US3549038A - Cap with frangible portions - Google Patents

Cap with frangible portions Download PDF

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Publication number
US3549038A
US3549038A US774655A US3549038DA US3549038A US 3549038 A US3549038 A US 3549038A US 774655 A US774655 A US 774655A US 3549038D A US3549038D A US 3549038DA US 3549038 A US3549038 A US 3549038A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
cap
bottle
mouth
sealing
flange
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US774655A
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English (en)
Inventor
Bernard Lohrer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Furstlich Hohenzollernsche Huttenverwaltung
Original Assignee
Hohenzollern Huettenverwalt
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from DE19671607857 external-priority patent/DE1607857A1/de
Application filed by Hohenzollern Huettenverwalt filed Critical Hohenzollern Huettenverwalt
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3549038A publication Critical patent/US3549038A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D51/16—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas
    • B65D51/1672—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas whereby venting occurs by manual actuation of the closure or other element
    • B65D51/1688—Venting occurring during initial closing or opening of the container, by means of a passage for the escape of gas between the closure and the lip of the container mouth, e.g. interrupted threads
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
    • B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
    • B65D41/16—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers
    • B65D41/18—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers non-metallic, e.g. made of paper or plastics
    • B65D41/185—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers non-metallic, e.g. made of paper or plastics with integral internal sealing means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D55/00—Accessories for container closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D55/16—Devices preventing loss of removable closure members
    • B65D55/165—Devices preventing loss of removable closure members by an element constrained within the container neck, i.e. the element passing through the container opening

