EP1322523B1 - Plastic closing device with a piercing element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a closing device ( 1 ) for a container (B) that comprises a bung-type lower part ( 2 ) with a cylindrical pour spout ( 20 ). The cylindrical pour spout has a female thread in which a cylindrical piercing element ( 3 ) that is open to both sides and that is provided with a male thread is retained by a screw connection. A screw cap ( 4 ) can be placed on the lower part, said screw cap being provided with drier means ( 44, 45 ) that interact with driver means ( 34 ) in the piercing element ( 3 ). A fine-pitch thread is provided between the screw cap ( 4 ) and the lower pan and a coarse-pitch thread between the lower part and the piercing element. The combined screw/translational motion of the piercing element and the selected threads produce a highly effective cutting motion.

Description

The present invention relates to an attachable over a puncture site of a closed container closure device made of plastic, according to the preamble of claim 1.

There are a variety of, in particular for the storage of flowable media suitable containers available in the market, in which before the opening a film or membrane or the packaging wall itself must be pounded before the liquid medium can be removed from the container. Such containers are, for example, so-called soft packaging made of single or multi-layer films or coated cardboard on which a closing device is glued or welded, wherein the closing device comprises a screw cap. Closing devices for such packages have a lower part, which has a cylindrical spout with external thread and a lower edge flange for attachment to the soft pack. Before the contents can be removed from said soft pack, on the one hand the screw cap must be unscrewed from the lower part and on the other hand, the container wall to be severed in the region of the spout. For the transection, the closure device has an integrated piercing for cutting through the container wall in the region of the container opening.

Due to the knowledge beats the WO 99/42375 a device in which a piercer interacts interactively with a screw cap in such a way that when simply unscrewing the screw cap at the same time the piercer is moved so that it is conveyed down and pierces the package wall. This closing device is absolutely easy to operate and therefore comfortable for the consumer. The problem with this closure, however, is the fact that the piercer must be adhesively attached to the packaging wall. The severed part of the packaging wall thus remains hanging on the piercer. The edges of the remaining on the piercer packaging wall stay connected even after the first opening. The piercer itself remains in the screw cap and is conveyed on opening the screw cap with out. Because most soft packaging has a paper or cardboard portion, the destroyed container wall, which is firmly adhered to the piercing, on the one hand repeatedly with the contents of the container in contact and on the other hand it is conveyed to the outside again at each opening and can be contaminated multiple times and residual liquid adhering thereto may also be contaminated or oxidized, and thereafter reconnected to the contents when the screw cap is closed.

Ultimately, out of the US-A 5 960 99 2 a the preamble of claim 1 forming closure device known. This is extremely easy to use, as the first time the screw cap is unscrewed, the through-hole is moved downwards, thus severing the membrane or the container wall.

Of necessity, soft packagings in the area which is to be pierced must have a pre-punched desired opening point. Such a desired opening point is achieved by an embossing punching, in which the film or the film composite is only partially punched, without achieving a separation, so that the piercer with less effort allows complete transection. This is a very delicate punching and accordingly are relatively often the punching too low, whereupon the force required to produce the piercer is very large.

In the known solution according to the EP A 0 328 652 the axially acting force is exerted by the screw cap on the piercer and this force must be able to be absorbed by the screw thread of the screw cap. Accordingly, the thread on the cylindrical base and on the inner surface of the shell wall of the screw must be strong, that is equipped with a large thread pitch.

However, this is undesirable for several reasons. Such a thread as a whole requires a more stable construction with increased wall thicknesses, resulting in an additional weight of 1-3 grams, even with relatively small closure devices. With the quantities required here of more than 10 ⁹ pieces / year, this results in material savings in the size of more than 1000 tons of plastic, if a lower thread pitch can be realized.

In the solutions known today and in particular in the solution according to the WO 99/62776 or the above EP-A-0'328'652 can be the entire translational movement of the puncher practically distribute only to a rotational movement of 180 ° of the screw cap. Accordingly, the force required for the initial operation of the screw cap is large and strongly dependent on the toughness of the material to be pierced by the puncher.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a closure device of the type mentioned, in which the membrane is displaced from the spout opening.

This object is achieved by a closure device having the features of patent claim 1.

Figur 1

einen vertikalen Diametralschnitt durch die geschlossene Verschlussvorrichtung vor dem Erstgebrauch, während die Figuren 2 bis 4 einen ähnlichen Verschluss in seinen Einzelteilen in perspektivischer Lage zeigen, wobei

Figur 2

den Unterteil in einer Ansicht schräg von oben,

Figur 3

den Durchstosser ebenfalls in Ansicht leicht von oben und

Figur 4

die Schraubkappe mit Blick leicht von unten zeigt.

