ES2429942B1 - Hygienic seal for packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

Hygienic seal for containers, comprising an upper lid (1) and a lower ring (2) coupled to said upper lid (1) and being capable of being mounted around the body of the container, the upper lid having an extension that protrudes outward and oriented towards the lower ring (2), such that in a closed condition of the container the said extension of the upper cover (1) partially overlaps the lower ring (2). Positioning means are provided in the upper flange of the lower ring (2) comprising at least one recess that is complementary with a projection protruding internally from the inner face of the extension, presenting the inner face of the extension that is oriented towards The lower ring (2) means of tightening that contact the lower ring (2) in a closed condition of the container when the projection and the recess are in contact with each other.

Description

DESCRIPTION Hygienic seal for containers.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 5

The purpose of the present invention patent application is to register a hygienic seal for packages that incorporates notable innovations and advantages.

More specifically, the invention proposes the development of a hygienic seal for packages intended to store solid products, such as nuts, fruits, snacks, canned products as well as liquid products, such as soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, etc. , which guarantees in a closed condition a tightness in the upper area of the container where the exit of the solid or liquid product to be dispensed is located.

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Protective elements are well known in the state of the art to be mounted in containers for dispensing a liquid substance, such as a beverage, for example of the type commonly known as cans, in order to provide better hygienic conditions of the upper part of the container that corresponds to the area where the user usually places his mouth when he consumes the drink directly from the container without the use of an additional container.

A particular example of a protective system is that consisting of two pieces; an upper cover that completely covers the upper face of the container linked to a lower ring that can be coupled around the container in the vicinity of the upper flange of said container, such as that described in ES 1071137, whose common characteristics form part of the preamble of claim 1.

However, although this described system provides good hygienic protection against the dirt of the upper part of the package, it is not able to guarantee a complete tightness once the upper lid 30 has been handled, that is, the user or consumer has manipulated the top cover to consume or handle a drinkable or food fluid product disposed inside the container, so there is an undesirable risk of a spill of liquid contained in the container when the overture has been tampered with (that is, in the package it is open).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 35

The present invention has been developed in order to provide a hygienic seal for packages that is configured as a novelty within the field of application and resolves the aforementioned drawbacks, also providing other additional advantages that will be apparent from the description that It is accompanied below. 40

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hygienic seal for containers, in particular intended for can-like containers, comprising an upper lid and a lower ring articulatedly coupled to said upper lid and being capable of being mounted around the body of the container, in which the upper cover has an extension that projects outwardly and oriented towards the lower ring, so that in a closed condition of the container the said extension of the upper lid partially overlaps the lower ring. In particular, the invention is characterized by the fact that positioning means are provided in the upper flange of the lower ring comprising at least one recess that is complementary with a projection protruding internally from the inner face of the extension, presenting the inner face of the extension that is oriented towards the lower ring, a clamping means capable of being in a pressed contact with the lower ring in a closed condition of the container when the projection and the recess are in contact with each other. In this way, said means of tightening facilitate the release of the projection or projections with respect to the corresponding recess or recesses, so that the user must apply a lesser effort for the release and at the same time guarantees the fastening of the same (projection and recess ).

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Thanks to these characteristics, it is possible to obtain a more reliable seal between the lower ring and the reliable top cover in a closed condition or position, allowing the container to be opened and sealed in more than one occasion.

This hygienic seal is suitable not only to protect containers that contain beverages but also those containers that contain canned products that have a disposable aluminum foil on the upper face of the container as they protect it from receiving possible unwanted bumps and in a Closed condition keeps the product inside the container despite the release of the disposable sheet.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the clamping means comprise a plurality of flanges separated from each other, each formed from an elongated portion with a substantially triangular shape arranged perpendicularly with respect to the recess and / or protrusion that constitute The positioning means.

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Additionally, the hygienic seal may include a guarantee seal that allows the user to know if it has been previously handled when purchasing or purchasing a container provided with such a hygienic seal.

Preferably, the guarantee seal has a pair of projections arranged diametrically opposite each other, protruding from the lower ring, and a pair of grooved sections arranged diametrically opposite each other to accommodate the respective projections, each housing having a breakable lower section of smaller width .

According to another aspect of the invention, the upper cover and the lower ring are made of a biodegradable and injection moldable plastic material.

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Advantageously, the inner face of the upper lid has an annular sealing element that protrudes in a downward direction and which is separated with respect to the flange of the upper lid, which in a closed condition of the hygienic seal with respect to the container is arranged adjacent to the riveted flange present in conventional can-shaped containers. In this way, the formation of a condensation process is reduced or avoided and consequently, the risk of formation of an oxidation process in any area of the upper part of the container in which the output of the contained product is present is reduced inside.

