EP3196142B1 - Container and cap to be attached by snap-fitting to its neck - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of packaging.

It relates more particularly to a plastic cap intended to equip a container neck. The cap comprises a cylindrical body supporting an integrated closure element which can be opened or closed independently of the position of the body of the cap on the neck of the bottle.

The body of the cap is fixed by snapping on a container neck such as for example a plastic bottle. For this purpose, an annular retaining projection extending radially from the inner wall of the plug body is provided to snap onto the neck of the container.

This method of attachment makes it possible to prohibit the separation of the stopper and the neck of the container after the latter has been filled with a food drink, in order to limit its reuse, and to prevent the development of germs in the parts of the container. plug difficult to clean.

The closure element is adapted to the intended use of the container, and may be formed, for example, by a push / pull type shutter circulating along a given axis, or by a folding lid pivoting about a axis. In the latter case, the bottom of the cap may comprise a tearable veil for isolating the contents of the container to its final use.

A plug including these features is described by way of example in the publication US 5,680,965 . However, the use of this type of cap is limited to container necks not having male threads.

The large-scale production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for the food industry has led to the standardization of neck shapes. These plug necks comprise a male thread comprising one or more threads and an annular tamper-proof collar located axially below the threads.

The publication EP 1 077 883 , which discloses the features of the preamble of appended claim 1, proposes an improvement of the plug described in the publication US 5,680,965 , and allowing the fixing of said cap on a standard type bottle neck having male threads.

The inner wall of the plug body does not have a female thread. The position of the retaining projection is adjusted to allow engagement of said retaining protrusion with the lower retaining face of the tamper-evident flange. It is provided in said publication that, in this position, the upper edge of the neck of the container comes into contact with the inner wall of the bottom of the cap to prevent axial movement of the latter. Fixing the cap on the neck of the container is effected by introducing the plug force on the neck in an axial direction until the snap of the retaining projection under the tamperproof collar.

However, this method of attachment may have certain disadvantages. Indeed, due to the pressure exerted by the upper edge of the neck of the container on the bottom wall of the plug, there is a more or less permanent deformation of the bottom wall which, beyond the undesirable aesthetic effects, is which can degrade the tear-off film and, by modifying the position of the inner sealing skirt, alter the sealing connection between the skirt and the inner wall of the mouthpiece.

The object of the invention is to provide an original solution to the problem posed above.

The plug according to the invention is of the type to be fixed by snapping on a container neck comprising one or more male threads.

• d'un bouchon comprenant
  • ∘ un corps cylindrique d'axe donné, comportant une paroi intérieure, et supportant des moyens d'encliquetage constitués par une saillie de retenue,
  • ∘ un fond disposé sur un côté axialement supérieur du corps cylindrique selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, et dans lequel les moyens d'encliquetage sont constitués par une saillie de retenue, et supportant des éléments de fermeture intégrés pouvant être ouverts ou fermés de manière indépendante,
• et d'un récipient muni d'un col surmonté d'une embouchure comprenant des filets mâles ayant une surface d'appui supérieure et une collerette d'inviolabilité comportant une face de retenue inférieure apte à retenir la saillie de retenue après encliquetage de ladite saillie de retenue sur ladite collerette d'inviolabilité,

The invention consists of the combination of:

• a cap including
  • A cylindrical body of given axis, comprising an inner wall, and supporting latching means constituted by a retaining projection,
  • ∘ a bottom disposed on an axially upper side of the cylindrical body according to any one of the preceding claims, and wherein the latching means are constituted by a retaining projection, and supporting integrated closure elements that can be opened or closed by independently,
• and a container having a neck surmounted by a mouthpiece comprising male threads having an upper bearing surface and a tamper-evident flange having a lower retaining face adapted to retain the retaining projection after snapping of said protrusion retaining on said tamper collar,

The invention is characterized in that the inner wall of the cylindrical body comprises an annular shoulder distinct from the retaining projection extending radially inwardly of the cylindrical body, and located at a distance from the inner wall of the bottom of the plug which is strictly greater than a distance between the upper bearing surface of the threads and an upper edge of the mouth of the neck, so that the annular shoulder abuts on the upper bearing surface of the male threads when the cap is fixed snap on the neck of the container, preventing the insertion of the cap on the neck, and that the upper edge of the mouth of the neck of the container is not in contact with the inner wall of the bottom of the cap.

