Stopper for a container

Abstract

A stopper for a container has a jacket portion insertable into the container, wherein the jacket portion has a through-opening formed in an axial direction, wherein the stopper has at least two segments, wherein the respective segment has a free end, wherein a first portion of the free end of the respective segment forms a subregion of the jacket portion, and a second portion of the free end of the respective segment protrudes radially inward in relation to the jacket portion, wherein a third portion of the free end of the respective segment protrudes radially outward in relation to the jacket portion, wherein the second portions form a cover portion that can be pierced through in the axial direction and that closes the through-opening, wherein the third portions form a bearing portion of the stopper for bearing against a container edge of the container.

Claims

1. A stopper for a container, wherein the stopper has a jacket portion insertable into the container, wherein the jacket portion has a through-opening formed in an axial direction, wherein the stopper has a plurality of segments, wherein each respective segment has a free end, wherein a first portion of the free end of the respective segment forms a subregion of the jacket portion, a second portion of the free end of the respective segment protrudes radially inward in relation to the jacket portion, and a third portion of the free end of the respective segment protrudes radially outward in relation to the jacket portion, wherein the second portions form a cover portion that is configured to be pierced through in the axial direction and that closes the through-opening, and wherein the third portions form a bearing portion of the stopper for bearing against a container edge of the container during insertion of the jacket portion of the stopper into the container, and wherein the cover portion and the bearing portion are configured in the same plane.

2. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second portions have a lesser material thickness than the third portions.

3. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segments are connected to each other in a region of an end of the jacket portion directed away from the bearing portion.

4. The stopper as claimed in claim 3, wherein the region is configured as a closed annular structure.

5. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jacket portion has a cross section that widens in the direction of the bearing portion.

6. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the cover portion and the bearing portion is configured at an end of the jacket portion.

7. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein a ratio of an axial extent of the first portion of the segments to an axial extent of the jacket portion is at least 80%.

8. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free ends of adjacent segments are spaced apart from each other in an undeformed state of the stopper.

9. The stopper as claimed in claim 8, wherein a minimum distance between adjacent segments is at least 0.8 mm.

10. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the respective segment is configured as a subregion of a rotation body, wherein a rotation axis of the rotation body of the respective segment runs outside an axis of symmetry of the stopper and parallel to the axis of symmetry of the stopper.

11. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stopper has at least three segments.

12. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segments are deformed radially inward elastically during the insertion of the jacket portion of the stopper into the container.

13. The stopper as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second portions form a closed surface upon radially inward deformation of the segments.

14. The stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stopper is integrally formed in one piece.

15. A stopper for a container, wherein the stopper has a jacket portion insertable into the container, wherein the jacket portion has a through-opening formed in an axial direction, wherein the stopper has a plurality of segments, wherein each respective segment has a free end, wherein a first portion of the free end of the respective segment forms a subregion of the jacket portion, a second portion of the free end of the respective segment protrudes radially inward in relation to the jacket portion, and a third portion of the free end of the respective segment protrudes radially outward in relation to the jacket portion, wherein the second portions form a cover portion that is configured to be pierced through in the axial direction and that closes the through-opening, and wherein the third portions form a bearing portion of the stopper for bearing against a container edge of the container during insertion of the jacket portion of the stopper into the container, wherein the respective segment is configured as a subregion of a rotation body, and wherein a rotation axis of the rotation body of the respective segment runs outside an axis of symmetry of the stopper and parallel to the axis of symmetry of the stopper.

16. The stopper as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jacket portion has a cross section that widens in the direction of the bearing portion.

17. The stopper as claimed in claim 15, wherein the free ends of adjacent segments are spaced apart from each other in an undeformed state of the stopper.

18. The stopper as claimed in claim 15, wherein the segments are deformed radially inward elastically during the insertion of the jacket portion of the stopper into the container.

19. The stopper as claimed in claim 15, wherein the stopper is integrally formed in one piece.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

(1) In the accompanying drawing figures, the invention is described in more detail on the basis of various exemplary embodiments, but without being limited to the particular embodiments shown described and shown herein.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an assembly of a container and a first embodiment of a stopper for a container according to the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the assembly of FIG. 1 taken in the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 3.

(4) FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the assembly of FIG. 1 taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the stopper of FIG. 1 in greater detail.

(6) FIG. 5 is an elevation view showing the stopper of FIG. 4 taken in the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 6.

(7) FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the stopper of FIG. 4 taken in the direction of the arrow VI in FIG. 5.

(8) FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the stopper of FIG. 4 taken in the direction of the arrow VII in FIG. 5.

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of a stopper for a container according to the invention.

(10) FIG. 9 is an elevation view showing the stopper of FIG. 8 taken in the direction of the arrow IX in FIG. 10.

(11) FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the stopper of FIG. 8 taken in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 9.

(12) FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the stopper of FIG. 8 taken in the direction of the arrow XI in FIG. 9.

(13) FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the stopper of FIG. 8 taken along the line XII-XII in FIG. 11.

(14) FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of a stopper for a container according to the invention.

(15) FIG. 14 is an elevation view showing the stopper of FIG. 13 taken in the direction of the arrow XIV in FIG. 15.

(16) FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the stopper of FIG. 13 taken in the direction of the arrow XV in FIG. 14.

(17) FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the stopper of FIG. 13 taken in the direction of the arrow XVI in FIG. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(18) FIGS. 1 to 7 show a first embodiment of a stopper 1 according to the invention. The stopper 1 serves to close a container 2, which is shown here as a bottle. The container 2 has a bottle neck provided with a thread, wherein the stopper 1 is inserted into an opening of the bottle neck. The stopper 1 thus serves to close the opening of the container 2, in order to avoid evaporation of substances stored in the interior of the container 2 and moreover to avoid entry of foreign bodies into the interior of the container 2. By means of the features of the stopper 1 that are described below, the stopper 1 allows a suitable device, for example a pipet tip, to pierce through the stopper 1 in order to remove substances from the interior of the container 2 or to introduce substances into the interior of the container 2, the stopper 1 being designed in such a way that, after the force applied by the device has ended, the container opening is again closed by the stopper 1.

(19) The stopper 1 has a jacket portion 3 insertable into the container 2, the jacket portion 3 having a through-opening 4 formed in an axial direction Z. The stopper 1 in the present embodiment has three segments 5, wherein the respective segment 5 has a free end. The segments 5 are connected to one another at their other end, in the present embodiment in the region of a front end of the jacket portion 3 in the direction of insertion of the stopper 1. The region in which the segments 5 are connected to one another is configured as a closed annular structure 12, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 6. The free end of the respective segment 5 has a first portion 6, a second portion 7 and a third portion 8. The first portion 6 of the free end of the respective segment 5 forms a subregion of the jacket portion 3. The second portion 7 protrudes radially inward in relation to the jacket portion 3, i.e. protrudes into the region of the through-opening 4, and the third portion 8 protrudes radially outward in relation to the jacket portion 3. The second portions 7 form a cover portion 9 of the stopper 1, wherein the cover portion 9 closes the through-opening 4 in the axial direction Z, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 1 to 3. Since the second portions 7 are not connected directly to one another, as a result of the segmentation, and are therefore deformable independently of one another, the cover portion 9 can be pierced through in the axial direction Z, for example by means of a pipet tip. The third portions 8 of the segments 5 form a bearing portion 10 of the stopper 1, wherein the bearing portion 10 comes to bear in the axial direction Z on a container edge of the container 2 when the stopper 1 is inserted into the container 2, as a result of which the bearing portion 10 impedes further insertion of the stopper 1 into the container 2, as can be seen from FIG. 3. The bearing portion 10 of the stopper 1 is also advantageous as regards the piercing through of the cover portion 9, since the bearing portion 10 prevents a situation where the force exerted on the cover portion 9 for piercing through the latter presses the stopper 1 further into the container 2 instead of piercing the cover portion 9 and deforming the second portions 7.

(20) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the second portions 7 have a lesser material thickness than the third portions 8. In this way, the stiffness or the force necessary for piercing through the cover portion 9 is advantageously reduced, but the stopper 1 still has a high degree of overall stability. The material thickness of the second portions 7 is also less than the material thickness of the first portions 6.

(21) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 5, the jacket portion 3 has a region with a cross section that widens conically in the direction of the bearing portion 10. The widening cross section has the favorable effect that the segments 5 deform radially inward during the insertion of the stopper 1 into the container, as is shown in FIG. 3. To permit radially inward deformation of the segments 5, the free ends of adjacent segments are spaced apart from one another in an undeformed state of the stopper 1. FIGS. 4 to 7 show the stopper 1 in such undeformed state. In the undeformed state, the stopper 1 has three slits separating the segments 5 from one another and extending in the axial direction and radial direction, wherein the respective slits extend radially inward from the outside in the direction of a common center. Moreover, the slits extend from a rear end 15 of the stopper 1 in the direction of a front end 11 of the stopper 1, as far as the closed annular structure 12.

(22) The cover portion 9 and the bearing portion 10 are configured in the same plane, wherein the cover portion 9 and the bearing portion 10 are formed, at the end of the jacket portion 3, on a rear end 15 of the stopper 1 as seen in the direction of insertion of the stopper 1.

(23) The cover portion 9 and the bearing portion 10 are perpendicular to the axial direction Z. As can be seen in particular from FIGS. 1 to 3, the second portions 8 form a closed surface upon radially inward deformation of the segments 5, i.e. in the deformed state of the stopper 1 inserted into the container 2.

(24) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 6, the respective segment 5 is designed as a subregion of a rotation body, wherein a rotation axis 13 assignable to the rotation body of the respective segment runs outside an axis of symmetry 14 (see FIG. 10; FIG. 12) of the stopper 1 and parallel to the axis of symmetry 14. The stopper 1 is also designed radially symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry 14, wherein the order of symmetry corresponds to the number of the segments 5. The symmetry of the first embodiment of the stopper 1 is thus 3-fold. By virtue of the fact that the respective segment 5 is designed as a subregion of a rotation body and, moreover, that the stopper 1 is radially symmetrical, the segments 5 form a closed, rotationally symmetrical body, upon radially inward deformation of the segments 5, in a region directed away from the connection regions of the segments 5, which has an advantageous effect on the covering action and sealing action of the stopper 1.

(25) In a plan view in the axial direction Z, the second portions 7 form sectors of a circle and the third portions 8 form ring sectors of a ring.

(26) The second embodiment of the stopper 1 shown in FIGS. 8 to 12 and the third embodiment of the stopper 1 shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 differ from the first embodiment of the stopper 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 in terms of the number of segments 5, the second embodiment having four segments 5 and the third embodiment having six segments 5.