Hermetic closure
AssigneeCebal
InventorsJean-Yves Gaborieau, Bernard Baumann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hermetic closure cap of resilient thermoplastic material constructed so as to be removably securable in an aperture made in a rigid sheet. This cap is retained by a normally non-deformable but laterally retractable part pressing against the edges of the rigid sheet defining the aperture and which cap is maintained in position before opening by a removable locking element which is inserted into a slot in the cap that is of similar cross-section to that of the locking element. The sealing cap thus designed can be used, for example, in cans containing a beverage under pressure.
Claims16
A closure device of a generally resilient material comprising a sealing cap adapted to be fitted heremetically into an aperture in a rigid wall of a vessel and to be retained therein by a generally rigid peripheral annular part which is adapted to be urged against the edge of a wall defining the aperture and which under the stress of a tension on the sealing cap exerted towards the inside of the vessel folds back in the direction of the axis of symmetry of the said sealing cap around a hinged or articulated zone constituted by the bottom of an annular slot comprising side walls which are parallel over a substantial proportion of their height separating the annular part from a central part of the sealing cap, the hinged or articulated zone being located out of the plane of the aperture, and an annular locking member which is adpated to be press-fitted into the annular slot and to cooperate therewith wherein the annular locking member can only be separated from the annular slot by the positive application of an external force.
A process for applying a thermoplastic sealing cap having an annular slot in the top surface thereof in a container having an aperture with a surrounding wall comprising the steps of;
- a. locating said sealing cap within the container aperture;
- b. locally heating the portion of said cap in contact with the edge of the surrounding wall until it begins to soften;
- and
- c. inserting an annular, nondeformable locking member into said annular slot while said cap portion is soft, whereby a hermetic seal is formed between the edge of said wall and the portion of said cap in contact therewith.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.