Cap for a container

Abstract

Disclosed is a cap for a container and a container comprising such cap. This container typically accommodates loosely stored, solid products, such as strips, pills, tablets or the like. The cap includes a lid body with a top part and a peripheral wall, wherein the lid body includes a sealing skirt and an inner peripheral wall, which extend from the top part, and form a peripheral groove in between. At least one projection portion for partially covering the peripheral groove is integrally formed with the sealing skirt and the inner peripheral wall.

Claims

1. A cap for a container, comprising: a lid body with a top part and a peripheral wall, wherein the lid body comprises a sealing skirt and an inner peripheral wall, which extend from the top part and form a peripheral groove in between, wherein at least two separate projection portions partially cover the peripheral groove and are integrally formed with the sealing skirt, wherein each projection portion extends from the sealing skirt toward the inner peripheral wall, at an angle of inclination with respect to an extension direction of the sealing skirt, with an interstice being formed between a distal end of the projection portion and the inner peripheral wall so that the projection portion can be released when the cap is removed from a mold, and wherein the cap comprises one integral piece.

2. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the at least two separate projection portions are arranged on a distal end portion of the sealing skirt.

3. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the at least two separate projection portions are arranged on a side surface of the sealing skirt.

4. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the at least two separate projection portions are inclined with respect to an extension direction of at least one of the sealing skirt and inner peripheral wall.

5. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap further comprises a ring-element configured to be connected to a container, wherein the lid body is connected to the ring-element by a hinge.

6. Cap according to claim 5, wherein the ring-element comprises a tamper-evident ring comprising frangible webs, which are connected to the lid body.

7. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap is manufactured by injection molding of polymer material, wherein the polymer material is selected from the group consisting of PEHD, PEBD and PP.

8. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the width of each projection portion is 1-5 mm.

9. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the at least two projection portions are located equidistant to each other in a circumferential direction.

10. Cap according to claim 1, wherein the inner peripheral wall is provided with a permeable surface so as to form a chamber, wherein the permeable surface is selected from the group consisting of a permeable polymer, a cardboard and a paper sheet.

11. Cap according to claim 10, wherein the chamber contains an active agent selected from the group consisting of active carbon, silica gel, molecular sieve, clay, other zeolites, and mixtures thereof.

12. Cap according to claim 1, wherein each projection portion tapers towards its distal end.

13. Container comprising the cap according to claim 1 attached thereto.

14. Cap according to claim 4, wherein each projection portion is inclined with respect to the extension direction of the sealing skirt or inner peripheral wall by 30-60 degrees.

15. Cap according to claim 1, comprising from 8-14 projection portions.

16. Cap according to claim 5, wherein the hinge comprises a film-hinge.

17. A cap for a container, comprising: a lid body with a top part and a peripheral wall, wherein the lid body comprises a sealing skirt and an inner peripheral wall, which extend from the top part and form a peripheral groove in between, wherein at least two separate projection portions partially cover the peripheral groove and are integrally formed with the inner peripheral wall, wherein each projection portion extends from the inner peripheral wall toward the sealing skirt, at an angle of inclination with respect to an extension direction of the inner peripheral wall, with an interstice being formed between a distal end of the projection portion and the sealing skirt so that the projection portion can be released with the cap is removed from a mold, and wherein the cap comprises one integral piece.

18. Cap according to claim 17, wherein the cap further comprises a ring-element configured to be connected to a container, wherein the lid body is connected to the ring-element by a hinge.

19. Cap according to claim 17, wherein each projection portion tapers towards its distal end.

20. Container comprising the cap according to claim 17 attached thereto.

21. Cap according to claim 17, wherein each projection portion is inclined with respect to the extension direction of the sealing skirt or inner peripheral wall by 30-60 degrees.

22. The cap of claim 1 wherein the at least two separate projection portions are wedge-shaped and exhibit flexibility.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a cap according a preferred embodiment of the present invention attached to a container.

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates the cap according to FIG. 1 attached to the container from a different perspective.

(3) FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cap and the container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 illustrates the cap according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention before being attached to the container.

(5) FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the cap being attached to the container.

(6) FIG. 6 is another sectional view of the cap prior to the attachment to the container.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cap according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention when viewed from a lower side.

(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cap for a container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention when viewed from an upper side.

(9) FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the cap according to the preferred embodiment of the invention when viewed from a lower side.

(10) FIG. 10 is a plan view of the cap according to the preferred embodiment of the invention from a lower side.

(11) FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the cap being attached to the container wherein the projection portion extends from the inner peripheral wall for partially covering the peripheral groove.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(12) The following explanations refer to a preferred embodiment of a cap for a container according to the present invention, which is described with reference to FIGS. 1-10. Further modifications and variations of single features mentioned in connection with the present embodiment may each be combined with each other, respectively, thereby providing additional embodiments of the present invention.

(13) A cap 1 according to the present embodiment is attached to a tubular container 100, wherein the container 100 has a substantially cylindrical form with a closed bottom portion 101, a peripheral wall portion 102 and an opening 103 opposite to the bottom portion 101. A rib portion 104 is formed adjacent to the opening 103 on the peripheral wall portion 102. The rib portion 104 can interact with a corresponding part of the cap 1.

(14) The cap 1 comprises a lid body 10 and a ring-element 20, which are connected to each other by a film hinge 50 and a plurality of frangible webs 40 arranged on an upper portion 21 of the ring-element 20. The frangible webs 40 are broken once the lid body 10 is opened for the first time. Accordingly, the ring-element 20 is in the present case a so-called tamper-evident ring. The ring-element 20 further comprises an outer wall 22 and an inner curved surface 23 providing a joining part for connecting the ring element 20 to the rib 104 of the container 100.

(15) The lid body 10 includes a top part 11 (upper portion of the lid body) and an outer peripheral wall 12. The outer peripheral wall 12 comprises a grip portion 13, which is arranged opposite to a recessed portion 24 of the ring element 20. Thereby, a consumer may easily access the grip portion 13 for opening the lid body 10.

(16) A sealing skirt 15 of the lid body 10 extends substantially from the top part 11 and may snugly fit an inner peripheral wall of the container 100, when the cap 1 attached thereto. Further, an inner peripheral wall 17 is provided on the lid body 10, which extends substantially from the top part 11, and may be aligned concentrically to the sealing skirt 15. The distal portion 17a of the inner peripheral wall 17 extends further from the top part 11 as compared to a distal portion of the sealing skirt 15.

(17) The distal portion 17a of the inner peripheral wall 17 is deformed so as to support a permeable surface element 31, which is according to the present embodiment a cardboard 31. In particular, the distal portion 17a is bent towards the axis of the lid body 10, thereby fixing the cardboard 31 to a step portion provided on an inner side of the inner peripheral wall 17. Thereby, the top part 11, the inner peripheral wall 17 and the cardboard 31 form a desiccant chamber 30, wherein a desiccant element is contained. The desiccant element is defined as an agent able to trap and/or release gas or vapor, such as oxygen or moisture. Examples of such agents contained in the desiccant chamber are active carbon, silica gel, molecular sieve, clay or other zeolites. Further examples are iron-based oxygen scavengers, organic oxygen scavengers, enzymatic scavengers or unsaturated polymers, or a mixture thereof.

(18) According to the present preferred embodiment, several projection portions 15a are provided on a distal end of the sealing skirt 15. The projection portions 15a are in the present case integrally molded with the sealing skirt 15, but may also be fixed thereto in the fabrication process.

(19) The projection portions 15a, which comprise according to the present embodiment in cross-section a tapered shape, extend from the distal end of the sealing skirt 15, and are inclined towards the inner peripheral wall 17. Between the distal end of the projections portions 15a and the peripheral wall 17, an interstice is formed which is according to the preferred embodiment around 0.5 mm or more. Thereby, direct contact between the sealing skirt 15 and the inner peripheral wall 17 is avoided under normal conditions, so that the flexibility of the sealing skirt 15 is assured.

(20) According to the present embodiment, twelve projection portions 15a are provided, which are equally spaced from each other in the circumferential direction. However, according to a further modification, the distances between the projection portions 15a may vary. Further, the number of projection portions is not limited to the one specifically mentioned in connection with the present embodiment. In principle, a single projection portion may be provided for partially covering the peripheral groove 16.

(21) Although it is preferred to arrange the projection portions 15a at a distal end of the sealing skirt 15, the projection portion may be placed at any vertical position of the sealing skirt 15 or on the inner peripheral wall 17. In any case, it is preferred that the projection portions 15a extend from the sealing skirt 15 or the inner peripheral wall 17 without increasing the thickness thereof.

(22) The thickness of the projection portion 15a or 15b is preferably smaller than 1.5 mm, most preferably smaller than 1 mm. In particular, the thickness of the projection portion 15a is 0.5-1.5 mm, preferably 0.8-1 mm.

(23) The width of the projection portion 15a or 15b is preferably around 1-5 mm, and may depend on the number of the projection portions 15a implemented in the cap 1.

(24) The length of the projection portions 15a or 15b depends on the angle of inclination of the projection portions 15a or 15b and the distance between the inner peripheral wall 17 and the sealing skirt 15. The distance between the sealing skirt 15 and the inner peripheral wall 17 is preferably 1.5 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the interstice remaining between the distal end of the projection portions 15a or 15b and the opposite wall (either the inner peripheral wall 17 or the sealing skirt 15) is 0.5 mm or less than the thickness of the consumer product. The distance between two projection portions 15a is preferable around 1 mm to less than the width of the product accommodated in the container 100.

(25) According to the present embodiment, the cap 1 comprises the lid body 10 and the ring-element 20. However, according to a further configuration, the cap 1 may also comprise the lid body 10 without the ring-element 20.