EP3882173A1 - Cap with hinge for a container comprising a neck - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hinged stopper (1) for a container having a neck. Said stopper comprises:
- a stopper body (10) mounted to pivot between a closed position and an open position in which the opening of the neck is released to allow access to the interior of the container;
- a tamper-evident ring (11); and
- a connecting tab (13) forming a double-axis hinge.

According to the invention, the connecting lug (13) is connected to the stopper body (10) by a first connection line and to the tamper-evident ring (11) by a second connection line. Said connecting lines (16, 17) are opposed concave lines and have a small thickness so as to be able to bend on themselves and to remain in a bent position beyond a limit bending angle.

Description

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a stopper for a container.

More particularly, the invention relates to a hinged stopper which remains attached to the container even when the stopper is open.

Technical background

It is known that a container provided with a neck and closed by a hinged stopper. The stopper is fixed to the neck of the container in particular by screwing. The term container here designates all kinds of containers, without limitation of form or use.

The hinged cap includes a cap body pivoting between a closed position and at least one open position around the hinge.

The stopper body is in particular extended by a tamper-evident ring intended to engage with a collar of the neck. The tamper-evident ring is connected to the skirt by bridges between which extend through partitions. When opening the stopper, the tamper-evident ring remains attached to the collar and is detached from the stopper body by breaking the bridges. This shows that the bottle has already been opened. Recently, the new European directives set up a standard requiring that the caps must be connected to the neck of the bottle, in order to limit the impact of pollution on the environment by rejecting these caps.

Thus, the development of certain containers will only be possible insofar as their cap is attached to the rest of the container so that they are no longer separated, lost in nature and then ingested by animals.

It is in this context that we have seen the development of stoppers which are inseparable from the container, whatever their state of closure or opening.

One of these inseparable caps are hinged caps. Indeed, the stopper body is permanently linked to the tamper-evident ring by means of the hinge.

However, the inseparable stopper as described suffers from the disadvantage that once the stopper body is in the open position, the elastic force of the hinge tends to bring the stopper body back over the opening of the stopper. collar. This creates a semi-open state of the container, i.e. a state in which the opening of the neck is partially released. This semi-open state hinders the flow of liquid out of the container and forces the user to hold the body of the stopper in an open position for which the opening of the neck is completely released.

Thus, the object of the invention is to provide a stopper ensuring good sealing of the bottle, guaranteeing inviolability, and providing comfort during its use.

Summary of the invention

• un corps de bouchon étant monté pivotant entre une position de fermeture dans laquelle le corps de bouchon obture une ouverture du col et une position d'ouverture dans laquelle le corps de bouchon est dégagé de l'ouverture du corps pour permettre l'accès à l'intérieur du récipient ;
• une bague d'inviolabilité; et
• une patte de liaison reliée d'une part au corps de bouchon et d'autre part à la bague d'inviolabilité de manière à ce que le corps de bouchon pivote par rapport à la patte de liaison autour d'un premier axe de pivotement et que la patte de liaison pivote par rapport à la bague d'inviolabilité autour d'un deuxième axe de pivotement parallèle audit premier axe.

With these objectives in view, the invention provides a stopper for a container with a threaded neck, comprising:

• a stopper body being pivotally mounted between a closed position in which the stopper body closes an opening in the neck and an open position in which the stopper body is disengaged from the opening of the body to allow access to the body interior of the container;
• a tamper-evident ring; and
• a connecting lug connected on the one hand to the stopper body and on the other hand to the tamper-evident ring so that the stopper body pivots relative to the connecting lug about a first pivot axis and that the connecting tab pivots relative to the tamper-evident ring about a second pivot axis parallel to said first axis.

The junction between the connecting lug and the stopper body forms a first connection line and the junction between the connecting lug and the tamper-evident ring forms a second connection line.

The first connection line has the shape of an arc of a circle oriented in the direction of the tamper-evident ring. The second connection line has the shape of an arc of a circle curved in a direction opposite to that of the first connection line.

