Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
PIERCING CONTAINER CAP
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a container cap which contains a piercing
member. The cap being designed to move first downward and then upward relative
to
the container to which it is affixed, when it is first rotated in the
direction expected to
result in removal of the cap. The downward motion allows the piercing member
to
contact a seal or cover on the container causing the seal or cover to rupture.
The
upward motion allows for removal of the cap.
Often, containers are encountered which have, in addition to a screw
cap, a seal or film over the opening which is designed to provide security
from
tampering, reduce bacterial infection or otherwise protect the product.
Commonly these
include sealed containers for medicine, glue and the like where a plastic
container top is
actually sealed closed during the molding process. Other examples include
containers
which contain tablets, dry ingredients, oil, or the like, where a foil or
plastic film is
sealed across the top of the container after the contents have been placed
inside. These
seals must be punctured or ruptured to gain access to the contents of the
container.
Various devices have been proposed to open such seals and films.
Several include puncturing devices located in the center of the cap. These
allow for
forced screwing of the cap onto the container to allow a piercing member to
break the
seal. Others rely on a piercing member which is located on the top of the cap.
Here the
cap is removed from the container, inverted I 80 degrees and then a piercing
member is
pressed onto the seal to effect rupture. Still other devices such as a "can
opener" or
"spike" are available which are separate from the cap and which can be used to
open
these sealed containers.
These devices are often cumbersome and require a great degree of
manual dexterity. Many are inoperable by those who cannot provide enough
pressure to
cause the rupture of the seal or film.
The container cap presented here avoids the problems associated with
the devices discussed by providing a means for first moving the cap in a
downward
direction relative to the container so that a piercing means within the cap
can rupture
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the seal. Once the downward motion has reached its desired maximum, continued
rotation in the same direction results in moving the cap in an upward
direction for
removal. One of the unique features of this container cap is that the cap is
only rotated
in one direction, the direction the user expects to effect removal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A container cap assembly is presented which comprises a cap and a
locking sheath the assembly having means for first directing the travel of the
cap in a
downward direction relative to a container to which the container cap is
attached,
means for attaching the locking sheath to the cap and means for directing the
travel of
the cap in an upward direction relative to the container to which the
container cap is
attached, wherein upon rotation in a manner expected to result in removal of
the cap
assembly from a container to which it is attached, the cap moves first in a
downward
directive relative to the container and then in an upward direction relative
to the
container, the upward direction resulting in removal of the cap from the
container. The
cap may contain a piercing member which is designed to rupture a seal on the
top of the
container to which the cap assembly is attached.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side view of the cap which has a piercing member, an inner
locking sheath and the top of a container designed to receive the cap.
Figure 2 is a cut-away view along a center line through the cap, the inner
locking sheath and the top of the container which shows one embodiment of the
invention.
Figure 3 consists of four views of the cap: Figure 3a is a cut-away view
of the cap showing the piercing member and lower cam follower; Figure 3b is a
cut-
away of the cap showing the upper cam follower; Figure 3c is a cut-away view
of the
cap showing the locking means; and Figure 3d is a top view of the cap.
Figure 4 is a side view of the inner locking sheath and the top of the
container to which it would ultimately be attached.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A container cap assembly is presented which comprises a cap and a
locking sheath the assembly having means for first directing the travel of the
cap in a
downward direction relative to a container to which the container cap is
attached,
means for attaching the locking sheath to the cap and means for directing the
travel of
the cap in an upward direction relative to the container to which the
container cap is
attached, wherein upon rotation in a manner expected to result in removal of
the cap
assembly from a container to which it is attached, the cap moves first in a
downward
directive relative to the container and then in an upward direction relative
to the
container, the upward direction resulting in removal of the cap from the
container.
One embodiment of the invention includes the container cap assembly
which comprises a cap having an inner locking sheath, the cap having a top
plate
having an inside and outside, and a side wall which is symmetrical about a
longitudinal
axis and joined to the top plate, the side wall enclosing the inside of the
top plate, the
cap having upper and lower ramp followers and a storage groove; the inner
locking
sheath having a side wall which is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis, the
side wall
having an inside and outside surface, the inside surface of the inner locking
sheath
having screw threads, the screw threads being matable to the threads of a
container for
which the cap is intended, the screw threads being directed so as to allow for
removal
of the cap when the container is rotated in a particular direction; the
outside surface of
the inner locking sheath having an upper ramp and lower ramp directed to guide
the cap
along a downward path when the cap is rotated, the upper and lower ramps
capable of
receiving the upper and lower ramp followers, the locking sheath being held in
a fixed
position relative to the rotation of the cap until the ramp followers reach
the terminus of
the ramps; the locking sheath being fixed in position relative to the
container by a
locking finger which extends from the locking sheath and is inserted into a
groove
located in the top of the container; wherein as the cap is rotated in the
direction
intended to open the container, the cap moves downward relative to the
container
following the path dictated by the upper and lower ramps until the cap rotates
into
position over top of the locking finger of the locking sheath, the locking
finger then
moves from the groove in the container to the storage groove in the cap
causing the
locking sheath to be permanently affixed to the inside of the cap, continued
rotation of
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the container cap causing the inner locking sheath to rotate with the cap and
the
assembly moving upward guided by the threads on the locking sheath and
container.
The container cap assembly is presented as shown in Figure 1, which
comprises a cap (1) having a piercing member (2) and a locking sheath (3), the
cap (1)
moving first downward and then upward relative to the container (4) when first
rotated
in the direction used to open the container. A piercing member (2) capable of
rupturing
a seal (6) on the container during the downward motion may be provided.
By container cap is meant any covering, stopper, plug or other closing
device that could be applied to a container to close off an ingress or egress
from the
container and which may be removed as desired to provide for such ingress or
egress.
By "cap" is meant a covering for the container cap assembly which may
be gripped and rotated. The cap in the instant device may have one or more
"piercing
members" which protrudes from inside the cap down towards the opening of the
cap.
The piercing member is designed to rupture a cover or film protection on a
container to
which the container cap assembly is affixed.
The cap may have certain features such as screw threads or cam
followers which allow it to follow a path dictated by suitable threads or cams
on the
outside of the of locking sheath. The cap may also contain locking means which
when
actuated, cause the locking sheath to mate with the cap such that the locking
sheath is
affixed to the cap.
Before the locking means and locking sheath interact, the cap is
rotateable about the outside of the locking sheath with limited resistance,
through a
predetermined angular displacement which comprises the angle of actuation. By
"angle
of actuation" is meant the number of degrees which the cap moves through,
before the
locking sheath attaches and the cap begins to move upward relative to the
container to
which it is affixed. The locking sheath is designed to reside inside the cap
once the cap
travels to the maximum downward position during the initial opening rotation.
The locking sheath is in the general shape of a cylinder. The cylinder has
an inside surface and an outside surface. The locking sheath has screw threads
on its
inside surface which mate with the screw threads on the container upon which
the
container cap is to be used. The locking sheath is held stationary during the
downward
motion of the cap upon initial rotation of the cap. The locking sheath may be
held in
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place manually or mechanical means may be provided to hold the locking sheath
in
place while the cap is first rotated and moves in its downward path. Means for
holding
the locking sheath in place are known to those in the art of container and cap
manufacture and include mechanical means which link with the container until
being
released. These mechanical means include the use of pins, biasing devices,
adhesives,
welding the locking sheath to the container in such a way that rotation of the
cap
eventually breaks the weld loose, and other method known to those in the art.
The locking sheath also contains locking means for mating the locking
sheath to the cap so that once the cap has rotated and moves in the required
downward
I O distance relative to the container to which it is affixed, the locking
sheath and cap may
lock together and move as one unit. Such locking means include the use of an
appendage affixed to the locking sheath which is biased in such a manner that
it moves
into a gap in the cap and locks when the gap is rotated into a position
opposite the
appendage. Other methods of mating the locking sheath to the cap such as
manual
15 insertion of a pin, friction fitting and others are known in the art and
are included with
the scope of this invention.
Figure 1 shows one preferred embodiment of the instant invention. In
this embodiment, the container cap assembly comprises a cap (1) having a
piercing
member (2), and an inner locking sheath (3). The cap has a top plate (11)
having an
20 inside ( 13) and outside ( 12), and a side wall ( 14) which is symmetrical
about a
longitudinal axis and joined to the top plate (11) enclosing the inside of the
top plate
(11). A piercing member (2) is affixed to the inside (13) of the top plate
(11). An inner
locking sheath (3) has a side wall (20) which is symmetrical about a
longitudinal axis,
the side wall (20) having an inside (21) and outside (22) surface, the inside
surface (21)
25 of the inner locking sheath (3) having screw threads (25) which are shown
in Figure 2.
The screw threads (25) are constructed to mate with the threads (5) of a
container (4)
for which the container cap assembly is intended. The screw threads on the
inside
surface (25) of the locking sheath (3) are directed so as to allow for removal
of the
container cap assembly when the container is rotated in a particular
direction. In the
30 embodiment shown in Figure 1, the outside surface of the inner locking
sheath has an
upper ramp(15) and lower ramp (16) to guide the cap (1) along a downward path
while
the locking sheath (3) is held in a fixed position relative to the rotation of
the cap (I).
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The locking sheath (3) is fixed in position relative to the container (4) by a
locking
finger (51) which extends from the locking sheath (3) and is inserted into a
storage
groove in the top of the receiver slot (52). As the cap (1 ) is rotated in the
direction
needed to open the container (4), the cap (1) moves downward relative to the
container
(4) as it follows along the path dictated by the ramps (15) and (16). Once the
cap (1)
rotation has proceeded a predetermined angular displacement relative to the
surface of
the inner locking sheath (3), which is also known as the "angle of
activation", that
distance being determined by the length of the ramps (15) and (16), the
locking finger
(51) of the locking sheath (3) moves from the groove in the receiver slot (52)
to a
storage groove (43) in the cap (1) causing the locking sheath (3) to be
permanently
affixed to the inside of the cap ( 1 ). Continued rotation of the cap ( 1 )
causes the inner
locking sheath (3) to rotate with the cap and the cap-locking sheath assembly
moves
upwards guided by the threads on the locking sheath (3) and container (4).
When rupture of a protective seal or film (6) is desired, the cap (1)
functions as follows, upon rotation of the cap (1) in a direction which would
be
expected to cause the cap (1) to move away from the container (4), the cap (1)
follows
ramps (15) and (16) located on the locking sheath (3) and closes further on
the
container (4). This downward motion of the cap (1) allows the piercing member
(2) to
cut through a protective seal or film (6). Protective seal or film (6) is for
example a seal
or membrane affixed to the top of the container (4) or in some instances it
may be a
molded section of a container (4) which is thin or brittle enough to be
ruptured by the
pressure exerted by the piercing member (2). As the cap (1 ) is further
rotated in the
direction expected to remove it from the container (4), the locking means of
the cap ( 1 )
engages the inner locking sheath (3) and the inner locking sheath (3) and cap
(1) are
mated. Further rotation of the cap (1) and inner locking sheath member causes
engagement of the threads (3) of the inner surface of the inner locking sheath
(3) so that
the cap-locking sheath assembly, operating as a single unit, move in a
direction away
from the container (4) and can be removed.
Three cross-sectional views of a preferred embodiment of the cap
portion of the invention are shown in Figure 3. Each view is rotated to show a
specific
feature of the cap ( 1 ). Figure 3 (a) shows the cap ( 1 ) with the piercing
member (2) and
at the lower portions of the inside wall of the cap (13) a lower cam follower
(40) is
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shown. In Figure 3(b) the upper cam follower (41) is shown. In Figure 3(c) one
example of a locking means (43) is shown. Figure 3(d) shows all of these
features in a
plane view of the cap (1).
Similarly a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the
locking sheath is shown in Figure 4. This view shows a locking finger (51)
which is
designed to have a springing action and spring away from the center of the
locking
sheath. The neck of a container (4) designed to receive locking finger (51 )
in the
receiver slot (52) is also shown in Figure 4. Locking finger (51) is held in
the receiver
slot by the walls of the cap until the locking means (43), as shown in Figure
3, of the
cap (1) are fully exposed and the locking forger (51) moves into the cap,
joining the cap
and the locking sheath (3). The locking finger (51) may be biased in such a
manner as
to promote movement out of the container receiver slot (52) and into the cap
locking
means (43) to assure that a positive lock is realized.
The preferred embodiment of this invention functions as follows.
Initially, the locking sheath (3) is screwed or pushed down over the neck of
the
container. The locking appendage is aligned with and fits into the receiver
slot (52) on
the neck of the container. Next the cap is pushed over the locking sheath into
a position
where the locking means (43), as shown in Figure 3, avoids the locking finger
(51) and
the upper cam followers (41) and lower cam followers (40) are locked into
their
respective initial angular position on the cams on the locking sheath (3). The
cap (I) is
now in position and ready to be opened.
To pierce the protective cover on the container, the cap is rotated in the
direction that would normally cause the cap to move up the threads and away
from the
container. However, since the cap is able to rotate while the locking sheath
stays
stationary, the cap follows the cams located on the locking sheath and moves
downward relative to the top of the container and the piercing means ruptures
the
protective cover on the container. Once the end of the cam is reached, the cam
followers meet with the edge of the locking sheath and the locking appendage
matches
up with and moves into the locking means in the cap. This results in a
permanent and
secure mating of the cap and locking sheath and the cap and locking sheath
rotate as
one unit. Continued rotation in the same direction causes the cap to move
upward and
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away from the top of the container so that the container cap can be unscrewed
and
removed from the container in the normal manner.
The cap and locking sheath, once connected, can be reused as a single
unit. Once reinstalled, the cap and locking sheath unit behaves in a manner
similar to a
normal cap. That is, rotation in a manner that would be expected to remove the
cap
results in movement away from the top of the container only.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the ramps or cams on
the locking sheath are replaced with screw threads located on the outside
surface of the
locking sheath. The outside surface screw threads are aligned in the direction
opposite
to the threads on the inside of locking sheath. In this embodiment, screw
threads which
mate to those on the outside of the locking sheath are found on the inside of
the side
wall of the cap. Initial rotation of the cap in the direction expected to
result in removal
of the cap causes the cap to move downward relative to the container following
the
screw threads until the cap reaches the end of the threaded portion. At this
point, the
locking sheath locks into the cap and continued rotation of the cap results in
engagement of the threads on the inside of the locking sheath and ultimate
removal of
the cap.
The container cap assembly may be of any color desired and may be
opaque or clear depending upon the use. For example, a clear, colorless cap
may be
used if the cap is to be affixed to a container which has a tamper evident
seal across the
top which is to be ruptured when the cap is first rotated. This would permit
inspection
of the integrity of the seal by the user before the cap is rotated.
The container cap assembly may also be shaped in any manner desired.
That is, it may have additional pieces mounted on the cap which allow for easy
opening. Other structural designs which would provide for easy gripping are
also
contemplated in this invention.
The top or sides of the container cap assembly may by recessed to
accept an insert such as a logo, a color code or printing. The top or sides of
the
container cap assembly may also be constructed so as to receive printed
literature such
as package inserts for pharmaceutical products.
