EP1625078B1 - Bottle closure - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure for closing a bottle having a bottleneck ( 1 ) with an opening on which bottleneck an outer thread ( 5,6 ) is formed in the vicinity of the opening. In order to provide a closure that is easy to handle and can be fabricated inexpensively, the closure ( 2 ) has at least one, and particularly several, deformation regions which are plastically deformed so that in the outer peripheral surface of the closure they form indentations ( 21,22 ) and internally ( 25,26 ) they are adapted to the thread ( 5,6 ).

Description

The invention relates to a closure for closing a bottle, which has an opening provided with a bottle neck, on which in the vicinity of the opening, an external thread is formed. The invention also relates to a bottle, in particular a beverage bottle, which has a bottle neck provided with an opening, on which an external thread is formed in the vicinity of the opening. The invention also relates to a method for closing a bottle, in particular a beverage bottle, which has a bottle neck provided with an opening, on which an external thread is formed in the vicinity of the opening, with a closure described above.

In conventional, for example from the GB 1 555 473 . GB 1 005 447 or GB 2 096 979 A Known screw caps is formed inside a to the external thread of the bottle substantially complementary internal thread. The closure further comprises at least one, in particular a plurality of deformation regions, which are plastically deformed such that they form depressions in the outer peripheral surface of the closure and on the inside to the thread are adjusted. There are also internal thread cap corks which, however, are difficult to handle due to their external shape, as they have sharp edges which can cause injuries to a user's hand when the cap is opened or closed.

The object of the invention is to provide a closure according to the preamble of claim 1, which is easy to handle and inexpensive to produce.

The object is achieved in a closure for closing a bottle, which has a bottle neck provided with an opening, on which an external thread is formed in the vicinity of the opening, achieved in that the deformation areas in the outer envelope are in the form of elongated tongues or beads, which are arranged in the direction of the bottle longitudinal axis, and that in the deformation regions on the inside of the closure, the sealing material is pressed against the threads. In contrast to conventional closures, the sealing material is not introduced into the unthreaded areas of the bottle neck, but adapted to the thread. The closure may be formed from a single material or from a plurality of different materials. The deformation areas are deformed so that, viewed from the outside, recesses are formed in the closure, and elevations are viewed from the inside. The recesses on the outside ensure a better possibility of packing than a smooth outer surface. The raised inside serve to mold the bottle thread. The bottle thread is not completely displayed, but only partially, namely in the deformation areas.

The deformation regions are elongated and arranged substantially parallel to the bottle longitudinal axis. The bottle longitudinal axis corresponds to the axis of rotation of the closure in the closed state of the bottle. As a result of this design and arrangement of the deformation regions, these are arranged essentially transversely to the course of the threads. As a result, one deformation region in each case overlaps several threads. In other words, in a deformation area, adjacent portions of different threads are formed.

Characterized in that the deformation regions in the form of elongated tongues or beads, which are arranged in the direction of the bottle longitudinal axis, the closures are given a cork-like shape. By the bottle thread partially deforming deformation regions ensures that the closures can be repeatedly opened and closed.

The closure has an outer shell of in particular plastically deformable metal sheet, in particular of aluminum, on the inside of which the particular plastically deformable sealing compound, in particular made of plastic, is applied. The shell has the function of a carrier for the sealant. In addition, the shell protects the bottle mouth from damage. The casing is equipped with elongated beads in the deformation areas. The sealant serves to seal the interface between bottle opening and closure. In addition, parts of the bottle thread are molded in the sealing compound in the deformation areas.

A preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that the envelope has the shape of a cap which comprises a substantially circular cylindrical jacket-shaped basic body, whose one end face is closed by a circular disc-shaped lid. The deformation regions are preferably distributed uniformly over the circumference of the circular-cylinder jacket-shaped main body.

A further preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that the sealant is mounted inside the circular cylinder shell-shaped body. The thread is only partially shaped. In the sealant not complete threads, but only short pieces of adjacent threads are formed.

A further preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that the sealing compound is arranged in the region of the interface between the base body and the lid. The sealant in the region of the interface between the base body and the lid serves to seal the bottle opening in the radial and in the axial direction.

A further preferred exemplary embodiment of the closure is characterized in that a securing element, in particular a securing ring, is attached to the closure. The fuse element serves to create a tamper-evident closure. Instead, the closure can also be covered with a shrink film.

The object of the invention is also to provide a bottle with a closure that is easy to handle and inexpensive to produce.

