Patent US4625876A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4625876A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Cap and neck structure for a wide mouth jar

Assignee: Portola Packaging Inc
•
Filing: 1985-01-09
•
Granted: 1986-12-02
•
Expires: 2005-01-09
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A cap for a wide-mouth container has a short inner skirt and a longer outer skirt. The outer skirt has upper and lower internal locking beads which are preferably interrupted with gaps between bead sections. Above the lower locking bead is a circumferential score line. A portion of the outer skirt below the score line is cut away to form a pull tab extending parallel to the score line. The cap has a peripheral flange the underside of which slants downward-inward. The container neck is thin walled, having an internal top flange terminating in a first sealing surface which bears against the top of the inner skirt, a groove below the last-mentioned surface and a second sealing surface below the groove which also bears against the inner skirt. The neck also has upper and lower external beads each having shoulders on their lower edges under which the upper and lower internal locking beads of the cap seat. The neck curves outward in a lower shoulder immediately below the bottom edge of the skirt. The cap cannot be pried off with the fingers until the user grips the tab and tears off the portion of the outer skirt below the score line.

Inventors

  • 👤 Joseph J. Bullock, III

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-23 14:41
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D43/00; B65D43/02; B65D43/0235; B65D43/0237; B65D43/0256; B65D41/00; B65D41/32; B65D41/46; B65D41/48; B65D41/485; B65D2401/00; B65D2401/15; B65D2401/25; B65D2543/00; B65D2543/00009; B65D2543/00018; B65D2543/00027; B65D2543/00064; B65D2543/00074; B65D2543/00092; B65D2543/00259; B65D2543/00296; B65D2543/00444; B65D2543/00481; B65D2543/0049; B65D2543/00518; B65D2543/00537; B65D2543/00555; B65D2543/00592; B65D2543/00601; B65D2543/00611; B65D2543/00629; B65D2543/00675; B65D2543/00685; B65D2543/00712; B65D2543/00722; B65D2543/0074; B65D2543/00787; B65D2543/00796

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim 152 words
A cap of the type having a central top disc, a thin-walled substantially cylindrical outer skirt of substantially uniform thickness depending from said disc, an upper internal circumferential bead on said outer skirt, a lower internal circumferantial bead on said outer skirt below said upper bead, a circumferential score line in said outer skirt above said lower bead, a portion of said outer skirt below said score line being cut away to form a pull tab extending in a direction parallel to said score line, whereby upon pulling said tab circumferentially, said outer skirt severs along said score line, said lower bead being removed as said tab is pulled, said portion of said outer skirt cut away comprising a straight section parallel to and immediately below said score line, the improvement which comprises a thickening along the upper edge of said tab, said thickening extending upward and merging with said lower bead.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 152 words
A cap of the type having a central top disc, a thin-walled substantially cylindrical outer skirt of substantially uniform thickness depending from said disc, an upper internal circumferential bead on said outer skirt, a lower internal circumferantial bead on said outer skirt below said upper bead, a circumferential score line in said outer skirt above said lower bead, a portion of said outer skirt below said score line being cut away to form a pull tab extending in a direction parallel to said score line, whereby upon pulling said tab circumferentially, said outer skirt severs along said score line, said lower bead being removed as said tab is pulled, said portion of said outer skirt cut away comprising a straight section parallel to and immediately below said score line, the improvement which comprises a thickening along the upper edge of said tab, said thickening extending upward and merging with said lower bead.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 18 words
A cap according to claim 1 which further comprises at least one gripping tip formed on said tab.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 24 words
A cap according to claim 1 which further comprises a short inner skirt depending from said top disc spaced inward from said outer skirt.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 120 words
In combination, a cap according to claim 3 and a container for said cap having a neck and having an inturned top flange, said flange terminating in an internal smooth first sealing surface bearing against the top of said inner skirt, a groove below said first sealing surface, an internal, smooth second vertical sealing surface below said groove, said second sealing surface bearing against said inner skirt, a first external neck bead, a second external neck bead spaced down from said first external neck bead, said external neck beads each having shoulders on their lower edges, said upper and lower internal beads of said cap locking under the shoulders of said first and second external beads of said neck, respectively.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 35 words
The combination of claim 4 in which at least one of said internal beads of said cap is interrupted in a series of gaps spaced around the circumference of said outer skirt forming bead sections.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 124 words
In combination, a cap according to claim 3 and a container for said cap having a neck and having an inturned top flange with a upward-inward slanted lip, said flange terminating in an internal smooth first sealing surface bearing against the top of said inner skirt, a groove below said first sealing surface, an internal, smooth second vertical sealing surface below said groove, said second surface bearing against said inner skirt, a first internal neck bead, a second external neck bead spaced down from said first external neck bead, said external neck beads each having shoulders on their lower edges, said upper and lower internal beads of said cap locking under the shoulders of said first and second external beads of said neck, rerespectively.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 20 words
A cap according to claim 1 in which said top disc has a peripheral flange extending beyond said outer skirt.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 40 words
A cap according to claim 1 in which said top disc has a peripheral flange extending beyond said outer skirt, said flange being rectangular in cross section and joining the outer wall of said outer skirt in a sharp corner.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 37 words
A cap according to claim 1 which further comprises a stacking ring above said top disc having a vertical outer edge of a diameter about that of the inside diameter of the bottom of said outer skirt.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 29 words
A cap according to claim 1 which further comprises a frangible horizontally-extending link joining the outer end of said tab and the adjacent cut away edge of said skirt.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 50 words
A cap according to claim 1 in which said lower bead is formed with bead sections with gaps spaced between said bead sections and in which said thickening along the upper edge of said tab extends upward and merging with the nearest of said bead sections of said lower bead.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 82 words
A cap according to claim 1 in which said portion of said skirt cut away further comprises an arcuate section of about 180° extending from said straight section down to the lower edge of the outer skirt, and the lower edge of said tab being cut away at a level above the lower edge of said skirt immediately thereabove, said arcuate section being interrupted by a horizontally-extending link joining an end of said tab and the adjacent cut-away edge of said skirt.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 199 words
A cap of the type having a central top disc, a thin-walled substantially cylindrical outer skirt of substantially uniform thickness depending from said disc, an upper internal circumferential bead on said outer skirt, a lower internal circumferential bead on said outer skirt below said upper bead, a circumferential scoreline in said outer skirt above said lower bead, a portion of said outer skirt below said scoreline being cut away to form a pull tab extending in a direction parallel to said score line, whereby upon pulling said tab circumferentially, said outer skirt severs along said score line, said lower bead being removed as said tab is pulled, said portion of said outer skirt cut away comprising a straight section parallel to and immediately below said score line, the improvement which comprises said tab being formed by a hoizontal upper cut-away portion of said skirt immediately below said score line, an arcuate section of about 180° and a lower horizontal cut away portion above the level of the lower edge of said skirt immediately thereabove, said arcuate section being interrupted by a frangible horizontally-extending link joining the outer end of said tab and the adjacent cut-away edge of said skirt.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 199 words
A cap of the type having a central top disc, a thin-walled substantially cylindrical outer skirt of substantially uniform thickness depending from said disc, an upper internal circumferential bead on said outer skirt, a lower internal circumferential bead on said outer skirt below said upper bead, a circumferential scoreline in said outer skirt above said lower bead, a portion of said outer skirt below said scoreline being cut away to form a pull tab extending in a direction parallel to said score line, whereby upon pulling said tab circumferentially, said outer skirt severs along said score line, said lower bead being removed as said tab is pulled, said portion of said outer skirt cut away comprising a straight section parallel to and immediately below said score line, the improvement which comprises said tab being formed by a hoizontal upper cut-away portion of said skirt immediately below said score line, an arcuate section of about 180° and a lower horizontal cut away portion above the level of the lower edge of said skirt immediately thereabove, said arcuate section being interrupted by a frangible horizontally-extending link joining the outer end of said tab and the adjacent cut-away edge of said skirt.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US1793636A Cited
FR567070A Cited
GB798284A Cited
GB1168550A Cited
GB1385034A Cited
US4127209A Cited
US3885695A Cited
US4037746A Cited
US4166552A Cited
US4281774A Cited
US4438857A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1989-12-01 1990-06-02 1990-12-02 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1993-12-01 1994-06-02 1994-12-02 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1997-12-01 1998-06-02 1998-12-02 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag