US3592351A - Container closure - Google Patents

Abstract

For enabling cleaning, filling, and tapping of a container of pressurized liquid such as a barrel of draft beer through a single opening in the barrel, a closure unit covers and closes a relatively large filling and cleaning opening in the barrel The unit comprises a removable main closure sized and shaped to close more than one-half the total cross-sectional area of the opening and a separate rubber sealing plug fitted snuggly into a hole in the main closure, the sealing plug being adapted to receive a tube of a dispensing device for withdrawing beer from the barrel The sealing plug is formed with a rubber membrane which closed the hole and seals the barrel until the barrel is tapped and which then becomes punctured and seals around the tube while the tube is in the barrel.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventors Arthur L. Johnson, Jr. 2,969,161 1/1961 McCulloch 220/27 X Rockford; 3,410,456 11/1968 Johnson et al. a, 222/82 1 garlgvsw. Dodge, Loves Park, both of, 111. Primary Examiner George T Hall [21] App.No. l, I Filed Sept. 1969 Attorney-Wolfe, Hubbard, Volt & .Osann [45] Patented July 13, 1971 [73] Assignee Johnson Enterprises, Inc.

Rockford, Ill. Continuation-impart 01' application Ser. No. 660,265, Aug. 14, 1967, now abandoned.

' ABSTRACT: For enabling cleaning, filling, and tapping of a 4 CONTAINER CLOSURE container of pressurized liquid such as a barrel of draft beer 16 Claims 14 Drawing Egg through a single opening in the barrel, a closure unit covers and closes a relatively large filling and cleaning opening in the [52] US. Cl 220/27, barrel The unit comprises a removable main closure Sized and 220/39 222/821 137/318 shaped to close more than one-half the total cross-sectional [51] Int. Cl 86511 17/00 area of the opening and a Separate rubber Sealing plug fitted [50] Field Of Search 220/27, 29, snuggly into a hole in the main closure the Sealing plug being 39; 285/223; Hugo-82* 541: 137/318 adapted to receive a tube ofa dispensing device for withdrawin beer from the barrel The sealin lu is formed with a [56] References Cited ruiber membrane which closed the E01; a nd seals the barrel UNITED STATES PATENTS until the barrel is tapped and which then becomes punctured 2,760,671 8/ 1956 Parish 220/27 and seals around the tube while the tube is in the barrel.

PATENTEfl-Junslan I 3 ,592,351

sum 1 [IF 3 PATENIED JUL 1 319m SHEET 2 BF 3 CONTAINER CLOSURE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Ser. No. 660,265, filed Aug. 14, 1967 and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a closure for a container adapted to hold pressurized fluid. More particularly, the invention relates to a closure for sealing containers of the type in which a tube of a dispensing device is inserted into a relatively small taphole in the container for the purpose of withdrawing the fluid from the container, such insertion of the draw tube destroying the original seal closing the SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION referred to as the act of tapping the container. To prevent the pressurized fluid from escaping along the outer side of the tube and through the taphole, the dispensing device is sealed to the container during such time as the tube is within the container.

Since the taphole is sized in accordance with the tube and is usually quite small, containers of this type customarily have been formed with an additional and much larger hole or opening through which the fluid may be introduced rapidly in order to fill the container. The larger opening is used also when the container is flushed with water and cleaned before being refilled with fluid.

Summary of the Invention The primary aim of the present invention is to provide a new, improved comparatively inexpensive container closure which enables cleaning, filling and tapping of the container through a single opening in the container thereby to reduce the number of openings needed in the container and to eliminate the necessity of sealing more than one opening. For this purpose, the invention contemplates a closure whichincludes a main closure member of comparatively inexpensive construction for sealing a relatively large filling and cleaning opening in the container during the interval between filling and cleaning of the container, a sealing plug attached to the main closure member and defining a smaller taphole within the large opening for the admission of the tube into the container, and a resilient membrane initially sealing the taphole and adapted to seal around the tube as an incident to tapping of the container thereby to establish the necessary seal between the dispensing device and the container while the pressurized fluid is being dispensed. With this arrangement, the overall cost of the container is reduced since only a single opening and a single closure are necessary to provide a sealed container capable of being cleaned, filled and tapped in. a highly efficient manner. In addition, the closure itself is relatively inexpensive since the low-cost main closure member closes the major area of the large filling and cleaning opening to avoid the need of making the more expensive sealing plug large enough to close such opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of one embodiment of a container closure embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of an exemplary container with which the closure is adapted for use.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the closure.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the closure applied to the container.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 and showing the dispensing device attached to the container.

FIG, 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken vertically through the closure and container shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 and showing the dispensing device attached to the container.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the closure as it appears during its removal from the container.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a container closure embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. I0 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross sectional view showing the container closure of FIG. 9 applied to a container with a dispensing device attached to the container. 5

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a container closure embodying the features of the invention.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross sectional view showing the container closure of FIG. 11 applied to a container with a dispensing device attached to the container.

FIG. I3 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a container closure embodying the features of the invention.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view showing the container closure of FIG. 13 applied to a container with a dispensing device attached to the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a closure 10 for a container 11 for holding pressurized fluids such as charged beverages, chemicals, cleaning fluids and the like which are adapted to be withdrawn from the container through a dispensingdevice I3 (FIG. 5). Herein, the container is specifically illustrated as being in the form of a barrel of draft beer having atop or head 14 formed with an upstanding neck I5 defining an opening 16 FIGS. 2 and 6) communicating with the interior of the barrel, the neck being encircled by a peripheral flange or lip 17 as is conventional with barrels of this type.

The dispensing device 13 in the present instance is a tapping assembly of the type shown and described in our co'pending application, Ser. No. 640,292, filed May 22, 1967 and includes a generally cylindrical tap body 19 (FIG. 5) which may be fastened to the barrel II by means of a tubular fitting 20 attached to the lower end of the body. Pressurized'air or carbon dioxide is admitted into the barrel through a line 21 leading into the tap body and communicating with a gas tube 23-(FIG. 7) depending from the tap body and extending into the barrel. To withdraw the beer, a draw tube 24 fastened to the tap body is telescoped coaxially into the gas tube and extends downwardly t0 the bottom of the barrel. As the pressurized gas is admitted into the barrel through the gas tube, the beer is forced upwardly through the draw tube and into a dispensing line 25 (FIG. 5) communicating with the tap body. For a more detailed description of the tapping assembly 13 itself, reference may be had to the above-mentioned application.

Each barrel 11, after being emptied of beer and returned to the brewery, is washed and cleaned with water or steam, is refilled with fresh beer, and then is sealed to preserve the charge in the beer and to prevent leakage of the beer until such time as the barrel is tapped. When the barrel is tapped by a bartender or by the ultimate consumer, the seal applied at the brewery is broken as an incident to insertion of the draw tube 24 and the gas tube 23 into the barrel, and a seal is established between the tapping assembly 13 and the barrel to prevent the pressurized beer from escaping out of the barrel, along the outer sides of the gas and draw tubes. In prior barrels of this type that have found commercial acceptance, it has been the practice to form two holes or opening in'the'barrel, one being a relatively small tapping opening corresponding approximately in diameter to that of the draw tube, and the other being a somewhat larger opening to facilitate filling and cleaning of'the barrel rapidly and conveniently.

The present invention contemplates a new and relatively low-cost closure I0 which is'effective to close an opening I6 sufficiently'large to accommodate filling and cleaning of the barrel II and which, at the same time, enables tapping of the barrel through the same opening so that the barrel'need be provided withonly a single opening and a single closure. Accordingly, multiple openings with multiple closures and fittings are not-required by the barrel thus not only resulting in a less expensive barrel but also producing a saving in the amount of'time required to remove and reapply the closures.

To achieve the foregoing, the opening 16 in the barrel 11 is made sufficiently large, herein approximately 2 inches in diameter, l-8, to enable convenient filling and cleaning of the barrel, and the closure includes a main closure member which, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8 is in the form of an overcap 26 for covering and closing the major portion of the opening from the time the filled barrel leaves the brewery until the time that it is returned empty for cleaning and refilling. Attached to the overcap and disposed within the opening 16 is a sealing plug 27 which covers and closes the remainder of the opening, keeps the barrel sealed until the latter is tapped, accommodates admission of the gas and draw tubes 23 and 24 into the barrel, and also seals around the tubes to keep the beer from escaping along the outer sides of the tubes during such times as the tubes are in the barrel.

