EP0020987B1 - Closure for tubes, bottles and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a closure for a tube or bottle. The closure includes a cup-shaped cap that fits over the opening of the tube or bottle, a tubular closure member that is mounted around the cap, and a plurality of ribs that connect the cap and the closure. The cap and the closure are radially spaced and the ribs extend at a slant or pitch angle relative to a radial line. The ribs all slant in one direction when the closure is in the open or at-rest position. To seal the opening, the member is turned angularly to decrease the pitch angle, which action bends or flexes the cap radially inwardly against the tube or bottle. The member is turned sufficiently far to bend the ribs over center so that they slant in the opposite direction, in order to lock the closure on the cap or closure.

Description

The invention relates to a closure for releasably closing objects having a nozzle-like outlet, such as. B. tubes, bottles, cans, car batteries, etc., with a mountable on the outlet to be closed and in the closed state to be sealed with this, essentially pot-shaped cap, the inside diameter of which in the open state is at least equal to the outer diameter of the outlet to be closed, and whose cylindrical jacket is designed to be deformable inwards, and with a closure body arranged coaxially with a relative distance to the outside of the cap, the cross-cylindrical side wall of the cap having projections on its inside facing the cap, by means of which, when the closure body is rotated relative to the cap of the light Diameter of the cylindrical shell of the cup-shaped cap in the closed state is reduced compared to the clear diameter in the open state.

A wide variety of closures such as z. As corks, bottle caps, stopper closures, screw closures etc. are known, which solve their closure task quite satisfactorily in various applications, while this is not the case in other cases. So it is often u. a. perceived as disadvantageous that several revolutions of a screw cap, a screw plug or the like are required for the secure, tight closing of an object, which is associated with a corresponding expenditure of time and, especially when operated incorrectly, can lead to the closure not being sufficiently sealed, without this being recognizable at first.

Accordingly, from US-A-2 587 737 a closure of the type described in the introduction has been created or has become known, with which such an object can be quickly and easily releasably closed even by lay people.

However, this known closure consists of several parts and is therefore complex and correspondingly expensive both in terms of the manufacture of its individual parts and in terms of the necessary assembly of these individual parts for the finished closure. This results u. a. already from the fact that several relatively complicated and expensive molding tools are required for the production of the known closure. Moreover, this known closure can very easily come to a reject when assembling its individual parts because of their different tolerances.

All of this leads to costs which are unacceptable for such a mass-disposable article, so that this known closure has not found access to the market, although there has long been a need for easy-to-use closures with which objects such as bottles, Seal tubes etc. securely in the simplest way and have them opened again.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to provide a closure of the type described above, which can be formed in one piece in one operation using only one molding tool and is accordingly extremely inexpensive to manufacture as a mass article.

This object is achieved in that the approaches of the closure body are designed as webs which each run at an acute angle to the radial in the open state; that the webs are each to be pivoted from their open position about an axial pivot axis lying essentially at their connection point with the closure body relative to the closure body via a dead center position into a closed position running at an acute angle to the radial; and that the webs are formed in one piece with the jacket of the cap and the closure body.

The (for example 8) webs running between the closure body and the cap jacket are preferably of substantially uniform pitch, i.e. H. thus arranged essentially uniform pitch angle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the webs increases from the closure body to the jacket of the cap, so that they can therefore be essentially triangular in plan view.

It has been found to be particularly expedient if the wall thickness of the closure body - at least in the area of the webs - is appreciably greater than the wall thickness of the cap jacket present there in order to achieve the effect described further below.

Furthermore, it has turned out to be particularly advantageous if the webs are connected to the lower edge of the cap jacket, the edge section of the cap jacket being able to be weakened in the region of a connection point to a web with regard to the method of operation which will be discussed in detail below. To this end, it advantageously contributes if the cap jacket is provided with a recess above each such connection point to a web.

As can be seen from the following explanations, the webs do not need to be connected to the cap jacket over their entire end facing the cap jacket - for example in the case of an essentially triangular configuration with both corner points - but it can be sufficient in certain configurations if only one corner point facing the cap and connected to it is connected to the cap jacket, while the other end point facing the cap can be free to move radially inward during the closing process and, for example, to grip behind or under an undercut which can be provided at the outlet of the object in question to be closed.

