EP0586979B1 - Tube with permanent closure and operative closure - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a tube having a tube head which is provided with a permanent closure (32) and with an operative closure which can be fitted onto the tube head, the permanent closure (32) being formed by a membrane (22) which spans the mouth (18) of the tube head and is produced integrally with the tube head (6) from the same material, at least the membrane (22) and the adjacent region of the tube head consisting of a plastic material, and a nipple (24) being formed on the membrane (22) in the delivery state of the tube. The nipple is provided as an opening means for opening the permanent closure (32), projects beyond the mouth edge (20) of the tube head, and protrudes into a cutout in the operative closure when the latter has been fitted onto the tube head (6). Provision is made according to the invention for the nipple (24) to be constructed as a handle which protrudes loosely into the cutout in the operative closure in the delivery state of the tube. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a tube with the features of the preamble of claim 1.

The invention relates generally to such tubes which, on the one hand, are provided with a permanent closure in the delivery state, which hermetically seals the tube filling before the tube is put into use, and, on the other hand, are provided with an operational closure which seals adequately for a certain period of use and which opens after opening of the permanent closure until the tube contents are used up at least to some extent reliably seals the tube further.

The hermetic permanent seal in the delivery state, more precisely for the time from filling the tube to the use of the tube, is particularly important if the contents of the tube contain volatile components or deteriorate under the influence of air, e.g. oxidized, attracting moisture or decomposing. The field of application is therefore very broad and includes, for example, tubes for food as well as for pharmaceutical, cosmetic or technical applications, such as adhesives.

In a known tube, the entire actual tube body is made of metal, the permanent closure being made of a metal from the tube body as a membrane closing the tube opening. A screw flap that can be placed on the tube head serves as the operating closure corresponding external thread on the tube head interacts. A mandrel, which is formed on the outer end face of the screw cap from its material, is used to open the permanent closure through the membrane. By means of this mandrel, a hole can be pressed into the membrane, which, however, has a relatively frayed appearance and the size of which depends on the pressure exerted by the user in an unpredictable manner. In addition, the appearance of the screw cap with the free mandrel on the screw cap is perceived as disturbing.

A whole series of other tube constructions are also known with the same objective of providing both a permanent closure and an operating closure without using a membrane as the permanent closure.

So metal or plastic tubes with special caps are known, which initially sit tightly as a permanent closure on the tube head. At least one predetermined breaking zone is then formed within the tube body. When a greater torque is exerted on this predetermined breaking zone, the closure is then broken down into a part which now remains functionally useless on the neck of the tube and into another part of the cap which can then be used as an operating closure. Such a container made of soft plastic is known, for example, from Swiss patent 566 904. The open end face of the cap initially molded onto the container body can, after it has been separated off, be positively attached as a service closure over a neck of the container body, an inner cylindrical extension integrally molded on the service closure engaging in a plug-like manner in the outlet channel in the neck of the container body.

Sometimes a cap initially molded onto the container body even breaks down into more than two parts. However, the uselessly remaining part of the original permanent closure is perceived as annoying, so that the user even often makes special efforts to manipulate the parts remaining when dismantling the previous permanent closure to remove from the tube body.

In the case of plastic tubes, after the actual tube production, but before the tubes are filled, the outlet opening on the tube head is closed by separate, mostly aluminum-clad plastic plugs, usually by welding.

There are also plastic tubes which are provided with an injection-molded tear-off closure, e.g. for coffee cream, small hair shampoo packs, etc. After tearing it off, the cap can be loosely put back on the tube head. A sufficiently tight reclosure as with a reliable screw connection or with a tight form fit of a pure plug connection is generally not possible.

German patent specification 26 53 993 shows a container which is intended in particular for single use. It consists of a few tenths of a millimeter thick plastic, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, which is easy to compress. A tapered neck of the container runs out with the wall thickness of the container into a flat end face, which can be interpreted as a flat membrane with the container wall thickness. An annular groove is formed in the flat end face as a predetermined breaking point. From the area of the flat end face surrounded by the annular groove, a pin-like nipple extends axially into a central recess of a closure cap made of the same material as the container neck, which tightly encloses the container neck. During manufacture, the container and the closure cap are combined to form an integral component by producing a firm press fit of the nipple in the recess in the closure cap. If a torque is exerted on this by turning the closure cap, the nipple at the predetermined breaking zone is broken out or torn out from the end face of the container neck, so that an outlet opening is created in the end face of the container neck for emptying the container. If multiple uses of the container are also considered, the Membrane-like end of the container neck as a permanent closure. The operating cap is the closure cap which can be plugged onto the container neck again after the container has been opened, together with the nipple remaining on it, which then, when the container is reclosed, engages as a stopper in the outlet opening of the container similarly to the container of the Swiss patent 566 904. However, since this outlet opening, unlike the container of the Swiss patent specification 566 904, was previously broken open or torn open, the outlet opening has a tendency to an irregular circumferential contour even with careful manufacture, so that when the nipple is reinserted into the broken or torn outlet opening when the container is reclosed to a push-on inhibition or jamming and finally to rotation disturbances of screw-on operating locks.

