US2310901A - Closing ring - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9, 1943. H. VAN HORN 2,310,901

CLOSING RING Filed Jan. 15, 1941 IIIIIIIIIIIII/ Patented Feb. 9, 1943 CLOSING RING Arthur H. Van Horn, Rocky River, Ohio, assignor to Cornell Securities Corporation, Gleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application January 15, 1941, Serial No. 374,544

3 Claims.

My invention relates to shipping containers such as metal barrels, drums, pails or the like, and more particularl relates to an improved type of sealing ring for removably securing a cover in place in the open end of the container and in fluid tight sealed relation thereto.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a transversely split sealing ring with means for contracting and expanding the ring about the cover and container by employing a lever or handle pivotally carried by one end of the ring and having means engageable with the other end of the ring so that upon moving the lever in one direction of rotation the ring will be contracted and by moving it in an opposite direction the ring will be expanded.

A further object of the invention isa sealing ring of the above named character in which the only movable part employed in expanding the ring is the lever.

A further object is to construct a sealing ring of the type above described in which the lever is provided with means engageable with a lug on the ring end to expand the ring when the lever is moved in one direction and to contract the ring when the lever is moved in another direction.

Another object of the invention consists in reducing the ring expanding and contracting means to a minimum number of parts thereby reducing the cost of manufacture and assembly without impairing its effectiveness or ease of operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an operating lever which is positive and direct in its action to open or close the ring, thus making it possible to eliminate connecting links between the lever and the end of the ring opposite that to which the lever is pivotally connected.

Another object consists in the provision of. a lever for contracting and expanding the ring in which the lever operates about one fulcrum to contract the ring and about a different fulcrum to expand the ring.

A still further object of the invention is to reduce the required number of movable parts to a single lever to seal effectively and remove a cover fromv a container without the use of tools.

A further object consists in providing means of the above described character which can be operated outside the container side walls and below the ring and head of the container, without presenting any objectionable protruding parts which might interfere with nesting or storing of the containers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of my invention shown applied in use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the same in the vicinity of the ring ends and shows the ring in contracted sealing position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view of the ring showing the lever in position at the beginning of the ring contracting stroke;

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating the manner in which the lever is operated about a second fulcrum to expand the ring by forcibly separating the ring ends;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on line 55 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line S 5 of Figure 2'.

In the art of shipping and storing containers such as metallic barrels, drums, pails or the like, it is common practice to the cover on the open end of the container by means of a contractible sealing ring of channelled cross section carrying mechanism for contracting the ring to seal the cover on the container.

Many ofthese devices, however, rely upon a plurality of elements to contract or to expand the'ring, as for instance, links and levers, racks and pinions, multiple or compound links and lever arrangements and the like.

My invention is designed to reduce the number of elements of such devices to a single movable element which operates both as a ring contracting member and a ring expanding member depending upon its direction of movement. Thus the assembly is simplified in construction and, of course, is more economical to manufacture.

In carrying out the present invention in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, I have shown a metal barrel, drum or pail at i which is provided with head 2 rolled outwardly at its open end. The cover 3 has a peripheral upwardly and outwardly extending flange 4 which is adapted to overlie the packing 5 and the bead 2 as shown. The channelled, split clamping ring 6 engages the cover flange 4 and the bead 2 and presses same together against the packing in sealing relation when the ring is contracted.

Adjacent one end 'l of the split ring E, I have provided a lug or hanger 8 which extends downwardly under the bead and close to the side Wall of the container as shown. A lever assembly is pivotally carried by the lug at 9. The other end III of the ring carries a rigid member II also extending downwardly from the ring and under the bead and in alignment with the central plane of the lug 8.

The lever assembly above referred to, comprises a handle portion I 2 and an extension lever arm I3 pivotally connected as a unit within the U-shaped lug 8 by means of the pin 9 and operates as a rigid unit about this fulcrum in one direction for contracting the ring as will be more fully brought out hereinafter. The handle portion of the lever assembly is pivotally carried at I4 within the lever arm I3,

The lever arm I3 may be L-shaped in elevation as shown to permit the use of a short lug 8 and further to locate the fulcrum 9 preferably above the fulcrum I4, although the lug 8 may be extended downwardly so that the fulcrums 9 and I 4 will be in substantial alignment. However, the preferred arrangement is that illustrated in the drawing, since the advantages of smoother operation are greater as will be seen as this description progresses,

The outer portion of the lever arm I3 is slotted or bifurcated at I5 to receive an end I6 of the handle I2. An abutment or stop I! is formed within the slotted end of the lever arm I3, while the adjacent end of the handle I2 is formed with an extension I8 engageable by the stop I! to prevent movement of the handle relative to the lever arm I3 in a counterclockwise direction from an aligned position as indicated in Figure 2. From this position, however, the handle is freely movable on the lever about the fulcrum I4 in a clockwise position to expand the ring as shown in Figure 4.

In order to effect positive ring expansion and contraction as a result of direct engagement of the rigid handle member with rigid cooperating means carried by one end of the ring, I have provided spaced cams I9 and 29 formed as an integral part of the handle portion of the lever and extending upwardly in the direction of the lower flange of the ring and the bead of the container, and to receive therebetween the tooth or cam member I I as illustrated in Figure 2.

It will be noted particularly from Figures 2, 3, and 4 that the opposite walls 2| and 22 of the cam II are formed for sliding engagement with the crown portion 23 and 24 of the members I9 and 29 respectively. The Wall 2| is convexly curved from the root of the member II to its lowermost portion, while the wall 22 is substantially vertical from the root to the lowermost portion although it may be merely an inclined wall, or it may be concavely curved.

In use, the embodiment of my invention herein described and shown operates in substantially the following manner.

