EP1992476A1 - Method for manufacturing a sealable gasket for closing a container sealed with a stopper or a cap - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves forming a cut within a support strip along a surface (7) that is slightly larger than those corresponding to a tear tab of a sealing cover to be formed, and is extended at a periphery of installation of cuts formed at ends of defining a support layer (5), before assembling of the strip, a cover strip, the support and the cover. A composite cut obtained from the assembling, is formed along a contour (8) corresponding to cover dimensions after temporary assembling of the strips, and a specific contour of a tab cut is inscribed aplomb from the cut forming in the support strip.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of sealable seals, more particularly intended to allow the closure of a closure container by cap or capsule. It relates more particularly to the method of producing such a sealable seal.

PRIOR STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE

The closure of a number of containers, especially in the food field is achieved by the implementation of a cap or a capsule. However, prior to the first opening of said container, it is closed by means of a seal thermally sealed on the rim or upper rim of the neck of the container, so as to protect its contents, including moisture. This seal can also be glued on said rim.

For this purpose, a sealable seal has been developed consisting on the one hand of a support, generally having a relative thickness, intended to be inserted into the bottom of the stopper or of the capsule, and on the other hand, of an integral seal. at least temporarily to said medium.

As already stated, the role of the lid is to ensure the primary seal of the container vis-à-vis the outside. It also allows to confer inviolability to the container before its first opening, and thus guarantee the consumer the quality of the product it acquires. In addition, the operculum must be compatible with the content that it is supposed to isolate from the outside and also have food qualities when the content is actually food. Conventionally, such a cap is made of aluminum supplemented with a sealing layer. Depending on the nature of the container to be sealed and the application envisaged, this sealing layer may be made of polyethylene, polypropylene, paper or other sealant coating deposited on the aluminum. This lid is optionally supplemented with a mechanical reinforcing layer, consisting of polyethylene or polyester.

The support is designed to absorb the tolerances between the bottom of the cap or capsule and the upper part of the neck of the container. It also ensures the secondary seal, that is to say the seal that must provide said cap after removal of the lid, that is to say after first opening of the container.

It is therefore likely to provide some compression with memory effect to precisely allow to absorb these tolerances and ensure this secondary seal, hence its relative thickness. This support is for example made of cardboard or expanded polyolefin. It may be monocomponent or composite, and in this case, for example consist of a sandwich of a polyethylene foam expanded between two layers of polypropylene, depending on the characteristics that it is desired to confer on said support. It can also be simply constituted of a layer of expanded polypropylene.

The support also ensures a pressure on the lid to ensure the correct sealing thereof when effectively closing the container after filling.

Different problems arise in connection with the implementation of such sealable joints. Among these, there is the operation of removing or removing the seal from the container rim by the consumer. Indeed, and in the absence of specific means, the seal is difficult to tear after its establishment at the upper edge of the container, because of the sealing technique implemented.

In order to overcome this drawback, it has been proposed to add to the lid a tongue, easily pre-gripped by the user, and thus facilitating this pulling operation. For example, in the document FR 2,716,407 , the implementation of such a sealable seal provided with a tab seal.

• réaliser une première bande dite « bande support », destinée à permettre la réalisation de plusieurs supports de joints ;
• réaliser une seconde bande dite « bande opercule », typiquement réalisée en aluminium, et destinée à réaliser plusieurs opercules ;
• solidariser les deux bandes l'une à l'autre, notamment au moyen d'un adhésif à liaison temporaire ;
• soumettre l'ensemble ainsi solidarisé à un organe de découpe assurant la découpe de la seule bande « support » selon la forme et les dimensions souhaitées du support de joint ;
• faire subir à la bande ainsi obtenue munie de ces prédécoupes un échenillage destiné à ôter de la bande support le pourtour des supports ;
• et enfin, soumettre la bande ainsi échenillée à l'action d'un autre organe de découpe, destiné à individualiser les joints proprement dits par découpe de la bande « opercule » à l'aplomb des prédécoupes du support.

In order to produce such a sealable seal, the aforementioned document describes a production method which implements several steps, namely:

• producing a first so-called "support strip", intended to allow the realization of several joint supports;
• producing a second so-called "operculum band", typically made of aluminum, and intended to produce several lids;
• joining the two strips to one another, in particular by means of a temporary bonding adhesive;
• subjecting the assembly thus secured to a cutting member ensuring the cutting of the single strip "support" according to the desired shape and dimensions of the joint support;
• subjecting the strip thus obtained provided with these pre-cuts a stripping to remove the support strip around the supports;
• and finally, subjecting the strip thus run to the action of another cutting member, intended to individualize the actual joints by cutting the strip "operculum" above the pre-cuts of the support.

While this method certainly allows the production of sealable joints in accordance with the desired requirements, it nevertheless faces a number of disadvantages.

Firstly, it implements a number of steps, making the production process more complex and, at the same time, outweighing the corresponding production costs.

