US2653726A - Closure for unrefillable containers - Google Patents

Description

p 1953 R. M. BERNAL 2,653,726

CLOSURE FOR UNREFILLABLE CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 4, 1951 ATTORNE/J.

3Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 4, 1951, Serial No. 259,839 In Cuba December 23, 1950 2 Claims.

This invention relates to closures for unrefillable containers, and particularly to closures of that kind which are provided with a ball above the valve so as to force the valve to remain on its seat thereby preventing the entrance of liquid into the container or bottle.

The object of this invention is to provide a closure of the ball type which comprises a valvecarrier body which is almost completely inserted within the bottle neck and has a plane seat provided with a lower axle-box supported on four oblique depending arms and whose function is to serve as a guide for a vertical pin inferiorly secured to the plane valve, the valve-carrier body having lodged therein a loose glass ball which rests by its own weight on the plane valve, and the valve-carrier body has an upper rim of greater diameter than the very valve-carrier body to form an annular projection the horizontal base of which rests upon the inner portion of an annular packing resting on the top edge of the bottle.

The closure of this invention also comprises a rather short cylindrical casing the lower edge of which rests on the outer portion of the annular packing and the upper portion of which has a raised central mouth for liquid discharge from the bottle, and the top portion of the casing has interiorly thereof in crossed arrangement four radial horizontal. ribs ending interiorly in four sloped teeth with recesses at the inner end of the ribs and at the inner cylindrical surface of the mouth; a hard-metal square sheet interposed by its points between the upper edge of the projecting rim of the valve-carrier body and the lower face of the four radial ribs projecting downwardly from the lower face of the top plane portion of the casing to allow between the straight sides of the sheet and the inner cylindrical surface of the casing body four segment-of-a-circle spaces for the passage of inner liquid from the bottle towards the casing mouth, said hard-metal sheet having four crossed openings wherethrough fit the four downward projecting teeth of the casing, and the openings of the sheet being provided at their inner edge with raised lugs adapted to fit into the inner vertical recessed ends of the four horizontal ribs of the casing and the mouth inner surface with which said lugs are adapted to flush; and a strap that inviolably secures the casing to the bottle neck thereby forming a closure device in which the outward passageof the liquid is prevented at the central portion that is obturated by the metal sheet which only provides four peripherial passageways through which an instrument such as a wire can hardly be inserted towards the valve for the purpose of holding the latter open and thereby refilling the bottle or container with a liquid of inferior quality, whereupon this closure is efficient against violations.

The invention is described with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawing. of which:

Fig. 1 is a diametral vertical section view of the closure of this invention, showing the closure applied to the mouth of a bottle neck in vertical position.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, viewed from beneath.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view, partly in elevation and partly in diametral vertical section, of the closure valve-carrier body.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plane view of the valve- .carrier body.

Fig. 5 is a detailed View, partly in elevation and partly in diametral vertical section, of the closure casing.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plane view of the casing.

Fig. 7 is a top plane view of the square hardmetal sheet interposed between the casing and the valve-carrier body.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a similar view to that of Fig. 1, showing the bottle neck with the closure in an inclined position to pour the inner liquid from the bottle.

Fig. 10 is a similar view to that of Fig. 1, show- 6 ing a modified form of the closure casing, the

same forming the strap to inviolably secure the closure to the bottle neck.

l ig. ll is a detailed view, partly in elevation and partly in diametral vertical section, of the modified form of the closure casing.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a bottle neck having an outer shoulder 2 at its top end portion and the inner diameter of which shall be slightly greater than that of the neck of the bottles commonly used for containing alcoholic beverages or liquors, so that it can easily lodge therein for the discharge of liquid 3 from the bottle in an amount nearly equal as in a common bottle, a valve-carrier cylindrical body t made of plastic material and having at its top edge a horizontal annular flange 5 bent upwards at a right angle to form a projecting rim 5 of greater diameter than the valve-carrier body 4, the annular flange 5 being adapted to rest on the inner portion of an annular packing 6 superposed to the top edge of the bottle neck I. The valve-carrier body 4 thus remains lodged almost completely within the bottle neck I and it has inferiorly a horizon tal bottom "I provided with a central opening 8 that is normally obturated by a plane disc valve 9 resting on the bottom I, said valve being provided with a downwardly projecting central pin l H which is guided in its movement to and from engagement with its seat Within a vertical axlebox I I formed vertically beneath the central portion of opening 8 by four spaced apart arms l2 obliquely depending in a circle from the bottom T serving as a seat for the plane valve 9.

Uponthe plane valve 9 loosely rests a glass ball [3 which in the normal vertical position of the bottle I forces by gravity the valve 9 to rest upon its seat, thereby keeping the opening 8 closed.

This closure has a cylindrical casing [4 made of plastic material and open at the bottom and closed on top by a horizontal portion having a central opening l5 on the edge of which is raised a cylindrical mouth [6 adapted to be closed by an inner cork stopper or an outerly fitting plastic cover, and the casing l4 rests by its inner edge on the outer portion of the annular packing 6 adjacently the top projecting rim 5 of the valvecarrier body 4. Said casing I4 is provided at the inner face of it stop horizontal portion with four rather thick crossed radial ribs l1 ending interiorly in channeled recesses [8 formed also vertically at the inner cylindrical surface of the mouth It; for the purpose that will be presently explained, and from the inner ends of the four ribs l1 downwardly project vertical teeth [9 having their inner face outwardly sloped to guide and retain the ball l3.