It is also another object of the invention to provide a container for the storage of a drinkable liquid product that includes a hygienic seal as described above.

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Other features and advantages of a hygienic seal for packages object of the present invention will be apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which :

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 30

Figure 1.- It is a perspective view of a hygienic seal according to the present invention in an open condition;

Figure 2.- It is a perspective view of the top cover shown from the inside;

Figure 3.- It is another perspective view of the top cover shown in Figure 2; 35

Figure 4.- It is a detailed perspective view where the tabs that are part of the tightening means are appreciated;

Figure 5.- It is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the tightening means;

Figure 6.- They are detailed views of a sequence of the hygienic seal mounted in the container from an airtight position to an open position; 40

Figure 7.- It is a perspective view of a package that includes a hygienic seal according to the invention;

Figure 8.- It is a perspective view of a package that includes another embodiment of the hygienic seal of the invention that differs from Figure 7 in the dimensions of the frontal extension;

Figure 9.- It is a partial plan view of the upper cover and the lower ring before being assembled or coupled in an articulated manner; Y

Figure 10.- It is a detailed perspective view of the hinge region of the hygienic seal in an open condition and the locking mechanism acting on the hinge acting.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 50

In view of the aforementioned figures and, according to the numbering adopted, an example of a preferred embodiment of the invention can be observed therein, which comprises the parts and elements indicated and described in detail below.

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Thus, as a hygienic seal for a container, in particular intended for packages comprising a cylindrical side wall provided with a lower base and an upper section of circular plan, can be seen, essentially comprises an upper cover (1) of circular plan and a lower ring (2) articulatedly coupled to said upper cover (1) by means of a hinge (4) and said lower ring (2) having a suitable diameter to be mounted around the body of the container (3). 60

The upper cover (1) has an extension (10) or arched flange that protrudes outward and oriented towards the lower ring (2), such that in a closed condition of the container (3) said extension (10) of the lid upper (1) partially overlaps the lower ring (2) in the area coinciding with the region where the user places the drinking lips, in particular when it is a container for dispensing a beverage. Figures 7 and 8 show two 65

embodiments of the hygienic seal which differ essentially in the dimensions of said extension (10). It should also be mentioned that said extension (10) can facilitate the draining of liquid material when the hygienic seal is placed in a container to dispense canned products that usually include a fluid product to maintain the properties of the canned food product.

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The upper cover (1) and the lower ring (2) are made of a biodegradable and injection moldable plastic material that can be the same or different for both pieces. This plastic material can have a polyethylene or polypropylene base together with a series of additives that favor oxobiodegradation and, therefore, the natural degradation of the hygienic seal.

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Advantageously, positioning means are provided in the upper flange of the lower ring (2) comprising a pair of recesses (20) each having a shape, such as substantially rectangular, which is complementary with a pair of projections (11) protruding internally from the inner face of the extension (10), the inner face of said extension (10) having orientation towards the lower ring (2) presenting a clamping means capable of being in contact with the ring bottom (2) in a closed condition of the container 15 when the projections (11) and the recesses (20) are in contact with each other.

With particular reference to a particularly preferred embodiment, the aforementioned tightening means and according to Figures 1 to 4, in one embodiment comprise a plurality of flanges (12) separated from each other and in an aligned manner, each formed from a protruding and elongated portion with a substantially triangular shape arranged perpendicularly with respect to the recesses (20) that are part of the positioning means described above. In a closed position of the hygienic seal, the tabs are located below a riveted flange (31) present in the upper part of the container (3).

In an alternative embodiment, a single elongated flange (120) can be provided that is equivalent to the total length 25 of the region having the plurality of tabs (12), as seen in Figure 5.

Returning again to the upper cover (1), it has a circumferential perimeter flange (13) and a central section (14) protruding upward, in such a way that it defines a recessed circumferential intermediate section (15) that is suitable for placing a container of similar characteristics to the represented one, thus facilitating the stacking 30 of packages for commercialization.

In order to reduce the formation of condensation in the area of the opening of the container (3), that is, the upper face of the container, the inner face of the upper lid (1) may have an annular sealing element (16) of low thickness which it protrudes downwards and is separated with respect to the flange of the upper cover (1), as can be seen more clearly in Figure 4.

Additionally, and as can be seen in various figures, the present hygienic seal includes a guarantee seal that is constituted by a pair of projections (5) arranged diametrically opposite each other, which protrude from extensions of the lower ring (2), and a pair of grooved sections (6) arranged diametrically opposed to each other to accommodate the respective projections (5), each housing having a breakable lower section of smaller width. In this way, when the aforementioned lower section is broken, the user can observe that the package has already been previously handled.

Mention that it is possible that the hinge, and more specifically the hinge portion linked to the lower ring (2) has a pair of through holes (17) separated from each other, as can be seen in Figure 9, which result suitable for the placement of a band or the like (not shown) that allows the package (3) provided with the hygienic seal described herein to be transported in a hung manner by the outside of a backpack, etc.

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In said figure 9, it can be clearly seen how the hinge (4) comprises a hinge portion linked to the upper cover (1) and a hinge portion linked to the lower ring (2) and includes a locking mechanism that allows keeping in a Open and set the hinge portion linked to the upper lid (1) and the hinge portion linked to the lower ring (2), so as to facilitate the use of the container, for example, when the user is drinking directly from the container. 55

Said locking mechanism mainly comprises a blocking shoulder (18) that protrudes from a point of the circumferential edge of the upper cover capable of passing over, by means of an elastic deformation, of a pair of locking tabs (19) present in the hinge portion linked to the lower ring (2), also causing a sound similar to a "click", so that it keeps the upper cover (1) completely open, 60 for example, forming an angle greater than 180 °, relative to the plane defined by the lower ring, as shown in figure 10.

The details, shapes, dimensions and other accessory elements, as well as the materials used in the manufacture of a hygienic seal for containers of the invention may be conveniently replaced by other

that are technically equivalent and do not depart from the essentiality of the invention or the scope defined by the claims that are included below.

Claims (12)

1. Hygienic seal for containers, in particular intended for packages comprising a side wall provided with a lower base and an upper section, comprising an upper cover (1) and a lower ring (2) articulatedly coupled to said upper lid ( 1) and being capable of being mounted around the body of the container, in which the upper cover has an extension that protrudes outwards and oriented towards the lower ring (2), such that in a condition of closing the container the said extension of the upper cover (1) partially overlaps the lower ring (2), characterized in that positioning means are provided in the upper flange of the lower ring (2) comprising at least one recess that is complementary to a shoulder that protruding internally from the inner face of the extension, the inner face of the extension presenting the lower ring (2) facing tightening means capable of being e n contact with the lower ring (2) in a closed condition of the container when the projection and the recess are in contact with each other. 2. Hygienic container seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping means comprise a plurality of flanges (12) separated from each other, each formed from 15 an elongated portion with a substantially triangular shape arranged perpendicularly with respect to the recess and / or protrusion that constitute the positioning means. 3. Hygienic packaging seal according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a guarantee seal. twenty 4. Hygienic seal for containers according to claim 3, characterized in that the guarantee seal has a pair of projections arranged diametrically opposite each other, protruding from the lower ring (2), and a pair of grooved sections arranged diametrically opposite between yes to accommodate the respective projections, each housing having a breakable lower section of smaller width. 25 5. Hygienic seal for containers according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner face of the upper cover has an annular sealing element (16) protruding downward and which is separated with respect to the flange of the upper lid ( one).  30 6. Hygienic container seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cover (1) and the lower ring (2) are made of a biodegradable and injection moldable plastic material. 7. Hygienic container seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping means comprise an elongated flange (120) formed from an elongated portion with a cross-sectional shape substantially triangular shape arranged perpendicularly with respect to the recess and / o highlight that constitute the positioning means. 8. Hygienic container seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cover (1) and the lower ring (2) are coupled by means of a hinge (4). 40 9. Hygienic container seal according to claim 8, characterized in that the hinge (4) comprises a hinge portion linked to the upper lid (1) and a hinge portion linked to the lower ring (2) which includes at least a through hole.  Four. Five 10. Hygienic seal for containers according to claim 9, characterized in that a locking mechanism is provided for maintaining in a fixed position the hinge portion linked to the upper lid (1) and the hinge portion linked to the lower ring ( 2). 11. Hygienic seal for containers according to claim 10, characterized in that the locking mechanism comprises a locking shoulder (18) protruding from a point of the circumferential edge of the upper cover capable of passing over at least a locking tab (19) present in the hinge portion linked to the lower ring (2). 12. Container (3) for the storage of a drinkable liquid product characterized in that it includes a hygienic seal according to any one of claims 1 to 11.