U.S. patent application number 10/194769 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-18 for container cap.
Invention is credited to Martins, Brent Gerald, Seibel, Lawrence P..
Application Number | 20030230547 10/194769 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29249941 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030230547 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Seibel, Lawrence P. ; et
al. |
December 18, 2003 |
Container cap
Abstract
A container cap for use on an open top container having an upper
end portion with an upper rim surface. The container cap is adapted
to be mounted and sealed thereon, such that only a lift tab and a
spaced apart peripheral segment extend beyond the outer edge of the
upper rim surface. The non-extended edges of the cap adjacent the
sides of the lift tab provide for the easy removal of the container
cap in one piece upon manual lifting of the tab.
Inventors: |
Seibel, Lawrence P.;
(Kenosha, WI) ; Martins, Brent Gerald; (Waterford,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
REISING, ETHINGTON, BARNES, KISSELLE, P.C.
P O BOX 4390
TROY
MI
48099-4390
US
|
Family ID: |
29249941 |
Appl. No.: |
10/194769 |
Filed: |
July 12, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10194769 |
Jul 12, 2002 |
|
|
|
29162331 |
Jun 13, 2002 |
|
|
|
D481315 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/298 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2577/205 20130101;
B65D 77/2032 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/298 |
International
Class: |
B65D 039/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. For use on an open top container having an upper end portion and
an upper rim surface, a contoured container cap adapted to be
mounted and sealed thereon, wherein only spaced apart lift tab and
peripheral segments extend freely beyond the outer edge of the
upper rim surface.
2. The container cap described in claim 1, wherein said peripheral
segment is adapted to be formed into at least one loose skirt
around a portion of the upper end portion, and the lift tab is
adapted to be bent downwardly.
3. For use on an open top container having an upper end portion and
an upper rim surface, a container cap comprising a solid central
portion shaped to register at its outer peripheral edge with the
container top rim surface and adapted to be secured thereto, a
loose peripheral portion integral with the solid central portion
adapted to be formed into a skirt around a predetermined portion of
said upper end portion, and a spaced-apart lift tab integral with
and extending from the solid central portion, wherein the portions
of the outer peripheral edge adjacent the sides of the lift tab do
not extend beyond the container upper rim surface, thereby
providing for the easy removal of the container cap in one piece
upon manual lifting of the tab.
4. For use on an open top container having an upper end portion and
an upper rim surface, a container cap comprising a solid central
portion, a lift tab extending therefrom, and peripheral edge
portions of shorter and longer lengths extending therefrom and
adapted to be formed into respective skirts around said upper end
portion, said shorter length skirts being adjacent the two side
edges of said lift tab, wherein the cap is adapted to be removed in
one piece from the upper rim surface upon the manual lifting of the
lift tab.
Description
[0001] This is a continuation of U.S. design patent application
Ser. No. 29/162,331, filed Jun. 13, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to container caps and, more
particularly, to container caps having lift tab openers.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Container caps with lift tab openers are well-known in the
market place. Some are heat-sealed onto a container, for example,
in the prior art FIG. 1 of U.S. patent application, Ser. No.
09/709,925. Others are screw caps, such as found on orange juice
and milk gallon and half gallon jugs, with a peripheral skirt
connected by a weakened line around the bottom edge of the screw
cap, and having a lift tab extending downwardly therefrom.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A general object of the invention is to provide an improved
cap and lift tab opener for a container, such as a bottle or other
type of container.
[0005] Another object of the invention is to provide a container
cap and a single lift tab which functions to readily remove the
container cap from a container top in one easy manual lifting
operation of the lift tab.
[0006] A further object of the invention is to provide a container
cap adapted to register with and be sealed on a container top and
having a partial skirt and a lift tab spaced apart and extending
therefrom, serving to enable the cap to be removed from the
container top in one easy manual lifting operation.
[0007] A still further object of the invention is to provide for
use on a container top a container cap having a solid central
portion which conforms to the area encompassed by the container
top, a partial skirt portion integral with and extending from the
central portion, and a single lift tab integral with and extending
from the central portion apart from the partial skirt portion, with
an edge of the solid central portion exposed adjacent each side of
the lift tab.
[0008] Still another object is to provide a further embodiment of
the invention, wherein a partial length skirt is formed on the edge
of the central portion intermediate each side of the lift tab and a
longer skirt.
[0009] These and other objects and advantages will become more
apparent when reference is made to the following drawings and the
accompanying description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the outer surface of a container
top blank embodying the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the outer surface of a second
alternate embodiment of a container blank.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the FIG. 2 blank mounted on
top of a container neck represented in phantom.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 blank mounted on
top of a container neck represented in phantom.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0014] Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 2
illustrates the outer surface of a container cap blank 10 of the
invention, including a solid central portion 12, an extended
peripheral portion 14, and an extended pointed portion 16.
[0015] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the blank 10 in FIG. 2 is mounted
and sealed as a formed container cap 18 on a container upper end or
neck portion 20, with the top rim surface of the latter being
understood to be sealed directly beneath the peripheral ring 22 of
the solid central portion 12. The ring 22 is sealed to the
container rim in any suitable known manner. As shown, the extended
peripheral portion 14 is formed into a loose skirt 24 around a
portion of the outer surface of the container upper end portion 20,
and the extended pointed portion 16 is formed as a bent-down lift
tab 26, exposing a free edge 28 of the peripheral ring 22 adjacent
each side 30 of the lift tab 26.
[0016] In the opening operation, by virtue of the non-interference
provided by the free edges 28 being flush with the outer edge of
the container top rim, manually lifting the lift tab 26 serves to
readily permit the sealed ring 22 to be freed from the entire
container top rim surface back to and including the loose skirt
24.
[0017] A series of tests have been run comparing the removal
characteristics of the container cap 18 of FIG. 3 with the prior
art cap 10 shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/709,925.
Specifically the pounds of peel force required to remove the cap
18, wherein a first sealing temperature had been used, were 60% and
90% of that required for the cap 10 for two respective common cap
materials. For a second higher sealing temperature, the pounds of
peel force required for the cap 18 were 52% and 60% for the two
respective materials. For a third highest sealing temperature, the
pounds of peel force required for the cap 18 were 65% for both
materials.
[0018] At the same time, through the range of tests, one-piece
removal of the cap, without tearing, was flawless for the cap 18,
so long as no delamination defect of the material was present.
[0019] The blank 32 of FIG. 1 and the mounted container cap 34
(FIG. 4) formed therefrom are similar to the FIGS. 2 and 3
arrangements, except that a skirt 36 shorter than the skirt 38 is
formed adjacent each side 40 of the lift tab 42, in lieu of the
free edges 28 shown in FIG. 3. The skirts 36 are deemed to be short
enough to not interfere during the opening process, or result in
tearing of the cap 34, when the lift tab 42 is manually lifted.
[0020] Industrial Applicability
[0021] It should be apparent the invention provides an improved,
novel, and simplified container cap structure which may be
efficiently and easily removed from the container top to which it
is adhered, without any tearing of the cap, or undue struggling
therewith, by the user of a container's contents.
[0022] It should be further apparent that variations in the contour
and peripheral length of the skirtless or slightly skirted portions
of the cap adjacent the sides of the lift tab are possible within
the scope of this invention.
[0023] It is well known in the industry that the caps and their
blanks may be formed, mounted and sealed onto bottle or other
container top rims in a predetermined sequence, for example, from
suitable heat-sealable web rolls upon which selected indicia may
have been printed.
[0024] While two embodiments of the invention have been shown and
described, other modifications thereof are possible within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *