US3143235A - Container closure - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1964 s. LOWEN 3,143,235

CONTAINER CLOSURE Original Filed Oct. 30, 1958 l Y 46 Z/ 41 37 37 INVENTOR. SMIVLEV LOWE/V r om/E/ United States Patent 3,143,235 CONTAINER CLOSURE Stanley Lowen, 37 Huntington Drive, Yonkers, N.Y. Original application Oct. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 770,680, new Patent No. 3,053,407, dated Sept. 11, 1962. Divided and this application June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,181

1 Claim. (Cl. 215-40) This invention relates to container closures and more particularly to a sealing element generally interposed between a container and the cap therefor.

This application is a division of copending application Serial Number 770,680, filed on the 30th day of October 1958, and now Patent No. 3,053,407, granted September 11, 1962.

Innumerable liquid commodities are today packaged in bottles of glass, organic plastic, or other materials. The liquid commodity, after manufacture, is loaded into the container, a closure then being applied to the container to prevent escape of the liquid during transportation and storage. An ever popular closure means is a threaded cap which engages threads on the container itself. A major virtue of such closure, is that it is readily removable when the container reaches the ultimate consumer who wishes to dispense the contents.

The desired characteristics for a closure are fairly obvious. It should effectively seal the contents of the container therein so that during the transportation of the container, the contents are held securely therein despite vibration, agitation, and shaking of the container. Since all liquids are more or less volatile, during storage as well as during transportation, no escape through evaporation of the liquid should occur. Furthermore, it is desirable that the closure not present too great difficulties to the user who wishes to remove it from the container in order to get at the contents.

Liners have heretofore been provided for use inside sealing caps. One widely used is a pulp and vinyl liner, commonly known in the trade as a pv liner. This liner is a flat disc in configuration, generally produced by a simple stamping operation from a sheet of the material. The liner is simply deployed against the top of a container cap and held there by an adhesive. Upon engagement of the container and the cap, the liner will contact the top edge of the container to effect a seal. But use of the pv liner presents distinct disadvantages. A major disadvantage is that in order to achieve an effective seal, especially as may be necessary where the liquid is quite volatile, considerable force in screwing the cap down onto the container may be employed. The resulting condition is known as a hard lock, and the significance of this is that the user may find it quite diflicult to remove the cap. Moreover, in stamping such liners, frequently an incomplete disc or partial liner results, as where the end of a sheet of material is reached. Automatic machinery is generally employed in disposing liners within caps, and therefore it is an expectable consequence that a partial liner may be used within a cap. Obviously, an inadequate seal will result. Furthermore, a partial liner, or shavings from the stamping operation, can drop into the container and adversely affect its contents.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel sealing element for use in sealing containers which element fulfills the conditions above enumerated as desirable in such application. That is, such element will be unusually effective in its sealing action, and yet not require a hard lock to achieve such effectiveness.

Another object herein is to provide means for retaining a sealing element within a cap which does not require application of an adhesive. From such provision distinct advantages flow. If such retention can be achieved without the use of an adhesive, there is no danger that the packaged liquid will dissolve the adhesive to cause loss of the liner. Nor can an adhesive contaminate the contents of the container. Dispensing with the need for an adhesive also solves the problem which may be presented where no adhesive is available for the particular materials from which the cap and liner are formed. In achieving this object in the manner here provided, in addition, a ready means is presented to assure the presence of a sealing element within each cap.

How these and many other objects are to be implemented will become clear through a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows in section, a container cap having a novel sealing element conforming to the present invention therein, the cap and element being situated above the opening of a container as would be the case preparatory to sealing the bottle;

FIG. 2 shows in section a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows in section a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 shows in section a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a cap 36 having threading 37, an intermediate element generally designated 38 being associated with cap 36 and disposed in part therein. EX- tending upwardly through aperture 41 in the cap 36 is a threaded portion 42 in which occurs a hole 43 of restricted size by reference to the opening of the container with which the present embodiment is to be employed. An auxiliary cap 44 having threads 45 provides closure means for the restricted hole 43. The intermediate element 38 has a resilient sealing portion disposed within the cap 36. Such sealing portion has a downwardly inclined lip 46 and a downwardly conical wall 47, which lip 46 and downwardly conical wall 47 provide for double action scaling in the manner heretofore described in connection with the first embodiment illustrated. It will be understood that the present second embodiment is for use as a unit to convert a relatively wide mouthed container for restricted dispensation of the contents of the container as by sprinkling.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the second embodiment, there appears a cap 50 having threads 51 therein. Again there is present an intermediate element, generally designated 52. Such intermediate element 52 has a grip portion 53 extending upwardly through an aperture 54 in the cap 50. Retention of the intermediate element 52 within the cap 50 may conveniently be provided by utilizing a friction fit between grip portion 53 and aperture 54. Extending downwardly in the intermediate element 52 is an applicator portion 55, which obviously will enter the liquid contents of the container with which the cap 50 is engaged, for dispensation of'the contents thereof. The intermediate element 52 has, extending radially from the grip and applicator portions, a resilient sealing portion within the cap. Such sealing portion has a lip 56 and a downwardly conical wall 57 which will serve to seal the container with which the cap 50 is engaged in the manner heretofore described in connection with the first embodiment illustrated above.

A third embodiment appears in FIG. 3, such third embodiment employing cap 60 having threads 61 therein, for engagement with a container. There is an interiorly depending wall 62 within cap 60, such wall 62 in the embodiment shown being integrally formed with the cap 60. Disposed within the cap is an intermediate element generally designated 63. Such intermediate element 63 has a wall portion 64 surrounding the interiorly depending wall 62, and in frictional engagement therewith. In addition, the intermediate element 63 has a lip 65 and downwardly conical wall 66 for sealing a container when cap 60 is engaged therewith, in the manner heretofore described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The interengagement of interiorly depending wall 62 and wall portion 64 of intermediate element 63 can be resorted to as an alternative means for retaining a sealing element within a cap. However, further utility for this embodiment is possible by mounting a brush or other applicator within the hollow defined by interiorly depending wall 62, which brush or applicator would extend downwardly into the container when the cap 60 is engaged therewith. A force fit or other convenient expedient could be employed to hold such brush or applicator within wall 62.

Unlike the foregoing embodiments, that shown in FIG. 4 is for use in connection with a container of specialized form. The container 70 has a neck portion 71 with threads 77, At the top of neck 71 is a top surface 72 and inclining downwardly from top surface 72 is sloping surface 73, the net eifect of the presence of such sloping surface 73 being to provide a restricted opening 74 into the container 70. For sealing such container, a cap '75 is provided having threads 76 for interengagement with threads 77 on neck 71 of the container. Disposed substantially entirely within cap is an intermediate element 78 which has a plug portion 79 adapted toenter and obstruct opening74 into the container, when the cap is engaged with the container. The intermediate element 78 in addition has a retainer portion 80 extending upwardly through aperture 81 in the cap 75, such retainer portion 80 having an overhang 82 of greater diameter than that of aperture 81, whereby once the overhang 82 is forced through aperture 81 the intermediate element 78 is secured within cap 75. Finally, the intermediate element 78 has a lip 83 and a downwardly conical wall 84, together comprising a resilient sealing portion in such intermediate element. It will be observed in FIG. 4 that the angle of slope of sloping surface 73 is steeper than is true for downwardly conical wall 84. Therefore, when cap 75 is screwed down upon neck 71 of the container, internal circular edge 85 at the juncture between top surface 72 and sloping surface 73 in the container will strike on under surface 86 of downwardly conical wall 84, while lip 83 moves into engagement with the top surface 72 of the container 70, to provide double action sealing means in all respects as effective as that provided for the foregoing embodiments.

I claim:

In the combination of a container having an opening therein and an annular flat sealing surface surrounding said opening, said opening having an inwardly inclined, downwardly disposed wall defining a restricted opening in said container; a closure member engageable with said container for covering said opening, said closure member having an aperture therethrough, a plug portion for entry into said restricted opening to obstruct the same; a retainer portion extending from the top of said plug portion through the aperture of said closure member and frictionally engaged therewith; a sealing element laterally extending medially from said plug portion; said sealing element comprising an upwardly inclined wall making sealing contactwith the inwardly inclined surface of said container, said upwardly inclined wall terminating adjacent the underside of said closure member at a point above the inner edge of the container surface, an initially downwardly inclined sealing lip extending from said inclined wall and containing said flat annular sealing surface, said line of juncture of said lip and said inclined wall forming a fulcrum point whereby theclosure member pressing against said fulcrum point will flatten said lip into engagement with the container sealing surface and form a seal at said inner edge, the inner edge of said annular sealing surface contacting the upper portion of said inclined wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,152,546 Phillips Sept. 5, 1915 1,760,841 Garhart May 7, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,920 Belgium Aug. 13, 1 955

Images