US2173959A

US2173959A - Applicating apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: US2173959A
Application number: US255514A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank W Britt
Original assignee: Victor Metal Products Corp
Current assignee: Victor Metal Products Corp
Priority date: 1939-02-09
Filing date: 1939-02-09
Publication date: 1939-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1956-09-26

Description

Sept. 26, 1939. F. w. BRITT APPLICATING APPARATUS AND IETHOD Filed Feb.' 9, 1939 rank WI riff,

Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPLICATING APPARATUS AND METHOD Application February 9, 1939, Serial No. 255,514

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to container closures and more particularly to container closures of the cap type adapted to be used on bottles or other containers for medicines, cosmetics or other mediums which are required to be drawn from the bottle or other container in small quantities and applied to a surface to be treated.

Prior constructions for fastening applicators to container closures have been generally unsatisfactory in that the applicators soon became detached from the cap, making the dispensing of the remainder of the medium within the container relatively diificult to the great chagrin of the user.

Other prior constructions involve relatively large and expensive holding means for associating the applicator with the cap. Bulky holding means have been found to be unsatisfactory as in many cases the medium within the container may react with or act to rapidly deteriorate the said holding means, effecting consequent disassociation of the applicator from the cap. As combined cap-applicators have found great use in dispensing mediums of relatively low cost, it is essential that the entire unit including the cap, applicator, container, etc. be of a nature to cost as little as possible. Accordingly, it is essential that the holding means for associating the cap with the applicator be of the smallest size that is necessary to effect its purpose and of a relatively inexpensive material.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a combined container closure and applicator involving a simple, novel and inexpensive medium for holding the applicator to said closure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined. cap and applicator of relatively low cost, of a nature facilitating fabrication and permitting flexing of the applicator with respect to the cap.

Other objects and the nature and advantagesof the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating the construction of the combined closure and applicator;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section taken along line 22 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the grooved flexible socket;

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the socket and a section of the applicator in elevation prior to their association; and,

(Cl. ill-67.4)

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a cap and combined socket and applicator prior to their association.

Referring to the drawing, a container cap l0 which may be formed of any material such as for 5 example, plastics including phenolic resinoids, ureaformaldehyde resinoids, cellulose and vinyl compounds, is provided with screw threads I l for association with a container having corresponding threads in the usual manner. The inner cenl0 tral portion of the container cap It may be formed with a protruding tubular socket like formation l2 for receiving the upper end I3 of the applicator 14, which may be of the dropper type illustrated, the brush type, notshown, or it 15 may take any other form, and the holding means [5.

The processes involved in the formation of the container cap and the applicator do not form part of the instant invention, but the associa- 2o tion of these two elements is material to the invention and is discussed below in detail. The holding means [5, see Fig. 3, may be fabricated of rubber, synthetic rubber such as polymerized chloro, 2, buta-diene, 1,3 known by the trade 9 5 names Duprene and Neoprene, or any other suitable flexible material. The holding means 15 is closed at its upper end it and is formed with a hollow interior H to receive the, upper end 13 of the applicator I l. The transverse dimen- 30.

Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the side walls [8 of the flexible 35,

holding means l5 below the closed end 16 thereof will bulge as illustrated in Fig. 5.

The curved surface of the generally cylindrical holding means l5, see Fig. 3, is provided with grooves l9 to form a fluted outer surface capable of marked change in external configuration under compression as for example illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein the grooves I9 have been reduced to but a fraction of their size before assembly of the applicator with the cap through the medium 45 of holding means l5. The transverse dimension of the combined holding means and applicator upper end I3 is preferably greater than the transverse dimension of the interior 20 of the socket like formation l2 formed within the cap Ill, whereby when the combined applicator upper end 13 and holding means l5 are associated with the interior 20 of the protruding formation l2 as suggested by Fig. 5, the exterior of the side walls l8 will be materially compressed and the grooves l9, illustrated in Fig. 3, will be reduced to but a fraction of their pre-assembly dimension or they may disappear entirely.

