US 4,051,973 A · Canning closure and method

Abstract

A one-piece reusable closure for home canning. The closure is adapted for sealing home canning containers, such as "Mason Jars." The closure has a one-piece threaded cap with a bonded annular closed-cell foam gasket at the periphery of a central cover section positioned to seal against the jar lip. The central cover portion is dished outwardly and moves to an inwardly dished configuration when a partial vacuum is developed in the container. When the closure is unscrewed, the central cover section springs with an audible click to the outwardly dished configuration. The closure incorporates a one-way pressure relief mechanism to limit the pressure in the container. The mechanism comprises a resilient sealing member overlying an orifice in the central cover section of the lid. As the container contents are heated, gas pressure in the container will increase and force the resilient sealing member from the orifice. Gases will then be vented through the orifice under the resilient sealing member. However, upon subsequent cooling of the container contents and cessation of pressure generation within the container, the closure and resilient sealing member seals the container to enable a partial vacuum to be formed and then maintained. The closure may be initially fully tightened and need not be further tightened after heating and subsequent cooling of the container to maintain the seal and partial vacuum within the container.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims15

Dependent claims

A sealed package under vacuum comprising a container having a body portion and an upwardly-extending neck portion which terminates in an upper circumferential sealing lip and defines a mouth;

helical container thread means on the outer surface of said neck portion;
and a one-piece reusable closure threadedly engaging said neck portion and sealingly secured to said container;
said closure comprising a central cover section having an inner surface and an outer surface and terminating outwardly in a depending peripheral skirt having a helical skirt thread means complementary to and in threaded engagement with said container thread means, a downwardly opening annular channel being defined in said central cover section adjacent said skirt, a resilient annular gasket disposed in, and bonded to, the inner surface of said annular channel and being in sealing engagement with said lip around the entire periphery of said lip, a portion of said central cover section presenting a substantially flat exterior surface defining an orifice and having a self-biased resilient member secured to said central cover section for disengageably overlying said orifice and normally sealing said orifice but venting said package when the pressure within said container exceeds atmospheric, a portion of said closure central cover section being inwardly dished and being maintained in that inwardly dished configuration when pressure within the sealed package is subatmospheric, said inwardly-dished portion being capable of springing preferentially to an outwardly dished configuration when the pressure within the sealed package is at least atmospheric.

A sealed package under vacuum comprising a container having a body portion and an upwardly-extending neck portion which terminates in an upper circumferential sealing lip and defines a mouth;

helical container thread means on the outer surface of said neck portion;
and a one-piece reusable closure threadedly engaging said neck portion and sealingly secured to said container;
said closure comprising a central cover section having an inner surface and an outer surface and terminating outwardly in a depending peripheral skirt having a helical skirt thread means complementary to and in threaded engagement with said container thread means, a downwardly opening annular channel being defined in said central cover section adjacent said skirt, a resilient annular gasket disposed in, and bonded to, the inner surface of said annular channel and being in sealing engagement with said lip around the entire periphery of said lip, a portion of said central cover section defining an orifice and having a mass of resilient material secured to said central cover section disengageably overlying said orifice and normally sealing said orifice but venting said package when the pressure within said container exceeds atmospheric, a coating of primer on said exterior surface of said central cover section except for an immediate area around said orifice, a vent area connected with, and extending outwardly from, said immediate area, said mass of resilient material covering, and extending beyond, said immediate area and being bonded to said primer beyond the outer periphery of said immediate area, a portion of said closure central cover section being inwardly dished and being maintained in that inwardly dished configuration when pressure within said sealed package is subatmospheric, said inwardly-dished portion being capable of springing preferentially to an outwardly dished configuration when the pressure within the sealed package is at least atmospheric.

A method of canning comprising the steps of:

providing a container having an upper circumferential sealing lip which defines a mouth and having container thread means in the vicinity of the mouth;
providing a one-piece closure comprising a flexible, outwardly-dished central cover section terminating outwardly in a depending peripheral threaded skirt for threadingly engaging said container thread means, said closure having an annular gasket bonded to said closure adjacent said skirt, said gasket comprising resilient material for sealingly engaging said lip around the periphery of the entire lip, a portion of said central cover section defining a substantially flat exterior surface defining an orifice and having a self-biased resilient member attached to said central cover section for disengageably overlying said orifice, said member being deformable away from said orifice for venting said package when the pressure within said container exceeds atmospheric and being self-biased against said orifice for normally sealing thereagainst when the pressure within said container is less than atmospheric;
filling the container with a desired quantity of product to be canned;
threadingly securing said one-piece closure to said container to form a seal between said gasket and said lip and to thereby seal said product within said container together with a small volume of gas;
then heating said container and said product contained therein to a predetermined elevated temperature and thereby generating within the sealed container pressure sufficient to deform said resilient member and vent at least a portion of volume of gas through said orifice to the surrounding atmosphere;
then cooling said container and thereby re-effecting the sealing of said orifice by said resilient member without further manipulation of said closure so as to maintain a sub-atmospheric pressure in said container.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description3,574 words

Summary1,521 words

#This invention relates to an improved closure for food containers, and particularly to those used for the home canning of foods, and to a method of canning using that closure.

#Many types of containers and closures for the home canning of food products have been developed over the years. For many years, the most prevalent home canning medium in the United States has been the so-called "Mason Jar." Such a medium usually comprises a glass container having a standardized external thread on the periphery of the mouth and a suitable cap or closure assembly. Most recently, a widely used two-piece closure assembly has comprised a dished, disc-shaped central cover panel having an annular gasket formed at its periphery on one surface and a threaded peripheral portion. The threaded peripheral portion has a depending skirt or flange with a suitable thread, cooperable with the glass container thread, and an annular shoulder adapted to overlie the upper periphery of the gasketed central cover panel. The threaded peripheral portion is usually loosely threaded on the container after the central cover panel has been positioned over the mouth and prior to heating. The threaded peripheral portion is usually left loose enough so that, as the contents are heated, venting of gases may take place under the gasket. Thereafter, as the container cools the central cover panel seals against the container lip, following which the threaded peripheral portion is tightened so that when the container is stored, vacuum will be positively maintained. When the cover panel is of the dished type, as the container cools, the panel snaps into an inwardly dished position. Other systems for sealing home canning containers have used separate rubber sealing gaskets or rings, and the like.

#All of the various media and methods for sealing home canning containers have one or more drawbacks. Some systems require separate and separable sealing elements, such as rubber gaskets or rings. Other require elaborate positive locking mechanisms. The most commonly used system usually requires the use of an implement to remove the sealed central cover panel from a container. Such removal damages the gasketed central cover panel and therefore requires it to be discarded after a single use.

Brief description of the drawings10 figures

#FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a closure threaded on a glass jar container;

#FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the plane 2--2 of FIG. 1, showing the closure and container top in sealingly threaded engagement with each other;

#FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view, taken along the plane 3--3 of FIG. 3;

Detailed description1,841 words

#While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention and modifications thereof, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

#In the following description, two digit numerals are used to refer to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS 1-7 and three digit numerals in the one hundred series are used to refer to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8-10. The same last two digits in each numeral designate similar or functionally analogous elements in the various embodiments.

#Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 which illustrate a presently preferred embodiment of this invention, a package comprising glass container 12 proportioned to cooperate with one-piece reusable closure 14 of this invention is provided. Container 12 has a body portion and an upwardly-extending neck portion presenting a mouth surrounded by an upper, circumferential sealing bead or lip 15. Helical thread 16 adapted to engage with a complementary closure thread is provided on container 12 just below lip 15.

Facts

Application

05/691,310Filed 1 Jun 1976 · continuation in part

Priority

28 Apr 1975

Granted

4 Oct 1977

Term ended

4 Oct 1994

Estimated · how

Pre-1995 term; greater of 17 years from grant or 20 years from filing when eligible. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification4 codes

B65D 51/1661
Whereby venting occurs by automatic opening of the closure, container or other element: by means of a passage for the escape of gas between the…
B65D 41/0442
With separate sealing elements: collars or rings
B65D 79/0087
Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting: the deformable part…
B65D
Containers for storage or transport of articles or materials

Canning closure and method

Life of this patent

Canning closure and method

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims15

Description3,574 words

Drawings

Classification4 codes

Life of this patent

Description3,574 words