Figur 5

zeigt eine Schraubkappe Für die Verschlossvorrichtung gemäß der Erfindung in der Aufsicht mit Blick auf die Innenfläche der Schraubkappe.

In the drawing, a preferred embodiment of the subject invention is shown in detail. It shows:

FIG. 1

a vertical diametral section through the closed closure device before the first use, while the FIGS. 2 to 4 show a similar closure in its individual parts in a perspective position, wherein

FIG. 2

the lower part in a view obliquely from above,

FIG. 3

the piercer also in view slightly from above and

FIG. 4

the screw cap with a view shows slightly from below.

FIG. 5

shows a screw cap For the locking device according to the invention in the plan view of the inner surface of the screw cap.

In the FIG. 1 can be seen a closure device, which is generally designated 1 and is shown here in a diametrical vertical section. The position shown here shows the closure device 1, which is mounted on a container B. The container is here a soft packaging, which is made of a film or a multi-layer film F. Under soft packaging means containers which are made of a coated cardboard or a laminate film and have a desired opening point S, which by a corresponding Punching P is predetermined. In such embossing punching certain layers of the film F are severed, while the innermost layers or layer remains intact.

However, the device can also be used in soft packaging in which a corresponding opening is already stamped. While in the first variant to be described lower part 2 on the film F outside welded or glued, the attachment is carried out in the second variant either by a weld or gluing on the outside or inside, in the latter case, the lower part 2 the already existing opening interspersed. In the latter two variants, a corresponding membrane is then provided, which is to be pierced.

Without such a solution being shown, it is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the device can also be realized in such a way that the lower part 2 forms an integral part of the container. In this case, the lower part 2 thus corresponds to a correspondingly designed container neck.

The following detailed description of a preferred embodiment makes reference to FIGS FIGS. 1 to 4 , The FIGS. 2 to 3 represent the three main components according to an exploded view.

The lower part 2 is in detail in the FIG. 2 shown. The lower part 2 has the shape of a bung. It consists of a flange 21, the bottom or surface of which forms a welding or adhesive surface 22. By means of the flange 21 thus takes place the connection of the closure device 1 with the container B. The flange 21 is integrally formed integrally formed on the lower edge of the cylindrical spout 20. The cylindrical spout 20 has a coarse, multi-start internal thread 24 with a relatively low thread pitch. The cross section of the threads is preferably trapezoidal in shape. In this case, the upper flank of the threads in the installation position is inclined, while the lower flank protrudes radially inwards at right angles from the cylindrical wall of the pouring spout 20. This allows on the one hand an improved extraction of the core of the injection mold in the manufacture and on the other hand a facilitated ratchet-like Uebaustestossen this thread with the external thread of the penetrator 3, which has a corresponding gegengleiches external thread. This will be discussed below. The Mehrgängigkeit the thread allows on the one hand an increased power transmission and on the other hand to realize a flatter course of the thread, while the positioning during assembly is less delicate.

The spout 20 has on its cylindrical shell wall on the outside an external thread 23. While in the embodiment according to the FIG. 1 this external thread extends virtually over the entire height of the spout 20 and has a common thread, is in the FIG. 2 a preferred embodiment shown, in which the external thread 23 is disposed only in the lower region and is designed as a fine thread. Such a fine thread not only saves material, but also has the advantage that. In turn during assembly no exact angular position positioning is required. The fine thread selected here can be chosen because, in contrast to solutions of the prior art, the axially occurring forces in the operation of the piercing need not be absorbed by the screw cap 4. By means of the screw cap 4 only radial movements are exerted on the piercer, the thread between the screw cap 4 and the lower part 2 remains practically unloaded. Between the external thread 23 and the flange 21, an annular stop bead 25 is integrally formed on the spout 20 below. This stop bead 25, on the one hand, absorbs the forces which act on the lower part 1 when the screw cap 4 is pressed on. The screw cap 4 can thus be pressed down directly to the stop on the stop bead 25. However, the stop bead 25 may additionally comprise non-illustrated positive locking means which can cooperate with a tamper-evident band on the screw cap 4. One Such warranty strip is not the subject of the invention and omitted accordingly in the drawing to the discharge.

In the spout 20 of the lower part 2 fits a correspondingly shaped piercing 3. The piercer 3 has the shape of a cylindrical piece of pipe. This pipe section is formed by a cylindrical wall 30 which is provided with an external thread 31, whose design is adapted to the internal thread 24 of the lower part 2 accordingly. This external thread 31 in turn has a relatively low thread pitch. The threads of the again multi-threaded thread 31 also have a trapezoidal cross-section. In contrast to the internal thread 24 here is the upper edge 35 very steep respectively at least approximately perpendicular to the cylindrical wall 30 extending. By contrast, the lower in the installed state thread flute 36 is relatively strongly inclined. Again, this design allows on the one hand an improved removal from the mold and on the other hand a facilitated ratchet-shaped insertion of the piercer 3 in the lower part 2. The lower edge of the piercer 3 is designed as a cutting edge 32. Accordingly, the cylindrical wall 30 is inclined from the outside inwardly inclined and forms a sharp-edged cutting edge. At the cutting edge 32 perforation teeth 33 are additionally formed .