In addition, the first and second connection lines are formed by thinned areas having a smaller thickness compared to the thickness of the stopper body and compared to the thickness of the tamper-evident ring so as to be able to bend. on themselves and to remain in a folded position beyond a limiting bend angle to maintain the stopper body in a fully open position in which the stopper body is completely disengaged from the neck opening.

In addition, the tamper-evident ring comprises two arms extending in an angular direction, a central island connecting the arms to one another, and a recess separating the arms and the central island from the rest of the ring. 'inviolability. The connecting tab is connected to the central island of the tamper-evident ring. The central island comprises an upper end portion having an outer face which is bevelled in the radial direction towards the interior of the stopper, and the bevelled outer face forms a bearing seat for the connecting tab when the stopper body is in. a fully open position.

Note that the body of the cap is mounted to pivot between several opening positions. Indeed, the body of the stopper can switch from the closed position to a barely open position in which only part of the opening of the neck is released, or to an extreme open position in which the inclination of the body of cap relative to the tamper-evident ring is maximum. When the stopper body is in the extreme open position, it can also be said that the container is in the fully open position.

The fully open position can be an intermediate position between the barely open position and the extreme open position. In general, the stopper body is in a fully open position when it forms an angle of greater than 90 ° with the tamper-evident ring.

In the proposed stopper, the connecting tab acts as a two-axis hinge. Each of these axes passes through the connection of the connecting tab with the stopper body or with the tamper-evident ring. Further, the link tab is designed to hold the stopper body in a fully open position. In other words, the connecting tab acts as a locking member for the stopper body in the open position.

Specifically, the blocking takes place in part thanks to the small thickness of the first connection line and the second connection line. In addition, the circular arc shape and the opposite orientation of the first and second connecting lines add to the small thickness to ensure the blocking effect.

Thus, the flow of liquid is no longer hampered by the stopper body. The cap is therefore convenient to use. The user only has to open the stopper until the stopper body is immobilized by means of the locking member. Then it can freely pour the liquid contained in the container without needing to hold the body of the stopper.

In addition, thanks to the locking member, the stopper guarantees safe use, since the stopper body is no longer in a position to be able to retain a residual quantity of liquid after pouring. In other words, the stopper body remains dry and can be handled without hindrance for closing the stopper.

• la patte de liaison présente une épaisseur qui est plus faible que l'épaisseur de la bague d'inviolabilité et plus faible que l'épaisseur du corps de bouchon ;
• le rapport entre l'épaisseur de la patte de liaison et l'épaisseur de la bague d'inviolabilité est compris entre 0,15 et 0,4 ;
• le rapport entre l'épaisseur de la patte de liaison et l'épaisseur du corps de bouchon est compris entre 0,1 et 0,3 - la patte de liaison est décalée radialement par rapport au corps de bouchon et par rapport à la bague d'inviolabilité de manière à ce que la face externe de la patte de liaison soit décalée radialement vers l'intérieur du bouchon par rapport à la face externe du corps de bouchon et par rapport à la face externe de la bague d'inviolabilité ;
• la patte de liaison est décalée radialement par rapport au corps de bouchon et par rapport à la bague d'inviolabilité de manière à ce que la face interne de la patte de liaison soit décalée radialement vers l'extérieur du bouchon par rapport à la face interne du corps de bouchon et par rapport à la face interne de la bague d'inviolabilité ;
• le corps de bouchon se termine par un volet inférieur; en outre, le volet inférieur est situé à distance de chacune des tranches latérales de la patte de liaison et à distance des bras; un premier espace vide sépare le volet inférieur et chacune des tranches latérales et un deuxième espace vide sépare le volet inférieur et les bras de liaison; et enfin, les premier et deuxième espaces vides forment un espace résultant en forme de L ;
• le corps de bouchon, la patte de liaison et la bague d'inviolabilité sont formés en une seule pièce monobloc.

