EP0553685A2 - Container closure having a tamper indicating ring - Google Patents

Abstract

A container closure having an originality ring which can be attached to a container with little force and easily removed, while making certain that the originality ring either detaches completely from the closure cap or is at least damaged visibly. The retaining elements comprise a rocker having first and second legs connected to the originality ring via an elastic web. The first leg points obliquely inward and the second leg points outward.

Description

The invention relates to a container closure with a closure cap which has on its free peripheral edge an originality ring with holding elements which cooperate with an annular bead of the container.

Container closures are usually provided with tamper-evident rings which are damaged when the container is opened for the first time. From the condition of the tamper evident ring, the consumer can see whether the bottle or container is still in its original packaging or not.

Both from the point of view of the bottler, who applies the container closures to the container, and from the point of view of the consumer, there are different, sometimes to meet opposite requirements of such container closures.

The container closures are screwed onto the container at high speed, ie at high speed. The tamper-evident ring or its holding elements may only oppose this unscrewing action against slight counter-forces, since otherwise the tamper-evident ring can tear off prematurely or at least the tamper-evident ring and / or the retaining elements can be damaged. The effort should also be kept as minimal as possible. At the same time, however, it must be ensured that the holding elements reach sufficiently far behind the bottle bead in the screwed-on state ensure that when the container closure is unscrewed, the tamper-evident ring comes loose from the container closure or at least visible damage to the tamper-evident ring occurs. On the other hand, a stable design of the tamper-evident ring or a firm connection of the tamper-evident ring with the closure cap, which is desired from this point of view, must not result in the user having to exert excessive forces when the container closure is first removed in order to be able to remove the closure cap.

With the known tamper-evident closures, these problems were only partially solved. A major disadvantage of the known container closures, however, is that when the container is opened for the first time, the tamper-evident ring remains on the screw cap without any noticeable visible damage. A screwed-on container closure with only minor damage to the tamper-evident ring does not immediately show the consumer that the container was already open.

A container closure is known from DE 41 08 453 A1, in which the holding elements are held together in a circle at a limited distance by means of flexible connecting elements. The ring of retaining tabs can be snapped between the two stable positions by means of the connecting elements, namely between an external one, which extends further from the originality ring, and an inward one, which narrows conically from the originality ring into its interior Position. The latter position has the effect that the holding elements are supported on the annular bulge of the container and lead to the tamper-evident ring being torn off when the container is opened for the first time. However, this is only guaranteed if the container neck has a shape adapted to the design of the holding elements, so that the holding flaps are prevented from folding over when the container closure is opened for the first time. In the usual design of container necks with a free space between the holding elements and the container, a snapping of the holding tabs when opening for the first time cannot be ruled out, so that the closure cap can be removed without visible damage.

Due to the one-piece design of tamper-evident ring and screw cap, both parts are relatively firmly connected to one another, so that the user must either exert great forces to remove the container closure, or else the tamper-evident ring remains attached to the container closure. The connecting elements between the holding elements, despite their resilience, stiffen the entire retaining lug ring, so that relatively large forces are required to screw on the container closure.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a container closure with a tamper-evident ring, which can be applied to the container with little force, and which can be easily removed when opened for the first time, whereby it is to be ensured that the tamper-evident ring is either completely removed from the closure cap loosens or is at least visibly damaged.

This object is achieved with a container closure according to the features of claim 1. Advantageous refinements are the subject of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the holding elements are designed as rockers with a first leg and a second leg, which are connected to the tamper-evident ring via a common elastic web, the first leg pointing inwards and the second leg outward with respect to the closure cap. The first leg takes over, as in the known holding tabs according to the prior art, the task of engaging behind the ring bead on the container neck and supporting itself on this ring bead when the container closure is unscrewed. This means that when the container closure is screwed on for the first time, this first leg must be moved past the ring bead. Characterized in that the first leg forms a rocker with the second leg, which is attached to a common elastic connecting web on the tamper-evident ring, the first leg, when screwing on the container closure for the first time, rests on the ring-shaped bead of the container in the direction of the tamper-evident ring, without this the first leg opposes large forces this unscrewing process. Due to the elastic configuration of the connecting web, which allows the first leg to retreat, the first leg itself can be made relatively stable and far less elastic. The second leg can also be made relatively stable and less elastic, it being important that the first and second legs are connected relatively rigidly to one another.

