U.S. patent application number 10/644491 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-24 for color-coded shrink wrapped closure system.
Invention is credited to Hidding, Douglas J..
Application Number | 20050039416 10/644491 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34194111 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050039416 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hidding, Douglas J. |
February 24, 2005 |
Color-coded shrink wrapped closure system
Abstract
A packaging system for improved management of cap inventory when
different beverages, such as different types of milk (skim, 1%, 2%
and whole) or water (spring, distilled, fortified, mineral etc.)
are bottled in the same bottling lines at various facilities. The
system includes maintaining a supply of standard caps, which may be
free of colorants or pigments, and a supplies of reels of different
colored (or differently printed) shrink sleeve material. The
different types of beverage are bottled in containers that have a
single standard cap and standard uniform bottles, and the different
contents of said bottles are differentiated from one another by the
application of colored (or distinctively printed) shrink sleeves or
bands. The cap and/or the bottle neck are adapted to be engaged by
the shrink band in a way that protects the bottle from being
tampered with, and when threaded caps are used, helps prevent the
inadvertent loosening of the caps during in shipment.
Inventors: |
Hidding, Douglas J.;
(Barrington Hills, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
David I. Roche
BAKER & McKENZIE
130 E. Randolph Drive
Chicago
IL
60601
US
|
Family ID: |
34194111 |
Appl. No.: |
10/644491 |
Filed: |
August 20, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/397 ; 215/246;
53/281; 53/471; 53/585 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 1/023 20130101;
B65D 2203/00 20130101; B65D 41/62 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
053/397 ;
215/246; 053/471; 053/585; 053/281 |
International
Class: |
B65B 007/28 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A closure arrangement for a container comprising a bottle cap, a
bottle neck, and a shrink sleeve the bottle neck comprising an
opening at an upper end of the neck; an exterior surface having a
at least one cap engaging protrusion; a circumferential transfer
ring disposed below the cap engaging protrusion, the bottle cap
comprising, a circular cover, a skirt depending from the periphery
of the cover, the neck and bottle cap being dimensioned to receive
and engage said shrink sleeve after said shrink sleeve is brought
into close-fitting contact with said cap and bottle neck; and said
shrink sleeve containing printing and/or coloring to signify the
contents and/or the supply of said container.
2. The closure arrangement of claim 1 wherein said neck is part of
a blow molded bottle made of HDPE.
3. The closure arrangement of claim 1 wherein said neck has first
sleeve engaging formations and said cap has second sleeve engaging
formations, said first and second formations cooperating with said
sleeve to limit rotational motion of said cap after said sleeve is
shrunk into engagement with said cap and neck.
4. The closure arrangement of claim 3 wherein said first sleeve
engaging formations comprise a series of radially inwardly formed
indentations on the outermost periphery of said bumper roll.
5. The closure arrangement of claim 3 wherein said first sleeve
engaging formations comprise a series of indentations on underside
of said bumper roll.
6. The closure arrangement of claim 3 wherein said first sleeve
engaging formations comprise a series of projections extending
outwardly from an outer surface of said bumper roll.
7. The closure arrangement of claim 1 wherein said cap is injection
molded without the use of any pigment or colorant other than
white.
8. A system for managing closure inventory in a bottling facility
in which a plurality of different kinds of beverages are bottled in
blow molded containers, said system comprising: a plurality of
different shrink sleeve materials, each one of said materials
corresponding to a particular kind of beverage, standard
undifferentiated closures and blow molded containers being used on
all of said plurality of kinds of beverage bottled at said
facility, a supply of inventory of said standard closures being
maintained at said facility, whereby bottles with any of said
plurality of different kinds of beverage are bottled in said
containers with standard undifferentiated closures, and
differentiation of beverages bottled at said facility is done by
applying particular shrink sleeve material to a container
corresponding to a particular beverage in said container, wherein
particularized shrink sleeves are the primary indicia carried by
said containers identifying the particular nature of the contents
of said containers.
9. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said plurality of
different shrink sleeve materials differ from one another in
color.
10. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said shrink sleeves
are the only indicia differentiating the contents of said
containers.
11. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said containers are
made of HDPE.
12. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein each of said
standard closures comprises: a bottle cap having a circular cover,
a skirt depending from the periphery of the cover, the skirt
including an interior surface having radial sleeve engaging
undulations for engaging a shrink sleeve applied to said cap
whereby the ability of said cap to inadvertently rotate relative to
a container to which said cap is applied is restricted.
13. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said closures are
part of a closure arrangement for a container comprising: a bottle
cap, a bottle neck, and a shrink sleeve, the bottle neck comprising
an opening at an upper end of the neck; an exterior surface having
a at least one cap engaging protrusion; a circumferential transfer
ring disposed below the cap engaging protrusion; the neck having
first radial sleeve engaging undulations; the bottle cap
comprising, a circular cover, a skirt depending from the periphery
of the cover, the skirt including an interior surface having second
radial sleeve engaging undulations; the first and second
undulations being dimensioned to engage said shrink sleeve and
prevent loosening of said cap with respect to said neck after said
shrink sleeve is brought into close-fitting contact with said cap
and bottle neck; and said shrink wrap band containing printing
and/or coloring to signify the contents and/or the supply of said
container.