More specifically, the overcap 26 is formed from a relatively thin piece of yieldable sheet metal and includes a circular top plate 29 approximately the same diameter as the lip 17 surrounding the neck on the barrel l1. Depending from and extending around the top plate is a peripheral skirt 30 which is about one-fourth of an inch in depth so that the free edge of the skirt extends below the underside of the lip when the overcap is telescoped over the neck as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The skirt is straight as initially formed and then is hooked inwardly beneath the lip as indicated at 31 in FIG. 6 by a suitable crimping tool after the barrel has been cleaned and filled. As a result of such hooking, the overcap is locked securely in place on the barrel.

The sealing plug 27 in many respects is similar to that disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 640,012, filed May 22, 1967 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,456. Herein the sealing plug comprises a generally cylindrical body 33 (FIG. 6) made of resiliently yieldable material such as rubber and press fitted into a hole 34 formed through the center of the top plate 29 and coaxial with the opening 16 defined by the neck 15. Preferably, the relaxed diameter of the body 33 is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole 34 so that the rubber becomes compressed as an incident to being telescoped into the hole and thereafter expands into tight sealing engagement with the edges of the hole to establish a seal between the overcap 26 and the sealing plug. In the embodiment of FIGS. l8, such seal is effectually improved by bending the portions of the top plate surrounding the hole upwardly from the plane of the plate thereby to form an annular collar 35 of substantial axial length snugly engaging a corresponding length of the plug. The upper end of the body portion is formed with an upwardly sloping taper as indicated at 36 to facilitate insertion of the plug into the hole from the lower side of the top plate, the base or major diameter of the taper being larger than the body portion 33 thereby to define a downwardly facing shoulder 37 which engages the upwardly facing raw edge of the hole 34 to prevent the plug from inadvertently being forced downwardly through the hole.

Advantage is taken of the rubber material of the sealing plug 27 to establish a tight seal between the overcap 26 and the barrel 11. For this purpose, an enlarged washer 39 (FIGS. 3, 6 and 7) is formed intermediate the ends of the plug and extends radially outwardly therefrom to the inner periphery of the skirt 30. The washer is disposed face-to-face against the underside of the top plate 29, and the outer edge portions of the washer are sandwiched between the top plate and the upper side of the lip 17 thereby forming a gasket which becomes compressed against the lip when the skirt is crimped beneath the lip.

In order to permit insertion of the draw-tube 24 and the gas tube 23 into the barrel 11 as an incident to tapping the barrel, the sealing plug 27 is formed with an axially extending bore 40 (FIG. 6) which is just slightly larger in diameter than the gas tube. As shown most clearly in FIG. 6, a thin rubber membrane 41 is molded integrally with the plug and extends across the lower end of the bore to seal the latter. The membrane is sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure within the barrel and to keep the bore sealed until the barrel is tapped, but is sufficiently thin to be punctured by the lower end of the draw tube 24 when the draw tube is forced downwardly into the bore. Thus, with downward telescoping of the draw tube into the bore as an incident to tapping the barrel, the membrane becomes punctured, and the torn edges thereof fold downwardly around the draw tube and form a sealing lip 43 (FIG. 7) resiliently gripping the tube and automatically establishing a seal between the tube and the plug 27 to prevent the charged beer from spewing out through the bore 40. As the draw tube approaches the bottom of the barrel, the gas tube 23 moves downwardly through the bore and is embraced by the sealing lip 43 in the same manner so that the seal between the barrel and the tapping assembly 13 is maintained at all times when the assembly is attached to the barrel.

