04/884458

02/29/1972

12/12/1969

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53/412

53/488, 53/334

B67B3/18; B67B3/00; B65B7/28

53/42,334,335,336,337,338,339,351 215/42

Mcgehee, Travis S.

What is claimed is

1. Apparatus for securing a tamperproof cap closure element to a rigid container, wherein the cap is a ductile metal having a substantially circular top for sealing the container mouth and also having an integrally formed substantially tubular skirt section depending therefrom, which skirt has a sequence of elongated peripheral slots near its lowermost portion, the slots having their end sections closely spaced and bridged by the ductile metal of the cap, and wherein the container also has a peripheral shoulder section removed from the container mouth and a ridged threaded section between the mouth and shoulder over which the tubular skirt section of the cap element is adapted to be fitted to overlap both the threaded and shoulder regions of the container, which comprises the combination of

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in addition, means to regulate the depth of the scoring produced during the inward turning of the lower section of the skirt while turning it to abut the container wall and then limiting the scoring depth on the bridge sections between the elongated slots.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising, in addition, a plurality of surface-deforming elements supported adjacent to the container and cap when the cap is positioned to cover the container mouth, and

4. The apparatus claimed in claim 3 wherein the means to maintain the cap adjacent to the container mouth includes means to apply pressure between the cap and the container and includes a plunger to create the pressure differential between the container support and the mouth-covering cap.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in addition, means to regulate the depth of he scoring produced on the bridge sections between the elongated peripheral slots.

6. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprising, in addition, means to control the inward turning of the lower end of the skirt section beneath the scoring of the bridge sections.

7. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprising, in addition, means to rotate the cap-deforming means for turning the depending skirt inwardly to abut the container surface and for scoring the bridge sections between the elongated peripheral slots, and

8. The apparatus claimed in claim 7 comprising, in addition, means to apply a high pressure differential between the container and the mouth-covering cap for holding the cap securely adjacent to the container mouth.

9. The apparatus claimed in claim 2 comprising, in addition, a cam follower means for controlling the inward turning of the lower section of the tubular skirt and the depth and scoring locations of the bridge sections between the elongated slots.

10. Apparatus for securing a tamperproof cap closure element to a rigid container, wherein the cap is a ductile metal having a substantially circular top for sealing the container mouth and also having an integrally formed substantially tubular skirt section depending therefrom, which skirt has a sequence of elongated peripheral slots near its lowermost portion, the slots having their end sections closely spaced and bridged by the ductile metal of the cap and wherein the container also has a peripheral shoulder section removed from the mouth and a ridged threaded section between the mouth and shoulder over which the tubular skirt section of the cap element is adapted to be fitted to overlap both the threaded and shoulder regions, of the container, which comprises the combination of

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 comprising, in addition, nesting means for holding all of the means for deforming the cap surface relative thereto, and

12. The apparatus claimed in claim 11 comprising, in addition, follower means adapted to be moved by the cam to force the deforming means inwardly toward the outer surface of the tubular depending cap skirt section.

13. The apparatus claimed in claim 11 comprising, in addition, a cam means positioned substantially centrally of the nesting cap surface deforming means, and

14. The apparatus claimed in claim 11 comprising, in addition, a pivoted lever element terminating at one end with the container held in a position for cap deformation to turn the lowermost portion of the depending tubular skirt section inwardly to abut the container below its shoulder region, means also activated by said lever and located at a region substantially coplanar with the elongated slotted sections and the bridging regions therebetween for scoring said bridging regions to a preselected depth, and

15. The apparatus claimed in claim 14 wherein,

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 comprising, in addition,

17. The apparatus claimed in claim 16 wherein, each of the cam follower means comprises

18. The method of securing a ductile metallic tamperproof cap closure element to the circular threaded top of a rigid container which has a top section adapted to fit over the container mouth and where the cap also has an integrally formed substantially tubular skirt section depending therefrom and having a sequence of elongated peripheral slots near its lowermost portion where the end sections of the slots are closely spaced and bridged by the ductile metal of the cap, and wherein the container to be capped also has a peripheral shoulder section removed from the mouth section and a ridged threaded section extending between the mouth and shoulder over which the tubular skirt section of the cap element is adapted to be placed to overlap both the threaded and shoulder regions of the container, which comprises the method steps of

