A sealant may be disposed between the container rim and the channel to enhance the seal therebetween. United States Patent Numbers 5,685, 443, entitled"Composite Closure And Method Of Making Same ;" 6, 220,466, entitled"Composite Closure, Method For Assembling It And Method For Closing A Container With It ;" and 5,031, 787, entitled"Low Height Floating Disk Closure,"each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, generally disclose examples of composite closures.

Often, composite closures include a floating disk such that the band is capable of longitudinal movement relative to the insert disk. A tamper evident band may depend from the bottom of the skirt, and a bead may be disposed on an interior of the skirt to urge against a periphery of the disk to separate the insert disk from the container rim during the opening process. Floating disk closures are often configured for sequential opening such that, during the initial opening process, the tamper evident band fractures before the bead urges upwardly against a periphery of the disk to break the vacuum seal.

There is a general goal in the packaging industry for improved composite closures.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a composite closure for coupling with a container, which includes a disk and a band. The insert disk includes a curl formed at the periphery thereof. The band includes an annular skirt, a retaining feature, a ring and a contact surface, The skirt includes threads formed on an interior surface thereof. The retaining feature extends radially inwardly from the skirt. The ring extends radially inwardly from an upper portion of the skirt over the disk. The contact surface extends inwardly from the skirt such that the contact surface and retaining feature form a recess therebetween for receiving the disk curl. The contact surface urges downwardly against the disk curl while the closure is screwed onto its corresponding container.

Preferably, the closure has a fully tightened position in which the ring contacts the disk, a loose position in which the ring is spaced apart from the disk and an intermediate, tightened position in which the ring is spaced apart from the disk and in which the contact surface urges against the curl. The intermediate tightened position is between the fully tightened position and the loose position. Preferably the contact surface of the band exerts positive sealing force downwardly onto the disk upon initial stage of the opening process. Exerting such downward force on the disk inhibits tampering with the container package during the initial stage of the opening process before a frangible tamper evident band fractures (or suitable other tamper of tamper evident band indicates opening). A closure and container combination is also disclosed.

Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view of a closure and container assembly in a loose position; Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view of the closure and container shown in Figure 1 in an intermediate position; Figure 3 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view of the closure and container shown in Figure 1 in an fully tightened position; Figure 4 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view illustrating another embodiment of a closure and container assembly ; Figure 5 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view of the closure and container shown in Figure 4 in an intermediate position; Figure 6 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view of the closure and container shown in Figure 4 in an fully tightened position; Figure 7 is an enlarged partial longitudinal cross sectional view illustrating additional features encompassed by the present invention; Figure 8 is an enlarge cross sectional view of a portion of the closure shown in Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a transverse cross sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, a closure and container combination includes a composite closure 10 and a corresponding container 11. Closure 10 includes an insert disk 12 and circumferential band 14. Preferably, insert disk 12 is formed of a metal and band 14 is formed of a plastic, as will be understood by persons familiar with composite closure technology, and the present invention encompasses any suitable materials.

Disk 12 includes a center portion 16 and an annular channel 18 disposed circumferentially about center portion 16. A tamper indicating button 44 is shown in dashed lines in Figures 1 and 7 to indicate that it is optional. Channel 18, which is substantially downward-facing, is formed by an inboard wall 24 and an outboard wall 25 with a top surface 22 formed therebetween. Preferably, channel top surface 22 forms a substantially flat top surface. A sealant 20, such as plastisol or other conventional material, may be disposed in the channel. Channel inboard wall 24 is shown having a sloped profile, in cross section, and channel outboard wall 25 is shown having a substantially vertical profile, although the present invention encompasses disks having any configurations.

