U.S. patent application number 15/586471 was filed with the patent office on 2017-11-09 for system and method for screw on tamper evident closures.
The applicant listed for this patent is Anheuser-Busch, LLC. Invention is credited to Stephen Jones, Brian Pincus.
Application Number | 20170320637 15/586471 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58669805 |
Filed Date | 2017-11-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170320637 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jones; Stephen ; et
al. |
November 9, 2017 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCREW ON TAMPER EVIDENT CLOSURES
Abstract
A method for securing a tamper evident closure to a container
includes providing a prethreaded closure that is defined by a top
portion and a skirt portion that extends from the top portion. The
skirt portion defines an inner closure thread surface and an
opposed outer closure thread surface of at least one closure
thread. The skirt portion also includes a tamper evident band. The
prethreaded closure is rotated to engage the at least one closure
thread with at least one container thread of a container. The inner
closure thread surface contacts a surface of the at least one
container thread. The tamper evident band of the prethreaded
closure is rolled to secure the tamper evident band to the
container.
Inventors: |
Jones; Stephen; (St. Louis,
MO) ; Pincus; Brian; (St. Louis, MO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Anheuser-Busch, LLC |
St. Louis |
MO |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58669805 |
Appl. No.: |
15/586471 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62332979 |
May 6, 2016 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 1/023 20130101;
B65D 41/349 20130101; B67B 3/18 20130101; B67B 3/20 20130101; B65D
41/348 20130101; B65D 81/267 20130101; B65D 1/0246 20130101; B65D
1/0207 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/34 20060101
B65D041/34; B65D 1/02 20060101 B65D001/02; B65D 1/02 20060101
B65D001/02 |
Claims
1. A prethreaded closure, comprising: a top portion defining an
underside surface; a skirt portion extending from the top portion,
the skirt portion having at least one thread formed therein, the at
least one thread forming an inner thread surface and an outer
thread surface; the skirt portion defining a frangible portion; a
band extending below the frangible portion and disposed aligned
with the skirt portion, the band having a diameter sized to fit
over a finish portion of a bottle-shaped container.
2. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 wherein the frangible portion
comprises a plurality of slits separated from each other by a
bridge.
3. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 wherein the at least one
thread is only one spiral thread.
4. The prethreaded closure of claim 3 wherein the only one spiral
thread extends approximately 2.5 times around the skirt
portion.
5. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 wherein the at least one
thread is a plurality of threads.
6. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 further comprising a sealing
liner formed of a resilient material secured to the underside
surface of the top portion.
7. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 further comprising knurling
formed in the skirt portion.
8. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 further comprising a reform
portion disposed axially between the top portion and the skirt
portion.
9. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 wherein the prethreaded
closure is formed of metal.
10. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 wherein the prethreaded
closure is formed of aluminum.
11. The prethreaded closure of claim 1 wherein the band is
configured to be crimped to a neck portion of the bottle-shaped
container.
12. A beverage container, comprising: a bottle-shaped container
defining a finish portion and a cylindrical portion, the finish
portion defining a curl and at least one container thread; a
prethreaded closure, comprising: a top portion defining an
underside surface; a sealing liner secured to the underside
surface; a skirt portion extending from the top portion and
defining at least one closure thread engaged with the at least one
container thread; a frangible portion; and a tamper-evident band
extending below the frangible portion and crimped to the finish
portion of the bottle-shaped container; and wherein a torque
creates a seal between the sealing liner and the curl of the
bottle-shaped container.
13. The beverage container of claim 12 wherein the bottle-shaped
container and the prethreaded closure are formed of metal.
14. The beverage container of claim 13 wherein the metal is
aluminum.
15. The beverage container of claim 12 wherein the bottle-shaped
container has a volume of approximately sixteen fluid ounces.
16. The beverage container of claim 15 wherein the bottle-shaped
container has an axial pressure resistance against deformation of
less than 275 pounds.
17. A method of capping a container, comprising: providing a
bottle-shaped container defining a finish portion and a cylindrical
portion, the finish portion defining a curl and at least one
container thread; providing a prethreaded closure, comprising: a
top portion defining an underside surface; a skirt portion
extending from the top portion and defining at least one closure
thread forming an inner thread surface and an outer thread surface;
a frangible portion; and a tamper-evident band extending below the
frangible portion; rotating the prethreaded closure to engage the
at least one closure thread with the at least one container thread,
the inner thread surface contacting a surface of the at least one
container thread; and rolling the tamper evident band of the
prethreaded closure to secure the tamper evident band to the finish
portion.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one closure thread
is only one continuous spiral thread extending about 2.5 times
around a circumference of the skirt portion and wherein the
prethreaded closure is rotated about 2.5 times to engage the only
one continuous spiral thread to the at least one container
thread.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein the prethreaded closure further
comprises a sealing liner secured to the underside surface and
rotating the prethreaded closure to engage the at least one closure
thread applies an axial force in a range of 10-140 pounds to the
bottle-shaped container to form a seal between the sealing liner
and the curl.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the applied axial force is in a
range of 40-60 pounds.