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 comprising, in addition, the step of

20. The method of securing a tamperproof cap closure element to a rigid container, wherein the cap is a ductile metal having a substantially circular top for sealing the container mouth and also having an integrally formed substantially tubular skirt section depending therefrom, which skirt has a sequence of elongated peripheral slots near its lowermost portion, which slots have their end sections closely spaced and bridged by the ductile metal of the cap and wherein the container also has a peripheral shoulder section removed from the mouth and a ridged threaded section between the mouth and shoulder over which the tubular skirt section of the cap element is adapted to be fitted to overlap both the threaded and shoulder regions of the container, which comprises the steps of

21. The method steps as claimed in claim 20 comprising, in addition, the steps of

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to a container closure or capping device which is concerned particularly with the so-called "roll-on" type of fitting. In its essence the invention is directed to an improvement which makes the container substantially pilfer or tamper proof, while, at the same time, ensuring that the capping unit will be securely fastened over the container mouth and held to the container sidewall.

Roll-on caps for containers have been known for some time. They are usually formed of a ductile metal (preferably aluminum) which is formed with a flattened top portion and a downwardly dependent skirt of substantially peripherally tubular or outer cylindrical formation. Suitable means have been known for some time to deform the skirt section to cause it to conform to a threaded wall of the container proper. When this is done, the top is held tightly to the container while suitable ridge component shapes are formed into the ductile metal to conform it to the container thread pitch and length. This insures a reasonably tight fit being achieved between the two elements.

The container proper normally has a ridge or shoulder section generally immediately below its threaded outer portion leading to the container mouth. Particularly in the case of holding a cap securely to a container of bottlelike formation the outer end of the depending skirt is suitably forced inwardly immediately below the shoulder section.

In order that the cap may be loosened by a turning movement established by holding one of the cap or the container and turning one relative to the other it has heretofore been customary to provide in the region near the lower portion of the skirt a peripheral series of elongated slots. Between the ends of each there is a bridging section of the ductile metal of the container. In many cases it is possible to separate the cap from the container by the turning motion above described where the exerted force is sufficient to rupture the bridging sections between the slots. This permits the cap to be removed. However, no positive assurance can be had that this separation can be easily or readily achieved, surely not by one of limited strength in the hands.

The present invention, therefore, provides for scoring each of the bridge sections to a slight extent and depth such that the holding strength provided between the outer end of the cap and the inwardly turned section beneath the container shoulder is greatly reduced in the direction of twist although not in the vertical direction where the elements are under tension. By the means here to be described it is possible more easily to remove the cap from the container and yet with the cap applied to the container any force exerted directly outwardly and in other than a twisting fashion will be substantially ineffective as far as separating the cap from the container is concerned. The bridging sections however are easily ruptured or broken with a turning motion of relatively minor force while the desired effect of a secure holding of the cap to the container is attained in substantially the same fashion as if the bridging sections had not been scored. The scoring eases the turning force required for the two components to be separated.

It is important because many products are delivered to the user with such ductile forms of caps and yet it is equally important that the user be able to find access to the contents of the container with minimal trouble.

The general feature of scoring the bridge sections is achieved by a scoring component which is usually placed substantially adjacent to the component which turns the outer end of the depending skirt inwardly to contact and hold the cap to the container. The depth of the scoring must be closely regulated which is readily achieved because a rather precise regulation of the container size is always insured. Then, limiting the depth of the scoring is established in accordance with the inward motion of the component to turn or crimp the outer end of the depending skirt to the cap container. This action is adequate to so limit the depth of the scoring that even though the wall thickness of the cap is very thin the bridge sections will nevertheless remain unbroken.

with the foregoing in mind it becomes a main object of this invention to provide a capping structure for attaching in tamperproof fashing a roll-on type of cap closure to a container and yet to provide so that this cap can readily be removed. This is particularly important where the housewife is concerned because although her strength is usually limited she can open the container with ease by exerting a very minor amount of twisting torque between the container and the cap.

Another object of the invention is to provide an easily releasable and yet tamperproof cap closure element for a container which is sufficiently strong to maintain the container contents under normal conditions but still to permit the removal of the capping element with a minimum amount of hand torque to rupture the sealing element or bridging sections which join the outer section of the cap to that portion which is attached to the container beneath a positioning shoulder section.

