US2693892A - Container sealing means - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 9, E GUINET V CONTAINER SEALING MEANS Filed June 28, 1950 INVENTOR. E age/1e u/nef ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent CONTAINER SEALING IVIEANS Eugene Guinet, Lyons, France,.assignor to William Jacques Herter, Great Neck, N. Y.

This invention relates to contailer sealing means or cap-seals applicable to bottles, jars and other containers, particularly those having an aperture defined by an annular wall.

'Objects of the invention include the provision of a sealing means or cap which is easy and cheap to manufacture from various flexible sheet materials including plastics which are neutral, odorless and tasteless, may be readily and quickly applied to and removed from the container by manual or mechanical means, and provides an etlicient liquidand vapor-tight seal without requiring the exertion of considerable stress. Another object is to provide such a cap with a tamper-proof means.

A more specific object lies in the provision of such a cap-seal which is so conformed that, upon its application to a container, the increased pressure prevailing in the container as a result of the application of the seal, will be effective to force the seal into tight engagement with the container.

Essentially, the cap-seal may comprise a coaxial pair of spaced, inner and outer, annular skirt portions interconnected at one end by a transversely extending annular portion and so conformed, proportioned and spaced that the seal may be snugly yet freely fitted over the neck or the like of the container with said transverse annular portion applied against the outer end surface'of said neck and with said neck enclosed between said spaced skirts, and that the increased pressure which prevails within the container as a result of this application of the seal thereto will act to spread out and apply said inner skirt against the inner wall of the neck, and at the same time apply said outer skirt into tight engagement with the outer surface of the neck.

In a preferred embodiment the seal may be formed from an integral blank which is centrally dished to provide an inwardly projecting cuplike part the vertical side walls of which will provide the above-mentioned inner skirt adapted to be applied against the inner periphery of the neck, while a peripheral part of the blank is formed with a flange extending in parallel spaced relation with said vertical wall of the central dished part so as to provide the outer skirt adapted to be applied against the outer neck periphery, said central cuplike part being provided with certain characteristics as to shape and thickness, to be defined later, such that the previously-mentioned pressure increase in the container resulting from the application of the seal will cause the container neck to be tightly clamped between the inner and outer skirts of the seal, the former being spread out and the latter closed in against said neck.

The above and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the ensuing disclosure, relating to some specific embodiments thereof given by way of indication and not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an axial cross-section of the neck of a bottle having my improved sealing means applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of a similar sealing means further provided with a tamper-proof appendage;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view of a slightly modified embodiment provided with a different form of tamperproof means;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a seal according to the invention including an outer cover;

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of another embodiment of a seal with a tamper-proof appendage.

2,693,892 atented 9, 54.

As shown in the drawings, a sealing means according toth'e invention essentially comprises, an outer skirt 2 provided at the bottom or freeend with an'inwardly' projecting bead 3, the neck 4 offthe bottle to be' sealed being assumed'to be formedwith a"complementary annular' groove 5. The central part of the seal is dished to form a cuplike part 6 having a diameter such that the bottle-neck 4 can be. inserted in an easy sliding fit between the outer skirt 2'and thefinner skirt or vertical wall'7 of the cuplike" part. The bottom of the cuplike part 6'is'convexassho'wn and it preferably gradu-' ally decreases in thickness I fro'mlits periphery to its I centre.

It will beunderstofod' that, as the seal is applied to the bottle, the pressure of 'air or gasentrapped and compressed between the bottom of the..part 6 .and the liquid level 'in the container neckj4 will cause a distortion of saidpart 6, its bottom being flattened out sometimes to the point of becoming concave, whereby its side wall 7 forming the inner skirt of the seal is forced outand applied, against the inner wall of the neck in tight sealing relationship, therewith. Simultaneously this distortion causes the outer flange 'or skirt 2 to close in and its bead 3 is applied into and against the annular groove 5 in the outer wall of the neck 4 forming another tight seal at this point/"The neck is thus tightly clamped between the two skirts 2 and '7 of the seal. The elfect would be similar if the outer surface of the bottleneck were smooth rather than being formed with the groove 5, the bead 3 of the rlange 2 then being omitted.

to prevent the possibility of the seal being removed by an unauthorized person without being destroyed and thus to avert the possibility of the contents of the container being tampered with, my invention provides for various arrangements now to be described.

Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the outer skirt 2 may be extended downwardly by an integral band or extension 8 which may be made of a similar material as the seal itself but much 'thinner gauge, and in which weakened lines are provided as indicated for instance by the stippled lines a and b. Thus removal of the seal from the bottleneck 4 will necessarily require and/or cause the band 8 to be torn.

Alternatively as shown in Fig. 3, a circumferential chamfer 9 may be machined in the top transverse annular portion which interconnects the inner and outer skirts, this portion being in this case provided considerably heavier, as shown. Crimped in this chamfer 9 after the seal has been finally affixed to the container is a very thin circular diaphragm 10 which will be necessarily broken upon removal of the seal from the bottleneck. Rather than being crimped in a circumferential chamfer as shown, the guarantee diaphragm 10 may of course be directly spun in the cuplike part 6 of the seal.

To improve the seals outer appearance, it may as shown in Fig. 4 have placed over it an outer cover or cap 12 adapted at the same time to fit over the top of the neck 4 of the bottle. The cover 12 may be provided with a tamperproof extension or band 13 similar to the extension 8 shown in Fig. 2, molded integrally with or secured to the cover 12.

Fig. 5 shows a cap-seal according to any of the foregoing embodiments provided with a tamperproof band 15 somewhat similar to the band 8 of Fig. 2, but which comprises only a small removable annular area 16 defined by the circumferential lines 0 which may constitute stippled or chequered areas or the like. Thus, after the seal has been removed, the major part of the tamperproof band or cover may be retained, thus improving the appearance of the bottle-sealing means.

It will be understood that various modifications and departures may be made in and from the details illustrated and described without exceeding the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The shape and depth of the cuplike part 6 may be greatly varied. So may the materials used in manufacturing the seal.

What I claim is:

l. A permanently resilient and flexible capseal for a container having an opening defined by an annular walljsaid eapseal being formed from an integral blank and exhibiting its said resilient and flexible character at room temperature, said capseal comprising a coaxial pair of spaced inner and outer annular skirt portions adapted-to enclosesaid annular wall therebetwee'n, said outer""skirt"portion being -shorter "in' length 'than the inner 'skirt' portion and having "an "inwardly projecting thickened beaded-portionat its free edge, a transversely curved end portion interconnecting said skirtportions at *the upper ends thereof and forming an annular channel U-shaped'in'cross-section," which is adapted to seat=on-the top of said "annular container wall,a downwardly convex cuplike sealing portion extending from the lower part ofthe 'inner'skirt "portion, said downwardly convex cuplike portion" tapering in'thickness from its periphery to 'its'center'and being'adapted' as a result of upward pressure from within the container to fiatt'e'n and thereby move aportion of the'inne'r skirt outwardly toform-a tighter seal against the container Wall.

2. A capseal according toclaiml which -includes a tamper-proof element integral with said capseal.

3. A-capseal'according to clairrrZ wherein said tamperproof-elementis a'bad' integral" with the outer skirt portion and extends downwardly therefrom, said band being divided from the outer skirt portion by a weakened line along-which'the band isseparable' from said outer skirt portion;- and said capseal, aftenremoval-of said bgnd, being'reusable as acapseal' in the manner recited a ove.

4. A capseal according to claim 2 wherein said tamperproof element comprises a thin diaphragm extending across the upper end of the capseal.

5. A capseal according to claim 1 which includes a cover for said capseal and a tamper-proof separable band integrally secured to said cover and extending downwardly therefrom.

6. A capseal according toclaim 5 wherein said tamperproof band engages the outer side of the container wall and'isattached to the coverthrough'a circular strip, said strip being'reinovable to permit removal of the cover whlile permitting the band to remainon said container wa References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 1 1,747,760 Duffy et a1. Feb. 18, 1930 1,857,853 McMann May 10, 1932 1,972,542 Teichmanri Sept.- 4, 1934 2,056,778 Fabrice Oct. 6,1936 2,099,056 Ferngren Nov. 16, 1937 2,261,875" D'n'nn Nov. 4,11941 2,325,309 De Swart July 27, 1943 2,361,464 Edwards et al Oct. 31, 1944 2,367,317 Thomas Jan. 16, 1945 2,396,337 Moore Mar. 12, 1946 2,487,400 Tupper Nov. 8, 1949'

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