EP0685405A1 - Container closure - Google Patents

Abstract

The cap has a cover and a lock in which an integrally attached stop element is provided on the pivotable top cover (14) and on the cover holder (12) forming part of the container itself. In a given cover opening position the stop elements come into contact with each other, such that they are pressed together by the spring (52) which engages the cover. At least one of the stops (54,56) is so dimensioned that it is elastically deformable. The cover and the container are joined to each other by a film hinge (50). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a container closure made of plastic with a pivotable lid, which is articulated via at least one hinge connection from the lid closed position into a lid open position on a lid holder that can be placed on the container or the container itself, one additionally on the lid on the one hand and the Lid holder or the container itself, on the other hand, engaging spring is provided, which is arranged with respect to the lid pivot axis defined by the hinge connection so that the lid by the bias of the spring when pivoting from its closed position into the open position after passing through a dead center position in the opening direction is pushed.

Such container closures made of plastic, in which the actual lid is pivotally articulated via a hinge connection, which is preferably formed by at least one film hinge, to a lid holder mounted on the neck of the container, are, because of their inexpensive manufacture, to a large extent as a closure for - for example for receiving of liquid detergents, household cleaners or the like. certain - containers spread. Due to the special design of the injection molds for these closures and special injection techniques, in which the actual lid in the plastic injection mold is sprayed in a position opened by 180 ° and is automatically guided into the closed position before or when ejected from the injection mold, it even succeeds in addition from the plastic material of the closure, which has a certain inherent elasticity, to inject an integral spiral spring on the cover on the one hand and on the cover holder on the other hand, which prestresses the cover in its closed position in the closed position and on the other hand then reverses its direction of action when the cover is opened, so that the cover after a certain pivoting in the opening direction is pushed into its fully open position (e.g. EP 0 517 092, Fig. 17 to 21; DE-39 06 570 A1). However, the opening position of these container closures is not exactly defined, i.e. the exact angular position in which the lid is relative to the lid holder due to the spring action in the open position cannot be exactly predicted, but rather closures sprayed off in the same injection mold if different batches of the plastic starting granulate are used, they turn out differently due to different elastic properties or different cooling speeds etc. In certain applications, however, the exact opening position of a container closure can be very important. If the container to be provided with the closure is to be automatically filled and closed in large quantities in corresponding automated systems, filling or dispensing pipettes automatically having to be inserted and withdrawn again through the opened lid, it is important that the opened lid is a has a defined position. This condition is particularly imperative if the containers are fed in appropriate systems in multiple juxtaposition and in immediate succession via automatic conveyors, then the filling or removal pipettes are inserted into the container and withdrawn again and then this game must be repeated automatically after carrying out a transport step . It is clear that even an accidentally inadequate or too wide open lid would hinder the insertion of the filling or removal pipette into the associated or the next container and could lead to malfunctions. In particular, if the containers are to serve as analysis containers for holding highly infectious material, which then, if necessary, additional reagents or the like in intermediate steps. must be supplied before the lid is closed, the exact alignment of the lid in the open position in a position in which a malfunction of the automatically operating system is definitely excluded is absolutely necessary, since when working with such infectious material, monitoring and intervention by human personnel is practically impossible. In a container closure in which the lid is connected to the lid holder by a flexible, flexible tab, it is known (DE-26 01 981 A1) to provide resilient lugs on the lid as well as on the lid holder, which come into contact with one another when the closure placed on a container filled with a liquid is held in the pouring position, ie with the closure opening facing downwards. This is to prevent the lid from swinging into the pouring stream of the medium discharged from the container and thus preventing the pouring out. There is no fixation of the cover in the contact position of the approaches. When turning the container over, the lid falls z. B. due to the very flexible trained tab back into the fully open position.

The invention has for its object to provide a container closure of the type in question, the lid of which is pivoted by a spring arrangement when opening after exceeding a certain opening angle in a precisely defined, predetermined opening position.

