EP0724531B1 - Closure for tins of different diameters having an edge bead - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure for tins (1) of different diameters having in edge bead (2). On the basis of DE-OS 34 25 920, attempts are made substantially to simplify the multi-part sprung front edge web proposed therein and make it more cheaply. This is attained in that a spring component with a loop-like protrusion (15) is guided in a radial slide guide (13) on the underside of a plate-like basic component (5) of the closure. The loop-shaped web (17) facing the tin (1) merges into the face edge web (7) which thus elastically grips beneath the edge bead (2) of the tin (1). The loop-shaped web (16) facing away from the tin (1) is supported on the basic component and thus provides the spring loading.

Description

The invention relates to a closure for cans provided with an edge bead of different diameters, in the lid of which there is a tear-open tab for forming a pouring opening, consisting of a plate-shaped base body made of plastic spanning the lid, which is arranged with a stationary and with at least one opposite, resilient end edge web engages under the edge bead in a snap-lock manner, the resilient end edge web being radially displaceable in a sliding guide of the base body and wherein an annular seal encompassing the pouring opening of the cover can be clamped between the base body and the cover.

Closures of this type are known from DE-OS 34 25920. On the underside of a plate-shaped base body overlapping the can there is a sliding guide in which a complicated plastic sliding piece can be moved. A compression spring is clamped between the slide and an edge area of the base body, which has the task of pressing the slide element against the edge of the can. The slider has two resilient legs, at the end facing the can a nose is provided which engages under the rim of the can. In order to be able to detach the closure from the can, the resilient legs must be pressed inwards against each other so that the lugs can detach from the rim of the can. Such an arrangement is technically complicated, complex in terms of assembly and costly, quite apart from the fact that the slide in the base body can only be insufficiently guided and the compression spring for the deposit is particularly susceptible to dirt and the like.

The object of the invention is therefore to simplify and reduce the cost of the known closure mentioned above with regard to the design of the resilient front edge web and to avoid the disadvantages mentioned.

Based on DE-OS 34 25 920, this object is achieved according to the invention in that the resilient front edge web is designed as a self-resilient spring element having a loop-shaped bulge, one loop web of which is supported on the base body and the other loop web in a handling element with the one located thereon resilient front edge bridge merges.

The advantage of this arrangement is that the spring element can be formed in one piece, due to the loop-shaped bulge generates a sufficiently large spring force, is therefore inexpensive to manufacture and particularly easy to assemble. As a result of this configuration of the spring element, better guidance can also be achieved on the underside of the base body.

Advantageous refinements of the closure according to the invention result from the subclaims. The claim 2 shows that the spring element consists essentially of a rectangular cross section. In claim 3, the special design of the handling element is listed. This handling element is of particular importance with regard to the placement of the closure on different diameters and with regard to the release of the closure from the can. If the handling element is designed as a wedge-like thickening, it forms an inclined sliding surface, which when Placing the closure on the edge of a can causes the spring element to be moved against the spring force and to snap into place. On the other hand, this wedge-like thickening of the handling element gives the possibility of withdrawing the spring element when one wants to detach the closure from the can, because the wedge-like thickening forms a welcome contact surface for the finger.

So that the spring element according to the invention develops a sufficient spring force, the embodiment according to claim 4 is recommended, according to which the loop-shaped bulge extends perpendicular to the plane of the plate-shaped base body. This means that the bulge comes to lie below the base body. It therefore does not hinder handling the can.

The design of the closure according to claim 5 has the advantage that the spring element can be inserted in the radial direction from the end face into the sliding guide of the base body. The sliding surface is much larger than in the prior art, so that the spring element is sufficiently guided in each spring position. It is therefore only necessary for the assembly work to snap the loop web facing away from the resilient front edge web into a recess in the base body, which of course presupposes a certain deformation of the spring element. This engagement of the spring element can be carried out manually without tools, whereas since the spring element is removed from the locked position it is expediently carried out with tool aid, which essentially consists in compressing the loop-shaped bulge.