On the other hand and above all, because of the implementation of the stripping step, there is risk of delamination, at least partially, of the lid relative to the support. This delamination then results in a less optimized seal of said lid on the rim of the container by the end user, thus likely to cause the rejection of a number of seals thus made.

The objective of the present invention is precisely to avoid this risk of delamination of the sealable seal, and at the same time simplify as much as possible this process, in particular by deleting a step.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention therefore relates to a method for producing a sealable seal, intended to seal a closure container cap or capsule, said seal comprising a sealing cap provided with a tear tab secured temporarily to a support.

• tout d'abord à réaliser une première bande dite « bande support », destinée à permettre la réalisation d'une pluralité de supports de joints ;
• à réaliser une seconde bande, dite « bande opercule » destinée à permettre la réalisation d'une pluralité d'opercules ;
• puis à assembler ou solidariser temporairement ces deux bandes.

This process consists of:

• first of all to make a first so-called "support strip", intended to allow the realization of a plurality of joint supports;
• to make a second strip, called "sealing strip" intended to allow the production of a plurality of lids;
• then to assemble or temporarily fasten these two bands.

• préalablement à l'opération de solidarisation ou d'assemblage des deux bandes, on réalise une découpe au sein de la bande support, selon une surface légèrement supérieure à celle correspondant à la seule languette d'arrachage des opercules à réaliser, et s'étendant au niveau de la périphérie de l'implantation des découpes réalisées ultérieurement aux fins de définir le support du joint ;
• postérieurement à la solidarisation temporaire des deux bandes, on réalise la découpe du composite résultant de l'assemblage ainsi formé, selon un contour correspondant aux dimensions de l'opercule muni de sa languette, le contour spécifique de découpe de la languette étant inscrit à l'aplomb de la découpe préalable réalisée au sein du seul support.

According to the invention:

• prior to the joining operation or assembly of the two strips, is made a cut in the support strip, according to a surface slightly greater than that corresponding to the single pull tab of the caps to be made, and extending at the periphery of the implantation of the cuts made later for the purpose of defining the support of the joint;
• after the temporary securing of the two strips, the composite resulting from the assembly thus formed is cut into an outline corresponding to the dimensions of the lid provided with its tongue, the specific cutting contour of the tongue being inscribed on the plate. 'plumb of the preliminary cut made within the single support.

In other words, the invention consists in arranging within the support strip a cutout or preliminary light, in the entire thickness of said strip, and corresponding to little more closely to the shape of the single pulling tab. and therefore, adjacent to the generally circular profile of the shape of the joint, then, to achieve after joining of the two bands suitable for constituting the complex constituting the sealable seal of the invention, a cutout of the entirety of this complex, that is to say, support tape + sealing strip according to the exact profile or the exact contour of the cover, ie a circular shape to which is added the tab. As a preliminary cut within the support strip, with an upper surface or slightly greater than the surface of the tongue has been practiced within the support strip, is disposed at the outlet of the device for producing the seal a sealable seal in accordance with desired precipitations, that is to say comprising a support, free of tab, secured to a lid provided with such a tab.

From now on, it is conceivable that the stripping step of the method of the prior art is eliminated. In addition, the cutting of the general shape of the seal is carried out in a single operation effectively removing the risk of delamination noted in the process of the prior art.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the cutting member ensuring the realization of the final shape of the joint, that is to say after joining the two strips respectively support and operculum, initiates the cutting side support strip, allow to avoid the slight flap of the operculum on the support that may occur if the primer intervened on the opposite side.

Advantageously, and in order to block the action of the respective cutting members in terms of positioning, the support strip is provided with identifiable indicia by photoelectric cells, these indices possibly consisting of a through-light produced in the support, or by printing a mark also detectable by photocells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• La figure 1 est une représentation schématique en plan d'un joint conforme à l'invention.
• La figure 2 est une vue schématique en section transversale de la figure 1.
• La figure 3 est une représentation schématique d'une première étape de réalisation d'une première découpe ménagée au sein de la bande support.
• La figure 4, est une vue en section de la figure 3.
• La figure 5 est une représentation schématique illustrant l'assemblage bande support et bande opercule après solidarisation.
• La figure 6 est une vue en section de la figure 5.

The manner in which the invention can be realized and the advantages which result therefrom will emerge more clearly from the exemplary embodiment which follows, given by way of indication and not limitation, in support of the appended figures.

• The figure 1 is a schematic representation in plan of a seal according to the invention.
• The figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the figure 1 .
• The figure 3 is a schematic representation of a first step of making a first cut formed within the support strip.
• The figure 4 , is a sectional view of the figure 3 .
• The figure 5 is a schematic representation illustrating the support band assembly and sealing strip after securing.
• The figure 6 is a sectional view of the figure 5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

We therefore represented in relation with the Figures 1 and 2 the sealable seal that the method of the invention makes it possible. This seal 1 basically consists of a support layer 5, typically made of expanded polypropylene, or a polypropylene / expanded polyethylene / polypropylene sandwich. It has a typical thickness of between 1.5 and 1.7 mm. This support 5 is associated with a cover 2, typically made of aluminum, the dimensions of which correspond to those of the support 5, with the exception of an extension 4 forming the tear-off tab, this cover being associated with a film sealer.

