Tearable plastic cap for threaded and unthreaded water bottles

Claim 1

A cap for use with either of two types of rigid container necks, said first type of neck having an annular finish at the upper end of said first type neck, an upper external first bead below said finish having a substantially circular arcuate upper corner curving downwardly-outwardly below said finish and a downward tapering lower curvature ending in a first minimum diameter portion below said first bead, and a second bead below said first minimum diameter portion; said second type of neck having a short, cylindrical upper terminal portion formed with external screw threads, an upper external third bead below said terminal portion having a maximum diameter greater than that of said threads and shaped congruent to said first bead, a second minimum diameter portion of the same diameter as said first minimum diameter portion below said third bead and a fourth bead below said second minimum diameter portion; said cap being formed of a flexible plastic material which is deformable to accommodate minor variations in container neck dimensions and also to permit said cap to stretch over said first or third beads, said cap comprising a flat top disc having a diameter about equal to that of said threads, an upper cylindrical skirt depending from the periphery of said disc having an inside diameter to fit tightly over said screw threads, having a length equal to that of said terminal portion and having an outwardly-downwardly curved juncture shaped to fit tightly against said upper corner of first bead or of said third bEad, an external fifth bead below said upper skirt complementary to and tightly engaging either said first or third bead down to the upper end of said lower curvature thereof, a plurality of thin, shallow, flexible internal rings on said lower curvature of said fifth bead positioned and shaped to grip said lower curvature of either said first or third beads, said fifth bead shaped and positioned to fit tightly around said first or third beads, and an imperforate vertical second skirt below said fifth bead having a diameter less than said first and second beads of said neck, said skirt being weakened in a first score line slanting upwardly from the bottom edge of said skirt and merging into a second score line horizontal and below said external fifth bead, said second score line having an arcuate length less than 180*, a thickened gusset below said fifth bead, said second score line terminating at said gusset, a third score line extending upward from said second score line alongside said gusset up into the middle of said fifth bead, said second skirt being tearable along said first, second and third score lines, said cap in intact condition on said necks sealing said necks against either input or output of liquid, said cap when torn along said first, second and third score lines permitting removal of said cap from either of said necks.