Flexible bottle having an improved, integral closure

US5944206A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• General Mills, Inc. · US

Inventors

• John D. Culter · Naples, US
• David V. Harmann · Delano, US
• H. Eugene Hite, Jr. · Orr, US
• John P. Rebhorn · Maple Grove, US
• Wade J. Groetsch · Troy, US
• Bernd Hansen · Gaildorf, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 10, 1997
• Grant date: Aug 31, 1999
• Expiry date: Jun 10, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B29C49/4817
• WIPO field: Other special machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A closure (10) is shown including a U-shaped handle (27) integrally connected to a cap (22) in turn integrally connected to the end wall (18) of a bottle (12) to seal the opening (20) formed therein. The handle (27) includes a lever element (28) in the preferred form of a hollow body (30) integrally connected to the cap (22) by a web (32) and for providing leverage in twisting the cap (22) off the end wall (18). First and second wings (36) are integrally connected to the lever element (28) for increasing the size of closure (10) to be larger than a small part. In the preferred form, each of the wings (36) includes a solid trailing portion (44) and a hollow tube (38) in fluid communication with the hollow body (30). The trailing portions (44) are compression molded by the mold halves (54) utilized to blow mold the bottle (12). The hollow tubes (38) are compression molded and thermoformed in the mold halves (56) forming the end wall (18), the cap (22), and the lever element (28).