Starting from a container closure of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved according to the invention in that at least one integrally attached stop element in the form of at least one each of the cover on the one hand and one associated therewith, each on the pivotable cover and on the cover holder or the container itself the lug holder or the container itself, on the other hand, is provided with the protruding projection which, in a predetermined lid opening position, has abutment surfaces which come into contact with one another and are pressed against one another by the spring acting on the lid Closing the cover from an open position lying beyond the intended open position by the respective cooperating approach on the other pivotable part when approaching the intended open position g is elastically pushed aside and, after reaching the open position, springs back into its intended stop position with the abutment surfaces pressed against each other. This makes it possible to produce the container closure by injection molding in an injection mold, in which the lid of the container closure is sprayed into a position opened by 180 °. When the lid is closed when it is ejected from the injection mold, the lugs provided with the stop surfaces can then step over one another during the closing process due to elastic deformation of at least one of these lugs. After springing back of the lug, which is elastically pushed aside, the stop faces on the lugs, which secure the lid in the predetermined, intended lid opening position, then take effect, i.e. the cover can only be pivoted between the fully closed position and the intended open position, whereby the design and arrangement of the spring can ensure that it acts bistable, i.e. in the two end positions still possible, the cover is then stretched into the associated end position.

As in the prior art, the hinge connection is preferably formed by at least one film hinge integrally connecting the lid and the lid holder or the container.

Although the use of at least one separately manufactured and assembled spring is fundamentally possible, it is provided in a further development according to the invention that the spring is an integrally attached spiral spring on at least one of the parts of the container closure pivotally connected to one another via the hinge connection.

In a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, the configuration is such that at least one of the stop surfaces is or are formed on the underside of a hook-shaped angled portion of the extension or the extensions.

The elastically designed attachment or the attachments provided with the bend is or are then preferably provided on the lid holder or the container itself, so that the attachment provided on the lid can then be made stiffer.

The lug provided with the hook-like bend or the lugs then expediently have an area on the upper side of the bend opposite the stop surface, at least in the area which comes into contact with the associated lug on the other of the parts which can be pivoted relative to one another when closing from the beyond the intended opening position with the respectively assigned lug rounded contour, which promotes the stepping away of the stiffer extension over the elastic with the angled extension and its elastic bending without risk of damage to the extensions.

In this case, the lug or the lugs not provided with the bend can also have a rounded contour in their position when the cover is closed from the position beyond the intended open position with the respectively assigned end section coming into contact with the bend provided.

The stop surface (s) formed on the underside of the bend (s) expediently then run essentially at right angles to the bending plane of the associated elastically bendable extension, since this ensures that the stop surfaces pressing against one another in the open position Preload force of the spiral spring has no force component that tries to disengage the stop surfaces by elastic deformation of the elastic lugs.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the projection protruding from the lid can be shaped so that it has a high bending resistance, while the projection protruding from the lid holder or the container itself is designed to be elastically bendable, the cooperating stop surfaces formed on the projections being arranged in this way that a force exerted on the cover in the sense of a force that is to be pivoted further in the opening direction beyond the predetermined cover opening position in the abutting abutment surfaces is essentially perpendicular to the Abruptly creates reaction force. Since this reaction force is normal to the stop surfaces, it cannot cause the elastic attachment to bend, so that even an inadvertent pivoting of the cover beyond the intended opening position is not possible.

The projection protruding from the lid is expediently provided with at least one rib stiffening it against bending and at its end facing away from the lid with a short projection supporting the stop surface, the projection protruding from the lid holder or the container itself being in the form of two spaced apart, transverse has to its longitudinal extension bendable rod-shaped sections, the free ends of which are connected by a crosspiece, on the underside of which the stop surface is formed. The clear distance measured between the rod-shaped sections of the projection projecting from the cover holder or the container itself is then expediently dimensioned approximately the same or slightly larger than the width of the projection of the projection projecting from the cover.

In order to allow the elastic bending of the projection protruding from the lid holder or the container itself when the lid is first pivoted after being created in the injection mold in the direction of the closed position, it is recommended that the opening position lying beyond the intended opening position when the lid is closed when approaching the predetermined lid opening position to form abutting surface areas of the projection and the crosspiece so that a force exerted on the lid in the closing direction in these surface areas bends the rod-shaped sections of the projection protruding from the lid holder or the container itself Reactive force is generated.

If the filling of the opened containers or the introduction of cannulas or nozzles which manipulate the filling or add further reagents to them is carried out vertically from above, an embodiment is preferred which the stop surfaces held against one another in the open position are arranged such that a desired opening angle the lid is adhered to exactly. Opening angles are preferred in which the cover is folded up in relation to its fully closed position in the intended opening position by an angle between 80 ° and 100 °, preferably by 90 °.

To ensure that the container closure according to the invention the container provided with it after the filling and any subsequent manipulation steps absolutely tightly closed, it is advisable to provide a stopper-like approach on the bottom of the lid facing the container, which in the lid-closed position engages in a known manner to fit into the opening of a through opening in the lid holder or in the container itself and tightly closes the mouth.

The stopper-like extension preferably has the shape of an annular wall which is of slightly spherical design on its outer contour, at least in a partial region, the through opening being formed in an annular wall in the cover holder, the inside diameter of which is clear with respect to the outer diameter of the spherical partial region of the annular wall forming the stopper-like extension the cover is dimensioned with a slight oversize. In the closed position of the cover, a hermetic closure of the through opening in the cover holder is thus ensured by the plug-like extension. On the other hand, the spherical ring wall closes the passage opening in the lid holder to a sufficient extent against evaporation of liquid contained in the container when the lid is not completely closed, but is only folded down onto the lid holder. Since the lid is pressed onto the lid holder via a spring, an adequate closure against evaporation can be achieved in this way. When using containers with such tilting lid container closures in automatic analyzers, the tilting lid is only folded down, for example during transport between individual processing stations, in order to avoid evaporation of the container contents, while keeping the opening force required for the subsequent opening of the lid in a subsequent station as low as possible .

The end section of the ring wall provided on the cover holder facing the cover expediently widens in the direction of its free end in order to facilitate the insertion of the plug-like extension when the cover is closed. The clear diameter of the holder-side ring wall or the passage opening is dimensioned sufficiently large for the insertion of laboratory pipettes and / or elongated tube-like filling elements. The inside diameter should be at least 8 mm, preferably at least 10 mm.

Polyethylene, polypropylene, polyoxymethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate and styrene-butadiene copolymers come into consideration as thermoplastic plastics for the production of the container closure according to the invention, with the use of polypropylene being currently preferred.

In a first embodiment, the spiral spring in the after solidification in the Associated injection mold in the unstressed state, the shape of an arcuate leaf spring, one end of which is integrally molded on the lid and the other end of which is integrally molded on the lid holder or the container itself, the leaf spring preferably extending over an arc of approximately 180 ° in the unstressed state .

The arc of the leaf spring is directed with respect to the lid pivot axis so that a lid pivoting movement in the lid closing direction reduces the curvature of the arc at least in a first section of the closing movement. The leaf spring then strives to bend back into the arcuate shape, whereby the cover is urged into the intended opening position until the stop elements abut against one another.

Instead of a spiral spring, it can also be divided into two laterally spaced spiral springs which are arranged at the same distance on opposite sides of a vertical plane of symmetry through the container closure at right angles to the lid pivot axis.

It has been shown that a sufficiently strong spring force acting in the opening direction is obtained if, in the above embodiment, the leaf spring (s) has an average radius of approximately 1.2 mm, a thickness of approximately 0.4 mm and a width of has a total of about 3 mm.

In an alternative embodiment, the spiral spring is in the form of an angle piece made of two substantially planar, integrally connected angle arms which are integrally connected to one another along a common edge, the free edges of which lie opposite the common integral edge, each integrally on the lid or on the lid via a film hinge Lid holder or the container itself are injection molded.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Behälterverschlusses, dessen Deckel in die bestimmungsgemäße Öffnungsstellung hochgeschwenkt dargestellt ist;

Fig. 2

eine Draufsicht auf den Behälterverschluß gemäß Fig. 1, bei welcher der Deckel in der in der Spritzgußform entstandenen, gegenüber der Schließstellung um 180°, d.h. über die bestimmungsgemäße Öffnungsstellung hinaus in die Öffnungsstellung verschwenkten Lage gezeigt ist;

Fig. 3

eine Schnittansicht des Behälterverschlusses, gesehen in Richtung der Pfeile 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

eine in der Schnittführung der Fig. 3 entsprechende Schnittansicht des Behälterverschlusses, in welcher der Deckel in die Schließstellung herabgeschwenkt ist;

Fig. 5

eine Schnittansicht, gesehen in Richtung der Pfeile 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6a bis 6e

in der Schnittführung jeweils der Fig. 3 entsprechende Schnittansichten des Behälterverschlusses in verkleinertem Maßstab, wobei Fig. 6a der Deckel-Stellung gemäß Fig. 3 entspricht und Fig. 6e eine Deckel-Stellung kurz vor Erreichen der ganz geschlossen Deckel-Stellung (Fig. 4) veranschaulicht, während die Fig. 6b bis 6c dazwischenliegende Schwenkstellungen zeigen, wobei Fig. 6c die bestimmungsgemäße Öffnungsstellung des Deckels veranschaulicht;

Fig. 7

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Behälterverschlusses, dessen Deckel in die bestimmungsgemäße Öffnungsstellung hochgeschwenkt dargestellt ist;

Fig. 8

eine perspektivische Darstellung des Behälterverschlusses in abweichender Blickrichtung schräg von unten auf die Deckelhalterung;

Fig. 9

eine perspektivische Darstellung des Behälterverschlusses gemäß den Figuren 7 und 8, bei welcher der Deckel in der in der Spritzgußform entstandenen, gegenüber der Schließstellung um 180°, d.h. über die bestimmungsgemäße Öffnungsstellung hinaus, in die Öffnungsstellung verschwenkte Lage gezeigt ist;

Fig. 10

eine Seitenansicht des Behälterverschlusses in der in Fig. 9 veranschaulichten Deckel-Stellung;

Fig. 11

eine Schnittansicht durch ein drittes Ausführungsbeispiel mit einer der Figur 3 entsprechenden Schnittführung, wobei der Deckel in der vorbestimmten Deckel-Öffnungsstellung dargestellt ist; und

Fig. 12

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Anlenkbereichs des Deckels an der Deckelhalterung des dritten Ausführungsbeispiels, gesehen in Richtung des Pfeils 12 in Figur 11.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following description of three exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing, specifically showing or showing:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container closure according to the invention, the lid of which is shown pivoted up into the intended opening position;

Fig. 2

a plan view of the container closure of Figure 1, in which the lid in the injection mold, 180 ° relative to the closed position, ie beyond the intended open position in the open position is shown pivoted position.

Fig. 3

a sectional view of the container closure, seen in the direction of arrows 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

a sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of Figure 3 of the container closure, in which the lid is pivoted down into the closed position.

Fig. 5

a sectional view, seen in the direction of arrows 5-5 in Fig. 4;

6a to 6e

3 corresponding sectional views of the container closure on a reduced scale, FIG. 6a corresponding to the lid position according to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6e a lid position shortly before reaching the completely closed lid position (FIG. 4 ) illustrated, while FIGS. 6b to 6c show intermediate pivot positions, FIG. 6c illustrating the intended opening position of the cover;

Fig. 7

a perspective view of a second embodiment of a container closure according to the invention, the lid of which is shown pivoted up into the intended opening position;

Fig. 8

a perspective view of the container closure in a different viewing direction obliquely from below onto the lid holder;

Fig. 9

7 shows a perspective view of the container closure according to FIGS. 7 and 8, in which the lid is pivoted into the open position in the injection mold, which is 180 ° from the closed position, ie beyond the intended open position;

Fig. 10

a side view of the container closure in the lid position illustrated in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11

3 shows a sectional view through a third exemplary embodiment with a sectional guide corresponding to FIG. 3, the lid being shown in the predetermined lid opening position; and

Fig. 12

10 shows a perspective view of the articulation region of the cover on the cover holder of the third exemplary embodiment, viewed in the direction of arrow 12 in FIG. 11.

The exemplary embodiment of a container closure according to the invention, shown in its entirety with 10 in FIGS. 1 to 6, is an integral injection molded part made of plastic, which consists of two interconnected main components, namely a lid holder 12 which can be tightly attached to an associated container (not shown) and which can be pivoted assembled on the lid holder 12 hinged lid 14. In the illustrated case, the container closure 10 is intended for containers which are approximately square in horizontal section and which taper on the top side like a bottle to a cylindrical mouth opening via a transition section which is reduced in their external dimensions for snapping on the lid holder 12. The square cross section of the actual container was chosen in a special case in order to be able to assemble or assemble the containers into larger containers in a space-saving and immovable manner, whereby due to the flat contact of the container walls that adjoin one another laterally and in rows, there is also a defined distance between them adjacent or front and rear adjoining container openings is given in the assembled containers. However, the special design of the container is not the subject of the present invention, which is why the description of the design of the container in the present context can be dispensed with.