EP-A-355 0471 discloses a tube for holding pasty masses, the cylindrical tube neck of which is provided with an external thread on which a closure cap is screwed. The outlet opening in the tube neck is closed by a disk-like plate on which an outwardly projecting mandrel is formed and the underside of which is provided with a collar which engages behind in a form-fitting manner, which ensures anchoring in the outlet opening. A circular predetermined breaking notch is formed in the area between the mandrel and the outlet opening. When the tube is closed, the mandrel protrudes into a socket arranged on the inside of the closure cap, by means of which the mandrel is held in a force-fitting manner, which facilitates the assembly of the tube. The permanent closure thus formed is formed in two parts, the plate with the mandrel and the collar being made of an easily breakable, brittle plastic and the actual tube body made of a soft plastic.
This two-part form and the use of different plastics is extremely negative for economical production. Characterized in that the edge of the socket sealingly rests on the disk-shaped plate and due to the existing space between the mandrel and the inside of the cap, there is a risk that the predetermined breaking notch of the plate can tear prematurely if the cap is accidentally overtightened, thereby creating a permanent hermetic seal Tube is challenged before opening.

From EP-A-192 136 a tube made of plastic material with a protective cap is known, the permanent closure of which is made in one piece. The permanent closure consists of a conical neck, which ends in a circular web, and of a membrane closing the opening of the neck, on which an outwardly projecting pin-shaped neck extension is formed. A predetermined breaking point is formed between this neck extension and the web.

The web is at least as high as the height of the cervical process, ie the cervical process is sunk in the trough formed by the web, so that it is practically impossible to break open the cervical process with the fingers, which is desired. In order to make this possible, a short piece of pipe is formed in the top of the protective cap, with which torsion and possibly also axial pressure can be exerted on the neck process, so that the neck process is sheared off.
The disadvantage of this solution is that the top of the protective cap is provided with two openings, which on the one hand promotes the deposition of dust or tube contents and on the other hand is rejected by buyers not only for practical but also for aesthetic reasons due to the lack of a continuously closed protective cap surface becomes.

The invention has for its object to provide an at least partially made of plastic tube with permanent closure and operating closure, which has opening means for opening the permanent closure, but which are not visible when the operating cap is on, and which is not only a convenient and reliable opening of the permanent closure enables, but in which the reclosure with the operating lock can also take place without interference and in particular no obstruction of a rotary movement of the operating lock is to be feared.

This object is achieved in a tube with the features of the preamble of claim 1 by the characterizing features. In the tube according to the invention, a plastic membrane from which a nipple is formed is also used as the permanent closure. In contrast to the known container, however, the nipple protrudes over the mouth of the tube head as an easily graspable handle, possibly after removing the operating closure. The dimensioning should be such that the user can comfortably grip the nipple-shaped handle and, together with it, the membrane largely can tear out the opening on the tube mouth, so that a controlled and relatively clean tube mouth is created in a reliable manner. The nipple together with the attached parts of the membrane then represents waste. In the container which is closed again with the operating seal, the nipple can therefore no longer lead to inhibitions and other faults. However, if necessary, it is not ruled out that the non-circular design of the loose engagement of the nipple in the cutout of the operating closure causes the permanent closure to be opened by introducing torque onto the attached operating closure and, via this, onto the nipple. While the tube is in the delivery state, the nipple-shaped handle is invisibly hidden in a corresponding recess in the operating closure, as in the known container, when it is placed on the tube head together with the tube. This does not exclude the fact that the operational closure is also to be delivered separately next to the tube body, for example for packaging reasons, and the user is left to put it on. The waste when tearing off the membrane together with the nipple is only slight.

