Sonoco Development Incorporated

Keith R Rea

James W Lowry

James F Kick

Lawrence E Renck

J Mark Morrow

John Ellis Bacon

Floyd H Boatwright

Mark Morrow

Rebecca Lawson

Keith E Antal

Charles M Braddock

Patrick B Keese

A retortable container and an easy-opening closure for hermetic sealing of an open end thereof. The closure includes a metal end ring adapted to be double seamed to an open end of the retortable container, an intermediate area extending radially inward and defining an opening to an interior of the container, and a folded area folded into the interior of the container. The folded area extends radially outward from the opening and substantially parallel to at least an adjacent portion of the intermediate area. A first membrane patch overlaps and is bonded to an under side of the intermediate area of the end ring such that the first membrane patch prevents contamination of contents of the container by the metal end. A second membrane patch covers the opening and is bonded to an upper side of the first membrane patch. The bonds have predetermined shear and tensile force strengths sufficient to withstand shear and tensile forces created during retort processing of the container, while allowing easy-opening of the container by peeling the second membrane patch.

Easy-opening closure for retortable container

The present invention provides an improved apparatus for measuring and dispensing powdered products. The apparatus includes a cup portion and a funnel-shaped dispenser. The cup holds the powdered material to be measured is sized to contain a desired volume of the powder when filled to its upper edge. The upper edge of the cup has a flat surface to accommodate leveling of the powdered ingredients. The funnel-shaped dispenser serves as a leveler and aids in accurately dispensing the measured powder into a mixing area. The funnel-shaped dispenser thus defines a flat edge at its receiving opening for engaging the upper edge of the cup.

Cup for measuring and dispensing powdered product

A method for induction sealing a plastic part to a composite container using a pair of linear coils electrically connected to low frequency generators. The linear coils produce overlapping electromagnetic fields on either side of the container. Rotating the container assures even heating of the polyethylene liner and plastic part. The method produces a reliable seal between the liner and plastic part and can be used at high production speeds.

Method for induction sealing a plastic part to a composite container

An improved ink cartridge of the type used to dispense ink in automatic lithographic presses. The ink cartridge comprises a hollow cylindrical body for holding a supply of extrudable ink, a plunger and a dispensing fitment. The improvement comprises a valve member mounted over a central aperture in the dispensing fitment and a flexible molded plastic spring that biases the valve member in the closed position. The valve member opens when subjected to pressure from the ink and closes automatically and completely when the ink pressure is less than the biasing force of the flexible spring.

Ink cartridge with self-closing valve

An improved plunger for a lithographic printing ink cartridge prevents air entrapment between the plunger and the ink when the plunger is pressed into the ink during cartridge assembly. The plunger bottom portion has a positive radius and a textured surface that facilitates the flow of air away from the center of the plunger toward the cartridge sidewall as the plunger is pressed into the ink.

Ink cartridge plunger

An improved ink cartridge dispensing valve system for use with a printing press ink cartridge is provided. The valve system works on the same principle as a ball valve to automatically dispense ink when subjected to pressure. The valve system includes an attachment post and an attachable nozzle. The attachment post is an integral part of the dispensing end of the ink cartridge and is recessed so that the cartridge can be easily shipped without damaging the attachment post. The attachable nozzle fits over the attachment post and opens or closes depending on whether pressure is placed on it by the ink in the cartridge.

Ink cartridge valve system

An improved cartridge for dispensing highly viscous fluids in which the nozzle is recessed for ease of packaging, shipping and storing. The cartridge comprises a hollow cylindrical body, a plunger and a dispensing fitment. The cylindrical body holds a supply of extrudable fluid contents such as lithographic ink. The plunger serves as a pneumatically activated piston within the cylindrical body to extrude the contents of the cartridge. The nozzle has an open and a closed position. In the closed position the nozzle does not protrude beyond the top of the dispensing fitment. The dispenser may also include a detachable nozzle extension which, when attached to the nozzle, extends beyond the top of the fitment.

