Cap assembly
AssigneeSaint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation
InventorsMitchell L. Snyder, Jason Osentoski, Gerald Mark Pennington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cap assembly for closing an opening in a vessel may include a stopper and a rigid cap adapted to fit over the stopper and onto a vessel. The stopper may include a polymer body adapted to fit an opening of the vessel and a tubular portion defining an internal passageway extending through the polymer body. The rigid cap may include a pressure based locking mechanism adapted to engage the vessel under a unidirectional force and a tamper evident feature.
Claims14
A cap assembly for closing an opening in a vessel, the cap assembly comprising:
- a stopper comprising a polymer body adapted to fit an opening of a vessel, wherein the stopper further comprises more than one non-concentric tubular portions each defining an internal passageway extending through the polymer body, wherein at least one of the tubular portions and the polymer body are a single molded component, wherein at least one of the tubular portions extends axially away from a top surface and a bottom surface of the polymer body;
- and
- a rigid cap adapted to fit over the stopper and onto the vessel, wherein the cap comprises:
- a radial flange defining a central bore, wherein the stopper comprises a cylindrical top surface that extends beyond an uppermost top surface of the cap in the axial direction along a central axis;
- a snap connecting pressure based locking mechanism comprising an inwardly directed flange comprising a tapered top edge and a substantially horizontal bottom edge;
- and
- a tamper evident feature adapted to show an alteration in its physical appearance comprising cracking, breakage, or deformation upon any attempt to remove the cap assembly after engagement of the pressure based locking mechanism with the vessel, wherein the pressure based locking mechanism is adapted to engage the vessel under a unidirectional engagement force of not greater than about 50 lbs.
A method for forming a cap assembly, the method comprising:
- forming a stopper including a polymer body adapted to fit an opening of a vessel, the stopper also including more than one non-concentric tubular portions, each of which defines an internal passageway extending through the elastomer body, wherein at least one of the tubular portions and the polymer body are a single molded component, wherein at least one of the tubular portions extends axially away from a top surface and a bottom surface of the polymer body;
- and
- forming a rigid cap adapted to fit over the stopper and onto the vessel, wherein the cap comprises:
- a radial flange defining a central bore, wherein the stopper comprises a cylindrical top surface that extends beyond an uppermost top surface of the cap in the axial direction along a central axis;
- a snap connecting pressure based locking mechanism comprising an inwardly directed flange comprising a tapered top edge and a substantially horizontal bottom edge;
- and
- a tamper evident feature adapted to show an alteration in its physical appearance comprising cracking, breakage, or deformation upon any attempt to remove the cap assembly after engagement of the pressure based locking mechanism with the vessel, wherein the pressure based locking mechanism is adapted to engage the vessel under a unidirectional engagement force of not greater than about 50 lbs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.