FRANGIBLE MEMBRANE FOR CONTAINER AND CAP WITH ABILITY TO COVER AND/OR LOCK

Abstract

A container and a cap formed during a step of a blow, fill and/or seal method and/or a form, fill and/or seal method. The cap can be connected to the container. The cap is used to cover and/or lock the container. A breakable frangible membrane connects the cap and the container. In some embodiments of this invention, a force is applied to the cap, and when the force is applied, the force has a magnitude large enough to break the breakable frangible membrane.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming a container and a corresponding cap that can be moved relative to the container.

Discussion of Related Art

U.S. Patents D392,184, 6,381,926, 10,086,984, 4,494,663, 6,068,148, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0354688 A1, and their entire teachings are herein incorporated by reference.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,926, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, teaches a method for forming and filling a container which includes a frangible web to allow a closure to be severed and removed from the container. The disclosed method initially includes the step of extruding a tubular parison between 2 co-acting main mold halves which are then closed around the parison. A segment of the extruded parison is severed at a location extending out of the closed mold halves and the severed segment is held open by a pair of holding jaws. Next, a blowing and filling nozzle assembly is moved downwardly into the parison opening and between 2 sealing mold halves. The nozzle assembly includes a mandrel which is urged against the parison wall. A container is then formed by blowing gas to extend the parison segment outwardly against the walls of the main mold halves.

Then, liquid is introduced into the formed container through a filling nozzle. After the container has been filled, the blowing and filling nozzle assembly is retracted and the sealing mold halves are moved together pinching the exposed top portion of the parison segment to form a unitary closure for the container and delineated from the container by a frangible web. After the container is sealed at the top, the main mold halves and the separate upper sealing mold halves are opened and the finished container is removed. Although the discussed apparatus and method for forming a container with a frangible web is satisfactory in many applications, it is not adapted for the application where it is desirable to form and mold not only a frangible web between the container and the closure of the container but also to provide locking lugs and/or threads around the access opening for the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments according to this invention, a container and a cap are formed during any suitable conventional apparatuses and/or methods known in Blow/Fill/Seal or blow, fill and seal (BFS) technology, in Form/Fill/Seal or form, fill and seal (FFS) technology. According to some embodiments, the cap is connected to the container.

In some embodiments of this invention, the cap is used to cover and/or lock the container. According to some embodiments of this invention, a breakable frangible membrane connects the cap and the container. In some embodiments of this invention, a force is applied to the cap, in a central location and/or an offset location. In some embodiments of this invention, when the force is applied, in one or more locations, the force has a magnitude large enough to break the breakable frangible membrane.

According to some embodiments of this invention, a blow and filling nozzle assembly of a blow, fill and/or seal system is retracted and sealing mold halves are moved together to pinch an exposed portion of a parison segment to form a unitary closure for the container and is delineated from the container by the breakable frangible membrane.

In some environments of this invention, the method for a breakable frangible membrane for a container and a cap, includes the cap and the container formed during a blow, fill and/or seal method. According to some embodiments of this invention, the cap is connected to the container and the cap is engageable with the container. In some embodiments of this invention, the breakable frangible membrane connects the cap and the container, and when a force is applied to the cap, the force has a large magnitude that breaks the breakable frangible membrane. When threads are involved, applying a force will break the frangible membrane and lock the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The technical features of this invention can be better understood when taken in view of the drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 each shows 5 different views of a container, a cap and a frangible membrane that can be severed to allow movement of the cap with respect to the container, according to some embodiments of this invention;

FIGS. 3-15 each shows at least 4 different views of a container, a cap and a frangible membrane that can be severed to allow movement of the cap with respect to the container, according to some embodiments of this invention; and

FIGS. 16-23 each shows different views of a container, a cap and a frangible membrane that can be severed to allow movement of the cap with respect to the container, according to different embodiments of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 each shows 5 different views of container 20 and an attachable or connectable, integrally formed cap 40. Container 20 can be any suitable bottle, jar, vial and/or other object that can hold a fluid, such as any suitable gas and/or liquid, particularly containers 20 that can be filled using any suitable and known blow, fill and seal technology, including in one method step or multiple method steps.

