US1659547A - Method of attaching caps to containers and of forming hermetic seals - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 192s.

D. M. BOOTHMAN METHOD o ATTAcHIwcAPs To oNTAINERs mm or*l FORMING H-EmusTIc SEALs Filed` oct. 9. 1924 2 She-ets-Sheet 1 Flfls.

Feb. 14, 1928. 1,659,547

D. M. BooTHMAN METHOD 0F VATTAClIINGr CAPS TO'CONTAINERS AND 0F FORIING. HERIETIG SEALS Filed oct. s.- 19.24v 2 suma-sneer a Flllll.

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UNITED STATES 1,659,547 `PATENT OFFICE.

DALE M. BOOTHMAN, F OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ALUMINUM SEAL COMPANY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD 0F ATTACHING CAPS T0 CONTAINERS AND 0F FORMING HERIETIC SEALS.

Application mea october 9, 1924. serial No. 742,555.

In m coendin atent application, Serial Nyo. 5931,)791, t erg is disclosed a closure seal for containers which comprises a metal cap having a depending skirt or flange which forms with the outer wall of the mouth of a container an annular space in which there is arranged, first a sealing gasket, and below the gasket an annular member which acts between the container wall and cap liange to retain the cap upon the container, and in my co-pending patent application Serial No. 695,598 there is disclosed a machine for forming closure seals of the character shown in my first mentioned application. In both applications there isa disclosure of a method of forming the various closure seals shown inthe first application. l

The present invention relates to, and is directed towards the formation of closure seals by the method disclosed in said applications. However, the method for which protection is sought in this application is applicable to forming seals different than those disclosed in the first application, and is also applicable to the attaching of closure caps to containers where no hermetic' seal is effected between the caps and containers.

Furthermore, the method herein disclosed 3o maybe practiced by the use of hand tools,

as well as by machines other than that illustrated in the second4 application.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved method'of firmly attaching a cap having a resilient metal flange to a container having a rigid open mouth.

A further object is to provide an improved method of not only firmly attaching a cap having a resilient metal flange to a container having a rigid open mouth, but also of simultaneously forming a hermetic seal between the capand container.

According to this invention a closure cap having a resilient metal flange is attached to a container having a rigid open mouth by first applying the cap to the mouth of the container in such manner that the cap iiange surrounds the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth, and then, while the cap flange is Afree to expand outwardly, wedging an annular retaining member between the container wall and cap flange in such a manner that the resilient cap flange is pressed outwardly and placed under initial tension, by virtue of which tension the liange subsequent] the retaining lmemb the container. y

The container may be, and preferably is, a glass jar, bottle, or the like, which is inherently rigid, but may also be a metal can, pall, or the like2 having a rigid open mouth. As to the retaining member, it may be a sealing gasket in the form of a continuous ring or in the form of a string or strip. However, it is preferably a wire.

The container and, cap flange are so formed that when the ca is applied to the container an annular we ge-shaped space is formed between the cap fiange and the outer wall of the container with its wider end adjacent to the outer ed e of the flange. By forming such a wedge-s aped annular space between the container and iian e, and by so holding the cap upon the container that the presses inwardly upon er to hold the cap upon flange is free to expand outwardly, the retaining stri may be easil entered into the space and e readily wedyged into position to place the flan e under initial outward tension. The we ge-shaped annular space may be formed between a container having an outwardly tapering outer wall and the flange of the cap extending at ri ht angles to the top of the cap, or'it may e formed between a container having a truly cylin-v drical outer wall adjacent to its mouth and a cap flange which flares outwardly from the top of the cap.

To more securely hold the cap upon the container, the lower ed e of `the cap flange may be crimped rinwar y below the retaining member after the latter has been wedged into the annular space between the container and flange.

The invention may be further explained and full understood by describing it in greater etail with reference to the accompanying drawin s which illustrate various types of seals w ich may be formed in the practice of the invention, and which also 100 diagrammatically illustrate mechanism whereby the invention may be practiced. Fig. 1 of the drawings shows a cap applied to a container before being attached to it by an annular retaining member; Fig. 2 the container of Fig. l with a retaining meinber wedged between its outer wall and the cap iiange; Fig. 3 a finished seal of the type illustrated in Fig. 2 with the lower edge ofy the cap crimped inwardly; Figs. 4, 5, 6 and of metal, but which may be variously constructed providing it hasl a resilient metal ange 2, is shown in Fig. 1 as being applied to the open mouth of glass container 3 prior to the wedging in of a cap-retaining membei". In this instance the outer wall of the container tapers outwardly so that an annular wedge-shaped chamber 4 is formed between it and the flange 2 which is perpendicular to the top of the cap. The cap-retaining member illustrated in Fig. 2 is a ring 5 made of anysuitable-gasket-forming material such as rubber. With the cap applied to the container and suitably held firmly on it without confining the flange, the retaining ring may be wedged between the container and flange by a suitable roller or other tool 6. The pressure exerted upwardly upon thereta-ining member is sucient to cause the cap ange' to slightly bulge outwardly, as is illustrated in a somewhat exaggerated manner in Fig. 2. Such outward pressure upon the flange places it under initial tension so that' the flange subsequently continually presses inwardly upon the retaining member. As is indicated at 7 in Fig. 3, after the retainingl member has been wedged into position t e lower edge 'of the cap may be crimped inwardl to prevent outward movement of the retaming member, and hence to more securely attach the cap to the container.

