CN113015683A

CN113015683A - Tethered closure with stable opening angle

Info

Publication number: CN113015683A
Application number: CN201980075323.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: G·克劳特克雷默
Original assignee: Bericap Holding GmbH
Current assignee: Bericap Holding GmbH
Priority date: 2018-11-16
Filing date: 2019-11-06
Publication date: 2021-06-22
Also published as: EP3995410C0; BR112021007456A2; EP3995410B1; EP3995410A1; US20220002021A1; EP3880574A1; WO2020099200A1; DE202019005974U1; EP4303149A3; US20230090849A1; EP4303149A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure comprising a screw cap (10) with a tamper evident band (3). The screw cap has at least one cylindrical cap shell (2) with an internal thread, and a circumferential tamper band at the lower open end of the cap shell, which is connected to the lower edge of the cap shell along a frangible line of weakness (13, 14), wherein the tamper band is still connected to the cap shell in a trailing manner after a tearing process along the line of weakness by means of a retaining band (15, 16). The object of the present invention is to design a pull-on screw cap with a tamper band such that after unscrewing and releasing the screw cap from the neck opening, the screw cap is folded or tilted into a position in which it does not interfere with additional use of the bottle or pouring or drinking from the bottle and can be left there without taking additional measures. According to the invention, this is achieved in that the retaining band is formed by two weakening lines, each of which is interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction and which partially overlap in the circumferential direction and extend at least in the overlapping region axially spaced apart from one another. The separating strips (11, 12) of each of the two weakening lines are bridged by a respective other weakening line, preferably axially spaced apart.

Description

Tethered closure with stable opening angle

The present invention relates to a pull-on closure comprising a screw cap having at least one cylindrical cap skirt with an internal thread and which has a tamper band extending circumferentially at a lower open end of the cap skirt, wherein the tamper band is connected to a lower edge of the cap skirt by at least one frangible line of weakness, wherein after tearing along the line of weakness the tamper band is still non-detachably connected to the cap skirt by a retaining band. The invention also relates to a composition comprising a container neck with an external thread and a corresponding screw cap.

Plastic products and corresponding plastic wastes, in particular in the form of so-called microplastics, resulting from the abrasion and decay of plastic wastes are becoming the subject of increasing public attention. The screw cap according to the invention also comprises a plastic, typically polyethylene or polypropylene. The storage system introduced also for disposable plastic bottles admittedly reduces the number of plastic bottles remaining in the residual waste, which are in turn subsequently recycled, but this does not prevent the situation in which, in many cases, after the bottles have been emptied, their closures are not screwed onto the bottles but are discarded or disposed of separately, and are thus transferred uncontrollably into the environment, for example into the sea at the river banks and beaches.

Therefore, efforts have been made both in the past and today to design closures on bottles, in particular beverage bottles, so that they are connected to the bottle neck even after opening the bottle. This feature is also referred to as "captive".

The pull-behind closure is known in principle.

In particular in the case of disposable bottles, the so-called tamper band, which is connected to the lower edge of the lid skirt by a weakened position, still depends from the neck of the bottle below the so-called pilfer ring, and already forms a trailing part of the closure. In this respect, it is only necessary to ensure that, even after opening and releasing the screw cap from the threads of the neck of the bottle, the screw cap is connected at least by means of a band portion or the like, referred to herein as a retaining band, to a tamper band, which in turn is secured to the neck of the bottle by means of a so-called pilfer band. The pilfer ring is typically an annular projection which extends circumferentially below the neck thread and has a generally flat or slightly conical underside, behind which a portion of the tamper band or a radially inward projection is hooked, so that upon unscrewing of the screw cap the tamper band is held fast by the pilfer ring, while the weakened position between the tamper band and the cap skirt is torn.

It is then only necessary to ensure that the connection left by the at least one retaining band between the tamper band and the cap skirt is long enough to lift the screw cap completely from the mouth opening of the neck of the bottle and to enable a lateral movement or tilting thereof away from the opening of the neck of the bottle.

It is noted, however, that these screw caps of the pull-on type are often found to be highly disturbing when used as caps, e.g. when pouring liquid from the corresponding bottle, it moves back in front of the opening of the bottle, or opens the neck of the bottle under the action of gravity, and moves into the liquid jet when the liquid jet is poured.

In particular, if the user wants to drink directly from the bottle, the corresponding screw cap, still coupled with the neck of the bottle, is often encumbered and cumbersome. Conventional tamper-evident closures also cause tampering when closing bottles in high-throughput closures.

Thus, in practice, the applicability of the walk-behind closures has not reached the desired degree. It is therefore an object of the present invention to design a pull-on screw cap with a tamper evident band such that the screw cap, after unscrewing and releasing from the neck opening, is tilted or pivoted into a position which does not interfere with further use of the bottle and drinking or pouring from the bottle and can be left there without additional measures. For the sake of simplicity, the screw cap is also referred to herein as a "cap".

This object is achieved by a screw closure according to the invention as defined in claim 1.

In the screw closure according to the invention, the retaining strip is formed by two weakening lines which are interrupted in each case at least once in the circumferential direction and extend axially at a distance from one another and overlap partially in the circumferential direction alternately, wherein the interrupted portions of the two weakening lines are bridged by a respective axially spaced further weakening line. The weakening lines may be produced on the strip by incisions or by separation lines, which have been formed in the injection-molding device.

The above-mentioned interruption in the weakening line is hereinafter referred to as "detachment strip". The separating strip of the upper line of weakness effectively forms an axial extension of the cylindrical cap skirt which is limited to the peripheral section. The separating strip of the lower line of weakness forms an axial extension of the lower tamper band portion which is held stationary to the neck of the bottle.

In conventional closures, the tamper band and the lid skirt are joined together along a single circumferentially extending line of weakness which will tear on initial opening of the closure, the term "tamper band" being used to denote all of the portions at the lower edge of the lid skirt of the closure which are located axially below or axially from the lid threads beyond the level of the line of weakness which corresponds to what is referred to herein as the upper line of weakness.

The expression "axially below" also includes here the so-called inwardly and upwardly angled portions of the flexible band which, in the production of the closure cap, form axial extensions of the outer tamper band portion, even portions of the angled flexible band portion in the folded-up state can extend over the height of the upper weakening line on the inside of the cap.

In order to simplify the description herein, the foregoing definition of the term "tamper band" is retained, that is to say that both separation strips are considered to be part of the tamper band, even if the separation strip of the upper line of weakness is still fixedly connected to the lower edge of the cap skirt and is only detached along the lower line of weakness from that part of the tamper band which remains stationary on the neck of the bottle, as long as they are located below the level of the upper line of weakness. This applies analogously also to the retaining strip which, when the closure is closed, is also located below the level of the upper line of weakness, but does not remain in this position during and after opening.

The above-defined tamper band comprises a part which remains stationary on the neck of the bottle, which part, in addition to rotating, remains stationary relative to the neck of the bottle, and comprises movable parts, such as a retaining band and an upper separating strip, which are movable relative to the stationary part and the neck of the bottle when opened, but are still connected to the stationary part.

In this way, the closure is still generally non-detachably connected to the bottle neck.

The separating strips have ends in the circumferential direction, which ends are each connected over their axial width to one of the ends of the retaining band. At least the separating strip is the same as the inner radius of the cap skirt. The axially upper and lower free end faces of the upper separator strip are referred to as lower edges, while the axial end regions of the upper separator strip comprising the edges are referred to as "edges".

The circumferential overlap of the lines of weakness defines the retention band as a strip-shaped portion of the tamper band which extends circumferentially between the lines of weakness.

An internally threaded cylindrical cap skirt defines a closure axis and a bottle neck onto which a corresponding screw cap is screwed defines a bottle neck axis. These axes coincide in the closed state.

A sufficient axial spacing of the weakening lines in their overlapping region, for example at least 2mm, results in a sufficiently strong retaining band which does not tear under a pulling force of up to 30N, typically even up to 40N. It is therefore not possible for the average consumer, and in particular for children, to easily tear the screw cap off the portion of the tamper strip that remains secured under the anti-theft ring by tearing the retaining band. As a result, the cap including the tamper band remains constantly connected to the bottle neck.

A suitable matching of the circumferential extent of the separating strip with the spacing (measured in the axial direction) of the weakening lines can provide a screw cap which, after being unscrewed and lifted and turned over with sufficient spacing relative to the container neck opening, moves into a sufficiently stable position, remains in this position after opening and turning over, and even under its own weight, does not move into an upset position in front of the container neck mouth opening, regardless of the orientation of the associated container or neck.

For the purposes of the present invention, the terms "container" and "bottle" are used synonymously in the context of the present invention, the precise container type not being a significant consideration as long as the container has only one neck with an external thread and the closure or the screw cap of the closure is fitted thereto.

Desirably, each of the two weakened lines has exactly one separation strip, and the center points of the two separation strips are arranged in diametrically opposed relation to each other. In any case, the weakening lines are axially spaced with respect to each other in their overlapping area. In one embodiment, the two lines of weakness remain at the same respective axial position along their entire perimeter when the closure is unopened, but are different for the two lines of weakness. However, the axial position of the weakening line may also vary in the circumferential direction along its extent, as long as the retaining band does not thereby become too narrow and retain a sufficient tear strength of at least 30N to preferably at least 40N.

Such an axial spacing is admittedly immaterial with regard to the separating strip of weakening lines, and in this example the respective other weakening line which is not interrupted there can be passed over to an axial position which then corresponds to the interrupted weakening line or which is located at a greater axial spacing therefrom.

The upper line of weakness defines a line of separation between the lower edge of the lid skirt and the tamper band. The lower line of weakness divides the tamper band along the peripheral portion into a lower tamper band portion and an upper tamper band portion, wherein the upper tamper band portion is fixedly connected to the cap skirt in the region of the interruption of the upper line of weakness, otherwise defining a portion of the separation line between the retention band and the lower tamper band portion.

In one embodiment, the tamper band is a so-called flexible band having a first outer tamper band portion which extends as an axial extension of the cylindrical cover skirt and which has a second tamper band portion which is turned over radially inwardly and upwardly from a lower edge of the first tamper band portion and whose free upwardly facing end has an engagement element for engagement with the underside of the tamper ring.

The terms "upper" and "lower" are used herein with respect to the orientation of the closure fitted over the neck opening of a vertically disposed bottle.

The separation of the tamper band along the entire length of the line of weakness means that, in the region of overlap of the lines of weakness, a strip-shaped portion of the tamper band, which is referred to herein as a retaining band, is produced as a result of the axial spacing of the lines of weakness. Those retaining strips connect the respective separating strips of the upper and lower weakening lines, wherein those separating strips in turn form a connection with the lid skirt and with the first tamper band portion, respectively, which is intended to remain stationary on the bottle neck. The separating strip of the lower line of weakness also determines the length of the retention strip but has no further function in terms of stability of the open lid position. On the contrary, the separation strip (upper separation strip), depending on its respective configuration of the upper weakening line, then contributes significantly to stabilize the wide open condition of the lid. Thus, as long as the following text refers to a "separator strip" without further detailed distinction, this refers to an upper separator strip. The separator strip forms an axial extension of the lid skirt and is fixedly connected thereto.

The ends of the separator strip in the circumferential direction are respectively connected to one of the ends of the holding belt, and the other ends of the holding belt are respectively connected to the ends of the lower separator strip in the circumferential direction.

After unscrewing the screw cap and then unscrewing or folding it, the cap is still connected to the bottle neck by means of the separating strip and the retaining band, the cap is moved after a pivoting movement of approximately 90 ° into a position in which the lower edge of the separating strip, which pivots with the cap, is moved radially inwards towards the bottle neck and the upper edge of the separating strip, which directly adjoins the cap skirt, is moved radially outwards away from the bottle neck.

The retaining strip between the two separating strips is thereby twisted and retains the cap or the separating strip axially extending the cap into contact with the bottle neck. In this case, the lower edge of the separating strip or its lower edge comes into contact with the bottle neck and forms a pivot point on the bottle neck, which pivot point, however, moves axially on the bottle neck during the pivoting movement.

In addition to the slight restoring force of the twisted retaining band, the tamper band initially does not resist radially toward the bottle neck with any appreciable resistance during the folding movement of the screw cap and the pivoting movement of the lower edge of the separating strip.

When the retention strap is attached to the ends of the separator strip across the width, the portion of the retention strap immediately adjacent the upper end of the separator strip stretches slightly more than the portion adjacent the lower end of the separator strip. The axial height of the separating strip between the upper attachment of the retaining strip and the pivot point thus forms a lever for exerting a pulling force on the retaining strip, which lever contributes to a further opening movement of the lid when a dead point with respect to the pivoting movement at about 90 ° is exceeded. As a result, the lid reaches a stable opening angle of about 140 ° with respect to its starting position. In addition, the retaining strap extends over the anti-theft ring due to the upward movement of the screw cap by the upper separating strip, and this contributes to the tensile and tensile stress in the retaining strap. The fact that the separation strips extend over a certain peripheral angle, for example 20-60 °, also has the following consequences: when folded over onto the cap, the spacing between the ends of the separating strip and the neck of the bottle is increased due to the arcuate configuration of the separating strip along the perimeter and the radius of the cap skirt, correspondingly increasing the tension in the retaining band, which thus holds the cap in the wide open position by pulling the inverted separating strip onto the neck of the bottle.

