This application is the US national phase of PCT application PCT/EP2003/011387, filed 14 Oct. 2003, published 6 May 2004 as WO 2004/037669, and claiming the priority of German patent application 20216175.7 itself filed 21 Oct. 2002.
The invention relates to a container closure assembly comprising a cap part and neck part defining an outlet mouth for container.
The invention relates in particular to a single-use assembly. Such a single-use assembly is used to close containers for products that should be used immediately once they are opened because they spoil readily, e.g. become toxic, when exposed to air. It is necessary that once the container is open, it cannot be closed again with the same closure. Such a closure with this effect is seen in the known crown cap. They require however that a tool be used to open them, and the container must be robust. Closing the outlet opening of containers formed as bags is not possible with this assembly. In addition in spite of the inability to reuse the closure, for esthetic reasons it should look like a standard screw or snap cap.
In response to this need, the invention proposes a closure assembly that is characterized by the features of claim 1. In particular a spreadable collar on the cap part is fittable with a collar-engaging region of the neck part and has a radial outer dimension that is smaller as the radial dimension of the edge of the collar-engaging region. The spreadable collar can move outward past the edge with elastic deformation of the spreadable collar or of the collar-engaging region but inward movement is inhibited by the collar-engaging region. From the outside, the single-use closure according to the invention in spite of the described function in not distinguishable from standard container closures. The single-use closure can be constructed such that once the cap part is removed it cannot be fitted back over the neck part. Such a construction is also possible in that the cap part cannot after being removed be fitted back to the closed position on the neck part, but can only assume an intermediate position in which it does not block the outlet mouth. This facilitates at least the recycling of containers with the single-use closure according to the invention after they have been emptied.
The invention is more closely described in the following with reference to embodiments and the drawing. Therein:
The invention is described in the following with reference to embodiments wherein a cap part 1 is mounted on a neck part 3 of a container 2, the neck part 3 and cap part 1 having complementary interfitting screwthreads so that the cap part 1 can expose an outlet mouth 5 by being screwed off. It is understood that the invention is not limited to such mounting of the cap part 1, but the cap part 1 can also be removable in another manner. e.g. by an axial straight-line movement from the neck part 3.
In the following reference is made to the embodiment of the invention shown in
The cap part 1 has as is known a cap end wall 9 and a rim 10 projecting from its outer periphery. The cap part 1 fits over the neck part 3 and an internal screwthread 11 inside the rim 10 fits with a complementary external screwthread 6 on the neck part 3 so as to allow the cap part 1 to seal the mouth 5 of the neck part 3.
An annular flange 14 projects inward from the cap end wall 9 and has an outer diameter that corresponds to an inner diameter of the small-diameter portion 8 of the neck part 3 so that the annular flange 14 can fit inside the small-diameter portion 8 of the neck part 3 as shown in
The outer end of the annular flange 14 is provided with a spreadable collar 15 that flares outward and downward from the annular flange 14 and that has a sharp edge 16 whose diameter corresponds generally to that of the large-diameter portion 12 of the neck part 3 or is slightly greater or slightly smaller than this diameter. The spreadable collar 15 has a conical or slightly rounded and curved upper face that engages against the engagement surface 13 of the transition region 7 on removal of the cap part 1 from the neck part 3. This causes an elastic deformation of the spreadable collar 15 so as to reduce its diameter so that it can be pulled through the small-diameter region 8. As soon as the spreadable collar 15 passes the mouth 5, it returns elastically to its initial spread condition as shown in
In the spread condition, the edge 16 of the spreadable collar 15 is bigger than the mouth 5 so that, if an attempt is made to screw or fit the cap part 1 again on the neck part 15, the edge 16 of the spreadable collar 15 will engage an outer edge 17 of the neck part 3 and thereby prevent the cap part 1 from moving axially further along the neck part 3. Even if a substantial axial force is exerted in the assembly direction, it is impossible to fit the cap part 1 and neck part 3 back together as shown in
As shown in
The neck part 1 is provided with an annular recess or seat 27 in which fits the spreadable collar 25 in the closed position of the cap part 1 as shown in
As shown in
During initial installation, as in the above-described embodiment of the invention, the extension 30 extends mainly axially and an unillustrated tool for example hot or cold plastically deforms it into the shape shown in the drawing with the spreadable collar 25 in the seat 27.
With both embodiments of the invention the cap part and the neck part can be made in one shot by two-component injection molding in that one part is formed in an injection mold and the same mold is then used to make the other part. The two-component injection molding of plastics is known in the art and does not need to be more closely described here. In this manner the complementary shapes are achieved as shown in
The spreadable collar can be formed as annularly continuous or of segments. Instead, a reduction of the spreadable collar and/or of the part fitting with it can be provided in diametrally opposite regions of the cap part or neck part.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20216175 | Oct 2002 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP03/11387 | 10/14/2003 | WO | 00 | 4/22/2005 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2004/037669 | 5/6/2004 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20050252876 A1 | Nov 2005 | US |