US2264792A - Centering device for container caps - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 2, 1941. D M, GRAY ET AL 2,264,792

CENTERING DEVICE FOR CONTAINER CAPS Filed April 10, 1939 gain?? jwucnh w fianiel, M Gray afois'ejfliz jauman Gator/wen Patented Dec. 2, 1941 CENTERING DEVICE FOR CONTAINER CAPS Daniel M. Gray and Joseph Bauman, Wheeling,

W. Va., assignors to Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, Wheeling, W. Va.

Virginia a corporation of West Application April '10, 1939, Serial No. 267,115

4 Claims. (Cl. 215-44) The invention relates to means for centering metal caps on glass containers, and particularly to means for centering smalllug caps which are provided with two lugs for locking the caps on the containers.

Metal lug caps are commonly used for sealing glass containers. In the larger sizes of these caps there are usually three or four of these lugs spaced equidistantly about the lower edge of the cap skirt, and of course there are an equal number. of inclined glass lugs on the neck of the container. These inclined lugs are called thread lugs, and when a cap is placed on a container the lugs pass downwardly through the space provided between the thread lugs. The cap is then rotated and the engagement of the cap lugs under the glass thread lugs causes the cap to be pulled down into sealing relation with the mouth of the container.

In the use of the larger sizes of lug caps, three of four lugs are employed, and therefore the caps are necessarily centered on the neck of the container. But in the smaller sizes of caps only two lugs are employed, and with two lugs it is possie ble for'the cap to move off center, and this frequently happens.

The object of the present invention is to prevent the above-mentioned undesirable condition by the provision of means which will make it impossible for two-lug metal caps, particularly those having an inturned skirt portion between the cap lugs, from moving 01f center. I

The invention will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, from the following detailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a glass container provided with the centering means of the present invention- Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cap having two lugs.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the twolug cap in sealing position on a glass container embodying the novel centering means.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the container, with the cap thereon being shown in vertical section; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, numeral I indicates a metal cap having a top 2, and a depending skirt or wall 3. A liner 4, of any suitable material may be arranged inside of lugs, of which there are two, and numeral 6 refers to an incurled bead which is formed by incurling the lower portion of the wall or skirt between the lugs.

It is to be understood that the invention is in no mannerlimited to the specific form of lug cap narrow necks, for as mentioned hereinbefore it' is the smaller sizes of lug caps which have only two lugs.

The container neck 8 is formed with a glass finish which locks the cap in sealing relation on the container, and serves to properly center it thereon and prevent it from being moved to any ofi-center position. This novel glass finish will now be described.

Numeral 9 refers to the glass thread lugs, of which there are two. These glass thread lugs may be of any usual form, and of course they are'inclined downwardly, so that as the cap is rotated the two cap lugs 5 engaging under the two thread lugs cause the cap to be moved downthe cap, if desired. Numeral. 5 refers to the cap wardly into sealing relation with the mouth of the container. If preferred, the inclined thread portion 9 may be followed by a horizontal thread portion 9, as shown in Figure 6, so that the cap lugs can ride onto the horizontal portion after the cap has been drawn downwardly to sealing position.

Numeral Ill refers to glass centering lugs, of which there are two. These centering lugs are oppositely disposed, and the leading ends of the centering lugs start at a point adjacent the lower ends of the thread lugs, or adjacent the ends of the horizontal portions of the thread lugs, if horizontal portions are employed. It is to be particularly noted that the centering lugs are at a lower level than the thread lugs. The leading ends of the centering lugs are preferably abrupt, as indicated by numeral l l, toform stops for the cap lugs.

Below the glass finish just described, there is usually provided the ordinary glass bead [2.

In operation, the two-lug cap is placed on the neck of the bottle, and is then rotated. The cap lugs 5 engaging under the thread lugs 9, cause the cap to be moved downwardly to sealing position as the cap lugs ride down the threads.

The rotation of the cap to sealing position will be positively stopped by the cap lugs engaging the leading ends ll of the centering lugs II], but of course rotation of the cap may be stopped before the cap lugs reach the leading ends of the centering lugs, due to the resistance to further turning.

While the cap is being rotated and is moving downwardly to sealing position, the incurled bead 6 of the cap is riding around the operative faces of the centering lugs l0, either in contact therewith or closely adjacent thereto. Thus the cap necessarily assumes a properly centered position on the container neck. And of course the cap cannot thereafter assume any off-center position, for the incurled bead remains in contact with, or closely adjacent to, the centering lugs, and thereby preventing the cap from 01icentering or swinging off side to the right or left (Figs. 4 and 5), and the two diametrically opposed cap lugs 5 prevent the cap from being moved ofi-center in other directions.

There is thus provided a glass finish which will assure the proper centering of lug caps having an incurled bead and only two lugs. While we have described the cap as having an incurled bead which cooperates with the glass centering lugs, yet obviously the invention is equally well adaptable to use with two-lug caps in which the incurled bead between the lugs is flattened, or to caps in which the metal is merely turned or bent upwardly between the lugs. And as also mentioned hereinbefore, the cap lugs may be of any desired form or construction,

Having fully described the invention, what we claim is:

1. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, and a two-lug metal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardly from the lower edge of the cap skirt, and the lower edge portion of the cap skirt between the lugs extending inwardly and upwardly, a pair only of thread lugs formed on said neck, said thread lugs being oppositely disposed, a pair only of centering lugs formed on said neck and extending beyond the thread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositely disposed portions located substantially midway between the thread lugs, the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower level than the thread logs, the cap lugs cooperating with the thread lugs to draw the cap downwardly to sealing position on the container, and the inwardly and upwardly extending portions of the cap cooperating with the centering lugs to center the cap.

2. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, a two-lug metal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardly from the lower edge of the cap skirt, and the lower edge portion of the cap skirt between the lugs extending inwardly and upwardly, a pair only of thread lugs formed on said neck, said thread lugs being oppositely disposed, a pair only of centering lugs formed on said neck and extending beyond the thread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositely disposed portions located substantially midway between the thread lugs, the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower level than the thread lugs, and the leading end of at least one of the centering lugs being disposed adjacent the rear end of one of the thread lugs, to provide a stop, the cap lugs cooperating with the thread lugs to draw the cap downwardly to sealing position on the container, one of the cap lugs adapted to engage said stop, and the inwardly and upwardly extending portions of the cap cooperating with the centering lugs to center the cap.

3. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, and a two-lug metal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardly from the lower edge of the cap skirt, and an incurled bead at the lower edge of the cap skirt between the lugs, a pair only of thread lugs formed on said neck, said thread lugs being oppositely disposed, a pair only of centering lugs formed on said neck and extending beyond the thread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositely disposed portions located substantially midway between the thread lugs, the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower level than the thread lugs, the cap lugs cooperating with the thread lugs, and the incurled bead on the cap cooperating with the centering lugs.

4. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, and a two-lug metal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardly from the lower edge of the cap skirt, and the lower edge portion of the cap skirt between the lugs extending inwardly and upwardly, a pair only of oppositely disposed thread lugs formed on said neck, each of said thread lugs having an inclined portion followed by a horizontal portion, a pair only of centering lugs iormed on said neck and extending beyond the horizontal portions of the thread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositely disposed portions located substantially midway between the thread lugs, the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower level than the thread lugs, and the leading end of at least one of the centering lugs disposed adjacent the rear end of the horizontal portion of one of the thread lugs, to provide a stop, the cap lugs cooperating with the thread lugs to draw the cap downwardly to sealing position on the container, one of the cap lugs adapted to engage the stop, and the inwardly and upwardly extending portions of the cap cooperating with the centering lugs to center the cap.

DANIEL M. GRAY. JOSEPH BAUMAN.

Images