Bottle cap

• US 5,090,582 A
• Filed: 10/16/1990
• Issued: 02/25/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baxter International Inc., Poly-Seal Corporation (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Podsiadlik, Frank M., Art, Gregory R., Lackland, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRONIN, STEPHEN K
• Application Number:
  US07/598,316
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 215/228, 215/250, 215/295, 215/226, 215/302, 215/303, 215/257, 220/212, 220/258, 220/265, 220/277, 220/278, 220/267
• US Class Current: 215/250
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0015 of the 41-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0093 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/225 and further comprising a device first inhibiting displacement of the outer closure B65D51/223 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/089 Annular tamper band connected to the closure, but not coacting with the container for preventing initial downward motion, e.g. on two-parts child-proof closures B65D41/32 takes precedence

Abstract

A bottle cap having a cutting means located inside the cap for selectively opening a sealed bottle is described. The cap can be rotated in either direction over the seal to cause the seal to be punctured and to cause a "C"-shaped cut in the seal. In the preferred embodiment, the center of the "C"-shaped cut portion of the seal is dragged away from the center of the mouth of the bottle, and a portion of the linear remains uncut as the cap is rotated to prevent the liner from dropping down into the bottle.

Claims

1. A bottle cap for opening a bottle having a mouth having an edge which is sealed with a liner, comprising:

a cylinder having an inner surface;

a partition dividing said cylinder into an upper and lower section said partition having an upper and lower surface;

threaded means for securing said cap to said threaded bottle, said threaded means being located on said inner surface of said cylinder on said lower section;

puncture means for circumferentially puncturing a "C"-shaped portion of the liner and causing the C-shaped portion of the liner to be pulled toward said edge of the mouth as said upper section of said cap is rotated over the mouth, said puncture means being located on said upper surface of said partition,

ramp means for contacting the threads as said upper section of said cap is rotated over the mouth to cause said puncture means to refrain from puncturing a portion of the circumference of the liner wherein said ramp means includes

a first protrusion extending outwardly from said inner surface of said cylinder onto said upper surface of said partition wherein said first protrusion includes;

a first wall parallel to said inner surface of said cylinder; and

second and third walls extending from said inner surface to said first wall, said second and third walls having an angle with respect to one another,

a fourth wall extending along an edge of said first wall that is parallel to said upper surface, said fourth wall extending from said first wall to said inner surface of said cylinder, and

wherein said puncture means further includes

a second protrusion extending outwardly from said upper surface of said partition.

2. A bottle cap as recited in claim 1 wherein said fourth wall extends at a thread angle with respect to said partition, said thread angle being generally equal to an angle on the threads of the bottle.

3. A bottle cap as recited in claim 2 wherein said second protrusion further includes:

a puncture point for initially puncturing the liner; and

a cutting surface for cutting the liner as said cap is rotated about the mouth.

4. A bottle cap as recited in claim 3 wherein said fourth wall is at a greater height than the height of said cutting surface with respect to said partition to cause said cutting surface to disengage from a circumferential portion of the liner as said upper portion of said cap is rotated over the liner.

5. A bottle cap as recited in claim 4 wherein said second protrusion is cone shaped.

6. A bottle cap as recited in claim 5 wherein said second protrusion is diamond shaped.

7. A material containment system, comprising:

a bottle having an orifice, said bottle also having a neck having threads disposed about said orifice;

a liner sealing said orifice; and

a cap having a cylinder having an inner surface, said cap also having a partition dividing said cylinder into upper and lower sections, said partition having upper and lower surfaces, said cap also having a puncture means for circumferentially puncturing said liner, said cap also having ramp means for contacting said threads to cause said puncture means to disengage from a circumferential portion of said liner when said upper section of said cap is rotated over said orifice, said ramp means includes;

a first protrusion which extends outwardly from said inner surface of said cylinder onto said upper surface of said partition, said first protrusion including

a first wall parallel to said inner surface of said cylinder,

second and third walls extending from said inner surface to said first wall, said second and third walls having an angle with respect to one another,

a fourth wall extending along an edge of said first wall that is parallel to said upper surface, said fourth wall extending at a thread angle with respect to said partition, said thread angle being generally equal to an angle on said threads of said bottle; and

said puncture means includes

a second protrusion extending outwardly from said upper surface of said partition, said second protrusion including a puncture point for initially contacting and puncturing said liner, said puncture point having a height less than the height of said fourth wall with respect to said partition to cause said cutting surface to disengage from a circumferential portion of said liner as said upper portion of said cap is rotated over said liner.

8. A method of puncturing a liner of an orifice of a bottle having threads with a cap having a cylinder having an inner surface, the cap having a partition dividing the cylinder into upper and lower sections the partition having an upper

and lower surface, the cap also having threaded means for securing the cap to the bottle, the threaded means being located on the inner surface of the cylinder on the lower section, the cap also having a puncture means for circumferentially puncturing the liner as the upper section of the cap is rotated over the orifice, the puncture means being located on the upper surface of the partition, the cap also having a ramp means for contacting the threads as the upper section of the cap is rotated over the orifice to cause the puncture means to refrain from puncturing a portion of the circumference of the liner, comprising the steps of:

first, forcing said puncture means into said liner; and

second, rotating said cap in either direction over said liner to cause said ramp means to ride along an uppermost thread of said bottle to cause said puncture means to circumferentially puncture a portion of said liner.