Patent Grant
11939124
This application is a national stage of PCT/EP2019/067690, filed Jul. 2, 2019, and claims the priority of German Application No. 10 2018 116 295.2, filed on Jul. 5, 2018.
The present invention concerns a plastic closure for fitting on to the neck of a liquid container in positively locking and sealed relationship comprising a head plate provided for covering a container opening and an outer seal which is circumferential approximately parallel to the edge of the head plate and is provided for engagement with the outside of a container neck defining the container opening, and an inner seal which is circumferential within the outer seal and parallel thereto and which is provided for engagement with the inside of the container neck, wherein the outer and the inner seals respectively project from an inside of the head plate in the direction of the container neck.
Substantially the circumferential seals extend parallel to each other and approximately perpendicularly or slightly inclined relative to a plane defined by the head plate.
In particular the invention concerns a screw closure of plastic for liquid containers, wherein the screw closure has a head plate, a cylindrical cap skirt with a female thread, which define an axis of the closure, and an annular inner seal which after being fitted on to the container neck is to be brought into engagement with the cylindrical internal surface of the container neck and an annular outer seal which is to be brought into engagement with the cylindrical outside of a container neck, wherein the outer and inner seals respectively extend in a predominantly axial direction from the inside of the head plate.
Such plastic closures are used inter alia for drinks bottles. In that respect the present invention concerns in particular closures for such containers in which an uncontrolled positive pressure can occur. That applies in particular to containers which are filled with a liquid which in principle is fermentable and within which accordingly a considerable positive pressure can build up (after contamination with germs).
When such containers are filled with the products in question they generally do not have a high internal pressure, with the exception of a slight positive pressure which is deliberately applied by filling with an inert gas and which substantially serves to make the bottles which usually comprise thin-walled PET material overall stable and thus stackable, in which case typically a plurality of containers are combined together to constitute a pack and are stacked one upon the other in that form.
In that respect some segments of the market have increasingly found there is a wish on the part of consumers to obtain the container content in a form which is as pure and natural as possible and not to extend the shelf life of the content in question like for example fruit juice or smoothies with preservatives. It will be appreciated that after opening such drinks have a comparatively short best before date, even if they are filled under asceptic conditions. It can therefore happen that, after a consumer has purchased such a container, in particular after it has been first opened, the consumer leaves it for a prolonged time and possibly also at an unfavourable (warm) location, whereby fermentation processes can begin because of an initially low level of germ contamination in the liquid in the container. Upon fermentation gases are typically produced and they in turn increase the pressure in the interior of the container in an uncontrollable fashion. Even if the containers and the corresponding closures are designed for a slight positive pressure (for example 2 bars), in order to make it easier to stack corresponding packs as mentioned above, a pressure occurring due to fermentation can be a multiple higher than the pressure required solely for ensuring stackability, under which the containers were originally filled with an inert gas.
As is usual in the state of the art, the closure according to the invention has two mutually independent seals of which one comes into sealing contact with the inside and the other with the outside of a corresponding container neck (deleted text moved to page 3).
As the containers with the exception of the slight positive pressure already described above for making them stackable are substantially pressureless the closures used for that purpose are generally axially relatively short and also have a relatively steep, usually multi-flight thread, which allows quick opening and closing of the container, while on the other hand affording the closure only a comparatively slight holding action and also only limitedly permitting venting or breathing of the container during the short opening process.
The result of this is that, in the attempt to open a container which is under a relatively high internal pressure, the closure is already explosively blown off the container neck after just a short rotary angle and in that case can seriously injure a user, in particular if delicate body parts like for example an eye are hit by the closure when it is blown off.
It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to that specific situation of use but concerns closures for all containers in which a positive pressure of for example more than 4 bars prevails, in particular if such an increased pressure can uncontrolledly occur.
In that respect by virtue of its geometrical arrangement and configuration the inner seal only withstands a limited positive pressure. To limit the internal pressure by the inner seal therefore either no or only slight additional measures are therefore required, as is explained hereinafter. In the known closures however the outer seal can withstand a very considerable positive pressure.
With that background in mind the object of the present invention is to provide a closure and also a container having a closure, which generally prevent the closure being blown off under a high positive pressure.
That object is attained in that the outer seal has a weakened region in at least one circumferential portion, wherein the closure is of such a configuration that the outer seal in the weakened region yields at a lower internal pressure than without the weakened region, in particular yields in the weakened region earlier than in the other regions.
In a screw closure the weakened region preferably extends over an angle sector which is measured with respect to the axis and which depending on the respective nature of the weakened can be limited to less than 1° circumferential angle, but in other embodiments can also be limited to an angle sector of 20 to 90°.
Under some circumstances the weakened region could also extend over the entire circumference, for example in the form of a groove extending in a spiral configuration.
In general terms therefore the object is attained in that the closure from the outset does not allow a correspondingly high positive pressure, that is to say becomes lacking in sealing integrity and allows gas to escape when the pressure in the interior of the container exceeds a given predeterminable amount, more specifically without a pressure relief valve which is to be additionally fitted.
The lower portion (facing away from the head plate) of the inner seal is typically bevelled radially inwardly and is curved inwardly at the end in order to ensure when the closure is being fitted on to the container neck that the inner seal slides into the opening of the container neck. Therefore, the lower end of the inner seal, when the outwardly disposed bead bears against the inside of the container neck, is at a marked internal spacing relative to that inside. In addition on its outside the inner seal has a radially outwardly projecting region or bead which, after corresponding compression by the container neck, bears sealingly under an elastic prestressing against the inside of the container neck.
A positive pressure which occurs in a container provided with the closure generally has the result that the head plate of the closure bulges up. In that case the inner seal is moved a distance upwardly for free opening of the neck and at the same time the inner seal tilts radially inwardly and the pressure of the gas or the liquid which can act from the exterior on the lower portion of the inner seal additionally contributes to radially inward pivotal movement of the inner seal so that as from a certain positive pressure it at least locally lifts away from the inside of the container neck. The inner seal thus becomes non-sealing.
The internal pressure then acts on the outer seal. In that case however the bulging movement of the head plate also causes a reduction in the diameter of the outer seal at least at its attachment to the head plate, which leads to the outer seal being pressed even more firmly against the container neck. Without measures to reduce the internal pressure the above-mentioned risk of the closure abruptly blowing off upon opening of the closure occurs.
By virtue of the weakened region of the outer seal, which is deliberately provided according to the invention however the outer seal also yields at a lower pressure than would be the case if the outer seal did not have any weakened region. In that way the otherwise higher internal pressure is reduced and the risk of a closure being blown off the container neck is completely or at least substantially eliminated. The weakened region is accordingly a means for specifically limiting increased pressure.
By virtue of a suitable geometrical configuration of the weakened region, which can also be readily determined by experiment, it is possible to properly adjust the desired increased pressure value at which the weakened region of the outer seal yields and allows (partial) escape of the gas under pressure in the container. In general the weakened pressure will be set such that the pressure at which the outer seal opens in the weakened region is somewhat above the pressure at which the container is filled in any case for stability reasons, that is to say a pressure of between 1 and 2.5 bars, in which respect precisely observing given pressure values is not an important consideration so long as only the opening pressure of the weakened region is markedly below the values which could cause the closure to be dangerously blown off the container neck. An appropriate upper limit for the internal pressure of containers provided for example for non-carbonated drinks is about 3 to 4 bars for a closure having a two-flight thread with an approximately 360° contact angle and a nominal diameter of 38 mm. Such an appropriate upper limit for the pressure varies with the diameter of the neck and the configuration of the thread and can tend to be greater in the case of a smaller diameter and also smaller in the case of a larger diameter.
The outer seal of the screw closure according to the invention desirably has a region which is referred to hereinafter as the sealing region and which is generally viewed as the axial region which is in sealing contact with a container neck. Specifically, without reference to a (generally standardised) container neck, that is a region of then outer seal of constant inside diameter which at least in part embraces the central third of the axial length of the outer seal. Because of a rounding at the outer edge of a container mouth opening, as is provided as standard in most containers under consideration, in order to ensure that, when the closure is fitted on to the container neck, the outer seal slides on to the outside of the container neck, the region of the outer seal, that is near to the head plate, is not or is scarcely in contact with the container neck.
The end, remote from the head plate, of the outer seal which is generally in the form of a ring or an annular web is generally slightly radially outwardly curved or bevelled (as viewed in an axial section), also in order to make it easier when fitting the closure on to the container neck for it to slide on to the container neck, in which case the outer seal overall is radially enlarged and stretched so that it bears under an elastic prestressing against the container neck and in that way withstands a relatively high internal pressure. In that respect it is to be assumed that the sealing region of an outer seal includes at least a part of the central axial third of the outer seal and the sealing region can then be suitably defined with reference solely to the closure.
Therefore even the radially outwardly curved lower end portion of the outer seal does not bear against the container neck and cannot make any noteworthy contribution to the sealing effect. The actually sealing region of the outer seal is disposed approximately in the central third with respect to the axial length of the outer seal. That is the above-defined sealing region which, in accordance with the present invention, by virtue of specifically targeted measures, is to be influenced or set to a given opening pressure.
In a variant of the invention it is provided that the weakened region comprises a circumferential portion of the outer seal, that is of a reduced wall thickness in relation to the rest of the outer seal, wherein in that weakened region the outer seal is of the same internal radius as the outer seal elsewhere, but is of a smaller external radius.
By virtue of the inside diameter which is constant throughout such an outer seal bears against the outside surface of a container neck with the sealing region thereof along its entire circumference and provides a good sealing action within the required pressure range for which the container and the closure is designed under normal conditions. As however the wall thickness in the weakened region is less than the outer seal in its remaining region that portion of reduced wall thickness in the event of an increased pressure in the interior of the container can more easily stretch and push radially outwardly so that the outer seal lacks a sealing action in that region when the pressure exceeds a predetermined limit value.
Accordingly such a design configuration affords a closure which provides for a complete seal under normal circumstances and which is completely sealed off by an inner seal and also by an outer seal, wherein it is only in the case of a greater internal pressure (for example >4 bars) that the head plate bulges greatly upwardly whereby the inner seal tilts radially inwardly and lifts axially and/or radially off the internal surface of the container neck, whereupon the higher pressure which acts on the outer seal is then released by way of the respective weakened region.
In an embodiment of the invention the reduced wall thickness extends in the axial direction from a free axial (lower) end into the upper third of the outer seal, with respect to the axial length of the outer seal outside the weakened region.
For the lifting-off movement of the inner seal inter alia the maximum outside diameter of the inner seal, that is to say the so-called “bead” of the outer seal, is provided at an axial spacing of between only 0.4 and 1.2 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, from the abutment surface, so that that region is very greatly influenced by any movements of the head plate, in particular a bulging movement thereof, and thus at least after a certain increased pressure is reached, and at least at places lifts off the inside surface of the container neck. Gas (or also liquid) which is under an increased pressure can then escape into the region in front of the outer seal, wherein the weakened region of the outer seal limits the pressure which occurs, insofar as, when a limit pressure is exceeded, it allows the pressurised gas to pass. In the event of a sufficient bulge movement of the head plate the sealing bead of the inner seal which defines the maximum diameter thereof can be lifted into the region of the rounded configuration of the inner edge of the bottle neck or beyond so that at any event the inner seal allows gas to pass towards the outer seal or into the region between the outer and inner seals.
Another embodiment provides that the weakened region comprises a circumferential portion of the outer seal, that is axially shortened in the angle sector α. By virtue of the fact that the outer seal is shortened in a circumferential portion and the shortening also includes the sealing region an only still axially very short portion of the sealing region bears against the outside of the container neck in the angle sector, and the result of that is that the outer seal in that region which is weakened in that way, solely by virtue of the fact that it is also lifted a distance axially by the bulging head plate, yields at a relatively low increased pressure in the container interior and locally lifts off the container neck so that any increased pressure is relieved in that way. At the same time such an axially shortened sealing region is always still sufficient to ensure sealing of the screw closure in the pressureless state, that is to say when the pressure on both sides of the outer seal is approximately equal or is limited to the regular positive pressure (<2 bars) of the container. In particular an embodiment provides that the axial length of the outer seal in the weakened region is less than two thirds of the axial length of the outer seal outside the weakened region.
That measure also provides that the outer seal and therewith the closure generally becomes non-sealing at a markedly lower internal pressure or reduces an increased internal pressure at an earlier time than a closure having an outer seal without the weakened region. Without a weakening as is provided according to the present invention the outer seal remains sealed until a PET bottle bursts.
The two above-mentioned embodiments can also be readily combined together as shown in the embodiment of
In a further variant it is provided that extending on the internal surface of the outer seal is a groove or a rib which at any event extends over the axial width of the sealing region of the outer seal. A corresponding groove would provide a small passage which bridges over the sealing region and by way of which gas under pressure in the interior of the container, which has possibly already passed the inner seal, can be discharged outwardly without the pressure in the interior of the container being further increased.
A web or a rib which extends radially inwardly on the surface of the outer seal and which otherwise also extends over the axial width of the sealing region acts in a similar fashion as on both sides of such a rib the sealing surface of the outer seal is lifted off the bottle neck and in that way also forms a passage for a gas under pressure.
