MXPA05012848A - Container lid and gasket combination without lid pretreatment or gasket adhesive - Google Patents

Abstract

A plastic lid for closing a container neck opening according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a lid body surrounded by an annular rim, the annular rim defining a gasket channel having an open portion at one end opening toward the container neck opening and including a closed base at an opposite end. The annular rim defines a pair of raised annular beads positioned adjacent the open portion of the channel for capturing a gasket received within the gasket channel. The corresponding gasket may be either a preformed gasket that is inserted into the channel or a foamed-in-place gasket that is formed in the gasket channel. No pretreatment of the lid is required for the installed gasket to be retained in the gasket channel.

Description

COMBINATION OF COVER AND PACKAGING FOR CONTAINER WITHOUT PRE-TREATMENT OF THE COVER OR ADHESIVE FOR THE PACKAGING DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the design of a container lid such as a can lid or nozzle and the manner of placing and retaining a sealing gasket in a channel of the lid. More specifically, the present invention relates to a structural configuration as part of the lid of the drum (or other container) that facilitates retention of the seal packaging without requiring any adhesive to retain the package and without requiring any pre-treatment process for the channel of the lid that receives the package. The present invention is applicable both to plastic caps and to steel (or other metal) caps. However, since the issues addressed by the present invention are more significant for plastic caps, that will be the main focus of this description. The application of the present invention to a steel or other metal cover is addressed later in the specification. When a sealing gasket is added to a drum lid, the two most widely used methodologies of the prior art are to (1) use a flexible, preformed gasket and paste it into a lid receiving area, such as a peripheral channel , annular adjacent the outer edge of the lid, and (2) foaming the package in situ by injecting a liquid foam into the channel or reception area. With the first methodology, the adhesive that must be used to glue the package in place typically does not adhere to the plastic material of the lid without some kind of pre-treatment of calorific treatment, such as subjecting the plastic to a flame or flash. a "crown" gun. With the foaming methodology in situ, there is the same problem. In order to adhere the foamed packing material and the resulting foamed packing to the lid channel or the intended packaging receiving area, the described heat treatment pre-treatment or a similar pre-treatment is necessary. The present invention is applicable to any container lid, such as an industrial container. For the description of the preferred embodiment, a drum lid is used. The problem that occurs as a result of this calorific treatment pre-treatment is that the packing sticks so well to the lid that the package can not be removed cleanly for subsequent reconditioning or recycling. This problem occurs whether the package that is installed in the lid is a preformed package or a foamed package in situ. A consequence of this problem is that only the central section of these drum covers can be recycled. If it is a matter of recycling the entire lid, noting that the portions or the residue of the packaging and / or the residue of the adhesive can not be removed cleanly, there will be contamination in relation to the rest of the material of the plastic lid. If the drum lid is to be reconditioned in contrast to the recycling of the drum lid material, it is difficult to cleanly remove all the packing and / or adhesive without damaging the plastic lid in such a way that the option is effectively destroyed or eliminated. reconditioning. As an improvement to the aforementioned practices of installing a seal packaging within a container lid, the present invention configures the lid with a unique retention collar that holds the package in place without the need to carry out any type of packaging. pre-treatment for the lid to hold the packing in position. The present invention works equally well with either a preformed flexible package or a foamed package in situ. The redesign of the lid is independent of the style of the packaging, the material or the manufacturing method. In the case of a steel (or other metal) lid, the preferred method for securely retaining the sealing gasket is to apply adhesive in the case of a preformed gasket. As a result, there are the same removal problems for any reconditioning or recycling. If the package is foamed on site, there may be a question of retention if the lid is not pretreated in some way to help the foam material adhere. When using the retaining collar (s) of the present invention, the concerns or doubts of the retention are addressed without any extra step or process. A lid for closing a container neck opening according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a lid body surrounded by an annular edge, the annular edge defining a packing channel having an open portion in an end opening in the direction to the container neck opening and including a closed base at an opposite end. The annular rim defines a packing retention means positioned adjacent the open portion to trap a package that is received within the packaging channel. The corresponding packaging can be either a preformed package that is inserted into the channel or a foamed package in situ that is formed in the packing channel. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved container lid and a packaging combination without pre-treatment of the lid or adhesive for packaging. The objects and advantages related to the present invention will be apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side, partial elevation view of a plastic lid and a packing combination according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGURE 1A is an enlarged, partial, full section view of an alternative retention collar geometry in accordance with the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a partial side elevation view showing an alternative embodiment for the combination of FIGURE 1, according to the present invention. FIGURE 3 is a partial, side elevational view showing another alternative embodiment for the combination of FIGURE 1, in accordance with the present invention. FIGURE 4 is a side elevation, partial view of a metal lid and a packing combination according to another embodiment of the present invention. For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the modalities illustrated in the drawings and a specific language will be used to describe them. However, it will be understood for that reason that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended, such alterations and further modifications to the illustrated device, and such additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein will be contemplated as normally it would happen to someone with experience in the technique with which the invention is related. With reference to FIGURE 1, a plastic drum lid 20 arranged in combination with a sealing gasket 21 which is made of an elastomeric material is partially illustrated. The annular cap 20 has an orientation in FIGURE 1 as it would be applied in the downward direction on an open end, annular container of a drum or the like. For example, a container of the type contemplated as part of the subject of the invention would have a neck portion and a neck opening (not shown) constructed and arranged to receive the can lid 20 wherein the sealing gasket 21 establishes a sealed interface between the channel 22 and the upper edge of the drum or container neck opening. The upper edge of the container neck opening is constructed and arranged to push upwardly into the channel 22 of the lid 20. The channel 22 of the lid 20 is defined by an outer peripheral edge 23. The annular rim 23 includes an annular external wall 24, an annular inner wall 25, and an annular upper wall 26 that define a closed base for the channel 22. In terms of an axial direction, the area of the channel 22 which is opposite and in fact below the upper wall 26 is the opening of the channel facing or facing the upper edge of the neck opening of the container (not shown). The three walls 24, 25, and 26 define the general position and shape of the channel 22. The seal gasket 21 is placed and retained in the channel 22 without the need for any bonding adhesive and without the need for any pre-treatment. treatment of plastic material that creates the surfaces of the channel 22. Although there are two modalities for the style of the packaging 21 (preformed and foamed in situ), the structure of the cover 20, including the channel 22, does not change with these two different styles of packaging. The approach of the present invention addresses the fact that the package 21 can be used and retained without requiring any pretreatment. Related to this aspect of the present invention is the addition of a retaining collar on an inner surface of the channel 22. In the illustration of FIGURE 1, an annular raised collar 30, which resembles a rounded rod that is projects radially outwards as part of the inner wall 25. A second raised annular collar 31, which resembles a rounded rod projecting radially inwardly, is unitarily molded as part of the outer wall 24. In terms of vertical or axial positioning, the collar 30 is generally aligned with the collar 31, as if they were generally coplanar. In FIGURE 1A, an alternative form of an annular collar 31a that is more square than round is described. It should be understood that any form of the collar is suitable for the present invention as long as it is constructed and arranged for the function of appropriately retaining the gasket 21 in the channel 22. Although the collars 30 and 31 have been described as "annular", it should be understood that one embodiment of the present invention configures either or both of the collars 30 and 31 in a partial or segmented manner. For example, instead of a full 360 degree extension for collars 30 and 31, one embodiment of the present invention contemplates creating each collar in four equally spaced sections with a free space or gap between the adjacent sections of the collar. For example, one contemplated possibility is to provide four collar sections for each collar with a circumferential extension of 60 degrees spaced apart by a space or interval of 30 degrees. Another option for the four collar sections would be to include each section with a 45 degree circumferential extension with a space or spacing between the adjacent 45 degree collars. These same alternatives apply to the alternative shape represented by the collar 31a. As can be understood, the radial width of the opening 32 of the channel 22 is slightly closed by or due to the raised heights of the collars 30 and 31, either as annular collars or segmented collars with the individual segments separated from each other. When the package 21 is constructed and arranged as a preformed package, it does not adhere adhesively (glue) to the inner surface (s) of the channel 22. As such, there is nothing to hold or hold the package 21 in its position in the channel 22 This occurs when collars 30 and 31 come into use. The reduction of the radial width of the channel 22 by the addition of the collars 30 and 31 prevents the package 21 from falling out of the channel 22. However, the package 21 can be conveniently and easily removed from the channel 22 by manually pulling the package, such as with a pair of pliers. This is due to the width of the channel 22 and the elastomeric material used for the packaging 21. Significantly, the package 21 can be removed cleanly without leaving any portion or piece of packaging or any residue of the packaging and leaving no residue of adhesive. This in turn allows the cap 20 to be reconditioned without damaging the cap to the point where it is effectively destroyed in terms of reconditioning. Alternatively, the absence of any pre-treatment and the use of collars 30 and 31 allows the cap 20 to be recycled without the risk that any piece or portions of the packaging or any residue of the packaging or any adhesive residue is left and contaminate the recycled plastic material of the lid 20. When the package 21 is constructed and disposed as a foamed package in situ, no pre-treatment is required for the surfaces of the channel 22 for this style of packaging to be trapped and retained in channel 22. The typical pre-treatment for plastics of this type and for this application is a heat treatment technique such as the use of a flame or a corona gun flash. However, nothing in terms of a surface treatment or any other pre-treatment is required with respect to channel 22 for that channel to accept and retain a foaming style in situ for packaging 21. Collars 30 and 31, whether of annular or segmented shape, provide a sufficient "closure" for the channel opening 32 to prevent the package 21 from coming out from within the channel 22. The preferred design for the present invention is described by the structure of FIGURE 1, including a pair of collars 30 and 31. However, in terms of closing a portion of the opening 32, so as to reduce the width of the opening to a sufficient degree to trap the package 21, the combined radial "height" of these Two collars can be inserted inside a single collar which would be annular or segmented. In FIGURE 2, this single-collar style 36 is illustrated as part of the lid 37. The collar 36 has a raised height (in a radial direction widthwise) that is substantially equal to the combined raised height of the collars 30 and 31 in FIGURE 1.

In addition, the single collar 36 is positioned as part of the inner wall 25a. Alternatively, a single collar 38 that is unitarily formed as part of the cover 39 can be placed as part of the external wall 24a, see FIGURE 3. Since the package 21 can be conveniently and easily installed or formed inside the channel 22 and then To retire without leaving any portion or pieces of the packing or residue of the packing, and without leaving any residue of adhesive, the entire lid can be recycled without contamination or reconditioned without damaging it. In terms of the steps of the method for manufacturing the combination of the lid 20 and the gasket 21, the lid 20 is injection molded in the manner illustrated, partially, in FIGURE 1, including collars 30 and 31. The following The step is either to install a preformed package into the channel 22 or to create a foamed package in situ within the channel 22, using a foamable packaging material. Regardless of the style of packaging created / installed, that stage is carried out without any pre-treatment for the lid. When the lid and the packing combination are recycled, the package is pulled out of the channel and the lid is recycled. No previous cleaning step is required to remove any packaging material, any packaging residue, or any adhesive residue. With reference to FIGURE 4, a metal (steel) cap 50 is partially illustrated with an elastomeric sealing gasket 51 installed within the packing channel 52. The packing channel 52 includes a collar 53 that extends radially inwardly and a collar 54 that extends radially outwardly. The collars 53 and 54 are constructed and arranged in relation to the channel 52 and the packing 51 in a manner virtually identical to the manner in which the collars 30 and 31 cooperate with the channel 22 and the seal gasket 21. Except for the fact that the lid 50 is made of steel, rather than plastic (ie lid 20), the structural combination of FIGURE 4 is virtually identical to the structural combination of FIGURE 1. By the use of the collars 53 and 54, no adhesive is required to retain the packing 51 in the channel 52. It is also contemplated that a single larger collar could replace the pair of collars 53 and 54. In addition it is contemplated that the shape of the collars 53 and 54 may be more rounded in its shape and less square. Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, they should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that it is desired to protect all the changes and modifications that fall within the spirit of the invention.

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMS 1. A plastic cover for closing a container collar opening, the plastic cover is characterized in that it comprises: a cover body surrounded by an annular edge, the annular edge defines a packing channel having an open portion in a end opening in the direction of the container neck opening and including a closed base at an opposite end, the annular edge further defines a packing retaining means positioned adjacent to the open portion to trap a package that is received within the channel of packaging; and a package that is foamed in situ in the packing channel between the closed base and the packing retention means.
2. 2. The plastic lid according to claim 1, characterized in that the packing channel is free of any surface pre-treatment to facilitate the securing of the package to the packing channel.
3. 3. The plastic lid according to claim 1, characterized in that the packing channel is free of any adhesive.
4. The plastic lid according to claim 1, characterized in that the packing retaining means includes at least one collar formed as part of the edge and extending through part of the open portion of the packing channel.
5. 5. The plastic cap according to claim 4, characterized in that the collar is an uninterrupted annular member.
6. 6. The plastic cap according to claim 4, characterized in that the collar is formed in a plurality of separate sections.
7. 7. A plastic lid for closing a container collar opening, the plastic lid is characterized in that it comprises: a lid body surrounded by an annular edge, the annular edge defines a packing channel having an open portion in an opening at the end of the container neck opening and including a closed base at an opposite end, the annular edge further defines a packing retaining means positioned adjacent to the open portion to trap a package that is received within the container channel. packaging; and a preformed package inserted into the packing channel between the closed base and the packing retention means.
8. The plastic lid according to claim 7, characterized in that the packing channel is free of any surface pre-treatment to facilitate the securing of the package to the packing channel.
9. 9. The plastic lid according to claim 7, characterized in that the packing channel is free of any adhesive.
10. The plastic lid according to claim 7, characterized in that the retention-packing means includes at least one collar formed as part of the rim and extending through part of the open portion of the packing channel.
11. 11. The plastic cap according to claim 10, characterized in that the collar is an uninterrupted annular member.
12. 12. The plastic cap according to claim 10, characterized in that the collar is formed in a plurality of separate sections.
13. 13. A cover for closing a container collar opening, the cover is characterized in that it comprises: a cover body surrounded by an annular edge, the annular edge defines a packing channel having an open portion in an end opening in the direction to the container neck opening and including a closed base at an opposite end, the annular edge further defines a packing retaining means positioned adjacent the open portion to trap a package that is received within the packaging channel; and a package that is foamed in situ in the packing channel between the closed base and the packing retention means.
14. 14. A method for manufacturing a plastic closure cap for a container, the plastic closure cap defines an annular rim that includes a packing channel, the method is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: injection molding a closure cap plastic with an annular edge that defines a packing channel and includes the packing retention means placed through part of the packaging channel; injecting a foamable packaging material into the packaging channel, where the packaging material is foamed, in situ; and carrying out the step of injecting free of any previous pre-treatment step for the packing channel, so that the foamed packaging in situ is removable from the packaging channel, intact.
15. 15. A method for recycling a plastic lid and a packing assembly that are used to close a neck opening of a container, the package being retained in a packing channel, the method is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: removing the plastic lid of the container; pull the packing out of the packing channel; recycle the lid material once the packaging has been removed; and carrying out the recycling step without the need to carry out any pre-cleaning step to remove the residual material from the packaging left in the packing channel after the pulling step.