US3480169A - Closure - Google Patents

Description

W. HAMMES Nov. 25, 1969 CLOSURE Filed Dec. '7, 1967 United States Patent O "ice 3,480,169 CLOSURE Wilhelm Hammes, Seelscheid, near Siegburg, Germany,

assignor to Mauser Kommandit-Gesellschaft, Cologne- Bazenthal, Germany Filed Dec. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 688,825 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 13, 1966, M 71,995 Int. Cl. B65d 41/04 U.S. Cl. 21S-40 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A closure for sealing the neck of a container includes a cup-shaped cap member having an open side and being provided with a bottom wall and a circumferential wall. A supporting projection extends from the bottom wall towards the open side within the connes of the circumferential wall with which it denes an annular clearance in which the neck of the container is received. The peripheral face of the projection is provided with a circumferential recess which extends inwardly from the clearance. A sealing ring is received in the circumferential recess.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to a closure in general, and more particularly to a closure for containers. Still more speciiically the present invention -relates to a screw cap for sealing the neck of a container.

Certain containers consist of yieldable material, such as metallic or plastic material which may or may not be elastically deformable. In containers of this type, wherein the neck is provided with screw threads with which complementary screw threads provided on a cap member are adapted to mate, so that the cap member can be screwed onto the neck of the container for sealing the latter, problems have been encountered in circumstances where the cap member is subjected to external forces acting in inward direction and tending to deform the cap member and thereby the container neck portion received within the cap member. Such deformation is not only undesirable from a point of view of possible damage to the neck of the container and/or the cap member, and further from a point of view of making either or both of these unsuitable for re-use, but also because such deformation will generally destroy the seal which the cap member is intended to provide.

With some materials which may be stored in such containers, for instance with milk, leakage resulting from such damage will mean nothing more than a certain economic loss and may be acceptable although evidently undesirable. However, there are other materials, for example gasoline, which, if allowed to leak as a result of such damage, can constitute a signicant danger. For this reason certain industries have specic and very rigid requirements as to the sealing of containers using such cap members. In fact, certain countries have established rigid requirements according to which an absolutely tight seal must be guaranteed in closures of this type; and to determine the suitability of such closures, lled containers provided with such closures are tested by dropping them from heights ranging between three and six feet so that they impact on the closure members. These tests, which are intended to simulate the roughest handling containers of this type are expected to receive, have established that the forces acting upon the wall of the cap member are transmitted to the container neck which latter becomes deformed within the cap member, so that the seal is thereby disrupted. This is accentuated by the fact that the cap 3,480,169 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 members must consist of elastically deformable material to enable them to withstand the very strong forces to which they are subjected in such tests-and presumably during actual use. A particular disadvantage of the use of such material for the cap members also resides in the fact that the deformation forces are transmitted directly to the threads on the container neck, and in that the customary sealing rings which are provided within the cap member for sealing the container are dislodged from their intended sealing positions. Such movement of the sealing rings is, incidentally, undesirably aided if the contents of the container have a lubricating effect.

\ Summary of the invention The present invention overcomes the disadvantages outlined above.

More specifically, the present invention provides a closure, particularly for sealing the neck of a container, Which is not subject to these disadvantages.

The closure according to the present invention comprises a cup-shaped cap member within which a supporting projection extends within the contines of the circumferential wall of the cap member from the bottom wall of the member towards an open end thereof. This supporting projection denes an annular clearance with the circumferential wall of the cap member, and the neck of the container is received in this clearance so that the supporting projection is located within the neck of the container. The supporting projection should, of course, be so dimensioned that it will be relatively tightly received within the container neck and can thus support the same against inwardly acting forces which would otherwise tend to deform it. Because of the configuration of the supporting projection the latter will not yield, that is, it will not change its position with respect to the circumferential wall of the cap member even when subjected to forces of the magnitude described above.

In accordance with the present invention the novel cap member herein disclosed is further provided with a sealing ring which is so arranged as to be secured against undesired displacement regardless of the direction and magnitude of forces acting upon the cap member so that a reliable seal is guaranteed at all times, particularly in conjunction with the fact that the supporting projecting eliminates deformation of the container neck.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 illustrates, in axial section, one embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to =FIG. 1, but illustrates a further embodiment of the invention.

Description of the preferred embodiments Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that reference numeral 1 identies the externally screwthreaded neck 1 of a container. The configuration and size of the container are of no consequence in the context of the present invention so that the remainder of the container has not been illustrated. The opening of the neck 1 is bounded by an inner peripheral surface 1.

