CH718322A1 - container closure. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a container closure (11) for closing a container opening (13) of a container (15), comprising a casing (17), a cover disk (19) which adjoins the upper end of the casing (17), a removal opening (21) , which is provided on the cover disc (19), a first sealing element, which is formed on the inside of the cover disc (19) and is intended to project sealingly into the container opening (13) and a cap (25) which covers the removal opening ( 21) closes or releases. At least one locking opening (31a) is provided on the jacket (17), which can interact with a locking element (45a, 45b) of the container (15).

Description

field of invention

The invention relates to a container closure for closing a container opening of a container according to the preamble of claim 1, a container according to the preamble of claim 12 and a closure system with a container closure and a container according to the preamble of claim 18.

State of the art

Container closures are known from the prior art in the field of plastic container closures with a hinged or screw cap, which are captively held on a neck of the container and close the opening. For this purpose, the closure has a double jacket with an outer jacket and an inner jacket. The tops of the two jackets are connected by a cover disk, on which a removal opening for removing the filling material is provided. The inner jacket can lock with the container neck. For this purpose, first holding elements are formed on the inner casing, which, formed with second holding elements, can engage on the container neck. When the closure is pressed onto the container neck, it latches onto it.

Within the inner shell, a first sealing element is formed on the cover disk, which protrudes into the opening of the container and seals the filling material tight when the closure is placed on the container.

[0004] The hinged cap can be connected in an articulated manner to the outer casing. The hinged cap can be pivoted between a closed position and an open position, with the hinged cap preferably locking in both positions and covering the removal opening and the cover disk in the closed position.

A collar with an external thread can also extend upwards on the cover disc, in which case the removal opening is provided on the collar. The removal opening can be closed by unscrewing the screw cap.

A lot of plastic material is required to produce the container closure and such a container closure is correspondingly expensive.

[0007] WO 2016/188588 A1 discloses a plastic bottle, in particular a toilet bottle, which comprises a blow molded container with a bottle neck and an angled attachment. This is pressed onto the bottle neck in a push-on direction. The bottle neck has a first snap-on connection element, which can latch on a second snap-on connection element of the attachment. The attachment therefore does not require an inner jacket, since the jacket of the attachment is held directly on the neck of the bottle. The attachment can be manufactured relatively inexpensively. However, the second snap-on connection element is expensive to produce in an injection molding tool, since it involves an undercut.

object of the invention

The disadvantages of the prior art described result in the task of creating a generic container closure which can be produced as cost-effectively as possible.

Another object is that when the closure is bounced onto the container neck, the compression pressure is as low as possible, as a result of which the container shoulder has to be less stable and can accordingly be produced in a material-friendly manner.

description

The solution to the problem is achieved with a container closure by the features listed in the characterizing section of claim 1. Further developments and/or advantageous embodiment variants are the subject matter of the dependent patent claims.

The invention is preferably characterized in that at least one locking opening is provided on the jacket, which can interact with a locking element of the container. Since the latching with the container takes place on the shell, an inner shell, which latches with the container according to the prior art, can be dispensed with. This can significantly reduce the need for plastic material used in the injection molding of the container closure. The weight of the container closure can be reduced by up to 33 percent.

In addition, the latching opening allows the corresponding latching element to be positioned as low as possible on the container shoulder and does not have to be formed on the container neck. As a result, the jacket can have a reduced height, which enables additional material savings for the production of the container closure. The height of the closure can be reduced by up to 5 mm.

It has proven to be expedient if two locking openings are provided diametrically opposite one another on the jacket. This allows the closure to be held symmetrically and stably on the container. The jacket can also be simply pressed on opposite surfaces that are not pierced by the latching openings in order to release the latching openings from the latching elements. It is also conceivable for the closure to be released by twisting. As a result, the closure can be easily pulled off the container if necessary. This is advantageous, for example, when the container is to be refilled via the container opening. It is also conceivable that the latching elements interact with the latching openings in such a way that their connection cannot be detached.

The jacket expediently has an elliptical cross section, with the two latching openings being provided on the main axis of the ellipse. Since the container shoulder can also have an elliptical cross section, it has proven to be easy to align the closure with respect to the container: if the two main axes of the ellipses coincide, the locking elements and the locking openings are aligned in such a way that they can snap together.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching opening has a first latching edge which is oriented parallel to the open end of the shell and has the shortest distance to the open end of the shell compared to the other edges of the latching opening. As a result, the connection between the latching opening and the latching element is reliable and does not come loose even under increased loading, for example in the direction of the central axis.

It proves to be advantageous if the distance between the first locking edge and the open end of the jacket is between 2 and 6 mm and preferably between 2 and 3 mm. As a result, the detent opening can be arranged as low as possible on the jacket, which leads to a container with the lowest possible height. It is preferable to make the distance as small as possible in order to save as much material as possible.

The snap-in opening is expediently in the form of a rectangle. This shape enables a long, stable latching edge to be formed, since one long side of the rectangle can be the latching edge. Other geometric shapes such as a triangle or an arrow are also conceivable. This configuration option has the advantage that the locking opening and the locking element can serve as a design element. This effect can be intensified by the fact that the closure and the container or the latching element have different colors.

Conveniently, the cap is a hinged cap which is hinged to the shell. This type of closure of the removal opening is practical, known to the user and can be produced by injection molding.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the cap is a screw cap which has an internal thread and can be screwed onto a collar with an external thread which extends upwards on the cover disc. The screw cap can also be provided with a child safety device. This type of closure can be used for toxic liquids such as toilet cleaner, etc.

A second sealing element is expediently formed on the inside of the cap, which protrudes into the removal opening when the cap is placed on the cover disk. As a result, the removal opening is sealed so that the contents are sealed.

The fact that the shell advantageously has the shape of a truncated cone, the lateral surface is inclined, whereby the placement of the closure can be done on the locking elements with less resistance. Furthermore, this design of the jacket is aesthetically pleasing.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the container closure is free of an inner shell, which is formed between the shell and the first sealing element. As already described above, the cost of materials for the container closure can be significantly reduced by up to 33% by weight.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a container, in particular a blow-molded plastic container, on which a container closure as described above can be placed.

The invention is also preferably characterized in that at least one latching element is formed on the container shoulder, which latching element can be latched in the latching opening of the container closure. The locking element is not, as in the prior art, formed on the container neck, which means that the container neck can be made as short as possible. This saves material on the container and on the container closure since the closure can have a low height.

[0025] In addition, the container shoulder has improved stability with respect to a compression pressure, which occurs when the closure is pressed onto the container, due to the formed latching element. As a result, the wall thickness of the shoulder can be reduced since the design of the shoulder provides sufficient stability against compression.

Two latching elements are expediently formed diametrically opposite one another on the container shoulder. As a result, the latching elements are aligned in accordance with the latching openings described above and interact exactly with the latching openings.

It proves to be advantageous if the shoulder has the shape of an ellipse in cross section. This allows the closure to be precisely aligned and centered on the shoulder.

Because the latching element advantageously has a second latching edge, which can interact with the first latching edge of the latching opening, the closure is held firmly on the container and cannot be removed from it by pulling upwards, since the first and second locking edge are pressed together.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching element represents a stepped elevation on the shoulder, the front surface of the elevation being oriented obliquely in the direction of the container neck. A locking element shaped in this way can be formed in a blow mold without the blow mold having to be equipped with slides or other demoulding aids in a complicated manner. Due to the inclined position of the front surface, the closure can be snapped open with little force, since the jacket can slide over the elevation. The closure is nevertheless held firmly on the container in that the first latching edge engages under the second latching edge.

In a further aspect of the invention, a closure system comprising a container closure and container described above is shown. The invention is characterized in that the front surface of the locking element, which penetrates the locking opening, is flush with the outer surface of the casing. This feature causes the latch opening to be fully closed when the closure is fitted onto the container. The closure therefore has no starting points for dirt and also has an attractive design.

Further advantages and features emerge from the following description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the schematic representations. In a representation that is not true to scale: FIG. 1 shows a first perspective view of a container closure and a container onto which the closure can be placed; FIG. 2: a second perspective view of the closure and the container from FIG. 1; FIG. 3: a perspective bottom view of the container; FIG. 4: a perspective view of the closure placed on the container; Figure 5 is a full perspective view of the container; and Figure 6 is a cutaway bottom view of a prior art container closure having an inner skirt.

A container closure is shown in FIGS. The closure 11 closes the container opening 13 of a container 15. The container opening 13 is used to fill the container 15 with contents before the container 15 is closed by the closure 11.

The container closure 11 has a jacket 17 which preferably has the shape of a truncated cone. At the upper end of the casing 17 is a cover plate 19 which covers the casing on the upper side. A removal opening 21 is provided in the cover disk 19, through which filling material present in the container 15 can be removed.

A sealing element 23 rises on the inside of the cover disc 19 . The sealing element 23 protrudes into the container opening 13 in a sealing manner when the closure 11 is placed on the container 15 . It is preferred if the seal is a so-called "cone sealer", i.e. the sealing element 23 widens continuously in the direction of the cover disk 19 in the manner of a truncated cone. As a result, the container opening 13 is sealed by the sealing element 23 so that it is impervious to the contents.

A cap 25 is connected to the casing 17 in an articulated manner via a hinge 27, preferably a film hinge. In this case, the cap is a hinged cap 25 which can be folded from a closed position into an open position. In the closed position, a second sealing element 29 protrudes into the removal opening 21 so that it is sealed against the contents.

On the shell 17, a first and second locking opening 31a, 31b and a first and second window are excluded. The container closure 11 preferably has the shape of an ellipse in cross section with a major axis 33a and a minor axis 33b. As the figures show, the latching openings 31a, 31b can be provided diametrically opposite one another on the main axis 33a. The hinge 27 may be formed on the minor axis 33b of the shell 17.

[0037] The closure is injection molded and the latching openings can be realized by brushing or forced demolding in the injection molding tool.

For the reliable latching function of the latching elements 31a, 31b, it is essential that they have a first latching edge 35a, 35b. The first locking edge 35 is lower than all other edges of the locking opening 31, i.e. the first locking edge 35 has the shortest distance to the open end 37 of the casing 17. The first locking edge 35 is preferably parallel to the open end 37 of the casing, whereby the first locking edge 35 is oriented perpendicular to the direction of withdrawal of the closure 11 and is thereby held firmly on the container. The snap-in opening 31 can preferably have the shape of a rectangle, with the first snap-in edge 35 being a longitudinal side of the rectangle.

The provision of the latching opening 31 on the jacket 17 makes it possible to dispense with a further inner jacket 53 (FIG. 6), which according to the prior art protrudes from the cover disk 19 between the first sealing element 23 and the jacket 17 . As a result, the closure can be realized with little material and accordingly cost-effectively. The closure 11 according to the invention requires 33% less plastic material than a closure of the prior art.

The container shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 has a container body 39 . A container shoulder 41 which merges into a cylindrical container neck 43 adjoins the body 39 . The container neck 43 surrounds the container opening 13.

On the container shoulder 41, a first and second locking element 45a, 45b are formed, which engage with the locking openings 35a, 35b when the closure 1 1 is placed on the container 15. The container shoulder 41 also has the cross-section of an ellipse with another major and minor axis 47a, 47b to correlate with the closure 11. The latching elements 45a, 45b are arranged diametrically on the main axis 47a or formed out of the shoulder 41. The latching element 45 is preferably a stepped elevation or a cam, the lowest edge of which is a second latching edge 49 . The first latching edge 35 engages under the second latching edge 49, as a result of which the casing 17 is held on the shoulder 41. The front surface 51 of the locking element 45 penetrates the locking opening 31 and is therefore flush with the lateral surface.

