Container Closure With Segmented Fusion Ring

Abstract

A container provides sealed storage for contents. The container includes a composite top member formed of a panel and a frame. The panel includes an opening for providing access to the contents of the package. The frame includes a closure member that is molded in an open position, and which can be moved to a closed position for closing the opening in the panel. The container is formed of a container body in the form of a tubular member formed to a desired shape. The container body is closed using the top member that closes a top opening of the container body, and a bottom member that closes a bottom opening of the container body.

1 - 67 . (canceled) 
     
     
         68 . A closure member for a container, comprising a sealing ring for joining the closure to a wall of the container, the sealing ring made of at least a polymeric material suitable for injection molding and a filler material responsive to one of electromagnetic, ultraviolet, or radio frequency excitation. 
     
     
         69 . The closure member of  claim 68  herein the sealing member also includes an oxygen scavenger. 
     
     
         70 . The closure member of  claim 68  wherein the sealing ring further comprises:
 an inner periphery; 
 an outer periphery; 
 a pair of opposed surfaces extending generally parallel to each other between the inner and outer periphery; and 
 at least one passage in communication with the inner and outer periphery. 
 
     
     
         71 . The closure member of  claim 70  wherein the sealing ring is formed from a plurality of ring segments and the at least one passage is formed by at least one gap between two of the ring segments. 
     
     
         72 . The closure member of  claim 70  wherein the filler material is a powder selected from one of stainless steel, tin oxide, iron, carbon black, and carbonaceous materials. 
     
     
         73 . The closure member of  claim 70  further comprising a frame member having a channel configured to receive the sealing ring. 
     
     
         74 . The closure member of  claim 73  wherein the channel of the frame member includes an inner leg generally adjacent to the inner periphery of the sealing ring and an outer leg generally adjacent to the outer periphery of the sealing ring, and wherein the frame member includes at least one connecting portion extending through one of the passages in the sealing ring and connecting the inner leg and the outer leg. 
     
     
         75 . The closure member of  claim 73  wherein the frame member is made of a polymeric material suitable for injection molding. 
     
     
         76 . The closure member of  claim 75  wherein the frame member also includes one of fumed silica, glass micro-spheres, mica, tale, or nano particles of clay or barrier polymers. 
     
     
         77 . The closure member of  claim 75  wherein the polymeric material of the sealing ring and the polymeric material of the frame member include the same carrier plastic. 
     
     
         78 . An end member for at least partly enclosing an opening of a container body, comprising:
 a sealing member having an inner periphery, an outer periphery, a pair of opposed surfaces extending generally parallel to each other between the inner and outer periphery, and at least one passage in communication with the inner and outer periphery; and   a frame member having a first wall inside the inner periphery of the sealing member, a second wall outside the outer periphery of the sealing member, and a connecting, portion joining the first wall and the second wall and extending at least in part through the passage of the sealing member.   
     
     
         79 . The end member of  claim 78  wherein the sealing member and the frame member are formed by a molding process wherein a first part, selected from the sealing member and the frame member, is formed in a first mold, including a first mold member and a second mold member, and a second part, which is the other of the sealing member and the frame member, is formed around the first part in a second mold, including the first mold member and a third mold member. 
     
     
         80 . The end member of  claim 79  wherein the sealing member includes a plurality of ring sections. 
     
     
         81 . The end member of  claim 79  wherein the sealing member is made at least in part of a polymeric material and a filler material responsive to one of electromagnetic, ultraviolet, or radio frequency excitation. 
     
     
         82 . The end member of  claim 81  wherein the filler metal is a powder selected from one of stainless steel, tin oxide, iron, carbon black, and carbonaceous materials. 
     
     
         83 . The end member of  claim 81  wherein the frame member is made at least in part of a polymeric material, wherein the polymeric material of the sealing member and the polymeric material of the frame member include the same carrier plastic. 
     
     
         84 . A method of forming a closure member for a container, comprising the steps of:
 forming a first cavity defined by a first mold;   injecting a fusible, polymeric material into the first cavity to form a fusion ring having an inner periphery, an outer periphery, and at least one passage in communication with the inner and outer periphery;   forming a second cavity defined by a second mold wherein the fusion ring is contained within the second cavity; and   injecting a thermoplastic, polymeric material into the second cavity wherein the thermoplastic, polymeric material flows through the at least one passage in the fusion ring.   
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 84  wherein the first mold includes a first mold section and a second mold section, and wherein the second mold includes the first mold section and a third mold section, and wherein the second cavity is defined at least in part by the fusion ring. 
     
     
         86 . A method of forming a closure member for a container, comprising the steps of:
 forming a first cavity defined by a first mold;   injecting a thermoplastic, polymeric material into the first cavity to form a frame having a channel defined by an inner leg, an outer leg, and at least one rib connecting the inner leg and the outer leg;   forming a second cavity defined by a second mold wherein the frame is contained within the second cavity; and   injecting a fusible, polymeric material into the second cavity wherein the fusible, polymeric material forms a ring in the channel of the frame.   
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 86  wherein a carrier plastic in the thermoplastic, polymeric material is the same as a carrier plastic in the fusible polymeric material and the ring formed in the step of injecting the fusible, polymeric material is fused to the frame.