US2441918A - Closure - Google Patents

Description

. May 18, 1,948.

J. R. Hoes CLOSURE Filed March. 31, 1945 lllll gnwpwlw (JOHN F-HOGE Patented May 18, 1948' CLOSURE John R. Hoge, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application March 31,1945, Serial No. 585,863

2 Claims. (Cl. 215-40) 1 My invention relates to closures for hermetically sealing jars, bottles and the like containers, and more particularly to the so-called side seal type wherein a sealing gasket, or ring, carried by the closure, firmly contacts an exterior sealing surface of the container immediately beneath the rim or mouth thereof.

It is an object of my invention to provide a closure of the above character in which the skirt portion isof such form and the sealing gasket is so positioned therein, that a satisfactory initial seal is effected simultaneously with the first positioning of'the closure upon the mouth of the receptacle, and solely due to the weight of the closure which functions to press the rim of the container slightly into the gasket. This is of considerable importance and advantage in the vapor vacuurnmethod of sealing food containers, wherein, for example, the jars are transported through'a steam chamber to fill the head space with live steam and while yet in the live steam zone, receive closures from an inclined cap chute, such closures being drawn from the chute by engagement with the rim of the continuously moving containers. See Hohl Patent No. 2,357,- 826, issued September 12, 1944. It is important that the closures, incident to initial placement Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view ipartly in section illustrating my closure attached to a receptacle.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the initial position of the closure upon a receptacle prior to the application of top pressure thereto.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a secondary sealing position .of the closure assumed under initial top pressure applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view showing the closure in its final sealing position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but shows the closure raised slightly as occurs incident to the building up of internal pressure, and the sealing gasket and groove in the receptacle securing the closure against complete displacement.

' Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the closure. Closures of the type herein disclosed are ideally suited to the vapor vacuum sealing .of jars, bottles, and the like receptacles, .in that they may be easily and rapidly aflixed to such containers while the latter are moving continuously or intermittently through a steam chamber, and as upon the containers, and prior to final attachment thereto, form a sufiiciently efiective seal to entrap a substantial volume of live steam in the head space and retain it therein during succeeding cap-applying operations.

To this end an area of that portion of the skirt immediately adjacent part of the gasket is spaced therefrom to a degree which enables the gasket to yield outwardly slightly incident to initial placement upon the container solely under the weight of the closure. Thus the gasket tends to wrap around the rim and provides an exceptionally wide initial sealing surface with the advantages stated heretofore.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a side seal type of closure, wherein the sealing gasket is so positioned and supported therein as to readily compensate to an unusual degree, for

irregular. or out-of-round rims at the fillingopening of containers, and thereby insure satisfactory initial sealing incident to the mere placement (without applied top pressure) of a closure upon the mouth and prior to the usual succeeding final pressing of the closure onto the container.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent or pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of my application:

stated heretofore, function with exceptional efiiciency to entrap and retain a substantial volume of live steam in the head space of the receptacles. An example of a machine for vapor vacuum sealing containers with closures of the type herein illustrated, is disclosed in the Hohl Patent No. 2,357,826, issued September 12, 1944. The containers filled, with the exception of a suitable head space, with the commodity to be preserved, are carried through a steam chamber and near the exit end thereof remove a closure from an inclined delivery chute simply through engagement of the rim of the container with one edge of the closure which protrudes slightly below the chute. Forward travel of the container pulls the closure out of the chute. Thereupon the closure rests upon and initially seals the receptacle so as to entrap live steam in the head space. The container with the closure resting thereon is then moved to a cap-aflixing zone where a mechanical device presses the closuredownwardly over the rim of the container and brings the sealing gasket into snug engagement with the external side sealing surface of the container.

My improved closure which is formed of sheet metal consists of a circular top portion Ill and a depending annular skirt Ii, or fiange which includes a lower gasket carrying part I! concentric with and of somewhat greater diameter than an upper part l3, portions of which function to coning step. This initial sealing surface is spacedupwardly from the final or main sealing surface Ii, byan annular groove II, which under certain conditions hereinafter related, interlocks with a part of the gasket to secure'the closure shown in Fig. 2, to that indicated in Fig. 3 wherein the gasket is pinched between the bead II on the container and the curved flange or bead at the bottom end'of the upper part of the skirt.

This largely determines the amount of the sealing gasket that will be compressed between the upper part of the skirt and the main side sealving surface ii of'the jar. Moreover, it increases 'the initial effective sealing area of the closure skirt and gasket, thus contributing further to the efficiency of the initial seal referred to heretofore.

' Finally, the closure assumes its final sealing position .(Fig. 4) wherein the gasket is held firmagainst lcomplete displacement in the event excessive ternai pressure is developed, either during the processing of a commodity, or later, as often occurs with coffee.

Returning to the closure construction, the upper part of the skirt is Joined with the lower part by a generally radially extending annular step 2|, which consists in effect of merging transversely curved flanges at the adjacent ends of the upper and lower parts of the skirt. The flange at the lower end of the upper part of the" skirt constitutes a bead 2i which cooperates with the bead IQ of the receptacle mouth as and for a purpose to be described presently. With the exception of the gasket clamping or clinching bead 22 at the extreme lower end of the skirt, said lower part I! is spaced from the gasket whereby to permit ready outward yielding of the gasket incident to initial placement of the closure upon the receptacle. To facilitate secure locking of the gasket and positive retention there--v of against upward movement relative to the skirt, the continuity of the clamping bead may be interrupted by short transverse slits 23 which in effect provide an annular series of individual jaws 24 capable of tight engagement with the lower margin of thegasket. As shown, this gasket is of generally oblong cross section and contacts the skirt only at the lower beaded margin and at the extreme bottomend of the upper part of said skirt. The gasket is of the usual rubber, or comly against the external sealing surface is and under considerable compression between the lower area of the upper part of the skirt and the container wall.

' after sealing of the container, there may be developed such internal pressure as to push the closure outwardly from the Fig. 4 position. When this occurs, the gasket snaps into the groove be- I vneath the bead and locks the closure against position having the characteristics of being compressible and resilient and capable of effectively sealing against the receptacle wall.

In the application of my closure to a receptacle, it isflrst placed upon the mouth thereof following filling with a commodity, and the introduction, of a volume of live steam or vapor into the head space. It is important that this steam be retained against escape and to this end the present closure by reason of the resilience of the gasket and fact that it is not backed up by a rigid wall, performs perfectly. The gasket at its point of first contact with the so-called initial sealing surface on the bead i9, and solely because of the weight of the metal shell and gasket, yields outward and tends to wrap itself about the bead. Thus a wide annular seal is further displacement and prevents breaking of the seal; Thus blowing off of the cap under exceptionally high internal pressure is avoided. Following the processing operation (cooking at high temperature) the commodity and receptacle cool off, the internal pressure is again reduced, and the cap returns to its innermost position. In the case of coffee packaging, gases are ordinarily developed within the receptacle. Here again the groove and bead function to prevent breaking of-the seal as indicated above.

It will be observed that the gasket is positioned at a definitely obtuse angle, this being conducive to easy initial placement of the closure over the mouth of a receptacle. Removal is facilitated by reason of the interrupted clinching bead and the presence of a pry-off ledge L in close proximity to said bead. By prying the skirt upwardly at two or three closely spaced points circumferentially of,the head, the vacuum may be broken gradually and while the cap is still held against blowing off, by the interlocking gasket and groove. Reseal is facilitated through the presence of the groove which '"securely engages with the gasket when the cap is forced onto the receptacle to the position indicated in Fig. 5.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal closure comprising a circular top portion. a depending annular skirt on said top portion including an upper part of the same diameter as the top portion substantially throughout its height, and a lower diametrically enlarged part, said enlarged part including an obtusely tapered lower portion the angle of which is such that an imaginary line extended upwardly and inwardly along the plane of the inner surface of said lower portion would substantially touch the interior of the closure at the juncture of said upper and enlarged parts, a. sleeve gasket within the closure and normally contacting only said tapered lower portion and the extreme lower end of said upper part of the skirt, and means for securing the gasket against shifting bodily upward along the skirt.

2. A sheet metal closure comprising a circular top portion, a depending annular skirt on said top portion including an upper part of the-same diameter throughout its height, and a lower diametrically enlarged part. said enlarged part including an If the commodity is processed.

as the top portion substantially obtusely tapered lower portion the angle or which REFERENCES CITED is such that an imaginary line extended upwardly and inwardly along the plane of the inner eurg? fig gggs are or record m face of said lower portion would substantially touch the interior of the closure at the juncture 5 UNITED STATES \PATEN' IS of said upper and enlarged parts, a sleeve gasket within the closure and normally contacting only gg f 3 e g a' said tapered lower portion and the extreme low- 2 o25031 Algeo et 1 1935 er end of said upper part of the skirt and the 2'136'545 Gibbs 1933 lower marginal part of the tapered portion being an 2'339827 White 19% curled to grip the gasket firmly and secure it 2364678 White 'f" 19% against shifting bodily upward along the skirt. 2:365:737 white 19% JOHN 'Y 2,380,797 v Severin July 31, 1945

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