US1686514A - Bottle cap - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,514

L. R. N. CARVALHO BOTTLE CAP Filed Jan. 29, 1925 mm W INVEN'TCJR Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESLIE R, N. OARVALHO, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLOSURE SERVICE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BOTTLE GALP.

Application filed January 29, 1926. Serial No. 84,546.

My invention relates to a cap or closure device for bottles, jarsor other containers, and more particularly to a type of cap preferably made of sheet metal and "provided with screw threads for securing it to the container.

An objection to the ordinary screw caps in use at the present day is that they sometlmes bind on the container so that theyare difficult to remove. This is dueto an excessive amount of friction between the threads of the cap and the container. An object of the present invention is to overcome this objection by providing suitable means to assist in removing the cap and also to reduce the friction so that the cap may be removed with less effort, and moreover to provide a construction which will enable a person to obtain'an effective grip on the cap and thus assist in removing it.

hereinafter.

In the accompanylng drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation view of a cap con-.

structed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, a portion being broken away.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view indicating the manner in which the cap may be sprung or deformed to release its grip on the container and permit it to be removed.

The cap as herein shown is a single piece cap made of sheet metal and comprises a top or cover portion 4 and an integral depending flange portion 5. The flange 5 is formed with screw threads 6 extending circumferentially thereof to engage cooperating threads or other holdingmeans on the container. The flange may also be provided with a ring of dents or corrugations 7 above the screw threads to enable a better grip to be obtained in attaching or removing the cap.

At intervals around its periphery, the cap is provided with knobs or raised portions 8 formed by bending or stamping the metal outward, so that when the cap is applied to the container, the portions thereof forming said knobs are spaced from the underlying threads or surface of the container. These knobs protrude a short distance beyond the outline of the adjacent threads 6. As shown, four of these knobs 8 are provided, spaced at equal intervals around the periphery of the cap. The number, however, may obviously be increased or decreased as desired.

Other objects of the invention will appear The knobs 8 may extend transversely of the flange from the usual head or lower rolled edge 9 of the flange upward to or through the ring of corrugations 7. The knobs may extend circumferentially of the cap any desired distance. It will be noted that these knobs reduce the length of the threads 6, thus reducing the extent of the frictional engaging surface of the cap with the container. By making these knobs of considerable length, that is, extending them for a considerable distance circumferentially of the flange, or by increasing their number, the length of the threads or extent of such engaging surface may be reduced to any desired extent, thereby reducing as much as desired the friction with which the cap is held on the container. Due to the-substantially flat formation and yieldability of the relatively wide gripping areas of the knobs, inward pressure applied thereto causes inward yielding of said flat portion, and outward movement of adjacent portions of the threads, thereby reducing frictional contact between the closure and container sufficiently to permit ready removal of the closure.

The knobs 8 assist in securing or removing the cap from the container not only by shortening the screw threads and thereby reducing the amount of frictional resistance, but also provide a very effective gripping means enabling a person to apply much more force to the cap in screwing it on or off and with much greater ease than is possible without such means. They are much more effective for this purpose than the usual corrugations 7 the latter being necessarily rather fine and also confined to the narrow margin between the top of the cap and the threads 6.

If any difficulty is experienced in removing the cap by simply gripping it with the hand and turning it, the knobs 8 can be flattened out by applying pressure thereto with the back of a knife or with any other suitable tool, or can be flattened by slight pounding with any suitable implement. This serves to expand the flange portion of the cap or lengthen it circumferentially, thereby releasing it or lessening its grip on the container so that it can be easily removed. By reference to Figure 3, it will be seen that by flattening the knob as indicated at 8", the flange .or thread 6 is expanded outwardly from the broken line position tothe full line position.

The extent of this expansion is somewhat exaggerated in the drawing to clearly illustrate the principle.

Modifications may be resorted to within the 5 spirit and scope of my invention.

10 and raised portions on the circumferential flange extending transversely of the threads and forming readily ieldable knobs arranged at intervals aroun the periphery of the flange, said knobs formed by stamping portions of the metal of the flange radially outward providing substantially fiat gripping areas uniformly spaced from the adjacent surfaces of the container, saidknobs being formed to yield readily under hand pressure and thereby decrease the area of contact between the screw threaded fiange and the container.

Signed at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, this 22 day of January, I

, LESLIE R, N. GARVALHO.

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