ES2712094B2 - Folding container cap - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Folding container cap

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this application is to register a collapsible cap for packaging.

The invention is in the field of caps applicable to similar bottles and containers, especially plastic bottles and containers for packaged products.

More specifically, the invention proposes the development of a collapsible stopper for packages, in particular intended for packages that have an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion, comprising a lower ring provided to engage the neck of the container and an upper cap provided internally of a thread intended to be coupled with the threaded outer portion of the opening of the container, in which a hinge-like region is provided capable of extending and retracting for threading / unscrewing the cap.

In this type of folding caps allows the consumer to open and close the cap without having to remove it from the bottle. These caps are used primarily, but not exclusively, in plastic bottles of any size that contain a beverage, such as mineral water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the packaging sector, it is well known for many years the use of plastic plugs provided with a threaded inner thread in a fillet formed in the neck of a container to keep the inner contents tight, for example, in the case of a bottle of the type used for bottling liquids, such as mineral water or the like.

Although this system used for years is practical for the user and economical for manufacturers, it is not as attractive from an environmental point of view since the user sometimes discards the body of the bottle in a way independent of the cap, which can cause non-recycling of the cap, generating a non-degradable residue.

On the other hand, the applicant is the holder of several patents related to protective systems where an upper cover and a lower ring are provided to be fixed non-movably in a container, the upper and lower ring being connected by means of a system hinge where there is a pivot point.

In addition, the applicant is currently unaware of an invention that has all the features described herein, therefore there is a need for a container cap assembly that is environmentally favorable and easy to use by the user.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in order to provide a collapsible cap for packaging 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.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible cap for packages, in particular intended for packages that have an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion, comprising a lower ring provided to engage the container neck and a cap upper provided internally with a filleting provided to engage with the threaded outer portion of the opening of the container.

In particular, the invention is characterized by the fact that the lower ring and the upper cap are articulated to each other by means of an expandable hinged portion in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the plug, such that in an action of rotation of the upper cap with respect to the lower ring corresponding to an opening operation, the hinged portion extends a predetermined length (or height) while in a closing operation the hinged portion is retracted, in which one end of the hinged portion it has a hinge joint linked to the upper cap such that the cap is capable of collapsing with respect to the hinged portion, and in which the lower ring It has a diameter such that it is capable of rotating freely on the outer surface of the container neck.

It should be mentioned that the total length of the hinged portion, when in an expanded or deployed condition, is equal to or greater than the length or height of the threaded section of the container neck, in order to ensure the correct opening of the upper cap and facilitate the Access to inside content.

Thanks to these characteristics, a collapsible stopper arrangement is obtained in which it is possible to avoid individually discarding a screw-type stopper, for example, from those commonly used in bottles for packaging liquids, such as water, since it allows to open and Close the cap of a bottle by means of a conventional threaded system so that it is possible to keep the cap attached to the container in a closed or open position. This result is obtained thanks to the fact that the lower ring can rotate integral to the upper cap and the hinged portion has the ability to unfold or fold according to the opening or closing action, respectively.

Another advantageous aspect of this cap is the fact that it is not necessary to screw the cap into the bottle to recycle the bottle together with the cap, so it facilitates the task of handling recycled material in a waste treatment plant .

According to another aspect of the invention, the hinged portion comprises an extension provided with a plurality of fold lines defining folding portions, one end of the extension being attached to the lower ring and the end opposite to the upper cap.

Advantageously, one of the folding portions has a lower thickness with respect to the rest of the folding portions, so that it facilitates the possibility of flexing.

In a preferred embodiment, the collapsible cap may comprise two extensions spaced apart and parallel to each other.

Additionally, the collapsible cap may include an inviolability seal means, so that it allows the user to previously know if the package has been improperly handled.

In a preferable embodiment, the inviolability seal means comprises at least one bridge having at least one of its end points of weak breakage, one end of the bridge being coupled to an upper region of the hinged portion linked to the plug and one end. opposite coupled to a lower region of the hinged portion facing the upper region linked to the lower ring.

In an alternative embodiment, the inviolability seal means comprises a pair of bridges, each bridge being adjacent to an extension that forms the hinged portion, in which each bridge has at least one of its extreme weak breakpoints, being one end of the bridge coupled to an upper region of the hinged portion linked to the plug and an opposite end coupled to a lower region of the hinged portion facing the upper region linked to the lower ring.

