US2156585A - Closure and container - Google Patents

Description

May 2, 1939- E. M. ENKUR 2,156,585

CLOSURE AND CONTAINER Filed July 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l HE'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL'llllllllll-l emi/MM40 May 2, 1939- E. M. ENKUR 2,156,585

CLOSURE AND CONTAINER Filed July 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 2.11939,v

PATENr-oEFICE' 2,159,585 f cLosUnn 'AND coNTAnvEa Edward' M. Enkur, Baltimore, Md.,

assignor to Crown' Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation oi' New York Application July l5, 1935,`Serial No. 29,9'80

4 Claims. (Cl. B15-56) The present invention relates primarily to a container closure having provisions wherein venting of a; container to which it is applied may occur. 'The invention also relates to the closure 5 in combination with a container and to a container with a nish particularly designed for most eective cooperation with the closure.A By way of example, I have shown a practical embodiment of the invention inthe accompanying drawings in which:

-Figure 1 is an elevation of the new closure applied to the new container;

Figure 2 is `a bottom plan view of the closure;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the top porvtion of the container in elevation and the closure in cross-section with the closure about to be applied;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the container and closure as applied thereto;

Figure 5 is a partial view similar to that of Figure 4 showing the parts in a slightly dierent relation; and,

Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5 but showing the relation of the parts upon the occurrence of venting.

Many food products, subsequent to their packkaging, develop gases so that` the package is subjected to dangerous internal pressure. In the case of a capped jar, for example, the pressure may blow off the cap or rupture the jar. Also,

some products subsequent to packaging are sub- Jected to heat treatment whereby the internal pressure is raised to a dangerous degree.

It is thepurpose of the present invention to provide sealing means designed so that venting may occurto relieve excessive internal pressures, the sealing means immediately resuming its sealing function without permitting any ingress of the external atmosphere. To this end I provide, as herein disclosed, a two part clo ure, one part of which may have no sealing functi n but merely serving as holding means for the other part which is a sealing member. With the closure applied, the sealing member, yieldably restrained by the holding member, may unseat sufl'iciently'to permit venting, immediately resuming seating position under the reaction of theholding member. While these two members may assume din'erent forms and may be associated in different manners,

I have shown the holding'member in the accompanying drawings as being a snap-on and pry-oli cap. 'I'he sealing member is shown as being constituted by a disc. A central abutment provision Is present between the disc and cap so that the outer portion of the disc is ordinarily4 spaced passed beneath the bead, the skirt resumes its 2 somewhat from the under-surface of the cap top. This abutment provision may vconveniently be a bulge in at least one of the members projecting toward the other. i f

To refer particularly to the drawings, reference 5 numeral Ill vdesignates a cap`of the said snap-on and pry-01T type having a-.top wall I I, a cylindrical skirt I2 and a lower rolled or wire edge I3. lThe skirt is provided withaxially extending corrugations and irl-pressed lugs I4 are formed in the 10 zone of the lower ends of these corrugations and above the wire edge.

Reference numeral I5 designates a container, vhere shown by way of example as a glass jar, the container having a peripheral locking bead I6 l5 for engagement by the lugs I4. .The spacing of the lugs and the relation of the internal skirt diameter to the maximum diameter of bead I6 are such that the'closure may be applied and removed without deforming the lugs, the skirt 20 portions between the lugs iiexing inwardly to permit the skirt portions at the lugs to flex outwardly so that the lugs pass the bead Without attening. When the lugs, in the application of the cap, have normal circularity so that, between the lugs,

- spaces exist between the bead and the skirt. The

top wall II of the cup is normally flat except that adjacent its edge it is provided with an annular inward oilset.forming a downwardly projecting 30 rib I'I.-

As here contemplated, the cap or shell I0 has no sealing function'and no such function for the cap is desired, since otherwise it would trap any gases escaping past the sealing member. 35

I prefer to use this type of cap in view of its simplicity and advantage of repeated use but I merely show it here as a desirable type of holdlng member. It will be vunderstood that if a holding member having a skirt tightly embracing the 40 bead were used, the cap would have to be perforated above the bead to permit proper escape of the vented gases.

'I'he sealing member is here shown as a disc I8 which has a flat 'annular marginal channel I9 45 bordered by a downwardly projecting annular ange 20 whose free edge portion is outwardly ilared. Between the flange 20 and a shoulder 2| there is arranged an annular gasket 22which is preferably aflixed to the channel I9. Centrally the disc is upwardly spherically bulged to provide a protuberance or dome 23 which projects above the plane of portion I9. The disc and cap are assembled by pushing the former into the latter. The iiared portion of flange 20 has a diameter 55 greater than the distance between opposite lugs .of the cap, the iiange momentarily flexing upon assembly to permit the disc to pass beyond the merging downwardly to the top of bead I 6.

In Figure 3, the lugs of the cap are shown resting on top of the bead I6. Upon the application of pressure to the top of the cap, the lugs ride over the bead to a gripping position therebeneath as shown, for example, in Figure 5. The relation of the parts is such that the pressure of the cap top against the bulge of the disc causes the gasket to bear against rib 26, the latter entering the gasket slightly to insure a seal. The portion I 9 of the disc is still spaced from rib I 1, it will be noted, the depth of the cap skirt being sumcient to insure this relation. Due to the reaction of the seal, the top of the cap may be some what outwardly bulged, as shown.

Assuming that the container I5 has been filled with hot substance to the line X, Figure 5, upon cooling, the line will conceivably drop to the level Y, Figure 4, and there will be a vacuum condition in the container. sealing disc downwardly until the gasket is pressed against the top sealing surface 25, this abutment limiting the penetration of rib 26 into the gasket. As shown by way of example in Figure 4 with the disc fully seated, rib 26 penetrates into the gasket only about half-way. Under this vacuum condition, the bulge of the sealing disc may have moved slightly away from the top wall of the cap as shown in Figure 4 so that the disc is seated solely due to atmospheric pressure. Due to the provision of the rib 26 and the expanded sealing surface 25, an extremely effective seal is secured and this condition will be maintained unless the container and its contents are againl subjected to heat or the container contents generate gas to the extent of causing the occurrence of excess internal pressure.

When for any reason an excessive internal pressure occurs, the marginal portion of the disc fiexes upwardly to a position such as is shown in Figure 6, the gasket rising slightly above surface 25 and rib 26 so that venting may occur. As soon as venting has ceased, the marginal portion of the disc immediately returns to sealing posilgion being urged thereto by the abutment provisions between it and the cap. During the venting operation, the cap remains locked securely in position, and even if the lugs have ridden slightly upwardly and outwardly on the lower bead shoulder, they will return to their original position immediately upon pressure releases.

lines of force extend from the center of the cap top where pressure is applied by the disc to the lugs.y It will also be evident that the single 'point contact between the holding member, and

the sealing member as -provided by the spherical bulge, equalizes the effect of the former on the latter so that even sealing of the latter is assured.

Preferably, the gasket 22 is of a relatively inelastic or non-resilient rubber composition so that it cannot expand sufliciently to obliterate the The vacuum draws the Such/g a riding tendency is not likely to occur since vthe groove caused by rib 26, this groove remaining well defined as indicated in Figure 6 to enable venting to occur without an unduel degree of disc iiexure. The gasket material may be of the gen'.- eral composition described in the patent to Parker,

No. 1,899,821 suitably modiiied to render -the I Rubber ..pounds- 2'7 Accelerator ounces- 6 Anti-oxidant --pound V4, Stearic acid --pounds 2 Sulphur dn 1V; Zinc oxide dn 2 Talc' dn 50 Ceresin wax s do 17 Lampblack (color) grams' 3 It will be understood that variations in the form and arrangement of the described parts may be made without departure from the invention, the scope oi which is definedin the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having a mouth surrounded by a at annular marginal surface having formed thereon a relatively narrow annular rib, a closure element overlying said mouth and said marginal surface, a gasket engaged between said closure element and said surface and amxed to the former, said rib entering the gasket a distance limited by the engagement of said gasket with said surface, and means for holding the closure element against unseating movement when a pressure below a certain limit exists in the container while enabling the closure element and gasket to lift under a pressure above said limit whereby to vent the excess pressure.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the gasket is relatively inelastic so that upon lifting thereof the depression formed therein bythe rib will be largely retained.

3. In combination, a container having a mouth, a closure disk having an annular surface overlying the lip surface of the container mouth, one of said surfaces being fiat and the other being fiat with the exception of a slight annular rib projecting toward said one of said surfaces, a gasket compressed between said surfaces with said rib embedded therein, and means for holding said closure disk against unseating movement when a pressure below a certain limit exists in the container while enabling the closure element and gasket to lift under a pressure above said limit whereby to vent the excess pressure, said gasket being amxed to said one of said surfaces and being relatively inelastic so that upon lifting of said closure disk the depression formed in the gasket by the rib will be largely retained.

4. In combination, a container having a mouth surrounded by a neck provided with an external locking bead, an imperforate cap member having a skirt provided withinpressed lugs for interlocking with the bead, the diameter of the skirt being such that its surfaces intermediate the lugs are spaced from the side of the bead, the cap top being spaced above the lip surface of the neck when the lugs are engaged with the bead, a

resilient closure disc having an annular surface overlying said lip surface, one of said surfaces being flat and the other being fiat with the exception of a slight annular rib projecting toward said one of said surfaces, a gasket compressed lo the cap top spaced inwardly from the edge of the disc, the cap holding the disc against unseating movement when a pressure below a certain limit exists in the container while enabling the marginal portion of the disc to lift under a pressure above said limit whereby to vent the excess pressure past the gasket, the gasket being relatively inelastic so that upon lifting of the disc the depression formed in the gasket by the rib will be largely retained.

EDWARD M. ENKUR..

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