Definitions

  • a dish-shaped bottle cap of an elastic material 10 Claims 5 Drawing Figs and having an internal peripheral retaining head for fitting un- [52] 1.8.
  • CI. 215/41 derneath the lip of a bottle mouth to form a closure on the bot- 215/42, 215/56, 215/99 tie, the bead being provided with a recess to permit the head [51 In!- B65d 41/22, to stretch under excess pressure applied to the cap from within 865d 41/20, 865d 41/24 the bottle and form an escape path for release of the pressure.
  • the invention relates to a dish-shaped bottle cap made of an elastic and preferably thermoplastic synthetic material and provided with a peripheral retaining bead which engages underneath the lip of the bottlemouth and bears against said lip to form a tight seaLMore particularly, the invention relates to bottle caps for sealing bottles containing liquids under pressure, i.e. bottles containing beverages charged with carbon dioxide dioxide such as beer and the like.
  • a major drawback of conventional closures for bottles of the above-described kind is that they are incapable of sealing more than a'small pressure inside. the bottle.
  • bottles closed with such caps are shaken during transportation or when they are stored in a warm place the majority of the caps tend to blow off.
  • stoppers which have an externally bulbous shape and which are forced into the bottle mouth under compression have already been used for closing such bottles.
  • the hollow'cylindrical part of such stoppers which extends into the'bottle mouth, prevents the bottles from being afterwards easily opened.
  • the stoppers are also 2 difficult to replace on the bottles because their sharp-edged -plu'g portions are readily deformed or squashed when an attempt is made to force them back and the stoppers then become useless.
  • the percentage of stoppers that blow off during transportation and in unfavorable conditions of storage is still impermissibly high.
  • the present invention is based on the fundamental concept that the cap be constructed so that it will limit the internal pressure to a desired level.
  • a bottle cap according to the present invention is characterized by the provision in the retaining bead of the cap of at least one recess which permits the cap to function as a relief valve for any excess pressure existing inside the bottle. If the pressure inside a bottle closed by a cap according to the present invention is raised excessively, for instance by shaking the bottle in a warm environment, then the pressure buildup will cause arching of the elastic material forming the top of the cap and simultaneously slightly lift the entire cap off the top of the bottle mouth. At the same time the cap will be slightly expanded radially at the level of the lip of the bottle so that the space containing the internal gas pressure is extended as far as the sealing bead on the inside of-the sidewall of the cap.
  • the retaining head When the cap has been lifted by the pressure as has been described, the retaining head is slightly stretched and participates in the upward motion. This'brings the recess in the retaining bead into communication with-the interior of the bottle and allows gas to escape to the outside until the undesired excess pressure has been reduced by the valve like action of the cap. When this is achieved, the cap will resume its former position in which it completely seals the bottle interior.
  • a suitable material for such a cap according to the invention is polypropylene or the like.
  • the cap makes sealing contact with the top of the lip on the bottle, as is conventional.
  • the above-described construction of the retaining bead provides means for adjusting the lifting effect so that this will take place when the internal pressure in the bottle reaches a desired level.
  • the seams in a glass bottle which are formed by the divided mold are least pronounced on the upper surfaces of the lip of the bottle mouth, so that the desired sealing effect is here most easily achieved.
  • annular sealing ribs may also be provided on the inside of the'sidewall of the cap, said seals making tight contact with the lip of the bottle mouth. Such sealing ribs will then also operate to'keep the path to the recesses in the retaining bead closed until the cap has also been radially expanded by a given amount. They therefore are rather thin.
  • the top of the cap is preferably formed with a concentric stiffening reinforcement.
  • this may have the form of a hollow cylindrical flange projecting from the interior of the top of the cap and having an external diameter that is less than the internal diameter of the bottle mouth.
  • the sidewall of the cap is preferably provided on the outside, at the same level as the retaining bead, with a peripheral supporting flange.
  • the supporting flange is conveniently slightly offset in the axial direction fromthe retaining bead, namely in the direction away from the top of the cap. If, as is preferred, the cap is provided with a press-off tab, it is useful to provide the supporting flange in the vicinity of the press-off tab with at la least one weakened portion where the flange will preferentially break. If the cap is then opened by making use of the press-off tab, the weakened portion will fracture.
  • the supporting flange may be formed with a plurality of projecting peripheral projections which will likewise be damaged when attempt is made to lift off the cap with the aid of a bottle opener.
  • the recesses in the retaining bead are inwardly rounded. This makes for a better distribution of the strain in the retaining bead.
  • a cap according to the invention may in conventional manner be provided with a retaining ring which embraces the bottleneck.
  • the sealing element which bears against the top of the lip of the bottle mouth is conveniently contained in an annular recess in the top of the cap. It may be prefabricated or molded into the cap.
  • the hollow cylindrical flange on the underside of the top of the cap at least approximately down to the level of the plane defined by the bottom edge of the cap, and by providing the cylinder with at least one window adjacent its junction with the underside of the top of the cap.
  • the hollow cylindrical flange will then serve as a guide means for the cap during its application onto the mouth of the bottle, the cylindrical flange pulling the cap into central alignment when it has been inaccurately applied, and preventing the cap from tipping over to one side.
  • the window in the cylindrical flange permits air trapped inside the cylinder to escape when the cap is pressed home over the mouth of the bottle. This facility avoids an undesirably large yolume of air from being occluded in the interior of the bottle when the cap is closed. The occlusion of air would usually adversely affect the quality of the contents of the bottle,'normally a beverage.
  • Another substantial advantage of this form of construction is that subsequent pasteurization of the bottle contents can be dispensed with, provided the bottle (and naturally this applies also to the cap and contents of the bottle) are sterile before the bottle is closed.
  • the liquid foam By making the liquid foam slightly, all of the air above the surface of the liquid can be expelled from the bottle during the affixiation of a cap according to the invention. This is a matter of some importance, particularly in the bottling of beer.
  • the invention also relates to a bottle that has been closed with a cap as proposed.
  • FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a bottle cap according to the invention, the type of seal so shown on the left-hand side of the drawing differing from that shown on the right;
  • FIG. 2 is a-plan view of a different embodiment of the bottle cap
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment of a bottle cap according to the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a bottle which is closed with a cap according to FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of a bottle on which a cap according to FIG. 3 has been applied but not yet installed in closing position.
  • the bottle cap 30 in FIG. 1 has a thin-walled-top 1 which in the region of the inside of the bottle mouth is formed with a cylindrical flange 2 that serves as a strain regulator.
  • the thinwalled part of the top merges into an annular sealing ring 3 which has an inner diameter that is less than the lower limit of tolerance for the internal diameter of the bottle mouth.
  • the sealing ring' 3 is thickest adjacent its inside edge and diminishes in thickness radially outwards.
  • the outer periphery of the outwardly tapering cross section of the sealing ring 3 may adjoin a peripheral dovetail-shaped groove 4 for the reception of a sealing compound 5 tightly pressed into the same, as shown in FIG. 1 on the right side thereof.
  • two concentric dovetail-shaped grooves 4a may be provided, the outer edge of the inner groove and the inner edge of the outer groove descending further downwards and thus defining an additional sealing face 6 between the two grooves.
  • the top 1 of the bottle cap merges through a rounded transition 7 of a radius exceeding that of the bottle mouth into the sidewall 8 of the cap which defines an obtuse angle with the top 1.
  • one or more thin peripheral ribs 9 are provided below the rounded transition 7.
