The invention relates to a container closure, to a pouring element, and to a closure cap.
Closure caps which are captively held on the container and close the pouring opening thereof are known from the prior art in the field of plastics closure caps having a tamper-evident band. The holding function is also important since legal regulations are being prepared under which closures of beverage bottles must be connected captively to the beverage bottle even when in the open state.
DE 93 18 243 U1 discloses a captive closure cap of this kind for closing a container. Once the threaded part of the cap is unscrewed, it is held on the tamper-evident band by a catch band. When the closure cap is in the closed state, the catch band is integrated in the tamper-evident band. The tamper-evident band must therefore have an increased height corresponding to the sum of the height of a conventional tamper-evident band and the height of the catch band. The increased height therefore inevitably leads to increased material use when manufacturing a corresponding closure cap.
On the basis of the disadvantages of the above-described prior art, an advantage of the invention is a captive closure cap for which the amount of material used differs only slightly from the amount used for a conventional closure cap having a tamper-evident band.
A further advantage is to a captive closure cap that is not obstructive whenever the container to be closed is in use.
A container closure is achieved by the features stated in the independent claims. The dependent claims set out developments and/or advantageous alternative embodiments.
The invention comprises a tamper-evident band having a first and a second end, the first end being fixed to the open periphery of the threaded part and the second end being able to be connected to the pouring element. The closure cap is therefore captively held on the pouring element after being unscrewed from the pouring element. This solution allows the tamper-evident band to have a low height and accordingly means little plastics material is required in order to produce the tamper-evident band or the closure cap. In known solutions for captively holding the closure cap on the pouring element, it is necessary to have a retaining band that is separated from the tamper-evident band. The height of the tamper-evident band must therefore be increased compared with other tamper-evident bands that do not have a function of holding the closure cap. This leads to an increased use of material, possibly twice as much as in conventional tamper-evident bands.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the second end of the tamper-evident band can be interlockingly connected to the pouring element. The connection can be produced automatically by rotating the closure cap and, once established, can be released again only with destruction. Therefore, the closure cap is reliably held on the pouring element after opening.
It has proven to be particularly advantageous if a first hook is formed on the second end of the tamper-evident band and can be latched in at least one first recess provided on the pouring element and facing the first hook. Configuring the second end as a hook makes it possible for the connection between the tamper-evident band and the pouring element to be produced automatically as a result of the closure cap being rotated in the opening direction, without any further manual step being necessary to establish the connection. As a result of the connection, a shear force can act on the tamper-evident band during rotation of the closure cap and leads to breaking of the predetermined breaking lugs. After the closure cap is opened, it is suspended from the pouring element by means of the tamper-evident band.
The pouring element expediently has a neck and a collar adjoining the neck. This formation is customary for pouring elements and has the additional advantage that the first recess can be formed on either the neck or the collar.
It has proven to be advantageous if the at least one first recess is formed on the neck in such a way that the first recess is located in a plane oriented orthogonally to the collar and to the neck. As a result, the first recess is oriented exactly such that the first hook is inevitably rotated into the first recess when the closure cap is rotated.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the at least one first recess is formed on the collar such that the first recess is located in a plane oriented orthogonally to the collar and to the neck. In this embodiment as well, the first hook is inevitably rotated into the first recess. Whether the first recess is formed on the collar, the neck, or at the transition between the neck and the collar depends on the configuration of the first hook. It is essential that the hook is automatically rotated into the first recess and does not miss said recess and is not rotated past the first recess outside it.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a cut-out is formed at the transition from the first end to the second end of the tamper-evident band in such a way that the first hook can be rotated into the at least one first recess when the threaded part is rotated in the opening direction. By cutting or punching out the cut-out, the first hook can be produced in any desired shape. At the same time, the cut-out separates the first end from the second end of the tamper-evident band.
In a further embodiment of the invention, at least one guide element is formed on the neck and guides the first hook into the at least one first recess when the threaded part is rotated in the opening direction. When the closure cap is rotated, the hook is forcibly guided and is reliably pressed into the first recess by the guide element.
It has proven to be expedient for the guide element to be a ramp-like projection on which the first hook can be guided downward in the direction of the at least one first recess by rotating the threaded part in the opening direction. The ramp shape can be easily removed from the mold during production and ensures precise forced guidance of the first hook.
To ensure that the first hook is not guided past the first recess by the guide element, the at least one first recess may be formed on the collar in such a way that the first recess is located in the plane of the collar.
Expediently, a barb is formed within the at least one first recess and can be hooked inseparably to the first hook. The barb ensures that the tamper-evident band is firmly held on the pouring element and can no longer detach. As a result, the closure cap is captively held on the pouring element. It is self-evident that the connection between the first hook and the first recess can be released by applying increased force leading to the destruction of the first hook. In principle, however, the container is intended to be disposed of together with the closure cap after use.
