Cap device for mouthpiece of container and methods of sealing mouthpiece portion of container and opening the same

• US 5,145,083 A
• Filed: 08/27/1990
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kirin Beverage Corporation (Kirin Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kirin Beer Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRONIN, STEPHEN K
• Application Number:
  US07/573,625
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 220/203, 220/206, 220/209, 220/359, 220/361, 220/450, 220/453, 220/461, 220/468, 220/DIG. 32, 220/DIG. 33, 220/258, 215/347, 215/349, 215/232, 215/260, 222/105, 222/183, 222/494, 222/496, 222/501, 222/509, 137/614.2, 251/149.6
• US Class Current: 220/203.24
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/2878 by heat-sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0015 of the 41-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0093 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/20 comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge closures with liquid-dispensing taps or cocks B67D3/04
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/20 Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing B65D51/185 takes precedence; co-operating with an auxiliary container for additional articles or materials B65D51/28
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/38 Articles or materials enclosed in two or more wrappers disposed one inside the other for shock absorbing purposes B65D81/03; for thermal insulating purposes B65D81/3893
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5877 connected to a planar surface of the package wall
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0462 Squeezing collapsible or flexible beverage containers, e.g. bag-in-box containers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/88054 Direct response normally closed valve limits direction of flow

Abstract

A cap device to be mounted to a mouthpiece of a container, in one aspect, comprises a cap member provided with an inner hollow portion and a film member accommodated in the inner hollow portion. The film member has a laminated structure composed of at least one metal including layer and a fusing layer abutting against an open end face of the mouthpiece mounted to the container. The cap device mounted to the mouthpiece is sealed by heating the film member by the high frequency induction heating treatment to fuse the fusing layer at the open end face of the mouthpiece. After the sealing, the cap device is removed and a connector means is connected to the mouthpiece and a pressure is applied to break the film member to establish the communication between an interior of the container and a connection line. In another aspect, a cap device comprises a connecting portion connected to the mouthpiece having an inner hollow portion and a coupling projecting portion having an inner through hole in which a movable valve member is disposed to be axially slidable. The interiors of the container, the connecting portion, the projecting portion and the outer connection line are communicated with each other through the movement of the movable valve member.

Claims

1. A cap device to be mounted to a mouthpiece of a container, comprising:

a connecting portion to be connected to the mouthpiece of the container, said connecting portion being provided with an inner hollow portion;

a coupling projecting portion formed integrally with said connecting portion and adapted to be connected to an external connection line, said coupling projecting portion being provided with an axial through hole in communication with the inner hollow portion of said connecting portion; and

a movable valve means disposed in said axial through hole to be axially movable,

said movable valve means having a first seal member for sealing one end of the axial through hole of said coupling projecting portion, a second seal member for sealing the other end of the axial through hole and a coil spring disposed between said first and second seal members for outwardly urging said first and second seal members, wherein the first seal member and the second seal member are movable in an inward direction of the axial through hole, respectively, when the first seal member and the second seal member receive an external force larger than a force of the coil spring, respectively.

2. A cap device according to claim 1, wherein the axial through hole of said coupling projecting portion is provided with axial one and other end portions stepped inwardly and wherein said first seal member is provided with a sealing portion abutting against the stepped one end portion of the through hole and a base portion having a projection axially projected in the through hole, said second seal member is provided with a sealing portion abutting against the other stepped end portion of the through hole and a base portion having an inner hollow portion and at least a pair of guide portions projected outwardly from the periphery of the base portion, said projection of the base portion of said first seal member is slidably engaged with said inner hollow portion of the base portion of said second seal member so as to be axially slidable, and said pair of guide portions are slidably engaged with an inside wall of the axial through hole of said coupling projecting portion so as to be axially slidable therein.

3. A cap device according to claim 1, wherein a ring-shaped engaging portion is formed on the inside wall of the through hole so as to engage with the pair of guide portions of said second seal member.

4. A cap device to be mounted to a mouthpiece of a container, comprising:

a connecting portion provided with an inner hollow portion to be connected to the mouthpiece of the container;

a coupling projecting portion integrally connected to said connecting portion and adapted to be connected to an external connection line, said coupling projecting portion being provided with an inner axial through hole in communication with the inner hollow portion of said connecting portion;

a film member accommodated in the inner hollow portion of said connecting portion; and

a movable valve means accommodated in the through hole of said coupling projecting portion to be axially moveable,

said film member having a layered structure composed of two fusing layers constituting inner and outer layers of the film member and at least one metal including layer disposed between said two fusing layers.

5. A cap device according to claim 4, wherein said connecting portion is provided with a projection formed on an inner surface thereof and projecting inwardly of the inner hollow portion for temporarily supporting said film member to prevent the film member from falling therefrom.

6. A cap device according to claim 5, wherein a narrowest inner diameter of said projection is smaller than an outer diameter of said film member.

7. A cap device according to claim 5, wherein said film member is provided with a flat surface portion and a linear recess is formed in at least a part of the flat surface portion.

8. A cap device according to claim 4, wherein said movable valve means comprises a first seal member for sealing one end of the through hole of said coupling projecting portion, a second seal member for sealing the other end of the through hole and an elastic means disposed between said first and second seal members for outwardly urging said first and second seal members.

9. A cap device according to claim 8, wherein the through hole of said coupling projecting portion is provided with axial one and other end portions stepped inwardly, said first seal member being provided with a sealing portion abutting against the stepped one end portion of the through hole and a base portion having a projection, said second seal member being provided with a sealing portion abutting against the other stepped end portion of the through hole and a base portion having an inner hollow portion, said projection of the base portion of said first seal member being slidably engaged with said inner hollow portion of the base portion of said second seal member so as to be axially slidable.

10. A cap device according to claim 8, wherein said elastic means is a coil spring disposed between the sealing portions of said first and second seal members.