CLOSURE CAP AND CONTAINER NECK FOR PREVENTING DETACHMENT OF A TAMPEREVIDENT STRIP

Abstract

A closure cap having a lid portion and a cap skirt. The cap skirt includes an inner thread and defines a closure axis such that the closure cap can be screwed onto an outer thread of a container neck. A circumferential security band is arranged on an edge of the cap skirt facing away from the lid portion and connected to the cap skirt via multiple tearable bridges. At least one latching element is arranged on the inner side of the security band, and the latching element extends inwardly from the security band, wherein the latching element includes a first stop surface having a surface normal arranged at least proportionally tangentially to the cap skirt.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A closure cap, comprising: a lid portion and a cap skirt, wherein the cap skirt comprises an inner thread and defines a closure axis such that the closure cap can be screwed onto an outer thread of a container neck, wherein a circumferential security band is arranged on an edge of the cap skirt facing away from the lid portion and connected to the cap skirt via multiple tearable bridges, wherein at least one latching element is arranged on the inner side of the security band, wherein the latching element extends inwardly from the security band, wherein the latching element comprises a first stop surface having a surface normal arranged at least proportionally tangentially to the cap skirt, such that, in an assembled state of the closure cap and a container comprising the container neck, the first stop surface can be brought into engagement with a first stop surface of the container neck, wherein, by the engagement of the two first stop surfaces, a holding torque acting counter to an opening direction of the closure cap is applied to the security band when the closure cap is initially rotated in the opening direction, wherein a blocking element is arranged on the security band, wherein the blocking element comprises a second stop surface having a surface normal facing at least proportionally in the axial direction, such that, in an assembled state of the closure cap and a container, the second stop surface can be brought into engagement with a second stop surface of the container neck, wherein, by the engagement of the two second stop surfaces, a holding force acting in the axial direction is applied to the security band when the container is tilted for pouring a filling material.

17. The closure cap according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element is a radially inwardly projecting protrusion extending from the security band, wherein the protrusion is preferably formed integrally with the security band, or is a radially outwardly projecting recess of the security band.

18. The closure cap according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element is arranged on the side of the security band facing away from the lid portion when viewed from the latching element.

19. The closure cap according to claim 16, wherein at least two radially inwardly projecting protrusions or radially outwardly projecting recesses are provided as the blocking elements on the security band.

20. The closure cap according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element is a radially inwardly projecting protrusion extending in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference or a radially outwardly projecting recess extending the circumferential direction over the entire circumference.

21. The closure cap according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element is configured as a protrusion or recess, wherein the protrusion or recess comprises at least one rounded edge extending in the circumferential direction, wherein the rounded edge preferably has a curvature radius of 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm.

22. The closure cap according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element, on its side facing away from the lid portion or an additional lead-in element arranged on the side of the blocking element facing away from the lid portion on its side facing away from the lid portion comprises a lead-in slope having a surface normal, wherein the surface normal of the lead-in slope guides away from the lid portion in the axial direction and is aligned radially inwardly, wherein the lead-in slope is able to cause a deformation of the security band when the closure cap is initially attached to a container.

23. A container having a container neck, wherein the container neck defines a container neck axis and comprises a pouring opening and an outer thread for receiving a closure cap having an inner thread, wherein at least one latching element is arranged on the container neck on a side of the outer thread facing away from the pouring opening, wherein the latching element extends outwardly from the container neck, wherein the latching element comprises a first stop surface having a surface normal arranged at least proportionally tangentially to the container neck, such that, in an assembled state of the container and a closure cap, the first stop surface can be brought into engagement with a first stop surface of the closure cap, wherein, by the engagement of the two first stop surfaces, a holding torque acting counter to an opening direction of the closure cap is applied to the first stop surface of the closure cap when the closure cap is initially rotated in the opening direction, wherein a blocking element is arranged on the container neck, wherein the blocking element comprises a second stop surface having a surface normal facing at least proportionally in the axial direction, such that, in an assembled state of the container and the closure cap, the second stop surface can be brought into engagement with a second stop surface of the closure cap, wherein, by the engagement of the two second stop surfaces, a holding force acting in the axial direction is applied to the second stop surface of the closure cap when the container is tilted for pouring a filling material.

24. The container according to claim 23, wherein the blocking element is a protrusion projecting radially outwardly from the container neck or is a radially inwardly projecting recess of the container neck.

25. The container according to claim 23, wherein the blocking element is arranged on the side of the container neck facing away from the pouring opening when viewed from the latching element.

26. The container according to claim 23, wherein at least two radially outwardly projecting protrusions or radially inwardly projecting recesses are provided as the blocking elements on the container neck.

27. The container according to claim 26, wherein the blocking elements are arranged equidistantly in the circumferential direction.

28. The container according to claim 23, wherein the blocking element is a radially outwardly projecting protrusion extending in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference or a radially inwardly projecting recess extending the circumferential direction over the entire circumference.

29. The container according to claim 23, wherein, on its side closest to the pouring opening, the blocking element comprises a lead-in slope having a surface nor-mal, wherein the surface normal of the lead-in slope guides towards the pouring opening in the axial direction and is aligned radially outwardly, wherein the lead-in slope is able to cause a deformation of the security band when the closure cap with a security band is initially attached to the container.

30. A combination of a closure cap and a container, wherein the closure cap comprises a lid portion and a cap skirt having an inner thread and the container comprises a container neck having an outer thread, such that the closure cap can be screwed onto the outer thread of the container neck, wherein the cap skirt defines a closure axis and the container neck defines a container axis, wherein the closure axis and the container neck axis are coextensive in the assembled state of the closure cap and container, wherein a circumferential security band is arranged on an edge of the cap skirt facing away from the lid portion and connected to the cap skirt via multiple tearable bridges, wherein at least one latching element is arranged on the inner side of the security band, wherein at least one further latching element is arranged on the container neck on a side of the outer thread facing away from the pouring opening, wherein the latching element of the closure cap and the latching element of the container neck are configured and arranged such that, in an assembled state of the closure cap and container, a first stop surface of the latching element of the closure cap can be brought into engagement with a first stop surface of the latching element of the container, wherein, by the engagement of the two first stop surfaces, a holding force acting counter to the opening direction of the closure cap is applied to the security band when the closure cap is initially rotated in the opening direction, wherein a blocking element is arranged on the security band and a blocking element is arranged on the container neck, wherein the blocking element of the closure cap and the blocking element of the container are configured and arranged such that, in an assembled state of the closure cap and container, a second stop surface of the blocking element of the closure cap can be brought into engagement with a second stop surface of the blocking element arranged on the container neck, wherein, by the engagement of the two second stop surfaces a holding force acting in the direction of the closure and container neck axis is applied to the security band when the container is tilted for pouring a filling material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0053] Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures. The figures show:

[0054] FIG. 1: a cut-away view of an embodiment of the combination of closure cap and container according to the invention along a cutting plane containing the closure axis/container axis, wherein only the container neck is shown,

[0055] FIG. 2: an enlarged view of region A of FIG. 1,

[0056] FIG. 3: a perspective view of obliquely below the closure cap from FIG. 1,

[0057] FIG. 4: a side view of the closure cap from FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The principle of the invention is clearly illustrated by way of FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, a cut through an embodiment of the combination of closure cap 1 and container 11 according to the invention is shown, with only the region of the container neck being visible. Taken by themselves, the closure cap 1 shown in FIG. 1 also represents an embodiment of the closure cap according to the invention and the container 11 shown in sections in FIG. 1 represents an embodiment of the container according to the invention. The closure cap 1 is screwed fully onto the container neck in the view shown here, without the closure being opened initially. This therefore represents the situation as encountered by a user before the initial opening of the closure. In particular, the tearable bridges 6 between the cap skirt 3 and the security band 5 are not yet torn.

[0059] Based on FIG. 1, it can already be seen that the security band 5 has a respective protrusion that projects radially inwardly at the lower edge, i.e. on the side of the security band 5 facing away from the lid portion 2 at both visible cut positions. This protrusion represents a blocking element 9 arranged on the security band in the sense of the present invention. The mode of action of this blocking element 9 becomes particularly clear based on the following description of FIG. 2.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows an enlargement of the region A of FIG. 1 and thus a detail view of the region around a blocking element 9 of the closure cap 1. The blocking element 9 of the closure cap 1 shown here has a foot-shaped cross-section, is arranged at the lowest edge of the security band 5, and thus also below the latching elements 7 of the closure cap 1, and projects radially inwardly by approximately ⅔ of the radial thickness of the security band 5 over the inside of the security band 5. The second stop surface 10 of the blocking element 9 has a slope in the downward axial direction, i.e. in the axial direction facing the lid portion 2 towards the container 11, and rounded edges, resulting in an overall S-curved and simultaneously downwardly inclined second stop surface 10.