Preferably, a flapper 44 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is molded integrally with the lower end of the plug 27 and is mounted to swing relative to the plug about a hinge 45 formed by a short segment of rubber connecting the flapper to the lower end of the plug. Normally, the flapper is urged into face-to-face sealing engagement with the lower side of the membrane 41 by virtue of the pressure of the beer within the barrel 11. The flapper thus serves as an auxiliary seal preventing escape of the beer through the bore 40 in case the membrane should be punctured accidentally during shipment of the barrel. When the barrel is tapped, the lower end of the draw tube 24, after puncturing the membrance, engages the flapper and swings the latter downwardly about the hinge as shown in FIG. 7 thus enabling admission of the tubes into the barrel. After the barrel has been emptied and after the tubes have been pulled out of the bore 40 in the plug, the flapper is forced upwardly about the hinge and back into engagement with the membrane and the lower end of the plug by the pressure of the beer remaining in the bottom of the barrel. The flapper therefore closes off the puncture formed through the membrane and maintains the barrel in a sealed condition during is return to the brewery. This insures that the barrel will not become contaminated by water, dirt or the like during its return.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the metal overcap 26 is capable of sealing a relatively large entry opening 16 in the barrel 11 while the sealing plug 27 defines a smaller bore of taphole 40 for admitting the tubes 23 and 24 into the barrel, Moreover, the membrane 41 of the plug seals off the bore 40 until the barrel is tapped and then seals around the gas tube 23 while the beer is being dispensed. Thus, the coaction of the overcap and the sealing plug enables cleaning, filling and tapping of the barrel through a single opening. In addition, attachment of the closure 10 to the barrel is a relatively easy operation since, after the barrel has been cleaned and filled, the overcap and the plug may be fastened to the barrel as a unit simply by crimping the skirt 30 beneath the lip 17. Although the membrane 41 becomes punctured when the barrel is tapped, the overcap and the sealing plug remain attached to the barrel until the latter is returned to the brewery. At the brewery, the closure is removed, the barrel again is cleaned and filled, and a new closure is applied.

To facilitate removal of the closure 10 at the brewery, the overcap 26 advantageously is weakened along the top plate 29 to enable destruction of the overcap when a force is exerted on the overcap in a particular manner. Such weakening is effected herein by indenting the metal of the underside of the overcap to form two identical sets of shallow scores 50 (FIGS. 1 and 8) diametrically spaced from each other around the top plate. Each set of scores includes a pair of indented, parallel lines extending upwardly along one side of the skirt 30, extending across approximately one-half of the top plate 29, and terminating near the edge portion of the hole 34 in the area of the collar 35. Disposed between the lines of each set is a gripping tab 51 formed integrally with and extending outwardly from the free or lower edge of the skirt. In response to an upward and inward pull exerted on one of the tabs with a suitable gripping tool such as a pair of pliers, the material of the skirt tears upwardly along the scores thereby releasing the tension applied to the skirt as a result of the crimping operation. Continued inward pulling of the tab causes tearing away of a strip of the top plate across its diameter (see FIG. 8) to separate the plate into two portions. After a similar pull has been applied to the other tab, the top plate may be removed simply by sliding the separated portions away from the lip l7.

Advantage is taken of the gripping tabs 51 on the overcap 26 to lock the tapping assembly 13 securely on the barrel II. As shown in FIG. 5, the fitting 20 on the assembly is formed with a pair of downwardly opening notches 53 (only one of which is visible) diametrically spaced from each other and slightly greater in width than the tabs. Opening into each notch is an elongated slot 54 which is approximately equal in height to the thickness of the tab. To attach the assembly to the barrel, the fitting is turned to a position in which the notches are aligned with the tabs. Thereafter, the assembly is moved downwardly until the tabs. Thereafter, the assembly is moved downwardly until the tabs enter into the notches and register with the open ends of the slots 54. Finally, the assembly is turned through a short are to move the edges of the slots into locking engagement with the tabs and thereby hold the assembly in place on the barrel. Thus, it is apparent that the tabs 51 not only facilitate removal of the closure but also eliminate the need of forming a separate locking connection on the barrel to accommodate the tapping assembly.

A modified closure I embodying the novel features of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Like the closure 10 of the embodiment of FIGS. I-8 the closure 110 includes a main closure member 126 for covering and closing a major portion of an opening 116 in a barrel 111 from the time the filled barrel leaves the brewery until the time that it is returned empty for cleaning and refilling. The closure I10 also includes a relatively small, rubber sealing plug 127 attached to the main closure member and disposed within the opening I16v The sealing plug keeps the barrel sealed until the latter is tapped, accommodates the admission of the gas and draw tubes 123 and 124 of a dispensing device 113 into the barrel, and also seals around the tubes to keep the beer from escaping along the outer sides of the tubes during such times as the tubes are in the barrel.

Herein, the top of the barrel 111 is formed with an upstanding neck I which defines the opening 116 and which is threaded on its exterior surface. The main closure member I26 is formed of an inexpensive hard plastic and is shaped to engage the neck 115 of the barrel. As shown in FIG. 9, the main closure member comprises a top plate 129 of slightly larger diameter than the outer diameter of the neck. Depending from and extending around the top plate is a peripheral skirt I30 threaded around its interior surface (FIG. 10) and sized to screw onto the neck. To form a fluidtight seal between the neck and the main closure member, an annular flange 170 concentric with and spaced inwardly from the skirt depends from the top plate to form a recess in which an annular gasket 171 is seated.

