ES2911700T3 - Cap with double security element for the neck of a container, system that includes said cap and a container and a method for manufacturing said cap - Google Patents

Abstract

Screw cap (1) for a neck (2) of a container (3), preferably a bottle, comprising an upper part (4) that can be removed from the neck (2) and a lower part (5) that cannot be removed of the neck (2), said non-removable lower part (5) being a security band (TEB), - said neck (2) having an external face (2°) that includes, descending and successively from the upper open end (6): at least one thread (7), a locking ring (8) and a support ring (9); - said removable upper part (4) of the cap (1) comprising: - an upper wall (10) and - an annular skirt (11) extending downwards from the upper wall (10) and having a lower edge ( 12) which is attached to the non-removable lower part (5) of the cap (1) once said cap (1) is fixed on the neck (2) after bottling; - said TEB (5) - being joined to the lower edge (12) of the skirt (11) by frangible connecting bridges (13) distributed annularly, preferably regularly; - having an inner face (14) that has at least one inwardly extending upper rim (15) that is intended to abut the locking ring (8) of the neck (2), during the first opening of the container (3 ), unscrewing the removable upper part (4) of the cap (1), said first opening of the container (3) involving the breaking of the connection bridges (13) which, in this way, act as upper witnesses (13) of said first legal opening of the container (3); → characterized in that said TEB (5) indicates, on the one hand, the first legal opening of the container (3) and, on the other hand, any illegal uncovering of the cap (1) before the first legal opening of the container (3); → where said TEB (5) comprises, below the witnesses (13) of said first legal opening of the container (3), some additional lower witnesses (18) of the illegal uncovering of the cap (1) before the first legal opening of the container (3).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Cap with double security element for the neck of a container, system that includes said cap and a container and a method for manufacturing said cap

Technical sector

The invention relates to a cap to close the neck of a container, preferably a bottle, suitable for containing water or other liquids intended for human consumption (hereinafter, "drinking water" generically).

More particularly, the cap according to the invention is a screw cap made by molding (eg, injection molding or compression molding, among others) of plastic material, such as a polyolefin, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene of high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and mixtures and/or alloys thereof.

Typically, the container is a bottle, for example a plastic bottle made by ISBM (injection stretch blow moulding). The constituent material of these bottles is usually a thermoplastic polymer, for example polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene furanoate (PEF). These bottles are intended to contain beverages (for example, water).

The cap includes a removable top part (which opens by unscrewing it) and a non-removable part, which is a "tightening band" (TEB).

The present invention encompasses the system including said stoppered container closed with said stopper, as well as the method for manufacturing said stopper and a method for bottling a container comprising said stopper.

State of the art

Containers, especially bottles, can be compromised by so-called "fraudulent filling", which consists of filling empty containers with a genuine trademark with a liquid (eg drinking water) other than the genuine liquid. This criminal activity is not only detrimental to the brand image of the brand owner, but also represents a significant health risk, since the quality of the fraudulent liquid is doubtful.

To combat this situation, some tamper-evident beverage containers have been developed.

In this sense, document WO2011064489 (A1) discloses a cap 1, intended to be screwed onto the neck 2 of a bottle, which is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end with a lower wall 10, on the outer periphery of which is A tubular skirt 11 centered on the X-X axis and with a circular base extends axially downwards. During the first legal unscrewing of the cap 1, the skirt 11 is adapted to separate into two distinct portions, that is, an upper portion 121, made together with the lower wall 10 and of the same material, and a lower portion 122 initially connected to the upper portion 121 at a peripheral break line 20 located axially in the extension portion of the skirt. The skirt 11 further comprises a peripheral tear segment 28 distinct from the tear line 20. The tear segment 28, which is clearly delimited from the tear line 26 to form, between the tear line 26 and the tear segment, break 28 along the direction of the axis of the skirt 11, a filament 32 extending along the periphery of the skirt 11, where each of the two peripheral ends, or the extension portion of said filament, is unbreakably attached to a first of the removable and non-removable skirt portions, while, respectively, the extension portion or each of the two peripheral ends of said filament are connected to the second skirt portion through a bridge breakable that is adapted, during the first opening of the plug, to correctly resist failure, while the break line is already broken, and then to break after plastic deformation of the filament and to separate from e This way the removable and non-removable skirt portions relative to each other.

Document CN102514807B describes a double engraved line anti-counterfeit bottle cap, comprising an upper sleeve (1) and a lower sleeve (2) that are connected to each other by an upper engraved line. A lower embossed line is provided below and parallel to the upper embossed line. A fracture zone (3) is formed between the upper and lower etched lines. The upper engraved line is made up of several upper notches (4) and upper connection points (5) that are arranged alternately. The lower engraved line is made up of several lower notches (6) and lower connection points (7) that are arranged alternately. The upper connection points (5) correspond to the lower notches (6) longitudinally, and the lower connection points (7) correspond to the upper notches (4) longitudinally. When the bottle stopper is lawfully opened for the first time, the fracture zone between the two engraved lines can be fractured by the shearing forces of the upper and lower sleeves in opposite directions, so that the fracture zone separates from the clogged or obviously deformed. Thus, the upper and lower sleeves are not recoverable and the fracture site cannot be reconnected with the upper sleeve. This is a simple and obvious visual change to inform the user that this container has already been opened.

Document EP1851128 describes a security screw cap according to the preamble of claim 1, comprising a secondary security element.

Anti-counterfeit tokens for closures according to the prior art mentioned above include a security band (TEB) made of superimposed break lines. However, the latter only serve to warn consumers of the first opening of the bottle.

The problem is that, before said first opening of the normal bottle, the infringers who wish to fill the bottle with fraudulent and inferior products manage to break the cap of the bottle without damaging the TEB. Said illicit uncovering could be done by means of tools that play with the elasticity of the plastic material to extract the plug. Instead of such mechanical action, or in addition, offenders may try to expand the plug by subjecting it to high temperatures (using steam).

Therefore, there is a great need for anti-counterfeiting systems comprising a stopper and a bottle which, on the one hand, make it difficult for offenders when they try to break the bottle before its first opening and, on the other hand, provide consumers obvious signs of such previous breakages.

Object of the invention

In the background that has been exposed above, the invention intends to fulfill at least one of the following objects: Said cap allows to avoid the illicit uncovering of the bottle, which is achieved by extracting the cap without breaking the TEB, by inserting a tool, possibly subjecting the cap to high temperatures to deform the plastic material of the cap.

1. Provide an improved container stopper (e.g., a bottle) that makes it much more difficult to commit the fraud of removing the stopper, filling the container with a fraudulent liquid, and re-sealing the stopper so that there are no Apparent signs of previous removal.

2. Provide an improved container stopper (e.g., a bottle) that makes it possible to prevent the illicit uncapping of the bottle, before its first opening, which is carried out by removing the stopper without breaking the TEB, by inserting a tool, possibly subjecting the cap to high temperatures to deform the plastic material of the cap.

3. Provide an improved tamper-evident cap that shows evidence of first opening, as well as any illicit opening prior to first opening, and any reuse.

4. To provide an improved plastic injection molded closure for a plastic injection molded container (eg, a bottle) that is a single use seal.

5. To provide an improved tamper-evident cap that meets at least one of objects 1 to 4 and that has security means that facilitate the opening of the cap.

6. To provide an improved tamper-evident cap that meets at least one of items 1 to 5 and has a security means that allows reclosing, leak-tight or leak-tight, after a first opening.

7. To provide an improved tamper-evident cap that meets at least one of items 1 to 6 so that it is possible to make the appearance of the cap more attractive.

8. To provide an improved tamper-evident cap that meets at least one of items 1 to 7, that is cheap and simple to manufacture by an injection process.

9. Provide a system composed of a screw cap, as defined in at least one of the objects from 1 to 8, and a container, eg. eg a bottle.

10. According to an embodiment not covered by the claimed invention, to provide a container, preferably a bottle, or a preform for the manufacture by blowing of said container designed to be able to be closed with a cap, as defined in at least one of the objects from 1 to 8.

11. Provide a method for manufacturing a stopper as defined in at least one of objectives 1 to 8.

12. Provide a method for bottling a container, preferably a bottle, with a stopper as defined in at least one of the objects from 1 to 8.

13. According to an embodiment not covered by the claimed invention, to provide a method for lawfully opening a container, preferably a bottle, filled with an authentic commercial product and closed by a cap as defined in at least one of the objects from 1 to 10.

Summary of the invention

The purpose of the invention is to fulfill the objects mentioned above. To achieve this, according to a first aspect, the invention provides a screw cap for the neck of a container, preferably a bottle, comprising an upper part that can be removed from the neck and a lower part that cannot be removed from the neck, being said non-removable lower part a security band (TEB);

> said neck having an external face that includes, descending and successively from the upper open end: at least one thread, one locking ring and one support ring;

> said removable upper part of the cap comprising:

- a top wall and

- an annular skirt extending downwards from the top wall and having a lower edge that is attached to the non-removable lower part of the stopper once said stopper is fixed on the neck after bottling;

>said TEB

- being joined to the lower edge of the skirt by frangible connection bridges distributed annularly, preferably regularly;

- having an inner face that has at least one upper rim extending inwards that is intended to abut the locking ring of the neck, during the first opening of the container, by unscrewing the removable upper part of the cap, said first opening of the container the breaking of the connection bridges which, in this way, act as upper witnesses of said first opening of the container;

^ where said TEB indicates, on the one hand, the first legal opening of the container and, on the other hand, any illegal uncovering of the stopper before the first legal opening of the container;

^ where said TEB comprises, below the witnesses of said first legal opening of the container, some additional lower witnesses of the illegal uncovering of the cap before the first legal opening of the container.

This particular double level of security tokens on this cap increases consumer protection and guarantees the authenticity of the container closed by said cap.

These witnesses allow to know, without a doubt, the illicit uncovering carried out prior to the first opening of the container, or the attempts thereof, as well as the first regular opening of said container.

These double cores are fairly easy to manufacture and do not add excessively to the cost of the closure manufacturing method.

The cap according to the invention is obtained by combining the typical security band (TEB) that includes a break line that defines frangible bridges with evidence of a previous illicit uncovering, which are located below the known break line of the cap. TEB, and which also constitutes an obstacle to attempts to extract corks by mechanical means and/or by the action of heat.

