US2437515A - Container closure - Google Patents

Description

March 9, 1948. GLQCKER CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Dec. 4', 1945 Fatented Man 9, 1948 oaosunn Gustave Glooher, W hington. D. 0.; Eugenie Glocker, admlnietratrin of said Gustave Glooker, deceased, assigno to duper-Seal Container @orporation, corporation of Delaware gton, D. 0., a

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to receptacle closures and more specifically pertains to closure caps of the type that may be readily arranged over the mouth 01 the receptacle and convenill A further object of the invention pertains to the shape and arrangement of the depending skirt in relation to the topportion oi the cell member so as to provide an adequate quantity oi iently removed therefrom without material mu- 5 sealing compound around the upper and outer tilation of the cap structure. comer of the receptacle neck and thereby avoid It is an object of the invention to provide a the possibility of an imperfect seal of the recepclosure cap oi such shape as to accommodate a tacle plastic sealing composition substantially within Other and further objects and features of the the depending skirt portion of the cap adapted l0 invention will be more app rent as the Presen to engage the peripheral portion of the receptacle disclosure proceeds and upon consideration of mouth in a hermetically sealed manner and to the following detailed description'and the accord-=- provide the cap with such a shape as to permit panying drawing wherein an exemplary embodi a portion of the sealing composition to be dismerit of the invention-is disclosed. placed during arrangement of the cap on the In the drawin receptacle into sealing engagement with an an- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a closure cap embodying nular end surfaces of the receptacle around the the invention: mouth of the opening. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fra mentary sectional Another object of the invention is to provide view oi the cap taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. i: an annular abutment within and around the pe- Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view taken on the ripheral portion of the closure cap so as to limit line 3-3 of Fig. 1; the radial inward displacement of the sealing Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through composition when the cap is arranged in posia part of-the closure cap taken approximately at time to close the opening of a receptacle. the same annular position as Fig. 2 and showing It is known in the packing art to seal recepthe closure member applied to a receptacle: tacles with closure members that are held in Fig. 5' is a fragmentary sectional view taken sealed association with the pouring opening ungenerally through the some portion of the cap der the influence of a diiierential in pressure beas Fig. 3 and showing a portion of the receptacle; tween the interior and exterior oi the receptacle. and This pressure difference is developed by creating Fig. 6 is a foag en y Side i m l e a partial vacuum within the receptacle by evacutaken generally in the direction of the arrow 6 ating the container or by creating a rarefied atin Fig. 1. I mosphere therein through the condensation of Referring to the drawing, there is shown genhot vapors within the receptacle. Thus the 010- erally at ill a closure cap of the type adapted to sure cap when in position over the mouth of the 5 close the neck of a bottle or the mouth of a jar receptacle remains in the closed sealing position or the like in a so-called air-tight manner simply by reason of a greater atmosphric pressure apby arranging the closure cap in position over the plied to the exterior of the cap. The present inmouth of the'receptacle which is partially evacu. enti n is ir t d to a closure member 1 t e ated or contains a rarefied atmosphere tothereby yp adapted to remain in sealed engagement 40 establish a greater pressure on the outside of the with the mouth portion of the receptacle by such cap. The top portion l2 oi the cap is disca pressure clifierentlal. Another feature of the shaped and substantially not as shown in Fig. 1. cap structure pertains to the arrangement 01' an The cap or closure member may be formed of opening in the skirt of the cap for the introducheet material such as a suitable metal alloy and tion of a pointed implement to break the seal the top portion extends upwardly at the perlph. and to admit air to the interior oi the receptacle 'ery of th d I: to provide a annular wall H and thereby disturb the partial vacuum to faciliwhich is inclined upwardly and outwardly from tate the removal of the closure cap. the plane of the top portion 12. This inclined A further object of the invention resides in portion of the sheet material provides an annular providing means adjacent the implement-receivabutment surface it on the interior of the cap lng opening in the skirt of the cap so as to prevent and the purpose thereof will be apparent as the the escape of the somewhat plastic sealing comdescription proceeds. The sheet material formposition outwardly through the opening through ing the cap is then arranged substantially horiwhich the piercing implement is adapted to be rental as shown at I 8 and this band extends aninserted. 5 nuiarly oi the closure member. Thereaiter the sheet material forming the cap is turned further upwardly to provide one wall ll of a relatively high annular bead l8 around the top of the cap. This bead provides a relatively deep inverted channel thereunder inasmuch as thetop of the bead I8 is raised materially above the surface or the plane of the fiat disc portion l2.

The cap member includes a depending annular skirt 20. The skirt portion of the sheet material and preferably extends downwardly from the periphery of the bead I! at an angle to provide a frusto-conical shaped skirt. The lower end portion of the skirt 20 is is formed from an integral this portion of the closure assembly.

turned upwardly to provide means for retaining a sealing composition within the peripheral portion of the closure cap.- The lower end of the skirt may be turned upwardly as shown at 22.

The closure cap includes and carries a resilient and yieldable plastic composition for sealing the cap with reference to a receptacle and a portion of a receptacle neck is illustrated at suitable known compound may be employed as the sealing composition such as one containing about thirty per cent water, approximately twenty-four per cent rubber, and the remainder of material fillers and protectives. The plasticity of such a. compound may bev adjusted so as to provide some displacement of the material during the arrangement of a cap over the mouth of the receptacle and in response to relatively slight pressure applied axially of the container. The plasticity and viscosity characteristics de sirable in such a sealing composition and suitable for the purposes of the present invention are known in the art and disclosed in the patent to Dewey and Crocker 1,765,134. It is to be understood that other known sealing compositions may be employed for providing the hermetically sealed juncture between the closure member and the receptacle.

