US2630237A - Sealing cap for cans and the like - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1953 K. E. ROSE-NLOF 2,630,237

SEALING CAP FOR CANS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 5, 1950 IN VEN TOR.

I 1| l7 2| 'KENNETH E. ROSENLOF ATTORNEY l atented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEALING CAP FOR CANS AND THE LIKE Kenneth E. Rosenlof, Portland, Oreg.

Application December 5, 1950, Serial No. 199,185

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates in general to closures for open mouth containers for foods or liquids, such as glasses, cups, etc, but, more particularly, to a closure or cap suitable for use with an opened can containing food products or other material which will deteriorate when the can contents are exposed to the air.

Especially this invention is directed to the providing of a sealing closure for an opened can of food where a portion of the food is left in the opened can and it is desired to keep the remaining food in the can for a short time, for example in a refrigerator or other suitable place.

As is well known, when opened cans of food are kept in the ordinary household refrigerator temporarily until the contents of the can are entirely used, it is essential to keep the opened can covered, not only to prevent the food or other material in the opened can from drying out, due to the evaporation of moisture therefrom, but, which is more important, for sanitary reasons and for retarding the deterioration of the can contents, which deterioration begins more or less immediately when the can is opened. When an opened can of food is kept outside of a closed refrigerator the necessity of keeping the can properly covered is of course even greater.

A very important example of the keeping of unused portions of canned food in opened cans is to be found in the use of canned foods for infants. Especially prepared canned foods of this nature have come into extensive use during the past few years. Although the popular and more or less standard size of the can in which baby foods are now sold is small, as a general rule all of the contents of a can of baby food are not used up at a single meal and the unused portion is frequently kept over in the container or can until a subsequent meal. The necessity then of keeping the opened can tightly covered will be readily appreciated, especially if the canned food is used while traveling.

While my invention may be employed with any opened can or with any other open mouth container, for which a temporary sealing cap or cover is required, the most important use and need for the improved sealing cap which comprises my invention undoubtedly will be found in connection with bady food cans. Accordingly my cap is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as used with a can of this more or less standardized type and size. However, my invention is not of course to be understood as specifically limited to any particular open mouth container.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved sealing cap of the type above described which can easily be set in place on, and maintained in sealing contact with, the top of an open can or other open cylindrical container, and which also can at any time be easily removed therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing cap which will be capable of being used repeatedly on cans or containers havmg the same, or substantially the same, outside and inside diameters respectively at their open mouths or tops.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing cap which can be kept absolutely sanitary.

An additional object is to provide an improved sealing cap which can readily be made from any suitable flexible or resilient material such as rubber, or preferably plastic, and which can be manufactured and sold at a very reasonable cost.

A further and very important object of the invention is to provide such a cap which will have a tighter and more effective sealing contact with the can or similar container upon which it is placed, so that the perishable food or other product in the opened can can be kept better, more safely and more conveniently than is pos sible with several types of removable covers or caps for opened cans at present in general public use.

A still further object is to provide a removable sealing cover or cap for opened cans which will remain in place, maintain its seal, and prevent leakage from the opened covered can even when the covered can is inadvertently tipped over or placed on its side.

These objects I have been able to attain by making my improved cap in such a Way that a sealed-in annular dead air chamber will be maintamed around the outside wall of the can, within the outer peripheral flange of the cap and below the seal between the top rim of the can and the cap, thus in effect providing an added seal between can and cap; and further by forming my sealing cap and employing the same in the manner hereinafter briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved sealing cap by itself;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a cylindrical can, of the type in which prepared food for infants is now generally sold, showing my sealing cap in place over the opened top of the can, with a porof the cap and top of the can shown in sec,-

Fig. 3 is an elevation illustrating the placing of the cap in position on the can;

Fig. 4 is a similar elevation illustrating the removing of the cap from the top of the can;

Fig. is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the cap drawn to a larger scale, the cap being in the normal sealing position illustrated in Fig. 2, with the corresponding portion of the can shown in broken lines for the sake of clarity; and

Fig. 6 is a similar fragmentary sectional elevation of the cap in sealing position on an open can, the usual paper wrapper or label also being indicated on the outside wall of the can.

