Closure For Bottles And Jars

Abstract

A closure for a container such as a glass jar provided with a tubular section for insertion into the neck of the container. The tubular section having a plurality of cantilevered fins for engaging the internal wall of the container. The fins each having a periphery that is generally elliptical in configuration.

Description

The invention relates to a closure for insertion into a container such as a bottle or jar. More specifically, the present invention relates to a closure that can be easily inserted into the mouth of a glass container and effect a seal therein.

An object of the invention is to provide a closure that will provide an effective seal for a glass container even if the glass container is out of round in the finish area.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure that can be inserted and removed from the container as required without affecting the sealing characteristic thereof.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a closure that will readily accommodate itself to the optimum sealing position when it is rotated with respect to the glass container during or after insertion therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a closure with externally positioned sealing fins that will adapt themselves to the out of round internal configuration of the glass container in which the closure is positioned.

The invention provides a closure for a container which has a wide mouth. The closure is of integral construction and has a handle portion which protrudes outwardly and upwardly from the top of the container. A tubular extension of the closure extends inwardly into the confinement of the top portion of the container thus effecting a seal therein. The tubular portion which extends into the mouth of the container has positioned thereon one or more sealing fins that protrude radially outward from the surface of the tubular portion. When more than one fin is utilized they are in spaced apart relationship with respect to each other. The periphery of the fin or fins is of a varying radial distance from the vertical axis of the closure. The eccentricity provided by the varying diameter fins assures a seal between the closure and the internal surface of the container which invariably will be other than circular in configuration.

At the present time, glass containers are being manufactured in the form of cannister sets. The cannister sets are convenient for the storage of various dry goods such as macaroni, candy, flour, etc. By their very nature, the cannister sets are equipped with a fairly wide mouth. From a decorative standpoint, as well as a practical standpoint, the most commonly used closure heretofore has been manufactured from wood, particularly, cork. Not only is cork expensive in very large sizes, but also it has a tendency to separate into more than one piece during use. Additionally, cork does not lend itself well to the storage of food products because of its inherent porosity. The porosity is quite detrimental when the cork is immersed in cleaning fluids such as water. Then too, the coefficient of friction between cork and glass is quite high, consequently, it is difficult to position the cork at the optimum location within the mouth of the container.

To overcome the disadvantages of the heretofore commonly used cork, applicant has invented a new closure that not only replaces the cork, but, also, provides a more compatible fit between the closure and the mouth of the container. It is, of course, well known to provide stoppers, particularly champagne corks, with a plurality of radially extending fins in order to enhance the sealing properties of the closure and the mating container.

During the manufacture of large glass containers such as cannisters, it is exceedingly difficult to maintain a high degree of accuracy with respect to the concentricity of the container, particularly, in the area of the finish. While not too noticeable to the eye, the mouth section of the large glass containers is out of round. Consequently, if a very concentric closure is placed within an out of round glass container, there are several adverse conditions which can exist. First, if the glass container is out of round to any extent, the closure will not fit properly, therefore, fine material such as flour can escape through the undesirable gaps or space between some portions of the container finish and the closure exterior wall. Second, a hazard exists when a closure is forced into a thin wall glass container, particularly when the closure is in some areas slightly oversized. An oversized closure can actually cause a fracture of the glass container if it is forced into the mouth of the container. After observing the deficiencies of the existing closures, it has been discovered that it is possible to form the configuration of the fins so that they are more compatible with the interior of the glass container or cannister. When the new invention described herein is inserted into the mouth of a glass container, it can be rotated with slight effort until it seeks a maximum sealing position. Since the closure is equipped with fins that protrude a greater radial extent in one direction than in a direction normal thereto, the longer fin area will align itself with the greatest diametrical expanse within the finish area of the glass container. Consequently, a better seal will be achieved and the risk of fracturing the glass container will be minimized.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood from the following general and detailed description of the drawings in which is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the closure which shows the relationship of the fins with respect to the remainder of the closure,

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the closure which shows the eccentricity of the fins,

FIG. 4 is a bottom view similar to FIG. 3 which shows constant width fins, and

FIG. 5 is a detailed section taken diametrically through the closure.

Referring to the drawings, an over-all view of the closure is shown at 10 in FIG. 1. The closure, generally indicated by numeral 10 is preferably formed of any suitable plastic material that lends itself well to injection molding such as, for example, polyethylene. Because of the material from which closure 10 is made, it is resilient enough to provide an effective seal. The plastic material utilized to fabricate the closure is readily maintainable in a sanitary condition. A top or handle section 11 is provided at the top half of closure 10. The handle section is of greater diametrical extent than the top of the container into which the closure 10 is adapted to fit. Immediately beneath and attached to handle section 11 is cylindrical section 12 which is adapted to be contained within the finish or mouth of the container. Located along the axial extent of cylindrical section 12 are one or more radially protruding fins 13. The fins 13 are positioned entirely around the exterior of cylindrical section 12 and they are, also, in spaced relationship one from the other when more than one fin is utilized.