In order to ensure a particularly simple placement of the closure on the outlet connection or the like of an object to be closed, the lower edge of the cap shell can be chamfered on its inside, such a chamfer possibly also including the webs and possibly also the closure body can capture to ensure a particularly simple centering of the closure when placed on the outlet of the object to be closed.

On the inside of the cap facing the outlet neck, rib-like or bead-like projections or the like can be provided, which can be gripped between corresponding approaches on the outside of the outlet of the object to be closed when the closure is placed axially on the outlet, so that when Subsequent closing process immediately a positive fit between the closure on the one hand and the outlet of the object is guaranteed, so that the subsequent tight closing operation when turning the closure by a few degrees and is to be carried out as quickly as possible.

To increase the sealing effect on the one hand and - the frictional connection between the cap and the outlet connector to be closed on the other hand, it can also be expedient if the cap jacket is conically tapered from its edge towards the cap cover.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the claims.

The invention is explained below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to a drawing.

• Figur 1 eine Draufsicht von unten auf einen vereinfacht bzw. schematisiert dargestellten Verschluß gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung in Richtung des Pfeiles I in Fig. 2 gesehen, wobei der in Fig. 2 mit strichpunktierten Linien dargestellte, zu verschließende Gegenstand der besseren Übersicht halber fortgelassen ist ;
• Figur 2 eine Seitenansicht des Verschlusses gemäß Fig. 1, teilweise im Schnitt, in Richtung der Ansichtslinie 11-11 gesehen ; und
• Figur 3 eine noch stärker schematisierte Prinzipdarstellung eines noch weiter vergrößerten Ausschnittes 111 in Fig. 1, an dem das erfindungsgemäße Prinzip bei einer Ausgestaltung des Verschlusses gemäß Fig. 1 verdeutlicht wird.

It shows :

• Figure 1 is a plan view from below of a simplified or schematically shown closure according to the present invention in the direction of arrow I in Figure 2, wherein the object to be closed shown in dash-dotted lines in Figure 2 is omitted for the sake of clarity;
• Figure 2 is a side view of the closure of Figure 1, partially in section, seen in the direction of the line 11-11. and
• FIG. 3 shows an even more schematic basic illustration of an even larger section 111 in FIG. 1, on which the principle according to the invention is illustrated in a configuration of the closure according to FIG. 1.

1 and 2 show a closure designated as a whole for closing a tube in a greatly enlarged illustration, with the tube in FIG. 2 merely indicating the socket-shaped or socket-shaped outlet 2 with dash-dotted lines.

The closure 1 consists essentially of a cup-shaped cap 3 and a socket-shaped closure body 4 and webs 6.

The cup-shaped cap 3 has a substantially cylindrical wall 7 and an integrally formed cover section 8, from which a recess 8 'protrudes towards the center, which is recessed in the center and at a distance from the inside of the wall 7, which in the closed state extends into the outlet 2 of the object to be closed protrudes (see Fig. 2).

As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the outlet 2 has rib-shaped or bead-shaped projections 5 which run on the outside of the outlet 2 parallel to the center line 29 of the closure 1.

Appropriate lugs 5 'are provided on the inside of the wall 7 at a certain radial distance from the actual outer wall of the outlet 2.

The inside diameter d of the cap 3 is - without taking into account the lugs 5 '- equal to the outside diameter of the outlet 2 in the area of its lugs 5, so that the outlet 2 can be inserted into the cap 3 with a suitable sliding fit. The wall 7 of the cap 3 can run conically towards the cover section 8, as is shown in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2.

The ring-shaped or socket-shaped closure body 4 has at its lower edge section a wall thickness B which is a multiple of the wall thickness b of the cap 3.

The cap 3, the closure body 4 and the webs 6 consist of an elastic plastic and are formed as an integral unit.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the closure body 4 is arranged at a radial distance r from the outside of the wall 7 of the cap 3. The between the cap 3 and the closure body 4 eight webs 6 are arranged with a uniform angle of 45 ° distributed over the circumference and each extend to the radial and an angle 11, which is 45 ° in the embodiment.

The cap 3 is provided on its lower edge with a chamfer 13 in order to be able to put it on the outlet nozzle 2 of the tube in a particularly simple manner. As is indicated on the left in FIG. 2 by a dash-dotted line, this chamfer 13 'can also extend over the entire underside of the closure 1 in order to ensure particularly good centering when the closure 1 is put on.

