EP0094026A2

EP0094026A2 - Tamperproof beverage closure

Info

Publication number: EP0094026A2
Application number: EP83104390A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emile L. Munch; Carl E. Koontz
Original assignee: Anchor Hocking LLC
Current assignee: Anchor Hocking LLC
Priority date: 1982-05-06
Filing date: 1983-05-04
Publication date: 1983-11-16
Also published as: CA1247555A; AU1445183A; AU570408B2; EP0094026B1; DE3377637D1; EP0094026A3

Abstract

A closure is described for sealing containers such as beverage or liquor or other containers. The closure is a unitary molded closure cap which includes a flowed-in sealing gasket. A tamperproofing band may be applied with the closure cap which is locked onto a bead on the container so that it is torn free from the upper sealing portion of the cap or partly torn free and its circular form broken when an attempt is made to turn the closure cap off of the container.

Description

The invention relates to a twist-off closure cap for containers such as beverage or liquor bottles and more particularly to an improved molded unitary plastic closure cap. More particularly, the application relates to a molded closure bottle.cap having a flowed-in sealing gasket. It may also have a tamper indicating band which is applied with the cap during the normal bottle sealing operation and which prevents the removal of the cap without being torn off or partly torn and broken providing an indication of any attempt to remove the cap.
A number of well-known caps are now being used for sealing beverage bottles. One particularly well-known cap of this general type is an aluminum cap having a sealing portion and a generally non-detachable or tamper indicating ring. The application of the tamper indicating ring to the container requires a separate shaping operation during cap application to shape the tamper indicating ring around a bead on the bottle finish.
The closure cap of the present invention provides an inexpensive unitary molded plastic cap which provides a high pressure seal. It includes a flowed-in sealing liner and may include a tamper indicating band or ring. The caps are applied by high speed bottle sealing machinery in a sealing operation which both seals the bottles with the sealing caps and which simultaneously applies the tamper indicating bands without band reshaping operations.
The bands are applied so that they are locked onto the bottle finishes and so that any attempt to turn off the sealing portions of the caps are clearly indicated by a severing of the band either fully or partly from the cap sealing portion.
A unique advantage of the cap is the improved flowed-in liner and the shaping of the plastic cap for retaining the liner in place and for forming a pressure resistant seal.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary molded plastic closure cap capable of sealing at high pressures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary molded linerless beverage or liquor or other cap with a flowed-in liner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved screw-on and twist-off beverage or liquor or other cap with tamper indicating means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary plastic beverage cap which is applied using existing high speed bottle sealing machinery.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a twist-off closure cap for containers such as beverage or liquor bottles and more particularly to an improved molded unitary plastic closure cap. More particularly, the application relates to a molded closure bottle.cap having a flowed-in sealing gasket. It may also have a tamper indicating band which is applied with the cap during the normal bottle sealing operation and which prevents the removal of the cap without being torn off or partly torn and broken providing an indication of any attempt to remove the cap.
A number of well-known caps are now being used for sealing beverage bottles. One particularly well-known cap of this general type is an aluminum cap having a sealing portion and a generally non-detachable or tamper indicating ring. The application of the tamper indicating ring to the container requires a separate shaping operation during cap application to shape the tamper indicating ring around a bead on the bottle finish.
The closure cap of the present invention provides an inexpensive unitary molded plastic cap which r provides a high pressure seal. It includes a flowed-in sealing liner and may include a tamper indicating band or ring. The caps are applied by high speed bottle sealing machinery in a sealing operation which both seals the bottles with the sealing caps and which simultaneously applies the tamper indicating bands without band reshaping operations.
The bands are applied so that they are locked onto the bottle finishes and so that any attempt to turn off the sealing portions of the caps are clearly indicated by a severing of the band either fully or partly from the cap sealing portion.
A unique advantage of the cap is the improved flowed-in liner and the shaping of the plastic cap for retaining the liner in place and for forming a pressure resistant seal.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary molded plastic closure cap capable of sealing at high pressures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary molded linerless beverage or liquor or other cap with a flowed-in liner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved screw-on and twist-off beverage or liquor or other cap with tamper indicating means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary plastic beverage cap which is applied using existing high speed bottle sealing machinery.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle sealed with a closure cap in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 on FIG. 1 of the closure cap of the invention and a bottle sealed with it.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a closure cap in accordance with the present invention being applied to a bottle.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the closure cap.
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the liner being flowed into the closure cap.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional and bottom plan views of another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

This invention relates to a unitary molded plastic closure cap which is applied to filled bottles or similar containers on high speed automatic sealing machines and which'provides a satisfactory seal even at high pressures.
Prior tamperproof closures of this general type include metal closure caps wuch as aluminum caps where there is a cup-like sealing portion of the cap and usually an attached tamper indicating ring. These prior caps are applied to the filled bottles with complicated automatic machinery which applies the caps and which then must also crimp or otherwise deform the metal cap shells to interlock the tamper indicating band.
The present invention substitutes a unitary molded plastic cap for the metal closure and provides for both the sealing cup-like cap portion and when desired a unitary tamperproof or tamper indicating band.
A characteristic of the presently used metal caps is their ability to be applied to filled containers on high speed automatic sealing machinery. The closure cap of the present invention also has this advantage and provides for a high speed and low cost sealing machine application while at the same time providing a simple low cost plastic closure cap useful for high pressure sealing.
The closure cap 1 as illustrated includes a sealing means or liner 2 on the underside of the cap cover 3 for forming a tight seal between the cap 1 and the upper surface 4 of the bottle 5 finish 6.
A tamperproofing band 7 is attached to the lower edge of the cap skirt 10 by a number of relatively thin and rupturable bridges 9. The bridges -9 hold the tamper indicating band 7 onto the sealing portion of the closure 1 during cap application and sealing until the bottle is opened for use and while remaining unruptured indicate that the cap seal has not been tampered with. The closure cap may also be used without a tamper indicator in which case the band is eliminated from the cap and the cap forming die.
The closure cap 1 has the molded cup-like sealing and bottle engaging portion comprising the cover 3 and a depending skirt 10. The skirt 10 includes container engaging threads 11 on its inner surface and preferably has knurls 12 on its outer surface to facilitate cap removal. The cap 1 is formed of suitable plastic such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene or similar plastics.
The sealing liner 2 is preferably flowed in so that it covers the underside of the cap cover 3 and has a thickened outer edge 14 in inter-locking engagement with a channel 15 formed at the corner between the cap cover 3 and the cap skirt 10. The lower side 16 of the channel 15 is the upper surface 17 of a circular bead 18. The bead 17 preferably has a generally triangular cross-section with its inner-most edge or apex 18 being rounded in the form of a radius and with its upper liner engaging surface 17 forming about a 30 degree angle with the horizontal. The properties of the preferred sealing liner 2 plastic, which is polyvinylchloride or PVC, as it is flowed into a rotating closure 1 by a nozzle 21 (FIG. 5) cause it to have a thickened outer edge at the Channel 15 forming both an adhesive and a physical interlock between the liner 2 and the Channel 15. The above described taper of about 30 degrees for the upper surface 17 of the bead 18 assists to retain the liner 2 and also facilitates the stripping of the molded closure cap 1 shell from the molding tools during the shell molding portion. The taper of bead 18 tends to slightly flare the molded cap skirt 10 during the stripping to facilitate the withdrawal of the groove forming portion of a die as well as the thread forming portions.
FIG. 2 illustrates the sealing liner 2 of the closure cap 1 in engagement with the rim 4 of a sealed bottle 5. The bottle rim 4 has penetrated into the liner 2 causing an extrusion or build-up of the liner sealing portion around both the outer and inner edges 19 and 20 of the bottle rim 4. This inter-action between the liner 2 and the bottle 5 at the channel 15 perfects the seal between the liner 2 and the bottle rim 4 and forms tight seals which are effective even for relatively high pressures within the sealed bottles such as is the case with beers and sodas.
As already indicated, the closure cap may be used with a tamper indicating band or without such a band.
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate one form of band which includes the container engaging band 7 and which has a number of bridges or gates 9 which attach the band 7 to the cap skirt 10. When the cap is removed from the bottle 5 this band tears loose and remains on the bottle 5 indicating that the cap has been turned upwardly.
Another form of band may be used such as is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,299,328, dated November 10, 1981. That form of band 22 (FIG. 4) on a cap 23 has a stra.pping action which insures the retention of the tamper indicating r r band 22 on a bottle. Two diametrically spaced lugs 24- on the band 22 hold the band on the bottle and provide a strapping action on removal in combination with a pair of bridge groups 25 each about 90° displaced from the lugs 24.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an improved embodiment of a strapping type of tamper indicating band 26 on a cap 27. The band 26 includes approximately diametrically spaced lugs 28 to provide the strapping forces. In addition, the band 26 has several bridges 29 positioned about 90⁰ away from the lugs 28 and a stronger bridge or hinge 30 positioned approximately diametrically opposite to the bridge 29. Additionally a notch 31 is provided in the band 26 adjacent to the hinge 30. In this embodiment of the closure cap, a removal of the cap 27 first snaps the band 26 at the notch 31 and then tears the bridges 29. This gives an immediate indication of closure tampering. During the final removal of the cap 27, the hinge 30 does not tear but remains intact lifting the tamper band 26 off of the bottle with the closure cap 27. Such a removable band is desired for certain sealing applications.
It will be seen that an improved molded unitary closure cap has been described which is readily manufactured and which is applied using existing high speed bottle sealing machinery to form excellent seals useful at high and low pressures.
As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

