RESILIENT CLOSURE HAVING INVESTED RECESS SECURING MEANS

• US 3,556,338 A
• Filed: 08/09/1968
• Issued: 01/19/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Abraham L. Thomas, James O. Melton, Musser, Harry B., Thomas B. Wilkinson
• Original Assignee: Abraham L. Thomas, James O. Melton, Musser, Harry B., Thomas B. Wilkinson
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Thomas B., Melton, James O., Musser, Harry B., Thomas, Abraham L.
• Application Number:
  US04/751,613
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• US Class Current: 220/792
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00092 circular
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00296 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00509 Cup
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00537 on the outside, or a part turned to the outside of the mouth of the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00555 on both the inside and the outside
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00629 Massive bead
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00685 Totality
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/0074 Massive bead
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00796 Totality
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/0099 Integral supplemental sealing lips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/0212 only on the outside, or a part turned to the outside, of the mouth B65D43/0206 takes precedence

Abstract

A container and a closure member therefor, the outer surface of the container rim sloping outwardly and downwardly, the closure member being provided with an outer closure wall which is substantially vertical in its relaxed and undistorted state, but which, when placed upon the container, is stretched outwardly and downwardly by the outer surface of the rim whereby the outer closure wall exerts a radially inward force against the rim to improve the sealing relationship between the container and the closure member. A modified form of the invention involves a Vshaped groove in the rim and a complementary V-shaped ridge in the recess of the closure member so as to provide a wedging action when this modified closure member is placed over the modified container.

Claims

1. In combination;

a container having an opening and a resilient closure member for the container opening;

said container opening being defined by a substantially vertical and continuous sidewall and an enlarged peripheral rim at the upper end of said sidewall;

said rim having an inner surface merging with the inner surface of said sidewall;

said rim having an outer surface sloping downwardly and outwardly and terminating in a substantially horizontal lip connecting substantially at right angles to the outer surface of said sidewall of said container;

said closure member having a substantially horizontal central portion;

a first closure wall extending upwardly from and connecting at its lower end with said central portion;

a second closure wall spaced outwardly from said first closure wall and connected at its upper end with said first closure wall;

said first and second closure walls defining therebetween an inverted recess adapted to receive said container rim therein;

the inner surface of said recess defined by said first closure wall conforming in size and shape with said inner surface of said rim;

the inner surface of said recess defined by said second closure wall being substantially vertical in the relaxed and undistorted condition of said second closure wall and being spaced from the center of said closure member substantially equal to the distance from the center of said container to the upper edge of said outer surface of said rim;

the inner surface of said recess defined by said second closure wall conforming in size and shape with said outer shape of said rim in the unrelaxed and distorted condition of said second closure wall when said rim is fully received within said recess whereby said second closure wall is stretched outwardly by said rim so as to be inclined downwardly and outwardly; and

an inwardly projecting bead adjacent the lower end of said second closure wall adapted to be received directly beneath said horizontal lip when said rim is received in said recess so as to lock said closure member on said container.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said container rim is provided with a V-shaped groove at its upper edge between its inner and outer surfaces, and wherein said closure member is provided with a downwardly projecting V-shaped ridge between tHe upper ends of said first and second closure walls, whereby, when said rim is received within said recess, said ridge will be received within said groove for wedging the inner and outer surfaces of said rim against the first and second closure walls, respectively.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said container is substantially cylindrical and said closure member is substantially circular.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said container is made from high density polyethylene and said closure member is made from low density polyethylene.