Hinged Closure Including an Alignment Fin

Abstract

Hinged closures for containers are provided. The hinged closures allow for easy alignment in the correct position during reclosure. The closure can include a hinge, a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure, and at least one fin that is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip. Multiple fins can be included. The closure can also include a plurality of radial reinforcing ribs.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hinged closure for a container, comprising:
 a lid portion and a skirt portion, connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges,   a hinge connecting the lid portion and the skirt portion;
 wherein the lid portion comprises an outer seal and/or a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure; and 
   at least one fin that is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip;
 wherein the fin and the hinge are positioned on the same side of the closure; 
 wherein the fin has a height extending from the underside of the top wall of the closure to a top of an opening of the container; and 
 wherein the fin has a length extending from the sealing lip toward the center of the closure such that the length of the fin is sufficient to interact with the opening of the container during reclosure. 
   
     
     
         2 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one fin is aligned with the center of the hinge. 
     
     
         3 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , wherein the fin affixed to the sealing lip along the entire height of the fin. 
     
     
         4 . The hinged closure according to  claim 3 , wherein the container is configured to contain dry contents or high-viscosity liquids and withstand leaks when closed. 
     
     
         5 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the height of the fin is affixed to the sealing lip such that the affixed portion extends from the inner top surface of the closure to a point at which the lid portion contacts with a neck finish of the container. 
     
     
         6 . The hinged closure according to  claim 5 , wherein the container is configured to contain low-viscosity liquids, dry contents, or high-viscosity liquids and withstand leaks when closed. 
     
     
         7 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , wherein the closure comprises two or more fins, wherein a first fin is aligned with the hinge and a remainder of the two or more fins are equidistant from the first fin along an internal circumference of the sealing lip. 
     
     
         8 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , wherein the fin contacts an opening of the container such that the closure is aligned in a correct closed position during reclosure. 
     
     
         9 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , wherein the fin has a length of about 0.3 mm or greater. 
     
     
         10 . The hinged closure according to  claim 9 , wherein the fin has a thickness of about 0.25 mm to 5 mm. 
     
     
         11 . The hinged closure according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from a center point of the underside of the top wall of the closure. 
     
     
         12 . The hinged closure according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one fin is integrated into at least one of the plurality of reinforcing ribs. 
     
     
         13 . A hinged closure for a container, comprising:
 a lid portion and a skirt portion, connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges,   a hinge connecting the lid portion and the skirt portion;
 wherein the lid portion comprises an outer seal and/or a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure; and 
 a plurality of fins, wherein each of the plurality of fins is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip; 
   wherein a first fin of the plurality of fins is positioned on the same side of the closure as the hinge and the remaining fins are located equidistant from one another along a circumference of the closure; and
 wherein each of the plurality of fins has a height extending from the underside of the top wall of the closure to a top of an opening of the container; and 
 wherein each of the plurality of fins has a length extending from the sealing lip toward the center of the closure such that the length of each fin is sufficient to interact with the opening of the container during reclosure. 
   
     
     
         14 . The hinged closure according to  claim 13 , wherein the first fin is aligned with the center of the hinge. 
     
     
         15 . The hinged closure according to  claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from a center point of the underside of the top wall of the closure. 
     
     
         16 . The hinged closure according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one fin is integrated into at least one of the plurality of reinforcing ribs. 
     
     
         17 . The hinged closure according to  claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of fins is integrated into the plurality of reinforcing ribs, such that each reinforcing rib comprises one fin.