US2080686A - Container closure - Google Patents

Description

May 18, 1937. G. E. BENNETT CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed April- 27, 1955 INVENTOR 650265 E, BENNETT BY J nur H/.5 ATTORNEY Patented May les, 1937l y UNITED STATES "PATENT-cruce l v ,2,080,686 f M' l CONTAINER cLosURE George ennett, San Mateo, Calif. Application April 27, 1935, serial No; 18,525

s claims. (Cl. 21a-fic) My invention relates to container closures, and v for the4 container and la sealing disk interposed more particularly to improvements in demount` able container caps. t

It is among the objects' of i my invention to' 5 provide a cap constructionfembodying means for readily loosening the cap prior to its removal. Another object of my invention is vto provide means by. whichthe cap rmay be loosened with-r out damaging the cap n' or impairing its utility as a subsequent closure forthe container. f

A further object of my invention is to provide ya. closure 4comprising a/sealing disk and a cap y for securing the disk inplace, in which means are yprovided for locking the disk into the capupon l5 closure may be handledvas a unit;`

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit :myself to this disclosure of species ofmy invention,"as I mayradopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Figure 1 Vis a' vertical sectional View showing portions of acontainer closure embodying my invention. This view shows lthe arrangement of the parts just prior to the final screwing down'of d, the cap and before the sealing disk is expanded 30 into interlocking engagement with the cap.

the sealing disk has been expanded, portions of the structure being broken away to disclose the construction more clearly; Vand ,y

Figure 3 is aA fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same.

Figure 'i is .arfragmentary vertical sectional view of the closure after the spacing element has been removed. I

'Figure 5 isa fragmentary vertical sectional view of a closure embodying a modied form of structure, and shows thearrangement of parts before the sealing disk is expanded; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the same vafter-the sealing disk has been expanded into interlocking engagement'with the cap, portions of the structure being broken away to disclose the construction more clearly.- l V Figure l is a plan View of a container closure embodyingv another modiiiedv form of structure,y portions of the structure in this View also being broken away to disclose the construction more clearly.

In terms of broad inclusion,` the container closure embodying my invention comprises a cap its iirst application so that subsequently the VFigure 2 is a plan view of the .closure after-` bet'weenthe cap and container. Means are provided for locking the sealing disk to the cap, and

I a spacing element is valso preferably provided between the cap and disk and mounted for removal independently of the cap; By locking .the sealing disk to the cap, the disk .will come oil simili-'- loosen'the cap so that from the container.

Iny greater detail, and referring; particularly to it may easily be removed Figures 1 and 2, a form of closure embodyingv my invention comprises a cup-shaped cap 2 preferably of metal and preferably threadably mountf,v

ed on a container. 3. An aperture 4 isA formed in the top of the cap 2, providing anopening bounded by an annular. ange 6. l A sealing disk lv or suitable material, such as` metal, is interposed between the cap 2 and container A3.

Means are provided for loosening the` cap ,prior to its removal. As best shown in Figure 2,`\this means comprises a piece of wire shaped to provide an annular ring portion 8 overlying the sealing disk l under the-cap ange 6. A series of loops 9 are preferably formed in this ring tospacevthe latter fromy the cap. lOne, `end of the wire extends out from under the edge of the capilange 6; and is formedto provide a finger hold I l, lying inthe plane of the spacing ring 8,so that this finger hold normally lies slightly above the sealing disk 1, in which position itis ,readily grasped. When it is desired to remove the spacing element it is only necessary to lift up the iinger hold and pull the wire out from under the flange 6. This loosens the cap so that it may easily be removed.

When a container is screwed down tightly to effect the desired bearing pressure'against the sealing disk.' The iirm-f ness with which this capisY applied makes it difficult if not impossible to unscrew the cap by h'and,`

the cap so thatit is easily lremoved vvby hand.

first packed vthe cap is After the first opening the spacing element'may be discarded since the remaining ele-ments of the structure, namely, the, cap and sealing disk, provide a vcomplete closure for reclosirng the container. Means are also preferably provided for lock-A ing the sealing disk ,1 to the cap 2 so that they two parts will come off as aunit when the cap is u'nscrewed.l In the type of cap shown, the sealing disk 1 i de separately from the cap, and unless means are provided for locking the disk to the cap the disk has to be removed after the cap is taken voi.- To remove such a disk it be-v comes necessary to apply a prying tool', such as a knife, under the edge of the disk.v This involves -additional time and trouble and often results in bending or otherwise ruining the disk, so that it is useless, or less useful, for reclosing the container. c Y l VIn my improved construction, lthe peripheral' portion of the sealing disk'l i's formed to provide an upstanding ridge or bead I2. This raised bead overlies the rim of the container 3 and provides a groove in which the gasket i3 of rubber provision vof these slots permits .the ridged por- Vso tion I2 to netten out with less` applied pressure.

and is especially desirable it a heavier sealing disk is employed. f f

The locking of the sealingdiskto the -cap is facilitated by the provision of an annular recess "il in the cap and disposed circumferentially of the disk. By this comtructiorithe edges of Athe expansion'` ring I2 will be forced out into the recess I5, "so that a positive interlocking engagement is effected Vbetween ythe disk rand cap to provideva unitary structure/for handling. When the cap is subsequently removed the sealing disk will be taken oil vwith it and .permanently held.

vwithin the cap as 'a functionally integral unit. 'I'he sealing disk and cap then provides a com-v plete closure, as shown in Figure 4, for the con-l venient reclosing of the container.-

Figures 5 and 6 show'a modined form of cap,

in which the peripheralv portions of the sealing disk It are provided with concentric corruga.v

tions I1. The outside diameter of the disk is such that it may be inserted in the cap by the use of some slight pressure. The small degree of" expansion of the disk due to the flattening of the i corrugation which occurs when the cap is screwed down hard, is suilicient to interlock the peripheralA edge of the disk inthe cap recess I5. In this construction the rubber or other comformable material for the gasket is disposed in the concentric grooves provided by the corrugations. By the concentric arrangement of the gasket holding. grooves, each outer ring of the gasket tends to supplement the seal provided by an inner ring.

`Such an arrangement improves the seal and also reduces the amount of gasket material re, quired.

A modied formv of spacing element is also shown. `In this case, the ring portion I9 1s bentin zig-zag formation to give width to the ring. The flat loops thus provided will overlie the corrugations of the expansion ring without dropping into the groove between the corrugations,

Y"and also function toA hold the spacing element away from the' cap 2.

` \\flnger holdl 2| is also formed at one end ofthe wire; and. this hold is normally slightly above thesealing disk i3 and under the cap aperture 4.

Another variant form of my closure construction is shown in Figure 7. In'this case the spacing element comprises a piece of relatively stiff wirebent in the form of a ring, adapted to overlie the peripheral portions of the. sealing disk 22 under the annular ilange 23. of the cap 24. The

wire is formed with a series or offset portions 2t connected by smoothly curved portions 21. At

the inner er". 23 of one of the curved portions the wire extends out Vfrom under ythe edge oi the cap flange 23, so that any suitablepoint such as a fork tine, may be engaged between the wire and the edgeoi'thecap flange. 'n

By forcing the tool around the inner edge of the flange the stiir wire ring is wedged out from .under the flange. The drawing out'of the spacing ring in`this manner is facilitated by the smoothly curved portions 21 or the ring, as `will bereadily understood. The otset 2l gives width to the ringandfunctions to space the ring awayv from the cap. theitotal closingpres sure, which is considerable. is distributed over` the whole length of the spacing element; the unit pressure on a short length ct wire is that it 'disengages thev readily.

of come it :sander-stood tnatanycoftne of spacing elements shown mayl .be used Leither with or without the sealing disk locking feature.l

Agreat advantage of my removable spacing elements is` that they normally lie within the limits defined/,by the cap. No part ofthe spacing element extends outside the cap to detract from its compactness or appearance.

Referring particularly to "the interlocking-,of

upon tc expand the disk into interlocking lengagement with the cap; or this expansion maybe lthe two parts of the closure. it is understood that.` the pressure of applyingthe cap lmayfbe relied effected by other pressure means prior to the api plication of the cap to'a container. In this case,

- since unlimited pressure for alsemblingby machine is` available, ythe diskv may be larger in diameter than it would be, possible tov push into the cap by hand membly.

chine assembled the perlpheralfcormgations permit a resilient contraction of diameter of ,the

disk as it is forced past the throat or. narrow portion oi' the cap'just below'the annular recess il. j w

Iclaim: y 1. A container closure comprising av captar the'container, a sealing disk interposed between the cap and container, and means expandible as the cap is applied thereover for permanently locking the sealing disk to the cap. i

v 2. A container closure comprising a cap for the container, a sealing disk interposed'vbetweenthe cap and container, and means integrally formed with the disk and expandible under the pressure of the cap for locking the sealing dick-to thecap when the latter is applied to the container'.`

3. Acontainer closure'comprising a cap for the container, and a sealing disk interposed between the cap and container and having al notched and. grooved peripheral portion providing an expansion ring expandible by pressure tor permanently locking the disk to the cap.y v v 4. A container closure comprising a cap for the container, and a sealing'interposed between the cap and container and having a corrugatedperipheral portion providing aring 'ex- Ya A.

`change in diameter, and a cap for applying the disk having an annular recess in which the disk is locked by expansion of the disk as the cap is applied thereover.

'7. A container closure comprising a cap for the container, and a piece of wire interposed between the cap and container to provide a spacing element and mounted for removal independently of said cap, said wire having loops therein for holding it away from sides of thecap.

8. A container closure comprising a cap for the container, a sealing disk having an expandible rim formed integrally with the disk for locking the disk within the cap, and a spacing wire interposed between the cap and the expandible rim and adapted for removal through the cap top,

said wire having loops therein for holding the bodyy of the wire away from the sides of the cap and for distributing pressure over a major area of the rim. i

GEORGE E. BENNE'I'I'.

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