Reference numeral 2 generally identifies a cap member in accordance with the invention. This cap member comprises a bottom wall 2 and a circumferential wall 2 which extends from the bottom wall 2. Provided on the bottom Wall 2 and extending therefrom in the direction towards the open end of the cap member 2 and within the confines of the circumferential wall 2 is a supporting projection 4 which, in the embodiment of FIG. l is integral with bottom wall 2. The supporting projection 4 is more massive than either the bottom wall or the circumferential wall of the cap member 2 and is of sufficient rigidity to be non-deflectable with reference to the circumferential wall 2". In the embodiment of FIG. l the projection 4 is shown to be provided with an axial depression 4'. It is to be understood, however, that this depression 4 can be partially or completely eliminated without affecting in any way the purposes and scope of the present invention.

The outwardly directed peripheral face of the projection -4 defines With the circumferential wall 2" an annular clearance (not numbered) within which the neck 1 of the container is received. Evidently, in the illustrated embodiment the inner side of the circumferential wall 2 will be provided-as illustratedwith screw threads which mate with the screw threads provided on the neck 1.

Immediately adjacent the junction of the projection 4 with the bottom wall 2" of the cap member 2, the out- Wardly directed peripheral face 5 of the projection 4 is provided with a circumferential recess S extending inwardly from the aforementioned annular clearance. A conventional sealing ring 3 consisting of elastically deformable material such as rubber, synthetic plastic or the like, is received in this recess 5 as illustrated in FIG. l. Because the sealing ring 3 has an outer diameter so dimensioned that, when the sealing ring 3 is received in the recess 5, it will abut against the inner side of the circumferential wall 2, the sealing ring extends across the er1- tire width of the aforementioned radial clearance so that the end face 1" of the neck 1 can abut against the sealing ring 3 and provide a tight seal therewith when the cap member 2 is threaded onto the neck 1. It will be noted that the sealing ring 3 is prevented from being displaced out of its position illustrated in FIG. l by being in engagement with, on the one hand the bottom wall 2', and on the other hand the shoulder 5 which is created in the projection 4 by provision of the recess 5. Downwardly of the face 5 the projection 4 tapers conically as indicated at 4". This taper not only serves as a guide in assisting the introduction of the projection 4 within the confines of the neck 1 when the cap member 2 is threaded thereonto, but also facilitates insertion of the sealing ring 3 whose inner diameter is obviously smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the projection 4 so that the sealing ring 3 must be variably distended in order to be introducable into the recess 5. It is evident that the inner diameter of the sealing ring 3 need not be the same as the inner diameter of the recess 5, but can also be smaller if it is desired to provide even tighter engagement of the sealing ring 3 within the recess 5. Furthermore it is clear that the radial width of the sealing ring 3 need not be only such that it will completely extend across the annular clearance and into engagement with the inner side of the circumferential wall 2", but that this dimension can be somewhat larger so that the sealing ring will actually be compressed between the inner side of the circumferential Wall 2 and the bottom of the recess 5.

Various different materials are, of course, suitable for manufacture of the cap member 2. I have found it advantageous to use a synthetic plastic material and, more specifically, a thermoplastic synthetic material.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. l primarily in the details of the supporting projection. The neck of the container on which the cap member 2a is to be provided is again identified with reference numeral 1, its inner surface with reference numeral 1 and its end face with reference numeral 1". The bottom wall of the cap member 2a is identified with reference numeral 2a and-the circumferential Wall with reference numeral 2a".

Unlike FIG. 1 the supporting projection in the embodiment of FIG. 2 consists of two sections. The inner section is-'integral with the bottom wall 2a' and is identified with reference numeral 6. It is provided with a recess 6 corresponding to the recess 4' in FIG. 1, but it is again pointed out that this recess can be eliminated. In crosssectional configuration the inner section 6 tapers substantially conically in the direction from the bottom wall 2a towards the open end of the cap member 2a. Inwardly of the free end `6 the section 6 is provided with a substantially radially extending flange so that the projection 6 is in effect provided with an undercut 8 rearwardly of this flange. From this undercut 8 the section 6 tapers again inthe direction towards the free end 6, as indicated by reference numeral 8', and the cross-sectional configuration obtained by this dual taper and the undercut is thus reminiscent of the shape of a saw-tooth. The second section of the supporting projection in FIG. 2 is in the form of an annulus 7 which is placed over and around the first section y6 and is prevented from axial and radial movement relative thereto by being confined in the undercut 8, as seen in FIG. 2. The material of the annulus 7 may be the same as or different from the material of the section 6.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 it is the annulus 7 which is provided with a recess 9 corresponding to the recess 5 in FIG. l, and evidently the surface 11 of the annulus 7 corresponds to the outwardly directed peripheral face S in FIG. 1. The cross-sectional configurations of the recess 9 is somewhat different from that of FIG. l so as to accommodate a sealing ring 10 Whose cross-sectional configuration is correspondingly different and which is of the type conventionally known as an O-ring. Of course, the difference between the sealing ring 10 and the sealing ring 3 is that the latter is flat, whereas the former is of rounded cross-section, the recess 9 being correspondingly configurated. The sealing ring 10 is compressed between the end face 1'l of the neck 1, the shoulder created in the annulus 7 by provision of the recess 9, the inner side of the circumferential wall 2a, and the bottom wall 2a. To increase the area of engagement between the surfaces 11 and 1', and to provide still better internal support against deflection and deformation of the neck 1, the surface 11 is substantially cylindrical and extends slightly below the free end 6" of the section 6. This is evidently different from FIG. l where the projection 4 recedes out of contact with the surface 1 of the neck 1 because of the taper 4. In FIG. 2 this taper is not needed because the surface 8 fulfills the same purpose, it being clear that the annulus 7 and the sealing ring 10 are placed into their respective positions within the cap member simultaneously, which is to say that the sealing ring 10 is placed into the groove 9 whereupon the annulus 7 is put in place, aided by the inclined surface 8'.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an enclosure which is particularly suitable for sealing the neck of a container, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A combination of the character described, comprising a container having a neck consisting of material deformable within its elastic limits, said neck having a predetermined outer diameter and being provided with an opening having a smaller inner diameter; a closure including a cup-shaped cap member having a bottom wall and a circumferential wall extending from said bottom wall and having an inwardly directed circumferential face, a supporting projection extending from said bottom wall in direction towards an open end of said cap member within the confines of said circumferential wall and having an outwardly directed peripheral face having in said direction a predetermined length and defining with said inwardly directed face of said circumferential wall an annular clearance, said neck of said container being received in said annular clearance in abutment with said circumferential face and with said peripheral face over at least a major portion of said predetermined length of the latter when said cap member is in use so as to retain said closure on said flexible neck, said peripheral face being provided with a circumferential recess extending inwardly from said clearance; and a sealing ring received in said circumferential recess.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said cap member and said projection consist of synthetic plastic material.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2, wherein said synthetic plastic material is a thermoplastic material.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said circumferential recess is provided in said face immediately adjacent said bottom wall so that said recess is bounded at opposite axial sides thereof by said bottom wall and by the material of said projection, respectively.

5. A combination as defined in claim 4, wherein said circumferential recess has a predetermined inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of said projection; said sealing ring having a center aperture of a diameter at most equal to said inner diameter and consisting of elastically deformable material so as to be insertable in elastically distended condition over said projection and into said circumferential recess.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said sealing ring has an outer diameter at least equal to the corresponding dimension of said annular clearance so` as to abut against said circumferential wall when said ring is received in said recess. i

7. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said projection is integral with said bottom wall.

8. A combination as defined in claim 6, projection having a free end facing the open end of said cap member, and tapering in the direction from said recess towards said free end. n

9. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said projection comprises an inner first section integral with said bottom wall and tapering in direction toward said open end of said cap member, said first section having a free end portion remote from said bottom wall and provided with a vertically projecting annular fiange, and a discrete outer secondsection of annular configuration surrounding said inner first section and abutting said bot.- tom wall and said flange so as to be secured thereby against axial increment with reference to said inner first section; and wherein said peripheral face and said cirf. cumferential recess are provided on said outer second section.

10. A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said outer second section has an axial length greater than that of said inner first section, and wherein said peripheral face extends axially beyond said inner first section and towards said free end of said cap member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,731,093 1/ 1956 Gordon. 2,748,969 6/1956 Leary T 21S-:40 3,247,992 4/ 1966 Exton a? 21S-41 FOREIGN PATENTS 801,925 9/ 1958 Great Britain. 1,100,567 4/1955 France.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, IR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 21S-43

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