Ink cartridge for automated dispensing systems

A process is provided for closing and hermetically sealing a bottom of a container. A cylindrical container body is provided which has an inside heat-sealable surface and an open bottom end. A flange is formed on and around the bottom end of the cylindrical container body which extends outwardly from the container body at a sharp radius of approximately 90 degrees to an outside surface of the container body and which defines a flat circular heat-sealable surface on an outer side of the flange. A generally circular membrane patch having an inside heat-sealable surface is positioned on the flat circular heat-sealable surface of the container body flange covering the open bottom end of the container body. The heat-sealable surfaces of the container body flange and the membrane patch are heat-sealed to each other for hermetically sealing the container bottom end. If additional strength is desired in the bottom closure of the container, a circular reinforcing plug, preferably with an upwardly extending flange, is positioned on the membrane patch. The container body flange and the membrane patch heat-sealed thereto are then curled inwardly of the container body and over an outside periphery of the reinforcing plug while applying heat and pressure to complete closure of the container body and to maintain the cylindrical shape of the container.

Process for closing and hermetically sealing a bottom of a container

A container has a movable end closure for accommodating expansion or contraction of the product packaged therein. The container includes a hollow body portion with opposed open ends and an inside surface and an end closure positioned at each of the open ends of the hollow body portion and secured thereto for closing the container with product contained therein. One of the end closures is of a generally cup-shaped configuration and has a radially-extending central portion of generally the same configuration and dimensions as the inside surface of the body portion and an accordion-folded sidewalk extending axially from the central portion toward the body portion open end to define a free end area secured to the inside surface of the body portion at the open end. This end closure is positioned so that the central portion may axially move along the body portion inside surface toward or away from the body portion open end by contraction or expansion of the end closure accordion-folded side wall to increase or decrease the effective volume of space within the container.

Container having expanding or contracting end closure

A process for manufacturing and the resulting cylindrical composite container having a recessed spiral groove therein includes generally the following. A mandrel is provided having at least one recessed spiral groove cut into its surface and positioned at a predetermined angle to a longitudinal axis of the mandrel. Desired material layers for constructing the composite container are fed onto the mandrel and are spirally-wound at a winding angle corresponding to the predetermined angle of the spiral groove in the mandrel to form a continuous tube on the mandrel. Pressure is applied at the mandrel spiral groove to the continuous tube as it is being formed to force the material layers into the spiral groove for deforming the material layers to form a spiral groove in the continuous tube. This continuous tube with a spiral groove therein is cut into individual continuous lengths and removed from the mandrel for forming the composite container.

Cylindrical composite container having a recessed spiral groove and

A composite container for dough or other expandable product includes a hollow cylindrical body formed of composite material, a pair of end closures for sealing the open end of the container body, a separator disk disposed in the body and dividing the container into a first tubular portion for containing the product and a second tubular portion. A plurality of ingredient cups are stacked bottom-against-top in the second portion of the container body. Each cup is a cup-shaped member having a cylindrical tubular side wall, a bottom wall closing one end of the side wall, and an open end defined by an upper edge of the side wall. A membrane engages the upper edge to sealingly close the cup with an additional ingredient such as condiment, icing, spices, etc., therein. The bottom of one cup stacks on the upper edge of another cup so that the one cup is not supported by the membrane of the other cup. The separator disk engages an annular flange on the upper edge of the adjacent cup. Axial forces exerted on the separator disk by expanding product are transmitted to the side wall of the adjacent cup, which transmits the forces to the side wall of the next cup, and so on, the forces ultimately being transmitted to the end closure.

Composite dough container with multiple stacked ingredient cups

A device for leakage and pressure testing can bodies and can body-end closure combinations includes a can clamp assembly having an expandable resilient sealing ring over which an open end of a can body is slid. The can clamp assembly automatically draws the open end of the can body into a collar and then expands the resilient sealing ring outwardly to clamp and seal the can body in the assembly. Air is pumped into or drawn out of the can by an air passage formed through an actuating rod attached to the can clamp assembly for extending and retracting the sealing ring. For testing can bodies having no end closures, the device includes a second can clamp assembly which clamps and seals the other open end of the can body. A shaft attached to the second can clamp assembly is slidably and rotatably supported in an aperture of a support plate such that the can body is free to expand axially and to rotate about its axis during loading and testing of the can body.

Growing community of inventors

Florence, SC, United States of America

Keith R Rea