US3586197A

US3586197A - Disposable container cap

Info

Publication number: US3586197A
Application number: US860260A
Authority: US
Inventors: Humberto Vivas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-09-23
Filing date: 1969-09-23
Publication date: 1971-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-22

Abstract

A disposable container cap for soft drink bottles which is removable by hand pressure without an implement is provided including a cup portion joined through a skirt portion to a circular flange having an upwardly bended position along a circular bend line at an angle of about 45* to the cap axis, the flange portion having a plurality of elongated flutes and the areas defined between the flutes being provided with elongated recesses along the bend line and a bended bead arranged on the peripheral edge of the flange.

Description

United States Patent [72] lnventor Humberto Vivas Calle 7A, Sur No. 19-45, (Estadio) Cali, Colombia [21] Appl. No. 860,260

[22] Filed Sept. 23, 1969 {45] Patented June22,l97l

[S4] DISPOSABLE CONTAINER CAP 7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 215/40, 215/46, 215/39 [51] Int. Cl 865d 23/00, B65d 53/00 [50] Field ol'Search 215/40, 39, 46

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,373,434 4/1945 Tate 215/46 3,441,162 4/1969 Julius 215/46 Primary ExaminerGeorge T Hall Attorney-Browdy and Neimark ABSTRACT: A disposable container cap for soft drink bottles which is removable by hand pressure without an implement is provided including a cup portion joined through a skirt portion to a circular flange having an upwardly bended position along a circular bend line at an angle of about 45 to the cap axis. the flange portion having a plurality of elongated flutes and the areas defined between the flutes being provided with elongated recesses along the bend line and a bended bead arranged on the peripheral edge of the flange.

PATENTEU JUH22 IHYE SHEET 2 UF 3 PATENTFUJUH22I87: 3586197 SHEET 3 OF 3 DISPOSABLE CONTAINER CAI This invention broadly relates to container caps and particularly to disposable caps for soft drink bottles and the like.

Heretofore, for capping the bottles of gas containing beverages manufacturers have depended on the use of the socalled crown caps type. When handling this kind of cap, the capping machine strongly presses the channeled skirt cap portion in an inward radial sense against the peripheral outwardly projected bead surrounding the opening of the bottle. This great inward pressure often results in the bottle failure by cracking or crushing of the same. Moreover, for taking off the bottle cap, necessarily use must be made of an appliance specially designed to carry out the removal of the cap.

Therefore, an object of the instant invention is to provide a disposable cap of simple and inexpensive manufacture for bottles of standard type used for gas containing beverages or liquids, which affords a tight sealing and which is capable of resisting without failure any internal pressure which is normally found within the soft drink bottles and the like even under severe jerking conditions such as are found during haulage.

It is another main object of this invention to provide a cap provided with means for withdrawing by hand from its tight sealing position on the bottle, that is, the tight capped bottle with the cap according to the present invention can be taken off without the use of devices of any kind.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a cap for bottles containing soft drinks and the like which cap is designed to be applied in tight sealing position onto the opening of the standard type bottle without the need for exerting radial pressures against the bead of the bottle opening.

The cap according to the invention is manufactured from tinplate of the kind normally used to make caps of the crowntype and is fashioned to its characteristic shape by stamping operations.

According to the present invention, there is provided a circular cap comprising a cup portion integrally joined to a flange portion, said flange portion being provided with a plurality of equally spaced apart flutes extending substantially throughout the periphery thereof, said flutes extending about to one half of the height of the skirt portion of the aforesaid cup. The flange, in the cap as manufactured for capping bottles, is turned upwardly defining with the cap axis an angle of about 45, and along the field line between the cup and flange portions, the areas defined between flutes are provided with longitudinal recesses directed lengthwise of the fold line. To finish the cap, in order to get a tight sealing of the bottles, there is arranged on the bottom thereof a circular cork gasket, or gasket disc from some other material having resiliency characteristics similar to those of the cork.

The cap can be applied to bottle openings of standard type using a mechanism comprising means to firstly exert a downward pressure thereon enough to properly press the cork gasket or the like against the bottle opening and secondly comprising means to exert a stress on the flange to cause it to assume a horizontal position, that is a position defining an angle of 90 to the cap axis. Such capping mechanism will not be described in detail herein as not being an essential part of the invention.

By the term standard type bottle, as used hereinbefore and as will be used thereafter and in the claims is meant a bottle provided with a peripherical outwardly extended bead of rounded surface beneath which there is a groove.