In principle, however, the length of the retaining strip, i.e. the overlapping area of the two weakening lines, and the axial height and circumference of the separating strip are such that the stretching of the strip is still in the elastic range without reaching the yield point.

This means that, due to the engagement between the lower edge of the separating strip and the bottle neck by means of the retaining band, a varying force is exerted on the separating strip, which force first increases when tilting the screw cap, then exceeds the dead point, and then decreases again, more particularly when the screw cap and the separating strip it carries are tilted by more than 90 ° with respect to its closed position, in which case the retaining band extending between the two separating strips rotates on its own. Due to the relatively small wall thickness, for example 0.3 to 0.6 or 0.8mm, and the moderate width (measured in the axial direction) of the retaining bands, for example 3mm, the elastic restoring forces due to the twisting of those retaining bands are relatively small compared to the forces exerted by the retaining bands on the upper separating strip in the direction of the bottle neck.

As a result, the folded-over position of the closure reached after the dead point has been passed remains substantially stable and the screw cap does not move in front of or too close to the neck opening, which leads to problems.

In one embodiment, therefore, the screw cap does not cause problems, in particular when drinking from the neck opening, the closure cap axis, which coincides with the neck axis in the closed state of the closure, assumes a stable position after opening and transverse pivoting of the closure, in which position it is pivoted by at least 120 °, preferably at least 140 °, relative to the starting position or relative to the neck axis.

Considering the mode of operation of the pull-on closure during and after the screw cap is folded over, it is clear that the specific return and stabilizing forces generated depend on a whole series of interacting parameters, including in particular: a certain axial width and circumferential extent fixed to the cap skirt, the same inner radius of the separating strip as the inner radius of the cap and the outer radius of the neck of the bottle, and the extent of the weakening line and the circumference of the lower separating strip (and therefore the length of the retaining band).

The above-mentioned parameters can be matched to one another in different combinations such that the folding movement of the screw cap travels beyond the dead point, so that the screw cap as a whole has a bistable position in which the screw cap in the fully open stable position does not interfere with the access to the neck mouth. Preferred and practical functional values of the above parameters are set forth below and in the appended claims.

In principle, it is even not necessary but desirable that each weakening line has exactly one separating strip and that the centre points of the separating strips are arranged in diametrically opposite relationship. A separating strip of the lower line of weakening fixedly connected to the other portion of the tamper band delimits in a direction an overlap between the upper line of weakening and the lower line of weakening, this overlap of the respective lines of weakening determining the length of the retaining band connecting the tamper band remaining on the neck of the bottle to the screw cap skirt.

Desirably, the separating strip of the upper line of weakness extends over an outer peripheral angle in the range between 10 ° and 75 °, preferably between 20 ° and 60 °. An angle in this range ensures that the separating strip itself is stable and folds back together with the lid skirt and not only bends relative to the separating strip when opening, but on the other hand also provides sufficient force to hold the folded-back closure in its fully open position, for which purpose the separating strip must have a certain minimum length in the circumferential direction.

The separating strip of the lower line of weakness, diametrically opposed to the separating strip of the upper line of weakness, may extend over an outer peripheral angle of, for example, between 120 ° and 200 °, preferably between 170 ° and 190 °, wherein the difference in the outer peripheral angles of the upper and lower separating strips defines the length of the retaining band extending between the remaining portion of the tamper band and the cap skirt.

The width of the separation strip remaining on the lid skirt should preferably be at least half the width of the entire intact tamper band, that is to say it does not split along a line of weakness such that distortion of this wider portion relative to the remainder of the tamper band results in a corresponding difference in diameter and length between the radially inner lower edge of the separation strip and the upper edge of the separation strip attached to the screw cap.

The measured width in the axial direction of the separating strip (in the intact state) remaining on the cap skirt is numerically at least 1.5mm, preferably at least 2mm, in particular about 3mm or more. In contrast, the wall thickness of the tamper band is in the range between 0.3mm and 0.8mm, so it is clear that the force generated in the band by twisting the separation strip relative to the rest of the band is controlled, in particular by the different inner and outer radii of the twisted tamper band portions (including the retention band and the upper separation strip), which force is correspondingly greater the wider the twisted portion.

The minimum width of the retaining band, measured in the axial direction, depends inter alia on the particular plastic used and also on the wall thickness of the retaining band. Thus, in one embodiment, the minimum spacing of the lines of weakness defining the minimum width of the retention strap should be greater than 1mm, preferably greater than 2mm, in particular greater than 2.3 mm. The upper limit is determined by the width of the tamper band accordingly. The retention strip, which effectively forms part of the tamper band and extends between the separation lines, then has sufficient tear strength to prevent the screw cap from being forcibly torn off the tamper band, at least by a child's hand. Preferably, the retaining band is tear-resistant under a pulling force of up to at least 30N, preferably at least 40N.

The combination according to the invention comprises a neck with an external thread and a closure as described above, characterized in that the external diameter of the neck above the pilfer proof ring, the internal diameter of the tamper evident band and the width, circumferential extent and any thickening of the upper separating strip are matched to one another such that after release and subsequently when the screw cap is folded over the free lower edge of the separating strip it engages the neck. In that case, the retaining strap will twist somewhat. When the angle of inclination exceeds approximately 90 °, the cap with the separating strip moves beyond the dead point, so that the outer side of the separating strip is then directed to the outer side of the bottle neck, and the screw cap is stabilized by maintaining a certain tensile stress in the band in the position rotated through an angle of inclination exceeding 90 °.

The flip angle or inclination angle is defined herein as the angle between the axis of the neck of the bottle (which coincides with the closure axis when the neck of the bottle or container is closed by the closure) and the axis of the closure in the inverted state.

In the region above the pilfer ring, in which the upper separating strip of the tamper band is arranged against the neck of the bottle after opening of the closure, the difference between the outer diameter of the neck of the bottle and the nominal inner diameter of the tamper band is at most 2.5mm, preferably at most 1.5mm, smaller than the nominal inner diameter of the tamper band. The term "nominal inner diameter" is used to indicate the inner diameter of the tamper band without any flexible band portion which also corresponds in particular to the inner diameter of the cap in the region of the upper separating strip prior to separation of the weakening line.

In the variant discussed below, a slight difference in diameter between the diameter of the relevant part of the neck or the anti-tamper ring along which the lower edge of the separating bar slides and the diameter of the tamper band is ensured by adapting the neck diameter or the anti-tamper ring profile and thus its diameter.

The slight difference in diameter allows the lower edge of the separating strip, which is fixedly connected to the upper edge of the lid skirt and is arranged above the pilfer proof ring after releasing the screw cap, to already engage the bottle neck at a relatively small inclination angle, even after passing over the dead point, acting on the force caused by this engagement between the bottle neck and the separating strip, which holds and stabilizes the flip-up screw closure in the wide open position.

In a variant of the composition according to the invention, which comprises a threaded container neck and a closure, the security ring has a profile defined by a lower side, which in axial section extends at least 80 ° relative to the neck axis, a region of maximum diameter, and an upper side, which extends at an inclination angle of less than 90 ° relative to the neck axis and transitions to the outer neck diameter below the threads on the neck. In this case, a portion of the neck of the bottle or the upper side above the upper side of the contour of the anti-tamper ring extends at least to or furthest to the axial position reached by the lower edge of the separating strip at the maximum folding-over position of the screw cap. The outer diameter of this portion is larger than the neck of the bottle in the bottom of the thread or without the thread profile.

This means that when the screw cap is unscrewed and folded over, the upper separating strip is first lifted onto the region of the largest diameter of the tamper ring and its lower edge is slid onto its upper side, wherein the enlarged neck diameter in the region through which the lower edge of the separating strip passes pushes the separating strip radially further outwards than what is possible with the neck diameter, since it would otherwise be present between the tamper ring and the thread and also at the thread bottom. This causes the retaining band to twist further, thus rotating the separator strip and the screw cap to a further angular position.

In the above-described variant, the difference between the outer diameter of the upper flank or the part above the upper flank and the diameter of the bottle neck without thread profile, i.e. at the thread bottom, should be at least 0.1mm, preferably at least 0.3mm and at most 1 mm.

In particular, in the composition according to the invention, which comprises a threaded container neck and a closure, the anti-theft ring has a triangular or trapezoidal profile, the underside of which extends at an angle of 80 ° or more, that is to say perpendicularly or almost perpendicularly to the axis of the container neck, and the upper side of which extends at an angle of about 30 ° or less relative to the axis of the container neck. When opening the container by unscrewing the closure, the separating strip slides over the ridge between the sides of the security ring, after which the upper side of the security ring first comes into contact with the separating strip. The upper side has a greater axial extent due to its small angle and the area delimited by this side, which can easily extend over the area through which the lower edge of the separating strip passes when the closure is opened and folded over, has a larger diameter than the diameter of the neck of the bottle above it.

In addition, the cylindrical neck portion of the container neck is provided with a cylindrical external thread, which is generally slightly larger in diameter (by about 0.3-0.8 mm) below the thread and above the pilfer ring than above it, resulting in a more secure engagement between the lower edge of the upper separating strip and the neck of the bottle, which tends to further increase the angle of inclination between the axis of the neck of the bottle and the axis of the closure.

Many established bottleneck standards are not immediately modified or otherwise discussed with the participation of many parties, so that the diameter of the bottleneck or security ring and its profile are first considered to be constant. To this end, further configurations of closures are proposed, which are provided for standard bottle necks having a thread depth standard of 1.3mm or more. One example of this is a bottleneck conforming to the PCO standard 1881.

The deeper the thread, the greater the difference between the inner radius of the cap skirt and the outer radius of the neck of the bottle than a thread which is not so deep, since the inner radius of the cap skirt corresponds at least to the radius of the thread bottom of the screw cap, which in turn is slightly larger than the outer radius of the neck thread.

This applies correspondingly to the lower edge region of the lid skirt and the separating strip attached thereto.

For such deeper threads, another parameter of the closure may be taken into account to ensure that the closure has a sufficiently large and stable pivot angle in the open state, more specifically the radial thickness of the upper parting strip at its lower edge.

In the intact condition of the tamper band, the lower edge of the upper separation strip extends along and is bounded by the lower line of weakness.

In an embodiment, in particular for closures and bottles having a thread depth of more than 1.2 or 1.3mm, it is provided that the separating strip of the upper weakening line has a radial thickening at least at its free lower edge.

In particular, the lower edge (in the closed state) is thickened radially outwards. More specifically, after opening and folding over the screw cap, the thickened portion is located above the anti-theft ring against the bottle neck. This thickening at the separating strip compensates at least for a part of the difference in radius between the neck of the bottle and the inner radius of the upper separating strip, which dimension is also increased as the thread is deeper, as described above.

A radial thickening is provided on the outside of the separating strip and at least in one or two locations in the region of the lower edge of the separating strip. After the cover has pivoted more than 90 °, the radial thickening bears against the bottle neck or the upper side of the anti-theft ring. The radial thickening on the separating strip thus forces the region of the separating strip radially inwardly of the thickening radially further radially outward in relation to the cover, in particular at its lower edge, which in practice corresponds to a portion of the separating strip which, theoretically irrespective of the thickening, assumes exactly the same position and angular disposition as in the case of a smaller difference in radius between the neck of the bottle and the inner radius of the separating strip.

In one variant, the wall thickness of the separating strip is up to 1mm due to a radial thickening of its lower edge, wherein the term "thickening" refers to a radial projection of this region beyond the surface of the tamper band which is otherwise cylindrical. In the case of a wall thickness of the remaining part of the tamper band of about 0.3 to 0.8mm, the thickening is between 0.2 and 0.7mm, in particular between 0.2 and 0.4 mm. Without this thickening, the wall thickness of the tamper band, apart from the weakening line, would remain substantially constant and equal to the wall thickness of the cap skirt.

However, the thickening may also extend over the entire tamper band portion below the separation strip, that is to say to the lower edge of the tamper band, and in particular also along the entire periphery of the lower tamper band portion below and between the upper and lower lines of weakness and at a distance relative thereto. This simplifies the production of the injection-moulding tool, in particular the lower weakening line, compared to variants having a radial thickening only in the region along the lower edge of the separating strip.

The radial thickening of the upper parting strip makes itself particularly noticeable in larger thread depths of more than 1.3mm on the bottle neck, as is the case for the widely used standard type of thread PCO 1881. The thickening has a stabilizing effect in the pivoted position of the open closure and maintains the axis of the screw cap in the open state at an angle of more than 120 °, preferably more than 140 °, to the axis of the bottle neck.

In fact, the axial dimensions of all the portions below the closure skirt together form a distinct tamper band, limited in practice to about 5 to 6 mm. On the one hand, the requirements for saving material and the specifications relating to a suitably adapted container neck have limited this axial dimension upwards. This dimension is limited downwards by sufficient functional stability. On the one hand, the tamper band must be secured to the bottle neck in such a way that: in practice, it cannot be removed without damaging the bottle neck. On the other hand, it must also withstand the forces involved in applying the closure to the threads of the neck of the bottle, in particular when it is moved over the anti-theft ring. These conditions are no longer met if the main portion of the tamper band is shorter in axial length than, for example, 2mm (except for frangible bridges which may be distributed along the line of weakness).

If in the present case the closure is additionally divided into elements, fasteners, retaining strips and separating strips below the lid skirt, there is little range available for changing the axial width of the retaining strips and the axial height of the separating strips. In practice, both dimensions are in the range of 2-3 mm. Thus, an axial width of about 2-3 mm in the peripheral region of the retaining band and the upper separator strip remains available for the stationary outer tamper band portion. Thus, for practical reasons, any axial variation of the configuration of the weakening line along its circumferential extent will also be limited to an axial extent of a width of at most 1 mm. This does not cause any changes as far as the basic function of the closure according to the invention is concerned, and therefore will not be discussed in detail here.

Furthermore, in an embodiment of the invention, the stationary part forms a flexible band with the outer stationary part already described above and the part turned inwards and upwards and engaging the anti-tamper ring of the bottle neck.

In a further variant, the closure is designed as an opening for a carton package.

Such a screw cap for carton packaging has: a lower closure portion having a circumferentially extending flange which is connectable in sealed relation to a surface of the carton package and having a cylindrical pour spout which is contiguous with the flange and has an upper outer opening and a lower inner opening; a screw cap with an internal thread, which can be screwed onto the external thread on the pouring opening portion; a cutting ring disposed in the pouring spout portion and having at least one axially inwardly projecting cutting edge at a lower edge thereof; and axial lifting and entraining means on the cutting ring and the screw cap, which comprise entraining means mounted inside the screw cap and axial lifting means which, when the screw cap is moved in the opening direction, displace the cutting ring to extend axially in the axial and circumferential direction of the lower opening, so that an at least partially circularly extending cut is produced on the container surface.

The object of the invention is also achieved by a closure in which the screw cap has, at the lower edge of its cap skirt, an axially extending tamper band which engages behind the anti-theft ring below the external thread outside the pouring opening by means of an internal projection, wherein the tamper band is divided by two mutually separate cut-out portions, which extend circumferentially and partly overlap in the circumferential direction and do not cross and separate from the skirt portion of the screw cap, so that in the region of the circumferentially overlapping cut-outs a respective retaining band is formed by a portion of the tamper band, which, when released from the external thread onto the thread, fixedly retains the lower portion of the screw cap tamper band still subdivided on the closure.

This variant can also have all the features of the dependent claims 2 to 12, wherein, in relation to the combination of a neck and a closure in claims 13 to 17, the respective neck is to be replaced by a lower closure part fitted to the beverage carton.

In such closures, the cutting ring has a second external thread on its outside in an opposed relationship to the external thread of the pouring spout portion, and this second external thread is in mating engagement with a second internal thread on the inside of the pouring spout portion.

In this variant, the pitch of the second internal thread and the second external thread may be greater than the pitch of the internal thread of the screw cap and the external thread of the pouring spout portion, wherein preferably the factor between the different pitches is at least 1.5.

In addition, in this respect, the entrainment means of the screw cap may be in the form of a lifting cam whose edge or surface is inclined with respect to the closure axis, and the element of the cutting ring may be in the form of a cam follower. And guide elements radially overlapping one another can be provided on the outside of the cutting ring and on the inside of the pouring opening section, wherein the guide elements only allow an axial movement of the cutting ring at the beginning of the opening rotation of the screw cap, and only after reaching a predetermined axial position of the cutting ring do they allow the cutting ring to be entrained in the circumferential direction and restrict further axial movement.

Further advantages, features and possible uses of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a closure according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the closure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a 360 deployment view of the tamper band of the closure of FIG. 2;

4A-C show the closure of FIG. 1 at various stages of the opening process;

FIG. 5 shows a folded-over closure, wherein the separation strip engages with the upper side of the pilfer proof ring;

FIG. 6A shows a detailed view of FIG. 5;

fig. 6B shows an axial section through a bottle neck with a pilfer proof ring according to the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a detail of another profile shape similar to FIG. 5 but with a security ring;

fig. 8A and 8B show a variant of the configuration of the bottle neck in the region above the anti-theft ring;

fig. 9 shows a side view of another embodiment of a closure, partly in section in the closed state, in particular for a greater thread depth;

FIG. 9A shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of detail area B of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 shows a side view, in partial section, of the embodiment of FIG. 9 in an open state;

FIG. 10A shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of detail A in FIG. 10;

fig. 11 shows an axial sectional view of a closure for a beverage carton according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows an exterior view of the closure of FIG. 11 in a closed state;

FIG. 13 shows a top view of the closed closure of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 shows the closure of FIG. 11 in a partially opened condition; and

fig. 15 shows the fully open closure as shown in fig. 11 with the screw cap folded over.

In the perspective view of fig. 1, the closure according to the invention comprises a screw cap 10 with a tamper band, wherein the screw cap 10 essentially comprises a cap skirt 2 and a top plate 1 closing the cylindrical cap skirt 2 upwards. At the lower end of the cap skirt 2 is fitted a tamper band 3, which tamper band 3 cannot be completely separated from the screw cap 10 in the closure according to the invention.

Conventional screw caps with a tamper band have only one line of weakness which, unlike the line of weakness 13 shown here, extends uninterrupted along the entire circumference of the screw cap 10 and represents a line of separation between the screw cap 10 and the tamper band 3.

The weakening line may typically be a circumferentially extending uniform weakening of the material, which may for example be produced by a cut that does not extend completely through the material of the tamper band 3 or that transitions into the lid skirt 2, but may also comprise a cut that passes completely through the wall thickness of the tamper band 3, but is easily interrupted at various points by frangible bridges.

The present invention differs from the conventional form of screw cap with tamper band in that it has two weakening

lines

13, 14 which are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction on the one hand and do not extend over the entire periphery of the tamper band on the other hand, but are interrupted in the upper separation strip 11 of the upper weakening line 13 and the lower separation strip 12 of the lower weakening line 14.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the closure of fig. 1, and fig. 3 shows a developed view of the tamper band 3 over 360 °, that is to say that the ends of the tamper band shown at 0 ° and 360 ° on the right and left sides, respectively, abut against and are connected to one another so that the tamper band is annular in its entirety. In this view, the separation actually divides the separator strip 12 into two parts, although in practice it involves a single connected separator strip.

The

interruptions

13, 14 have different lengths, but are arranged so that they overlap with the respective separating strips 11 and 12 of the other weakening line. In this respect, it is desirable that the center points of the separating strips 11, 12 are in diametrically opposed relationship to each other, as is currently the case for 0 ° and 180 ° in fig. 3.

If the weakened connection, which initially still occurs along the weakening lines 13, 14, is completely severed after opening or releasing the screw cap from the neck of the bottle, the retention strips 15, 16 formed in the region of the overlap of the weakening lines form a clearly tear-resistant connection between the

interruption regions

11, 12. In this case, the interruption zone 11 is connected to the lower edge of the screw cap, and the interruption zone 12 is connected to the portion of the tamper band 3 remaining in its original position, below the weakening line 14.

The portion of tamper band 3 remaining below the weakening line 14 together with the interruption region 12 still forms a completely circumferentially extending securing band engaging the neck of the container generally between the screw cap and the neck of the container. The

interruption zones

12 and 11 are connected together by a remaining retaining

band

15, 16, respectively, said retaining

band

15, 16 being created by the overlapping of the two weakening

lines

13, 14, so that the screw cap 10 effectively remains connected to the lower portion of the tamper band and the bottle neck by the retaining

bands

15, 16 and is thereby entrained.

Fig. 4A shows a closure arranged in a partially untwisted state on a bottle neck. The connection between the screw cap 10 and the tamper band 3 is severed along two weakening

lines

13, 14. However, since the two weakening lines are interrupted and axially displaced relative to one another at least in their overlapping region, a movable connection is maintained between the screw cap 10 and the tamper band 3 by the retaining

bands

15, 16 produced between the overlapping weakening lines. It will therefore be appreciated that on release of the closure or screw cap 10 by a rotational movement with the cap skirt 2 in the opening direction, the tamper band 3 also rotates about the closure axis 50 and is carried along in the circumferential direction by the retaining

bands

15, 16.

Due to the thread pitch, the lid skirt is moved axially upwards, while the tamper band is held on a so-called tamper ring 21, which can only be seen in the figures. However, fig. 4A shows one of the separator strips 11 and 12 and the retention strap 15 extending between the separator strips 11 and 12, while the lines of

weakness

13, 14 are also expanded to a large axial separation.

Once the screw cap in fig. 4A is unscrewed far enough from the thread on the bottle neck, the screw cap can be removed or tilted from the side, as shown in fig. 4B. Fig. 4C shows the state in which the screw cap 10 has been tilted or turned over more than 90 ° with respect to the starting position in fig. 4A. The angle of inclination is in this respect defined as the angle between the axis 50 of the container neck and the axis 50 'of the cylindrical internal thread of the cap skirt 2, which angle coincides with the bottle neck in the closed state of the closure, whereas in the case of an open closure as shown in fig. 4C, the axes 50, 50' have been inclined with respect to each other by about 150 ° from the closed position.

In this respect, it is particularly important that this interruption region 11 simply represents a relatively stable axial extension of the cap skirt 2 by the connection with the cap skirt, owing to the interruption region 11. By tilting the screw cap, the separating strip 11 in the form of a tab-like extension is also tilted together with the stable closure skirt, as shown in fig. 4C, and has been moved slightly past the horizontal position (perpendicular to axis 50) in fig. 4C, and the retaining

bands

15, 16 are twisted accordingly.

In this case, the lower edge 11a of the separating strip 11 engages the outside of the bottle neck 20, the edge 11a being forced onto the anti-theft ring 21 due to the tip of the screw cap and also due to its axial displacement, and being forced to a smaller radius than in the state of fig. 4A due to the twisting of the retaining

bands

15, 16. The upper flange of the anti-theft ring 21 is inclined by about 30 ° or even slightly less with respect to the closing axis 50, which facilitates the folding movement of the detachment strip 11 when the detachment strip 11 slides onto the upper side of the anti-theft ring 21.

The upper edge portion of the separation strip 11 fixedly connected to the lower edge portion of the cap skirt 2 is accordingly moved to a larger radius than that shown in fig. 4A than in the starting state. In this case, the two retaining

bands

15, 16 are twisted and the axial displacement of the upper separation strip 11 of the tamper band additionally leads to an effective reduction in the diameter of the tamper band including the separation strip 11, in particular in the region of the lower edge 11 a.

The lower edge 11a of the separating strip 11 is thus in contact with and frictionally engages the outside of the bottle neck 20, wherein the force generated between the bottle neck 20 and the separating strip 11 or the edge 11a is greatest when the separating strip 11 is oriented substantially horizontally, that is to say perpendicularly to the bottle neck axis 50. The holding straps 15, 16 are then under tensile stress.

With a further tilting movement of the screw cap and the separating strip 11, the tensile stress in the retaining band with a certain elasticity is reduced again, so that the horizontal position of the separating strip 11 defines a dead point. Once this dead point is exceeded, the engagement between the separating strip 11 and the neck 20 of the bottle effectively generates a force tending to move the screw cap to the other overturned position against the elastic return force in the retaining strips 15, 16. Accordingly, the lid skirt 2 and thus the screw cap 10 as a whole occupy a sufficiently stable position beyond the dead point. Therefore, the screw cap is maintained in a wide open state even if the bottle neck is rotated or inclined in any direction.

In this position, the cap skirt is sufficiently far from the bottle mouth that both the liquid can be poured into the bottle and also directly from the bottle without the screw cap still being quickly fixed to the bottle mouth being in this case cumbersome.

Preferably, the screw cap 10 is inclined in such a way that: it is in a sufficiently stable position and the cap skirt 2 is at the greatest possible extent of distance relative to the neck finish. In order to allow the anti-theft ring 21 on the bottle neck 20 according to the invention to have a configuration in particular such that the folded-over screw cap 10 is pushed radially outward and therefore involves a greater twist of the retaining strips 15, 16, so that the angle of inclination increases.

Fig. 5, 6A, 6B, 7, 8A and 8B show an embodiment of the antitheft ring 21 having such a configuration.

Fig. 5 shows a side view of the closure in the folded-over position. Fig. 6A shows an enlarged sectional view of the region of the separating strip 11 which engages the neck 20 of the bottle, more precisely the security ring 21.

As shown in fig. 6A, the profile of the anti-theft ring 21 is substantially triangular. In this case, the profile may also be described as a nose configuration. The underside 22 of the security ring extends almost perpendicularly to the axis of the container neck 50. Corresponding to the triangular profile, the lower side 22 merges with the upper side 24 in the region of the largest diameter. The region of greatest diameter is in this case in the form of a rounded edge, also referred to here as a ridge 23 extending between the lower side 22 and the upper side 24. In the embodiment of fig. 6A, the upper side 24 is set considerably flatter than the lower side with respect to the bottle neck 20. In this case, the upper side extends at an angle of about 30 ° relative to the axis of the container neck 50.

When the screw cap 10 is now unscrewed, the upper separating strip 11 is lifted onto the ridge 23, where the security ring 21 has its largest diameter. In the subsequent tilting movement, the retaining

bands

15 and 16 are twisted and the lower edge 11A of the separating strip 11 slides onto the upper side 24 of the security ring 21. In this case, the separating strip 11 is possibly held further radially outward with respect to the neck diameter D in the region through which the lower edge 11A of the separating strip 11 passes, due to the larger diameter D of the upper flank 24 relative to the neck outer diameter D, since it would otherwise be present between the security ring 21 and the thread 25 and on the thread bottom. As a result of this action, the retaining

bands

15, 16 shown in fig. 5 undergo a greater twisting action and the screw cap 10 or its axis 50' is inclined at a greater angle to the neck axis 50 than without the profile of the security ring 21, as shown in fig. 5 and 6A.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the angle of inclination is about 150 °.

Another profile of the anti-theft ring 21 is shown in fig. 6B. In this case, the upper side 24 is flatter relative to the neck 20 of the bottle than in the profile shown in fig. 6A. The upper side is at an angle of about 10 deg. to the axis 50 of the container neck. In addition, the upper side 24 extends over a larger axial portion of the bottle neck 20.

By means of such a contour of the anti-theft ring 21 as shown in fig. 6A or 6B, it can be structurally determined that the separating strip 11 or its lower edge 11a remains on the upper side 24 and therefore has a larger radius (due to the smaller angle with respect to the axis 50) than without the axially extended side 24. The larger the radius on which the edge 11a is held after the cap has been folded over, the correspondingly more the retaining

bands

15, 16 are twisted and in their sufficiently stable end position the angle of inclination of the screw cap 10 is correspondingly larger.

Fig. 7, 8A and 8B show further examples in which the security ring 21 has such a profile according to the invention, or the bottle neck above the security ring has corresponding additional elements. In fig. 7, the profile resembles a trapezoid, wherein the lower side 22 extends almost perpendicular to the axis of the container neck 50, while the upper side 24 extends at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the axis of the container neck 50. The region 23 of maximum diameter extends axially upwards to such an extent that the separating strips 11 remain widely below the upper flank 24 and are thus pushed radially outwards and increase again the angle of inclination of the screw cap 20 compared to the smaller (outer) diameter d bearing against the bottle neck 20.

Fig. 8A shows the profile of the anti-theft ring 21, which in the lower region is similar to the profile in fig. 5 and 6A. In the embodiment of fig. 8A, the upper side 24 enters a short cylindrical upper end portion 24B, which defines a diameter D, which is larger relative to the smaller diameter D of the bottle neck and against which the separating strip 11 or its lower edge rests in the folded-over state of the screw cap 10. In this case, the screw cap 10 is in a sufficiently stable end position due to the large angle of inclination.

Another alternative is shown in fig. 8B. In addition to the security ring 21, the bottle neck has an annular projection 26, which annular projection 26 is arranged circumferentially above the upper side 24 of the security ring 21 on the bottle neck. The axial position of the projection 26 is matched to the closure or screw cap with the separating strip 11, so that the closure or its lower edge 11a bears against the projection 26 from below, thereby holding the screw cap in the immediate vicinity of the anti-theft ring. Without the protrusion 29, the band 15 can pull the upper separating strip and thereby the entire screw cap slightly upwards until the edge of the separating strip abuts the thread. The space between the lower end of the neck thread and the anti-theft ring is small and the possibility of upward movement of the separation strip is low. However, as the thread extends helically upwards, the freedom of axial movement becomes greater until the single-pass thread has reached approximately 2.7mm when rotated 360 ° with respect to the lower thread at a pitch of, for example, 2.7 mm. The circumferentially extending protrusions 26 prevent or impede this upward movement as it is undesirable to allow the screw cap to approach the cheek of a person drinking directly from the bottle by allowing free movement of the moving cap.

Fig. 9 shows a partial cross-sectional view of another screw cap according to the invention. The screw cap 10 has a tamper band 3 at its lower edge and is shown separately in fig. 9A in a cross-sectional view of an enlarged detail a of the lower region of the screw cap, which includes a portion of the associated bottle neck 20.

The screw cap 10 in fig. 9, 9A and 10, 10A has been very similar to the screw cap shown in fig. 5 and 6A, with the difference that at least the separation strip 11 has a radial thickening 11b at its lower edge, which radial thickening 11b, however, in the present case also extends axially below the separation strip 11 over the entire circumference of the tamper strip 3 over the entire thickness of the separation strip 11 and at this level. In this portion, the wall thickness is greater in the situation shown in figures 5 and 6, between the upper and lower spaced-apart lines of weakness relative to below the normal line of the tamper band.

As shown in fig. 10, the purpose of the thickened portion 11b at the lower edge of the separation strip 11 is to keep the opened screw cap in a wide-open state even when a screw thread having a thread depth of more than 1.3mm is used.

Due to the cutting plane in fig. 9, there is no upper weakening line 13 in the area of the separating strip 11. Thus, the separator strip 11 is continuously connected to the closure skirt 2. The axial position of the upper weakening line is approximately at the level of the largest diameter of the anti-theft ring 21.

The fixed portion of the tamper band is formed by a flexible band. It comprises a radially inner, upturned portion 3a and a radially outer, flexible band portion 3b, which flexible band portion 3b remains stationary on the neck of the bottle even after opening of the closure.

As can be seen from fig. 10A, which shows an enlarged detail of the closure in the open position shown in fig. 10, the contact of the radial thickening 11b here in the transition region between the upper side of the security ring 21 and the upper bottle neck portion provides a nominally radially inner portion 11c of the separating strip 11 (which corresponds to the non-thickened separating strip), in particular a lower edge portion thereof which is pushed radially outwards from the bottle neck 20 to a greater extent than if the thickening 11b were not present. As a result, the screw cap 10 maintains a stable position despite the deeper thread profile, which can be turned over a large range, for example 140 °.

Fig. 11 to 15 each show the same embodiment of a closure for a carton package, in particular a beverage carton, and are therefore described in conjunction with each other. Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the lower closure part, which is generally indicated by reference numeral 40 and comprises a flange 31, to which flange 31 a pouring spout portion 32 is attached, and fig. 4 shows an external view of the lower closure part. The pour spout portion has an upper opening and a lower opening (not visible here) which are first closed by the surface of the carton material when the closure is on the carton package to prevent any contamination of the container contents.

The flange 1 is welded or glued to the carton 45, this welding operation being premised on the carton material 45 having a suitable surface coating (e.g. polyethylene).

The lower part 40 of the closure has an external thread 42, on which an internal thread 41 of the screw cap 10 can be screwed.

The pouring spout portion 40 also has a further internal thread 31 with which a corresponding external thread of a cutting ring 35 engages, which cutting ring also has an axially projecting cutting element 33, which in the closed state is located directly above 45 the carton surface, as shown in fig. 1. When the screw cap is rotated in the opening direction, the entraining means 34 engage with a matching counter part 36 on the cutting ring 35. A securing lever 7 can also be seen on the flange, which securing lever 7 is connected to the lower end of the tamper band 30 by two frangible bridges 6. As best seen in fig. 2, the tamper band has two cutting

lines

18, 19, which are defined by the weakened material of the tamper band 30, or, as in the present case, by a continuous cut, which is interrupted only by further frangible bridges 36, which are torn open upon opening of the screw cap. The lower cutting line 18 and the upper cutting line 19 overlap each other along an outer peripheral angle of about 120 ° in the present case, and have a lower interrupted portion 12 and an upper interrupted portion 11, respectively. When the screw cap 40 is removed, the frangible bridges 6 tear very quickly first, which means that the cap is rotated at least once in the opening direction through a small angle, which may be sufficient for the cutting elements to pierce the carton material 45.

With further rotation of the screw cap 40 in the opening direction, the frangible bridges of the cutting line are also torn, but this does not result in complete separation of the screw cap from the tamper band, since more particularly the upper interruption 11 is still connected by means of the retaining bands 15, 16 (only one visible in the figures) to the lower interruption 12, which in turn remains connected to the circumferentially extending stationary lower part of the tamper band 30, which in turn is fixed to the pilfer ring 35 at the closure lower part 10.

The length of the retaining

bands

15, 16, i.e. the length of the overlapping area of the cutting lines, is set as shown in fig. 1 so that in the state in which the screw cap 20 is open, the lower edge of the upper interruption 11 engages with the outside of the pouring opening portion 40, in which it is turned through approximately 150 °, and in this case the retaining

bands

15, 16 are stressed so that this position of the screw cap and the contact with the lower edge of the interruption 11 of the screw cap 40 is maintained by pulling the retaining bands, even if the pouring opening portion is inclined in any direction together with the corresponding container.

List of reference numerals

1 Top plate

2 cover skirt

3 tamper band

3a inner flexible band portion

3b outer flexible band portion

10 screw cap

11a lower edge

11. 12 separating strip

11b radial thickening

13. 14 lines of weakness

15. 16 holding belt

20 bottle neck

21 anti-theft ring

22 underside

23 region of maximum diameter

24 upper side

Lower part of the upper side of 24A

Upper end portion of upper side surface of 24B

25 screw thread

26 projection

50 container neck axis

50' closure axis

d diameter of bottle without thread profile

D outer diameter of upper side or upper part

Claims

1. Closure comprising a screw cap (10) with a tamper band (3) having at least one cylindrical cap skirt (2) with an internal thread and a tamper band (3) extending circumferentially at the lower open end of the cap skirt, which tamper band is connected to the lower edge of the cap skirt along a frangible line of weakness (13, 14), wherein the tamper band (3) is still non-detachably connected to the cap skirt (2) by a retaining band (15, 16) after tearing along the line of weakness, characterized in that the retaining band (15, 16) is formed by two lines of weakness (13, 14) which are interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction and partially overlap in the circumferential direction and extend axially spaced apart from one another at least in the region of overlap, wherein the two lines of weakness (13, 13), 14) Is bridged by a respective further line of weakness (14, 13), preferably axially spaced apart.

2. Screw cap according to claim 1, wherein each weakening line has exactly one separation strip and the centre points of the separation strips (11, 12) are arranged in diametrically opposite relationship.

3. Screw cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the separation strips (11) of the upper weakening line (13) extend over an outer circumferential angle of between 10 ° and 75 °, preferably between 20 ° and 60 °.

4. Screw cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the separation strips (12) of the lower weakening line (14) extend over an outer circumferential angle of between 120 ° and 200 °, preferably between 170 ° and 190 °.

5. Screw cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the width of the upper separation strip (11) remaining on the cap skirt (2) measured in axial direction is at least half the width of the intact tamper band (3).

6. Screw cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the width of the upper separation strip (11) remaining on the cap skirt (2) measured in axial direction is at least 1.5mm, preferably at least 2mm, in particular at least 2.5mm and less than 5 mm.

7. Screw cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the separation strip (11) of the upper weakening line has a radial thickening at least at its free lower edge.

8. Screw cap according to claim 7, wherein the radial thickening is limited to the outside of the tamper band and the radial excess of the thickening outside the thickening with respect to the wall thickness of the tamper band is up to 0.6mm, preferably between 0.2 and 0.4 mm.

9. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the radial thickening extends over the entire circumference of the tamper band and/or up to the lower edge of the tamper band.

10. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall thickness of the tamper band (3) outside a possible radial thickening is between 0.5 and 0.8 mm.

11. Screw cap according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tamper band (3) is in the form of a flexible band having a radially outer part and a folded-over radially inner part.

12. Screw cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the minimum spacing of the weakening lines (13, 14) is larger than 1.5mm, preferably larger than 2mm, in particular larger than 2.5 mm.

13. Composition comprising a neck (20) with external thread and a closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the external diameter of the neck (20) is above a pilfer ring (21), the internal diameter of the tamper band (3) and the width and circumference of the upper separating strip (11) being matched to one another, so that after unscrewing the screw cap and subsequent tilting of the screw cap (10), the free lower edge (11a) of the separating strip engages with the neck (20) when the retaining bands (15, 16) are twisted together with the separating strip (11), and after a tilting angle of more than 90 ° has passed the dead point, the outside of the separating strip (11) is brought into contact with the outside of the neck (20), and the screw cap (10) is stabilized in a position tilted of more than 90 °.

14. Composition according to claim 13, characterized in that, in the region above the anti-tamper ring (21) of the tamper band (3) with which the closure is arranged, the outer diameter of the bottle neck (20) is at most 2.5mm smaller than the nominal inner diameter of the tamper band (3), preferably at most 1.5mm smaller.

15. The composition according to claim 13 or claim 14, the anti-theft ring (21) has a contour defined by a lower side (22) which, in axial section, extends at least 80 DEG relative to a bottle neck axis (50), and the security ring (21) has a region of maximum diameter (23) and an upper side (24) which extends at an angle of inclination <90 DEG relative to the bottle neck axis (50), and transitions to an outer neck diameter below the thread (25) of the neck (20), wherein the external diameter of the upper flank (24) or a portion of the neck of the bottle above the upper flank (24) of the profile of the anti-theft ring (21) at least entering or furthest reaching the axial position reached at the maximum folding position of the screw cap from the lower edge (11a) of the upper separating strip is greater than the neck of the bottle (20) without a threaded profile.

16. Composition according to claim 15, characterized in that the difference between the outer diameter (D) of the upper flank or the part disposed above it and the diameter (D) of the neck of the bottle without thread profile is at least 0.1mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm.

17. Composition according to claim 15 or claim 16, characterized in that the anti-theft ring (21) has a triangular or trapezoidal profile, the base of which is defined by a line parallel to the axis on the cylindrical outer surface of the container neck, the bottom side of which encloses an angle of >80 ° with the axis (50) of the container neck (20), wherein the upper side of the profile encloses an angle of <40 °, in particular <30 °, with the axis (50) of the container neck (20).