The lid holder 12, which is open on the underside for placement on the reduced area of an associated container, has essentially vertical side walls 16, 18, a rear wall 20 and a front wall 22, which are closed on the top by an essentially flat top wall 24 . From the underside of the top wall 24 protrudes a ring wall 26 which is circular in plan view and which forms a stopper which is open on the underside and which is pressed into the mouth opening of the lid holder on the associated container. By dimensioning the outer diameter of the ring wall with a slight oversize over the clear cross-section of the cylindrical mouth opening of the container and a slightly convex contour of the outer wall in longitudinal section, the ring wall 26 seals the lid holder in the container mouth in the position mounted on the container. From the inside of the side walls 16, 18 and the front and rear walls 20 and 22, ribs 28 appearing at the lower end of the container guide the cover holder 12 during assembly on the associated container so that the ring wall 26 is automatically aligned with the container mouth when it is attached and after assembly, the lid holder 12 is secured against horizontal displacement on the container. In the lower area there are also locking projections 30 from the inner sides of the side walls 16, 18 and the front and rear walls 22 and 20, which either snap into corresponding recesses or into a circumferential recess in the container, thus preventing the lid holder from being pulled off the container unintentionally to back up.

A further, essentially cylindrical ring wall 32 projects from the top of the top wall 24, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the ring wall 26 to be mounted in the mouth of the container. Within the ring wall 32 the top wall is interrupted, i.e. the annular wall 32 now represents the continuous mouth of the container provided with the container closure 10 for the introduction of pipettes or nozzles.

In the area of the upper free edge of the ring wall 32, the essentially cylindrical inner surface of the ring wall 32 widens conically at 34 and thus an entry slope for a ring wall 36 - which will be described later on from the cover 14 and engages in the clear interior of the ring wall 32 trained plug approach of the lid 14 forms.

The cover 14 has a flat cover wall 38 which is essentially delimited correspondingly to the cover wall 24 of the cover holder 12, the edges of which are assigned to the side walls 16, 18 and the front wall 22 of the cover holder 12 in strip form Wall sections 40, 42 and 44 step towards the lid holder, the free edges of which sit in the closed position of the lid 14 (FIGS. 4 and 5) on the top wall 24 of the lid holder 12 and thus form stop surfaces for the lid closed position. In the area of the front wall 22, the cover wall 38 protrudes slightly beyond the wall section 44 in a central area. The protruding flap 38a formed in this way serves as a handle for opening the cover 14. When the cover is closed, the ring wall 36 forming the sealing plug engages in the ring wall 32 of the cover holder 12. By appropriate dimensioning of the outer diameter of the ring wall 36 and the clear inner diameter of the ring wall 32, a part of the ring wall 36 which is slightly spherical in its outer contour rests against the ring wall 32 under elastic prestress and thus seals the inside of the ring walls 32 when the cover 14 is completely closed and 26 of the lid holder 12 formed passage into the interior of the container hermetically against leakage of the container contents from the sealed container. If, on the other hand, the lid 14 is only folded down onto the lid holder 12, a seal which sufficiently prevents the evaporation of liquid contained in the container is still obtained.

For the pivotable articulation of the lid 14 on the lid holder 12, film hinges 50 are formed from the plastic material of the container closure in the region of the rear wall 20 between projections 46 emerging from the top wall 24 of the lid holder 38 and from the underside of the lid wall 38, which pivot the Lids 14 from the position illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in which they are formed when sprayed in the injection mold, enable the closed position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The lid 14 and the lid holder 12 are thus connected to form an integral unit via the film hinges 50. In addition, there is a further integral connection by means of two laterally spaced, laterally spaced bending springs 52, which are also injection molded in the rear wall area of the lid holder 12 and the associated edge of the lid wall 38. These bending springs 52 are formed in the injection mold, the wall thickness of which is significantly greater than that of the very thin ones Film hinges 50 is, in the approximately semicircular curved shape shown in Fig. 3. The arc and the position of the spiral springs 52 is selected with respect to the position of the film hinges so that the spiral springs 52 are bent when they are swiveled up from the position shown in FIG. 3 and thereby stretch and then assume an extended position in an intermediate position. Due to the elastic bending, the spiral springs 52 develop a restoring force which tries to push the cover back into the starting position. On the other hand, the arrangement of the film hinges 50 and the spiral spring 52 is also selected so that the restoring force generated by the spiral spring when closing is in the closed position of the cover is minimized, or that - after pivoting the cover through a dead center position - the restoring force acts on a lever arm with respect to the cover pivot axis formed by the film hinges, which generates a moment acting in the closing direction. The cover is then held in the closed position not only by the friction of the plug-like ring wall 36 in the ring wall 32, but also by an additional closing moment.