For tight sealing of the bottle for maintaining the cap in position against the internal pressure, the cap according to this invention, when in open position, that is, as manufactured and before being applied to the bottle opening, has a bend line between the cup and flange portions along which there are a plurality of elongated recesses, as hereinbefore mentioned, on a circle of greater diameter than that of the cup and which, when the flange is bended along the bend lines to take a right angle to the cap axis when the cap is fixed in position,

decreases its diameter, whereby automatically exerting a compressive effect against the bead bottle and particularly against the groove existing beneath the bead. Such comprehensive effect is positively maintained due to the contraction exerted by the flutes, which flutes during the capping operation have been expanded to some extent and thereafter in the sealing state have a tendency to assume its normal tightened state, thus maintaining the cap fixedly and tightly over the bottle opening due to such tightening force.

Moreover, the tightening action due to such flutes is assisted and permanently maintained due to the presence of a peripherical'rim around the flange which works as a tension In the removal of the cap from the bottle, a finger pressure is exerted beneath the flange and the cap is dislodged due to the fact that the compression ring diameter imposed by the plurality of recessed upon and beneath the bead surrounding the bottle opening is enlarged thus expanding to some extent the flutes both in the cap skirt portion and its flange portion.

'Because this stress on the walls of the flutes and on the bend line arranged between the cup and flange portions is repeated, the cap forming metal is stress weakened on such flute walls and bend line such that the cap becomes non reusable, and thus the cap according to the invention is a disposable cap.

In the above description a cap which is applicable to standard-type bottles has been disclosed. It is to be understood, of course, that the cap according to the invention is also suited to bottles of different diameters, either less or greater whenever said bottles are provided with a peripherical extended bead surrounding the bottle opening.

For complete understanding of the invention it will be described now with reference to the accompanying drawings which show the invention and in which:

FIG. I is an elevational view of the cap according to the invention:

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the cap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cap;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the bottom of the cap;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the cap;

FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically show, for the sake of completeness for the understanding of the performance of the invention cap, in elevational view A and in sectional view B, the sequence of operations for properly applying the cap and tightly sealing the bottle opening; and

FIG. 8 shows the cap in its sealing position.

Referring now to the drawings, the cap comprises a cup portion C with a vertical depending skirt E the lower end of which is joined to a flange portion F along a circular bend line.

As particularly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the flange F as manufactured by stamping, that is before its setting up in sealing condition, has an upturned portion forming an angle of about 45 to the cap axis. The peripheral edge of the flange F is provided with a folded rim 1 which is useful for the purpose set forth below.

Flange F is provided with a plurality of flutes 4 equally spaced apart, radially directed and which extend substantially from the rim 1 and which extend beyond the bend line to halfway the height of the skirt E. On the bend line arranged between the cup portion C and the flange portion F, the areas defined between said flutes 4 are provided with elongated recesses 2 (FIGS. 3 and 4) directed along said bend line.

The cup flange F forms an acute angle 3 (FIG. 3) of about 45 in the cap as manufactured for subsequent use, and the leading surfaces of recesses 2 are on a circle of greater diameter than that of the circle on which said leading surfaces of said recesses will rest when the flange F is caused to be in position to the cap axis, that is, in position assumed by the cap when set up in sealing position over the bottle opening. The reduction of the circle diameter on which the leading surfaces of recess 2 are arranged, such reduction achieved when flange F is brought to its 90 position as above mentioned, causes an extension on the cap surface and said extension is uniformly distributed over flutes 4, which due to a springing back action of the metal tending to cause them to assume their original distended state, exert a compression force on the ring formed by the leading surfaces of the elongated recesses 2. This compression action exerted by flutes 4 is constantly maintained due to the presence of the bended rim 1 arranged in the peripheral of flange F.

In order to carry out the tight sealing effect of the cap onto containers for gas containing liquids, a capping mechanism as shown schematically in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings is used. With the cap set up over the bottle opening, as shown in FIG. 6, a downward pressure is exerted on the upper surface of said cap to deform the sealing gasket D enough to achieve a tight sealing and thereafter the sealing mechanism will exert'a force under flange F to cause it to assume a right angle to the cap axis as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in which position the cap is shown in its end setup position. As shown from FIGS. 7 and 8, the ring forming the bend line between cup C and flange F portions and under which the leading surfaces of recesses 2 are arranged, in sealing position, is seated on the groove arranged under the peripherical projected bead surrounding the bottle opening and is maintained in such a tight position, when flange F is in a horizontal position, by the compression forces uniformly exerted under said ring by the action of the flutes 4 which have been extended to some extent during the capping operation, said compressive forces being positively maintained under said ring due to the limiting action exerted to the bead or ring 1 arranged in the periphery of the flange F.

