US20100264142A1

US20100264142A1 - Hybrid Closure For Containers

Info

Publication number: US20100264142A1
Application number: US12/764,187
Authority: US
Inventors: Ellery West; Gail West
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-04-21
Filing date: 2010-04-21
Publication date: 2010-10-21

Abstract

A closure for a mouth of a container includes a handle portion and a contoured portion. The contoured portion is sized and dimensioned to seat within the mouth of the container, and may be configured such that a rotation of less than 720 degrees is required to seat the stopper within the container's mouth. The closure can be composed of biodegradable materials.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority and herein incorporates by reference U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/171221, filed Apr. 21, 2009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is closures.

BACKGROUND

Plastic tubular containers closures are ubiquitous (widely known) in consumer goods and products. Unfortunately, because plastics typically have an extremely slow rate of decomposition, such plastics must be either recycled through costly industrial processes, or otherwise left to be tossed into landfills where they will remain for centuries.
In an attempt to provide a more degradable closure, the use of plastics such as polylactic acid polymers (PLA) have become more commonplace. However, such plastics still require specialized processes and facilities for degradation, which requires significant costs for its decomposition. In addition, PLA and similar plastics are visibly indistinguishable from normal plastics. This can be problematic because if the PLA is inadvertently placed within a group of traditional plastics to be recycled, the PLA can taint the entire recycling process.
It is known to use natural materials such as cork to make closures, such as for wine bottles. However, such closures are typically designed as a plug, and are unable to be replaced within the bottle or other container once removed. Similarly, WIPO Publication No. 2007/140538 to Henderson, et al. (publ. Dec. 2007) discusses a biodegradable closure for a container that can take the form of a plug, a membrane, or a seal. However, like the cork for a wine bottle, the Henderson closure can typically not reseal the container once removed. This and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Thus, there is still a need for a biodegradable closure that can be used to reseal a container when the container is not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods in which a closure for a mouth of a container comprises a stopper. Preferred stoppers include a handle portion and a contoured portion that is sized and dimensioned to seat within the container's mouth. While preferably the handle and contoured portions compose a single contiguous piece, it is also contemplated that the stoppers could include intermediary or other portions.
Preferred stoppers have a contoured portion configured to require a rotation of less than 720 degrees (e.g., two complete rotations), and more preferably less than 360 degrees (e.g., one rotation), to seat the stopper within the mouth of the container. Especially preferred stoppers have a contoured portion configured to require a rotation of less than 120 degrees (e.g., one-third of a rotation) to seat the stopper within the mouth of the container.
Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth herein should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include only commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIGS. 1-2 are perspective views of one embodiment of a stopper.

FIGS. 3-4 are front and side perspective views, respectively, of another embodiment of a stopper.