According to different embodiments of this invention, container 20 and/or cap 40 can be made or manufactured with any suitable conventional apparatuses and/or methods known in Blow/Fill/Seal or blow, fill and seal (BFS) technology, in Form/Fill/Seal or form, fill and seal (FFS) technology in which a vacuum is formed, and/or known in any other suitable and similar blow and/or forming molding techniques. In some embodiments of this invention, cap 40 can be any suitable lid, cover, top and/or any other suitable element that can contain any suitable gas and/or liquid within container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, container 20 can be any suitable bottle, vial and/or any other suitable element that can hold and/or contain any suitable gas and/or liquid within walls 21 and/or other structure of container 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1-15, for example, container 20 has a suitable cap 40 attached to, connected to, secured to and/or otherwise engageable with body portion 22 of container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, container 20 has neck 25 with or without external threads 26 to engage with cap 40. According to some embodiments of this invention, cap 40 can have similar internal threads, such as internal threads 27, or can have no internal threads 27 and still be attachable, connectable, securable, closable and/or otherwise engageable with neck 25 of container 20. Cap 40 that has no similar threads can act as a dust cover and/or any other suitable cover that does not need a seal between container 20 and cap 40.

In some embodiments of this invention, cap 40 can form a tight seal, a loose seal or no seal with respect to container 20. For example, external threads 26 and/or internal threads 27 can have any suitable size, shape and/or dimensions that allow cap 40 to form a tight seal, a loose seal or no seal with respect to container 20, depending upon the particular use of container 20 and cap 40. In some embodiments of this invention, the container 20 and cap 40 combination of elements can be used as a medical device and/or with a pharmaceutical product, such as with drug compatibility and/or can be used in any other suitable fields such as any non-pharmaceutical liquids, beverages and/or cosmetics.

In some embodiments of this invention, a method or process includes or comprises forming a single internal thread 27 and/or a dual internal thread 27 which is molded on, attached to, secured to and/or otherwise made a part of cap 40, such as on an internal surface of cap 40. According to some embodiments of this invention, a method or process includes or comprises forming a partial, single external thread 26 and/or a multiple external thread 26 which is molded on, attached to, secured to and/or otherwise made a part of container 20 and/or neck 25.

According to some embodiments of this invention, such as shown in FIGS. 4-15, container 40 can be opened, for example, by pushing down, forcing, and/or otherwise moving cap 40 a particular distance towards and/or relative to container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, FIGS. 4-15 show force 45 applied in a downward direction and in a magnitude large enough to force and thus move cap 40 in a direction towards container 20 and break, sever and/or otherwise move frangible membrane 28 away from or towards container 20. FIGS. 4 and 6, for example, show force 45 applied in a center or central area of cap 40. FIGS. 5 and 7, for example, show force 45 applied in an offset or non-central area of cap 40. It is apparent that in other embodiments of this invention, force 45 can be applied at any other suitable area of cap 40 that results in moving cap 40 at a distance with respect to container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, force 45 is strong enough and in a proper direction to move cap 40 towards container 20 and sever, break and/or overcome frangible membrane 28.

In some embodiments according to this invention, such as shown in FIGS. 3-15, it is important to break, sever, collapse and/or otherwise move away frangible membrane 28 from neck 25 of container 20. According to some embodiments of this invention, when a suitable force 45 is applied to cap 40, at least a portion of cap 40 moves downward and/or towards neck 25 of container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, frangible membrane 28 is positioned, sized and/or shaped to bend away or break away from neck 25, particularly so that cap 40 can be moved relative to container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, after bending away or breaking away frangible membrane 28 it is possible to reclose, cover and/or lock cap 40 to or with respect to container 20.

As shown in FIGS. 4-15, according to some embodiments of this invention, frangible membrane 28 is adjacent to or next to void, groove, space and/or opening 29. In some embodiments of this invention, frangible membrane 28 is sized, shaped and/or is of a suitable material, such as any suitable polymer, to allow frangible membrane 28 to bend away from and/or move a distance and/or be severed when force 45 is applied to cap 40. In some embodiments of this invention, void, groove, space and/or opening 29 is sized, shaped and/or is of a suitable material, such as any suitable polymer, to allow frangible membrane 28 to bend away from and/or move a distance and/or be severed when force 45 is applied to cap 40.

