EP2133281A1 - Snap-fit container-cap assembly for fluids - Google Patents

Snap-fit container-cap assembly for fluids Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2133281A1
EP2133281A1 EP09007663A EP09007663A EP2133281A1 EP 2133281 A1 EP2133281 A1 EP 2133281A1 EP 09007663 A EP09007663 A EP 09007663A EP 09007663 A EP09007663 A EP 09007663A EP 2133281 A1 EP2133281 A1 EP 2133281A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cap
assembly
container
tooth
neck
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP09007663A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Antonio De Polo
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Omega SRL
Original Assignee
Omega SRL
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Omega SRL filed Critical Omega SRL
Publication of EP2133281A1 publication Critical patent/EP2133281A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
    • B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
    • B65D41/16—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers
    • B65D41/18—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers non-metallic, e.g. made of paper or plastics
    • B65D41/185—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers non-metallic, e.g. made of paper or plastics with integral internal sealing means

Definitions

  • the present invention generally finds application in the field of fluid containers and particularly relates to a snap-fit fluid container-cap assembly, particularly liquid-containing bottles, flasks, jars or the like.
  • Liquid or fluid containers such as bottles, jars, flask and the like, for beverages, detergents and chemicals in general, are known to have an externally threaded outlet mouth, for a mating internally threaded cap to be tightened thereon.
  • the cap is applied to the container mouth by exerting an appropriately calibrated pressure to force the cap threads onto the container threads.
  • the walls of the container and cap should be thick enough to ensure adequate resistance to the stresses generated during this step.
  • US 2006/186080 discloses a quick-closing cap consisting of a cylindrical part having a number of radial inward resilient protrusions at its lower edge, arranged along the entire circumference of such edge.
  • Such protrusions are designed to interact with a ring-like projection on the container neck, for stable fixation of the cap.
  • the cap has a closing portion hinged to the cylindrical wall at the upper edge thereof for opening and closing the container mouth.
  • the object of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks, by providing a snap-fit container assembly that is highly efficient and relatively cost-effective.
  • a particular object is to provide a snap-fit container assembly that can be manufactured by simple molds with a relatively high throughput.
  • a further object is to provide a snap-fit container assembly having a simple design, while ensuring high resistance and adequate sealing properties.
  • Yet another object is to provide a snap-fit container assembly that requires a relatively small amount of material and is thus particularly light and easily and cost-effectively transportable.
  • Another important object is to provide a snap-fit container assembly that can be simply opened and closed, even by one hand.
  • a snap-fit fluid container-cap assembly as defined in claim 1, which comprises a fluid container having a neck with an open top that defines a mouth, a cap with an upper wall for snap-on sealing of said mouth and a substantially cylindrical side wall for encircling said neck, releasable anchor means for removably securing said cap to said neck.
  • the releasable anchor means include at least one radial inward tooth-like formation formed on said tubular wall of said cap and at least one radial outward projection of said neck, which is designed to interact with said at least one tooth-like formation and to removably lock said cap to said neck.
  • the container may be closed without forming threads on the container or the cap, and by directly securing the cap to the container body.
  • the assembly of the invention will be of simple design and construction and ensure a considerable reduction of manufacturing costs.
  • the assembly of the invention may be used to contain fluids, such as liquids or liquid mixtures of any type, such as water or other beverages, possibly sodas, or liquid chemicals, such as detergents or the like.
  • fluids such as liquids or liquid mixtures of any type, such as water or other beverages, possibly sodas, or liquid chemicals, such as detergents or the like.
  • a pressurized gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or the like, may be enclosed in the assembly, to create a controlled atmosphere within the assembly.
  • a snap-fit fluid container-cap assembly of the invention comprises a container 2 for a fluid or a fluid mixture, having a substantially cylindrical neck 3 with an open top defining a mouth 4 for the passage of the fluid, and a removable cap 5 for snap-on sealing of the container 2 and closing of the mouth 4.
  • the cap 5 has an upper wall 6 for closing the mouth 4 and a substantially cylindrical tubular side wall 7 coaxial with and encircling the neck 3 of the container 2.
  • Releasable anchor means 8 are further provided for removably securing the cap 5 to the container 2.
  • the anchor means 8 include at least one radial inward tooth-like formation 9 on the cylindrical wall 7 of the cap 5, and at least one radial outward projection 10 on the neck 3 of the container 2, which is designed to interact with the tooth-like formation 9 and to removably lock the cap 7 to the container 2 with the mouth 4 closed.
  • Both the container 2 and the cap 5 may be formed of any plastic material having the required resistance properties, possibly of food grade if the assembly 1 is designed to contain a beverage.
  • the container 2 has a bottle shape, but it may have any other typical fluid container shape, and be conformed, for instance, as a flask, a jar, a can or the like, possibly having a cylindrical body with a substantially constant diameter, without departure from the scope of the present invention.
  • the projection 10 may have a flat bottom surface 11 for retaining the tooth-like formation 9.
  • the latter may in turn have a top abutment surface 12, which may be flat or have a mating edge, and is adapted to contact the retaining surface 11 of the container 2 when the cap 5 is fitted thereon.
  • the retaining surface 11 will be located at a first axial distance d 1 from the peripheral edge 13 of the mouth 4 and the abutment surface 12 will be located at a second axial distance d 2 from the upper wall 6 of the cap 5, whose average value is substantially similar to that of the first distance d 1 .
  • the tooth-like formation 9 may have a smaller circumferential extension than the tubular wall 7, and the tubular wall 7 may have a lower flexural stiffness at the tooth-like formation 9 than over its remaining portion, to allow radial expansion of the tooth-like formation 9 as the cap 5 is fitted onto the mouth 4 of the container 2.
  • the radial projection 10 of the container 2 may have a circumferential extension substantially similar to that of the tooth-like formation 9.
  • the radial projection 10 may preferably have a substantially annular shape, with a circumferential extension coincident with that of the neck 3, to allow the cap 5 to be fitted with any angular orientation of the tooth-like formation 9.
  • the projection 10 may be replaced by a peripheral groove formed in the side wall 14 of the container 2 at the mouth 4 and designed to be at least partially engaged by the tooth-like formation 9 of the cap 5 in a radial direction.
  • the cap 5 is shown as having a single radial tooth-like formation 9.
  • alternative arrangements may be provided, with the tubular wall 7 of the cap 5 possibly having multiple tooth-like formations 9.
  • one or more pairs of tooth-like formations 9 may be provided, for interaction with one or more projections 10 of the container 2.
  • the tooth-like formations 9 may be formed at diametrically opposite positions on the tubular wall 7, and be designed to mate with a single annular projections 10 or with respective projections 10 also disposed at diametrically opposite positions on the neck 3.
  • two substantially similar tooth-like formations 9, 9' may be provided in axially offset positions for interaction with respective projections 10, 10' of the container 2, also disposed in axially offset positions.
  • the releasable anchor means 8 may include a sealing ring 15 extending downwards from the upper wall 6 of the cap 5 to a predetermined axial length 1.
  • the mouth 4 of the container 2 may have a substantially circular or elliptical shape, with a predetermined maximum internal diameter ⁇ i and the sealing ring 15 may have a maximum external diameter ⁇ e not smaller than the maximum internal diameter ⁇ i of the mouth 4.
  • the sealing ring 15 will be pressed against the inner surface 16 of the side wall 14 of the latter to ensure sealing thereof.
  • the sealing ring 15 may have an outer outwardly convex lateral surface 17, to allow the sealing ring 15 to bend inwards and facilitate mutual mating of the cap 5 and the container 2.
  • the cap 5 may have an a tab 18 projecting outwards from the side wall 7 and adapted to be seized by a user to cause disengagement of the tooth-like formations 9, 9' from their respective projections 10, 10'.
  • the tab 18 will be preferably integral with the upper wall 6 and radially project therefrom.
  • the upper and side walls 6, 7 of the cap 5 may be relatively thin, with substantially constant and coincident thicknesses s 1 , s 2 .
  • the thicknesses s 1 , s 2 of the upper and side walls 6, 7 may fall in a range from 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm, and be preferably of about 1 mm.
  • the container 2 may also have a substantially constant thickness s 3 , comparable with that of the cap 5, excepting any projection 10, 10' or other formation, such as the ring pull 19, which is designed to facilitate grasping and transportation of the assembly 1.
  • the upper wall 6 of the cap 5 may have a closed line of weakness that delimits a removable portion of the upper wall 6 to define a passage for the liquids contained in the container 2.
  • the removable portion may be designed as a common pull tab typical for beverage cans, or with any other known configuration, so that a hole will be formed on the upper wall 6 of the cap 5 after removal thereof to allow fluid to be poured therefrom without requiring full removal of the cap 5.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP09007663A 2008-06-13 2009-06-10 Snap-fit container-cap assembly for fluids Withdrawn EP2133281A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITVI20080142 ITVI20080142A1 (it) 2008-06-13 2008-06-13 Assieme tappo-contenitore per fluidi con chiusura a scatto.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2133281A1 true EP2133281A1 (en) 2009-12-16