After assembly of the container closure 10 on the associated container, the lid 14 should - for the reasons described at the outset - be held in an intended opening position when opened, which is the position shown in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 6c, relative to the closed position by 90 ° may be swung up position. This is achieved in the closure according to the invention in that cooperating stop elements are provided on the lid holder 12 and the lid 14, which admittedly allow the lid 14 to be pivoted out of its production position into the closed position, but are then effective in the intended open position when pivoting back again from the closed position become. In the exemplary embodiment described, the stop surfaces which become effective in the intended opening position by abutting one another on a shoulder 54 which protrudes approximately centrally from the underside of the rear wall-associated edge of the cover wall 38 at an angle of approximately 90 ° and the underside of a hook-like bend 58 at the free end of a formed in the vicinity of the rear wall 20 from the top wall 24 protruding projection 56. Both lugs 54 and 56 are functional parts integrally molded from the material of the container closure, preferably at least one of the lugs 54, 56 being dimensioned such that it can be elastically bent. The surface of the bend opposite the actual stop surface 60 is rounded in such a way that the free end of the extension 54 slides on this rounded upper side like on a cam surface and can also bend the extension 56. The free end of the extension 54 is also rounded accordingly. The position of the stop surface 60 and the stop surface 62 formed on the flat side opposite the rounding of the extension 54 is now selected such that the cover 14 after spraying in the shape of the shape shown in FIG 6a can be pivoted upwards, whereby it comes to rest against the rounded upper side of the bend 58 before the intended opening position is reached (FIG. 6b). When the cover is pivoted further in the direction of the closed position, the free end of the projection 54 slides on the rounded top of the bend 58 up to the free edge of the bend, the lugs 54 and 56 being elastically bent until the intended open position (FIG. 6c) is reached in which the free end of lug 54 is just above the free end of the bend 58 has stepped away. The elastically deformed projection 56 then snaps back over the free end of the projection 54 and the stop surfaces 60, 62 are then in front of one another. A swiveling back into the original starting position according to FIG. 6a is then no longer possible, ie the cover 14 is held in the intended opening position (FIG. 6c). A further pivoting of the cover in the closing direction, however, is not hindered by the projections 56, as FIGS. 6d and 6e show, because then the stop surfaces 60 and 62 are moved away from one another.

It can be seen that even with elastically designed lugs 54 and 56 there is in practice no danger that the lid can be pivoted further back out of its intended opening position into the starting position, because the abutting surfaces 60, 62 in the opening position are practically perpendicular to the direction of movement the swivel movement. Even a high restoring force of the spiral spring 52 used can then not generate a force component that tries to disengage the shoulders 54, 56.

The second exemplary embodiment of a container closure 110 according to the invention shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 basically corresponds in construction and function to the container closure 10 described above, so that it is sufficient to describe only the modifications and further developments made below, while for the corresponding configurations Reference can be made to the preceding description of the container closure, especially since functionally identical components of both container closures in the drawings are assigned the same reference numerals, each of which is preceded by a "1" in the container closure 110.

Apart from the front surface 122 of the lid holder 112, which is no longer flat on the front, but rather - in the plan view of the top wall 124 - is limited to a circular arc, which merely represents an adaptation to another shape of the associated container (not shown), it should be noted that the The distance between the cover wall 138 and the cover wall 124 in the closed position of the cover 114 is reduced to such an extent that they abut one another or are only a short distance apart, and accordingly the mouth 132 in the cover wall 124 of the cover holder 112 is not in one of the projecting annular wall 32 Ring wall, but formed as a flush opening in the top wall 124 into which the ring wall 136 forming the sealing plug engages on the underside of the top wall 138. Provided on the underside of the top wall 124 is a tube extension 137 which surrounds the mouth 132 and projects into the interior of the container and which therefore immerses in the liquid filled in the container and thus reduces the surface area of the container filling which is exposed to the ambient air when the lid 114 is open, thereby reducing the possibility of chemical changes to the container filling due to oxidation or the like.

