GB2085854A

GB2085854A - An improved container closure

Info

Publication number: GB2085854A
Application number: GB8128441A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Johnsen and Jorgensen Plastics Ltd
Current assignee: Johnsen and Jorgensen Plastics Ltd
Priority date: 1980-09-26
Filing date: 1981-09-21
Publication date: 1982-05-06
Also published as: GB2085854B

Abstract

A closure for a container 1 which has a neck shape adapted to receive a normal crown-closure comprises a snap-on plastics cap part with a top 5 and a skirt 6 and also an outer safety ring 11 which surrounds the skirt like a strap or belt when the closure is in operative position. The safety ring may initially be attached to the closure by bridges which are broken when the ring is pressed into place. The closure may comprise a plug part 13. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An improved container closure This invention is concerned with the provision of an improved container closure.

Crown closures, which are made of metal, are very well known and are very widely used especially for closing containers of carbonated drinks. These crown closures require a special shape of container neck (a crown-closure-receiving neck shape) including a bulbous head around the mouth of the container. We have concluded that it would be advantageous to be able to replace a metal crown closure by a closure of plastics material but to do this introduces serious leakage problems that have to be overcome.

According to the present invention there is provided a closure for application to a container with a crown-closure-receiving or like neck shape wherein the closure comprises (a) a snap-on plastics cap part including a top and a depending skirt to engage with the neck of the container and (b) an annular outer safety ring to surround the skirt of the cap part when the closure is in its operative position.

The purpose of the safety ring is to hold the cap part firmly in position so that leakage or the risk of the cap blowing off when under pressure is minimised.

The safety ring may be completely separate from the cap part before and after application to the container or may be connected to the cap part before application by frangible nibs, weakened lines or the like. During the capping operation in this case the safety ring is moved by telescopic action into operative position and the nibs or the like are broken.

In order further to improve the sealing the closure may be provided with a conically shaped centrally dished depending plug, shaped so that when use the dished part is directed towards the inside of the container. By this construction any gas escaping from a carbonated drink within the container tends to enter the dished part of the plug outwardly and to press it against the inside wall of the container. This feature of the invention is preferably used in combination with either the entirely separate safety ring or with the integrally formed safety ring.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood reference is now directed to the accompanying drawings given by way of example in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a closure embodying the invention with an integral safety ring, the closure being in course of application to a container.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of a closure embodying the invention in operative position.

Referring to Figure 1 a container 1 which may conveniently be a bottle has a crown-closurereceiving neck shape including a bulbous outer bead 2 around the mouth 3. A closure 4 made of thermoplastic material i.e. a suitable plastics material has a top 5 and a skirt 6 with an annular inner projection 7 to fit below the bead 2. The closure 4 also has an annular seal 8 to press against the top of the edge of the container 1 around the mouth 3. The closure 4 including the skirt 6 and the projection 7 forms a snap-on cap part. Above the cap part is a crown part 9 connected to the cap part by frangible nibs 10.When the closure 4 is applied to the container 1 the closure may be first moved into the position shown in Figure 1 and then the crown part 9 may be moved downwardly into the position shown in Figure 2, breaking the nibs 10 so that the crown part 9 forms a safety ring 11 around the skirt 6. The skirt has an annular flange 12 which forms a seat for the lower edge of the ring 11. The ring 1 may be formed integral with the cap part as shown in Figure 1 or may at all times be a separate element. As shown in Figure 2 in one embodiment of the invention, the closure has a plug 13 to enter the mouth of the container.The plug has a central dished part 14 of V shape in section and an outer annular part 15 which forms an annular expanding seal plug, the outer wall 16 of which is urged against the inside wall of the container if gas under pressure enters the dished part 14. The ring 11 has an inner bead 17 which rests in a recess 18 in the skirt 6.

Preferably the container is made of rigid material such as glass while the closure is made of resilient plastics material so that beads on the closure are deformed when in use and so give an effective seal.

The dished part 14 of the plug 13 is preferably V shape in section but it will be understood that other shapes may be used e.g. it may be rounded at the apex or may be square or any other effective shape which acts as a chamber to receive gas under pressure so that the seal plug is urged outwardly.

We have therefore provided a closure of resilient plastics material for application to a container with a neck shaped to receive and to retain a crown closure wherein the closure has a depending skirt with an inner annular projection to seat below an outer annular bead on the container neck and wherein the closure has an outer annular safety ring seating on the outside of the skirt and embracing the skirt. In a preferred arrangement the closure also has a plug comprising a central hollow or dished part open towards the inside of the container and an annular expanding seal plug surrounding the hollow or dished part.

1. A closure for application to a container with a crown-closure receiving or like neck shape wherein the closure comprises (a) a snap-on plastics cap part including atop and a depending skirtto engage with the neck of the container and (b) an annular outer safety ring to surround the skirt of the cap part when the closure is in its operative position.

2. A closure according to claim 1 wherein the safety ring is separate from the cap part before and after application of the closure to a container.

3. A closure according to claim 1 wherein the safety ring is connected to the cap part, before application to a container, by frangible connecting means such as frangible nibs, a weakened line or the like and wherein during application of the closure to a container the safety ring is moved by telescopic

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION An improved container closure This invention is concerned with the provision of an improved container closure. Crown closures, which are made of metal, are very well known and are very widely used especially for closing containers of carbonated drinks. These crown closures require a special shape of container neck (a crown-closure-receiving neck shape) including a bulbous head around the mouth of the container. We have concluded that it would be advantageous to be able to replace a metal crown closure by a closure of plastics material but to do this introduces serious leakage problems that have to be overcome. According to the present invention there is provided a closure for application to a container with a crown-closure-receiving or like neck shape wherein the closure comprises (a) a snap-on plastics cap part including a top and a depending skirt to engage with the neck of the container and (b) an annular outer safety ring to surround the skirt of the cap part when the closure is in its operative position. The purpose of the safety ring is to hold the cap part firmly in position so that leakage or the risk of the cap blowing off when under pressure is minimised. The safety ring may be completely separate from the cap part before and after application to the container or may be connected to the cap part before application by frangible nibs, weakened lines or the like. During the capping operation in this case the safety ring is moved by telescopic action into operative position and the nibs or the like are broken. In order further to improve the sealing the closure may be provided with a conically shaped centrally dished depending plug, shaped so that when use the dished part is directed towards the inside of the container. By this construction any gas escaping from a carbonated drink within the container tends to enter the dished part of the plug outwardly and to press it against the inside wall of the container. This feature of the invention is preferably used in combination with either the entirely separate safety ring or with the integrally formed safety ring. In order that the invention may be more clearly understood reference is now directed to the accompanying drawings given by way of example in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a closure embodying the invention with an integral safety ring, the closure being in course of application to a container. Figure 2 is a sectional view of a closure embodying the invention in operative position. Referring to Figure 1 a container 1 which may conveniently be a bottle has a crown-closurereceiving neck shape including a bulbous outer bead 2 around the mouth 3. A closure 4 made of thermoplastic material i.e. a suitable plastics material has a top 5 and a skirt 6 with an annular inner projection 7 to fit below the bead 2. The closure 4 also has an annular seal 8 to press against the top of the edge of the container 1 around the mouth 3. The closure 4 including the skirt 6 and the projection 7 forms a snap-on cap part. Above the cap part is a crown part 9 connected to the cap part by frangible nibs 10.When the closure 4 is applied to the container 1 the closure may be first moved into the position shown in Figure 1 and then the crown part 9 may be moved downwardly into the position shown in Figure 2, breaking the nibs 10 so that the crown part 9 forms a safety ring 11 around the skirt 6. The skirt has an annular flange 12 which forms a seat for the lower edge of the ring 11. The ring 1 may be formed integral with the cap part as shown in Figure 1 or may at all times be a separate element. As shown in Figure 2 in one embodiment of the invention, the closure has a plug 13 to enter the mouth of the container.The plug has a central dished part 14 of V shape in section and an outer annular part 15 which forms an annular expanding seal plug, the outer wall 16 of which is urged against the inside wall of the container if gas under pressure enters the dished part 14. The ring 11 has an inner bead 17 which rests in a recess 18 in the skirt 6. Preferably the container is made of rigid material such as glass while the closure is made of resilient plastics material so that beads on the closure are deformed when in use and so give an effective seal. The dished part 14 of the plug 13 is preferably V shape in section but it will be understood that other shapes may be used e.g. it may be rounded at the apex or may be square or any other effective shape which acts as a chamber to receive gas under pressure so that the seal plug is urged outwardly. We have therefore provided a closure of resilient plastics material for application to a container with a neck shaped to receive and to retain a crown closure wherein the closure has a depending skirt with an inner annular projection to seat below an outer annular bead on the container neck and wherein the closure has an outer annular safety ring seating on the outside of the skirt and embracing the skirt. In a preferred arrangement the closure also has a plug comprising a central hollow or dished part open towards the inside of the container and an annular expanding seal plug surrounding the hollow or dished part. CLAIMS

3. A closure according to claim 1 wherein the safety ring is connected to the cap part, before application to a container, by frangible connecting means such as frangible nibs, a weakened line or the like and wherein during application of the closure to a container the safety ring is moved by telescopic action into operative position so breaking the frangible connecting means.

4. A closure according to any of the preceding claims wherein the cap part is provided with a substantially conically shaped centrally dished depending plug shaped so that when in use the dished part is directed towards the inside of the container.

5. A closure according to any of the preceding claims wherein the skirt has an annular inner projection to fit below a bulbous outer bead on the container which gives the container its crownclosure-receiving neck shape.

6. A closure according to any of the preceding claims wherein the cap part of the closure has annular seal to press against a top edge of the container when in use.

7. A closure according to any of the preceding claims 1 or 3 or 5 wherein before application to the container the safety ring is disposed above the cap part in the form of a crown and wherein during capping the crown is moved telescopically downwards to form the safety ring.

8. A closure according to any of the preceding claims wherein the safety ring has an inner bead to rest in a recess on the outside of the skirt.

9. A closure of resilient plastics material for application to a container with a neck shaped to receive and to retain a crown closure wherein the closure has a depending skirt with an inner annular projection to seat below an outer annular bead on the container neck, and wherein the closure has an outer annular safety ring which when the closure is in use seats on the outside of the skirt in the manner of a belt embracing the skirt.

10. A container and closure assembly wherein the closure is constructed in accordance with any of the preceding claims.

11. A closure for application to a container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.