Additionally, a stop means configured to limit the movement of the upper cap with respect to the hinged portion can be provided, such that the lower ring and the upper cap are aligned with each other at an angle of 180 degrees.

Preferably, the stop means comprises a shoulder projecting outwardly perpendicularly from an upper region of the hinged portion, intended to come into contact with a recess present in the upper cap.

The recess has a smooth surface complementary dimensionally with a smooth surface present in the shoulder.

Advantageously, the collapsible cap is made of a single piece of injectable plastic material, which facilitates the manufacturing process and therefore, allows a cost reduction.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer surface of the lower ring has a plurality of grooves arranged along the perimeter.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the lower ring may include a series of breakpoints arranged transversely along the height thereof, which allow easy removal of the package cap assembly. This may be appropriate when the material used in the manufacture of material is made of a biodegradable material.

Mention that in certain cases, the user is requested to separate the cap from the bottle, so this provision allows it to be done in a simple and practical way.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the cap may comprise a clipping means (blocking means) having a male part insertable in a female part such that it holds the upper cover in the lower ring in a closed position.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the hinged portion comprises an extension formed from a curved path laminar body in a resting condition with flexible properties.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the hinged portion has two pivot points to effect a relative angular movement of the upper lid with respect to the container, one of them being located in a lower region and in an upper region of the hinged portion, which allows the upper cap to be placed in a way that does not bother a user in the event that they want to consume a product directly from the container, that is, it allows an opening angle greater than 270 degrees. Thus, the upper lid is prevented from acting as an obstacle with the user's face during the action of drinking directly from the container.

Other features and advantages of the collapsible cap 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

Figure 1.- It is a perspective view of an embodiment of a collapsible cap according to the present invention;

Figure 2.- It is a plan view of the collapsible cap according to the invention; Figure 3.- It is a perspective view of a package that includes the cap of the invention in a closed position;

Figure 4.- It is a perspective view of a package that includes the cap of the invention in an intermediate position;

Figure 5.- It is a perspective view of a package that includes the cap of the invention in an open position, ready for the extraction of the product housed in the package; Figure 6.- It is a detailed perspective view where a means of inviolability seal is shown after its breakage;

Figure 7.- It is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the collapsible cap of the invention in a closed condition;

Figure 8.- It is a perspective view of the second embodiment represented in Figure 7 in an intermediate or partially open condition mounted on a container;

Figure 9.- It is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the collapsible cap of the invention in a closed condition;

Figure 10.- It is a perspective view of the third embodiment represented in Figure 9 in an intermediate or partially open condition, being mounted in a container;

Figure 11.- It is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the collapsible cap of the invention in a closed condition;

Figure 12.- It is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment shown in Figure 11, in a partially open condition;

Figure 13.- It is a perspective view of an embodiment of the collapsible cap provided with another guarantee seal system, which includes an enlarged detail view;

Figure 14.- It is a perspective view of another embodiment of the collapsible cap of the invention in which the lower ring is separable from the container;

Figure 15.- It is an elevation view of an embodiment of the hinged cap according to the invention in an open position;

Figure 16.- It is a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 13 with locking means provided to fix the upper cap, including an enlarged detail view;

Figure 17.- It is a perspective view of a plug embodiment of the invention incorporating a locking system;

Figure 18.- It is an elevation view of the cap shown in Figure 17 that includes an enlarged view of detail; Y

Figure 19.- It is a sequential view of an opening process of a hinged cap according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

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.

According to one embodiment, a collapsible cap for containers made of suitable injectable plastic material, such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene copolymers, etc., or a mixture thereof, in particular intended for packages that are described, is described they have an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion.

Mention that the terms related to the positioning or orientation of the parts, such as "upper" and "lower" are based on a position such that a container is placed on a horizontal surface on a vertical axis.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, this cap essentially comprises a body made of a single piece that is defined by a lower ring (1) provided to engage the neck of the container (100) and an upper cap (2) formed by a cylindrical and hollow part internally provided with a filleting (3) in its side wall, being provided to engage with the threaded outer portion (101) present in the area of the opening (102) of the container (100).

The lower ring (1) and the upper cap (2) are articulated with each other, by means of a hinged portion (4) capable of expanding in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the upper cap (2), which will be detailed more ahead.

