Snap-on, screw-off cap with tamper-evidencing skirt and container neck

• US 5,975,321 A
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Portola Packaging Incorporated (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Portola Packaging Incorporated (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Luch, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K.
• Application Number:
  US09/071,625
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 215/252, 215/254, 215/256, 215/253, 215/318, 215/329, 215/330, 215/354, 215/356, 215/357, 215/341, 215/307, 215/320, 220/296, 220/361, 220/366, 220/203.01, 220/208
• US Class Current: 215/256
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/023 Neck construction
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0015 of the 41-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0093 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2401/15 Tearable part of the closure B65D2401/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2401/25 Non-metallic tear-off strips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2401/35 Vertical or axial lines of weakness
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2501/0081 Bottles of non-circular cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2577/205 integral with the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/0421 and combined with integral sealing means contacting other surfaces of a container neck
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/0471 with means for positioning the cap on the container, or for limiting the movement of the cap, or for preventing accidental loosening of the cap
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/17 push-on and twist-off
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/34 Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/3404 with ratchet-and-pawl mechanism between the container and the closure skirt or the tamper element
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/3409 the tamper element being integrally connected to the closure by means of bridges

Abstract

A tamper-evidencing, snap-on, screw-off closure is used with a specially shaped container neck. The neck has a neck stretch with multiple neck threads and a locking wall below the neck stretch with a plurality of external teeth. The closure has an upper skirt with multiple closure threads which mate with the neck threads and a tamper-evidencing band with a plurality of internal teeth shaped and positioned to engage the external teeth. The teeth are shaped to guide the teeth into side-by-side interengage during axial application of the cap to the neck.

Claims

1. In combination, a container having a neck and a container closure,

said neck having an upper opening, a lip surrounding said opening, a downward extending neck stretch below said lip, said neck stretch having an exterior, multiple neck helical engagement means on said exterior of said neck stretch, a locking wall below said neck stretch, and a plurality of external teeth on said locking wall,

said closure having a top, a downward extending upper skirt depending from said top adapted to fit over said neck stretch, said upper skirt having an interior, multiple closure helical engagement means on said interior of said upper skirt shaped to engage said neck helical engagement means, a tamper-evidencing band frangibly attached to said upper skirt, a plurality of internal teeth on said tamper-evidencing band interengaging said external teeth to prevent unscrewing of said closure from said neck so long as said tamper-evidencing band is intact,

said neck and closure helical engagement means being shaped and said closure being resilient so that upon application of force to accomplish direct, axial movement of said closure relative to said container without externally imposed relative rotation of said closure and said neck, said neck and closure helical engagement means slip past each other and then interengage and said closure seats on said neck so that said closure cannot be removed from said neck without unscrewing said closure,

said external teeth having a bevel slanted downwardly and outwardly from said locking wall, said bevel guiding said internal teeth and said external teeth into side-by-side interengagement upon contact between at least one of said internal teeth and said bevel of at least one of said external teeth during said direct, axial movement of said closure relative to said neck.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said external teeth having a working surface engaging one of said internal teeth and a trailing surface joined to said working surface.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said internal teeth having a working surface engaging one of said external teeth and a trailing surface joined to said working surface.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said internal teeth have an inclined surface for guiding said teeth into side-by-side interengagement upon contact between said inclined surface of at least one of said internal teeth and at least one of said external teeth.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which said closure and neck helical engagement means are screw threads, said closure and neck helical engagement means each having a linear thread density of at least twelve threads per inch.

6. The combination of claim 1 in which said closure includes a tab joined to said tamper-evidencing band for at least partially separating said tamper-evidencing band from said upper skirt.

7. The combination of claim 6 in which said tamper-evidencing band includes a line of weakness extending through said tamper-evidencing band vicinal said tab for splitting said tamper-evidencing band during removal of said tamper-evidencing band from said upper skirt.

8. A container having a neck for use with a container closure of the type having a top, a downward extending upper skirt depending from said top, said upper skirt having an interior, multiple closure helical engagement means formed around said interior of said upper skirt, a tamper-evidencing band frangibly attached to said upper skirt, and a plurality of internal teeth on said tamper-evidencing band,

said neck having an upper opening, a downward extending neck stretch below said opening, said neck stretch having an exterior, multiple neck helical engagement means formed around said exterior of said neck stretch shaped to mate with the closure helical engagement means, a locking wall below said neck stretch, and a plurality of external teeth on said locking wall shaped to engage the internal teeth to resist unscrewing of the cap from said neck after the closure is applied to said neck,

said neck helical engagement means being shaped to slip over the closure helical engagement means when the closure is applied to said neck so that, upon application of force to accomplish direct, axial movement of the closure relative to said container without externally imposed relative rotation of said neck and the closure, said neck helical engagement means and the closure helical engagement means slip past one another and interengage and the closure seats on said neck so that the closure cannot be removed from said neck without unscrewing the closure,

said external teeth having a bevel slanted downwardly and outwardly from said locking wall, said bevel guiding said internal teeth and said external teeth into side-by-side interengagement upon contact between at least one of said internal teeth and said bevel of at least one of said external teeth during said direct, axial movement of said closure relative to said neck.

9. The container of claim 8 in which said external teeth having a working surface engaging one of said internal teeth and a trailing surface joined to said working surface.

10. The container of claim 8 in which said neck helical engagement means are screw threads, said neck helical engagement means having a linear thread density of at least twelve threads per inch.

11. In combination, a container having a neck and a container closure,

said neck having an upper opening, a lip surrounding said opening, a downward extending neck stretch below said lip, a plurality of external threads on said neck stretch, a locking wall below said neck stretch, and a plurality of external teeth on said locking wall,

said closure having a top, an upper skirt depending from said top adapted to fit over said neck stretch, a plurality of internal threads on said upper skirt shaped to engage said external threads, a tamper-evidencing band frangibly attached to said upper skirt, a plurality of internal teeth on said tamper-evidencing band interengaging said external teeth to prevent unscrewing of said closure from said neck so long as said tamper-evidencing band is intact,

said internal and external threads being shaped and said closure being resilient so that upon application of force to accomplish direct, axial movement of said closure relative to said container without externally imposed relative rotation of said closure and said neck, said internal and external threads slip past each other and then interengage and said closure seats on said neck so that said closure cannot be removed from said neck without unscrewing said closure,

said external teeth having a bevel slanted downwardly and outwardly from said locking wall, said bevel guiding said internal teeth and said external teeth into side-by-side interengagement upon contact between at least one of said internal teeth and said bevel of at least one of said external teeth during said direct, axial movement of said closure relative to said neck.

12. The combination of claim 11 in which said external teeth having a working surface engaging one of said internal teeth and a trailing surface joined to said working surface.

13. The combination of claim 11 in which said internal teeth having a working surface engaging one of said external teeth and a trailing surface joined to said working surface.

14. The combination of claim 11 in which said internal teeth have an inclined surface for guiding said teeth into side-by-side interengagement upon contact between said inclined surface of at least one of said internal teeth and at least one of said external teeth.

15. The combination of claim 11 in which said closure threads and said neck threads each have a linear thread density of at least twelve threads per inch.

16. The combination of claim 11 in which said closure includes a tab joined to said tamper-evidencing band for at least partially separating said tamper-evidencing band from said upper skirt.

17. The combination of claim 16 in which said tamper-evidencing band includes a line of weakness extending through said tamper-evidencing band vicinal said tab for splitting said tamper-evidencing band during removal of said tamper-evidencing band from said upper skirt.