CONTAINER WITH DISPENSER-SUPPORTING COLLAR
A container includes a bottle and a bottle closure. The bottle closure is configured to close a mouth opening into an interior region in the bottle. Glue is used to retain a portion of the bottle closure in a fixed position on the bottle.
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This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/528,590, filed Aug. 29, 2011, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure relates to a container for storing a dispensable product, and particularly to an aerosol container. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a dispenser-support collar included in a product-dispensing container.
SUMMARYA container in accordance with the present disclosure includes a bottle and a bottle closure. The bottle closure is configured to close a mouth opening into an interior fluid-storage region formed in the bottle.
In illustrative embodiments, the bottle closure includes a dispenser-support collar coupled to a filler neck of the bottle and a fluid dispenser coupled to the collar and arranged to communicate with pressurized fluid stored in the interior fluid-storage region formed in the bottle. Glue applied to confronting surfaces on the collar and bottle filler neck is used to retain the dispenser-support collar in a stationary position on the bottle filler neck. The dispenser-support collar is formed to include a downwardly opening annular glue overflow well sized and arranged to receive therein glue discharged from a space provided between the confronting surfaces in the collar and bottle filler neck when the collar is mounted on the bottle filler neck.
In illustrative embodiments, an annular bead of glue is provided in an annular glue channel formed between a radially outwardly facing cylindrical outer wall included in the filler neck and a surrounding radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall included in the dispenser-support collar during assembly at a factory of components included in the container. A helical external thread included in the bottle and coupled to the radially outwardly facing cylindrical outer wall of the filler neck mates with a helical internal thread included in the dispenser-support collar. Such mating engagement supports the dispenser-support collar for rotation about an axis of rotation relative to the filler neck during installation of the dispenser-support collar on the filler neck at a factory to provide means for displacing the annular bead of glue in the annular glue channel to cause glue, before it sets, to flow in the annular glue channel and to cause excess glue to flow in a radially outward direction away from the filler neck into the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well before the glue sets to retain the dispenser-support collar in a stationary position on the filler neck.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A container 10 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in
Bottle 12 includes a body 21 formed to include an interior fluid-storage region 13 as suggested in
Filler neck 22 of bottle 12 includes a cylindrical inner wall 221 providing a boundary for neck passageway 22P as suggested in
Dispenser-support collar 16 includes an inner sleeve 161, an outer sleeve 163, a top bridge 162 arranged to interconnect upper portions of inner and outer sleeves 161, 163, and an outer shell 164 coupled to and arranged to extend around a lower portion of outer sleeve 163 as suggested in
Outer shell 164 of dispenser-support collar 16 includes an outer band 164B formed to include radially inwardly facing surface 1641 as suggested in
Annular glue channel 26 is formed between bottle filler neck 22 and dispenser-support collar 16 when collar 16 is mounted on filler neck 22 at a factory as suggested, for example, in
Glue overflow well 24 is formed in a radially inner portion of annular radially inwardly extending lip 164L of outer shell 164 of dispenser-support collar 16 as shown, for example, in
Fluid dispenser 18 comprises a stopper 181, a fluid-discharge tube 182, and a button-actuated fluid discharger 183 in an illustrative embodiment as suggested in
In an illustrative embodiment, stopper 181 includes a rim 181R that seats on top bridge 162 of dispenser-support collar 16 and a flange 181F that extends downwardly from rim 181R into collar passageway 16P formed in dispenser-support collar 16 when fluid dispenser 18 is mounted on dispenser-support collar 16. Fluid dispenser 18 can be coupled to dispenser-support collar 16 using any suitable means.
An illustrative process for anchoring dispenser-support collar 16 of bottle closure 14 to filler neck 22 of bottle 12 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown, for example, in
Overflow glue well 24 is configured to provide means in dispenser-support collar 16 for receiving excess glue 20 flowing out of annular glue channel 26 so that collar 16 can be torqued onto the same position on bottle filler neck 22 every time a collar 16 is mounted on a companion filler neck 22. After glue 20 is applied to filler neck 22, collar 16 is then torqued onto filler neck 22. While collar 16 is rotating, glue 20 starts to build up and create a hydraulic (e.g., binding) effect which hinders seating of collar 16 on bottle filler neck 22 and prevents consistent application of collar 16. Overflow glue well 24 provides an area for receiving excess glue flow so as to allow a relatively larger range of glue tolerance, more consistent seating of collar 16 on bottle filler neck 22, and maximized container sealing. By allowing excess glue 20 to flow radially outwardly into overflow glue well 24, glue engagement along a 360° path is obtained to maximize sealing, more consistent collar height placement is obtained, and a relatively larger production process window for excess glue flow without inhibiting container performance is obtained.