Due to this design, the clamped spring element is absolutely safe and cannot lead to injuries. His shift to that The resilient front edge web can be released in a particularly simple manner by either pressing in the loop-shaped bulge with the finger or moving the spring element on the wedge-like thickening.

In contrast to the prior art, the spring element according to the invention itself has the resilient front edge web, without this having to be actuated in particular. For the sake of clarity, it is stated that the front edge web does not have to be resilient in itself, but rather has a resilient effect due to the resilient design of the spring element. According to claim 6, this resilient front edge web has a concave curvature, which is part of the spring element.

In claim 7, the special design of the spring element is listed, on the one hand to ensure its guidance and on the other hand its suspension.

Figur 1:

eine Seitenansicht einer Dose mit einem darauf gesetzten, im Schnitt gezeigten Verschluß,

Figur 2:

eine Unteransicht des Verschlusses gemäß Pfeil A in Figur 1,

Figur 3:

eine Vorderansicht des Verschlusses gemäß Pfeil B in Figur 1,

Figur 4:

eine Seitenansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Federelementes und

Figur 5:

eine Draufsicht des Federelementes gemäß Figur 4.

A particularly cost-effective manufacture of the spring element is ensured according to claim 8 in that it is made of an elastic and resilient plastic having properties. As such plastic, especially colored or uncolored polyoxymethylene has proven to be advantageous. These and other details are shown schematically and for example in the drawing. Show it:

Figure 1:

2 shows a side view of a can with a closure placed thereon, shown in section,

Figure 2:

2 shows a bottom view of the closure according to arrow A in FIG. 1,

Figure 3:

2 shows a front view of the closure according to arrow B in FIG. 1,

Figure 4:

a side view of the spring element according to the invention and

Figure 5:

3 shows a top view of the spring element according to FIG. 4.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1, a can (1) is shown in a side view, which has a peripheral edge bead (2) and a lid (3) on the opening side. In the lid (3) there is a pouring opening (4) which is formed by a pull tab, not shown. With (26), a closure is shown in section, which must be suitable for effectively closing cans of different diameters when the tear-open tab is released and the pouring opening (4) is open.

The closure (26) has a plate-shaped base body (5), in particular made of plastic, which engages over the can. This base body (5) has on one side a stationary front edge web (6) and on the other side a resilient front edge web (7) which engages under the edge bead (2) of the box (1). To ensure a sufficient seal, there is an annular seal (8) between the base body (5) and the can lid (3), which is pressed against the lid (3) when the base body (5) is placed on the can and the pouring opening ( 4) grips the can. This ring seal (8) is supported on the inside by an insertable cap (9) which has a passage opening (10) congruent with the pouring opening (4). The closure (26) can have a pouring spout, but this is not absolutely necessary. In the example in FIG. 1, the pouring spout (11) is provided with a closure cap (12) which can be placed on a thread. If you want to do without this pouring spout (11), that's the one Base body (5) designed continuously plate-shaped.

The resilient front edge web (7) is part of a spring element (14) which is displaceable in a radial sliding guide (13) on the underside of the plate-shaped base body (5).

As particularly shown in Figures 4 and 5 in detail, the spring element (14) has a loop-shaped bulge (15) through which the two loop webs (16, 17) are formed. The loop web (16) is intended to engage with an edge (19) in a recess (20) of the plate-shaped base body (5) and thus to generate the supporting force for the spring action of the spring element (14). The loop web (17) has a handling element (18) and the front edge web (7) located thereon. This front edge web (7) is not resilient in itself. Rather, its spring action results from the spring property of the spring element (14).

The handling element (18) has a wedge-shaped thickening, which has a double function. On the one hand, the flank (27) is used to place a spring element (14) pushing back when the closure (26) is placed on a can (1), because the edge bead (2) strikes this flank (27). As soon as the front edge web (7) is snapped under the edge bead (2), the flank (27) or the loop-shaped bulge (15) serves to push the spring element (14) back manually against the spring force and to remove the closure (26) from the can ( 1) to solve.