21. The method of claim 17 wherein the bottle-shaped container and
the prethreaded closure including the at least one closure thread
are formed of metal.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the metal is aluminum.
23. The method of claim 17 further comprising placing a disk liner
proximate the underside surface of the top portion.
24. The method of claim 17 further comprising in-shell molding a
liner to the underside surface of the top portion.
25. A kit in parts, comprising: a) a beverage container,
comprising: a bottle-shaped container defining a finish portion and
a cylindrical portion, the finish portion defining a curl and at
least one container thread; and b) a prethreaded closure,
comprising: a top portion defining an underside surface; a skirt
portion extending from the top portion, the skirt portion having at
least one thread formed therein, the at least one thread forming
and outer thread surface and an inner thread surface, the skirt
portion configured to cooperate with the finish portion of the
bottle-shaped container; the skirt portion defining a frangible
portion; and a band extending below the frangible portion and
disposed aligned with the skirt portion, the band having a diameter
sized to fit over the finish portion of the bottle-shaped
container.
26. The kit in parts of claim 25, the beverage container having an
axial pressure resistance against deformation of less than 275
pounds.
27. The kin in parts of claim 26 wherein the axial pressure
resistance against deformation is less than 260 pounds.
28. The kit in parts of claim 25, wherein the beverage container
and prethreaded closure are formed of metal.
29. A kit in parts, comprising: a) a beverage container,
comprising: a bottle-shaped container defining a finish portion and
a cylindrical portion, the finish portion defining a curl and at
least one container thread; and b) a prethreaded closure,
comprising: a top portion defining an underside surface; a skirt
portion extending from the top portion, the skirt portion having at
least one thread formed therein, the at least one thread forming an
inner thread surface configured to cooperate with the at least one
container thread of the bottle-shaped container; wherein the top
portion, the skirt portion, and the at least one thread are all
formed in a single material; the skirt portion defining a frangible
portion; and a band extending below the frangible portion and
disposed aligned with the skirt portion, the band having a diameter
sized to fit over the finish portion of the bottle-shaped
container.
30. A kit in parts, comprising: a) a beverage container,
comprising: a bottle-shaped container defining a finish portion and
a cylindrical portion, the finish portion defining a curl and at
least one container thread, the bottle-shaped container having an
axial pressure resistance against deformation of less than 275
pounds; and b) a prethreaded closure, comprising: a top portion
defining an underside surface; a skirt portion extending from the
top portion, the skirt portion having at least one thread formed
therein, the at least one thread forming an inner thread surface
configured to cooperate with the at least one container thread of
the bottle-shaped container; the skirt portion defining a frangible
portion; and a band extending below the frangible portion and
disposed aligned with the skirt portion, the band having a diameter
sized to fit over the finish portion of the bottle-shaped
container.
31. The kit in parts of claim 30 wherein the axial pressure
resistance against deformation is less than 260 pounds.
Description
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 62/332,979, filed on May 6, 2016, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates in general to closures for
containers and, in particular, but not by way of limitation, to a
prethreaded closure with a tamper evident band that is screwed onto
a threaded bottle.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It is known to use threaded closures to close and seal
beverage bottles. The closures have multiple functions. The closure
provides the seal to keep the beverage in the container. In
addition, the closure serves to keep the beverage fresh, keep
oxygen out of the beverage, and keep carbon dioxide, in the form of
carbonation, in the beverage. Once the closure is removed by the
consumer, if it is a threaded closure, it can be replaced. It is
important for these types of closures to have features that
indicate that the closure has been removed. U.S. Pat. No.
2,367,317, to John W. Thomas filed on Jul. 4, 1942 and entitled
"Closure," which is hereby incorporated by reference discloses a
threaded aluminum closure with a crimped tamper evident band. The
threads allow the closure to be reclosable. When the closure is
twisted off the threads of the bottle, the twisting action
fractures preformed bridges in the closure and separates a cap
portion of the closure from the tamper evident band, which may also
be referred to as a pilfer-proof band. The closure is unscrewed and
removed from the container, but the pilfer proof/tamper evident
band remains crimped or otherwise secured to the container. Thus,
if a consumer gets a bottle where the cap portion of the closure
has already been fractured from the tamper evident band, the
consumer knows that the bottle has been tampered with and may not
be safe for consumption. In this manner, the pilfer-proof feature
provides an indication to the consumer that the closure was applied
by the filler after filing the bottle, and the bottle has remained
sealed until opened by the consumer.
