Patent Application
20160152386
The invention generally relates to the field of packaging technology. More particularly, the invention relates to a cap with a cutting element. The invention also relates to a spout arranged to interact with the cap, a bottle provided with the spout, and a method for applying the cap onto the spout.
Within the field of food packaging, and packaging of any perishable product, it is of concern to contain the product in a safe way until it reaches the end consumer. Even more so, the end consumer should preferably be able to judge whether the product is safely contained or not before acquiring the product. This is particularly true for the closure of the package. A regular screw-cap closure may be opened and reclosed without causing any visible leakage, yet breaking the hermetic seal may hamper the quality of the product in a dramatic way. This is one of the reasons to why tamper evidence has been introduced. A common tamper evidence is the well known tamper ring, which is torn of the cap as the container is opened for the first time. The functionality of the tamper ring may vary, and there are numerous options available. Also, there are other tamper evidences too, such as lacquer seals and various shrink plastic arrangements, etc.
The closure of a packaging container has to fulfill several demands. It should provide adequate barrier properties, such that liquids or gas does not pass into or out of the container before it is opened for the first time. Also, it should provide adequate resealing properties such that no leakage occurs after the first opening. Additional demands are that it should be easy to open, efficient to manufacture and appealing to the eye.
A thorough overview of the technical field is disclosed in WO2008148764 to SACMI, and it is considered that the skilled person would have no problem in realizing the present invention after studying the teachings disclosed herein combined with the prior art. One example is that the present invention does not discuss moulding of plastic closures. Even if this knowledge is essential for the manufacture of plastic closures, it does not define the present invention in the light of prior art and is therefore considered superfluous for the purposes of disclosing the present invention in a sufficiently detailed manner for the skilled person to practice it.
In an effort to provide an improved opening device the present invention, according to one aspect thereof, provides a cap arranged to interact with a spout. The cap comprises a top portion, a sidewall portion depending from the top portion and formed in one piece therewith, the sidewall portion comprising an interior threading arranged to interact with exterior threading of the neck during an opening operation and during a closing operation. Further, the cap comprises a tamper evidence removably attached to the sidewall portion, and the sidewall portion further comprises cutting elements having a first end hingedly attached to the sidewall portion and a free end portion arranged to interact with a membrane portion of the spout, wherein the hinged attachment allows for the cutting element to pivot in an axial direction. The cap is characterized in that the free end portion has a blunt tip and a comparatively sharper cutting edge on a lateral side of the free end portion. This design facilitates initial arrangement of the cap onto a neck or spout, and it also provides an adequate operation during use of the device.
According to one or more embodiments the blunt tip of the cutting elements are arranged to penetrate the neck portion in the region of the membrane portion during a first sequence of a first opening operation, and wherein the cutting edge is arranged to cut the membrane portion from the neck portion during later stages of the first opening operation, and wherein the cutting elements are arranged to hold the removed membrane portion in an area between the cutting elements and the top portion. Before being utilized the first time for opening purposes the cutting elements will lean onto the neck or spout of the packaging container, directed in an opening direction (towards an opening end of the packaging container). As the cap is unscrewed the cutting element will pivot and eventually be forced towards a weakened region of the membrane and penetrate the same, in a way to be further explained in the detailed description.
According to one or more embodiments the cutting elements comprises a local protrusion extending from an axial side of the cutting element, resulting in advantages to be describe in the detailed description. In a related embodiment the local protrusion is arranged at an axial side facing the tamper evidence and/or to a side remote to the cutting edge.
In one or several embodiments the local protrusion may have an elongated extension in a radial direction, such that it may be in contact with a newly cut edge of the neck during the first opening operation.
In still further embodiments stop elements extend from the top portion along the sidewall portion, preferably being formed in one piece therewith, the stop elements being configured to contact a cooperating circumferential counter element of the neck to limit the movement of the cap in an axial direction. The use of an additional stop element not interfering with other functional portions of the cap will enable tailormade solutions in these other functional portions.
It is preferred, though not a necessity, that the cap is moulded in one piece. A suitable material for the cap is polypropylene, though the materials or compounds of materials are possible.
