TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a dispensing closure for a container of a fluent substance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART

[0002] Closures are employed to selectively prevent or permit communication between the exterior and interior of a container (e.g., bottle, flexible pouch, machine, vessel, etc.) through an opening in the container. A typical closure includes at least (1) a receiving structure (e.g., a body, base, fitment, etc.) arranged at the opening to the container interior, and (2) a closing element (e.g., a lid, cover, cap, valve, seal, etc.) that is cooperatively received by the receiving structure.

[0003] The receiving structure of the closure can typically be either (1 ) a separate structure that can be attached at the container opening, and that defines a passage through the structure for communicating with the container opening and the container interior, or (2) an integral structure that is a unitary portion of the container, and which defines a passage through the structure such that the passage fiinctions as the opening to the container. Also, the closing element may be formed together with the receiving structure as a unitary article, or the receiving structure and closing element may be separately made and then assembled.

[0004] The closing element typically is movable relative to the receiving structure passage between (1) a closed position for completely, or at least partially, occluding the passage, and (2) an open position for completely, or at least partially, exposing the passage. Some closures may include additional elements (e.g., freshness seals, dispensing valves, tamper-evident features, child safety features, locking elements, etc.).

[0005] A closure may be provided on a rigid, flexible, or collapsible container of one or more fluent substances (e.g., liquids, gels, granules, powders, oils, lotions, creams, cleaning solutions, etc.). A container may be inverted by a user to dispense, or assist in dispensing, the substance from the container through the opened closure. Alternatively, the closure might be located at the bottom end of a container and might function as a gravity-fed spigot or tip for dispensing the fluent substance without the need for the user to invert the container. The container with the closure mounted thereon, and the fluent substance or substances stored therein, may be collectively characterized as a“package” that may be encountered by a consumer.

[0006] One type of prior art dispensing closure is a push button type that has a deformable button or membrane which is pressed by a user to move a plunger or piston out of sealing engagement with a fixed body. One such push button type dispensing closure is designated as a model 800235 detergent tap, which is manufactured and sold by Worldwide Dispensers (a subsidiary ofDS Smith), having an office in Lester Prairie, Minnesota, USA.

[0007] Such a prior art type of tap is typically used on a container having a secondary aperture or vent hole. The vent hole is typically covered with a threaded vent cap, which may be partially unscrewed from a mating thread on the container to partially expose the vent hole to the ambient atmosphere. Exposure of the vent hole on the container allows for inventing of air into the container interior to improve the characteristics and speed of the flow of the dispensed fluent product from the container interior.

[0008] The inventors of the present invention have determined that such prior art dispensing closures may not be suitable for cleanly dispensing certain fluent substances, such as laundry detergent. For example, such prior art dispensing closures may be prone to the accumulation of residual fluent substance on the closure after the dispensing process, which may lead to the formation of undesirable drips. Furthermore, such prior art closures may not dispense a fluent substance in a controlled manner.

[0009] The inventors of the present invention have determined that it may be desirable to provide a dispensing closure capable of venting without the additional cost and complexity of a secondary vent hole and/or vent cap on the container.

[0010] The inventors have considered that it would be beneficial to provide an improved dispensing closure that provides a better, more reliable flow, and better flow cut-off (cessation of flow) than the prior art closures and taps. [0011] The inventors have considered that it would be beneficial to provide an improved dispensing closure that is more easily actuated or operable by one hand of a user, and yet is resistant to accidental opening.

[0012] The inventors of the present invention have also determined that it would be desirable to provide an improved dispensing closure that can be configured for use with a container of a fluent substance so as to have one or more of the following advantages: (i) an improved ease of manufacture and/or assembly, (ii) a reduced cost of manufacture and/or assembly, and (iii) the capability to accommodate optional tamper-resistant features or other features.