A further object of the invention is that of providing a roll-on type of closure particularly adapted for bottles which by visual observation may reveal immediately whether or not the cap closure has been previously partially or completely removed from the bottle.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent and at once suggest themselves from a consideration of the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and considered with the claims hereinafter appended.

The invention in one preferred form is shown by the accompanying drawings herein:

FIG. 1 shows in sectional elevation one form of a device both for holding a ductile cap tightly against the mouth of a container and then forming either a previously threaded cap or one without threads which can be distorted to mesh with previously formed threads on the bottle structure of the outer end of a container and to provide for crimping or fastening the cap to the container proper at a region below its shoulder section and, while so doing, scoring selected sections of the cap between the usual elongated peripheral slots normally arranged near the outer end of the skirt section and extending slightly above the container shoulder;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view somewhat similar to FIG. 1 but showing the fastening operation in its substantially completed state, as contrasted to the separated state as shown by FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken substantially along the lines 3--3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows to show all of the thread forming, the crimping and the scoring means;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows to show the relative positioning of one form of thread forming cap fastening and cap scoring means;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the upper portion of a bottle container showing a cap attached thereto by apparatus of the type depicted by FIGS. 1-4; and

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged partial section of a portion of the periphery of the capping element to show the relative positioning of the slots and a bridge section between them with an indication of the scoring position.

Referring now to the drawings for a further understanding of the invention, and first to FIG. 1 thereof, for purposes of illustration it may be considered that the container to which the cap is to be attached is in the form of a bottle 11. There is a shoulder portion 13 toward the top of the bottle and a terminating mouth section 15. A cap section 17 is adapted to be placed over the mouth and extend downwardly over the shoulder portion. As shown by FIG. 1, this cap 17 has an upper flat section 18 which is placed in any convenient fashion to rest on the bottle mouth 15.

As the cap is placed over the bottle mouth it is formed with a downwardly extending skirt section 19 which is generally of tubular form constituting a continuation of the top member 18. This cap is generally formed of an extremely thin metal, such as thin aluminum, as illustrative, which is highly ductile and readily deformed in its shaping. The cap normally has a knurled top region 21 by which it may be grasped by the user for turning it relative to the container or bottle upon which it is mounted. Toward the lower portion of the tubular section 19, and in a region just slightly above the position of the shoulder 13 of the bottle or container it is provided with a series of elongated slots 23 which extend about the periphery and which are separated one from the other by bridging sections 24.

This form of cap is known in the art and as it is normally formed it has a series of indentations or internally extending ridges 26 formed therein. The ridges are formed to correspond to the formation of threads (not shown) on the outer end of the bottle container, which threads are arranged to extend in the region between the bottle shoulder and its mouth. As soon as the threads are formed, with the cap placed to cover the bottle section between its mouth and the shoulder it will be apparent that the cap is, in effect, so positioned that it can be tightly screwed to the bottle top.

In many instances the cap may be initially provided with preformed threads which extend between the upper knurled section 21 and the elongated slots 23 and their bridging sections 24. With this form of cap, then it is only necessary in accordance with this invention to provide for placing the prethreaded cap over the container top or mouth and then turn the cap over the container relative to each other so that the cap is essentially secured or threaded to the container top to substantially its final position. However, if the operation should be stopped at such point it would be apparent that cap removal could readily be achieved by a limited effort turning motion. There would then be lacking any means whereby the container top could be held peripherally to preclude pilfer or theft proof until a consumer desires to use them. To provide this formation, as will be explained, although this is known in the prior art, the top surface of the cap has a rather high downward pressure applied against it by means of a plunger 27 which is actuated in any desired fashion, here shown, illustratively as by a spring element 29. In this connection, of course, it should be understood that the bottom of the bottle is rested upon some suitable support element (not shown) which is held in a selected plane so that there can be the pressure applied in order to hold the cap tightly to the bottle top during the formation of the threaded sections 26. As the threads are being formed the lower portion of the skirt section 17 of the cap is being turned inwardly toward the bottle surface in the region just below the shoulder, as indicated at 30. In this way, the cap is held closely to the bottle and is removable only by a torsional twist being exerted between the bottle and the cap. With such a torsional twist the intent of the prior art has been to produce a rupture of the bridge sections 24 which exist, as above stated, between the elongated slotted regions 23.

