US3216600A

US3216600A - Container and closure cap combination

Info

Publication number: US3216600A
Application number: US323014A
Authority: US
Inventors: James R Dreps
Original assignee: Owens Illinois Glass Co
Current assignee: OI Glass Inc
Priority date: 1963-11-12
Filing date: 1963-11-12
Publication date: 1965-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-09

Description

Nov. 9, 1965 J. R. DREPS 3,216,600

CONTAINER AND CLOSURE GAP COMBINATION Filed Nov. 12, 1963 INVENTOR. JAMES R.DREPS IATILORNEYS United States Patent 3,216,600 CONTAINER AND CLOSURE CAP COMBINATIQN James R. Dreps, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 323,014 6 Claims. (Cl. 21540) This invention relates generally to a container and closure cap combination and more particularly to a container and closure cap combination provided with screw thread formations which will insure proper registry of surface decoration applied to the container and closure cap.

It is common practice to place decorative matter upon the closure cap top and skirt and upon the body of the container. In many instances, it is most desirable, at least from an esthetic viewpoint, to align these applied decorations. The decoration may comprise, for example, a face of an individual or a head applied to both the cap skirt and container body in such fashion that when the cap finally seals the container, these elements preferably should be so relatively positioned that the faces on the skirt and body are longitudinally aligned. This registration necessitates terminating rotation of the closure cap at a predetermined point during application to the container in order that proper alignment is obtained. In view of the fact that both caps and containers frequently depart from specified dimensions as to height, etc., it is apparent that some difiiculty might be experienced in creating a hermetic seal, while at the same time insuring proper registry of the decorations. Such might easily arise from registration of the decorative matter prior to the application of sufficient torque to the cap to adequately compress the sealing gasket or ring. Alternatively, under some conditions, such registration might require suflicient cap rotation to seriously distort or perhaps actually break the closure cap which is formed of a plastic material.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a directional closure cap and container combination wherein both accurate registration of decorative matter on the closure cap and container and reliable sealing are obtained.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a closure cap and container combination formed with matching screw threads so arranged as to stop cap rotation during cap application, with the decorative matter properly aligned.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a package of the above character in which the closure cap is provided with a sealing gasket incorporating an axially flexible peripheral portion capable of occupying any of a number of different positions and creating an effective seal in any of such positions. Thus, my invention compensates for allowable dimensional variations or tolerances in the container and closure cap and also insures both an effective hermetic seal and registration of the decorative matter.

These and other objects will be apparent from reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the following drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a package incorporating my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure cap and container combination of my invention preparatory to threading the closure cap onto the container;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but with the closure cap and bottle in sealing relationship;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of a container neck according to my invention;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a closure cap with the screw-thread formed in accordance with my invention; and

ice

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure cap and sealing gasket of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 denotes a container such as a glass bottle having an exteriorly screw-threaded neck 11 terminating in an annular mouth-defining rim 12 which provides a sealing surface for contact with sealing means, as will be hereinafter explained. The screw-thread 13 is a single-turn thread of conventional form with the exception that the starting or entrance end 14 may well be relatively blunt to create a stop for engagement with the closed end 15 of the thread 16 of the closure cap 17. The closure cap 17 comprises a top panel portion 18 and a depending attaching skirt 19, having formed internally thereof the screw-thread 16, having a closed end or stop 15. By-properly positioning the stop-forming ends 14 and 15 of the screw-

threads

13 and 16 relative to the arrows shown on the bottle and cap, one is assured that these arrows will be relatively aligned incident to completion of the cap-applying operation. These arrows, it should be understood, may be any pre ferred form of surface decoration. For example, each arrow shown may instead be the representation of a human head or face or perhaps a component part of a unit design which is to be completed by proper final relative positioning of the cap and bottle.

Because of allowable tolerances in both glassand cap dimensions, it would be possible, withconventionalsealing means, that the cap fully applied would align with the design elements, and a hermetic seal could not be obtained because of insufficient compression of the sealing means. Alternatively, the dimensions might be such that the sealing ring would be excessively compressed and the closure cap broken before the design elements became aligned. Accordingly, the closure cap 17, and sealing means are formed to insure proper sealing. The cap is formed with an internal annular channel 29 in the panel 18, spaced inwardly from the skirt 19 of the cap 17 and adapted to overlie the rim 12 of the bottle 11 when the cap is applied onto the bottle 10. The channel 29 is of greater width than the rim 12 and is defined at its inner margin by a wall 20 having a sloping inner side 21. This wall 20 also creates a central recess 22 to accommodate a hollow button-like portion 23 of the gasket or sealing element 24. The annular wall 27 of the button 23 is dimensioned to provide firm frictional contact with the wall 20 of the channel 19 and thereby retain the gasket 24 within the closure cap 17. As shown in FIGURE 6, the wall 20 may have an undercut 25 to more securely engage the wall 27 of the button 23.