The object is with a bottle, in particular a beverage bottle, which has a bottle neck provided with an opening, on which an external thread is formed in the vicinity of the opening, achieved in that the bottle opening is closed by a closure described above. When closed, the closure resembles a bottle cap. However, the closure according to the invention has the advantage that it can be repeatedly opened by twisting and re-sealed. With the help of a locking ring provided on the closure or with the aid of a shrink film, a tamper-evident closure can be realized.

The object of the invention is also to provide a method for closing a bottle with a closure described above, which is simple and inexpensive to carry out.

The object is achieved in a method for closing a bottle, in particular a beverage bottle, which has a bottle neck provided with an opening, in which an external thread is formed near the opening, with a closure described above achieved by the closure on the bottle neck is placed and the deformation areas are plastically deformed so that they form recesses in the outer peripheral surface of the closure and are adapted to the inside of the bottle thread. This gives the attached to the bottle opening closure the appearance of a crown cap, but can still be removed by twisting without the use of a bottle opener and screwed on again.

A preferred embodiment of the method is characterized by the following steps: first, pressure is applied to the closure to ensure a seal between the closure and the bottle neck; then the deformation areas of the closure are deformed. This ensures a particularly good seal between the closure and the bottle opening.

Figur 1

eine teilweise geschnittene Darstellung des oberen Endes eines Flaschenhalses mit einem aufgesetzten Verschluss;

Figur 2

die Teilansicht eines Schnitts durch einen ähnlichen Verschluss wie in Figur 1;

Figur 3

den Verschluss aus Figur 2 in der Seitenansicht;

Figur 4

einen ähnlichen Verschluss wie in Figur 3 in Seitenansicht;

Figur 5

eine Vorrichtung zum Verschließen einer Flasche im Längsschnitt in einer so genannten Abdichtstellung;

Figur 6

die Vorrichtung aus Figur 5 in einer so genannten Verformungsstellung und

Figur 7

eine Vorrichtung zum Verschließen einer Flasche mit schwenkbar gelagerten Formfingern im Längsschnitt.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. Show it:

FIG. 1

a partially sectioned view of the upper end of a bottle neck with an attached closure;

FIG. 2

the partial view of a section through a similar closure as in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3

the closure off FIG. 2 in the side view;

FIG. 4

a similar closure as in FIG. 3 in side view;

FIG. 5

a device for closing a bottle in longitudinal section in a so-called sealing position;

FIG. 6

the device off FIG. 5 in a so-called deformation position and

FIG. 7

a device for closing a bottle with pivotally mounted form fingers in longitudinal section.

In FIG. 1 is a bottleneck 1 a beverage bottle partially shown in longitudinal section. In the area of the bottleneck opening, an external thread with two threads 5, 6 is formed. In addition, a circumferential bead 8 is formed on the bottle neck 1.

The opening of the bottle neck 1 is closed by a closure 2, which comprises a substantially circular disk-shaped cover 10, from the periphery of a substantially circular cylindrical shell-shaped body 12 proceeds. The main body 12 widens slightly cone-like. The closure 2 is connected by means of webs 14 distributed uniformly over the circumference with a securing ring 16. The locking ring 16 has a plurality of bent portions 17, 18, 19 which engage around the bead 8 to hold the closure 2 on the bottle opening.

The closure 2 has, uniformly distributed over the circumference, a plurality of deformation regions, which, viewed from the outside, have the shape of elongated depressions 21, 22. The recesses 21, 22 extend from the cover 10 to just before the webs 14. Inside, the recesses 21, 22 adapted to the shape of the threads 5, 6, as shown at 25 and 26 in section. Each outer recess or inner elevation 21, 22 thus in each case forms two adjacent sections of the threads 5, 6.

In the transition region between the cover 10 and the main body 12, an axial sealing region 28 and a radial sealing region 29 are formed on the inside of the closure 2. The axial sealing region 28 creates a seal between the bottle neck 1 and the closure 2 in the axial direction. The radial Sealing region 29 creates a seal between the bottle neck 1 and the closure 2 in the radial direction.

In the FIGS. 2 and 3 is a similar bottleneck closed by a closure as in FIG. 1 shown. To designate the same parts, the same reference numerals are used. To avoid repetition, is based on the above comments FIG. 1 directed. In the following, only the differences between the two embodiments will be discussed.

In FIG. 2 is indicated in longitudinal section that the closure 2 has an outer shell 32 made of sheet metal such as aluminum. On the inside of the shell 32, a sealing material 34 is arranged. Both the outer shell 32 and the sealing material 34 firmly connected thereto are plastically deformable at least in some areas.

The deformation regions are formed in the outer shell 32 as beads 20, 21. In the region of the beads 20, 21, the sealing material 34 is pressed against the threads 5, 6 on the inside of the closure 2. The locking ring 16 is not, as in the embodiment of FIG. 1 , only partially bent, but, as in FIG. 3 can be seen, completely bent over. The bent edge of the locking ring 16 is in the FIGS. 2 and 3 denoted by 19. The bent edge 19 abuts completely on the bead 8.

At the in FIG. 4 illustrated embodiment, the closure 2 is attached by means of a plastic film 42 and a plastic ring to the bead 8 of the bottle neck 1. But there are also other (not shown) variants for the realization of a tamper-evident closure possible.

In the Figures 5 and 6 a device for attaching a closure 2 on a bottleneck 1 is shown. In FIG. 5 is a plunger 51, which is actuated by means of a punch 52, placed on the closure 2. The plunger 51 is shaped to seal the radial and axial sealing areas between the closure 2 and the bottle neck opening. For this purpose, a certain pressure is applied to the closure 2 with the aid of the plunger 51.

Relative to the plunger 51, a pressure sleeve 55 is displaceable in the axial direction. The pressure sleeve 55 has substantially the shape of a circular cylinder which is provided with a constriction 56. The constriction 56 forms a stop for one end of a helical compression spring 58, the other end abuts the side facing away from the closure 2 of the plunger 51. The biasing force of the helical compression spring 58 corresponds to the contact pressure applied to the shutter 2 by the plunger 51.

Forming fingers 60, 61 extend from the pressure sleeve 55 and extend in the axial direction. A plurality of shaping fingers 60, 61 are uniformly distributed over the circumference of the clamping sleeve 55.

In FIG. 6 it can be seen that the mold fingers 60, 61 can be displaced beyond the plunger 51 when the pressure applied to the pressure sleeve 55 exceeds the biasing force of the compression spring 58. The shaping fingers 60, 61 then deform the deformation regions 21, 62 in the closure 2. The deformation leads to the formation of beads in the closure 2, on the inside of which the sealing material is pressed against the bottleneck thread.

In FIG. 7 a further embodiment of a device for closing a bottle neck 1 with a closure 2 is shown. The device comprises a plunger 71, which cooperates with a clamping sleeve 72. The plunger 71 is provided with an annular groove 73 having a substantially semicircular cross-section. In the annular groove 73 are a plurality of form fingers 74, 75 pivotally mounted. The form fingers 74, 75 are uniformly distributed over the circumference of the annular groove 73. Formed on the forming fingers 74, 75 are each a thread-forming die 76, 77 which is pressed against the deformation areas of the closure 2 when the tapered sleeve 72 is displaced in the axial direction relative to the plunger 71.

In addition, a bending nose 78, 79 is respectively formed on the forming fingers 74, 75, which serves to bend the securing ring 16 in regions around a bead 8. By an elastic ring 80, the form fingers 74, 75 are held together.

An essential feature of the present invention is the combination of the deformation regions, which in each case only form a section of adjacent threads, with a securing element, such as a securing ring or a securing foil, which ensures a tamper-evident closure. The use of aluminum has the advantage that unwanted rusting is prevented.

After all, it has been shown that the closure of the type described here has particular advantages:

It includes a lid that closes the mouth area of a bottle. This is followed by a cylindrical shell-shaped body, which extends over an external thread of a bottle neck 1. The closure is formed in one piece and is preferably made of a thermoformable metal, in particular aluminum.

In the FIGS. 1 to 7 and the accompanying explanations, it has been assumed that the closure has a locking ring which is located at the lower edge of the lid surrounding the lid cylindrical shell-shaped body is provided. However, it is expressly pointed out that for the inventive solution, such a retaining ring is not absolutely necessary, if it also provides the consumer with the significant advantage that this manipulation of the closure and a first opening can be sure.

A number of deformation regions distributed over the circumference are provided in the circular-cylinder jacket-shaped base body, which are realized as elongated depressions, viewed from the outside, that project in the direction of the bottle neck 1. On the inside of the circular cylinder shell-shaped base body 12 projections are formed in the region of the elongated recesses, in which engage the threads. In other words, in the region of the depressions, the main body of the closure is molded onto the external thread of a bottle neck.