By so attachino' the cap to a container, the cap is not only rmly secured in position, but the retaining member serves also to form a hermetic seal between the container and cap.

If desired, a cap may be similarly attached to and sealed upon a container by a gasket in the form of a continuous strip. To make such an attachment and seal, preferably two turns of a combined cap-retaining and sealing strip 8 (Fig. lil are wedged between a cap flange 2 l.and t e outer wall of a contamer 3. The upper most turn of the gasket serves primarily as a sealing member 'and the lower turn as a cap-retaining member. Preferably the outer end of the strip is arranged to ro'ect below the lower edge of the flange, as indicated at 9, so that it may be readily' engaged to remove it from between the container and ange This may be done by merely pulling downwardlynpon the end 9 of the stri While e cap-retaining member may be a gasket in the Vform of a ring or a string as as been explained, it preferably consists of a wire wedged between the container and cap ange in the manner described. The wire may be of any suitable metal, but is preferably aluminum. In Fig. 5 there is illustrated a container 3b having a cap 1b attached to 1t by slightly more than a single turn of a wire 10 wedged between the container andl wire 10, and a hermetic seal is formed bel tween the cap and container by a gasket ring 5 similar to that illustrated in and explained with reference tov Figs. 2 and 3. In forming this seal, the gasket ring 5 is irst wedged between the container and cap iiange and thereafter the cap retaining wire 10 `is wedged into the posit-ion indicated.

Thepreferred form of seal made according to this invention is that illustrated lin v lFig. 7 in which a hermetic seal is formed between a container 3 and a cap 1 by a stringlike gasket 8, and in which the cap is at tached to the container by a strip of wire 10. As indicated, the outer end 12 of the sealing gasket 8 is preferably arranged belowl the inner end 13 of the wire 10, so that when the wire is removed by engaging and pulling downwardly upon its outer exposed end 9, the inner end 13 of the wire will cause the outer end 12 of the gasket to be exposed below the cap iange so that it in turn may thereafter be engaged and removed. The manner of forming this particular seal will presently be explainedv with reference to mechanism diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 10, 11 and 12.

It has been previously explained that it is desirable to vso shape the cap and the outer wall ofthe container that there is an annular wedge-shaped space between the flange and container when the cap is applied to it. In the forms of seals thus far explained such` an annular Space is effected by providing a container having an outwardly tapering outer wall and a cap having a `iiange which is perpendicular, or substantially so, to its top. In the structure shown in Fig. 9, a wedge-shaped annular space 15 is formed between a truly cylindrical outer wall of the top of a bottle 16 and a flange 2 which lia-res outwardly from the top of a cap. The cap in this instance is attached to the container by a retaining wire 10, but

may be attached by any of the other forms of retaining members contemplated herein.

To properly center the cap on a containerwhen the two are assembled prior to the4 of a suitable cork 17.