In this instance, the sealing plug 127 is press fitted into a comparatively long hole 134 formed through the center of the top plate 129 and coaxial with the opening 116. The relaxed diameter of the plug is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole so that the rubber becomes compressed as an incident to being telescoped into the hole and thereafter expands into fluid tight sealing engagement with the walls defining the hole.

The dispensing device 113 may be formed with two diametrically opposed arms I73 for locking the device on the barrel lIl. As shown in FIG. 10, these arms extend downwardly from a circular flange 174 on the device and hook inwardly at their lower end portions 175. To accommodate this type of dispensing device, the main closure member 126 advantageously is formed with a taplock 176 (FIG. 9) which is molded integrally with the closure member. A cylindrical neck I77 concentric with the hole 134 extends upwardly from the top of the main closure member to define the upper portion of the walls of the hole. Two diametrically opposed flanges I78 extend outwardly from the upper end portion of the neck to engage the lower end portions of the arms for purposes of locking the dispensing device on the barrel. Two opposed flats 179 are formed along the sides of the flanges. The dispensing device is pushed into the barrel until the lower ends of the arms pass by the flats, and then the dispensing device is turned to hook the lower end portions 175 of the arms under the flanges thus releasably locking the dispensing device against withdrawal from the barrel.

Another modified closure I10 embodying the novel features of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 in which parts corresponding to those of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and I0 are indicated by the same but primed reference numerals. Like the closure of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10, the closure of 110 includes a main closure member 126 of inexpensive hard plastic for closing the major portion of an opening I16 (FIG. 12) defined in a beer barrel III by an upstanding neck I15. A small sealing plug 127' is mounted in a holel34' in the main closure member and is disposed within the opening 116' to keep the barrel sealed. The sealing plug 127' is substantially identical to the sealing plug I27. For locking a dispensing device 113 on the barrel, the closure 110' is formed with a taplock 176' which is substantially the same as the taplock 176.

In this embodiment, the neck 115 of the barrel III is internally threaded at 180, and the main closure member 126' is sized to fit into the opening I16. As shown in FIG. 11, the main closure is formed as a cylindrical plug which is threaded externally. The main closure thus may be screwed into the threaded neck of the barrel to effect a fluidtight seal between the barrel and the main closure member and to help close the opening.

Still another modified closure 110" is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 in which parts corresponding to those of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10 are indicated by the same but double primed reference numerals. The closure 110" includes a main closure member 126" of inexpensive hard plastic for closing the major portion of an opening 116" (FIG. 14) defined in a beer barrel III" by an upstanding neck 115". A sealing plug 127" is mounted in a hole 134 in the main closure member and is disposed within the opening 116" to keep the barrel sealed. The scaling plug 127" is substantially identical to the sealing plug 127 and includes a taplock 176".

In this embodiment, the interior walls of the neck 115" of the barrel III" are smooth, and the main closure member 126" is sized to telescope into and plug the opening] 16". As shown in FIG. I2, the main closure member is formed in the shape of a several truncated cones nested together so that the main closure member generally tapers from top to bottom but with ledges or shoulders 181 formed by the tops of the lower cones projecting outwardly. The main closure member is sized for a press fit into the opening 116", and the shoulders engage the walls of the neck 115 to retard the withdrawal of the I main closure member once the latter is forced into the opening 116".

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the main closure member of the closure of the present invention is capable of closing the major portion ofa relatively large opening in the barrel while the sealing plug defines a smaller bore or taphole for admitting tubes of the dispensing device into the barrel. Thus, the coaction of the main closure member and the sealing plug enables the cleaning, filling, and tapping of the barrel I through a single opening. With the main closure member made of comparatively inexpensive metal or plastic and advantageously closing the major portion-of the opening, the relative cost of the closure can be kept low.

