US3510030A

US3510030A - Closure for an aerosol or like pressure container

Info

Publication number: US3510030A
Application number: US725397A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cecil Robert Montgomery Graham; Lambert Ronald Little
Original assignee: Samuel Taylor Pty Ltd
Current assignee: SPECIALTY ACQUISITION Corp A CORP OF DELAWARE; Samuel Taylor Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1967-05-02
Filing date: 1968-04-30
Publication date: 1970-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 1987-05-05
Also published as: FR1562597A; AU2115367A; GB1219935A; DE1750436A1; AU428576B2

Description

y 1970 c. R. M. GRAHAM ET AL 3,510,030

CLOSURE FOR AN AEROSOL OR LIKE PRESSURE CONTAINER Filed April 50, 1968 INVEmoes (:Ecu. R-M- GRHHHM Z8 umsznr IQ-LITTLE IO 51 United States Patent M 3,510,030 CLOSURE FOR AN AEROSOL OR LIKE PRESSURE CONTAINER Cecil Robert Montgomery Graham, Killara, New South Wales, and Lambert Ronald Little, Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia, assignors to Samuel Taylor Pty. Limited, Gore Hill, New South Wales, Australia, a corporation of Australia Filed Apr. 30, 1968, Ser. No. 725,397 Claims priority, application Australia, May 2, 1967, 21,153/67 Int. Cl. B65d 83/14 US. Cl. 222-545 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A closure for an aerosol or other pressurized container having a neck and a mouth therein, a cap placed on said mouth and over said neck, and a substantially cylindrical element connected with said cap and extending into the neck with clearance from the interior wall of said neck, the closure further comprising a ring of elastically deformable material elastically and displaceably fitted over the circumference of said substantially cylindrical element, the outer circumference of said ring being such that the ring is an interference fit within said neck, so that the ring is forced by interior pressure prevailing within said container into engagement with the free end of said substantially cylindrical element.

This invention has reference to the sealing of aerosol containers of the type having a cup-shaped valve chamber attached to, or made in one piece with, the container cap. More particularly it is concerned with the provision of a novel and improved seal for the container, the effect of which is increased with increasing pressure within the container, and which to some extent is insensitive to variations in the position of the cap on the container top or outlet and to inaccuracies, if any, in the fixation of the cap to the container neck or equivalent, e.g. by crimping.

In conventional aerosol containers the sealing of the container is effected, as a rule, by a ring or like annular sealing body accommodated within an annular space between the aforementioned chamber and the flange of the closure cap, the latter being secured over the neck or flange of the container or bottle by crimping, clipping, screwing, or otherwise. It is well known that with a sealing ring or annulus of rubber or other elastically deformable material, which overlies the container outlet or mouth, the sealing effect is diminished, and may even be eliminated altogether, if the cap together with the seal is lifted off the container mouth even slightly by the pressure prevailing within the container, particularly if the fixation of the cap to the container or bottle top is unsatisfactory or faultye.g., in the event of faulty or inadequate crimping. Also it is obvious that the interior pressure within the container or bottle tends to lift the cap together with the seal off the container mouth.

It is thus the main object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved seal in which any increase of the pressure on the seal tends to increase the adhesion of the seal to the neck of the bottle or container, rather than to diminish or eliminate the sealing eifect.

This object is achieved in the invention by providing a ring of rubber or other elastically deformable material around the valve chamber or around some other cylindrical element connected with the cap. The cross-section of the ring may, for instance, be square or rectangular, or the ring may be an O-ring, the ring being fitted elastically 3,510,030 Patented May 5, 1970 and displaceably over the circumference of the valve chamber or of the cylindrical element. An inner flange or equivalent is provided around the valve chamber or around said cylindrical element on or near the closure cap and the elastically compressible ring is arranged on said chamber or element in such a manner that it 18 made to engage said inner flange under the action of a pressure prevailing within the container.

Thus, according to the invention a closure for an aerosol or like pressure container having a neck and a mouth therein, a cap placed on said mouth and over sald neck, and a substantially cylindrical element connected with said cap and extending into the neck with clearance from the interior wall of said neck, comprises a ring of elastically deformable material elastically and displaceably fitted over the circumference of said substantially cylindrical element, the outer circumference of said rlng being such that the ring is an interference fit within said neck.

