Push-pull cap and neck assembly

Claim 2

In combination, a cap and neck for dispensing material from a container, said neck being elongated and hollow and including a dispensing orifice for dispensing material from the hollow interior of the neck, said neck having an upper portion, an intermediate portion and a base portion, said intermediate portion having a thickness which is less than the thickness of both the upper portion and the base portion, the inner surface of the lower portion of the neck including an inner engaging means for securing the cap and neck assembly to a container neck, the outer surface of the upper portion of the neck including an upper engaging means and the outer surface of the base portion of the neck including a lower engaging means, said cap including an outer wall which surrounds the outer surface of the neck and a plunger which is positioned in the hollow interior of the neck in sliding sealing cooperation therewith, said cap being movable with respect to the neck to open and closed positions with the plunger thereof opening and closing said orifice, the lower portion of the outer wall of the cap including an inwardly extending lip, said lip being releasably engaged by the upper engaging means in the cap open position and releasably engaged by the lower engaging means in the cap closed position, the outer wall of the cap being spaced from the intermediate portion of the neck in the closed position to define a closed chamber therebetween.

Claim 3

The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the hollow interior of the neck is comprised of a bore and counterbore, the engaging means on the interior surface of the hollow neck being provided on the counterbore to engage the exterior surface of a container neck.

Claim 4

The assembly defined in claim 2 wherein an outwardly extending resilient bead is provided on the outer surface of the plunger said bead being positioned in the neck in a manner such that the bead is within the neck in the open and closed position.

Claim 5

The assembly as defined in claim 2 and further including resilient means on the exterior surface of said plunger to provide a portion of the plunger with an enlarged diameter, said resilient means being positioned on the portion of the plunger within the neck to maintain sealing engagement with the interior of the neck.

Claim 6

The assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the plunger further includes at least one downwardly depending outwardly extending resilient skirt on the outer surface thereof, said skirt being positioned and compressed within the neck to maintain sealing engagement with the interior of the neck.

Claim 7

The assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein thread means are provided on the top portion of said elongated neck and the top inner portion of said outer wall of said cap.

Claim 8

The assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the first thread of said thread means on said elongated neck is said upper engaging means on said elongated neck.

Claim 9

The assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein an upper portion of said elongated neck below the upper engaging means is outwardly curved and cooperates with the outer surface of the lip of said cap when engaged in the upper engaging means to provide a substantially continuous surface.

Claim 10

The assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein a lower portion of the neck above the lower engaging means is outwardly curved and cooperates with the inner surface of the cap lip when engaged in the lower recess to provide a substantially continuous surface.

Claim 11

The assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the neck includes a base portion, an intermediate portion and a top portion, the intermediate portion having a diameter which is less than the diameter of both the top portion and the base portion, the outer wall of the cap being spaced from the intermediate portion of the neck in the closed position to define a chamber therebetween.

Claim 12

The assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein the upper engaging means comprises a recess in the top portion of the neck.

Claim 13

The assembly as defined in claim 11 wherein the lower engaging means comprises a bead portion on the base portion of the neck.

Claim 14

The assembly as defined in claim 11 wherein the lower engaging means comprises a recess in the base portion of the neck.

Claim 15

In combination with a container having a container neck, a hollow elongated dispensing neck and cap therefor, said dispensing neck fitting over the container neck, the interior surface of the dispensing neck including a first engaging means engaging the exterior surFace of the container neck thereby placing the container neck and dispensing neck in fluid flow communication, said dispensing neck including a base portion, a top portion and an intermediate portion, said base and top portion having a greater diameter than the intermediate portion, the intermediate portion having outwardly flared surfaces at the top and bottom thereof terminating in the top and base portions, respectively, said neck including a dispensing orifice whereby material can be dispensed from the interior of the container; said base portion including second engaging means and said top portion including a third engaging means; said cap comprising a closed top and an open bottom, an outer wall terminating in an inwardly extending lip at the open bottom of the cap and a plunger extending downwardly from the closed top of the cap, said cap being placed on the container with the plunger of the cap extending into the interior of the dispensing neck in sliding sealing engagement therewith and the outer wall of the cap surrounding the exterior of said dispensing neck, said cap being movable along the dispensing neck to open and close the dispensing orifice, whereby in the open position, said plunger is in sliding sealing engagement with the interior of the dispensing neck above the dispensing orifice and the inwardly extending lip of the outer wall of the cap is engaged in the third engaging means, and in the closed position, the plunger of the cap is in sliding sealing engagement with the interior of the dispensing neck below the dispensing orifice, the inwardly extending lip of the outer wall of the cap is engaged in the second engaging means and the outer wall of the cap is spaced from the narrower intermediate portion of the neck defining a chamber therebetween.

Claim 16

In combination with a container having a container neck, a hollow elongated dispensing neck and cap therefor, said dispensing neck fitting over the container neck, the interior surface of the dispensing neck including a first engaging means engaging the exterior surFace of the container neck thereby placing the container neck and dispensing neck in fluid flow communication, said dispensing neck including a base portion, a top portion and an intermediate portion, said base and top portion having a greater diameter than the intermediate portion, the intermediate portion having outwardly flared surfaces at the top and bottom thereof terminating in the top and base portions, respectively, said neck including a dispensing orifice whereby material can be dispensed from the interior of the container; said base portion including second engaging means and said top portion including a third engaging means; said cap comprising a closed top and an open bottom, an outer wall terminating in an inwardly extending lip at the open bottom of the cap and a plunger extending downwardly from the closed top of the cap, said cap being placed on the container with the plunger of the cap extending into the interior of the dispensing neck in sliding sealing engagement therewith and the outer wall of the cap surrounding the exterior of said dispensing neck, said cap being movable along the dispensing neck to open and close the dispensing orifice, whereby in the open position, said plunger is in sliding sealing engagement with the interior of the dispensing neck above the dispensing orifice and the inwardly extending lip of the outer wall of the cap is engaged in the third engaging means, and in the closed position, the plunger of the cap is in sliding sealing engagement with the interior of the dispensing neck below the dispensing orifice, the inwardly extending lip of the outer wall of the cap is engaged in the second engaging means and the outer wall of the cap is spaced from the narrower intermediate portion of the neck defining a chamber therebetween.

Claim 17

The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein, in the open position, the outwardly flared surface at the top of the intermediate portion of the dispensing neck and the outer surface of the inwardly extending lip of the cap cooperate to define a substantially continuous curved surface.

Claim 18

The combination as defined in claim 14 and further including resilient means on the exterior surface of said plunger to provide a portion of the plunger with an enlarged diameter, said resilient means being positioned in the portion of the plunger within the dispensing neck to maintain sealing engagement with the interior of the dispensing neck.

Claim 19

The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the exterior of the plunger further includes a resilient skirt, one end of said skirt being spaced from the plunger, said skirt being positioned and compressed within the dispensing neck to maintain sealing engagement between the interior of the dispensing neck and said plunger.

Claim 20

The combination as defined in claim 17 wherein the exterior of the plunger further includes a resilient bead.

Claim 21

The combination as defined in claim 17 wherein the third engaging means is a recess.

Claim 22

The combination as defined in claim 17 wherein the second engaging means includes a bead portion and a recess positioned below the bead portion to provide two closed positions for the cap.

Claim 23

The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the top portion of the dispensing neck and the top inner portion of the cap include mating threads to provide threaded engagement between the cap and dispensing neck in the closed position.

Claim 24

The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the exterior surface of the container neck includes a circular bead portion, and the first engaging means is a circular recess, the circular bead portion being engaged in said circular recess.

Claim 25

The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein said dispensing orifice is an axially elongated orifice.