US2680531A - Cap structure for bottles - Google Patents

Description

J1me '1954 J. E. UNDERWOOD CAP STRUCTURE FOR BOTTLES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 28, 1951 J1me 1954 J, E. UNDERWOOD 31 CAP STRUCTURE FOR BOTTLES Filed May 28 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,680,531 CAP STRUCTURE FOR BOTTLES James Ellis Underwood, Phoenixville, Pa., as-

signor to The West Company, Phoenixville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 28, 1951, Serial No. 228,721 3 Claims. (Cl. 215-38) tents ar to be sealed against contamination and parts after they have been brought together but are to be accessible by insertion of a needle prior to the crimping securement;

through the cap structure. Such cap structures 5 Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the completed essentially comprise a resilient sealing member n structure er r mp r m n f h usually formed of rub oe and a cap usually parts;

formed of metal which is secured to the bottle Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the cap strucand which has a tear-01f portion to expose an tllre pp to a t Said e so being area of the sealing member and thus enable in- 10 taken diametrically through the cap r r and character above-mentioned have involved a cap structure;

number of objections and disadvantages. The Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the separate parts have necessarily been handled 15 ner retaining member; a

separately and have been brought together in an 12 s n a ged ta y p p ve assembled structure only at the time Of applicaview of the assemb ed and applied cap structure tion to bottles. This has involved considerable Refeirmg first to Figs 1 to 7 0f the d aW n which are more fragile individually than when tion essentially comprises a relatively deep circucomponent parts It h l o i l consmformed of rubber or other suitable material and erable time and labor cost due to the necessity of 5 having a depth substantially less than the depth handling the separate parts. of cap IE3, and a retaining member l2 generally A further disadvantage is present in prior cap the form f a ring and h ving an inturned ture to a bottle has frequently caused a downto enable crimping securement as hereinafter deforce but tends to expand under such force, there element Serving as a facing for e g-m mis a, tendency for the disc to'cup downward into her the neck of the bottle, and this provides a small After manufacture f the above-mentioned recess or catch basin for dirt or dust, making it component part the parts are brought together difiicult for the physician or surgeon to avoid conas Wn in g- 5- The sealing member I I seatstamination of the needle used to extract the con- Wi hin th upper part of the cap l0, and assumtents of the bottle. 40 ing that the facing element I5 is employed, this One object of the present invention is to elimielement is placed within the cap l0 against the nate the above-mentioned objections-of prior cap sealing member I i. The retaining member [2 structures. is nested within the lower part of cap l0. With Another object of the invention is to provide a the lower part of the retaining member [2 formed simple cap structure which may be manufacas shown, the lower edge of cap [0 rests upon the tured and automatically assembled prior to usage flange Mas shown in Fig. 5.

and which effects economies by virtue of its be After the parts have been brought together in ing capable of assembly as a unit which may be assembled relation as shown in Fig 5 the flange handled shipped and stored and which may be I 4 1s curled or crimped about the lower edge of easily applied as a single unit to a bottle or other container at any time. Thus a pharmaceutical manufacturer can autoclave, rumble or othercap [I], The firm frictional engagement between wise sterilize and handle the assembled cap structhe curled or crimped flange l4 and the lower ture without fear that the component parts will part of cap l0 serves to hold the parts securely becom disassembled. in assembled relation.

Other objects and features of the invention As clearly shown in t drawing t cap is will be appar nt fr m the f l wi d ta l d deprovided with a tear-oil portion l6, and this pordrawing wherein U. S. Patent No. 2,425,269 issued March 22, 1949 Figs. 1 to 4 are perspective views of the component elements or parts of one embodiment of signee of the present application.

the invention, the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 4 As clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the circular being broken away and sectioned for the purpose sealing member I I preferably has a diameter less ofjllustration, than the internal diameter of the can In but greater than the inner diameter oi the inturned flange l3 on the retaining member i2. Whether or not the facing element is employed, the flange 13 serves to retain the sealing member 5 i within the upper part of cap l0.

After completion of the assembled cap structure as shown in Fig. 6, the same may be handled, shipped, stored and subjected to any desired sterilizing treatment, without fear of the parts becoming disassemled. As previously pointed cap structures of this general type or character.

Whenever it is desired to apply the cap structure to a bottle, as shown in Fig. 7, the assembled cap structure is placed over the head ll of the usual bottle it, and the lower portions of parts iii and i2 are crimped inwardly by rolling beneath the head i! and against the bottle neck. Of course it will be understood that the parts are dimensioned to enable such attachment to the bottle. in applying the cap structure to the bottle, downward pressure is exerted to effect a tight seal, and due to this pressure the resilient sealing member it flows or expands outwardly, and this is permitted without causing any distortion of said member by reason of the space made available for outward expansion of member it due to the fact that its diameter is less than the internal diameter of the cap Hi. Therefore there is no tendency for the sealing member 1 l to cup downward as previously mentioned.

When it is desired to use the contents of the sealed bottle it it is merely necessary to remove the tear-cit portion it) of the cap it and then insert a needle through the exposed portion of sea-ling member H and through the racing element l5, assuming that the latter is used. Since there is no cupping of the sealing member ii, there is no recess or catch basin wherein dirt or dust might accumulate.

In Figs. 8 to 12, there is shown a modified form of the cap structure which differs from the first described iorm in certain respects. in this instance, as shown in Fig. 8, the relative depths of out, this is a very important advantage over prior the outer cap lila and the inner retaining inernber 1241 are such that the lower portion of cap 10a is adapted to be curled or crimped inwardly about the lower edge portion of the member 12a, as shown in Fig. 9. It will be seen that this is a reversal of the crimping arrangement employed in the first-described embodiment.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 8 to 12 also includes a feature which may be employed in any embodiment of the invention. The inturned flange 13a of the retaining member 12a has an upwardly turned edge it which is directed toward the sealing mem er lid and the facing disc 15a, assuming that the latter is employed. With this feature incorporated in the cap structure, it is preferable to employ a bottle or container lea having an inclined sealing surface as shown at 20.

Figs. 10 and 12 show the cap structure after application to a bottle lad under pressure as previously described. It will be noted that the upturned edge it performs a biting action, and where the facing disc 55a is employed as shown, the edge bites into this element and stretches it across the mouth of the bottle. This is due to the fact that during the pressure application of the cap structure to the bottle, the retaining member l2a is deformed where it engages the top of the bottle, and the edge it is caused to exert outward radial forces on the disc I541.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as it will be obvious that various modifications are possible. For example, the sealing member H may take forms other than that shown, such as a stopper, and may be formed of materials other than rubber, such as cork. The other parts of the structure may also be varied as to form and composition.

1 claim:

1. A cap structure for pharmaceutical bottles, comprising a relatively deep outer cap, a resilient sealing member seated within said cap, and a retaining member nested within said cap and having an inturned flange at its top to retain said sealing member, said flange having a turned biting edge directed toward said sealing member, said cap and said retaining member being secured together by crimping securement of their lower edges, said retaining member and said cap being adapted to fit over the top of a bottle and to be crimped inwardly to secure the entire cap structure permanently to the bottle.

2. A cap structure for pharmaceutical bottles, comprising a relatively deep circular outer cap, a circular resilient sealing member seated within the upper part of said cap, said sealing member having a depth substantially less "han the depth or" said cap, and a retaining member nested within the lower part of said cap and having an inturned iiange at its top to retain said sealing member, said iiange having a turned biting edge directed toward said sealing member, said cap and retaining member being secured to gether' by crimping securement of their lower edges, said retaining member and the lower part of said cap being adapted to fit over the top of a bottle and to be criniped inwardly to secure the entire cap structure permanently to the bottle.

3. A cap structure for pharmaceutical bottles, comprising a relatively deep circular outer cap, a circular resilient sealing member seated within the upper part of said cap and having a diameter less than the internal diameter of said cap, said sealing member having a depth substantially less than the depth of said cap, and a retaining member nested within the lower part of said cap and having an inturned flange at its top to retain said sealing member, said flange having a turned biting edge directed toward said sealing mem her, said cap and said retaining member being secured together by crimping securernent of their lower edges, said retaining member and the lower part of said cap being adapted to fit over the top of a bottle and to be crimped inwardly to secure the entire cap structure permanently to the bottle, said sealing member expanding radially when subjected to compressive force during application of the cap structure to a bottle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS Dec. 22, 1941

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