U.S. patent number 3,653,529 [Application Number 05/067,128] was granted by the patent office on 1972-04-04 for rinsable bottle cap seal device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Segmuller AG.. Invention is credited to Bruno Segmuller.
United States Patent |
3,653,529 |
Segmuller |
April 4, 1972 |
RINSABLE BOTTLE CAP SEAL DEVICE
Abstract
A snap-on bottle cap seal device is made of an elastic material,
such as a plastic, and is formed of a reusable sealing cap and a
ring-shaped safety strip detachably secured to and extending
circumferentially about the lower end of the cap when it is
initially secured on a bottle. The centrally disposed portion of
the top surface of the sealing cap is concave and a tubular
projection extends downwardly from the under side of the centrally
disposed portion for engagement within the mouth of the bottle
being sealed. An inwardly directed protuberance is formed on the
inner surface of the skirt of the sealing cap and an outwardly
directed protuberance is formed on the lower end of the tubular
projection so that both protuberances provide a sealing effect
against opposite surfaces of the bottle. A lifting lug is formed on
the lower edge of the sealing cap and a tear-off tab, attached to
the safety strap, is secured by small web sections to the lug.
Passages are formed between the safety strip and the bottle and the
passages extend between the lower end of the strip and grooves
formed in the lower outer surface of the sealing cap. The passages
are arranged to effect a rinsing of the sealing device after the
bottle has been filled and sealed.
Inventors: |
Segmuller; Bruno (Niederfeld,
CH) |
Assignee: |
Segmuller AG. (Stein am Rhine,
CH)
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Family
ID: |
25716927 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/067,128 |
Filed: |
August 26, 1970 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Apr 21, 1970 [DT] |
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P 20 15 779.3 |
Oct 21, 1969 [CH] |
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15732/69 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/256; 215/320;
215/305 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
41/485 (20130101); Y02W 30/80 (20150501); B65D
2401/25 (20200501); Y02W 30/807 (20150501) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
41/48 (20060101); B65D 41/32 (20060101); B65d
041/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;215/41,42,7,46A |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1,394,105 |
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Feb 1965 |
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FR |
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639,037 |
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May 1962 |
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IT |
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Primary Examiner: Leclair; Joseph R.
Assistant Examiner: Garrett; James R.
Claims
I claim:
1. A bottle cap seal device formed of an elastic material comprises
a snap-on sealing cap having a closure pate arranged to extend
across the mouth of a bottle and a skirt extending angularly
downwardly from the circumferential edge of said closure plate and
arranged to enclose the sides of the bottle at its mouth, an
annular shaped bulge formed on the inner surface of said skirt and
spaced from the junction of said skirt and closure plate for
engaging the exterior surface of the bottle at a position spaced
from its mouth, a safety strip secured in a detachable manner to
the circumferentially extending edge of said skirt spaced from said
closure plate and arranged to encircle the bottle when the device
is in the sealing position thereon, wherein the improvement
comprises means cooperating with said safety strip and sealing cap
for forming passages between the interior surface of the safety
strip and the bottle with the passages extending between the upper
and lower circumferentially extending edges of said strip and with
openings formed from said passages through the junction of said
safety strip and the lower edge of said skirt so that rinsing fluid
can be circulated through the openings and the passages for rinsing
any residue contained between said safety strip and the bottle.
2. A bottle cap seal device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said
means for forming the passages between the safety strip and the
bottle comprising a plurality of inwardly projecting ribs extending
in the axial direction of said sealing cap formed in spaced
relationship on the interior surface of said safety strip, the
inner surface of said safety strip between said ribs being spaced
from the surface of the bottle when the device is secured thereon
with the ribs in contact with the bottle, and a plurality of
axially extending grooves formed in the exterior surface of said
skirt and extending upwardly from the circumferential edge thereof
spaced from said closure plate, said grooves being formed into said
skirt a sufficient distance so that openings are formed at the
circumferential edge of said skirt adjoining the upper
circumferential edge of said safety strip which communicate with
the passages formed between the said safety strip and the
bottle.
3. A bottle cap seal device, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the
inner surface of said safety strip adjacent the upper edge thereof
connected to said skirt has an outwardly bevelled surface forming a
frustoconically shaped annular groove at the upper edge of said
safety strip with the radially outer upper edge of said annular
groove being disposed radially outwardly from the radially inner
surface of said grooves in said skirt so that the openings provided
from said grooves into the passages within said safety strip
communicate with said annular groove.
4. A bottle cap seal device, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the
lower edge of said annular groove is disposed in plane including
the upper ends of said ribs on the interior surface of said safety
strip so that said annular groove is disposed upwardly from said
ribs.
5. A bottle cap seal device, as set forth in claim 4, wherein each
of said ribs on the interior surface of said safety strip having an
inwardly directed protuberance formed on the lower end thereof
spaced adjacent the circumferential edge of safety strip remote
from said sealing cap, whereby when initially positioned on the
mouth of a bottle before being displaced into sealing engagement
therewith said inwardly directed protuberances on said axial ribs
provides a preliminary securement of the device on the bottle.
6. A bottle cap seal device, as set forth in claim 5, wherein a
release lug is secured to and extends outwardly from said skirt of
said sealing cap.
7. A bottle cap seal device, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the
device is formed of a flexible plastic material selected from one
of the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamides
and plasticized polyvinyl chloride.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION bottle
The invention is directed to a bottle cap seal device formed of an
elastic material and, more particularly, it is directed to a
sealing cap provided with a detachable safety strip which extends
around the lower edge of the sealing cap. Further, a lifting lug is
provided on the sealing cap for removing and reusing the cap and a
tear-off tab is attached to the safety strip and is secured to the
lifting lug when the device is initially assembled on a bottle.
Known plastic seals used for bottles filled with a liquid under
pressure have the disadvantage that, unlike metallic seals of
conventional design, they are not suitable for mechanical filling
and cleaning, they do not withstand the bottling pressure during
shipping, they are difficult to open, and they cannot be used as a
pilfer-proof seal.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a bottle
seal device formed of elastic material which does not have the
above mentioned disadvantages and also can be rinsed after the
liquid is filled into the bottle and the bottle is sealed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety seal easily
detachable from the sealing cap which secures the cap on the bottle
before its contents are used. When the safety strip is separated
from the sealing cap, the sealing cap can be easily removed and
replaced for again sealing the bottle. replaced
The sealing device, in accordance with the present invention, can
be mechanically sorted, aligned and secured on the bottle and
properly rinsed of any residue of the filling liquid after the
bottle has been sealed. Furthermore, the seal device has an
adequate pressure resistance, it can be used as a pilfer-proof seal
and can be easily opened and closed. Therefore, the seal device is
characterized by a safety strip attached to the lower edge of the
sealing cap and secured about the bottle. Passages are provided
between the safety strip and the bottle which extend from the lower
edge of the strip to its upper edge where they communicate with the
lower ends of grooves formed in the outer surface of the sealing
cap. After the seal has been effected, the passages through the
safety strip can be used for rinsing the seal device of any residue
left over from the filling operation.
The passages provided between the safety strip and the bottle are
provided by inwardly projecting axial ribs formed on the interior
surface of the strip and the upper edge of the safety strip is
arranged to provide a communicating opening between the upper ends
of the passages and the lower ends of grooves formed in the outer
surface of the circumferential skirt defining the lower part of the
sealing cap.
Preferably, the seal device is made of an elastic flexible
material, particularly a thermoplastic material. Thermoplastic
materials which are suitable for forming the seal device are
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamides and plasticized polyvinyl
chloride.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention
are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and
forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of
the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects
attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying
drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and
described a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seal device, in accordance with
the present invention, positioned on a bottle;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the seal device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III--III in FIG. 2 with
the left hand half of the view representing the seal device before
it is placed on a bottle and the right hand half of the view
illustrating the seal device secured on a bottle;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the seal device
shown in FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view showing the seal device resting
but not in sealed engagement on the upper end of a bottle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, the bottle seal device 1 is shown secured on a bottle 22
and it consists of a sealing cap 2 and a safety strip 3 which is
detachably secured to the sealing cap around its bottom edge.
Extending laterally from the lower edge of the sealing cap is a
release lug 4. Located below the release lug 4 is a tear-off tab 5
which is secured to the safety strip 3 and is detachably connected
along its upper inner edge at several points to the lower outer
edge of the release lug.
When the seal device 1 is to be removed from the bottle 22, the end
of the tear-off tab 5 is initially broken off from the release lug
4 and then, by pulling outwardly on the tab, the safety strip 3 is
removed from the sealing cap and is displaced from around the neck
of the bottle. With the safety strip 3 removed, the sealing cap can
be separated from the bottle by pressing upwardly on its release
lug.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sealing cap 2 is formed of a closure
plate 14A which extends across the mouth of the bottle and a shirt
14B which extends downwardly from the circumferential edge of the
closure plate 14A about the exterior surface of the bottle mouth.
The closure plate 14A has a circular center section 17A and an
annular section 17B disposed concentrically about the center
section. While the annular section 17B is disposed in a horizontal
plane, as shown in FIG. 3, the center section 17A has a concave
configuration, that is it curves inwardly and downwardly from the
annular section 17B. The side wall or skirt 14B extends downwardly
from the outer edge of the annular section 17B and has a
circumferentially disposed inwardly directed bulge 10 formed on its
inner surface and, as can be noted in the right hand half of FIG.
3, the protuberance 10 extends under the lid of the bottle 22 and
retains the sealing cap on the bottle.
On the lower or inner surface of the closure plate 14A a downwardly
extending tubular-shaped projection 15 is provided which is
arranged to extend into the mouth of the bottle. Intermediate its
upper and lower ends, on its outer surface, the tubular projection
15 has a circumferentially arranged bulge 16 which also provides a
sealing action with the bottle when the cap is in the sealing
position. At its upper end the tubular projection 15 is joined to a
ring-like support part 20 which forms the circumferential periphery
of the center section 17A. The upper surface of the support part
20, disposed above the projection 15 and adjacent the inner
periphery of the annular section 17B provides a surface which forms
an angle of inclination of about 35.degree. to 55.degree., for
example, an angle of 45.degree., with the central axis of the cap.