[0004] Another example of a tamper evident feature of conventional
threaded closures is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,380, to
LaRue, which is hereby incorporated by reference. This closure
includes vertical slits disposed circumferentially around a bottom
portion of the skirt that flare outward upon initial removal of the
closure. The vertically slitted band is removed with the closure
but if rethreaded to the container, the flared configuration of the
vertically slitted band indicates to the consumer that the closure
has previously been removed.
[0005] Conventional metal closures are often referred to as roll-on
pilfer proof ("ROPP") closures. ROPP refers to the tamper evident
band and also refers to how the closure is applied to the
container. The closure is rolled-on. This refers to the action of
applying an axial force to hold the closure to the container and
employing forming rollers that revolve around the closure and form
the skirt portion to conform to the threads of the container. The
container may be glass, plastic, or aluminum. A second set of
forming rollers roll the tamper evident band to the container.
[0006] Wine makers sometimes close wine bottles with threaded
closures. Because threaded closures for wine have historically
indicated low quality, wine makers required a closure that is
threaded but the closure threads are hidden from view until the
closure is removed. U.S. Pat. No. 7,922,018 to Jacques Granger et
al., filed on Dec. 21, 2005 and entitled "Bottle Closure with
Improved Thread," which is hereby incorporated by reference,
discloses a closure with an injection molded plastic insert inside
a metal shell. The plastic insert includes the thread to allow the
closure to be screwed to a prethreaded bottle. The outer metal
shell serves two functions, first it provides a clean, thread free
appearance for the closure. Second, the outer metal shell includes
the tamper evident ring or band that is crimped to the container.
This closure is applied to a prethreaded bottle by engaging the
plastic thread of the insert with the glass thread of the bottle
and screwing the closure onto the thread. Subsequently, the tamper
evident ring is rolled or crimped to the bottle. U.S. Pat. No.
8,231,019 to Piero Battegazzore filed on Mar. 25, 2008 and entitled
"Bottle Closure," which is hereby incorporated by reference,
discloses a similar closure where a metal shell houses a plastic
threaded insert.
[0007] Beverage companies, for example brewers, use bottle-shaped
aluminum containers, also known as bottle cans, to package their
products. Aluminum bottle-shaped containers are formed by drawing
and ironing a disk of aluminum into an elongated cylindrical shell.
The shell undergoes further forming operations to create the
shoulder, the neck, and the finish of the container. A thread is
formed in the finish portion of the bottle. In addition, a curl is
formed to provide a safe surface to allow the consumer to drink
directly from the bottle-shaped container. An aluminum closure is
applied to the bottle-shaped container using the roll-on pilfer
proof process described above. Reducing the amount of aluminum used
in the bottle-shaped containers has the potential to considerably
reduce packaging costs without affecting the functioning of the
bottle-shaped container while maintaining the look and feel to
which consumers have become accustomed. The bottle-shaped
containers must be able to withstand significant axial loads in
order to receive a roll-on pilfer proof closure. U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2015/0344166 to Daniel Davis et al.
filed on May 30, 2014 and entitled Low Spread Metal Elongated
Bottle Production and Method," which is hereby incorporated by
reference, discloses an aluminum bottle-shaped container and a
process of forming the bottle-shaped container.
SUMMARY
[0008] A method for securing a tamper evident closure to a
container includes providing a prethreaded closure that is defined
by a top portion and a skirt portion that extends from the top
portion. The skirt portion defines an inner closure thread surface
and an opposed outer closure thread surface of at least one closure
thread. The skirt portion also includes a tamper evident band. The
prethreaded closure is rotated to engage the at least one closure
thread with at least one container thread of a container. The inner
closure thread surface contacts a surface of the at least one
container thread. The tamper evident band of the prethreaded
closure is rolled to secure the tamper evident band to the
container.
[0009] Technical advantages of capping a bottle-shaped container
with a prethreaded closure according to the teachings of the
present disclosure include a reduction in axial force required to
cap the bottle-shaped container. By reducing this axial force, the
bottle-shaped container may be formed to be less robust than
conventional glass or metal bottles in that they are required to
resist less axial force without deforming. Raw materials to
manufacture such bottle-shaped containers may be less expensive,
which provides cost savings to the bottle manufacturer.
[0010] Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent
from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure
and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of the
inventions disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0011] A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of
the present invention may be acquired by reference to the following
Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blank shell that undergoes
additional forming operations to create a prethreaded closure
according to the teachings of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prethreaded closure;
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a step in a capping process where the
prethreaded closure is secured to a filled container;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows the closure of FIG. 3 threaded to a container
with portions removed and shown in cross-section;
[0016] FIG. 5 is an elevation view of a bottle-shaped container
with the prethreaded closure of FIG. 3 threaded to the thread of
the bottle-shaped container; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process of forming a
prethreaded closure and securing the closure to a prethreaded
container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Reference is made to FIG. 1, which is a perspective view of
a blank shell 10 according to the teachings of the present
disclosure. The blank shell 10 may be made of any suitable metal,
such as a stiff metal like steel, or may be made of a softer metal
like aluminum. According to an alternate embodiment, the blank
shell 10 may be made of plastic and formed according to known
polymeric forming processes, such as injection molding. The shell
10 is generally featureless and includes a top portion 12 and a
cylindrically-shaped skirt portion 14 extending from the top
portion 12. The top portion may include a chamfer 13 in transition
to the skirt portion 14. The shell 10 is formed by drawing a
generally flat disk of metal, such as aluminum, into the shape of
the shell 10. The shell 10 undergoes additional forming operations
to become a prethreaded closure that is secured to and seals a
threaded container.
[0019] Reference is made to FIG. 2, which is a perspective view of
a prethreaded closure 20 according to the teachings of the present
disclosure. The prethreaded closure 20 includes a cap portion 22
and a tamper-evident band 24 disposed below the cap portion 22. The
closure 20 is prethreaded. That is, a spiral thread 26, is formed
in the skirt portion 14 prior to securing the prethreaded closure
20 to a threaded container. The cap portion 22 includes the top
portion 12, knurling 29, and a spiral thread 26.
[0020] The tamper evident band 24 is formed from a lower portion of
the skirt. A frangible portion of the skirt 14 is created by
discontinuous slits 30 that are made in the skirt 14. Bridges 32 of
metal, for example aluminum, that connect the tamper-evident band
24 to the cap portion 22 are disposed between the slits 30. The
slits 30 are formed by a forming machine, as discussed further
below. According to certain embodiments, a single forming machine
may form the slits 30, the knurling 29, and the spiral thread 26.
When the closure 20 exits the forming machine, it is ready to be
screwed onto a threaded container, such as a bottle-shaped aluminum
container, which may also be referred to as a bottle can.
[0021] The spiral thread 26, or multiple threads, is formed in the
skirt portion 14 above the tamper-evident band 24. The thread 26 is
formed using any one of multiple metal forming processes and
tooling that shapes the metal to have contours in the shape of the
spiral thread 26. Because the thread 26 is formed using metal
forming processes applied to a thin metal (i.e. aluminum) shell,
for example and aluminum shell, the spiral thread 26 includes an
outer thread surface 27 and an opposed inner thread surface 28 (see
FIG. 4). The inner thread surface 28 is recessed from the rest of
the skirt portion 14, and the outer thread surface 27 is in the
form of a projection from the rest of the skirt portion 14.
[0022] According to one embodiment, to form the spiral thread 26, a
mandrel receives the blank shell 10. The mandrel is formed of a
hard material and it includes the negative of the features desired
to be formed on shell 10. A punch or other forming device applies
forces to the blank shell 10 sufficient to form the metal of the
skirt portion 14 in the shape of the negative of the thread of the
mandrel. In certain embodiments, the mandrel rotates to allow
forming to occur over the entire circumference of the shell.
According to other embodiments, the mandrel is stationary, and the
punch or other forming device rotates to form the full
circumference of the shell 10. In still other embodiments, both the
mandrel and the forming device rotate in cooperation to form the
features of the closure 20.
[0023] After forming the thread 26, the shell 10 is removed from
the mandrel. According to one embodiment, the mandrel rotates
opposite the forming direction to disengage the formed thread 26 of
the shell 10 from the threads of the mandrel. According to an
alternate embodiment, a belt uses friction between the outer
surface of the shell 10 and the belt surface to rotate the shell to
disengage the thread 26 from the mandrel thread.
[0024] According to an alternate embodiment, the thread 26 is
formed in the skirt portion 14 using tooling other than a mandrel.
For example, an outer surface of the skirt portion 14 is operated
on by a forming tool, which forms the metal (i.e. aluminum) into
the thread 26. In the forming method, the shell 10 may move or
rotate and the tool is stationary, or alternatively, the shell 10
remains stationary and the tooling moves. According to yet a
further alternate embodiment, one forming disk may be received
inside the shell 10 and a second forming disk engages the outer
surface of the shell 10. The disks rotate in opposite directions to
form the metal to form the thread 26. Alternatively, the shell 10
may rotate and the two opposed forming disk tooling may remain
stationary. Disengaging the two forming disks releases the formed
shell from the tooling, where the shell, now with the thread 26,
may be further formed or otherwise processed.
[0025] According to certain embodiments, the thread 26 is a
continuous spiral thread that spirals down the skirt portion 14.