As can be seen from the drawing, the webs 6 are triangular, the tip 14 of the triangle lying on the inside 16 of the closure body 4 and thus forming the connection point between a web 6 on the one hand and the closure body 4 on the other.

The wider end of the bottom edge Cut the cap 3 arranged webs 6 is therefore on the outside of the wall 7 of the cap 3, in such a way that the wall 7 is excluded in each case at the connecting portion between a web 6 and the wall 7.

In addition, above a connection point between a web 6 and the wall 7 of the cap 3, there is a recess that fully penetrates the wall 7 in the manner of a through opening 19.

• Will man den Auslaßstutzen 2 der Tube mit dem Verschluß 1 verschließen, so wird dieser zunächst in Richtung des Pfeiles 21 von oben her auf den Auslaß 2 so ausgeschoben, daß die Ansätze 5 und 5' parallel nebeneinander liegen, was selbst dann, wenn die Ansätze 5 bzw. 5' beim Aufsetzen zueinander fluchten, dadurch sichergestellt wird, daß die Ansätze 5' an ihrer Unterseite und die Ansätze 5 an ihrer Oberseite seitlich schräg angefast bzw. abgerundet sind, so daß sich der gewünschte Zustand von selbst einstellt.

The operation of the closure 1 according to the invention in accordance with the exemplary embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 is as follows:

• If you want to close the outlet port 2 of the tube with the closure 1, this is first pushed out in the direction of arrow 21 from above onto the outlet 2 so that the lugs 5 and 5 'are parallel to each other, even if the lugs 5 or 5 'are flush with each other when they are placed on, thereby ensuring that the shoulders 5' on their underside and the shoulders 5 on their upper side are chamfered laterally or rounded off, so that the desired state occurs automatically.

In the end position of the placement, the upper end face of the outlet 2 therefore bears against the inside of the cover section 8, the projection 8 ′ present on the inside of the cover section 8 engaging in the outlet 2.

In this state, the webs 6 and the wall 7 of the cap 3 are in the position shown in FIG. 1, which corresponds to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3.

To close the closure 1 is then turned in the direction of arrow 22, for which a fraction of a full turn is sufficient. The closure body 4 retains its initial position and shape essentially due to its relatively large dimensioning relative to the wall 7 of the cap 3 and its continuous wall thickness, while the webs 6 due to the positive engagement occurring between the shoulders 5 and 5 when rotating in the direction of the arrow 22 5 'can be pivoted clockwise around its tip 14.

This pivoting of the web 6 immediately has the result that the end of the webs 6 lying on the wall 7 of the cap 3 tries, as it were, to pivot on a circular arc corresponding to the web length in each case around the tip 14, the wall 7 of the cap 3 radially following is shifted inside and the circumference of the cap 3 is shortened at its lower edge section. This constriction of the cap 3 below the shoulders 5 'then locks the closure 1 on the outlet 2.

This would be with continuous wall 7, d. H. a cap 3, which has no through openings 19, is only possible if the material of the wall would be highly elastic. Due to the through openings in the wall 7, less elastic materials can obviously also be used in such an embodiment, since the edge sections 24 on the lower edge section of the wall 7 of the cap 3 when closing, i. H. that is, when rotating in the circumferential direction according to arrow 22, are pushed closer to one another, the circumferential distance between two adjacent edge sections 24 thus decreasing as shown in FIG. 1.

Then, during the rotation in the direction of arrow 22 from the open to the closed state, each web 6 has been pivoted via its radial position into a closed position (see FIG. 3), which, however, is now at an angle to the respective radial towards the other side is.

Since the length of the webs 6 is greater than the radial starting distance r, the closure 1 is therefore always in a stable position both in the open and in the closed state.

A release of the closure 1 then takes place in reverse, d. H. the closure 1 only needs to be rotated a fraction of a turn against the arrow 22.

In order to be able to apply the required torque with two fingers, the surface of which may be moist or greasy, even with relatively small closures 1, the outside of the closure body 4 is roughened with a knurling 25.

It should also be pointed out that the wall thickness of the closure body 4 decreases from the lower edge section upwards, since the wall of the closure body 4 in the upper section is only intended to create a sufficiently large contact surface for two fingers, which is not least due to the ring-_bzw. Bush-shaped design a lower strength and thus a smaller wall thickness is sufficient than is the case at the lower edge section where the wall must withstand the forces exerted by the webs 6 when closing.

In a variant of the closure described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lugs 5 and 5 'can also be omitted, the dimensions then being such that the inside diameter d of the wall 7 corresponds to the outside diameter of the outlet 2 .

In such a configuration, the webs 6 then swivel from the open to the closed state due to the friction existing between the inside of the wall 7 and the outside of the outlet 2, with a squeezing effect occurring as it were.

Another variant is indicated in the dash-dotted box A in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the webs 6 are therefore only connected with their corner 31 to the wall 7 of the cap 3, while their other corner 31 'is free and can therefore pivot freely radially inward behind or under an undercut, which can be provided at the free end section of the outlet.

The closure of the invention thus allows various variants, namely u. a. a pure frictional connection between the cap 3 of the closure 1 and the outlet 2, which can be realized in practice, for example, when the closure 1 does not have to withstand considerable pressure.

Another essential variant consists in that the webs are preferably attached to the cap only with one corner thereof, while the other corner is free, so that the end section of the webs facing the outlet 2 during the closing process turns into a backward rotation of the one to be closed Exhaust can pivot, this configuration is also to be used when the closure 1 must withstand considerable internal pressures of the object to be closed.

Claims (17)

1. A closure (1) for releasably closing articles having an outlet (2) in the form of a neck, such as tubes, bottles, cans, motor vehicle batteries, and so on, comprising a substantially cup-shaped cap (3) which is adapted to be fitted over the outlet (2) for closure and, when in the closed state, providing a sealing-tight connection to said outlet, the clear inside diameter of the cap in the open condition at least being equal to the outside diameter of the outlet (2) requiring to be closed, and the cylindrical surface (7) being inwardly deformable, and comprising a closure member (4) disposed coaxially with relative spacing from the outside of the cap (3), the inside of the cylindrical side wall of the member (4) engaging over the cap (3) having projections (6) on the inside facing the cap (3), by means of which projections, on rotation of the closure member (4) with respect to the cap (3), the clear diameter of the cylindrical surface (7) of the cap (3) is reduced in the closed condition in comparison with the clear diameter in the open condition, characterised in that the projections (6) on the closure member (4) are in the form of webs which, in the open condition, each extend at an acute angle (11) to the radial ; the webs (6) are each pivotable out of their open position, about an axial pivot axis situated substantially at their point of connection to the closure member, relatively to the closure member (4), through a dead-centre position, into a closed position extending at an acute angle to the radial ; and the webs (6) are formed integrally with the surface (7) of the cap (3) and the closure member (4).

2. A closure according to claim 1, characterised in that the webs (6) are disposed with substantially uniform pitch.

3. A closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the inside (12) of the surface (7) of the cap (3) facing the outlet (2) is formed with projections (5') in the form of ribs or beads extending between corresponding projections (5) on the outside of the outlet (2).

4. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the underside of the closure (1), at least the bottom edge of the surface (7) of the cap (3), has a chamfer (13' or 13).

5. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the surface (7) of the cap (3) tapers conically towards its closed end (8).

6. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the thickness of the webs (6) increases from the closure member (4) towards the surface (7) of the cap (3).

7. A closure according to claim 6, characterised in that the webs (6) are substantially triangular.

8. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the webs (6) are connected to the bottom edge of the surface (7) of the cap (3). ,

9. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the edge portion of the surface (7) of the cap (3) is weakened at each connection to a web (6).

10. A closure according to claim 9, characterised in that the surface (7) of the cap (3) is formed with a recess (19) above each connection to a web (6).

11. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall thickness (B) of the closure member (4) is much greater than the wall thickness (b) of the surface (7) of the cap (3).

12. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the webs (6) each extend at an angle of 45° to the radial.

13. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the webs (6) are elastic.

14. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by a plastics construction.

15. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the webs (6) are connected spot-wise to the surface (7) of the cap (3).

16. A closure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that a projection (8') is provided on the inside of the lid portion (8) of the cap (3) and its outside diameter corresponds to the inside diameter of the outlet (2) requiring to be closed.

17. A closure according to claim 16, characterised in that the projection (8') is recessed towards the middle at the lid portion (8).

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