It is possible and generally desired to manufacture the entire tube body from plastic together with the membrane and the nipple molded onto it.

Such a plastic tube looks optically and aesthetically like a "normal" tube if a conventional operating closure, such as in particular a screw-on cap or a push-on cap, is used. The original device for opening the permanent closure only comes to light after the operational closure has been removed for the first time. When the membrane is torn out by means of the nipple, the consumer then receives the very usual type of tube without any recognizable earlier permanent closure. This tube can then be opened and closed several times in the usual manner by means of the operating closure. Both in the delivery state with the operating cap on and later in use in the operationally closed state, the tube looks the same and the same conventional.

By manufacturing the membrane and nipple at least with the adjacent area of the tube head, preferably together with the entire tube body, the permanent closure according to the invention can also be obtained simply and inexpensively. When using a sprayable plastic, in particular at least the nipple, the membrane and the region of the tube head adjoining this, preferably the entire tube body with the exception of the operating closure, can be a single injection molding. The person skilled in the art is free to choose the material from which the operating closure is selected. This can of course also be made of a plastic material, e.g. that of the tube body or the membrane and the nipple, exist without this being absolutely necessary. Metal could even be used for the closure. The plastic material of the diaphragm and nipple up to the limit of the entire tube body is expediently a thermoplastic, without basically wanting to rule out cases of thermoset plastic.

Minimal material expenditure with sufficient stiffness of the nipple is obtained if the nipple is a hollow body open to the inside of the tube. You can even go as far as that the hollow body has the same wall thickness as the membrane, without seriously impairing the desired nipple function. For technical and optical reasons, the nipple is expediently designed to be axially symmetrical. In general, it will be placed from the center of the membrane. With the dimensions according to claim 6, the tube opening is spanned to a large extent by the nipple and only to a small extent by the membrane, so that the tear line is thereby already moved to the edge of the tube opening. If a predetermined breaking zone is then formed between the tube head and the nipple within the remaining actual membrane, this can be set so that not only is it easier to tear out the membrane, but the tube opening after removal of the permanent closure is clean, edge-free and with a precisely predetermined opening cross-section remains.

By moving the membrane inwards relative to the rim of the mouth of the tube head, an extension of the lever length of the nipple is obtained from the outset, this extension having no influence on the recess in the operating closure receiving the nipple. To avoid undesirable sharp edges on the tube mouth, the mouth of the tube head is then expediently rounded. In terms of spray technology and optics, it is expedient if the rounding of the mouth edge merges into the recessed membrane with a constant curvature. In any case, with the membrane set back, preferably using a rounding of the mouth of the tube head, the nipples can be used not only as a handle or lever with indefinite power support, but even as a rocker arm that is located on the mouth of the tube opening at any point on the side Pressure can be applied by the user and then initiates the tearing of the membrane at the opposite point. In the borderline case, the user could also be given a direction of tipping and a special initial tear-off zone based on the tipping effect could be formed at the opposite point. Usually, however, you will become the user of such special instructions leave unloaded, since with a suitable lever ratio of the rocker arm, e.g. with a small lever between the support and the tear-open point, but with a long lever on the handle part, tear forces can be generated that are already so strong that with a normal membrane, especially with a membrane provided with a predetermined breaking zone Tear open enough.

The outer surface of the nipple is preferably provided with a grip boot which facilitates handling by the user. A cylindrical design of the body of the nipple is most conveniently adapted to a round opening cross section of the tube mouth, in order to prevent the nipple protruding from the mouth of the tube head while the permanent closure is still fitted, excessively pressing or injuring the hand of the user or otherwise causing damage, is expedient the free end face of the nipple is curved outwards.

Finally, when the operating closure is designed as a stand-up cap, so that the tube can also be stored upside down in the state when the operating closure is closed, the invention can also be applied to tubes with viscous contents, for example, which is expedient while the tube is parked in the area the tube mouth is to be collected.