In carryingout the invention, a sealing composition of the types hereinabove referred to may be arranged around the inner surface of the skirt 20 so as to fill the inverted channel provided by the bead l8 and the V-shaped annular groove provided at the lower end of the skirt by the inturned portion 22. The sealing composition thus assumes a position somewhat as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be observed that the inverted channel defined by the bead i8 and groove within the inturned flange 22 provides means for restraining the flow of the plastic composition as it is arranged around the periphery of the cap. The depending skirt is entirely covered with a relatively thick layer of the compound and a small additional quantity extends into annular chamber 28.

The cap member formed as hereinabove described may be arranged over the neck of the receptacle and the sealing material 25 then engages the peripheral portion 26 of the receptacle and provides a hermetically sealed contact with these portions of the container. A slight axial pressure is employed in arranging the closure member over the neck of the container and this force displaces the sealing composition into the annular chamber 28 and thereby provides sealed engagement of the plastic material with the annular end surface 30 of the receptacle as shown in 'Fig. 4. It will be observed that the annular abutment surface l4 limits the inward displacement of the sealing composition and prevents this somewhat plastic material from passing inwardly beyond the inner wall of the container neck. The plastic material also engages the 24. Any

upper and outer corner 28a of the container wall so as to provide sealing of this portion of the cap with respect to the mouth of the receptacle. The bead l8 being arranged materially above the plane of the disc portion [2 and the feature of the skirt 20 flaring outwardly and downwardly from the periphery of the bead l8 provides a space for accommodating a sufficient quantity of -the sealing composition outwardly of the corner 28a. to insure a hermetically sealed joint around When a closure of the type herein described is employed for sealing receptacles by th so-called vacuum seal method, it is advantageous to provide a simple arrangement for breaking the vacuum within the receptacle so that the closure cap may be removed without material mutilation of the cap. The cap is accordingly provided with a passage or opening 3i through the upper portion of the skirt 20 at a point above the end surface 30 of the receptacle. A portion of the flat disc-shaped top i2 is deformed upwardly to form a radially arranged protuberance 32 and this protuberance provides a channel 34 thereunder which is arranged substantially in alignment with the opening 3|. Thus an implement such as a pointed tool 36 may be inserted through the opening 3| to puncture the sealing compound and thereby vent the head space of the receptacle to the atmosphere. When the pressure within the receptacle is substantially equal to the pressure outside, the closure cap may be readily removed from the container without further muti1ation of the cap structure.

The invention includes means for preventing the outward displacement of the sealing composition through the opening or passage 3! when the plastic material is arranged within the cap and during the application of the cap to the neck of the container or receptacle. This means may be provided by a portion of the sheet material which forms the skirt 20. Accordingly, in forming the opening 3|, the skirt is cut in an inverted U-shaped outline as indicated at 38 in Figs. 1 and 6. The tongue 40 formed by such cutting of the sheet material is then upset inwardly of the skirt as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The partly severed portion or tongue 40 prevents outward displacement of the sealing compound and at the same time permits the puncturing implement 36 to be quite readily introduced through the opening 3| so as to be easily pushed through the sealing composition when it is desired to remove the cap from the receptacle. The protuberance 32 and the channel 34 formed thereunder permit the pointed end of the tool 36 to pass entirely through the sealing material and particularly that portion within the chamber 28.

While the invention has been described with regard to various structural details of the cap structure and with reference to sealing compounds of specific types, it will be appreciated that changes may be made in the shape of the cap and in the materials forming the cap assembly. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closure cap assembly comprising, a disc shaped portion having a-diameter substantiall equal to the diameter of an inner surface of receptacle neck, an annular wall extending up wardly from the periphery of said disc-shape portion, an annular band around the periphe of said annular wall, an annular bead arrange assure around the periphery 01 said annular band and thereabove providing an inverted channel thereunder, an annular skirt" depending from the peripheral portion of said head, an inwardly directed flange carried by the lower portion of said skirt, plastic sealing material around the inner surface 01 said skirt extending from said flange into said inverted channel, said annular wall in cooperation with said annular hand defining a chamber within which said plastic sealing material may be displaced to engage an end surface or the receptacle neck when the closure cap is arranged thereon, and said annular wall forming an abutment lim iting the inward displacement of the plastic ealing material.

2. A closure assembly for sealing the neck of a receptacle comprising. a disc-shaped portion formed of sheet material, said sheet material extending upwardly at the periphery of the discshaped portion to form a raised portion and an annular chamber thereunder, an annular bead arranged above and outwardly of said raised portion providing an inverted channel around the periphery of said raised portion, a depending skirt carried by said annular head, a layer of Plastic material along the inner surface of the skirt filling said inverted channel whereby the plastic material in engaging peripheral portions of the receptacle neck is displaced into sealed engagement with an end suri'ace 0f the neck. and a wall 01' said raised portion forming an annular abutment limiting the inward displacement of said plastic material.

3. In a closure cap, a disc-shaped portion, an annular wall extending upwardly from the periphery 01 said disc-shaped portion, an annular band outwardly of said annular wall, an annular bead around the periphery of said annular band and arranged thereabove, an annular skirt depending from said head, said skirt having an opening therethrough, a layer of plastic and readily dlsplaceable sealing material arranged around the inner surface of said skirt, and a tongue formed from an upset portion of the skirt substantially obstructing said opening and preventing the outward displacement of said plastic sealing material through said opening.

GUSTAVE GLOCKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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