Thus, and now referring to Figure 19, in a rotating action of the upper cap (2) with respect to the lower ring (1) corresponding to an opening operation, the hinged portion (4) extends a predetermined length while in a closing operation the hinged portion is retracted, in which one end of the hinged portion (4) has a hinge joint linked to the upper cap such that the cap is capable of collapsing with respect to the hinged portion (4 ), and in which the lower ring has a diameter such that it is capable of rotating freely on the outer surface of the container neck.

In particular, the hinged portion (4) comprises a pair of extensions (40) spaced apart and parallel to each other, each being provided with a plurality of fold lines (41) defining folding portions (42), one end being of each extension (40) attached to the lower ring (1) and the opposite end to the upper cap (2).

One of the folding portions (42), in particular a centrally arranged one, has a lower thickness with respect to the rest of the folding portions (42), such that flexion is facilitated.

To guarantee the user that the package has not been previously handled, the cap includes an inviolability seal means.

The inviolability seal means comprises a pair of bridges (5) arranged at two diametrically distant points, which have at least one of its weak points of breakage, one end of each bridge (5) being coupled to an upper region ( 43) of the hinged portion linked to the upper cap (2) and an opposite end coupled to a lower region (44) of the hinged portion facing the upper region linked to the lower ring (1). Each of the bridges (5) is constituted by an elongated body with a rectangular cross-section, although it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that any other suitable geometry may have.

Each bridge (5) is adjacent to an extension that forms the hinged portion (4), in which each bridge has at least one of its extreme weak break points, one end of the bridge being coupled to an upper region of the portion hinged linked to the upper cap (2) and an opposite end coupled to the lower region (44) of the hinged portion (4) facing the upper region linked to the lower ring (1).

Additionally, there is provided a stop means configured to limit the movement of the upper cap with respect to the hinged portion. In this case, the stop means comprises a shoulder (6) projecting outwardly perpendicularly from an upper region of the hinged portion (4), intended to come into contact with a recess (7) present in the upper plug (2) , having the recess (7) has a smooth surface complementary dimensionally with a smooth surface present in the shoulder (6).

So that the hinged cap is not an obstacle during the pouring of the product contained inside the container (100), the hinged portion (4) has two pivot points (45, 46) to effect a relative double angular movement of the upper cap (2) with respect to the container, one of them being located in a lower region (44) and in an upper region (43) of the hinged portion (4).

To ensure that the lower ring (1) is adequately held securely to the neck of the container, the lower ring (1) comprises a plurality of flexible flanges (8) that are arranged perimeter in the inner wall.

Another embodiment of a cap according to the present invention is shown in Figures 7 and 8, in which the same parts have the same numerical references as in the embodiment represented in Figures 1 to 3.

In this other embodiment, the hinged portion (4) that joins the upper plug (2) and the lower ring (1) is essentially constituted by a single extension (40 ') of greater width, which has a plurality of foldable portions of shape rectangular.

In addition, like the outer surface of the upper cap, the outer surface of the lower ring (1) has a plurality of grooves (10) arranged along the perimeter.

In Figures 9 and 10, another embodiment of a collapsible cap according to the invention can be seen, in which the same common parts or elements have the same numerical references as in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3.

In this embodiment as in the one shown above, the outer surface of the lower ring (1) has a plurality of grooves (10) arranged along its perimeter.

As can be seen, the hinged portion (4) comprises an extension (40 ') formed from a curved laminar body in a resting condition with flexible properties. The total length of the curved path is equal to or greater than the height of the container neck to ensure that the cap can be folded in an open condition.

Figures 11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of the collapsible cap of the invention, in which the same common parts have the same numerical references. In this embodiment, the folding action of the extensions (40) is carried out towards the outside, as can be seen more clearly in Figure 12.

As can be seen in Figure 13, another embodiment of an additional collapsible cap is shown that differs from the previous ones, essentially by the provision of a guarantee seal means having a pair of sets, each consisting of a part male (9) which is insertable in a female part (12) such that it holds the upper cover (2) in the lower ring in a closed position.

In an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 14, there is a possibility that the lower ring (1) includes a weakened rupture zone (11) (formed by a region with reduced cross-section) arranged transversely along its height that facilitate the breaking action of the lower ring (1). In such figure 14 the lower ring (1) once broken by the weakened break zone (11) has been represented in broken lines.

