US1977589A - Receptacle structure - Google Patents

Description

A. L. MEROLLE 1,97 7,589

RECEPTACLE STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 30, 1952 Oct. 16;'11'934.

ITlUll-'I/ l/ Il 5 l -/Q' 5 9 A v 4 X/"Y .UNI il: il IZ l /w/ H A M Patented ct. 16, 1934' yUNITED STATES 1,977,589 RECEPTACL STRUCTURE Augustus L. Merolle, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner of one-half to Empire Metal Cap Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkV Application September 3K0, 1932, Serial No. 635,587

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a receptacle structure, and an object of the invention is to provide a receptacle so constructed that the receptacle closure may be easily and conveniently moved 'to '5; closing position upon the receptacle, so'that the closure may be readily tightened upon the receptacle, and so that if for'any reason the closure should become slightly loosened it will not be likely to become so loosened as to fall off of the l receptacle or even permit spilling of the contents of the receptacle.

VA more detailed object is to provide a receptacle with screw thread means arranged to be engaged by co-operative thread parts of a closure in the manner common to what is well known as divided thread structures, and to provide means to prevent likelihood of the closure becoming loosene'd beyond Aa predetermined amount in the event of the closure becoming loosened at' all.

In the so-called divided thread structures the thread lugs of the receptacle are quite steep so that if for any cause a closure should become slightly loosened out of its full closing position it will readily continue movement in the loosening direction and leave the contents of the receptacle likely to be spilled. Such loosening frequently occurs when receptacles are in course of shipment orV during handlingby careless persons and is a common fault with the divided thread structure.

According to the present application however if a closure should become slightly loosened from its sealing positionits continued movement will be effectively arrested at a point suitable to pre- 135 vent spilling of the contents of the receptacle.

A further object is to so devise the parts that if desired a closure may be purposely placed, for instance temporarily, in a position short of its full sealing position so as to permit the escape of accumulated gases from the receptacle, the closure being meanwhile held against further loosening and being capable of being readily moved at any time to full sealing position.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specic than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out inthe course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invenment of the invention:

tion, and the scope of protection contemplated Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a receptacle constructed in accordance with this invention.

"'ig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, illustrating a closure in full sealing position upon the receptacle, the sectional view being taken relatively upon the plane as indicated by the line II II of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view but illustrating a closure as it appears when in only a temporary sealing position upon the receptacle, the sectional view being taken relatively upon `the plane as indicated by the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing for describing in detail the structure as illustrated therein, the reference character L indicates the receptacle in general, while the reference character G indicates a closure within which may be positioned the sealing gasket or the like as I-I in the usual position for resting over the upper open end of the receptacle in engagement with the annular upper edge of the receptacle wall.

The receptacle may be made `of glass or other suitable material and is formed with a smooth rounded annular bead as 1 exteriorlyv thereof spaced downwardly from-theupper end surface 2, and a suitable number of thread lugs as 3 3 also exteriorly in the space above the bead 1.

Thethread lugs 3 3 are suitably spaced, as at 4, to provide for the entrance between them of the thread lug portions as 5 5 which are 85 provided upon the closure projecting interorly thereof.

. The upper surfaces as 6 6 of the thread lugs 3 -are preferably spaced downwardly as at 7 a Vslight distance from thesurface 2 of the recep- 90 are inclined thread-like in the general manner as common to receptacles and closures of this type, thesurfaces 8 of the thread lugs respectively being each vadapted to be slidably engaged by, oneof thelugs 5 of the closure so as to cause the closure to be moved into a full closing position `10o usually by something less than a one-quarter rotation of the closure.

' VIn the present instance thel under-surfaces 8 of thethread lugs 3 3 extendidownwardly into such-close proximity with the upper surface of the bead 1 that when the closure is being rotated to closing position thethread lugs 5 of the closure will become wedgedr in lopposing surface contact betweenr said under-surfaces 8 and the adjacent upper surface portions of the bead, the arrangereceptacle.

@Si ai ment in this regard being similar to what is more fully shown and described in connection with my co-pending application Serial No. 635,585.

The lower end portions of each of thesurfaces 8, that is approximately between the points indicated X and Y Fig. 1 of the drawing, is of shallow pitch, being almost, but not quite, parallel rotatively with the upper surface of the `bead 1the degree of inclination of said portions X--Y being considerably less than the degree of inclination of the upper portions ofsaid surfaces 8. upper portions of thesurfaces 3 are thus of relatively steeper pitch than are the portions X-r rhe purpose oi this construction is so that during". initial rotary movement of the` closure onto the `'receptacle thethread lugs 5 will be caused to travel rapidly downwardly but that during the final stages of the rotary movement of the closure onto the receptacle the speed of downward move-v ment per unit of rotary movement will be reduced and the power of the downward pull per unit of power applied to rotate the closure will be correspondingly increased.

If a gasket, as H, be employed between the closure and the upper surface of the receptacle said gasket may be easily crushed into sealing engagement with the receptacle by the application of only a slight degree of force during its last stages .of movement to sealing position.

The nearly parallelrelationship between the portions X-Y and the upper surface of the bead l produces acute wedge-shaped` pockets between said portions and the adjacent upper surface portions of the bead into which thethread lugs 5 of the closure may be forced and wedged to provide suitable frictional engagement between upper and lower surface portions of the lugs on onehand and the surfaces X-Y and the bead on the other to efficiently hold the closure in full closing position. y

In fact, it is preferred that continued forced movement of thelugs 5 toward the bottom or apexes of the wedge-shaped pockets may result in a resilient bending of thethread lugs 5 and thev consequent production of sufficient frictional grip,

between the receptacle and thelugs 5 to hold the closure against likelihood of unintentional movement out of its full sealing position, as also more fully set forth in said co-pending application Serial No. 635,585, as Well as in my co-pending applicationSerial No. 635,586.

Just upwardly of the sections X-Y of thethread lugs 3 thesurfaces 8 of said lugs are formed with notchesv as 9 providing reverselyinclined surface portions 10 extending for a short distance in close proximity to the point Y of said sections X-Y. At its higher end thesurface 10 merges downwardly into the section X-Y by an abruptly inclining surface portion as at 11, and at its lower end thesurface 10 merges into the adjacent portion of thesurface 8 as at 12.

Whenever a .closure is being screwed downwardly onto a receptacle provided with the thread lugs herein disclosed thelugs 5 of the closure, in

moving by thelower point 12, will cause a slight snap movement of the closure as the lugs continue onto thesurfaces 10, thus notifying the operator of the fact that the closure is suiciently tight to prevent spilling of the contents of the Itis intended thatat this time the parts will stand substantially in the position as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, a part of the closure, for instance the gasket H, beingin fairly close sealing engagement against ,the upper annular edge of the receptacle. Itis'intended .that

The Y the sealing engagement at this time while sufricient to prevent displacement of the contents of the receptacle is yet preferably such as will permit the exhausting from the receptacle of excessive gas pressure which may be necessary to relieve from the receptacle before the nal sealing of thereceptacle.

To move the closure to its full sealing position its further rotation is readily enabled, such 'further-rotation merely sliding thelugs 5 down the,surface portions 11 and onto the sections X-Y of the thread lugs, the closure being then rotated to the limit of reasonable possibility, the portion as H of the closure being thus clamped so tightly against the receptacle as to completely and eiciently seal the receptacle, the parts being thus approximately in the position as indicated inFig.y 2 of the drawing.

l If nowfor any cause the closure should become accidentally or otherwise loosened back from its full sealing position, Fig-2, thelugs 5 of the closure will snap into thenotches 9. If the backward movement has been purposely produced the snap movement of the-lugs 5 into the notches will constitute a signal to the operator against further backward movement and thus enable him surely to place the closure in a position wherein the contents of the receptacle are preserved against spilling and yet accumulated gases from within the receptacleare able to escape'` But in any event the engagement of thelugs 5 of the closure within the notches and against the reverselyinclined wall portions 10 of said notches will constitute a means operable -to hold the closure against unintentional backward movement beyond a predetermined amount, in fact 'the reversed incline of thesurfaces 10 Vwill operate kto urge the closure toward sealing position rather than toward loosening position; v

It is intended that the resiliency of the gasket H, or of thelugs 5, of the closure will be such as to produce a spring grip of thelugs 5 against thesurfaces 10 when the closure is in that position, said resiliency, either of the gasket or of the lugs, or of both, serving thereby to prevent retrogressivegmovementof the closure and being operable also to enable the closure to be rotated beyond the notches and into full sealing position.

As many changes could be made in this construction witliout departing from the scope of the invention as dei-ined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in `a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureVV by Letters Patent is:- V

VA1. A receptacle-having a series o f circumferentially inclined thread lugs exteriorly thereon adjacent its open upper endv adapted for thread engagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure for said receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptacle lugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs being smooth throughout its length circumferentially of the closure except that it is formed with a single .notch therein Aadjacent to but spaced from the lower end of the incline for the reception of a thread lug of the closure for the purpose set forth.

2. A receptacle having arseries of circumferentially inclined thread Ylugs exteriorly Athereon adjacent its open upper end adapted for thread engagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure for said receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptacle lugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs being smooth throughout its length circumferentially of the closure except that it is formed with a single notch therein adjacent to but spaced from the lower end of the incline for the reception of a thread lug of the closure for the purpose set forth and except that it is of relatively steeper pitch at one side of said notch than at the other.

3. A receptacle having a series of circumferentially inclined thread lugs exteriorly thereon adjacent its open upper end adapted for thread engagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure for said receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptacle lugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs being of a relatively shallow pitch toward its lower end and of relatively steeper pitch toward its upper end and being smooth throughout its length circumferentially of the closure except that it is formed with a single notch at a point intermediate said relatively shallow and said relatively steep pitched portions.

4. A receptacle having' a `series of circumferentially inclined thread lugs exteriorly thereon adjacent its open upper end adapted for thread engagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure for said receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptacle lugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs having a irst part of its length of relatively steep pitch and smooth surface inclining gradually downwardly 'circumferentially of the closure from'its upper end, a second part of its length continuing at a slight incline upwardly from the lower end of said first part to receive the closure lug in a less-than-full sealing position, a third part inclining from the upper end of the second part downwardly to a point at least as low as the lower end of the rst part as a shoulder to yieldingly oppose movement of the closure lug to full sealing position, and finally a fourth part continuing from the lower en-d ofthe third part inclined in the same general direction as the rst part but at a pitch less steep than said irst part to receive the closure lug in full sealing position.

AUGUSTUS L. MEROLLE.

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