The cylindrical wall 30 has on its inner surface at least one driver 34 projecting toward the center. Depending on the design, however, one will attach two or four such drivers 34. In the embodiment according to the FIG. 3 These drivers 34 are designed as cams, which have an approximately rectangular cross-section. However, the drivers 34 can also be configured as continuous ribs extending in the axial direction.

In a particularly preferred variant, which is likewise not shown here, the lower part 2 and the piercer 3 can be manufactured in one piece in the vertical direction so as to be axially aligned with one another, wherein they are connected to one another via a plurality of predetermined breaking webs. In this way, the assembly can be done very easily by only the two parts are pressed into each other. An alignment of the two parts successive deleted because they are already made in the production of each other correctly in the correct angular position to each other.

The screw cap 4 is in the FIG. 4 shown. It consists of the top surface 40 and the peripheral casing wall 41. On the inner surface of the casing wall 41, the internal thread 42 is formed, which cooperates with the external thread 23 on the spout 20. Accordingly, this thread is also designed as a fine thread. Centric on the top surface 40 formed is an annular wall 43. This is dimensioned so that it takes place with a certain gap in the interior of the piercer 3. The annular wall 43 has no sealing function, but essentially serves to drive the penetrator 3. Accordingly, the annular wall 43 has positive locking means which can cooperate with the drivers 34 on the inner wall of the cylindrical wall 30. These positive locking means may on the one hand be a driving groove 44 in which the driver 34 is able to slide, or the interlocking means may be designed as a driving rib 45. In this case, the driver rib 45 is located on the side of the driver 34 during actuation. Accordingly, the driver 34, as already mentioned, be designed either as a cam or as a longitudinal rib.

However, the positive locking means can also be designed without the annular wall 43. Such a solution shows the FIG. 5 in which a view from below into the inside of a screw cap 4 is shown. Here, too, the jacket wall 41 is integrally formed with the internal thread 42 on the top surface 40. Instead of an annular wall 43, however, two crossing, perpendicular standing on the top surface 40 walls are formed here, the four driver ribs 45 define. This solution is particularly suitable for closure devices with a smaller diameter in question.

As already mentioned, the closure device according to the invention can be mounted on a soft packaging, wherein the connection between the soft packaging and the closure device 1 takes place via the lower part 2. It is also possible and already mentioned that the lower part 2 itself forms part of a container. Ultimately, it may also be useful to make the lower part as an adapter to form the connection with an existing spout on any container.

As also mentioned above, the piercing 3 can be made in one piece with the lower part 2. The two parts are then aligned with each other. Such a solution can be realized by the piercing above the lower part 2 is formed, but of course, the reverse arrangement is possible, wherein the piercing 3 is integrally formed below the spout 20 with this aligned over predetermined breaking points. The latter variant has the advantage that thereby the design of the cutting edge is not affected. As in the right half in the FIG. 1 shown, the cutting edge 32 is designed toothed. The design of the cutting edge 32 will essentially depend on which material the container B or the membrane which is to be opened by the piercer is made.

While hitherto the connection between lower part 2 and piercer 3 has always been described as a thread, it should be noted here that this is not mandatory. These positive means on the cylindrical wall of the piercer and on the inner wall of the spout 20 may also be designed as helical slideways. Accordingly, one will make the positive locking means on the cylindrical spout as an approximately diametrically opposite helical, embedded in the wall of the spout guide curve. In order not to cause a point-like transmission, one will adapt the aforementioned slide and the guide curve to each other so that the two lie flat against each other.

The design of the cutting edge can, as already mentioned, be specifically formed on the material to be cut. In such a specific embodiment, three different impact areas can be defined. The first area of action consists in the perforation teeth 33, which cause a perforation of the material in a first step. In the direction of rotation directly following the perforation tooth will provide cutting areas 37, which cause a cutting through cutting of the material. Finally, the cutting edge can pass into a blunt widened region 38, which is the furthest away in the axial direction of the perforation tooth and only the displacement of the cut container wall or membrane from the region of the spout opening is used.

As already mentioned, the great advantage of the solution according to the invention is that virtually no forces occur in the axial direction on the screw cap during actuation. This benefit also pays off in relation to the use of a guarantee band. Normally, guarantee tapes, which are separated directly from the screw cap when screwed on, are connected by corresponding predetermined breaking points, and these predetermined breaking points must be released by exerting a force in the axial direction which occurs when the cap is screwed on. Because this force in the known solutions of a closure device of the type of interest here at the same time with the axial force to be exerted on the piercer cooperates or summed, the total force that was required at the opening, was enormously large. The use of a fine thread would be unimaginable for the time being.