A curl 26 is formed at the lower end of channel outboard wall 25, and preferably extends radially outwardly. As shown in the figures, curl 26 includes an upper surface 28 and a lower surface 29. Preferably, the cut edge is curved generally radially outwardly at the bottom portion of channel outer wall 25 and then curves radially inwardly such that the cut edge is not exposed and such that curl 26 is circular or rounded in longitudinal cross section. Thus, upper and lower surfaces 28 and 29 are defined, in longitudinal cross section and as shown in the figures, by approximately ninety degrees of a circle above and below, respectively, a horizontal line (not identified in the figures). The present invention is not limited to the configuration of curl 26, upper surface 28, and lower surface 29 shown in the figures, but rather encompasses any

configuration that provides a surface against which retaining bead 34 or like structure may act, as explained more fully below.

Band 14 includes an annular skirt 30 and a ring 32 extending radially inwardly from an upper portion of skirt 30. Threads 40 extend radially inwardly from an interior portion of skirt 30. Above threads 40, a retaining bead 34 extends substantially radially inwardly from skirt 30. Above retaining bead 34, a contact structure, which is generally referred to herein by reference numeral 38 (which encompasses reference numerals 38' and 38", as described below), extends radially inwardly from skirt 30, and preferably is integrally coupled to ring 32.

Contact structure 38 may be a formed by a circumferentially continuous bead, which is referred to herein by reference numeral 38'and is shown in longitudinal cross section in Figures 1 through 6, a circumferentially discontinuous bead that is formed by arcuate segments, or circumferentially distributed gussets, which will be referred to herein by reference numeral 38"and are shown in Figures 7 though 9. Reference numeral 38 refers to any structure, including but not limited any of the structures described herein, that form a contact surface 36 which includes a surface that is angled or oblique relative to a longitudinal centerline C, which is best shown in Figure 8, in longitudinal cross section.

Figures 7 and 8 show a longitudinal cross sectional view of a closure, which is indicated by reference numeral 10a, that is formed with gussets 38". Closure 10a includes a band 14a, a skirt 30a, and a ring 32a. As best shown in Figure 9, from which portions of closure lOa have been removed for clarity, gussets 38"preferably are equidistantly spaced around an upper portion of the interior of skirt 30a and are oriented radially. Pads 56 depend downwardly from the underside of ring 32a. Pads 56 preferably are continuous with gussets 38"such that passages 58 are formed between adjacent pads 56 and gussets 38", thereby enabling communication between ring 32 an and disk 12. Passages 58 thus may expose the area around the area of the curl 26 and

gap 46 even while the closure 10a is in its fully tightened position. Like passages may be formed by discontinuities in bead 38' (not shown).

As shown in the Figures, bead 38'and gusset 38"preferably are integrally formed with skirt 30 or 30a and ring 32 or 32a. Thus, an upper portion of bead 38'or gusset 38"merges into the underside of ring 32 or 32a, and a radially outboard portion of bead 38'or gusset 38"merges into skirt 30 or 30a. Bead 38'or gusset 38"thereby stiffen ring 32 or 32a relative to skirt 30, and may diminish the magnitude of deflection of the closure upon tightening, as described more fully below. In this regard, bead 38'and gussets 38"form stiffeners. Contact surface 36, as shown in the Figures, is preferably adjacent to skirt 30 and is spaced apart from ring 32 by a substantially vertical section (in longitudinal cross section), although the present invention encompasses any cross sectional configuration of bead 38'and gussets 38".

Contact surface 36 is longitudinally spaced apart from retaining bead 34 so as to form a gap 46 therebetween. As shown in Figures 1 through 3, illustrating an embodiment of the closure according to an aspect of the present invention, retaining bead 34 and contact surface 36 are spaced apart such that curl 26 is moveable between bead 34 and surface 36 only by a small amount. Alternatively, bead 34 and contact surface 36 may spaced apart only by a dimension such that bead 34 and contact surface 36 are in simultaneous contact with curl 26. Thus, contact surface 36 would contact curl upper surface 28 while bead 34 contacts curl lower surface 29.

