SEALING DEVICE FOR A CONTAINER FOR ASEPTICALLY RECEIVING A FLOWABLE PRODUCT AND CONTAINER AND METHOD FOR ASEPTIC FILLING

Abstract

A closure device for a container for aseptically receiving a flowable product has a spout with a product filling duct extending axially between a first end and a second end. The closure device has a closure cap which can be mounted onto the spout. In the mounted state, the cap closes the second end of the product filling duct. The closure cap is connectable in axially positively locking fashion to the spout in two axially different positions. The first position is a position in which the closure cap is not fully mounted on the spout, and the second position is a position in which the closure cap is fully mounted on the spout. The closure cap can bear sealingly against the spout in the first position and in the second position to optimize sterility during the filling process.

Claims

1. A closure device for a container for aseptically receiving a flowable product, comprising: a spout which has a product filling duct extending axially between a first end and a second end, wherein the first end forms a container-side end of the spout and the second end forms a closure-side end of the spout, and a closure cap which can be mounted onto the spout and which, in a mounted state, closes the second end of the product filling duct, wherein the closure cap is connectable in axially positively locking fashion to the spout in two axially different positions, wherein a first position of the two axially different positions is a position in which the closure cap is not fully mounted on the spout, wherein a second position of the two axially different positions is a position in which the closure cap is fully mounted on the spout, and wherein the closure cap bears sealingly against the spout in the first position and in the second position.

2. The closure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure cap bears sealingly against the closure-side end of the spout in the first position and in the second position.

3. The closure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axial spacing between the two positions amounts to at least 0.5 mm.

4. The closure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure cap has a ring-shaped tamper-evident securing element which is connected in unipartite fashion to the rest of the closure cap.

5. The closure device as claimed in claim 4, wherein on the outside of the spout, there is formed a radially encircling projection whose outer diameter is greater than the inner diameter of a section of the tamper-evident securing element, wherein, in the first position, the section of the tamper-evident securing element is arranged between the closure-side end of the spout and the radially encircling projection in an axial direction, and wherein, in the second position, the section of the tamper-evident securing element is arranged between the radially encircling projection and the container-side end of the spout in the axial direction.

6. The closure device as claimed in claim 4, wherein in the first position, the tamper-evident securing element is not at least partially detached from the rest of the closure cap and/or is not destroyed.

7. The closure device as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in the first position, the tamper-evident securing element is not deformed.

8. The closure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure cap has, on its axial inner side, a protrusion extending in the axial direction.

9. The closure device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the protrusion bears sealingly against the spout in the first position and in the second position.

10. The closure device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the protrusion is connected in non-positively locking fashion to the spout in the first position and in the second position.

11. A container for aseptically receiving a flowable product, comprising: a container body, and a spout connected to the container body, wherein the container has a closure device as claimed in claim 1, and the spout is a constituent part of the closure device.

12. A method for aseptically filling a container with a product, comprising: providing a container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the closure cap is in the first position, sterilizing the container while the closure cap remains in the first position, sterilizing the interior of a chamber of a filling station, including a filling head of the filling station, transporting the sterilized container into the interior of the chamber, removing the closure cap in the interior of the chamber, filling the container with the product in the interior of the chamber, mounting the closure cap, wherein the closure cap is placed into the second position, in the interior of the chamber, and transporting the filled and fully closed container out of the chamber.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein after the step of the removal of the closure cap in the interior of the chamber and before the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber, the filling head is lowered from an initial position in the direction of the closure-side end of the spout, and wherein, after the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber and before the step of the mounting of the closure cap in the interior of the chamber, the filling head is moved back into the initial position.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the filling head is sterilized after the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein after the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber residues of the product adhering to and/or in the spout are removed.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sterilization of the container and/or the sterilization of the interior of the chamber and/or the sterilization of the filling head and/or the sterilization of a gripper for the closure cap is realized by irradiation with UV radiation, and/or by irradiation with radiation.

17. The closure device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the protrusion bears sealingly against the closure-side end of the spout in the first position and in the second position.

