Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~33~8
The invention relates to a flanged ~ap for
sealing a necked container. The cap i~ particularly
suitable for sealing bottles containing pharmaceutical
substances.
In use such a flanged cap includes a resilient
sealing element sealing off the neck of the bottle. It
is connected to the neck of the bottle in an annular
zone disposed below the end of the neck of the bottle,
and is provided with a tear-out portion, which can be
pulled out from the top of the cap a~d which has an
integral rivet for retaining a pull-off tab~ This tab
lies parallel to the top in readiness for use and is
lifted for removal of the tear-out portion.
Flanged cap sealing means for bottles containing
liquid or pulverulent pharmaceutical substances and
particularly for infusion and transfusion bottles, are
known in a number of forms. German Patent Specification
AS 2 040 937 discloses an aluminium flanged cap which- :
has, in a central recess, a plastics insert, which is
sealed off over two faces and can be removed with the
aid of an annular pull-off tab. In this way the surf-
ace of a sealing element which closes off the neck of
the bottle in a resilient manner is uncovered, and this
sealing element may have a canule passing through it so
that the contents of the bottle become accessible.
The prior art also includes a sealing means for a
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container as disclosed in US Patent Specification
3 905 503, which comprises a one-piece imperforate
netal ~anged cap. Formed from the material of the
tear-out portion is a rivet, and a wedge-shaped pull-
off tab, having an annular opening providing a grip, isprovided on this rivet in such a way that the line of
symlnetry of the pull-off tab, disposed on the upper sur
-face of the tear-o~t portion, extends along a dia-
meter of the tear-out portion which takes the form of a
circular disc. After the pull-off tab has been lifted,
a marginal portion first penetrates at the tear line
that is provided, and the tear-out portion can then be
pulled out along the tear line by means of a tensile
force applied substantially in the diametral direction,
and the tear-out portion can be removed up to a point on
the edge of the flange. The flanged cap can thus be
completely removed. The tear-out portion remains
attached to the flange by means of a special form of
those portions of the tear line contained in the
~0 flange.
Because of the relatively large am~unt of space
required for accommodating the pull-off ta~ ~uch a
. .
flanged cap appears to be disadvantageous for the
sealing of bottles having a relatively small neck
diameter, for example infusion and transfusion bottles;
slso there must be a sufficiently large opening in the
pull-off tab to enable it to be gripped. Reduction
in the size of the known forms of cap leads to incon-
veniently narrow pull-off tabs which render it diff-
icult to open the flanged cap Apart from a suffic-
iently lar~e opening in the pull-off tab for enabling
it to be gripped and depending upon the material of
the ~ealing disc, a further re~uirement is that the
tear-out portion ~hould not penetrate the surface of
the sealing disc when the pull-off flange iR lifted,
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since the tear-out portion rnay cause damage and could
thus create areas promoting the settling of pathogenic
gerlns. Therefore, as soon as the pull-off tab is
lifted, the tear-out portion should be pulled out
up~Yards along the tear line. For this purpose
support for the pull-off tab is required on the
remaining faces of the top portion. Such support is
known in the case of pull-off closure means provided
in the top of cans for preserving food etc. Although
the double-sided support for the pull-off tab used in
these cans enables the tear-out portion of the top
surface to be removed without penetration of the inner
rim of the container~the tear-off closure means
requires a large amount of space and is therefore
wlsuitable for use in those cases where the opening
for gripping the pull-off tab corresponds approximately
to the diameter of the tear-out portion.
The object of the present invention is to provide
a metal flanged cap for sealing containers, especially
~0 bottles containing pharmaceutical ~ubstances, which
occupies little space, particularly when the diameter
of the pull-off tab (or the peripheral length) corres-
ponds approximately to the size of the tear-out portion.
A further object is to provide a flanged cap
'5 which permits opening to be carried out without penetrat-
ion, by--the tear-out portion, of a resilient ~ealing
element for the neck of the container.
A flan~ed cap according to t~e invention comprises:
atop of said cap; an annular flange depending from
said top and adapted to be conllected to the neck of said
container in an annular zone disposed below the end of
said neck;
a tear-out portion of said top defined within a
tear-line in said top;
a pull-off tab wherewith said tear-out portion
of said top can be pulled out from said top;
a rivet integral with said tear-out portion and
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connecting thereto said pull-off tab close to said
tear line;
a connectillg web~ connecting said pull-off tab to
the said tear-out portion, said web extending to~-ards
the interior of said tear-out portion; and
a fulcrwn surface for said pull-off tab on said
top across said tear line from said connecting web.
In a preferred arrangelnent, the pull-off tab is
of annular form, and the outside dia~neter of the pull-
Off tab is greater than the dia~neter of the tear-out
portion. The re4uired one-sided support for the pull-
out tab during lifting is thus achieved. In this
arrangel~ent the pull-off tab and the tear-out portion
are advantageously of annular form or in the shape of a
round disc, the pull-off tab being disposed eccentrically
of the tear-out portion. ~or special purposes,
elliptical or other non-circular shapes of pull-off
tab and/or tear-out portion may be advantageous.
In a preferred embodiment, the pull-off tab is a
flanged ring having an integral connecting web.
The tear line ~lay ad~antageously be Of
continuous contour within the top of the cap. Thus a
disc-shaped tear-out portion results wherein, in
addition, the sealing elelnent is held by the flange of
~5 the flanged disc. If it is required to be able to
detach the flanged cap completely, the tear line can
be ad~antageously so shaped that portions thereof extend
into the flange. Further these portions ~nay di~erge
towards the flange. This provides the possibility of
twisting off the disc shaped tear-out portion when the
flange is re~uired to remain attached to the container
for the purpose of continuing to retain the sealing
elelllent. Means for preventing unwanted complete tearing
off and thus detach~nent of the flanged cap from the neck
of the bottle can be provided by arranging at least one
portion of the tear line to be inclined in the flange.
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In an arrangement that is particularly favourable
in the mallufacture and preparation of the flanged cap,
the latter may have a raised rim at the upper end of
the flange, the pull-off tab and the rivet, made of the
same material - preferably aluminium - as the tear-out
portion and used for securing the tab, lying in a
protected position within the dished reces~ thus formed
in the top surface. The depth of the dished recess is
thus at least equal to the height of the inserted part
that projects to the greatest extent, i.e. of the pull-
off tab or of the rivet serving to secure it.
For the purpose of facilitating the tear-off
operation, an outwardly extending score line of rounded
triangular shape for exalnple may be advantageously pro~
vided in the tear line in the zone of the connecting web.
For various applications it appears advantageous
to fit a resilient sealing ring or a plurality of
sealing elements on the inner face of the flanged cap.
All the components of the fla~ged cap are
advantageously made of pure aluminium.
Use of the features of the invention, while
resulting in the full utilization of space even when the
diameter of the neck of the bottle is small, also
provides an efficient alld readily opened flanged cap
~5 closure means which can be produced fully automatically
in a fe-Y operations and at little cost.
In order that the invention may be more readily
understood a specific embodilnent thereof, and a mod-
ification will now be described with reference to the
dra-Yings; in which;
Figure 1 shows, at a~proximately four times actual size
a vertical section along the diameter of a
flanged cap in accordance~with the invention,
Figure 2 is a plan view of the flanged cap of ~igure 1,
Figure 3 shows a vertical qection similar to Figure l~
during opening of the cap, and
Figure 4 shows a side view of a modified flange cap which, as re-
quired, can be opened with or without a removable tear-out portion being
completely removed.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate, at approximately four times actual size, a
flanged cap 1 which is made of 0.3 mm thick pure aluminium sheet and which has a
raised rim 2 at the upper end of its flange 8. A top 3 in which is provided a
tear-out portion 4 in the form of a circular disc, forms in combination with rim
2 a dished recess in which lies in a protected position, an annular pull-off tab,
in the form of a flanged ring 5. A hollow rivet formed integrally from the
material of the tear-out portion 4 connects the pull-off tab 5 and the pull-out
portion 4 via a connecting web 7 of the pùll-off tab 5. The flange 8 serves to
secure the flanged cap on the neck of a bottle and for retaining in a fixed
position a disc-, plug-or ring-shaped resilient sealing element, not shown in
the drawing, at the top of the bottle. A tear line 9 corresponds to the edge
contour of the tear-out portion 4, and as shown in Figure 2 in broken lines, the
tear-line, instead of forming a full circle, has divergent portions 10 and 11
which continue as parallel portions (not shown) in the flange 8.
Also, Figure 2 shows, in the zone of the connecting web 7, an outwardly
extending score line 12 forming part of the tear line 9 to facilitate the start
of the opening operation.
Figure 3 illustrates a stage in the operation of opening the cap,
wherein the pull-off tab 5 has been lifted by movement in the direction indicated
by the arrow while supported on a fulcrum surface formed by part of the remaining
top across the tear line from the original position of the connecting web 7 and
rivet 6. As this takes place, the connecting web 7
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pulls the tear-out portion 4 out of the area defined
by the tear line 9, by means of the hollow rivet 6.
Contilluance of the pull-off movelnellt enables the tear-
out portion to be finally con-pletely removed, if the
tear line is colllpletely circular. When, as sho~-n the
tear line e~tends into the flange, it is possible to
remove the flanged cap completely.
The side view of Figure 4 illustrates a modificat-
ion ~i~erein a portion 13 o~ the tear line 9 is inclined
and terlninates ~ithin the material. A vertical portion
14 extends to a point just short of the lower edge of
the flanged cap. This prevents separation of the tear-
out portion 4 from the flange. Separation of the tear-
out portion from the flange of the cap only talces place
1~ as a result of an additional deliberate pull-off move-
n~ent .