In the various forms of seals thus far illustrated the rigidity of the mouths of-the containers is inherent in the material of which they are formed.` However, the invention is applicable to attaching closure caps to containers which of themselves are' not inherently rigid, providing. the mouths of the containers are suitably rendered rigid so that, when the cap-retaining member is wedged between them and the flanges of the cap applied to them, the flanges will be placed under initial outward tension. In Fig. 8 there is illustrated a container 3 formed of sheet metal, the mouth of which is made rigid by so shaping it as to form an annular bead 18. A cap 1f may be attachedto such a container by means of a gasket ring 5f or by any of the forms of seals illustrated in the other figures, and which have previously been explained.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12 there is somewhat* diagrammatically illustrated mechanism for attaching a cap to a container which may be used to form according to this invention the various seals which. are herein illustrated and which have been described, but which is particularly suitable for forming the seal illustrated in Fig. 7. These views show successive steps in the cap-attaching and sealing operation. The mechanism which is the same as that illustrated in my said application Serial No. 695,598, includes a rotatable support 18 for the container 3" and a rotatable head 19 for holdinga cap ld applied to the mouth of the container. Project-ing upwardly between the cap flange and the outer wall of the container there 1s a roller 20 (Fig. 10) for wedging between the flange and container the string-like gasket 8l which is adapted to be fed to the roller through ya tube 21. After the holder 18 and head 19 have made slightly more than aV complete revolution, the' inner end of the retaining wire 10dl is fed through a' tube 22 (Fig. 11) and upon a second4 roller 23 which wedges the wire against the gasket, which inl turn is further wedged into sealing position. After the support 18 and head 19 have made somewhat more than a second complete revolution, they are simultaneously moved upwardly with relation to the wedging rollers 20 and 23, as indicated in F 12, so that the outer end 9d of the retammg wire may extend below the lower The characterizing feat-ure of the im-v proved method of attachin a cap to a container is that the resilient ange of the cap is pressed outwardly by wedging between it and a' container havin a -ngid open mouth a cap retaining mem er which places the flange under initial tension. By virtue of such` tension the flange continuously presses inwardly upon the retaining member to hold the cap upon the container. In addition to this, the method contemplates in its more specific aspects the simultaneous forming of a hermetic seal between the ca and container, the seal preferably being e fected by wedging a strip of gasket between the container and cap flange, and the attachment of the cap to the container by thereafter wedging a wire between the cap and container back of the sealing strip.

According to the provisions of the atent statute, I have described the princip e and manner of practicing the invention with flange surrounding the outer wall of the. con-` tainer adjacent to its mouth, said flange being free to expand outwardly, and then` pressing the flange outwardly b wedging a cap retaining member between t e cap flange and the outer wall of the container, thereby placing the flange vunder initial tension by virtue of which it subsequently presses inwardly upon the retaining member.

2. The method of attaching acap to a container having a rigid open mouth, which comprises first applying to the mouth of the container a cap havmg a resilient metal flange surrounding the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth, said flange pressing 'the Bange outwardly byvwedging a cap retaining wire between the cap Bange and the outer wall of the container, thereby placing the Bange under tension by virtue of which it subsequently presses inwardly upon the wire to hold the cap firmly attached to the container.

3. The method of attaching a cap to a container having a rigid open mouth, which comprises first applying to the mouth of the containera cap having a resilient metal Bange surrounding the outer Wall of the container adjacent to its mouth, said Bange being free to expand outwardly, then pressing the flange outwardly by wedging a cap retaining member between the cap Bange and the outer .wall of the container and above the outer edge of lthe Bange, thereby placing the Bange under initial tension, and linally a crimping inwardly the outer edge of: the Bange below the cap retaining member.

4. The method of attaching a cap to a container having a rigid open mouth, which comprises applying to the mouth of the container a cap having a resilient metal Bange surrounding the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth and forming with such wall a wedge-shaped annular space, said Bange being free to extend outwardly, and then pressing the Bange outwardly by wedging a cap retaining member in said space and between the container and cap Bange, thereby placing the Bange under initial tension by virtue of which it subsequently presses inwardly upon the cap retaining member.

5. The method of hermetically sealing a container and attaching a cap to it, which comprises applying-to a container having a rigid open mouth a cap having a resilient metal Bange so that the Bange surrounds the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth, said Bange being free to expand outwardly, and then pressing the Bange outwardly by wedging a sealing gasket between the container wall and cap Bange, whereby Ya hermetic sealvis formed between the cap and container and theBange is placed under initial tension, by virtue of which tension the cap Bange subsequently presses inwardly upon the gasket. n 6. The method of sealing a container and attaching a cap to it, which comprises first applying to a container having a rigid mouth a cap having an unconfned resilient metal Bange surrounding the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth, and then wedgin between the container and cap Bange st a sealing gasket and thenl back of the gasket .a cap-retaining strip, whereby the Bange is pressed outwardly and placed under initial tension by virtue of which it subsequently presses inwardly upon the gasket and strip to tighten the seal and hold the cap upon the container.

7. The method of sealing a container, which comprises Brst applying to a container having a rigid mouth a cap having an uncontined resilient metal Bange surrounding the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth, and then wedging between the container and cap Bange Brst a' sealing gasket and then back of the gasket a capretaining vstrip of wire whereby the Bange is pressed outwardly and placed under initial tension by virtue of which it subsequently presses inwardly upon the gasket and wire to tighten the seal and hold the cap upon the container. Y

8. The method of hermetically sealing a container and attaching a cap to it, which comprises applying to a container having a rigid open mouth a cap having an uncon- Bned resilient metal Bange surrounding the outer wall of the container adjacent to its mouth and forming with such wall a wedgeshaped annular space, and wedging in said DALE M. BOOTHMAN.

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