The elastic connecting web ensures that the rocker returns to its original position after passing the annular bead of the container so far that the first leg engages under the annular bead.

The second leg is oriented in such a way that it does not substantially impede the screwing-on process. This means that its length and orientation are such that it preferably does not come into contact with the annular bulge of the container even during the screwing-on process and thus in the rocking position. It is important here that the second leg does not oppose the screwing process any significant forces or even impedes the screwing process.

When the container is opened for the first time, the first leg is supported with its abutment surface, which is preferably formed in the horizontal direction, on the underside of the annular bead. The relatively stable design of the first leg prevents the first leg from being deformed elastically to such an extent that when unscrewed for the first time it may move past the ring bead, so that no damage to the tamper-evident ring would occur.

Since when the first leg is unscrewed, the free end of the first leg is increasingly removed from the tamper-evident ring, the first leg could possibly fold over without the connection between the tamper-evident ring and the closure cap or the tamper-evident ring itself is damaged. To effectively prevent this, the second leg is relatively rigidly connected to the first leg, the second leg being supported on the tamper-evident ring. In this way, the movement of the first leg is limited and the forces acting on the elastic connecting web are reduced by the compressive forces of the second leg on the tamper-evident ring.

In this way, the forces opposing the unscrewing process when the container closure is removed for the first time are optimally transmitted to the tamper-evident ring, which is thereby torn off or damaged from the closure cap.

The tamper-evident ring is preferably not formed in one piece with the closure cap but is welded to the closure cap. The tamper-evident ring can be welded to the closure cap over its entire end circumferential surface, but it is advantageous if the tamper-evident ring is connected to the closure cap only at a few points. Because of the forces that occur when the screws are unscrewed for the first time, care must be taken that the connection between the tamper-evident ring and the closure cap or the stability of the tamper-evident ring is in itself weaker than the elastic connection between the rocker and the tamper-evident ring. The load capacity of the rocker must be greater than that of the areas that are to be deliberately damaged when the cap is first removed.

In an advantageous embodiment, the free end of the first leg projects further from the tamper-evident ring than the free end of the second leg. This creates a larger space between the first leg and the tamper-evident ring formed as between the second leg and the originality ring. Depending on the design of the ring bead on the container neck, it can be advantageous if the first leg forms an angle between 30 and 50 degrees with the tamper-evident ring. The length and inclination of the first leg should preferably be selected such that when the container closure is screwed on when the first leg first comes into contact, the connecting web is already at the lower edge of the ring bead or below.

The gap between the first leg and the tamper-evident ring allows the first leg to easily retreat when the container closure is screwed on, while the smaller gap between the second leg and the tamper-evident ring when the container closure is unscrewed for the first time means that the second leg is in contact with the tamper-evident ring after a short distance and thus limiting the mobility of the first leg at an early stage.

The second leg is preferably shorter than the first leg so that it does not come into contact with the container in the rocking position. If, for reasons of space, a relatively narrow design of the tamper-evident ring, viewed in the axial direction, is desired, it is necessary that the rocker is arranged as far down on the tamper-evident ring. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the second leg does not protrude under the tamper-evident ring, so that no manipulations on the part of the user are possible. From this point of view too, a relatively short design of the second leg is necessary.

The first leg is arranged inwards at an angle so that it glides with its outer surface when attaching the container closure when the rocking movement of both legs is carried out over the ring bead and engages behind the ring bead with its free end in the closed position. For this purpose, the outer surface of the first leg is designed as a sliding surface.

The first leg can be designed in the form of a circular arc as seen in the circumferential direction of the container closure. However, it is advantageous if the radius of curvature of the first leg is greater than the radius of the annular bead, because this only achieves a punctiform contact on the sliding surface, which additionally facilitates the screwing-on process.