FIGS. 5-6 are bottom and top perspective views, respectively, of yet another embodiment of a stopper.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a container with a stopper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIGS. 1A-1B, closure 100 is shown that has a handle portion 120 and a contoured portion 130 that is preferably sized and dimensioned to seat within the mouth of a container (shown in FIG. 4). Thus, for example, the container's mouth would likely be sized and dimensioned to mate with the contoured portion 130. Although the handle portion 120 and the contoured portion 130 are shown comprising a single contiguous piece, it is also contemplated that the stopper 100 could include intermediary or other portions.
Although the stopper 100 can be composed of any commercially suitable material(s), the stopper 100 is preferably composed of paper or other biodegradable materials. As used herein, the term “biodegradable” is defined as a material that will break down and decompose into elements found in nature in a period of time less than six months. Exemplary materials include woods, corks, papers, plant fibers, cellulose, cellophanes, biodegradable adhesives and glazes, and any combinations thereof. This is advantageous as it allows the stopper 100 to be light-weight while retaining durability, and further allows the stopper to be decomposed into naturally occurring elements when no longer needed. Preferably, stopper 100 is water resistant, such as by the addition of a binder and wax, processed cellulose or protein, or other water-resistant material, or through the addition of a commercially suitable substance prior to forming the stopper 100. In addition, the stopper 100 can be resistant to other liquids including, for example, oils and chemicals, such as by the addition of one or more of the materials discussed above, other commercially suitable substance(s) or combination(s) thereof.
The handle portion 120 can have a variable cross-section, and more preferably an enlarged end as best shown in FIG. 1B. This is advantageous as the enlarged handle portion 120 provides additional surface area for a user to grip. Contemplated cross-sections for the handle portion 120 include angular and/or non-angular perimeters, although all shapes and sizes are contemplated for the cross-section of the handle portion including a fixed cross-section. Preferably, the handle portion 120 has a perimeter length of between 1 inch and 6 inches.
The contoured portion 130 can be of any commercially suitable size and shape. Preferably, the contoured portion 130 includes a tapered portion and/or contours 140 sized and dimensioned to the internal configuration of the container's mouth (not shown). As used herein, the term “contours” is defined as one or more curves, twists, or spirals about at least part of the circumference of the portion, but specifically excludes a threaded portion such as on a screw. The contours 140 create high and low areas about the surface of the contoured portion 130 that preferably match the contours of the container's mouth. This is advantageous as it allows the stopper 100 to be firmly seated within the container's mouth with limited rotation. As used herein, the term “seat” is defined as the position of the stopper within the mouth of the container, in which the stopper is firmly positioned within the mouth to create a seal that prevents fluids or other substances from escaping from the container. In this instance, and where other upper limits are not expressly stated, the reader should infer a reasonable upper limit. In this instance, for example, a commercially reasonable upper limit is about twenty.
It is preferred that a rotation of less than 720 degrees is required to seat the contoured portion 130 within the container's mouth. Preferably, a rotation of less than 360 degrees, and more preferably, less than 120 degrees, is required. Most preferably, a rotation of less than 50 degrees is required to fully seat the contoured portion 130 of stopper 100 within the container's mouth (as shown in FIG. 5). This advantageously provides an easily removable, yet sufficiently strong seal for the bottle.
Each of the handle portion 120 and contoured portion 130 can have substantially flat ends to allow the stopper 100 to remain upright when placed on a flat surface. However, the stopper could alternatively include one or more curved or otherwise non-planar ends.
An alternate embodiment of a stopper 200 is shown in FIGS. 2A-2B that includes a handle portion 220 and a contoured portion 230. The contoured portion can include tapered or contoured areas 240, 242, and 244 sized and dimensioned to mate with the interior of the container's mouth (not shown). With respect to the remaining numerals in each of FIGS. 2A-2B, the same considerations for like components with like numerals of FIG. 1 apply.
FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate another embodiment of a stopper 300 having an enlarged handle portion 320. The stopper 300 also includes a contoured portion having contours 240, 242, and 244. With respect to the remaining numerals in each of FIGS. 3A-3B, the same considerations for like components with like numerals of FIG. 1 apply.
A container 400 is shown in FIG. 4 that has a mouth 410 into which a stopper (not shown) can be inserted. All commercially suitable containers are contemplated including, for example, bottles, cans, jars, and so forth. FIG. 5 shows a container 500 having a stopper 510 that is inserted into the container 500.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

Claims

1. A closure for a mouth of a container, comprising:

a stopper having (a) a handle portion and (b) a contoured portion sized and dimensioned to seat within the mouth of the container; and

wherein the contoured portion is configured to require a rotation of less than 720 degrees to seat the stopper within the mouth of the container.

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein the contoured portion of the stopper is configured to require a rotation of less than 360 degrees to seat the stopper within the mouth of the container.

3. The closure of claim 1, wherein the contoured portion of the stopper is configured to require a rotation of less than 120 degrees to seat the stopper within the mouth of the container.

4. The closure of claim 1, wherein the handle portion comprises a variable cross-section.

5. The closure of claim 1, wherein the contoured portion and the handle portion are biodegradable.

6. The closure of claim 1, wherein the contoured portion and the handle portion are resistant to liquids.

7. The closure of claim 6, wherein the contoured portion and the handle portion are water resistant.

8. The closure of claim 1, wherein the handle portion has a perimeter length of between 1 inch and 6 inches.