Family

ID=40302262

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP09007663A Withdrawn EP2133281A1 (en) 2008-06-13 2009-06-10 Snap-fit container-cap assembly for fluids

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2133281A1 (it)
IT (1) ITVI20080142A1 (it)

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2813650A (en) * 1955-12-30 1957-11-19 American Cyanamid Co Bottle closure
US3901401A (en) * 1973-10-12 1975-08-26 Brockway Glass Co Inc Container and safety closure therefor
GB1476566A (en) * 1974-08-30 1977-06-16 Wiedmer Plastikform W Closure for containers
AU519377B3 (en) * 1981-09-18 1981-12-03 Shaw Industries Pty. Ltd. Snap on cap/bottle neck assembly
WO1997043188A1 (de) * 1996-05-09 1997-11-20 Crown Cork Ag Behälterverschluss und behältermündung
US20010011649A1 (en) * 1998-05-22 2001-08-09 Yoshino Kogyosho Co., Ltd. Inner plug and cap for liquid injection containers, and jig used to fix cap to inner plug
US20060186080A1 (en) 2003-07-25 2006-08-24 Dong-Seuk Chae One touch-type stopper and a container having the same

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2813650A (en) * 1955-12-30 1957-11-19 American Cyanamid Co Bottle closure
US3901401A (en) * 1973-10-12 1975-08-26 Brockway Glass Co Inc Container and safety closure therefor
GB1476566A (en) * 1974-08-30 1977-06-16 Wiedmer Plastikform W Closure for containers
AU519377B3 (en) * 1981-09-18 1981-12-03 Shaw Industries Pty. Ltd. Snap on cap/bottle neck assembly
WO1997043188A1 (de) * 1996-05-09 1997-11-20 Crown Cork Ag Behälterverschluss und behältermündung
US20010011649A1 (en) * 1998-05-22 2001-08-09 Yoshino Kogyosho Co., Ltd. Inner plug and cap for liquid injection containers, and jig used to fix cap to inner plug
US20060186080A1 (en) 2003-07-25 2006-08-24 Dong-Seuk Chae One touch-type stopper and a container having the same

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITVI20080142A1 (it) 2009-12-14

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