[0061] A protrusion disposed on the container neck lies opposite the blocking element 9 arranged on the security band 5 in the axial direction on the side of the container 11. This represents a blocking element 16 of the container 11. The blocking element 16 of the container 11 shown here has a trapezoidal cross-section, wherein the second stop surface 17 of the blocking element 16 of the container 11 is arranged on the side of the blocking element 16 facing away from the pouring opening 12 and running substantially perpendicular to the outside of the container neck. The surface portion 20 of the blocking element 16 on the axially opposite side of the blocking element 16 to the second stop surface 17 has a slope directed outwardly and downwardly (leading away from the pouring opening 12), namely with a slope angle of approximately 30 degrees—measured with respect to a plane standing perpendicular to the container axis, which is represented in FIG. 2 by reference line 99—, wherein the slope begins at an outer radius of the container neck, which is smaller than the minimum inner radius of the blocking element 9 of the closure cap 1.

[0062] The curved and inclined shape of the second stop surface 10 of the blocking element 9 of the closure cap 1 and the top surface portion 20 of the blocking element 16 of the container 11, inclined downward and outward, upon the initial attachment (screwing on or inverting) of the closure cap 1 onto the container neck, act such that the blocking element 9 is guided on the inclined surface portion 20 like on a sliding track, and thus a continuously increasing and not a sudden deformation of the blocking element 9 of the closure cap 1 and the associated security band 5 occurs radially outwardly. The surface portion 20 thus constitutes a lead-in slope in the sense of the present invention. The rounded edges of the blocking element 9 cause the shear forces occurring upon the deformation to be distributed as evenly as possible to the regions of the blocking element 9 and the security band 5, so that the risk of the occurrence of unintended cracks and fractures due to the deformation during the initial attachment of the closure cap is minimized to the extent possible. This is because the goal in this case is elastic deformation.

[0063] In the position of the closure cap 1 and the container 11 shown here, there is a gap 18 between the two second stop surfaces 10 and 17. When the combination 1, 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is rotated 180 degrees from the position shown, after the closure cap 1 has been initially unscrewed from the container neck 11, the two second stop surfaces 10 and 17 are engaged, thereby preventing the security band 5 from being detached from the container neck. This is the basic principle of the present invention.

[0064] In FIG. 3, the closure cap 1 is shown separately again in a perspective view from obliquely below. In this view, it can be seen that twelve blocking elements 9 are provided distributed equidistantly over the circumference of the security band 5, each of which extends over a distance of 1/30 of the entire circumference of the security band 5. Twelve latching elements 7 are also equidistantly arranged on the security band 5 above the blocking elements 9. This series of latching elements 7 is also referred to as a toothed ring.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows the container neck corresponding to the closure cap 1 of FIG. 3. The blocking element 16 of the container 11 is configured as a circumferential ring so that it is guaranteed for any rotational position that the blocking elements 9 of the closure cap 1 can be brought into engagement with the blocking element 16 of the container neck. A toothed ring having latching elements 7 and corresponding first stop surfaces 15 lying above the blocking element 16 can also be seen in FIG. 4. These first stop surfaces 15 enter into the first stop surfaces 8 of the latching elements 7 of the closure cap 1 upon the initial unscrewing of the closure cap 1 from the container neck in the opening direction in order to block a rotational movement of the security band 5 and thus cause a breakage of the tearable bridges 6 and a detachment of the security band 5 from the remaining components of the closure cap 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0066] 1 Closure cap [0067] 2 Lid portion [0068] 3 Cap skirt [0069] 4 Inner thread [0070] 5 Security band [0071] 6 Tearable bridges [0072] 7 Latching element of the closure cap [0073] 8 First stop surface (of the latching element of the closure cap) [0074] 9 Blockade element of the security band (of the closure cap) [0075] 10 Second stop surface (of the blocking element of the closure cap) [0076] 11 Container (container neck) [0077] 12 Pouring opening [0078] 13 Outer thread [0079] 14 Latching element of the container neck [0080] 15 First stop surface (of the latching element of the container neck) [0081] 16 Blockade element of the container neck (of the container) [0082] 17 Second stop surface (of the blocking element of the container neck) [0083] 18 Interstice [0084] 19 Angle [0085] 20 Surface portion/lead-in slope [0086] 50 Closure axis [0087] 51 Container axis [0088] 99 Reference line for representing an angle [0089] A Enlargement window