Instead of two spiral springs 52 in the container 10, a spiral spring 152 is provided in the container 110, which is arranged centrally between the film hinges 150 and which, instead of the circularly arched spiral spring 52 in the untensioned state arising in the injection mold (FIGS. 9 and 10), has the shape of one of two has at an angle to each other extending angle arms 152a, 152b composite angle piece. The free ends of the angle arms 152a, 152b, in turn, are not rigid, but are integrally connected to the cover wall 138 or the rear wall 120 of the cover holder 112 by means of film hinges 152c, 152d. It has been shown that opening and closing forces can be generated with a bending spring designed in this way in the form of an angle piece, which ensure that the cover 114 is secured in the desired closing or opening position.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a third exemplary embodiment of a container closure 210 which has been modified with respect to the described container closures 10 and 110 with regard to the design of the approaches which secure the lid in the intended lid opening position against further opening, of which only the changes made are described below , while reference can be made to the preceding description with regard to the configuration corresponding to the exemplary embodiments already described, especially since functionally the same parts in the drawing figures 11 and 12 are assigned the same reference numerals as the first exemplary embodiment, which are only preceded by a "2".

In this case, the projection 254 protruding from the cover wall 238 of the cover 214 is stiffened by two oblique ribs 254a, 254b molded onto its edge area in such a way that it is practically rigid. The stop surface corresponding to the stop surface 60 of the extension 54 of the container closure 10 is formed here on a projection 259 which is reduced in width and which protrudes from the boundary edge of the extension 254 facing away from the cover.

The elastically bendable extension 256, which corresponds functionally to the extension 56 of the first exemplary embodiment, here has two laterally spaced sections 256a, 256b projecting from the top wall 224, on the free ends of which are connected by a transverse web 258, which thus replaces the hook-like angled portion 58 of the first exemplary embodiment , and on the underside of which the associated stop surface is formed.

The tops of the projections 254 or of the crosspiece 258 opposite the stop surfaces are rounded off, so that again the effect already described occurs that when the cover 214 is pivoted out of the injection mold into the closed position, the rounded surfaces mentioned come into contact with one another and then a component the closing force exerted on the cover 214 arises, which bends the rod-shaped sections 256a and 256b, so that the crossbar dodges and the projection 259 can pass over the crossbar 258. As soon as the projection comes under the crosspiece 258, the rod-shaped sections 256a, 256b spring back and the abutment surfaces mentioned on the two lugs come into contact with one another. Since these stop surfaces are normal to one another, a force exerted on the cover in the opening direction cannot unlatch the projections, since no force component which bends the elastically deformable rod-shaped sections 256a, 256b is produced here. The security against inadvertent pulling of the cover 214 into a position beyond the intended cover opening position is therefore still significantly increased compared to the previously described exemplary embodiments.

It can be seen that modifications and developments of the exemplary embodiments described can be implemented within the scope of the inventive concept.

It is basically conceivable that the construction according to the invention is also implemented directly on a container which is then made of plastic, even without a lid holder.

The - preferably provided - film hinges could also be dispensed with if such a defined pivot axis is created by designing other functional components articulating the cover part on a defined pivot axis on the cover holder. For example, swivel pins molded onto the cover or the cover holder would be conceivable, which, after spraying, are snapped into associated pin receptacles in the other part. However, since this design requires an additional assembly step for locking the pins in the associated recesses, the use of film hinges is preferred.

Because of the special design of the container closures according to the invention described, it is achieved that these closures can be opened both manually and mechanically, without the risk of the lid of the respective closure being accidentally pivoted into a position when the machine is opened in automatic analyzers which would hinder the automatic insertion and removal of filling nozzles or removal pipettes.

Claims (17)

