EP0627357B1 - Screw cap with means for preventing overtightening - Google Patents

Screw cap with means for preventing overtightening Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0627357B1
EP0627357B1 EP19940303436 EP94303436A EP0627357B1 EP 0627357 B1 EP0627357 B1 EP 0627357B1 EP 19940303436 EP19940303436 EP 19940303436 EP 94303436 A EP94303436 A EP 94303436A EP 0627357 B1 EP0627357 B1 EP 0627357B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
vessel
closure
stop element
stop
raised portion
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19940303436
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0627357A1 (en
Inventor
Thomas C/O Carters Packaging Porritt
Ian C/O Carters Packaging Darby
Nicholas C/O Carters Packaging Sendall
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
CARTERS DRINKS GROUP LIMITED
Original Assignee
CARTERS DRINKS GROUP Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by CARTERS DRINKS GROUP Ltd filed Critical CARTERS DRINKS GROUP Ltd
Publication of EP0627357A1 publication Critical patent/EP0627357A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0627357B1 publication Critical patent/EP0627357B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
    • B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
    • B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
    • B65D41/0471—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with means for positioning the cap on the container, or for limiting the movement of the cap, or for preventing accidental loosening of the cap
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D51/16—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas
    • B65D51/1672—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas whereby venting occurs by manual actuation of the closure or other element
    • B65D51/1688—Venting occurring during initial closing or opening of the container, by means of a passage for the escape of gas between the closure and the lip of the container mouth, e.g. interrupted threads

Definitions

  • This invention relates to closures, and particularly, but not exclusively, to closures in the form of caps for containers adapted to hold effervescent liquids.
  • the bottling of effervescent liquids for example, orangeade or lemonade requires that the cap of the bottle is screwed on tight enough to prevent the carbon dioxide in the liquid from escaping. Also, it is necessary that the cap is not so tight that it is difficult for certain people, for example, children or the elderly to unscrew the top.
  • the caps are screwed on so tightly that it is difficult for such people to unscrew the cap. It is possible to purchase a tool which will assist in the unscrewing of bottle caps which enables the user to apply greater leverage to the cap than would be possible if they were using their hands.
  • the disadvantage of such a tool is that there is a tendency for users to try to twist the cap in the wrong direction and effectively over tightening it. This can cause the threads to be jumped.
  • the liquids in the bottles can contain carbon dioxide there can be, in certain circumstances, a build up of pressure inside the bottle.
  • the pressure inside the bottle can cause the cap to be blown off at speeds of upto 400km/h (250mph) with a force that can cause injury.
  • Missiling is used in the art to describe caps being blown off bottles in this way.
  • FR-A-2569661 discloses a bottle cap having a stop provided on securing means to prevent overtightening.
  • DE-U-9206634 discloses a screw cap according to the first part of claim 1 with a stop in the form of a raised portion to prevent overtightening.
  • the apparatuses disclosed in these specifications do not fully overcome the above disadvantage.
  • a closure for a vessel comprising a side wall defining a cavity having a closed end, an open end to receive a top region of the vessel, and securing means to secure the closure to the vessel, the securing means being in the form of threads adapted to co-operate with corresponding threads on said top region of the vessel, and stop means to engage a stop element on the vessel, the stop means including a raised portion extending inwardly of the side wall, characterised in that the stop means is separate from the securing means and further includes an abutment extending from the raised portion towards the open end of the closure, the abutment comprising a first sloping surface and a second sloping surface sloping towards and merging with the raised portion, the second sloping surface adapted to engage the stop element on the vessel.
  • the term “overtightened” refers to the situation where the closure is secured onto the vessel beyond a predetermined degree of tightness.
  • the term “overtightening” is intended to be construed accordingly.
  • the stop means is arranged on the closure to engage said stop element at said predetermined degree of tightness.
  • the stop means is preferably arranged adjacent the closed end of the closure and may be spaced from the securing means.
  • the raised portion may extend at least partially around the inner circumference of the side wall. Preferably, the raised portion extends substantially wholly around the inner circumference of the side wall.
  • the second sloping portion is adapted to cooperate with said stop element to cause deformation of said stop means, thereby causing said closure to deform to create a gap between the closure and the wall of the vessel to allow any pressurised gas in the vessel to be released via said gap.
  • the second sloping portion may slope inwardly of the cavity from the side wall of the closure towards said first sloping portion. In a second embodiment, the second sloping portion may slope from said raised portion to said first sloping portion to define a V-shaped recess with said raised portion to receive said stop element on the vessel.
  • the closure may be in the form of a cap for a container, preferably a bottle cap, and the preferred embodiment is particularly suitable for use with bottles adapted to hold effervescent beverages.
  • a system comprising a closure as described above, and a vessel being provided with securing formations adapted to cooperate with the securing means on the closure to enable the closure to be secured to the vessel by tightening the closure thereto, and a stop element on the vessel adapted to co-operate with the stop means on the closure to assist in preventing overtightening of the closure on the vessel.
  • the vessel may be in the form of a bottle which may be adapted to hold effervescent beverages.
  • the stop element is in the form of a shoulder defined by said threads on the vessel against which the stop means on the closure can abut.
  • the shoulder is defined at the end of the threads closest to the open end of the vessel.
  • the stop element may be separate from the threads on the vessel and is preferably in the form of a protrusion extending from the vessel.
  • the protrusion is provided adjacent the top of the vessel.
  • the stop element may have a flattened surface extending transverse to the wall of the vessel.
  • the flattened surface may be provided a lip extending along an edge thereof remote from the wall of the vessel.
  • the stop element has a further flattened surface extending substantially parallel to the wall of the vessel.
  • the distance of said further flattened surface from the wall of the vessel is less than the height of the remainder of the threads at said top region.
  • said lip when the closure is overtightened on the vessel, said lip co-operates with the stop means thereby causing some of the material of the stop means to be scraped off by the lip, to collect between the lip and the first mentioned flat surface thereby increasing the resistance against overtightening.
  • a system comprising a closure as described above and a vessel as described above, the closure being adapted to be secured to the vessel by tightening the closure relative thereto.
  • a method of forming a closure comprising providing a vessel to which the closure is to be secured, applying a first mark to said vessel in alignment with a stop element, tightening the closure onto the vessel until a predetermined degree of tightness is attained, applying a second mark to the closure in alignment with said first mark, and thereafter using the marked closure as a guide to manufacture closures as described above.
  • a closure in the form of a cap 10 for a vessel in the form of a bottle 12 (Fig. 3) only the top of which is shown for clarity.
  • the cap 10 is provided with securing means in the form of threads 14, and the bottle 12 is provided with securing formations in the form of corresponding threads 16 adapted to threadably engage the threads 14 on the cap 10.
  • the cap 10 can be screwed onto the top of the bottle 12 and tightened to a predetermined degree of tightness. This is important where the bottle contains an effervescent liquid, for example orangeade or lemonade, to prevent the carbon dioxide in the liquid from escaping.
  • the cap 10 has an open end 11, a closed end 13 and a side wall 15 defining a cavity 17.
  • the cap 10 is provided with stop means comprising a raised portion 18 and an abutment 19.
  • the raised portion 18 projects inwardly of the side wall 15 and extends around the inner circumference of the side wall 15 adjacent the closed end 13.
  • the abutment 19 extends from the raised portion 18 towards the open end 11.
  • the abutment has a first sloping surface 20 which slopes towards and merges with the raised portion 18.
  • the raised portion 18 and the abutment 19 are attached to the side wall 15 and may be formed as the remainder of the cap for example by moulding.
  • the abutment 19 is also provided with a second sloping surface 21 which slopes inwardly towards the raised portion 18 to define a V-shaped recess 22, the purpose of which will be explained below.
  • the bottle 12 is provided with a stop element against which the projection 18 can abut.
  • the stop element is in the form of a shoulder 24 defined by the end of the threads 16 adjacent the opening in the top of the bottle 12. The shoulder 24 prevents the cap 10 being overtightened on the bottle 12 in the factory.
  • the abutment 19 is arranged adjacent the closed end 13 of the cap, as shown in Fig. 1, because the cap is most rigid at that position, and is unlikely to deform by excessive forces being applied thereto during tightening.
  • the shoulder 24 is received in the V-shaped recess 22 and is engaged by the abutment 19 on tightening the cap 10 onto the bottle 12.
  • the engagement of the shoulder 24 with the abutment 22 resists overtightening of the cap 10 on the bottle 12.
  • FIG. 4 there is shown a view of the end of the shoulder 24 which is an extension of the threads 16.
  • the shoulder 24 is provided with a flat surface 25 extending along the wall 26 substantially perpendicular thereto.
  • a lip 27 extends along an edge of the flat surface 25 substantially parallel to the wall 26.
  • the lip 27 extends along the edge of the flat surface 25 for only a few millimetres, for example to the point 28 as shown in Fig. 4.
  • the shoulder 24 also comprises a further flat surface 28 which extends substantially parallel to the wall 26. As can be seen from Fig. 4, the lip 27 extends along the edge joining the flat surfaces 25,28.
  • the abutment 19 is forced against the shoulder 24 thereby deforming the abutment 19.
  • the lip 27 co-operates with the abutment 19 and is received with the V-shaped recess. The lip 27 then scrapes off some of the material forming the abutment 19, thus increasing the resistance to overtightening. If the cap is tightened further, the lip 27 hooks onto the abutment 19 thereby deforming the cap 10 to create a gap between the cap 10 and the wall 26 of the vessel 12.
  • any pressurised gas in the bottle 12 for example carbon dioxide released from an effervescent liquid such as lemonade, is released via the gap.
  • the preferred embodiment also has the advantage that it prevents caps being overtightened by the capping machines.
  • the shoulder 24 engages the abutment 19, there is then a resistance to further tightening and the capping machine gripping the cap 10 slips around the cap 10 preventing further tightening.
  • the position of the abutment 19 is determined such that the stop 18 engages the shoulder 24 when a predetermined degree of tightness of the cap 10 on the bottle 12 has been reached.
  • a degree of tightness is sufficient to ensure that the carbon dioxide in the liquid does not escape, but is not so tight that certain people, for example children or the elderly cannot undo the cap.
  • the bottle is initially marked at a position directly below the shoulder 24 at a point on the bottle which would enable the mark to be seen when the cap 10 is screwed on tightly.
  • a cap 10 without a abutment 19 is then screwed onto the top of a bottle 12 until a predetermined amount of torque is reached, for example 3.5kN/m 2 (20lb/in 2 ).
  • the portion of the cap 10 adjacent the mark on the bottle is then also marked to indicate where the stop should be positioned.
  • the cap 10 so marked can then be used to form a mould for forming further caps 10 with the abutment 19.
  • the shoulder 24 or the stop 18 may be formed such that the edges adapted to engage each other are defined at an angle to the top of the bottle 12 or the cap 10, as shown in Fig. 4.
  • the stop 18 and the shoulder 24 can be of any other suitable configuration.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP19940303436 1993-05-15 1994-05-13 Screw cap with means for preventing overtightening Expired - Lifetime EP0627357B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9310052 1993-05-15
GB939310052A GB9310052D0 (en) 1993-05-15 1993-05-15 Improvements in or relating to closures

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0627357A1 EP0627357A1 (en) 1994-12-07
EP0627357B1 true EP0627357B1 (en) 1998-09-16

Family

ID=10735560

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19940303436 Expired - Lifetime EP0627357B1 (en) 1993-05-15 1994-05-13 Screw cap with means for preventing overtightening

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0627357B1 (sv)
DE (1) DE69413307D1 (sv)
FI (1) FI942221A (sv)
GB (1) GB9310052D0 (sv)
NO (1) NO941797L (sv)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019108411A1 (en) * 2017-11-29 2019-06-06 Wilson Cory J Child-resistant cap
WO2020242438A1 (en) * 2019-05-24 2020-12-03 Wilson Cory J Child-resistant cap

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB201108656D0 (en) * 2011-05-23 2011-07-06 Obrist Closures Switzerland A closure

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2569661B1 (fr) * 1984-09-03 1986-09-19 Mayet Ets Dispositif de bouchage a orientation definie
US5096083A (en) * 1990-05-08 1992-03-17 Essef Corporation Polyethylene shipping drum
DE9206634U1 (de) * 1992-05-15 1992-09-17 Hertrampf, Michael, Dr.med., 3007 Gehrden Schraubkappe zum Verschließen einer Flasche o.dgl.

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019108411A1 (en) * 2017-11-29 2019-06-06 Wilson Cory J Child-resistant cap
WO2020242438A1 (en) * 2019-05-24 2020-12-03 Wilson Cory J Child-resistant cap

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0627357A1 (en) 1994-12-07
NO941797D0 (no) 1994-05-13
FI942221A (sv) 1994-11-16
NO941797L (no) 1994-11-16
FI942221A0 (sv) 1994-05-13
GB9310052D0 (en) 1993-06-30
DE69413307D1 (de) 1998-10-22

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