[0013] The inventors of the present invention have invented a novel structure for a dispensing closure for use with a container wherein the dispensing closure addresses one or more of the above-described problems, and includes various advantageous features not heretofore taught or contemplated by the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

[0015] Fig, 1 is an isometric view, taken from above, of a dispensing closure of the present invention for being installed at the opening of a container;

[0016] Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 1;

[0017] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 1 , taken generally along the plane 3-3 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 3 shows the piston and button in a first, unactuated position and the base installed at the opening of a container (only a portion of which is shown);

[0018] Fig. 4 is an isometric view, taken from above, of only the piston of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 1 ;

[0019] Fig. 5 is an isometric view, taken from above, of a second embodiment of a dispensing closure of the present invention for being installed at the opening of a container (not illustrated); [0020] Fig. 6 is a front elevation view of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 5;

[0021] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 5, taken generally along the plane 7-7 in Fig. 6, and Fig. 7 shows the piston and button in a first, unactuated position;

[0022] Fig. 8 is an isometric view, taken from above, of a third embodiment of a dispensing closure of the present invention for being installed at the opening of a container (not illustrated), and Fig. 8 shows a removable dosing cap installed over the closure;

[0023] Fig. 9 is a front elevation view of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 8;

[0024] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 8, taken generally along the plane 10-10 in Fig. 9, and Fig. 10 shows the piston and button in a first, unactuated position; and

[0025] Fig. 1 1 is an isometric view, taken from above, of only the piston of the dispensing closure illustrated in Fig. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments so described, and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

[0027] For ease of description, many figures illustrating the invention show embodiments of a dispensing closure in the typical orientation that the closure would have when located at the opening of a container, the container in the form of an upright laundry detergent bottle having an opening at the bottom of a side wall thereof, and terms such as“inward”,“outward”,“upper”, “lower”,“axial”,“radial”,“lateral”, etc., are used with reference to this orientation. The term “axially upward” is to be understood as in the direction along a central axis defined by the direction of travel of the piston away from the valve, and“axially downward” is to be understood as in the direction along a central axis defined by the direction of travel of the piston toward the valve. The term“radially inward” is to be understood as in the radial direction toward the aforementioned central axis of the piston. The term“radially outward” is to be understood as in the radial direction away from the aforementioned central axis of the piston. It will be understood, however, that the closures of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in an orientation other than the orientation described and illustrated.

[0028] The closures of this invention are especially suitable for use with a variety of conventional or special containers, the details of which, although not fully illustrated or described, would be apparent to those having skill in the art and an understanding of such containers. The particular containers described herein are not intended to limit the present invention. It will also be understood by those of ordinary skill that novel and non-obvious inventive aspects are embodied in the described closures alone.

[0029] The closures described herein are especially suitable for use on a container that contains a fluent material or substance in the form of a liquid detergent or soap that can be dispensed, or otherwise discharged, from the container through the opened closure. Such fluent substances may be, for example, a personal care product, a food product, an industrial product, a household product, or other types of products. Such substances may be for internal or external use by humans or animals, or for other uses (e.g., activities involving medicine, commercial or household maintenance, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.).

[0030] A first embodiment of a dispensing closure of the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 1-3, wherein the closure is designated generally by the reference number 40. The first illustrated embodiment of the closure 40 has the form of a separate article that is configured to be attached or assembled to a container (39 in Fig. 3) at the container opening, the container 39 having the form of a bottle that would typically contain a fluent substance.

[0031] It will be understood that the container 39 may be any conventional type, such as a collapsible, flexible pouch, or may be a generally rigid bottle that has somewhat flexible, resilient walls. The container 39, or a portion thereof, may be made from a material suitable for the intended application. For example, the container 39 may be a pouch made from a thin, flexible material, wherein such a material could be a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film or a polyethylene film and/or an aluminum foil. Alternatively, a more rigid container 39 in the form of a bottle could be made from a thicker, less flexible material such as molded polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylchloride, glass, or other materials.