Container 10 includes a bottle 12 and a bottle closure 14 as shown in
A radially outwardly facing cylindrical outer wall 22O included in filler neck 22 cooperates with a radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall 163I included in dispenser-support collar 16 to form an annular glue channel 26 therebetween as suggested in
The downwardly facing annular well wall 16W formed in dispenser-support collar 16 has a concave surface facing toward and mating with the excess glue 20 that is present in the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well 24 as suggested in
A radially outer portion 24O of the concave surface of the downwardly facing annular well wall 24 faces toward the radially outwardly facing cylindrical wall of filler neck 22 as suggested in
Filler neck 22 includes a cylindrical outer wall 22O having an upper portion 22U positioned to lie in confronting relation to an outer sleeve 163 included in collar 16 and a lower portion 22L arranged to interconnect body 21 and the upper portion 22U as suggested in
Dispenser-support collar 16 further includes an outer sleeve 163 formed to include the radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall 163I and an outer shell 164 coupled to outer sleeve 163 and arranged to extend radially outwardly away from filler neck 22 as suggested in
Dispenser-support collar 16 further includes an inner sleeve 161 arranged to extend into neck passageway 22P to locate filler neck 22 between the inner and outer sleeves 161, 163 as suggested in
Dispenser-support collar 16 includes an outer sleeve 163 providing the radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall 163I, an outer shell 164 coupled to outer sleeve 163 and arranged to surround a portion of filler neck 22 and lie between outer sleeve 163 and body 21, and an internal thread 16T coupled to outer shell 163 and arranged to extend toward filler neck 22 as suggested in
An external thread 22T included in bottle 12 and coupled to the radially outwardly facing cylindrical outer wall 22O of filler neck 22 mates with an internal thread 16T included in dispenser-support collar 16 to support dispenser-support collar 16 for rotation about an axis of rotation relative to filler neck 22 to provide means for displacing an annular bead of glue 20 provided in annular glue channel 26 to cause glue 20 to flow in annular glue channel 26 and the excess glue 20 to exit annular glue channel 26 and flow in the radially outward direction into the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well 24 formed in dispenser-support collar 16 as suggested in
Claims
1. A container comprising
- a bottle including a body formed to include an interior fluid-storage region and a filler neck formed to include a neck passageway opening into the interior fluid-storage region and
- a bottle closure including a dispenser-support collar coupled to the filler neck of the bottle and a fluid dispenser coupled to the dispenser-support collar and arranged to extend through the neck passageway to communicate with the interior fluid-storage region formed in the bottle, wherein a radially outwardly facing cylindrical outer wall included in the filler neck cooperates with a radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall included in the dispenser-support collar to form an annular glue channel therebetween and wherein the dispenser-support collar includes a downwardly facing annular well wall arranged to surround the filler neck and lie in spaced-apart confronting relation to an upwardly facing annular surface included in the bottle to form a downwardly opening annular glue overflow well configured to provide means in the dispenser-support collar for receiving excess glue flowing out of the annular glue channel in a downward direction toward the body of the bottle and allowing such excess glue to flow in a radially outward direction away from the filler neck into the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well before the glue that is present in the annular glue channel sets up and bonds to each of the filler neck and the dispenser-support collar to retain the dispenser-support collar in a stationary position on the filler neck.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the downwardly facing annular well wall formed in the dispenser-support collar has a concave surface facing toward and mating with the excess glue that is present in the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well has a volume that is greater than a volume of excess glue that is admitted into the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well during movement of the dispenser-support collar in the downward direction relative to the filler neck to cause glue present in the annular glue channel to flow in the downward direction.
4. The container of claim 2, wherein a radially outer portion of the concave surface of the downwardly facing annular well wall faces toward the radially outwardly facing cylindrical wall of the filler neck.
5. The container of claim 4, wherein excess glue that is present in the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well mates with a radially inner portion of the concave surface that is located between the filler neck and the radially outer portion of the concave surface without mating with the radially outer portion of the concave surface.
