DE2462123A1 - AUTOMATIC LOCKING FOR A CONTAINER WITH LIQUID, PASTOES OR FOAM-SHAPED FILLING WHEN OUT - Google Patents

Description

DR. BERG DIPL.-ING. STAPF DIPL.-ING. SCHWABE DR. DR. SANDMAIR

PATENT LAWYERS
8 MUNICH 86, POST BOX 86 02 45 2462123

Legal records 26 223

2 5 JUL11975

Franco Del Bon
Zofingen / Schueiz

Automatic closure for a container with liquid, pasty or foam-like when it emerges Filling.

The invention relates to an automatic closure for one for receiving a liquid or pasty, possibly foam-forming Filling container, with a head part with a dispensing opening, a container interior with the dispensing opening connecting channel, which is surrounded by a mouth wall that is integral with the head part up to the dispensing opening is which one is on one side of the main

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P (089) 988272 8 Munich 80, MauerkircheratraOe 45 Banks: Bayerische Vereinsbank Munich 453100

987043 Telegrams: BERGSTAPFPATENT Munich Hypo-Bank Munich 3892623

J ₈₃₃₁₀ TELEX: 0524560 BERO d Postscheck Munich 65343-808

axis extending away from the dispensing opening flexible Uandungszone and one of the flexible wall zones at the dispensing opening has opposite rigid Abschluiikante on which the flexible Uandungszone lies sealingly when the mouth is closed, and with a beak part, which in a in the direction of the main axis of the head part on the dispensing opening to on the side of the flexible Uandungszone extending recess is used in the head part and at its free end has a lip with which the beak part resiliently pushes the flexible landing zone at the dispensing mouth against the end edge presses.

There has been no lack of attempts to find automatic closures, in particular for tubes of all kinds, especially for Toothpaste tubes and the like. To find. For example, DT-PS 436 054 describes a tube in which a closure piece is under spring pressure fills a recess in the tube head, the recess being guided through a recess in a plane of the longitudinal axis of the tube Inclined slot is formed in which the closure piece is attached in a hinge-like manner and by a around the tube head and the locking piece wrapped around the elastic ring in its Locked position is held.

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Another known tube described in US Pat. No. 2,755,974 has a head part with a mouth part carried by the latter and having a dispensing opening Passage, a piece of hose housed in the latter, a slide part squeezing the latter together in the closed position, which is displaceable perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mouth part, and a slide part against the hose piece pressing, but yielding when the tube is compressed and the passage of paste from the tube through the Tube piece permitting leaf spring organ, which together is installed with the slide part and the hose piece in the head part serving as the housing.

Closures of the type described above must meet the two main requirements It is fair to say, first of all, that the construction should be as simple as possible, so that it can be manufactured with one effort to allow, which is not significantly higher, but if possible lower than that of an ordinary screw cap, and secondly, to ensure that the closure is at least as secure and absolutely tight as it is known Screw cap today is. This is the only way to eliminate the disadvantages of the known screw closures. With these it is necessary for each individual paste output, perform three steps, namely one to unscrew the

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Tube cap, a second, through which the tube is more or less compressed and a strand of paste is squeezed out and a third to screw the Tube cap or a similar measure that closes the tube again. It is practically inevitable that remnants of the The contents of the tube are squeezed outwards when the cap is screwed on, whereby the fingers become soiled by the squeezed out Material as well as its decomposition in contact with the outside air, even if only through drying out, are practically inevitable.

However, there was already an automatic closure of the initially mentioned type proposed (DT-PS ... P 2J 28 54-9.6-27), at which the end facing away from the dispensing mouth of the beak element designed as a two-armed lever on a elastically deformable wall part, such as a compressible Bead, e.g. B. a half-ring bead extending transversely to the closure axis, or a wall part of the bottom of the beak part which is more difficult to deform than the flexible wall zone receiving recess, is supported at the rear end of the recess under bias and thereby the beak part with his lip, and through this the flexible wall zone are pressed resiliently against the rigid end edge. With the older one Closure is the lip of the beak part, as well as the closing

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edge straight, so that there is a flat contact surface for the edge of the flexible Uandungszqne on the end edge.

Bsi the older, closure can thus by providing a corresponding large spring force on the one hand for a tight pressing of the mouth edge of the flexible Uandungszone against the terminating edge on the other hand, the spring force must not be too great to allow the closure to open automatically by pressing on the tube to ensure. So here a compromise has to be made, at the expense of tightness or the light operation of the lock.

