Abstract:
An improved tamper resistant bottle cap and neck for bottles which hold liquid. The bottle cap of the present invention includes a circular cover, a skirt depending from the periphery of the cover, and a tamper evidencing lower portion. A raised ring formed on the outer and upper surface of the bumper roll typically used in blow-molded containers protects the lower edge of the cap from tampering by making the lower edge of the ratchet ring in the case of a thread-on cap (or the lower edge of the removable portion of a skirt in the case of a push-on cap) less accessible to potential tamperers. Thread-on caps with helical threads and a ratchet ring, or push-on caps with skirts having removable lower portions, may each be equipped with an arched or curved pull tab. The pull tab in each instance is designed to accommodate a raised ring on the bumper roll of the neck of a blow-molded bottle. By designing the pull tab to accommodate the raised ring on the bumper roll the presence of the ring does not induce unwanted stresses and deformations into the pull tab or the skirt or ratchet ring to which the pull tab is connected.

Description:
This is a continuation-in-part application of parent application Ser. No. 09/018,620 filed Feb. 4, 1998, now U.S. Patent 6,003.701. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to closure devices, and in particular, relates to an injection molded tamper resistant bottle cap and neck for blow-molded bottles of the kind which are commonly used to hold and transport liquids, such as milk and juice. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Injection molded caps for blow molded bottles have been used for many years. Generally, two types of bottle caps are available, push-on caps and thread-on caps. Push-on caps are installed by aligning the cap with the opening of a bottle and simply applying an axial force to the top of the cap. Thread-on caps generally require that the cap and bottle be aligned and that a rotative force be applied to the cap. In some cases, threaded caps, if carefully designed in conjunction with the bottle to which it is applied, can be made so that the rotative force required to install the cap is minimized or even eliminated. These kinds of injection molded caps are often made with low density polypropylene, a common material used in injection molding. 
     One of the problems associated with injection molded caps relates to the tamper-evident connection which must be created between the bottle cap and bottle. One method of forming a tamper-evident connection is to use a threaded bottle cap which includes a ratchet ring having internal ratchet teeth in combination with a bottle neck having external ratchet teeth. When the bottle cap is screwed on the bottle neck, the ratchet teeth of the bottle cap ride over the mating ratchet teeth on the bottle neck, thereby enabling the bottle cap to be fully tightened on the bottle neck. However, when a user attempts to unscrew the bottle cap using low-to-medium twisting force, the ratchet teeth of the bottle cap positively engage the mating ratchet teeth of the bottle neck, thereby preventing unthreading and unsealing of the cap. When higher levels of twisting force are applied to the bottle cap in the direction of unscrewing, the ratchet ring breaks away from the bottle cap and the bottle cap may be unscrewed from the bottle neck. In this manner, removal of the ratchet ring from the bottle cap serves as visual evidence that the bottle has been opened. 
     While the combination of a bottle cap with a tamper evidencing ring and a bottle neck with ratchet teeth provides for an acceptable tamper-evident connection, this combination does have its limitations. Specifically, it may be possible for a person to pull the lower edge of the ratchet ring outward and then upward toward the cover of the bottle cap in order to defeat the locking action of the ratchet teeth of the bottle cap and bottle neck. It would then be possible to unscrew the bottle cap without breaking the ratchet ring away from the bottle cap and to screw the bottle cap back on the bottle neck. If this were to occur, there may be little visual evidence that the cap has been unscrewed and subsequently screwed back on the bottle neck. Therefore, present tamper-evident connections between a bottle cap and bottle neck may not provide optimum tamper resistance in certain circumstances. 
     For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved tamper resistant bottle cap and bottle neck which further limit the ability of a person to tamper with the contents of a bottle. Specifically, there is a need for a tamper resistant bottle cap and bottle neck which limit the ability of a person to pry a tamper evidencing ring with ratchet teeth away from the mating ratchet teeth on a bottle neck, unscrew the cap from the bottle neck, and subsequently screw the cap back on the bottle neck. 
     It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved tamper resistant bottle cap and bottle neck for use in bottles which hold liquids, such as milk and juice. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved tamper resistant seal between a bottle cap and a bottle neck. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident threaded bottle cap with an improved ratchet ring which limits the ability of a person to pull the lower edge of the ratchet ring outward and then upward toward the cover of the bottle cap in an effort to defeat the locking action of the ratchet teeth of the bottle cap and the ratchet teeth of the bottle neck. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bottle neck with an improved circumferential ring which makes it is very difficult to insert an object under the outer lower corner of a ratchet ring of a bottle cap and pry the ratchet ring of the bottle cap away from the bottle neck in an effort to defeat the locking action of the ratchet teeth of the bottle cap and the ratchet teeth of the bottle neck. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a tamper resistant bottle cap and bottle neck that satisfy the need for a bottle closure with an improved tamper resistant seal. A bottle closure having the features of the present invention broadly comprises a bottle cap and a bottle neck. 
     The bottle cap of the present invention includes a circular cover, a skirt depending from the periphery of the cover, and a tamper evidencing ring. The skirt of the bottle cap includes an interior surface having threads for retaining the cap to a bottle neck and a lower end having a circumferential flange with semi-circular outwardly extending tabs. The tamper evidencing ring of the bottle cap includes a plurality of ratchet teeth which are capable of meshing with a matching set of ratchet teeth on a bottle neck. The tamper evidencing ring is connected to the flange by frangible connections between the outwardly extending tabs of the flange and the ratchet teeth of the tamper evidencing ring. Each of the frangible connections is generally defined by an area of overlap between a lower surface of each tab and an upper surface of each of the ratchet teeth of the tamper evidencing ring. 
     The use of tabs connected to ratchet teeth as a means for attaching the tamper evidencing ring to the skirt of the cap provides for a bottle cap that limits the ability of a person to pull the lower edge of the ratchet ring outward and upward toward the cover of the cap as the strong connections between the tabs and ratchet teeth resist twisting. Therefore, the design of the bottle cap of the present invention, wherein the attachment of the skirt and the tamper evidencing ring of the bottle cap is made by way of a connection between tabs and the ratchet teeth of the tamper evidencing ring, provides for a bottle cap having increased tamper resistance. 
     The bottle neck of the present invention includes an opening at its upper end, a cylindrical exterior surface having threads for retaining a bottle cap, a circumferential ratchet portion below the threads, and a circumferential transfer ring below the ratchet portion. The ratchet portion includes ratchet teeth which are capable of meshing with a matching set of ratchet teeth on a bottle cap. The circumferential transfer ring includes an annular top surface and an upwardly extending circumferential ridge on the periphery of the annular top surface. 
     The threads of the bottle cap and the bottle neck of the present invention are appropriately dimensioned so as to sealingly engage when the bottle cap is screwed onto the bottle neck. After the bottle cap has been screwed onto the bottle neck, a lower edge of the tamper evidencing ring is located adjacent the top surface of the transfer ring and the ratchet teeth of the bottle neck and the ratchet teeth of the bottle cap are engaged so as to prevent unscrewing of the bottle cap relative to the bottle neck without breaking the frangible connections. The location of the lower edge of the tamper evidencing ring adjacent the top surface of the transfer ring provides additional tamper resistance to the combination of the bottle cap and bottle neck of the present invention. Specifically, when the bottle cap is fully threaded onto bottle neck, the ridge of the transfer ring completely surrounds the lower portion of the ratchet ring so that it is very difficult to insert a thin object, such as a fingernail, under the outer lower corner of the ratchet ring. Therefore, it is difficult to insert an object under the ratchet ring and pry the ratchet ring away from the bottle neck in an effort to defeat the locking action of the ratchet teeth of the ratchet ring and the ratchet teeth of the bottle neck. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will be become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle cap made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of a bottle cap made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a bottle cap made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6A is an enlarged bottom view of the tooth shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 6B is an enlarged top view of the tooth shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a top view of a bottle neck made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of a bottle neck made in accordance with the present invention; and 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  9 — 9  of FIG.  7 . 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 are perspective views of a helically threaded cap of the present invention, from above and below respectively, showing a pull tab adapted to accommodate the neck of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 12,  13  and  14  are side views of the cap shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, with FIGS. 13 and 14 being sectional views, and FIG. 14 showing the cap as it sits on a bottle neck. 
     FIGS. 13 a  and  14   a  are sectional views of an alternative embodiment of a helically threaded cap, similar to the cap of FIGS. 13 and 14, wherein, however, the pull tab is configured so as to avoid difficulties related to automatic feeding of caps of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 15,  16  and  17  are perspective, side elevational and bottom plan views of a push-on cap of the present invention in which the cap has a pull tab configured to accommodate a neck finish of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 18 and 19 are sectional views of the cap shown in FIGS.  15 — 17 , with FIG. 19 showing the cap in combination with a bottle neck made in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. 
     Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from Figure to Figure in the following description of the drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 generally depict the outside of a bottle cap  11 . The cap  11  is comprised of a circular cover  12  and a depending skirt  14  with knurls  15  formed on the outside surface thereof. A flange  16  is formed at the bottom of the skirt. The flange  16  includes a plurality of semi-circular outwardly directed tabs  17  which are equally spaced around the flange  16 . A ratchet ring  18  including a plurality of ratchet teeth  20  is frangibly connected to the tabs  17  of the flange  16  by way of connections between each tab  17  and every other tooth  20  around the circumference of the flange  16 . The ratchet ring  18  has a lower edge  21  and an outer edge  22  which meet in an outer lower corner  23  of the ratchet ring  18 , as can be seen in FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 3 shows the underside  24  of the cover  12 . Four distinct threads  26  are formed on the inside surface of the skirt  14 . A sealing plug  28  is also formed on the underside  24  of the cover  12 . 
     Bottle caps generally, and threaded caps in particular, tend to shrink most where there is substantial differential in volume of plastic material. Bottle caps which are injection molded tend to shrink in such a way as to deform an initially flat cover  12  into a dome-shaped surface. Significant volume of material is required to form threads which are sufficiently strong to hold the cap  11  in place. The cover  12 , on the other hand, needs only to have sufficient thickness to withstand puncturing forces. The shrinkage of the cap  11  to form a dome (“doming”) creates problems as it relates to dimensional stability and sealing effectiveness, and sometimes causes problems relating to the affixing of a label on the top of the cover  12 . For example, radially inward shrinkage will tend to reduce the outside diameter of the plug  28 . To reduce the effects of such shrinkage, the cap  11  has means for limiting the doming of the cover  12 . Four pairs of radial ribs  34  extend from the center of the underside  24  of the cover  12  to the plug  28 . The radial ribs  34  provide the cover  12  with structural integrity sufficient to withstand the tendency for the cover  12  to assume a domed shape. In addition, by providing the cover  12  with additional volume of plastic material, the differential in material volume between the cover and the skirt is reduced, which tends to further reduce the distorting effects of shrinkage. 
     FIG. 4 more clearly shows the location and configuration of the plug  28 . The plug  28  is a generally circumferentially continuous formation integrally connected to the underside  24  of the cover  12 . The plug  28  is disposed about the central axis  36  of the cap  11 . The plug  28  has an outer surface  30  which is generally parabolic about the axis  36  and an inner surface  32  substantially parallel to the axis  36 . It is important in order to achieve proper sealing that the surfaces which comprise the plug  28  be concentric about the central axis of the cap  11 . 
     In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the underside  24  of cover  12  does not include the plug  28  and the four pairs of radial ribs  34 . The absence of a plug and radial ribs means that the cap could be used with a foil liner having a heat sensitive surface which can be heated into sealing engagement with the upper surface of a bottle neck by induction heating. 
     FIGS. 5,  6   a  and  6   b  more clearly show the configuration of the ratchet teeth  20  and the semi-circular outwardly directed tabs  17  of the flange  16 . Each tooth  20  is comprised of a ramp surface  38  and an abutting surface  40 . Arrow  42  indicates the direction in which the cap  11  moves when the cap  11  is installed or tightened. Arrow  44  indicates the direction required to unscrew the cap  11 . The abutting surface  40  of the tooth  20  is sloped in such a way that the lower edge  46  of the tooth  20  is offset with respect to the upper portion  48  of the tooth  20  in the direction (Arrow  44 ) of unscrewing the cap  11 . As a result, as the tooth  20  engages a mating ratchet tooth on a bottle neck, the lower edge  46  of the tooth  20  will engage the mating ratchet tooth first. The sloping nature of the abutting surface  40  will enhance the engagement of the tooth  20 , and will resist unintended camming or slippage of the teeth  20  on the cap  11  relative to the matching ratchet teeth on the bottle neck. Thus, when cap  11  is turned in direction  42 , the ratchet teeth  20  of the cap will ride over the mating ratchet teeth on the bottle neck, and when the cap is turned in direction  44 , the ratchet teeth  20  of the cap  11  will positively engage the mating ratchet teeth of the bottle neck. 
     FIG. 6A, which is a bottom view of the tooth  20  shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B, which is a top view of the tooth  20  shown in FIG. 5, also show the attachment of the ratchet teeth  20  to the semi-circular outwardly directed tabs  17  of the flange  16 . Each of the ratchet teeth  20  includes an upper surface  25  which is generally coplanar with the cover  12  of the cap  11 . Each of the semi-circular outwardly directed tabs  17  of the flange  16  includes a lower surface  19  which is also generally coplanar with the cover  12  of the cap  11 . The lower surface  19  of each tab  17  has an area substantially in the shape of a semicircle. 
     Tabs  17  are shown as having the same vertical extent as the flange  16 . However, the tabs may have a height which is less than the height of the flange  16 . 
     The tabs  17  and the ratchet teeth  20  are attached by way of a frangible connection between the lower surface  19  of each tab  17  and the upper surface  25  of each of the ratchet teeth  20 . It can be seen from FIGS. 6A and 6B that the cross-sectional area of the frangible connection between a tab  17  and one of the ratchet teeth  20  is defined by the area wherein the lower surface  19  of each tab  17  and the upper surface  25  of each of the ratchet teeth  20  overlap. It can be appreciated that by varying the area of overlap between the lower surface  19  of each tab  17  and the upper surface  25  of each of the ratchet teeth  20 , the strength of the frangible connection between the tabs  17  and the ratchet teeth  20  can be adjusted, as a frangible connection having a greater cross-sectional area will require a greater force in order to fracture the connection. 
     The adjustment of the area of overlap between the lower surface  19  of the tabs  17  and the upper surface  25  of the ratchet teeth  20  can be made using an injection molding die having portions which are movable with respect to each other. Namely, an injection molding die can be constructed wherein a first element of the die which molds the tabs  17  and a second element of the die which molds the ratchet teeth  20  are rotatable in relation to each other. When a bottle cap having stronger connections between the tabs  17  and the teeth  20  of the ratchet ring  18  is desired, the first and second element of the die are rotated so that the area of overlap between the lower surface  19  of each of the tabs  17  and the upper surface  25  of each of the ratchet teeth  20  is increased. In a similar manner, the strength of the connection between the tabs  17  and the teeth  20  of the ratchet ring  18  can be decreased by decreasing the area of overlap between the lower surface  19  of each of the tabs  17  and the upper surface  25  of each of the ratchet teeth  20 . Therefore, the use of tabs  17  connected to ratchet teeth  20  as a means for attaching the ratchet ring  18  to the skirt  14  of the cap  11  provides for a bottle cap design wherein the torque required to fracture the frangible connection between the skirt  14  and ratchet ring  18  can be precisely controlled. In addition, the means for attaching the ratchet ring  18  to the skirt  14  provides for a bottle cap design that limits the ability of a person to pull the lower edge  21  of the ratchet ring  18  outward and then upward toward the cover  12  of the cap  11  as the strong connections between the tabs  17  and ratchet teeth  20  resist twisting of the ratchet ring outward and upward. 
     The need to adjust the strength of the connection between the ratchet ring and the skirt may arise from a change in the material used to form the cap. Low density polypropylene caps, for example, will require more of an overlap (i.e., more cross-section area connecting) between the ratchet tooth and the bottom surface of the flange  16 , than will caps made of high density polypropylene. Thus, if a customer&#39;s application calls for a cap made of a material different from the material used to make a previous cap, the same tooling may be used and the change of materials may be accounted for by a simple relative rotation of the molds. Moving the mold for the ratchet ring relative to the molding for the body of the cap will cause an inward (or decrease) in the cross-sectional area of connecting material between the teeth and the tabs extending from the flange. Specifically, for example, moving the molds in a way which causes the ring  18  (in FIG. 6A) to be formed in a position upwardly (as shown in FIG. 6A) will reduce the area of connection. 
     In contrast, the attachment of the ratchet ring to the skirt in prior bottle cap designs is often accomplished by way of a number of thin stretchable strips of material which are connected to a bottom edge of the skirt and to an inner side surface of the ratchet teeth or an inner side surface of the ratchet ring. The ability to vary the strength of the thin connecting strips in these designs is quite limited as the area of overlap between the connecting strip and the skirt or ratchet ring cannot be easily varied. Furthermore, the thin strips of material connecting the skirt and ratchet ring are often weak and cannot resist twisting of the lower edge of the ratchet ring outward and then upward toward the cover of the cap. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 7,  8  and  9  there is shown a bottle, indicated generally at  60 , upon which the bottle cap  11  of the present invention may be installed. The bottle  60  includes a body  62  and a cylindrical bottle neck  66  which is integral with the body  62 . The bottle neck  66  has an upper opening  64  and an upper end  67  which terminates in an inwardly directed circumferential sealing lip  74  with an inner edge  76 . The bottle neck  66  also includes four external screw threads  68  which engage threads  26  of bottle cap  11 . 
     The bottle neck  66  further includes a circumferential ratchet portion  70  having ratchet teeth  72 . The ratchet teeth  72  engage the ratchet teeth  20  of the ratchet ring  18  of the bottle cap  11  when the bottle cap  11  is installed on the bottle neck  66 . In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the ratchet teeth  72  are not arranged around the entire circumference of the ratchet portion  70 , but are arranged in two groups, each of the two groups occupying an arc covering about one quarter of the circumference of the ratchet portion  70 . It can be seen that the groups of ratchet teeth  72  are arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the bottle neck  66 . 
     The bottle neck  66  also includes a circumferential “bumper roll” or transfer ring  78  located below the ratchet portion  70 . In prior bottle neck designs, a bumper roll has been provided on a bottle neck for manufacturing purposes as it facilitates gripping the bottle during the filling operation and grabbing the bottle during the loading of the bottle into a shipping container. However, the bumper roll  78  of the bottle neck  66  of the present invention includes additional features which provide even further advantages. 
     It can be seen from FIGS. 7,  8  and  9  that bumper roll  78  includes a substantially flat annular top surface  80  which has an upwardly extending circumferential ridge  82  along the entire length of its periphery. Preferably, the top surface  80  of the bumper roll  78  is substantially parallel with respect to a plane defined by the opening  64  of the bottle neck  66 . Also, it is preferred that the top surface  80  of the bumper roll  78  is joined to a lower end  71  of the ratchet portion  70  and that the uppermost point of the ridge  82  of the bumper roll  78  is above the lower end  71  of the ratchet portion  70 . The placement of a ridge  82  on the periphery of the top surface  80  of the bumper roll  78  serves to increase the resistance of the bottle neck  66  and bottle cap  11  to unwanted removal of the cap by an individual seeking to tamper with the contents of the bottle. Specifically, when bottle cap  11  is fully threaded onto bottle neck  66 , the lower edge  21  of ratchet ring  18  is placed in contact with or closely adjacent to the top surface  80  of bumper roll  78 , and the outer edge  22  of the ratchet ring  18  is placed adjacent to the inner surface  84  of ridge  82 . In this arrangement of the ratchet ring  18  of the bottle cap  11  and the bumper roll  78  of bottle neck  66 , the ridge  82  of the bumper roll  78  completely surrounds the lower portion of the ratchet ring  18  so that it is very difficult to insert a thin object, such as a fingernail, under the outer lower corner  23  of the ratchet ring  18 . Therefore, the ridge  82  of the bumper roll  78  improves the tamper resistance of the bottle as it is extremely difficult to insert an object under the ratchet ring  18  and pry the ratchet ring  18  away from the bottle neck  66  in an effort to defeat the locking action of the ratchet teeth  20  of the ratchet ring  18  and the ratchet teeth  72  of the bottle neck  66 . 
     Thus, it is seen that an improved tamper resistant bottle cap and neck are provided which satisfy the need for a bottle with an improved tamper resistant seal. The present invention includes a bottle cap with an improved means for connecting a tamper evidencing ring to the cap which limits the ability of a person to defeat the locking action of ratchet teeth on the tamper evidencing ring and bottle neck. The present invention also includes a bottle neck with an improved transfer ring which makes it difficult to insert an object under the ratchet ring and pry the ratchet ring away from the bottle neck. 
     FIG. 10 shows a cap  10   a  with a pull tab  19   a  extending outwardly from outer surface  22   a  of the ratchet ring  18   a . The cap  10   a  of FIG. 10 has ratchet teeth  20   a , each of which is connected to a tab  17   a , as opposed to every other ratchet tooth being connected as shown earlier. 
     FIG. 11 shows an assembly of a cap  10   b  and a liner  29  which is made of a foil and paper laminate capable of being connected by an induction heating process to the upper lip of a container neck. The cap  10   b  of FIG. 11 has every other one of the ratchet teeth  20   b  connected via a tab  17   b  to the skirt  14   b  of the cap  10   b . A pull tab  19   b  extends from the ratchet ring  18   b.    
     FIGS. 12 and 13 are side and cross-sectional views of the cap  10   b  shown in FIG.  11 . In FIGS. 12 and 13, the lines  29  shown as having been assembled by insertion past the threads  26   b  to a position adjacent to the underside  24   b  of the cover  12   b.    
     FIG. 14 shows the cap  10   b  with lines  29  having been carried thereby into an assembled position in which the liner is affixed by induction heating to the top surface of a sealing lip  74  on a container neck  66 . The fit between the cap  10   b  and the container neck  66  is such that threading of the cap  10   b  onto the neck  66  and the external threads  68  causes the lip  74  to be deflected in a resilient manner to a generally horizontal position so that an outer area of the lines  29  can come into firm contact with the top surface of the lip  74 . This provides an area of contact by which a bond may be formed between a plastic layer. Film carried by the foil liner can fuse to the lip  74  upon being heated by induction heating after the cap  10   b  is threaded onto the neck  66 . 
     The shape of the pull tabs  19   a  and  19   b , as shown in FIGS. 10 through 14, is like an inverted letter “J”. A curved upper part  25  accommodates the ridge  82  formed on the bumper roll  78  to prevent stress and deformation in the ratchet ring  18   b . The curved part  25  of the pull tab  19   b  extends initially upwardly from the outside of the ratchet ring  18   b , then outwardly and finally downward and outward on an angle away from the bumper roll  78 . 
     FIGS. 13 a  and  14   a , show a cap  10   d  which is helically threaded on the inside and has a plug  28   d , as opposed to a foil liner for purposes of sealing a container neck. The cap  10   d  has a pull tab  19   d  which is attached to the upper edge of the ratchet ring  18   d . The pull tab  19   d  also has a connecting web  31   d  which extends about ⅓ of the way down from the curved upper portion of the tab  19   d  to the free lower end of the tab  19   d . By connecting the tab  19   d  to the upper portion of the ratchet ring  18   d , there is less likelihood for adjacent caps in an automatic feeding device to become entangled. The web  31   d  extends from the underside of the pull tab  19   d  and it point of connection to the upper portion of the ratchet ring  18   d  down to near the lower edge of the ratchet ring to facilitate twisting removal of the ratchet ring  18   d  by upward lifting of the pull tab  19   d . The inside of the ratchet ring has a vertically oriented thin section  35  along which the web is aligned on outside surface of the ratchet ring. The point of attachment of the web is located in this manner to further facilitate the breaking and removal of the ratchet ring with the pull tab. 
     It should be noted that the configuration of the ratchet ring  19   d  may also be advantageously used on push-on caps- as described below to avoid entanglement of push-on caps as they are fed to a capping station in bottling line by an automatic feeding device. By locating the connection point of the pull tab near the top of the removable skirt of such caps there is no crevice for one cap to become “hung-up” on an adjacent cap. In both instances, the web is vertically oriented and extending from an edge or side of the pull tab to a connection location extending vertically from a lower part of the ratchet ring (or removable skirt, in the case of a push-on cap) to the point at which the main portion of the pull tab interfaces horizontally with an upper portion of the ratchet ring. The web should be made with an opening  33  (FIG. 13 b ) to accommodate, i.e. not interfere with, the ridge ( 82  or  182 ) which extends upwardly from the bumper roll of the neck finish to which the cap is applied. 
     An advantage of the present invention arises from the use of a pull tab which extends in the axial direction below the lower edge of the ratchet ring on a threaded cap. The pull tab may be used, as part of the feeding of the cap, to orient the threads of the cap in a particular way. For example in a four-thread cap, one of the four threads may be designed to start (i.e. at its lower end) at a radial location adjacent to the pull tab; similarly, the threads of the neck finish with which such caps will be used may be molded so that the threads of the bottle neck will be well-aligned with the cap when the two components, i.e. the cap and the neck, are brought together in a capping operation. By using the pull tab to control the relative positions of the thread on the cap and the bottle neck, misalignment and cross-threading can be minimized or even eliminated. This advantage, the proper alignment of threads on the cap and neck, can greatly reduce the potential for jamming and line stoppage in a bottling facility. 
     FIGS. 15 through 19 show a further embodiment of the inventions in that a push-on cap  10   c  is shown with a pull tab  19   c . A cover  12   c  and a skirt  14   c  meet at an upper zone of the cap  10   c , and a flange  27  extends laterally outwardly from the cover  12   c . Gripping bumps  29  are formed on the inside surface of the pull tab  19   c . The skirt  14   c  includes a lower section  101  and an upper section  103 . A circumferential thin-walled connecting section  102  connects the upper section  103  to the lower section  101 . A curved extension  104  of the thin-walled connecting section  102  extends from that section down to the lower edge  21   c  of the skirt  14   c , whereby lifting of the pull tab  19   c  begins a tearing separation of the lower section  101  along section  104  which continues along section  102 . The thickness of the skirt at section  104  and  102  is substantially less than the thickness of the skirt at other locations so that the tearing action initiated by lifting the pull tab  19   c  follows the line of weakness defined by section  104  and  102 . 
     As can be seen in FIG. 18, the lower bead  127  formed on the inside of the lower section  101  is interrupted; this allows for the thin-walled section  104  to converge and continuously connect the lower edge  21   c  of the lower section  101  to the thin-walled section  102  which enables the lower section  101  to be completely and neatly separated from the upper section  103  of the skirt  14   c.    
     As can be seen in FIGS. 17 through 19, the cap  10   c  includes an integral plug element  128  which acts much like the plug  28  of the helically threaded cap described earlier. It will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that either helically threaded caps or push-on caps may be made with or without an integral plug on the underside of the cover of such caps, and that a foil liner, of a type which may be bonded to a flange on the bottle neck by induction heating, may be used instead of an integral plug. 
     In FIG. 19, the cap  10   c  is shown assembled, i.e., pushed on, to a container neck  166  of a bottle neck  160 . The bottle neck  160  includes non-helical external threads or beads, i.e., upper bead  161  and lower bead  163 , which engage internal threads or beads, i.e., upper bead  126  and lower bead  127 , on the inside surface of the cap  10   c . As with the helically threaded embodiment described earlier, the cap  10   c  has a pull tab shaped to receive and accommodate a ridge  182  on a bumper roll  178 . The curved upper part  25   c  of the pull tab  19   c  allow the pull tab  19   c  to project minimally in the outward direction from the bottle neck  166 , while at the same time allowing the pull tab  19   c  to avoid stress and deformation which might prematurely bring the tearing action or separation of material along the thin-walled section  104 . 
     The invention described herein as embodied in a container neck will have its most common application in the formation of containers made by a blow-molding method. Blow-molded containers are often used by bottlers of milk and juice because they are inexpensive and relatively simple to manufacture. Indeed, many bottlers have blow-molding machines at their bottling facilities to even further reduce costs; making the bottles on-site saves in transportation costs relating to the shipment of bulky empty containers. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the preferred embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein.