EP1857373A1

EP1857373A1 - Safety closure for flexible containers

Info

Publication number: EP1857373A1
Application number: EP07380134A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Joan Giralt Vidal
Original assignee: Giravi SA
Current assignee: Giravi SA
Priority date: 2006-05-16
Filing date: 2007-05-11
Publication date: 2007-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-11
Also published as: ES1062857Y; ATE426563T1; EP1857373B1; DE602007000743D1; ES1062857U

Abstract

Hinged safety closure for flexible containers (26), made up of an integral inner body (3) that forms a sealing bushing and an integral outer body (2) that forms a protection and operation cap (4). Separating means (9, 16) elastically and automatically maintain an axial separation between the two bodies (2, 3), and limiting means (10, 27) limit said axial separation. Rotary dragging means (12, 18), which act only when outer body (2) has been moved axially by overcoming the elastic resistance of the separating means, are made up of a hole (16) formed by a concave surface of inner body (3) and a plurality of flexible elements (9) that emerge axially in a cantilever arrangement from an annular area centered on an inner base (5) of outer body (2) and which are applied against the convex surface forming said hole (16).

Description

Aim of the invention

This invention relates to a safety closure for flexible containers, particularly one which is indicated to be applied to flexible tubes made from aluminium and synthetic plastics and containing materials the use of which requires a certain degree of professionalism, such as some of the quick polymerisation adhesives and many pharmaceutical creams, and which should not come into contact with or be handled by unskilled people, such as children.

Background of the invention

It is known that many safety closures exist that are intended to seal bottle-type containers. These known closures are made up of an operation bushing that houses a complementary sealing bushing for the bottleneck. Each bushing has a flat closed base that corresponds to the flat closed base of the other bushing. Some association means allow a slight axial separation and a relative turn between both bushings. These association means are means for automatically separating said two flat bases, one-way rotary dragging means and two-way rotary dragging means, whereby the separating means cooperate with the one-way dragging means. The two-way rotary dragging means are made up of respective meshing arrangements located on a circumference, opposite one another, on the adjacent faces of the two flat bases of the bushings, so that the meshing occurs when the automatic separating means are overcome by pressing the operation bushing in the axial direction against the sealing bushing, producing an axial movement within the stroke allowed by the association means. The automatic separating means are made up of flexible tabs inclined and located on a circumference, and which are integral at one end with the face of the flat base of either of the bushings and which are applied elastically on the opposite edge, in cantilever arrangement, against the opposite face of the flat base of the other bushing. For their part, the one-way rotary dragging means, in the sealing direction, are made up of wedge-shaped relieves, arranged on a circumference on the flat face opposite the flat face on which said flexible elastic tabs are arranged, so that a vertical edge of said wedge-shaped relieves is opposite the edge in cantilever arrangement on said flexible, elastic tabs.
In these closures, when loosening the closure to open the bottle, by turning the operating bushing in the reverse direction to the closing direction, the rotation is ineffective because the flexible tabs are flexed and they therefore overcome said wedge shaped relieves. This is precisely the closure's safety element: when the closure is handled normally in the opening direction, no result is produced. In order to open the closure, the operation bushing must be pushed axially against the sealing bushing so that the former meshes with the latter, overcoming the resistance of the flexible tabs, and then in this situation, the operating bushing is to be rotated in the normal opening direction. Obviously, this procedure can only be performed by people who know the opening procedure, which makes it impossible, or reduces the possibility, of children opening the bottle.
The closures having the characteristics shown above include Spanish Utility Models ES245727U , ES291125U and ES9101286U .
Also Spanish Utility Model ES287969U can be cited, which relates to a safety closure made up of a body having a cylindrical cavity wherein the corresponding neck of a bottle can fit closely, sliding along said cylindrical cavity a sealing disk that is applied against the mouth of the neck by a spiral spring that is compressed between said sealing disk and the bottom wall of said cylindrical cavity, there being provided in one of said elements at least one channel in which a corresponding pin, integral with the other element, can fit and slide along, said channel having, from the edge of the first element, a toggled shape, so that the pin remains retained in the end section of the channel thanks to the expansive force exerted by the spring.

Description of the invention

All these known safety closures are intended to be applied to bottle-type containers, made from either glass or plastics, which have a relatively large diameter neck, whereby the above-described arrangements can be adopted with respect to the size of the components thereof.
The problem arises when trying to adapt these known safety closures for bottles to the neck of a flexible container such as those made up of a tube of aluminium or synthetic plastics used for packaging glues, pharmaceutical creams or cosmetics and others, where the threaded neck of the packaging is small and the arrangement of elements foreseen in the bottle closures cited above cannot be housed in said closure.
In order to resolve this problem the solution has been adopted to arrange the elements making up the safety closure in an axial arrangement instead of a radial arrangement as provided in most of the cases under consideration.
According to the preceding solution, the safety closure according to the invention has been developed, which consists of an openable safety closure for flexible containers, suitable for being applied to the neck of a container, said closure being made up of a substantially cylindrical inner integral body that forms a sealing bushing intended to seal said neck and, associated coaxially with said inner body, a substantially cylindrical outer integral body that forms a protection and operation cap, there being arranged between said outer body and said inner body separating means that elastically and automatically maintain a mutual axial separation between said outer body and said inner body, means for limiting said mutual axial separation and rotary dragging means for the rotary drag of said inner body by said outer body that only act once said outer body has been moved axially overcoming the elastic force of said separating means, characterized in that said separating means are made up of hole formed by a centripetally inclined concave surface arranged centered on the outer face of said inner body and a plurality of flexible elements that are part of said outer integral body and emerge axially in cantilever arrangement from an annular area centered on an internal base of said outer body, said flexible elements being applied against the convex surface forming said hole.
Preferably, said inner body has a closing base intended to be applied against the mouth of said neck, said closing base forming with its outer face the bottom wall of said hole and with its inner face a sealing ring intended to fit internally said neck, said inner body also comprising a perimeter bushing provided with an inner thread that can cooperate with a corresponding thread on said neck.
Preferably, said rotary dragging means are made up of radial plates provided in a marginal annular area of said inner base of the outer body and, opposite said plates, a crenellation provided on the outer face of said closing base of the inner body, said crenellation being arranged in an annular area that surrounds said sealing ring.
Preferably, said means for limiting the mutual axial separation between said inner and outer bodies are made up of a step provided in the external wall of said inner body intended to attach externally to said neck and an annular shoulder provided on the inside of a skirting of said outer body which fits externally to said external wall of inner body.
Preferably, the centripetally inclined concave surface that forms said hole in outer body is shaped like an inverted frustoconical surface closed at the bottom by a smaller base shaped like a spherical cap.
Preferably, said flexible elements consist of a plurality of tabs that are arched according to a cylindrical shape.

Brief description of the drawings

To facilitate the understanding of the preceding ideas, there follows a description of the object of the invention, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents, in an exploded perspective view, the outer and inner bodies which, when attached, form the safety closure according to the invention.
Figure 2 represents, in a perspective, a view of the inside of the inner body of the safety closure in the preceding figure.
Figure 3 represents, in diametrical section, the safety closure formed by the association of the outer and inner bodies of Figure 1 in its closed, resting position.
Figure 4 represents, in diametrical section, the safety closure of the preceding figure in its closed position ready to be opened immediately.