[0032] In applications wherein the closure is mounted to a container 39 such as a bottle, it is contemplated that typically, after the closure manufacturer would make the closure (e.g., by molding the closure from a thermoplastic polymer), the closure manufacturer will then ship the closure to a container filler facility at another location where the container is either manufactured or otherwise provided, and where the container is filled with a product prior to installation of the closure. If the container is a collapsible pouch, then the closure may include a suitable fitment portion that can be sealed or otherwise attached to the pouch as the pouch is being made and filled, or as the pouch is being made but before the pouch is subsequently filled through the open closure or through open regions of the pouch walls that are later sealed closed.

[0033] In the first illustrated embodiment of the closure 40 in Figs. 1-3, the closure 40 is provided as a separately manufactured article, component, or unit for being screw threaded onto the threaded open end of the container 39. It will be appreciated, however, that in some applications, it may be desirable for the closure 40 to be snap fitted onto a container 39 or attached to a container 39 in a tamper-resistant manner that would not allow a user to easily remove the closure 40. Further, it may be desirable for the closure (or at least the body of the closure) to be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of the container (e.g., a bottle) wherein such a unitary part or extension also (i.e., simultaneously) defines an end structure of the container, per se.

[0034] The container 39, per se, does not form a part of the broadest aspects of the present invention. The container 39 may have any suitable configuration.

[0035] The first embodiment of the closure 40 illustrated in the Figs. 1 -3 is especially suitable for use with a container 39 that is a large bottle having a somewhat rigid walls wherein the contents of the container 39 can flow under the force of gravity form the inside of the container 39 through the opened closure and to an exterior of the container 39.

[0036] In other applications, it may be desirable to employ to pressurize the container interior at selected times with a piston or other pressurizing system (not illustrated), or to reduce the exterior ambient pressure to suck the material out through the open closure. [0037] In some other applications, it may be desirable to also accommodate filling or refilling of the container 39 with the fluent contents through the opened closure 40 into the container interior.

[0038] With reference now to Fig. 3, the dispensing closure 40 includes the basic components of a hollow closure body or base 44 for being located at the opening of a container 39, a flexible, resilient button 56 connected to the base 44, a relatively rigid piston 60 connected to the button 46, and a normally-closed valve 64 mounted at an outlet end of the base 44. A valve retainer ring 80 may be provided to retain the valve 64 at the outlet end of the base 44. The button 56 is provided for being pressed downwardly by a finger or thumb of a user of the closure 40, thus moving the piston 60 axially downwardly into engagement with the valve 64 to open the valve 64 to permit flow of a fluent material from the container 39 through the base 44. When the user ceases to press against the button 56, then the resiliency of the button 56 returns the piston 60 axially upwardly to permit the valve 64 to return to its normally closed position (Fig. 3). The closure 40 may provide improved one-handed operation for a user and quick cut-off when dispensing of a fluent material is ceased.

[0039] The closure base 44, piston 60, and valve retainer ring 80 are preferably formed or molded as separate structures from a suitable rigid thermoplastic material such as polypropylene or polyethylene. Other materials may be employed instead.

[0040] The button 46 and the valve 64 are molded as separate structures from a suitable elastomeric material such as a synthetic, thermosetting polymer, including silicone rubber, such as the silicone rubber sold by Dow Coming Corporation in the United States if America under the trade designation D.C. 99-595 and RBL-9595-40. Another suitable silicone rubber material is sold in the United States of America under the designation Wacker 3003-40 by Wacker Silicone Company. The button 46 and the valve 64 could also be molded from other thermosetting materials or from other elastomeric materials, or from thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic elastomers, including those based upon materials such as thermoplastic propylene, ethylene, urethane, and styrene, including their halogenated counterparts. For example, a particular non-silicone material that may be employed is ethylene propylene diene monomer mbber ("EPDM"), such as sold in the United States of America under the designation Grade Z1118 by Gold Key Processing, Inc. having an office at 14910 Madison Road, Middlefield, Ohio 44062, United States of America. Another non-silicone material that may be employed is nitrile rubber, such as sold in the United States of America under the designation Grade GK0445081-2 by Graphic Arts Rubber, having an office at 101 Ascot Parkway, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223, United States of America. It is desirable in many applications that the material be substantially inert to avoid reaction with, and/or adulteration of, the fluent substance or substances that come into contact with the button 56 and the valve 64. Other materials may be employed instead.

[0041] The separately molded components of the base 44, piston 60, valve retainer ring 80, button 56, and the valve 64 are then subsequently assembled into the dispensing closure 40. It will be understood that in alternative designs (not illustrated), one or more of the basic components or sub-components may be separately or sequentially formed or molded (such as through bi-injection molding). Alternatively, the basic components may be molded initially as one connected structure, and then broken apart, and then re-assembled into an operative combination. Further, it will be understood that in an alternate embodiment (not illustrated), the closure base 44 may be unitarily formed or molded as an extension of the open end of the container 39 and need not be a separately formed article of manufacture.

[0042] With reference to Figs. 1-3, the closure base 44 includes a generally cylindrical skirt or outer wall having an inlet portion or inlet end 46 for being located at the opening of a container 39 (only partially shown in Fig. 3) and an outlet end 47 defining a dispensing orifice 48 (Fig. 3 only). The closure base 44 is hollow, having an internal surface or surfaces 49 (Fig. 3 only) to define a through passage 50 (Fig. 3 only) to communicate with an interior of the container 39 which contains a fluent substance to be dispensed. While the closure base 44 is illustrated as having a generally cylindrical shape, it will be appreciated, however, that the closure base 44 may take a variety of forms and need not be limited to a cylindrical shape. For example, the outer wall may be square, elliptical, polygonal, or some other, irregular cross-sectional shape.

[0043] Referring to Fig. 3, the interior of the base 44 is provided with an internal wall or plug seal that extends inwardly toward the container interior when the closure 40 is connected to the container opening. Internal, female screw threads in the base 44 surround the plug seal for mating with a male threaded fitting surrounding the opening of the container 39. It will be appreciated that other conventional or special means of connecting the closure base 44 to the container 39 could be employed, such as mating snap-fit beads, bi-injection molding, adhesives, mechanical locks, spin welding of the closure to the container 39, etc.

[0044] If the closure base 44 is to be used on a flexible pouch (not illustrated), then it is presently contemplated that the closure base 44 inlet end would have a suitable fitment configuration (e.g., such as that shown and described in PCT/US2013/043065, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety) for being sealed with the pouch, and most pouch manufacturers will prefer to install the closure base 44 inlet end at an opening formed in the pouch with heat sealing techniques or ultrasonic sealing techniques.

[0045] Still referring to Fig. 3, the closure base 44 includes a somewhat cylindrical dispensing or front chamber 51 to accommodate the travel of the piston 60 along a substantially vertical central axis. An upper or top end of the front chamber 51 has a circular opening and annular retention walls 54 to receive and hold the button 56 therein, which will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. A lower or bottom end of the front chamber 51 terminates at the exit orifice 48 in the form of a circular opening or hole in communication with the through passage 50 for permitting communication of a substance through the closure 40 (e.g., dispensing or filling). An angled surface surrounds the exit orifice 48 to assist in clamping the valve 64 across the exit orifice 48, as will also be discussed in greater detail below. An annular wall 55 surrounds the exit orifice 48 for being received within an annular channel in the retainer ring 80 to secure the valve 64 at the exit orifice 48. A pair of gripping flanges or projections 100 extend on either side of the front chamber 51, laterally of the button 56, for providing a gripping surface to the fingers of a user of the dispensing closure 40.

