EP4100335A1

EP4100335A1 - Hinged stopper

Info

Publication number: EP4100335A1
Application number: EP21751336.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stéphane GRAUX; Richard Lamoureux
Original assignee: Novembal USA Inc
Current assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Priority date: 2020-02-07
Filing date: 2021-01-26
Publication date: 2022-12-14
Also published as: CA3163971A1; EP4100335A4; MX2022008888A; WO2021156704A1; US20230056087A1

Abstract

The present invention includes a plastic stopper, comprising a closure shell with a top roof and a tamper band to be secured on a bottle neck. The plastic stopper also includes a weakness line with bridges separably linked a bottom edge of the closure shell and a top edge of the tamper band and at least two hinges, the two hinges pivotably link the bottom edge of the closure shell and the top edge of the tamper band. At least one gap is located between the two hinges, the gap having a shape with a middle area. At least one tongue extends outwardly and laterally from the roof, the tongue being located over the middle area of the gap. The stopper includes knurls distributed around a peripheral wall of the closure shell and has the at least one tongue shaped alike one of the knurls.

Description

HINGED STOPPER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a screw type plastic stopper for bottle.

The present invention relates to the field of liquid packaging, wherein it is very common to seal the aperture of a container with a stopper as “caps”.

Such container is an individual object. The container is usually made of plastic, glass or metal material. The container can be a bottle filled with a fluid or a liquid, especially of a food or a cosmetic product.

The stopper can be made of metal or plastic material. According to the invention, the stopper is made from plastic material. A plastic stopper is mainly obtained through a molding process.

Such stopper globally has a tubular or cylindrical shaped body closed at its top edge by a roof wall. The stopper body comprises a closure shell attached at its bottom to a tamper band (also called “tamper evident ring”) through a weakness line. Such weakness line is made of bridges, distributed around the closure shell and the tamper band. So the bridges link the closure shell and the tamper band together. Moreover, the bridges are made when molding the stopper or after molding through a cutting step.

Moreover, the tamper band of a stopper comprises an inner annular bead, located at a bottom part. Such inner bead cooperates with an outer annular ring made on the bottle neck. When sealing the bottle, the bead goes over the outer ring and gets engaged under the outer ring in order to lock the tamper band relative to the bottle neck. So, when opening, the tamper band remains locked on the bottle neck and only the closure shell is moved up. During the opening, the bridges of the weakness line are torn apart from the closure shell, which is separated from the tamper band and the bottle neck.

A stopper can also comprise a closure shell with a sealing roof movable from a closing position to an opening position, and reversely. The roof may be separated upon opening but remains preferably connected with the closure shell through at least one hinge. So such hinge crosses the weakness line and maintains the roof attached to the closure shell when said roof is tilted by the consumer in the opening position.

As known, according to screw type stopper, the closure shell comprises inner thread(s) arranged inside side walls. The bottle neck fixation feature comprises outer thread(s). Such combination of outer and inner thread(s) allow the stopper to be screwed on a bottle neck to seal it and unscrewed for bottle entirely opening.

According to another known embodiment, a snap type stopper comprises inner annular area and the bottle neck fixation feature comprises outer fixation ring, in order to slot in force the stopper on the bottle neck. Moreover, a snap type stopper comprises a closure with a movable sealing roof from a closing position to a part opening, and reversely. The roof may be separating upon opening or may remain connected with the closure shell.

According to another combined possibility, the stopper can be of the screw type with a snap roof. During bottle opening, first the consumer unscrews the stopper and the weakness line is broken to separate the closure shell from the tamper band. Then when the inner thread(s) are disengaged from the outer thread(s), the consumer upwardly pushes with a finger, especially the thumb, against an edge of the roof diametrically located at the opposite of the hinge. So the roof is raised up and pivots around the hinge. After opening, the roof remains attached thanks to the hinge to the tamper band, which is secured on the container neck.

Additionally, a stopper comprises knurls. The knurls are vertically outwardly managed on the peripheral wall of the closure shell. The knurls are distributed around the stopper in a specific way in order to cooperate with a complementary tool, when sealing the stopper on the bottle neck. The tool, also called “capping chuck”, can be a tube, a cone or a clamp. The inner wall of the tool comprises complementary vertical groves shaped to engage with the knurls and to angularly lock them when the tool is engaged on the stopper in a top to bottom direction to sealing a bottle neck underly located. Especially the tool is symmetrically shaped relative to a center point, in order to receive a stopper whatever its angular position.

Known stopper has one or two hinge(s) made of a peripheral wall of the stopper. The top end of the hinge(s) is linked to the bottom edge of the closure shell and the bottom end of the hinge(s) is linked to the top edge of the tamper band. So each side of the hinge(s) connected to the weakness line. In the case of two hinges, they are angularly spaced by a vertical gap into the closure shell.

In this configuration, when opening, the roof is tilted and pivots around the hinge(s). However, the resilience of the material of the stopper, especially of the plastic material, induces the hinge(s) to partially come back to the closing position, so that the roof bothers the consumer, especially the lips, when drinking or pouring the liquid from the bottle.

A know solution consists of a stopper with a closure shell comprising a rear tongue.

The tongue is located over the gap. The tongue extends along the top surface of the roof and is laterally protruding relative to the peripheral wall of the stopper.

Moreover, the gap is especially shaped as an inverted “U”, with two vertical lateral parts top linked by a slit, delimiting a middle area. When opening, the roof pivots until the tongue cooperates under the slit against the outer surface of the middle area, to secure the closure shell into the opening position. In addition, the opening path of the roof can be more than 180° from the closing position. So the roof secured does not interfere anymore with the aperture of the bottle neck in the open position.

Thenceforth a drawback of a stopper with a rear tongue is that the known tool is not designed to receive the rear tongue. The inner walls of the tool must be modified with a hollow complementary shaped to engage the tongue. Moreover, the hollow must be angularly positioned to face to tongue by rotating the tool relative to the stopper (or reversely) when engaging the tool on the stopper; such operation is difficult to implement industrially.

Summary of Invention

An object of the present invention is to improve a plastic stopper which of a screw type with a movable roof of a closure shell linked to a tamper band through hinge(s) spaced with a gap comprising a middle area. Moreover, the roof comprises a tongue located over the hinge(s), especially over the middle area to cooperate against the outer surface of the middle area into a secured open position of the closure shell. The stopper also comprises knurls distributed around the peripheral wall of the closure shell. The knurls are shaped to be engaged into a complementary tool.

Especially the invention relates to the tongue of such a stopper, the tongue being shaped alike at least one of the knurls. So the tool can normally engage on the knurls and the tongue of the stopper.

Therefore the stopper according to the invention comprises:

- a closure shell with a top roof and a tamper band to be secured on a bottle neck;

- a weakness line with bridges, the bridges separably link a bottom edge of the closure shell and a top edge of the tamper band;

- at least two hinges, the two hinges pivotably link the bottom edge of the closure shell and the top edge of the tamper band;

- at least one gap located between the two hinges, the gap having a shape with a middle area;

- one or several tongue(s), the tongue(s) outwardly and laterally extends from the roof, the tongue(s) is located over the middle area of the gap;

- knurls, the knurls are distributed around a peripheral wall of the closure shell; wherein

- the tongue(s) is shaped alike one of the knurls.

According to different embodiments,

- the gap has an inverted “U” shape, a “U” shape, an Ή” shape or a double “I” shape.

- the tongue(s) has almost a same width as the knurls; and/or - the tongue(s) has almost a same thickness as the knurls.

According to a first improvement, the middle area comprises one or several portion(s) of the knurls.

According to different improvements:

- the portion(s) is continuous or

- the portion(s) is interrupted.

According to a second embodiment, the stopper further comprises three tongues, the tongues being shaped alike the knurls.

