DE20112974U1 - container closure - Google Patents

Description

Patent attorney Dr. Mey ··· · " August 9, 2001/93892

RPC Bramlage GmbH

Container closure

The invention relates to a container closure with a closure cap and discharge opening for containers filled with a liquid, for example for ketchup bottles, wherein the containers are designed to be compressible in order to enable a metered discharge of the liquid by squeezing the container and wherein the liquids can have different viscosities from watery to pasty.

Deformable containers with closure caps and discharge openings are widely used and are known for a wide variety of applications and liquids. They are usually used as follows:

First, the container is shaken briefly to stir up any settled components and homogenize the liquid. After removing the lid that closes the discharge opening in the cap, the container is slightly pressed together with the discharge opening facing downwards, whereby a portion of the liquid in the container is dispensed in a metered manner depending on the pressure applied. Even with very careful procedures, it is often unavoidable that one or more drops of liquid are dispensed after the container has been pressed together. These then run down the container when it is upright again and thus contaminate the upper part of the container.

Patent attorney Dr. Mey ··· ' * 08/09/2001/93892

Based on this known state of the art, it is the object of the invention to provide a container closure in which this dripping of the liquid after completion of the dispensing process is largely prevented.

The stated object is achieved in such container closures described above with the characterizing features of claim 1 in that the closure cap is provided with an inner cap which creates an outflow labyrinth in relation to the outlet opening for the liquid to be discharged.

The container closure is expediently designed in two parts and consists of a conventional closure cap and an inner cap attached to the inside thereof, wherein the inner cap is designed with an annular inner web such that this, together with the outer wall of the inner cap and with a tubular extension of the discharge opening of the closure cap, creates the outflow labyrinth.

When the container is pressed, the outflow labyrinth formed by the tubular extension of the discharge opening of the closure cap and the ring-shaped inner web of the inner cap is filled with the liquid, after which it can be dosed out through the discharge opening. Once the container has been pressed together, the outflow labyrinth is drained again due to the restoring force of the container and the resulting negative pressure, which prevents any unwanted dripping of the liquid.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a sealing lip that can move in two directions is arranged at the inlet opening of the outlet labyrinth.

Patent attorney Dr. Mey ··· " ** "" 08/09/2001/93892

net, through which the inlet opening is opened and closed. This successfully prevents the liquid in the container from running out, which also makes dripping more difficult. This movable sealing lip also prevents liquid from getting into the outlet labyrinth when the container is shaken, which could cause drops to escape.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, splash guards are arranged in the area of the sealing lip so that liquid splashes, which can occur when the container is shaken, for example, are caught by the splash guards so that these splashes can no longer directly hit the movable sealing lip. This is also important because the restoring force of the movable sealing lip can be kept as low as possible, thus enabling precise dosing with as little effort as possible.

The arrangement and design of the splash guards and the movable sealing lip of the inner cap must be adapted to the type and viscosity of the liquid in order to achieve optimum effectiveness of these design elements. Finally, the size of the closure cap and the size of its discharge opening must also be taken into account when designing the inner cap in order to create a functional discharge labyrinth and thus a drip-proof container closure.

Further advantages, details and features of the invention are explained in more detail below using an embodiment shown in schematic drawing figures.

Patent attorney Dr. Mey ··· * 08/09/2001 / 93892

Show it:

Fig. 1 a container closure without a closure cap in enlarged

Vertical section,

Fig. 2 a container closure according to Fig. 1 in perspective vertical section, but with the closure lid opened,

Fig. 3 an inner cap in perspective top view.

Figure 1 shows a container closure 1 according to the invention in a vertical section. The container closure 1 consists of a commercially available round closure cap 3, for example in the form of a screw cap, as can be seen from the circumferential threaded web 4 with an internal thread. A discharge opening 7 is arranged in the middle of the closure cap 3, which merges inwards into a tubular extension 5.