[0046] Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the elastomeric button 56 is force fit to the top end of the front chamber 51. It will be understood that the button 56 may be clamped, glued, molded, welded, snap-fit or otherwise removably or permanently secured to the base 44. In its unactuated, resting position, the button 56 assumes a dome-like shape and has a central cylindrical sheath extending downwardly from the inside of the button 56 for receiving an upper post or end 84 of the piston 60 (each visible in Fig. 3). When the piston 60 is fitted and secured within the sheath of the button 56, the piston 60 hangs beneath the button 56 within the front chamber 51. As will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter, when a force applied to the button 56 causes downward movement or deflection of the button 56 during actuation, the piston 60 is forced from a first, unactuated position (Fig. 3) to a second, actuated position where the piston 60 contacts and opens the valve 64. Resiliency of the button 56 is sufficient to return the piston to its first, unactuated position. It will be understood that the button 56 could be spring biased (not illustrated) such that the button 56 need not be sufficiently resilient to return the piston 60 to its unactuated position. Furthermore, the button 56 could have other shapes depending on application or the shape of the top end of the front chamber 51 of the base 44.

[0047] With reference now to Figs. 3 and 4, which show the features of the piston 60, the piston 60 has a somewhat cylindrical, hollow structure. A post or proximal end 84 has an annular groove or retention feature for receiving an annular bead of the cylindrical internal sheath of the button 56 (Fig. 3). The piston 60 includes a ring-like or annular distal end 88 for evenly and gently contacting the head portion of the valve 64 (as discussed below). The cylindrical piston 60 is hollow and defines a pair of flow apertures or windows 92, which function to permit the flow of a fluent substance through the flow passage 50 toward and through the opened valve 64. A pair of vertical ribs 96 extend along each of the closed sides of the piston 60 to define a channel for receiving a mating projection or guide formed on the interior of the front chamber 51 of the base 44. The vertical ribs 96 function to restrict the piston 60 to movement only along a vertical axis parallel to the channels. The vertical ribs 96 could be replaced by other guide structures for mating with the inside of the base 44 to substantially limit the lateral or radial travel of the piston 60.

[0048] It will be understood that the term piston 60 used herein is not restricted to an element for sealingly engaging a surrounding wall of a cylinder, but rather, the term“piston” herein more broadly refers to an actuating member or probe for transmitting a force against the valve 64 to cause the valve to move from its normally closed position to an open position for dispensing.

[0049] Referring to Fig. 3, the valve 64 is generally circular and is a resilient, self-sealing slit type as described in of the type described in International Patent Application No.

PCT/US 17/57790 (published as WO/2019/083492 Al) or in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,839,614 and 8,678,249, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. The valve 64 has an initially“closed”, unactuated, substantially unstressed, rest condition or position, and can be forced to an“open” position or condition (not illustrated) when a sufficiently high pressure differential acts across the valve 64 , or when the valve 64 is engaged by a probe, piston, or other sufficiently rigid article. When the valve 64 is installed at the exit orifice 48 of the base 44, it can be seen to define a first side surface in contact with the interior of the base 44 and a second side surface in contact with the exterior, ambient environment.

[0050] The valve 64 has a peripheral attachment portion or mounting flange 210. The peripheral portion 210 is for being mounted or attached to the sloping surface surrounding the exit orifice 48 of the base 44 such that the valve 64 occludes the exit orifice 48. A similarly sloping surface on the retaining ring 80, clamps the valve 64 to the base 44.

[0051] Still referring to Fig. 3, extending laterally inwardly from the peripheral attachment portion 210 is a generally annular, intermediate or connecting portion or sleeve 220 that connects the peripheral attachment portion 210 to a substantially thicker valve head portion 200. The head portion 200 is flexible and resilient and has a generally circular configuration in plan view. The peripheral attachment portion 210, the intermediate portion 220, and the head portion 200 are oriented in a generally circular configuration and concentric relationship about the central vertical axis of the piston 60. A fluent substance can be dispensed (i.e., discharged) through the valve 64 in a discharge flow direction generally along the axis when the valve 64 opens upon engagement of the probe 60 with the valve head distal end portion 88.

