Resealable Pouring Element for Cardboard/Plastic Composite Packages With a Tamper-Evident Seal to Indicate the Initial Opening

Abstract

Represented and described is a resealable pouring element for cardboard/plastic composite packages, in particular beverage packages, with a base element having a circumferential fastening flange as well as an external thread, with opening means arranged at least in the unopened state of the pouring element in the interior of the base element and with a screw cap with internal thread, wherein the opening means are designed such that when the composite package is initially opened by unscrewing the screw cap by breaking the composite material of the package or a barrier layer located in the base element, a pour opening is created inside the pouring element and wherein at least one tamper-evident seal is arranged between the base element and the screw cap. In order to reduce the assembly effort for such a resealable pouring element, it is provided that an anchor ring is arranged below the screw cap and is connected to the screw cap via a hinge a rotationally fixed manner and in that the tamper-evident seal consists of an indicating element, whose one end is fixedly connected to the anchor ring or the screw cap and in which the other end is connected to the anchor ring by means of a predetermined breaking point in such manner that the predetermined breaking point of at least one mandrel element arranged on the fastening flange is broken when the screw cap is unscrewed and thus indicates to the consumer that an initial opening has already taken place.

Claims

1. A resealable pouring element for cardboard/plastic composite packages, in particular beverage packages, with a base element having a circumferential fastening flange as well as an external thread, with opening means arranged at least in the unopened state of the pouring element in the interior of the base element and with a screw cap with internal thread, wherein the opening means are designed such that when the composite package is initially opened by unscrewing screw cap by breaking the composite material of the package or a barrier layer located in the base element, a pour opening is created inside the pouring element and wherein at least one tamper-evident seal is arranged between the base element and the screw cap, wherein an anchor ring is arranged below the screw cap and is connected to the screw cap via a hinge a rotationally fixed manner and in that the tamper-evident seal consists of an indicating element, whose one end is fixedly connected to the anchor ring or the screw cap and in which the other end is connected to the anchor ring means of a predetermined breaking point in such manner that the predetermined breaking point of at least one mandrel element arranged on the fastening flange is broken when the screw cap is unscrewed and thus indicates to the consumer that an initial opening has already taken place.

2. A pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the anchor ring is freely and radially rotatable around the base element and is connected to the base element in a tension-resistant manner in the axial direction.

3. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the anchor ring has at least one cam on its upper side, which is arranged in the region of the indicating element, has an oblique surface and engages into a corresponding recess of the lower edge of the screw cap.

4. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined breaking point of the indicating element is arranged in the screw-off direction of the screw cap before the fixed connection with the anchor ring.

5. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined breaking point of the indicating element is arranged in the screw-off direction of the screw cap behind the fixed connection with the anchor ring.

6. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the indicating element is designed as a radially projecting loop and in that the predetermined breaking point of the indicating element is arranged on the fixed connection with the anchor ring.

7. The pouring element according to claim 6, wherein the loop encloses the mandrel element on the fastening flange before the initial opening.

8. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein a membrane is provided as a predetermined breaking point of the indicating element.

9. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the mandrel element is arranged radially outside the anchor ring on the fastening flange.

10. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein an internal bead is designed circumferentially on the anchor ring.

11. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the mandrel element is arranged below the anchor ring on the fastening flange.

12. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the indicating element and the mandrel element are aligned with one another in an unopened position such that the predetermined breaking point of the mandrel element is broken after an angle of rotation of 3° to 10° when the screw cap is screwed on.

13. The pouring element according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined breaking point of the mandrel element is broken after an angle of rotation of 5° to 7° when the screw cap is screwed on.

14. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined breaking point breaks when the screw cap is screwed on at a torque of >0.2 Nm.

15. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined breaking point is broken when the screw cap is screwed on before the composite package is initially opened or before the barrier layer is broken.

16. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the lower cut between the anchor ring and the screw cap is higher than the upper end of the indicating element.

17. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein the indicating element arranged opposite the hinge relation to the circumference of the screw cap.

18. The pouring element according to claim 1, wherein at least one tamper-evident seal is used as transport protection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The drawing shows

[0023] FIG. 1 a perspective representation of a pouring element according to the invention in an assembled state (without cardboard/plastic composite package),

[0024] FIG. 2 the pouring element from FIG. 1 at the start of the screw-on process of the screw cap and

[0025] FIG. 3 the pouring element from FIG. 1 with screw cap screwed on even further in another perspective representation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] FIG. 1 clearly shows the circumferential fastening flange 1 of the (concealed) base element and a screw cap 2, which is used for the initial opening and for the resealing of the package (not represented) after its initial opening. An anchor ring 3 is arranged below the screw cap 2 and is connected to it in a rotationally fixed manner in order to reliably prevent the screw cap 2 from being removed from the pouring element or a beverage package provided with it. For this purpose, screw cap 2 and anchor ring 3 are connected to each other in a hinged manner.

[0027] According to the invention, an indicating element 4 is used as a tamper-evident seal, whose one end is fixedly connected to the anchor ring 3 and in which the other end is connected to the anchor ring 3 by means of a predetermined breaking point 5 in such manner that the predetermined breaking point 5 is broken by a mandrel element 6 arranged on the fastening flange 1 when the screw cap 2 is screwed on. In the unopened assembled position according to FIG. 1, a certain distance can be seen between the predetermined breaking point 5 and the mandrel element 6.

[0028] FIG. 2 now shows the pouring element from FIG. 1 after a slight rotation during the screw-on process. In this case, the predetermined breaking point 5 (no longer discernible in the figure) already strikes the mandrel element 6. It is clear that screwing the screw cap 2 on further leads to the mandrel element 6 shearing off the predetermined breaking point 5 and thus releasing the leading end of the indicating element 4 from the anchor ring 3.

[0029] When the screw cap 2 is screwed on further, the screw cap 2, together with the anchor ring 3, slowly rises according to the pitch of the external thread (not represented) on the base element 8 or of the corresponding internal thread of the screw cap 2, as is represented in FIG. 3. The strip-like indicating element 4 is only connected in one piece with the anchor ring 3 at its fixed connection.

[0030] In the representation according to FIG. 3, in addition to the elements already mentioned, the type of hinged connection between screw cap 2 and anchor ring 3 can also be seen, which is designed as a hinge 9 in the exemplary embodiment represented and preferred in this respect. In the exemplary embodiment represented, the hinge 9 has a reinforcing element 9A or 9B on each side. This design ensures a fixed connection between screw cap 2 and anchor ring 3 so that tearing the screw cap 2 off the anchor ring 3 is reliably prevented.

[0031] Finally, FIG. 3 also shows that the indicating element 4 is arranged opposite the hinge 9 in relation to the circumference of the screw cap 2.

[0032] The configuration according to the invention allows a simpler assembly of the resealable pouring element without the indicating element 4 serving as a tamper-evident seal having to be connected to the fastening flange 1 in a positive-locking or materially-bonded manner.