Container closure (10; 110; 210) made of plastic with a pivotable lid (14; 114; 214), which can be pivoted from the lid closed position into a lid open position by means of at least one hinge connection on a lid holder (12; 112; 212) or the container itself, with a spring (52; 152; 252) acting on the cover (14; 114; 214) on the one hand and the cover holder (12; 112; 212) or the container itself on the other hand being additionally provided, which is arranged with respect to the lid pivot axis defined by the hinge connection so that the lid (14; 114; 214) by the bias of the spring (52; 152; 252) when pivoting from its closed position into the open position after passing through a dead center position is pushed in the opening direction,
characterized by
that on the pivotable cover (14; 114; 214) and on the cover holder (12; 112; 212) or the container itself at least one integrally attached stop element in the form of at least one each of the cover (14; 114; 214) on the one hand and an attachment (54, 56; 154, 156; 254; 256)) projecting from the lid holder (12; 112; 212) or the container itself on the other hand is provided, which in a predetermined lid opening position is in contact with one another have coming stop surfaces (62, 60; 162, 160) and are pressed against one another by the spring (52; 152; 252) engaging on the cover (14; 114; 214). Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the lugs is designed to be elastic in such a way that when the lid (14; 114; 214) is closed for the first time, it can be pivoted from the opening position beyond the intended opening position by the respective lug interacting with it Part is elastically pushed aside when approaching the intended open position and springs back after reaching the open position into its intended stop position with abutment surfaces (62, 60; 162, 160) pressed together. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the hinge connection is formed by at least one film hinge (50; 150; 250) integrally connecting the lid (14; 114; 214) and the lid holder (12; 112; 212) or the container. A container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring (52; 152; 252) is a spiral spring which is integrally attached to at least one of the parts of the container closure (10; 110; 210) which are pivotably connected to one another via the hinge connection. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the stop surfaces is formed on the underside of a hook-shaped angled portion (58; 158) of the extension or the extensions (56; 156). Container closure according to claim 5, characterized in that the abutment surface (s) (60) formed on the underside of the bend (s) (58; 158) extends essentially at right angles to the bending plane of the associated elastically bendable extension (56; 156) or run. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the projection (254) protruding from the cover (214) is provided with at least one rib (254a, 254b) stiffening it against bending and at its end remote from the cover with a short projection (259) supporting the stop surface , and that the projection (256) protruding from the lid holder (212) or the container itself takes the form of two spaced-apart rod-shaped sections (256a, 256b) which can be bent transversely to their longitudinal extent, the free ends of which are connected by a crosspiece (258) are connected, on the underside of which the stop surface is formed. A container closure according to claim 7, characterized in that the surface areas of the projection (259) and of the transverse web (258) coming into contact with one another when the lid (214) is closed from an opening position beyond the intended opening position when the lid opening position is approached are shaped in such a way that a force exerted on the lid (214) in the closing direction in these surface areas produces a reaction force which bends the rod-shaped sections (256a, 256b) of the projection (256) projecting from the lid holder (212) or the container itself. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment surfaces held in abutment against one another in the predetermined lid opening position are arranged such that the lid (14; 114; 214)) is exactly at an angle with respect to its fully closed position in the opening position folded up between 80 ° and 100 ° stands. A container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that a stopper-like extension (36; 136; 256) is provided on the underside of the cover facing the container, which in the closed position of the cover fits into the opening of a through opening in the cover holder (12; 112; 212) or engages in the container itself and tightly closes the mouth. A container closure according to claim 10, characterized in that the stopper-like extension has the shape of an annular wall (36; 236) which is slightly spherical on its outer contour at least in a partial area, and in that the through opening in an annular wall (32; 332) in the lid holder (12 ; 212) is formed, the clear inner diameter of which is dimensioned with a slight oversize in relation to the outer diameter of the spherical partial region of the ring wall (36; 236) of the cover (14; 114) forming the plug-like extension. Container closure according to claim 11, characterized in that the end portion of the ring wall (32; 232) provided on the cover holder (12; 212) facing the cover widens in diameter towards its free end (at 34; 234). Container closure according to claim 11, characterized in that the inside diameter of the ring wall (32; 232) or the through opening (132) is at least 8 mm. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the parts of the container closure (10; 110; 210) are injection molded from a thermoplastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyoximethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate and styrene-butadiene copolymers. Container closure according to claim 4, characterized in that the spiral spring (52; 252) in the untensioned state which has arisen after solidification in the associated injection mold has the shape of an arcuate leaf spring, one end of which is integral with the cover (14; 214) and the other End is integrally molded onto the lid holder (12; 212) or the container itself. Container closure according to one of claims 4 or 15, characterized in that the spiral spring is divided into two laterally spaced spiral springs (52; 252) which are arranged at the same distance on opposite sides of a vertical plane of symmetry laid at right angles to the lid pivot axis through the container closure (10; 210). A container closure according to claim 4, characterized in that the spiral spring (152) has the shape of an angle piece made of two essentially flat angle arms (152a, 152b) integrally connected to one another along a common edge.

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