For example, the spiral thread 26 may extend around the
circumference of the skirt portion 14 approximately 21/2 times.
Thus, in order to twist on or off the closure 20, the closure 20
must make 2.5 revolutions with respect to the threaded container.
In other embodiments, the thread 26 may be a plurality of short
threads or thread starts that may or may not spirally extend down
the skirt. The multiple threads may allow the cap or the closure 20
to be removed from the bottle with less rotation of the closure
than the single continuous thread. For example, a series of four
threads may each extend approximately a quarter of the
circumference of the skirt portion 14 such that a quarter rotation
or turn of the closure 20 with respect to the threaded container
will engage or disengage the threads of the closure from the
corresponding threads of the container to either secure or remove
the closure 20 to the threaded container. In this respect, the
closure with multiple threads may function similar to a crown-type
closure that is known in the art.
[0026] Knurling 29 is also formed by deforming an upper-portion of
the skirt portion 14 near the junction of the skirt 14 and the top
portion 12. The knurling 29 is deformed metal in a pattern to
provide a feature that facilitates gripping of the closure 20 to
allow a consumer to grasp and twist the closure 20 more easily. The
knurling 29 may also facilitate gripping of the closure 20 by the
capper head or other machinery associated with the process of
capping a filled container or further metal forming of the closure
20. The knurling and slitting of the closure 20 may be performed by
a knurling machine available from SACMI of Imola, Italy. An example
of a knurling and slitting machine for forming the knurling 29 and
the tamper evident band 24 for closures, such as closure 20, is
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,673,543 to Danilo Albonetti, filed on
Dec. 27, 2004, and entitled Apparatus for Making a Fracture Cut
Between the Cup and the Safety Ring in Plastic Caps," which is
hereby incorporated by reference.
[0027] Attention is directed to FIG. 4, which illustrates features
internal to the prethreaded closure 20. A liner 34 is secured to an
underside surface 36 of the top portion 12. According to one
embodiment, the liner 34 is secured to the underside surface 36
after certain features including the slits 30 and the knurling 29
are formed. This may protect the liner 34 from becoming damaged
during these forming operations. According to one embodiment, the
liner 34 may be formed and applied to the closure using a specially
designed machine available from SACMI of Imola, Italy. An example
of a liner machine for applying liner to closures, such as closure
20, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,606 to Giovanni Bassi,
filed on Sep. 6, 2002, and entitled Apparatus for Molding and
Applying Liners in Caps," which is hereby incorporated by
reference. The liner 34 is in-shell molded to an underside surface
36 of the top portion 12, as discussed in more detail below.
According to an alternate embodiment, a preformed disk liner may be
inserted into the closure 20 and retained in the closure 20 by a
liner retaining ring that is formed in the closure 20 prior to
insertion of the disk liner.
[0028] In certain embodiments, the liner 34 may also serve an
oxygen reducing function by absorbing oxygen that originates in the
head space of the container and permeates at least partially
through the liner where it can be absorbed by an oxygen scavenger,
such as sodium sulfite.
[0029] Reference is made to FIG. 3 which illustrates a step in a
capping process where the prethreaded closure 20 is secured to a
container 38, for example a bottle-shaped aluminum container, which
may have any suitable volume, for example sixteen or twelve fluid
ounces. FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a head 42 of a capping
machine and an upper portion of the container 38 including a neck
portion 49 and a finish portion 50. The finish portion 50 includes
a retaining ring 52 that receives the tamper evident band 24, a
male container thread 48, and a curl 54 disposed at a mouth of the
container 38. A capping machine may include multiple heads, and a
filling and capping operation may employ multiple capping machines.
The capping machine may be one provided by Zalkin of Montreuil
l'Argille, France, a subsidiary of Pro Mach of Covington, Kentucky.
According to certain embodiments, the capping machine includes one
or more Zalkin model VS100 or VS110 capping heads. The capping head
42 is particularly designed to screw on the prethreaded closure 20
and follow the screwing operation with crimping or rolling the
tamper-evident band 24 to the container 38.
[0030] The prethreaded closure 20 is picked up by the chuck 44 from
a star wheel. After picking up the prethreaded closure 20, the head
42 of the capping machine along with the chuck 44 holding the
prethreaded closure 20 is lowered onto the container 38. According
to an alternate embodiment, the closure 20 may be placed, but not
screwed, onto the container upstream of the capping machine 40.
