US1669715A - Bottle closure - Google Patents

Description

May 15, 1928. 1 I 1,669,715

- w. e. LAIDLAW I i BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed April 25, 1927 Patented May '15, 1928.

RATION, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK,

Mil 59,715 OUNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE;

WALTER e. LAIDLAW, or SYRACUSE, new YORK, AssIe on 'ro. xLEEN KAI 001120- A; CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BOTTLE CLOSURE.

Application filed April 25, 1927. Serial No. 138,379.

This invention relates to improvements in fibrous bottle closures of the type having a central disc-shaped body, that is disposed in the recess of the mouth. of an'ordinary milk bottle, the said body being formed with an integral flexible flaring apron that overlies the annular bead of the mouth.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for stiffening the peripheral margin of the apron of the closure for facilitating handling thereof, and at the same time rendering the said margin impervious to moisture, for preventing softening and distorting of the apron and rendering it liable to separate from the bead and to allow germs and dirt to enter between the apron and the head. A further object is to provide a lac oer-like coating, which may be applied by flipping the apron, the said coating being of such nature that it dries or sets readily and quickly and becomes relatively hard, and yet is tough and slightly pliable, whereby when the coating is applied to the opposite faces of the apron, it stitfens the periphery of the apron and renders the latter conformable to the flare of the bead when applied under pressure. The coating is also preferably slightly tenacious, for aiding in maintaining the contact of the closure with the head of the mouth, so that it requires considerable force to separate the apron from the bead for removing the closure. A further object is to provide the lacquer-like coating in difi'erent colors, whereby the product of each milk producer or vendor in a community may be instantly the'color of the coated clothatin case unauthorized persons attempt to remove the closure (which may only be accomplished by lifting one side of the apron), the u ward flexing of any portion of the coated margin after the disc is properly seated in the recess tends to fracture the lacquer and renders the apron incapable of 7 being restored to its original closecontact with the beadof the mouth. -This fracturing as well as the distortion of the apron will clearly indicate tampering.

The various features and parts of the invention will be understood from the detailed description which follows, and by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a central vertical section, showing the neck and mouth of a common milk of the apron 6' bottle, to which my improvement is applied. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the closure, showing the area coated with the lacquer. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the closure. And Fig. 4 is a bottom face view of the closure, showing the coating applied to the underside of the apron.

In the drawing, 2 represents an ordinary milk bottle, havin a neck 2 and a depressed mouth 3, w ich is surrounded by a flaring bead 4. The bottom of the recess 3 comprises a ledge 5, which provides an annular seat for the bottle closure.

The present closure may follow any suitalayed with a reinforcing disc, as 7, of stiller cardboard, the disc portion 6 preferablybeing surounded by a rolled flaring apron or flange 6', which is arranged to overlie the convex bead 4, when the discs are seated on the ledge 5.

The foregoin describes a well-known bottle closure, which is coming into common use.- These closures effect the satisfactory sealing of the bottle mouth, aprons, as 6', owing'to the fact that they are relatively thin, and .in the process of rolling or molding the said aprons, the fiber becomes somewhat crushed and is rendered more or less'limp, and tends to become ruflled and distorted in the vicinity of its peripheral margin and does not conform to or intimately adhere to the curved surface of the bead. This invariably leaves a large number of small openings or gaps between the apron and the bead to admit dirt and erms. It is essential in a bottle closure o this type that the member H be relatively thin and light in order that it may be readll molded to the desired shape and in view 0 the fact that the normal stiffness of the material is convex a ron that snugly fits the bead when the cap is applied to the bottle.

The present invention has for its primary object to provide simple and effective means for stiffening the peripheral margin bycoating, as at 8 and. 8, the to and bottom surfaces therepf with a quic drying semi-liquid preparation, the

but the flaring said coating being relatively thick and more or less elastic, and being preferably applied to the apron as it comes from the molding machine, and while the apron is still in its normal concavo-convex state, the closures being handled thereafter in a manner to effect the rapid drying and setting of the coating without distorting the apron. By this method of treating the rolled apron 6. the closure may be packed, shipped, and then applied by the usual capping machines in a manner to effect the close or intimate engagement of the apron with the head 4, as shown in Fig. 1.

I For this purpose, I prefer to employ a lacquer-like substance preferably prepared in a suitable viscous state, and which may be applied by dipping the peripheral margin o the closure in the semi-liquid, or by any other well-known method. I prefer to coat the underside of the apron 6' that contacts with the head 4, to a slightly greater extent than its external or top surface, as may be understood by comparing Figs. 2 and 4. By this means a broader surface of the lacquer is brought into contact with the glass, and as the said preparation when properly conditioned is preferably slightly tenacious, a broader and more effectual seal of the parts results.

In practice the closures are stacked in a relatively tall cylindrical magazine, which is disposed adjacent the capping machine, and the closures are carried into the machine by a shuttle-like member that travels back and forth beneath the magazine, and ateach forward stroke moves the lowermost closure into the capping position. In performing its work, the feeding member engages the peripheral margins of the closures with sufficient force to eject them from the magazine. The force required to eject the closures varies according to the height of the stack and weight exerted by the stack upon the lowermost closure. It has; been found that the feeding of the plain unlacquered paper closures is not reliable, for the reason that the aprons, as 6', having been rendered more or less limp by the process of molding, as explained, tend to buckle and crush during the initial ejecting movement of said member and before the closure actually starts on its way toward the capping position. This distorting of the apron results in the shortening of the effective stroke of the ejecting member to such extent that the mutilated closures are not carried forwardly the distance required to bring them in registery with the recess of the bottle mouth. This not only interrupts and retards the capping operation but also causes a waste and loss of a large number of closures. This trouble, annoyance and waste is entirely obviated by coating the aprons of the closure with the lacquer 8, which etfectually stifi'ens and hardens the peripheral margins of the apron, and prevents the buckling and crushing of the said part.

The coated apron 6' may be readily separated from the bead 4 by gripping it with the finger nails, and by pulling on the loosened portion for peeling off the closure. The nature of the coating material is preferably such that in case of unauthorized removal of the cap, the lacquer will show fracture where the apron is bent abruptly, by the separating operation, and will accordingly indicate visually the fact of such tampering. In case the closure is broken or distorted by the lifting or peeling of the apron 6', the separated and mutilated portion of the apron cannot be again smoothed out and made to closely fit the bead without detection. The coating is furthermore preferably impervious to moisture, and prevents the apron from becoming water-soaked and liable to become loose or fouled by dirt and germs.

By coating the closures with the lacquer enables me to utilize somewhat lighter and cheaper grade of paper than heretofore employed for the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is

A bottle closure including a disk like body formed to seat in the recess of a bottle mouth and having a concavo-convex annular apron formed of material thinner than that of the disk and adapted to overlie the head of the bottle mouth and being of a width so that its periphery terminates at substantially the center of the width of the bead, and a coating of quick dryingl and setting plastic composition covering t e opposite faces of the marginal portion of the apron, said composition being of such thickness and character so as to stiffen and maintain the predetermined shape of the marginal portion of the apron, thereby to prevent buckling thereof, during the capping operation, said coating also covering the peripheral edge of the apron and being of a width to resist any tendency of the feeding shuttle of the capping machine which engages said edge to distort the apron thereby to effect accurate register of the apron with the bottle mouth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WVALTER G. LAIDLAW.

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