GB2279940A

GB2279940A - Bottle cap with plug and safety ring

Info

Publication number: GB2279940A
Application number: GB9314461A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shian-Tyng Shy
Original assignee: SHY SHIAN TYNG
Current assignee: SHY SHIAN TYNG
Priority date: 1993-07-13
Filing date: 1993-07-13
Publication date: 1995-01-18
Also published as: GB9314461D0

Abstract

A plastics bottle cap for a plastics bottle 4 comprises a cap body 2 having a security ring 3 joined thereto at the bottom periphery by a plurality of breakable contact points (21, Fig 4), an internal thread 22, a rounded annular channel 23 inside said cap body and adjacent to the top of said internal thread 22, and a cylindrical flange or plug 22 extending downwardly from the inner side of said round surface and parallel with said body. In use, rounded channel 23 tightly abuts the top of bottle 4 and plug 22 is tight against the inner wall of the bottle neck thus tightly sealing the bottle. The cap may have an outwardly inclined portion 31 between contact points (21, Fig 4) and ring 3 which aids release for to mould after injection moulding. Portion (25, Fig 4) may join the ring 3 to body 2 after the contact points (21, fig 4) are broken. <IMAGE>

Description

TIGETLY-SEAUNG BO1LE CAP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bottle cap, and more particularly to a bottle cap which can tightly seal a bottle to prevent leakage.

A PET bottle cap in accordance with the prior art is illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprising an aluminum cap (A) having an internal thread therein for screwing onto an external thread (B1) of a conventional bottle (B). A safety ring (Al) is joined to the cap (A) by a plurality of connecting portions contact points (A2) peripherally disposed at equal intervals. Upon screwing the cap (A) onto the bottle (B), safety ring (Al) is retained at the lower end of the external thread (B1) of the bottle (B) to prevent the cap (A) from loosening and further, one can check whether the contact points (A2) between cap (A) and safety ring (Al) are broken to determine whether the bottle has been tampered with or not. However, it is not enough to prevent leakage of the gas or liquid from the bottle only by screwing the internal thread of the cap (A) onto the bottle (B).If the cap (A) is not firmly screwed into position and remains slightly loose, gas from carbonated beverage is likely to leak from the bottle even though the cap has not been actually removed, thus causing beverage in the bottle to lose the flavour or deteriorate. Even worse, if the bottle overturns, the liquid therein is likely to leak, thereby running to waste and causing contamination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been devised having regard to the aforesaid disadvantages. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a tightly-sealable plastics bottle cap.

According to the present invention a bottle cap for tightly-sealing on a plastics material bottle comprising a cap body having a safety or security ring joined thereto at the bottom periphery by a plurality of contact points or breakable connecting portions, characterized in that said cap body is provided with an internal thread therein for screwing onto an external thread of a bottle; a round edge or rounded annular channel (23) being provided inside said cap body, and adjacent to the top of said internal thread, and a cylindrical flange (24) being provided extending downwardly from the inner side of said round surface and parallel with said cap body such that, in use, leakage from a bottle to which the cap is tightly secured is prevented.

Preferably there is provided in which a portion between the lower part of said connecting portions and the top of said safety ring is inclined downwardly and outwardly.

Also, in which, apart from a retaining portion, said safety ring is mainly joined to said cap body by a plurality of said connecting portions.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cap to be tightly-sealed on a plastic bottle, wherein a portion between the lower part of contact points and the top of safety ring is made inclined to help the cap body easily release from the mold following the injection moulding operation. Further, when the cap body is screwed onto the bottle, such inclined portion can be effectively retained at the lower end of the external thread of the bottle to prevent it from loosening. Upon opening the cap body by turning, the fastening portion can function to keep safety ring and cap body together after the contact points or connecting portions have been broken apart.As a result, safety ring can be removed together with the cap body and will not be left behind at the lower end of the external thread of the bottle, thus facilitating the recycling and recovery operations in regard to PET bottles or those made by other materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bottle cap according to the prior art; Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a bottle cap according to the present invention located above a bottle; Fig. 3 is a partial sectional assembly view and enlarged fragmentary detail of a bottle cap according to the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a tightly-sealed plastic bottle cap in accordance with the present invention generally comprises a cap body 2 having a safety ring 3 joined thereto at the bottom periphery by a plurality of breakable connecting portions or contact points 21.

The cap body 2 is provided with an internal thread 22 therein for screwing onto an external thread 41 of a bottle 4. A rounded annular channel or round edge 23 is disposed adjacent to the top of internal thread 22 inside the cap body 2, and a circular ring cylindrical collar or skirt 24 extends from the inner side of the edge 23 downward parallel to the side wall of the cap body 2. An inclined portion 31 is provided between the lower part of contact points 21 and the top of safety ring 3 and extends inclinedly downward and outward. Apart from a fastening or interconnecting portion 25, the safety ring 3 is mostly joined to the cap body 2 by the plurality of contact points 21.The cap is such that when the cap body 2 is screwed onto the bottle 4, the round edge 23 abuts tightly against the top of the bottle 4, and the cylindrical ring or collar 24 is inserted into the bottle mouth 24 to be tightly against the inner wall thereof, thus preventing the carbonated or aerated liquid in the bottle from leaking irrespective as to whether or not the bottle is overturned.

Referring to Fig. 4, the inclined portion 31 between the lower part of contact points 21 and the top of safety ring 3 can help cap body 2 release from the mold upon completion of injection moulding operation.

Further, when the cap body 2 is screwed onto the bottle 4, such inclined portion 31 can be effectively retained at the lower end of the external thread 42 of the bottle 4 to prevent the cap body 2 from loosening. Upon opening the cap body 2 by turning such, the fastening portion 25 can function to keep safety ring 3 and the cap body 2 together after the contact points or connecting portions have been broken apart. As a result, safety ring 3 can be removed together with the cap body 2 and will not be left behind at the lower end of the external thread 41 of the bottle 4, so as to facilitate the recycling and recovery operations in regard to PET bottles or those made by other materials.

Claims

1. A bottle cap for tightly-sealing on a plastics material bottle comprising a cap body having a safety or security ring joined thereto at the bottom periphery by a plurality of contact points or breakable connecting portions, characterized in that said cap body is provided with an internal thread therein for screwing onto an external thread of a bottle; a round edge or rounded annular channel (23) being provided inside said cap body and adjacent to the top of said internal thread, and a cylindrical flange (24) being provided extending downwardly from the inner side of said round surface and parallel with said cap body such that, in use, leakage from a bottle to which the cap is tightly secured is prevented.

2. A bottle cap as claimed in claim 1, in which a portion between the lower part of said connecting portions and the top of said safety ring is inclined downwardly and outwardly.

3. A bottle cap as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which, apart from a retaining portion, said safety ring is mainly joined to said cap body by a plurality of said connecting portions.

4. A bottle cap as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, in which a portion between the lower part of the connecting portions and the top of the safety ring is inclined to facilitate release from the mold in moulding.

5. A bottle cap as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, in which an interconnecting portion (25) is provided between the cap body and the security ring such that.in normal use, when the breakable connecting portions are broken, the cap body and ring remain interconnected by such interconnecting portion.

6. A bottle cap for tightly-sealing on a plastics material bottle comprising a cap body having a safety or security ring joined thereto at the bottom periphery by a plurality of contact points or breakable connecting portions, characterized in that an interconnecting portion (25) is provided between the cap body and the security ring such that in normal use, when the breakable connecting portions are broken, the cap body and ring remain interconnected by such interconnecting portion.

7. A bottle cap substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A bottle with sealed cap substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.