According to another aspect of the present invention it relates to a method for arranging a cap of any preceding claim onto a neck, comprising the steps of arranging the cap in a cap-holder device, aligning the cap with a neck, positioning the cap onto the neck by means of a relative axial movement.
In one or more embodiments the step of positioning the cap also comprises a relative rotational motion. When screwing the cap into position an extra added value is obtained from embodiments of the cap including the protrusions.
According to one or several embodiments the method further comprises the preceding step of moulding a neck onto a paper-based container sleeve.
The cap may be made of polypropylene. Since polypropylene is harder than High Density PolyEthylene (HDPE) a cap made of polypropylene may advantageoulsy be used with a spout made of HDPE. An advantage of having the spout made of HDPE is that the shelf life of the liquid food stored in a bottle provided with the spout may be prolonged since the liquid food is less affected by the outside conditions due to the more resistent material in the spout. More particularly, a spout made of HDPE has a lower Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) than, for instance, a spout made of Low Density PolyPropylene (LDPP), which has the positive effect that less oxygen will enter the bottle or the package provided with the spout through the spout, which in turn has the effect that the liquid food in the bottle or package may be stored for a longer period of time without being unsafe to consume.
Another advantage of having a spout made of HDPE is that a more roboust package is achieved having the effect that more packages or bottles provided with spouts made of HDPE can be piled on top of each other.
There are other possible solutions for obtaining the right performance for the spout and the cap. One example is that instead of using a pure material, such as PP for the cap or HDPE or LDPE for the spout a compound, mixture or layered construction may be used. E.g. an inferior pure material may be improved by additives, and by adding an extra barrier layer the OTR may be adjusted. Such considerations may be relevant for various applications of the present invention in terms of being relevant for caps and spouts as such, yet they are not important for the understanding of the present invention as defined by the claims
According to a fifth aspect a method for packaging liquid food in a bottle is provided. The method comprising forming a body portion of said bottle in the form of a sleeve of a carton-based laminate, forming a top section of said bottle, said top section comprising a spout according the second aspect, joining said top section to said body portion, filling said bottle with liquid food via an open end of said bottle, sealing said open end of said bottle, and applying a cap according to the first aspect onto said spout according to the fourth aspect.
The step of forming said top section of said bottle may comprise molding said spout.
The spout may be applied onto said spout such that a spout neck combination is formed, and said forming said top section of said bottle may comprise molding a top section such that said spout of said spout neck combination is joined to said top section.
The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
To put the present invention into context a packaging container is shown in the perspective view of
The cap 100 as shown in
A sidewall portion 104 depends from the top portion 102, in what may be referred to as a generally axial direction. The exterior side of the sidewall portion 104 may be designed for e.g. appearance and for increasing gripability, yet for the purposes of the present invention it is the interior side of the sidewall portion 104 that is of concern.