[0052] The head portion 230 of the valve 64 has a normally closed orifice defined by a pair of intersecting major slits 68 radiating laterally or radially from the center of the head portion 230. The head portion 230 further has a plurality of minor slits branching from the radially outward ends of each one of the major slits. Each of the major slits 68 and the minor slits extend transversely, fully through the thickness of the head portion 230 from the first side surface to the second side surface. The first side surface of the head portion 230 is substantially flat and confronts the piston 60 when the piston is in the unactuated position.

[0053] The major slits 68 define four, generally pentagonal-shaped, equally sized openable portions or major petals in the valve head portion 230. The minor slits define four, generally triangular-shaped, equally sized openable portions or minor petals in the head portion 230. Each major petal has a plurality of transverse faces defined by the major slits 68, and two of such transverse faces are visible in Fig. 3. Each such transverse face seals against a confronting transverse face of an adjacent major petal when the valve 64 is closed.

[0054] Likewise, each minor petal has a pair of diverging transverse faces defined by the minor slits (which can be seen extending into the background in Fig. 3, and each transverse face seals against a confronting transverse face of an adjacent minor petal when the valve 64 is closed. Forms of such types of slits and petals are disclosed in the U.S. Patent No. 8,628,056. The description of that patent is incorporated herein by reference thereto to the extent pertinent and to the extent not inconsistent herewith.

[0055] The detailed operation and function of the dispensing closure 40 will next be described with initial reference to Figs. 1 and 2, Typically, a user, such as a customer, will encounter the closure 40 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the closure 40 installed upon the bottom of a lateral or side wall of a container 39 of a fluent substance— the closure 40, container 39, and fluent substance within the container 39 together defining a package.

[0056] The closure 40 is presented to a user in its non-dispensing, closed configuration with the button 56 oriented in an unstressed, domelike configuration as illustrated in Figs. 1-3. The piston 60 is held within the button 56 at a location spaced from the flat inside surface of the valve head portion 230. The valve 64 is self-sealing such that the slits 68 are closed to prevent flow of the fluent substance from the interior of the base 44 to the exterior ambient environment. The valve 64 is sufficiently resilient to prevent, or at least minimize, the likelihood of the inadvertent opening of the valve 64 and prevent leakage of the fluent substance with the piston 60 spaced from the valve 64. The annular distal end 88 of the piston 60 is located in a confronting relationship relative to the head portion 230 that is sufficiently spaced to prevent, or at least minimize, the likelihood of the inadvertent contact between the piston 60 and the valve head portion 230 during shipping or handling of the package, or from increased pressures that may be developed within the package. An optional cap or cover (e.g., 301 in Fig. 10) may be provided to prevent accidental impact of the button 56.

[0057] The user can begin to dispense the fluent substance from the container 39 through the closure 40 by gripping the closure base 44 projections 100 and initially pressing downwardly with a thumb against the button 56. The user will overcome the inherent stifihess of the button 56 when a sufficient pre-determined force is applied to deflect it axially downwardly to carry the piston 60 axially downwardly. Contact between the guide surfaces 96 against mating surfaces or projections within the interior of the base 44 constricts movement of the piston 60 axially downwardly into engagement with the valve 64, As the user presses against the button 56, the piston 60 moves from its unactuated position spaced from the head portion 230 of the valve 64 into its actuated position in contact with the head portion 230 of the valve 64. Specifically, the annular distal end 88 of the piston 60 rotates the head portion 230 of the valve 64 about the attachment portion 210 to open the orifice defined by the intersecting slits 68.

[0058] The force of gravity on the fluent substance in the container 39 carries the fluent substance from the container 39 interior, through the inlet end 46 of the base 44, through the passage 50 to the open aperture 92 of the piston 60, and down through the hollow annular end 88 of the piston 60 through the opened slits 68 to a target dispensing location such as a cup or other receptacle.