14. A method of bottle cap and shrink sleeve distribution wherein a
plurality of bottling facilities served by a distribution center
can package different kinds of beverages using standard bottles and
standard caps, said method comprising the steps of: keeping a
supply of standard bottle cap at a distribution center and at each
of a plurality of bottling facilities served by said distribution
center; keeping a supply of a plurality of different shrink sleeve
materials, each one of said materials corresponding to a particular
kind of beverage, at said bottling facilities at said distribution
center and at each of said plurality of bottling facilities;
bottling the desired liquid/beverage at said bottling facilities;
changing a shrink wrap sleeve reel to the desired shrink sleeve
material, corresponding to the desired liquid/beverage to be
bottled; providing a shrink wrap seal over the bottle cap and neck
to sealingly engage the contents of the container/bottle, said
shrink wrap seal being adapted to receive color or printing;
transporting said bottled beverage to a distribution center;
transporting a re-supply of standard closures to said bottling
facilities on the return trips from the distribution center to the
bottling facilities.
15. A closure arrangement for a container comprising a bottle cap,
a bottle neck, and a shrink sleeve the bottle neck comprising an
opening at an upper end of the neck; an exterior surface of the
bottle having a at least one cap engaging protrusion; the bottle
cap comprising, a closed end and an open end, a skirt depending
from the periphery of the closed end, the bottle cap being
dimensioned to receive and engage said shrink sleeve after said
shrink sleeve is brought into close-fitting contact with at least a
portion of said cap; and said shrink sleeve containing printing
and/or coloring to signify the contents and/or the supply of said
container.
16. The closure arrangement of claim 15 wherein said neck is part
of a blow molded bottle made of a material selected from the group
consisting of HDPE, Polycarbonate and PET.
17. The closure arrangement of claim 15 wherein said cap has a
label, and said sleeve, together with said label, substantially
cover exterior portions of said cap.
18. The closure arrangement of claim 15 wherein said container has
a neck, and said neck comprises first shrink sleeve engaging
formations and said cap has second shrink sleeve engaging
formations, said first and second formations cooperating with said
shrink sleeve to limit rotational motion of said cap after said
sleeve is shrunk into engagement with said cap and neck.
19. A closure comprising: a closed end and a skirt extending away
from said closed end defining an open end, a shrink sleeve carried
by said closure, said shrink sleeve being partially shrunk into
engagement with a portion of said closure, said shrink sleeve and
said skirt defining a gap by which said skirt is at least partially
spaced inwardly from said sleeve, whereby said skirt may expand
upon installation of said closure onto a bottle without rupturing
said shrink sleeve.
20. A closure in accordance with claim 19 wherein said closed end
is openable when said closure is inserted into a dispenser of
liquid contained within a container to which said closure is
applied.
21. A closure in accordance with claim 19 wherein said closure is
adapted for use on a 5-gallon bottle, and said shrink sleeve
substantially covers the skirt of said closure.
22. A closure in accordance with claim 19 wherein said closure has
an area of enlarged diameter forming a protrusion on the exterior
of said closure, said shrink sleeve being only partially shrunk and
engaging said protrusion, said shrink sleeve forming a gap between
said skirt and said shrink sleeve, whereby completion of shrinking
of said shrink sleeve around said closure is adapted to be
completed after said closure is applied to a container.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to closure devices, and in
particular, relates to a shrink-wrapped and injection molded tamper
resistant bottle cap and neck for bottles which hold liquids, such
as milk, water or juice, and a system for providing color-coded
shrink-wrapped injection molded tamper resistant bottle cap and
neck for bottles.
[0002] Injection molded caps for blow molded bottles (made of
HDPE--high density polyethylene) have been used for many years. In
addition, shrink wrapping bottle cap and necks has been used for
many years. Generally, two types of bottle caps are available,
push-on caps and thread-on caps. Push-on caps are installed by
aligning the cap with the opening of a bottle and simply applying
an axial force to the top of the cap. Thread-on caps generally
require that the cap and bottle be aligned and that a rotational
force be applied to the cap. In some cases, threaded caps, if
carefully designed in conjunction with the bottle to which it is
applied, can be made so that the rotational force required to
install the cap is minimized or even eliminated. These kinds of
injection molded caps are often made with polypropylene (both high
and low density). Typically, caps on bottles sold to consumers
include an integrally formed (i.e., injection molded)
tamper-evident feature such as a an integrally molded ratchet ring
on threaded caps, or one-time-use pull-tab on push-on caps.