It will be understood that with this arrangement the pressure within the aerosol container causes the elastically compressible ring to be urged towards said substantially cylindrical element or a shoulder provided thereon. As the elastic material of the ring which fits over the circumference of the valve chamber or of said substantially cylindrical element is unable to escape radially inward towards said chamber or element, it is forced radially outwardly by the pressure within the container whereby the ring is made to firmly engage the inner wall of the container neck or mouth, such engagement being intensified by any increase of the pressure within the aerosol container.

Thus, if the cap is not tightly crimped onto or other wise secured to the container mouth, or if the crimping is damaged, such inadequacy of the closure does not affect the sealing eifect ensured by the elastically compressible ring together with the inner wall of the container neck or mouth.

In order to more particularly describe the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing which, by way of example only, illustrates various embodiments of the invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows in cross-section the neck of an aerosol container with a cap placed on its end, a valve chamber secured to the cap and a sealing ring of circular crosssection fitted over the circumference of said chamber;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views similar to FIG. 1 but showing constructions which include a ring of drop-shaped and a rectangular cross-section, respectively; and

FIG. 4 is a view in which the ring is placed upon a cylindrical element forming part of the cap, instead of on said valve chamber.

Identical or equivalent parts of the closure are denoted by the same reference numerals in all figures of the drawing.

Referring to FIG. 1 this shows a construction which includes a cap 5 of plastically deformable material provided with an outer flange 6 and with an interior flange 7, both flanges surrounding concentrically a central aperture 8 in the top 9 of the cap. The cap is placed over the neck 10 of an aerosol container, the cap overlying the end 11 of the container neck 10 with the outer flange 6 engaging the outer circumference 12 of said neck close to the outer end 11 of the latter, whereas the inner flange 7 of the cap 5 enters the mouth 13 of the container, being arranged in close vicinity to the inner wall of the neck 10.

The valve chamber 14 of the aerosol container is fitted into the space bounded by the inner side of the interior flange 7 and the top 9 of the cap 5 and it is retained therein by a shoulder 15 formed in the outer 3 wall of the chamber 14 and by a corresponding shoulder 16 formed inside the flange 7.

A discharge tube 17 projects from one end of the chamber 14 and extends with clearance through the aperture 8, a gasket 18 of elastically compressible material being provided between the top face 19 of the chamber 14 and the inner surface of the top 9 of the cap which surrounds the aperture 8. Outside the container and at a distance from the. outer surface of the top 9 of the cap 5, the discharge tube 17 carries, as usual, the spray head 20 which contains a spray nozzle (not shown).

In the embodiment shown a sealing ring 21 made of rubber, or of some other elastically deformable elastomeric material is elastically fitted onto the outer circumference of the chamber 14, the outer diameter of the ring 21 being so dimensioned that the ring is an interference fit within the inner wall of the container neck 10.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the ring 21 is of circular cross-section. If so desired, however, the ring cross-section may somewhat deviate from circular shape, the ring 21 being then a so-called O-ring.

The arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 solely in that the cross-section of the ring 21' is substantially drop-shaped. The tapering part of the ring cross-section enters a space 22 between the extremity 23 of the interior flange 7 and the chamber 14, said space converging from the extremity 23 towards the shoulder 15 of the chamber 14.

If so desired, the ring 21 may be extended as indicated in FIG. 2 by doted lines 24 to provide increased adhesion of the ring to the circumference of the chamber 14.

The arrangement of FIG. 3 differs from that according to FIG. 1 only in that the ring 21" is of rectangular cross-section.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 4 the interior flange 7 comprises an annular base 25 which projects from the underside of the top 9 of the cap 5, and an annular extension 26 which depends from the base 25 and has an outer diameter smaller than that of said base 25. An annular shoulder 27 is formed in the outer wall of the flange 7' where the base 25 and the flange extension 26 meet.

It will be seen that in the modification of FIG. 4 the sealing ring 21" is slipped over the outer surface of the flange extension 26 i.e., over a cylindrical element other than the chamber 14 itself. The flange extension 26 projects into the mouth 13 of the container when the closure is applied to the container neck 10.

