Abstract
A closure (1) for a fluid container includes a top deck (11), a skirt (13) extending from the top deck (11) in an axial direction (−z), wherein the skirt (13) comprises a screw thread (14), slits (17) in the skirt (13), an elongated stabilizing section (15) and retaining means on the inside of the skirt (13) for engagement of a collar (36B) of the neck finish (31) of the fluid container (3). The closure includes torque engagement means (12) arranged on the outside of the top deck (11) for interacting with a torqueing member during fitting of the closure (1).
Claims
1. A closure comprising: a top deck; a skirt extending from the top deck in an axial direction, wherein the skirt comprises: a screw thread on the inside of the skirt for engagement with a corresponding screw thread of a neck finish of a fluid container, slits in the skirt arranged circumferentially and configured to break the skirt into two portions when the closure is first opened, an elongated stabilizing section fitting a corresponding elongated neck section of the neck finish of the closure, and retaining means on the inside of the skirt for engagement of a collar of the neck finish of the fluid container; and torque engagement means arranged on the outside of the top deck for interacting with a torqueing member during fitting of the closure, wherein the torque engagement means are arranged in a depression of the top deck in an opposite axial direction to the skirt, wherein the depression has an annular wall and the torque engagement means comprise buttresses arranged against an inner face of the wall and extending towards a center axis.
2. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the retaining means comprise a retaining band that folds towards the top deck during fitting having a shoulder.
3. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the screw thread, the slits, the elongated stabilizing section, and the retaining band are arranged from the top deck in the axial direction sequentially in listed order.
4. The closure according to claim 1, further comprising longitudinal fins in a trunk section of the skirt, wherein the longitudinal fins extend along an inner side wall of the trunk section in the axial direction for reinforcing the skirt and providing channels for molten material during molding.
5. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the skirt has, in an area of the screw thread, a reinforced zone substantially thicker than a thickness of a remainder of the skirt for stably holding the closure with a holding member during fitting of the closure.
6. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the torque engagement means are arranged on an outside face of the closure and comprise recesses in the closure.
7. The closure according to claim 6, wherein the torque engagement means are arranged in the reinforced zone of the skirt.
8. The closure according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing liner arranged on the inside of the closure between the top deck and the neck finish of the fluid container for sealing the fluid container.
9. The closure according to claim 8, wherein the sealing liner is a sealing disc comprising one or more sealing layers arranged in a corresponding sealing disc recess on the inside of the top deck.
10. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the skirt further comprises an annular bead arranged at the distal end of the skirt which abuts against the fluid container and is configured to reduce a drop of a bottom portion of the skirt after the closure has been opened.
11. A neck finish of a fluid container configured for engagement with the closure according to one of claim 1, comprising: a neck screw thread for engagement with the screw thread of the closure; and an elongated reinforced zone substantially thicker than a thickness of a remainder of the neck finish and fitting the corresponding elongated stabilizing section of the closure, wherein the elongated reinforced zone includes a bottom shoulder for engagement with the retaining means once the closure has been fitted.
12. The neck finish according to claim 11 configured for engagement with the closure, wherein the elongated reinforced zone includes a top shoulder adjacent to the neck screw thread for deflecting the retaining band of the closure towards an inside face of the skirt during fitting.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The herein described disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which should not be considered limiting to the disclosure described in the appended claims. The drawings illustrate various variations, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operation of the concepts disclosed, wherein:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a cut-out view of a first variation of a closure;
(3) FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the retaining band of the first variation shown in FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 3 shows a view of the first variation of the closure shown in FIG. 1 fitted onto a fluid container;
(5) FIG. 4 shows a section view of FIG. 3;
(6) FIG. 5 shows a detailed part of the section view of FIG. 4;
(7) FIG. 6 shows a cut-out view of a second variation of a closure;
(8) FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of the retaining band of the second variation shown in FIG. 6;
(9) FIG. 8 shows a view of the second variation of the closure shown in FIG. 6 fitted onto a fluid container;
(10) FIG. 9 shows a section view of FIG. 8; and
(11) FIG. 10 shows a detailed part of the section view of FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(12) Reference will now be made in detail to certain variations, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all features are shown. Indeed, variations disclosed herein may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the variations set forth herein; rather, these variations are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Whenever possible, like reference numbers will be used to refer to like components or parts.
