EP1616809A1

EP1616809A1 - Closure system for an airtight container

Info

Publication number: EP1616809A1
Application number: EP04425521A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe BHP S.r.l. Pacelli
Original assignee: BHP Srl
Current assignee: BHP Srl
Priority date: 2004-07-14
Filing date: 2004-07-14
Publication date: 2006-01-18

Abstract

Automatic closure device for an airtight container proper for preservation of food stuff, glues and paints, comprising a lever-type airtight cover (1) and a container body (2) delimited by an edge having a "lip" shape, able to house a polyurethane or PVC or silicone-based material gasket (3) or other plastic material or rubber which is squeezed maintaining a deformation under the action transmitted by a variable perimeter metallic bend-shaped element (10), characterised in that a tool operated by an automatic machine varies the metallic bend-shaped element (10) perimeter acting on a gear (22A-22B).

Description

The present invention relates to a new automatic closure system for an airtight container proper for preservation of food stuff, glues and paints, and, generally, of products comprised in "general line" category.
The automatic closure system applied in "general line" product stocking constitutes by now a prescription imposed by effective normative which controls the containment function in drums, jars, cylindrical or conic thin plate buckets, forcing the builder of this range of containers to use a cover provided with silicone-based, polyurethane or PVC gasket jointing to the container body in order to avoid contamination of the stocked product by external agents.
Jointing the cover with the container body generally happens with pressure exploiting the elasticity both of the body edges and the cover, both opportunely shaped according to a geometric profile which favours the automatic centering and closure steps consequently squeezing the interposed gasket. Generally, the pressure closure of an airtight-type container is strengthened with the aid of a bend-shaped element provided with a manually actionable lever with the result to increase the pressure along the contact edges between cover and container body guaranteeing the airtightness during the transport and stocking steps, this latter comprising stacking of elevated quantities of containers and therefore elevated permanent and accidental loads.
A "general line" product container, according to the prior art shown in figure 1, comprises a lever-type airtight cover 1 and a container body 2 delimited by an edge having a "lip" shape. Both the container body upper edge and the relative cover edge have a groove opportunely obtained by folding up the plate in order to confer to the structure the necessary rigidity to support possible accidental or permanent weights, both in case of manual transport by the container handle and in case of stocking.
Such groove houses a polyurethane or PVC or silicone-based gasket 3 or in any other plastic material or in rubber which is squeezed maintaining its deformation under the action transmitted by a concave metallic bend 10 provided with a quick release lever 11. In fact, said bend 10, encircling the cover 1 external edge, guarantees the squeezing state of the gasket 3 during stocking and transport of the container. Such sealable lever 11 can be of a type comprising:

a plate 12 welded or riveted to an end 10A of the bend-shaped element 10;
a lever 13 pivoted to such plate 12, on which the operator manually acts;
a connecting rod 14, pivoted in a point of such lever 13 and sliding along the hook-shaped seat 15 applied to the opposite end 10B of the same bend-shaped element 10.

The operator operates the lever 13 shortening the intermediary bend 10; therefore, the cover 1 is compressed and, if it is deformed more than necessary, it loses airtightness in correspondence of the lever, that is in the zone in which the bend encircling effect lacks.
Purpose of the present invention is to provide a new quick release device applied to a bend-shaped element that assures the necessary contact pressure to maintain airtightness along the cover edges of the container body during transport and stocking steps and which allows an automatic handling of the system composed by the airtight container and the product contained in it during filling, closure and use industrial steps.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a system able to uniformly distribute a tension along the cover edges and the container body in order to eliminate instability phenomenon arising, which consequently causes located opening of the cover and airtightness loss.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a device able to quick release and to separate in versatile way two reciprocally connected parts.
These purposes are reached by a closure device, as claimed in Claim 1, provided with a gear applied to a bend-shaped element adapted to transmit a compression state to a cover core, at least an approaching spring interacting with such gear and such bend-shaped element. Further preferred embodiments of the inventive device form object of the dependent claims.
The invention is described in details with reference to the following attached figures:

figure 1 shows a device according to the prior art;
figure 2 shows an axonometric view of a bend-shaped element provided with the new automatic closure;
figure 3 shows the sectional view in comparison to a plan orthogonal to the axle of a portion of the system of fig. 2;
figure 4 shows the components of the new device;
figure 5 shows a range of variations of the main solution described in figures 2, 3 and 4.