According to either embodiment, the chuck 44 and the closure 20
rotate to engage the female threads of the prethreaded closure 20
to the male threads 48 of the container. Along with the rotation of
the chuck 44, one or more crimping disks, also referred to as
rollers, 46 also rotate with the chuck 44. Once the chuck 44 has
performed the number of revolutions, for example 21/2, to apply
sufficient clamping force to secure the closure 20, more
specifically the liner 34 to the container, the chuck 44 stops
rotating the closure 20. This may be accomplished by the chuck 44
releasing the grip on the closure 20 or halting the rotation of the
chuck 44. The head 42 continues to rotate and the disks or rollers
46 are directed radially inward to apply a radial force to crimp or
roll the tamper-evident band 24 to the container 38. Specifically,
the tamper-evident band 24 is crimped or rolled into a retaining
ring 52 formed in the neck 49 of the container 38 below the
container thread 48. According to one embodiment, the retaining
ring 52 is an indention around the perimeter of the neck 49 of the
container.
[0031] Screwing on the prethreaded closure, that is, rotating the
closure 20 to engage the closure thread 26 with the container
thread 48, requires less axial force on the container 38 than a
conventional roll-on application where the closure thread is formed
simultaneously with applying the closure to the container. The
roll-on application requires that a force be applied to the closure
and container combination sufficient to make the seal between the
liner and a sealing surface of the curl of the container and
maintain that seal while the rollers form the skirt portion to form
the thread.
[0032] This roll-on thread forming operation is not required with
the screwing-on of the prethreaded closure 20 according to the
teachings of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the screw-on
process can reduce the axial load applied to the closure 20 and
container 38 to create a suitable seal between the liner 34 and a
sealing surface 53 of the curl 54 of the container 38 to
approximately 130 pounds or less. For example, axial forces in a
range of 10-140 pounds may create a suitable seal for capping a
bottle-shaped aluminum container filled with a carbonated beverage,
such as beer. According to one embodiment, an axial force in the
range of 40-60 pounds may create a suitable seal for a carbonated
beverage container when applied with the screw-on capping process
disclosed.
[0033] Capping according to the teachings of the present disclosure
represents a significant reduction from the 260 to 275 pounds of
axial force required to create the liner/mouth seal for the
conventional roll-on process. As detailed below, this reduction in
axial force may permit certain portions of an aluminum container
that is bottle-shaped to be formed of less aluminum because certain
portions of the container need not be as strong because the
container is required to withstand less axial force during the
screw-on capping process of the prethreaded closure 20. In
particular, this reduction in axial force permits for the use of
bottle-shaped containers having an axial pressure resistance
against deformation of less than 275 pounds. According to certain
embodiments, the axial pressure resistance against deformation is
less than 260 pounds.
[0034] Reference is made to FIG. 4, which shows the closure 20
threaded to the container 38 with portions removed and shown in
cross-section. The tamper-evident band 24 is crimped to the
retaining ring 52 formed in the container 38. Compression of the
liner 34, which is formed of resilient material, creates a seal
between the prethreaded closure 20 and a sealing surface 53 of the
curl 54 of the container 38. In certain embodiments, the container
38 may be a metal, for example aluminum, bottle-shaped container
and the curl 54 may be a rolled flange. According to alternate
embodiments, the container 38 may be glass or plastic. The seal
prevents the beverage from leaking from the container 38 and also
retains the carbonation, the CO.sub.2, if the container has been
filled with a carbonated beverage, such as beer.
[0035] A reform portion 56 of the prethreaded closure 20 creates
additional compression of the liner 34 in a generally radial
direction in addition to the axial compression of the liner 34. The
engagement of the spiral thread 26 of the prethreaded closure 20
with the container thread 48 compresses the liner axially and
radially to create the seal. The reform portion 56 is formed using
tooling associated with the other metal forming operations
performed on the shell 10, such as knurling, forming the slits 30,
and or forming the thread 26. The reform portion 56 allows the
liner 34 to seal a carbonated beverage, which places the container
and the seal under an outward pressure. The reform portion 56 may
be omitted when the preformed closure 20 is used to seal a
container filled with a still beverage, that is, a beverage that is
not carbonated, such as still water.
[0036] In certain embodiments, the liner 34 may also include an
oxygen scavenger to reduce the oxygen level present in the
headspace of the container 38. The oxygen scavenging liner may also
absorb oxygen originating outside of the container to prevent
ingress of oxygen into the container. An example of a suitable
oxygen scavenging liner is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 9,248,943,
filed on Feb. 18, 2013 and titled "Container Closure," which is
hereby incorporated by reference. The seal between the liner 34 and
the sealing surface 53 of the curl 54 is held by the engagement of
the female thread 26 of the closure 20 with the male thread 48 of
the container 38.