With the above arrangement, the cap provides a tight sealing over the bottle opening, which remains against internal pressures as found within soft drink containers even if under severe jolting during handling. As aforesaid mentioned, no details are set forth about the capping mechanism because this is not under the scope of the invention and it is enough to say that such mechanism includes means to exert pressure on the cap and also means to bend the flange F.

As above mentioned, a particular characteristic of the cap according to the-present invention is that the bottle or similar container onto which the cap is applied can be uncapped by hand, that is without the use of appliances for taking off a cap of the crown-type. For taking off the cap of the invention, it is simply necessary to apply an upward hand pressure under flange F. This force thus applied distorts the condition of the flutes 4 from the cap sealing state in the sense of extending the diameter of the tightening ring, due to which the cap is dislodged from its sealing position.

It should be noted that during capping and taking off the bottle or similar container, the tinplate from which the cap is formed undergoes repeated stresses along the bend line existing between cup C and flange F portions, likewise along the edges of flutes 4 such stresses causing the flutes to lose by stress its springing condition and the tight ring along the bend line cannot be further able to achieve a tight sealing, thus the cap is a disposable cap.

It should be understood that some changes, additions and suppressions can be done such as in the number and extension of flutes and cap dimensions and it is understood that such changes will be under the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

l. A tinplate disposable cap dislodgable by hand from its sealing position, for use in tightly capping bottles of standard type within which there is an internal pressure, comprising a cup portion of circular cross section integrally joined along its lower end through a skirt portion to a circular flange, said flange as manufactured having an upwardly bended position to said cup portion along a circular bend line in such a manner that the flange forms an angle of about 45 to the cap axis, said flange portion being provided with a plurality of elongated flutes radially extended, which flutes extend substantially throughout the width of the flange and extend beyond said circular bend line to about halfway the height of said skirt portion, the areas defined between said flutes being provided with elongated recesses under and directed along said bend line, and a bended bead or rim being arranged on the peripheral edge of said flan e. I

. A disposab e cap according to claim 1 lnteriorly comprising against its bottom a sealing disc which forms a tight sealing against the bottle opening when a downwardly pressure is applied and wherein said tight seal is maintained on such bottle of standard type when the cap is in sealing position assuming a right angle position to the cap axis.

3. A disposable cap according to claim 1 wherein said circular bend line of the cap prior to use has a diameter greater than that of the bottle opening and wherein after compressive force has been applied to said flange the diameter of said circular bend line becomes less than the diameter of said bottle opening.

4. A disposable cap according to claim 2 wherein said circular bend line of the cap prior to use has a diameter greater than that of the bottle opening and wherein after compressive force has been applied to move said flange to a right angle position to the cap axis the diameter of said circular bend line becomes less than the diameter of said bottle opening.

5. A disposable cap according to claim 2 wherein said cap is dislodgable from said bottle by applying pressure beneath said flange.

6. A disposable cap according to claim 3 wherein said cap is dislodgable from said bottle by applying pressure beneath said flange.

7. A disposable cap according to claim 4 wherein said cap is dislodgable from said bottle by applying pressure beneath said flange. 1

Claims

1. A tinplate disposable cap dislodgable by hand from its sealing position, for use in tightly capping bottles of standard type within which there is an internal pressure, comprising a cup portion of circular cross section integrally joined along its lower end through a skirt portion to a circular flange, said flange as manufactured having an upwardly bended position to said cup portion along a circular bend line in such a manner that the flange forms an angle of about 45* to the cap axis, said flange portion being provided with a plurality of elongated flutes radially extended, which flutes extend substantially throughout the width of the flange and extend beyond said circular bend line to about halfway the height of said skirt portion, the areas defined between said flutes being provided with elongated recesses under and directed along said bend line, and a bended bead or rim being arranged on the peripheral edge of said flange.

2. A disposable cap according to claim 1 interiorly comprising against its bottom a sealing disc which forms a tight sealing against the bottle opening when a downwardly pressure is applied and wherein said tight seal is maintained on such bottle of standard type when the cap is in sealing position assuming a right angle position to the cap axis.

7. A disposable cap according to claim 4 wherein said cap is dislodgable from said bottle by applying pressure beneath said flange.