Thus, at the circumferentially extending edge 18 at the
intersection of the center section 17A and the inner wall of the
projection 15 the edge 18 is inset downwardly into the upper end of
the projection 15. At the upper end of the projection 15 directly
below the inner edge of the annular section 17B of the closure
plate 14A a ring-shaped constriction 19 extends into the surface of
the projection toward the center section 17A of the closure
plate.
As can be noted particularly from the left hand side of FIG. 3 and
from FIG. 5, the centrally arranged portion of the center section
17A is reinforced, that is it is thicker than the radially outer
portion thereof and has a lens-like appearance.
The arrangement of the sealing cap 2 permits the cap to withstand
high internal pressures without being displaced from the bottle
opening. At high internal pressures the center section 17A tends to
move upwardly and flatten out, note the right hand portion of FIG.
3, and transmits forces radially outwardly to the ring-shaped
support section 20 and to the tubular projection 15. Accordingly,
the protuberance 16 on the outer surface of the projection 15 is
pressed firmly against the inside surface of the bottle mouth for
increasing the tightness of the seal and increasing its adhesion to
the surface of the bottle.
The side wall or skirt 14B of the cap is provided with a plurality
of axially extending laterally spaced grooves 8. At the lower end
of the skirt 14B it is attached to the safety strip 3, as can be
seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, by a relatively thin intermediate piece 21
so that the safety strip can be relatively easily detached from the
bottom edge of the cap.
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of axially extending ribs 7 are
formed on the interior surface of the safety strip 3 and the lower
portion of these ribs are disposed in contacting engagement with
the outer surface of the bottle when the seal device is secured on
the bottle. Due to the ribs 7 the remaining inner surface of the
safety strip 3 is spaced outwardly from the bottle surface and
forms an open space which extends from the lower to the upper edges
of the safety strip. At the upper limit of the inner surface of the
safety strip, its surface tapers outwardly along a bevelled surface
11 and merges with the inner part of the intermediate piece 21.
Accordingly, the space 9 between the inner surface of the strip 3
and the bottle is wider adjacent the lower end of the skirt on the
sealing cap 2.
The depth of the grooves 8 formed into the outer surface of the
skirt 14B is such that openings 6, note FIG. 4, are formed between
the lower ends of the grooves 8 through the intermediate piece 21
into the upper ends of the spaces 9 inwardly of the safety strip.
These openings 6 make it possible to rinse the seal, after the
bottle has been filled and the seal secured to it, for removing any
residue of the filling material which might adhere to the interior
of the safety strip 3. Because air can circulate through the
passages 9 between the strip 3 and the bottle, the formation of
mold is prevented in the event any residue of the filling material
remains within the strip. In FIG. 5 a seal device 1 is illustrated
similar to that displayed in FIGS. 1 to 4 which is positioned
loosely on the opening to the bottle with a so-called dragging
takeover of the filled bottles. In this arrangement the ribs 7
effect a preliminary clamping of the seal device on the bottle. The
lower ends of the ribs 7 extend further inwardly than the remaining
surface of the ribs so that the seal device is clamped securely on
the mouth of the bottle. During the final mechanical closing of the
bottle mouth, the seal device is pressed by a die downwardly onto
the bottle into a position corresponding to that shown in the right
hand half of FIG. 3.
The release lug 4, as indicated in the drawing, is secured to the
skirt 14B of the sealing cap 2 and has a flat lower portion 24
which extends horizontally from the skirt and is in the plane of
the lower edge of the skirt. The surface of the part 24 is provided
with a corrugation for easier lifting. A pair of support webs 12
are secured to the release lug 4 and to the skirt 14A. These
support webs 12 facilitate the replacement of the sealing cap 2 on
the bottle after the seal device has been opened.
When the seal device is secured on the bottle the tear-off tab 5
provides, to a great extent, a shield for the bottom portion of the
release lug 4.
The tear-off tab 5 is radially arranged on the safety strip 3 and
is connected to the strip in the immediate proximity of the release
lug 4. For its length, the tear-off tab overlaps the safety strip,
however, it is also arranged so that the top edge of the tear-off
tab is connected with the bottom edge of the release lug at several
points by narrow webs 13 so that the tear-off tab can be easily
detached from the release lug.
This arrangement of the tear-off tab acts as a protection for the
lower surface of the lifting lug and also enhances the pilfer-proof
characteristic of the seal device.
This preferred arrangement of the seal device prevents the loose
devices from being wedged with one another with the result that the
devices can be used without any problems in mechanical sorting and
filling plants.
As indicated above, the arrangement of the tear-off tab 5 and the
release lug 4 make it impossible to remove the cap by hand without
destroying the arrangement of the sealing device on the bottle.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that this arrangement also
provides a safety seal for the bottle.
* * * * *