According to other characteristics of the invention:

• the connecting tab has a thickness which is smaller than the thickness of the tamper-evident ring and smaller than the thickness of the stopper body;
• the ratio between the thickness of the connecting tab and the thickness of the tamper-evident ring is between 0.15 and 0.4;
• the ratio between the thickness of the connecting lug and the thickness of the stopper body is between 0.1 and 0.3 - the connecting lug is offset radially with respect to the stopper body and with respect to the ring d 'tamper-evident so that the outer face of the connecting tab is offset radially towards the inside of the cap relative to the outer face of the cap body and relative to the outer face of the tamper-evident ring;
• the connecting tab is offset radially with respect to the stopper body and with respect to the tamper-evident ring so that the internal face of the connecting tab is offset radially towards the outside of the stopper with respect to the internal face of the stopper body and with respect to the internal face of the tamper-evident ring;
• the stopper body ends with a lower flap; in addition, the lower flap is located at a distance from each of the side edges of the connecting tab and at a distance from the arms; a first empty space separates the lower flap and each of the side edges and a second empty space separates the lower flap and the link arms; and finally, the first and second empty spaces form a resulting L-shaped space;
• the stopper body, the connecting tab and the tamper-evident ring are formed as a single, one-piece piece.

Brief description of the figures

• [Fig.1] - la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un bouchon selon un exemple de réalisation de l'invention, le bouchon étant dans un état fermé dans lequel le corps de bouchon est dans une position de fermeture ;
• [Fig.2] - la figure 2 est une vue de face détaillée de la zone référencée II sur la figure 1 ;
• [Fig.3] - la figure 3 est une vue partielle, en coupe selon un plan passant par la ligne III-III et par un axe longitudinal X-X' illustrés sur la figure 1 ;
• [Fig.4] - la figure 4 est une vue partielle, en coupe selon un plan passant par la ligne IV-IV et par un axe longitudinal X-X' illustrés sur la figure 1 ;
• [Fig.5] - la figure 5 est une vue perspective du bouchon dans une position d'ouverture extrême ;
• [Fig.6] - la figure 6 est une vue partielle et en coupe selon un plan vertical passant par la ligne VI-VI illustré sur la figure 5 ;
• [Fig.7]- la figure 7 est une vue partielle et en perspective du bouchon de la figure 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the detailed description which follows, for the understanding of which reference is made to the appended drawings in which:

• [ Fig. 1 ] - the figure 1 is a perspective view of a stopper according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the stopper being in a closed state in which the stopper body is in a closed position;
• [ Fig. 2 ] - the figure 2 is a detailed front view of the area referenced II on the figure 1 ;
• [ Fig. 3 ] - the figure 3 is a partial view, in section on a plane passing through line III-III and through a longitudinal axis XX 'illustrated on figure 1 ;
• [ Fig. 4 ] - the figure 4 is a partial view, in section on a plane passing through line IV-IV and through a longitudinal axis XX 'illustrated on figure 1 ;
• [ Fig. 5 ] - the figure 5 is a perspective view of the cap in an extreme open position;
• [ Fig. 6 ] - the figure 6 is a partial and sectional view along a vertical plane passing through the line VI-VI illustrated on figure 5 ;
• [ Fig. 7 ]- the figure 7 is a partial and perspective view of the cap of the figure 1 .

Detailed description of the invention

The figures 1 to 7 represent a stopper 1 produced according to an example of the invention.

On the figure 1 , the stopper 1 comprises a stopper body 10 and a tamper-evident ring 11. The stopper body 10 here comprises a side skirt 101 having the shape of a right cylinder of revolution axis X-X '. Said axis is considered to be the longitudinal axis of the stopper 1. The side skirt 101 comprises ribs 103 which all extend along the longitudinal axis XX 'and are distributed uniformly over the entire outer face of the side skirt 101. Thus, these ribs 103 allow better grip of the user's fingers to the stopper body 10 when he grasps the stopper body 10 to open or close the stopper 1.

The stopper body 10 further comprises a plate 102 oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis X-X 'and connected at its periphery to the side skirt 101. The plate 102 thus forms a bottom of the stopper 1.

In a known manner and as illustrated in FIG. 9, the stopper body 10 further comprises the helical ribs 108 which are intended to engage with complementary helical ribs which are formed on a threaded neck of a container. The helical ribs 108 of the stopper body are made on an internal face of the side skirt 101.

A tamper-evident ring 11 is an extension of the side skirt 101 of the stopper body 10.

Before the very first opening of the stopper, the stopper body 10 is connected to the tamper-evident ring 11 by frangible bridges which are distributed over the circumference of the stopper. The frangible bridges are shaped to break during the rotation of the stopper body 10 relative to the tamper-evident ring 11.

The tamper-evident ring 11 comprises two arms 12 and an island 15 of solid material, also called central island 15, which connects the connecting arms 12 to one another. An angular recess 113 is made in the ring 11 to separate the link arms 12 and the island 15 from the rest of the tamper-evident ring 11.

On the other hand, the arms 12 and the island 15 are connected to the stopper body 10 by means of a connecting tab 13. In this way, the arms 12, by their length and by the fact that they are partly separated from the rest of the tamper-evident ring, allow the stopper body 10 to be brought into a position axially remote from the tamper-evident ring 11.

The arms 12 are particularly suitable for the stopper which is fixed by screwing to the neck of a container, which is the case in this example. In fact, thanks to the arms, the stopper body 10 can be moved away axially from the ring 11 in a sufficient manner to free the ribs 108 of the stopper body from the ribs of the neck of the container. Once the ribs are separated, the stopper body can swing to an open position to release the neck opening.

According to the invention and as in this example, the stopper body 10 is mounted to pivot relative to the tamper-evident ring 11 between a closed position and at least one open position.

In the closed position, the plate 102 of the stopper body 10 is in a horizontal position and located just above an opening 20 of the neck 21 so as to completely close this opening. Here, the terms "horizontal" and "vertical" are defined with a cap mounted on a container held upright on a flat surface. The container stands upright along a vertical axis. The horizontal direction is perpendicular to this vertical axis.

In an open position, the plate 102 of the stopper body 10 no longer covers the entire opening of the neck, which makes it possible to free this opening and therefore access to the interior of the container. Thus, the stopper body 10 in the open position therefore makes it possible to pour the liquid from the container.

The stopper body 10 can switch between several open positions among which there is the fully open position in which the stopper body 10 is offset with respect to the opening of the neck and lies outwardly with respect. to the container 2 so as to leave the opening 20 uncovered.

In addition, the stopper body 10 may also be in an extreme open position in which the inclination thereof is at the maximum. Here, in the extreme open position, the stopper body 10 is turned 180 ° from its closed position, as can be seen in the figure. figure 5 .

The cap body 10 is pivoted by means of the connecting tab 13.

Indeed, as illustrated on figure 2 , the connecting tab 13 is shaped so that the stopper body 10 pivots relative to the tamper-evident ring 11 around two parallel pivot axes A1 and A2.

The first pivot axis A1 passes through junction points between the connecting lug 13 and the stopper body 10. The second pivot axis A2 passes through junction points between the connecting lug 13 and the tamper-evident ring 11 , specifically, between the connecting tab 13 on the one hand and the island 15 and the arms 12 on the other hand. In other words, the connecting tab 13 forms a hinge with two axes.

Here, the direction which is substantially parallel to the pivot axes is defined as the transverse direction.

Furthermore, the junction between the connecting lug 13 and the stopper body 10 forms a first connection line 16 while the junction between the connecting lug 13 and the island 15 of the tamper-evident ring 11 forms a second line. connection 17.

The first connection line 16 has the shape of an arc of a circle oriented in the direction of the tamper-evident ring 11. The second connection line 17 also has the shape of an arc of a circle, but oriented in the direction of the body. plug 10. In other words, the second connection line 17 is curved in a direction opposite to that of the first connection line 16.

Thus, seen from the outside of the connecting lug 4, the first and second connection lines 16 and 17 are two concave lines and opposite to each other.

Thus, seen from the front, the connecting tab comprises a narrowed zone in the center and two flared zones arranged on either side of the narrowed zone. As observed on the figure 3 , the two connection lines 16 and 17 are formed by thinned areas 6 and 7 having a thickness less than the thickness e3 of the stopper body 10 and less than the thickness e2 of the tamper-evident ring 11.

Here, this small thickness is linked to the thickness e1 of the connecting tab which is less than the thickness e2 of the tamper-evident ring 11 and to the thickness e3 of the stopper body 10.

By way of example, the thickness e1 of the connecting tab is between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm. The thickness e2 of the tamper-evident ring 11 is between 0.8 mm and 1.2 mm. The thickness e3 of the stopper body 10 is between 1 mm and 1.4 mm.

As a result, bending can be made along the connecting lines 16 and 17.

Precisely, as illustrated on figure 6 , the stopper body 10 is folded relative to the connecting tab 13 around the first line of connection 16. In this position, the plug body 10 forms with the connecting tab 13 a first bending angle α.

The connecting tab 13 is folded relative to the tamper-evident ring 11 around the second connection line 17. In this position, the connecting tab 13 forms with the tamper-evident ring 11, or more precisely, with the island 15, a second folding angle β.

In addition, thanks to the small thickness of the connecting tab 13, when the first and second bending angles α and β exceed a limit value, the connecting lines 16 and 17 remain in a bent position so that the relative position between the stopper body 10 and the connecting lug 13 and the relative position between the connecting lug 13 and the tamper-evident ring 11 are fixed. In other words, the stopper body 10 is held in an open position beyond a limit bend angle.

In the example illustrated, the stopper is shaped so that the first and second folding angles α and β exceed a limit value when the stopper body is in an extreme open position as illustrated in figure figure 5 . In this way, the stopper body 10 is kept locked in this extreme open position, which facilitates the pouring of the liquid from the container.

Note that when the stopper body 10 is in the extreme open position, the connecting tab 13 is also slightly deformed.

According to one characteristic of the stopper 1, the connecting tab 13 is arranged radially offset with respect to the stopper body 10 and with respect to the tamper-evident ring 11.

Indeed, as illustrated on figure 4 , the external face 131 of the connecting tab 13 is offset radially towards the inside of the stopper relative to the external face 101 of the stopper body 10 and relative to the external face 111 of the tamper-evident ring 11. Thus, seen from the outside, the connecting tab 13 is set back relative to the outer circumference of the stopper body 10 and the tamper-evident ring 11.

In addition, the internal face 132 of the connecting tab 13 is offset radially towards the outside of the stopper with respect to the internal face 102 of the stopper body and with respect to the internal face 112 of the tamper-evident ring. Thus, seen from the inside, the connecting tab 13 is set back relative to the internal circumference of the stopper body 10 and of the tamper-evident ring 11.

Moreover, as observed on the figure 4 , the island 15 comprises an upper end portion 153 which comprises an external face 150 bevelled towards the inside of the stopper. In other words, depending on the thickness, the upper end portion 153 is bevel-shaped.

Here, the thickness is measured in the radial direction, the length is measured in the longitudinal direction, and the width is measured in the transverse direction.

The bevelled outer face 150 forms a support seat for the connecting lug 13 when the stopper body 10 is in the fully open position. On the figure 7 , the side skirt 101 ends at the bottom with a lower flap 105. In a top view, the lower flap 104 forms an open circle with two free ends 105. The connecting tab 13 is arranged in the space between the two ends free 105 of shutter 104.

According to the invention and as in this example, the free ends 106 of the shutter are located at a distance from each lateral edge 133 of the connecting tab 13 so as to form a first through space 18 extending longitudinally.

On the other hand, the lower flap 105 is located above and away from the link arms 12 so as to form a second through space 19 extending angularly.

The lower flap 105, the connecting tab 13 and the connecting arms 12 are arranged so that the first through space 18 opens into the second through space 19 to form a resulting continuous through space 20 which has an L-shape. , the first space crossing 18 and the second crossing space 19 join and here form a right angle.