18. The closure device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the protrusion is connected in non-positively locking fashion to the closure-side end of the spout in the first position and in the second position.

19. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein after the step of the removal of the closure cap in the interior of the chamber and before the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber, the filling head is lowered from an initial position in the direction of the closure-side end of the spout, and a part of the filling head is lowered into the interior of the product filling duct, and wherein, after the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber and before the step of the mounting of the closure cap in the interior of the chamber, the filling head is moved back into the initial position.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the filling head is sterilized after the step of the filling of the container with the product in the interior of the chamber, during or after the movement back into the initial position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] In the drawing:

[0053] FIGS. 1a) and b) show mutually perpendicular sectional views of a container according to the present disclosure with a closure cap in a first position relative to the spout,

[0054] FIGS. 2a) and b) show mutually perpendicular sectional views of a container according to the present disclosure with a closure cap in a second position relative to the spout, and

[0055] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of multiple method steps for aseptically filling a container as per FIGS. 1a) to 2b).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] FIG. 1a) shows a container 2 having a closure device 1 for aseptically receiving a flowable product, in the form of a pouch pack, in a first section parallel to the axial direction X. FIG. 1b) shows the same container 2, with the same relative arrangement of the individual elements with respect to one another, in a section which is likewise parallel to the axial direction X but which runs perpendicular to the section in FIG. 1a). FIGS. 2a) and 2b) show sectional views corresponding to FIGS. 1a) and 1b), wherein here, the individual elements are however arranged differently relative to one another than in FIGS. 1a) and b).

[0057] The container 2 in FIGS. 1a) to 2b) has a container body 6 in the form of a flexible pouch, and a closure device 1 composed of a spout 3 and a closure cap 5, wherein the closure device 1 is welded by means of a pouch-side section 3.2 of the spout 3 to the container body or pouch 6.

[0058] According to the disclosure, a heat-sealing process or an ultrasound sealing process may be used for producing the connection between spout 3 and container body 6.

[0059] FIGS. 1a) and b) show the pouch 2, and in particular the closure device 1, in a state in which the pouch 2 can be supplied to a filling station 7 (FIG. 3). FIGS. 2a) and b) show a state after the filling of the container 2, in which state the container 2 is also supplied to the end consumer.

[0060] The closure device 1 illustrated in the figures has a unipartite spout 3 with an external thread, which spout has a product filling duct 4 which extends axially, that is to say parallel to the axial direction X, from a first end 4a to a second end 4b, and which has a cylindrical inner side 4c.

[0061] The first end 4a is the container-side or pouch-side end 3a of the spout 3, that is to say the lower end. The second end 4b is the closure-side end 3b of the spout 3, that is to say the upper end thereof.

[0062] Onto the spout 3 there is mounted a unipartite closure cap 5, which has an internal thread complementary to the thread of the spout 3. The closure cap 5 is mounted onto the spout 3 over the closure-side end 3b of the spout 3, and closes off the second end 4b of the product filling duct 4.

[0063] The closure cap 5 is situated in an axial first position I in FIGS. 1a) and b) and in an axial second position II in FIGS. 2a) and b). In both positions I and II, axial positive locking exists between closure cap 5 and spout 3 owing to the threaded connection. The axial spacing a between the two positions I and II amounts in this case to for example 1.5 mm.

[0064] In the first position I as shown in FIGS. 1a) and b), the closure cap 5 has not been fully screwed onto the spout 3, but rather can still be screwed further as far as the second position II, which is shown in FIGS. 2a) and b). According to the disclosure, in both positions I and II, the closure cap 5 bears sealingly against the spout 3, this being achieved by means of a ring-shaped protrusion 5.2 in the interior of the closure cap 5, which protrusion ensures a hermetic seal of the product receiving duct 4 with respect to the outside environment in each of the two positions I and II.

[0065] The closure cap 5 furthermore has a ring-shaped tamper-evident securing element 5.1 on the pouch-side end of the cap 5, which tamper-evident securing element is connected in unipartite fashion to the rest of the closure cap 5 by means of axial webs 5.3.

[0066] Furthermore, on the outside of the spout 3, there is formed a radially encircling projection 3.1, the outer diameter of which is greater than the inner diameter of a section 5.11 of the tamper-evident securing element 5.1. The section 5.11 has, on its underside, an oblique profile (a chamfer) in relation to the axial direction X, whereas the top side of the section 5.11 has a straight profile perpendicular to the axial direction X.

[0067] In the first position I shown in FIGS. 1a) and b), the underside of the section 5.11 bears by means of the oblique profile against the projection 3.1, wherein the section 5.11 is arranged between the closure-side end 3b of the spout 3 and the projection 3.1 in the axial direction.

[0068] If the closure cap 5 is screwed onto the spout 3 further proceeding from the position shown in FIGS. 1a) and b), the section 5.11 of the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 is guided past the projection 3.1 as the tamper-evident securing element deforms, until the closure cap 5 reaches the second position II shown in FIGS. 2a) and b). In the position II of the closure cap 5, the section 5.11 of the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 is arranged between the projection 3.1 and the container-side or pouch-side end 3a of the spout 3 in the axial direction X.

[0069] The protrusion 5.2 on the axial inner side 5a of the closure cap 5 overlaps the spout 3 in the radial direction (that is to say transversely with respect to the axial direction X) both in the first position I illustrated in FIGS. 1a) and b) and in the position II illustrated in FIGS. 2a) and b), wherein, in both positions I and II, non-positive locking is realized in the overlap region, and a hermetic seal is realized over the entire overlap region.

[0070] Before the closure cap 5 is moved into the second position II for the first time, in the first position I, the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 is not detached from the rest of the closure cap 5 and is also not destroyed or deformed. This applies in particular to the entire closure cap 5. At this point in time, or in this position, said closure cap is thus connected in axially positively locking fashion to the spout 3 in particular in deformation-free and destruction-free fashion.

[0071] The same also applies to the second position II, because said deformation of the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 as the latter is guided past the projection 3.1 from the first position Ito the second position II is only temporary. Deformation-free means that the closure cap 5 and the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 are not (elastically or plastically) deformed in relation to an unloaded state. Destruction-free means that the closure cap 5 or the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 is still situated in the original state (state after production).

[0072] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates how a container 2, such as is illustrated for example in figures 1a) to 2b), can be easily aseptically filled with a product.

[0073] Firstly, a container 2 as described above is provided, as illustrated on the left-hand side of FIG. 3. The spout 3 is fixedly connected to the container body 6 by welding. The closure cap 5 has not been fully screwed onto the spout 3, but rather is situated in the first position I. In this position I, the closure cap 5 closes off the container 2 in hermetically sealed fashion.

[0074] The container 2 thus provided is now sterilized in this state, for example by means of radiation.

[0075] The container 2 thus sterilized is then transported into a chamber 7.1 of a filling station 7. The interior of the chamber 7.1 has previously likewise been sterilized, for example by means of radiation and/or UV radiation. The filling station has a filling head 7.2 for the filling of the container 2 with a product. Said filling head 7.2 has also been sterilized before the container 2 has been transported into the chamber 7.1.

[0076] In the interior of the chamber 7.1 of the filling station 7, after the chamber 7.1 and filling head 7.2 have been sterilized, the closure cap 5 is removed or unscrewed from the spout 3. In the next step, the container 2 is filled with the product by means of the filling head 7.2, for which purpose a part of the filling head 7.2 can be lowered into the spout 3. After the filling of the container 2, the still-sterile closure cap 5 is mounted onto the spout 3 again, and this time is screwed as far as into the second position II. The container 2 is then fully closed, and the tamper-evident securing element 5.1 is situated in the final position, which, as discussed above, is arranged between the projection 3.1 and the lower end 3a of the spout 3.

[0077] As a final step (illustrated on the right-hand side in FIG. 3), the filled and fully closed container 2 is removed from the chamber 7.1 of the filling station 7 and is transported onward.