Patent Application
20180362229
The object of the present invention is a closure capsule for closing a container, a method for assembling said closure capsule and a method for opening a container occluded by the capsule.
A safety capsule with a frangible reservoir is known and disclosed in patent EP 2321192. This capsule comprises:
The aim of the present invention is to offer a closure capsule for closing a container, a method for assembling said closure capsule and a method for opening the container, the capsule and both methods enabling the insertion of significant volumes of solute in the capsule.
The defined technical task and the specified aims are substantially achieved by a closure capsule for closing a container, a method for assembling said closure capsule and a method for opening the container comprising the technical characteristics set forth in one or more of the appended claims.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the approximate and thus non-limiting description of a closure capsule for closing a container as illustrated in the attached drawings, of which:
A closure capsule for closing a container is indicated by reference number 1 in the attached figures.
The capsule 1 conveniently comprises a cap 2 that can be associated with a container. In particular, the cap 2 can be associated with a mouthpiece of the container. In this regard, the cap 2 comprises an internal annular surface comprising a thread 21 suitable for interacting with a corresponding thread afforded on the container. The cap 3 conveniently comprises an annular seat 32 designed to receive one end of the mouthpiece of the container.
The cap 2 further comprises a frangible mouth 20. The frangible mouth 20 is designed to be positioned inside the container.
The capsule 1 comprises a cutter 3 designed to open the frangible mouth 20.
The capsule 1 also comprises a covering 4 that protects both said cap 2 and said cutter 3. Conveniently, both the covering 4 and the cutter 3 are made of a plastic material.
The covering 4 makes it possible to prevent a user from being able to unscrew the cap 2 without having first broken the frangible mouth 20 by means of the cutter 3.
The covering 4 conveniently comprises an intactness band 40. The intactness band 40 must be removed in order to permit the container occluded by the capsule 1 to be opened. In the rest configuration, the intactness band 40 defines a strip at the base of the covering 4.
The closure capsule 1 is movable from a rest configuration, in which the frangible mouth 20 and the intactness band 40 are intact, to an operative configuration, in which the intactness band 40 is removed and the frangible mouth 20 is broken.
In the rest configuration, the cap 2, the cutter 3 and the covering 4 contribute to the definition of walls of a reservoir 8 for containing a product, this product being intended to drop into the container when the capsule 1 takes on the operative configuration. Advantageously, the product 8 in the reservoir is powdered or granular. This product is a solute intended to be dissolved in a substance (solvent) contained in the container 7. The cutter 3 and the covering 4 are physically separate pieces. Advantageously, the cutter 3 consists of a single piece. The cutter 3 is a body that defines a cavity 33 within which it is possible to house at least part of the product (solute). Likewise, the cap 2 consists of a single piece.
The capsule 1 comprises first toothed connection means 5 afforded on the covering 4 and on the cutter 3. In particular, the first connection means 5 comprise a first part 51 afforded on a surface of the covering 4 (suitably facing inwards) and a second part 52 afforded on a surface of the cutter 3 (suitably facing outwards); these parts 51, 52 face each other. The first connection means 5 interact with each other and thereby make said cutter 3 and at least a first part 400 of the covering 4 (advantageously, the entire covering 4) rotate integrally.
The capsule 1 also comprises threaded connection means 9, which, in passing from the rest configuration to the operative configuration, couple the covering 4 and the cap 2, thereby enabling rotational-translational movement of the first part 400 of the covering 4 and the cutter 3 with respect to said cap 2. Advantageously, the operative configuration can be defined as a limit stop of the rotational-translational movement of the first part 400 of the covering 4 and the cutter 3 with respect to the cap 2 (as it moves away from the rest configuration).
The cutter 3 comprises a cutting edge 30. The cutter 3 also comprises a widening zone 31, in which, as it moves away from the cutting edge 30, the cross section of the cutter 3 (and thus the cross section of the reservoir 8) increases. This “cross” section is assessed with respect to an axial direction for tightening the covering 4 on the cap 2. In particular, the section of the cutter 3 widens perpendicularly to the axial direction for tightening the covering 4 on the cap 2. As illustrated by way of example in the attached figures, the widening zone 31 is splayed.
This widening zone 31 acts in such a manner that the reservoir 8 is unable to be delimited at the top by the cutter 3 due to problems related to realizing a piece such as this by means of a moulding process. The covering 4 and the cutter 3 are, however, in direct contact so as to minimize possible deterioration of the solute present in the reservoir 8 due to moisture.
In this regard, the covering 4 defines an annular groove 43 in which one end of the cutter 3 is inserted, this groove being found on the opposite side with respect to the cutting edge 30.
Given that in this situation, rotation applied by the user on the covering 4 could easily be transferred onto the cutter 3, it is important that activation of the cutter 3 be guided in a suitable manner. In fact, if the cutter had a cutting edge designed to cut/break the reservoir by translational movement only, the tightening action carried out by a user could (even inadvertently) be accompanied by twisting/rotation with the risk of completely cutting the frangible mouth 20 (which would end up inside the container as a result). For the purpose of overcoming this drawback, the cutting edge of the cutter must be designed according to a geometry adapted to break the reservoir by rotation only. Movement of the cutter 3 from the rest configuration to the operative configuration is therefore activated by the tightening of the covering 4 along the cap 2.
Cutting of the frangible mouth 20 is associated with passage from the rest configuration to the operative configuration, the cut defining an arc of a circle that subtends an angle at the centre ranging between 250° and 300°, particularly ranging between 260° and 280°. This makes it possible to cut the frangible mouth 20 without running the risk of the latter dropping inside the container (in fact, this would obstruct subsequent extraction of the product present in the container). In this regard, at one end the cutter 3 comprises a circular perimeter and the cutting edge 30 involves less than 25% of this perimeter. The remaining parts of the perimeter extend along one imaginary plane (which is conveniently perpendicular to the straight line of movement of the cutter 3).
The capsule 1 conveniently comprises second toothed connection means 6, which, in the operative configuration, make said covering 4 and said cap 2 rotate integrally. This makes it possible to open and close the capsule like a normal cap once the solute present in the reservoir 8 has been released inside the container. In fact, the second connection means 6 act in such a manner that in the operative configuration, rotation applied by the user on the covering 4 determines the untightening/tightening of the cap 2 with respect to the container.
We shall now be referring to the solution illustrated by way of example in
The covering 4 comprises a first portion 41, which, in turn, comprises a part of the first toothed connection means 5.
The covering 4 also comprises a second portion 42 that is removably connected to said first portion 41 (for example by means of threaded connection means or by means of press-fit engagement). The first and the second portion 41, 42 can be connected so that they rotate integrally (by way of non-limiting example by means of knurled elements 430 located on the first and the second portion 41, 42 and that interact with each other). Moreover, the first portion 41 can comprise an elastically deformable element (a ring) 431 that enables insertion of the second portion 42, preventing the extraction thereof.
The second portion 42 comprises a receptacle 80 that contributes to definition of said reservoir 8. Conveniently, this receptacle 80 consists of a single body. It has an inlet opening that faces said cutter 3. The inlet opening of the receptacle 80 advantageously projects inside the first portion 41 of the covering 4. In the solution illustrated by way of example in
The object of the present invention is also a system comprising:
The object of the method is also a method for opening a container occluded by a closure capsule. Conveniently, the closure capsule 1 has one or more of the characteristics described hereinabove.
In particular, the capsule 1 comprises:
The method comprises the steps of:
The step of cutting the frangible mouth 20 comprises the step of tightening at least a first part 400 of the covering 4 along the cap 2, thereby bringing about a rotational-translational movement of the cutter 3. The description provided hereinabove with reference to the first part 400 of the covering 4 can advantageously be extended to the entire covering 4 (once the intactness band has been removed, the covering 4 can be a single monolithic body or assembled in a number of pieces).
In fact, the cutter 3 and at least a first part 400 of the covering 4 are caused to rotate integrally by the first toothed connection means 5. Moreover, tightening the first part 400 of the covering 4 along the cap 2 also pushes the covering 4 on the cutter 3.
The step of cutting the frangible mouth 20 comprises cutting the frangible mouth 20 along an arc of a circle that subtends an angle at the centre ranging between 250° and 320° , leaving one edge of the frangible mouth 20 connected to the remaining parts of the cap 2.
The method also comprises the step of mutually interlocking second toothed connection means 6 afforded partly 6a on the covering 4 and partly 6b on the cap 2, causing the first part 400 of the covering 4 and the cap 2 to move integrally in the rotational-translational movement, so that the cap 2 and the first part 400 of the covering 4 remain solidly constrained during tightening and untightening of the cap 2 with respect to the container 7. In this manner, the capsule 1 can now be repeatedly tightened/untightened with respect to the container 7.
The step of mutually interlocking the second toothed connection means 6 takes place upon completion of the step of tightening said covering 4 along the cap 2.
The object of the present invention is also a method for assembling a closure capsule having one or more of the characteristics described hereinabove. The assembly method conveniently comprises the steps of:
The present invention offers important advantages.
First of all, it makes it possible to provide capsules that have very capacious reservoirs for the solute, without this resulting in an excessive increase in the height of the capsule 1. The greater capacity of the reservoir also results in greater flexibility in terms of use of the capsule 1, which can be utilized for specific applications that are not possible with reservoirs of smaller sizes.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants, all of which falling within the scope of the inventive concept characterizing the invention. Moreover, all details may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. All the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may in practice be of any type, according to needs.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102015000087244 | Dec 2015 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2016/056485 | 10/27/2016 | WO | 00 |