When closure 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is inserted into the mouth of a container, the fins 13 will coact with the internal surface of the container thus providing an effective seal to protect the contents that are stored within the container from degradation or escaping therefrom. Fins 13 must be rigid enough to firmly grasp the interior sidewall of the container, yet they must be flexible enough so that they can withstand repeated insertion into and removal from the container.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the end portion of cylindrical section 12 most remote from handle section 11 contains a pilot 14 which aids in the initial positioning of the closure within the mouth of the container. The pilot 14 can be of varying length, however, its lowermost surface 15 should not be too far removed from the most immediately adjacent fin because surface 15 acts as a structural member with respect to forces that are compressive in nature and are applied in a radially inward direction in the area of the fins.

FIG. 2, which is a side view of the closure shows the overhanging ledge 18 which coacts with the very top of the container to limit the extent that the closure will travel into the mouth of the container. The handle or top section 11 can be tapered as shown at 19 if desired.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the closure shown in FIG. 2. Fins 13 are shown in their generally elliptical configuration. Note that at 20 the dimension a is greater than the dimension b shown at 21. A typical set of dimensions which gives an indication of the magnitude of the fins is as follows: The over-all diameter of cylindrical section 12 is 2.062 inches while dimension a as shown at 20 is 0.338 inch and the smaller fin dimension b as shown at 21 is 0.318 inch. Thus we observe that there is 0.020 inch difference in the diameters of the fins between where dimension a is shown and 90.degree. thereto where dimension b is shown. It is this difference upon which the new and improved closure is based.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the lowermost surface 15 along with fins 13. Cylindrical section 12 is of generally elliptical configuration consequently fins 13 can be of a constant dimension throughout all sections of the cantilevered distance c.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view shown through one-half of the container. The cross-sectional view depicts two pieces, an upper piece 22 and a lower piece 25. The upper piece 22 of the closure consistss of a generally flat planar top portion 26 which in turn is connected to an annular flange arrangement which defines handle portion 11. The entire interior of upper piece 22 is hollow and the interior wall of handle portion 11 contains a re-entrant portion 27 that is positioned most adjacent to the free end of handle portion 11.

While closure 10 has been shown hollow throughout it is possible to fill all or nearly all of the interior with like or similar plastic material either cellular or solid in construction.

The lower section or piece of the closure 25 is of annular configuration and consists primarily of cylindrical section 12. Cylindrical section 12 terminates at the lower end with pilot 14. The lower most extent of pilot 14 consists of a generally flat planar section 15 which adds rigidity to cylindrical section 12. The upper end of cylindrical section 12 is integrally coupled to a radially extending flange section 29. Flange section 29 terminates with an upstanding locking ring 30. Locking ring 30 contains a latch mechanism 33 which is adapted to coact with re-entrant portion 27 of upper piece 22. One or more fins 13 are positioned along the axial extent of cylindrical section 12. Each of fins 13 are integrally attached to the exterior of cylindrical section 12 and their over-all thickness is less than the sidewall structure of cylindrical section 12. The fins 13 are contilevered in an outward direction from cylindrical section 12.

As depicted in FIG. 5, both the upper piece 22 and the lower piece 25 lend themselves well to various modes of fabrication. For example, each piece when considered by itself is an object closed at one end and open at the other, consequently, its manufacture is not a difficult problem. Subsequent to the manufacture of upper piece 22 and lower piece 25, they can be fitted together with a minimum amount of effort. As previously pointed out, fins 13 are not of circular configuration around the peripheries but they are of generally elliptical configuration. The configuration does not have to be a true ellipse since the primary object is to have the fins extend a greater radial extent along one axis than along an axis normal thereto. When a plurality of fins are utilized, all of the fins have their long axis aligned in one direction and their short axis aligned generally normal thereto.

Thus, it can be observed that the new closure described herein can readily be installed into the mouth or finish section of a container by merely inserting pilot section 14 into the container and then pushing gently downward toward the container. As the closure is inserted into the container, a slight torque or rotary motion will permit the closure and the eccentrically shaped fins to find their optimum seating position within the container.

The snug fit thus attained between the closure and the container provides assurance that the product stored within the container will not flow outward through an opening or crack between the closure and the inside finish of the container. Also, because of the full content between the fins and the inside of the container, the closure will maintain a snug fit within the finish of the container even though the finish vary somewhat in size and configuration as is inherent in products manufactured from a thermoplastic material such as glass.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hollow two-piece closure manufactured from plastic material for use with a wide mouth container comprising a handle portion having a generally top planer surface and an annular grasping flange, a container insertion portion (12) of generally elliptical cross-sectional configuration telescopically coupled to said handle portion (11) along a longitudinal axis, locking means (27) (33) coupling said handle portion with said insertion portion, a plurality of resilient spaced apart radial fins (13) arranged on said insertion portion normal to said longitudinal axis, said fins each completely encompassing said insertion portion and having a radial extent, at all locations, that is equidistant from said container insertion portion.

2. A closure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fins are spaced an equal distance one from the other and are of uniform thickness.