The molding of a body also referred to as a shell of a closure to the threads of a bottle neck is known. It is essential here that only in individual deformation areas is such a molding provided on the external thread of a bottle neck, namely in the region of the depressions. Between the depressions remain ribs that increase the grip of the closure.

By the Anformung the base body 12 is formed in the region of the recesses about the same thickness, as in the region of the intervening ribs. The base body therefore has, seen in the circumferential direction, a virtually continuous wall thickness.

The closure is characterized in that in the region of the depressions, the base body is optimally adapted or molded onto the external thread of a bottle neck. This offers the advantage that, after the first opening of the closure, it again optimally fits the external thread of a bottle neck.

This is for example a significant difference compared to closures that have no thread on their inside when they are first placed on a bottle. Here, the external thread of a bottle forms in the inner surface of the closure 1, which may for example have protruding ribs. The Anformung takes place here by deformation and / or displacement of material, without any forces are exerted on the outside of the closure or on the outside of his body. In particular, the base body is not deformed during the first touch from the outside.

Since in such closures the deformed material when placed on the shutter slightly deforms back, reclosing a bottle with this closure is not easy, because again deformation work must be done.

The closure according to the invention is thus distinguished by the fact that, in certain regions, molding takes place on the external thread of a bottle neck, in that forces are exerted on the basic body in the deformation regions from the outside. In the conventional closures, a force is applied from the inside to certain areas in order to form a thread.

From the explanations to the figures it is clear that in the closure preferably in the region of the cylinder jacket

Basic body sealing material is provided, which extends into the region of the lid 10 and is provided there on the bottle neck 1 facing inside of the lid.

In a force applied externally to the main body of the closure, this material is molded onto the external thread of the bottle neck in the area of the deformation areas. The forces exerted from the outside are slightly damped, so that damage to the external thread is reliably avoided.

The Anformung in the deformation areas of the external thread an optimum fit between the closure and the external thread of the bottle neck is achieved so that defined opening forces can be ensured when the first opening of the closure, it is also ensured that the closure easily be placed back on the once opened bottleneck can, wherein also defined closure forces can be adjusted.

Claims (8)

1. Closure for closing a bottle having a bottleneck (1) with an opening on which bottleneck, in the vicinity of said opening, there is formed an outer thread (5,6), the closure (2) having at least one and particularly several deformation regions that are plastically deformed such that they form indentations (21,22) in the outer peripheral surface of the closure and are internally (25,26) adapted to the thread (5,6), the deformation regions (21,22,25,26) being of elongated shape and disposed essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bottle or at an angle to the thread and the closure (2) having an outer jacket (32) made of plastically deformable sheet metal, particularly aluminum, on the inside of which can be placed a plastically deformable sealing material (34), particularly a plastic material, the deformation regions in the outer jacket (32) are shaped in the form of elongated tongues or creases disposed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the bottle and characterized in that in the deformation regions, on the inside of the closure (2), the sealing material (34) is pressed against the thread flights (5,6).
2. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the jacket (32) has the shape of a cap with an essentially cylinder jacket-shaped body (12) one face of which is closed by a circular disk-shaped lid (10).
3. Closure according to claim 2, characterized in that the sealing material (34) is disposed internally on the cylinder jacket-shaped body (12).
4. Closure according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sealing material (34) is disposed in the region of the interface between the body (12) and the lid (10).
5. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closure (2) is combined with a safety element (16) providing a tamper-evident closure.
6. Bottle, particularly a beverage bottle, with a bottleneck (1) having an opening on which bottleneck, in the vicinity of said opening, there is formed an outer thread (5,6), characterized in that the bottle opening is closed by a closure (2) according to one of the preceding claims.
7. Method for closing a bottle, particularly a beverage bottle, with a bottleneck (1) having an opening, on which bottleneck, in the vicinity of said opening, there is formed an outer thread (5,6), with a closure (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the closure (2) is placed on the bottleneck (1) and the deformation regions are deformed plastically such that they form indentations (21,22) in the outer peripheral surface of the closure and are internally (25,26) adapted to the bottle thread (5,6).
8. Method according to claim 7, characterized by the following steps:

   a) first, applying pressure to the closure (2) to ensure sealing between the closure (2) and the bottleneck opening (1);

   b) then, deforming the deformation regions (21,22,25,26) of the closure (2).

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