In Figures 15 and 16 another embodiment of the collapsible cap is shown in which the hinged portion (4) also has two pivot points (45, 46) to effect a relative double angular movement of the upper cap with respect to the container, one of which is The pivot points located in a lower region and a second pivot point is located in an upper region of the hinged portion (4).

With particular reference to Figure 16, the arrangement of blocking means provided for fixing the upper plug (2) when in the open condition can also be seen. These blocking means comprise a pair of studs (13) located opposite each other located in the area of the hinged portion (4) that come into contact with a corresponding surface (15). In each of the pivot points (45, 46) the pair of lugs (13) is available.

Now, figures 17 and 18 show a locking system provided to keep the upper cap closed until it is automatically screwed into the bottle in a bottling plant. It should be taken into account that in the manufacture of the flip-up cap, this is carried out by an injection molding process in a mold with a configuration, such that the injection stage is carried out with the upper cap and lower ring open together, due to to the geometry of the hinged portion. The locking system has a perimeter flange (11) located in the lower part of the upper plug (2) inserted in a perimeter groove (21) such that it holds the upper cover (2) in the lower ring (1) in a position of closing.

The details, shapes, dimensions and other accessory elements used in the manufacture of the collapsible cap of the invention may be conveniently substituted by others that do not depart from the scope defined by the claims that are included below.

Claims (17)

1. Folding cap for containers, in particular intended for containers having an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion, comprising a lower ring provided to engage the neck of the container and an upper cap provided internally with a threaded provided to engage with the threaded outer portion of the opening of the container, in which the lower ring and the upper cap are articulated together by means of a hinged portion (4) expandable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the upper cap (2), such that in a rotating action of the upper cap with respect to the lower ring corresponding to an opening operation, the hinged portion (4) extends a predetermined length while in a closing operation the hinged portion (4) is retracted , in which one end of the hinged portion has a hinge joint linked to the upper cap such that the cap is susceptible bending down with respect to the hinged portion (4), and in which the lower ring (1) has a diameter such that it is capable of rotating freely on the outer surface of the container neck (100), including a seal means of inviolability, characterized by the fact that the inviolability seal means comprises at least one bridge having at least one of its extreme weak points of breakage, one end of the bridge being coupled to an upper region of the hinged portion linked to the plug upper (2) and an opposite end coupled to a lower region of the hinged portion (4) facing the upper region linked to the lower ring (1). 2. Folding container cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the hinged portion (4) comprises an extension provided with a plurality of fold lines defining folding portions, one end of the extension being attached to the lower ring and the opposite end of the upper cap. 3. A collapsible container cap according to claim 2, characterized in that one of the folding portions has a lower thickness with respect to the rest of the folding portions, such that it is capable of flexing. 4. Folding cap for packages according to any of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that it comprises two spaced apart and parallel extensions. 5. A collapsible container cap according to claim 4, characterized in that the inviolability seal means comprises a pair of bridges, each bridge (5) being adjacent to an extension that forms the hinged portion (4), in which each bridge has at least one of its extreme weak points of breakage. 6. Folding cap for containers according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a stop means configured to limit the movement of the top cap (2) with respect to the hinged portion is provided. 7. A collapsible container cap according to claim 6, characterized in that the stop means comprises a projection projecting outwardly perpendicularly from an upper region of the hinged portion, intended to come into contact with a recess present in the cap higher. 8. A collapsible container cap according to claim 7, characterized in that the recess has a dimensionally complementary smooth surface with a smooth surface present on the shoulder. 9. Folding container cap according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower ring (1) comprises a plurality of flexible flanges (8) arranged perimetrically in its inner wall. 10. Folding cap for containers according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made from a single piece of injectable plastic material. 11. A collapsible container cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer surface of the lower ring (1) has a plurality of grooves arranged along the perimeter. 12. Folding container cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower ring (1) includes break points (11) arranged transversely along the height thereof. 13. Folding container cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower ring (1) includes a weakened area of breakage. 14. A collapsible cap for packages according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a clipping means having a male part insertable in a female part such that it holds the upper lid in the lower ring in a closed position. . 15. A collapsible container cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the hinged portion comprises an extension formed from a curved path laminar body in a resting condition with flexible properties. 16. A collapsible container cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the hinged portion (4) has two pivot points to effect a relative double angular movement of the upper cap with respect to the container. 17. Folding container cap according to claim 19, characterized in that one of the pivot points is located in a lower region and a second pivot point is located in an upper region of the hinged portion (4).