[0003] A tamper evidencing ratchet ring has internal ratchet teeth
that cooperate with matching teeth formed on the exterior of a
bottle neck. When the bottle cap is screwed on the bottle neck, the
ratchet teeth of the bottle cap ride over the mating ratchet teeth
on the bottle neck, thereby enabling the bottle cap to be fully
tightened on the bottle neck. However, when a user attempts to
unscrew the bottle cap using low-to-medium twisting force, the
ratchet teeth of the bottle cap positively engage the mating
ratchet teeth of the bottle neck, thereby preventing unthreading
and unsealing of the cap, unless the ratchet ring has been
separated from the cap with which it was molded. Removal of the
ratchet ring may occur when high levels of twisting force are
applied to the bottle cap in the direction of unscrewing. The
connection between the cap and the ratchet ring may be broken in
this way, or by separately prying the ring from the cap. A broken
connection between the ring and the cap, or the total absence of
the ratchet ring from the bottle cap, serves as visual evidence
that the bottle has been opened, and the contents may be
contaminated. Furthermore, other tamper-evident and opening devices
of bottle caps include a pull-tab that will create a tear in the
plastic cap portion that extends over the bottle neck along the
circumference of the cap, thus allowing the cap to be removed from
the bottle, and in some cases allowing the torn portion to be
removed from the cap. In the bottled water industry the pull tab on
push-on caps for 5-gallon containers, for example, is not easily
removable from the cap, and only partial tearing of the pull tab
allows removal of the cap from the bottle.
[0004] While the combination of a bottle cap with a tamper
evidencing ring and a bottle neck with ratchet teeth provides for
an acceptable tamper-evident connection and seal, this combination
does have its limitations. On occasion, these ratchet rings remain
engaged by the ratchet teeth on bottle neck when the bottle is
opened. When the contents of the bottle are poured into another
container, the ratchet ring may become loose and can fall into the
separate container receiving the contents of the bottle.
Furthermore, on smaller or single serving containers, the ratchet
ring can become a nuisance as a consumer takes a sip directly from
the bottle. If the ring has remained on the container after it has
been opened, the ring may fall into the consumer's face or mouth as
he or she is taking a sip.
[0005] Another way of providing evidence of tampering is to apply a
shrink wrapped band at the interface between a cap and a bottle.
This technique is commonly used on glass bottles containing
liquids, such as juice, or other food product. See AXON.RTM.
Corporation--Styrotech.RTM. of Raleigh, N.C., for an example of
such shrink wrapping systems at
http://www.axoncorp.com/heatshrink/, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,215,
entitled Machine for applying tamper evident bands to container.
Commonly, the shrink sleeve or band is transparent. This allows the
color and decorative features of the closure to be easily seen by
consumers.
[0006] In the field of bottling and selling milk, bottlers have
traditionally used different colored caps to differentiate one kind
of milk from another. For example, red caps may be used to
designate whole milk, light blue for skim milk, yellow for 1%, etc.
Colored caps are also used to designate different kinds of juices
or different flavors of beverages. Coordinating cap color with the
contents of the containers, particularly when multiple kinds of
beverage are bottled at a single facility or with a single bottling
line, is no small task. In milk bottling facilities, a single
filling line may be required to fill containers with four different
kinds of milk. When changeovers from one kind of mild to another
occur, all of the caps of one color in the capping portion of the
filling line (e.g., feeder bowls and cap feeding chutes) must be
removed and replaced with another color. In some cases the hoppers
from which caps are fed are difficult to access and empty. These
changeovers can require considerable time and effort to accomplish,
and may be required to be done every day, or even multiple times a
day.
[0007] Other problems associated with capping facilities using the
typical capping system that relies upon cap color to differentiate
the kind of milk in a container, include the fact that ample
supplies of each color of cap must be kept on hand. This requires
significant storage space and lead times in ordering different
colored caps for the inventory. Using caps of several different
colors complicates transportation and warehousing, and can result
in delays in bottling operations.
[0008] Some larger retail grocery stores and large milk producers
bottle milk at several sites, and service those sites from
distribution centers, primarily from the standpoint of supplying
inventory of caps and other supplies need in the bottling process.
Capping facilities have for several years used different colored
caps to differentiate products (e.g., skim, 1%, 2% and whole milk).
This method of differentiation typically requires the bottler
and/or the distribution center to store large amounts of colored
caps--a 3 to 5 week supply on hand to facilitate change-over from
one kind of milk to another on short notice. In such operations,
colored caps may be ordered by a distribution center, then stored
at the distribution center for later delivery to any one of several
bottling facilities serviced by the distribution center. When a
retailer decides what the "special" will be for a particular milk
sale, i.e., skim, whole milk, 1% or 2%, it must then inform the
bottling facility, which then must order the corresponding color
caps from the distribution center and have them shipped to the
bottling facility. Typically, a bottling/capping facility will
order more caps of different colors and store them on site so they
do not have to deal, on short notice, with a cap manufacturer in
order to get the caps it need for a particular sale. The storage of
caps will often take up large portion of floor space at the
bottling facilities, as well as at the distribution center.
