US2821324A

US2821324A - Closure devices

Info

Publication number: US2821324A
Application number: US493513A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hungerle Jack
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-03-10
Filing date: 1955-03-10
Publication date: 1958-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1975-01-28

Description

Jan. 28, 1958 J. HUNGERLE CLOSURE DEVICES Filed March 10, 1955 Til INVENTORQ V JACK HUNGERLE United States Patent CLOSURE DEVICES Jack Hiingerle, Buchenberg, Kreis Villingen, near Konigsfeld, Germany Application March 10, 1955, Serial No. 493,513

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-305) The present invention relates to closure devices for collapsible tubes, bottles, flasks and similar containers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a closure device having a closure member adapted to be fixed to and released from a neck portion of a container for closing and opening an orifice of the neck portion, wherein means are provided for holding the closure member when released on the neck portion, whereby to avoid loss of the closure member.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a closure device comprising a screW cap for closing and opening an orifice of a neck portion of a collapsible tube, a bottle, flask or the like container, wherein the cap when unscrewed for opening the orifice remains attached to the neck portion.

It is another object of the invention to provide means for enabling the cap when unscrewed to be pivoted relatively to the neck portion so as to clear the orifice and to facilitate dispensing the contents of the container through the orifice.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for positively holding the cap in its pivoted position even if the container is held in a position in which the orifice extends downwards when dispensing the contents of the container through the orifice.

It is still another object of the invention to provide means for facilitating the initial assembling of the closure device.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when reading the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the appended drawings, which are given by way of example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 illustrates a section along the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 illustrates a section along the line 55 of Fig. 7 of a further embodiment of the invention, a screw cap being in its closing position;

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5, but shows the screw cap in its opening position; and

Fig. 7 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6.

The embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a container 1, which may be a bottle, a flask or, preferably, a collapsible tube, having a generally cylindrical neck portion. A first part of the neck portion is provided with external screw threads 4. A second part 2 of the neck portion has an external diameter which is smaller than the external diameter between the crests of the screw threads 4. In the embodiment illustrated, the external diameter of the part 2 substantially equals the diameter between the roots of the screw hreads 4. On the part 2, a holding ring 5 is slidably and rotatably provided, which may be made of metal or plastics, and which has bearing holes 2,821,324 Patenteddan. 28, 1958 6 engaged by internal studs 7 of lateral limbs 8 provided on a screw cap 3 for closing and opening an orifice in the neck portion. By means of the studs 7 engaging the holes 6, the cap 3 is pivotally held by the holding ring 5 when the cap is unscrewed from the screw threads 4, an unintentional removal of the holding ring 5 from the part 2 of the neck portion being prevented by the screw threads 4. In order to be able initially to pass the holding ring 5 across the screw threads 4 onto the part 2 of the neck portion, the holding ring 5 is provided at its inner periphery with a screw thread corresponding to the external screw threads 4 of the neck portion so that the holding ring 5 can be screwed along the screw threads 4 to pass the same. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the internal screw thread of the holding ring 5 is obtained by recessing an internally protruding ridge of the holding ring 5 as indicated at 9.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, the lateral limbs 8 are provided with bearing holes, while the holding ring 5 has corresponding bearing studs 7'. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the holding ring 5 is triangular in section at its internal periphery, the triangular section matching the external screw threads 4 of the neck portion so that the holding ring 5 can, again, initially be screwed along the screw-threads 4 to pass the same.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 as well as of Figs. 3 and 4 the screw cap 3 comprises a sealing disc 10 of the kind usually provided in such screw caps.

In order to prevent the holding ring 5 and therewith the cap 3 from sliding along the neck portion 2 in a downward direction when the neck portion and the orifice of the container, for example of a collapsible tube containing a tooth paste, are directed downwards for dispensing the contents of the container, means may be provided which prevent such sliding of the holding ring and thereby ensure that the cap remains clear of the orifice and does not impede the dispensing of the contents of the container.

For this purpose, the embodiment of Figs. 5, 6 and 7 comprises a holding ring 5, which is made of a resilient material, especially of a resilient plastic material, and which is provided with cams 11 and 11' bearing against the lateral limbs 8 of the cap when the cap has been pivoted so that by the pressure thus exerted the cap is secured in its pivoted position shown in Fig. 6. In the embodiment shown, the cams 11 and 11 are formed by providing recesses 12 in the outer wall of the holding ring 5 at the vicinity of the studs 7, the recesses 12 engaging the lateral limbs 8 when the cap 3 has been screwed onto the neck portion. When, however, the cap 3 is unscrewed and pivoted, the limbs 8 bear against the cams 11 or 11 (Fig. 6) and, owing to the pressure thus exerted on the inner surfaces of the limbs 8, turning of the cap under the action of gravity is prevented by friction when the neck portion and the orifice of the container are directed downwards. As can be seen from Fig. 5, the inner surfaces of the lateral limbs 8 are portions of a cylinder surface corresponding to the outer periphery of the holding ring 5.

Of course the cams may be replaced by projections, and the cams or projections may be provided on the inner surfaces of the lateral limbs of the cap instead of being provided on the holding ring.

It should be clearly understood that the embodiments hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings are given by way of example only, modifications, omissions and additions being possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closure device for containers comprising a discharge nozzle on the container, said nozzle having an exteriorly threaded end portion and an adjacent smooth cylindrical portion of smaller diameter and of greater length than the said threaded portion; a retaining ring provided with an interior circumferential bead, said bead having a notch thereacross to engageand .to pass over the said threaded end .portion of the nozzle and to permit said ring to turn on and slide along the said cylindrical portion thereof; and interiorly threaded cap fitting said threaded end portion of the nozzle and provided with two legs extending from said cap in opposing positions outside and in axial direction of said nozzle; a vpivotal connection between the ends of said legs and said retaining ring permitting the said cap when unscrewed from the nozzle to be swung aside into a position not obstructing the discharge opening of the nozzle; and two recesses in the outer surface of said retaining ring extending in axial direction thereof and having convex cylindrical bottoms with the longitudinal axes of said cylindrical bottoms coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the nozzle; each of said recesses adapted to receive the end portion of one of said legs and provided with outwardly slanted side faces cooperating with said leg portion as locking or snapping means to hold the legs with the cap attached thereto in outswung position after the cap has been unscrewed from the nozzle.

2. A closure device according to claim 1 wherein at least the end portions of the legs cooperating with said outwardly slanted side faces of the said recesses have a cylindrical inner surface having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical bottom surfaces of the retaining ring recesses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS