CLOSING CAP FOR POURING HOLES FOR CONTAINERS HOLDING LIQUIDS

Abstract

Closing cap for pouring holes for containers holding liquids. It comprises: a lower ring (1) with a first sector (9) intended to be retained axially in the hooking collar and a second sector (10); articulated with respect to the first sector (9); a top lid (2), foldable; a hinging element (3) with two elastic sheets (13); and a locking device to lock the lid (2) in the folded open position, with a flexible tab (14), between the two elastic sheets (13); and a heel (15) protruding radially outwards. The second sector (10) of the ring (1) further comprises a notch (16) for housing the heel (15) when the lid (2) is in the folded open position and with an inclination with respect to the ring (1) in the range of 90? to 179?.

Claims

1. A closing cap for pouring holes for containers holding liquids, attachable to the neck of a container having a hooking collar, for closing a pouring hole in the neck, said cap comprising: a lower ring (1) in turn comprising: a first sector (9) intended to be retained axially in the neck's hooking collar, and a second sector (10); articulated with respect to the first sector (9); a top lid (2), in turn comprising: a flat upper wall (4), and an outer peripheral skirt (5), being the lid (2) suitable to be arranged in a closing position wherein the upper wall (4) closes the neck hole and the peripheral skirt (5) surrounds said neck; a hinging element (3) comprising two elastic sheets (13) connecting the peripheral skirt (5) with the second sector (10), configured to allow a pivot of the lid (2) between a released position and an open folded position wherein the lid (2) is withdrawn from the hole; and a locking device configured to lock the lid (2) in the folded open position, comprising: a flexible tab (14), arranged between the two elastic sheets (13); and a heel (15) protruding radially outwards, from the peripheral skirt (5) of the lid (1); being the closing cap characterized in that the second sector (10) of the ring (1) further comprises a notch (16) for housing the heel (15) when the lid (2) is in the folded open position and with an inclination with respect to the ring (1) within the range of 90? to 179?.

2. The closing cap according to claim 1, wherein the first sector (9) and the second sector (10) are separated from each other by two thinned areas (11) in which the ring (1) presents locally a decrease in radial thickness.

3. The closing cap according to claim 1, wherein the heel (15) and the notch (16) are located in a central area of the second sector (10).

4. The closing cap according to claim 1, wherein the hinging element (3) is connected to the second sector (10) in a central area of the second sector (10).

5. The closing cap according to claim 1, wherein the lower ring (1) is connected to the peripheral skirt (5) by frangible bridges (8).

6. The closing cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap is molded in a single piece.

7. The closing cap according to claim 2, wherein the heel (15) and the notch (16) are located in a central area of the second sector (10).

8. The closing cap according to claim 2, wherein the hinging element (3) is connected to the second sector (10) in a central area of the second sector (10).

9. The closing cap according to claim 3, wherein the hinging element (3) is connected to the second sector (10) in a central area of the second sector (10).

10. The closing cap according to claim 2, wherein the lower ring (1) is connected to the peripheral skirt (5) by frangible bridges (8).

11. The closing cap according to claim 3, wherein the lower ring (1) is connected to the peripheral skirt (5) by frangible bridges (8).

12. The closing cap according to claim 4, wherein the lower ring (1) is connected to the peripheral skirt (5) by frangible bridges (8).

13. The closing cap according to claim 2, wherein the cap is molded in a single piece.

14. The closing cap according to claim 3, wherein the cap is molded in a single piece.

15. The closing cap according to claim 4, wherein the cap is molded in a single piece.

16. The closing cap according to claim 5, wherein the cap is molded in a single piece.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] To complement the description being made and in order to provide a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of its practical embodiment, a set of drawings is attached and as an integral part of this description, where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

[0019] FIG. 1.Shows a top front perspective view of the closing cap for pouring holes for containers holding liquid.

[0020] FIG. 2.Shows a bottom perspective view of the cap.

[0021] FIG. 3.Shows a front view of the cap.

[0022] FIG. 4.Shows a top perspective view of the back of the cap, sectioned along central plane.

[0023] FIG. 5.Shows a right-side view of the cap.

[0024] FIG. 6.Shows a sectional view of the cap illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0025] FIG. 7.Shows a rear perspective view of the lid in the raised and open arrangement at 90? with respect to the ring.

[0026] FIG. 8.Shows a rear perspective view of the lid in the raised and open arrangement at 180? with respect to the ring.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0027] A detailed explanation of a preferred embodiment of the object of the present invention is provided below, with the help of the aforementioned figures.

[0028] In the description, when referring to the X axis, it must be understood that this corresponds to an axis of the capping device intended to be positioned orthogonally to the plane of the hole to be sealed when the capping device is in the closing position and seals said hole. The X axis thus corresponds to the cap rotation axis of the capping device when the capping device is screwed onto the neck of the container.

[0029] By convention, the radial orientation is directed orthogonally to the X axis. The term outer is used to define the relative position of an element with respect to another, by reference to the X axis, an element close to the X axis is thus classified as inner as opposed to an outer element located radially in the periphery. The terms top and bottom are used to define the relative position of an element with respect to another by reference to a position where the neck hole is facing upwards and the cap is in the closed position at the neck of the container, an element intended to be placed lower being referred to as bottom, and an element intended to be placed higher being referred to as top.

[0030] The closing cap for pouring holes for containers holding liquids described is intended to be attached to the neck of a container having a hooking collar. The cap, shown in FIG. 1, consists of a lower ring (1), intended to be retained in the neck of the container, an upper lid (2), intended to cover the container's pouring hole to close it, and a hinging element (3) that connects the lid (2) with the ring (1) in a hinged way.

[0031] The lid (2) comprises a flat, horizontal upper wall (4) intended to be placed substantially orthogonal to the X axis facing the neck hole when the lid (2) is in the closed position. The lid (2) also comprises a peripheral skirt (5), intended to surround the neck of the container when said lid (2) is in the closed position. The peripheral skirt (5) extends downwards, perpendicular to the upper wall (4), from the outer periphery of said upper wall (4).

[0032] The peripheral skirt (5) has on its inner face a screwable surface (6), formed by a series of helical ribs, intended to cooperate with a complementary screwable surface located on the outer surface of the neck. Thus, the lid (2) is configured to be screwed onto the neck in order to close the container and to be unscrewed from the neck in order to open the container.

[0033] The lid (2) is therefore movable between a closed position and an open position. In the open position, the lid (2) is no longer attached to the neck of the container. It is thus suitable for folding into the open folded position, where the lid (2) is withdrawn from the neck hole so that it does not hinder the pouring of the content from the container.

[0034] The peripheral skirt (5) has on its outer face a series of notches (7) distributed around the X axis and extending parallel to the X axis. The notches (7) thus provide a rough surface that facilitates the grip of the lid (2) by the user or the bottling line assembly device.

[0035] The lid (2) also comprises an inner skirt extending perpendicularly downwards from an inner face of the upper wall (4) and is configured to be inserted inside the neck hole. The cap (2) further comprises an annular lip, extending, from an inner face of the upper wall (4), radially between the inner skirt and the outer peripheral skirt (5).

[0036] The inner skirt and annular lip are sized so that, when the lid (2) is in the closed position, on the neck of the container, the inner skirt is in contact against the inner face of the neck while the annular lip is in contact against the outer face of the neck. In this way, the inner skirt and annular lip guarantee the tightness of the closure.

[0037] The ring (1) is, before the first opening of the container, connected to the lid (2) by frangible bridges (8), which are intended to break during the first opening of the lid (2). These frangible bridges (8) thus constitute tamper-evident seals and connect the upper edge of the ring (1) and the lower edge of the peripheral skirt (5).