In Figs. 2, 3, and 4 the cylindrical wall of the baby food can is indicated in general by the reference character ID. The can is assumed to be formed with the usual bottom which extends-over and around the bottom edge of the cylindrical wall, forming the bottom seam I I. It is customary for the top of the can to form a similar seam with the top edge of the cylindrical wall, such top seam being indicated at I2 in Figs. 3 and 4. When the can is opened the circular eXpanse of the cover is ordinarily cut out and removed, leaving the seam-forming portion of the cover still attached to the top edge of the wall. This upper seam-forming, inverted U -shaped, remaining portion of the cover is shown more clearly in Fig, 6, having an inner wall I2a, an outer wall I20 and the connecting top section I2b.

My improved sealing cap, which, as previously mentioned, may be made of rubber or any suitable flexible semi-resilient material, but which I prefer to make of a flexible plastic composition, includes a main top portion I3, which is preferably slightly convex or dome-shaped. At the periphery of its inside face this dome-shaped top portion I3 joins 9, downwardly-extending annular inside rim flange I4 (shown more clearly in Figs. 5 and 6) An outer annular extension of the cap beyond the inside rim flange I4 is made of increased thickness and forms, with the outer wall of the rim flange I4, an upwardly-extending, inverted U-shaped slot or groove I5, the width of which is very slightly narrower than the thickness of the top seam I2. This slot or groove I5, as apparent from Fig. 6, is designed to fit down tightly over the top seam I2 when the cap is set in place, forming a continuous sealing connection with the surface of the portions I211, I2?) and I2c of the top seam I2. The flexibility of the material from which the cap is made enables this groove I5 to be pushed down in place with a snug fit on the seam I2 when the cap is set in position on the opened can, and also enables the cap groove to be pulled up from the seam without too much difficulty or strain when the cap is to be removed from the can.

The outer annular extension of the cap turns downwardly beyond'the groove I5 and forms an annular, outwardly-bowed, outside wall portion I6 of decreasing thickness, adapted to extend a short distance down over the side wall of the can when the cap is in place, as shown in Fig. 2. I'he bottom edge of the rim of this outside wall portion I6 has an inside periphery with a diameter not greater, and preferably very slightly less, than the outside diameter of the can wall It], so that when the cap is set in place on the opened can, with this outside wall portion I6 encompassing the upper part of the can wall, as shown in Fig. 2, the bottom edge of, the portion I6 will have a tight sealing contact with the'ca'n wall. Preferably this bottom edge of the wall I6 of the cap 4 is formed with an inside bead or inturned edge of greater thickness, as shown at I7 in Figs. 5 and 6, to strengthen the bottom edge against possible rupture in the placing or removing of the cap and to present a wider and firmer sealing edge to engage the outer face of the can wall.

Due to the fact that the wall portion I6 of the cap is outwardly-bowed there will be an annular sealed-in air space I8 (Fig. 6) between the can and the surrounding cap wall, which in effect becomes a dead air space when the cap is in position on the opened can. Not only does the bottom edge of the wall portion I6 of the cap furnish an added seal between cap and can, and, by providing a further grip for the cap, aid in preventing inadvertent displacing of the cap should the covered can be turned over on to its side, but the sealed-in air in the space I8 itself becomes, to a certain extent, an additional sealing medium blocking the escape of moisture from the can around the seam I2, should there be any tendency for the groove I5 of the can to loosen up, or blocking any tendency for outside air to pass into the cap closure under the bottom rim of the cap Wall I6.

While the top portion of the cap wall is of greater thickness, so as to provide sufficient depth or height for the groove I5 and sufficient strength and sealing clamping pressure at this portion of the cap, I have found it very desirable to make the lower part of the cap wall I6 relatively thin adjacent the bottom sealing edge and the bead IT, as shown, so a to afford more flexibility and resiliency in that portion of the cap wall. This not only facilitates the placing and removing of the cap on to and from the top of the can but also enables the outer wall of the cap to conform readily to any irregularities in the can wall, as for example when part of the can wall has become flattened by forcible contact with some external object. At the same time the bottom sealing edge of the cap wall, thus at the bead I1, will have a tight sealing contact with the can wall, unless of course the can is so badly damaged that the wall becomes indented, which would rarely occur and practically never as near the top rim of the can as the portion covered by the cap wall.