If the tamper-evident ring is provided with rockers all around, the tamper-evident ring is completely separated from the cap when the container closure is removed for the first time and the tamper-evident ring remains on the neck of the container. The consumer can thus immediately see that the container has already been opened.

However, it is possible to provide the rockers only in a limited section of the inner circumference, the originality ring having a predetermined breaking point in the immediate vicinity of one of the two outer rockers. The tamper-evident ring is fastened to the closure cap at least on the side of the predetermined breaking point facing away from the outer rocker, a connection to the closure cap also being present in the entire area is possible in which no rockers are provided. In the area of the rockers, the tamper-evident ring is not connected to the sealing cap, so that when the screw is unscrewed for the first time there is visible damage to the tamper-evident ring. When the container closure is unscrewed for the first time, the tamper-evident ring is only held and loaded in this area by the rockers provided in only one section, so that the tamper-evident ring is only released from the closure cap in this area, at the same time the predetermined breaking point is severed. Visible damage to the tamper-evident ring is thus caused when the container is opened for the first time.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1

den Behälterverschluß im Teilschnitt im nicht aufgeschraubten Zustand,

Fig. 2

den Behälterverschluß im Teilschnitt im teilweise aufgeschraubten Zustand,

Fig. 3

den Behälterverschluß im Teilschnitt im teilweise aufgeschraubten Zustand,

Fig. 4

den Behälterverschluß im Teilschnitt im vollständig aufgeschraubten Zustand,

Fig. 5

eine Draufsicht auf den Originalitätsring,

Fig. 6

den Originalitätsring in Seitenansicht,

Fig. 7

den Behälterverschluß im Teilschnitt in der ersten Phase des Abschraubens,

Fig. 8

den Behälterverschluß im Teilschnitt während des Trennens des Originalitätsringes,

Fig. 9

den Behälterverschluss im Teilschnitt, wobei sich der Originalitätsring vollständig gelöst hat, und

Fig. 10

eine Draufsicht auf den Originalitätsring gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform.

Show it:

Fig. 1

the container closure in partial section in the unscrewed state,

Fig. 2

the container closure in partial section in the partially screwed-on state,

Fig. 3

the container closure in partial section in the partially screwed-on state,

Fig. 4

the container closure in partial section when fully screwed on,

Fig. 5

a top view of the originality ring,

Fig. 6

the originality ring in side view,

Fig. 7

the container closure in partial section in the first phase of unscrewing,

Fig. 8

the container closure in partial section during the separation of the tamper-evident ring,

Fig. 9

the container closure in partial section, whereby the tamper-evident ring has completely loosened, and

Fig. 10

a plan view of the tamper-evident ring according to a further embodiment.

In Figure 1, the container closure is shown in partial section. The container closure 1 closes the container 16, which has an annular bead 18 on the container neck 17 and an external thread 21 above it.

The closure cap 2 has a bottom wall 3 for closing the container opening and a peripheral wall 4, which has an internal thread 6 on its inside, which cooperates with the external thread 21 of the container 16. The outer wall 4 widens conically downward and has an end face 5 to which the tamper-evident ring 7 is fastened. A plurality of rockers 8 are arranged on the inside of the tamper-evident ring 7 via an elastic connecting web 11. Each rocker 8 consists of a first leg 9 pointing obliquely upwards into the interior of the closure cap and a second leg 10 pointing downwards. The first leg 9 projects further from the original ring 7 than the second Leg 10. This forms an upper space 12, which is larger than the lower space 13. The first leg 9 is longer than the second leg 10, the second leg 10 being aligned parallel to the tamper-evident ring 7.

FIG. 2 shows a first phase of the screwing-on process of the container closure 1. The first leg 9 lies with its sliding surface 14 on the conical outer surface 19 of the annular bead 18 and, with a reduction in the space 12, backs away from this annular bead 18. As a result, the legs 9 and 10, which are essentially rigidly connected to one another, perform a type of rocking movement with elastic bending of the common connecting web 11. During this screwing-on process, the second leg 10 does not touch this annular bead 18.

