Claims
- 1. In combination, a container neck and a container cap,
- said container neck having an upper opening, a first threaded neck portion depending downwardly from said upper opening and having at least one external thread, and a second neck portion depending downwardly from said threaded neck portion, said second neck portion including external anti-rotation means; and
- said container cap having a top surface, an upper skirt portion depending downwardly from said top surface, said upper skirt portion having at least one internal thread, and a lower skirt portion depending downwardly from said upper skirt and integrally connected thereto via a frangible line of weakness, said lower skirt portion including internal anti-rotation means;
- wherein said cap is affixable to said container neck by direct axial displacement without rotation of said cap relative to said neck such that said internal and external threads interengage and said external and internal anti-rotation means interengage, said external and internal anti-rotation means including means for preventing both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation of the cap relative to the container neck when said external and internal anti-rotation means are interengaged.
- 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the internal and external anti-rotation means comprises mating abutment members on said lower skirt of said cap and said second neck portion of said container.
- 3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the lower skirt portion includes at least one pull-tab to facilitate removal of said lower skirt from said upper skirt along said line of weakness thereby permitting removal of the cap from the container neck.
- 4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the external anti-rotation means comprises at least two ratchet teeth which are sloped in opposite directions for interengagement with the internal anti-rotation means of said cap.
- 5. The combination of claim 1, wherein the internal anti-rotation means comprises at least two abutment members projecting radially inwardly.
- 6. The combination of claim 5, wherein the abutment members include two parallel sidewalls, each of said sidewalls being tapered to form a point at a lower end of the lower skirt.
- 7. The combination of claim 1, wherein the lower skirt portion includes at least three pull-tabs symmetrically disposed thereabout, the lower skirt further including a tear initiation groove adjacent each of said pull-tabs, whereby a pulling force on one of said pull-tabs breaks said corresponding tear initiation groove thereby facilitating annular tearing along the frangible line of weakness to separate the lower skirt portion from the upper skirt in one continuous strip.
- 8. The combination of claim 1, wherein each of the internal and external threads comprises eight leads each and are modified buttress threads.
- 9. The combination of claim 1, wherein the container cap includes an annular valve tube depending downwardly from the top surface of said cap, the valve tube providing a seal with said container opening when said cap is affixed to said container neck.
- 10. In combination, a container neck and a container cap,
- said container neck having an upper opening, a first threaded neck portion depending downwardly from said upper opening, and a second neck portion depending downwardly from said threaded neck portion, said second neck portion including at least one abutment member; and
- said container cap having a top surface, an upper skirt portion depending downwardly from said top surface, said cap including an annular valve tube depending downwardly from the top surface of said cap, the valve tube providing a seal with said upper opening of the container neck when said cap is affixed to said container neck, said upper skirt portion having at least one internal thread, and a lower skirt portion depending downwardly from said upper skirt and integrally connected thereto via a frangible line of weakness, said lower skirt portion including at least one abutment member for engagement with the at least one abutment member on the container neck to prevent rotation of the cap relative to the container;
- wherein the cap upper skirt and said first threaded neck portion are substantially cylindrical and each include eight threads having respective thread leads approximately 45.degree. apart around the respective circumferences thereof, each of said threads on said cap and container neck being modified buttress threads, said upper skirt portion having a vertical dimension not greater than approximately 460 thousandths of an inch, said cap being affixable to said container neck by direct axial displacement without rotation of said cap relative to said neck such that the internal and external threads slip past each other and interengage, whereby good sealing engagement of the valve to the container neck is achieved without further tightening of said cap on said container neck and wherein the lower skirt portion includes at least three pull-tabs symmetrically disposed thereabout, the lower skirt further including a tear initiation groove adjacent each of said pull-tabs, whereby a pulling force on one of said pull-tabs breaks said corresponding tear initiation groove thereby facilitating annular tearing along the frangible line of weakness to separate the lower skirt portion from the upper skirt in one continuous strip.
- 11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the abutment members on the cap and container prevents both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation of said cap relative to the container neck.
- 12. The combination of claim 10, wherein the upper skirt portion of the container cap has a diameter of approximately 38 mm.
- 13. The combination of claim 10, wherein each thread of the cap includes an engagement surface sloped approximately ten angular degrees above a horizontal and a downwardly sloped lower portion approximately fifty-three angular degrees below the horizontal.
- 14. The combination of claim 10, wherein the engagement of the respective abutment members on the cap and container prevent rotation of the cap relative to the container in both a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction.
- 15. The combination of claim 10, wherein each of the leads on the cap and container neck extend approximately 180.degree. around respective circumferences thereof.
- 16. In combination, a container having an opening and a cap,
- the cap comprising a top surface, an upper skirt depending downwardly from said top surface, and a tamper-indicating lower skirt depending downwardly from the upper skirt, the lower skirt being frangibly connected to the upper skirt along a line of weakness;
- the container and cap including cooperative threads for removal and replacement engagement therebetween, the container and lower skirt of the cap including interengaging abutment members for preventing removal of said cap unless said upper and lower skirts are disconnected at said line of weakness;
- wherein the lower skirt includes at least three pull-tabs substantially symmetrically disposed thereabout, the lower skirt further including a tear initiation groove adjacent each of said pull-tabs, each of the tear initiation grooves vertically traversing said lower skirt, each of the tear initiation grooves being stronger than said line of weakness so that upon pulling on any pull tab, the adjacent vertical tear initiation groove is first broken followed by removal of the tamper-indicating ring from the upper skirt by breaking along the line of weakness while the remaining tear initiation grooves remain intact and the frangible ring is completely removed from the upper skirt in a single piece.
- 17. The combination of claim 16, wherein the interengaging abutment members prevent both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation.
- 18. The combination of claim 17, wherein the abutment member of the cap comprises at least one lug, the lug having parallel opposed side walls which taper downwardly to a point.
- 19. The combination of claim 17, wherein the abutment member of the cap comprises a plurality of lugs, the upper portions of each lug forming the frangible line weakness coupling the lower skirt to the upper skirt.
- 20. The combination of claim 16, wherein the container and cap each include an eight lead thread.
- 21. The combination of claim 20, wherein each of the threads is a modified buttress thread.
- 22. The combination of claim 16, wherein each of said eight thread leads is approximately 180 angular degrees in length.
- 23. The combination of claim 16, wherein each of said pull-tabs are oriented in the same direction.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/517,065 filed on Aug. 21, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,825.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
681404 |
Oct 1952 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
517065 |
Aug 1995 |
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