• Fig. 1 eine Draufsicht auf eine erfindungsgemäße Tube;
• Fig. 2 in teilweisem diagonalen Schnitt im Bereich des Betriebsverschlusses eine vergrößerte Ansicht von Tubenkopf und Betriebsverschluß;
• Fig. 3 einen diagonalen Querschnitt durch den oberen Bereich des Tubenkopfes mit Ansicht des Nippels;
• Fig. 4 eine Draufsicht auf den Tubenkörper;
• Fig. 5 eine Ergänzung der Darstellung von Fig. 3 mit aufgesetztem Betriebsverschluß im Teilquerschnitt;
• Fig. 6 eine abgebrochene Seitenansicht des Tubenkörpers mit teilweise gelöstem Dauerverschluß; und
• Fig. 7 eine Ansicht gemäß Fig. 3 im Zustand nach Entfernen des Dauerverschlusses.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of schematic drawings using an exemplary embodiment. Show it:

• Figure 1 is a plan view of a tube according to the invention.
• 2 shows a partially diagonal section in the area of the service closure, an enlarged view of the tube head and operation closure;
• 3 shows a diagonal cross section through the upper region of the tube head with a view of the nipple;
• 4 shows a plan view of the tube body;
• FIG. 5 is a supplement to the representation of FIG. 3 with the operating closure in partial cross-section; FIG.
• Fig. 6 is a broken side view of the tube body with partially released permanent closure; and
• Fig. 7 is a view of FIG. 3 in the state after removing the permanent closure.

Fig. 1 shows a tube as it appears unchanged both in the delivery state and in operation. One recognizes the tube body 2, which via a tube body 2, e.g. conical, tapering shoulder 4 merges into the tube head 6 which is not visible in FIG. 1 (cf. the other figures). A screw cap is screwed onto this tube head 6 as the operating closure 8. The cylindrical peripheral surface of the operating closure 8 is flush with the essentially cylindrical peripheral surface of the filled tube body 2. The tube end opposite the tube head is hermetically sealed in a conventional manner in the area of a closure zone 10, which e.g. by squeezing, welding or the like. can be won.

The material of the entire tube body 2 including its tube head and expediently also the operating closure consists of a sprayable plastic, for which a thermoplastic plastic is generally suitable for tubes.

The following details of the tube result from FIGS. 2 to 7.

The tube head 6 has a cylinder 12, which axially continues the shoulder 4 on the tube body 2, the outer jacket surface of which is provided with an external screw thread onto which the operating closure 8 can be screwed.

The cylinder 12 in turn merges via a tapered, here conical, transition piece 16 into a cylindrical mouth 18 of the tube on the tube head 6. The mouth edge 20 of the mouth 18 is rounded.

In the delivered state of the tube, the mouth 18 is set back at least around the curvature region of the mouth of the mouth edge 20, the mouth 18 of which is covered by a membrane 22, which is made integrally with the mouth 18 and expediently with the entire tube body 2 together with the tube head 6 as an injection molded part.

Also included in this integral injection molded part is a nipple 24, which extends outward from the membrane with its wall thickness, or also somewhat smaller or somewhat larger wall thickness, than the cylindrical hollow body 26 which is open to the interior of the tube. The hollow body 26 of the nipple 24 has its predominant length outside the mouth edge 20 and ends on its free end face 28 in a curved configuration. Both the curved end face 18 and the outer lateral surface of the hollow body 26 are provided with a gripping 30 or a corresponding roughening of the grip, ribbing of the grip or the like. Mistake.

The nipple 24, the membrane 22, the mouth 18 and the entire tube head 6 are axially symmetrical. The membrane 22 together with the hollow nipple 24 forms a permanent closure 32 which hermetically seals the tube contents from the atmosphere. The nipple 24 takes up the largest diameter range of the free opening cross section of the mouth 18 and is connected to its inner wall surface only via a narrow annular membrane edge. In the embodiment shown, this ends at a right angle in the inner wall surface of the mouth 18, but can also merge into the rounding of the mouth edge 20 with a constant curvature.

In the narrow annular zone formed by the actual membrane 22, which in itself can easily be torn away because of the dimensional stability of the nipple 24, a suitable circumferential weakening zone can still be impressed in the desired manner, preferably in the immediate or very close vicinity of the inner wall surface of the Mouth 18

The operating closure 8 is a screw cap with a cylindrical cap jacket 34 and cap end wall 36 instead of a possible form-fitting push-on cap. At the free end of the cap jacket 34, a screw thread 38 is formed as an internal thread, which cooperates with the screw thread 14 on the tube head 6 and then when the Operating closure 8 is placed on the tube head 6 with this cooperates sealingly. The inward beveled edge 40 of the cap shell 34 can, if necessary, but need not, cooperate with the shoulder 4 on the tube body 2 as an end stop device. It is often sufficient to turn the screw thread to the end stop yourself.

