Captive closure

Claim 1

A THREE-PIECE CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER, SAID CLOSURE COMPRISING: (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID CAP SHELL HAVING A TOP WALL WITH AN APERTURE THEREIN AND A SIDEWALL WITH MEANS THEREON FOR FASTENING THE CLOSURE TO SAID CONTAINER; (B) A RESILIENT INSERT PLACED IN SAID CAP SHELL, SAID INSERT HAVING A LINER PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID CAP SHELL TOP WALL AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A HOLLOW SPOUT EXTENDING UPWARDLY, PROTRUDING THROUGH THE APERTURE IN THE CAP SHELL TOP WALL, SAID SPOUT HAVING MEANS INCORPORATED THEREON FOR INTERLOCKING WITH COMPLEMENTARY MEANS ON SAID CAP SHELL TO THEREBY SECURE SAID LINEAR TO SAID CAP SHELL, SAID SPOUT HAVING A DISCHARGE PORT AT ITS DISTAL END AND AN AXIALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDING PLUG ATTACHED THERETO; (C) AN OVERCAP TELESCOPED OVER AND ENCLOSING SAID SPOUT IN RELATIVELY AXIALLY SLIDEABLE ENGAGEMENT, THE OVERCAP HAVING A TOP WALL AND A DISPENSING POSITION AND BEING MOVABLE OUTWARDLY TO A DISPENSING POSITION AND INWARDLY TO A SEALED CONDITION, A CENTRALLY LOCATED APERTURE IN THE TOP WALL OF SAID OVERCAP ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID PLUG AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE DIMENSION SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID PLUG WHEREBY SAID PLUG ENTERS AND TIGHTLY SEALS SAID APERTURE IN ANY POSITION WITHIN A FINITE CONTINUOUS RANGE OF SPOUT SEALING POSITIONS; (D) SAID OVERCAP AND SPOUT BEING DIMENSIONED SO THAT AT ANY POINT IN THE DISPENSING POSITION THE DISTANCE FROM THE TOP OF THE PLUG TO THE APERTURE IN THE OVERCAP IS LESS THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE LOWERMOST SURFACE OF THE OVERCAP ABOVE THE CAP SHELL TOP WALL, WHICH IN TURN IS LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ANY OTHER PORTIONS OF THE TELESCOPED OVERCAP AND SPOUT WHICH WOULD COOPERATE TO PREVENT DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE CAP RELATIVE TO THE SPOUT, WHEREBY SAID OVERCAP AT SOME POINT WITHIN THE SAID RANGE HAS THE LOWERMOST SURFACE THEREOF IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE CAP SHELL TOP WALL AND AT SAID POINT NO SUBSTANTIAL AXIAL INTERFERENCE IS PRESENT BETWEEN SAID OVERCAP AND SAID SPOUT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCES APPLIED TO SAID OVERCAP ARE TRANSMITTED IN SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR ENTIRELY DIRECTLY TO SAID CAP SHELL.