As shown in Figures 4 through 6, illustrating another embodiment of an aspect of the present invention, a closure 10'includes a metal disk 12, which is identical to the disk described above with respect to the first embodiment, and a band 14'. Band 14' includes all of the components of band 14 as described above, but a retaining bead 34'is spaced apart from a contact surface 36'to form a gap 46'therebetween. Gap 46'has a longitudinal dimension that enables curl 26 to float between band 14'and contact surface 36', as described more fully below. Figures 4 through 6 employ a bead 38'to illustrate

the gap 46', although gap 46'may be employed with gussets 38", as will be clear to persons familiar with closure technology in view of the present disclosure.

Container 11, with which closure 10,10', and/or 10'may be coupled, includes a neck 48 having threads 50 and forming a rim 52. As in conventional closures and containers, rim 52 protrudes into channel 18 such that sealant 20 is deformed to enhance a seal between disk 12 and container 11. As shown in Figure 7, a lug 54 may protrude outwardly from neck 48 below threads 50 to cooperate with a tamper evident band 42 that is coupled at frangible connection 43 to a lower portion of skirt 30. Figure 7 illustrates tamper evident band 42 and schematically shows connection 43. As is common in many container and closure packages, connection 43 fractures in response to initial opening of the closure to indicate that the seal on the package has been broken.

Securing the contents (not shown) within container 11 and providing indication of tampering have been important aspects of composite closure design. For some closures that lack the novel features of the present invention, it may be possible to partially unscrew band 14,14', or 14a to provide sufficient space to enable rupture of the seal between disk 12 and container 11, yet such unscrewing may be not be enough to fracture the connection 43. For example, a person seeking to tamper with the contents within a container may, especially in the presence of elevated temperature to soften the plastic of a prior art closure, unscrew the closure enough such that the tamper evident band does not fracture, but such that the ring is spaced apart from the disk. Thus, the disk may be separated from the container to enable tampering, even though the tamper evident band does not indicate that the closure had been opened. Separating the disk in this manner may be especially feasible for plastic hot fill containers, which generally have a lower internal negative pressure, although the lack of certainty in the tamper evidence is problematic for all closures, including closures that lack a tamper indicating button 44, which is a common configuration for hot-fill applications employing a container formed of plastic, as well as other applications.

Contact surface 36 or 36'is angled downwardly to urge downwardly onto curl 26 even while maintaining the capability of disk 12 to float or slide relative to band 14 or 14'. Thus, contact surface 36 or 36'may form a right circular cone or any other shape that forms a surface on which curl 26 is capable of riding, and encompasses surfaces having a stepped cross sectional profile that changes slope (not shown).

The following description of loose, intermediate, and tightened positions employs the configuration that employs continuous bead 38, and omits particular reference to the configuration that employs gussets 38"for convenience and brevity.

The following description is, of course, equally application to configurations employing gussets 38" (that is, to closure 10a). Figures 1 and 4 illustrate band 14 and 14', respectively, in a loose position (or a plurality of positions) such that band 14 or 14'is threaded onto container 11 at a position in which band 14 or 14'does not exert any upward or downward force on disk 12. The loose position shown in Figures 1 and 4 may be encountered, for example, during the initial capping process after disk 12 has been installed onto container 11, or during the initial opening process (that is, the first time the factory seal between container 11 and disk 12 is to be broken) or subsequent opening processes.

Figures 2 and 5 illustrate an intermediate position of closure 10 and 10', respectively, which is obtained by screwing or tightening closure 10 or 10'onto container 11 from the loose position shown in Figures 1 and 4. In the intermediate position, even though ring 32 is spaced apart from the top surface 22 of disk 12, band 14 or 14'urges disk 12 downwardly against container rim 52 because contact surface 36 or 36'urges downwardly on curl 26. Upon further tightening of closure 10 or 10', curl 26 may slide relatively upwards on contact surface 36 or 36'until ring 32 contacts disk top surface 22. Upon subsequent tightening past the intermediate position, a closure 10 or 10'eventually reaches a fully tightened position, which is shown in Figures 3 and 6.

In the fully tightened position, preferably both the ring 32 and contact surface 36 or 36'

urge downwardly on disk 12, that is, via disk top surface 22 and curl upper surface 28, respectively.

