Perforated inner seal and liner assembly for closures and method of making same

A sifter and liner assembly configured for use with a container for holding a desired contents and having a neck with an annular lip at an uppermost end of the neck defining a mouth, said sifter and liner assembly comprising:

• a sifter dimensioned to span the mouth of the container, said sifter having an upper surface and a lower surface;
• at least one aperture formed through said upper and said lower surfaces of said sifter, said aperture dimensioned to allow the egress of the contents of the container;
• a liner dimensioned to cover at least said aperture of said sifter, said liner having a lower, covering surface, an upper, exposed surface and an integral pull tab;
• a layer of permanent adhesive material located on a peripheral edge of said lower surface of said sifter, said layer of permanent adhesive material securing said sifter to the lip of the container when induced to do so by the application of heat or pressure;
• a layer of impermanent adhesive material located between said upper surface of said sifter and said covering surface of said liner for removably securing said liner to said sifter;
• a cap having a top panel, an annular skirt depending peripherally from said top panel and means for releasable engagement onto the neck of the container, said top panel and said skirt defining an inner retaining area for retaining said sifter and said liner within said cap;
• and
• said sifter, said liner and said cap forming a package which can be stored, transported and applied to the container as a unit.

A method of making a sifter and liner assembly which is configured as a unit with a closure cap for assembly on a container, the container is for storing a desired contents and having a neck with an annular lip at an uppermost end defining a mouth, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming a sifter of a given diameter from a first web of a preselected material, said sifter having an upper surface and a lower surface and being formed with at least one aperture, said sifter being dimensioned to span the mouth of the container;
• forming a peel-away liner of a given diameter from a second web of a preselected material, said liner having a first surface and a second surface and being dimensioned to substantially cover said sifter;
• applying a layer of permanent adhesive material to said lower surface of said sifter such that said layer of permanent adhesive material substantially aligns with the annular lip of the container upon application of said sifter to the mouth of the container;
• applying a layer of impermanent adhesive material to either of said upper surface of said sifter or said first surface of said liner;
• aligning said liner on top of said upper surface of said sifter to form a unit consisting of said layer of permanent adhesive material, said sifter, said layer of impermanent material and said liner;
• positioning said unit into a retaining area of said closure cap;
• transporting the closure cap and said unit as an autonomous package to a given bottling site where the container is located;
• positioning and applying the closure cap and said unit onto the mouth of the container;
• applying a heat or pressure transfer medium through a top panel of the closure cap to induce at least the permanent adhesive material to adhere to the annular lip of the container;
• and
• packaging and shipping the container having the closure cap, sifter and liner applied thereon to a predetermined site.