(13) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first variation. A closure 1 is shown in an upright orientation as when fitted onto a fluid container 3 (not shown in this figure). The closure 1 is shown in its fitted state before the fluid container 3 has been opened for the first time. The closure 1 comprises a top deck 11 arranged in the x-y plane perpendicular to a center axis C, the center axis running parallel to the z-axis. The closure 1 comprises a skirt 13. The skirt 13 extends from the top deck 11 downwards in an axial direction −z. The skirt 13 has a substantially cylindrical outer wall and is also substantially rotationally symmetric about the center axis C. The top deck 11 includes a depression 10. The top deck 11 has an outer wall 101 which rises above the depression 10 in an axial direction +z. Along the inner face of the outer wall 101 there are arranged a plurality of buttresses 12 which extend from the inner face of the outer wall 101 towards the center axis C of the depression 10 and taper in height from the inner face of the outer wall 101 towards the center axis C. The buttresses 101 are configured to mesh and engage with a torqueing member of a fitting system during fitting of the closure 1 onto the fluid container 3. An inside of the closure 1 has a sealing disc 24 arranged on the bottom of the top deck 11 in a sealing disc recess 27 which is configured to hold the sealing disc 24 securely in place, even after repeated opening and closing of the closure 1. The sealing disc 24 is a circular sealing member comprising one or more layers of one or more types of sealing material. The sealing disc recess 27 is arranged in the top deck 11 and not the skirt 13, and in particular is separated from the screw thread 14. The sealing disc recess 27 and the sealing disc 24 are shaped complementary to each other such that the sealing disc 24 fits into the sealing disc recess 27. On the inside of the closure 1, the skirt 13 comprises an inner wall with a screw thread 14 configured for engagement with a corresponding neck screw thread 34 of a neck finish 31 of the fluid container 3. An elongated stabilizing section 15 is arranged below the screw thread 14, and below that the retaining band 16 is shown in the configuration it has after being fitted onto the closure 1, namely pointing towards the top deck 11.
(14) The closure 1 preferably comprises a synthetic material such as plastic, in particular high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), or post-consumer resin (PCR), or a combination of these materials, and is preferably injection molded. More preferably, the closure 1, not including the sealing disc 24, is integrally injected molding in a single mold as a single part.
(15) FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the first variation, in particular of the retaining band 16 of FIG. 1 in the fitted state (fluid container 3 not shown). The retaining band 16 is joined to the skirt 13 perpendicularly and from there is bent upwards in axial direction +z towards the top deck 11. Moving away from the skirt 13 the retaining band 16 has first a folding zone 19 which undergoes a plastic deformation subsequent to injection molding. From the folding zone 19, the retaining band 16 turns upwards and thickens into a wedge shape with a wedge face 20. The wedge face 20 does not face the center axis C squarely but faces downwards slightly in the axial direction −z. The retaining band 16 is bent upwards to form, in combination with an inside face of the skirt 13, an approximately a U-shaped gap between the inside face of the skirt 13 and the retaining band 16. The distal end of the retaining band 16, which extends towards the top deck 11 when fitted, has a retaining band shoulder 21. Rising above the retaining band shoulder 21 is a projection 22. As the closure 1 is pressed down over the neck finish 31 during fitting, the retaining band 16 is bent further upwards in the axial direction z towards the top deck 11 and snaps back elastically to retain the fluid container 3. To allow the retaining band 16 to bend during fitting without breaking, the retaining band 16 is not entirely rotationally symmetric about the center axis C but has cut-outs which cut through the retaining band 16 at the wedge face 20.
(16) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the first variation of the closure 1 fitted onto the fluid container 3. Also shown is the center axis C and a section face D.
(17) FIG. 4 shows a section view of the first variation of the closure 1, in particular of the closure 1 fitted onto the fluid container 3 along the section face D of FIG. 3. The section face D intersects the center axis C and lies plane parallel to the z-y plane, z being the axial direction and y being a radial direction. Features of the closure 1 described above under the description of FIGS. 1 and 2 will not be described in detail here. Rather, this figure, and also FIG. 5 which shows a more detailed view of a part of FIG. 4, will be used to describe features of the neck finish 31 of the fluid container 3, in particular features relevant for the fitting and engagement of the neck finish 31 with the closure 1. The neck finish 31 of the fluid container 3 is an overall roughly rotationally symmetric and roughly cylindrically shaped area of the fluid container 3 through which fluid may be filled into, or emptied from, the fluid container 3. The neck finish 31 has a lip 32 which forms an opening into the fluid container 3. The lip abuts against the sealing disc 24 of the closure 1. When the closure 1 is fitted onto the neck finish 31 the lip 32 presses against the sealing disc 24 forming a tight seal such that fluid cannot escape the fluid container 3. The sealing disc 24 further prevents ingress of air or contaminants into the fluid container 3. When the closure 1 is screwed down tightly, either during fitting by the torqueing member of the fitting system or by hand after the closure 1 has been removed, the lip 32 deforms the sealing disc 24 slightly ensuring a good seal. Below the lip 32, the neck finish 31 has a neck screw thread 34 configured to engage with the screw thread 14 of the closure. Below the neck screw thread 34, the neck finish 31 has an elongated reinforced zone 35. The elongated reinforced zone 35 is a zone of the neck finish 31 with a wall thickness substantially thicker than a wall thickness of the rest of the neck finish 31. In particular, the wall thickness of the elongated reinforced zone 35 is approximately twice as thick at least as the wall thickness of the rest of the neck finish 31. A measure of the wall thickness of the neck finish 13 does not include any protrusions such as the neck screw thread 34. The elongated reinforced zone 35 has a longitudinal length, i.e. a vertical extension in the axial direction, which is greater than the wall thickness of the elongated reinforced zone 35. In a preferred variation, the longitudinal length of the elongated reinforced zone 35 is at least twice as long as the wall thickness of the elongated reinforced zone 35. The elongated reinforced zone 35 has a top shoulder 36A which demarcates the elongated reinforced zone 35 to the neck screw thread 34. The top shoulder 36A is configured such that it deflects the retaining band 16 during fitting to push the retaining band 16 outwards towards the inside face of the skirt 13, allowing the closure 1 to be fitted. The elongated reinforced zone 35 also has a bottom shoulder 36B which demarcates the bottom end of the elongated reinforced zone 35 and is configured to engage with the retaining band 16 when fitted. Below the bottom shoulder 36B, the neck finish 31 has a closure engagement zone 37 in which the neck finish 31 returns to its usual thickness. The closure engagement zone 37 is dimensioned such that the retaining band 16 of the closure 1 has space. The bottom shoulder 36B and the closure engagement zone 36 are configured such that the wedge face 20 of the retaining band 16 is not in contact with the neck finish 31 of the fluid container 3. Rather, it is the retaining band shoulder 21 and the projection 22 which engage with the bottom shoulder 36B. The bottom shoulder 36B is configured such that if the closure 1 is pulled or unscrewed after fitting, the retaining band 16 engages with the bottom shoulder 36B to prevent the skirt 13 from moving. More specifically, the slope of the bottom shoulder 36B at the point of interaction with the retaining band 16 is such that, when a force is exerted on the closure in an axial direction +z the retaining band 16 is also pressed inwards away from the skirt 13 toward the center axis C, ensuring that the retaining band 16 remains firmly engaged with the bottom shoulder 36B of the neck finish 31 and does not bend towards the skirt 13. This ensures that the closure 31 cannot be removed in its entirety after fitting. If the closure 1 is unscrewed with sufficient force, however, the slits 17 (not shown) in the skirt 13 ensure that the skirt 13 breaks into two portions, a top portion including the top deck 11 and the screw thread 14 and a bottom portion including the retaining band 16. The elongated reinforced zone 35 and the complementary elongated stabilizing section 15 of the closure 1 fit closely together to ensure that the closure 1 remains stably seated on the neck finish 31. This close fit between the elongated reinforced zone 35 and the elongated stabilizing section 15 further aids the stabilizing of the closure 1 during fitting. The neck finish 31 further comprises a retaining bead 38 below, or abutting against, the bottom of the closure 1. This ensures that when the closure 1 is first opened and therefore breaks into two portions, the bottom portion comprising the retaining bead 16 does has a reduced drop or, preferably, does not drop at all.
(18) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a second variation of the closure 1. Similarly, FIG. 7, shows a detailed view of the second variation, in particular of the retaining band 16 of FIG. 6 in the fitted state (fluid container 3 not shown). FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the second variation of the closure 1 fitted onto the fluid container 3. Also shown is the center axis C and a section face E. FIG. 9 shows a section view of the second variation of the closure 1, in particular of the closure 1 fitted onto the fluid container 3 along the section face E of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 shows a detail of the section view of FIG. 9. Only those features of the second variation will be described, with reference to FIGS. 6-10, if those features were not already described above in relation to FIGS. 1-5 of the first variation.
(19) As can be seen for example in FIG. 6, the second variation shows a reinforced zone 131 in the skirt 13 in an area of the screw thread 14. The reinforced zone 131 is a thicker area of the skirt 13 adjacent to the top desk 11. The reinforced zone 131 provides extra stability for the screw thread 14 due to the skirt 13 having overall thin walls. The reinforced zone 131 ensures that the skirt 13 can be screwed and unscrewed easily. The reinforced zone 131 also allows a holding member of the fitting system to hold the closure 1 during fitting, in particular during application of torque by the torqueing member of the fitting system. Below the area of the screw thread 14, the skirt 13 has slits 17. The slits 17 in the skirt 13 are arranged around the circumference of the skirt 13. The slits 17 are elongated and separated from each other by small connecting areas which connect the bottom portion of the skirt 13 to the top portion of the skirt 13. The slits 17 are cut into the closure 1 after injection molding by a blade. The slits 17 are configured such that during a first unscrewing of the closure 1 by hand after fitting, the connecting areas break and the top portion skirt, as well as the top deck 11, is removable from the fluid container 1. Below the retaining band 16, the second variation also has a trunk section 18 in the skirt 13 extending in the axial direction −z. The trunk section 18 is a roughly cylindrical section of the skirt 13 and has an axial extension larger than an axial extension of the rest of the skirt 13. A plurality of longitudinal fins 25 are arranged on an inside face of the trunk section 18, extending along the entire length of the trunk section 18 from an area below the retaining band 16 to the bottom of the trunk section 18. The longitudinal fins 25 provide additional structural stability of the trunk section 18 and therefore the skirt 13. The longitudinal fins 25 also provide channels for molten material, in particular molten plastic, to flow during injection molding of the closure 1. As can be seen in FIG. 9, the trunk section 18 is terminated on its distal end, facing away from the top deck 11, by an annular bead 26. The annular bead 26 reduces a drop of the bottom portion of the skirt 13 after the closure 1 has been first opened because the annular bead 26 engages with the neck finish 31 of the fluid container 3. The annular bead 26 also provides additional structural strength to a bottom end of the closure 1.
(20) The person skilled in the art understands that one or more features described in relation to the second variation can be added or combined with features described in relation to the first variation without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
(21) The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