The cylindrical body is sized according to the neck of the container, so as to sink above the neck capping its male threads. It follows from this arrangement that the forces exerted in the axial direction on the plug during the latching operation are exerted exclusively on the wall of the plug body, and leave said bottom free of any stress.

• L'épaulement annulaire circule de manière continue sur toute la circonférence du corps cylindrique.
• La paroi intérieure du corps cylindrique ne comporte pas de filets femelles.
• La saillie de retenue est disposée à proximité d'un bord inférieur du corps cylindrique.
• Une distance entre l'épaulement annulaire et la saillie de retenue est sensiblement égale à une distance entre la surface d'appui supérieure des filets mâles et la face de retenue inférieure de la collerette d'inviolabilité.
• Un diamètre intérieur de l'épaulement annulaire est inférieur à un diamètre extérieur des filets mâles du col, et supérieur à un diamètre extérieure d'une embouchure du col.
• L'épaulement annulaire résulte d'un changement d'épaisseur de la paroi du corps cylindrique.
• L'épaulement annulaire est une face inférieure d'une collerette intérieure du corps cylindrique, ladite collerette intérieure comportant une paroi supérieure distincte de la paroi intérieure du fond du bouchon.
• Le col comprend un collet d'appui comportant une face d'appui supérieure, et dans lequel une distance entre la face d'appui supérieure du collet d'appui et la face de retenue inférieure de la collerette d'inviolabilité est sensiblement égale à une distance entre la face d'appui supérieure de la saillie de retenue et un bord inférieur du corps du bouchon, de sorte que, lorsque le bouchon est fixé par encliquetage sur le col du récipient, le bord inférieur du corps du bouchon est en contact avec la face d'appui supérieure du collet d'appui.
• Le bouchon est réalisé par moulage par injection d'une matière plastique à base d'un matériau choisi parmi le Polyéthylène haute densité, le Polypropylène, le Polychlorure de vinyl, le Polytéréphtalate d'éthylène, le Polyvinyldiène chloride, ou un mélange de ces composants.

The invention also includes the following features considered in isolation or in combination with each other,

• The annular shoulder circulates continuously over the entire circumference of the cylindrical body.
• The inner wall of the cylindrical body does not have female threads.
• The retaining projection is disposed near a lower edge of the cylindrical body.
• A distance between the annular shoulder and the retaining projection is substantially equal to a distance between the upper bearing surface of the male threads and the lower retaining face of the tamper collar.
• An inner diameter of the annular shoulder is smaller than an outer diameter of the male threads of the neck, and greater than an outer diameter of a mouth of the neck.
• The annular shoulder results from a change in thickness of the wall of the cylindrical body.
• The annular shoulder is a lower face of an inner flange of the cylindrical body, said inner flange having a top wall distinct from the inner wall of the plug bottom.
• The neck comprises a support collar comprising an upper bearing face, and wherein a distance between the upper bearing face of the bearing collar and the lower retaining face of the tamper-evident collar is substantially equal to distance between the upper bearing surface of the retaining protrusion and a lower edge of the body of the cap, so that when the cap is snap-fastened to the container neck, the lower edge of the cap body is in contact with the upper bearing face of the support collar.
• The stopper is made by injection molding of a plastic material based on a material chosen from high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl diene chloride, or a mixture of these components. .