We claim as our invention:

I. In a closure for a walled container adapted to hold fluid and having a neck defining in one wall an opening through which fluid may be introduced into the container and into which a tube of a dispensing device may be inserted for purposes of withdrawing the fluid from the container, the combination of, an overcap having a top plate sized and shaped to cover said opening and having a peripheral skirt depending from said top plate, said skirt being sufficiently large to telescope over the neck and being sufficiently flexible to be crimped into engagement with the neck to establish a fluidtight seal between the overcap and the container, said top plate being formed with a hole smaller than the opening, a sealing plug made of resiliently yieldable material and telescoped snugly within and extending through said hole to establish a fluidtight seal between said overcap and said scal ing plug, and axially extending bore formed through said plug and of sufficient diameter to permit insertion of the tube into the container through the bore, and a membrane of resiliently yieldable material extending between the walls of said bore to seal off the latter and being sufficiently thin to be punctured by the tube as an incident to insertion of the tube through said bore.

2. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including an enlarged washer formed integrally with said plug intermediate the ends of the latter, said washer being disposed face-to-face with the underside of said top plate and being adapted to seat against the neck to establish a seal between the neck and the overcap.

3. A closure as defined in claim 2 in which said washer extends radially outwardly from said plug to the inner periphery of said skirt.

4. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including a pair of tabs formed integrally with and extending outwardly from the free edge of said skirt, said tabs being spaced diametrically opposite of each other relative to said top plate for interlocking with the dispensing device to hold the latter on the container.

5. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including a pair of tabs formed integrally with and extending outwardly from the free edge of said skirt at diametrically opposed positions relative to said top plate, and two sets of weakened scores formed in said skirt and said top plate, each set of scores comprising a pair of spaced lines indented in the material of said top plate and said skirt and extending upwardly along one side of said skirt on opposite sides of one of said tabs, extending across approximately one-half of said top plate, and terminating near one edge portion ofsaid hole.

6. A closure as defined in claim 1 in which the edge portions of said hole are bent from the plane of said plate to define an annular collar of substantial axial length snugly engaging a corresponding length of said plug.

7. A closure as defined in claim 1 in which said sealing plug is pressed into said hole against the resiliency of said material and is formed with an enlarged shoulder engaging the raw edge of said hole to restrict removal of said plug.

8. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including a swingable flapper formed integrally with one end portion of said plug and hinged to the latter along a line disposed radially outward of said bore.

9. in a unit for sealing a container adapted to hold fluid and 3 having a relatively large opening accommodating filling and dispensing of the fluid, the combination of, a removable main closure sized and shaped to close more than one-half the total crosssectional area of the opening and to fit tightly on the container to establish a fluidtight seal between the closure and the container, said closure having a hole extending therethrough and communicating with said container with said hole having a cross-sectional area less than one-half that of said opening, a separate sealing plug made of resiliently yieldable material and fitted snugly into said hole to establish a fluidtight seal between said closure and said sealing plug, said sealing plug being formed with a bore adapted to communicate with the interior of the container, and a resiliently yieldablc and puncturable membrane formed integrally with and extending between the walls of said bore to seal off the latter.

10. A sealing unit as defined in claim 9 further including a swingable flapper formed integrally with and hinged to one end portion ol said sealing plug and swingable into a position establishing a seal between said bore and the interior of the container.

11. The unit of claim 9 in which said main closure is formed i i he unit of claim 11 in which said bore isadapted to receive a tube of a dispensing device for purposes of withdrawing lluid from the container, a neck molded integrally with said main closure with said hole extending through said neck, and diametrically opposed flanges molded integrally with said neck for interlocking with the dispensing device to hold the latter against withdrawal from the container.

13. The unit ofclaim 9 for closing an opening defined in one wall of the container by a neck having external threads, said main closure comprising a top plate having a peripheral skirt depending therefrom and sized to fit over the neck, and internal threads on said skirt for engaging the threads on the neck to mount the main closure on the container.

14. The unit of claim 9 in which said main closure comprises a body which is generally shaped as a series of nested truncated cones so that said main closure may be telescoped into said opening to wedge in the latter and establish said fluidtight seal between said main closure and said container.

15. The unit of claim 9 in which said unit closes an opening having internal threads, said closure comprising a body having external threads and sized to be screwed into the opening.

16. The unit of claim 9 for closing an opening defined in one wall of the container by a neck, said main closure comprising a top plate sized and shaped to cover said opening and having a depending peripheral skirt, and said skirt being sufficiently large to telescope over the neck and sufficiently flexible to be crimped into engagement with the neck.