The cap according to the invention is an improved container (e.g. bottle) cap which is a single-use leak-tight closure, which shows evidence of illicit opening and re-use, which has a security means that facilitates the opening of the cap and that allows non-tight closures to be made again after a first opening. The invention offers enhanced protection against improper and fraudulent use.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, and in order to avoid the insertion of a tool for illicit removal of the stopper before the 1st opening of the container, the inner annular face of at least one additional lower witness, preferably each of them , is offset inward (interval I) relative to the peripheral end of the neck locking ring. Said interval I is the smallest possible, while at the same time allowing the stopper to be placed on the neck of the container, during bottling, after filling the container, on an industrial line.

In this sense, the internal annular face of at least one additional lower witness, preferably each of them, is preferably at a minimum interstitial distance d from the opposite external face of the neck, said distance being defined as follows, in increasing order preferably: d < 3 mm; d<2mm; d<1mm; d<0.5mm; d<0.01mm.

In a variant of the invention, reference is made to a molded plastic screw cap for the neck of a container, preferably a bottle,

comprising said cap:

- a top wall

- an annular skirt extending downwards from the top wall and having a lower edge; Y

- a security band (TEB) joined to the lower edge of the skirt by frangible connecting bridges distributed annularly, preferably regularly;

said neck of the container being made in one piece with the rest of the container and having an upper edge delimiting the opening of the container and being in hermetic contact with the underside of the upper wall of the cap in the closed position of said cap, that is, the original position, before the first legal opening of the container by unscrewing the removable upper part of the cap, said first legal opening involving the breaking of the connection bridges that, in this way, act as upper witnesses of said first legal opening ;

^ wherein said TEB comprises an upper ring and a lower ring joined to the upper ring by at least two additional annular frangible bridges, preferably regularly distributed;

^ where both the frangible bridges and the additional frangible bridges are below the upper edge of the neck in the original position,

^ where the upper ring of the TEB between the frangible bridges and the additional frangible bridges remains intact after the first legal opening.

The stopper according to the invention does not include an internal diameter fitting, especially an internal diameter fitting for non-return pouring (one-way valve), which is fixed inside the neck of the container and inside the stopper and which is an additional piece between the stopper and the container, so that the lower face of the upper wall of the stopper is not in hermetic contact with the upper edge of the rim in the original position of the stopper that closes the container.

According to a possible structural characteristic of the double level of frangible bridges of the cap according to the invention, the height h5 of the upper ring of the TEB is less than the height h11 of the skirt (11), preferably h5 < [h11/2] ; more preferably h5 < [h11/3].

Preferably, the cap comprises at least one lower rim extending inwards from the inner face of the TEB, and which is intended to approach the upper face of a groove in the neck, and preferably abut with it, during the first opening. of the container. Said characteristic prevents the introduction of a tool for illicit uncovering.

Advantageously, the upper rim and/or the lower rim consist of several projections, which are distributed, for example, annularly and regularly.

According to an interesting feature of the invention, the witnesses given by the upper witnesses of the first opening of said container and by the additional lower witnesses of the illicit uncovering of said container can be seen with the naked eye.

It is a particular aspect of the invention, the additional lower witnesses can be deformed mechanically and/or by the action of heat, and include:

■ According to a first embodiment, at least one additional frangible bridge connecting the lower portion of the TEB with the upper portion of said TEB,

■ and/or, according to a second embodiment, at least one outwardly extending rib, preferably radially.

Advantageously, the additional frangible bridges and/or the outwardly extending ribs, preferably radially:

■ are distributed annularly, preferably radially, around the TEB,

■ and/or are parallel to the Y-Y axis of the cap.

With a view to improving the mechanical resistance of the additional frangible bridges of the additional lower witnesses, the lower part and/or the upper part of said at least one additional frangible bridge, comprise(s) a flange that extends out from the lower portion of the t Eb and/or from the upper portion of the TEB, each additional bridge preferably being located between a lower flange and an upper flange.

In the event that the mold for the manufacture of the stopper comprises an ejector of the piston slide stroke type, it is preferable that the cap includes at least two recesses, advantageously two diametrically opposite recesses, each recess being composed, for example, of at least three of the upper flanges and the corresponding three lower flanges, grouped three by three, in the upper levels and lower, to form a superimposed structural protruding unit, which is designed to improve mechanical performance, said plug preferably comprising two superimposed structural protruding units, advantageously diametrically opposed.

Always in this case, according to the second embodiment mentioned above, at least, preferably at least three of the outwardly extending ribs are grouped to form a single structural protruding unit that is designed to improve mechanical performance, said cap comprising, preferably, two individual structural projecting units, advantageously diametrically opposed.

Exceptionally, the bridges of the upper witnesses and/or the additional bridges of the lower witnesses are separated from each other by openings whose projections on a plane preferably and independently have a rectangular, trapezoidal or oval shape.

In a particular embodiment adapted to the manufacture of the openings of the stopper during the manufacture of the entire stopper by compression molding, instead of subsequently cutting a mold stopper without openings, after bottling, at least one of said openings remains partially closed by a counter bridge extending upward from below from the lower side of the opening or downward from the upper side of the opening. The counter-bridges prevent the openings from colliding, especially during the placement of the stopper in the container to close the filled container, during bottling.

According to an interesting feature of the invention, the cap is a molded plastic cap (for example, by compression, injection), made of a thermoplastic material chosen from the group comprising a polyolefin and, preferably, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene ( HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and mixtures and/or alloys thereof.

Advantageously, the cap according to the invention may further comprise a plurality of ribs extending parallel to the central axis (A) on the outer surface of the skirt of the removable upper part of the cap.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a system made up of a screw cap according to at least one of the preceding claims and a container (3), preferably a bottle.

According to a third aspect not covered by the claimed invention, the disclosure refers to a container, preferably a bottle, or to a preform for the manufacture by blowing said container, comprising a neck finish designed to be able to be closed with a cap according to at least one of the preceding claims, said container preferably being made of polyester(s), advantageously polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene furanoate (PEF).

According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a stopper (1) according to the invention, comprising the steps of:

- molding, in a cavity of a mold, the cap having an upper wall and a pre-skirt;

- possibly cutting the pre-skirt to make the annular openings, thus obtaining the frangible bridges, which delimit the skirt of the removable part of the cap (1), the upper and lower portions of the TEB or the non-removable part of the cap;

- unmold the cap.

Advantageously, the annular openings between the upper frangible bridges, on the one hand, and the annular openings between the lower frangible bridges, on the other hand, are made by means of a tool that simultaneously cuts the cap pre-skirt at two different heights, or with two tools that successively cut the pre-skirt of the cap, at two different heights.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a method for bottling a container, preferably a bottle, with a stopper according to the invention, comprising the steps of:

- provide a container, preferably a bottle;

- filling said container with a liquid;

- provide the cap with a pre-skirt;

- close the container with the cap;

- possibly cutting the pre-skirt to make the annular openings, thus obtaining the frangible bridges; - pack the container closed.

Since the invention provides a means of combating the unlawful opening of a container, preferably a bottle, filled with an authentic commercial product, preferably a beverage, said disclosure also encompasses, in its sixth aspect, not covered by the claimed invention, a method for lawfully opening a container, preferably a bottle, filled with an authentic commercial product and closed with the cap according to the invention.

In essence, this consists of:

Yo. Grasp the cap with your fingers, particularly the removable upper part of the cap and, more particularly, the skirt of said upper part;

ii. Turn the cap in the direction of unscrewing so that at least the upper rim of the inner face of the TEB abuts against the locking ring of the neck and causes the breakage of the upper frangible connection bridges; iii. Extract the cap from the neck.

Definitions

In accordance with the terminology used in this document, the following non-limiting definitions should be considered illustrative when interpreting this document:

- Singular forms include plural forms, and vice versa.

- "the closed position of the stopper or the original position" is the position where the stopper is screwed into the neck of the bottle and closing it hermetically, before the first legal opening.

- "first lawful opening" or "first opening" is the opening of the container, which is regularly done by the consumer by unscrewing the cap of the container (eg, a bottle), just before the first use.

- "bottle" refers to any container for liquids, especially beverages, such as water: bottles, jugs, fountains, barrels, particularly adapted for beverage dispensers (Home & Office Delivery HOD), whose capacity is, for example, between 10 liters and 21 liters.

- "thermoplastic" refers to a moldable thermoplastic homopolymer or copolymer that becomes flexible or moldable above a specific temperature and returns to a solid state upon cooling.

- "moulding" refers to any technique for forming thermoplastic raw materials, such as extrusion blow moulding, profile and sheet extrusion, injection blow moulding, injection moulding, injection molding (with gas ), injection stretch blow molding, insert molding, rotational molding, compression molding.

- For greater convenience, the terms "top", "top", "bottom" and "bottom" used in this document correspond to a direction globally parallel to the Y-Y axis of the cap and container, and refer to the system that it comprises the cap that closes the container raised by its base on a horizontal support that is the bottom; and the terms "inside" and "outside" used herein are given with reference to the inside and outside of the cap and container.

Description of the figures

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, given as non-limiting examples, where the disclosure is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cap according to a first embodiment of the invention, where there are two levels of frangible bridges that act as 1st opening witnesses and illicit uncovering witnesses; - figure 2 is a front view of a cap of figure 1;

- figure 2A is a sectional view in the diametrical plane according to the line A-A of the stopper of figure 2; - figure 2B is a sectional view in the non-diametric plane according to the line B-B of the cap of figure 2; - figure 3 is a front view of a cap of figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diametral section view according to line A-A of the cap of Figure 2;

- figure 3C is a cross-sectional view according to the line C-C of the cap of figure 3;

- figure 3D is a cross-sectional view according to the line D-D of the cap of figure 3;

- figure 4 is a front view of a system comprising the cap according to figure 1, firmly screwed on the neck of a bottle;

Figure 4E is a diametral sectional view in the plane according to line A-A of the stopper of Figure 4; - figure 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the system/bottle shown in figure 4E;

- Figure 6 is a perspective view of a cap according to a second embodiment of the invention, where there is a level of frangible bridges that act as witnesses of the 1st opening and a level of ribs that act as witnesses of illicit uncovering;

- figure 7 is a front view of a cap of figure 6;

- figure 7A is a sectional view in the diametrical plane according to the line A-A of the stopper of figure 7; - figure 7B is a sectional view in the non-diametric plane according to the line B-B of the cap of figure 7; - figure 8 is a front view of a cap of figure 6;

- figure 8C is a cross-sectional view according to the line C-C of the cap of figure 8;

- figure 8D is a cross-sectional view according to the line D-D of the cap of figure 8;

- Figure 9 is a front view of a system comprising the cap according to Figure 1, firmly screwed into the neck of a bottle;

- figure 10 is an enlarged detailed view of the system/bottle shown in figure 9E;

- Figure 11 is a front view of a cap according to a variant of the first embodiment of the invention, where there are gripping ribs on the skirt of the cap.

- Figure 12 is a front view of a cap according to a variant of the second embodiment of the invention, where there are gripping ribs on the skirt of the cap.

- Figures 13A-13C are front views with partial section of the system constituted by the cap according to the first embodiment and of the closing of the neck of the bottle from an initial position before the first opening (figure 13A) to a position released from the bottle. plug (figure 13C) where the plug can be removed and break the frangible connection bridges to witness the first legal opening.

- Figures 14A and 14B are front views of the system constituted by the cap according to the first embodiment and of the closure of the neck of the bottle, respectively before and after unlawful uncapping by means of a tool and/or by a thermal action ; producing said illicit uncovering before the first opening.

- Figures 15A and 15B are front views of the system constituted by the cap according to the second embodiment and of the closure of the neck of the bottle, respectively before and after unlawful uncapping by means of a tool and/or by a thermal action ; producing said illicit uncovering before the first opening.

In the figures, identical reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.

Detailed description of the invention

Figures 1, 11 and 6, 12 represent two embodiments of a screw cap 1 to close the opening of a container 3, such as a plastic bottle, adapted to receive a product and, especially, a liquid product such as water, optionally flavored and/or carbonated, carbonated soft drink, fruit juice, milk-based or other liquid product.

The bottle (3) shown in figures 4, 4E, 9, 9E, 12 comprises a neck 2 that delimits the opening for pouring the product.

first realization

In the first illustrated embodiment (figures 1, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3C, 3D, 4, 4E, 5, 11), the stopper 1 has a symmetry of revolution about a central axis Y and comprises a molded casing substantially annular and consisting of an upper part 4 that can be removed from the neck 2 of the bottle 3 and a lower part 5 that cannot be removed from the neck 2.

The removable upper part 4 and the non-removable lower part 5 form an assembly that is press-fitted by deformation in the neck 2 of the bottle 3, just after the filling of the bottle 3, to close it in the industrial bottling process. The non-removable lower part 5 is a security band (t Eb ) joined to the upper part 4 by frangible connection bridges 13, and whose inner face 14 has several inwardly extending flanges 15, which are distributed in an annular pattern.

The TEB 5 consists of an upper ring 5t and a lower ring 5b joined to the upper ring 5t by the two additional frangible bridges 18 distributed annularly and regularly.

Both the frangible bridges 13 and the additional frangible bridges 18 are below the upper edge 2t of the neck 2 in the original position.

As shown in Figures 2B and 5, the height h5 of the top ring 5t is measured from the top of the bottom bridges 18 to the top of the top bridges 13, while the height h11 is between the inner face of the lower edge 12 of the skirt 11 and the upper part of the skirt 11 (figures 2B, 4E), corresponding to the diametrical plane of the upper face of the upper wall 10 of the cap 1. For example, h5 “h11/3.

Furthermore, the neck 2 has an external face 2° which includes downwards and successively from the upper open end 6: a filament 7, a locking ring 8 having a peripheral end 20 and a support ring 9. Therefore , during the first opening of the bottle by unscrewing the cap 1, the rims 15 of the cap 1 abut the locking ring 8 of the neck 2, which implies the breakage of the frangible connection bridges 13 and the division of the upper parts 4 and bottom 5 of the plug. The TEB remains in the neck 2 of the bottle 3, as witness to the 1st opening, while the upper part 4 is removed. The latter 4 can be screwed back onto the neck 2. Broken bridges 13 visually indicate that the 1st opening has occurred, as well as any subsequent unscrewing action.

As an illustration of the consequence of the first legal opening of the bottle 3, reference is made to figures 13A-13B-13C, in which the kinematics of a regular 1st opening by unscrewing the cap are shown, including the breaking of the caps. frangible connection bridges 13, which allows the cap to be removed (FIG. 13D). The cap 1 of Figure 13A is in its closed position, that is, in its original position. Figure 13B shows an intermediate position of the plug 1, after a partial unscrewing. The ridges 15 of the inner face 14 of the cap 1 abut the locking ring 8. Figure 13C represents the additional stage in which further unscrewing has been carried out and, in this way, the frangible bridges 13 have been broken. this break, the unscrewing goes further until the cap 1 is extracted from the neck 2.

Each rim 15 of the cap 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention described herein has a 15° slope extending downwards and inwards, with an angle between 10 and 60°, eg. eg, 30° to the perpendicular to the Y-Y axis. This slope is close to the slope of the lower edge of the locking ring 8, which is the stop of the rim 15.

Additionally, the removable upper part 4 further comprises an upper wall 10 and an annular skirt 11 extending downwardly from the upper wall 10 and having a lower edge 12 connected to the non-removable lower part 5 of the cap 1, through the frangible bridges 13. The outer surface of the skirt 11 of the cap 1 according to this first embodiment is the grip piece for unscrewing the cap. The grip of the stopper can be improved by means of a plurality of ribs 35 that extend parallel to the central axis Y and equally distributed on the outer surface of the skirt 11, as shown in the variant of figure 11.