  • the bottom part of the sidewall 8 is formed on the inside with a retaining bead 10 which engages the underside of the lip 31 of the bottle as shown in FIG. 4, and which has a profile defined by a straight side projecting at an angle of 45 away from the sidewall 8 of the cap and by a second straight side extending from roughly the center of the bead'back again at an angle of about 45 to the sidewall of the cap, thereby to locate the cap centrally when it is applied to the top of the bottle.
  • the retaining bead 10 is provided at equidistant intervals ing into a delta-shaped member 17 with a slot 16, connects the bottle cap with a retaining ring 19 formed with a tab 18.
  • this press-off tab may be connected on both sides by a thin filmlike web 22 with the supporting flange 12 so that this web will break when the bottle is opened for the first time with a bottle opener or the like.
  • the supporting flange is thus broken and its resistance is thereby reduced when the cap is removed a second time.
  • the cylindrical flange forming the strain regulator 2 on the underside of the peripheral edge of the peripheral edge of the thin-walled part 1 has the effect of evenly distributing the strain of the cap around its entire periphery and of preventing the cap from being unevenly stressed.
  • the full engagement of the retaining head 10 with the groove 32 in the bottleneck when the cap is secured pulls theannular sealing face 3 against the end face 34 of the bottle mouth in such manner that the inner thicker section part of the annular seal bears tightly against the inside edge of the bottle mouth, whereas the tapering outer edge of the annular seal is pressedagainst the seam in the bottle mouth which is formed by the divided mold used for making the bottle.
  • the thickness of the annular seal that is pressed against the bottle mouth causes the thin top part 1 of the cap to be further stretched and, due to the presence of the cylindrical strain regulator 2, this has the effect of inwardly arching the top part 1 of the cap inside the diameter of the strain regulator and thus improving the press fit of the annular seal.
  • the sealing compound 5 tightly contained in the groove 4 is pressed against the bottle mouth and by its elasticity also forms a seal across the bottle seam which extends longitudinally down the side of the bottle mouth.
  • FIG. 1 on the left which comprises two dovetailed grooves 4a which are formed with inner edges that extend further downwards and thus define additional'sealing face 6, the latter possesses sufficient elasticity to seal the mold parting seam at the bottle mouth without the provision of a sealing compound.
  • This latter arrangement is intended for bottle caps that are to be used for bottles containing pasteurizable liquids, and that may therefore be made of a cheaper soft plastic material.
  • An additional sealing effect may be provided inside the sidewall 8 of the cap by the peripheral sealing ribs 9 which are so shaped that the tension of the sidewall will cause the seams running down the sides of the bottleneck to press into the sealing ribs and thus to insure the creation of a tight seal.
  • the retaining bead with the recesses l l is so formed that V is its most constricted portion does not make contact with the groove in the bottleneck and only its upper face 23, which is inclined at an angle of 45, is urged against the underside of the bottle lip.
  • the thin but wide peripheral supporting flange 12 at the bottom end of the sidewall 8 has the effect of a clamping strap which embraces the bottom, otherwise unsupported edge of the retaining bead, and thus prevents the head from being excessively stretched.
  • the supporting flange merges with the thin delta-shaped extension 14 which is so formed that the retaining bead 10'is not unilaterally excessively loaded within a small part of the circumference of the cap, thereby eliminating any risk of the closure being forced off its seat by rising internal pressure.
  • the delta-shaped extension By attaching the delta-shaped extension to an angular region of about 60 along the periphery, the embracing grip of the supporting flange on this side is improved and i'l. the opening thrust generated by the flexure of the narrow 'i elastic band-shaped connecting web 15 is thus compensated.
  • the slot 16,,in the delta-shaped member 17 permits the from technical requirements which arise in production, the purpose of the tab 18 is to reinforce that part of the ring which ⁇ is principally stressed whenv under accidental load so that the ring will not break unless torn off with the intentional application of considerable force.
  • the bottle cap 36 in FIG. 3 is of similar construction to that gillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the exception of the configuration of the cylindrical internal flange. The same reference numerals are therefore used to identify the same parts.
  • cap 36 can pass through the space between the top 1 of the cap and the bottle mouth and the recesses 11 until the cap 36 has assumed its final position engaging the bottle neck, at which time the retaining bead 10 embraces the lip 31 of the bottle and completely seals the bottle.
  • the cap 36 is then in the same position as that of the cap 30 in FIG. 4.
  • the cylinder 24 guides the cap as it is pressed down and thus prevents it from tipping to one side or the other under the pressure which is applied.
  • the cap 1 which contains the strain regulator 2 or the cap 36 with the cylinder 24, transmits any internal pressure exceeding that which it is designed to seal, to the rounded cap wall which joins the top at an obtuse angle, and thus lifts all the sealing elements in the top of the cap off the mouth of the bottle.
  • the sealing compound S that has been pressed into the groove islikewise unable to maintain contact with the bottle because it is firmly anchored in the annular V-section groove 4
  • the sidewa the cap will transmit the tensile force to the retaining head 10 which under the overload begins to stretch and to slip upwards on its 45 sloping upper face which bears against the outside of the bottleneck
  • the sealing ribs 9 of the sidewall 8 are likewise lifted off the bottle and thereby open a path for the gases to escape through the recesses 11.
  • the supporting flange 12 which cannot readily expand prevents the bead from expanding too quickly and, as soon as the inadmissible overpressure has been relieved, the flange cooperates with the bead to return the cap to its former position without delay. All the sealing elements are simultaneously restored to their fully effective positions.
  • All the embodiments of the proposed bottle cap also provide a warranty that the bottle still has its original contents.
  • the fact that the thin web 22 is undamaged indicates that the cap has not been tampered with, whereas in the other embodiment, this is indicated by the supporting flange 12 which is necessarily damaged when the cap is opened by the application thereto of a bottle opener from the outside.
  • a closure for the mouth of a bottle comprising a dish shaped cap constituted of an elastic material and including an internal peripheral retaining bead for tightly engaging underneath the lip of the bottle mouth and anexternal peripheral flange for supporting the retaining bead, said flange being disposed on the outside of the cap opposite the internal retaining head, said cap being provided with at least one recess forming a gap in the retaining bead to enable the latter to function as a relief valve forexcess pressure in the bottle interior, and a press-off tab onsaid cap, said supporting flange being provided with weakened portions proximate the pressoff tab where a said flange is intended preferentially to break.
  • a closure according to claim 1, wherein the retaining bead is provided with a plurality of recesses spaced equidistantly around its periphery.
  • a closure according to claiml comprising an internal ring on said cap for sealingly contacting the rim of the mouth of the bottle.
  • a closure according to claim 1 comprising a retaining ring attached to said cap for embracing the bottleneck.
  • a closure according to claim I wherein said cap has a top provided with an annular recess for the reception therein of a seal.
  • a closure according to claim 1 comprising peripheral sealing ribs on the interior of the sidewall of the cap.
  • a closure according to claim 6 comprising at least one projecting annular sealing face in the inside surface of the top of the cap.
  • a closure for the mouth of a bottle comprising a dishshaped cap constituted of an elastic material and including an internal peripheral retaining bead for tightly engaging underneath the lip of the bottle mouth, said cap being provided with at least one recess forming a gap in the retaining bead to enable the latter to function as a relief valve for excess pressaid hollow cylindrical flange extending approximately to the level of the bottom edge of the cap and having at least one window near its junction with the underside of the top of the cap.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
US774655A 1967-11-23 1968-11-12 Cap with frangible portions Expired - Lifetime US3549038A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19671607857 DE1607857A1 (de) 1967-11-23 1967-11-23 Flaschenverschlusskappe