Extending radially of the annular wall 27 of the gasket 24 is a radial flange portion 26 which when the closure cap 17 and gasket 24 are assembled lies in a plane substantially normal to the axis of the cap.

Threading of the cap 17 onto the bottle 10 deforms the flange portion 26 by forcing the same upwardly in the direction of the underside of the top panel portion 18 of the cap and into the annular channel 29. The flange portion 26 is forced into channel 29 by being brought into contact with the rim of the bottle 10. The flexibility of the flange 26 causes the same to remain in sealing contact with the rim 12 and thereby sealing the bottle 10 irrespective of the degree of rotation of the cap on the bottle.

It will be apparent that rotation of cap 17 on the neck 11 of the bottle will continue until stopped by the ends 14 and 15 of the

threads

13 and 16. Since the ends 14 and 15 were positioned to insure alignment of the decoration upon rotation of the cap when the flange 26 will have been brought into sealing contact with the rim 12. The gasket 24 may be formed of any suitable resilient material such as polyethylene. The closure cap 17 may be formed of any desirable material such as thermoplastic or thermosetting resins and various metals.

The degree of distortion of this flange section varies with dimensional diflerences in the glass height, etc., and the precise point of effective sealing area or actual contact between the sealing element and the glass also varies as the torque applied to the cap is increased. In any event, hermetic sealing is obtained at all times and the design elements are properly aligned.

Itwill be apparent from a reading of the foregoing detailed description of my invention that modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having a mouth-defining neck terminating in an annular rim, said neck being provided with an external continuous screw-thread, a closure cap adapted to be telescoped over the neck and having a screw-thread adapted to engage the thread on the neck, the screw-threads on said neck and closure cap having relatively blunt interengageable ends functioning as stops to terminate rotation of the cap at a fixed point during its application to the bottle, said cap having a top panel portion and a depending attaching skirt, an annular channel of greater width than and adapted to overlie said rim is provided internally of said cap, said channel including an inner side wallspaced radially inwardly from the skirt with that surface of said side wall facing the channel tapered toward the open end and axis of said cap, and a sealing element including a flexible radial flange which prior to cap application extends in a plane normal to the cap axis and substantially spans the open side of said channel, said flange being deflected in part into the channel incident to cap application and having sealing contact with both said rim and a portion of the interior surface of said neck.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the closure cap panel is provided with an internal central recess and the sealing element incluudes an attaching button carrying said fiange and frictionally held in the recess.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the sealing element is generally hat-shaped with a dished button-like central part for attachment to the cap panel and a radial flange encircles said central part.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the closure cap and bottle each carry exterior decorating matter and the interengagement of the screw-thread ends effect longitudinal alignment of the decorative matter on the cap and bottle body.

5. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the button-like central portion is provided with a peripheral:

wall frictionally engaging the Wall defining said recess.

6. The combintaion according to claim 5 wherein the recess is provided with an undercut annular wall for holding engagement with said periphery of the button.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,716,504 8/55 Martin 2l540 2,734,651 2/56 Lindstrom 215-40 2,989,204 6/61 Marx et a1. 215-40 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

FMNKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER HAVING A MOUTH-DEFINING NECK TERMINATING IN AN ANNULAR RIM, SAID NECK BEING PROVIDED WITH AN EXTERNAL CONTINUOUS SCREW-THREAD, A CLOSURE CAP ADAPTED TO BE TELESCOPED OVER THE NECK AND HAVING A SCREW-THREAD ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE THREAD ON THE NECK, THE SCREW-THREADS ON SAID NECK AND CLOSURE CAP HAVING RELATIVELY BLUNT INTERENGAGEABLE ENDS FUNCTIONING AS STOPS TO TERMINATE ROTATION OF THE CAP AT A FIXED POINT DURING ITS APPLICATION TO THE BOTTLE, SAID CAP HAVING A TOP PANEL PORTION AND A DEPENDING ATTACHING SKIRT, AN ANNULAR CHANNEL OF GREATER WIDTH THAN AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIE SAID RIM IS PROVIDED INTERNALLY OF SAID CAP, SAID CHANNEL INCLUDING AN INNER SIDE WALL SPACED RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM THE SKIRT WITH THAT SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL FACING THE CHANNEL TAPERED TOWARD THE OPEN END AND AXIS OF SAID CAP, AND A SEALING ELEMENT INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE RADIAL FLANGE WHICH PRIOR TO CAP APPLICATION EXTENDS IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THE CAP AXIS AND SUBSTANTIALLY SPANS THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID CHANNEL, SAID FLANGE BEING DEFLECTED IN PART INTO THE CHANNEL INCIDENT TO CAP APPLICATION AND HAVING SEALING CONTACT WITH BOTH SAID RIM AND A PORTION OF THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID NECK.