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
  • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
  • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
  • B65D5/72—Contents-dispensing means
  • B65D5/74—Spouts
  • B65D5/746—Spouts formed separately from the container
  • B65D5/747—Spouts formed separately from the container with means for piercing or cutting the container wall or a membrane connected to said wall
  • B65D5/748—Spouts formed separately from the container with means for piercing or cutting the container wall or a membrane connected to said wall a major part of the container wall or membrane being left inside the container after the opening
• • 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
  • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
  • B65D47/04—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps
  • B65D47/06—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages
  • B65D47/10—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having frangible closures
  • B65D47/106—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having frangible closures with devices for removing frangible parts of the pouring element or of its closure

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for opening and closing a package. It is more particularly intended for packaging commonly called bricks and which are produced using composite sheets comprising in particular a layer of cardboard and a layer of aluminum.
• the aforementioned type of packaging is often used because it has many advantages compared to glass or synthetic bottles. Indeed, these packages often have a parallelepiped shape, which allows optimal storage without loss of space. In addition, these packaging allow very good conservation for food products.
• One method for opening such packages consists simply in unfolding a corner of this package and, using, for example, scissors, cutting a point so as to make an opening. An opening has thus been made in the packaging, but it is difficult to close it tightly.
• a closure device generally comprising a base fixed on the packaging and surrounding the opening as well as a cover articulated on this base and coming to cooperate with it so as to produce a sealed closure takes place at the level of the cutout.
• an aluminum tab is peeled, on the opening made.
• a drawback of this device is that it requires an opening in the packaging thus creating a solution of continuity in the wall protecting the product packaged in this packaging. The latter then has a weak point at this opening.
• the establishment of this device on a package requires many precautions and great precision, especially when it comes to setting up the tongue made of an aluminum sheet.
• Document EP-0 291 112 describes a closure device linked to the upper wall of a package.
• This device comprises a base and a movable part attached to the base, preferably by means of a hinge.
• the base has an opening fitted with a pouring spout and a rim surrounding the opening.
• the device is intended to be put in place by pushing the rim of the base through a premarked or pre-cut opening in the upper wall of the package.
• the closure device described in this European document is not connected to the packaging before the first opening.
• Document O-90/09928 describes a device used to open and close a package.
• This device includes a base that attaches to the top of the package above a pre-cut area.
• a lever is pivotally connected to the base in such a way that when this lever is pivoted, a portion of this lever enters the pre-cut part of the packaging. During this maneuver, another portion of the lever is place above the open part of the package so as to form a spout.
• a removable cover is provided to be placed above the portion of the lever serving as the pouring spout. Thus, one can open and close the packaging by removing this cover.
• This device requires the creation of a precut at a wall of the packaging and requires a correct positioning of the device allowing the opening and closing of the packaging relative to this precut.
• the seal produced using a cover which snaps onto a base is not as good as the seal obtained with a screw cap.
• the present invention therefore aims to provide a device for opening and closing a package, in particular a package made of a composite material comprising for example cardboard and aluminum, which requires neither the presence of an opening in this packaging or the presence of a precut, and which allows an excellent closure of the packaging after its first opening. This reclosure will be done using a screw cap.
• the device according to the invention will advantageously have means of inviolability. Thus, it will be possible to detect the first opening of the package.
• the device for opening and closing a package offered by the invention is a device comprising:
• a base having an opening and a flange intended to match the wall of the packaging, preferably its upper wall, and to allow the fixing, for example by gluing, of the base on the packaging, the base being provided with a threaded collar surrounding its opening,
• Means cooperating with the base to allow the packaging to be closed after its first opening, these means comprising a plug having a outer skirt provided with at least one inner thread intended to cooperate with the threaded neck.
• a flap having cutting parts on its face intended to be turned towards the packaging, is pivotally mounted in the neck between an initial position in which it is inside the neck and a pivoted position in which it is intended to be at least partially inside the package, and the means, cooperating with the base to allow the package to be closed after its first opening, further comprise a chimney, or the like, extending parallel to the skirt and having a diameter and a height such that a complete screwing of the plug on the threaded neck allows the cutting parts of the shutter to be pushed through the wall of the package.
• the device according to the invention therefore allows on the one hand to open the packaging without it being necessary to provide a precut at the level of the packaging and on the other hand to close the packaging perfectly thanks to the presence of '' a screw cap.
• the stopper allows, in a conventional manner, to ensure the closing and opening of the packaging, as for a bottle.
• the latter is advantageously, in its initial position, substantially parallel to the opening of the flange and the cutting parts of the flap are intended to be flush with the wall of the packaging. In this way, as soon as the flap is moved towards the wall of the package, the cutting parts attack this wall.
• the flap has a rib on its face opposite to the face comprising the cutting parts and on the side opposite to the pivot axis of the flap, so that when the plug is screwed, the chimney comes first. in contact with the rib.
