Plastic container with tear opening feature

Claim 1

A recyclable single service container comprising: an upright hollow plastic body having a mouth at its upper end, a plastic tear open closure cap mounted on said body at said mouth, said closure cap having upper and lower surfaces and generally corresponding in shape to the shape of the said mouth, sealing means on said lower surface engaging said mouth to form a seal therearound and retain the contents of said hollow body therein, said closure cap being fixedly secured to said hollow body causing continual engagement of said mouth and said sealing means; a tear strip being defined in said closure cap by two grooves and extending at least partially thereacross, said tear strip cooperating with said sealing means and said closure cap to seal said container thereby retaining the contents disposed therein; and a pulling member integrally formed with said tear strip adjacent said two grooves and extending therefrom, means for enabling gripping of said pulling member being provided thereon, a weakened area being formed at an end of said two grooves adjacent said pulling member to facilitate the tearing of said tear strip along said two grooves upon the application of a pulling force to said pulling member thereby opening said container and permitting the dispensing of the contents therefrom, said tear strip remaining attached to said closure cap after opening allowing said closure cap and container to be recycled together.