EP4282772A1 - Procédé de production d'un ensemble de fermeture et ensemble de fermeture ainsi obtenu - Google Patents

Procédé de production d'un ensemble de fermeture et ensemble de fermeture ainsi obtenu Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4282772A1
EP4282772A1 EP22175732.1A EP22175732A EP4282772A1 EP 4282772 A1 EP4282772 A1 EP 4282772A1 EP 22175732 A EP22175732 A EP 22175732A EP 4282772 A1 EP4282772 A1 EP 4282772A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
closure assembly
flexible membrane
mould
collar
container
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.)
Pending
Application number
EP22175732.1A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Daniele RAVASIO
Roberto TANZI
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.)
RT Holding Srl
Original Assignee
RT Holding 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 RT Holding Srl filed Critical RT Holding Srl
Priority to EP22175732.1A priority Critical patent/EP4282772A1/fr
Publication of EP4282772A1 publication Critical patent/EP4282772A1/fr
Pending 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
    • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D51/18—Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures
    • B65D51/20—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing
    • B65D51/22—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing having means for piercing, cutting, or tearing the inner closure
    • B65D51/228—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing having means for piercing, cutting, or tearing the inner closure a major part of the inner closure being removed from the container after the opening
    • 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
    • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
    • B65D47/04—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps
    • B65D47/06—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages
    • B65D47/08—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures
    • B65D47/0804—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures integrally formed with the base element provided with the spout or discharge passage
    • B65D47/0833—Hinges without elastic bias
    • B65D47/0838—Hinges without elastic bias located at an edge of the base element

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a closure assembly for a container, in particular a container filled or fillable with a food product, even more particular a container filled or fillable with a solid food product. It should be appreciable that, although preferably conceived for closing food containers, the closure assembly of the present invention can suitably be used also for animal feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, and agrochemical product containers.
  • solid or pourable food products such as coffee, tea, or instant preparations, such as instant milk, soluble barley, instant chocolate, infant formula, flour, sugar, and nutritional supplements, such as protein or dietary supplements, or also fruit juice, milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc.
  • container items such as composite packages, bottles, jars, cans and the like.
  • Containers formed of plastic and/or metal are often used to store and sell various granular products, particularly in the industrial food and pharmaceutical sectors.
  • Some containers may include a lid or closure such that the container can be repeatedly opened and closed.
  • One problem often associated with such containers is leakage of the product from the container. Such leakage typically occurs in the area around the closure.
  • a lid or closure does not provide an adequate seal, contaminants can more readily be introduced into the product stored in the container, resulting in spoilage or other deleterious effects.
  • some containers include resealable lids which a user can open and close to access product contained within the container, many of these lids do not provide a sufficiently secure seal.
  • US 4,171,084 shows a closure for a container having an outer ring with a central opening that is closed by a laminate sheet.
  • the ring includes an upper circular portion and vertically positioned skirt portion. The two portions surround the top and outside edge of the rim of the container.
  • the laminate sheet is secured between the bottom surface of the upper ring portion and the upper edge of the container rim.
  • the laminate is sealed to both the ring and container rim by induction heating. Opening the container by removal of the ring causes a separation of the laminate from the rim of the container.
  • US 4,359,169 shows a closure for a container having a membrane sealed between the underside surface of the outer peripheral edge of the closure and the top surface of the rim of the container.
  • the closure includes a pivotable inner member surrounded by an outer ring member.
  • the pivotable member includes a rim having a downwardly projecting flange that is sealed to the membrane. As the pivotable member is lifted, the membrane tears adjacent the flange and a central portion of the membrane is carried by the member.
  • US 3,892,351 and US 3,973,719 show a container with a membrane thermoseal attached to the upper surface of the container rim.
  • An overcap is provided on an underside surface with a pattern of heat deformable ribs that engage the edge of the membrane in the area of the container rim.
  • An RF source is used to heat a conductive portion of the membrane to create a seal with the rim while simultaneously heating the ribs. The heated ribs conform to the surface of the membrane.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a closure that is cheaper than those that are currently on the market, as well as more environmentally sustainable and easily recyclable.
  • closure assembly of the invention allows to satisfactorily preserve the container's content, at the same time giving the consumer an easy opening and an easy handling.
  • the present invention relates to an improved closure assembly comprising:
  • FIG. 2 an embodiment of a closure assembly 10 of the present invention is shown, in a top view ( Fig. 2A ), in a top perspective view ( Fig. 2B ), in a lateral view ( Fig. 2C ), in a bottom perspective view ( Fig. 2D ), and in a bottom view ( Fig. 2E ).
  • the closure assembly 10 is intended for use in closing a container, not shown.
  • the closure assembly 10 includes a collar 12 having a central opening 14.
  • a lid 16, such as the one shown in Fig. 1 can releasably engage collar 12, so that lid 16 covers central opening 14.
  • the lid 16 is pivotally attached to collar 12, so that lid 16 can pivot between an open position, where a bottom surface 18 of the lid 16 is disengaged from collar 12, and a closed position, where the bottom surface 18 of lid 16 engages collar 12 and lid 16 covers central opening 14.
  • Lid 16 is seen in an open position in Fig. 3 .
  • lid 16 and collar 12 are pivotally connected via hinge structure, such as "flip-top" closure type or via living hinge 13.
  • lid 16 and collar 12 are two separate pieces, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 , and lid 16 can be press fit onto collar 12 by the user to engage collar 12 with lid 16 and place lid 16 in a closed position.
  • the shape of collar 12 and lid 16 is complementary to the shape of container.
  • collar 12 and lid 16 can have a generally circular shape.
  • collar 12 and lid 16 can be manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes, including round, elliptical, oval, square, rectangular, hexagonal, etc.
  • the shape of collar 12 and lid 16 is complementary to the shape of container, said shape being elliptical or essentially elliptical, as exemplary shown in the top and bottom views provided in the Figures.
  • lid 16 can be pivotally attached to collar 12 (such as by a living hinge 13), or lid 16 and collar 12 can be two separate pieces, lid 16 being press fit onto collar 12 to engage lid 16 with collar 12 and place the lid 16 in a closed position.
  • the shape of the upper end of the container can be complementary to the shape of the collar 12 and the lid 16, and the remainder of the container can have a different shape.
  • Collar 12 is configured to engage and connect to a container.
  • the container typically has an open upper end.
  • Closure assembly 10 can be configured such that when collar 12 is connected to container, the bottom side of the closure assembly 10 facing and fitting the open upper end of the container, the central opening 14 is concentric with said open upper end. As such, when lid 16 is engaged with collar 12 in the closed position, lid 16 can cover both the central opening 14 in collar 12 and said open upper end in the container.
  • the lid 16 engages the collar 12 in the closed position, by simply exerting a pressure on the lid 16.
  • the closure assembly 10 can further include a collar latch element.
  • the collar latch element can be located on an outer surface 27 of collar 12.
  • collar latch element is a latch that can be pivotally attached to collar 12 via mechanical fasteners commonly known in the art, such as bolts or pins.
  • collar latch element is pivotally attached to collar 12 via a living hinge 13, so that collar 12 and collar latch element can be manufactured as one integral piece.
  • the lid latch element can be located on an outer surface 28 of lid 16.
  • Collar latch element is configured to engage lid latch element to secure lid 16 to collar 12 in a closed position.
  • lid latch element is a latch that can be pivotally attached to lid via mechanical fasteners, such as bolts or pins.
  • lid latch element is pivotally attached to lid via a living hinge 13, to secure lid 16 to collar 12 in a closed position.
  • a flexible membrane 30 is partially embedded into the flat annular protrusion 34 of the collar 12.
  • said flexible membrane 30 can serve as both a protective barrier preventing contaminants from reaching the product during shipping and as a tamper evident mechanism indicating that a consumer should not buy or use the product, if flexible membrane 30 has been tampered with or removed. Therefore, advantageously, the closure assembly of the present invention also satisfies the needs of providing an aesthetically appealing container closure, while having tamper evident sealing mechanisms and being easy to use.
  • said flexible membrane 30 is partially embedded into the flat annular protrusion 34 of the collar 12, and is openable by a consumer prior to the first use of the product.
  • Partially embedded means that the flat annular protrusion 34 overlaps and embeds the peripheral surface area of the flexible membrane 30, the latter extending beyond the area of the central opening 14, thus closing the same. Accordingly, with reference to the Figures, the flexible membrane 30 and the central opening 14 coincide, and, as further disclosed below with respect to the process of production, said peripheral surface area is no longer visible once the closure assembly is formed.
  • the central surface area of the flexible membrane 30 matches the central opening 14 in collar 12, closing the same.
  • the flat annular protrusion 34 of the collar 12 overlaps and embeds the peripheral surface area of the flexible membrane 30, insofar as the latter extends beyond the area of the central opening 14 up to the dots 15, included.
  • the flexible membrane 30 extends between the dots 15 and the opening tab 22.
  • the dots 15 are punctual depressions preferably provided on the flat annular protrusion 34 of the collar 12, and deriving from a preferred embodiment of the production process of the closure assembly 10, as will be further detailed below.