• the force transmitted by the chimney or the like to the plug is first of all transmitted to the cutting parts located on the opposite side of the pivot axis. All this effort is therefore exerted as far as possible from this axis, thus creating a maximum torque on the flap at the start of the pivoting movement.
• This is interesting, because it is precisely at the start of the cutting of the wall of the package that the resistance to penetration is most important.
• the presence of this rib makes it possible to concentrate the force on only part of the cutting means and not to distribute it over all of these means. This also optimizes, from the point of view of the axial force to be exerted, the distribution of the forces.
• the flap is as close as possible to the wall of the package and forms only one piece with the base, it is advantageously fixed to the inside face of the neck of the base by a hinged film.
• a hinged film Such a part can for example be produced by molding a synthetic material.
• the cutting parts of the flap are pointed teeth.
• the base of the threaded neck is provided with latching means allowing the flap to be kept in its open position.
• the shutter is not likely to close when pouring product out of the packaging.
• the device according to the invention is such that the skirt of the cap is provided at its free end with a tamper-evident ring. This embodiment is particularly well suited to the present device. In fact, a tamper-evident ring can be provided, the height of which corresponds to the axial travel of the plug necessary to open the packaging correctly.
• the plug is placed before the first opening on the threaded neck by screwing it until the tamper-evident ring comes into abutment against the flange of the base.
• the size of the chimney, or similar, is determined so that in this position, it comes flush with the shutter.
• the tamper-evident ring is connected to the skirt of the stopper by a tearable zone.
• the screwing of the cap on the base neck is thus done without risk of separation.
• it advantageously has a grip tab.
• One embodiment provides that the tamper-evident ring has upturned tabs.
• the threaded neck of the base preferably has a peripheral groove cutting the threads of its thread.
• the threaded neck is preferably mounted asymmetrically on the flange of the base.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view in position on a package
• Figure 2 is a side view showing the various components of the device according to the invention
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale along the section line III-III of FIG. 1,
• FIGS. 4 and 5 are views corresponding to FIG. 3 during two stages of opening the packaging
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of part of the device according to the invention in the open position
• Figure 7 is a top view of the part shown in Figure 6 in the closed position
• Figure 8 is a side view on an enlarged scale of the base of the device according to the invention showing, also in section, an associated tamper-evident device.
• Figure 1 shows part of a package 2, provided on its upper face with a device according to the invention.
• This packaging is parallelepiped. It consists of two rectangular sheets of composite material, including in particular a layer of cardboard and a layer of aluminum, welded to each other and folded so as to form a parallelepiped.
• This type of packaging is known and is commonly used for the packaging of food products, in particular drinks.
• the device according to the invention comprises a base 4 and a plug 6. It is fixed to the packaging 2 using an adhesive joint 8.
• the base 4 comprises a flange 10 of rectangular planar shape and in which a circular opening 12 is made.
• One face of the flange 10 is planar and is intended to conform to the shape of the upper face of the packaging. It attaches to the latter using the joint of adhesive 8.
• a circular cylindrical neck 14 extends around the opening 12 on the side of the flange 10 opposite the adhesive joint 8.
• the neck 14 is threaded on its outer face. It comprises for example three threads 16 which stop at the level of the flange 10. These threads 16 are interrupted at a given height, near the flange 10, by a peripheral groove 18. The function of this groove 18 is explained below.
• the upper edge 20 of the neck 14 is produced in such a way that it allows clean pouring of a liquid leaving the packaging and passing inside the neck 14.
• a flap 22 is disposed in the neck 14, parallel to the flange 10 and near the opening 12. This flap 22 is pivotally mounted around a film hinge 24 placed on the wall inside the neck 14. To keep the shutter 22 in the closed position shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, a ruptible bridge 26 is provided opposite the hinge 24. This bridge 26 connects the shutter to the inside wall of the neck 14.
• the shape of the flap 22 is particularly visible in Figure 7 where it is shown in top view. Its general shape is circular. On the side of the film hinge 24, recesses 28 are made so that the flap 22 has edges 30 substantially perpendicular to the film hinge 24.
• the flap 22 On the packaging side 2, the flap 22 has a set of sharp, cutting teeth 32. These teeth 32 are arranged at the periphery of the flap 22, except in the area of the recesses 28. The tips of the teeth 32 are flush with the surface of the package 2, or else are very close to the latter.
• the flap 22 On the side opposite the packaging 2, that is to say towards the plug 6, the flap 22 has a rib 34 projecting perpendicular to the plane of the flap. The height of this rib 34 is maximum opposite the film hinge 24 and decreases when approaching the latter.
• the plug 6 has a bottom 36, a skirt 38, a first chimney 40, a second chimney 42 and a tamper-evident belt 44.
• the skirt 38 extends at the periphery of the bottom 36. It has threads 46 on its inner face intended to cooperate with the threads 16 of the neck 14. There are therefore as many threads 46 on the skirt of the plug as there are threads 16 on the neck 14. In the present example, there are therefore three threads 46.
