Method of making and applying a tear-off cap closure

• US 3,921,366 A
• Filed: 12/17/1974
• Issued: 11/25/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Coop
• Original Assignee: Jack A. Coop
• Inventors: Coop, Jack A.
• Primary Examiner(s): McGehee, Travis S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Culver, Horace M.
• Application Number:
  US05/533,612
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 53/14,15,16,17,41,42,133,334 113/121R,121A 215/253,254
• US Class Current: 53/420
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/44 made of metallic foil or like thin flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/18 characterised by being rotatable, e.g. for forming screw threads in situ

Abstract

A tear-off cap closure for a container including a cap body having a cap top and an integral skirted cap wall. The cap wall depends from the periphery of the cap top for attachment to the container, and terminates in a peripherally extending bead. A deformable bridge portion integrally connects a minor portion of the bead with the cap body. A saver line extends around the cap wall from one side of the bridge portion to the opposite side of the bridge portion to enable severing of a major portion of the bead from the cap wall during application of the cap closure to the container and forms a pull-ring for pulling the cap from the container when access to the contents of the container is desired.

Claims

1. A method of securing a tear-off cap closure on a container which is open at the top and has a finish adjacent the opening comprising, forming a cap body with a cap top and a skirted cap wall and with a peripheral bead at the terminal edge of the cap wall, placing the cap body over the top of the container, deforming the skirted cap wall inwardly against the finish of the container, simultaneously forming a pull-ring by severing a portion of the bead from the cap body while leaving another portion intact to form a bridge portion.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, including weakening the material of said cap body along the line adjacent to said bead, forming said pull-ring by rupturing the cap body material along said weakened line.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, including weakening the cap body material between said bead and said cap wall along the line extending from one side of said bridge portion and terminating adjacent the other side of said bridge portion.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, including forming the weakened line by making spaced slits in the cap body material.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, including forming spaced weakened lines from said bridge portion along said cap wall and along said cap top.

6. A method of securing a tear-off cap closure on a container of the type which is open at the top and has a peripheral finish adjacent the open top comprising, providing a cap body with a cap top, a skirted cap wall mAde integral with said cap top and a peripheral bead at the terminal edge of said cap wall, weakening the material around a major portion of the periphery of said cap wall to provide a bridge portion to be formed by a remaining minor portion of said cap wall, placing said cap body over the open top of the container, and deforming said cap wall inwardly against the container finish and substantially simultaneously severing said cap wall along said weakened portion to separate said bead from the said cap wall so that said bridge portion remains intact to form a pull-ring for removing said cap body from said container.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said weakening includes, weakening the material of said cap body, additionally, along spaced, laterally-extending lines which extend from the opposite sides of said bridge portion, upwardly along said cap wall and transversely of said cap top to provide an opening to enable access to the interior of the container and a tab for removal of the cap body from the container upon severing of said cap body material along said laterally extending lines by pulling on said pull-ring.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6, including providing said weakening by scoring the material of said cap wall continuously from one side of said bridge portion to the other side thereof.

9. A method in accordance with claim 6, including providing said weakening by severing the material of said cap wall intermittently along a line from one side of said bridge portion to the other side thereof.

10. A method in accordance with claim 6, including placing said cap body over the open top of said container with said bead disposed below said finish, and deforming said cap wall inwardly against the side of said container to position said bead in engaged relation under said finish.

11. A method in accordance with claim 6, including deforming said cap wall by applying roll means to the exterior thereof, and rotating said roll member means about said container when deforming said cap wall.

12. A method in accordance with claim 8, including scoring said material to a depth of at least one-half of the material thickness.

13. A method in accordance with claim 7, including forming said laterally extending weakened lines so that they diverge outwardly from one another in a direction away from said bridge portion so that said tab is widest at its juncture with the cap top.

14. A method of securing a tear-off cap closure on an open-top container having a finish with an annular, outwardly extending rim adjacent the open top comprising, forming a cap body with a cap top, a skirted cap wall and a peripheral bead disposed adjacent the terminal edge of said cap wall remote from said cap top, forming a sever line around a major portion of the periphery of said cap wall adjacent said bead to form a bridge portion between the terminal ends of said sever line so that said bead may be maintained in connected relationship to said cap body upon severing of said cap body material along said sever line to form a pull-ring, forming spaced, laterally-extending sever line extensions, each of which extends from a respective terminal end of said first mentioned sever line upwardly along said cap wall and transversely of said cap top, placing said cap body over the open top of the container, and deforming said cap wall inwardly against the container and positioning said bead under said rim, and substantially simultaneously severing said bead from said cap wall along said sever line so that a minor portion of said cap wall will remain intact forming said bridge portion between the bead and the remaining material of said cap body to form said pull-ring whereby upon continued pulling of the pull-ring, the cap body material is adapted to be severed along said sever line extensions to form an opening to enable access to the interior of said container and to form a tab for remoVing said cap closure from said container.