After assembly the ball like lower end 2| of the applicator l4 may be utilized for applicating and dispensing purposes without contact with the material receiving the medium dispensed or there may be contact and sufl'icient stress applied to effect flexing of the applicator M with respect to the cap II] as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The resiliency of the holding means 15 permits such relative displacementof the applicator l4 while at the same time holding the said applicator securely to the cap II].

In the assembly of the combined cap and applicator, the bulging which takes place when the upper portion [3 of the applicator rod is associated with the hollow interior H of the holding means I5 is more or less limited to the side walls l8 which are below the closed upper end l8, thereby permitting ready insertion of this sub-assembly into the hollow interior 2!! of the protruding formation 12 of the cap l0. Not only does the substantially non-bulging portion N5 of the holding means l6 permit of ready insertion of the other assembly but it prevents the pushing through of the upper portion l3 of the applicator which would take place if the holding means l5 were simply a tube open at both ends. This pushing through would make the insertion thereof as a sub-assembly within the relatively small hollow interior 20 of the projecting formation l2 a very difficult task. The closed end 16 of the holding means l5 therefore has a dual function, facilitating fabrication by permitting ready association of the applicator with the cap and preventing the insertion of the applicator rod into the container cap without carrying with it the holding means l5.

In accordance with the instant invention, not only is the nature of the material of which the holding means I5 is fabricated depended upon to associate the applicator with the cap but the structural formation thereof also effects this purpose and at the same time permits of greater flexing than would be possible without the said particular structural formation.

While it is contemplated that in the fabrication of combined cap-applicators in accordance with the invention that glass applicator rods of substantially uniform section be utilized, the cross sectional dimension of said glass applicator rods may vary without interfering with the ready fabrication of the cap-applicator assemblies for the fluted exterior of the holding means [5 is capable of more or less distortion than that illustrated in Fig. 2, depending on the size of the upper portion l3 of the applicator I4. This variation of cross sectional dimension of the upper portion l3 and the applicator l4 does not affect the holding properties of the holding means [5 which effects its function in a satisfactory manner by virtue of its configuration in accordance with the invention.

It is to be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to vary the nature of the materials of which the elements described are fabricated. For example, though the applicator I4 is illustrated as being of glass it may be of another suitable material such as metal or synthetic organic plastic and it is conceivable that the holding means l5 be fabricated of cork or other organic or inorganic flexible materials.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in this device without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to What is shown in the drawing and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined cap-applicator comprising a plastic container cap formed with internal screw threads and a projecting tubular formation generally concentric to said screw threads, a glass applicator, and holding means for associating said glass applicator with the interior of said tubular formation, said holding means comprising a flexible closed end cup-shaped structure having a projecting portion on its exterior surface.

2. A combined cap-applicator comprising a cap having a hollow projecting formation, an applicator associated therewith, and holding means for effecting said association comprising a fluted flexible structure.

3. A combined bottle cap-applicator comprising a formed plastic cap including internal screw threads and a generally hollow cylindrical projecting formation arranged generally concentric to said threads, a glass applicator rod, rubber holding means for effecting association of the upper portion of said rod with the interior of said hollow pro-jecting formation, said holding means comprising a generally cylindrical flexible structure closed at its upper end and formed with spaced vertical grooves on its curved surface to provide a plurality of distortable projecting strips.

4'. The method of fabricating a combined applicator, flexible cup-shaped holding means, and a container cap having a hollow protruding formation comprising: inserting the upper end of the applicator into the flexible cup-shaped holding means to substantially bulge a portion thereof, inserting the thus formed sub-assembly into the hollow protruding formation of said cap, and effecting distortion of the exterior of said holding means to provide a tight flexible junction.

'5. A combined cap-applicator comprising a cap having a projecting formation and an applicator associated therewith, a holding means effecting said association and comprising a rubber member having a projection on its outer surface adapted to project a predetermined distance prior to its association with the said formation of the said cap and said projection adapted to be deformed subsequent to its said asociation.

FRANK W. BRITT.