• the height of the skirt 38 corresponds substantially to the height of the neck 14 (FIG. 5). It is very slightly higher, so that when it is screwed in fully, the stop is produced at the bottom of the skirt 38 and the flange 10 and not at the upper edge 20 of the neck 14 and the bottom 36.
• the first chimney 40 is intended to seal the plug 6. Its outer surface cooperates with the inner surface of the neck 14, at the upper edge 20 to achieve, in known manner, a seal. To guarantee a perfect seal, it is possible to provide a slightly larger diameter for the outside surface of the first chimney 40 than for the inside diameter of the neck 14.
• the second chimney 42 is larger than the first 40. Its height is of the same order of magnitude as that of the skirt 38. Its diameter is less than that of the first chimney 40 and corresponds substantially to the diameter of the flap 22 with which it is intended to cooperate.
• the second chimney 42 On its outer face, the second chimney 42 has, near its free edge, a rod 48.
• the tamper-evident belt 44 is connected to the lower edge, that is to say opposite the bottom 36, of the skirt 38 The connection is made by a tearable zone 50.
• the tamper-evident belt 44 shown in FIGS. 1 7 has on its inner surface a rod 52.
• FIG. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the tamper-evident belt 44.
• the tamper-evident belt has tabs 54 on its inner face. The latter are attached to the tamper-evident belt by its free edge opposite to the tearable zone 50 and are folded inwards, so as to form an acute angle with the tamper-evident belt.
• the ends of the tongues 54 come to bear against the belt 44 when passing over the threads 16, then when the tamper-evident belt 44 abuts on the flange 10, the free ends of the tongues 54, by elasticity, are received in the peripheral groove 18.
• the tamper-evident belt 44 has a gripping tab 56.
• the gripping tab 56 it suffices to grasp the gripping tab 56 and to pull it to cause the tear-off zone to be torn 50 and therefore the separation of the tamper-evident ring 44 from the skirt 38.
• the opening 12 is not centered relative to the flange 10. This makes it possible to identify the position of the film hinge 24 even when the cap 6 is screwed onto the base 4 .
• the opening 12, and therefore also the neck 14, is equidistant from the large edges of the flange 10 but is closer to a small edge than the other.
• the hinge 24 is on the side of a wall of the packaging.
• the device according to the invention comprises, as already indicated, three parts.
• the base 4 and the plug 6 are for example molded parts obtained by injection molding of a synthetic material. After molding and demolding, the plug 6 is screwed onto the base 4, until the tamper-evident ring 44 abuts against the flange 10.
• the device is glued to the packaging 2 using the adhesive joint 8.
• the flange 10 then fits onto the corresponding wall of the packaging and provides the connection between the device according to the invention and the packaging 2 (figures 1 and 3).
• the tamper-evident belt 44 is removed by grasping the tab 56 and tearing the tearable zone 50 over the entire periphery of the skirt 38. It therefore becomes possible to screw the plug 6 more fully onto the neck 14 of the base 4.
• the part of the flap being closest to the film hinge 24 is housed in a recess 58 of suitable shape made in the inner wall of the neck 14.
• a recess 58 of suitable shape made in the inner wall of the neck 14.
• two flanges 60 each having for example a hook shape under which snaps an edge 30 of the flap 22. The latter is then kept in the open position, despite the elastic forces exerted by the cut wall of the package and which tend to return the shutter to its original position.
• Most of the flap is located inside the package 2. Once the flap is snapped into its open position, the plug 6 can be unscrewed and screwed back without the flap 22 moving.
• the flap 22 opens against a wall of the packaging.
• the flap does not interfere with the flow of liquid and the forces tending to close the flap are minimized during this pouring.
• the consumer screws the cap the first time after removing a possible tamper-evident ring.
• the operation is then the same as with a conventional bottle fitted with a screw cap: you have to unscrew the cap to open the packaging and screw it back to close it.
• the device according to the invention described above has many advantages. It can be placed on a packaging before first use. It is not the consumer who places this device on the packaging.
• the embodiment described allows a small overall height.
• the size is the same for the same opening diameter as with a conventional stopper adapted to a bottle.
• the opening device does not disturb the flow of liquid leaving the packaging.
• the device according to the invention also has an inviolability which makes it possible to detect a first opening of the package.
• the flap could have a different shape, for example in the shape of a triangle, and be arranged differently in the device. It could for example be already inclined when the cutting parts attack the wall of the package rather than being substantially parallel to this wall.
• the presence of the flange on the flap is optional. It allows a progressive attack of the packaging wall.
• the sharp teeth could be replaced, possibly partially replaced, by other cutting means such as, for example, blades.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
• Seal Device For Vehicle (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
• Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9527151

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (13)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1998
  • 1998-06-04 FR FR9807197A patent/FR2779418B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-05-27 DE DE69903815T patent/DE69903815T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-05-27 EP EP99922231A patent/EP1091879B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-05-27 WO PCT/FR1999/001248 patent/WO1999062775A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1999-05-27 AT AT99922231T patent/ATE227228T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-05-27 AU AU39356/99A patent/AU3935699A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events