The term"intermediate position"is employed herein to indicate the position of curl 26 relative to contact surface 36 or 36', and encompasses any position between the loose position and the fully tightened position. Similarly, the term"fully tightened position"is employed herein to indicate an intended or predetermined position, although ring 32 may contact disk top surface 22 prior to the closure achieving the fully tightened position and the closure may be tightened beyond the position at which ring 32 contacts disk top surface 22. Further, the present invention encompasses any configuration of bands, including those, for example, that lack a ring. In the figures, contact surface 36 or 36'maintains contact with curl 26 between the intermediate and fully tightened positions, but the present invention is not limited to such structure. Rather, the present invention encompasses any structure that releases its downward force component during any stage of the tightening and/or loosening process.

During the initial opening process, a user may unscrew closure 10 or 10'relative to container 11 to urge ring 32 upward relative to rim 52. In the opening process, even while ring 32 stops providing an effective downward force on disk 12, contact surface 36 or 36'urges downwardly against curl upper surface 28, thereby promoting contact of disk 12 with container 11. For closures that include tamper evident bands 42, contact surface 36 or 36'may maintain contact with curl upper surface 28 until tamper evident band connection 43 is fractured, thereby enhancing tamper indicating features of the package.

Ring 32 may have a tendency to expand radially outwardly in response to tightening of band 14 or 14'as contact surface 36 or 36'urges against curl upper surface 28 with a force that has both longitudinal and radial components. Radial outward expansion of ring 32 is indicated by the directional arrow D, which is shown as curved to indicate that band 14 or 14'pivots outwardly as it is drawn down relative to container

11. Such movement may have a tendency to draw the innermost tip of ring 32 upward upon tightening of closure 10 or 10'to form a gap (not shown) between the underside of ring 32 at its innermost tip (in longitudinal cross section) and disk top surface 22.

Depending on the particular configuration and parameters of closure 10 or 10', including dimensions, thicknesses, and materials of the ring 32, skirt 30, contact surface 36 or 36', and other parameters affecting the deflection of band 10 or 10', the gap formed by the D deformation (that is, a gap between the inner portion of ring 23 and disk top surface 22-not shown) of ring 34 may be sufficiently small so as to be insignificant.

Thus, the underside of ring 34 may be molded as flat and horizontal, as shown in Figures 1 through 6. The present invention also encompasses forming an oblique undercut surface (not shown) and/or a downwardly depending lip (not shown) on the underside of ring 34, or like feature, to diminish the tendency to form such a gap or to diminish the height of the gap. Such a lip may, for example, have a profile that is similar in longitudinal cross sectional shape to that of pad 56 shown in Figures 7 and 8. Thus, either the undercut surface or the lip may provide a surface proximate the interior radius of ring 34 that is lower (that is, longitudinally, in its at-rest or as-molded condition) than a surrounding portion of ring such that an inboard portion of ring 34 maintains contact with disk top surface 22 upon tightening of closure 10 or 10'onto container 11. Further, stiffeners 38'and/or 38"stiffen ring 32 and/or 32a and may inhibit gap formation between the inboard edge of ring 32 and/or 32a and channel top surface 22.

Typically, because curl 26 is relatively inelastic compared to band 14 or 14', curl 26 will deflect or deform much less than band 14 or 14'. The present invention is not limited to such a configuration, but rather encompasses composite closures (not shown) in which the peripheral edge or curl of the closure deflects more than that shown in the figures. In such a configuration, the contact surface on the skirt may be reconfigured to cooperate with such closure edge deflection. In this regard, the present invention encompasses that the peripheral edge or curl may not slide on the closure skirt.

The figures illustrate particular embodiments of the present invention, and the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments shown and described herein. For example, it is obvious that gussets 38"may be employed with a gap 46'that enables longitudinal translation or floating between gussets 38"and retaining bead 34'. Further, the present invention is not limited by particular dimensions, materials, and shapes or orientations of components (including contact surfaces), but rather broadly encompasses any such parameters with respect to the claims, as will be understood by persons familiar with closure technology in view of the present disclosure.