Since the latching elements 45a, 45b can be formed through the latching openings provided on the (outer) casing 17 on the shoulder 41 and not on the neck 43, the neck can have a height that is 5mm lower than in the prior art. The closure 11 can also be correspondingly lower.

Legend:

11 container closure 13 container opening 15 container 17 jacket 19 cover disk 21 removal opening 23 first sealing element 25 cap, hinged cap 27 hinge 29 second sealing element 31a, 31b first and second latching opening 33a, 33b main and secondary axis of the closure 35a, 35b first latching edge 37 open End of the shell 39 container body 41 container shoulder 43 container neck 45a, 45b first and second locking element, elevation 47a, 47b major and minor axis of the shoulder 49a, 49b second locking edge 51 front surface 53 inner casing

Claims (18)

Having a container closure (11) for closing a container opening (13) of a container (15). – a coat (17), - a cover disc (19), which connects to the upper end of the casing (17), - a removal opening (21), which is provided on the cover disc (19), - A first sealing element (23), which is formed on the inside of the cover disc (19) and is intended to project sealingly into the container opening (13) and - a cap (25) which closes or opens the removal opening (21), characterized, that at least one locking opening (31) is provided on the jacket (17), which can interact with a locking element (45) of the container (15). 2. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that two latching openings (31a, 31b) are provided diametrically opposite one another on the casing (17). 3. Container closure according to claim 2, characterized in that the casing (17) has an elliptical cross-section, the two locking openings (31a, 31b) being provided on the main axis (33a) of the ellipse. 4. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching opening (31) has a first latching edge (35) which is oriented parallel to the open end of the jacket (17) and compared to the other edges of the latching opening (31 ) has the shortest distance to the open end (37) of the jacket (17). 5. Container closure according to claim 4, characterized in that the distance between the first locking edge (35) and the open end (37) of the jacket (17) is between 2 and 6 mm and preferably between 2 and 3 mm. 6. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking opening (31) has the shape of a rectangle. 7. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cap is a hinged cap (25) which is hinged to the skirt (17). 8. Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cap (25) is a screw cap which has an internal thread and can be screwed onto a collar with an external thread which extends upwards on the cover disk. 9. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second sealing element (29) is formed on the inside of the cap (25), which projects into the removal opening (21) when the cap (25) is placed on the cover disc (19 ) is set up. 10. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the jacket (17) has the shape of a truncated cone. 11. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container closure (11) is free of an inner jacket (53) which is formed between the jacket (17) and the first sealing element (23). 12. Container (15), in particular a blow-moulded plastic container, on which a container closure (11) according to one of the preceding claims can be placed - a container opening (13), - a container body (39), - a container neck (43) surrounding and defining the container opening (13), and - a container shoulder (41) connecting the neck (43) to the container body (39), characterized, at least one latching element (45) is formed on the container shoulder (41) and can be latched in the latching opening (31) of the container closure (11). 13. Container according to claim 12, characterized in that two latching elements (45a, 45b) are formed diametrically opposite one another on the container shoulder (41). 14. Container according to one of claims 12 or 13, characterized in that the shoulder (41) has the shape of an ellipse in cross-section. 15. Container according to claim 14, characterized in that the two latching elements (45a, 45b) are formed on the main axis (47a) of the ellipse. 16. Container according to one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that the latching element (45) has a second latching edge (49) which can cooperate with the first latching edge (35) of the latching opening (31). 17. Container according to one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that the locking element is a stepped elevation (45) on the shoulder (41), the front face (51) of the elevation being oriented obliquely in the direction of the container neck (43). 18. Closure system with a container closure (11) and a container (15) according to the preceding claims, wherein the container closure (15) latches with the container (15) when it is pressed onto the latter, characterized, that the front surface (51) of the locking element (45), which penetrates the locking opening (31), is flush with the outer surface of the jacket (17).