[0059] When the user ceases to press against the button 56, the resiliency of the button 56 carries the piston 60 axially upwardly out of contact with the head portion 230 of the valve 64, returning the piston 60 to its initial, non-dispensing configuration or position. Resiliency of the valve 64, pivots the head portion 230 back to its resting position (Fig. 3) to reseal the slits 68 and outward flow of the fluent substance terminates. The inventors have found that the arrangement of the closure 40 may provide an improved, more reliable flow, and better flow cut-off (cessation of flow) than the prior art closures and taps. The closure 40 is especially suitable for viscous fluent substances having a viscosity between about 40 mPa s and about 600 mPa-s, such as liquid laundry detergent. In addition, the inventors have found that the dispensing closure 40 described herein may be mass produced for less cost compared to current taps and dispensing closures that may have additional complex components such as metal springs etc. and the closure 40 may be more easily actuated or operated by one hand of a user, and yet is more readily resistant to accidental opening.

[0060] A second embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 5-7 and is designated generally by the numeral 40. The numbered features of the second embodiment of the closure 40 illustrated in Figs. 5-7 are designated are analogous to features of the first embodiment of the closure 40 of Figs. 1-4 that share the same number. The second embodiment of the closure 40 differs from the first embodiment above in that the second embodiment of the closure 40 includes a modified valve retainer ring 80. As can be seen in Fig. 7, the retainer ring 80 is greatly simplified and has the form of a pair of annular walls for receiving the lower end 47 of the closure base 44. One of the walls is angled or frustoconical to assist in retention of the valve retention portion 210. In addition, the valve 64 of the second embodiment of the closure in Figs. 5-7 has a much shorter intermediate connecting portion 220, which is believed to provide advantageous flow and cessation of flow compared to prior art dispensers and taps. As with the previously discussed embodiment, the retainer ring 80 may be secured by force fit, welding, adhesive, or other means to secure the valve 64 within the base 44, across the exit orifice 48.

[0061] A third embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 8-11 and is designated generally by the numeral 40. The numbered features of the third embodiment of the closure 40 illustrated in Figs. 8-11 are analogous to features of the first embodiment of the closure 40 that share the same number.

[0062] With reference to Fig. 10, the third embodiment of the closure 40 differs from the first discussed and illustrated embodiment in that the third embodiment includes a modified base 44 that has a vent passage 104 concealed behind the button 56 (in the direction toward the container opening). The vent passage 104 connects between an external venting orifice 108 and an internal venting orifice 112 in the form of a cylindrical tube. A venting valve 120 or valve assembly is located at the internal venting orifice and includes a spherical sealing member or ball valve 124 and a cage or vent chamber 128. The vent chamber 128 allows for ingress or egress of a gas but holds the spherical ball valve 124 at or near the internal venting orifice 1 12. The venting valve 120 is advantageously located within the inlet end 46 of the base 44 such that the container need only have a single opening which will decrease cost and complexity of the associated container. The valve 124 allows for inventing of ambient air to improve the flow characteristics of the fluent substance being dispensed through the base 44. [0063] With reference to Figs. 8 and 10, it can further be seen that the closure 40 includes a protective cap or cover 301 that extends around the button 56 to prevent inadvertent actuation thereof during shipping or handling, and may be advantageously used as a measuring cup to receive a unit dose of the dispensed fluent substance.

[0064] Various modifications and alterations to this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Illustrative embodiments and examples are provided as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0065] For example, with reference to Fig. 10, the ball-type venting valve 120 may be replaced by an appropriately-sized umbrella valve or other functionally equivalent check valve, together with the appropriate supporting structure, to allow in-venting of air into the container interior, while preventing, or at least minimizing, the escape of a fluent substance (e.g., detergent) through the vent passage 104.