ES2267415B1 - PLUG WITH FLAT COVER FOR BOTTLES AND SIMILAR EQUIPPED WITH A FLAT COVER SEAL DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Cap with folding lid for bottles and the like equipped with a sealing device for the folding lid, comprising a main body (1) attachable to a bottle neck, a folding lid (3) attached to the main body (1) by a joint hinge and a cover seal device (3) in its collapsed position. The sealing device is formed by an opening provided in the main body (1) and a tongue (6) attached to the cover (3) by means of a breakable joint. The tongue (6) is inserted through its end in the opening and has unidirectional retention means that prevent its exit from the opening. Under the opening a free space (9) is reserved in which the tongue (6) falls by gravity after separating from the cover (3) when the breakable joint is broken as a result of a first lifting of the cover (3).

Description

Cap with folding lid for bottles and similar equipped with a cover seal device foldable

Field of the Invention

The invention is in the field of plugs applicable to similar bottles and containers, especially Plastic bottles and containers for packaged products.

More specifically, the invention relates to a cap with hinged lid for bottles and the like equipped with a flip cover seal device, said plug being molded in a plastic material and comprising a body main that has an exterior wall suitable for coupling externally to a bottle neck, a flip top attached to said main body by means of a hinge joint and a sealing device that seals said flip cover in its initial position folded on said main body.

Normally, plugs of this type have two seals: a first seal to seal the joint of the cap with the bottle or container and a second seal to seal the position collapsible cover flip over the main body of the cap. These two seals guarantee the consumer that the product Packaged in the bottle or container has been kept under seal. The invention refers exclusively to the second seal, i.e. seal that seals the collapsed position of the lid on the body main plug.

In this type of caps, the flip top It allows the consumer to open and close the cap without needing Remove it from the bottle. These plugs are mainly used, although not exclusively, in small plastic bottles or medium format containing a drink, such as water mineral or fruit juice, and which are intended to be used to canteen mode.

State of the art

In known caps of this type, the lid seal system in its collapsed position on the main body of the cap typically consists of a plastic film that wraps all or part of the cap together with a part of the main body of the cap. To open the lid for the first time, the consumer must break the plastic film. A similar solution is also known that consists of a strip of seal interposed between the lid and the main body and that must be removed by the consumer by stretching
she.

These known solutions have the disadvantage that it is not easy to remove the seal with one hand, that is, with the same hand that holds the bottle. Another drawback presented by these solutions is that once the seal has been removed, it constitutes a cumbersome waste. In addition, the removed seal is usually a small piece that can be dangerous for short children.
age.

The problem posed then consists in obtaining a plug that allows the consumer to more easily carry out the first lifting of the flip top, which comprises the breakage of the seal, using the same hand that holds the bottle. A secondary problem is to prevent the cover seal, after said first survey, it constitutes a waste cumbersome

Summary of the invention

The invention aims to provide a cap of the type indicated at the beginning, which allows the consumer break the lid seal by acting with a simple gesture on said cover, and preferably without separating from the cap any piece that constitutes a waste. Another purpose of the cap according to invention is that the folding lid seal system complies with the requirements of being robust, before the first survey of the lid, and then betray, clearly visible to the consumer, that said first survey has taken place.

This purpose is achieved by a plug of the type indicated at the beginning, characterized in that the device flip cover seal is formed by an opening provided on the main body and a tongue attached to the flip top by means of a breakable joint, said tongue being inserted by its end in said opening and being provided with means of unidirectional retention that prevents its exit from said opening, and because under that opening a free space has been reserved in the which said tongue is free to fall by gravity, after separating from said flip-down lid for breaking said breakable joint, reaching A fallen position.

In the cap according to the invention, the seal of the flip lid is broken simply at the moment the user lifts said lid for the first time. In effect, when exercising a lifting force on the lid, the consumer causes the breakage of the breakable joint between the tongue and the lid, due to that the tongue is retained in the opening by the means of one way retention. After the breakage of said union breakable, the flip top is free to continue its movement of lifting, while the tongue, to be released from the flip top, falls by gravity through the opening and reaches A fallen position. When the cover is folded down again on the main body, the fallen position of the tongue gives way permanent that there has been a first lifting of the lid. On the other hand, it will be observed that the tongue, when falling into the opening and reaching its fallen position, does not separate from the plug.

Preferably, said opening is provided in an upper flange of the outer wall of the main body of the stopper and said free space, in which the tongue is free of fall by gravity after separating from the flip top, is comprised in a narrow band that corresponds to a space interstitial between said outer wall of the main body and the outer wall of a bottle neck when said outer wall is coupled to said bottle neck. This setting is particularly advantageous, since it allows the invention to be applied without modify the outer contour of the existing plugs. In In particular, it has the advantage that the contour is not modified exterior of the exterior wall of the main body of the cap, with which avoids a modification of the encapsulation installation Automatic bottle caps, which you typically use cap hold means adjusted to said contour Exterior. In an advantageous embodiment, said outer wall is cylindrical and presents on its inner face a filleting that defines said interstitial space, said free space being the space between said filleting and said opening. That is to say that the invention is advantageously applied to cylindrical plugs that are screwed on a bottle neck, also cylindrical, taking advantage of the space defined by the thickness of the filleting to place in said space free in which the tongue is free to fall by gravity.

Preferably, the cap according to the invention it includes stop means that limit the path of said tab along said free space and define the position drop of said tongue, so that in said position dropped said tongue is retained in said main body. In this way, the tongue drop position is properly predefined. In addition, the tongue is caught by the retention means unidirectional and by said means of stop, which keeps attached to the main body of the cap even in case the cap separate from the bottleneck.

In an advantageous embodiment, said abutment means comprise a flap that is provided on said tongue and which abuts against the edge of said opening in the fallen position of said tongue. Preferably, the upper edge of the outer wall of the main body of the cap has, in front of said opening, a step defining a recessed section of said upper edge, and said flap extends from the front face of the tongue and abuts against said lowered section when the tongue falls by gravity in said free space, said fin having a width corresponding to the height of said step. Thus, the tongue is well seated in its fallen position and, in addition, the upper face of the fin is flush with the upper edge of the outer wall of the main body, thereby preventing protruding parts that may be disturbing the consumer or facilitate a deterioration of the mechanism. Preferably, the rear face of the tongue, opposite the outer wall of the main body, and the rear edge of said opening, facing said rear face of the tongue, are configured so that they are against each other in the fallen position of said tongue. In this way it is avoided that the tongue, in its fallen position, can pivot and slide all of it inside the opening, whereby it could fall out of the cap if it separated from the neck of the
bottle.

In a preferred embodiment, which results particularly effective and robust, the opening has a shape oblong extending in the longitudinal direction of the flange upper of the outer wall, the tongue 6 has a trunk main whose shape, in section, conforms to the shape of the opening 5, and the unidirectional retention means are formed by projections that project from the lateral sides of said main trunk of the tongue.

The invention also includes a form of embodiment in which the lifting of the hinged lid, including the first survey with the consequent breakage of the seal, is done by pressing with your finger on the lid. In bliss embodiment, the flip cover has on its outer wall an area as a push button suitable for moving with respect to said main body under the thrust of a user's finger and the tongue is attached through the breakable joint to said zone to push button mode Preferably, the main body of the cap it has an inclined face that extends towards the center of the stopper moving away from the plane of said opening, and said area by way button has a song that slides over said face inclined This solution is particularly advantageous, because for open the flip lid the consumer just press laterally on said area as a push button, being able to do so with the thumb of the same hand with which it holds the bottle. The push button zone thus initiates a lateral movement towards the center of the plug, and when sliding along a edge over said face inclined its movement acquires a vertical component that causes the breakage of the breakable joint between the lid and the tongue.

Preferably, the main body of the cap it has a colored area in front of said opening covered by said tongue in the initial position of said tongue and that is visible in the fallen position of said tongue. Thanks to this solution, the passage of the tongue from its position initial to its fallen position, which betrays a first opening of the lid, is particularly visible to the consumer. In a advantageous solution, which combines a good robustness of the mechanism and adequate visibility of the colored area, the tongue has on its upper side, opposite to said opening, teeth and breakable bridges that are attached to said flip top and that they constitute said breakable joint, and said colored zone in the main body extends in front of these teeth but not in front to those breakable bridges.

Brief description of the drawings

Other advantages and features of the invention they can be seen from the following description in which, without no limitation, preferential forms of embodiment of the invention mentioning the drawings that are accompany. The figures show:

Figure 1, a top perspective view of a first embodiment of the cap according to the invention, in the position in which it comes out of mold, with the flip lid lifted and before being incorporated into the neck of a bottle;

Figure 2, a rear view corresponding to the Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4, partial views of the Figure 1 showing, respectively, the area of the flip top provided with the tongue and the main body area provided with the corresponding opening;

Figure 5, a partial perspective view lower corresponding to Figure 1, which shows the area of the main body provided with the opening;

Figure 6, a partial front view corresponding to Figure 1, which shows the area of the body principal provided with the opening;

Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 views in perspective, back, side, front and top, respectively, of the tongue shown separately;

Figure 12, a sectional side view of the plug of Figure 1, in the position prior to incorporation into the neck of a bottle, with the lid down;

Figure 13, a partial perspective view of Figure 12, showing the area of the opening with the tongue introduced into it;

Figure 14, a view analogous to Figure 12, which shows the cap incorporated to the neck of a bottle and with the tongue in the fallen position, that is, giving away a first lifting the flip top;

Figure 15, a partial perspective view of Figure 14, showing the area of the opening with the tongue introduced into it;

Figure 16; a view analogous to Figure 4, which shows a second embodiment of the cap according to the invention in which the main body is provided with an area colored that more effectively betrays the fallen position of the tongue;

Figure 17, a front view of the cap of the Figure 16, showing the cap incorporated into the neck of a bottle and with the tongue in the fallen position, that is, giving away a First lifting of the flip top.

Detailed description of some embodiments of the invention

The first embodiment illustrated in the Figures 1 to 15 correspond to an injected plastic plug of a single piece, intended to be incorporated into the neck of a bottle, also of plastic, of small formed. The cap is of one piece and comprises a main body 1 and a flip top 3 attached to the main body by a thin bridge 4 that makes hinge binding functions.

The main body 1 has a wall cylindrical exterior 2 equipped with an internal filleting 13 because the which is screwed on the neck 12 of a bottle, in a process of Automatic encapsulation of bottles in series. As can be seen in Figure 12, the main body 1 consists of a lower ring 21 intended to be embedded in the neck 12 to constitute a bottom seal for connection to the neck 12. This seal solution Bottom is known and not part of the invention. The invention refers to the flip cover seal device 3, which serves to seal the flip cover 3 in its initial position down on the main body 1 and betray a first lifting of said lid, as will be seen below.

The flip cover seal device 3 it is formed by an opening 5 provided in the upper flange 10 of the main body 1 and a tongue 6 attached to the flip cover 3 through a breakable joint consisting of breakable bridges 7. The opening 5 has a curved oblong shape that extends in the longitudinal direction of the upper flange 10. The tab 6 It has a main trunk whose shape, in section, conforms to the shape of the opening 5, and which is provided with projections 8 which they project from their lateral sides and a frontal fin 16 It extends from its front face.

The cap comes out of the injection mold with the lid folding 3 in raised position, as shown in the Figures 1 to 6. Subsequently, the folding lid is folded down 3 on the main body 1, whereby the cap is in the position represents in Figures 12 and 13. This is the position that It has the plug when supplied to an encapsulating installation Automatic bottles In this position, the tongue 6 is introduced by its end in the opening 5 and is enclosed in it by the protrusions 8, which constitute unidirectional retention means that prevent said tongue 6 it can exit superiorly through said opening 5. Indeed, when the tongue 6 is stretched upwards by lifting the flip lid 3, the protrusions 8 are supported under the lateral edges of the opening 5, preventing the tongue 6 from leaving the opening 5. Under the opening 5 a free space 9 has been reserved comprised in a narrow band that corresponds to interstitial space 11 between the outer wall 2 of the main body 1 and the outer wall of the bottle neck 12, as can be seen in Figures 14 and 15 illustrating the cap mounted on the bottle neck 12. This interstitial space 11 is between filleting 13 of the inner face of outer wall 2 and opening 5.

When a user first lifts the flip cover 3, causes the breakage of the bridges 7, because the tongue 6 is retained in the opening 5 by the protrusions 8. Then the tongue 6 falls by gravity in the free space 9 and comes butt by its front flap 16 against the upper edge of the outer wall 2. The front flap 16 thus constitutes a means stops that limit the travel of the tongue 6 along the free space 9 and thus define a fallen position of said tongue 6. This fallen position of the tongue 6, which betrays a first lifting the flip lid 3, is the one illustrated in the Figures 14 and 15. In said fallen position, the front flap 16 remains flush with the upper edge of the outer wall 2, because the latter presents, in front of the opening 5, a step 14, of height corresponding to the width of fin 16, which defines a lowered section 15 against which fin 16 comes to a stop.

Figures 7 to 11 illustrate in detail the tongue geometry 6. As can be seen, on the upper face three teeth 20 that frame two are provided with the tongue breakable bridges 7 of connection with the flip cover 3.

In case the user removes the cap from the neck 12, the tongue 6 is retained in the main body 1, in its fallen position in the opening 5, thanks to the face rear of the tongue 6, opposite the outer wall 2, and the edge rear of the opening 5, facing said rear face of the tab 6, are configured so that they meet one against another in said position fallen from the tongue 6. To do this, in the rear edge of the opening 5 has been provided with a lip 22 which extends downward and on which the central tooth rests 20 protruding from the upper face of the tongue 6.

