EP3880573B1 - Captive closure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a captive closure consisting of a screw cap with a tamper-proof strip, the screw cap having at least one cylindrical shell with an internal thread and being connected to the lower edge of the cap shell at the lower, open end of the cap shell with the circumferential tamper-proof strip along easily tearable weakening lines after tearing along the weakening lines, the anti-tamper strip remains inseparably connected to the cap jacket via retaining straps.

The invention also relates to a combination of a container neck with an external thread and a captive closure as defined above with a screw cap with an internal thread and with a corresponding guarantee band. The container neck has a so-called pilferproof ring below its external thread, directly below which the guarantee band of the closure is located when the container is closed.

Such a captive closure, also in combination with a container, is known, for example, from FR2785264 . In the closure known from this publication, a guarantee band is connected to a hinge section on the lower edge of a screw cap via two relatively short retaining bands. The hinge area has a relatively complex structure with different sections of different wall thickness and extends into the cap skirt. The straps are relatively short. Since the hinge extends into the jacket of the screw cap, the screw cap that has been released from the threaded engagement can be swung sideways away from the container neck, but its entire cross section cannot be lifted over the edge of the associated container neck. The screw cap thus remains relatively close to the container opening and can, if necessary, depending on the specific design of the hinge, fold back over the cross section of the container opening when the container is tilted, for example to pour out liquid.

The WO 2016/160591 also shows a captive closure in which the cap skirt and guarantee band are only connected to one another by two short bands that act as a hinge. With such a design, it is difficult to avoid the screw cap folding back onto the container opening solely due to the force of gravity when the container is tilted accordingly.

In general, the previously known captive closures have proven to be troublesome when handling the containers closed with them after opening, because the screw caps do not assume a sufficiently stable position beyond the opening cross section of the container neck when open.

From the U.S. 2012/298666 A1 discloses a closure for a packaging container according to the preamble of claim 1, the closure including bridges for checking whether a closure with screw coupling is opened or not, and a hinge portion in which an inner concave groove is formed, thereby indicating whether the shutter is opened or not, thereby enabling the stable connection of a shutter body and a fixing ring, thereby maintaining a fixed opening angle of the shutter body in the event of opening, thus preventing the shutter body from sagging and being shaken, and thereby To perform opening and closing operations elastically, thus greatly improving the feeling of use.

From the U.S. 2012/285921 A1 there is known a container for preventing loss of a cap by preventing wobbling of a cap body by means of a sub-joint formed on both sides of a main joint in a state where the cap is opened and a stable posture of the opened plug is maintained so as to remarkably improve the feeling of use, and an undercut is prevented from being formed on the inside of the fastener due to a hinge portion, so as to double the productivity of the fastener by injection molding.

From the WO 94/14674 A1 discloses a plastic closure having a tamper-evident band with a 2-tier bridge arrangement comprising top and bottom bridges staggered circumferentially of the band. The top bridges are spaced along a top line of weakness and connect the tamper-evident band to the sidewall of the closure, while the bottom bridges are spaced along a bottom line of weakness and connect a lower portion of the tamper-evident band to a top portion of the band. The lower portion has an internal locking bead which engages an external locking shoulder on the neck of a container. When the closure is moved in a direction to remove it from the container, the top of the band is formed into a zigzag shape. Eventually the top bridges, which are weaker than the bottom bridges, break off allowing at least a top portion of the closure to be removed from the container.

Compared to this state of the art, the present invention is based on the object of improving a closure of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the screw cap can be safely moved away from the opening area of a corresponding container neck without there is a risk that when the container is tilted, for example in order to empty liquid through the container opening, the screw cap will get across the cross section of the container opening or at least in the vicinity of the container opening, where it will interfere, for example, either when pouring out or when drinking directly from the container would.

This object is achieved according to the present invention in that the retaining straps are formed by two separate weakening lines, each interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction, the weakening lines overlapping in the circumferential direction and running at an axial distance from one another at least in their overlapping area, the broken sections of both weakening lines of the respective other weakening line are bridged at an axial distance, and at least two overlapping areas on either side of the interrupted section of the upper weakening line each extend over a circumferential angle of the guarantee band of at least 60° and less than 160°.

In such a configuration, the retaining straps consist of circumferential sections of the guarantee strip, which are formed between the overlapping sections of the weakening line and thus extend over at least 60° measured in the circumferential direction; the overlapping areas preferably have a circumferential extent of at least 75° or at least 85° and in particular at least 95°.

