The present invention relates to a cap for a container neck.
The invention generally pertains to caps capable of covering the neck of a container. In a known manner, the lateral surface of the cap includes a raised portion so as to facilitate the manipulation of the cap by a user wishing to open or close a container, by screwing and unscrewing. The fingers of the user, and in particular the thumb, exert a force on the cap so as to rotate it around the neck.
Different solutions exist to facilitate the opening or improve comfort during opening, but they are not satisfactory. Arranging completely pointed ribs provides good grip, but aggressive contact, which may hurt the fingers. Arranging all rounded ribs is pleasant to the touch, but the fingers slide too much.
Alternatively, it has been considered to implement a bi-injection molding method so as to combine the properties of different materials. The outer profile can be made from an elastomer, and the inner portion with a polymer material traditionally used to manufacture the caps. The cap obtained is, however, more expensive and difficult to recycle.
EP-A-1 914 174, on which the preamble of claim 1 is based, describes a cap for a container neck, comprising a tubular skirt coaxially surrounding the neck and outwardly provided with a plurality of longitudinal ribs. The cap of EP-A-1 914 174 also comprises an outwardly smooth tamperproofing strip.
The aim of the present invention is to propose a cap that, while being cost-effective, can be manipulated effectively and comfortably.
To that end, the invention relates to a cap as defined in claim 1.
The invention thus makes it possible to obtain a good compromise between, on the one hand, the feeling of comfort owing to the main ribs whereof the supporting end has a large curve radius and, on the other hand, the effectiveness of the grip and the transmission of force owing to the secondary ribs, whereof the supporting end has a small curve radius. Furthermore, the ribs arranged on the tamperproofing strip further improve the feeling of comfort during opening. Moreover, in particular for a very small cap, the user has the sensation of manipulating a larger cap.
Other advantageous features of the invention, considered alone or in combination, are specified in claims 2 to 11.
The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, provided solely as a non-limiting example and done in reference to the drawings, in which:
The cap 1 comprises a substantially planar transverse upper wall 2, which, outwardly, is slightly raised on the periphery, as shown in
In practice, the strip 4 and the skirt 3 are initially connected by a weakening line, not shown, adapted to break the first time the cap 1 is opened. The weakening line is situated axially substantially at the overthickness 6. In this way, the skirt 3 is removable in relation to the neck of the container, whereas the strip 4 is intended to remain around the neck after the first time the cap 1 is opened, and for that reason is commonly called a tamperproofing strip. The weakening line serves as a control for that first opening, intended for users. More specifically, the inner thread 8 allows the screwing and unscrewing of the skirt 3, which coaxially surrounds the neck of the container. For the strip 4 to be able to remain on the neck after opening, its inner surface is provided with bulges 9. The bulges 9 extend radially protruding toward the inside of the cap 1 from the inner surface of the strip 4, situated globally in a same transverse plane, while being distributed all around the inner periphery of the strip 4. When the cap 1 is assembled to the neck, the bulges 9 extend axially below a boss of the neck. The bulges 9 are adapted, when the cap is lifted for the first time, to abut axially against that boss.
The skirt 3 is provided with a plurality of main 31 and secondary 32 longitudinal ribs, distributed along its outer periphery, that extend between the transverse wall 2 and the overthickness 6. As shown in
The strip 4 is also provided with a plurality of main 41 and secondary 42 longitudinal ribs distributed along its outer periphery, which extend partially between the overthickness 6 and the border 7. Like those of the skirt 3, the primary ribs 41 and the secondary ribs 42 follow one another along the outer periphery of the strip 4, each being provided with a free supporting end 441 and 442 for the pad of a finger D of the user. The supporting ends 441 of the main ribs 41 have, in cross-section transverse to the axis X-X, a larger curve radius than the curve radius of the supporting ends 442 of the secondary ribs 42.
In this way, the skirt 3 and the strip 4 are respectively provided with two types of ribs that follow one another on their outer periphery: the main ribs 31 and 41 on the one hand, and the secondary ribs 32 and 42 on the other hand. Comparatively, the ribs 31 and 41 can be qualified as thick and rounded, while the ribs 32 and 42 assume a fine and pointed shape. In the embodiment considered here, the ribs of the skirt 31 and 32 and the ribs of the strip 41 and 42 are axially aligned with one another, matching by type: 31 with 41, 32 with 42.
Each rib 31, 32, 41, 42 has dimensions that can be defined as its length, thickness, and width:
the length is the dimension in the longitudinal direction, substantially parallel to the axis X-X of the cap 1,
the thickness is the protruding dimension of the rib, in relation to the cylindrical surface of the skirt 3 or the strip 4, oriented toward the outside of the cap 1 in a direction radial to the axis X-X,
the width is the orthoradial dimension of the base of the rib, in the region where it forms a projection with the cylindrical surface of the skirt 3 or of the strip 4.
In the embodiment considered in
Furthermore, the thickness E31 or E32 of the ribs 31 or 32 of the skirt 3 is substantially constant over the entire running portion 31a or 32a of the rib, including at its longitudinal end 31c or 32c connecting to the overthickness 6, while its ends 31b or 32b turned toward the transverse wall 2 are flared between the circumferences C1 and C0 of the cap, at the axial level of which the thickness of the rib is respectively maximal and zero.
The thickness E41 or E42 of the ribs 41 or 42 of the strip 4 increases from the longitudinal end 41b and 42b of the ribs, turned toward the skirt 3, to reach a maximum at their longitudinal end 41c and 41c, over a circumference C2 situated at the axial end of the strip 4 opposite the transverse wall 2 of the cap 1, i.e. at the border 7.
As visible in
In order to produce the expected effects, the main ribs 31 and 41 and the secondary ribs 32 and 42, respectively, have a particular profile, adapted to their function, as shown in
In practice, the finger D is capable of bearing on the portions of the ribs of the skirt 3 and the strip 4 having a maximal thickness. This corresponds in particular on the one hand to the circumference C1 on the skirt 3, and on the other hand to the circumference C2 on the strip 4. In this way, the ribs of the skirt 31 and 32 and the ribs of the strip 41 and 42 jointly define a global enclosure E between C1 and C2, having a tapered shape, centered on the axis X-X and converging toward the wall: this enclosure E thus at least partially fits the pad of the finger D of the user, as visible in
In
In
In
The embodiment of
Other embodiments can be considered, while remaining within the scope of the invention. The main point for the ribbed cap is to provide a good compromise between the feeling of comfort and effective gripping when the pad of the finger of the user engages on the cap. This advantage is still more pronounced when the cap is small, short and light. The ribs can be implemented on all existing caps and closing devices for containers, without adding weight, simply by modifying the usual molds. Also, the usual raw material is still preferably used for an assembly of different materials, which thus makes it possible to preserve the usual properties of the cap, including good recyclability.
Irrespective of the embodiment, in order to improve the feeling of comfort during opening, the cap includes the strip also provided with ribs, either identical to one another, as for the ribs 140 of
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 51038 | Feb 2010 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FR2011/050301 | 2/14/2011 | WO | 00 | 10/4/2012 |