Package and closure for package

Abstract

A package includes a container and a closure. The container includes a container brim, a container floor spaced apart from the container brim, and a container sidewall extending between and interconnecting the container brim and the container floor. The closure is configured to couple to the container brim to close selectively an open mouth of the container defined by the container brim.

1 . A package comprising:
 a container including a container brim, a container floor spaced apart from the container brim, and a container sidewall extending between and interconnecting the container brim and the container floor to define a container interior radially inward from the container brim and the container sidewall and above the container floor, the container brim spaced radially from and surrounding a central axis of the container and coupled to an upper end of the container sidewall to extend radially outward away from the central axis, and   a closure configured to couple to the container brim to close selectively an open mouth of the container defined by the container brim, the closure including a closure top wall, a closure sidewall coupled to the closure top wall and extending downwardly from the closure top wall to engage the container to mount the closure to the container, and a container-sealing flange coupled to an upper end of the closure sidewall and configured to mount with the container brim of the container and close the open mouth,   wherein the container-sealing flange includes a support layer coupled to the closure sidewall and a seal ring bonded to a lower surface of the support layer and configured to establish: (i) a sealed, unopened state of the package in which the seal layer is sealed with an upper surface of the container brim to block effluents from entering the container interior, (ii) a first-use opened state in which the closure is separated from the container and the seal layer remains attached to the support layer, and (iii) an unsealed, closed state in which the closure is reinstalled on the container and the seal layer remains attached to the support layer so that the closure and the seal layer are not discarded separately from one another and can be recycled with one another.   
     
     
         2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the closure sidewall is coupled to a radially outer edge of the closure top wall and a radially inner edge of the container sealing flange. 
     
     
         3 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein the closure sidewall includes an inner sidewall coupled to the radially outer edge of the closure top wall, an outer sidewall coupled to the support layer and spaced radially outward from the inner sidewall, and a sidewall link interconnecting a lower end of the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall. 
     
     
         4 . The package of  claim 3 , wherein the inner sidewall is formed to include a first set of reinforcement ribs spaced circumferentially apart from one another around the closure sidewall. 
     
     
         5 . The package of  claim 4 , wherein the outer sidewall is formed to include a second set of reinforcement ribs spaced circumferentially apart from one another around the closure sidewall. 
     
     
         6 . The package of  claim 5 , wherein each reinforcement rib included in the first set of reinforcement ribs has a first circumferential length and each reinforcement rib included in the second set of reinforcement ribs has a second circumferential length greater than the first circumferential length. 
     
     
         7 . The package of  claim 5 , wherein the first and second sets of reinforcement ribs provide a stack shoulder for a second closure and an upper end of each reinforcement rib is spaced apart from the container-sealing flange by a distance sufficient to maintain spacing between the closure and a seal ring included in the second closure. 
     
     
         8 . The package of  claim 4 , wherein the container sidewall is formed to include a first annular retainer ring and the outer sidewall is formed to include a second annular retainer ring configured to engage the second annular retainer ring when the closure is installed on the container to block removal of the closure from the container, and the second annular retainer ring is located vertically between the second set of reinforcement ribs and the container-sealing flange. 
     
     
         9 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the seal ring provides a heat seal configured to bond to the container brim in the sealed, unopened state to block passage of effluents into the container interior in the sealed, unopened state of the container, and the package lacks an separate foil or film layer between the closure and the container. 
     
     
         10 . A closure configured to couple to a container to close selectively an open mouth of the container, the closure comprising:
 a closure top wall,   a closure sidewall coupled the closure top wall and extending downwardly from the closure top wall to engage the container to mount the closure to the container, and   a container-sealing flange coupled to an upper end of the closure sidewall and extending radially outward away from the closure top wall to mount with the container brim of the container and close the open mouth,   wherein the container-sealing flange includes a support layer coupled to the closure sidewall and a seal ring coupled to a lower surface of the support layer to engage with an upper surface of the container brim and provide a sealing layer therebetween.   
     
     
         11 . The closure of  claim 10 , wherein the closure sidewall is coupled to a radially outer edge of the closure top wall and a radially inner edge of the container sealing flange, and the closure sidewall includes an inner sidewall coupled to the radially outer edge of the closure top wall, an outer sidewall coupled to the support layer and spaced radially outward from the inner sidewall, and a sidewall link interconnecting a lower end of the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall. 
     
     
         12 . The closure of  claim 11 , wherein the inner sidewall is formed to include a first set of reinforcement ribs spaced circumferentially apart from one another around the closure sidewall, and the outer sidewall is formed to include a second set of reinforcement ribs spaced circumferentially apart from one another around the closure sidewall. 
     
     
         13 . The closure of  claim 12 , wherein each reinforcement rib included in the first set of reinforcement ribs has a first circumferential length and each reinforcement rib included in the second set of reinforcement ribs has a second circumferential length greater than the first circumferential length. 
     
     
         14 . The closure of  claim 11 , wherein the container sidewall is formed to include a first annular retainer ring and the outer sidewall is formed to include a second annular retainer ring configured to engage the second annular retainer ring when the closure is installed on the container to block removal of the closure from the container. 
     
     
         15 . The closure of  claim 10 , wherein the container-sealing flange extends between and interconnects the closure top wall and an upper end of the closure sidewall, and wherein the closure sidewall includes a plurality of ribs located below a distal end of the container brim when the closure is installed to interlock with the container brim and provide a secondary retainer unit after the closure is peeled from the container for the first time. 
     
     
         16 . The closure of  claim 10 , wherein the seal ring is heated to bond to a container brim in a sealed, unopened state to block passage of effluents into a container interior in the unopened state of the container. 
     
     
         17 . A method of forming and installing a closure on a container to close selectively an open mouth of the container, the method comprising
 extruding a first polymer material having a first melt strength, extruding a second polymer material having a second melt strength less than the first melt strength,   combining the first polymeric material with the second polymeric material to provide a multi-layer sheet,   thermoforming the multi-layer sheet to provide the closure, the first polymer material forms a closure top wall, a closure sidewall coupled to a radially outer edge of the closure top wall and extending downwardly from the closure top wall to engage the container to mount the closure to the container, and a support layer coupled to an upper end of the closure sidewall and extending radially away from the closure sidewall, and the second polymer material forms a seal layer coupled to a lower surface of the support layer,   mounting the closure on the container such that the seal layer engages with an upper surface of a container brim included in the container, and   heating the seal layer to cause the seal layer to bond with the container brim and provide a seal ring therebetween.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first and second polymeric materials are co-extruded together and contact one another in a molten or partially-molten state. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first and second polymeric materials are extruded separately from one another and are laminated together before or during the step of thermoforming. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein heating the seal layer includes ultrasonically welding the seal layer to the container brim.