Claims (16)

1. In a closure for a walled container adapted to hold fluid and having a neck defining in one wall an opening through which fluid may be introduced into the container and into which a tube of a dispensing device may be inserted for purposes of withdrawing the fluid from the container, the combination of, an overcap having a top plate sized and shaped to cover said opening and having a peripheral skirt depending from said top plate, said skirt being sufficiently large to telescope over the neck and being sufficiently flexible to be crimped into engagement with the neck to establish a fluidtight seal between the overcap and the container, said top plate being formed with a hole smaller than the opening, a sealing plug made of resiliently yieldable material and telescoped snugly within and extending through said hole to establish a fluidtight seal between said overcap and said sealing plug, and axially extending bore formed through said plug and of sufficient diameter to permit insertion of the tube into the container through the bore, and a membrane of resiliently yieldable material extending between the walls of said bore to seal off the latter and being sufficiently thin to be punctured by the tube as an incident to insertion of the tube through said bore.

2. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including an enlarged washer formed integrally with said plug intermediate the ends of the latter, said washer being disposed face-to-face with the underside of said top plate and being adapted to seat against the neck to establish a seal between the neck and the overcap. Pg,16

3. A closure as defined in claim 2 in which said washer extends radially outwardly from said plug to the inner periphery of said skirt.

4. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including a pair of tabs formed integrally with and extending outwardly from the free edge of said skirt, said tabs being spaced diametrically opposite of each other relative to said top plate for interlocking with the dispensing device to hold the latter on the container.

5. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including a pair of tabs formed integrally with and extending outwardly from the free edge of said skirt at diametrically opposed positions relative to said top plate, and two sets of weakened scores formed in said skirt and said top plate, each set of scores comprising a pair of spaced lines indented in the material of said top plate and said skirt and extending upwardly along one side of said skirt on opposite sides of one of said tabs, extending across approximately one-half of said top plate, and terminating near one edge portion of said hole.

6. A closure as defined in claim 1 in which the edge portions of said hole are bent from the plane of said plate to define an annular collar of substantial axial length snugly engaging a corresponding length of said plug.

7. A closure as defined in claim 1 in which said sealing plug is pressed into said hole against the resiliency of said material and is formed with an enlarged shoulder engaging the raw edge of said hole to restrict removal of said plug.

8. A closure as defined in claim 1 further including a swingable flapper formed integrally with one end portion of said plug and hinged to the latter along a line disposed radially outward of said bore.

9. In a unit for sealing a container adapted to hold fluid and having a relatively large opening accommodating filling and dispensing of the fluid, the combination of, a removable main closure sized and shaped to close more than one-half the total cross-sectional area of the opening and to fit tightly on the container to establish a fluidtight seal between the closure and the container, said closure having a hole extending therethrough and communicating with said container with said hole having a cross-sectional area less than one-half that of said opening, a separate sealing plug made of resiliently yieldable material and fitted snugly into said hole to establish a fluidtight seal between said closure and said sealing plug, said sealing plug being formed with a bore adapted to communicate with the interior of the container, and a resiliently yieldable and puncturable membrane formed integrally with and extending between the walls of said bore to seal off the latter.

10. A sealing unit as defined in claim 9 further including a swingable flapper formed integrally with and hinged to one end portion of said sealing plug and swingable into a position establishing a seal between said bore and the interior of the container.

11. The unit of claim 9 in which said main closure is formed of plastic.

12. The unit of claim 11 in which said bore is adapted to receive a tube of a dispensing device for purposes of withdrawing fluid from the container, a neck molded integrally with said main closure with said hole extending through said neck, and diametrically opposed flanges molded integrally with said neck for interlocking with the dispensing device to hold the latter against withdrawal from the container.

13. The unit of claim 9 for closing an opening defined in one wall of the container by a neck having external threads, said main closure comprising a top plate having a peripheral skirt depending therefrom and sized to fit over the neck, and internal threads on said skirt for engaging the threads on the neck to mount the main closure on the container.

14. The unit of claim 9 in which said main closure comprises a body which is generally shaped as a series of nested truncated cones so that said main closure may be telescoped into said opening to wedge in the latter and estabLish said fluidtight seal between said main closure and said container.

15. The unit of claim 9 in which said unit closes an opening having internal threads, said closure comprising a body having external threads and sized to be screwed into the opening.

16. The unit of claim 9 for closing an opening defined in one wall of the container by a neck, said main closure comprising a top plate sized and shaped to cover said opening and having a depending peripheral skirt, and said skirt being sufficiently large to telescope over the neck and sufficiently flexible to be crimped into engagement with the neck.

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