A bend-shaped element 10 encircles the external edge of the cover 1. Two ends 10A and 10B of the bend-shaped element 10 respectively finish with a beveled cover 24 and an extended element 27, this latter being provided with rectilinear internal toothing 28. In this case, a coupling provided with at least a pivot 21A connects the end 10A with the beveled cover 24; a flexible coupling 21B connects the end 10B with the extended element 27.
The beveled cover 24 reproduces in own inside a receptacle with a central hole 30 and an axial-symmetrical frontal toothing 22A which gears with an axial-symmetrical frontal toothing 22B of a cylinder 31, such cylinder 31 lying in a seat integral to the end 10A of the bend-shaped element 10 and, in comparison to this latter, rotating and sliding along its own geometric axle. Meshing between the two axial-symmetrical frontal toothings 22A-22B is guaranteed by thrust of an elastic spring 23 positioned between the seat integral to the end 10A and a shoulder 32 on the cylinder 31.
Further, the cylinder 31 is provided with an external cylindrical toothing 26 which interacts with a rectilinear toothing 28 realised in a groove of the extended element 27.
The cover closure device works in virtue of the encircling effect which is realised between the cover 1 and the container edge because of the concave bend-shaped element 10 perimeter narrowing.
Such encircling effect is obtained on the cylinder 31 by means of a tool operated by an automatic machine not shown. The rotation of the cylinder 31 around its own axle involves the translation of the extended element 27 in virtue of the external cylindrical toothing 26 meshing with the rectilinear toothing 28 tightening the concave bend-shaped element 10.
The beveled cover 24 contains the extended element 27 which joints the two ends 10A and 10B of the concave bend-shaped element 10 contributing in such way to maintain uniform the strain transmitted by the bend-shaped element 10 on the cover 1 and resolving the problem of the local instability caused by the interruption of the bend-shaped element 10 in correspondence of the lever 11 used according to the prior art.
Further, the new device allows the quick release of the container: pushing the cylinder 31 with any object passing by the hole 30, it bucks the spring 23 separating the two axial-symmetrical frontal toothings 22A-22B. It achieves the bend-shaped element 10 loosening and the possibility to separate the cover 1 from the container after opportunely having widened the concave bend-shaped element 10 perimeter.
A range of solutions constitute some variations of the closure system above described; such solutions, being however comprised in Claim 1, comprising:

a. a crank button 26-2 eccentric in comparison to the axle of the cylinder 22B which interacts with a sliding arm 27-2, by means of a transversal groove 28 in which the button houses;
b. such crank button 26-2 drives an elastic connecting rod 27-3;
c. such crank button 26-2 drives a rigid connecting rod 27-4 jointed to the end 10B by means of an elastic element;
d. such crank button 26-2 drives an harmonic wire outline 27-5.

Claims

Automatic closure device for an airtight container proper for preservation of food stuff, glues and paints, comprising a lever-type airtight cover (1) and a container body (2) delimited by an edge having a "lip" shape, able to house a polyurethane or PVC or silicone-based material gasket (3) or other plastic material or rubber which is squeezed maintaining a deformation under the action transmitted by a variable perimeter metallic bend-shaped element (10), characterised in that a tool operated by an automatic machine varies the metallic bend-shaped element (10) perimeter acting on a gear (22A-22B).
Automatic closure device according to Claim 1, characterised in that an axial-symmetrical frontal toothing (22A) of said gear (22A-22B) is integral with said bend-shaped element (10) while an axial-symmetrical frontal toothing (22B) of said gear (22A-22B) is integral with an independent cylinder (31), said cylinder rotating and translating axially in comparison to said bend-shaped element (10).
Automatic closure device according to Claim 2, characterised in that said independent cylinder (31) drives an extended element (27) integral to said bend-shaped element (10).
Automatic closure device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a beveled cover (24) reproduces in own inside a receptacle with a central hole (30) and said axial-symmetrical frontal toothing (22A).
Automatic closure device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said cylinder (31) lies in a seat integral with an end (10A) of said bend-shaped element (10).
Automatic closure device according to Claim 1, characterised in that a contact between said two axial-symmetrical frontal toothings (22A-22B) is maintained by a thrust of an elastic spring (23) positioned between a seat integral with said end (10A) and a shoulder (32) on said cylinder (31).
Automatic closure device according to Claim 3, characterised in that said extended element (27) is provided with a rectilinear internal toothing (28) and said cylinder (31) is provided with an external cylindrical toothing (26), said rectilinear toothing (28) and said external cylindrical toothing (26) being interacting.
Automatic closure device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a coupling provided with at least a pivot (21A) connects the end (10A) with said beveled cover (24) and a flexible coupling (21B) connects an end (10B) with the extended element (27).
Automatic closure device according to Claim 2, characterised in that a crank button (26-2) eccentric in comparison to an axle of said cylinder (31) interacts with a sliding arm (27-2) by means of a transversal groove (28) in which said button houses.
Automatic closure device according to Claim 2, characterised in that a crank button (26-2) drives an elastic connecting rod (27-3).
Automatic closure device according to Claim 2, characterised in that a crank button (26-2) drives a rigid connecting rod (27-4) jointed to said end (10B) by means of an elastic element.
Automatic closure device according to Claim 2, characterised in that a crank button (26-2) drives an harmonic wire outline (27-5).