Press-On Closure with Top Sealing Rib

Abstract

A closure for glass and polycarbonate bottles. The closure is the press-on and pull off type, i.e., it is unthreaded. The closure has a down-outwardly extending rib on the underside of the lid that forms a seal on the upwardly and outwardly facing surface of the neck of the bottle. The closure has a removable tamper indicating ring connected to the lower portion of the skirt of the closure by a reduced-thickness tear strip. In one embodiment, slits are formed in the tear strip to further increase the sensitivity of the tear strip to tampering. Between the slits, links in the tear strip act to hold the ring in connection with the lower portion of the skirt. The circumferential length of the slits is significantly greater than the circumferential length of the links, and the slit to link length ratio is preferably at least about 20 to 1, but may be increased or decreased depending upon the desired level of tamper evidencing required, and depending upon the amount of interference between the bead on the ring and the corresponding bulge on the bottle to which the closure is applied.

1 . A closure for a container of the type having a relatively smooth top surface, a laterally extending bulge and a down-outwardly facing retention surface below the bulge, the closure comprising a lid, a skirt with an inwardly extending latch bead at a lower portion of the skirt, a second retaining bead extending inwardly from a removable tamper-evidencing ring extending from a lower portion of the skirt, the ring being joined to the skirt by a tear strip, a continuous sealing rib extending down-outwardly from the underside of the lid, the rib adapted to flex laterally as the latch bead engages the down-outwardly facing retention surface on the container. 
     
     
         2 . A closure in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the retaining bead on the ring is divided into segments, the latch bead defining a first inside diameter, and the retaining bead segment defining a second inside diameter, the first inside diameter being larger than the second inside diameter. 
     
     
         3 . A closure in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the inside surface of the skirt is unthreaded. 
     
     
         4 . A closure in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evidencing ring has pull tab integrally formed thereon, the pull tab lying entirely below the elevation of the tear strip. 
     
     
         5 . A closure in accordance with  claim 1  wherein slits are formed in the tear strip such that links in the tear strip hold the tamper evidencing ring to a lower portion of the skirt. 
     
     
         6 . A closure in accordance with  claim 5  wherein the circumferential length of slits and links is such that the circumferential length ratio of slit to link is at least 20 to 1. 
     
     
         7 . A closure for a container of the type having a relatively smooth top surface, a laterally extending bulge and a down-outwardly facing retention surface below the bulge, the closure comprising a lid, a skirt with an inwardly extending latch bead at a lower portion of the skirt, a second retaining bead extending inwardly from a removable tamper-evidencing ring extending from a lower portion of the skirt, the ring being joined to the skirt by a tear strip, a continuous sealing rib extending down-outwardly from the underside of the lid, the rib adapted to flex laterally as the latch bead engages the down-outwardly facing retention surface on the container, the tear strip having slits such that links in the tear strip hold the tamper evidencing ring to a lower portion of the skirt. 
     
     
         8 . A closure in accordance with  claim 7  wherein a lift tab is formed on an external portion of the skirt above the tear strip, and a pull tab is formed on the removable tamper evidencing ring below the tear strip, the slits being formed at an elevation in the tear strip above the pull tab and below the lift tab. 
     
     
         9 . A closure in accordance with  claim 8  wherein the circumferential length of slits and links is such that the circumferential length ratio of slit to link is at least 20 to 1.