In some embodiments of this invention, force 45 is applied to cap 40 by pushing down on cap 40 and/or with a pop-top/twist-off method step, to break, sever, collapse and/or otherwise move away frangible membrane 28 from neck 25, and cap 40 can slip over or be positioned above external thread 26. Cap 40 can then be unscrewed or opened and the contents in container 20 can be poured out or discharged. Container 20 can be re-closed, covered and/or locked and lifted to retain the contents inside container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, the products are filled aseptically in the BFS machine and the re-closure, covering and/or locking of container 20 can occur by simply slip-fitting or screwing cap 40 over external threads 26 positioned around or about a periphery of container 20.

According to some embodiments of this invention, container 20 and cap 40 can be formed in multiple formats with different combinations of external threads 26 on container 20 and/or cap 40. For example, an end consumer may demand one or more of the following combinations of threads 26: half threaded cap 40 and half threaded container 20; full threaded cap 40 and full threaded container 20; no threaded cap 40 and full threaded container 20; full threaded cap 40 and no threaded container 20; full threaded cap 40 and half threaded container 20; and no threaded cap 40 and half threaded container 20. FIG. 20 shows container 20 with a conventional cap structure that has a threaded connection with container 20. In some embodiments of this invention, cap 40 has been removed from the container 20 and then the known conventional cap structure can be placed on a container 20 according to this invention. In some embodiments of this invention, this replaced structure arrangement can be used to form a seal and/or a leakproof cover for the container 20.

In some embodiments according to this invention, once container 20 is filled, the blow and filling nozzle assembly of a BFS system is retracted and the sealing mold halves are moved together pinching the exposed top portion of the parison segment to form a unitary closure for container 20 and is delineated from container 20 by frangible membrane 28. Cap 40 can have tabs 43 and/or wings or be without them depending on the utility design requirements by the end user. In some embodiments of this invention, when severed by applying downward force 45 to the area formed by the seal mold on the container 20, which can be formed by BFS or any other similar and suitable blow molding technologies, the frangible membrane 28 severs, forming two pieces including cap 40 and container 20.

In some embodiments according to this invention, the main mold halves have a external threads 26 design incorporated at the top of the main mold or neck as well. In some embodiments of this invention, cap 40 is formed when container 20 is sealed at the top. In some embodiments of this invention, the seal mold of a BFS system itself also has an incorporated external thread design 26 which allows external thread 26 and/or internal thread 27 to form inside cap 40.

In some embodiments of this invention, although the apparatus and method for forming container 20 with a frangible web or frangible membrane 28 is satisfactory in many applications, it is not adapted for the application where it is desirable to form a mold not only a frangible web or frangible membrane 28 between container 20 and the closure of container 20, but also to provide external threads 26 and/or internal threads 27 on the inside of cap 40 and/or on an outside of neck 25 of the main mold to allow re-closure of container 20.

In some embodiments of this invention, cap 40 is a pop-top with a flat surface on top to provide a smooth surface where force and/or pressure can be applied to sever frangible membrane 28 of the unitary container 20. According to some embodiments of this invention, this part of the unitary container 20 that is formed by the seal mold will and can have a single or a dual external thread 26 that can allow cap 40 once severed from container 20 to be pushed back onto the main body of container 20 to act as a re-closed container 20.

In some embodiments according to this invention, no internal thread, a partial internal thread 27, a single internal thread 27 and/or a multiple internal thread 27 is formed on cap 40. In some embodiments according to this invention, no external thread, a partial external thread 26, a single external thread 26 and/or a multiple external thread 26 is formed on container 20 and/or a neck of container 20.

While in the foregoing detailed description this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purposes of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of this invention.