Brief description of the Drawings

The invention can be better understood on reading the following description given merely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective rear view of a stopper according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic lateral view of the stopper of the figure 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic top view of the stopper of the figure 1 ;

FIG 4 is a diagrammatic rear view of the stopper of the figure 1 ;

FIG 5 is a diagrammatic rear view of the stopper according to an improvement of the first embodiment;

FIG 6 is a diagrammatic perspective rear view of a stopper according to a second embodiment;

FIG 7 is a diagrammatic top view of the stopper of the figure 6;

FIG 8 is a diagrammatic rear view of the stopper of the figure 6;

FIG 9 is a diagrammatic rear view of the stopper according to a first improvement of the second embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic lateral view of the stopper according to the first embodiment, into an opened secured position of the closure shell;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic lateral view of the stopper according to the first improvement of the second embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic rear view of the stopper according to a second improvement of the second embodiment; and

FIG 13 is a diagrammatic rear view of the stopper according to a third improvement of the second embodiment. Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein. The disclosed embodiments are merely examples that may be embodied in various and alternative forms, and combinations thereof. As used herein, for example, exemplary, and similar terms, refer expansively to embodiments that serve as an illustration, specimen, model or pattern.

In some instances, well-known components, systems, materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.

Phrasing such as 'configured to' perform a function, including in the claims, can include any or all of being sized, shaped, positioned in the arrangement, and comprising material to perform the function.

Terms indicating quantity, such as ‘first’ or ‘second’ are used for exemplary and explanation purposes and are not intended to dictate the specific ordering of a component with respect to other components. Terms indicating position such as ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ or ‘front’ and ‘back’ are used to indicate components relation to one another. One of skill in the art would recognize other configurations are possible.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein. The described embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations of implementations set for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Variations, modifications, and combinations may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. All such variations, modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of this disclosure and the claims.

The invention relates to a stopper 1 for closing an aperture of a bottle neck.

The stopper 1 is made of a plastic material. The stopper 1 globally has a tubular shape. The stopper 1 is made of one or several plastic piece(s). Especially the stopper 1 is integrally made of one plastic piece by a molding fabrication step. Other parts or elements of the stopper 1 can be created into the plastic piece through a cutting or slitting step during the manufacturing process.

The stopper 1 comprises a closure shell 2 and a tamper band 4. The closure shell 2 and the tamper band 4 are linked together, the tamper band 4 being top connected around the bottom of the closure shell 2.

Especially the stopper 1 comprises a weakness line 6 with bridges 8. The bridges 8 separably link a bottom edge of the closure shell 2 and a top edge of the tamper band 4. The bridges 8 are distributed almost all along the weakness line 6, regularly or not. The bridges 8 are torn until they break when opening the closure shell 2. the bridges 8 are made during the molding step or after through a cutting or slitting step of the weakness line 6.

At a bottom part the tamper band 4 internally comprises retaining features. The retaining features secure the stopper 1 when sealing the bottle neck. The retaining features can form a collar. Usually, after the collar is inverted inside the tamper band, in bottle sealing the collar locks the tamper band 4 and the entire stopper 1 against a tamper evident ring outwardly located around the bottle neck. The retaining features can also be an inner bead, made when molding, that do not need to be inverted like the collar.

The stopper 1 further comprises knurls 18. The knurls 18 are distributed around a peripheral wall of the closure shell 2. The knurls 18 are distributed around the stopper 1 in a regularly way or not. The knurls 18 are almost vertically or vertically orientated. Two adjacent knurls 18 are regularly spaced apart.

The knurls 18 are almost identical and have the same shape, the same dimensions (height, width and thickness). Some knurls 18 can be shorter or less high, in order to position the stopper 1 relative to the tool thanks to typically a vision system.

Such knurls 18 are designed to cooperate with a tool, also called “capping chuck”, used to apply the stopper on the bottle neck. Especially the tool comprises inner complementary grooves and is shaped to engage the stopper 1 from top to bottom. When the stopper 1 is engaged into the tool, the cooperation between the knurls 18 and the grooves block any angularly free movement of the stopper 1. So when rotating the tool or the bottle neck, the stopper 1 is screwed on a bottle neck in order to seal the aperture, until the retaining features of the tamper band 4 engages with the ring of the bottle neck.

According to an embodiment, the stopper 1 can be a screw type stopper. The stopper 1 comprises inner thread(s). The inner thread(s) are located on the closure shell 2 (and/or eventually on the tamper band 4). The inner thread(s) are complementary shaped to cooperate by screwing and unscrewing with outer thread(s) located around a peripheral wall of the bottle neck. So when sealing the bottle neck, the stopper 1 is screwed, until the retaining features of the tamper band 4 engage with the outer ring of the bottle neck. Reversely when opening, the stopper 1 is unscrewed until the bridges 8 of the weakness line 6 are broken, then the closure shell 2 can be moved from the bottle neck.

The closure shell 2 is typically not removable from the rest of the stopper 1 , especially from the tamper band 4. Therefore, the stopper 1 comprises at least two hinges 10. The hinges 10 are top attached to the closure shell 2 and bottom attached to the tamper band 4. Hence, when opening, the closure shell 2 stays attached to the tamper band 4 through the hinges 10, the tamper band 4 being secured on the bottle neck through its retaining features. Moreover, the weakness line 6 extends along all the periphery of the stopper 1, except along the hinges 10. So the stopper 1 combines a screw type with a snap movable closure shell 2.

According to another embodiment, the stopper 1 can be of a snap type, without thread(s) but with inner retaining features of the closure shell 2 and/or of the roof, which is movable through the hinges 10.

The stopper 1 comprises at least one gap 12. The at least one gap 12 is located between the two hinges 10. So the two hinges 10 are spaced apart and the gap 12 is located on a side of each hinge facing the other hinge 10. Moreover, the gap 12 has a shape with a middle area 22. According to different embodiments, the gap 12 has a “U” shape like, an inverted “U” shape, an Ή” shape or a double “I” shape.

According to a preferred embodiment, the gap has an inverted “U” shape. The inverted “U” shape gap also comprises a slit 14. The slit 14 is managed into a horizontal part of the inverted “U” shape of the gap 12. The gap 12 also comprises two vertical or almost vertical parts, which are laterally located.

The stopper 1 also comprises one or several tongue(s) 16. The tongue(s) 16 is protruding relative to a peripheral border of a top roof of the closure shell 2. The tongue(s) 16 is almost aligned with the surface of the roof. So the tongue(s) 16 outwardly and laterally extends from the roof. Moreover, the tongue(s) 16 is located over the gap 12, especially over the middle area 22, and so over the slit 14. The tongue(s) 16 is shaped to cooperate with the gap 12, especially with the outer surface of the middle area 22, in order to secure the closure shell 2 in an opened position. Especially the protruding shape of the tongue(s) 16 relative to the roof of the closure shell 2, allows the tongue(s) 16 to cooperate below the slit 14 against the middle area 22 until the closure shell 2 comes into a totally opened position blocked into an angular position, more than 180° relative to its closure position. In other words, the folding of the hinges 10 combined with the cooperation of the tongue(s) confer a bistable position of the closure shell 2, especially into the opening position.

The stopper 1 according to the invention has specifically shaped tongue(s) 16 in order to allow the stopper 1 to be freely and easily inserted into the tool when sealing the bottle neck. Therefore, the tongue(s) is shaped alike one of the knurls 18. In other words, as the tongue(s)

16 is exactly dimensioned as the knurls 18, the tongue(s) 16 perfectly fits with the inner grooves of the tool, when the stopper 1 is engage therein. The tool can be similar to a normal one, as the tool is symmetrical relative to a center point. Moreover, the tool and the stopper 1 can be engaged together whatever the angularly position relative from one to each other.

According to an embodiment, the knurls 18 has a width and the tongue(s) 16 has a width, the width of the tongue(s) is almost the same as the width of the knurls 18. So the tongue(s) 16 has almost the same width as the knurls. In other words, each tongue 16 has the same or less angular length than a knurl 18. So the tongue(s) 16 can insert into the grooves of the tool.

According to an embodiment, the knurls 18 has a thickness and the tongue(s) 16 has thickness, the thickness of the tongue(s) 16 is almost the same as the thickness of the knurls 18. So the tongue(s) 16 has almost the same thickness as the knurls 18. In other words, each tongue 16 has the same or less radial length than a knurl 18. So the tongue(s) 16 can insert into the grooves of the tool.

As the tongue(s) 16 is located at the top edge of the stopper 1 in an aligned way with the surface of the roof, with the gap 12 and the slit 14 just underneath, the tongue(s) 16 has a smaller height than the knurls 18. The expression “almost” relating to above dimensions is considered as strictly identical or a little bit more or less depending on the required space to engage the tool when sealing the stopper 1 on the bottle neck. For example, the spacing can be approximately between 0.05mm to 1 mm.

According to a first embodiment, as shown in figures 1 to 4, the stopper 1 comprises only one tongue 16. As especially visible on figure 1 and 4, the one tongue 16 is centered relative to the gap 12. So the one tongue 16 is located at the most distal point relative to the center of the stopper 1.

According to another embodiment, not shown, the tongue 16 can be located at another angular position, as the one tongue 16 is still located over the slit 14.

According to an improvement, as previously mentioned, when the stopper 1 comprises two hinges with the gap 12 located between the two hinges 10, the inverted “U” shape of the gap 12 comprises a middle area 22 under the slit 14. So such middle area 22 is connected to the tamper band 4 and the top edge cooperates with the tongue(s) 16 to secured the closure shell 2 into the open position. In order to avoid any break or damage of the tongue(s) 16 when the tool is engaged on the stopper 1 , the middle area 22 comprises one or several portion(s) 20 of the knurls 18. The portion(s) 20 is vertically aligned with the tongue(s) 16. So the forces applied by the grooves of the tool on the tongue(s) 16 are also distributed to the portion(s) 20.

According to a first improvement, the top end of the tongue(s) 16 cooperates with a top edge of the portion(s) 20 to secure the closure shell 2 into the opened position. So the portion(s) 20 is located on a bottom portion of the middle area 22, under the contact surface of the end of the tongue(s) 16 in the opened position. Such improvement is shown in figure 11. Such first improvement can be combined with the first embodiment such as shown in figure 5, or the second embodiment, such as shown in figure 9. According to a second improvement, the bottom end of the tongue(s) 16 cooperates with a bottom edge of the portion(s) 20 to secure the closure shell 2 into the opened position.

So the portion(s) 20 is located on a top portion of the middle area 22, over the contact surface of the end of the tongue(s) 16 in the opened position. Such second improvement can be combined with the first embodiment or the second embodiment, such as shown in figure 12.

According to an improvement, the portion(s) 20 are continuous. So, depending of the length or height of the portion(s) 20 and/or their location, the tongue(s) 16 cooperates with the top edge, the bottom edge or the outer surface of the portion(s) 20.

According to a third improvement, the portion(s) 20 are interrupted. So the portion(s) 20 has a top part and a bottom part vertically spaced, so that the end of the tongue(s) 16 cooperates into the interruption of the portion(s) 20. Such third improvement can be combined with the first embodiment or the second embodiment, such as shown in figure 13.

According to a modification of the first embodiment, as shown in figure 5, the stopper 1 comprises one tongue 16 and the middle area 22 comprises one portion 20 of one knurl 18. The one tongue 16 and the one portion 20 are vertically aligned.

According to a second embodiment, as shown in figures 6 to 8, the stopper 1 comprises three tongue(s) 16.

According to an improvement of the second embodiment, as shown in figure 9, the stopper 1 comprises three portions 20. Each of the three portions 20 is located and vertically aligned under each of the three tongues 16.

According to other embodiments, not shown, the stopper 1 comprises less or more portions 20 and correspondent tongues 16.

Claims

CLAIMS The invention claimed is:

1. A plastic stopper, comprising

- at least one tongue that extends outwardly and laterally from the roof, the tongue being located over the middle area of the gap; and

- knurls distributed around a peripheral wall of the closure shell; wherein the tongue is shaped alike one of the knurls.

2. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the gap has an inverted “U” shape.

3. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the gap has a “U” shape.

4. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the gap has an Ή” shape.

5. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the gap has a double “I” shape.

6. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tongue has approximately a same width as the knurls.

7. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tongue has almost a same thickness as the knurls.

8. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, wherein the middle area comprises at least one portion of the knurls.

9. Plastic stopper according to claim 8, wherein the portion is continuous.

10. Plastic stopper according to claim 8, wherein the middle area comprises multiple portions wherein each of the portions is continuous.

11. Plastic stopper according to claim 8, wherein the portion is interrupted.

12. Plastic stopper according to claim 1, further comprising three tongues, the tongues being shaped alike the knurls.