In contrast, the object is achieved by the invention, a The closure of the type mentioned at the outset is to be designed in such a way that the closure achieves a high level of tightness by simple means is without thereby the easy operability of the lock is impaired.

The invention is based on dam idea that by special cooperating shapes of the lip and the Abschlußkanta the tight clamping gagan is flexible Uandungszone the waste ■ circuit-edge means of the lip, the beak part can be achieved without the closing pressure and ¹ so that the resilient biasing force the beak tail must be excessively large.

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This bias can be made by a correspondingly elastic Internal tension of the inserted beak part or by an elastically resilient, giving a special rigid part of the Muzzle carried part of the latter are generated.

In a first solution it is proposed according to the invention, in the case of a closure of the type mentioned at the beginning, that on the flexible one Uandungszone adjacent end face of the lip of the beak part convex and its opposite end edge accordingly concave / train. Such a shape creates an additional one Sealing of the closure is achieved and the pressing spring force of the beak part only needs a little less be to ensure a secure seal at the same time.

Such a concave design of the terminating edge and convex Formation of the end face of the lip, which leads to a correspondingly curved l / erlauf of the flündungsrandes lying against the terminating edge the flexible Uandungszone leads, also results in one special "manufacturing advantage for the injection molding of the head part with one-piece flooding. It can then be such Form can be chosen in which the edge of the confluence of the flexible Uandungszone not, uie in the end position in the finished closure towards the inside towards the mouth edge, but on the contrary towards the outside is bulged away from the mouth edge. This is through

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the channel formed at the discharge opening at Syringes open, so that there is a correspondingly simple tool. After completion, the one that is arched outwards The mouth edge of the flexible Uandungszone is pressed inwards into the next stable position while passing through the unstable position, in which the flexible mouth edge by its curvature already rests against the end edge with a certain closing force. This also increases the tightness of the closure.

According to a further proposal according to the invention, the The shape of the end face of the lip and the end edge which improve the sealing effect can be such that the flexible The lip of the beak part adjacent to the wall or the lip of the beak opposite end edge with a groove and vice versa the end edge or the lip with a Uulst that fits into the groove v / are seen, where the groove and Uulst are transverse to the head-tail main axis extend. Such a shape can also be used in addition to the concave / convex shape. With the Uulst the mouth edge of the flexible Uandungszone is pressed into the groove with stretching deformation, resulting in an excellent Seal leads. In this way, the flexible wall zone is not only deformable, but also stretchable.

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To further improve the sealing effect, according to the invention further proposed that the lip of the beak part is essentially at right angles to the one resting on the end edge flexible Uandungszone runs. However, in particular with In such an embodiment, furthermore, to ensure that the lock can be operated easily, is a further embodiment the invention proposed that between the flexible Uandungszone and the inside of the beak part a protruding Stop member of such a length is provided that by the stop member when the flexible wall zone bulges the beak part is deflectable. As a result, the lip of the beak part is lifted off the opening of the closure End edge already initiated at a distance from the discharge mouth, so that the design of the discharge mouth and the lip of the beak part can be designed independently of a measure which only allows the beak part to be lifted off by arching it out the mouth edge of the flexible Uandungszone allows.

The stop member provided in this embodiment of the invention is preferably a finger or thorn, which is preferably in the middle between the root of the beak part and his engages free end on the beak part.

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The invention makes it possible to design the beak part rigid and with the rigid head part by a flexible one Hinge under tension in the direction of the flexible Uandungszone to connect in one piece, so that the beak part with its free end against the flexible Uandungszone on the Dispensing opening presses and the flexible Uandungszone with hermetic sealing of the dispensing opening at its rigid end edge presses on. The elasticity and the resulting spring force of the beak part are dimensioned so that at a certain overpressure inside the mouth opening Beak part yields and the dispensing opening is released by stretching the flexible Uandungszone.

But it has been shown that the series production of this Closure made of suitable plastic according to modern injection molding processes is too expensive to use with the known screw closures to be able to compete. A simpler and therefore significantly less complex design of the closure according to the invention is therefore carried out in parts. For this purpose, the 'beak part formed with its portion located towards the dispensing opening as an elastically resilient lever element in the manner of a leaf spring and with its' turned away from the dispensing opening and: compared to the leaf spring-like section with the formation of an outer shoulder inwardly v / replaced rigidly designed ab-

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cut into a recess extending from the recess of the head part and extending from the dispensing opening. The above-mentioned outer shoulder of the beak part now rests on the upper outer transverse edge of the recess facing the dispensing opening, and the abutment of the rigid section of the latter on the side walls of the recess in the head part thus creates an abutment. a hinge effect for the leaf spring-like section of the beak part when the latter is bent out of its closed position under the effect of an increased internal pressure in the mouth.

Further details and advantages of the closure according to the invention are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing shows:

1 shows a preferred embodiment of the closure in a front view,

2 shows a view of the same embodiment, rotated by an angle of 90 about the main axis of the head part and in axial section,

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3 shows the beak part removed from the closure according to FIGS. 1 and 2 in a perspective view,

4 shows a side view of the beak part in the unclamped position and dashed in the state inserted into the lock, i.e. under tension,

Figures 5a and 5b each show a top view of the closure according to Figures 1 and 2, in the closed and in the open state, with a preferred embodiment of the rigid edge of the outlet opening and the contact lip of the beak part,

6 shows another embodiment of the area of the outlet opening in a closure according to Figures 1 and 2, in section,

7 shows a section along the main axis of the head part another embodiment of the closure according to the invention,

8a shows a section through a further embodiment of the closure according to the invention with locking device, in the locked state,

FIG. 8b shows a section through the embodiment according to FIG. 8a, but with the lock released,

FIG. 9 shows a cross section through FIG. 8a along a through the level marked IX - IX,

10 is a plan view of the underside of the closure according to Figures 8a and 8b,

11 is a perspective view of a further embodiment a beak part which can be used in the closure according to FIGS. 5 to 9, and

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Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the lock according to FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 12b, such a view of the closure according to Figures 5 to 10.

The closure shown in the drawing consists in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4 from the thanks to its Design and wall thickness essentially rigid head part 1, which is preferably made by injection molding from a suitable plastic Material is manufactured. The material must be suitable to be sufficiently flexible and stretchable in a certain thickness to the to obtain flexible zone of the mouth wall from it. In particular, Lupolen 1800 s'iv from BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany for this proved suitable. However, other, harder polyethylene and similar plastics can also be used.

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The head part 1 is open on its lower surface; it can thus on a pressure vessel provided with an outlet valve or on a Ordinary tube fitted with an externally threaded mouthpiece will. Inside the head part 1 and in one piece with it The mouth wall 2 is formed, which has a passage 3 with an outlet opening located at the upper end of the mouth wall 2 4 surrounds. At the lower end of the passage 3, the mouth wall 2 has an internal thread 2a with which it can be screwed onto the mouthpiece of a tube. Instead of the thread 2a A bayonet lock or the like can also be provided, with which the passage 3 can also be connected to the passage of an outlet valve for a pressure vessel. The outlet opening tion 4 is surrounded all around by the uninterrupted wall 2, one half of which faces the closed head part 1 a a longitudinal zone that is particularly rigid in the area of the outlet opening 4 represents, while the other half, which faces a recess Ib in the wall of the head part 1, at least in its the Outlet opening 4 adjacent part 6 is designed to be flexible and expandable is. The thickness of this wall depends on the elasticity of the material, on the other hand on the thickness of the stretchable and resilient longitudinal zone, and finally on the length of the die Outlet opening in the closed state representing the slot and the viscosity of the product to be dispensed. In the execution: shape according to Figures 1 to 4 is the upper lip-shaped ";

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The end of the flexible longitudinal zone 6 adjoins the opposite lip surface 5 a of the rigid longitudinal zone 5 of the mouth wall 2

The passage 3 of the mouth wall 2 extends preferably in the middle of the main axis of the head in the direction of the latter.

At the lower transverse edge Ic of the cutout Ib extends a Transverse wall 9 from the wall of the cap part 1 to the pipe section 2 and is preferably in one piece with the two parts mentioned. On the inside of the cap part below the connection point of the transverse wall 9 to the same, the cap part wall is at 10 reinforced and in the same a groove 11 extending from the top of the transverse wall 9 is provided, the peripheral extent of which corresponds to the peripheral diameter d of the section Ib.

The rigid lever part 7a of a beak part 7 is inserted into the groove 11, the thickness of which is as precisely as possible the width of the groove 11 is adapted so that the insertion can be done with very slight friction. The beak part 7, which is preferably from the

Plastic Ul'traform is produced by BASF, also has a longer, flexible, elastic lever part 7b which, opposite the lever part 7a, forms an outer shoulder 12a, in which the lever part 7a is offset inwardly relative to the lever part 7b, and an inner shoulder 12b which the reverse is the case. Instead of the shoulder 12b , however, a gradual transition from one lever part to the other lever part of the beak part 7 can also be provided.

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When inserting the beak part 7 into the groove 11, the shoulder 12a comes to rest on the outer edge 11a of the groove 11. In non-inserted state, the two lever parts, besides, are angled with their longitudinal axes against each other at an angle Ot to each other (see Fig. 4) which is slightly 'larger, β than the angle at which it after the introduction of the beak member 7 in the groove 11 stand to each other, since the mouth edge 5a projects somewhat further in relation to the groove 11 than would be necessary for a non-deforming introduction of the beak part. This arrangement gives the flexible, elastic beak lever part 7b a bias in the direction of the mouth edge 6a granted, while at the same time the friction between the side walls of the rigid lever part 7a and the inner walls of the groove 11, which extend in the peripheral direction in the cap part 1, so that the beak part against falling out or sliding out of the groove under increased pressure on the inside of the beak part in the direction of the discharge mouth 4 is prevented.

The slight curvature of the flexible lever part 7b of the beak part 7 increases this bias. The tension is further increased when the pressure inside the passage 3 is increased, be it that a pressure is exerted by hand on the opposite end of the wall of a screwed-in tube, be it that by pressing down the head part 1 on the movable valve part of a pressure vessel outlet valve the one under pressure

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The contents of the pressure vessel enter the passage 3 and can thus increase the pressure against the flexible wall part 6. The latter then expands and moves the angled end of the flexible lever part 7b and thus the latter with an increase the pretensioning of the lever part in the direction of the arrow P in FIG. 4, as long as the increased pressure inside the passage 3 persists.

In FIGS. 5a and 5b, the end surfaces 5a are the rigid longitudinal zone 5 is concave and the corresponding lip end face of the lip 7c of the beak part 7 is convex. This increases the sealing effect when the outlet opening 4 (FIG. 5a) is closed and the cutting effect on the extruded strand of product is improved.

In Fig. 6 is another embodiment of the improved seal shown between lip surface 5a and the end wall of the beak part lip 7c, in which the lip surface 5a has a transverse bead 5b and the lip face of the lip 7c has a transverse groove 7d, in which the transverse bead 5b, the stretchable longitudinal zone 6 under stretching Deformation. This creates an excellent seal. Of course, the transverse groove can also be on the face of the lip of the rigid longitudinal zone, 5a, and the transverse bead on the end wall of the lip 7c of the beak part.

7 shows one of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 in Design of the closure according to the invention corresponding to all essential parts, but the flexible longitudinal zone 6 carries

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a thorn on its outer surface facing the beak £ 1 7 13, which is already in the penetration of pasty product, or the like from the inside of the tube into the passage 3 when pressed on the tube wall in the zone of the culvert at the level of the mandrel base 3 exerts a pressure on the beak part 7 and the lift-off, the Lip surface of the beak lip 7c from that through the beak part 7 initiates Eängezome 6 squeezed against the lip surface 5a and thus considerably facilitated.,

Finally, in FIGS. 8a, 8b and 9, the closure according to the invention, essentially again in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, is provided with a simple locking device. This comprises two short _m from the lip part 7c of the beak part 7 inwardly protruding cams or pins 14, which come to lie in the locking position shown in Figure 8a in front of two abutments 15, so that the beak part 7 with its bendable upper lever part 7 / b "can no longer be bent outwards" and the outlet opening 4 does not open even when there is strong pressure on a tube connected to the closure. The inner rigid lever part 7a of the beak part 7 rests with the shoulder 12a on the transverse edge 11a of the recess Ib. The lower end of the lever part 7a is angled in the form of a flange 16 and protrudes with it into a recess 17 'of the reinforced cap part wall 10. On its outside, the beak part 7 has an actuating nose. 18, by means of which it can be pushed into the unlocked position / shown in FIG. 8b with one finger. Here comes the flange 16 of the inner lever part 7 a against the edge 17a of the recess / Γ? educated opponents

To lie in bed, the beak part was pushed out too far 7 from the recess Ib is not possible.

Fig. 10 shows a view from below in the still Closure not connected to a tube or pressure vessel with an open dispensing opening 4. The rigid lever part 7a of the beak part 7 is in the space lla between the Groove wall 10a and the outer wall of the head part 1 against Bend safely stored «including the transverse wall 10a on both sides by the parallel to each other, preferably with the central mouth wall 2 and the outer wall of the head part 1 as well as strut walls formed in one piece with the groove wall 10a 19a and 19b, is stiffened in their position between the mouth wall 2 and the head part 1. With its nose-shaped flange the beak part 7 lies against the underside 17a of the groove wall 10a in the actuating position, as is also shown in Fig. 8b is shown.

In order to achieve a particularly good closing spring action of the beak part, this may ,, as shown in FIG. 11, _r be formed wherein the resilient lever part 7b without attenuation to the lower portion 7a of beak member 7 connects, without transverse groove dhunter avoid actual "Hinge" effect, is designed so that its thickness d ¹ decreases from its root on the rigid lever part 7a starting to the convex (or concave) closing edge of the lip 7c, and; although preferably continuously ^ whereby a maximum of spring effect is achieved.

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Here, an obstruction of the movement of the lever part 7b by friction on the side walls of the recess Ib is prevented if there is a slight tolerance between the transverse diameter d "of the lever part 7b, preferably with the exception of the outermost end of the lip 7c and the diameter d of the recess Ib , such as this is indicated at 20 in FIGS. 12a and 12b.

In addition, the beak part 7 does not necessarily have to be made of plastic. Rather, it can also consist of one suitable metal, e.g. V2A steel or a similar stainless steel Made of steel. If the closure is to be used in tropical countries, a metallic one is recommended Beak part or one made from a high temperature resistant one Plastic (e.g. polycarbonate).

Thanks to the formation of the mouth with all around, closed Wall 5-6 can in the closure according to the invention on absolute sealing of the side edges of the beak part 7 against the side walls the recess Ib can be dispensed with, while this is the case with the known closure by Gleason (U.S. Patent 1,881,488) is not possible.

The closure according to the invention is above all superior to those known non-automatic or automatic closures which propose a hose with an all-round flexible wall as the mouth (Belgian patent 508572 from 0. Cupper and US patent 2,755,974 from W ₄ H. Godfrey). Because with these round shapes, the slot never closes completely, but rather

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forms small bulges in the wall at both ends. If these are to be squeezed together completely, the Spring force of the beak part or equivalent parts of the known closures are so high that an undue high effort can be used to squeeze out the contents of the tube would have to. In fact, 0. Cupper (BeIg. Patent 508 572) does not have any automatic opening by increasing the pressure inside the mouth, but rather only a direct actuation of its locking lever provided by hand. The same applies even more to the closure of British patent specification 240 091.

In contrast, the elastic, flexible, possibly stretchable longitudinal zone 6 lies at the end surrounding the opening 4 smoothly and without bulging at the slot ends on the opposite end face 5a of the rigid longitudinal zone 5.

A closure according to the invention in which the thickness of the flexible, stretchable longitudinal zone of the Muzzle wall is about 0.5 to 2 tenths of a millimeter, preferably 0.15 mm.

Products with which a tube to be connected to the closure according to the invention or a valve-bearing pressure vessel Liquids, especially those of increased viscosity such as honey, are also of pasty consistency such as ointments, toothpaste, shaving cream, oil paints, mustard, liver sausage, mayonnaise, shoe cream, face cream, but also from the Outlet valve of a pressurized can of drained shaving foam, whipped cream and the like.

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Claims (3)

Patent claims: 1.) Automatic closure for one to accommodate one liquid or pasty, possibly foam-forming filling serving container, with a head part with dispensing opening, a the interior of the container with the dispensing opening connecting the channel up to the dispensing opening from one with the Head part one-piece mouth is surrounded which a flexible wall zone extending on one side of the main axis from the dispensing opening ueg and on the dispensing opening one of the flexible Uandungszone opposite rigid end edge on which the flexible wall zone seals when the mouth is closed and with a beak part which extends in the direction of the main axis of the head part towards the dispensing opening on the side of the flexible Uandungszone extending recess is used in the head part and at its free At the end of a lip with which the beak part resiliently counteracts the flexible Uandungszone at the dispensing mouth the end edge presses, characterized in that the end face of the The lip (7c) of the beak part (7) is convex and the one opposite it End edge (5a) correspondingly concave - 18 - 509851/0281 are formed, and / or that the lip of the beak part resting on the flexible wall zone at the dispensing mouth (7) or the opposite end edge with a groove (7d) and vice versa with the end edge or lip a Uulst (5b) fitting into the groove are provided, uobei hat (7d) and bead (5b) extend transversely to the head part main axis. 2. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that between the flexible Uandungszone (6) and the inside of the beak part (7) a projecting stop member (13) von.solcher length is provided that through the stop member (13) if the flexible wall zone bulges (6) the beak part (7) is deflectable. 3. A closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lip of the beak part is substantially at right angles to the flexible Uandungszone adjacent to the end edge runs. 509851/0281