In yet another embodiment, the first end and the second end of the tamper-evident band are connected to a tamper-evident lug, which tamper-evident lug breaks when the threaded part is rotated in the opening direction. The tamper-evident lug reliably indicates whether or not the original seal of the container closure is intact. It is conceivable that the breaking of the predetermined breaking lugs when the closure cap is opened may be avoided by manipulation. For this reason, the tamper-evident lug provides further quality assurance for the container closure. The tamper-evident lug may be arranged at the lower periphery of the tamper-evident band. However, the tamper-evident lug may also connect the first and second ends of the tamper-evident band at another point, for example at the top periphery of the tamper-evident band. It is essential that the tamper-evident lug breaks when the closure cap is rotated or the tamper-evident band is manipulated.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a second recess is provided on the second end of the tamper-evident band and can be latched to at least one second hook which is formed on the pouring element and faces the second recess. This embodiment provides another option for fastening the tamper-evident band to the pouring element while the closure cap is being untwisted. In principle, this embodiment is based on the same principle of operation as the embodiments described above.
It is advantageous if the second recess can be hooked on the at least one second hook when the threaded part is rotated in the opening direction. Thereby, this embodiment also provides an automatic connection between the tamper-evident band and the pouring element as a result of the rotation of the closure cap.
The at least one second hook is expediently formed on the neck. In this position, the second hook is oriented such that the second opening is reliably hooked on the second hook as a result of the rotation of the closure cap.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the neck is devoid of a retaining ring for holding the tamper-evident band on the pouring element. Since the tamper-evident band is held on the pouring element by its second end and consequently, as described above, the predetermined breaking lugs break, the container closure does not require any further device that holds the tamper-evident ring back when the closure cap is opened. The option to omit the retaining ring allows for a significant reduction of plastics material when producing the pouring element.
It has proven to be advantageous if the pouring element is intended for being fastened to a beverage carton or to a container made of a composite material, or is intended to be an integral part of a plastics container. As a result, the container closure can be used on almost all known beverage containers. The device features described above can be implemented using conventional production methods. In particular, the first hook and the first recess interacting therewith can be implemented without relatively great effort during the production of the closure cap and the pouring element.
A further aspect of the invention relates to a pouring element having one or more of the features described above. The pouring element interacts with a separately manufactured closure cap, which is adapted to the pouring element so that the closure cap is held on the pouring element by the tamper-evident band.
A further aspect of the invention relates to a closure cap having one or more of the features described above. The closure cap interacts with a separately manufactured pouring element, which is adapted to the closure cap so that the closure cap is held on the pouring element by the tamper-evident band.
Further advantages and features become apparent from the following description of seven exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the schematic drawings. The drawings show, in a representation not true to scale:
The closure cap 15 has a cylindrical threaded part 27. The cylindrical threaded part 27 has an internal thread (not visible in the figures), which interacts with the external thread 17. The closure cap 15 can therefore be screwed onto the pouring element 13 and, when in the screwed-on state, closes the pouring opening 19. The cylindrical threaded part 27 has an open periphery 29 which faces the pouring element 13. 1. The closure cap is made of a plastics material, such as PP or HDPE.
Arranged on the open periphery 29 is a tamper-evident band 31 which fulfills the purpose of indicating whether or not the original seal of the container closure 11 is intact. The tamper-evident band 31 is fastened to the open periphery 29, in a known manner, by a plurality of predetermined breaking lugs 33. When the closure cap 15 is rotated in the opening direction relative to the pouring element 13, the predetermined breaking lugs 33 break. When the container closure 11 is in the closed state, the broken or torn predetermined breaking lugs 33 show that the container closure 11 has already been opened.
The aim of the invention is to ensure that the closure cap 15 is captively held on the pouring element 13 even after it has been unscrewed from the pouring element 13, and that as little material as possible is required for the proposed solution.
The tamper-evident band 31 has a first end 35 and a second end 37. Unlike a tamper-evident band in accordance with the prior art, which is a ring not having a first and second end, the present tamper-evident band 31 has a cut-out 39. The first end 35 is formed on one side of the cut-out 39 and the second end 37 is formed on the opposite side of the cut-out 39. The first end 35 is fixed to the open periphery 29. The term “fixed” refers to a connection which does not break off when the closure cap 15 is opened. Therefore, the closure cap 15 remains connected to the tamper-evident band 31 even when the closure cap 15 is unscrewed from the pouring element 13. By way of example, the first end 35 can be fastened to the open periphery 29 by a lug.
In a first embodiment in accordance with
It is self-evident that the pouring element 13 together with the first recess 43 can also be formed on the preform 25 (
In the third embodiment in accordance with
If a multi-start external thread 17 is provided on the pouring element 13, one first recess 43 and one projection 51 are provided per thread so that in any case the first hook 41 hooks in one of the first openings 43 when the closure cap 15 is opened.
In a fourth embodiment in accordance with
As shown in
In a further embodiment in accordance with
Since the tamper-evident band 31 is held on the pouring element 13 at its second end 37, other devices that hold the tamper-evident band 31 on the pouring element 13 can be dispensed with. A retaining ring, which encloses the pouring element in the circumferential direction and makes it possible to retain the tamper-evident band on the pouring element when the closure cap is unscrewed, is known from the prior art. In accordance with the present invention, a retaining ring of this kind on the pouring element can be dispensed with. This makes it possible to reduce the plastics material required for the retaining ring.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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00326/19 | Mar 2019 | CH | national |
This application is a national phase entry under 37 U.S.C § 371 of PCT/EP2020/056947 filed Mar. 13, 2020, which claims priority to Swiss Patent Application No. 00326/19 filed Mar. 15, 2019, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by this reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2020/056947 | 3/13/2020 | WO | 00 |