Retainer for blank of split cap

A device for retaining the blank or sealing lid of a split cap used to cap a fluid container having an invertible spout. The device includes various means for ensuring that the blank will be retained in close proximity to the user so that it will not be lost. This is achieved by modifying the blank either to enable affixing it directly to the container, or to configure it to be easily attached to a site close to the container. The retaining device includes a threaded section affixed to the blank for coupling the blank to the standard vent port of a container. Optionally, the retaining device includes a tethering hole located in the gripping flange of the blank to enable tethering of the blank to the container or to a shop hanger. Alternative designs of the retaining device include placing attachment devices on the underside of the blank and on the container, such as hook-and-loop couplings, male/female nipple sets, and magnetized components. The container may also be modified to include a pocket for stowing of the blank.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field 
The present invention relates to split caps of the type including a 
retaining ring and a blank used to cover the opening of a container having 
a reversible or invertible spout or nozzle. More particularly, the present 
invention relates to means for retaining or otherwise coupling the blank 
to the container so that the blank cannot be lost. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Portable fuel containers are of great value to anyone who must operate any 
sort of fuel-powered equipment--lawn mowers, chain saws, etc. There are a 
wide variety of such containers, ranging in size from one gallon to five 
gallons or more in capacity. They are convenient in that they enable the 
user to move fuel from a fixed fuel tank--such as at a gas station--to a 
remote site where the equipment is to be used. 
Many of the portable fuel containers in use and commercially available are 
made of plastics that are relatively lightweight and that are fuel 
resistant. Most of the containers that are available have a fuel fill 
port, which is the port for fuel inlet as well as fuel outlet, and a vent 
port. The vent port is designed to provide suitable atmospheric pressure 
to ensure that fuel will flow out of the fill port. There is generally a 
vent port cap secured to the body of the container to retain the vent port 
cap when the container is to be vented. 
The fill port also comes with a cap. Some caps are simply molded unitary 
pieces that may be screwed onto a threaded exterior of the fill port. When 
fuel is to be introduced into the container--or poured out of the 
container--the unitary cap and the vent port cap are removed and the fuel 
is poured into or out of the fill port. Unfortunately, there is 
considerable spillage in such an operation as the fill port tends to be 
fairly wide and therefore induces splashing. Further, the container is 
ordinarily needed to fill relatively small fill holes of fuel-powered 
equipment. Doing so would be difficult without some sort of spout. 
In order to overcome this problem, many containers have been produced to 
include a fuel nozzle having an outlet with a diameter smaller than the 
diameter of the fill port, and a base that is designed to rest on the 
perimeter of the fill port when deployed. The base is essentially a flange 
with an interior opening substantially of the same dimensions as the 
inside diameter of the fill port. 
While the nozzle improves the flow of fuel out of the container, it cannot 
be used to fill the container. Therefore, reversible or invertible nozzles 
(spouts) have been developed and added to fuel containers. The invertible 
nozzle is designed to be inserted into the container nozzle outlet first 
when the container is not in use. The flange of the base of the nozzle 
rests on the fill port wall so that the nozzle will not fall into the 
container. The nozzle is removed from the container when the container is 
to be filled by withdrawing it from within the container. The nozzle is 
deployed for use by taking it out of the container, and inverting it such 
that the nozzle outlet is facing outwardly away from the tank, with the 
base again resting on the fill port of the container. Through this design, 
a suitable fuel nozzle can be used and then stowed out of the way when it 
is not in use. 
In order for the container with invertible spout to work properly, it is 
necessary to have a two-part split cap to seal the container fill port 
under all conditions. The split cap covers the fill port through which the 
fuel (or any other fluid being transferred to or from the container) 
enters and exits the container. The split cap includes two pieces: a 
sealing disk--generally known as a "blank"--and an annular retaining ring 
or apertured cap that is generally coupled to the outside of the fill 
port. The retaining ring is designed to capture the blank and force it 
into contact with the flange of the base of the nozzle when the nozzle is 
inside the container and the container is to be closed. The blank thereby 
aids in sealingly closing the container. It also provides an alignment 
mechanism. The retaining ring includes a perimeter lip or flange that is 
the means for sealingly trapping the blank to the fill port perimeter. The 
ring flange also captures or traps the flange of the nozzle's base against 
the fill port perimeter when the nozzle is within the container and, more 
importantly, when the nozzle is deployed for fluid delivery. Since the 
retaining ring is annular, the nozzle can pass through it. However, when 
the nozzle is not in use, the blank must be used in order to ensure that 
fluid will not come out of the fill port by way of the retaining ring's 
annulus. It is important, then, that the blank always be available to 
completely seal the container when the nozzle is not deployed. 
Unfortunately, for most of the portable containers in use that include a 
split cap, the blank is fairly small and can easily be misplaced or 
displaced. As a result, it is quite common to lose them. This prevents the 
user from ensuring a sealing closure of the container when desired. When 
blanks are lost, there is a tendency to leave the nozzle in place and 
either let fluid splash out of it, or, more commonly, stuff a rag into the 
nozzle outlet to prevent fluid from escaping. Of course, this sets up a 
terribly dangerous condition when the fluid is a combustible one. Means 
for ensuring that the blank is kept proximate to the retaining ring would 
therefore be useful. Unfortunately, the split-cap containers that have 
been and are available are not tethered to any other component of the 
container, or, for that matter, to the container itself. 
Several designs have been disclosed that apparently aid in keeping a fluid 
container closed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,130 issued to Berney describes the 
problems associated with the split-cap design in a reversible-spout 
container. However, rather than make suitable modifications to the cap 
supplied with the container, Berney created a completely different cap and 
nozzle assembly. In particular, Berney provides a second unitary cap that 
closes the container's fill port when the spout is within the container 
and a different and a re-designed nozzle that eliminates the need for the 
retaining ring. The second cap is tethered to the container at the base of 
the fill port. Berney provides a rather expensive fix to the problem of a 
lost blank by creating a new nozzle and a new cap. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,865 issued to Mueller, Jr. et al. is also for a gas can 
having an invertible spout. The container includes an apertured cap but 
apparently without a blank for sealing of the container when the nozzle is 
within the container. Instead, a cap is used to cover the nozzle outlet 
when the container is not in use--whether the nozzle is deployed for fluid 
flow or when it is inverted within the container. The Mueller design is 
not specifically related to a split-cap design but does show the attempts 
made to address the problems associated with the stowable spout. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,928 issued to Resnick describes a supplemental device 
for storing a nozzle of a container. There is included means for retaining 
a unitary cap to the container, but Resnick fails to address the problem 
of retaining the blank of a split cap of the type commonly available and 
widely used. U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,593 issued to Neuner describes a type of 
invertible spout but fails to address the problems specifically related to 
loss of the blank of a split-cap design. 
Therefore, what is needed is a modified split cap assembly designed to make 
it easy for a user to retain the blank when the nozzle is deployed. What 
is also needed is a modified split cap assembly that is designed to 
conform with the design of the original container and invertible spout so 
as to minimize the expense associated with ensuring that the blank will 
not be lost. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a modified split cap 
assembly designed to make it easy for a user to retain the blank when the 
nozzle is deployed from a container including the split cap. It is also an 
object of the present invention to provide a modified cap assembly that is 
designed to conform with the design of the original container and 
invertible spout. 
These and other objectives are achieved in the present invention through 
the introduction of a modified blank and one or more slight modifications 
to the container. The blank of the split cap of the present invention 
includes an adaptive coupling means for fixing the blank to the container 
body or a container appendage. It is contemplated that various design 
modifications of the blank will enable a container user to tether or 
otherwise retain the blank to the container. 
It is important to note that the present invention is limited to split or 
apertured cap assemblies for fluid containers. In that regard, the sealing 
disk or blank can never be permanently tethered to the container, as may 
be the case with some cap tethering devices of the prior art. Therefore, 
alternative means for stowing the blank must be considered. As earlier 
noted, in the past, failure to provide such stowage capability commonly 
leads to loss of the blank. 
One blank design of the present invention that is of particular interest 
includes a threaded portion to allow the user to screw the blank onto the 
threads of the vent port when the spout is in use. It is important to note 
that this design requires that such threading conform with the existing 
container design. That is, since the inside threads of the apertured cap 
(retaining ring) must fit the outside threads of the fill port, and the 
spout body must fit within the fill port, then the threaded portion of the 
modified blank of the present invention must be sized to ensure that the 
spout body will continue to fit within the fill port neck. In addition, it 
is preferable that the threaded portion of the modified blank conform with 
the outside threading of the vent port. Therefore, the modified threaded 
portion of the blank is located on the underside of the blank--that 
portion residing within the fill port when the spout is not in use--with 
an outside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the spout body 
proximate to its base. The modified threaded portion also has inside 
threading that fits the vent port's outside threading. In this way, the 
blank may easily be stowed on the container when the spout is in use 
without completely sealing off the venting of the container. Sealing of 
the vent port does not occur due to the fact that there is considerable 
spacing between the threaded portions threads and the partial outside 
threads of the vent port. 
The existing gripping flange of the presently-available blanks is used to 
permit holding of the blank and which extends above the surface of the 
retaining ring when the blank is in place. It may also be modified to 
include a tethering hole. A tether may be linked to the tethering hole and 
to either a workshop hanger or to a threadless hole available on the 
external surface of the retaining ring of many split cap assemblies. The 
tether would also serve the dual purpose of being a handle for the blank 
of the present invention. Making the blank with a modified threaded 
section to permit coupling to existing vent ports, and/or the introduction 
of a tethering hole, permits coupling of the blank to the container 
without any modifications to the container. 
Alternative blank retaining means of the present invention may readily be 
built into existing blanks and only require minimal modifications to 
commercially-available containers. One such alternative involves creating 
a recessed or exposed pocket in the body of the container, which pocket is 
designed to yield a tight fit of the blank therein. Another alternative 
includes the introduction of a fuel-resistant hook-and-loop surface to the 
blank and a corresponding hook-and-loop section to the surface of the 
container. Velcro (TM) would be a suitable material easily affixable to 
both the blank and the container. Additionally, other means for retaining 
the blank to the container include the introduction of a male nipple to 
the blank, with a corresponding female receiver formed in the surface of 
the container. Of course, the blank may be made with the female design and 
the container with the male nipple. Another means for retaining the blank 
is the application of a sealed magnet to both the blank and the container 
so that the user could easily join the two together simply by placing them 
in close proximity to one another. 
These and other designs and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent upon review of the submitted drawings, the detailed description 
of the device, and the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior-art fluid container 10 including an easy-carry 
handle 10a, a vent port 11 with vent port cap 12, a fill port 13 with a 
split cap 14 for sealing the fill port 13, and an invertible spout 15 in 
the stowed position. The spout 15 includes a base 16 and a spout body 17 
with spout nozzle 18. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the split cap 14 of 
the prior art includes a retaining ring 19 with interior cap threading 20, 
and a blank 21. The blank 21 typically includes a gripping flange 22 to 
aid a user in moving the blank 21. The retaining ring 19 may also include 
tethering appendages 23. As can be seen, the split cap 14 is formed of two 
separable pieces, the retaining ring 19 and the blank 21. The retaining 
ring 19 is designed to capture the blank 21 within a retaining ring 
aperture 24 by threading the interior cap threading 20 onto outside 
threading of the fill port 13. When the retaining ring 19 is unthreaded 
from the outside threading of the fill port 13, and the blank 21 is 
removed, the spout 15 may be exposed. The spout body 17 extends through 
the ring aperture 24, with the base 16 resting on the perimeter of the 
upper surface of the fill port 13, as shown in FIG. 4. The retaining ring 
19, minus the blank 21, is then screwed back onto the fill port threading, 
thereby sealingly trapping the spout base 16 on the lip of the fill port 
13. The container 10 is then ready to be used to transfer fluid from 
within the container 10. 
The present invention involves the modification of the prior-art blank 21 
and/or the body of the container 10 so as to provide means for retaining 
the blank proximate to the container 10 so that it will not be lost. The 
embodiment of a first modified blank 30 of the present invention is shown 
in isolation in FIG. 5 and as coupled to the container 10 in FIG. 6. The 
first modified blank 30 includes a threaded blank section 31 including an 
interior threaded portion 32 designed to match threading of the existing 
outside threading of the vent port 11. Additionally, in order to ensure 
that the first modified blank 30 will fit into the ring aperture 24 and 
will not interfere with the stowing of the spout 15 within the fill port 
13, the outside dimensions of the threaded blank section 31 are designed 
not to exceed the outside dimensions of the spout body 17, particularly 
near the spout base 16 as shown in FIG. 6A. The threaded blank section 31 
is designed to create a venting gap between the blank 30 and the threads 
of the vent port 11 so that the vent port 11 may continue to perform its 
function of providing equalizing pressure within the container 10 when the 
first modified blank 30 is loosely threaded onto the vent port 11, which 
itself typically includes only partial threading to aid in the venting 
effect. 
The first modified blank 30 may optionally include an adapted flange 33 
having a tether hole 34 for the introduction of a tether. The tether may 
be substantially the same as the type of tether 35 found for tethered vent 
hole caps 12. The tether hole 34 may be used to tether the first modified 
blank 30 to either one of the tethering appendages 23 of the retaining 
ring 19. It may also be used to tether the blank 30 to a workshop hook or 
to an adaptive section of the container 10. 
The remaining improved blank designs described herein include some small 
modifications to the container body as part of the blank retaining means. 
As illustrated in FIG. 7, a second modified blank 40 includes a male 
coupling nipple 41 designed to be captured by a pair of female coupling 
nipples 42 preferably formed in a modified container body section 43. This 
design permits the user to easily stow the second modified blank 40 
directly on the modified container body 43. Alternatively, the male 
coupling nipple 41 may be formed in the modified container body section 43 
while the pair of female coupling nipples 42 are fabricated as part of an 
underside 44 of the second modified blank 40. As with the first modified 
blank 30, it is important to ensure that the dimensions of any 
protuberances of the modified underside 44 not exceed the outside diameter 
of the spout body 17. 
FIG. 8 illustrates a third modified blank 50 having a modified underside 51 
including a coupling surface 52 preferably made of a hook-and-loop 
material such as Velcro (TM). It is to be understood that the exterior 
surface of the container 10 must similarly include a corresponding 
hook-and-loop material. FIG. 9 illustrates a fourth modified blank 60 
having a modified underside 61 including a coupling surface 62 that is a 
non-metallic casing with a magnet 63 positioned therein. The magnet 63 
must be encased or otherwise isolated so as to eliminate the possibility 
of static charging that could lead to sparking, particularly when the 
fluid within the container 10 is combustible. It is to be understood that 
the exterior surface of the container 10 must include a 
magnetically-attractive material that is also preferably encased. 
Finally, the blank retaining means of the present invention may 
alternatively involve the modification of the container alone. As 
illustrated in FIG. 10, a modified container 70 of the present invention 
includes a recessed pocket 71 molded or otherwise formed therein. The 
blank 21 may be placed within the pocket 71 when the spout 15 is exposed. 
The pocket 71 is preferably designed to ensure a tight fit of the blank 21 
therein. 
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been 
described herein, it is to be understood that the above descriptions are 
merely illustrative. Other means and methods may be substituted for 
particular features and processes without deviating from the blank 
retaining means described herein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that 
the present invention is not limited to that precisely shown and 
described.