[0009] In order to eliminate many of the problems associated with
capping systems now in place, the inventions disclosed and claimed
herein, in a milk bottling application, allows a bottler to use
caps of a single color, e.g., white or pigment-free, for all kind
of milk, and then relies upon shrink sleeves or bands of different
colors placed over the cap and neck of a bottle to differentiate
one kind of milk from another. The cap and neck of a bottle are
configured in such a way as to allow a mechanical interference
between the shrink sleeve and both the cap and the bottle neck to
help prevent the cap from backing off of a tightened position
during shipment. By placing shrink sleeves of different colors on
the bottle neck and by using cap of one standard color, a line
change will entail a simple change in the color of shrink wrap is
used rather than unloading and loading different colored caps from
the feeder bowls and capping apparatus within the bottling line. By
using different colored shrink wrapping sleeves, instead of
different colored caps, warehouse and storage space is
significantly reduced. The sleeves occupy considerably less space
than do caps, and transportation costs (e.g., emergency shipments
of colored caps) are diminished as no special transportation
requirements for caps of a particular color will be required.
[0010] Using color-coded shrink sleeves over the cap and neck of a
bottle significantly reduces costs associated with storing and
disposing of large amounts of different colored caps, eliminates
the problem associated with the ratchet ring dropping in milk
glasses, reduces inventory space, reduces lead-time on ordering,
and the tamper evident factor is clearly visual in shrink band. The
caps are also interchangeable between several bottling facilities
that may be serviced by a central distribution center.
[0011] The inventions described and claimed herein also have
application in the field of bottled water, such as water that is
transported and dispensed from inverted large (e.g., 5-gallon and
3-gallon) containers. Consumers of bottled water have great concern
about colorants used to give color to caps on containers of bottled
water. Colorants may (or may be perceived to) affect the taste of
water, since the plastic of caps for 5-gallon water bottles come
into prolonged contact with the water that is stored therein. Yet,
since the bottles themselves are reused over and over again the
bottles cannot effectively be used for product identification.
Instead, bottlers have traditionally used the cap and a label on
the cap to provide some (albeit limited) product identification. By
using a colored, multi-colored or printed shrink sleeves, instead
of colored caps to identify the source of the bottled water, the
bottlers can use caps that have no pigments or colorants.
Similarly, when a bottler needs to differentiate one container from
another (for example a container with a valved cap vs. a container
with a standard unvalved cap), the bottler can simply use a shrink
sleeve of one color for bottles with valved caps and a shrink
sleeve of another color for bottles with standard unvalved caps. In
the case of valved caps (which typically have a tamper-evident
label covering the valve and at tamper-evident pull tab, the
colored shrink sleeve will -provide an additional layer of security
in the form of a third level of tamper evidence.
[0012] For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved
tamper resistant bottle cap and bottle neck that limits the ability
of a person to tamper with the contents of a bottle and provides a
system for sealing the bottle cap and neck with a shrink wrap band.
Specifically, there is a need for a tamper resistant bottle cap and
bottle neck which will clearly show any tampering and will
eliminate the ratchet ring of the previous art.
[0013] It is therefore a primary object of the inventions described
and claimed herein is to provide an improved tamper resistant
bottle cap and bottle neck for use in bottles which hold liquids,
such as milk and juice, and to provide a system for providing a
shrink wrap band on the bottle neck and cap.
[0014] It is a further object of the inventions described and
claimed herein to provide an improved tamper resistant seal between
a bottle cap and a bottle neck in bottling operations that use the
same kinds of containers to ship different products, such as
different kinds of milk in 1-gallon containers.
[0015] It is another object of the inventions described and claimed
herein to provide a system for color-coding a cap and bottle neck
at a bottling/capping facility.
[0016] It is yet another object of the inventions described and
claimed herein to provide a bottle neck with an improved durability
sealing mechanism during transport of bottles of milk and
juice.
[0017] The inventions described and claimed herein are directed to
a tamper resistant bottle cap and bottle neck that satisfy the need
for a bottle closure with an improved tamper resistant seal and
color-coding system. A bottle closure having the features of the
inventions described and claimed herein broadly comprises a bottle
cap and a bottle neck.
[0018] The bottle cap of the inventions described and claimed
herein includes a circular cover, a wide skirt depending from the
periphery of the cover, and a tamper evidencing shrink wrap seal.
The skirt of the bottle cap includes an interior surface having
threads for retaining the cap to a bottle neck and an outer surface
having a series of high and low knurls along its periphery.
[0019] The bottle neck of the inventions described and claimed
herein includes an opening at its upper end, a cylindrical exterior
surface having threads for retaining a bottle cap, a
circumferential bumper roll below the threads, and a
circumferential portion below the bumper roll. The circumferential
bumper roll has indentations on its underside.
[0020] The threads of the bottle cap and the bottle neck of the
inventions described and claimed herein are appropriately
dimensioned so as to sealingly engage when the bottle cap is
screwed onto the bottle neck. After the bottle cap has been screwed
onto the bottle neck, a shrink wrap band is applied to the bottle
cap and bottle neck so as to prevent unscrewing of the bottle cap
relative to the bottle neck without breaking the sealable
connections. The tamper evidencing shrink wrap band of the bottle
cap can be color-coded, clear or adapted to receive printing. The
location of the indentations on the underside of the bumper roll
and the knurls provides additional sealing means to the shrink wrap
band of the combination of the bottle cap and bottle neck of the
inventions described and claimed herein. Specifically, when the
bottle cap is fully threaded onto bottle neck, the shrink wrap seal
of the cap completely surrounds the skirt and partial portion of
the top of the cap, so that it is very difficult to tamper
with.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages
of the inventions described and claimed herein will be become
better understood upon consideration of the following detailed
description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle cap and bottle neck
made in accordance with the inventions described and claimed
herein;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a top view of a bottle cap and bottleneck made in
accordance with the inventions described and claimed herein before
placement of the shrink wrap band;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a bottle cap and bottle
neck made in accordance with the inventions described and claimed
herein;
[0025] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view taken along line A-A in FIG.
2;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a top view of a bottle neck made in accordance
with the inventions described and claimed herein;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a side view of a bottle neck taken along line B-B
in FIG. 5;
[0028] FIG. 7 is a side view of a bottle cap and bottle neck with a
shrink wrap seal;
[0029] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the cap, neck and seal of
FIG. 7;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a top view of a bottle cap and bottle neck with a
shrink wrap seal.
[0031] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of
the inventions described and claimed herein;
[0032] FIG. 9A is a top view of the alternative embodiment of the
bottle cap and neck in FIG. 9;
[0033] FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of the alternative embodiment in
FIG. 9 taken along line C-C in FIG. 9A;
[0034] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a third alternative
embodiment of the inventions described and claimed herein;
[0035] FIG. 10A is a top view of the alternative embodiment of the
bottle cap and neck in FIG. 10;
[0036] FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of the alternative embodiment
in FIG. 10 taken along line D-D in FIG. 10A;
[0037] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fourth alternative
embodiment of the inventions described and claimed herein;
[0038] FIG. 11A is a top view of the alternative embodiment of the
bottle cap and neck in FIG. 11;
[0039] FIG. 11B is an enlarged view of the alternative embodiment
in FIG. 11 taken along line E-E in FIG. 11A;
[0040] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a fifth alternative
embodiment of the inventions described and claimed herein;
[0041] FIG. 12A is a top view of the alternative embodiment of the
bottle cap and neck in FIG. 12;
[0042] FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of the alternative embodiment
in FIG. 12 taken along line F-F in FIG. 12A; and
[0043] FIG. 13 is an illustration of a system in accordance with
the inventions described and claimed herein.
[0044] It should be understood that the drawings are not
necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes
illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic
representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances,
details which are not necessary for an understanding of the
inventions described and claimed herein or which render other
details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be
understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not
necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated
herein.
[0045] Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or
similar parts from Figure to Figure in the following description of
the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0046] FIGS. 1 and 3 generally depict the outside of a bottle cap
and bottle neck of the inventions described and claimed herein.
FIG. 1 depicts the cap and neck combination in a perspective view,
while FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a cap 11 and bottle neck 24
of the inventions described and claimed herein before a shrink wrap
seal is placed on the bottle cap and neck. The cap 11 is comprised
of a circular cover 12 and a depending skirt 14 with alternating
high and low knurls 15 and 16, respectively, formed on the outside
surface thereof (as shown more clearly in FIG. 4). Four distinct
threads 26 are formed on the inside surface of the skirt 14.
[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 there is shown a bottle,
indicated generally at 21, upon which the bottle cap 11 of the
inventions described and claimed herein may be installed. The
bottle 21 includes a body 22 and a cylindrical bottle neck 24 which
is integral with the body 22. The bottle neck 24 has an upper
opening 25 and an upper end 23 which terminates in an inwardly
directed circumferential sealing lip 28 with an inner edge 29. The
bottle neck 24 also includes four external screw threads 30 which
engage threads 26 of bottle cap 11. The bottle neck 24 also
includes a circumferential "bumper roll" or transfer ring 32
located immediately below the external screw threads 30 on the
upper end 23 of the neck 24. In prior bottle neck designs, a bumper
roll has been provided on a bottle neck for manufacturing purposes
as it facilitates gripping the bottle during the loading of the
bottle into a shipping container and is typically placed at a lower
end 27 of the bottle neck 24. However, the bumper roll 32 of the
bottle neck 24 of the inventions described and claimed herein may
include additional features to provide even further advantages. It
can be seen from FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 that bumper roll 32 includes a
substantially flat annular top surface 34 and bottom surface 35.
Preferably the top surface 34 and bottom surface 35 of the bumper
roll 32 are parallel to each other and with respect to a plane
defined by the opening 25 of the bottle neck 24. Also, it is
preferred that the top surface 34 of the bumper roll 32 is joined
to the bottom of the screw threads portion and the bottom surface
35 of the bumper roll 32 is joined to the top of the lower end 27
of the bottle neck 24.
[0048] Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the bumper roll 32
includes indentations 36 on its bottom surface 35 along the entire
length of its periphery. As seen in FIG. 4, the indentations 36 are
preferably placed along the bottom surface 35 of the bumper roll 32
every 12.degree. along its circumferential periphery and are
approximately 0.100 in. in width. The placement of the indentations
36 on the bottom surface 35 of the bumper roll 32 serves to
increase gripping of the shrink wrap band.
[0049] The bottle neck 24 also includes a lower end 27 that extends
from the bottom surface 35 of bumper roll 32 . As can be seen in
FIGS. 1 and 3, the bumper roll 32 is diametrically larger than the
screw threads portion of the neck 24 and the cap 11. The lower end
27 of bottle neck 24 is only slightly diametrically larger than the
cap 11, but smaller than the bumper roll 32.
[0050] Specifically, in referring to FIGS. 7, 7A and 8, when bottle
cap 11 is fully threaded onto bottle neck 24, the lower edge of
skirt 14 of cap II is placed in contact with or closely adjacent to
the top surface 34 of bumper roll 32, and the shrink wrap band 38
is placed around the bottle cap 11 and bottle neck 24 in its fully
threaded position. The shrink wrap band 38 grabs the high and low
knurls 15 and 16, respectively, on the outside surface of the skirt
14 of the cap 11, and shrinks to fit in between the alternating
high and low knurls, 15 and 16, respectively, and further grabs the
indentations 36 on the bottom surface 35 of the bumper roll 32,
shrinking to fit into the indentations 36. The indentations 36 and
high and low knurls 15 and 16, respectively, serve to increase
resistance and space for the shrink wrap band 38 to seal the bottle
cap 11 and neck 24. The knurls and indentations 36 also provide a
gripping means for the shrink wrap band 38 so that the band 38 does
not slip circumferentially around the bottle cap 11 and neck 24. It
also provides gripping means to sealingly engage the bottle cap II
and neck 24 in such resistance that the combination does not allow
for tampering without breaking the band 38 and such that the
contents of the bottle 21 will not spill or leak out of the
seal.
[0051] The bottle cap 11 of the inventions described and claimed
herein is preferably clear or a solid white color. The shrink wrap
band 38 is color-coded to correspond to the particular color needed
to represent the contents of the liquid within in the bottle 21.
For example, the shrink wrap band 38 can be a light blue color to
indicate skim milk, or a light brown color to indicate chocolate
milk, or a red color, to indicate a particular juice flavor. If
multiple bottling lines are operated in a single facility, all of
the beverage lines can use the same closure, and differentiation of
the various beverages can be done primarily (or even exclusively)
with color coded shrink sleeve material. The color-coding shrink
wrap band 38 is provided in the machinery of the bottling/capping
facilities and can be changed simply by changing the reel
containing the colored shrink wrap material based on the needs at
the time bottling/capping occurs. There is no need to remove caps
from the feeder bowls typically used in capping operations, since a
single kind of cap is all that is needed. Furthermore, the shrink
wrap sleeves 38 are provided in the bottling facilities in the
manufacturing process. The shrink wrap sleeves 38 are placed in a
reel that can contain a plurality of different colored shrink wrap
sleeves 38. The reel is similar to a movie reel and can simply be
changed by pulling out one color and feeding another colored shrink
wrap sleeve 38 into the reel. An example of such shrink wrap sleeve
sealing can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,215. One reel of shrink
wrap sleeve material can service as many as 100,000 containers.
Each shrink sleeve needs to be about 25 millimeters in axial
length. The shrink sleeves 38 can be stored in larger quantities
than different colored caps because the shrink wrap sleeve material
comes ready-to use in boxes that are about 13.times.13.times.13
inches with each. The very compact shrink sleeve material can be
relied upon to take the place of using different colored caps,
which are much more bulky and space-consuming. This allows a
bottler to use a single color of (or colorless) cap. In contrast,
about 2000 caps having ratchet rings fit into a typical shipping
container. Thus about 50 boxes of color coded caps would be
required for 100,000 containers, whereas only one
13.times.13.times.13 inch box can be used for color coding the same
quantity of containers.
[0052] FIGS. 9 to 12 illustrate alternative embodiments of the
inventions described and claimed herein. FIG. 9 illustrates an
embodiment with bumps 40 placed along the outside circumferential
periphery of the bumper roll 32 instead of the indentations 36 on
the bottom surface 35 of the bumper roll 32 of the preferred
embodiment. The bumps 40 are 0.115 inches in width and spaced with
each bump's center point every 10.degree. apart. FIG. 10
illustrates bumps 40a, similar to those in FIG. 9, however, in this
alternative embodiment, the bumps 40a are placed on the lower end
27 portion of the bottle neck 24 and have a diameter of 0.133
inches. The bumps 40a are positioned along the circumferential
periphery of the lower end 27 of the bottle neck 24 with each
bump's center point spaced every 10.degree. apart. FIG. 11 has
protrusions 42 extending from the lower end portion 27 of the
bottle neck 24 that are located directly below the bumper roll 32
where the bottom surface 35 of the bumper roll 32 meets the top
edge 31 of the lower end portion 27 of the bottle neck 24. The
protrusions 42 are 0.100 inches in width and are spaced every
15.degree. apart along the circumferential periphery of the lower
end portion 27. FIG. 12 illustrates another alternative embodiment
that includes thirty-six (i.e. every 10 degrees) vertically oblong
indentations 44 on the outermost surface of the bumper roll 32.
[0053] The advantages of the system of the inventions described and
claimed herein in a large milk bottling operation with multiple
bottling facilities can be seen in FIG. 13. A centrally located
distribution center 45 provides transportation and distribution
services to a plurality of bottling facilities 46. Since a single
standard cap is used for all grades of milk (i.e., skim, 1%, 2% and
whole milk) the bottlers need only have one kind of cap on hand.
The distribution center 45 may maintain a backup inventory, but
again need only keep inventory of one standard cap (e.g., white or
colorless). Since milk is shipped frequently from the bottling
facilities to the distribution center 45, as milk is picked up by a
truck for delivery to a distribution center 45, a supply of
standard caps can be dropped off at each bottling facility 46 as
part of regular runs. This eliminates the need for any special or
costly transportation costs associated with specially colored caps
for a particular sale that a retailer wants to have, e.g. a sale on
skim milk. The system of the inventions described and claimed
herein, eliminates the need for each bottling facility 46 to keep
an inventory of several colors of caps, and avoids a similar
problem at the distribution center 45. Indeed, standard shippers
containing the standard caps used at all facilities can be ordered
on a routine basis using "just-in-time" ordering and delivery,
depending only on the overall volume of milk produced at the group
of facilities, regardless of the kind or grade of milk
produced.
[0054] In some instances, a bottler may rely entirely on the
color-coded shrink sleeve to differentiate the contents of various
containers containing different beverages, i.e., it may be possible
that no other particularized labeling is necessary. However, even
when an additional label descriptive of the particular contents of
the container is applied (e.g., to the side of the container), the
color coded shrink sleeve, because of its visibility and prominent
location allows the color-coded shrink sleeve to be the primary
means for indicating to the consumer the kind of beverage in the
container.
[0055] An additional benefit to bottlers that comes from the
elimination of the ratchet ring on present caps is the fact the
number of caps that can be shipped in the same size box is
increased by approximately 167%, and there is no danger of a
damaged ratchet ring (and consequent loss of tamper evidency),
since there is no ratchet ring present in the cap which are part of
the system described herein, and indications of tampering come from
the shrink sleeve, instead of the ratchet ring.
[0056] The inventions described above with respect to caps used on
beverages such as milk are also applicable to other bottle cap and
neck configurations. For example, a color-coded shrink sleeve can
be applied to 5-gallon containers (and containers other capacities
having similar neck profiles) in the bottled water industry. The
cap 50 in FIGS. 14-16 is an example of a valved cap of the kind
commonly used on 5-gallon water bottles. Such bottles are typically
made of clear polycarbonate or clear PET plastic (by an injection
stretch blow-molding process) and are intended to be re-filled and
re-used by water bottling companies. The cap 50 has a skirt 54 and
an inner cap 62. A bead 58 provides the cap with an enlarged OD
(outside diameter) at one end (the lower end in FIGS. 14-16. The
bead corresponds to a rounded annular upper portion 70 (FIG. 16) of
the bottle 52 to which the cap is applied. While the cap shown in
FIGS. 14-16 is a valved cap with a protective label 60, the closure
and color-coded systems of inventions described herein are also
applicable to unvalved (or standard) 5-gallon closures, which do
not have an inner cap 62, but may have a label 60. Also common on
closures of the kind used for 5-gallon and other large capacity
bottles is the inclusion of a pull tab (not shown) to facilitate
the removal of the cap when it is time to clean and refill the
bottle upon return of the bottle to the bottling plant, although
some bottlers have automatic cap removing machines or devices which
do not rely on a pull tab.
[0057] As shown in FIGS. 14-16, a shrink sleeve 56 (about 44 mm in
axial length) is applied to a cap 50 in phases. The first phase,
shown in FIG. 14, entails the initial application of an unshrunk
sleeve 56a. In FIG. 14, a completely un-shrink 56a about to be
placed over the cap 50 in the direction of the arrow 57. This may
be a step that is performed by a cap manufacturer before the cap is
applied to any bottle. If the cap maker applies the shrink sleeve
in advance of the cap being applied to a bottle, the cap maker will
preferably only partially shrink the sleeve such that there will be
a gap 59 between the partially shrunk sleeve 56b and the skirt 54
of the cap 50. The gap 59 will allow radially outward flexing of
the skirt of the cap as it is forced onto the top of a bottle
without splitting the shrink sleeve. However, the partial shrinking
of the sleeve will provide sufficient retention of the sleeve 56b
on the cap 52 so that it may be handled, shipped and fed into a
capping apparatus at the bottling facility.
[0058] FIG. 15 shows the partially shrunk sleeve 56b and the gap 59
around the skirt of the cap. In FIG. 15 the retention of the sleeve
56b on the cap 52 is provided by engagement of partially shrunk
areas 66 and 68 with the bead 58 on the cap 52.
[0059] If the combination of a partially shrunk sleeve 56b and a
cap 52, of the kind shown in FIG. 15, is provided to a bottler by a
cap maker, the bottler will preferably want to complete the
shrinking of the sleeve 56b. The step of completing the shrinking
of the sleeve to the condition shown in FIG. 16 will be done by the
bottler after the cap has been put onto the container 52. As can be
seen in FIG. 16, the fully shrunk sleeve 56c grips and is in
substantial contact with the exterior of the skirt 54, and the ends
of the sleeve 56c cover the peripheral edge of the label 60.
[0060] As an alternative to the situation where the cap, as shown
in FIG. 15, comes to the bottler with a shrink sleeve 56b
pre-applied by the cap maker, the bottler may want to do the
installation of the shrink sleeve itself. In that case, the bottler
will install a shrink sleeve application line and a heater to
perform the shrinking. In this manner, the intermediate step of
partially shrinking the sleeve will be eliminated. There may be
some additional capital expenditure required by the bottler in this
case, but it will afford the bottler with a greater flexibility
when it comes to managing inventory, as discussed above in the case
of milk bottling. Water is also marketed in various ways which may
require differentiation in the same way that skim, 1%, 2% and whole
milk require differentiation. For example, a botter may offer some
or all of the following kinds of water: spring water, distilled
water, fortified water (i.e., with fluoride), Artesian water,
mineral water and baby water. Using one standard pigment-free cap
for all of the types of water sold in combination with different
colored shrink sleeves will allow the bottler to differentiate its
products in a highly visible and colorful way, while also allowing
the bottler to use only one kind of cap for all of its water
products, thus benefiting from the inventory simplicity described
above.
[0061] In the bottled water industry, cleanliness and purity (and
the appearance thereof) are important features. In dispensers used
to support and allow extraction of water from inverted 5-gallon
(and other sized) containers, valved versions of caps are left on
the container to allow inversion without worrying about spillage
during the process of changing bottles. Thus, valved caps are
inserted directly into the unit from which water is eventually
dispensed and may come into contact with water that is eventually
consumed. It is important, therefore, to keep the exterior of
valved cap as clean as possible. The exterior of the cap 50 of FIG.
16 is substantially covered by the shrink sleeve 56c and the
removable label 60 cover. This provides an additional level of
cleanliness that is of value to bottlers and consumers. Thus,
particularly for valved caps, which are inserted directly into
dispensing machines and which, as a result, may come into contact
with water that is eventually consumed, the additional cleanliness
of a shrink sleeve is a valuable improvement.
[0062] The closures 40 of FIGS. 14-16 has a valve and a
one-time-use (or non-reattachable) removable label, like the
closure shown and discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,259 (which is
incorporated herein by reference). When such closures are used with
the shrink sleeve as discussed herein the bottler and consumer are
afforded a multi-faceted approach to tamper evidency. First the cap
cannot be removed from the container without destroying the cap (or
pulling the pull tab, not shown in FIGS. 14-16). Secondly, the
label which block access to the valve, cannot be removed and
replaced because it is free of adhesive. Thirdly, the shrink sleeve
provides an additional level of tamper evidency. Thus, the benefits
of color coding and inventory simplification are in addition to the
safety afforded by the use of a tamper evidencing shrink sleeve as
described above.
[0063] Thus, it is seen that an improved tamper resistant bottle
cap and neck are provided which satisfy the need for a bottle with
an improved tamper resistant seal. The inventions described and
claimed herein includes a bottle cap with an improved means for
connecting and sealing the cap to a bottle, which limits the
ability of a person to defeat the sealing action of the shrink wrap
seal on the bottle cap and neck and which limits the leakage or
spillage from a loose seal during transport.
[0064] Although the inventions described and claimed herein have
been described in considerable detail with reference to certain
preferred embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that
the inventions described and claimed herein can be practiced by
other than the preferred embodiments, which have been presented for
purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the
spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to
the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein.
* * * * *
References