Patent GB-436989-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to closure means for bottles and other containers
IPC: B65D55/02
Filed: 1934-09-04
Abstract: 436,989. Closures for bottles, cans, barrels, &c. COLT'S PATENT FIRE ARMS MANUFACTURING CO., 17, Van Dyke Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.- (Assignees of Conner, B. F., and Schmalz, W. F.) Sept. 4, 1934, Nos. 25460 and 25461. Convention dates, March 24 and May 4. [Classes 21, 66, 125 (i), and 125 (iii)] A closure for a bottle, can, barrel, or other container comprises an externally visible, preformed, brittle and readily breakable indicator member and a concealed breaking device separate from the indicator member and adapted to allow free movement of the latter in one direction to its normal position but automatically engaging and breaking the indicator member upon movement thereof in the opposite direction out of its normal position ; the indicator member may constitute the closure of the container. As shown in Fig. 1, the indicator member takes the form of a cap 3, made of a synthetic resin, engaging a complete or interrupted thread 5 or other means on the bottle 1 and having the external visible breakable portion 6 separated from the remainder of the top of the closure by an annular zone of weakness 7 ; the metallic breaking device 9 is disposed in a recess 15 in the top of the primary closure 11 so as to be non-rotatable therein and has a pair of resilient pawls 10 which engage teeth on the underside of the portion 6 of the indicator cap 3 as the cap is screwed down into place on to the tightly screwed closure 11. To obtain access to the closure 11 the cap 3 must be unscrewed, the pawls 10 then resisting such movement and breaking away the portion 6 from the cap ; the threads of the indicator cap and closure member preferably differ in pitch so as to provide a differential action between the parts should they turn in unison and the threads of the closure may have a considerably greater pitch than those of the cap so that if the closure tends to unscrew with the cap it will rise more rapidly than the latter and break the top thereof and to facilitate such breaking there may be provided an auxiliary annular zone of weakness 16 ; the threads may be of different hands so as to prevent the cap and closure moving together. The breakable part 6 of the cap may be formed as a dome separated from the remainder of the cap by the zone of weakness and the breaking device is then disposed in a recess in a boss on the closure projecting into the dome ; the boss may be of different colour from the cap so as to give ready indication that the contents of the bottle have probably been tampered with. The breaking device may be held from rotation in the closure by a projection on the latter entering a slot in the device and a screwed recess may be provided below the breakable portion 6 of the cap so that when the cap has been broken and removed from the bottle it may be screwed upon a base and used as a drinking cup. The primary closure may be a cork or stopper with a top disc of wood &c. recessed to hold the breaking device. In the form shown in Fig. 13 the indicator member or cap 41 does not directly engage the bottle &c. 33 but is held thereto by a flanged ring 36 which is slipped down over a pair of lugs 37 above a bead 34 on the bottle before the primary closure 40 is screwed into place ; the lugs 37 engage recesses in the horizontal flange of the ring to prevent rotation thereof and the vertical flange is screwthreaded for engagement by the indicator cap when the latter is screwed into place with the breaking device 9 engaging the teeth on the underside of the breakable portion 43 of the cap. In the form shown in Fig. 15 the breaking device is in the form of a metallic bridge 46 formed with resilient pawls 50 for engaging the breakable portion 43a of the indicator cap 41<a>, resilient lugs 49 for engagement by the threads of the indicator cap 41a and recessed flanges 47 for engaging the lugs 37 on the bottle etc.; the bridge is snapped over the lugs 37 after the closure 40<a> has been screwed on and the cap is then pushed down until the lugs 49 engage the threads thereof and the closure 40<a> may be provided with an annular series of teeth for engaging resilient pawls 52 on the bridge 46 to prevent accidental unscrewing of the closure by vibration or otherwise. In another form a metallic screwed primary closure is formed with breaking pawls on its top and the indicator cap screws on to the primary closure ; the lower part of the cap co-operates with a bead on the bottle to prevent access to the primary closure with a tool or, instead of screwing on to the primary closure, the cap may screw on to threads on the bottle below the closure. The primary closure may be corrugated to engage ribs on the bottle to prevent its rotation relatively thereto and is then held in place by the indicator cap which is screwed on to the bottle. In the form shown in Fig. 22, the indicator member 65 also constitutes the primary closure of the bottle 61 which is recessed in the mouth 62 to receive the non-rotatable metallic breaking member 63 having the resilient pawls engaging teeth on the underside of the breakable portion 67 of the closure 65 ; the closure may have a rabbetted and toothed top upon which a flanged cover may be engaged to cover the opening in the closure if this is to be used after the bottle has been opened. As shown in Fig. 27 the screwed sheet metal spout 73 of a can 71 is depressed to form a ledge 75 to non-rotatably support the breaking device 74 having pawls engaging the breakable portion 78 of the closure 77. In another form in which the closure is also the indicator member, the breaking device is a metal ring non- rotatably mounted on a shoulder below the screwed neck of the bottle and formed with resilient pawls engaging teeth on the inside of a skirt portion of the closure as the latter is screwed into place ; the junction between the closure and its skirt forms the weak breakable portion and after the bottle has been opened the closure may be reused to seal the bottle in the ordinary manner. In the form shown in Fig. 34, the screwed closure 95 has an integral breakable skirt portion 97 and a metallic ring 99 with a small inward projecting flange 100 is fixed on a bead above the skirt. The breaking device is a ring 101 having resilient fingers 102 engaging a bead 94 on the bottle and resilient teeth 103 which as the closure is screwed into place snap over the flange 100 of the ring 99 ; when the closure is unscrewed it moves the ring 101 upwards and causes the fingers 102 to be forced outwards to break the skirt portion 97 from the closure. The closure may have a depending flange covering the junction between the closure and its skirt so that the broken edge formed on the closure when the bottle is opened is hidden and enhances the appearance of the closure when it is desired to reuse it. In the form shown in Figs. 39 and 42 the indicator member 105 is separate from the primary closure 112 and has a readily breakable portion 107 engaged by one or more discs or rollers 109 disposed in upwardly inclined cam paths 111 in the top of the primary closure. The pitch of the cam paths is considerably greater than that of the threads 5 of the indicator member or cap 105 and the paths and discs or rollers are preferably serrated while the shoulders 116 at the ends of the paths 111 are plain so that, when the indicator cap is screwed on, the discs or rollers move to the shoulders 116 and tend to turn the primary closure in the tightening direction ; when the indicator cap is unscrewed the discs or rollers are forced up the cam paths and break away the top portion 107 of the cap. In a modification the indicator cap has an open top, the cam paths and discs or rollers are arranged at the side of the primary closure member and the breakable top of the cap is defined by an annular zone of weakness in the side of the cap. In another form tiltable pins are arranged in narrow recesses in the top of the primary closure and when the indicator cap is unscrewed, the pins are moved from an inclined to the vertical position and break away the top of the cap.