[0038] The ring (1) remains axially linked to the neck of the container, while being able to rotate with respect to it around the X axis. The ring (1) comprises two parts hinged to each other, more specifically a first sector (9) and a second sector (10) through which the ring (1) is connected to the lid (2) through the hinging element (3).

[0039] The ring (1) comprises two thin zones (11), whose radial thickness is less than the rest of the ring (3). The two thinned zones (11) delimit the first sector (9) and the second sector (10), and form pivots that allow the hinging of the second sector (10) with respect to the first sector (9). In the embodiment shown, the two thinned zones (11) are diametrically opposite, on both sides of the ring (1).

[0040] Thanks to this ring structure (1), the second sector (10) can pivot upwards with respect to the first sector (9), from a lowered position to a raised position in order to allow the lid (2) to move upwards with respect to the neck of the container until the screwable surface (6) of the lid (2) separates from the complementary screwable surface of the outer neck surface. In this way, when the lid (2) is unscrewed, the ring (1) is dragged in rotation around the X axis while the second sector (10) of the ring (1) pivots with respect to the first sector (9) to the raised position, to allow an axial upward movement of the lid (2), from the closed position to the released position.

[0041] The first sector (9) of the ring (1) includes retaining elements (12) in order to retain the ring (1) axially to the neck of the container. The retaining elements (12) are protrusions, shown in FIG. 2, protruding radially inwards from the first sector (9) of the ring (1).

[0042] The second sector (10) includes support elements formed by protrusions protruding radially inwards. The support elements are configured so that, when the second sector (10) is in the lowered position, the support elements are located below the hooking collar and when the second sector (10) is in the raised position, the supporting elements are located above the hooking collar and are supported on it.

[0043] Due to the connection of lids (2) with the second sector (10) through the hinging element (3), the ring (1) is commanded to traction during the movement of the second sector (10) from the lowered position to the raised position, this allows the supporting elements to move from a low position under the hooking collar to a high position above and resting on the hooking collar.

[0044] The hinging element (3) is configured to allow the lid (2) to swing between the released position and the folded open position. In the embodiment shown, the hinging element (3) includes two elastic sheets (13) that connect the lid (2), more particularly the peripheral skirt (5), to the second sector (10) of the ring (1). The two elastic sheets (13) are positioned in the central part of the second sector (10).

[0045] The closing cap additionally comprises a locking device configured to lock the lid (2) in the folded open position. The locking device comprises: [0046] a flexible tab (14), arranged between the two elastic sheets (13), and [0047] a heel (15) protruding radially outwards, from the peripheral skirt (5) of the lid (1).

[0048] The heel (15) is configured to bear against the tab (14) when the lid (2) pivots toward the open folded position to lock it in that position, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0049] The stretch possibilities of the elastic sheets (13) together with the characteristics of the locking device, make it possible to create hard point halfway through the folding path of the lid (2) between the released position and the open folded position, so that, during the first part of the lid (2), the two elastic sheets (13) are, due to the resting of the heel (15) on the tab (14), subjected to a traction force that increases up to an intermediate unstable position and then decreases from said intermediate unstable position towards the open folded position. This allows the lid (2) to be locked in the open folded position, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0050] In addition, the locking device is configured so that the opening angle of the lid (2) in said open folded position is greater than or equal to 180?, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0051] The second sector (10) of the ring (1) additionally has a notch (16), located between the elastic sheets (13), intended to accommodate the heel (15) when the lid (2) is in the raised position and open at 90? with respect to the ring (1), as in FIG. 7.

[0052] The notch (16) is configured so that, starting from the 90? in FIG. 7 and upon reaching the 180? of opening of the lid (2) in the open folded position, the heel (15) slides out of said notch (16) to remain engaged in the tab, also generating an audible click warning that warns the user that the maximum opening is being reached, thus avoiding possible breakage. This arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0053] Preferably, the closing cap is produced by molding in a single piece of synthetic material, such as polyethylene, and advantageously high-density polyethylene.