Textured vinyl pull cap

Abstract

A vinyl pull cap having a texturized grip surface is provided comprising a tubular vinyl dip-molded tubular member having a closed end and an open end, with the tubular member having an outer second texturized dip-molded vinyl surface layer covering at least a portion of said tubular member comprising particles of a size and in an amount sufficient to provide a texturized outer vinyl surface.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION [0001] The present invention is directed to a pull cap having a textured grip surface. [0002] Pull caps have been used commercially for many years. These caps have many uses, such as sealing the ends of tubes, pipes, or other articles of manufacture that may have an open end which needs to be temporarily sealed during manufacturing, storage, transportation, etc. [0003] By way of example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,574,312 and 6,520,212 disclose several embodiments of protective plastic end caps for use in protecting the open end of a tube, etc. As shown by U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,312, such end caps can easily be made by means of a vinyl dip molding process. [0004] Current commercially-produced vinyl end caps have an inherently slippery surface due to the lubricity properties of the vinyl material, the inherently smooth surface of the vinyl material, as well as the presence of plasticizers (oily softeners) that tend to leach from the surface of the vinyl materia...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a protective end cap which has the capability to both effectively serve a sealing or capping function, as well as to be more easily removed from engagement with the object to be sealed or capped.

[0007] In accordance with the present invention, there is thus provided a protective vinyl end cap for use in sealing the end of a tube or pipe or other article of manufacture in need of a protective end cap. The end cap has a grip surface which includes a textured grip surface generally different from the surface of the remaining portion of the end cap. The grip surface in association with the textured surface assists in enhancing the ease of installation and / or removal of the end cap from engagement with the article to be capped.

Problems solved by technology

Current commercially-produced vinyl end caps have an inherently slippery surface due to the lubricity properties of the vinyl material, the inherently smooth surface of the vinyl material, as well as the presence of plasticizers (oily softeners) that tend to leach from the surface of the vinyl material over time.

As protective end caps generally are not provided with ergonomically-friendly configurations which might serve to assist in gripping of the end cap, it is sometimes difficult to remove the end cap from engagement with an article to be protected if the respective fit between the end cap and the article is snug or tight.

As the degree of protection is enhanced by a snug or tight fit, this problem tends to occur with some frequency.

Also, over time the surface of the end cap tends to adhere to the surface to be protected more aggressively, thus further hindering removal of the end cap from engagement.

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