An integral finger tab I9 extends outwardly from one portion of the cap wall I6 as an aid in the removal of the cap from the can. The top of the cap is preferably also formed with an upstanding flange ring or bead 20, concentric with the inside rim flange I4 and of approximately the same outside diameter, so that a second can of identical size may be set on top of the bottom can which has been covered with the cap, thus conserving space in a refrigerator. In such case the flange ring or bead 20 of the cap will fit inside the bottom seam of the second can and hold the latter against slipping laterally off from the cap.

The cap, as described, can be forcibly pushed down into sealing position on a can of proper size and similarly forcibly pulled upwardly off of the can in the usual manner. However, my cap lends itself to being placed in position in an easier manner and also to be removed more easily. These preferred ways in which the cap can be set in position and can be removed are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively.

To set the cap in sealing position (Fig. 3) one side of the cap i set down on the opened top of the can so that one portion of the cap wall I6 will extend-down, the full distance over the outside wall of the can and the corresponding portion of the top seam-sealing groove [5 of the cap will be set down over the top seam. Then the person setting the cap in place runs his thumb or finger diametrically across the top of the cap from the positioned portion to the opposite side (thus from left to right as viewed in Fig. 3), pressing downwardly on the cap while doing so. The downward pressure and transverse movement of the finger not only presses the dome-shaped top of the cap down, but causes the side wall 19 to flex and stretch and slide down over the outside of the seam 12. Finally running the finger around the periphery of the top of the cap will insure the groove I5 being set down ti htly on the seam 12 in proper sealing position, while the bottom rim of the cap wall It maintains sealing contact with the outside wall of the can.

In removing the cap the thumb is placed una der the tab H) (as shown in Fig. 4) and pushed upwardly while another finger of the hand presses downward slightly at the center of the dome-shaped top. This facilitates the flexing of the cap in the manner illustrated and enables it to be removed quickly and easily.

These suggested and preferred ways of placing and removing the cap also prevent injury to the cap and thus tend to prolong its life. With ordinary care the cap can be used over and over without appreciably losing its sealing qualities and of course the cap i easily sterilized.

Generally cans, particularly cans of prepared baby food, have an outside wrapper or label extending around and secured on the outside wall, usually almost entirely covering the wall. It is not necessary to remove this outer wrapper or label when using my improved cap since the bottom rim of the cap Wall l5 will slide down over and form sealing contact with the outside surface of the wrapper. This is illustrated in Fig. 6 in which the can is indicated as having a wrapper 2| covering substantially its outer cylindrical face. In fact it will be found that such a wrapper will probably contribute to the making of a tighter seal with the bead H and bottom edge of the cap wall I6.

I claim:

A cap of the character described, formed of 6 flexible and resilient material, adapted to provide a sealing closure for an opened can, said cap comprising a main dome-shaped top portion, a downwardly-extending inside rim flange of greater thickness than said dome-shaped top portion adapted to fit within and have sealing contact with the inside of the rim at the top of said opened can, an outer annular portion forming an inverted U-shaped groove with said inside flange,

said outer annular portion fitting tightly over the outside of the rim of said opened can, a wall extending downwardly from said outer annular portion for considerable distance below the bottom of said inside rim flange and adapted to be positioned on the outside face of said can, said wall being outwardly bowed and being of decreasing thickness downwardly, but having an inwardlyturned bottom edge of increased thickness adapted to form a tight sealing contact with the outer surface of said can, thereby providing a sealed-in annular air space around the outside of said can adjacent the rim of said can when said cap is in place, said sealed-in annular air space then serving as an additional sealing medium, and a finger tab extending radially outwardly on said well to facilitate the lifting of the adjacent portion of said cap upwardly from sealing position preparatory to the removal of said cap from said can.

KENNETH E. ROSENLOF.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 700,653 Jobson May 20, 1902 891,199 Speece June 16, 1908 1,158,622 Blakesle-e Nov. 2, 1915 1,355,973 Hollingsworth Oct. 19, 1920 1,706,249 Naum Mar. 19, 1929 1,902,892 Pottenger et a1. Mar. 28, 1933 2,218,303 Comer Oct, 15, 1940 2,266,270 Roth Dec. 16, 1941 2,328,084 Lomax et al Aug. 31, 1943 2,487,400 Tupper Nov. 8, 1949 2,567,322 Curtis Sept. 1-1, 1951

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