EP1873078A1 - Liner with perforations - Google Patents

Abstract

The disc seal (10) includes aluminum foil (20) for induction heating and has perforations (30). The foil thickness exceeds 9 mu m, and it is reinforced by a further layer (40) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A sealing layer (25) completes a seal with the mouth of the container. The perforations, fewer than 10 in number, penetrate the foil and the sealing layer. The reinforced foil is sufficiently strong and thick, that when the spices are shaken-out, there is no damage to it (20).

Description

The invention relates to a sealing disc for the closure of mouths of containers.

Sealing discs are used for the closures of container mouths in a variety of cases. They are needed to ensure permanent seals against the ingress of air or foreign bodies from the outside into the container interior, as well as to prevent the contents inside the container from falling out.

Sealing discs are often used in addition to screw caps, cam latches or other types of covers to complete a container mouth plan and provide the cap as additional, mechanical closure.

The gaskets are used in addition to the mechanical protection by the outer cap to provide a gas-tight and airtight seal directly to the container mouth and ensure.

Spices are also packed in containers. For spices, an additional problem is that the contents of the container is not consumed at once or in a few spurts, but that an irregular, but sometimes very long-lasting use of the container contents for seasoning food is desired, while the respective remaining amount of Spices remain in the container.

Nevertheless, the producers of spices also use sealing washers in order to be able to offer the user a tight package guaranteed before the first opening.

The consumer also expects help in dispensing the spices or similar products, such as a kind of diffuser or the like.

This is also offered, for example in the form of subsequently usable or already glued plastic inserts with such Streuperforationen. However, this is costly and the plastic inserts often look ugly, which satisfies neither the consumer nor the manufacturer.

It looks similar in the EP 0 061 929 A1 , There is proposed for improvement, instead of the glued plastic insert with such scattering perforations to stick a disc with such perforations on top of the container mouth. About this container mouth then an additional screw cap is screwed, which also has perforations of the same shape. By screwing the perforations of the disc and the cap can then be brought into line with each other to sprinkle the container contents can. To close the screw cap is then turned back and moved the perforations out of alignment. This is quite demanding and expensive to produce.

From the EP 1 462 381 B1 is therefore already known a proposal in which a gasket is equipped with a variety of holes. Over this perforated sealing disc, a full-surface foil is then laid to cover the perforations until the first opening.

However, this is impractical. After unscrewing the screw cap, the user finds an opening which is closed over the whole area, blocking access to the contents (for example the spice). He is therefore now trying to either puncture the film lying in front of him, which would destroy the lens, or he will take other disassembly measures. It would be unsatisfactory to include or print a comprehensive instruction manual for opening a spice tax.

In the US 5,513,781 A a container closure with a perforated disc is proposed, which may remain on the container mouth. The perforated disc is covered with a foil from which a grip tab projects outwards. Before use, the film can be removed from the perforated disc by means of the grip tab.

From the EP 1 577 226 A1 is another proposal for container closures with scattering function known. Again, a container is provided with a provided with numerous perforations board or a corresponding cover-shaped punched-out element for closing the container mouth. This board is provided with a second layer, the cover devices having skip-over tabs or grip tabs allowing partial peeling.

Such grip bottles as in the U.S. Patent No. 5,513,781 or the EP 1 577 226 A1 are relatively expensive, especially when it comes to the manufacture of mass-produced goods, and they are a latent problem when still around the handle bottles Schraubkappen should be provided. Furthermore, they tend to be kinked or torn off.

The object of the invention is in contrast to propose a sealing washer, which has a scattering possibility, however, is inexpensive and easy to handle.

This object is achieved by a sealing disc for the closure of mouths of containers, with perforations, with a film for the inductive coupling of heat in the sealing disc, with a sealing layer for sealing sealing the sealing disc on the mouth of the container, wherein the perforations through the Foil for the inductive coupling of heat are performed, and wherein the film for the inductive coupling of heat is so thick and mechanically stable that it can retain the contents in the container without damage during scattering operations outside the perforations.

These combined measures combine different ideas that used to conflict with one another. The result, however, is a sealing disc with unexpectedly high functionality that provides an excellent product especially for the food industry.

So the sealing washer can be sealed. This was previously not possible with container closures with scattering function, because only a plastic element with scattering properties could be applied to the container mouth or a sealing layer for sealing on the container mouth.

Because now perforations are just introduced into the induction foil, which is needed for sealing, this induction foil can be applied with the sealing layer on the side facing the container mouth directly on this container mouth and sealed there. This is done by the electrically conductive foil is heated by inductive coupling. The electrically conductive film is preferably a metal foil, in particular an aluminum foil. If an electric current is induced in it, for example by passing it past a magnetic field (or vice versa), the film heats up, melts the adjacent sealing layer and intimately connects to the edge of the mouth of the container.

On the side facing away from the container mouth of the electrically conductive, suitable for the inductive coupling of heat in the gasket sheet is the carrier layer, which is initially connected to the electrically conductive film. This continuous and non-perforated carrier layer thereby seals the container up after sealing.

During the initial opening of the container, as with other sealing disks with a film of an electrically conductive material, this carrier layer separated from the film, which can be done by the adhesive forces between the various layers and films of the sealing disc are adjusted so that Providing cams or other forces the sealing washer separates exactly in this plane between the electrically conductive foil and the carrier layer when a screw cap is turned on.

This means that after this separation now the perforations in the electrically conductive film are open. So they were covered and sealed up to this point, but are now accessible to the user directly and without major complications.

The user looks now so on a particular existing aluminum foil, as he also knows otherwise as a protective film for powdered or liquid food in containers and then removed in conventional container closures by pulling or destroying to get to the container contents.

In contrast, in the case of the sealing disk according to the invention, this film now has perforations and can at the same time be used for metered removal of the container contents. The electrically conductive foil serves as a sort of scattering disc.

This can do it, since it is sufficiently thick and mechanically stable to retain the contents in the container without damage in scattering operations outside the perforations.

So taking as a filling in the container, for example, a spice such as pepper or curry, the corresponding spice particles or granules are dispensed by the user through the perforations, but are retained between the perforations by the remaining parts of the film.

The film can also be used to refer again to the contents of the container, so it can be printed, for example, on this electrically conductive film that the contents of the container "pepper" or "curry" is, so that the user in addition to the outside of the Contained banderole still receives another information surface and is warned against incorrect operation.

Of course, this area can also be used for advertising imprints and references to the brand of the contents.

In order to be stable enough, it has proven useful if the film has a minimum thickness for the inductive coupling of heat, ie the electrically conductive foil. In principle, it would be possible to use a metal foil with sufficient thickness. However, it is significantly cheaper if one uses an electrically conductive film, in particular an aluminum foil, with a thickness of 9 microns to about 42 microns. Such films are readily available commercially and optimally fulfill the task of coupling heat into the overall composite. This film can now be equipped with another layer for mechanical reinforcement. For this layer is in particular a plastic layer, preferably a polyethylene terephthalate (PET film) into consideration. With such a thickness, on the one hand, the sufficient stability for retaining the filling material can still be ensured; on the other hand, the sealing disc as a whole remains sufficiently thin to be able to be handled as desired even by the loading and sealing machines.

Furthermore, it is preferred if the number of perforations in the sealing disc is less than 10.

This is sufficient for the majority of potential filling products, in particular for spices, on the other hand, the perforations can still bring so precise and contribute due to their small number to the stability of the film for the inductive coupling of heat in the gasket at.

Furthermore, it is preferred if the perforations are provided only in one surface half of the film for the inductive coupling of heat.

For the metered bulk operation by the user, it is usually sufficient if he finds the perforations only on one side of the scattering element, since he keeps the container tilted for practical reasons, in order to make particularly good dosages can.

The fact that no perforations are provided in the other half of the surface, the stability of the entire film is further increased, since the structure is more than half uninterrupted.

Figur 1

einen Schnitt durch eine Ausführungsform einer Dichtscheibe gemäß der Erfindung.

In the following an embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing. It shows:

FIG. 1

a section through an embodiment of a sealing disc according to the invention.

In the sealing disk 10 shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of layers or films are arranged one above the other. The complete sealing disc 10 is applied to a container 5, of which only the upper mouth is schematically indicated in section. The container 5 is closed, for example, with a screw cap 6, which is also indicated schematically. Before the first opening the screw cap 6 is continuously screwed tight, at the first opening the screw cap 6 is removed and screwed on for the first time.

The sealing disk 10 has as a central element in the invention, a film 20 for the inductive coupling of heat in the sealing disc 10. This film 20 consists of an electrically conductive material, in particular a metal, usually aluminum.

This film 20 is provided on the mouth of the container 5 facing side with a sealing layer 25. After filling the container, the entire sealing disc 10 is placed on the container mouth or placed there. Then, inductively coupled into the sealing disk 10 and thus in particular in the film 20 heat. This heat causes the sealing layer 25 to melt, especially where the sealing layer 25 rests directly on the edge of the mouth of the container 5. The sealing layer 25 thus connects firmly to the upper edge of the container 5.

On the side facing away from the sealing layer 25 side of the film 20 is still a carrier layer 40. The carrier layer 40 is made of a plastic, is flexible to compensate for irregularities and is by the closure or the screw cap 6 in the closed container 5 on the film 20 with the sealing layer 25 and thus pressed onto the mouth of the container 5.

In the manufacture of the sealing disk 10, perforations 30 are also laid through the film 20 and the sealing layer 25. The carrier layer 40 has no such perforations and is only then connected to the film 20, for example glued.

Now, if the container closure, in the example shown, the screw cap 6, first unscrewed from the container 5, so it separates, for example, by engaging a cam 41, the carrier layer 40 of the film 20. The carrier layer 40 then remains in the screw cap. 6

The user then looks from above onto the container 5, wherein the mouth of the container 5 is closed by the film 20 for the inductive coupling of heat in the sealing disc 10. The user is not aware, or indifferent, what the slide 20 has previously served. More interesting to him is that this film has 20 perforations 30, which protrude through the film 20 and the user not visible seal layer 25 and now connect the interior of the container 5 with the outside space.

By tilting the container 5 can now be the elements of the contents in the container 5 dosed through the perforations 30 and pour as slowly as desired.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

5

container

6

screw cap

10

sealing washer

20

Foil for the inductive coupling of heat

25

sealing layer

30

perforations

40

backing

41

cam

Claims (7)

Sealing washer (10) for closing mouths of containers,
with perforations (30),
with a foil (20) for the inductive coupling of heat into the sealing disc (10),
with a sealing layer (25) for sealingly sealing the sealing disc (10) on the mouth of the container,
the perforations (30) being passed through the film (20) and the sealing layer (25),
wherein the film (20) is so thick and mechanically stable that it can retain the contents in the container without damage during scattering operations outside the perforations (30). Sealing disc according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the film (20) is an aluminum foil. Sealing disc according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized,
that the film (20) has a thickness of more than 9 micrometers and is equipped with a further layer for mechanical reinforcement. Sealing disc according to claim 3,
characterized,
that the further layer for mechanical reinforcement is a plastic film. Sealing disc according to claim 4,
characterized,
in that the layer for further mechanical reinforcement is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Sealing disc according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
is that the number of perforations in the foil (20) and the sealing layer (25) is less than 10 degrees. Sealing disc according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that the perforations (30) are provided only in one half of the surface of the film (20) and the sealing layer (25).

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