GB2035275A - Composite container closures - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite closure assembly comprises a plastics closure 7 and a seal cap 1 of easily deformable metallic material overlying the closure and container neck 6 to seal the closure, the seal cap having a generally helical track 3 and a tab 2, the tab being pulled to split the seal cap along the track 3. The container has a mouth flange 4 and a neck flange 5 under which the seal cap is pressed to provide the seal. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A container having a plastics closure and a seal cap This invention relates to containers and particularly to a seal cap of the container, which can be opened without any tools other than with the hand. It might be considered as a practical and convenient device.

According to the present invention there is provided a container comprising an outlet portion having a neck and a mouth, a replaceable plastics closure for the mouth and a seal cap for the closure which is formed in deformable metallic material and which is punch pressed over at least part of the closure and around the neck of the container in substantially air-tight manner. The seal cap may be removed by tearing where it is desired to remove the plastics closure and preferably the seal cap completely overlies the closure. A track is conveniently punch pressed in the neck portion of the seal cap to extend generally helically from the pull tab to adjacent the mouth of the container, to facilitate tearing of the metallic seal cap. The track may extend at substantially 45" to the axis of the neck and only part-way around the neck.

Various embodiments of a container in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partly sectional elevational view of the neck and mouth of a bottle in accordance with the invention in which the seal cap completely overlies the closure; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the portion of the bottle shown in Figure 1, but with the seal cap only overlying part of the closure; Figure 2A is an enlarged cross-section of the pressed track shown in Figure 2; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing manual removal of the seal cap, and Figures 4 and 5show part and full elevations respectively of a can in accordance with the invention.

To date, the shape and the type of all non-screw threaded metallic bottle caps are more or less similar to one another, and the way of opening such bottle caps is still the conventional way, which has a common defect of necessarily furnishing an opener or other tool to carry it out; consequently, such conventional bottle caps bring us from time to time some minor troubles when opening them.

As is often experienced when it is desired to drink some soda water, cola, or other beverage, we have been troubled with looking for an opener; some people may use their teeth or a table edge to try to open a bottle cap, and have often been injured or damaged the furniture, particularly during picnics, camping, or some parties.

In view of the aforesaid facts, I have devised a kind of new bottle cap, by which the defects of the aforementioned conventional bottle cap have been overcome, and by which a bottle can be easily opened without using any opener; moreover, the said new bottle cap may save a lot of money which is usually spent on manufacturing the bottle opener.

The bottle cap of this invention is specially applicable to the bottles of soda water, cola, etc. as well as to specially adapted cans.

The detailed structure and functional theory of the said new bottle cap are explained with reference to the Figures.

Figure 1 shows a bottle having a plastics closure 7, for example of polyethylene, which has integrally formed therewith a flange 9 to facilitate the user removing the closure 7. The closure 7 may include a cork 8.

Another function of the closure 7 is that when a bottle of beverage has been opened but the beverage is not finished, the bottle may be reclosed with the closure in order to prevent the beverage left in the bottle from being contaminated, from deteriorating, from losing its original taste, and generally to keep the beverage in a clean and sanitary condition.

The unopened bottle has a seal cap 1 which is pressed under a bottle mouth flange 4 and a flange 5 around the bottle neck 6 with a punch press so as to seal the closure 7. The seal cap 1 preferably tapers downwardly and inwardly under the flanges, for example at 45".

The seal cap 1 is made of deformable metallic material, such as thin metal sheet or foil; the sealing procedure of the seal cap 1 is so simple that it can be done with a punch press; further, the seal cap 1 and closure 7 will not have the defect of the aforementioned metal bottle cap which is liable to damage or break the bottle mouth. This is another feature of this invention so far as the elimination of loss is concerned.

On the seal cap 1 a pressed track 3 is punched at an angle of approximately 45" to the axis of the bottle; the pressed track 3 can be broken by tearing a pull tab 2 which projects slightly below the lower edge of the seal cap. When the tab 2 is pulled to split the seal cap 1 the closure 7 will be revealed as shown in Figure 3. The cap seal 1 may completely overlie the closure 7 or may merely overlie the downwardly projecting annular iip of the closure.

On the pull tab 2, a zigzag formation is punched in order to increase the structure strength, and to concentrate the shearing stress along both lines of the pressed track 3 when pulling the tab 2. Since the shearing stress is concentrated along the pressed track 3, the seal cap can be torn by hand without using other openers; therefore, this invention has surely improved the bottle top as well as offering a considerable convenience in using the bottle top.

Moreover, this invention can also be used for other containers with its same structure theory, as mentioned above (as shown in Figure 4). We all know that cans for beverages all have an intrinsic defect of being opened at the top, and having a groove around the rim of a can, in which some dust and dirt are liable to be deposited and are difficult to remove; whenever the can is opened, the dust and dirt deposited in the said groove may drop or be washed into the can by the liquid from the can; this condition will badly affect the sanitary state of the beverage; in addition, the beverage liquid is liable to overflow out through the said groove and mouth lip of the drinker and to splash on the garment or body.

Another defect of the conventional can closure is that when the can is opened and the beverage inside is not finished, the beverage left cannot be kept in the container.

In view of the aforesaid defects, this invention has been so designed that it will completely cover the mouth contact portion of a container, without the portion being contaminated by the dust and rust as may the conventional metal cap.

The seal cap 1 of this invention is simple in manufacturing procedures, and without the disadvantage of breaking the bottle mouth during sealing operation as the conventional metal bottle cap may.

The outer surface of seal cap 1 of this invention is so smooth that it should not injure a person's body by scratching as the metal bottle cap may. If so desired, this new bottle cap may be used on the general beverage can, and may be used for replacing the "zip opener" on the existing beverage can (shown in Figures 4 and 5). In one word, this invention might be considered as a practical and economical device which possesses the advantages mentioned above.

Claims (9)

1. A container comprising an outlet portion having a neck and a mouth, a replaceable plastics closureforthe mouth and a seal cap forth closure which is formed in deformable metallic material and which is punch pressed over at least part of the closure and around the neck of the container in substantially air-tight manner.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which the seal cap completely overlies the closure.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which a pull tab extends from the portion of the seal cap around the container neck so as to facilitate manual tearing of the seal cap during opening of the container.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3 in which a track is punch pressed in the neck portion of the seal cap to extend generally helically from the pull tab to adjacent the mouth of the container, to facilitate tearing ofthe metallic seal cap.

5. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which an annular flange is formed around the mouth and around the neck of the container, and wherein the seal cap is pressed under the flanges.

6. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is formed in glass, plastics, metal ora metal alloy.

7. A container substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A container substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A container substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.