Composite closure

Claim 2

A press-on, pull-off closure for maintaining a vacuum in a container whereby the closure and container provide a package which is readily opened by a consumer without the use of tools, said closure having a generally cylindrical depending skirt portion which is adapted to extend down around a neck of said container, said skirt including first detent means for releasably securing said closure to said neck, said skirt having attached thereto a lift element comprising a tab means and a hinge attaching said tab means to said skirt, said lift element being adapted for lifting of same by said consumer, for lifting said closure from said container, which closure includes vacuum release means responsive to said lifting of said lift element for breaking said vacuum within the container prior to substantial release of said first detent means from said neck.

Claim 3

The closure of claim 1 which comprises a flexible, resilient plastic fitment and a rigid, disc-shaped gasketed closure panel, wherein said fitment has a perforate end panel with said skirt depended therefrom, wherein said perforate end panel includes said lift means, wherein said tab means is releasably attached to other portions of said end panel by at least one readily frangible bridge, and wherein said closure panel is retained within said skirt adjacent said end panel by second detent means extending radially inwardly from said skirt.

Claim 4

The closure of claim 2 wherein said closure panel is shaped to include a shallow, upwardly opening, concentric depression, and wherein said fitment includes a pair of slightly elevated concentric beads respectively adjacent the radially outward and radially inward extreme of said depression, wherein said depression and said beads are cooperatively disposed as a composite stacking ring.

Claim 5

A package comprising in combination a container, and a composite closure; said container including enlarged product-enclosing portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion, the neck portion having a top seal finish, and having a continuous outwardly extending neck bead around the entire circumference thereof; said composite closure including a substantially disc-shaped rigid closure panel member, and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, said relatively rigid closure member having means for forming a compression seal adjacent to the periphery thereof by which said closure member sealingly engages said top seal finish of said neck, said rigid closure member having an outer periphery extending radially outwardly of said compression seal, said flexible outer fitment including a perforate end Panel and a skirt depending from said end panel, said skirt having pull tab means attached at one axial end thereof by a flexible hinge, said dependent skirt including an inwardly directed fitment-retaining first bead means for engaging said neck bead and for retaining said fitment on said neck, said dependent skirt also including closure panel retaining second bead means between said first bead means and said perforate end panel, said second bead means being in the form of a plurality of second lugs intermittently disposed around said neck, one of said second lugs being a hinge-lug positioned concentrically with said hinge, said first bead means being in the form of a plurality of first lugs, wherein respective first lugs are positioned spaced apart from said hinge-lug a sufficient distance whereby the skirt, in response to axially directed forces transmitted through said hinge, can flex upwardly a sufficient distance to move said hinge-lug against an opposing portion of said outer periphery and lift a portion of closure panel member from said top seal finish to break the seal before the first bead means is moved axially upwardly over said neck bead.

Claim 6

A package comprising in combination a container, and a composite closure; said container including enlarged product-enclosing portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion, the neck portion having a top seal finish, and having a continuous outwardly extending neck bead around the entire circumference thereof; said composite closure including a substantially disc-shaped rigid closure panel member, and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, said relatively rigid closure member having means for forming a compression seal adjacent to the periphery thereof by which said closure member sealingly engages said top seal finish of said neck, said rigid closure member having an outer periphery extending radially outwardly of said compression seal, said flexible outer fitment including a perforate end Panel and a skirt depending from said end panel, said skirt having pull tab means attached at one axial end thereof by a flexible hinge, said dependent skirt including an inwardly directed fitment-retaining first bead means for engaging said neck bead and for retaining said fitment on said neck, said dependent skirt also including closure panel retaining second bead means between said first bead means and said perforate end panel, said second bead means being in the form of a plurality of second lugs intermittently disposed around said neck, one of said second lugs being a hinge-lug positioned concentrically with said hinge, said first bead means being in the form of a plurality of first lugs, wherein respective first lugs are positioned spaced apart from said hinge-lug a sufficient distance whereby the skirt, in response to axially directed forces transmitted through said hinge, can flex upwardly a sufficient distance to move said hinge-lug against an opposing portion of said outer periphery and lift a portion of closure panel member from said top seal finish to break the seal before the first bead means is moved axially upwardly over said neck bead.

Claim 7

A package comprising in combination a container, and a composite closure member; said container including an enlarged product-enclosing portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion, the neck portion having a rounded end finish thereof, and having a continuous outwardly extending neck bead around the entire circumference thereof; said composite closure member having a substantially disc-shaped rigid closure panel member and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, the relatively rigid closure member having means for forming a compression seal adjacent the periphery thereof by which said closure member sealingly engages the end of said neck, said rigid closure member having an extended peripheral portion which extends radially outwardly of said compression seal; said closure panel member having a perforation passing therethrough radially inwardly of said compression seal; said flexible fitment including a perforate flexible end panel and a skirt dependent therefrom, said end panel comprising a lift element including a tab means and a hinge attaching said tab means to said skirt, said composite closure including means for hermetically sealing a portion of said lift element to said closure panel member in a zone surrounding said perforation for hermetically sealing the perforation, said fitment including at least one frangible bridge means for releasably connecting said tab means to a portion of said perforate end panel.

Claim 8

A package comprising in combination a container, and a composite closure member; said container including an enlarged product-enclosing portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion, the neck portion having a rounded end finish thereof, and having a continuous outwardly extending neck bead around the entire circumference thereof; said composite closure member having a substantially disc-shaped rigid closure panel member and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, the relatively rigid closure member having means for forming a compression seal adjacent the periphery thereof by which said closure member sealingly engages the end of said neck, said rigid closure member having an extended peripheral portion which extends radially outwardly of said compression seal; said closure panel member having a perforation passing therethrough radially inwardly of said compression seal; said flexible fitment including a perforate flexible end panel and a skirt dependent therefrom, said end panel comprising a lift element including a tab means and a hinge attaching said tab means to said skirt, said composite closure including means for hermetically sealing a portion of said lift element to said closure panel member in a zone surrounding said perforation for hermetically sealing the perforation, said fitment including at least one frangible bridge means for releasably connecting said tab means to a portion of said perforate end panel.

Claim 9

A press-on, pull-off closure for containers having a neck and continuous circumferential bead means extending radially outwardly from said neck, said closure comprising a flexible cap having a depending skirt portion which is adapted to extend down around said neck of said container, said cap having tab means attached to said skirt portion by a hinge, which skirt portion includes detent means for engaging said continuous circumferential bead means, and wherein said skirt portion is free of said detent means at both sides of said skirt portion with respect to a center line drawn through the hinge.

Claim 10

A press-on, pull-off closure for containers having a neck and continuous circumferential bead means extending radially outwardly from said neck, said closure comprising a flexible cap having a depending skirt portion which is adapted to extend down around said neck of said container, said cap having tab means attached to said skirt portion by a hinge, which skirt portion includes detent means for engaging said continuous circumferential bead means, and wherein said skirt portion is free of said detent means at both sides of said skirt portion with respect to a center line drawn through the hinge.