The expanded ring is applied to a container and cover as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 so that the ring flanges loosely overlie the cover flange and the bead of the container. To contract the ring and thereby seal the cover on the container, the operator grasps the handle I2 and pull it upwardly about the fulcrum 9. It will be noted that an upward pull on-the handle from the position shown in Figure 3 will cause the whole lever assembly comprising the handle I2 and the arm I3, to move as a rigid lever about the pin 9 because of the fact that the extension I8 at the fulcrumed end of the handle I2 presses against the abutment I! of the lever arm. Thus movement of the handle I2 in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 3 can only result in movement of the lever assembly as a single rigid lever about the fulcrum 9.

As the lever approaches the ring, the crown 23 of the tooth or cam 20 will engage the convex wall of the cam I I and slide along it until the offset portion 23 snaps into the seat 25. During this movement of the lever the ring ends are pulled toward each other due to the opposed circumferential closing forces applied to one ring end through the lug 8 and to the other ring end through the cam I I. When the ring is fully contracted, the parts will be in the positions indicated in Figure 2 and the lever can be maintained in such position in shipment by means of the snap seating of the offset cam end 23 in the socket or seat 25 of the cam II. Furthermore the handle may be provided with an apertured tab 26 in alignment with an apertured stop 21 for receiving a sealing wire 28 as a precaution aaginst unauthorized access to the interior of the container.

When it is desired to remove the cover 3 by expanding the ring, the sealing wire 28 is, of course, first removed. The operator then exerts a downward thrust on the handle I2 unseating the offset end 23 from the seat 25. It will be noted that a clockwise movement of the handle I2 from the position illustrated in Figure 2, will be about the fulcrum represented at I4 as shown more clearly in Figure 4, rather than about the fulcrum 9, thus shortening the leverage from the outer end of the handle to the fulcrum I4 as contrasted to the longer leverage from the end of the handle to the fulcrum 9 when the lever is moved in a reverse direction to contract the ring.

It will also be noted that the distance between the fulcrum 9 and the toe 23 of the cam 20 is reater than that between the fulcrum I4 and the crown 24 of the member I9 which engages the surface 22 of the cam II during forcible expansion of the ring.

The longest radius of the cam I9 extends in a plane slightly to the right of the vertical when the ring is fully contracted as shown in Figure 2 and is of sufiicient length that a clockwise movement of the lever I2 and the cam I9 will cause a spreading of the ring ends I and I0 due to sliding engagement of the crown 24 with the wall 22 of the member II.

As the ring end I I] moves to the right in Figure 4 during the expanding operation, the cam 20 will move outwardly and downwardly of the member II without interferin with the ring expansion. Ordinarily, only a limited force is required to begin expansion of the ring due to the fact that the ring is normally slightly expanded. It is often necessary to apply an initial force to expand a ring which has become set in its contracted position on the container and the present invention includes means for applying such initial forces through the operation of a lever having portions engageable with an end of the ring.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the invention provides a simple and compact means for contracting and expanding a sealing ring into and out of cover sealin relation with the container by the operation of a single lever in which the same operates about one fulcrum to contract the ring and about another fulcrum to expand the ring.

I have also provided means for preventing movement of the lever arm l3 about its fulcrum during the expanding operation. Such means may consist of crimping the lug walls vertically inwardly as at 3!) and recessing the lever arm at 3| vertically so that the crimp will snap into the recess and thus resist turning movements in the lever arm when it is desired to move the lever handle independently in a clockwise direction to expand the ring as in Figure 4.

The compression of the lug walls 8 to set the crimp 33 in the recess 3| is easily maintained by the beaded pin 9 although this lever arm is capable of being moved to the position shown in Figure 3 to prepare the lever assembly for its function of contracting the ring.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of my invention without departing from the spirit of the same or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clamping ring for sealing a cover on the open end of a receptacle comprising a transversely split channeled ring having portions engageable with the cover and with the receptacle to press the same together when the ring is contracted, members depending from the ring near its respective ends, and means for contracting and expandin the ring, said means including a lever pivotally connected with one of said ring carried members, a handle pivoted to said lever, a stop on said lever engageable with a portion of the handle for movement with the lever in one direction but movable independently of the lever in an opposite direction, and a pair of longitudinally spaced abutments carried by the lever handle to engageably receive therebetween the said other ring carried member whereby upon movement of the lever handle in one direction the ring is contracted.

2. A clamping ring for sealing a cover on the open end of a receptacle comprising a transversely split channeled ring having portions engageable with the cover and with the receptacle to press the same together when the ring is contracted, members depending from the ring near its respective ends, and means for contracting and expanding the ring, said means including a lever pivotally connected with one of said ring carried members, a handle pivoted to said lever, a stop on said lever engageable with a portion of the handle for movement with the lever in one direction but movable independently of the lever in an opposite direction, and a pairof abutments spaced longitudinally of the lever and carried by the lever handle to engageably receive therebetween the said other ring carried member whereby upon movement of the lever handle in one direction the ring is contracted, and upon movement of the lever handle in an opposite direction the ring is expanded.

3. A clamping ring for sealing a cover on the open end of a receptacle comprising a transversely split channeled ring having portions engageable with the cover and with the receptacle to press the same together when the ring is contracted, members depending from the ring near its respective ends, and means for contracting and expanding the ring, said means including a lever pivotally connected with one of said ring carried members, a handle pivoted to said lever for movement with the lever in one direction but movable independently of the lever in an opposite direction, a lateral abutment on said lever handle, said other ring carried member having a convex face engageable by said abutment when the lever handle is moved in one direction to contract the ring, a bearing member on said abutment having bearin'g engagement with the convex face of the said other ring carried member, said convex face having a retaining seat to receive the bearing member and to retain the lever handle in ring contracted position.

ARTHUR H. VAN HORN.

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