Patents by Inventor Wilburn C. Willis

Wilburn C. Willis has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4278180
    Abstract: A container closure comprising a cap and an annular ring connected to the cap by a bridge. The annular ring includes a laterally extending span or weakened portion having lesser tensile strength than the remainder of the ring. When the cap is rotated to loosen the cap, the annular ring is constricted radially inwardly, thereby abutting the container neck and frustrating removal until either the bridge or span is broken. A broken bridge or span indicates both visually and by touch that the closure has been tampered with. In a preferred embodiment, the cap and annular ring are integrally molded from plastic as a unitary structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1981
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventor: Wilburn C. Willis
  • Patent number: 4253459
    Abstract: An additive transfer unit for transferring a measured volume of a liquid medicament into an evacuated container. The unit comprises a liquid storage container, a rigid disc closing the mouth of the container, a rigid piercing member formed integrally with the disc and having an aperture defining a passageway from the interior to the exterior of the container, a penetrable protective tip providing a seal over a needle point on the piercing member, and a metal closure. An elastic sealing means around and contiguous the outside diameter of the disc provides, with the disc, a fluid-tight seal over the mouth of the container. The disc includes a cylindrical hub spaced radially outwardly of the piercing member and abutting against an inner portion of the sealing means to stabilize the sealing means against the metal closure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1979
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1981
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventor: Wilburn C. Willis
  • Patent number: 4241840
    Abstract: A safety closure is disclosed for use with a container having a threaded neck. The closure includes an inner cap with a plurality of teeth on its top wall and internal threads for cooperatively engaging with the threaded neck of the container. The closure also includes a sheet metal overcap which overlies and is loosely mounted on the inner cap. The overcap has a plurality of louvers in its top wall which are adapted for cooperative engagement with the teeth of the inner cap. Each of the louvers of the overcap includes a flange portion which projects downwardly at an angle from the top wall of the overcap to a terminal edge defined by a slit in the top wall. An integral supporting arch portion connects each side of the flange portion to the top wall between the terminal edge and the junction of the flange portion and the top wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1980
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventor: Wilburn C. Willis
  • Patent number: 4209102
    Abstract: A plastic closure is disclosed which has an integral sealing means formed by an annular resiliently deflectable V-shaped wall section with a downwardly and outwardly projecting corner on it for sealing against an upwardly facing sealing surface on a container. The closure also has a stop member projecting downwardly and inwardly from near the top of the closure skirt for engagement against the container mouth during application of the closure on a container to arrest the axial travel of the closure on the container. The closure may have paraffin or wax lubricant either in the plastic material of the closure or on the inside surface to reduce the torque required to seal the closure on a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1980
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Lloyd G. Dunn, Wilburn C. Willis
  • Patent number: 4200100
    Abstract: An additive vial for transferring a liquid medicament into an evacuated container is disclosed comprising a liquid medicament storage container having a neck terminating at a generally flat-rimmed bead defining a mouth opening in the container. Closing the mouth of the container is a rigid disc, having a hollow, generally cylindrical piercing member extending outwardly from a central location of the disc terminating in a needle point. An elastic sealing means is provided around and contiguous an outer portion of the container rim. The sealing means also overlies an outer peripheral portion of the exterior surface of the disc with respect to the exterior of the container. A penetrable tip is provided over the needle point of the piercing member, and a removable, outwardly projecting cylindrical portion of a closure extends over and around the tip covering the needle point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1980
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventor: Wilburn C. Willis
  • Patent number: 4135536
    Abstract: A resilient tip member, preferably molded as a unit from rubber, having a gripper pad, a crutch holder and an interposed sleeve portion. A pivot pin preferably has a disc-like upper portion disposed within the crutch holder, and a depending pin portion extending through the sleeve portion and into the gripper pad. An instep plate is disposed within the gripper pad and has an upwardly concave portion of generally complementary configuration with respect to the lower end of the depending pin portion with the two being in contact.Means for introducing lubricant into the contacting portions of the pivot pin and instep plate may be provided. Traction means may be removably or permanently secured to the ground engaging portion of the resilient tip member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1979
    Inventor: Wilburn C. Willis
  • Patent number: 3958448
    Abstract: A pressure testing apparatus for sealed containers including a container receiving enclosure defined by a base wall, a side wall and a top wall. A container supporting pedestal having a needle projecting upwardly therefrom is positioned within the container receiving enclosure. A pressurized fluid supply means is in communication with the needle. An adjustable container retaining member is disposed within the container receiving enclosure in spaced overlying relationship with respect to the container supporting pedestal. Pressure control means are interposed between the pressurized fluid supply means and the needle.A method of testing a sealed container which includes placing the sealed container within the container receiving enclosure, piercing the container by means of a generally upward projecting needle to establish sealed contact between the needle and the interior of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1974
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1976
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Wilburn C. Willis, William L. Denhart, Frank M. Kelly, Joseph A. Clements
  • Patent number: 3954200
    Abstract: A molded container is disclosed which has a cylindrical neck portion with threads on it for securing a closure on the container and a plurality of teeth projecting upwardly from the exterior surface of the container near the threads for engaging mating teeth on the closure. Each of the container teeth has a locking surface which lies in a plane disposed generally radially of the vertical axis of the container and an outwardly-upwardly facing cam surface which lies in a plane angled inwardly toward the vertical axis of the container from the bottom to the top of the tooth and angled with respect to the plane of the locking surface. A method and apparatus for forming such a container is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1976
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventor: Wilburn C. Willis