Plastic container with easily removable, integrally formed cap

A thermoplastic container which is blown, filled and hermetically sealed in a single forming and filling operation. The removable cap integrally formed therewith normally hermetically seals the container and has a peripheral side wall, a horizontal flange portion which merges with the neck portion and an annular groove which is formed in the horizontal flange portion and provides a weakened severing line for removing the cap. A pull tab having a narrow in width, vertically disposed tab flange is integrally connected with the horizontally extending flange portion and has means for gripping the pull tab to pivotally manipulate the pull tab outwardly from the container. The pull tab on being pivotally manipulated causes the horizontally extending flange portion to sever at the annular groove, thereby permitting the cap to be removed from the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an improved blown plastic container formed with 
an easily removable, integrally formed cap. 
May various different types of blown containers presently areavailable, 
however, most of them are hermetically sealed by means of an enclosure or 
cap which is removed by severing it with a knife or the like. Still others 
have threads integrally formed on a neck portion thereof, and a separate 
cap is provided for closing or sealing the bottle by threading the cap 
onto the threaded neck portion. All of these prior arrangements are 
satisfactory, for one purpose or another. Recently, however, a demand for 
bottles having integrally formed caps for sealing the bottles has 
occurred. In another words, a demand for a bottle which can be blown, 
filled and hermetically sealed with an enclosure of a type which can be 
easily removed. The improved container of the present invention satisfy 
this demand. 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide new and improved 
containers which are blown, filled and are hermetically sealed having an 
easily removable, integrally formed cap. 
In some cases, it is desirable to form these containers of a substantially 
strong plastic material which cannot be easily severed to remove the caps 
integrally formed therewith. Accordingly, still another object is to 
provide an improved container whereby such caps can be easily removed. 
The above objectives are accomplished with the thermoplastic container of 
the present invention which is blown, filled and hermetically sealed in a 
single forming and filling operation. The removable cap integrally formed 
therewith normally hermetically seals the container and has a peripheral 
side wall, a horizontal flange portion which merges with the neck portion 
an an annular groove which is formed in the horizontal flange portion and 
provides a weakened severing line for removing the cap. A pull tab having 
a narrow in width, vertically disposed tab flange is integrally connected 
with the horizontally extending flange portion and has means for gripping 
the pull tab to pivotally manipulate the pull tab outwardly from the 
container. The pull tab on being pivotally manipulated causes the 
horizontally extending flange portion to sever at the annular groove, 
thereby permitting the cap to be removed from the container. 
In accordance with the second embodiment of the invention, a second annular 
groove is formed in the horizontally extending flange portion in space 
relationship from the first annular groove. Both of the annular grooves 
provide weakened severing lines for removing the cap. The pull tab on 
being pivotally manipulated causes the horizontally flange portion to 
sever at each of the first and second annular grooves to provide an 
annular web therebetween which is severed from the horizontally extending 
flange portion, thereby permitting the cap to be removed from the 
container. 
In the case of the container disclosed in the second embodiment of the 
invention, it is also preferred to provide a groove extending between the 
first and second annular grooves to provide a weakened severing line 
therebetween. The groove upon being severed when the pull tab is pivotally 
manipulated permits the pull tab to be pulled to sever the annular web in 
an annular fashion about the cap to permit the cap to be removed from the 
container. 
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, 
reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1-4 thereof, there is 
illustrated a thermoplastic container 10 which is blown, filled and 
hermetically sealed in a single forming and filling operation. In this 
respect, the container 10 can be blown, filled and hermetically sealed in 
the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,860 to Gerhard Hansen. For a 
full and detailed description of the apparatus for blowing, filling and 
sealing the container, reference can be made to the above-mentioned U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,325,860. The container 10 includes a cap 12 which is integrally 
formed with the container and which hermetically seals the container. The 
container 10 can be of any desired size or shape hence the body portion of 
the container 10 is not shown. The container 10 also has a pull tab 14 
integrally formed with the cap 12, as more particularly described below. 
As can be best seen in FIG. 2, the container 10 has a neck portion 16 which 
extends substantially vertically and merges with a horizontally extending 
flange 18 of the cap 12. The cap 12 has a side wall 20 and a top cover or 
wall 22. As indicated above, the cap 12 is integrally formed with the 
container 10 during the blowing, filling and sealing operation, and 
hermetically seals the container 10. Interiorly of the container 10 or cap 
12, there is formed a groove 24 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is 
an annular V-shaped groove, as can be best seen in FIG. 3. The V-shaped 
groove 24 provides a weakened severing line in the horizontally extending 
flange portion 18 of the cap 12, for removing the cap 12, as more 
particularly described below. 
The pull tab 14 has a tab flange 26, which, as can be best seen in FIGS. 1 
and 3, is narrow in width and is vertically disposed. The tab flange is 
integrally connected with the horizontally extending flange portion 18 of 
the cap 12, and extends from adjacent the V-shaped groove 24 outwardly to 
the peripheral side wall 20 of the cap 12 and at least partially 
integrally formed with the peripheral side wall 20. The pull tab 14 also 
has a finger ring 28 for receiving therein a finger for manually 
manipulating the pull tab 14 integrally formed with the tab flange 26 
thereof. 
To open the container 10 by removing the cap 12, the pull tab 14 is 
pivotally manipulated by means of a finger or the like inserted in the 
finger ring 28 outwardly from the container 10, as generally illustrated 
in FIG. 4. The pull tab 14 on being pivotally manipulated causes the 
horizontally extending flange portion 18 to sever at the V-shaped groove 
24, as a result of the outwardly and downwardly force exerted on the 
horizontally flange 18 at the V-shaped groove 24. Initially, the V-shaped 
groove 24 will cause the horizontally extending flange 18 to sever in the 
area immediately adjacent to the tab flange 26, and as the pull tab 14 is 
forcibly manipulated outwardly and upwardly, severing of the V-shaped 
groove 24 annularly about the cap 12, as illustrated. As a manipulating 
force is continually asserted to the pull tab 14, the cap 12 will be 
severed from the container 10, as the V-shaped groove 24 is severed. In 
this fashion, the cap 12 can be easily severed from the container 10, to 
open it. 
In FIGS. 5-10 there is illustrated a container 30 which is exemplary of a 
second embodiment of the invention. The container 30 is blown, formed and 
hermetically sealed in the same manner as described above, with respect to 
the container 10. In this case also, the container 30 can be of any size 
or shape, and the body portion thereof therefore is not shown. The 
container 30 includes a cap 32 which hermetically seals the container 30 
and which has a horizontally extending flange 38, a peripheral side wall 
40 and a top cover or wall 41. The horizontally extending flange 38 of the 
cap 32 merges and is integrally formed with the neck portion 36 of the 
container 30. The container 10 also has a pull tab 34 which includes a 
narrow in width tab flange 44 which is integrally connected with the 
horizontally extending flange portion 38 of the tab 32 and a finger grap 
48. The tab flange 44 is narrow in width and is vertically disposed. In 
the above respects, the container 30 is substantially like the container 
10. 
Interiorly of the container 30, a first V-shaped groove 42 and a second 
V-shaped groove 44 are formed annularly about the horizontally extending 
flange 38. The V-shaped grooves 42 and 44 are in spaced apart 
relationship, for reasons set forth more specifically below. 
Also, as can be best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, a V-shaped groove 50 is formed 
interiorly of the container 10 and spans between the two V-shaped grooves 
42 and 44. 
With the container 30, the cap 32 is removed therefrom in essentially the 
same fashion as the cap 12 is removed from the container 10. However, in 
this case, when the pull tab 34 is pivotally manipulated outwardly and 
upwardly, the V-shaped groove 50, since it is immediately adjacent the 
edge of one edge of the tab flange 44, as can be best seen in FIG. 7, is 
caused to sever. Once the V-shaped groove 50 is severed, the pull tab 34 
is pulled downwardly, as generally illustrated in FIG. 9, to cause both of 
the V-shaped grooves 42 and 44 to sever from the horizontally extending 
flange 38. As can be best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, as the two V-shaped 
grooves 42 and 44 are severed, a web 52 which comprises the material 
disposed between the two V-shaped grooves 42 and 44 is annularly peeled 
from the horizontally extending flange 38 and, when completely severed, 
frees the cap 32 from the container 30 as illustrated in FIG. 10. In this 
fashion, the cap 32 can be easily removed from the container 30, to open 
it. 
Also, as indicated above, it is sometimes desirable to form the containers 
10 and 30 of a substantially strong plastic material which cannot be 
easily severed to remove the caps integrally formed therewith. 
Accordingly, while it may be somewhat difficult to remove the cap 12 from 
the container 10, the web 52 is easily severed from the horizontally 
extending flange portion 38 of the cap 32 and the cap 32 therefore can be 
far more easily removed from the container 30.