Moreover, on the outer wall of the lid folding 3 a clear area has been reserved as a push-button 17 Suitable to receive a user's finger. The lower edge of bliss push button area 17 rests against an inclined face 18 provided in main body 1 and extending towards the center of the cap away from the plane of the opening 5. To lift the flip lid 3, a user pushes zone 17 with a finger, which moves towards the center of the plug due to deformation thanks to the Small wall thickness than the shape. Due to the inclination of face 18, the initial movement of the lid 3 has a component vertical that easily causes the bridges to break 7. Thank you to this lid lifting system, which functions as a button, the user can lift the lid 3 with a simple gesture of the thumb of the same hand with which he holds the bottle.

Figures 16 and 17 represent a second embodiment that betrays in a more visible way that has produced the first lift of the lid 3, thanks to the main body 1 has, in front of the opening 5, an area colored 19, that is to say a different color than the rest of the cap, which is covered by tongue 6 in the initial position of the same, but that is visible in its fallen position. In this exemplary embodiment, the colored zone 19 has a shape with three legs that extend in front of the teeth 20, between the breakable bridges 7, so that said legs are covered by said teeth 20 in the initial position of the lid 3. How can seen in Figure 17, in the fallen position of the tongue 6, is say after a first lift of the lid 3, they are The three colored legs of zone 19 are clearly visible.

Claims (12)

1. Cap with a collapsible lid for bottles and the like equipped with a sealing device for the collapsible lid, said cap being molded in a plastic material and comprising a main body (1) having an outer wall (2) suitable to be externally coupled to a bottle neck (12), a flip cover (3) attached to said main body (1) by means of a hinge joint (4) and a sealing device that seals said flip cover (3) in its collapsed initial position on said main body (1), characterized in that said folding cover seal device (3) is formed by an opening (5) provided in said main body (1) and a tongue (6) attached to said folding cover (3 ) by means of a breakable joint (7), said tongue (6) being inserted at its opening in said opening (5) and being provided with unidirectional retention means (8) preventing its exit from said opening (5), and because under said opening (5) it has been re Served a free space (9) in which said tongue (6) is free to fall by gravity, after being separated from said collapsible cover (3) by breaking said breakable joint (7), reaching a fallen position. 2. Cap according to claim 1, characterized in that said opening (5) is provided on an upper flange (10) of said outer wall (2) of the main body (1) and said free space (9), in which said tongue (6) is free to fall by gravity after separating from said flip cover (3), is comprised in a narrow band corresponding to an interstitial space (11) between said outer wall (2) of the main body (1) and the wall exterior of a bottle neck (12) when said outer wall (2) is coupled to said bottle neck (12). 3. Cap according to claim 2, characterized in that said outer wall (2) is cylindrical and has a filleting (13) on its inner face defining said interstitial space (11), said free space (9) being the space between said filleting (13) and said opening (5). 4. Cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises stop means (16) that limit the travel of said tongue (5) along said free space (9) and define the fallen position of said tongue (6), so that in said fallen position said tongue (6) is retained in said main body (1). 5. Cap according to claim 4, characterized in that said stop means comprise a flap (16) provided in said tab (6), said flap (10) butt coming against the edge of said opening (5) in the fallen position of said tab (6). 6. Cap according to claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the upper edge of said outer wall (2) has a step (14) facing said opening (14) defining a recessed section (15) of said upper edge, and because said fin (16) extends from the front face of said tongue (6) and comes into abutment against said recessed section (15) when said tongue (6) falls by gravity in said free space (9), said fin (16) presenting ) a width corresponding to the height of said step (14). 7. Cap according to claim 6, characterized in that the rear face of said tongue (6), opposite said outer wall (2) of the main body (1), and the rear edge of said opening (5), facing said face rear of the tongue, are configured so that they are against each other in the fallen position of said tongue (6). 8. Cap according to any of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that said opening (5) has an oblong shape extending in the longitudinal direction of said upper flange (10) of the outer wall (2), said tab 6 has a main trunk whose shape, in section, conforms to the shape of said opening 5, and said unidirectional retention means are formed by projections (8) projecting from the lateral sides of said main trunk of the tongue (6). 9. Cap according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said flip cover (3) has on its outer wall a push-button area (17) suitable to move with respect to said main body (1) under the thrust of the a user's finger and said tongue (6) is connected through said breakable joint (7) to said area as a push button (17). 10. Cap according to claim 9, characterized in that said main body (1) has an inclined face (18) extending towards the center of the cap away from the plane of said opening (5), and said push-button area (17 ) has a song that slides over said inclined face (18). 11. Cap according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said main body (1) has a colored area (19) facing said opening (19) that is covered by said tongue (6) in the initial position of said tongue (6) and that is visible in the fallen position of said tongue (6). 12. Cap according to claim 11, characterized in that said tongue (6) has on its upper side, opposite said opening (5), teeth (20) and breakable bridges (7) that are attached to said flip cover (3 ) and which constitute said breakable joint, and said colored zone (19) in the main body (1) extends in front of said teeth (20) but not in front of said breakable bridges (7).