Container cap and method of piercing a seal covering an opening of a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10377540-B2
Application number	US-201815953845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2018
Priority date	Apr 20, 2017
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A container cap configured to couple to an access opening of a container, and the access opening having a seal configured to cover the access opening. The container cap includes a cap body including a cylindrical-shaped side wall having a bottom edge that defines an opening to an interior of the cap body, and a top wall portion integrated with the cylindrical-shaped side wall and at least partially enclosing the interior of the cap body. The container cap further includes a seal opening assembly integrated with the cap body. The seal opening assembly includes a slot defined in the top wall portion of the cap body, and a seal piercing member formed on a first side of the slot. The seal piercing member is configured to pierce the seal covering the access opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A container cap configured to couple to an access opening of a container, the access opening having a seal configured to cover the access opening, the container cap comprising:
a cap body comprising:
a cylindrical-shaped side wall having a bottom edge that defines an opening to an interior of said cap body; and
a top wall portion integrated with said cylindrical-shaped side wall and at least partially enclosing the interior of said cap body; and

a seal opening assembly integrated with said cap body, wherein said seal opening assembly comprises:
a slot defined in said top wall portion of said cap body, wherein said slot is oriented to extend arcuately across said top wall portion; and
a seal piercing member formed on a first side of said slot, wherein said seal piercing member is configured to pierce the seal covering the access opening.

2. The container cap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said slot is oriented convexly relative to a longitudinal axis of said cap body.

3. The container cap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said slot is oriented such that said seal piercing member is defined on a peripheral edge of said cap body.

4. The container cap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said seal piercing member is contoured to be flush with an exterior profile of said top wall portion.

5. The container cap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said top wall portion comprises a rounded top edge, and wherein an outer surface of said seal piercing member is contoured to be flush with an exterior profile of said rounded top edge.

6. The container cap in accordance with claim 1 further comprising an instructional guide feature integrally formed on said cap body.

7. The container cap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said top wall portion comprises an overmolded grip surface feature.

8. A container comprising:
a container body comprising a neck portion and an interior, wherein said neck portion defines an opening in said container body that provides access to said interior, and wherein said opening is configured to be covered by a seal; and
a container cap selectively removable from said container body, said container cap comprising:
a cap body comprising:
a cylindrical-shaped side wall having a bottom edge that defines an opening to an interior of said cap body; and
a top wall portion integrated with said cylindrical-shaped side wall and at least partially enclosing the interior of said cap body; and

a seal opening assembly integrated with said cap body, wherein said seal opening assembly comprises:
a slot defined in said top wall portion of said cap body, wherein said slot is oriented to extend arcuately across said top wall portion; and
a seal piercing member formed on a first side of said slot, wherein said seal piercing member is configured to pierce the seal covering the access opening.

9. The container in accordance with claim 8 , wherein said slot is oriented to define a curved side wall in said top wall portion, said curved side wall having a greater radial size than said neck portion.

10. The container in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said seal piercing member and said curved side wall are spaced from each other by a distance greater than a thickness of a top edge of said neck portion.

11. The container in accordance with claim 8 , wherein said slot is oriented such that said seal piercing member is defined on a peripheral edge of said cap body.

12. The container in accordance with claim 8 , wherein said seal piercing member is contoured to be flush with an exterior profile of said top wall portion.

13. The container in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said top wall portion comprises a rounded top edge, and wherein an outer surface of said seal piercing member is contoured to be flush with an exterior profile of said rounded top edge.

14. A method of piercing a seal covering an opening in a neck portion of a container, said method comprising:
orienting a container cap upside down relative to the container, wherein the container cap includes a cap body and a seal opening assembly integrated therewith, wherein the seal opening assembly includes a slot defined in a top wall portion of the cap body, and a seal piercing member formed on a first side of the slot;
aligning the slot in the cap body with the neck portion of the container; and
forcing the container cap towards the container such that the neck portion is inserted within the slot, and such that the seal piercing member pierces the seal covering the opening, the seal piercing member being defined on a peripheral edge of the cap body to be positionable on a radially inner side of the neck portion when the neck portion is inserted within the slot, and a remainder of the cap body positionable on a radially outer side of the neck portion when the neck portion is inserted within the slot.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the slot is oriented to define a curved side wall in the top wall portion, and wherein aligning the slot in the cap body comprises positioning the container cap such that the curved side wall extends across the radially outer side of the neck portion.

16. The method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising translating the container cap circumferentially relative to the neck portion of the container while the neck portion is inserted within the slot.

17. The method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising re-closing the container with the container cap after the seal covering the opening has been pierced.

Assignees

• Abbvie Inc

Inventors

• Borgardt Joy Elizabeth
• Hughes James J
• Klikuszowian Ted
• Marshall Todd
• Plew Marc
• Coffey Kelsey M
• Fisher Scott L
• Rowe Jason A

Classifications

• B65D51/228

  a major part of the inner closure being removed from the container after the opening · CPC title

• B65D51/223 Primary

  the outer closure having to be removed or inverted for piercing or cutting · CPC title

• B65D2251/0093

  Membrane · CPC title

• B65D2251/0015

  of the 41-type · CPC title

• B65D51/22 Primary

  having means for piercing, cutting, or tearing the inner closure · CPC title