Closures and containers in combination therewith

Abstract

There is described a container in combination with a closure. The container has a profile defining an opening and the closure has a profile and overlies the opening so as to provide resealable access to the contents of the container via said opening. At least part of the closure is permanently adhered to the container by means of a sealing medium interposed between the container and the closure part. The profile of the container and the profile of the closure cooperate to define a space for the containment of the sealing medium which does not communicate with the opening.

1 . A container in combination with a closure, the container having a profile and defining an opening and the closure having a profile and overlying the opening so as to provide resealable access to the contents of the container via said opening, at least part of the closure being permanently adhered to the container by means of a sealing medium interposed between the container and said closure part, the profile of the container and the profile of the closure cooperating to define a space for the containment of the sealing medium which does not communicate with said opening.  
     
     
         2 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said space for the containment of the sealing medium is enclosed.  
     
     
         3 . The combination of  claim 1  or  claim 2  wherein said container is provided with a substantially radially extending flange surrounding said opening and said closure is provided with a substantially radially extending wall, the sealing medium being interposed between said flange and said radially extending wall to permanently adhere at least a part of the closure to the container.  
     
     
         4 . The combination of  claim 3  wherein said closure is provided with a plug adapted to be received within said opening and to sealingly engage against a rim thereof, said plug being joined to said radially extending wall.  
     
     
         5 . The combination of  claim 4  wherein said plug is provided at a projecting end with a bevelled, radiused or chamfered surface to facilitate the insertion of the plug into said opening.  
     
     
         6 . The combination of  claim 4  or  claim 5  wherein said plug and said radially extending wall at least partially define said space for the containment of the sealing medium.  
     
     
         7 . The combination of any of  claims 4  to  6  wherein said flange is provided at a radially inner end with a chimney and said plug is joined to said radially extending wall in such a way as to accommodate said chimney.  
     
     
         8 . The combination of  claim 7  wherein said plug is joined to said radially extending wall by one or more walls that with the plug define an inverted channel for the receipt of said chimney.  
     
     
         9 . The combination of any preceding claim wherein the sealing medium is annular.  
     
     
         10 . The combination of any preceding claim wherein the sealing medium comprises an electrically conductive material and a heat activated adhesive.  
     
     
         11 . The combination of  claim 10  wherein the electrically conductive material comprises a metallic foil and the heat activated adhesive is applied as a layer to one or more sides of said foil.  
     
     
         12 . The combination of  claim 11  wherein the metallic foil is provided with one or more apertures to permit the flow of adhesive from one side of said foil to the other.  
     
     
         13 . The combination of any preceding claim wherein the sealing medium comprises a compound that is activated by one selected from a list comprising pressure, exposure to microwave radiation, exposure to a time varying magnetic field or exposure to a time varying electric field.  
     
     
         14 . A container in combination with a foil-less closure, at least a part of the closure being permanently adhered to the container by means of an inductive or capacitive heat activated sealing compound.  
     
     
         15 . The combination of  claim 14  wherein the sealing compound comprises a composition comprising one or more thermoplastic polyolefin polymers, one or more thermoplastic olefin-vinylester copolymers and particles of one or more inductive and/or capacitive materials.  
     
     
         16 . The combination of  claim 15  wherein the one or more thermoplastic polyolefin polymers are present in an amount of from 40 to 70% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.  
     
     
         17 . The combination of  claim 15  or  claim 16  wherein the one or more thermoplastic olefin-vinylester copolymers are present in an amount of from 30 to 60% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.  
     
     
         18 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  17  wherein the one or more inductive and/or capacitive materials are present in an amount of from 15 to 70% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.  
     
     
         19 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  18  wherein one or more thermoplastic elastomers are also present in an amount of from 10 to 50% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.  
     
     
         20 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  19  wherein the one or more thermoplastic polyolefin polymers is/are selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, polybutylene, polyhexylene and polyoctylene.  
     
     
         21 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  20  wherein the one or more thermoplastic olefin-vinylester copolymers is/are selected from olefin-vinylacetate copolymers.  
     
     
         22 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  21  wherein the one or more thermoplastic olefin-vinylester copolymers is/are selected from ethylene-vinylester copolymers.  
     
     
         23 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  22  wherein the thermoplastic olefin-vinylester copolymer is ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer.  
     
     
         24 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  23  wherein the one or more inductive and/or capacitive materials is/are selected from metals and metallic oxides.  
     
     
         25 . The combination of  claim 19  wherein the one or more thermoplastic elastomers is/are selected from polyisoprene, polyisobutylene, polybutadiene, isoprene-isobutylene copolymer (such as crosslinked and normal butyl rubber), isoprene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer, styrene-isoprene copolymer, styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer and ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer.  
     
     
         26 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  25  wherein the one or more inductive and/or capacitive materials is/are selected from aluminium, aluminium alloys, copper, copper alloys, magnetic iron oxides and magnetic chromium oxides.  
     
     
         27 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  26  wherein the inductive and/or capacitive material is aluminium.  
     
     
         28 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  27  wherein the particle size of the one or more inductive and/or capacitive materials is less than 100 μm.  
     
     
         29 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  28  which additionally comprises one or more mineral oils.  
     
     
         30 . The combination of  claim 29  wherein the mineral oil is paraffin oil.  
     
     
         31 . The combination of any of  claims 15  to  30  which additionally comprises one or more additives selected from pigments, antioxidants, fillers, stabilisers, plasticisers and lubricants.  
     
     
         32 . The combination of any preceding claim wherein the closure is of multi-part construction comprising a spout portion permanently adhered to the container and a cap portion for releasable engagement with the spout portion.  
     
     
         33 . The combination of  claim 32  wherein the closure is provided with tamper-evidencing means.  
     
     
         34 . The combination of  claim 33  wherein said tamper-evidencing means comprises a tear band on said cap portion which is adapted to be broken away before the cap portion can first be removed from the spout portion.  
     
     
         35 . The combination of any of  claims 1  to  31  wherein the closure is of one-piece construction and comprises a spout portion permanently adhered to the container and a cap portion, the cap portion being initially joined to the spout portion but separable therefrom such that, in use, the cap portion is adapted to releasably engage the spout portion.  
     
     
         36 . The combination of  claim 35  wherein the cap portion is initially joined to the spout portion by a tear band such that once the tear band is removed the cap portion becomes separated from the spout portion.  
     
     
         37 . The combination of any of  claims 32  to  36  wherein the cap portion is adapted to releasably engage the spout portion by means of a snap, push or friction fit.  
     
     
         38 . The combination of any of  claims 32  to  36  wherein the cap portion is adapted to releasably engage the spout portion by means of interengaging thread or interengaging thread and groove configurations.  
     
     
         39 . The combination of any of  claims 32  to  38  wherein the cap portion is provided with a plug adapted to be received within the spout portion and to sealingly engage against a rim thereof.  
     
     
         40 . The combination of any of  claims 32  to  39  wherein the spout portion is provided with a membrane which initially overlies the opening in the container and which is adapted to be at least partially removed to allow access to the contents of the container.  
     
     
         41 . The combination of  claim 40  wherein the spout portion is provided with a pull-ring connected to the membrane to facilitate the removal of at least a part thereof.  
     
     
         42 . The combination of  claim 40  or  claim 41  wherein the membrane is provided with a line of weakness along which the membrane is adapted to tear away.  
     
     
         43 . The combination of any of  claims 40  to  42  wherein at least a portion of the membrane is concave.  
     
     
         44 . A closure for use with a container having a profile and defining an opening, the closure having a profile and being adapted to overlie the opening so as to provide resealable access to the contents of the container via said opening, at least a part of the closure being adapted to be permanently adhered to the container by means of a sealing medium interposed between the container and said closure part, the profile of the closure being adapted to cooperate with the profile of the container to define a space for the containment of the sealing medium which does not communicate with said opening.  
     
     
         45 . A foil-less closure for use with a container, at least a part of the closure being adapted to be permanently adhered to the container by means of an inductive or capacitive heat activated sealing compound.  
     
     
         46 . A method of bonding a foil-less closure to a container comprising the steps of 
 interposing between a surface of said container and a surface of said foil-less closure, a sealing compound comprising a welding material intermixed with at least one of an inductive material and a capacitive material;    exposing the sealing compound to at least one of a time varying magnetic field and a time varying electric field such that the said at least one of an inductive material and a capacitive material is heated and causes the welding material to soften and adhere to both the container and the foil-less closure;    removing the container and foil-less closure from the said at least one of a time varying magnetic field and a time varying electric field; and    allowing the sealing compound to cool so as to leave a permanent bond between the foil-less closure and the container.    
     
     
         47 . A container in combination with a closure, the combination being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
     
     
         48 . A closure for a container, the closure being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
     
     
         49 . A method of bonding a foil-less closure to a container, the method being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.