[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates an elevation view of the bottle-shaped
container 38 with the closure 20 threaded to the bottle-shaped
container 38 according to the teachings of the present disclosure
and forming a seal between the liner 34 and the sealing surface 53
of the curl 54 of the container 38. (see FIG. 4). The container 38
may be formed of any suitable material. According to certain
embodiments, the container 38 is formed of aluminum that has been
drawn, ironed, and further shaped into the bottle-shaped
configuration shown in FIG. 5. An example of a bottle-shaped
container formed from aluminum is disclosed in U.S. patent
publication number 2015/0344166, filed on May 30, 2014 and
entitled, "Low Spread Metal Elongated Bottle and Production
Method," which is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0038] According to certain embodiments, the neck portion 49, which
includes a shoulder portion 62, a tapered profile 64, and the
finish portion 50 (see FIG. 4), may have less aluminum forming
those portions of the container 38 than in a conventional aluminum
bottle-shaped container. Other portions of the container including
the cylindrical portion 58 and the dome portion 59 may not have
reduced aluminum forming these portions. The reduced aluminum in
certain portions of the container 38 is possible due to the
screwing of the prethreaded closure 20 onto the thread 48 of the
container 38 to form the seal between the liner 34 and the sealing
surface 53 of the curl 54 of the container 38, which is
accomplished with less axial force, than conventional roll-on
capping. For example, the screw-on seal may be accomplished with
130 pounds or less of force. According to one embodiment, the
aluminum bottle-shaped container 38 may have 8%-50% less aluminum
in the top third of the container 38 when the closure is applied
with the screw-on process, as opposed to the roll-on process.
[0039] According to an alternate embodiment for a light weight
container with less aluminum in certain portions, the container 38
may include a neck ring. A neck ring is an annular structure that
extends radially from the neck portion 49 proximate the finish
portion 50. During capping, either using the conventional roll-on
capping process or the screw-on capping process described herein,
the capping head receives the neck ring during the capping process.
With the neck ring received by the capping head, the neck ring
opposes the axial force of the capping head, as opposed to having
the whole container 38 oppose the capping force. Greater axial
loads may be applied to cap a container with a neck ring that axial
loads applied to cap a container without a neck ring because the
neck ring opposes the higher axial loads that may otherwise buckle
the container or cause other failure modes. A neck ring may be
particularly useful on an aluminum container that is unable to
withstand the same axial loads as can be withstood by a glass
container. An example of a process of capping plastic bottles
incorporating a neck ring is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,575
to Wendell S. Martin, which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0040] Reference is made to FIG. 6, which is a flow diagram of a
process 100 of capping a filled beverage container by screwing on a
prethreaded closure 20 to a prethreaded container 38 according to
the teachings of the present disclosure. At step 102, a shell 10 is
formed from a disk of aluminum or other suitable metal. The shell
is generally featureless, such that it includes only a top portion
12 and a cylindrically shaped skirt 14 extending from the top
portion 12. In certain embodiments, a chamfer 13 is also formed in
the blank shell 10.
[0041] At step 104, a liner 34 is secured to the closure 20. A
metered amount of the material of the liner 34 is deposited inside
the shell 10 on the underside 36 of the top portion 12.
Subsequently, a punch spreads and shapes the liner material to the
desired shape that is suitable for sealing. The liner 34 is an
in-shell molded liner and may be formed using the liner machine
provided by SACMI, as detailed above, or any suitable liner
machine. The in-shell molded liner 34 is formed in the shell 10
before further metal forming operations because the punch that
spreads and shapes the liner material would otherwise damage a
closure thread if such closure thread was formed in the skirt
portion 14 of the shell 10 prior to the punch entering the shell 10
to spread and shape the liner material.
[0042] According to an alternate embodiment, a preformed disk liner
is received by the closure 20. A liner retaining ring that has been
previously formed in the shell retains the disk liner in position
proximate the underside 36 of the top portion 12 where it can
create a seal with the sealing surface 53 of the curl 54.
[0043] At step 106, certain features are formed in the shell 10. As
described above, the blank shell 10, with an in-shell molded liner
or without a disk liner, may be placed on a mandrel that has
corresponding thread features. A forming press may form the thread
26 of the closure 20 as the mandrel rotates the closure 20.
According to an alternate embodiment, the mandrel may maintain the
closure 20 stationary while forming disks or rollers 46 or another
forming device forms the thread 26 into the skirt 14 of the shell
10. Simultaneously with or sequential to the forming of the thread
26, knurling 29 may also be formed in the closure 20. In addition,
slits 30 are made in a lower portion of the skirt 14. The slits 30
may be formed simultaneously with or sequential to either the
forming of the thread 26 or the knurling 29. Formation of the slits
30 allows separation of the tamper-evident band 24 from the cap
portion 22 of the closure 20 when the cap portion 22 is twisted by
the consumer to disengage the thread 26 of the closure 20 from the
thread 48 of the container 38 such that the cap portion 22 can be
removed and the beverage can be accessed by the consumer. According
to certain embodiments, a reform portion 56 may also be formed
using appropriate tooling simultaneously or sequentially with the
forming of the thread 26, the knurling 29, and/or the slits 30.