A further phase of the screwing-on process is shown in FIG. The first leg 9 moves towards the underside 20 of the annular bead 18, the abutment surface 15, which is essentially horizontal, now comes into contact with this underside 20. At the same time, the rocker 8 moves back into its starting position. The end position of the rocker 8 in the screwed-on state is shown in FIG. 4, the rocker 8 not touching the container 16.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the tamper-evident ring 7. The rockers 8 are arranged distributed over the entire inner circumference of the tamper-evident ring. The first legs 9 are designed in the shape of a circular arc. Are on the end face 24 of the tamper-evident ring 7 Material increases 22 are provided, which are used to weld the tamper-evident ring 7 to the cap 2. A total of six of these material increases 22 are provided.

FIG. 7 shows the unscrewing process in the first phase. The first leg 9 rests with its abutment surface 15 on the underside 20 of the annular bead 18, the outward movement of the first leg 9 being limited by the rocking movement and thus the abutment of the second leg 10 on the tamper-evident ring while reducing the space 13. Due to the rigid design and rigid connection of the first leg 9 and the second leg 10, further outward movement or even folding over of the first leg 9 is effectively prevented. Since evasion of the first leg 9 is thus prevented, the support of the first leg 9 on the annular bead 18 leads to a load on the connection point between the tamper-evident ring 7 and the closure cap 2.

As can be seen in FIG. 8, this leads to the tamper-evident ring 7 being separated and finally to the tamper-evident ring falling down and the tamper-evident ring remaining on the container neck.

FIG. 10 shows the bottom view of the tamper-evident ring 7 in a further embodiment. Only three rockers 8 are provided on the inner circumferential wall of the tamper-evident ring 7. A predetermined breaking point 23 is provided in the tamper-evident ring 7 adjacent to one of the outer rockers 8. The tamper-evident ring 7 is only connected to the closure cap in the hatched section 25. When unscrewing, the tamper-evident ring 7 is only loaded in the area of the rockers 8, which leads to tearing off in the area of the predetermined breaking point 23.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

1

Container closure

2nd

Sealing cap

3rd

Bottom wall

4th

Peripheral wall

5

Face

6

inner thread

7

Tamper evident ring

8th

Seesaw

9

first leg

10th

second leg

11

Connecting bridge

12

upper space

13

lower gap

14

Sliding surface

15

Abutment surface

16

container

17th

Container neck

18th

Ring bead

19th

conical outer surface

20th

bottom

21

External thread

22

Material increases

23

Predetermined breaking point

24th

Face of the originality ring

25th

section

Claims (9)

Container closure with a closure cap, which has on its free peripheral edge an originality ring with cold elements which interact with an annular bead of the container, characterized in that
that the holding elements are designed as a rocker (8) with a first leg (9) and a second leg (10), which are connected to the tamper-evident ring (7) via a common elastic web (11), with respect to the closure cap (2) the first leg (9) is inclined inwards and the second leg (10) is directed outwards. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that both legs (9, 10) are largely rigidly connected to one another. Container closure according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the free end of the first leg (9) projects further from the tamper-evident ring (7) than the free end of the second leg (10). Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first leg (9) is inclined inwards inwards in such a way that its outer surface (14) is attached to the container (16) when the container closure (1) is fastened while performing a rocking movement both legs (9, 10) slide over the annular bead (18) and engage behind the annular bead (18) with its free end in the closed position. Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first leg (9) has a horizontal abutment surface (15) at its free end. Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first leg (9) is longer than the second leg (10). Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second leg (10) is arranged at a distance from the tamper-evident ring (7) and extends downward parallel to the tamper-evident ring (7). Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the tamper-evident ring (7) has a predetermined breaking point (23) and
that the rockers (8) are provided only on one side adjacent to the predetermined breaking point (23) and the tamper-evident ring (7) is connected to the closure cap (2) only in the section in which no rockers (8) are provided. Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the tamper-evident ring (7) is welded to the closure cap (2) at several points.

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