A circumferential angle of 60° corresponds to one sixth of the circumference of the anti-tamper strip and more than the radius of the same. After the screw cap has been unscrewed from a corresponding container neck thread, the two retaining straps separated from one another by the interrupted section of the upper weakening line, which together make up more than 33% of the circumference, allow the cap skirt to be lifted over the upper edge of a container neck and the screw cap to be moved sideways to a position adjacent to the neck of the container where interference with pouring from the neck of the container or drinking from the opening of the neck of the container can be virtually eliminated. In addition, this non-interfering position can be stabilized if the straps on the container neck are of sufficient length. This applies in particular to Container necks whose height, measured from the pilfer proof ring, is less than half the (outer) diameter of the container neck. With higher (axially longer) container necks, the minimum length of the retaining straps can be adjusted accordingly.

Reference herein to a container neck is for convenience of description and understanding only. The respective maximum height of the container neck closed with such a closure results solely from the dimensions of the closure or the screw cap itself, because the height of the container neck cannot exceed the inner axial height of the screw cap, so that the above features alone and directly let verify a closure according to the invention.

In particular, the length of the retaining straps can be sufficient to selectively move the screw cap in one of two opposite directions laterally away from the container neck opening on which a corresponding closure is mounted. Depending on the arrangement of the retaining straps and the discontinuous sections delimiting the retaining straps, it can then be ensured that the screw cap, after being moved sideways next to a container neck, can be moved downwards far enough that the edge of the screw cap is, for example, on a support ring which usually has a bottle neck below the guarantee band surrounds, can get caught.

The length of the overlapping areas and thus the length of the retaining straps and their position can also be adjusted, among other things, so that the screw cap, when it is moved to one of the two possible sides away from the opening of the container neck and folded over, places the retaining straps under tension and thereby pulling the screw cap in a folded-over state to the outside of the container neck, in particular in the area of the external thread of the container neck or below it in the area of a pilferproof ring, pressing against the container neck, the retaining straps being under elastic tension and thereby holding the screw cap in this folded-over position.

In order to achieve this, one can, for example, set the interrupted section of the upper weakening line in such a way that it extends over a circumferential angle of at most 90°, preferably at most 80° and for example over 60°, while the interrupted section of the lower weakening line extends over a slightly larger circumferential angle of at most 120°, preferably at most 100° and in particular 80° to 90°.

In the case of a screw cap with an upper and a lower weakening line each interrupted once, the sum of the circumferential angles covered by the interrupted sections and the overlapping areas is 360°. Even if the center points of the interruption sections, measured in the circumferential direction, are diametrically opposite one another, this still means not necessarily that the retaining straps or their centers are diametrically opposed along the circumference. Rather, in the case of interrupted sections of different lengths (in the circumferential direction), the retaining straps are shifted towards one, in this case the upper, interrupted section.

Concretely, the tethers are bounded at both ends by the upper and lower break portions. As a result, the screw cap can be moved laterally in different ways along the container neck on the two opposite sides and can be hooked under a support ring on one side, for example, while on the other side it can be held in place by elastically tensioned retaining straps at the level of the external thread Bottle neck is used and stabilized on this.

According to the invention, the axial spacing of the weakening lines in the overlapping area is between 1 mm and 4 mm, with the smaller width possibly being preferable if the retaining straps are to be subjected to elastic tension. In any case, the straps should be sufficiently stable and (particularly by children) should not be easily torn. Retaining straps that withstand a tensile force of at least 40 N are preferred. With a width of z. B. 3 mm and a wall thickness of 0.3 to 0.8 mm, retaining straps made of HD polypropylene should meet these requirements.

Overall, there is some latitude in the circumferential extent of the discontinuous portions and lines of weakness to achieve the foregoing objectives. The upper interruption section could therefore extend over an angular range of 20° to 75°, in particular over 40° to 60°, and the lower interruption section could extend over a circumferential angle range of, for example, 40° to 120°, in particular over 60° to 95° . The circumferential angles that then remain are occupied by overlapping areas of the weakening lines.

The invention also relates to a combination of a container neck with an external thread and a closure cap with an internal thread, as already described above. The container neck has a so-called pilferproof ring below its external thread, directly below which the guarantee band of the closure cap is located when the container is closed.

In one embodiment, the cap jacket has an axial height on its inside that is less than half, in particular less than 2/5, of its inner diameter, the length and position of the retaining straps being adjusted so that the screw cap can be unscrewed from an external thread on a container neck, the axial height of which corresponds at most to the axial, inner height of the cap skirt, in at least one, preferably and optionally in one of can be moved away laterally in two opposite directions from such a container neck without overlapping with the opening cross-section of the cap jacket before unscrewing, in order to completely release a corresponding container neck opening.

The anti-tamper strip can be a so-called flex strip, for example, which consists of an inner, axially folded back section that hooks onto the pilfer proof ring of the container, and an outer section that is connected to the cap skirt and has the weakened lines already described, as well as retaining straps and interruption areas . The inner folded portion as well as a lower edge portion of the outer part of the tamper evident band lying below the lower line of weakness remain connected and held below the pilferproof ring.

A corresponding container neck usually also has a so-called support ring, which is primarily used for mechanical handling of such containers, but which also serves the purpose of making it difficult to access the tamper-proof band from the outside by being provided directly below the tamper-proof band when the closure is closed so that the lower edge of the guarantee strip is only difficult to access and cannot easily be pried off the engagement with the pilfer proof ring.

Even with such a combination, the length of the retaining straps can be dimensioned in such a way that the screw cap can be lifted and moved sideways after unscrewing and releasing the thread engagement, so that the screw cap is laterally next to the container neck and with its full diameter in a position below the pilferproof ring , preferably below the support ring, is movable.

The lower edge of the screw cap, more precisely the interruption section which is still connected to the screw cap and which delimits the retaining straps on one side, can then be hooked under the support ring.

Figur 1A

einen erfindungsgemäßen Verschluss auf einem Flaschenhals in einer perspektivis chen Ansicht.

Figur 1B

den Verschluss aus Figur 1A in einer Seitenansicht.

Figur 1C

den Verschluss nach Figur 1A in einer teilweise von einem Flaschenhals abgeschraubten Position.

Figur 1D

den Verschluss aus Figur 1A in einer vollständig abgeschraubten und teilweise vom Flaschenhals weg bewegten Position.

Figur 2A

eine Winkeleinteilung zur Veranschaulichung der Umfangserstreckung von Schwächungslinien des Garantiebandes.

Figur 2B

eine Abwicklung des Garantiebandes auf Basis der Winkeleinteilung nach Figur 2A.

Figur 3

eine von einem Flaschenhals abgeschraubte und vollständig von der Öffnung des Flaschenhalses abgehobene und seitlich angeordnete Schraubkappe.

Figuren 4A und 4B

weitere Abbildungen von Schraubkappen, die von einem Flaschenhals abgehoben und seitlich neben diesem angeordnet sind.

Further advantages, features and application possibilities of the present invention become clear based on the following description of a preferred embodiment and the associated figures. Show it:

Figure 1A

a closure according to the invention on a bottle neck in a perspective view.

Figure 1B

the clasp off Figure 1A in a side view.

Figure 1C

the closure Figure 1A in a partially unscrewed position from a bottleneck.

Figure 1D

the clasp off Figure 1A in a fully unscrewed and partially moved position away from the neck of the bottle.

Figure 2A

an angle division to illustrate the circumferential extent of weakening lines of the guarantee band.

Figure 2B

a development of the guarantee band based on the angle division Figure 2A .

figure 3

a screw cap unscrewed from a bottle neck and completely lifted off the opening of the bottle neck and placed laterally.

Figures 4A and 4B

further illustrations of screw caps being lifted off a bottle neck and arranged to the side next to it.

One recognizes in Figure 1A a screw cap, denoted overall by 10, which has a top plate 1 and an approximately cylindrical cap jacket 2, the cap jacket 2 also being equipped with a ribbing for the grip. At the lower edge of the screw cap 2 is a guarantee band 3, which is connected to the lower edge of the cap jacket 2 via weakening lines, whereby the weakening lines 13, 14 are not completely circumferential, so that the cap jacket has corresponding interruption sections 11, 12 with a lower section of the guarantee band 3 remains connected, which in turn is held on the bottle neck below a visible in Figures 1C and 1D pilferproof ring 21.

The associated bottleneck is in Figure 1B not shown and in the Figures 1A, 1C 1D and 1D only the so-called support ring 24 is visible, above which the upper part of the bottle neck 20 with thread and pilferproof ring 21, which is covered by the closure, is located.

In the Figures 1A and 1B one can see very clearly that the weakening lines 13, 14 on the one hand have an axial distance from one another and on the other hand also overlap over a certain angular range. this is in figure 2 illustrated where Figure 2B especially the overlapping areas between the weakening lines 13, 14 can be clearly seen.

The circumferential angles along which the lines of weakness 13, 14 overlap can vary from the representation in FIG Figure 2B differ and are only shown here as an example. According to the axial direction of the closure Figure 1A or 1B The upper weakening line 13 has an upper interruption area 11 and the lower weakening line 14 seen in the axial direction has a lower interruption section 12 . The upper interruption section 11 is integrally connected to the cap skirt 2 and forms an extension of the cap skirt 2 extension. The lower interruption section 12 forms an axially upward-pointing projection on the anti-tamper strip section, which is held in place below the pilfer proof ring 21 .

If the tamper-evident band, designated as a whole with 3, is separated along the weakening lines 13, 14, so-called retaining bands 15, 16 are formed in the overlapping areas between the weakening lines 13, 14, with one end of each of these retaining bands being firmly connected to the upper interruption section 11 and the other end of these straps 15, 16 with the lower interruption section 12 is firmly connected. The lower interrupted section 12 forms, together with the section of the guarantee band 3 below the lower weakening line 14, a completely circumferential section of the guarantee band 3 that is held in place by a pilfer proof ring 21, while the upper interrupted section 11 is firmly connected to the screw cap casing 2.

The upper weakening line 13 can also be regarded as the lower rim or lower edge of the screw cap jacket 2 since everything above the weakening line 13 is firmly connected to the cap jacket 2 .

The overlapping areas of the weakening lines 13, 14 define the length of the retaining straps 15, 16. Measured as a circumferential angle, the length of these retaining straps should be at least 60°, preferably at least 75°, of the circumference of the guarantee strip 3, ie the two overlapping areas of the weakening lines 13, 14, the in Figure 1B are defined as retaining straps 15, 16, extend over a circumferential angle of at least about 75 °.

In the example of Figure 1B the overlap extends over an angular range of more than 90° and up to about 100°. However, as already mentioned, these angular ranges can vary within the claimed limits, as long as the sum of the circumferential angles occupied by the overlapping areas or holding straps 15, 16 and the interruption sections 11, 12 results in the full circumference of 360°.

The minimum length of the retaining straps 15, 16, or the minimum angular range over which the retaining straps extend, is explained with reference to the other figures. First you see Figure 1C that when unscrewing the screw cap 10 the weakening lines 13, 14 tear open and the guarantee band 3 is largely separated from the lower edge of the cap skirt, both along the upper weakening line 13 and along the lower weakening line 14, with the connection between a lower section of the anti-tamper strip, which is held in place by a Pilfer proof ring 21 on the bottle neck, and the lower edge of the screw cap 10 via the retaining straps 15, 16.

It goes without saying that while the screw cap 2 is being unscrewed from the bottleneck 20, the guarantee strip 3 surrounding the bottleneck below the pilferproof ring 21 rotates together with the screw cap 10, but not the axial one caused by the thread pitch Movement of the cap shell 2 can follow, so that for this reason the weakening lines 13, 14 tear open. The guarantee strip 3 is preferably a so-called flex strip, of which a radially inner and axially folded section 3 'in the Figures 1C 1D and 1D can still be seen and this section 3' engages under the pilfer proof ring 21 and thereby prevents the entire guarantee band 3 from being lifted off vertically upwards.

How to use the Figures 1C 1D and 1D, the retaining straps 15, 16 are long enough to lift the interrupting portion 11 over the top edge of the bottle neck 20 and move it laterally across the bottle neck opening on the side opposite the interrupting portion 12 to a position as shown, for example in the Figures 4A and 4B is shown. However, this requires a sufficient minimum length of the retaining straps 15, 16, this minimum length also depending in part on the axial height of the bottleneck, which generally also corresponds to the inner axial height of the cap skirt 2, since the edge of the upper cylindrical section 22 of the bottleneck in closed state with sealing elements on the inside of the head plate 1 of the screw cap 10 engages.

The bottle neck 20 has on its cylindrical section 22 a thread 23 corresponding to the screw cap thread and underneath it a pilferproof ring 21 and again at a distance from the pilferproof ring 21 a so-called support ring 24, which is used to easily handle the containers mechanically. The clearance between the pilfer proof ring 21 and the supporting 24 is dimensioned in such a way that the guarantee band 3, and in particular the inner folded-up flex band section 3', fits between the pilfer proof ring and the support ring with only a little play.

In those already mentioned Figures 4A and 4B the initial movement of the screw cap 10 as shown in Figure 1D has been continued and the screw cap 10 completely clears the opening of the bottle neck 20 and has been moved laterally alongside the bottle neck 20. In doing so, for example, as is rudimentarily shown in Figure 4A can be seen, the interruption section 11 can be hooked under the support ring 24, even if in Figure 4A the interruption section 11 is still slightly above the support ring 24 .

Another possibility is to simply move the screw cap laterally and essentially translationally across the bottleneck opening and downwards, so that its outside rests against the bottleneck or the lower interruption section 12 of the guarantee band 3, with the retaining bands 15, 16 can be stretched more or less elastically depending on the length. An elastic tension of the tethers 15, 16 can also occur when the interrupting section 11 is hooked under the support ring 24.

figure 3 shows another variant of a closure cap with somewhat longer retaining straps 15, 16, which allows the screw cap 10 to be lifted off the bottle neck 20 and folded over on the side of the bottle neck 20 opposite the interruption section 12, so that the concave sides of the cap skirt 2 and the bottle neck 20 abut each other on the opposite side of the interruption section 12 . Depending on the circumferential extent of the upper interruption section 11, the ends of the retaining straps 15, 16 are kept at a distance from the bottleneck and are thus placed under elastic tension, which in figure 3 shown folded position of the cap stabilized.

As a result, the Figures 3 and 4A,B Positions of the closure cap clearly next to a container neck 20 and with complete release of the opening of the container neck, these positions of the screw cap being sufficiently stable to prevent it from falling back or tipping back even when a container is tilted, for example in order to pour out liquid, or even when drinking directly from the bottle neck opening to exclude the screw cap. Rather, this remains stable in the positions shown, but can be brought back into the closed state and screwed onto the bottleneck 20 by hand if necessary. The closure is captively attached to the bottle neck by the retaining straps 15, 16, can be opened easily and simply, and the screw cap can be positioned and stabilized in non-interfering positions next to a corresponding container neck.

Reference sign

1

headstock

2

cap coat

3

warranty tape

3'

radially inner and axially folded section of the flex strip

10

screw cap

11, 12

break section

13, 14

line of weakness

15:16

retaining strap

20

bottleneck

21

pilfer proof ring

22

upper cylindrical section of the bottle neck

23

thread

24

support ring

Claims (9)

1. Closure consisting of a screw cap (10) and a tamper-evident band (3), the screw cap (2) having at least one cylindrical cap shell (2) with an internal thread (17) and being connected at the lower, open end of the cap shell (2) to the circumferential tamper-evident band (3) along easily tearable weakening lines (13, 14) to the lower edge of the cap shell (2), wherein the tamper-evident band (3) after tearing along the weakening lines (13, 14) remains non-detachably connected to the cap shell (2) via retaining bands (15, 16), wherein the retaining bands (15, 16) are formed by two separate weakening lines (13, 14) which are each interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction, overlap in the circumferential direction and run at an axial distance from one another at least in the overlapping region, wherein the interruption sections (11, 12) of both weakening lines (13, 14) being bridged by the respective other weakening line (14, 13) at an axial distance, characterized in that at least two overlapping regions on both sides of the interruption section of the upper weakening line extending in each case over a circumferential angle of the tamper-evident band of at least 60° and less than 160°, wherein the axial spacing of the weakening lines (13, 14) in the overlapping region is between 1 and 4 mm.
2. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the overlapping regions each extend over a circumferential angle of at least 75, preferably at least 85°, and preferably more than 95°.
3. Closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the interruption section (11) of the upper weakening line (13) extends over a circumferential angle of at most 90°, preferably at most 80°, and the interruption section (12) of the lower weakening line extends over a circumferential angle of at most 120°, preferably at most 100°.
4. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the centers of the interruption sections (11, 12) measured in the circumferential direction are diametrically opposite each other.
5. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper interruption section (11) extends over a circumferential angle range of 20-75°, in particular over 40-60°, and the lower interruption section (12) extends over a circumferential angle range of 40-120, in particular 60-100°.
6. Closure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cap shell (2) has on its inner side an axial height which is less than half, in particular less than 2/5, of its inner diameter, the length and position of the retaining bands (15, 16) being adapted such that the screw cap (10), after unscrewing from an external thread (23) on a container neck (20), the axial height of which corresponds at most to the axial, inner height of the cap shell (2), can be moved laterally away from such a container neck (20) in at least one, preferably and optionally in one of two opposite directions, without overlapping with the opening cross section of the cap shell (2) before unscrewing, so as to completely expose a corresponding container neck opening.
7. Combination of a container neck (20) with an external thread (23) and a closure cap (10) according to one of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein the container neck has a pilfer-proof ring (21) below the thread, immediately below which the tamper-evident band (3) of the closure cap is located when the container is closed.
8. Combination according to claim 7, characterized in that the container neck (20) has a support ring (24) immediately below the tamper-evident band when the closure is closed, the diameter of which support ring (24) is larger than the pilfer-proof ring (21) above the tamper-evident band (3).
9. Combination according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the length of the retaining bands (15, 16) is dimensioned in such a way that the screw cap (10), after opening and moving laterally away from the container opening and/or tilting, is movable laterally next to the container neck and with its full diameter below the pilfer-proof ring (21), preferably below the support ring (24).

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