In the examples of Figures 2 and 3, the design of the plate-shaped base body (5) to form the sliding guide (13) is shown in detail. The sliding guide (13) is formed by two legs (21, 22), which have an undercut groove (24) (see FIG. 3) into which guide strips (23) of the spring element (14) engage. These undercut grooves (24) are open radially outwards, so that the spring element (14) with its guide strips (23) can easily be inserted radially into the slide guide (13) from the outside. All that is then required is the measure of pushing the loop web (16) (see FIG. 1) inwards and latching it into the recess (20). Therefore, the loop web (16) has a greater length than the loop web (17) so that the edge (19) of the loop web (16) can be securely anchored to the plate-shaped base body (5).

The undercut grooves (24) are formed by angled legs (21, 22) which are arranged on the underside of the plate-shaped base body (5). There is a sufficiently large space between these legs (21, 22) to allow the loop-shaped bulge (15) of the spring element (14) to pass through.

From the example in FIG. 5, it also follows that that area of the spring element (14) which is encompassed by the guide strips (23) and the concavely curved front edge web (7) has a cavity (25), which material can be saved and also contributes to increasing the spring force.

PARTS LIST

1

Can

2nd

Edge bead

3rd

cover

4th

Pouring opening

5

plate-shaped body

6

stationary brim

7

resilient front edge web

8th

Ring seal

9

cap

10th

Passage opening

11

Pouring spout

12th

Sealing cap

13

Sliding guide

14

Spring element

15

loop-shaped bulge

16

Loop web

17th

Loop web

18th

Handling element

19th

edge

20th

deepening

21

leg

22

leg

23

Guide bar

24th

undercut groove

25th

cavity

26

Closure

27

Flank

Claims (8)

1. A closure for cans (1) provided with an edge bead (2) and having different diameters, in the lid (3) of which there is a tear-open strip intended to form a pouring opening (4), comprising a plate-shaped base body (5) of synthetic material which spans the lid (3) and, by means of a fixed end-face edge web (6) and at least one resilient end-face edge web (7) arranged opposite on a handling element (18) reaches under the edge bead (2) in the manner of a snap closure, the resilient end-face edge web (7) being radially displaceable in a sliding guideway (13) in the base body (5), and an annular seal (8) which surrounds the pouring opening (4) of the lid (3) being clampable between the base body (5) and the lid (3), characterized in that the resilient end-face edge web (7) is constructed as an intrinsically resilient spring element (14) which has a loop-shaped bulge and whereof one web (16) of the loop is supported against the base body (5) and whereof the other web (17) of the loop merges into the handling element (18) having the resilient end-face edge web (7) located thereon.
2. A closure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the spring element (14) is constructed in one piece and has a substantially rectangular cross-section.
3. A closure according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the handling element (18) is constructed as a wedge-like thickened portion, shaped for manual actuation, of the region of the spring element (14) between the end-face edge web (7) and the associated web (17) of the loop.
4. A closure according to Claim 1 or one of the subsequent claims, characterized in that the loop-shaped bulge (15) of the spring element (14) extends perpendicular to the plane of the plate-shaped base body (5).
5. A closure according to Claim 1 or one of the subsequent claims, characterized in that the base body (5) has, on its underside, a radially extending and outwardly open undercut guideway (21, 22) for the spring element (14), into which the spring element (14) may be pushed from the outside, and in that the web (16) of the loop remote from the resilient end-face edge web (7) is supported in a depression (20) in the base body (5) by means of an edge (19) projecting beyond the guideway (21, 22).
6. A closure according to Claim 1 or one of the subsequent claims, characterized in that the resilient end-face edge web (7) is a rigid component of the spring element (14) and is ,constructed to be concavely curved within a plane radial with respect to the axis of the can.
7. A closure according to Claim 1 or one of the subsequent claims, characterized in that the spring element (14) has laterally projecting guide rails (23) which engage in undercut grooves (24) of limbs (21, 22) of the sliding guideway (13), and in that the loop-shaped bulge (15) of the spring element (14) projects downwards through the space remaining between the limbs (21, 22).
8. A closure according to Claim 1 or one of the subsequent claims, characterized in that the spring element (14) is made in one piece of a synthetic material with elastic and resilient properties.

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