US3151777A

US3151777A - Containers and closure means therefor

Info

Publication number: US3151777A
Application number: US270214A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Rooney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-04-03
Filing date: 1963-04-03
Publication date: 1964-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 1981-10-06

Description

Oct. 6, 1964 w. J. RODNEY 3,151,777

CONTAINERS AND CLOSURE MEANS THEREFOR Filed April 3, 1963 5-! 26 2e 1 If 52. r I 28 2 30 l 34, 2. 40 l 3 is I 29 I829 F'ze.

' WILLIAM J. ROONEY' A 7'7 ORNE Y United States Patent 3,151,777 CONTAINER? AND CLOSURE MEAYS THEREFOR William J. Rooney, 840 S. Main St., Phillipsburg, NJ. Filed Apr. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 270,214 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-92) This invention relates generally to containers, such as collapsible tubes, bottles and the like, and particularly to improved closure means for such containers.

Heretofore containers such as collapsible tubes, bottles and the like that are used to market pastes, creams, liquids and the like, have their contents expelled from an outlet opening formed in the neck of the container. Ordinarily, a detachable threaded cap is provided to close the opening in order to maintain a substantially airtight seal over the contents of the container. Considerable difficulty is encountered in replacing the cap, and the caps are frequently misplaced and lost. Again, owing to the nature of the material contained in the containers, the threads engaging the cap soon become caked and make replacement of the cap tedious and irritating.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved container with closure in which the foregoing objections and disadvantages are overcome.

It is another object of the present invention to provide in a dispensing container closure means nondetachably secured to the neck of the container so as to preclude the possibility of loss or misplacement.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispensing container in which a maximum amount of protection from the atmosphere and other contaminating agencies is afforded the contents of the container.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved dispensing container in which the period during which any portion of the contents is exposed to the air is greatly reduced.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a onepiece closure cap for a dispensing container, with a fracturable or frangible body, so that a portion of the body remains fixed and closes the main axial opening in the neck of the container and another portion is breakable away from said first-named portion and movable along the neck and adapted to close or open a discharge outlet in the side of the neck.

Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide a closure for a dispensing container which will automatically come apart when manual pressure is exerted thereon externally of the container.

It is also an object to provide a closure for a dispensing type of container that is economical to manufacture, simple in construction and attractive in appearance.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the top portion of a container having a neck and closure embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container as seen from the line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in FIG. 1 and as viewed on line 33 of FiG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to FIG. 1 showing the collar portion of the closure separated from the cap portion, exposing the outlet opening in the neck,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container with the parts as shown in FIG. 4, showing paste 3,151,777. Fatented Oct. 6, 1964 "ice being forced from the outlet opening, upon squeezing of the body of the container,

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container taken on the line 66 of FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereof,

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the neck of the container taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereof.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a container of the collapsible type is shown and designated generally by the reference numeral 10. This container ill is formed of squeezable metal, plastic or other suitable material and has a hollow cylindrical body 12 with an upwardly tapering shoulder portion 14, continuing into an upstanding hollow neck 16, open at the top. In accordance with the invention, the hollow neck 16 is formed of lower externally screw-threaded portion 18 and an upper externally screw-threaded portion 29, the lower portion 18 being larger in dimensions than the upper portion 29, providing an annular shoulder 22 therebetween. An outlet opening 24 is provided in the lower neck portion 18, the opening being inclined upwardly at a slight angle to the horizontal.

In practicing the invention, a one-piece closure indicated generally at 25 is provided for initially closing the neck and sealing the contents of the container. This closure 25 is formed of suitable plastic material and consists of an internally-threaded cap portion 26 of inverted dishshape and a severable internally threaded collar portion 28 depending therefrom. The cap portion 26 has a cylindrical smooth outside surface 30. The cap portion is formed with internal screw threads 32 adapted to coact with the external screw threads on the upper neck portion 2%. The severable collar portion 28 comprises an annular formation 34 respectively larger in internal and external diameters than the respective internal and external diameters of the cap portion. The annular formation 34 is formed with internal threads 38 adapted to coact with the external threads on the lower neck portion 18. In accordance with the invention, the material of the closure is weakened at the juncture of the cap portion with the annular formation 34, around the closure and adjacent the shoulder 22 as indicated at 40. Oppositelyextending Wings 42 are formed integrally with the annular formation 34 and extend radially thereof.

In use, the body 12 of the container 10 is loaded with material, such as paste 46, as shown in FIG. 5. The closure 25 intact is threaded onto the neck 16 of the container whereby the cap portion 26 seats on the threads on the upper neck portion 20 with the weakened juncture 44 between the cap portion 26 and the collar portion 23 seating on the external shoulder 22 formed on the neck 16 of the container. The threads 38 on the annular formation of the collar portion 28 are thus threaded onto the threads on the lower neck section 18. When the closure is in this position, the axial opening through the neck 16 is sealed by the cap portion 26 and the annular formation 34 of the collar portion 28 is disposed over the outer end of the outlet opening 24 thereby sealing off the outlet opening. If it is desired to use the contents of the container without removing the severable closure 25, it is merely necessary to grasp the wings 42 of the collar portion 28 and exert a torsional twist on the annular portion 34 thereof in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a perpendicular pressure will be applied, whereupon the weakened juncture 46 of the closure at the juncture of the cap portion and collar portion 28 will be fractured and separated so that upon continued turning of the collar portion 28 in the same direction, the collar portion 28 will ride down the neck away from and exposing the outlet opening 24 as shown in FIG. 4.

Jagged formations

40 and 40" will be respectively left upon the respective cap and

collar portions

26 and 28 of the closure 25. The cap portion 26 remains in seated sealing condition on the upper end portion 20 of the neck as shown in FIGS, 4 and 5. The collar portion 28 may be moved so as to seat on the shoulder 29 formed between the tapering shoulder portion 14 and neck 16. When the parts of the closure 25 are in the postiion of FIGURE 4, upon squeezing of the body 12 of the container, the contents such as the paste 46 will be pressed outwardly through the neck 16 and outlet opening 24 thereof onto a brush or the like.

When the contents of the container has been used as desired, by merely turning the collar portion 28 in the opposite direction, or counterclockwise, the collar portion 28 will ride up the neck and into abutting relation with the cap portion 26 again thereby sealing oi the outlet opening 24 in the neck 16 until further use of the container is to be had.

It should be understood that this same closure may as well be adapted to bottles and other types of containers to dispense liquids, powders and the like.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desired to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A container for holding paste and the like including a hollow collapsible body with a neck at one end, said neck having lower and upper externally-threaded portions of different diameters, the lower portion being wider than the upper portion, said lower portion having a discharge outlet in the side thereof, a closure having a cap portion and a collar portion, the cap portion constituted by an inverted shallow dish-shaped body internally screwthreaded, the collar portion constituted by an annular formation integral with the end of the dish-shaped body, the annular formation having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the cap portion and having internal screw threads, the material at the juncture between the dish-shaped body and annular formation being fracturable, whereby the annular formation is adapted to be separated from the dish-shaped body and moved along the lower portion of the neck away from the discharge outlet to expose the same for discharging the contents of the body and movable toward .the outlet to reseal the same, and opposed wings radiating from the annular formation to facilitate fracturing of the material and subsequent turning of the annular formation and movement thereof along the neck.

2. A container for holding paste, liquid powder and the like including a hollow collapsible cylindrical body with a tapering shoulder at one end thereof, terminating in a neck extending axially of the body, said neck having a lower externally screw-threaded section and an upper externally screw-threaded portion smaller in diameter than the diameter of the lower portion, a shoulder on the tapering shoulder disposed at an angle thereto, the lower neck portion having a discharge outlet disposed angularly to the axis of the neck, and a closure for the axial opening in the neck and for the discharge outlet in the side of the neck, said closure having a cap portion adapted to seal the axial opening and a collar portion integral with the cap portion adapted to seal the discharge outlet, the material between the cap portion and collar portion being fracturable, opposed wings on the collar for turning the collar formation relative to the cap portion for fracturing the material between the cap portion and collar portion, whereby the collar is movable away from the discharge outlet toward and away from the angular shoulder for seating thereon and to expose the discharge opening for discharging the contents and movable toward the discharge outlet for rescaling the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Muhlhoif Oct. 16,

Claims

1. A CONTAINER FOR HOLDING PASTE AND THE LIKE INCLUDING A HOLLOW COLLAPSIBLE BODY WITH A NECK AT ONE END, SAID NECK HAVING LOWER AND UPPER EXTERNALLY-THREADED PORTIONS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS, THE LOWER PORTION BEING WIDER THAN THE UPPER PORTION, SAID LOWER PORTION HAVING A DISCHARGE OUTLET IN THE SIDE THEREOF, A CLOSURE HAVING A CAP PORTION AND A COLLAR PORTION, THE CAP PORTION CONSITUTED BY AN INVERTED SHALLOW DISH-SHAPED BODY INTERNALLY SCREWTHREADED, THE COLLAR PORTION CONSTITUTED BY AN ANNULAR FORMATION INTEGRAL WITH THE END OF THE DISH-SHAPED BODY, THE ANNULAR FORMATION HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER LARGER THAN THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE CAP PORTION AND HAVING INTERNAL SCREW THREADS, THE MATERIAL AT THE JUNCTURE BETWEEN THE DISH-SHAPED BODY AND ANNULAR FORMATION BEING FRACTURABLE, WHEREBY THE ANNULAR FORMATION IS ADAPTED TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE DISH-SHAPED BODY AND MOVED ALONG THE LOWER PORTION OF THE NECK AWAY FROM THE DISCHARGE OUTLET TO EXPOSE THE SAME FOR DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF THE BODY AND MOVABLE TOWARD THE OUTLET TO RESEAL THE SAME, AND OPPOSED WINGS RADIATING FROM THE ANNULAR FORMATION TO FACILITATE FRACTURING OF THE MATERIAL AND SUBSEQUENT TURNING OF THE ANNULAR FORMATION AND MOVEMENT THEREOF ALONG THE NECK.