US2040325A - Bottle cap - Google Patents

Description

M y 1936. L. P. M005 El AL 2,040,325

BOTTLE'CAPI Filed March 13, 1954 IN mvr 0H5 BY MW,

A TTORNEY Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES BOTTLE CAP Leo r. Moos, Moorhead, and Frank L. Fredrick son nobbinsdaie, Minn; said Fredrickson aslignor to said Moos Application March 13, 1934, Serial No. 715,260

(Claims.

The present invention relates to an. improvement in bottle caps, and more particularly to a bottle cap having the general characteristics of the familiar crown cap, but which may be read- 5 iiy removed without the use of a bottle opener.

In the present crown caps, used almost universally as bottle closures for beverages and other liquids, particularly where such liquids are under gaseous pressure in the bottle, it is necessary to use a bottle opener to remove the cap from the bottle. Frequently, when it is desired to remove a crown cap from a bottle and no opener is at hand, the cap is hooked over a piece of metal or wood and the bottle pulled downwardly in an attempt to remove the cap. This frequently results inbreaking oil a portion of the neck of the bottle, and furthermore it is estimated that thousands of dollars worth of furniture and woodwork, particularly in hotels, has been marred in thus attempting to remove bottle caps.

An object of the present invention is to make an improved and simplified bottle cap which will securely seal a bottle while in use, but may be readily removed without the use of an opening instrument.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance with one feature of the invention, a composite bottle cap having an annular rim portion divided at at least one point and having a corrugated depending flange adapted to grip the neck of a bottle to hold the device in position thereon. A releasable locking member is positioned to overlie the divided portion and to engage crimped portions in the depending flange to releasably retain the divided portion against separation.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought out in the following description and the accompanying drawing, where- Figure 1 is a plan view of a bottle cap embodying the present invention in a closed, or sealing, position.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

I'lgure3isaplan viewofanannularretaining member.

Figure 4isaviewsimilartoFigure2 witha retaining member in raised, releasing position;

and

Flgure5isaplanviewofablankofsheetmaterial used as a closure element and releasable locking element.

Referring to the drawing in detail, an annular member i has a depending flange portion lindented in a manner customary for crown bottle caps. The annular member 6 is divided as at 8.

A combined closure and locking member 9 has a pair of circular end portions ill and ii, with a neck portion 12 interconnecting the end portions 5 i0 and II. The portion iii is positioned interiorly of the annular member 6, and the neck portion I2 is passed downwardly and around the depending flange portion 1 of the annular member 6, and thence upwardly along its outer face, 10 the portion Ii closely overlying the top of the assembled cap, as best shown in Figure 2. The portion I2 is crimped into engagement with the indentations in the flange I of the bottle cap by means of a suitable die mechanismmot shown, in 16 a manner which those familiar with the art will readily understand.

A cork, or other suitable sealing member I; is inserted within the assembled bottle cap, in a manner customary in crown cap practice. When 20 thus assembled the cap is to all intents and purposes an ordinary type of crown. cap and may be readily handled in any capping machine adapted for the capping ofbottles by the ordinary crown type of caps. The cap has no projecting 25 points or corners to catch on clothing or containers, and in the normal handling of bottles capped with the present type of cap, the bottle is as securely capped as would be the case if an ordinary type of crown cap were employed.

To open the device, the portion II is raised by inserting the flnger nail beneath it and raising it to the position shown in Figure 4, whereupon the crimps in the neck portion II are removed from interlocking engagement with the crimps as in the depending flange I, thereby permitting separation at the division I of the annular member i and freeing the flange from engagement with the bottle neck, as shown in Figure4. The cap may then be readily raised from its position 40 on the neck of the bottle by means of the portion I Where a highly carbonated beverage, or beer, is contained in thebottle, and it is desired to release the pressure gradually from the contents 46 of the bottle to prevent excessive foaming, the thumb of the user may be placed on the portion Iii as soon as the portion Ii has been raised sufllciently to permit the insertion of ones thumb on the portion II, but before the neck portion i2 tained gases at a rate suitable to the occasion. to

The portion ll provides a suitable advertising space both on its upper and lower faces, as does also the upper face of the portion l0, so that three advertising spaces are provided by the present construction instead of the customary one afiorded by the upper face of the ordinary crown cap.

Various modifications of the invention will be readily apparent to those versed in the art, and, it is therefore not desired to limit the scope of the invention, except as set forth in the hereto appended claims.

The device comprises a simple, inexpensive bottle closure having all the advantages of the ordinary crown cap, but without the difficult opening characteristics inherent in the present crown caps.

After the bottle has been opened the device can be used again for sealing the bottle by forcing the divided portions together to their normal position, and folding the portion ll down to bring the crimped portions of the neck portion l2 again into interlocking engagement with the crimps in the flange I. In this respect the cap is even better as a re-sealing element than the ordinary crown cap, since the ordinary crown cap is usually deformed by the opener in removing the cap from the bottle.

While in the drawing, for the purpose of illustration, the invention has been shown applied to an ordinary glass bottle, it will be evident that the invention may be used with any kind of bottle-like container with which it will function. The word bottle" throughout this application is used in its broad significance and not as applying only to ordinary glass bottles. The bottle with which the invention is used may be of the glass type shown in the drawing, or may be of the commercial metal can type or of other construction as long as it embodies the mouth feature in connection with which this invention, with its resultant advantages, may be used.

We claim:

1. In combination with a bottle, a metal closing cap constructed to receive the mouth of the bottle, the top of said cap being centrally cut away and having a slit in its sidewall, a pair of disks, one fitted into the top of the interior ofthe cap and closing the opening in the 5 top thereof, and the other extending over the cap, and a neck connecting said disks and covering the slit in the side of the cap, said connecting neck being crimped together with the side wall of the cap around the neck of the bottle.

2. In combination with a bottle, a cap receiving the mouth of thebottle, said cap having its top centrally cut away with a. slit extending from said cut away portion through the side wall of the cap, removable -means for said cap 1 comprising a disk member fitting inside the cap and closing the opening in the top thereof, a connected disk extending inwardly over the top of the cap, the connection between said disks covering the slit in the side wall of the cap, and 2 together with the side wall of the cap, being crimped in looking position around the mouth of the bottle.

3. A bottle cap having an annular flange adapted to receive the mouth of a bottle, said 2 flange having a slit therein to normally release said flange from gripping engagement with said bottle mouth, said flange being indented adjacent said slit and a fastening element positioned across said slit, andhaving releasable, 3 interlocking engagement with said indented portion of said flange to have gripping engagement with said bottle mouth.

4. A bottle cap having an annular flange adapted to receive the mouth of a bottle, said 3 cap being formed with a slit on one s ide to permit the release of said flange from gripping engagement with said bottle mouth, and a fastening element positioned across said slit and having releasable, interlocking engagement with the inner and outer periphery of said flange upon opposite sides of said slit.

LEO P. MOOS. FRANK L. FREDRICKSON.

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