Between the tubular extension 5 and the circumferential threaded web 4 there is a circumferential fastening web 6 with a lower notch into which a protruding nose 9 of the inner cap 10 is clipped in order to fasten it to the closure cap 3. The inner cap 10 is fastened in such a way that it is located in the middle of the closure cap 3 and radially encloses the discharge opening 7 with its tubular extension 5. An outflow labyrinth 14 is created between the tubular extension 5 and the outer wall 17 and the ring-shaped inner web 11 of the inner cap 10, through which the liquid must pass in order to reach the discharge opening 7. The outflow labyrinth 14 is shown as a dashed line and

Patent attorney Dr. My · ^; · * "' 08/09/2001/93892

simultaneously represents the resulting flow direction 12 of the liquid to the discharge opening 7.

The outer wall 17 of the inner cap 10 has a gap on one side, through which an inlet opening 18 is formed for the outflow labyrinth 14. Above this inlet opening 18 there is an upper splash guard 15 and on each side there are lateral splash guards 16. These splash guards 15, 16 have the task of protecting a movable sealing lip 13, which closes the inlet opening 18 and releases it during use, from liquid splashes, so that this movable sealing lip 13 is not displaced from its closed position as a result of such liquid splashes.

In Figure 2, the container closure 1 is shown again in a perspective vertical section for better clarity. Compared to Figure 1, a closure cover 2 is also shown on the closure cap 3 in the opened state, which can be pressed onto the closure cap 3 or its peripheral edge 8 and thus seals the discharge opening 7. Furthermore, the position of the movable sealing lip 13 is changed compared to the illustration in Figure 1; in Figure 2, the movable sealing lip 13 is angled outwards and is thus in the backflow position, in which the discharge labyrinth 14 is sucked dry again.

Finally, Figure 3 shows the inner cap 10 according to the invention in a perspective top view as a single structural part. This illustration particularly highlights the position of the splash guard bars 15, 16 with respect to the movable sealing lip 13. Furthermore, this illustration also makes it particularly clear that the inner cap 10 is characterized by a simple construction and can therefore be retrofitted to commercially available closure caps with only minimal effort.

: Soft 5**: :

Patent attorney Dr. Mey ··· * " " August 9, 2001/93892

List of reference symbols Container closure 1 Cover cap 2 Cap 3 Threaded web 4 tubular extension 5 all-round fastening bar 6 Discharge opening 7 surrounding border 8th wraparound nose 9 Inner cap 10 ring-shaped inner bridge 11 Flow direction 12 movable sealing lip 13 Outflow labyrinth 14 upper splash guard 15 side splash guards 16 Exterior wall 17 Entrance opening 18

Claims (5)

1. Container closure ( 1 ) with closure cap ( 3 ) and discharge opening ( 7 ) for containers filled with a liquid, for example for ketchup bottles, wherein the containers are designed to be compressible in order to enable a metered discharge of the liquid by squeezing the container and wherein the liquids can have different viscosities from watery to pasty, characterized in that the closure cap ( 3 ) is provided with an inner cap ( 10 ) which creates an outflow labyrinth ( 14 ) in relation to the outlet opening ( 7 ) for the liquid to be dispensed. 2. Container closure ( 1 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is designed in two parts and consists of a conventionally used closure cap ( 3 ) and an inner cap ( 10 ) fastened to the inside thereof, wherein the inner cap ( 10 ) is designed with an annular inner web ( 11 ) such that this, together with the outer wall ( 17 ) of the inner cap and with a tubular extension ( 5 ) of the discharge opening ( 7 ) of the closure cap ( 3 ), creates the outflow labyrinth ( 14 ). 3. Container closure ( 1 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a sealing lip ( 13 ) which is movable in two directions and by means of which the inlet opening ( 18 ) is opened and closed is arranged at the inlet opening ( 18 ) of the outflow labyrinth ( 14 ). 4. Container closure ( 1 ) according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inner cap ( 10 ) contains splash protection webs ( 15 , 16 ) in the region of the sealing lip ( 13 ), which are arranged such that they shield the movable sealing lip ( 13 ) against liquid splashes. 5. Container closure ( 1 ) according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the arrangement and the design of the splash guard webs ( 15 , 16 ) and the sealing lip ( 13 ) as well as the size of the inner cap ( 10 ) are variably adapted to the type and viscosity of the liquid, the size of the closure cap ( 3 ) and the size of its discharge opening ( 7 ).