← Back to Patent Explorer
US4738370A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Threaded thermoplastic closure with vent slot

Assignee: Alcoa Corp
•
Filing: 1987-01-12
•
Granted: 1988-04-19
•
Expires: 2007-01-12
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A male core designed to be mateable with a female mold for forming vent slots in a thermoplastic closure. The male core comprises a cylindrical member having an end surface which forms an underside top surface and an inside surface of a downwardly depending skirt on the closure. A helical groove is formed about the periphery of the cylindrical member which forms a thread on the inside surface of the skirt. At least one integral rib is formed in the cylindrical member which is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the closure. The rib forms a vent slot in the closure which traverses the thread. Convoluted surfaces are formed on the cylindrical member which extend from each side surface of the rib to the bottom of adjacent helical grooves. The convoluted surfaces provide smooth radii on the ends of the threads adjacent to the vent slot which facilitate axial stripping of the closure from the male core without deforming the threads into the vent slot. This enhances the passage of pressurized gas through the vent slot to the atmosphere as the closure is removed from a container.

Inventors

  • 👤 Hugh C. Urmston
  • 👤 Elmer E. Pohlenz

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-05 18:04
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D51/00; B65D51/16; B65D51/1672; B65D51/1688; B29; B29C; B29C33/00; B29C33/76; B29C37/00; B29C37/0003; B29C37/0014; B65D41/00; B65D41/32; B65D41/34; B65D41/3461; B65D41/3466; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/56; B29L2031/565

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim 193 words
A thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a circular top wall; (b) an annular skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said closure to achieve said fitment; (c) a sealing system positioned above said closure thread for effecting a gas-tight seal between said closure and said container; (d) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width no greater than 0.250 inches; and (e) sperical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot, said surfaces lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure whereby said surfaces permit said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot thereby allowing for the passage of pressuried gas through said vent slot to the atmosphere as said closure is removed from a container.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 193 words
A thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a circular top wall; (b) an annular skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said closure to achieve said fitment; (c) a sealing system positioned above said closure thread for effecting a gas-tight seal between said closure and said container; (d) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width no greater than 0.250 inches; and (e) sperical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot, said surfaces lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure whereby said surfaces permit said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot thereby allowing for the passage of pressuried gas through said vent slot to the atmosphere as said closure is removed from a container.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 130 words
A closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a top wall; (b) a skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread coperating with said threded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width no greater than 0.250 inches; and (d) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot which permit said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 130 words
A closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a top wall; (b) a skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread coperating with said threded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width no greater than 0.250 inches; and (d) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot which permit said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 14 words
The closure of claim 2 wherein said closure is made from a thermoplastic material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 11 words
The closure of claim 3 wherein said thermoplastic material is polypropylene.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 11 words
The closure of claim 3 wherein said thermoplastic material is polyethylene.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 22 words
The closure of claim 2 wherein said spherical surfaces lie in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 13 words
The closure of claim 2 wherein said spherical surfaces have a convex configuration.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 181 words
A closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a top wall; (b) a skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) sealing means for effecting a gas-tight seal between said closure and said container; (d) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width no greater than 0.250 inches; and (e) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot and lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure, said surfaces permitting said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot thereby facilitating the passage of pressurized gas through said vent slot to the atmosphere as said closure is removed from said container.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 181 words
A closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a top wall; (b) a skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) sealing means for effecting a gas-tight seal between said closure and said container; (d) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width no greater than 0.250 inches; and (e) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot and lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure, said surfaces permitting said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot thereby facilitating the passage of pressurized gas through said vent slot to the atmosphere as said closure is removed from said container.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 17 words
The closure of claim 8 wherein said sealing means is a liner positioned above said closure thread.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 14 words
The closure of claim 8 wherein said closure is made from a thermoplastic material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 11 words
The closure of claim 10 wherein said thermoplastic material is polypropylene.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 11 words
The closure of claim 10 wherein said thermoplastic material is polyethylene.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 148 words
A thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a circular top wall; (b) an annular skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width between 0.020 and 0.250 inches; and (d) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot and lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure, said surfaces permitting said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 148 words
A thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a circular top wall; (b) an annular skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width between 0.020 and 0.250 inches; and (d) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot and lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure, said surfaces permitting said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 189 words
A thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a circular top wall; (b) an annular skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) a liner positioned above said closure thread for effecting a gas-tight seal between said closure and said container; (d) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width between 0.020 and 0.250 inches; and (e) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot and lying in a plane approdximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure, said surfaces permitting said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot thereby facilitating the passage of pressurized gas through said vent slot to the atmosphere as said closure is removed from said container.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 189 words
A thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container having a threaded neck terminating in a lip which defines an open mouth, said closure comprising: (a) a circular top wall; (b) an annular skirt downwardly depending from said top wall having a closure thread formed about an inside surface thereof, said thread cooperating with said threaded neck of said container to achieve said fitment; (c) a liner positioned above said closure thread for effecting a gas-tight seal between said closure and said container; (d) at least one narrow vent slot formed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said closure which traverses said closure thread, said vent slot having a width between 0.020 and 0.250 inches; and (e) spherical surfaces formed on the ends of said closure thread adjacent to said vent slot and lying in a plane approdximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said closure, said surfaces permitting said closure to be axially stripped from a male core without deforming said closure thread into said vent slot thereby facilitating the passage of pressurized gas through said vent slot to the atmosphere as said closure is removed from said container.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US613371A Cited
DE886861C Cited
US3556334A Cited
US4007848A Cited
US4007851A Cited
EP0009854A1 Cited
US4206852A Cited
US4369889A Cited
US4427126A Cited
US4427126B1 Cited
US4392055A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1991-04-19 1991-10-19 1992-04-19 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1995-04-19 1995-10-19 1996-04-19 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1999-04-19 1999-10-19 2000-04-19 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag