core 112 for forming pockets 50, 52 in the inner wall of body 14 of closure device (FIG. 4). As also can be seen in FIG. 10, in one embodiment outer surface of outer core 112 may comprise one or more recesses 130 for forming one or more threads on the inner surface of body 14 of closure device 10 (not shown), although in other embodiments, thread(s) need not be included.

[0054] By virtue of the present invention, outer core 112 and/or inner core 114 may comprise standard core materials possessing desirable heat transfer properties for cooling core 110 during the molding cycle to allow sufficient cooling of closure device 10 at the end of each molding cycle to allow ejection thereof from the mold without permanent deformation. In some embodiments, the material(s) comprising outer core 112 and inner core 114 may comprise copper and/or copper alloys. Of course, in other embodiments the material(s) comprising outer core 112 and inner core 114 may comprise other materials possessing acceptable heat transfer characteristics.

[0055] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that FIG. 7 depicts mold 10 in a mold closed configuration in which a closure device 10 (FIG. 1) may be molded in molding cavity 120. As would also be appreciated by those of skill in the art, after closure device 10 is formed in mold cavity 26 and sufficiently cooled, mold 100 is converted to a mold open configuration (not shown) as core portion 104 moves away from cavity portion 102 along mold axis (X)-(X), slides 118a and 118b move laterally away from core 110 perpendicularly to mold axis (X)-(X), and stripper ring 116 is actuated toward cavity portion 102 to urge closure device 10 off core 110, as is known in the art.

[0056] It is noted that the foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent non-limiting embodiments. These non-limiting embodiments may be used for many applications. Thus, although the description is made for particular arrangements and methods, the intent and concept of these non-limiting embodiments may be suitable and applicable to other arrangements and applications. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that modifications to the disclosed non-limiting embodiments can be affected. The described non-limiting embodiments ought to be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications thereof. Other beneficial results can be realized by applying these non-limiting embodiments in a different manner or modifying them in ways known to those familiar with the art. This includes the mixing and matching of features, elements and/or functions between various non-limiting embodiments is expressly contemplated herein, unless described otherwise, above.