• La figure 1 est une vue en coupe axiale d'un bouchon selon l'invention.
• La figure 2 est une vue de profil d'un col de récipient de type standard.
• La figure 3 est une vue en coupe axiale du bouchon selon l'invention fixé sur le col de récipient standard.
• La figure 4 est une vue en coupe axiale, analogue à celle de la figure 1, d'une première variante d'exécution de l'invention.
• La figure 5 est une vue en coupe axiale, analogue à celle de la figure 1, d'une seconde variante d'exécution de l'invention.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the drawings in which:

• The figure 1 is an axial sectional view of a plug according to the invention.
• The figure 2 is a profile view of a standard type container neck.
• The figure 3 is an axial sectional view of the cap according to the invention fixed on the standard container neck.
• The figure 4 is a view in axial section, similar to that of the figure 1 , a first embodiment of the invention.
• The figure 5 is a view in axial section, similar to that of the figure 1 of a second variant embodiment of the invention.

The plug 1 represented at figure 1 comprises a cylindrical body 10 having a symmetry of revolution about the axis XX '. By convention, it will be considered that the direction XX 'defines a direction going from the bottom to the top.

On the upper axial end of the cylindrical body 10 is disposed the bottom 11 of the plug. The bottom supports closure elements 12, formed in the case in point, by a cover hinged about an axis 120. In order to preserve the integrity of the contents of the container until its final use, a tear-off veil 14 extends over the central part of the bottom 11. A ring 140 makes it possible to extract the tear-off film 14 and to release a passage for the flow of the liquid contained in the container. The bottom 11 also supports an inner skirt 13 of cylindrical shape to ensure a good seal between the cap and the neck of the container.

The inner wall 100 of the cylindrical body 10 is devoid of female thread and has a substantially smooth surface. Near the lower edge 108 of the cylindrical body 10 is disposed a retaining projection 101 extending radially from the inner wall 100 to the central portion of the cylindrical body 10 of the plug. This retaining projection 101 includes an upper bearing face 102. The retaining projection 101 forms the detent means for holding the cap attached to the neck of the container.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner wall of the cylindrical body does not have a female thread. Screwing the cap on the neck is then useless, since the cap can snap on the neck.

While remaining within the scope of the invention, the inner wall of the cylindrical body could, however, include female threads (not shown) capable of meshing the male threads of the neck. In this configuration, the cap is screwed onto the neck before snapping into it.

In an alternative embodiment of this embodiment, the female threads have an axial section profile in the form of a ramp to allow, by elastic deformation of the plug or at least female threads, the depression of the plug without rotation on the neck.

In the upper part of the wall 100 of the cylindrical body, said wall 100 has an upper portion 103 forming a recess relative to the lower part of the wall. At this recess the wall has a thickness e ₁ greater than the thickness e ₂ of the lower part of the wall of the cylindrical body. The recess forms an annular shoulder 104, of internal diameter Φ ₁ , extending radially from the wall 100 towards the inside of the cylindrical body 10 of the plug. This annular shoulder 104 circulates continuously over the entire circumference of the wall 100. The annular shoulder 104 extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis XX '.

In the example shown in figure 1 , the upper part 103 of thickness e ₁ is extended axially to the wall 110 of the bottom 11 of the plug. This arrangement simplifies manufacturing operations by removing all areas underdepoise.

The figure 2 illustrates a container neck 2 of the standard type of axis XX '. This container neck comprises at least one male thread 22. The number of threads represented in the example used as a support for the present description is equal to three, which is a very widely used embodiment. However, this number is not limiting. Each thread has on its axially upper portion a bearing surface 220. The mouth 23 of the neck is delimited by an upper edge 230.

The standard type collar as shown in FIG. figure 2 , also comprises a tamper-evident flange 21, extending radially outwardly of the neck, and originally intended to cooperate with a detachable tamper-evident ring located on a screw cap (not shown) and thereby having female threads. . The tamper-evident flange supports a lower retaining face 210.

The neck 2 finally has, in its lower part, a support collar 24, having an upper bearing surface 240.

The figure 3 illustrates the case in which the cap 1 is fixed by snapping on the neck 2 of the container. The closure member 12 is shown in the open position.

The plug 2 is introduced on the neck in the axial direction XX 'until the retaining projection 101 engages with the tamper-evident collar 21. In this position, the upper bearing surface 102 of the projection of retainer 101 is in contact with the lower retaining face 210 of the tamper-evident flange 21, and the axial position of the annular shoulder 104 is adjusted to also come into contact with the upper bearing surface 220 of the threads 22. plug 1, which is then fixed by snapping on the neck 2, is deprived of movement in both directions of the XX 'axis.

When the neck comprises three threads, which is the most common case, the annular shoulder 104 rests on the upper bearing surfaces 220 of each of the threads 22 at three points equidistantly angularly on the periphery of the neck 2 of the container.

The inner sealing skirt 12, whose outer diameter substantially corresponds to the inside diameter of the neck of the container, penetrates forcibly inside the mouth 23 and provides a sealing contact with the inner surface of said mouth 23.

It is observed that the upper edge 230 of the mouth 23 is not in contact with the inner wall 110 of the bottom 11 of the plug 1.

Thus, all the axial stresses generated by the retaining forces of the plug on the neck is supported by the body 10. And the bottom of the plug 11, undergoes no unwanted deformation may change the position of the inner skirt of sealing 13, or to alter the tearable veil 14.

It follows from the preceding provisions that the distance has (see figure 1 ) between the annular shoulder 104 and the upper bearing face 102 of the retaining projection 101 is substantially equal to the distance a 'between the upper bearing surface 220 of the threads 22 and the lower retaining face 210 of the collar However, an adjustment of these dimensions may be necessary to take account of the conical appearance of the shape of the threads 22 on which the annular shoulder 104 rests.

Similarly, the distance b 'measured between the upper bearing surface 220 of the threads 22 and the upper edge 230 of the mouth 23 of the container neck is strictly less than the distance b measured between the annular shoulder 104 and the wall 110 inside the bottom 11 of the cap.

Finally, the value of the inside diameter of the annular flange Φ ₁ must be between the outside diameter Φ ₂ of the threads 22 and the outside diameter Φ ₃ of the mouth of the neck of the container.

The values of the ratings a 'and b' are defined by the standards used in the profession. Thus, for a consumer product such as a 3-thread PET bottle neck, with a diameter of 38 mm, the value of the dimension a ', substantially equal to the value of the dimension a, is 8.9 mm, and the value of the dimension b ', strictly less than the value of the dimension b, is 1.9 mm. The diameter value Φ ₁ is between 36 mm +/- 0.15 mm and 38 mm +/- 0.15 mm.

The figure 4 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention, in which the plug differs from the plug shown in FIG. figure 1 in that the annular shoulder is formed by the lower face 107 of an inner flange 105. This inner flange comprises an upper wall 106 separate from the inner wall 110 of the bottom 11 of the cap. This embodiment can be of interest when, by acting on the axial thickness of the inner flange 105, the axial elasticity of said inner flange 105 is adjusted in order to give some flexibility to the fastening of the cap on the inner flange 105. snap-on collar, and make snapping less sensitive to tolerance deviations.

The figure 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention wherein, to improve the overall sealing of the plug, the lower edge 108 of the body 10 of the cap comes into contact with the upper bearing surface 240 of the support collar 24. A this effect, the distance c between the upper bearing face 102 of the retaining projection 101 and the lower edge 108 of the cylindrical body 10 of the plug is substantially equal to the value c 'of the distance between the lower retaining face 210 the tamper-evident collar 21 and the upper bearing face 240 of the support collar 24.

In the case of the neck of the PET 3-threaded bottle mentioned above, this distance is substantially equal to 4.5 mm.

The production of a plug as described above is by injection molding of a thermoplastic material such as, by way of non-limiting example, polyethylene (PE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl diene chloride (PVDC), or a mixture of these components.

NOMENCLATURE

1.

Plug.

10

Cylindrical body.

100

Inner wall of the cylindrical body.

101

Holding projection.

102

Upper bearing surface of the retaining projection.

103

Upper part of the wall 100 of the cylindrical body.

104

Shoulder shoulder.

105

Inside collar.

106

Upper wall of the inner collar.

107

Bottom wall of the inner collar.

108

Bottom edge of the cylindrical body of the cap.

11

Bottom of the cap.

110

Inner wall of the bottom of the cap.

12

Integrated closure elements.

13

Inner skirt sealing.

14

Tearable sail.

140

Ring for extracting the tear-off veil.

2

Container neck.

21

Tamper evident collar.

210

Lower retaining face of the tamper collar.

22

Nets.

220

Upper support surface of the nets.

23

Mouth of the container neck.

230

Upper edge of the mouth of the container neck.

24

Support collar.

240

Upper support side of the support collar.

Claims (10)

1. Assembly formed by the combination

   - of a plug (1) comprising

   ∘ a cylindrical body (10) of given axis (XX'), comprising an inner wall (110), and supporting snap-fitting means composed of a retaining projection (101),

   ∘ a bottom (11) arranged on an axially upper side of the cylindrical body and supporting built-in closure elements (12) which can be opened or closed independently,

   - and a container provided with a neck (2) surmounted by an opening (23) comprising male threads (22) having an upper bearing surface (220) and a tamper-proof flange (21) comprising a lower retaining side (210) adapted to retain the retaining projection (101) after snap-fitting said retaining projection (101) on said tamper-proof flange,

   characterised in that the inner wall (100) of the cylindrical body comprises an annular shoulder (104, 107) separate from the retaining projection (101) extending radially towards the inside of the cylindrical body (10), and located at a distance (b) from the inner wall (110) of the bottom (11) of the plug which is strictly greater than a distance (b') between the upper bearing surface (220) of the threads (22) and an upper edge (230) of the opening (23) of the neck (2), such that the annular shoulder abuts on the upper bearing surface (220) of the male threads (22) when the plug is secured by snap-fitting on the neck (2) of the container, preventing the plug from being pressed down on the neck, and such that the upper edge of the opening (230) of the neck (2) of the container is not in contact with the inner wall (110) of the bottom (11) of the plug (1).
2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the annular shoulder (104, 107) extends continuously around the entire circumference of the cylindrical body (10).
3. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner wall (100) of the cylindrical body does not comprise female threads.
4. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the retaining projection (101) is arranged near a lower edge (108) of the cylindrical body (10).
5. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a distance (a) between the annular shoulder (104, 107) and the retaining projection (101) is substantially equal to a distance (a') between the upper bearing surface (220) of the male threads (22) and the lower retaining side (210) of the tamper-proof flange (21).
6. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an inner diameter (Φ₁) of the annular shoulder (104) is less than an outer diameter (Φ₂) of the male threads (22) of the neck (2), and greater than an outer diameter (Φ₃) of an opening (23) of the neck (2).
7. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the annular shoulder (104) results from a change in thickness (e1) of the wall of the cylindrical body (10).
8. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the annular shoulder is a lower side (107) of an inner flange (105) of the cylindrical body (10), said inner flange (105) comprising an upper wall (106) separate from the inner wall (110) of the bottom (11) of the plug (1).
9. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the neck (2) comprises a bearing collar (24) having an upper bearing side (240), and wherein a distance (c') between the upper bearing side (240) of the bearing collar (24) and the lower retaining side (210) of the tamper-proof flange (21) is substantially equal to a distance (c) between the upper bearing side (102) of the retaining projection (101) and a lower edge (108) of the body (10) of the plug (1), such that, when the plug (1) is secured by snap-fitting on the neck (2) of the container, the lower edge (108) of the body (10) of the plug (1) is in contact with the upper bearing side (240) of the bearing collar (24).
10. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said plug (1) is made by injection moulding of a plastic based on a material selected from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), or a mixture of these components.

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