On occasions when the bridge sections rupture readily the cap can be removed without the exercise of any substantial torsional twist, but it usually happens that this is not the case. Under such circumstances it is extremely difficult for a woman or any person not having substantial strength in the hands to open the bottle. As will herein be explained in what is to follow it is the main purpose of this invention to provide a convenient and substantially foolproof structure to ease this problem. Further than this, the present invention relieves the problem of separating the cap from the bottle by resorting to presently adopted types of cap-holding structures with modifications that represent the difference between a difficult task of opening and one which is easy enough for anyone of even limited hand strength to exercise. Further than this, the invention, as will also be seen from what is to follow, is of such a nature that any previous effort to tamper with the attached elements and thus pilfer the bottle contents will immediately be recognized and make the condition self-evident.

By existing bottle-capping structures of the prior art it has been proposed to use a nested group of rollers suitable driven to be brought to bear upon the tubular edge surface of the cap thereby to deform the thin ductile structure and cause its shape to conform to that of the bottle.

This form of the structure is one which will adapt itself readily to existing apparatus now used commercially where it has been customary to form the thread shaping into the container top. However, when one of the cap elements is prethreaded it will, of course, be unnecessary to use that part of the apparatus which conforms the depending tubular skirt section of the cap to the threads previously formed on the container or bottle.

Where the container to be capped is considered to be a bottle, and this will be referred to hereinafter because it is suitable in one preferred form of the invention, it should be understood that such bottles are formed to rigid specifications and tolerances in their fabrication so that for any given bottle size the variances between different bottles is almost infinitesimal. This simplifies the thread-forming portion of the cap to the bottle proper by turning its lower section 24 inwardly beneath the shoulder. It also aids in establishing the region to which the scoring may be applied.

For purpose of discussion, now making reference to the drawings of the apparatus herein disclosed will first be referred to in conjunction with the now existing forms of capping machines wherein the plurality of roller elements are caused to contact different regions of the bottle cap under the influence of a controlling cam. The differences between this form of apparatus, which is now usually provided to form the threads into an unthreaded cap placed on a bottle top and a component which utilizes a prethreaded cap will also be pointed out in what follows.

First of all, the bottle cap, when placed over the bottle mouth, is, as above stated, held down upon the bottle by a spring activated plunger 27. This plunger is located essentially axially of the machine and of the bottle and exerts substantial pressure on the cap held against the bottle mouth.

The plunger is contained within a tubular section 33 which is held in a fixed position relative to a spindle element 34 that continues into a top upper section 36 which may be attached to form both a drive means for rotating the assembly and at the same time to cooperate with a rotary generally over he cam section (not shown) which acts to depress the uppermost region 37 as the assembly rotation. In this respect it may be understood that the presently operating machines generally have eight or more sets of nest operating components that are turned relative to each other and which are permitted to be depressed by pressure exerted in the direction of the arrow against the upper surface 37 which has effected most of the action of the spring element 39 acting within an upper holding region 40.

With the machine turning the unillustrated cam surface is adapted progressively to depress the top section 37 and those components associated therewith for a certain preselected time period and then to release the section so that the spring 39 may raise the entire assembly relative to the cap-holding plunger and to the cam structure 41. This is achieved generally and in many units by anchoring the spring in such a position that its opposite ends are held on the top 43, of the slidable section 36 and also anchor the opposite end to the upper holding region 41.

The cam support section 41 is generally tubular and terminates at the cam surface region 43 at its upper end. This tubular section 41 then is arranged to surround a shaft or spindle 34, and to move up and down thereon depending upon the force exerted upon the spring as it is compressed and expanded to increase with the action of the well-known cam structure which comes to bear on the top surface 37. In many machines, as above noted, where eight nested elements are arranged, these sections move in a general step-by-step fashion. Then, in accordance with the stepping of the nested portions the unshown cam surface or any other means suitable for selectively depressing the surface 37 and then terminating its movement upwardly by the action of the spring, can be used.