While in FIG. 1 the cap is simply forced over the end portion of the container neck and may be retained thereon e.g. by friction, or by a clip (not shown); FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show the free edge 28 of the depending outer flange 6 of the cap as being crimped over the end portion of the container neck 10.

We desire it to be understood that we do not wish protection by Letters Patent to be limited to the aforedescribed details, as these are capable of modification within the scope and ambit of the appended claims.

Thus, for instance, the cross-sectional configuration of the resiliently compressible ring may be varied optionally, e.g. be made elliptical instead of circular or, if the cross-section of the ring is substantially square or rectangular, the corners of the square or rectangular cross-section may be rounded.

The abovementioned shoulder may either be provided especially within the closure cap, or it may be constituted by a part of the chamber or of the cap, irrespective of whether such part has or has not any additional function.

We claim:

1. A closure for an aerosol or like pressurized container having a neck and a mouth therein, a cap placed on said month and over said neck, and a substantially cylindrical element connected to said cap and extending into the neck with clearance from the interior wall of said neck to define an annular passage opening into the container and subjected to the pressure within the container, said cap including a portion extending into said annular passage, the closure further comprising a ring of elastically deformable material elastically and displaceably fitted over the circumference of said substantially cylindrical element, with the outer circumference of said ring being such that the ring is an interference fit within said neck, whereby the ring forms a seal within said annular passage, any increase in pressure within the container compressing said ring axially against said portion to expand radially to increase the tightness of the fit of said ring with the circumference of said substantially cylindrical element and with said neck.

2. A closure for an aerosol or like pressurized container having a neck and a mouth therein, a cap placed on said mouth and over said neck, and a substantially cylindrical valve chamber, which forms part of said aerosol container, connected with said cap and extending into the neck with clearance from the interior wall of said neck, said cap being provided with an outer flange which, in the assembled closure, overlies the mouth and at least a part of the neck of said container, and with an inner flange which is spaced from said outer flange and depends from the side of the cap which, in the assembled closure, overlies the container mouth, while said inner flange enters the gap between the outer wall of said chamber and the inner wall of said neck, the closure member further comprising a ring of elastically deformable material elastically and displaceably fitted over the substantially cylindrical outer surface of said chamber in a position close to said inner flange, the outer circumference of said ring being such that the ring is an interference fit within said neck, so that the ring is forced, by interior pressure prevailing within said container, into engagement with the free end of said annular flange.

3. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is of circular cross-section.

4. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is an O-ring.

5. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is of substantially rectangular cross-section.

6. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is substantially drop-shaped in cross-section.

7. A closure for an aerosol or like pressurized container having a neck and a mouth therein, a cap placed on said mouth and over said neck, and provided with an outer flange and with an interior annular flange arranged at a distance from said outer flange, said interior flange having an annular base which depends on the side of the cap which, in the assembled closure, overlies the container mouth, and further having a substantially cylindrical extension which projects from said annular base and recedes from the interior wall of said neck, a shoulder being provided in the outer surface of said interior flange between the base of the latter and said receding extension thereof, the closure further comprising a ring of elastically deformable material elastically and displaceably fitted over the substantially cylindrical surface of said receding flange extension close to said shoulder, so that said ring is forced by interior pressure, prevailing within said container, into sealing engagement with the base of said flange and with the interior wall of the container neck, the outer circumference of said ring being such that the ring is an interference fit within said neck.

8. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is of circular cross-section, said valve chamber being retained within a space bounded by said inner flange, by shoulders provided in the circumference of said chamber and in the inner face of said inner flange, respectively.

9. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is of substantially rectangular cross-section, said valve chamber being retained Within a space bounded by said inner flange, by shoulders provided in the circumference of said chamber and in the inner face of said inner flange, respectively.

10. A closure, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ring is substantially drop-shaped in cross-section, said valve chamber being retained Within a space bounded by said inner flange, by shoulders provided in the circumference of said chamber and in the inner face of said inner flange, respectively.

11. A closure, as claimed in claim 7, including a valve chamber which forms a part of said aersol container, said valve chamber being retained within a space bounded by said interior flange by shoulders provided in the circumference of said chamber and in the inner face of said interior flange, respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner N. L. STACK, JR., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.