Seal insert molecular bonded to bottle

A sealed product packaging unit comprising:

• a bottle having a bottle body, a neck, a bottle opening, and a bottle main cavity extending into the bottle body from the bottle opening, the neck extending from the bottle body, the neck having a neck inner radial surface and an opposing neck outer radial surface, the neck having a neck annular top surface disposed between a neck inner edge and a neck outer edge, the neck outer radial surface extending from the neck outer edge, the neck inner radial surface extending from the neck inner edge, the bottle opening being defined by the neck inner edge, the bottle being formed of a thermoplastic material;
• a seal insert having a cylindrical skirt, a circular flange, a pull-tab, and a sealing deck, the cylindrical skirt having an insert inner radial surface and an opposing insert outer radial surface, the circular flange radially extending from the insert outer radial surface, the circular flange having a flange outer edge, a flange annular top surface and an opposing flange annular bottom surface, the sealing deck extending across the cylindrical skirt from the insert inner radial surface, the pull-tab extending from the sealing deck within the insert inner radial surface, the seal insert being positioned into the neck with the cylindrical skirt within the neck inner radial surface, the seal insert being formed of an injection molded thermoplastic material using an injection molding process, the thermoplastic material of the flange annular bottom surface being directly molecularly bonded to the thermoplastic material of the neck annular top surface to seal the bottle main cavity, the seal insert being formed to allow the seal insert to be torn with at least a portion of the sealing deck being separated from the cylindrical skirt upon a pulling force being applied to the pull-tab in a direction away from the bottle main cavity before the flange annular bottom surface being disengaged from the neck annular top surface;
• and
• a closure having a closure outer radial surface and an opposing closure inner radial surface, and a closure top extending radially interior from and across the closure inner radial surface, the closure being attachable to the bottle.

A method of sealing a bottle, the method comprising:

• providing a bottle having a bottle body, a neck, a bottle opening, and a bottle main cavity extending into the bottle body from the bottle opening, the neck extending from the bottle body, the neck having a neck inner radial surface and an opposing neck outer radial surface, the neck having a neck annular top surface disposed between a neck inner edge and a neck outer edge, the neck outer radial surface extending from the neck outer edge, the neck inner radial surface extending from the neck inner edge, the bottle opening being defined by the neck inner edge, the bottle being formed of a thermoplastic material;
• providing a seal insert having a cylindrical skirt, a circular flange, a pull-tab, and a sealing deck, the cylindrical skirt having an insert inner radial surface and an opposing insert outer radial surface, the circular flange radially extending from the insert outer radial surface, the circular flange having a flange outer edge, a flange annular top surface and an opposing flange annular bottom surface, the sealing deck extending across the cylindrical skirt from the insert inner radial surface, the pull-tab extending from the sealing deck within the insert inner radial surface, the seal insert being formed of a thermoplastic material using an injection molding process;
• positioning the seal insert into the neck with the cylindrical skirt within the neck inner radial surface;
• molecular bonding the flange annular bottom surface directly to the neck annular top surface to seal the bottle main cavity, the molecular bonding includes providing heat to the flange annular top surface, the seal insert being formed to allow the seal insert to be torn with at least a portion of the sealing deck being separated from the cylindrical skirt upon a pulling force being applied to the pull-tab in a direction away from the bottle main cavity before the flange annular bottom surface being disengaged from the neck annular top surface;
• providing a closure, the closure having a closure outer radial surface and an opposing closure inner radial surface, and a closure top extending radially interior from and across the closure inner radial surface, the neck outer radial surface and the closure inner radial surface being cooperatively formed to engage each other;
• and
• attaching the closure to the bottle by positioning the closure inner radial surface about the neck outer radial surface.

A method of sealing a bottle, the method comprising:

• providing a bottle having a bottle body, a neck, a bottle opening, and a bottle main cavity extending into the bottle body from the bottle opening, the neck extending from the bottle body, the neck having a neck inner radial surface and an opposing neck outer radial surface, the neck having a neck annular top surface disposed between a neck inner edge and a neck outer edge, the neck outer radial surface extending from the neck outer edge, the neck inner radial surface extending from the neck inner edge, the bottle opening being defined by the neck inner edge, the bottle being formed of a thermoplastic material;
• providing a seal insert having a cylindrical skirt, a circular flange, a pull-tab, and a sealing deck, the cylindrical skirt having an insert inner radial surface and an opposing insert outer radial surface, the circular flange radially extending from the insert outer radial surface, the circular flange having a flange outer edge, a flange annular top surface and an opposing flange annular bottom surface, the flange annular bottom surface includes a ring-shaped energy director extending away from the flange annual top surface to a distal circular apex, the sealing deck extending across the cylindrical skirt from the insert inner radial surface, the pull-tab extending from the sealing deck within the insert inner radial surface, the seal insert being formed of a thermoplastic material using an injection molding process;
• positioning the seal insert into the neck with the cylindrical skirt within the neck inner radial surface;
• molecular bonding the flange annular bottom surface directly to the neck annular top surface to seal the bottle main cavity, the seal insert being formed to allow the seal insert to be torn with at least a portion of the sealing deck being separated from the cylindrical skirt upon a pulling force being applied to the pull-tab in a direction away from the bottle main cavity before the flange annular bottom surface being disengaged from the neck annular top surface;
• providing a closure, the closure having a closure outer radial surface and an opposing closure inner radial surface, and a closure top extending radially interior from and across the closure inner radial surface, the neck outer radial surface and the closure inner radial surface being cooperatively formed to engage each other;
• and
• attaching the closure to the bottle by positioning the closure inner radial surface about the neck outer radial surface.

