CONTAINER CLOSURE

Abstract

A plastic container closure has a screw cap with a cylindrical casing having an internal screw thread and a lid disc adjoining the casing, a security ring connected by first break-off webs to a free edge of the casing and a holding ring in the region of the container neck. The security ring has slots distributed over its circumference and each have a top edge and a bottom edge, wherein the top edge is formed by a section of the security ring that extends in the shape of a circular arc. The bottom edge is formed by a wall section that is inclined inwards in a radial direction. The bottom edge of each slot engages in a form-fitting manner with the holding ring.

Claims

1. A container closure made of plastic for closing a container, comprising: a screw cap comprising a cylindrical casing having an internal thread and a lid disc adjoining the cylindrical casing; a security ring connected by a plurality of first break-off webs to a free edge of the cylindrical casing and having a plurality of slots distributed over a circumference of the security ring, each slot having a top edge and a bottom edge, wherein the top edge is formed by a section of the security ring that extends in a shape of a circular arc and the bottom edge is formed by a wall section that is inclined inwards in a radial direction and the bottom edge of each slot—forming a form-fitting engagement into an abutment in the form of a holding ring arranged in a region of a container neck.

2. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the wall section comprises a first subsection, that corresponds to an obliquely positioned casing section, and comprises two second subsections that connect the first subsection to the cylindrical casing.

3. The container closure according to claim 2, wherein the two second subsections are oriented obliquely inwards facing each other.

4. The container closure according to claim 2, wherein the bottom edge corresponds to free edges of the first subsection and the two second subsections and lies in one plane.

5. The container closure according to claim 4, wherein the plane in which the bottom edge lies is oriented perpendicular to a central axis of the container closure.

6. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein each of the wall sections have a lesser wall thickness than remaining portions of the security ring, wherein a region of the bottom edge has a smallest wall thickness.

7. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein a wall thickness of each wall section decreases in an axial direction starting from a free end of the security ring.

8. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein at least two diametrically opposed slots are present.

9. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of slots is of equal size and arranged at a same distance from one another in a circumferential section of the security ring and that a same number of the plurality of slots is arranged in a diametrically opposed circumferential section.

10. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of slots is distributed uniformly over the circumference of the security ring.

11. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of slots is the same length and have an opening angle of 15 to 30 degrees on the circumference of the security ring.

12. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the container closure has at least one holding strip having a first and a second end and a first and a second longitudinal side, wherein the first end is undetachably connected to free edge of the cylindrical casing and the second end is undetachably connected to the security ring.

13. The container closure according to claim 12, wherein the at least one holding strip is of a length such that, in the unscrewed state of the screw cap, the free edge of the cylindrical casing can be locked in one slot of the plurality of slots and is held in the one slot by the at least one holding strip.

14. The container closure according to claim 13, wherein two holding straps are provided, the length of which is dimensioned such that the two holding straps pull the free edge into the one slot when the screw cap is unscrewed, whereby the free edge locks in the one slot.

15. The container closure according to claim 13, wherein the cylindrical casing rests on the top edge of the one slot 31 and the free edge rests on the first subsection of the wall section.

16. The container closure claim 12, further comprising at least one recess on the security ring for receiving the holding strip.

17. The container closure according to claim 16, wherein the at least one recess is provided in a circumferential or annular section of the security ring, which is free of slots.

18. The container closure according to claim 12, further comprising a plurality of second break-off webs connecting a first longitudinal side of the holding strip to the free edge of the casing and a plurality of third break-off webs connecting a second longitudinal side of the holding strip to the security ring.

19. A container, comprising: a plastic bottle comprising a container closure; a screw cap comprising a cylindrical casing having an internal thread and a lid disc adjoining the cylindrical casing; a security ring connected by a plurality of first break-off webs to a free edge of the cylindrical casing and having a plurality of slots distributed over a circumference of the security ring, each slot having a top edge and a bottom edge, wherein the top edge is formed by a section of the security ring that extends in a shape of a circular arc and the bottom edge is formed by a wall section that is inclined inwards in a radial direction; a container neck having an external thread; a holding ring below the external thread protruding outwards in the radial direction, the bottom edge of each slot forming a form-fitting engagement into an abutment in the form of a holding ring arranged in a region of a container neck.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1: a perspective view of a container closure with security ring in a first embodiment obliquely from below;

[0032] FIG. 2: a perspective longitudinal section through the first embodiment;

[0033] FIG. 3: a second perspective view of the first embodiment obliquely from above;

[0034] FIG. 4: a view of the security ring according to the first embodiment, which is placed on a container neck;

[0035] FIG. 5: a perspective view of the container closure with security ring in a second embodiment obliquely from below;

[0036] FIG. 6: a perspective longitudinal section through the second embodiment;

[0037] FIG. 7: a second perspective view of the second embodiment obliquely from above;

[0038] FIG. 8: a view of the security ring according to the second embodiment, which is placed on a container neck;

[0039] FIG. 9: a further longitudinal section through the container closure;

[0040] FIG. 10: a detailed view of an inwardly inclined wall section of the security ring;

[0041] FIG. 11: a perspective view of the wall section inclined obliquely inwardly;

[0042] FIG. 12: a perspective view of the container closure having a holding strip integrated into the security ring.

[0043] FIG. 13: a perspective view of the security ring, wherein the screw cap is unscrewed from the container neck,

[0044] FIG. 14: a perspective view of the security ring

[0045] FIG. 15: a longitudinal section through the security ring in a perspective view;

[0046] FIG. 16: a detailed view of an inwardly inclined wall section of the security ring with visualized inclination angles;

[0047] FIG. 17: a side view of the container closure with screw cap unscrewed, wherein the open edge of the screw cap is locked in one of the slots and is held with a holding strip, and

[0048] FIG. 18: the container closure in a perspective view, wherein the screw cap is pulled into the slot by two holding strips.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] FIGS. 1 to 12 show a closure cap that is denoted overall by reference sign 11. A first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and a second embodiment is shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. A security ring, which the container closure has, is shown separately in FIGS. 13 to 16.

[0050] The container closure 11 has a screw cap 13 that comprises a cylindrical casing 15 and a lid disc 17 adjoining the casing 15. A sealing element, for example a sealing ring 18, can be formed on the inside of the lid disc 17. The casing 15 has an internal thread 19 that interacts with an external thread 21 of a container neck 23 of a container 24 (FIG. 9). The sealing ring 18 interacts with the open edge of the container neck 23. As a result, the container 24 is tightly closed when the screw cap 13 is screwed onto the container neck 23.

[0051] The container closure 11 has a security ring 25 that is connected to the free edge 29 of the casing 15 via first break-off webs 27. When the screw cap 13 is unscrewed for the first time, the first break-off webs 27 break, as a result of which whether or not the container closure is closed as originally is immediately evident.

[0052] Slots 31 distributed over the circumference of the security ring 25 are provided on the security ring. The slots 31 each have a top edge 33 and a bottom edge 35. The top edge 33 is formed by a section of the security ring 25 in the shape of a circular arc. The bottom edge 35 corresponds to the free edge of a wall section 37 inclined inwards in the radial direction. Due to the internal inclination of the wall section 37, the bottom edge 35 has a smaller radius than the security ring 25 and can thereby abut against an abutment of the container neck 23 when the screw cap 13 is unscrewed from the container neck 23. The abutment is realized by a holding ring 39, which is formed below the external thread 21 on the container neck 23. When the threaded part 13 is unscrewed, the bottom edge 35 engages in a form-fitting manner on the holding ring 39, as a result of which the holding ring 39 is reliably held on the holding ring 39 even under high axial forces.

[0053] Each wall section 37 has a first subsection 41 and two second subsections 43. The first subsection 41 represents an inwardly-folded casing section and may be designed to be flat. The second subsections 43 adjoin the inwardly-facing sides of the first subsection 41 and connect them to the casing 15. The second subsections 43 can have a curved or flat design and face each other obliquely inwards. The bottom edge 35 of the slot 31 corresponds to the free edges of the first subsection 41 and of the second subsections 43 and lies in a plane 45, which is shown in FIGS. 10 and 16. The plane 45 may be oriented to be perpendicular to the central axis 47 of the container closure 11. These described design features of the wall section 37 have the advantage that the wall section 47, with the entire bottom edge 35 can rest against the holding ring 39 and not yield upwards in the event of an axial tensile force. As a result, the security ring 25 is held undetachably against the holding ring 39 or can be removed from the holding ring 39 only by being destroyed. A movement of the first subsection 41 inwards in the radial direction is prevented by provision of the second subsections 43. However, a movement of the first subsection 41 outwards in the radial direction is possible. This movement is flexible, and, after being pressed outwards in the radial direction, the wall section 37 returns to its inwardly inclined home position. This has the further advantage that the container closure can be easily demolded and can be pressed onto the container neck 23 with little force. As a result of the flexibility of the wall section 37, the demolding from an injection mold and the pressing onto a container neck 23 can take place without the risk of damaging the wall section 37.

[0054] The inclined wall sections 37 has a lesser wall thickness than the remaining security ring 25. FIG. 10 shows in particular that the region of the bottom edge 35 has the smallest wall thickness. The above-described flexibility of the wall section 37 outwards in the radial direction is thereby further improved. The wall thickness of the wall section 37 increases linearly downwards starting from the bottom edge 35.

[0055] FIGS. 4 and 8 show that the wall sections 37 are arranged in pairs diametrically opposite the security ring 25.

[0056] FIG. 4 shows that a plurality of slots 31 of equal size are arranged at the same distance from one another in a circumferential section of the security ring 25 and that the same number of slots 31 is arranged in a diametrically opposed circumferential section. As a result, the holding forces of the wall sections are distributed as uniformly as possible over the circumference of the security ring 25. In the first embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 4, two free annular sections 49 are thus provided, which do not have any slots 31. To produce the free annular sections 49, the injection molding tool has two sliders for the production of the container closure 11. The sliders produce the slots 31 and the wall sections 37.

[0057] FIGS. 5 to 7 and in particular FIG. 8 show a second exemplary embodiment in which the slots 31 or the wall sections 37 can be distributed uniformly over the circumference of the security ring. In this exemplary embodiment, therefore, no free annular sections 49 are present. This embodiment is produced using an injection molding tool with four sliders.

[0058] The slots 31 are all of the same length and have an opening angle 51 that is 25 degrees. As a result, the bottom edges 35 are of sufficient length to reliably and undetachably hold the security ring 25 on the container neck 23.

[0059] FIG. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment with which at least one holding strip 53 is integrated into the security ring 25. The holding strip 53 has a first and a second end and a first and a second longitudinal side. The first end 55 is fixedly or undetachably connected to the free edge 29 and the second end 57 is fixedly or undetachably connected to the security ring 25. Due to the holding strip, the screw cap 13 is captively connected to the container neck 23 after the first unscrewing, and the screw cap 13 must accordingly be disposed of together with the container 24.

[0060] A recess 63 is expediently provided on the free annular section 49. The holding strip 53 is accommodated in the recess 63. The free annular section 49 provides sufficient space so that the holding strip 53 is integrated into the security ring 25 without the height of the security ring having to be increased or more material being necessary. It goes without saying that, in the case of a plurality of holding straps 53, a plurality of recesses 63 are provided for the reception thereof.

[0061] Second break-off webs 65 connect the first longitudinal side 59 of the holding strip 53 to the free edge 29 of the casing. Third break-off webs 67 connect the second longitudinal sides 59 of the holding strip 53 to the security ring 25. Like the first break-off webs 27, the intact second and third break-off webs 65, 67 indicate the original closure of the container closure. In addition, the second and third break-off webs 65, 67 are required that the container closure 11 is sufficiently stable, even when at least one holding strip 53 is provided, in order to be able to be pressed onto the container closure 11.

[0062] FIGS. 13 to 15 show the security ring 25 according to the first embodiment without the screw cap 13. In FIG. 13, the screw cap 13 is unscrewed from the container neck 23. FIGS. 15 and 16 clearly show that an annular bead 69 on which the top edges 33 rest is formed above the slots 31 on the security ring 25.

[0063] FIG. 16 shows a first and second inclination angle 71, 73. The first inclination angle 71 indicates the inclination of the first subsection 41 with respect to the plane of the bottom edge 45. The first inclination angle 71 has a magnitude between 60 and 80 degrees, or between 65 and 75 degrees. The greater the first inclination angle 71, the better the stability of the wall sections 37 with respect to vertical force effects or axial tensile forces caused by the unscrewing of the screw cap 13. However, the first inclination angle 71 must not become too large as otherwise the holding ring 39 cannot be sufficiently engaged underneath.

[0064] The second inclination angle 73 indicates the inclination of the slot 31 with respect to the plane of the bottom edge 45. The connecting line 75, which represents the inclination of the slot, is a connection of the top edge 33 to the bottom edge 35 in a plane spanned by the central axis 47 and the connecting line 75. The second inclination angle 73 is enclosed by the connecting line 75 and the plane 45. The second inclination angle 73 has a magnitude between 30 and 50 degrees, or between 35 and 45 degrees. The greater the second inclination angle 73, the more easily the container closure 11 can be demolded.

[0065] The wall sections 37 enable the security ring 25 to be reliably held on the container neck 23, even if increased axial forces act when the screw cap 13 is being unscrewed, which axial forces pull the security ring 25 upwards. Accordingly, the break-off webs 27, 65, 67 reliably tear before the security ring 25 is pulled over the holding ring 39. In addition, the configuration of the wall sections 37 makes it possible for the container closure to be demolded from its tool in a non-destructive manner and to be able to be pressed onto the container neck 23 with reduced application force (compared to the prior art). This is due to the fact that the wall sections 37 are immovable in the radial direction inwards, but have a certain mobility in the radial direction outwards.

[0066] The combination of the slots 31 or wall sections 37 having at least one holding strip 53 on the security ring 27 offers great advantages. This is due to the fact that for the at least one holding strip 53 to work properly it must tear off in a defined manner. The particularly stable fastening of the security ring 25 to the holding ring 39 enables precisely this defined tearing of the second and third break-off webs 65, 67.

[0067] FIG. 17 shows a variant of how the unscrewed screw cap 13 can be held on the container 24. The at least one holding strip 53 has a length such that the free edge 29 can be held in one of the slots 31. After unscrewing, the screw cap 13 is fixed by the dimensioning of the length of the holding strip 53, as a result of which it does not interfere with the pouring out of filling material. The slots 31 and the holding strip 53 therefore interact directly so that the screw cap 13 can be fixed. The slots 31 thus have a further benefit in addition to the reliable holding of the security ring 25. Because the screw cap 13 can be held on the security ring 25, a holding on the support ring 77, which is formed on the container neck 23, is obsolete. The length of the holding strip 53 does not have to be adapted to different diameters and positions of the support ring 77, but can instead always have the same length.

[0068] FIG. 18 shows a further embodiment with which the free edge 29 is pulled from a first and second holding strip 53a, 53b into the slot. In this case, the holding strips 53a, may be tensioned so that the screw cap 13 is fixedly held on the slot 31. Preferably, the free edge 29 is pulled onto the slot 31 such that the casing 15 rests against the top edge 33 of the slot 31 and the free edge 29 rests against the first subsection 41 of the wall section 37. Due to the fact that the screw cap 13 rests on an edge and a face, the molding for the particularly fixed holding of the security ring 25 on the container neck 23 is also ideally used for holding the screw cap 13 in a fixed and wiggle-free manner on the security ring 25.