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3549038A true US3549038A (en) 1970-12-22

Family

ID=5681443

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US774655A Expired - Lifetime US3549038A (en) 1967-11-23 1968-11-12 Cap with frangible portions

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3549038A (de)
AT (1) AT285355B (de)
BE (1) BE723712A (de)
CH (1) CH491789A (de)
FR (1) FR1591041A (de)
NL (1) NL6816480A (de)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3809277A (en) * 1970-04-30 1974-05-07 L Kaltenhauser Seal cap
US3901404A (en) * 1972-05-18 1975-08-26 Dairy Cap Corp Bottle cap
US4946055A (en) * 1990-01-09 1990-08-07 Towns Edward J Tamper indicating screw cap
US4991732A (en) * 1989-04-14 1991-02-12 Aluminum Company Of America Excess pressure vent for resealable beverage cap
US5232113A (en) * 1991-10-11 1993-08-03 Aluminum Company Of America Venting resealable container closure and associated method of manufacture

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0341992B1 (de) * 1988-05-11 1995-12-27 Edward J. Dr. Towns Verfahren und Gerät zur Herstellung von Behälterverschlüssen

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3809277A (en) * 1970-04-30 1974-05-07 L Kaltenhauser Seal cap
US3901404A (en) * 1972-05-18 1975-08-26 Dairy Cap Corp Bottle cap
US4991732A (en) * 1989-04-14 1991-02-12 Aluminum Company Of America Excess pressure vent for resealable beverage cap
US4946055A (en) * 1990-01-09 1990-08-07 Towns Edward J Tamper indicating screw cap
US5232113A (en) * 1991-10-11 1993-08-03 Aluminum Company Of America Venting resealable container closure and associated method of manufacture

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AT285355B (de) 1970-10-27
NL6816480A (de) 1969-05-28
BE723712A (de) 1969-04-16
FR1591041A (de) 1970-04-20
CH491789A (de) 1970-06-15

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