US3407955A - Non-refillable bottle cap - Google Patents

Description

United S t Paten Filed June 5, 1967, Ser. No. 643,538

3 Claims. (Cl.21522) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A non-refillable bottle cap for bottles having a peripheralrib on the neck portion consisting of a cap portion adapted to be permanently mounted on the neck portion and swedged at the rib with a ball valve controlled liquid discharge passageway and an air inlet passage, 21 screen mounted in the liquid discharge passageway for containing the ball valve and a 'stopper threacledly mounted on said cap and sealingthe liquid discharge passageway and air inlet passage.

This invention relates to bottle caps and is more particularly directed to an improved non-refillable bottle cap.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a non-refillable cap for bottles that will prevent the effective refilling of a bottle after the original contents have been poured from the bottle and any attempt to refill the bottle will be readily discovered.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-refillable bottle cap which does not impede to any extent the free discharge of the liquid contents yet discourages any attempts to refill the bottle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bottle with a non-refillable cap which is simple in construction, inexpensive in cost and which is most efiective in its normal use to permit liquid to be discharged therethrough but prevents the refilling of the bottle when once emptied.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the-drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a non-refillable bottle having my cap with the stopper shown in an exploded position.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken through the axis of the bottle.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper portion part of the bottle with my cap positioned thereon.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout the several views, the numeral refers to my non-refillable cap shown positioned on a conventional bottle 11 provided with a peripheral bead or rib 12 on its neck portion 13.

My non-refillable bottle cap consists of two parts, namely, a cap portion C and a stopper S, the cap portion C being permanently afiixed to the bottle neck 13 whie the stopper S is removable for the purpose of permitting the discharge of the contents of the bottle 11.

The cap portion C is provided with a cylindrical side wall 14 whose lower edge 15 has been swedged about the peripheral rib 12 to permanently attach the cap portion ice C to the bottle 11. A wall 16 which forms the top portion of the cap portion C is provided with openings 17 and 18 therein. The opening .17 which is the larger of the two aforementioned openings is provided with a depending wall portion 19 and an upwardly extending wall portion 20 forming a pouring spout for the liquid contents of the bottle 11. The wall 20 is provided on its outer surface with threads 26.

The walls 19 and 20 have contiguous inner wall surfaces with a valve seat 21 formed at the lower portion 22 of the Wall 19 whose inner diameter is smaller than that above the valve 21. A ball valve 28 is normally positioned on the valve seat 21 to prevent any flow of fluid downwardly through the opening 17 if an attempt were made to refill the bottle 11. Above the opening 17 there is a screen 23 extending across the opening with its edge portions embedded in the side wall 20. The function of the screen 23 is to prevent the insertion of a tool through the opening 17 to dislodge the valve 28 from its seat 21 in order to refill the bottle 11 after it has once been emptied. The screen may be made of wire whose warp and woof are soldered to each other or of plastic provided with numerous pin-like openings whereby any tampering with a tool to enlarge the openings will be readily ascertainable.

The opening 18 that operates as an air inlet is provided with a depending side wall 24 which extend a longer distance into the bottle 11 than the wall 19. A suitable cork 25 is fitted into the neck 13 of the bottle 11 along with the cap C to prevent leakage of liquid when pouring liquid out of the bottle through the cap C.

Threadedly mounted on the cap C is the stopper S that consists of a top Wall 30 at the periphery of which depends a wall 31. The lower end of the wa l 31 is bent inwardly as at 32 to form a lower wall 33 which is provided at its inner portion with an upwardly extending cylindrical wall 34 threaded as at 35 to be received on the threaded spout 20.

A gasket 36 is interposed between the stopper A and the cap C to prevent the leakage of liquid via the air inlet duct 18 while a cork or plastic member 37 positioned in the stopper S bears against the spout 20 to seal the opening thereof when the stopper S is threaded into position on the cap C as shown by FIGURE 2.

In the normal use of my non-refillable bottle cap consisting of the cap C and the stopper S, after the bottle 11 has been filled originally, the cap C along with the cork 25 is fitted into the neck 13 of the bottle 11 and the lower end 15 of the cap C is swedged to permanently secure the cap C to the bottle 11. The gasket 36 is placed on the cap C and the stopper S is then threaded slightly on the stem or spout 20 to seal the air inlet opening 18 and opening of the spout 20. If the liquid contained in the bottle 11 is a spirit, then a government stamp is affixed in the conventional manner across the stopper S with the ends of the stamp secured to side wall 14 of the cap C so that when the stopper S is removed, the government stamp is torn.

When it is desired to pour liquid from the bottle 11, the stopper S is removed and upon tilting the bottle 11 the ball valve 23 will become unseated and come to rest against the screen 23 to permit liquid in the bottle 11 to flow through the openings 22, 17, screen 23 and be discharged through the spout 20-. As the liquid is being discharged air is received in the bottle 11 through the air inlet 18.

Upon all of the bottle 11 becoming emptied of the liquid originally contained therein, the bottle 11 cannot be refilled without first destroying the cap C or removing same or by an attempt to maintain the valve 23 in an unseated position on the valve seat 21 as liquid is poured lfatented Oct. 29, 1968 into the spout 20. To unseat the valve 23 without tilting the bottle 11 a'tool must be inserted into the spout 20 and through the screen 23. If such is done, the screen 23 whose mesh must be disturbed by such a tool will reveal upon inspection the fact of the tool having broken the soldered connections of the woof and web Wires forming the screen or the enlargement of the pin-like openings i the screen 23 is of plastic material. From the foregoing it is apparent that there is provided herein a non-refillable cap for a bottle wherein any attempt to refill the bottle once emptied is readily ascertainable. 4

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a bottle having a neck portion and a peripheral rib extending about the neck portion, a non-refillable cap comprising a top wall having a pair of openings, one of said openings being larger than the other, depending side walls extending about said openings, a valve seat mounted adjacent a' free end of one of said depending side walls, a ball valve seated on said valve seat, a further side wall extending upwardly of said one of said openings forming a spout and with said one of said depending side walls forming a discharge passageway for liquid in said bottle, the other of said openings being an air inlet passageway screen means having end portions imbedded in said further side wall extending across said liquid discharge $4. 1 j i, V passageway, th readed means mounted on said upwardly extending side wall, a gasket mounted over said top wall threadedly mounted on said threaded means and engaging said gasket and said upwardly extending side wall whereby said spout and air inlet passageway are sealed against leakage. L

2. The structure as recited by claim 1 wherein said stopper means comprises a,at wall'portion, depending side walls extending about said at wallportion, a further flat wall portion extending inwardly at the free end of said depending side walls, upwardly extending side wall portions at the inner end of said further fiat wall portion and threaded means formed on said upwardly extending side wall portions for threadedly engaging said threaded means on said first named upwardly extendingside wall.

3. The structure as recited by claim 2 taken in will: bination with further gasket means mounted in said stopper means engaging said spout.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,999,358 4/1935 Hoeter '2l522 2,230,117 1/1941 Lueck 21522 2,579,460 12/ 1951 Archidiacano 215-22 3,063,589 11/1962 Musel 215-21' JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

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