This particular arrangement makes it possible to have a solid attachment between the stopper body and the tamper-evident ring while allowing great flexibility in tilting the stopper body.

The stopper 1 described by way of illustration of the subject of the invention has several advantages. The cap ensures a good seal of the container while indicating the state of use of this container, whether it is already open or not. The stopper, by the blocking member, is kept open and completely frees the opening of the neck so as not to obstruct the flow of the liquid.

Finally, by remaining in the fully open position, the stopper, specifically the stopper body, will not be in contact with the liquid leaving the container, which guarantees comfort in use of the stopper.

Claims (8)

Hinged stopper (1) for a container with a neck, comprising: - a stopper body (10) being mounted to pivot between a closed position in which the stopper body closes an opening in the neck and an open position in which the stopper body is released from the opening of the neck to allow the 'access to the interior of the container; - a tamper-evident ring (11); and - a connecting lug (13) connected on the one hand to the stopper body and on the other hand to the tamper-evident ring so that the stopper body pivots relative to the connecting lug around a first pivot axis (A1) and that the connecting tab pivots relative to the tamper-evident ring about a second pivot axis (A2) parallel to said first axis;
wherein the junction between the connecting tab and the stopper body forms a first connection line (16) and the junction between the connecting tab and the tamper-evident ring forms a second connection line (17);
the first connection line having the shape of an arc of a circle oriented in the direction of the tamper-evident ring;
the second connection line having the shape of an arc of a circle curved in a direction opposite to that of the first connection line;
the first and second connection lines being formed by thinned areas having a smaller thickness compared to the thickness (e3) of the stopper body and compared to the thickness (e2) of the tamper-evident ring so as to be able to bend on themselves and remain in a folded position beyond a limiting bend angle to maintain the stopper body in a fully open position in which the stopper body is completely disengaged from the opening of the neck, the stopper being characterized in that : - the tamper-evident ring (11) comprises two arms (12) extending along a angular direction, a central island (15) connecting the arms to one another, and a recess (113) separating the arms and the central island from the rest of the tamper-evident ring; - the connecting tab (13) is connected to the central island of the tamper-evident ring; - the central island (15) comprises an upper end portion (153) having a bevelled outer face (150) in the radial direction towards the inside of the stopper; - the bevelled outer face (150) forms a support seat for the connecting lug (13) when the stopper body (10) is in a fully open position. Cap (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the connecting tab (13) has a thickness (e1) which is smaller than the thickness (e2) of the tamper-evident ring (11) and smaller than the thickness (e3) of the stopper body (10). Stopper (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the ratio between the thickness (e1) of the connecting tab (13) and the thickness (e2) of the tamper-evident ring (11) is between 0 , 15 and 0.4. Stopper (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ratio between the thickness (e1) of the connecting tab (13) and the thickness (e3) of the stopper body (10) is between 0.1 and 0.3. Stopper (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting tab (13) is radially offset with respect to the stopper body and with respect to the tamper-evident ring (11) so that the external face (131) of the connecting tab (13) is offset radially towards the inside of the stopper relative to the external face (101) of the stopper body (10) and relative to the external face (111) of the tamper-evident ring (11). Stopper (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting tab (13) is radially offset with respect to the stopper body and with respect to the tamper-evident ring (11) so that the internal face (132) of the connecting tab (13) is offset radially outwardly of the stopper relative to the internal face (102) of the stopper body and relative to the internal face (112) of the ring of inviolability. Stopper (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that : - the stopper body (10) ends with a lower flap (105); - The lower flap (105) is located at a distance from each of the side edges (133) of the connecting tab (13) and at a distance from the arms (12); - A first empty space (18) separates the lower flap (105) and each of the side edges (133) and a second empty space (19) separates the lower flap (105) and the link arms (12); and - the first and second empty spaces (18, 19) form a space (20) resulting in an L-shape. Stopper (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stopper body (10), the connecting tab (13) and the tamper-evident ring (11) are formed as a single one-piece piece.

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