HK1185322A - Container cap and seal assemblies - Google Patents

Description

Assembly of container, lid and seal

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 61/371,080, filed on 5/8/2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to container closures and more particularly to a container, cap and seal assembly for pastes, liquids and other materials.

Background

Various types of container closures are known in the art. For example, conventional solder paste cans have a base, a lid, and a separate seal for reducing air contact with the paste contained in the can. Such a seal takes the form of a slidable piston that is depressed against the upper surface of the solder paste in the base of the can or a top seal mounted in the area between the lid and the upper edge of the base. While such standard seals are effective at preventing air from contacting the solder paste, they require an additional step in the manufacturing process to separately install the seal on the can after it is full but before the lid is placed on the base of the can.

Disclosure of Invention

One aspect of the present invention provides an assembly of a container, a lid and a seal, comprising a container base having an interior volume, a lid movable on the container base from an open position to a closed position, and a seal having a sealing surface engageable with a surface of the container base to thereby provide a seal for the interior volume of the container base, wherein the seal is temporarily retained on the lid as the lid begins to move from the open position to the closed position.

Another aspect of the invention provides a cap and seal assembly for a container comprising a cap having at least one thread engageable with a base of the container and a seal retained on the cap, wherein the cap and seal are constructed and arranged to temporarily retain the seal on the cap until the cap is secured to the base of the container.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of sealing a container, comprising: at least partially filling the container base with a flowable material; and mounting a lid and a seal together on the container base, wherein the lid and seal are constructed and arranged to disengage from each other upon subsequent removal of the lid from the container base.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a cutaway perspective view showing a container base, lid and seal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded sectional perspective view of the container assembly of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lid and closure of the solder paste container assembly of fig. 1, showing how they are joined together as a single unit when the lid and closure are initially mounted on the base of the container.

Fig. 4 is a cut-away perspective view of the seal secured to the base of a container with its lid removed, showing how the seal is disengaged from the lid when the lid is removed from the container base.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a container base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the container base of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is another side view of the container base of fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a container cap according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the container cap of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of the container cap of fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a container seal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of a portion of the container closure of fig. 13.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1-4, a container assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a container base 20, a lid 30, and a seal 40. An additional piston seal 50 is shown mounted in the base 20 of the container 10. However, it is to be understood that the piston seal 50 is optional when the seal 40 is used. In some embodiments of the present invention, the container assembly 10 may be used to hold solder paste. However, it is understood that other types of pastes, liquids, and flowable materials may be contained within the container assembly 10.

As shown in fig. 1-9, the base 20 is generally cylindrical and has a circular inner bottom 21 to facilitate removal of solder paste or other material from the bottom of the container base 20. At the upper edge 24 of the base 20 there is a closure 22 with a thread. An annular rim 25 surrounds the base 20. Flanged stops 26 are spaced 180 degrees around the periphery of the base and extend radially outward from the base 20 adjacent the annular rim 25. In the embodiment shown, the threaded closure 22 takes the form of a quarter turn closure which need only be turned 90 degrees to close the container. However, any suitable closure means may be used, such as other threaded closures, snap-fit closures, etc.

As shown in fig. 1-4 and 10-12, the cap 30 includes 1/4 turns of the threads 32 that engage the corresponding 1/4 threads 22 of the base 20. It is noted that the 1/4 turns of thread 32 may be replaced by any thread arrangement and any other suitable closure arrangement, such as the snap-fit closure described above. The cap 30 includes a downwardly extending annular ring 34 having a beveled edge 35. The seal 40 is temporarily retained on the cap 30 by engagement with the ring 34, as described more fully below. Flange stops 36 are spaced 90 degrees around the inner periphery of the lid 30 and extend radially inward from the lid to mate with the flange stops 26 of the base 20. In securing the lid 30 to the base 20, the two flange stops 36 engage the opposing flange stops 26 of the base 20 to provide tactile feedback when the lid 30 is manually tightened. Although two flange stops 26 are shown on the base 20 and four flange stops 36 are shown on the lid 30, any other suitable number and shape of tactile stop members may be employed.

As shown in fig. 1-4, 13 and 14, the seal 40 has a generally cylindrical sidewall 42 and an annular rim 43 extending radially outwardly from the sidewall 42. The lower surface of the annular rim 43 contacts the upper rim 24 of the base 20. The generally cylindrical sidewall 42 is connected to a radially inwardly extending rim 44 having an annular flange 45. In the illustrated embodiment, the inwardly extending lip 44 has a generally conical shape, but any other suitable shape may be employed.

At least a portion of the outer surface of the cylindrical sidewall 42 contacts the inner surface of the upper portion of the base 20 to form a seal therebetween, such as by an interference fit. At least one raised annular portion 46 extends outwardly from the outer surface of the cylindrical sidewall 42 a short radial distance, the raised annular portion 46 serving to provide the desired mating and sealing characteristics between the seal member 40 and the base 20. In the embodiment shown, two such annular portions 46 are used, however, any other suitable number of rings may be provided. Thus, when the seal 40 is installed on the base 20, air is prevented from entering the interior of the base 20 due to the contact between the outer surface of the sidewall 42 and the inner surface of the base 20. There may be an additional seal between the lower surface of the annular rim 43 and the upper edge 24 of the base 20.