The fastening of the support 5 to the cover 2 can be achieved by any means such as in particular the implementation of a temporary bonded adhesive. This is for example made of a polymer based on polyethylene, obtained by extrusion.

The method of producing such a sealable seal will be described below.

The support 5 is traditionally in the form of a ready-to-use reel. This coil consists of a strip passing in front of a cutting member, ensuring the realization of a through-light within the support strip, of surface 7 slightly greater than the surface corresponding to that of the pull tab of the operculum intended to be secured to this support.

We can observe on the figure 5 that this cutout 7 part of the circular peripheral contour shown in dashed lines 8 and corresponding to the circular shape of the seal.

If in the example described there is only one future joint in the width of the strip, it is obvious that the skilled person is likely for reasons of optimization of the material, to make several cuts in depending on the width of the band. This cutting member can also be multiposte, the cutting operation of said light can be performed simultaneously for several joints in a single operation.

In doing so, at the end of this first step, a support strip is obtained having a plurality of cuts corresponding to this surface 7, greater than that of the tab of the future seal.

After assembly, with the band-lid 2, advantageously of the same width as the support band, we thus obtain a complex structure having at regular intervals cutouts at the support, and corresponding to this famous surface.

The next step is then to provide a second cut 8 by means of a suitable cutting member over the entire thickness of the assembly of the two strips respectively support and operculum thus produced, and according to the shape of the opercule provided with its tongue, that is to say a circular shape provided with a tongue.

The cutting member providing this function is arranged in such a way that, of course, the particular cut of the tongue 4 is located in line with the pre-cut area 7 of the support 5 in particular. Figures 3 and 4 . In doing so, effective cutting of the seal according to its final form takes place in a single operation, the cutting members providing no effective cutting function at said previously made lights.

This eliminates any risk of delamination since the stripping step described in the method of the prior art is eliminated.

In addition and advantageously, the cutting member initiates its cutting on the support side 5, so that the cutting edge of the cutting member does not induce any folding of the lid on the edges of the support, but is more likely to push said seal in the direction of the outside and in this case of the bottom on the Figures 5 and 6 .

Typically, the cutting member is of the punch type, that is to say that it cooperates with an anvil (not shown) to ensure the effectiveness of cutting. These features are well known to those skilled in the art, so there is no need to describe them in detail.

At the same time, and in order to ensure accurate cutting of the joint, in particular in line with the lights made during the step referred to in Figures 3 and 4 , the support strip 5 is provided with indexing indicia 9, detectable by photocell and allowing the device for advancing the entire band support / band operculum to be correctly positioned in line with these cutting members. These registration marks may consist of through-holes formed within the support strip 5, and made during the cutting of the lights 7. They can also be simply printed during the first cutting operation.

The simple description of the above process makes it easy to conceive all its interest. First we delete at least one step, that of stripping. In addition, it eliminates any risk of delamination, since there is a means of recovery of the action of the cutting member, typically consisting of an anvil, thus avoiding any risk of delamination or delamination of the operculum relative to to the support.

In fact, sealable seals are obtained according to the requirements of the users.

Claims (3)

Process for the production of a sealable seal, intended to close a closure container with a cap or capsule, said seal comprising a sealing cap (2) provided with a tear-off tab (4), temporarily secured to a support ( 5), which consists of: first of all to make a first so-called "support strip", intended to allow the realization of a plurality of supports (5) of joints; - To make a second band, called "sealing strip" intended to allow the realization of a plurality of lids (2); - then to assemble or temporarily fasten these two bands; characterized In that, prior to the joining operation or assembly of the two strips, respectively support and cap, is made a cut in the support strip, according to a surface (7) slightly greater than that corresponding to the only one tear strip (4) of the covers (2) to be produced, and extending at the periphery of the implantation of the cuts made later for the purpose of defining the support of the seal; And in that, subsequent to the temporary joining or assembly of the two strips, the composite resulting from the assembly thus formed is cut into an outline corresponding to the dimensions of the lid provided with its tongue, specific cutting contour of the pull tab (4) being inscribed above the cutout (7) previously made within the single support (5). Process for the production of a sealable seal, intended to seal a closure container with a stopper or cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the cutting member ensures the realization of the final shape of the seal, that is to say after joining the two strips respectively support and operculum, initiates the cutting side support band (5). Process for the production of a sealable seal, intended to close a closure container with a cap or cap according to one of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that in order to block the action of the cutting member ensuring the cutting of the assembly according to the positioning of the cuts (7) arranged within the single support strip, the support strip is provided with indicia (9) which can be identified by photoelectric cells, these indices being able to consist either of a through-light produced in the support or of a reference mark as well. detectable by photocells.

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