Resealable dispensing element for a cardboard/plastic composite package with a screw cap attached to it and method for mounting a screw cap

Abstract

A resealable dispensing element for a composite package is shown and described including a main body with a flange and a hollow cylindrical spout with at least one outer thread, an opening means guided movably in the spout for opening the composite package and a resealable screw cap, having an anchor ring. The screw cap serves to drive the opening means when the composite package is opened for the first time and wherein the screw cap and the anchor ring are connected by a plurality of breakable material bridges or at least by a material anchorage for connection to the main body. The main body on the spout has at least one circumferential web for securely holding the anchor ring and wherein the anchor ring has on its inside a circumferential retaining web shaped such that it corresponds with the circumferential web, as well as a method for mounting the screw cap for such a dispensing element. In order to reliably rule out tilting of the anchor ring during the mounting process of the dispensing element, it is provided that the main body has a plurality of vertical guide ribs arranged distributed over the circumference on the spout between the outer thread and the circumferential web for uniformly stretching the anchor ring when the screw cap is applied during the mounting of the dispensing element.

Claims

1. A resealable dispensing element for a composite package comprising a main body with a flange and a hollow cylindrical spout with at least one outer thread, an opening means guided movably in the spout for opening the composite package and a resealable screw cap, having an anchor ring, wherein the screw cap serves to drive the opening means when the composite package is opened for a first time, and wherein the screw cap and the anchor ring are connected by a plurality of breakable material bridges or at least by a material anchorage for connection to the main body, wherein the main body on the spout has at least one circumferential web for securely holding the anchor ring and wherein the anchor ring has on its inside a circumferential retaining web shaped such that it corresponds with the circumferential web, wherein the main body has a plurality of vertical guide ribs arranged distributed over the circumference on the spout between the outer thread and the circumferential web for uniformly stretching the anchor ring when the screw cap is applied during mounting of the dispensing element.

2. The dispensing element according to claim 1, wherein the overlap of the circumferential web and the circumferential retaining web is 0.5 to 0.7 mm with respect to the respective radius.

3. The dispensing element according to claim 1, wherein the upper edges of all lateral guide surfaces of the vertical guide ribs lie on a common circular line that is as large as the outer circumference of the outer thread.

4. The dispensing element according to claim 3, wherein the lateral guide surfaces run purely axially below the circular line up to the circumferential web.

5. The dispensing element according to claim 3, wherein the outer radius of the circumferential web is a maximum of 5% larger than the radius of the circular line.

6. The dispensing element according to claim 5, wherein the outer radius of the circumferential web is a maximum of 4% larger than the radius of the circular line.

7. The dispensing element according to claim 1, wherein the main body has at least six vertical guide ribs arranged distributed evenly over its circumference.

8. The dispensing element according to claim 7, wherein the main body has ten to twenty-four vertical guide ribs arranged distributed over its circumference.

9. The dispensing element according to claim 1, wherein a slot without material bridges is provided between the anchor ring and the cover element and in that the anchor ring has a tether connected in one piece to the cover element as a material anchorage.

10. The dispensing element according to claim 1, wherein a circumferential strip is provided below the anchor ring, which is connected to the anchor ring arranged above it via a plurality of breakable material bridges arranged distributed over the circumference and serves as a tamper-evident seal.

11. The dispensing element according to claim 10, wherein the circumferential strip has on its inside a plurality of stop elements arranged distributed over the circumference, which hook with vertical locking elements arranged correspondingly over the circumference of the main body when the screw cap is opened for first time, such that the material bridges break and visually indicate an opening of the composite package that has already taken place.

12. The dispensing element according to claim 11, wherein the circumferential web has recesses arranged distributed over its circumference, which in the assembled state of the dispensing element are in each case above the stop elements.

13. The dispensing element according to claim 11, wherein the vertical locking elements are arranged in an extension of the vertical guide ribs.

14. A method for mounting the screw cap for a dispensing element according to claim 1, characterised by the following steps: grasping the screw cap around its circumference by means of a retaining device to achieve support around the entire 360 of the circumference, aligning the screw cap by rotating with respect to the main body, and moving the clamped screw cap and main body relatively axially until the end position is reached.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the retaining device has a cavity and in that the screw cap is moved axially into this cavity before the final assembly and is clamped after reaching the end position.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the screw cap is only clamped in axial regions without screw thread or webs from the outside.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing which represents only one preferred exemplary embodiment, in the drawing is shown,

(2) FIG. 1 a dispensing element according to the invention in perspective view,

(3) FIG. 2 the dispensing element according to the invention from FIG. 1 in plan view,

(4) FIG. 3 a main body of the dispensing element according to the invention in perspective view from above,

(5) FIG. 4 the screw cap of the dispensing element according to the invention in a vertical section,

(6) FIG. 5A the dispensing element according to the invention from FIG. 2 in the vertical section along the line VA-VA at the beginning of mounting,

(7) FIG. 5B a detailed view of the vertical section from FIG. 5A,

(8) FIG. 6A the dispensing element according to the invention from FIG. 2 in the vertical section along the line VA-VA during mounting,

(9) FIG. 6B a detailed view of the vertical section from FIG. 6A,

(10) FIG. 7A the dispensing element according to the invention from FIG. 2 in the vertical section along the line VA-VA after mounting is completed and

(11) FIG. 7B a detailed view of the vertical section from FIG. 7A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) A preferred exemplary embodiment of a dispensing element 1 according to the invention is shown in the drawing. FIG. 1 shows a first dispensing element 1 in closed state with a vertical axis Z without composite package P. A resealable screw cap 2, which is used for the first opening and for resealing the composite package P, is located on a main body 3, from which in FIG. 1 only one circumferential flange 4 is visible, which is used for connection with and integration into the composite package (not shown). In the plan view of FIG. 2, a section line VA-VA is also drawn in.

(13) The main body 3 of the dispensing element 1 according to the invention, which was concealed in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the screw cap 2, is shown individually in FIG. 3 in a perspective view from above. It essentially consists of a horizontal flange 4, the outer edge of which is sealed with the package edge of a punched opening in a composite package, as described in more detail below, and a hollow cylindrical spout 5, which has an outer thread 6 and an inner thread 7. The inner thread 7 serves to accommodate a cutting element 8, which, however, is only recognizable in FIG. 5A and is also described in more detail there.

(14) The spout 5 has a plurality of vertical guide ribs 9 arranged on its outer circumference distributed over the circumference below the outer thread 6 according to the invention. It can be seen that the depth of the vertical guide ribs 9 corresponds approximately to the depth of the outer thread 6. The upper edges of all lateral guide surfaces of the vertical guide ribs 9 lie on a common circular line CL and ensure during the mounting process that the screw cap 2 is evenly widened and centred during the bouncing process after passing the outer thread 6 of the spout 5. In addition to the vertical guide ribs 9, a circumferential web 10A can be found in the region of these guide ribs 9, which is not designed to be rotationally symmetrical, but instead has recesses that are not described in more detail in some regions. Parallel to this circumferential web 10A and below this, web sections 10B can also be seen which have the same outer contour as the circumferential web 10A.

(15) A plurality of vertical webs can be seen below the vertical guide ribs 9 and in extension thereto as well as below the web sections 10B, which serve as locking elements 11. The function of these locking elements 11 is described in more detail further below in conjunction with the description of FIG. 4. In the exemplary embodiment shown and preferred in this respect, the screw cap 2 has, in addition to the actual cover element 12, an underlying anchor ring 13 and in turn a strip 14 arranged underneath, which is also clearly visible from the outside in the perspective view of FIG. 1.

(16) In the exemplary embodiment represented and preferred in this respect, the cover element 12 is connected to the anchor ring 13 via a one-piece Tether T, i.e. a retaining strip. For this purpose, the screw cap 2 is provided with at least one slot S by a circumferential slit blade. In the exemplary embodiment shown and preferred in this respect, two slots S are present, as is visible from FIG. 1. To produce them, two cuts are made in parallel planes. As a result, the screw cap 2 is connected via a tether T, wherein both tether arms are connected to the anchor ring 13 in one piece. In FIG. 1, however, only the front end of the Tether T is visible. However, it is also possible to provide only a single slot if only one attachment to the anchor ring is desired via a single end of the tether strip. In this case, the one cut runs over the circumference at least partially in a helix shape such that the two ends of this slot are at different heights relative to the vertical axis Z.

(17) FIG. 4 shows a vertical section through the screw cap 2 of the dispensing element 2 according to the invention, wherein the cover element 12, the anchor ring 13 and the strip 14 of the screw cap 2 are clearly recognizable. The two force transmission elements 15, which extend downwards from the straight region of the cover element 12, are also particularly clearly visible here. Furthermore, an inner thread 16 can be recognized inside the cover element 12, which corresponds to the outer thread 6 of the spout 5 of the main body 3. In addition, FIG. 4 shows that the anchor ring 13 has a circumferential retaining web 17 in its lower region. This is described in more detail below.

(18) Finally, FIG. 4 clearly shows that the strip 14 serving as a tamper-proof seal has on its inside a plurality of stop elements 18 arranged distributed over the circumference, the arrangement of which is selected in such a way that in the assembled state of the dispensing element 1 according to the invention they lie in the region of the locking elements 11 and below the webs 10 of the main body 3 and engage with the locking elements 11 when the screw cap 2 is opened for the first time, so that rotation of the circumferential strip 14 is reliably excluded. The locking elements 11 are arranged in such a way that they, as can be seen clearly in FIG. 3, are below the recesses of the webs 10A and 10B. The anchor ring 13 and strip 14 are connected to one another in a single piece via small material bridges (not shown). During the first opening process, these material bridges break up due to the blocking catching of the circumferential strip 14 and thus signal to the consumer that the dispensing element 1 has already been opened. A tamper-evident seal formed in this way is also known as the Tamper Evident Element.

(19) The further FIGS. 5A to 7B serve to make clear the sequence of mounting of the dispensing element 1. FIG. 5A thereby firstly shows the beginning of the mounting with the screw cap 2 just placed on, FIG. 6A a further intermediate position of the screw cap 2 and FIG. 7A the fully assembled dispensing element, sealed in an opening of a composite package P.

(20) FIG. 5A shows the entire dispensing element 1 in the vertical section along the section line VA-VA from FIG. 2. The main body 3 sealed with the flange 4 at the circumferential edge of an opening in a composite package P further has a closure part 19 formed in the spout 5. The closure part 19 has a central region 20, which closes the majority of the dispensing opening, and an annular weakening zone 21, which connects to the spout 5, as well as a conical annular intermediate region 22, which extends between the weakening zone 21 and the central region 20. The chamfering of the intermediate region 22 compensates for the thickness difference between the central region 20 and the weakening zone 21.

(21) The region in the dashed circle VB from FIG. 5A is shown enlarged in FIG. 5B. In FIG. 5A, the position of the screw cap 2 is shown with reference to the main body 3 and the opening means inserted therein and designed as a cutting element 8 in the represented and in this respect preferred exemplary embodiment at the start of the mounting of the dispensing element 1 (bouncing process). The inner thread 16 of the cover element 12 is still arranged above the main body 3 and cutting element 8. However, it can be seen that the circumferential retaining web 17 of the anchor ring 13 has already partially passed the outer thread 6 of the spout 5 and the representation of the enlargement in FIG. 5B clearly shows that the inner diameter of the retaining web 17 is smaller than the outer diameter of the outer thread 6. However, a brief deformation of both elements is possible due to the plastic material used, wherein the circumferential retaining web 17 is widened. However, this expansion does not occur evenly over the circumference of the retaining web 17 due to the recesses present in the web 10A.

(22) A further snapshot of the mounting process of the dispensing element 1 according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in which the inner thread 16 of the cover element 12 already comes into contact with the outer thread 6 of the spout 5. The anchor ring 13 has already passed the thread 6 with its circumferential retaining web 17 and it can be clearly seen in FIG. 6B that the geometric configuration of the vertical guide rib 9, which is rounded in the upper region, ensures that the circumferential retaining web 17 widens evenly in the region of the vertical guide surface of the guide rib 9. In this way, it is reliably ensured that tilting of the anchor ring 13 is reliably ruled out during the bouncing process. It can also be seen that the stop element 18 of the circumferential strip 14 has already passed the circumferential web 10A. However, the strip 14 does not have to expand uniformly like the circumferential web 17 of the anchor ring 13, but only in the short sections in which stop elements 18 are present (see FIG. 4). In addition, the previously mentioned recesses on the webs 10A and 10B (see FIG. 3) ensure this expansion remains as small as possible, since the stop elements 18 are positioned accordingly.

(23) Finally, FIGS. 7A and 7B show the dispensing element 1 according to the invention in its fully assembled position. Between the screw cap 2 and the outer side of the spout 5 there is a first thread pair 6 and 16, which enables the screw cap 2 to be screwed on and tightened. The hollow cylindrical cutting element 8 with cutting teeth 23 is arranged inside the main body 3, which, when the dispensing element 1 and thus the composite package P is opened for the first time, separates the closure part 19 by destroying a partial section of the weakening zone 21. The vertical axis (not shown here) is defined by the concentrically arranged hollow cylindrical elements of the spout 5 and the cutting element 8. The cutting element 8 rotates about the vertical axis during the opening process and moves along this axis. This movement is defined by a second thread pair 7 and 25, which is located between the inner side of the spout 5 and the cutting element 8. In this movement, the cutting element 8 is driven by at least one force transfer element 24, which interacts with at least one corresponding force transmission element 15 of the screw cap 2.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(24) 1 Dispensing element 2 Screw cap 3 Main body 4 Flange 5 Spout 6 Outer thread 7 Inner thread 8 Cutting element 9 Vertical guide rib 10A Circumferential web 10B Web section 11 Locking element 12 Cover element 13 Anchor ring 14 Strip (tamper-proof seal) 15 Force transmission element 16 Inner thread 17 Retaining web 18 Stop element 19 Closure part 20 Central region 21 Annular weakening zone 22 Conical annular intermediate region 23 Cutting tooth 24 Force transfer element 25 Outer thread Z Vertical axis CL Circular line P Composite package S Slot T Tether