As shown in fig. 1,3 and 11-14, the circular flange 45 of the seal 40 has an inner surface that contacts the outer surface of the downwardly extending ring 34 of the cap 30. In certain embodiments, at least one raised annular portion 48 extending radially inward from the inner surface of the flange 45 can be employed to provide the desired fit between the seal member 40 and the annular ring 34 of the cap 30. Contact between the inner edge of the annular flange 45 or raised ring 48 and the outer diameter of the downwardly extending ring 34 retains the seal 40 on the lid 30 when the lid 30 is initially installed on the base 20 during manufacture. Thus, a single operation is required to mount the seal 40 and lid 30 together as a unit on the base 20 after the container base 20 is filled with solder paste. In the illustrated embodiment, the downwardly extending ring 34 of the cap 30 is provided with a chamfer 35 to assist in the initial installation of the seal 40 on the cap 30.

The base 20, lid 30 and seal 40 may be made of any suitable material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene or the like. For example, the component may be made of polyethylene. In one embodiment, the base 20 and lid 30 are made of high density polyethylene, while the seal 40 is made of low density polyethylene. If a piston seal 50 is used, it may be made of polyethylene, for example, low density polyethylene.

In one embodiment, the dimensions of the rim 44, flange 45 and raised annular portion 48, as well as the dimensions of the downwardly extending ring 34, are selected to provide a slight interference or press fit, e.g., slight outward radial deformation of the flange 45 and/or radial inward deformation of the ring 34, can occur when the seal 40 is installed on the cap 30. Such engagement or contact holds the seal 40 stationary on the lid 30 until the lid 30 is initially installed on the base 20. Similarly, the outer diameter of the sealing sidewall 42 or raised ring 46 and the inner diameter of the base 20 are sized to provide a sufficient contact or interference fit between the contact surfaces of the base 20 and the seal 40 to prevent air from entering the interior of the base 20 while allowing the seal 40 to be manually removed from the base 20 without too much force. The degree of contact or interference fit between the respective parts can be selected by one of ordinary skill in the art through routine experimentation.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the force required to remove the seal 40 from the lid 30 due to contact between the flange 45 and the ring 34 is less than the force required to remove the seal 40 from the base 20 due to contact between the sealing sidewall 42 or raised ring 46 and the inner surface of the base 20. In this manner, the lid 30 and seal 40 can be installed on the base 20 as a single unit during initial filling and production of the container assembly 10 without the additional production steps conventionally required to separately install a seal and lid on a standard container, however, when the container assembly 10 is first opened by a user by removing the lid 30 from the base 20, the seal 40 separates from the lid 30 and remains secured to the base 20 due to contact between the sidewall 42 or raised ring 46 of the lid and the interior of the base 20. When the seal 40 is then removed from the base 20 by the user, it may optionally be pressed onto the lid 30 for convenience or storage, in which case the seal 40 is automatically reinstalled on the base 20 when the lid 30 is secured to the base 20.

In addition to allowing the lid 30 and seal 40 to be mounted together as a single unit on the base 20 during production, the radially inwardly extending rim 44 of the seal 40 provides a finger grip for removing the seal from the base 20. Because the outer surface of the sealing sidewall 42 or raised ring 46 bears against the inner surface of the base 20, a certain amount of force is required to remove the seal 40 from the base 20, and the radially inwardly extending edge 44 provides a gripping surface to help remove the seal 40 against such force.

With respect to this detailed description, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative variations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed in the foregoing description. Such variations are to be considered as included within the scope of the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise. Accordingly, the particular embodiments described in detail herein are illustrative only and are not limiting to the scope of the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims (20)

1. An assembly of a container, a cap and a seal, comprising:

a container base having an interior volume;

a lid movable from an open position to a closed position on the container base; and

a seal having a sealing surface engageable with a surface of the container base to thereby provide a seal for the interior volume of the container base, wherein the seal is temporarily retained on the lid as the lid is initially moved from the open position to the closed position.

2. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 1, wherein the seal is temporarily retained on the cap by a portion of the seal pressing against a portion of the cap.

3. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 2, wherein the seal includes a radially inwardly extending rim, the cap includes a downwardly extending annular ring, and the seal is temporarily retained on the cap by contact between the radially inwardly extending rim and the downwardly extending annular ring.

4. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 3, wherein the seal includes a generally cylindrical sidewall and the radially inwardly extending rim includes a generally conical portion connected to the sidewall and a radially inwardly extending annular flange in contact with a downwardly extending annular ring of the cap.

5. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 4, wherein the radially inwardly extending annular flange comprises a raised ring in contact with the downwardly extending annular ring.

6. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 1, wherein the seal comprises a rounded outer surface that contacts the generally cylindrical inner surface of the container base to provide a seal.

7. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the seal is substantially cylindrical.

8. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the seal comprises at least one raised ring in contact with the inner surface of the container base.

9. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 6, wherein the seal further comprises a radially outwardly extending flange having a surface that contacts an upper edge of the container base.

10. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 1, wherein the container base and cap include engageable threads for securing the cap in the closed position.

11. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 10, wherein the engageable thread is a quarter turn thread.

12. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 10, further comprising engageable tactile stops on the container base and cap that engage each other when the cap is moved to the closed position.

13. The container cap and seal assembly of claim 12, wherein the engageable tactile stop comprises opposing radially extending ridges.

14. A lid and seal assembly for a container comprising:

a cap having at least one thread engageable with the base of the container; and

a seal retained on the lid, wherein the lid and seal are constructed and arranged to temporarily retain the seal on the lid until the lid is secured to the base of the container.

15. A method of sealing a container comprising:

at least partially filling the container base with a flowable material; and

mounting a lid and a seal together on the container base, wherein the lid and seal are constructed and arranged to disengage from each other upon subsequent removal of the lid from the container base.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the seal is manually removable from the container after the cap is removed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the seal is capable of being reinstalled on the container base after the seal has been removed from the container base.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the seal is reengageable on the lid after having been removed from the container base.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the flowable material comprises a paste.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the paste comprises a solder paste.