Closure device for a container

Abstract

A closure device for closing a container opening of a container, in particular a drinks bottle, has a lid element, a chamber arranged on the cover element and an inner housing. The chamber and the inner housing have closers and openers corresponding to one another, which interact with one another in such a way that a medium contained in the chamber can move into the container as a result of a movement of the lid element relative to the inner housing. In order to create an alternative closure device, which is particularly simple to produce and can be produced from as few individual components as possible, the closer is a closure pin which is securely connected to the chamber, and which can be removed from a closure opening of the inner housing forming the opener by a movement of the lid element relative to the inner housing.

Claims

1. A closure device (1) for closing a container opening (3) of a container (2), particularly a beverage bottle, wherein the closure device (1) comprises a lid element (4), a chamber (6) arranged on the lid element (4) and an inner housing (5), and wherein the chamber (6) and the inner housing (5) comprise closing means and opening means that correspond to one another and interact with one another in such a way that a medium enclosed in the chamber (6) escapes into the container (2) due to a motion of the lid element (4) relative to the inner housing (5), wherein the closing means is a closure pin (7) arranged on the chamber (6) and removable from a closure opening (8) of the inner housing (5) forming the opening means due to a motion of the lid element (4) relative to the inner housing (5), and wherein the opening means comprises an opening part that comprises two circumferential sealing zones, namely a sealing zone that is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the opening means and interacts with an inner surface of the chamber (6) and a sealing zone that is offset inward relative thereto and interacts with the closure pin (7), wherein the sealing zones are furthermore arranged concentric to one another in a direction extending perpendicular to a moving direction (R) of the opening means relative to the chamber (6) when the closure device is opened.

2. A closure device (1) for closing a container opening (3) of a container (2), particularly a beverage bottle, wherein the closure device (1) comprises a lid element (4), a chamber (6) arranged on the lid element (4) and an inner housing (5), and wherein the chamber (6) and the inner housing (5) comprise closing means and opening means that correspond to one another and interact with one another in such a way that a medium enclosed in the chamber (6) escapes into the container (2) due to a motion of the lid element (4) relative to the inner housing (5), wherein the closing means is a closure pin (7), wherein a sealing element (10) is arranged between a sealing end (9) of the closure pin and the closure opening (8), and wherein an additional sealing element is arranged between an inner surface of a discharge nozzle (13) and an outer surface of a channel dome (14) of the inner housing (5) such that two circumferential sealing zones are formed, wherein said sealing zones are arranged concentric to one another in a direction extending perpendicular to a moving direction (R) of the opening means relative to the chamber (6) when the closure device is opened.

3. The closure device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the sealing element (10) is arranged between the sealing end (9) of the closure pin (7) and the closure opening (8).

4. The closure device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the closure pin (7) is realized integrally with the chamber (6).

5. The closure device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the sealing end (9) has a diameter, which essentially corresponds to the inside diameter of the closure opening (8).

6. The closure device (1) according to claim 1, wherein a sealing element (10) is assigned to the closure opening (8) or the closure pin (7) in order to produce a fluid-tight seal between the closure opening (8) and the closure pin (7).

7. The closure device (1) according to claim 6, wherein a sealing element (10) is assigned to the inner wall of the closure opening (8), wherein the inner wall is particularly coated with the sealing material.

8. The closure device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the closure opening (8) forms part of a flow channel (11), the length of which corresponds to at least five times its diameter and to no more than twenty times its diameter.

9. The closure device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the chamber (6) is concentrically arranged in the inner housing (5), wherein the chamber (6) is axially displaced within the inner housing (5) by opening the closure device (1) on the container (2).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a section of a container with a closure device arranged thereon,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a lid element of the closure device with a chamber arranged thereon,

(4) FIG. 3 shows an inner housing of the closure device, and

(5) FIG. 4 shows the closure device in a discharging position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(6) A closure device 1 with a chamber 6 that features a lower opening is illustrated in the figures and described below, wherein opening means that make it possible to empty the chamber 6 are provided relative to said lower opening. The opening means particularly consist of an opening part, which in the exemplary embodiment is specifically realized in the form of a sealing element 10. This opening part features two circumferential sealing zones, namely a sealing zone that is preferably formed on an outer circumferential surface of the opening means and interacts with an inner surface of the chamber 6, and an additional sealing zone that is offset inward relative thereto and in the exemplary embodiment interacts with the closure pin 7. The aforementioned sealing zones are arranged concentric to one another in a perpendicular directionreferred to a moving direction R of the opening means relative to the chamber 6 when the closure device is opened.

(7) FIG. 1 shows an upper section of a container 2, in this case a beverage bottle, on the container opening 3 of which a closure device 1 is arranged. The closure device 1 is in a position relative to the container 2, in which it seals the container opening 3 in a fluid-tight fashion. The closure device 1 is usually screwed on the container 2 such that the container opening 3 is sealed. In this state, the container 2 can be stored for a prolonged period of time without the contents escaping from the container 2. In order to open the container 2, the closure device 1 is usually unscrewed from the container 2 such that the container opening 3 ultimately is completely opened.

(8) The closure device 1 features a lid element 4, a chamber 6 arranged on the lid element 4 and an inner housing 5. In thenon-restrictiveembodiment shown, the lid element 4 is a plastic lid consisting, for example, of polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). The chamber 6 is sealed with a foil element 12. This foil element 12 advantageously is an aluminum foil, but may also consist of a plastic material such as, for example, EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like. If the foil element 12 consists of aluminum, it is preferably coated with a varnish for the material of the chamber 6, particularly PBT, on the side that points in the direction of the chamber 6. A varnish suitable for use in conjunction with the lid element 4 is advantageously applied on the opposite side of the foil element 12 that points in the direction of the lid element 4. The foil element 12 preferably is respectively welded to the chamber 6 and the lid element 4. The opening is used for filling the chamber 6 with a medium prior to sealing the chamber 6 with the lid element 4.

(9) The lid element 4 may also consist, for example, of an aluminum lid that is rolled onto the container 2 although such an aluminum lid is not explicitly illustrated in the inventive embodiment. This is particularly advantageous in conjunction with glass containers.

(10) The chamber 6 is connected to the inner housing 5 by means of corresponding threads. The inner housing 5 is pressed into the container 2 in the region of the container opening 3 by means of a compression seal. The lid element 4 and the container 2 furthermore feature corresponding threads, by means of which the lid element 4 is connected to the container 2.

(11) The chamber 6 is preferably realized cylindrically and arranged coaxially within the inner housing 5. The chamber features a closure pin 7, which is realized integrally with the chamber 6 (for example by means of a plastic injection molding process), in the region of its face that points in the direction of the inner housing 5. The closure pin 7 is designed in an L-shaped fashion and extendsstarting from the inner wall of the chamber 6to the longitudinal axis of the chamber 6. The closure pin 7 furthermore has a freely projecting sealing end 9 that lies on the longitudinal axis and points in the direction of a closure opening 8 formed on the inner housing 5.

(12) The closure pin 7 may basically have different shapes. As an alternative to the single L-shaped web shown, it would also be possible, for example, to provide a plurality of webs that radially extend from the chamber axis in the direction of the inner wall of the chamber 6 and position the sealing end 9 on the chamber axis. In this case, flow-through openings, through which the medium enclosed in the chamber 6 can flow out of the chamber 6 in the direction of the inner housing 5, are formed between adjacent webs.

(13) The sealing end 9 of the closure pin 7 can be inserted into the closure opening 8 of the inner housing 5. In this case, the closure opening 8 forms part of a flow channel 11 that is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the closure device 1, as well as to the longitudinal axes of the chamber 6 and the inner housing 5. The flow channel 11 has a length that approximately corresponds to ten times its diameter. The flow channel 11 is arranged within a channel dome 14 formed on a face of the cylindrical inner housing 5, wherein the material thickness of the inner housing 5 is in this region widened in a dome-like fashion in order to define the flow channel 11. The diameter of the closure opening 8 and the flow channel 11 essentially corresponds to the diameter of the sealing end 9 such that the sealing end 9 can be respectively inserted into the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11 in a sealed fashion. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a sealing element 10 is respectively arranged between the sealing end 9 of the closure pin 7 and the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11 in order to produce a fluid-tight connection. In the closed state of the closure device 1 shown, the sealing end 9 respectively engages into the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11 with the sealing element 10 arranged in between such that the medium enclosed in the chamber 6 can no longer flow into the container 2 through the flow channel 11. In this case, the sealing element 10 is realized in the form of a rubber seal, but it would alternatively also be possible, for example, to respectively coat the inside of the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11 with a sealing material.

(14) In the closed state of the closure device 1 shown, the channel dome 14 protrudes into a discharge nozzle 13 of the chamber 6 over a certain axial length such that the sealing end 9 of the closure pin 7 is respectively engaged with the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11.

(15) FIG. 2 shows the chamber 6 in a pre-assembled state on the lid element 4. In this state, the chamber 6 is already sealed with the foil element 2. The discharge nozzle 13 carrying the closure pin 7 is formed on the face of the chamber 6 that points away from the lid element 4. In this case, the closure pin 7 radially extends from the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 13 to the longitudinal axis of the chamber 6 and from there in the direction of its sealing end 9 parallel to the longitudinal axis.

(16) FIG. 3 shows the inner housing 5 of the closure device 1 in a state prior to being joined with the lid element 4 and the chamber 6. The channel dome 14, which respectively features the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11, is formed on the lower face of the inner housing 5. On the inside of the inner housing 5, the channel dome 14 is covered by the sealing element 10 that at least partially protrudes into the closure opening 8 or the flow channel 11, respectively. In this case, the sealing element 10 consists of a rubber seal that is realized separately of the inner housing 5 and inserted into the inner housing 5 such that it covers the channel dome 14 and at least partially protrudes into the flow channel 11 prior to connecting the chamber 6 to the inner housing 5.

(17) FIG. 4 shows the closure device 1 with the lid element 4, the chamber 6 and the inner housing 5, which is concentrically pushed over the chamber 6 and engages into the lid element 4 with an upper edge region. This figure shows the open state of the closure device 1, in which the chamber 6 and the inner housing 5 arein contrast to the closed position shown in FIG. 1spaced apart from one another such that the closure pin 7 is retracted from the closure opening 8 and the sealing end 9 no longer engages into the flow channel 11. However, the discharge nozzle 13 of the chamber 6 and the channel dome 14 of the inner housing 5 are still engaged with one another in this state such that the medium enclosed in the chamber 6 can only flow from the chamber 6 into the container 2 through the flow channel 11. The removal of the sealing end 9 from the closure opening 8 is achieved due to a rotation of the lid element 4 with the chamber 6 arranged thereon relative to the inner housing 5, which in turn is realized by unscrewing the closure device 1 from the container 2.

(18) In the production of the closure device 1 shown, as well as its arrangement on the container 2, the inner housing 5 is initially prepared, for example, by inserting the sealing element 10 into the inner housing 5 such that the channel dome 14 is covered by the sealing element 10. The chamber 6 is subsequently inserted into the inner housing 5 until the closure pin 7 protrudes into the closure opening. The chamber 6 is then filled, sealed with the foil element 12 and connected to the lid element 4. This is the closed position of the closure device 1, in which the medium enclosed in the chamber 6 cannot escape. Subsequently, the closure device 1 can be screwed on the container 2 in order to seal the container opening 3. In this state, the medium enclosed in the container 2 also can no longer escape from the container 2.

(19) In order to discharge the medium stored in the chamber 6 into the container 2, it is necessary to move the closure device 1 into a discharging position. This is achieved by taking hold of the closure device 1 on the lid element 4 and rotating the closure device relative to the container 2 in the usual counterclockwise direction. In this way, the lid element 4 with the chamber 6 arranged thereon is spaced apart from the inner housing 5, which is clamped in the container opening 3. As the chamber 6 is axially spaced apart from the inner housing 5, the closure pin 7 is removed from the closure opening 8 such that the flow channel 11 for the medium from the chamber 6 into the container 2 is opened. As the removal of the lid element 4 from the container 2 continues, the inner housing 5 is ultimately also separated from the container 2 such that the container 2 is now open and the mixed medium can be withdrawn from the container 2.

(20) TABLE-US-00001 List of Reference Symbols 1 Closure device 2 Container 3 Container opening 4 Lid element 5 Inner housing 6 Chamber 7 Closure pin 8 Closure opening 9 Sealing end 10 Sealing element 11 Flow channel 12 Foil element 13 Discharge nozzle 14 Channel dome R Moving direction