US 5,207,340 AGranted

Snap-on closure with discontinuous annular lip

OwnerBenjamin A. Cochraneinventor

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Abstract

There is disclosed a snap-on closure for containers, such as milk and soft drink plastic bottles, which has upper and lower annular beads on the inside wall of a peripheral skirt with a tear band defined by a score line in the skirt, located between the annular beads. The score line extends towards, but not entirely to, the bottom edge of the skirt, terminating a short distance above the bottom edge of the skirt. This score line permits a tearing of the lower portion of the cap skirt from the closure, and for this purpose, the cap tears along the weakened score line, about the closure and then downwardly towards the bottom edge of the skirt so that the entire lower portion of the skirt is removed as a tear band, leaving only the reclosure on the bottle. Since the lower score line does not extend to the lower edge of the skirt, that lower edge is not weakened, but retains its full hoop strength, to resist splitting when the cap is applied to the bottle.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In a snap on closure to be received over the neck of a bottle, and having a body formed by a top disc and a downwardly dependent cylindrical peripheral skirt, at least one annular bead on the inner wall of said skirt and sealing means on the undersurface of said disc for engagement against the neck of said bottle received in said closure, the improvement comprising:

a. an annular lip integral with said body, of a greater diameter than said cylindrical skirt and extending exteriorly about said skirt, and located beneath said top disc, intermediate the height of said skirt;
b. at least one score line extending circumferentially about said skirt, beneath said annular lip, to provide a weakened tear line in said skirt to form a tear line permitting complete severing of the closure into a top reclosure portion and a lower portion;
c. a tab having a leg portion extending from said skirt beneath said score line and projecting outwardly from said skirt, and an arcuate trailing portion having a diameter substantial the same as the diameter of said annular lip, and located immediately beneath said score line;
and
d. a single discontinuous area in said lip located only in the area immediately above said tear tab.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/702,064Filed 17 May 1991 · continuation in part
Priority: 24 Jun 1983
Granted: 4 May 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B65D 41/48
Snap-on caps or cap-like covers: non-metallic, e.g. made of paper or plastics
B29C 45/4407
For undercut articles: by flexible movement of undercut portions of the articles
B29C 2043/5053
Removing moulded articles: using pressurised gas, e.g. air
B29L 2001/00
Articles provided with screw threads

Family

Serial507,342Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 24 Jun 1983
Serial709,534Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Mar 1985
Serial947,043Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Dec 1986
Serial335,767Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Apr 1989
Serial368,250Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 Jun 1989
US 4,951,830 AParent of this continuation
US 4,819,906 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,632,265 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,207,340 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.