The screw cap-shaped operating closure 8 has such an axial height that it projects beyond the end face 28 of the nipple 24 with the end wall 36 of the cap. A cylindrical skirt 42 extends inward from the cap end wall 36, which surrounds the nipple 24 as protection against bending and still projects around the cylindrical outer surface of the mouth 18. It is also possible to create a positive engagement path between the inner surface of the skirt 42 and the outer surface of the mouth 18, if necessary. In addition to the stop device described above, the end of the apron 42 can also be struck on the transition piece 16 as required.

The permanent closure 32 is opened by the user by pulling or better tilting (see FIG. 6) the nipple 24, the membrane being torn open or completely torn away. In the limit case, the tilting can take place with lever-shaped support on the mouth edge 20 on the tube head 6. When the permanent closure is torn open, there remains a practically edge-free and residue-free tear-open zone 44 (cf. FIG. 7), which no longer affects the open cross section of the tube mouth at all, or at most only slightly.

The described design of the permanent closure, which is present in the delivery state, not only represents a good hermetic seal of the tube contents before use, which is easy to remove when the device is used, but also has excellent optical recognition features in the sense of an original closure, which ensures the integrity from a distance the tube signals when the operating cap is removed. Otherwise the tube has no unusual optical handling or usage features for the average user.

Especially in the case of viscous tube contents, or in general for emptying the tube contents as completely as possible, the outer end face of the operating closure 8 can also be designed in a manner known per se as a contact surface 44 in order to be able to store the tube upside down if necessary and thus to prevent the tube from flowing To force the tube contents towards the tube opening during this standard of the tube. In the specific case, in addition to all other embodiments of contact surfaces 44, the plane shown can be selected in the end face shape, which merges via a rounded portion or chamfer 46 into the outer lateral surface of the operating closure 8, which is flush with the outer lateral surface of the actual tube body 2.

Claims (16)

1. Tube with a permanent lock (32) formed at its upper end in one piece and consisting of a conical tube head (6) which ends in a circular mouth edge (20), and a diaphragm (22) which covers the mouth (18) of the tube head (6), on which diaphragm a nipple (24) protruding outwards is formed, in the diaphragm (22) between the nipple (24) and the mouth edge (20) a predetermined breaking point being formed, and with a cap-shaped operating lock (8), which through a lock member is connected in a detachable way with the tube head (6),
   characterized by the fact that the nipple (24) is formed as a handle, protrudes over the mouth edge (20) of the tube head (6) and, when the operating lock (8) has been put on, protrudes loosely into a recess (42) of the operating lock (8), and that the diaphragm (22) is arranged drawn-in backwards as to the mouth edge (20) of the tube head (6) in its mouth (18), the nipple (24), the draw-in of the diaphragm (22) as to the mouth edge (20) of the tube head (6) and the spatial arrangement of the latter being dimensioned relatively among each other in such a way that the nipple (24) is foreseen as a turning lever resting on the mouth edge (20) of the tube head (6) for tearing up the diaphragm (22) on an area opposite the support.
2. Tube according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the nipple (24) is a hollow body (26) open towards the interior of the tube.
3. Tube according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the hollow body (26) has the same wall thickness as the diaphragm (22).
4. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that the nipple (24) is formed axisymmetrically.
5. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that the nipple (24) starts from the centre of the diaphragm (22).
6. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that the nipple (24) occupies 75 to 90%, preferably 80 to 85%, of the diagonal of the mouth opening of the tube head (6).
7. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that the predetermined breaking point is a surrounding weakening area.
8. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by the fact that the mouth edge (20) of the tube head (6) is round.
9. Tube according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that the round of the mouth edge (20) passes with a continuous curve into the drawn-in diaphragm (22).
10. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the fact that the operating lock (8) is a screw-on cap.
11. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by the fact that the operating lock (8) is a plug-on cap.
12. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by the fact that the outer surface of the nipple (24) is equipped with a gripping corrugation (30).
13. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by the fact that the body (26) of the nipple (24) is cylindrical.
14. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by the fact that the free front side (28) of the nipple (24) is arched outwards.
15. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized by the fact that at least the nipple (24), the diaphragm (22) and the area adjacent to the latter of the tube head (6), preferably the whole tube body (2) except the operating lock (8) are one single sprayed form.
16. Tube according to one of claims 1, 10, and 11, characterized by the fact that the operating lock (8) is formed like a standing cap for making the tube stand "on its head" when the operating lock has been put on.

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