Dispensing closures for fluid products such as mustard conventionally include a base for securement to a flexible resilient container, and a dispensing spout carried for limited movement on the base. The base has a central flow tube, and a peg or plug spaced from the flow tube. The dispensing spout has an opening or orifice that closely surrounds the peg on the base in the closed position of the spout. The dispensing spout is typically coupled to the base by a spiral cam or thread for movement between the closed position in which the dispensing orifice closely surrounds the peg, and an open position in which the dispensing orifice is axially spaced from the peg to allow product flow through the tube, around the peg and through the orifice in response to squeezing of the flexible resilient container body.
A problem with dispensing packages of this type is that, if the dispensing spout is closed while the container is squeezed by a user, or before the container body has resiliently returned to its nominal geometry after being released by the user, the dispensing spout orifice cooperates with the peg to block entry of air into the package. The container body will thus remain distorted under a partial vacuum within the container, termed container sidewall paneling in the art. This condition is deemed undesirable from an appearance standpoint. It has been proposed to provide a flat on the cylindrical surface of the peg so as to form a chordal air vent through the spout dispensing opening in the closed position of the spout. However, such a structure requires substantial modification of the tooling for making the base. Furthermore, in mustard dispensing applications, vinegar that separates from the mustard can leak through an air vent formed by a flat on the base peg. It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a liquid dispensing package, and a closure for such a package, in which one or more air vents are provided between the dispensing spout orifice and the base peg in the closed position of the spout with minimum modification of existing tooling, and that can be controlled in size and shape so as to permit free passage of air while limiting or blocking passage of product from the container, such as vinegar separated from mustard during storage.
A dispensing package for fluid products such as mustard, in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises a container having a flexible resilient body and a cylindrical neck with external means for securement of a closure, and a closure having a base and a spout movably mounted on the base. The closure base has a skirt with internal means for securement to the container neck, a hollow dispensing tube and a cylindrical peg spaced from an end of the tube. The spout has a dispensing orifice and is mounted on the base for movement between an open position in which the orifice is axially spaced from the peg and squeezing of the flexible resilient container body causes product to flow through the tube around the peg and through the dispensing orifice, and a closed position in which the orifice surrounds the peg to block such product flow. The spout dispensing orifice is circular, and has at least one recess extending radially outwardly from and arcuately around the orifice forming a vent in cooperation with the peg for admission of air into the container in the closed position of the spout.
A closure for a fluid product dispensing package in accordance with another aspect of the invention includes a tubular body for securement to a container, and having a central flow passage and a cylindrical peg axially spaced from the flow passage. A spout has a dispensing orifice, and is mounted on the tubular body for movement between an open position in which the dispensing orifice is axially spaced from the peg to permit product flow through the passage around the peg and through the orifice, and a closed position in which the dispensing orifice closely surrounds the peg to block product flow. The dispensing orifice is circular, and has at least one recess extending radially outwardly from and arcuately around the opening forming an air vent in cooperation with the peg in the closed position of the spout. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, there are three recesses uniformly angularly spaced around the dispensing opening.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds