Patent Publication Number: US-9850048-B2

Title: Container seal cutting device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/121,559 filed on Feb. 27, 2015. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to container seal cutting devices. More specifically, the present invention provides a container seal cutting device comprising a cap adapted to removably secure to the mouth of a container having a protective seal thereon. The cap includes a recessed area disposed on an upper surface thereof, wherein a cutting blade rests within the recessed area and is pivotally secured to the upper surface. The cutting blade is movable between a stored configuration and an upright configuration, wherein the cutting blade is adapted to puncture and cut the seal of the container while in the upright configuration so the seal can be removed therefrom. 
     Many products are packaged in bottles or other containers whose openings are sealed by a thin membrane of a suitable material, such as a metallic foil or a plastic film, until a consumer is ready to remove the contents from the container. The protective seals serve a myriad of functions, such as preventing the product from leaking out during shipment, preventing product contamination, preserving product freshness, and ensuring the consumer that the product has not been tampered. Unfortunately, when a consumer is ready to remove the contents of the container or bottle, a knife or other sharp object may not be readily available. Some individuals attempt to open such a seal with their hands. However, this technique is ineffective and risks contaminating and spilling the contents of the container on the user or elsewhere. Therefore, there exists a need in the prior art for a device that can be integrated with existing containers and bottles that allow the protective seals to be cut and easily removed therefrom. 
     Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to container seal cutting devices. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to closures having a piercing tip extending therefrom, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,024,234, 6,039,198, 7,410,071, 5,758,788, 6,056,142, 4,993,569, 4,770,305, U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2012/0325769, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,845. 
     These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. The devices in the prior art fail to provide a cutting blade pivotally secured to the upper surface of a cap, wherein the cutting blade is movable between a stored configuration and an upright configuration. Some devices include a piercing tip extending from the surface thereof. However, the sharp edge of the piercing tip remains upright and exposed on the cap, thereby exposing a user to the risk of becoming cut or pricked by the device. Thus, the prior art devices fail to disclose a container seal cutting device that includes a movable cutting blade that can be configured in order to prevent injury. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing container seal cutting devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of container seal cutting devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new container seal cutting device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when removing the seal of a container. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved container seal cutting device that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a container seal cutting device comprising a cap having a top wall, one or more sidewalls, and an open lower end, defining an interior volume, wherein the cap is adapted to be removably secured to the mouth of a container having a protective seal thereon. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a container seal cutting device comprising a cutting blade pivotally secured to the upper surface of the top wall and adapted to puncture and cut the protective seal disposed on a container. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container seal cutting device wherein the cutting blade is movable between a stored configuration, such that the cutting blade rests within a recessed area on the top wall of the cap so that it remains substantially flush with the upper surface thereof, and an upright configuration, such that the cutting blade extends substantially perpendicularly from the top wall of the cap so it can be utilized to open the seal of a container. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container seal cutting device comprising a protrusion disposed on the cutting blade in order to safely move the cutting blade between the stored and upright configurations. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a container seal cutting device that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the container seal cutting device positioned on the mouth of a container having a protective seal thereon. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the underside of the cap of the container seal cutting device. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the container seal cutting device positioned to puncture and cut the protective seal of a container. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the container seal cutting device. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for puncturing and cutting a protective seal from a container. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the container seal cutting device positioned on the mouth of a container having a protective seal thereon and a perspective view of the underside of the cap of the container seal cutting device, respectively. The container seal cutting device  11  comprises a cap  12  having a top wall  20 , one or more sidewalls  21  extending perpendicularly from the top wall  20 , and an open lower end  22 , defining an interior volume. The lower end  22  is adapted to receive the mouth of a container  41  therein so as to allow the cap  12  to removably cover the opening of a container  41  in order to prevent material from spilling therefrom. In the illustrated embodiment, the cap  12  comprises a circular cross section, however, the cap  12  is shaped so as to correspond to the shaped of the mouth of the container  41 . 
     The container seal cutting device  11  comprises a plurality of ridges  19  adapted to allow a user to easily grip and twist the cap  12  disposed on a container  41 . The ridges  19  are vertically disposed around the sidewalls  21  of the cap  12 , wherein the ridges  19  are spaced at fixed intervals. However, in other embodiments, the ridges can be replaced with any suitable configuration that provides a grip for the user, such as a pattern of straight, angled, or crossed lines. In some embodiments, the interior of the sidewalls  21  comprise threading  26  so as to allow the cap  12  to removably secure to a threaded mouth of a container  41 . However, in other embodiments, the threading  26  on the interior of the sidewall  21  is omitted if the mouth of the container  41  does not comprise threading thereon. 
     The container seal cutting device  11  further comprises a cutting blade  13  pivotally secured to the upper surface  23  of the top wall  20  of the cap  12 , wherein the cutting blade  13  is adapted to puncture and cut a protective seal (referenced in  FIG. 2, 18 ) disposed over the mouth of the container  41 . The cutting blade  13  is disposed along the diameter of the cap  12 , wherein the cutting blade  13  is secured thereto via a hinge  24 . Further, the cutting blade  13  is contained within the top wall  20  so as to prevent any portion of the cutting blade  13  from extending off the sides of the cap  12 . Thus, preventing the cutting blade  13  from becoming exposed and unintentionally injuring a user. The cutting blade  13  comprises a triangular shape having a front side  16  and a rear side. The tip  17  and an edge of the cutting blade  13  are sharp so as to cut through the protective seal disposed on the container  41 . 
     The cutting blade  13  is movable between a stored configuration and an upright configuration. In the stored configuration, the cutting blade  13  is positioned within a recessed area  14  on the top wall  20  of the cap  12  so that the rear side of the cutting blade  13  remains substantially flush with the upper surface  23  thereof. The recessed area  14  comprises a triangular shape that corresponds to the shape of the cutting blade  13 . Thus, the edges of the recessed area  14  provide a protective barrier for the sharp edges of the cutting blade  13  in order to prevent a user from cutting himself or herself. In other embodiments, the recessed area  14  can be any suitable shape similar to that of the cutting blade  13 . 
     The container seal cutting device  11  further comprises a protrusion  15  disposed on the cutting blade  13  so as to allow a user to safely move the cutting blade  13  between the stored and upright configurations. In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusion  15  extends perpendicularly from the front side  16  of the cutting blade  13 . In other embodiments, the protrusion  15  can comprise any suitable configuration as long as it is adapted to allow the cutting blade  13  to move positions while avoiding having a user having to contact a sharp edge or tip  17  of the cutting blade  13 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the container seal cutting device positioned to puncture and cut the protective seal of a container. In the upright configuration, the cutting blade  13  extends substantially perpendicularly from the top wall  20  of the cap  12 . In operation, the user positions the cutting blade  13  into the upright configuration by pressing and moving the protrusion  15  towards the top wall  20  of the cap  12 . Once the cutting blade  13  is positioned in the upright configuration, it can be used to puncture and cut the protective seal  18  of a container  16 . The cap  12  is then inverted so the cutting blade  13  is positioned for insertion into the protective seal  18 . The tip  17  of the cutting blade  13  punctures the seal  18  and the sharp edge  25  is used to cut around the perimeter of seal  18 . After the seal  18  has been removed, the protrusion  15  is lifted away from the top wall  20  so the cutting blade  13  can be placed in the recessed area, wherein it lays in the stored configuration. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.