Claims

1. A container and a cap, comprising: the cap and the container formed during a step of a blow, fill and/or seal method and/or a form, fill and/or seal method, the cap connected to the container, the cap covering and/or locking the container, a breakable frangible membrane connecting the cap and the container, a force applied to the cap, and when applied the force having a magnitude large enough to break the breakable frangible membrane.

2. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein a filling nozzle assembly of a blow, fill and/or seal system and/or a form, fill and/or seal system is retracted and sealing mold halves are moved together and pinch an exposed portion of a parison segment to form a unitary closure for the container and is delineated from the container by the breakable frangible membrane.

3. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein an internal surface of the cap has a plurality of internal threads or has no threads.

4. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap forms a tight seal, a loose seal and/or no seal with respect to the container.

5. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein no internal thread, a partial internal thread, a single internal thread and/or a multiple internal thread is formed on the cap, and no external thread, a partial external thread, a single external thread and/or a multiple external thread is formed on the container and/or a neck of the container.

6. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein the container is opened by applying the force and moving the cap a distance towards and/or relative to the container and breaks the breakable frangible membrane.

7. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein the breakable frangible membrane is adjacent to a void within a parison and the void is sized, shaped and/or of a suitable material that allows the breakable frangible membrane to bend away from and/or be severed when the force is applied to the cap.

8. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein the force is applied to the cap by a pop-top/twist-off action to break the breakable frangible membrane from the container and to position the cap above a thread on the container.

9. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap has at least one tab and/or wing extending from the cap to apply a torquing force to the cap.

10. The container and the cap according to claim 1, wherein the container is a unitary container formed by a seal mold and after being severed from the container the cap is returnable onto the container to re-close the container with the cap, the force is applied to break the breakable frangible membrane, and with threads the container will lock and the cap is unscrewed off of the container to dispense contents in the container.

11. A breakable frangible membrane for a container and a cap, comprising: the cap and the container formed during a blow, fill and/or seal method and/or a form, fill and/or seal method, the cap connected to the container, the cap engageable with the container, the breakable frangible membrane connecting the cap and the container, and when a force is applied to the cap the force has a large magnitude that breaks the breakable frangible membrane.

12. The breakable frangible membrane and the cap according to claim 11, wherein a filling nozzle assembly of a blow, fill and/or seal system and/or a form, fill and/or seal system is moved and sealing mold halves are moved together to compress an exposed portion of a parison segment to form a unitary closure for the container with the breakable frangible membrane.

13. The breakable frangible membrane and the cap according to claim 11, wherein no internal thread, a partial internal thread, a single internal thread and/or a multiple internal thread is formed on the cap, and no external thread, a partial external thread, a single external thread and/or a multiple external thread is formed on the container.

14. The breakable frangible membrane and the cap according to claim 11, wherein the container is opened by applying the force and moving the cap a distance with respect to the container and severs the breakable frangible membrane.

15. The breakable frangible membrane and the cap according to claim 11, wherein the breakable frangible membrane is adjacent to a void within a parison and the void is sized and/or shaped to allow the breakable frangible membrane to bend away from and/or be severed when the force is applied to the cap.

16. A method for forming a container and a cap with a frangible membrane, including the steps of: forming the cap and the container during a blow, fill and/or seal method step and/or a form, fill and/or seal method step;connecting the cap to the container;the cap covering and/or locking the container;using the frangible membrane to connect the cap and the container;applying a force to the cap; andthe force having a magnitude large enough to break the frangible membrane.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a filling nozzle assembly of a blow, fill and/or seal system and/or a form, fill and/or seal system is retracted and sealing mold halves are moved together to pinch an exposed portion of a parison segment to form a unitary closure for the container, and the parison segment has the frangible membrane.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein no internal thread, a partial internal thread, a single internal thread and/or a multiple internal thread is formed on the cap, and no external thread, a partial external thread, a single external thread and/or a multiple external thread is formed on the container.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the container is opened by applying the force and moving the cap a distance with respect to the container and breaking the frangible membrane.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the breakable frangible membrane is adjacent to a void within a parison and the void is sized and/or shaped to allow the frangible membrane to bend away from and/or be severed when the force is applied to the cap.