The unit as a whole can be rotated by any suitable drive means and thereby rotate the cam element 41 and its cam surface 43. In this way, cam follower illustrations may in the form of rollers, such as 45, 46, and 47, can be utilized as driving means for suitable spindle elements such as 48, 49, and 50, for instance, as shown by FIGS. 3 and 4. Each of the spindles and the cam followers, such as 45, 46, and 47, is held on each end in a bearing structure in the general fashion illustrated for instance, at 51. The end of each bearing structure, as can be seen from FIG. 4, is spring held to bracket elements such as 55, 56, and 57, by means of spring elements 58, 59, and 60, thereby normally to turn the spindles carrying the cam follower rollers 45, 46, and 47 about a pivot point, such as point 61, to tend thereby to draw the followers inwardly toward the cam surface. This, of course, has the effect of drawing the followers away from the cap element and the container, but with a downward movement of the cam surface the cam follower rollers, such as 45, 46, and 47 contacted by the cam surface 43 turn the unit against the action of the springs. This action moves the outer bearing rollers 65, 66, and 67 inwardly toward the capping element carried upon the upper section of the bottle.

It is particularly significant as is illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2 that the follower roller 47 will make contact with the surface 43 and the cam at a time just slightly later than do follower rollers 45 and 46. This action is achieved by providing the cam follower roller 47 with a slightly inward turning on its upper surface so that the portion above its center is of a progressively decreasing radius. This, then, when contacting the cam surface 43 provides a sufficient time delay to bring the cam follower roller 47 against the cam surface 43 at a time very slightly later than that at which the rollers 45 and 46 contact this surface.

The same general effect of a delayed contact between follower 47 and the cam surface 43 can be achieved where the plane of the center of the follower roller 47 which is substantially normal to its connected spindle 70 is sightly below the similar plane of follower rollers 45 and 46.

It can be seen particularly from the showing FIG. 1 and 3, that the cap turning roller 68, is attached to the outer end of the spindle 70. Slightly above the turning roller and slightly above it at 69 there is a bridge scoring roller. These rollers 68 and 69 become active at times when the spindle 70 pivots about the point 61 due to the contact between the cam surface 43 and the follower roller 47. The roller 68 turns the lower end of the cap (see particularly numeral 30 in FIG. 5) inwardly beneath the bottle shoulder. This movement continues until the roller 68 is moved to its inwardly limiting position against the outer surface of the bottle at which time the upper scoring roller 69 has been moved to a position where it is in a scoring position the bridge sections 73 which separate adjacent slots 24 formed in the bottle cap in the region slightly above the bottle shoulder.

In all of this operation it is to be understood that the rotation of the cam surface 43 and its followers 45, 46, and 47 causes the rotation of he spindle with which each particular follower is associated. This then, as shown in FIG. 3, bring a roller, such as 65, into contact with the cap surface on the bottle. So arranged, the rollers 65 and 66 driven by such follower rollers as 45 and 46 are used to form the cap to conform by its threads 26 to those on the bottle top. These rollers become active in their operation in a time just slightly ahead of the turning end roller 68 and the scoring roller 69, as already mentioned. This is done primarily because the cap is slightly stretched when the threads are formed and it serves better to locate the position on the bridge where the score line is placed.

In cases where the cap may have been performed as far as its threaded section is concerned the latter rollers may be widened substantially and readily serve to provide a surface suitable to turn the already threaded cap down on the threads previously formed into the bottle top. The turn-in and scoring rollers 68 and 69 then become effective in the fashion already explained.

In the alternative, it may be desired in some cases to provide other means to turn the cap on the bottle cap but, as a general rule, the preferred practice is to form the threads into the depending skirt section of the cap by means of the thread forming rollers and then to provide for the scoring and turn-in operations to become effective slightly lower than the position of initiation of the thread formation.

While applicant's copending application Ser. No. 836,838, filed June 26, 1969, and entitled "Tamper-proof Cap closure" has set forth and claimed the particular form of the cap clearly, this application provides essentially, a reference to the general type of capping element heretofore claimed, although, this application sets forth only one of the particular devices by which this result is achieved.

It will be apparent from what has been said above that various modifications may be made in this specific structure heretofore recited without in any respect departing from either the spirit or the scope from this invention and its teachings.

It, therefor, should be understood that a broad interpretation is intended to be given to the teachings and the claims of this application.