A method of sealing a bottle, the method comprising:

• providing a bottle having a bottle body, a neck, a bottle opening, and a bottle main cavity extending into the bottle body from the bottle opening, the neck extending from the bottle body, the neck having a neck inner radial surface and an opposing neck outer radial surface, the neck having a neck annular top surface disposed between a neck inner edge and a neck outer edge, the neck outer radial surface extending from the neck outer edge, the neck inner radial surface extending from the neck inner edge, the bottle opening being defined by the neck inner edge, the bottle being formed of a thermoplastic material;
• providing a seal insert having a cylindrical skirt, a circular flange, a pull-tab, and a sealing deck, the cylindrical skirt having an insert inner radial surface and an opposing insert outer radial surface, the circular flange radially extending from the insert outer radial surface, the circular flange having a flange outer edge, a flange annular top surface and an opposing flange annular bottom surface, the sealing deck extending across the cylindrical skirt from the insert inner radial surface, the pull-tab extending from the sealing deck within the insert inner radial surface, the seal insert being formed of a thermoplastic material using an injection molding process, the seal insert includes centering nubs circumferentially distributed about and extending radially from the insert outer radial surface, each of the centering nubs extend along the insert outer radial surface away from the circular flange, the centering nubs each are tapered with the tapering being a less radial distance in a direction away from the circular flange;
• positioning the seal insert into the neck with the cylindrical skirt within the neck inner radial surface, the centering nubs contacting the neck inner radial surface upon the seal insert being inserted into the neck;
• molecular bonding the flange annular bottom surface directly to the neck annular top surface to seal the bottle main cavity, the seal insert being formed to allow the seal insert to be torn with at least a portion of the sealing deck being separated from the cylindrical skirt upon a pulling force being applied to the pull-tab in a direction away from the bottle main cavity before the flange annular bottom surface being disengaged from the neck annular top surface;
• providing a closure, the closure having a closure outer radial surface and an opposing closure inner radial surface, and a closure top extending radially interior from and across the closure inner radial surface, the neck outer radial surface and the closure inner radial surface being cooperatively formed to engage each other;
• and
• attaching the closure to the bottle by positioning the closure inner radial surface about the neck outer radial surface.

A sealed product packaging unit comprising:

• a bottle having a bottle body, a neck, a bottle opening, and a bottle main cavity extending into the bottle body from the bottle opening, the neck extending from the bottle body, the neck having a neck inner radial surface and an opposing neck outer radial surface, the neck having a neck annular top surface disposed between a neck inner edge and a neck outer edge, the neck outer radial surface extending from the neck outer edge, the neck inner radial surface extending from the neck inner edge, the bottle opening being defined by the neck inner edge, the bottle being formed of a thermoplastic material;
• a seal insert having a cylindrical skirt, a circular flange, a pull-tab, and a sealing deck, the cylindrical skirt having an insert inner radial surface and an opposing insert outer radial surface, the circular flange radially extending from the insert outer radial surface, the circular flange having a flange outer edge, a flange annular top surface and an opposing flange annular bottom surface, the sealing deck extending across the cylindrical skirt from the insert inner radial surface, the pull-tab extending from the sealing deck within the insert inner radial surface, the seal insert being positioned into the neck with the cylindrical skirt within the neck inner radial surface, the flange annular bottom surface being directly molecularly bonded to the neck annular top surface to seal the bottle main cavity, the seal insert being formed to allow the seal insert to be torn with at least a portion of the sealing deck being separated from the cylindrical skirt upon a pulling force being applied to the pull-tab in a direction away from the bottle main cavity before the flange annular bottom surface being disengaged from the neck annular top surface, the seal insert being formed of an injection molded thermoplastic material using an injection molding process, the seal insert including centering nubs circumferentially distributed about and extending radially from the insert outer radial surface, the centering nubs contacting the neck inner radial surface upon the seal insert being inserted into the neck, each of the centering nubs extending along the insert outer radial surface away from the circular flange, the centering nubs each being tapered with the tapering being a less radial distance in a direction away from the circular flange;
• and
• a closure having a closure outer radial surface and an opposing closure inner radial surface, and a closure top extending radially interior from and across the closure inner radial surface, the closure being attachable to the bottle.