The inner face 111 of the skirt 11 has a thread 17 that is designed to cooperate with the complementary thread 7 of the outer face of the neck 2 of the bottle.

As shown in figure 4E and in order to provide a close contact between the stopper 1 and the neck 2 of the bottle 3, the upper wall 10 has an annular crown 30 which extends downwards, perpendicular to its inner surface 31. The crown 30 defines a groove 32 with the annular gasket lip 33. To improve the tightness, on the one hand, an annular shoulder 34 is provided on the outer surface of the free end of the crown 30 and, on the other hand, there is also a annular sealing lip 35. In other embodiments, a tight connection of the stopper 1 to the neck could be provided in any other suitable way.

The frangible connecting bridges 13 are approximately regularly distributed on the circumference of the plug 1, according to the example shown in figure 4E. Said bridges 13 are separated by openings 24 whose projection in the plane can be rectangular (see, for example, the variant of figure 11) or almost rectangular, because said opening is partially closed by an annular counterbridge 25, which extends in the direction ascending in the Y-Y direction, as shown in figures 1, 2A, 2B. According to a variant not shown, the counter-bridges 25 could extend downwards from the upper margin of the openings 25.

These counter-bridges 25 prevent the compression of the TEB during the pressure fit of the stopper on the bottle 3, to cover the full bottle 3 during bottling.

Below its inner rims 15 that abut the locking ring 8 of the neck 2 at the time of first opening, the TEB 5 also has, in addition to the upper frangible witnesses 13, some additional lower witnesses formed by bridges 18 distributed annularly and regularly that join a lower portion 40 of the TEB 5 with an upper portion 41.

Like the frangible upper bridges 13, the lower bridges 18 are separated by rectangular openings 24 (in front view), see Figure 11, or by openings 25 partially closed by rectangular counterbridges 25 (front view of Figures 2A and 2B). . The latter have the same function as their counterparts in the upper openings between the upper bridges 13.

These additional lower witnesses 18 are designed to become signs of any illicit uncovering of the system made up of the bottle 3 filled with authentic product and the closure cap 1, before the first opening. Whatever the unlawful uncovering, whether by mechanical and/or thermal action, the bridges 18 will clearly be deformed or broken.

The TEB 5 not only has the additional 18 lower uncapping tokens, it is also designed to make any illicit uncapping difficult before the first opening. For this purpose, first, there is a lower level of ridges 16 extending inwardly from the inner face 14 of the lower portion of the TEB, and second, the inner annular face 19 of the additional lower witnesses, is that is, the additional frangible bridges 18, is as close as possible to the opposite external face 2° of the neck 2, and displaced inward with respect to the peripheral end 20 of the locking ring 8 of the neck 2.

The lower anti-uncover rims 16 are advantageously distributed annularly and regularly on the lower edge of the TEB 5 (see, for example, Figure 1). In Figures 4E and 5, the ridges 16 are shown to be housed in a groove 22 in the neck:

- whose lower face is the upper face of the support ring 9 of the neck 2,

- whose rear part 26 is closer to the inside of the neck 2 than the external face 2° of the neck 2 facing towards additional bridges 18,

- and whose upper face 21 is externally delimited by said external face 2°.

To prevent the improper use of tools to extract the entire stopper 1, before the 1st opening, advantageously, the inner end 27 of each rim 16 is in contact or almost in contact with the rear part 26 of the groove 26 of the neck .

Furthermore, the upper face 28 of each rim 16 is preferably intended to approach and, for example, abut the upper face 21 of the groove 22 of the neck 2, during the first opening of the container 3.

As regards the rims 16, it should also be emphasized that each space between two adjacent rims 16 is in line, along an axis parallel to the Y-Y axis of the plug 1, with an additional connecting bridge 18, placed just above. According to an alternative not shown in the drawings, the rims 16 can be replaced by a single rim 16, which would be a ring extending inward of the Y-Y axis.

Any illicit uncovering also becomes complicated thanks to:

• there is an inward gap (I) shown in Figure 5 between the inner annular face 19 of each additional lower witness, that is, the frangible bridge 18, and the peripheral end 20 of the locking ring 8.

• the internal annular face 19 of each additional lower witness 18, that is, the frangible bridge 18, is at a minimum interstitial distance d from the opposite external face 2° of the neck 2. For example, d = 0.01 /- 10 %.

Figures 1 and 2 show a flange 23° at the bottom and a flange 231 at the top of each additional frangible bridge 18 (the additional lower witnesses). These flanges 23, which extend outwards, respectively, from the lower portion and the upper portion of the TEB 5, act as reinforcing pieces of the cap 1, useful for manufacturing and bottling, but which do not hinder illicit anti-uncapping based on these additional lower witnesses 18.

Likewise, it should be noted that the cap 1 represented in figures 1, 2, 3D includes two diametrically opposed superimposed structural protruding units 2301, 2311 resulting from the grouping of three of the upper flanges 231 and three corresponding lower flanges 23°. These protruding units 2301, 2311 are useful recesses, particularly as the cap 1 is made by slide moulds.

Before its first opening, the cap 1 according to this first embodiment is protected against illicit opening by means of any tool that can be used to try to extract the entire cap 1, and possibly commit a crime, such as fraudulent filling: replace the authentic contents of the bottle with a different product. Figures 14A and 14B show the witnesses resulting from the unsuccessful attempt by the offender to insert a tool 50 between the TEB 5 of the cap 2 and the neck of the bottle 2 (left side of figures 14A and 14B) or subjecting the cap 1 at elevated temperatures (right side of Figures 14A and 14B).

As shown in Fig. 14B, the lower witnesses, that is, the connecting bridges 180 are broken (left side: unlawful uncovering by mechanical action) and/or deformed (right side: unlawful uncovering by thermal action).

second realization

The plug 1 according to the second illustrated embodiment (figures 6, 7, 7A, 7B, 8, 8C, 8D, 9, 9E, 10, 12), is identical to the plug 1 according to the first embodiment described above in the this document, except with regard to the following points:

^ the various inwardly extending ribs 15 of the inner face 14 of the cap which are intended to abut the locking ring 8 of the neck 2 and to participate in the breaking of the frangible connecting bridges 13 and the division of the parts upper 4 and lower 5 of the cap, during the first opening, are replaced by a single rim 15;

^ the additional lower tokens of the TEB 5, ie, the frangible connecting bridges 18, are replaced by radially outwardly extending ribs 180;

^ the two diametrically opposite superimposed structural protruding units 2301, 2311 correspond to two diametrically opposite individual structural protruding units 181.

The individual rim 15 of the cap 1 according to the second embodiment of the invention described herein also has a 15° slope, as in the first embodiment.

The outwardly extending and radial ribs 180 are regularly distributed annularly. They also have a triangular cross section, as shown in Figures 6 and 8D. Their height (in the direction parallel to the YY axis of plug 1) roughly corresponds to the height of the lower portion of TEB 5. These ribs are sensitive to mechanical and/or thermal action that can be used to illegally remove plug 1 whole, before the 1st opening.

Each of the two individual diametrically opposed structural projecting units 181 is the result of the grouping of three ribs 181. These two diametrically opposed projecting units 181 are useful recesses, especially since the cap 1 is made by slide molds.

Before its first opening, the cap 1 according to this second embodiment is protected against illicit opening by means of any tool that can be used to try to extract the entire cap 1, and possibly commit a crime, such as fraudulent filling: replace the authentic contents of the bottle with a different product. Figures 15A and 15B show the witnesses resulting from the unsuccessful attempt by the offender to insert a tool 50 between the TEB 5 of the cap 2 and the neck of the bottle 2 (left side of figures 15A and 15B) or subjecting the cap 1 at elevated temperatures (right side of Figures 15 and 15B).

As shown in Fig. 15B, the lower witnesses, ie the ribs 180, are deformed.

The variants of figures 11 and 12

The cap 1 of figure 11 comprises upper 1st opening witnesses constituted by breakable connection bridges 13 and additional lower uncapping witnesses constituted, on the one hand, by breakable bridges 18 and, on the other hand, by the ribs 180 outward and radial extension.

In this variant, the connection bridges 13 and 18 are made by cutting a molded pre-cap and, more precisely, a pre-skirt 110.

The cap 1 of figure 12 comprises upper 1st opening witnesses constituted by frangible connection bridges 13 and additional lower illicit uncovering witnesses constituted by outwardly extending and radial ribs 180, whose height is greater than the height of the witness ribs 180 of the variant of figure 11.

In this variant, the connection bridges 13 are made by cutting a molded precap and, more precisely, a preskirt 110.

The cap 1 of figures 11 and 12 also has a plurality of ribs 40 which extend parallel to the central axis Y-Y and equally distributed on the outer surface of the skirt 11. The ribs 40 are intended to facilitate gripping of the cap 1 by part of the bottling device in the industrial bottling line and by the consumer.

Raw materials

For the cap 1, for example, a thermoplastic polymer such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used, while for the bottle 3 a thermoplastic polymer such as PET can be used.

Additional cap 1 items

The invention also relates to a system cap 1 and a bottle 3, as shown in figures 4 and 9. The container may be other than a bottle 3. It may be the preform for manufacturing the bottle by injection molding. / blown, as well as the bottle filled and closed by the entire stopper 1.

The method of making the stopper

The cap according to the invention can be obtained by a compression molding process that directly produces the cap 1 or by a 2-stage injection molding process, where a pre-cap is manufactured consisting of a shell made of a top wall and a preskirt. The preskirt is free of the openings 24, 25 that delimit the connection bridges 18, 13. These missing elements are subsequently achieved by cutting the preskirt.

variants

The invention has been disclosed with a stopper 1 having a symmetry of revolution with a circular top wall 10, an annular skirt 11 with a circular cross-section. However, the invention is not limited to this and the cap 1 could have any other suitable shape, the upper wall 10, the skirt 11 and the double level of witnesses being adapted accordingly.

Claims (14)

1. Screw cap (1) for a neck (2) of a container (3), preferably a bottle, comprising an upper part (4) that can be removed from the neck (2) and a lower part (5) that cannot be removed. can be removed from the neck (2), said non-removable lower part (5) being a security band (TEB), > said neck (2) having an external face (2°) that includes, descending and successively from the upper open end (6): at least one thread (7), a locking ring (8) and a locking ring support (9); > said removable upper part (4) of the cap (1) comprising: - a top wall (10) and - an annular skirt (11) extending downwards from the upper wall (10) and having a lower edge (12) that is joined to the non-removable lower part (5) of the cap (1) once said stopper (1) is fixed on the neck (2) after bottling; > said TEB (5) - being joined to the lower edge (12) of the skirt (11) by frangible connection bridges (13) distributed annularly, preferably regularly; - having an inner face (14) that has at least one inwardly extending upper rim (15) that is intended to abut the locking ring (8) of the neck (2), during the first opening of the container (3 ), unscrewing the removable upper part (4) of the cap (1), said first opening of the container (3) involving the breaking of the connection bridges (13) which, in this way, act as upper witnesses (13) of said first legal opening of the container (3); ^ characterized in that said TEB (5) indicates, on the one hand, the first legal opening of the container (3) and, on the other hand, any illegal uncovering of the cap (1) before the first legal opening of the container (3); ^ where said TEB (5) comprises, below the witnesses (13) of said first legal opening of the container (3), some additional lower witnesses (18) of the illicit uncovering of the cap (1) before the first legal opening of the container (3). 2. Screw cap (1) according to claim 1, wherein the inner annular face (19) of at least one additional lower witness (18), preferably of each one of them, is displaced inwards (interval I) relative to the peripheral end (20) of the locking ring (8). 3. Screw cap (1) according to claim 2, wherein the inner annular face (19) of at least one additional lower witness (18), preferably of each one of them, is at a minimum interstitial distance d of the opposite external face (2°) of the neck (2), said distance being defined as follows, in increasing order of preference: d<3mm; d<2mm; d<1mm; d<0.5mm; d<0.01mm. 4. Screw cap (1) according to at least any one of the preceding claims, wherein the witnesses given by the upper witnesses (13) of the first opening of said container (3) and by the additional lower witnesses (18) of the illicit uncovering of said container (3) can be seen with the naked eye. 5. Screw cap (1), according to at least any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one lower rim (16) that extends inwards from the inner face (14) of the TEB (5) , and which is intended to approach the upper face (21) of a groove (22) of the neck (2), and preferably to abut with it, during the first opening of the container (3). 6. Screw cap (1) according to claim 5, wherein the upper rim (15) and/or the lower rim (16) are made up of several projections (15, 16), which are advantageously distributed annularly and on regular basis. 7. Screw cap (1) according to at least any one of the preceding claims, wherein the additional lower witnesses (18, 180) can be deformed mechanically and/or by the action of heat, and include: ■ at least one additional frangible jumper (18) connecting the lower portion of the TEB with the upper portion of said TEB, ■ and/or, at least one rib (180) that extends outwards, preferably radially. 8. Screw cap (1) according to claim 5 and possibly claim 6 or 7, wherein the additional frangible bridges (18) and/or the outwardly extending ribs (180), preferably radially : ■ are annularly distributed, preferably radially, around the TEB (5), ■ and/or are parallel to the Y-Y axis of the plug (1). 9. Screw cap (1) according to claim 5 and possibly according to at least one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the lower part and/or the upper part of at least one additional frangible bridge (18 ) of the additional lower witnesses (18) comprise a flange (23) that extends out from the lower portion of the TEB (5) and/or from the upper portion of the TEB (5), each additional bridge being preferably located (18) between a lower flange (23°) and an upper flange (231). 10. Screw cap (1) according to at least any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bridges (13) of the upper witnesses (13) and/or the additional bridges (18) of the lower witnesses ( 18) are separated from each other by openings (24) whose projections on a plane have a shape that is preferably and independently rectangular, trapezoidal or oval, possibly at least one of said openings (24) being partially closed by a counterbridge (25) that it extends upwards from below from the lower side of the opening (24) or downwards from the upper side of the opening (24). 11. System composed of a screw cap (1) according to at least any one of the preceding claims and a container (3), preferably a bottle. 12. Method for manufacturing a stopper (1) according to at least any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising the steps of: - molding, in a cavity of a mold, the cap (1) having an upper wall (10) and a pre-skirt; - possibly cutting the preskirt to make the annular openings (25, 24), thus obtaining the frangible bridges (13, 18), which delimit the skirt (11) of the removable part (4) of the cap (1), the portions top and bottom of the TEB (5) or the non-removable part (5) of the cap (1); - unmold the plug (1). Method according to claim 13, wherein the annular openings (25) between the upper frangible bridges (13), on the one hand, and the annular openings (24) between the lower frangible bridges (18), on the other hand , are made by means of a tool that simultaneously cuts the pre-skirt of the cap (1) at two different heights, or with two tools that successively cut the pre-skirt of the cap (1), at two different heights. 14. Method for bottling a container (3), preferably a bottle, with a stopper (1) according to at least any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising the steps of: - providing a container (3), preferably a bottle; - filling said container (3) with a liquid; - provide the cap (1) with a pre-skirt; - close the container with the cap (1); - possibly cutting the preskirt to make the annular openings (25, 24), thus obtaining the frangible bridges (13, 18); - pack the container closed (3).