1. A unitary molded plastic closure cap for sealing a container having a threaded neck comprising the combination of:

a cover;

a depending skirt having container engaging threads on its inner surface;

a radially inwardly extending bead positioned on said skirt between said cover and saidskirt threads and forming a'liner retaining groove between said cover and said threads and facilitating stripping the molded thread form portions;

a flowed-in plastic sealing liner positioned on the underside of said skirt with its outer edge occupying said groove; and

said liner having its greater width at its outer edge and occupying substantially the entire groove and having a progressively lesser width radially inwardly of the closure cap cover.

2. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 1 which further comprises a tamper indicating band releasably attached to the bottom of said depending skirt by spaced frangible bridges, and lug means 'on said band for engaging a bead on the container.

3. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 2 in which said lug means and said frangible bridge means are spaced from one another and proportioned for providing reduced attaching force to same tamper indicating band directly above the lug means compared to the attaching force away from the lug means.

4. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 3 in which said bridge means comprises one or more bridges and said lug means comprises one or more lugs spaced from said bridges.

5. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 3 in which said bridge means comprises bridges approximately diametrically spaced from one another and said lug means comprises lugs each spaced about half way between said bridges and approximately diametrically from one another.

6. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 5 in which one of said bridge means comprise a hinge providing a stronger connection between said skirt and said band than said other bridge means.

7. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 6 which further comprise a notch in said band adjacent to said hinge.

8. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 1 in which said bead has a generally triangular cross-section.

9. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 8 in which the apex of the triangular cross section is the radially innermost portion of said bead.

10. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 8- in which said apex comprises a radius.

11. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 1 in which the uppermost surface of said bead facing the cap cover has a 25⁰ to 60° angle with the cap cover.

12. A generally cylindrical molded plastic closure cap for sealing a container comprising the combination of:

a disc-like cover;

a depending generally cylindrical skirt;

a radially inwardly extending circular bead positioned on said skirt between said cover and said skirt forming a liner retaining groove between said cover and said threads;

a disc-like flowed-in plastic sealing liner positioned on the underside of said skirt and occupying said groove;

said liner having its greatest width at its outer edge and occupying substantially the entire groove and having a progressively lesser width radially inwardly of the closure cap cover, being approximately one half of said greatest width.

13. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 12 which further comprises a tamper indicating band releasably attached to the bottom.of said depending skirt by spaced frangible bridges, and lug means on said band for engaging a bead on the container.

14. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 12 in which said bead has a generally triangular cross-section.

15. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 14 in which the apex of the triangular cross section is the radially innermost portion of said bead.

16. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 15 in which said apex comprises a radius.

17. The closure cap as claimed in Claim 12 in which the uppermost surface of said bead facing the cap cover has about a 25° to 60° angle with the cap cover.