Betweenthe lower face of the four crossed radial ribs [1 andthe top edge of the projecting rim 5' of the valve-carrier body 4 is interposed a hard-metal sheet of square shape (Fig. '7) which rests by its points on the top edge of the projecting rim 5 and has four square openings 2lspaced apart from one another inv crossed arrangement, the inner end of which end in raised lugs 22.

The openings 2] are adapted to receive therethrough the. four teeth l9 downwardly projecting from the inner ends of the ribs H, the raised lugs 22 being adapted to remain lodged within the vertical channeled. recesses 18 formed in the inner surface of the raised mouth is with the inner surface of which the inner faces of the lugs 22 flush.

The casing. I4 is inviolably secured to the bottle neck I by means of a metal strap 23 whose upper end is bent. upon an annular. recess 24 formed in the top edge of the casing 14 and whose lower end is bent beneath the shoulder 2 of the bottle neck I, as it is usual with closures of this kind.

The operation of this closure is as follows: As the bottle is inverted in an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawing, the glass ball l3 falls by its own weight upon the hard-metal sheet 20 as guided in its movement by the teeth l9, thereby loosening the plane valve 9 which will also fall and withdraw from its seat I thereby opening the opening 8 wherethrough the liquid 3 from the bottle I will be free to flow, and the liquid will then pass about the ball l3 and towards the segment-of-a-circle shaped hollow spaces 25 (Fig. 2) formed. between the four straight sides of the metal sheet 20 and the inner cylindrical surface of the casing body I4 and extending between two ribs I! and projecting downwardly from the lower face of the top horizontal portion of the casing M, the liquid then passing from said hollow spaces 25 into the inner hole of the raised mouth It, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 9.

By reason of the obturation of the mouth l6 by the central portion of the hard-metal sheet 20, it is impossible to perforate this sheet with a sharp instrument for the purpose of making a central opening for the insertion of a wire to hold the valve 9 and to keep, it raised on its seat I, and it will be very diflicult to cause a wire to pass through the sinuous passageway formed by the segment-shaped hollow spaces25, firstly. towards the periphery of the casing l4 and then towards the inner space of the valve-carrier body 4 to engage the valve 9, which operation will also be prevented by the annular flange 5 of the valve- 4 carrier body 4, which flange 5 is positioned quite near the teeth [9.

Instead of the metal strap 23', the casing H, which is as a rule made of a plastic material, might be of a diameter slightly smaller than the bottleneck l, as shown in the modified form of casing [4' shown in Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawing, so that the casing l4 would be provided with a cylindrical extension 26 having its upper edge secured tothe lower edge of the body [4' through a horizontal annular flange 21 and its lower edge 28 may be bent beneath the shoulder 2 of the bottle neck I by applying heat with a suitable sealing apparatus to soften the plastic material at said place.

It is obvious that changes may be made within certain limits in the construction details of the closure parts, without thereby altering the essential character of the invention which is such as claimed hereinafter.

What I claim is:

1. A closure for an unrefillable container of the type having a neck formed at the upper end thereof comprising a cylindrica1 valve-carrier body made of plastic material and completely fitted within the container neck, said body being open at the top thereof and closed inferiorly by a bottom having a central opening therein, an upper horizontal flange formed outwardly of the body to rest on the top edge of the neck of the container, a top rim formed upwardly from the flange, a disc valve normally sealing the hole in the bottom of the valve-carrier body, a. ball within said body normally resting on the disc valve, a plastic cylindrical casin having a top horizontal portion with a cylindrical outlet mouth portion of reduced diameter projecting upwardly and centrally thereof, four radially extending crossed ribs formed on the lower surface of said horizontal portion, teeth projecting down wardly from the interior ends of th ribs to retain the ball, a hard-metal square sheet resting on the top rim of the valve-carrier body between said rim and the lower surfaces of the crossed ribs to define segmental sheet outlet passageways between each of its four sides and the inner periphery of the casing, said sheet having openings therein through which the rib teeth extend and a metallic strap securing the casing to the neck of the bottle'to prevent removal of the closure and violation of said sheet.

2. A closure. for an unreflllable container as claimed in ,claim 1, including lugs projecting upwardly from the inner edges of the openings of the hard-metal sheet, said lugs adapted to flushly fit recesses formed vertically in the periphery of the outlet mouth of the casing andrespectively in alinement with the crossed ribs, saidsheet obturating the outlet passageways sufficiently to prevent violation of the closure via the outlet mouth and yet permit the flow of liquid from the container, out. of said passageways andrsaid mouth.

RICARDO MORE BERNAL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 685,114 Davis Oct. 22, 1901 2,115,721 Jackson May 3, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS.

Number I Country Date 7 27,490 Switzerland Dec. 19; 1903.

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