[0044] At step 108, the closure 20 is removed from the mandrel.
This operation includes rotating the mandrel opposite the forming
direction to disengage the formed thread 26 of the closure 20 from
the thread of the mandrel without damaging the closure thread 26.
Alternatively, any of the metal forming operations and removal
processes described above may be used to form the features of the
prethreaded closure and disengage the formed closure from the
tooling. According to some embodiments, the completion of this step
may represent a break in the process such that the lined closures
are fully formed and fed or otherwise received by a capping machine
to be placed onto the filled containers.
[0045] At step 110, the prethreaded closure 20 including the thread
26 is picked up by a capper head 42. According to an alternate
embodiment, the prethreaded closure 20 may be applied upstream of
the capper head 42 such that it is not threaded on the container,
but rather rests on the curl 54 of the container 38. By resting on
the curl 54 of the container 38, the container 38 can be indexed
under a capper head 42 in position for the capper head 42 to be
lowered where it can grasp and rotate the prethreaded closure
20.
[0046] At step 112, the prethreaded closure 20 is rotated to engage
the preformed thread 26 of the closure to the thread 48 of the
container 38. The chuck 44 of the capper head 42 rotates with the
closure 20, whether the closure 20 is applied to the container 38
upstream or directly lowered on the container 38 by the chuck 44, a
suitable number of rotations such that a single spiral thread 26 on
the closure is engaged with a corresponding single spiral thread 48
of the container 38. The torqueing of the closure 20 onto the
thread 48 of the container 38 also forms the seal between the liner
34 and the sealing surface 53 of the curl 54 of the container 38.
According to an alternate embodiment, multiple closure threads
engage corresponding multiple container threads to create the
clamping force required to make the seal between the liner 34 and
the sealing surface 53 of the curl 54.
[0047] At step 114, the rotation of the closure 20 halts and the
tamper-evident band 24 is rolled or crimped to a retaining ring 52
formed in the container 38. As described above, the crimping disks
or rollers 46 may continue to rotate with the head 42 of the capper
after the chuck 44 ceases rotation. The rotating crimping disks 46
apply a radial force component to form the tamper-evident band 24
to the container 38, specifically to the retaining ring 52 portion
of the container 38. The capping process ends and the capped and
filled container proceeds down the fill line to be placed in
further packaging suitable for shipping.
[0048] Some of the steps illustrated in FIG. 6 may be combined,
modified, or deleted where appropriate, and additional steps may
also be added to the flowchart. Additionally, steps may be
performed in any suitable order without departing from the scope of
the disclosure. For example, in an alternate embodiment the shell
may be formed, then the knurls and slits are formed, then the liner
is deposited in the shell, either an in-shell molded liner or a
preformed disk liner, then the reform may be formed on the closure,
and finally the thread may be formed in the skirt.
[0049] Containers capped with a prethreaded closure according to
the teachings of the present disclosure may present an attractive
looking package of an aluminum bottle-shaped container that is
easily gripped by the consumer. In addition, the aluminum used for
the container can be significantly reduced because the container is
not required to withstand axial forces associated with maintaining
a seal between a liner and a sealing surface of a container finish
while a thread is formed in the closure. Rather, rotating a closure
with preformed threads allows the seal to be made by torqueing the
closure and engaging the threads of the closure with the threads of
the container. The torqueing of the closure to engage the threads
creates the clamping force to make the seal between the liner and
the mouth of the container and less axial force is required.
[0050] The embodiments disclosed herein also increase recyclability
of the closures by being formed of a single metal material along
with the resilient liner material. With conventional closures that
rely on plastic inserts for the closure thread, the recyclability
of such closures is reduced because the plastic insert tends to
contaminate the aluminum stream. The plastic inserts are generally
not recycled and must be separated from the aluminum of the
closure. Disposal of the plastic material includes burning the
plastic material in a furnace, which may be considered less
environmentally friendly.
[0051] In the foregoing description of certain embodiments,
specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity.
However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the
specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each
specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in
a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms
such as "left" and right", "front" and "rear", "above" and "below,"
"top" and "bottom" and the like are used as words of convenience to
provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting
terms.
[0052] In this specification, the word "comprising" is to be
understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of
"including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is
the sense of "consisting only of". A corresponding meaning is to be
attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and
"comprises" where they appear.
[0053] In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments
of the invention(s), and alterations, modifications, additions
and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope
and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being
illustrative and not restrictive.
[0054] Furthermore, invention(s) have been described in connection
with what are presently considered to be the most practical and
preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is
not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the
contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the
invention(s). Also, the various embodiments described above may be
implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of
one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment
to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature
or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional
embodiment.
* * * * *