These embodiments accordingly have an outer seal which permanently has a deliberately set slight leakage. By virtue of a capillary-like passage of for example 0.03 mm2 cross-section that leakage can already sufficiently allow gas to pass, as is liberated for example in a fermentation process. In regard to the dimension of the cross-section of a specifically provided capillary-like passage it is also possible to take account of the fact that, in relation to a closure which is acted upon with liquid from the interior (for example a bottle which is tipped over or is upside down), that passage under some circumstances also has to allow liquid to pass through. Such a capillary opening on the other hand does not represent any problem under normal sales and storage conditions because under such conditions the inner seal still effectively seals off the container interior in relation to the surroundings.
It will be noted that if possible it should also be prevented that impurities and in particular fermentation-causing germs can pass through the outer seal to the mouth of the container neck and possibly into the container neck, by virtue of such a groove or by a projecting region of a sealing surface, as are implemented by a rib. For that reason a corresponding groove and similarly also a corresponding rib should be of a cross-section which is as small as possible and which fulfils the foregoing conditions and which for example is less than 0.05 mm2, in particular less than 0.02 mm2, wherein a corresponding groove and similarly a corresponding rib for example could of a width and also a depth of 0.1 mm each so that the overall cross-section does not exceed 0.01 mm2. The passage cross-section at least for gas can also be markedly less than the above-mentioned values and for example can be only 0.0001 mm2 which is sufficient to reduce a gas pressure which builds up slowly, but which on the other hand opposes a great resistance to the entry of contamination and germs, as long as a reversed pressure difference does not occur.
Therefore such a small passage provides that a pressure prevailing in the interior of the container, which also lifts the inner seal off its engagement with the internal surface of the container neck, is only very slowly and substantially continuously relieved.
Insofar as no positive pressure or no increased pressure occurs in the interior of the container at any event the inner seal prevents the ingress of germs and the like into the container and the risk that possibly solely the container neck mouth becomes contaminated is very slight in the above-described embodiments having a groove or a rib at the internal surface of the outer seal, in consideration of the small cross-section of the groove or rib.
The fact that the inner seal is of an axial length of at least 2 mm with an end portion which conically tapers from its maximum diameter to its axially free end also contributes to the inner seal more easily lifting off the internal surface of the container neck. The pressurised gas in a container does not have any axial counterpart in the conical region outside the internal cross-section of the inner seal and can thus contribute to the inner seal being pressed radially inwardly and thereby losing sealing integrity.
Overall for yielding of the inner seal in the event of an excessively high internal pressure it has also proven to be desirable if the maximum outside diameter of the inner seal is greater by at least 1.5 mm than its maximum inside diameter.
In general the maximum outside diameter of the inner seal is also smaller than the minimum inside diameter of the outer seal because a container mouth opening still has to be accommodated between them, in which case the corresponding inclined run-on surfaces and rounded configurations at the seals and/or at the container neck mouth make it possible for the maximum outside diameter of the inner seal and the minimum diameter of the outer seal to differ only slightly and in particular by markedly less than corresponds to the wall thickness of the container neck.
Between the outer and inner seals the head plate has an annular portion defining an axial abutment surface for the end face of a container neck mouth. The wall thickness in the region of that annular abutment surface can be the same as in the central region of the head plate, but it can in particular also be larger or smaller, in which respect the latter is preferred to make the head plate more easily moveable so that it bulges more in the event of an increased pressure in the interior of the container.
The invention in that respect also concerns a container having a plastic closure, wherein the container has a container neck designed for positively locking and sealing engagement with a plastic closure according to one of claims 1 to 14. In particular the invention also concerns a container having a container neck with a male thread and a screw closure, wherein the maximum outside radius of the inner seal is greater by 0.2 to 0.4 mm than the nominal inside diameter of the bottle neck. Conversely however the inside diameter of the outer seal, that is constant in the sealing region, is smaller by 0.2 to 0.4 mm than the nominal outside diameter of the container neck. This provides that both seals bear under a prestressing against the inside and the outside respectively of the container neck while the end face thereof butts axially against the annular abutment surface of the head plate, that is between the outer seal and the inner seal.
Further advantages, features and possible uses of the present invention will be apparent from the description hereinafter of preferred embodiments and the accompanying Figures in which:
The inner seal 5 is shown here overlapping with the internal surface of the bottle neck 20, which however is only intended to indicate that the external surface of the inner seal, in particular the bead 5′ provided on the outer surface, bears with elastic prestressing against the internal surface of the bottle neck 20, as is also shown in
The state shown in
The conically inwardly tapering lower portion of the inner seal 5 and the lower portion of the outer seal 7, which portion expands conically or in a rounded configuration, like the rounded configurations at the upper edge of the bottle neck mouth, contribute to the bottle neck 20, when the closure 100 is being fitted in place, being displaced between the inner seal 5 and the outer seal 7 and not compressing a seal which bears against the end face 24 of the bottle neck.
As an alternative to a reduced wall thickness for the annular portion 14 or in addition a groove can be provided at the transition from the abutment surface 4 and the inner seal 5 on the inside of the head plate 1, which makes the inner part of the head plate 1 with the inner seal 5 even more moveable with respect to the radially outer portion 14, and this makes it even easier for the head plate 1 to assume its bulged configuration and for the inner seal 5 to tilt and axially lift off until it loses its sealing integrity. With a sufficiently high internal pressure also acting on the outside of the inner seal 5, insofar as it does not have an opposite surface acted upon with pressure in the axial direction the bead 5′ lifts off at least at some locations from the internal surface 22 of the bottle neck 20 so that the pressure can escape until the bulge in the head plate 1 has correspondingly reversed and the elastic return forces of the inner seal move the bead 5′ of the inner seal 5 into sealing engagement with the bottle neck again.
In this case the weakened region 6 comprises an optionally axially shortened portion 6 of the outer seal 7, which portion is of a reduced wall thickness and which admittedly is of the same inside diameter as the outer seal 7 in the rest of the region, but is of a markedly smaller outside diameter.
The upper third of the outer seal 7, adjoining the head plate, is disposed in the region of a radius of curvature at the upper edge of the neck mouth and thus does not come into contact with the bottle neck and the lower third is already radially enlarged in order in that way, when fitting the closure on to a bottle neck, to make it easier for the mouth of the bottle neck 20 to slide into the intermediate space between the two seals 5 and 7. If now the seal 7 is shortened over a certain angle sector α which for example can be 30° to half or the entire axial length of the outer seal 7 then in that region there is still only an axially relative short portion of the outer seal 7 in contact with the outside 21 of the bottle neck 20, in which case a relatively slight increased pressure within the outer seal 7 is sufficient to lift that relatively short portion which is still in sealing contact off the outside 21 of the bottle neck 20 and thus cause pressure relief.
The outer seal 7 of which two end portions are shown in the angle portion illustrated in
The dimensional relationships between the weakened region 6 of the outer seal 7 are moreover shown once again in
In the weakened region 6 on the right-hand side in
In this case the internal surface of the outer seal has a small groove-like recess 6′ which in the axial direction bridges over the region in which the seal bears in other respects sealingly against the outside 22 of the bottle neck 20. This is diagrammatically shown once again in
The invention is based in substance on two effects, namely on the one hand making use of the upward bulging of the head plate, that occurs at the internal pressure, in order firstly to open the inner seal to such an extent that unwantedly high internal pressure of for example more than 3 bars is passed to the outer seal. Secondly that outer seal is also weakened in an angle sector in such a way that, when acted upon with the pressure exceeding for example 3 bars, it also yields and the pressure can be relieved from the container by gas discharge.
Those effects are also achieved inter alia by using the material polyethylene, in particular HDPE, for the closure, in conjunction with a wall thickness for the head plate of less than 2 mm, preferably less than 1.0 mm, as well as an inner seal, the bead of which is relatively close to the head plate and provides a sealing effect there and thus upon the movement of the region in question of the head plate at an increased internal pressure is axially displaced sufficiently far.
The invention also concerns in particular a combination of a container neck or a container with a plastic closure, wherein the maximum outside diameter of the outer seal is between 0.2 and 0.4 mm larger than the corresponding inside diameter of the container neck opening, while the inside diameter of the outer seal is also about 0.2 to 0.4 mm smaller than the corresponding outside diameter of the container neck in the respective angular position. The closure according to the invention is particularly well suitable for containers with cylindrical container necks which are of an inside diameter of 40 or 30 mm but can also be used for smaller closure diameters of for example 28 mm. The above-described embodiments are accordingly adapted in respect of their dimensions to corresponding standardised container necks or bottle necks.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2018 116 295.2 | Jul 2018 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2019/067690 | 7/2/2019 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2020/007832 | 1/9/2020 | WO | A |
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| Entry |
|---|
| China National Intellectual Property Administration, Office Action, dated Jan. 18, 2022, Chinese Application No. CN 20198004218.X (English Translation of Office Action). |
| Nora Lindner, The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, International Preliminary Report on Patentability, PCT/EP2019/067690, dated Jan. 5, 2021 (English translation). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210206545 A1 | Jul 2021 | US |