  • Flexible membrane 30 can then be removed by a consumer by cutting or pulling the flexible membrane 30 up through central opening 14 in collar 12, thereby giving the consumer access to the contents of container.
  • an opening tab can be provided in order to facilitate the removal by the consumer.
  • Said opening tab can be positioned on the flat annular protrusion 34 or on the flexible membrane 30.
  • Fig. 4A and Fig. 4A' it is depicted a preferred embodiment of said opening tab 22, which is hook-shaped to be easily handled by the consumer.
  • the opening tab 22 is located on the flat annular protrusion 34, projecting upwards therefrom.
  • This embodiment advantageously reduces the time associated with assembling closure 10 during manufacture because opening tab 22 does not have to be connected to collar 12 via a secondary operation (whether manually or through automation).
  • the opening tab 22 projecting from the flat annular protrusion 34 is also advantageously oriented so as to follow cutlines (dotted lines in Fig. 4a') running between the dots 15 and the inner surface 26 of collar 12. Once the opening tab 22 is pulled up and along the cutlines, a strip is torn out around the flexible membrane 30, thus allowing the total romoval of the latter and access to the content of container.
  • a recess 17 is present on the bottom surface 18 of said lid 16, with the aim to house the opening tab 22 of the collar 12, when the closure assembly 10 and the lid 16 are in the closed position.
  • the lid 16 has a bottom surface 18 and a lower perimeter 32.
  • the collar 12 includes a flat annular protrusion 34.
  • lower perimeter 32 can be in mating contact with flat annular protrusion 34.
  • the collar 12 has a peripheral rim having a higher diameter than the collar diameter, thus defining an intermediate lid mating surface.
  • the lid and the collar can be threaded and closed by screwing, if both are of round shape.
  • flat annular protrusion 34 extends laterally inward generally from the inner surface 26 of collar 12, thus defining the area of the central opening 14, as well as the exposed area of the flexible membrane 30. It will be readily apparent that, when lid 16 is in the closed position, flat annular protrusion 34 of collar 12 faces the lower perimeter 32 of the lid 16, and the bottom surface 18 faces the flexible membrane 30.
  • the flexible membrane 30, the collar 12 and the lid 16 are made of the same or different thermoplastic materials.
  • the flexible membrane 30, the collar 12 and the lid 16 are made of the same thermoplastic material, so as to improve the recyclability of the whole closure assembly, as well as to reduce the overall production costs.
  • thermoplastic material is selected from acrylic (PMMA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and mixtures thereof.
  • PMMA acrylic
  • PE polyethylene
  • PP polypropylene
  • PS polystyrene
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • TPE thermoplastic elastomer
  • thermoplastic material is polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
  • the thickeness of the flat annular protrusion 34 is 5 to 30 times the thickness of the flexible membrane 30, preferably 10 to 20 times. These ratios allow the peripheral surface area of the flexible membrane 30 to be excellently embedded into the flat annular protrusion 34, thus improving the tamper evident sealing properties of the closure assembly 10.
  • the thickness of the flexible membrane 30 is 20-150 ⁇ m, more preferably 40-100 ⁇ m, even more preferably 50-80 ⁇ m.
  • the thickeness of the flat annular protrusion 34 is 0,5-2,0 mm, preferably about 1,0 mm.
  • the present invention concerns a process for producing the closure assembly above described.
  • the process for producing the closure assembly comprises the following steps:
  • the mould can be a single-cavity mould or a multi-cavity mould, where a single-cavity mould produces a single closure assembly per cycle, while a multi-cavity mould produces more than one closure assembly per cycle.
  • the mould is a multi-cavity mould having 4-16 cavities, more preferably 6-10 cavities.
  • the number of cavities depends on the size of the closure assembly to be produced: the larger the size, the lower the number of cavities, unless increasing the size of overall mould and injection moulding apparatus.
  • the manipulator positions a number of flexible membranes corresponding the the number of cavities.
  • the mould is provided with punctual protrusions in correspondence of the peripheral surface area of the flexible membrane, assuring the correct positioning and tightening of said flexible membrane in step iii), when the mould closes and the thermoplastic material is injected.
  • said punctual protrusions once the mould closes, fix the peripheral area of the flexible membrane in the position given by the manipulator until the thermoplastic material embeds the same.
  • the presence of said punctual protrusions in the mould results in visible punctual depressions, i.e. dots 15, in the flat annular protrusion 34 of the finished collar 12, as shown in Figg. 2-4.
  • the flexible membranes are charged with static electricity so that, once placed within the mould cavities, they perfectly adhere to the latter, in addition to the tightening effect given by the vacuum system: this allows reducing to a minimum the risks of movement of the flexible membrane during the injection of the thermoplastic material into the mould.
  • the injection cycle starts, the mould closes and the cavities are filled with melted thermoplastic material, thus embedding the peripheral area of the flexible membrane.
  • the single injection-moulded closure assembly having a flexible membrane in-moulded therein can be made of a single thermoplastic material or of at least two types of mixed thermoplastic material or thermoplastic material that are moulded together.
  • the closure assembly is hinged to a lid, so that the mould is designed to produce a single injection-moulded closure assembly having a flexible membrane in-moulded therein and hinged to a lid.
  • the process of the present invention allows the closure assembly to be injection-moulded while partially embedding a flexible membrane, to give a single piece ready to use and easily disposable and recyclable.
  • this process advantageously enables very high printing quality to be maintained or obtained, and particular high resolution graphic effects and images to be reproduced on the flexible membranes, before the same are positioned in the mould. Therefore, also words and/or graphic elements (such as opening instructions) can be printed on the flexible membranes, thus further exploiting the flexible membrane surface for communicating additional information or for aesthetic purposes.
  • the closure assembly can be extracted that no longer needs additional processing before being coupled with the container.
  • the temperature of the mould during the injection is of 180-250°C.
  • step iii) can be performed at high pressure and at 220°C for PP and 180°C for PE to enable the thermoplastic material to flow inside the mould.
  • closure assembly as such or hinged to a lid, as above disclosed, leads to a significant energy saving inasmuch as it uses a single step, rather than at least two distinct steps necessary for producing the collar and then thermosealing the membrane. It is thus financially advantageous in addition to increasing production speed.
  • the closure assembly is further producible at low cost using standard machinery and procedures, ensuring the tightness and recyclability of the whole closure, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the aforementioned US documents.
  • the bi-injection system it is possible to make the closure assembly (with or without lid hinged) in two or more colours, or even in two or more distinct plastics, even though in a single piece.
  • closure assembly at least in the configuration depicted in Figures, provides significant advantages also in logistical terms both in the steps of handling and storage, as being easily stackable.
  • the present invention concerns a closure assembly obtainable by the process of production as above disclosed.
  • the present invention also concerns a closure assembly (10) comprising:
  • the closure assembly of the present invention can suitably be used also for animal feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, and agrochemical product containers, i.e. any time a product should be better sealed and stored for long periods of time.
  • the present invention also concerns to container sealed by the closure assembly 10 as above described, said container being a container for storing food, animal feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, or agrochemical products
  • the closure assembly of the present invention also satisfies the needs of providing an aesthetically appealing container closure, while having tamper evident sealing mechanisms and being easy to use.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP22175732.1A 2022-05-27 2022-05-27 Procédé de production d'un ensemble de fermeture et ensemble de fermeture ainsi obtenu Pending EP4282772A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP22175732.1A EP4282772A1 (fr) 2022-05-27 2022-05-27 Procédé de production d'un ensemble de fermeture et ensemble de fermeture ainsi obtenu

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP22175732.1A EP4282772A1 (fr) 2022-05-27 2022-05-27 Procédé de production d'un ensemble de fermeture et ensemble de fermeture ainsi obtenu

Publications (1)

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EP4282772A1 true EP4282772A1 (fr) 2023-11-29

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EP22175732.1A Pending EP4282772A1 (fr) 2022-05-27 2022-05-27 Procédé de production d'un ensemble de fermeture et ensemble de fermeture ainsi obtenu

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Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3892351A (en) 1974-07-12 1975-07-01 Procter & Gamble Container subassembly having a membrane-type closure
US3973719A (en) 1974-07-12 1976-08-10 The Procter & Gamble Company Container having a membrane-type closure
US4171084A (en) 1978-07-21 1979-10-16 Phillips Petroleum Company Closure assembly and container sealed therewith
US4359169A (en) 1981-08-28 1982-11-16 Container Corporation Of America Container end closure arrangement
WO1998019918A2 (fr) * 1996-11-01 1998-05-14 Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance, S.A. Fermeture a couvercle basculant moulee d'une piece
GB2435467A (en) * 2006-02-24 2007-08-29 Bapco Closures Res Ltd Closure and spout assembly combined with a foil membrane

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3892351A (en) 1974-07-12 1975-07-01 Procter & Gamble Container subassembly having a membrane-type closure
US3973719A (en) 1974-07-12 1976-08-10 The Procter & Gamble Company Container having a membrane-type closure
US4171084A (en) 1978-07-21 1979-10-16 Phillips Petroleum Company Closure assembly and container sealed therewith
US4359169A (en) 1981-08-28 1982-11-16 Container Corporation Of America Container end closure arrangement
WO1998019918A2 (fr) * 1996-11-01 1998-05-14 Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance, S.A. Fermeture a couvercle basculant moulee d'une piece
GB2435467A (en) * 2006-02-24 2007-08-29 Bapco Closures Res Ltd Closure and spout assembly combined with a foil membrane

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