US1242741A - Sealing-cap. - Google Patents

Description

H. E. TOWNSEND.

SEALING CAP.

APPLICAHON FILED ocr. I0. 1915 Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

r mvmroe I? 2 M AZTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WY E. TOWNSEND, OI BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 ANCHOR GAP & CLOSURE CORPORATION, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEALING-CAI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Knew E. Townsnun, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, State of New York, have 'invented certain new and useful Improvements in SealingCaps, of which the following is a ecification.

This invention relates to packages and more particularly to a package comprising a glass container to which a suitable metallic cap may be hermetically sealed.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved side sealing device to efi'ect a union between the closure and the container; another object is to utilize atmospheric pressure to retain or to seal the cap in position when the ackage is sealed in a vacuum; and a still urther object is to secure a combined mechanical and ressure seal.

Other and further objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be pointed out hereinafter by reference to the accompanyingdrawin wherein like parts are represented by ike characters throughout the several v1ews thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevatlon, partly in section, of my improved package Fig. 2 is a sectional detail showing t e position of the closure before sealing. Fig. 3 is a similar detail showing the position of the parts after seal- Tn the packing of products, especially food products in lass and under a vacuum, various metho s of sealing the closure to the glass container have been used. One method eretofore in use, known as the top seal employs a metallic closure having a sealing a ct of suitable material located between e closure and the top of the container wall, whereby when the cap is placed in position and the air is exhausted from the container, atmospheric ressure will tend to rose the cap downwar upon the container, ereby compressing the gasket and maintaining a more or less efi'ective seal so long as there is a substantial difference of pressure inside and outside of the package. For certain uses this seal is unsatisfactory because the loss of the vacuum within the ackage for ang reason may reduce the ho ding power of t e closure so that rough handling as in shipping may cause the cap to fall 0 thus exposing the contents of the package. Another difliculty encountered in the use of such caps is that in the manufacture of the glass containers, the most imperfect part of the lass is the to edge, which is often filled with sand crac and rough broken edges which prevent the formation of an airtight seal such as is necessary not only to protect the. contents of the ackage, but also to maintain the cap upon the container.

These defects are not present in a second method heretofore in use in which a side seal is em loyed. In this instance the cap is provide with a beading that surrounds the upper part of the container walland incloses the gasket which is mechanically forced against the side wall of the container to effect the seal. The glass at this point is generally free from flaws, and as the seal is mechanically formed the closure will continue to grip the conta ner, even should the package lose its vacuum. On the other and, however, this form of cap is more costly than the type first described, and it requires more complicated and expensive machinery to perform the capping operation.

In the packing of food products especially, it is not only of vital im ortance to protect the contents of the pac age effectively; but it is also of vital importance to reduce the cost of the package to the lowest possible amount.

By my invention, 1 am able to retain all the advantages of the side sealin closure and at the same time provide a ac age that is no more expensive to manu acture than the top seal style, and one that may also utilize atmospheric pressure to help maintain the seal.

As shown i struct the we concave beadin 1 of the container with a 2 located near the upper part of the wal This heading 2 is located sufliciently below the top 4 o the wall, to prevent its being substantially affected by sand cracks or rough edges. Below the beadin 2 a shoulder 5 is formed which joins t e heading to the glass wall of the container as at 6. Between the beading 2 and the shoulder 5, I sreferabl form the glass into a convex bea in 7, t e diameter of which is somewhat less t an the diameter of the shoulder 5. A section through the the drawings, I may con-' sealing surface com rises an o e curve extending substantial y verticaly from the main side wall.

The closure in its preferred form has a fiat top 8, a depending flange 9, with the flange terminatin in a beading roll 10. The dependin ange 9 is preferably a straight walle cylinder, the interior diameter of which is substantially that of the exterior diameter of the main side wall adjacent the shoulder 5, so that when the fiange 9 engages the side wall, as at 6, a relatively tight joint is formed to prevent undue leakage of the gasket material from beneath the flange. The material comprising the gasket 11, as shown in F1g. 2 1s preferably formed rectan ular in section and is inserted in the cap a utting the inner side of-the flange 9. Its thickness as shown in the figure is preferably e ual'to the difference between the radius 0 the beading 2 and the radius of the side wall 6 where it joins the shoulder 5. The flange 9 ofthe cap on closure forms a rather close fit over the shoulder 5.

In applying the cap, it is first put upon the container as shown in Fig. 2, with theupon the shoulder 5. A pressure is then applied which forces the asket material into the form shown in 1g. 3. This downward movement creates more or less lateral pres sure upon the asket material so that a mechanical seal is effected which has considerable holding and sealing power whether gasket 11 restin irect downwar there is a vacuum within the package or not.

shoulder with the exterior wall, a

When the container is-exhausted of air before the cap is pressed downward, the atmospheric ressure upon the cap which also acts in a ownward direction will tend to slight] cup the cap and draw the gasket more rmly against the heading thus hel ing to maintain the seal. This is an ad tional advantage secured over the side seal cap now in use, as in the latter style of cap, the atmospheric pressure does not assist in holding the cap in place; while with my ca I not only secure all the advantages of side sealing and. mechanical sealing; at I also utilize the atmospheric pressure to render the seal still more permanent in all cases where the container is sealed under vacuum.

Realizing that it is possible to slightly vary the specific construction herein disclosed, I desire that this specific disclosure be considered as illustrative rather than in the limitin sense.

Having t us described my invention what I- claim 1s:-

1. In combination, a container havin a rounded bead adjacent the mouth thereo a groove beneath said bead and forming a sea i cap having a skirt the interior diameter 0 which is substantiallv coincident with the diameter of the exterior wall of the container and ater than the diameter of the bead and with the ed e of said skirt in close on gement with said wall, and a gasket un er compression and filling the space between said skirt and said groove.

2. In combination a container having a sealing surface substantially representing an ogee curve in cross-section and extending to the outer main side wall, a cap provided with a substantially cylindrical skirt with an interior diameter substantially the same as the exterior diameter of the main side wall where said side wall joins the sealing surface whereby the skirt of the cap is enabled to closely engage the main side wall of the -container, and a gasket substantially fillin the s ace between the sealing surface and t e sai skirt.

3. In combination a substantially cylindrical container provided on its upper end with a bead and a recess, said bead being of less diameter than the exterior diameter of the main side wall of said container, a cap provided with a skirt having an interior diameter substantially the same as the exterior of the main side wall where said wall joins said bead, and a gasket under compression'ada ted to fill the space between said skirt an said sealing surface.

4. In combination a container provided with a sealing surface upon the upper side wall thereof, said sealing surface including a projecting member and a depression beneath and adjacent said projecting member, a cap provided with a substantially cylindrical skirt adapted to extend over said projection and depression and to closely engage the side wall of said container, and a gasket fillin the space between the sealing surface and t e said skirt.

5. As an article of manufacture, a package comprising a container provided with a. sealing surface which is upwardly and inwardl inclined and of substantially S- sha e cross-section, a substantial] flat sea g cap provided with a cylindrica skirt adapted to extend over said sealing surface and a gasket filling the s ace between said sealing surface and said 3 irt, the construction and arrangement of parts being such that where a vacuum is maintained within the sealed package the cap is drawn inwardly and downwardly to more securely gompress the gasket against the sealing surace.

6. The method of sealing a container which comprises; providing a container with a bead and groove sealing surface, the groove forming a shoulder with the side wall of said containerproviding a substantlal ly flat sealing cap havin a substantially cyhndrical skirt; and furt er providin a relatively plastic gasket in the form 0 a.

section of a tube and adjacent said skirt;

then forcing said skirt over said shoulder and flowin the gasket into the groove and under the eading.

7. The method of sealing a package which includes providing a container havin a sealin surface eomprisin a groove a jacent t e mouth thereof an aside wall adJacent said groove, said wall comprising the maximum diameter of the said container;

then providing a cap having a skirt of 10 into the space between said skirt and the 15 sealing surface.

HARR E. TOWNSEND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for are cents each, by addreulng the "commhdoner o1- intents, Washington, D. 0."

Images