Description of an embodiment of the invention

Safety closure 1 of the invention, as formally shown in Figures 1 and 2, is formed by the coaxial mobile association of an integral outer body 2, which forms a protection and operation cap, and an integral inner body 3, which forms a sealing bushing with an inner thread that can attach directly to the neck of a flexible tubular container.
Integral outer body 2, which is substantially cylindrical, forms a protection and operation cap 4, a base disc 5, an end cup 6, a punch 7 housed in said end cup 6, axial separating means shaped as tabs 9 which form flexible elastic elements that project from the centre of base disc 5, an inner annular shoulder 10 on a skirting 11 of said base disc 5 that is part of the means for limiting the separation between both the outer 2 and inner 3 bodies, and radial plates 12 which, as part of dragging means, are arranged on a perimeter area of said base disc 5.
For its part, integral inner body 3, which is also substantially cylindrical, forms a closing base 13 which, on its outer face 14, has a substantially cylindrical central projection 15 in which there is formed a hole 16 with a centripetally inclined concave inner surface, which has an inverted frustoconical shape closed by a smaller base shaped like a spherical cap, which extends to the inner face 17 of closing base 13, and a crenellation arrangement 18 provided on the perimeter on the outer face of closing base 13 and which appears as teeth 19 and in-between teeth 20, while from the inner face 17 of said closing base 13 there projects centrally a bottom wall 21 of hole 16 flanked by a sealing ring 22. Wall 23 of integral inner body 3 has, on the inside, a threaded area 24 that attaches to neck 25 of a flexible tubular container 26 and, on the outside, a step 27 that is part of the means for limiting the separation of both the outer 2 and inner 3 bodies.
In this safety closure 1, as observed in Figure 3, in its closing rest position, outer integral body 2 virtually surrounds inner integral body 3, remaining in said position thanks to tabs 9 that are applied against the inclined walls of hole 16 producing a separation force between both the outer 2 and inner 3 bodies that is limited by the association between step 27 of inner body 3 and annular inner shoulder 10 on skirting 11 of cap 4 of outer body 2.
Figure 4, shows the moment when, having moved integral outer body 2 in the direction of arrows F until its radial plates 12 reach in-between teeth 20 of integral inner body 3 after overcoming the resistance of tabs 9, the rotation of cap 4 in the normal opening direction will determine the accompanied rotation of said integral inner body 3, which will result in the unthreading of safety cap 1 with respect to neck 25 of flexible, tubular container 26.
The operation for closing safety closure 1 consists in placing inner body 3 opposite neck 25, applying a force in the direction of arrows F and rotating cap 4 in the closing direction.

Claims

Hinged safety closure for flexible containers, suitable for being applied to the neck (25) of a container (26), said closure being made up of a substantially cylindrical inner integral body (3) that forms a sealing bushing intended to seal said neck (25) and, associated coaxially with said inner body (3), a substantially cylindrical outer integral body (2) that forms a protection and operation cap (4), there being arranged between said outer body (2) and said inner body (3) separating means (9, 16) that elastically and automatically maintain a mutual axial separation between said outer body (2) and said inner body (3), means (10, 27) for limiting said mutual axial separation and rotary dragging means (12, 18) for the rotary drag of said inner body (3) by said outer body (2) that only act once said outer body (2) has been moved axially overcoming the elastic force of said separating means (9, 16), characterized in that said separating means (9, 16) are made up of hole (16) formed by a centripetally inclined concave surface arranged centered on the outer face of said inner body (3) and a plurality of flexible elements (9) that are part of said outer integral body (2) and which emerge axially in cantilever arrangement from an annular area centered on an internal base (5) of said outer body (2), said flexible elements (9) being applied against the convex surface forming said hole (16).
Safety closure according to claim 1, characterised in that said inner body (3) has a closing base (13) intended to be applied against the mouth of said neck (25), said closing base (13) forming with its outer face the bottom wall of said hole (16) and with its inner face a sealing ring (22) intended to fit internally said neck (25), said inner body (3) also comprising a perimeter bushing provided with an inner thread (24) that can cooperate with a corresponding thread on said neck (25).
Safety closure according to claim 2, characterised in that said rotary dragging means (12, 18) are made up of radial plates (12) provided in a marginal annular area of said inner base (5) of the outer body (2) and, opposite said plates (12), a crenellation (18) provided on the outer face of said closing base (13) of the inner body (3), said crenellation (18) being arranged in an annular area that surrounds said sealing ring (22).
Safety closure according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said means (10, 27) for limiting the mutual axial separation between said inner (3) and outer (2) bodies are made up of a step (27) provided in the external wall (23) of said inner body (3) intended to attach externally to said neck (25) and an annular shoulder (10) provided on the inside of a skirting (11) of said outer body (2) which adjusts externally to said external wall (23) of inner body (3).
Safety closure according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the centripetally inclined concave surface that forms said hole (16) in outer body (2) is shaped like an inverted frustoconical surface closed at the bottom by a smaller base shaped like a spherical cap.
Safety closure according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that said flexible elements (9) consist of a plurality of tabs (9) that are arched according to a cylindrical shape.