Container cover with integral seal remover

Abstract

The invention is directed to a container with a removable cap, and the container includes a seal for freshness or tamper-resistance. The cap is manufactured with an integral seal cutter that is rotated to aid in removing the seal and accessing the container contents.

1 . A cap for a container, the container having a rim and a seal joined to the rim, the cap comprising: 
 an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a container connector to releasably engage the container; and    a seal cutter joined to the cap, the seal cutter defining an edge for cutting the container seal as the cap is rotated.    
   
   
       2 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the seal cutter comprises: 
 a plurality of blades.    
   
   
       3 . The cap of  claim 1 , and further comprising: 
 a wall between the upper portion and the lower portion; and    the seal cutter comprising: a blade joined to the wall.    
   
   
       4 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion comprises: 
 an upper annular skirt defining an upper recess in which the seal cutter is disposed.    
   
   
       5 . The cap of  claim 1 , and further comprising: 
 a wall between the upper portion and the lower portion; and    an upper annular skirt defining an upper recess in which the seal cutter is joined to the wall.    
   
   
       6 . The cap of  claim 1 , and further comprising: 
 a wall joined to and disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, and an upper annular skirt defining an upper recess in which the seal cutter is disposed; and    the seal cutter comprises a plurality of blades.    
   
   
       7 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the seal cutter is substantially concave in shape.  
   
   
       8 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the seal cutter is substantially concave in shape and resilient for moving to a convex shape.  
   
   
       9 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the seal cutter is spaced radially outwardly from a center of the cap at a distance that substantially matches a radius of the container opening.  
   
   
       10 . A method for removing at least a portion of a seal from a container rim using a removable cap for the container, wherein the method comprises: 
 removing the cap from the container to expose the container seal;    inverting the cap;    engaging the container seal with a seal cutter formed integrally with the cap and defining an edge; and    rotating the seal cutter to remove at least a portion of the seal.    
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , and further comprising the step of: 
 rotating the cap a complete revolution to cut at least a portion of the container seal.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , and further comprising the step of: 
 rotating the cap less than a complete revolution to cut at least a portion of the container seal.