CONTAINER CLOSURE

Abstract

A container closure for closing the pour opening-(33) of a container, has a screw cap with a free edge, ­a security ring connected by a break-off web to the free edge and has-engagement means, ­a first holding strip with first and second ends, the first end (39) is fixedly connected to the free edge and the second end fixedly connected to the security ring, and ­a second holding strip with third and fourth arm ends, wherein the third end is fixedly connected to the free edge (25) and the fourth end is fixedly connected to the security ring. The first, second, third, and fourth ends are arranged one after the other in the circumferential direction on the free edge and on the security ring. The length of the first and second holding strips are between 27% and 32% of the outer diameter of the screw cap.

Claims

1. A container closure for closing the pour opening of a container, comprising: a screw cap with a free edge, a first cylindrical casing, a cover disk, and an inner thread that is formed on an inside of the casing and can interact with an outer thread of a container neck of the container; a security ring configured to be held on a first protrusion, molded on the container neck; a plurality of break-off webs releasably connecting the security ring to the free edge; a first holding strip having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixedly connected to the free edge of the screw cap, and the second end is fixedly connected to the security ring; and a second holding strip having a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is fixedly connected to the free edge of the screw cap, and the fourth end is fixedly connected to the security ring, the screw cap can be folded from a closed position, in which the screw cap closes the pour opening, into an open position, in which the screw cap fully opens the pour opening, and vice versa; wherein the first, second, third and fourth ends are arranged one after the other in a circumferential direction on the free edge and on the security ring; and wherein a length of the first or second holding strip corresponds to between 27% and 32% of the outer diameter of the screw cap.

2. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein lengths of the first and second holding strips enable the screw cap to be latchable in the open position with the free edge on an underside of a support ring formed below the container neck.

3. The container closure according to claim 1, further comprising a first kink or a second kink at the second end and fourth end on the first or on the second holding strip.

4. The container closure according to claim 1, further comprising a first recess and a second recess for receiving the first strip and the second holding strip the first and second recesses on edge of the security ring facing toward the first and second holding strips.

5. The container closure according to claim 4, further comprising an extension on the security ring, between the second end and the second recess.

6. The container closure according to claim 4, further comprising a third recess on the security ring, between the second end and the second recess.

7. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the second end and fourth end enclose an opening angle of at least 60 degrees and at most 90 degrees with respect to a center point of the security ring as an apex.

8. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the break-off webs are arranged at regular intervals along the free edge.

9. The container closure according to claim 1, further comprising an inward projecting inner cone is molded on the cover disk and is configured to interact in a sealing manner with an inner wall of the container neck in the closed position.

10. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the first and second holding strips have a width of between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm.

11. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the closure cap is configured to interact with a standardized container neck having an outer thread and a holding ring.

12. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the closure cap is made of a plastic material.

13. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the screw cap, the security ring, the first and second holding strips,and the break-off webs are produced as a single piece.

14. A container, comprising: a container body; a container neck adjoining the container body; an outer thread formed on the container neck; a support ring formed at the transition from the container neck to the container body; a container closure for closing a pour opening within the container neck, the container closure, comprising: a screw cap having a free edge, a first cylindrical casing, a cover disk and an inner thread that is formed on an inside of the casing and configured to interact with an outer thread of a container neck of the container; a security ring configured to be held on a protrusion on the container neck; a plurality of break-off webs that releasably connect the security ring to the free edge; a first holding strip having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixedly connected to the free edge of the screw cap, and the second end is fixedly connected to the security ring; and a second holding strip having a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is fixedly connected to the free edge of the screw cap, and the fourth end is fixedly connected to the security ring; wherein the screw cap can be folded from a closed position, in which it closes off the pour opening, into an open position in which it leaves the pour opening fully open, and vice versa; and wherein a length of the first or second holding correspond to between 28% and 32 of an outer diameter of the support ring.

15. The container according to claim 14, wherein the free edge of the screw cap in the open position is latched on an underside of the support ring.

16. The container according to claim 14, wherein, in the open position, the free edge of the screw cap is oriented in a direction of the pour opening.

17. The container according to claim 14, wherein the closure cap comprises: a screw cap with a free edge, a first cylindrical casing, a cover disk, and an inner thread that is formed on an inside of the casing and can interact with an outer thread of a container neck of the container; a security ring configured to be held on a first protrusion molded on the container neck; a plurality of break-off webs releasably connecting the security ring to the free edge; a first holding strip having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixedly connected to the free edge of the screw cap, and the second end is fixedly connected to the security ring; and a second holding strip having a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is fixedly connected to the free edge of the screw cap, and the fourth end is fixedly connected to the security ring, the screw cap can be folded from a closed position, in which the screw cap closes the pour opening, into an open position, in which the screw cap fully opens the pour opening, and vice versa; wherein the first, second, third and fourth ends are arranged one after the other in a circumferential direction on the free edge and on the security ring; and wherein a length of the first or second holding strip corresponds to between 27% and 32% of the outer diameter of the screw cap.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Further advantages and features become apparent from the following description of three exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the schematic representations. Shown, in a representation not true to scale, are:

[0027] FIG. 1: a side view of a container closure which is placed on the neck of a container, and in which the screw cap is located in a closed position;

[0028] FIG. 2: a side view of the container closure of FIG. 1, wherein the screw cap has been unscrewed;

[0029] FIG. 3: an axonometric view of the container closure from FIG. 1, wherein the screw cap is located in an open position and is latched to the underside of the support ring;

[0030] FIG. 4: a second axonometric view of the container closure in the open position;

[0031] FIG. 5: a third axonometric view of the container closure in the open position;

[0032] FIG. 6: an axonometric view of the container closure without container;

[0033] FIG. 7: a detail view of the security ring; and

[0034] FIG. 8: a sectional view of the security ring of FIG. 7 with visualized inclination angles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is a container closure which is denoted as a whole by reference sign 11. The closure cap 11 is captively held on a container 13, in particular on a bottle 13. The container 13 is indicated in FIGS. 1 to 5. The closure cap 11 comprises a screw cap 15, a security ring 17, and a first and a second holding strip 19a, 19b.

[0036] The screw cap 15 comprises a cover disk 21 and a first cylindrical casing 23 with a free edge 25. An inner thread 27 is molded on the inside of the casing 23. The container 13 comprises a container body 28 and a container neck 29 adjoining the container body 28. The container neck 29 is designed as a second cylindrical casing. An outer thread 31 is molded on the container neck 29 and interacts with the inner thread 27. As a result, the screw cap 15 can be screwed onto and unscrewed from the container neck 29. The closure cap 11 closes the pour opening 33 which is provided within the container neck 29. The closure cap 11 is designed to interact with a standardized container neck 29 with an outer thread 31 and a holding ring 35.

[0037] The security ring 17 is held in a form fit on the container neck 13. For this purpose, a holding ring 35 is molded onto the outside of the container neck 29, which holding ring 35 may be engaged from below by protrusions 37 formed on the inside of the security ring 17 (FIGS. 7 and 8). The security ring 17 is rotatable relative to the container neck 29.

[0038] The first arm 19a has a first end 39 and a second end 41. The first end 39 is fixedly connected to the free edge 25. The second end 41 is fixedly connected to the security ring 17. As a result, the container closure 11 is captively held on the container 13.

[0039] The second arm 19b has a third end 51 and a fourth end 53. The third end 51 is fixedly connected to the free edge 25. The fourth end 53 is fixedly connected to the security ring 17. As a result, the closure cap 11 is additionally captively held on the container 13.

[0040] The security ring 17 is held on the free edge 25 with a plurality of break-off webs 63, which break when the screw cap 15 is unscrewed from the container neck 29. The break-off webs 63 are arranged at regular intervals on the security ring 17.

[0041] The first and second arms 19a, 19b have a width of between 1.8 mm and 2.2 mm, or have a width which corresponds to at least 15% of the height of the security ring, so that they are sufficiently stable. The holding strips 19a, 19b may have a cross-sectional area of 1 mm.sup.2.

[0042] According to FIG. 1, the screw cap 15 is in a closed position in which it is pressed or screwed onto the container neck 29. Upon unscrewing from the container neck 29, the first and second holding strips 19a, 19b are pulled upward in the axial direction (FIG. 2). The holding strips are also elastically extendable so that the screw cap 15 can be unscrewed from the container neck 29 and folded away.

[0043] A first and a second recess 65, 67 are provided on the security ring 17. The first and the second holding strips 19a, 19b are received in the first and the second recesses 65, 67, respectively. This makes it possible to produce the first and second holding strips 19a, 19b directly from the security ring 17, for example by cutting from the security ring 17.

[0044] The first, second, third and fourth ends 39, 41, 51, 53 are arranged one after the other in the circumferential direction on the free edge 25 and on the security ring 17. An extension 43 is formed between the second end 41 of the first holding strip 19a and the third end 51 of the second holding strip 19b, which extension is part of the security ring 17 between the two holding strips 19a, 19b. A third recess 57 is provided on the security ring 17, whereby an articulation function is provided at the second end 41 of the first holding strip 19a. The third recess 57 therefore makes it possible that the first holding strip 19a can bend outwards without the material resistance of the security ring 17.

[0045] When the screw cap 15 is transferred from its unscrewed position into its open position, the first and second holding strips 19a,19b act as a hinge about which the screw cap 15 can be unfolded into the open position. The hinge effect is improved by a first and second kink 69, 71. The first and second kink 69, 71 are provided at the second and/or at the fourth ends 41, 53.

[0046] A support ring 72 is formed at the transition between the container neck 29 and the container body 28. The first and second holding strips 19a, 19b are dimensioned in terms of their length such that the free edge 25 of the screw cap 15 can, in the open position, be latched on the underside of the support ring. In the open position, the first and second holding strips 19a, 19b may be tensioned or elastically extended.

[0047] The arrangement of the ends of the holding strips 19a, 19b - that is to say, that the first end 39, the second end 41, the third end 51, and the fourth end 53 follow in the circumferential direction, and a certain length of the first and second holding strip 19a, 19b - has the advantage that the screw cap 15 can be intuitively rotated upward and can latch with its free edge 25 in the support ring 72.

[0048] For this purpose, it is necessary that the length of the first and/or second holding strip 19, 19b corresponds to between 27% and 32%, or between 29% and 30%, of the outer diameter of the screw cap. Possible dimensions, given a ratio of the outer diameter of the support ring to the holding strip length of 1 : 3.3, apportioned for common support ring outer diameters, are: [0049] Support ring diameter: 33.0 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 10 mm each [0050] Support ring diameter: 42.5 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 12.9 mm each [0051] Support ring diameter: 42.0 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 12.7 mm each [0052] Support ring diameter: 37.0 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 11.2 mm each [0053] Support ring diameter: 31.5 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 9.5 mm each [0054] Support ring diameter: 31.0 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 9.4 mm each [0055] Support ring diameter: 30.2 mm -> belt length: approx. 9.2 mm [0056] Support ring diameter: 29.25 mm -> strip lengths: approx. 8.9 mm each

[0057] Since the closure cap 11 or the security ring 17 is rotationally symmetrical, it has a center point 73. The center point 73 lies in the imaginary plane between the free edge 25 and the security ring 17. The second end 41 and the fourth end 53 enclose an opening angle 75 of at least 60 degrees and at most 90 degrees, or at least 70 and at most 80 degrees, with respect to the center point 73 as the apex.

[0058] If the closure cap 11 is pressed onto the container neck 29, the pour opening 33 is closed by the closure cap 11, and the closure cap 11 is in the closed position. When the screw cap 15 is unscrewed from the container neck 29, the break-off webs 63 break. The security ring 17 rotates along with the screw cap 15. During unscrewing, the first and second holding strips 19a, 19b can straighten.

[0059] As already described above, the screw cap 15 is flipped into the open position after being unscrewed from the container neck 29, in that the screw cap 15 automatically jumps with its free edge facing upward and in the direction of the support ring 72. The free edge 25 can then be fixed under the support ring 72. The length of the first and second holding strip 19a, 19b is thereby to be matched precisely in order to enable the latching function. If the length of the holding strips 19a, 19b is too long, the free edge 25 is not pulled sufficiently tight against the support ring 72. If the length of the holding strips 19a, 19b is too short, the free edge 25 cannot be pulled under the support ring 72, and this hinders the pouring of fill material from the pour opening 33.

[0060] In the open position, the screw cap 15 is captively held on the container 13 and is fixed to the container neck 29 in such a way that it does not protrude into the pour opening 33 when liquid is poured out of the container 13. In the open position, the inner side of the cap points upward, whereby fill material adhering on the screw cap 15 remains therein and cannot contaminate the container neck 29. This is a great advantage in particular given sugar-containing beverages, since they cannot stick to the container body.

[0061] The first and second holding strip 19a, 19b enable that the screw cap 15 can be transitioned into the open position in a positively guided folding movement after it has been unscrewed from the container neck 29. Via the positive guidance and the length of the holding strips 19a, 19b, there exists only one open position and not a plurality. The length and cross-section of the first and the second holding strip 19a, 19b are preferably dimensioned in such a way that the first and second holding strips 19a, 19b are elastically tensioned in the open position of the screw cap 15. The screw cap 15 in the open position is thereby pulled into the vertex between the container neck 29 and the support ring 72, and is held in this vertex in a wobble-free manner. The elastic pretensioning of the first and second holding strips 19a, 19b also makes it possible for the screw cap to be transferred multiple times from the open position into the closed position and vice versa. The container 13 can thereby be opened and closed multiple times and, after opening, the screw cap 15 is held in the open position in a stable and wobble-free manner each time.

[0062] The protrusions 37 can be designed in accordance with the following Figure description of FIGS. 7 and 8. This embodiment of the protrusions 37 is the content of the Swiss patent applications with application numbers 01467/19 and 01695/19, the disclosure contents of which are hereby incorporated into the present patent application by reference. Slots 97 are provided in the security ring in a manner distributed over the circumference of the security ring 17. The slots 97 each have an upper edge 99 and a lower edge 101. The upper edge 99 is formed by a circular-arc-shaped section of the security ring 17. The lower edge 101 corresponds to the free edge of a wall section 103 inclined inward in the radial direction. Due to the inward inclination of the wall section 103, the lower edge 101 has a smaller radius than the security ring 17 and as a result can lie against an abutment (holding ring 35) of the container neck 29 when the screw cap 15 is unscrewed from the container neck 29. The abutment is realized by the holding ring 35, which is formed below the outer thread 31 on the container neck 29. When the screw cap 15 is unscrewed, the lower edge 99 engages form-fittingly in the holding ring 35, as a result of which the security ring 17 is reliably held on the holding ring 35 even under high axial forces.

[0063] Each wall section 101 has a first subsection 105 and two second subsections 107. The first subsection 105 represents an inwardly folded casing section and is preferably designed to be flat. The second subsections 107 adjoin the inward-facing sides of the first subsection 105 and connect it to the security ring 17. The second subsections 107 can be curved or flat and face one another obliquely inward. The lower edge 101 of the slot 97 corresponds to the free edges of the first subsection 105 and of the second subsections 107, and lies in a plane 109 which is shown in FIG. 10. The plane 109 is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of rotation 110 of the container neck 29. These described design features of the wall section 103 have the advantage that the wall section 103, with the entire lower edge 101, can rest against the holding ring 35 and, in the manner of a barb, does not yield in the event of an axial tensile force upward. As a result, the security ring 17 is held non-releasably on the holding ring 35 and can be removed from the holding ring 35 only by being destroyed. A movement of the first subsection 105 inward in the radial direction is prevented by provision of the second subsections 107. However, a movement of the first subsection 105 outward in the radial direction is possible. This movement is flexible, and after being pressed radially outward, the wall section 103 returns to its inward inclined home position. This has the further advantage that the security ring 17 can be easily demolded and can be pressed together with the screw cap 15 onto the container neck 29 with little force. As a result of the flexibility of the wall section 103, the demolding from an injection mold and the pressing onto the container neck 29 can take place without the risk of damaging the wall section 103.

[0064] The inclined wall sections 103 may have a lesser wall thickness than the remaining security ring 17. In FIG. 8 it is shown that the region of the lower edge 101 has the least wall thickness. The above-described flexibility of the wall section 103 radially outward is thereby further improved. The wall thickness of the wall section 103 increases linearly downward starting from the lower edge 101.

[0065] Shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is the security ring 17 without the screw cap 15. FIGS. 9 and 10 clearly show that an annular bead 111 on which the upper edges 99 rest is formed above the slots 97 on the security ring 17.

[0066] A first and second inclination angle 113, 115 are plotted in FIG. 8. The first inclination angle 113 indicates the inclination of the first subsection 105 with respect to the plane of the lower edge 101. The first inclination angle 113 has a magnitude between 60 and 80 degrees, and preferably between 65 and 75 degrees. The greater the first inclination angle 113, the better the stability of the wall sections 103 with respect to vertical force effects or axial tensile forces caused by the unscrewing of the screw cap 15. However, the first inclination angle 113 must not be too large since the holding ring 35 cannot otherwise be sufficiently engaged.

[0067] The second inclination angle 115 indicates the inclination of the slot 97 with respect to the plane of the lower edge 111. The connecting line 117, which represents the inclination of the slot 97, is a connection of the upper edge 99 to the lower edge 101 in a plane spanned by the axis of rotation 110 and the connecting line 117. The second inclination angle 115 is enclosed by the connecting line 117 and the plane 109. The second inclination angle 115 has a magnitude between 30 and 50 degrees, or between 35 and 45 degrees. The greater the second inclination angle 115, the easier it is to demold the security ring 17.

[0068] An inwardly projecting inner cone 87 (FIGS. 5 and 6), e.g., in the form of a sealing cylinder or a sealing ring, and may be molded on the bottom 21 of the screw cap 15. The inner cone 87 is designed to interact in a sealed manner with the inner wall 89 of the container neck 29 in the closed position. The closure cap 11 can therefore act as a so-called cone sealer and reliably seals the container neck 29.

[0069] The closure cap 11 is made of a plastic. Such plastics may include, inter alia, PP and HDPE.