A tamper evidence 106 is arranged a a lower end of the sidewall portion 104. The tamper evidence 106 is preferably formed in one piece with the sidewall portion 104, and this with the rest of the cap 100 for that matter, and is designed to break away from the sidewall portion 104 as the cap 100 is removed for the first time. For this reason there is a weakened area defining the interface between the sidewall portion 104 and the tamper evidence 106. The weakened area, indicated by a dotted line in
Several tamper tabs 108 extends from a portion of the tamper evidence 106, in the present embodiment from an end portion remote from the top portion 102. The tamper tabs 108 are likewise formed in one piece with the tamper evidence 106 and comprises a free end and and opposite end being hingedly supported by the tamper evidence 106. The tamper tabs 108 have two main purposes. Firstly, they should prevent the tamper evidence from rotating relative to the container neck as the cap 100 is unscrewed from the neck, and secondly they should prevent the remaining tamper evidence from being pulled off the neck in an axial direction. There are numerous tamper-tab designs available, and the one disclosed in the present embodiment is to be considered a standard solution. The skilled person could select one of several such standard solutions without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The function of the tamper tabs 108 relies on cooperating elements of the neck, which will be discussed later, referring to
Following the threads 110 cutting elements 112 are arranged. Specific features of these form a central part of one aspect of the present invention and they will be described later in reference to
At about the same axial position as the cutting elements 112 stop elements 114 are arranged. In the present embodiment the stop elements are realized by stop ledges 114, i.e. flanges extending from the top portion 102 down to a specific axial position, and a small distance radially inwards. In the present embodiment there are a total of five stop ledges 114 and they are dimension so as to allow for the membrane portion 202 to fit between them. The purpose of the stop elements is to prevent the cap 100 from being screwed to far down (i.e. in a closing direction) onto the neck 200, and thus to prevent damage to membrane portion 202 during application of the cap 100 or when resealing the closure after initial opening. The stop elements of the cap cooperate with a counter element 214 of the neck 100. The distance from the lowermost portion of the stop elements 114 and the lowermost portion of the tamper evidence 106 is designated I, as shown in
There are other means for preventing the cap from rotating any further once it has reached a certain position on the neck. Examples include various stop arrangement on in the thread, may it be a physical block at the end of the threads 210 of the neck which the threads cannot override, or a change in rising of the threads of the neck preventing further rotation of the cap. There are more options available. The solution used in the present embodiment is simple, straightforward, does not involve any other operational parts of the cap or neck, as well as being predictable, straightforward and providing a distinct stop.
In the initial position, before unscrewing the cap 100 the first time, the cutting elements 112 are positioned at an axial distance from the area to be cut, and it is of importance that the tamper evidence 106 breaks away from the cap 100 before the cutting action of the cutting elements is initiated.
Next to the connection portion 212, on the side of the spout, the area which is to be the rim of the spout is located, which in turn connects to the area of the spout portion 204 where the exterior threads 210 are located. As for the interior threads 110 of the cap the threads 210 may be an assemble of several threads. Between the area of the threads and the rim the counter element 214 is located. The counter element 214 is basically a circumferential ledge with a contact surface extending in a generally radial direction. The stop element 114 of the cap 100 is sized to abut the counter element 214 as the cap 100 is screwed onto the neck 200. The element following the threads 210 is a stop lug 208. The stop lug 208 (there are several such stop lugs arranged distributed along the circumference of the neck) extends radially from the neck and is designed to cooperated with the tamper tabs 108 of the cap 100 in order to prevent the tamper evidence 106 from rotating in relation to the neck. The stop lug 208 may be designed to efficiently engage with the tamper tab 108, e.g. by being undercut in an opening direction such that it engages with a gripping engagement with a tamper tab 108 in an opening direction. The opposite side of the stop lug 208 may be gently slanted such that a tamper tap 108 easily slides over it when passing in a closing direction. This makes it possible to easily arrange the cap on the neck when applying it for the first time. It is often desired to break the tamper evidence 106 as soon as possible, and the highest of the frequency at which the stop lugs 208 are arranged around the circumference of the neck and the frequency at which the tamper tabs 108 are arranged around the circumference of the cap 100 will be the determining factor, at least at a first approximation.
After the tamper evidence 106 has been released from the cap 100 their engagement with the lowermost portion of the threads 210 will secure the tamper evidence 106 to the neck 200. In an alternative embodiment a circumferential lock flange arranged below the threads 210 could fulfil the same purpose.
Below the stop lug 208 a circumferential flange 216 is arranged, acting as a transition to the shoulder portion of the container, if arranged on a container as the one depicted and described in relation to
The distance between the counter element 214 and the flange 216 is designated L, and in an embodiment where the cap 100 and the neck 200 are used in combination it is preferred that the relationship L>I is fulfilled. Preferably L should be at least one or so millimeters larger than I, such as 1 mm or 2 mm, or 0.8 mm or 1.2 mm, or another distance between 1 or 2 mm. One reason is that once the tamper evidence 104 is released it will fall down by gravity in a resting position towards the flange 216. However small, the gap of a mm or so will be readily spotted, indicated that the packaging container has been opened.
Though described separately, it is preferred that all portions of the neck is manufactured in one piece during a single moulding operation.