6. The container of claim 2, wherein the filler neck includes a cylindrical outer wall having an upper portion positioned to lie in confronting relation to the outer sleeve and a lower portion arranged to interconnect the body and the upper portion, the bottle also includes an external thread coupled to the lower portion of the filler neck and arranged to provide the upwardly facing annular surface and to mate with an internal thread included in the dispenser-support collar and coupled to the outer shell, the dispenser-support collar further includes an outer sleeve formed to include the radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall and an outer shell coupled to the outer sleeve and arranged to extend radially outwardly away from the filler neck, the outer shell includes the downwardly facing annular well wall and is formed to include the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well, and the outer shell also includes a downwardly facing top wall arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the filler neck to locate the downwardly facing annular well wall therebetween and to mate with the downwardly facing annular well wall along a downwardly projecting circular raised edge arranged to lie in spaced-apart confronting relation to the external thread of the bottle.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the dispenser-support collar further includes an inner sleeve arranged to extend into the neck passageway to locate the filler neck between the inner and outer sleeves and a top bridge arranged to interconnect upper portions of the inner and outer sleeves and lie above an upwardly facing top edge of the filler neck.
8. The container of claim 1, wherein the dispenser-support collar includes an outer sleeve providing the radially inwardly facing cylindrical inner wall, an outer shell coupled to the outer sleeve and arranged to surround a portion of the filler neck and lie between the outer sleeve and the body, and an internal thread coupled to the outer shell and arranged to extend toward the filler neck, and the bottle also includes an external thread coupled to the filler neck and configured to mate with the internal thread included in the dispenser-support collar and arranged to mate with the external thread during rotation of the dispenser-support collar about an axis of rotation relative to the filler neck to retain the dispenser-support collar in the stationary position on the filler neck to provide means for causing glue present in the annular glue channel to flow in the downward direction and any excess glue in excess of a predetermined amount to flow in the radially outward direction into the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well to limit the amount of glue that is present in the annular glue channel so that the dispenser-support collar can be rotated about the axis of rotation to assume a predetermined position on the filler neck without hindering seating of the dispenser-support collar on the filler neck.
9. The container of claim 8, wherein the dispenser-support collar further includes an inner sleeve arranged to extend into the neck passageway to locate the filler neck between the inner and outer sleeves and a top bridge arranged to interconnect upper portions of the inner and outer sleeves and lie above an upwardly facing top edge of the filler neck.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein the fluid dispenser comprises a stopper arranged to close a central opening formed in the inner sleeve of the dispenser-support collar, a fluid discharger mounted on the stopper, and a fluid-discharge tube arranged to extend downwardly from a portion of the fluid discharger through an aperture formed in the stopper into the interior fluid-storage region formed in the body of the bottle.
11. The container of claim 1, wherein an external thread included in the bottle and coupled to the radially outwardly facing cylindrical outer wall of the filler neck mates with an internal thread included in the dispenser-support collar to support the dispenser-support collar for rotation about an axis of rotation relative to the filler neck to provide means for displacing an annular bead of glue provided in the annular glue channel to cause glue to flow in the annular glue channel and the excess glue to exit the annular glue channel and flow in the radially outward direction into the downwardly opening annular glue overflow well formed in the dispenser-support collar.
12. The container of claim 11, wherein the downwardly facing annular well wall formed in the dispenser-support collar has a concave surface arranged to intercept the excess glue that is flowing in the radially outward direction during rotation of the dispenser-support collar about the axis of rotation relative to the filler neck.
13. The container of claim 12, wherein the dispenser-support collar further includes an inner sleeve arranged to extend into the neck passageway to locate the filler neck between the inner and outer sleeves and a top bridge arranged to interconnect upper portions of the inner and outer sleeves and lie above an upwardly facing top edge of the filler neck
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the fluid dispenser comprises a stopper arranged to close a central opening formed in the inner sleeve of the dispenser-support collar, a fluid discharger mounted on the stopper, and a fluid-discharge tube arranged to extend downwardly from a portion of the fluid discharger through an aperture formed in the stopper into the interior fluid-storage region formed in the body of the bottle.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 29, 2012
Publication Date: Feb 28, 2013
Applicant: BERRY PLASTICS CORPORATION (Evansville, IN)
Inventors: Brett J. Kaufman (Newburgh, IN), John Tauber (Bel Air, MD), W. Gordon Beecroft (Leola, PA)
Application Number: 13/598,462
International Classification: B65D 47/00 (20060101); B65D 51/00 (20060101);