An essential principle of the inventive solution is the new kinematics. Instead, as before, to achieve the axial movement of the piercer by means of the screw cap, this is achieved here by the screwing movement between the piercing 3 and the lower part 2.

List of reference numbers

1

closure device

2

lower part

3

piercing

4

screw cap

20

pouring spout

21

flange

22

Welding or adhesive surface

23

external thread

24

inner thread

25

Ring-shaped stop bead

30

Cylindrical wall

31

external thread

32

cutting edge

33

perforation teeth

34

takeaway

35

upper flank

36

lower flank

37

cutting area

38

displacement area

40

cover surface

41

shell wall

42

inner thread

43

ring wall

44

drive slot

45

agitator

B

container

F

Foil or multilayer foil

P

Embossing punch

Claims (16)

1. A closure device (1) of plastic material which can be fitted over a pierceable location of a closed container (B), comprising a spigot-shaped lower portion (2) with a cylindrical pouring spout (20) which is connected or connectable to the container and a screw cap (4) which can be screwed on to the lower portion (2), as well as a cylindrical piercing member (3) with a cutting edge, which is open at both ends in the axial direction and which is mounted displaceably in the lower portion, wherein provided in the screw cap (4) are means (44, 45) which in an unscrewing movement of the screw cap act on the piercing member which is moved downwardly into the container through the pierceable location (S), wherein the piercing member (3) on the cylindrical inside wall (30) has at least one entrainment portion (34) which co-operates with at least one axially extending entrainment rib (45) provided in the screw cap (4) and upon a rotary movement of the screw cap (4) displaces the piercing member (3) in a rotary movement, and that provided between the cylindrical pouring spout (20) of the lower portion (2) and the cylindrical piercing member (3) are positively locking means (24, 31) which in the first unscrewing movement of the screw cap move the piercing member (3) downwardly in a helical configuration, characterised in that the cutting edge (32) has three different operative regions, namely a first perforation region in the form of at least one perforation tooth (33) which is adjoined at both sides by a cutting region (37), and that a region is in the form of a displacement region (38) which displaces the partially cut container wall (F) or diaphragm out of the region of the pouring opening towards the side without causing separation of the container wall or diaphragm.
2. A closure device according to claim 1 for use on a soft pack (F) characterised in that the cylindrical pouring spout (20) is formed with a male screwthread with a lower edge flange (21) for fixing to a soft pack and that the pierceable location is a region (S) of the container wall, which is below the pouring opening left free by the lower portion (2).
3. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the lower portion (2) is an adaptor which can be placed on a diaphragm-sealed neck of a container and which has a part which extends upwardly beyond the container neck and which forms the pouring opening.
4. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the lower portion (2) is in the form of part of the container itself.
5. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the lower portion (2) and the piercing member (3) are two separately produced parts.
6. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the lower portion (2) and the piercing member (3) are produced in one piece in mutually superposed axially aligned relationship and are held in angularly positioned relationship by way of desired-rupture locations.
7. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the means in the screw cap (4) for actuating the piercing member (3) is an annular wall (43), on the outside surface of which is formed at least one entrainment rib (45) extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the annular wall.
8. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the piercing member (3) is provided with at least one perforation tooth (33) at the piercing member cutting edge (32) which is directed towards the container.
9. A closure device according to claim 6 characterised in that the piercing member (3) is arranged in axially aligned relationship above the lower portion (2) and the desired-rupture locations are limbs which are arranged in the form of destructible connections between the lower cutting edge (32) of the piercing member, which is directed towards the container, and the upper edge of the pouring spout (20).
10. A closure device according to claim 5 characterised in that the piercing member (3) is arranged in axially aligned relationship under the pouring spout (20) of the lower portion (2) and the desired-rupture locations are arranged in the form of limbs as destructible connections between the upper edge of the piercing member (3) and said lower edge of the pouring spout (20).
11. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the screw cap (4) has an anti-tamper strip which acts in the axial direction and which engages in a recess on the lower portion (2).
12. A closure device according to claim 11 characterised in that the recess is an annular groove in the cylindrical pouring spout (20).
13. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the screw cap (4) has at least one diametrally extending wall which is arranged at the inside of the cover surface (40) of the screw cap and which forms at least one axis-parallel entrainment rib (45).
14. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the positively locking means on the cylindrical wall (20) of the piercing member (3) is a helically projecting slide path.
15. A closure device according to claim 1 characterised in that the positively locking means on the cylindrical pouring spout (20) is a helical guide curve let into the wall of the pouring spout (20).
16. A closure device according to claims 14 and 15 characterised in that the slide path and the guide curve bear against each other in surface contact.

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