The cutting element 112 will now be described in more detail referring to
The cutting element 112 is hingedly attached to the interior side of the sidewall portion 104, see dashdotted line in
The free end 1128, remote to the hinged attachment may preferably be blunt, and may preferably be less sharp than the cutting region 112A. The results is the benefit that the free end is not prone to damage the connection region between the membrane portion and the spout portion when it is not supposed to. This may e.g. when the cap is arranged on the spout for the first time.
The exact design of the remaining portion 112C of the cutting element 112 is less important, though it should be designed to promote constructional stability of the cutting element, or at least not act detrimental to the same.
A key feature for one aspect of the present invention, or at least to an embodiment thereof, is shown at 112D. The feature is an elevated section or protrusion 112D extending from the surface of the cutting element 112, while being formed in one piece therewith. The protusion 112D is arranged on the side which faces away from the top portion 102 of the cap 100. In relation to the neck 200 the protrusion 112D is arranged on the side of the cutting element 112 facing the rim of the spout portion 204. In a radial direction the protrusion 112D is sized to be in contact with the membrane portion 202, the flange portion extending radially outwards above the connection portion seen in
In the present embodiment the protusion 112D has an elongate shape extending along a downstream edge 112C of the cutting element 112, i.e. along an edge remote to the cutting region 112A. The feature that the protrusion 112D has a shape following the shape of the downstream edge 112C is a preferred feature. It is also preferred that the edge of the protrusion 112D facing the downstream edge 112C is provided with a radius. The radius preferably extends over at least the portion of the edge being in contact with the membrane portion during initial application of the cap onto the neck. In this way the amount of debris generated during initial application of the cap onto the neck will be significantly reduced as compared to a situation where the protrusion has a sharp edge, or is absent from the cutting element 112. The protrusion may also serve a similar purpose during initial opening of the closure, when the cutting element 112 may be clamped between the membrane portion and the spout portion. In such a situation the protrusion may help in reducing the amount of debris generated, or shaved off to use a pictorial terminology, from the spout.
The cap 100 may be applied onto the neck 200 in one of two ways; either the cap is pressed onto the neck in a pure axial motion, or the cap 100 is screwed onto the neck 200. For the present embodiment constructional elements have been designed to allow for the second alternative, such as e.g. the design of the stop lugs 208. In each situation the cap is first arranged in a holder after which it is aligned with the neck, and thereafter is is positioned onto the neck by means of a rotational motion combined with an axial translation, or a pure rotational motion. Aligned with the neck may be restricted to that the cap is in line with the neck, i.e. that the neck and the cap have a common central axis corresponding to the axis of rotational symmetry for the main constructional features. This is a basic level of alignment. Further details may be that the cap is positioned at a particular distance from the neck, but more commonly a further level of alignment includes that the cap and neck has a particular angular relationship, e.g. that a thread start in the cap is aligned with a thread start on the neck in order to make the process more efficient. The cap and neck may be manufactured as an assembly and applied to a packaging container in assembled state. However, the basic invention and embodiments thereof may also be manufactured such that the neck is formed on an packaging container after which the cap is applied to the packaging container now provided with a neck portion.
The present invention may also relate to a manufacturing method of a cap/spout assembly and of a packaging container having such cap/spout assembly
In order to provide for that the cap easily can cut off the membrane of the spout the cap may be made of a harder material than the spout, e.g. the cap may be made of polypropylene and the spout may be made of high density polypthylene (HDPE). However, other plastic material suitable to be used for liquid food may be used as well, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE) and medium density polyethylene (MDPE). The skilled person realized that the present invention relates to technical features not associated to particular materials as such. Suitable manufacturing methods for both the neck and the cap resides within the field of plastic moulding. For the cap injection moulding may be used, and as an alternative injection/compression or even pure compression, and the same is true for the neck, although with an emphasis of injection/compression.
The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.
Known details of opening devices of the cut-and-collect type (where a membrane portion is removed and localized by e.g. a cap) have been omitted from the description not to interfere with the description of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1350756-1 | Jun 2013 | SE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/062535 | 6/16/2014 | WO | 00 |
