ES2927995B2 - Closing cap for containers - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Closing cap for containers

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this application is to register a closure cap for containers.

More specifically, the invention proposes the development of a closure cap for containers, which comprises an upper cap and a lower ring that can be joined together in an integral manner by means of extensions that protrude laterally and that act as a hinge, providing greater freedom. of movement to the stopper during use, simplifying the constructive design and facilitating its manufacture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the sector of packaging food products (solid, liquid, viscous substances, etc.), closure caps made from plastic material have been used for many years, which are provided with an internal thread that can be screwed into a thread shaped in the neck of the container itself, allowing the contents inside the container to be kept sealed, for example, in the case of a bottle of the type used for bottling beverages, such as mineral water, soft drinks, or the like.

Closing caps for containers are known in the prior art, in particular intended for containers that have an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion, comprising a lower ring configured to be coupleable to the neck of the container and an upper cap that has a its inner face has a thread configured to be coupleable to the outer threaded portion of a container neck. The upper plug and the lower ring are articulated with each other by means of a hinged portion, such that the upper plug can ascend through the threaded portion of the neck while the lower ring remains in its original position in order not to separate the system. closure of the container with respect to the container itself. An example of this type of stopper is described in documents ES 1247151 and ES 1237189.

However, due to the design of concentric rings and the design of the hinged section, it requires relatively complex injection molds and injection cycles that are higher than those of other caps, since it is necessary to have multiple mobile and sliding mechanisms that act during the cycle. manufacturing, especially due to the complexity of the process of ejecting the part from the mold once injected. Consequently, manufacturing costs for this type of closure are higher. Therefore, there is a need to develop a stopper for containers that solves the problems raised.

Similar caps are also known where the lower ring is made up of two rings located one above the other, so that the incorporation of this type of cap in the containers does not allow reducing the height of the neck, and consequently, reducing the amount of material intended for the manufacture of packaging, an aspect that is currently desired in this sector, for environmental purposes. In addition, this height can also be negatively affected by the arrangement of the breaking points that act as tamper-evident seals, which further favor a greater height of the lower ring.

In addition, the applicant is not currently aware of an invention that has all the characteristics that are described in this specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in order to provide a closure cap that is configured as a novelty within the field of application and solves the aforementioned drawbacks, also providing other additional advantages that will be evident from the description that follows. accompany below.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a closure cap for containers, in particular intended for containers that have an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion, being of the type that comprises a lower ring configured to be coupleable to the neck of the container and an upper cap that has a thread on its inside face configured to be coupleable to the external threaded portion of a neck of the container, the upper cap and the lower ring being joined together in such a way that they are capable of rotating from in solidarity with each other. In particular, the invention is characterized by the fact that the union between the upper plug and the lower ring is carried out by means of two extensions with a certain degree of flexibility, which have a diameter greater than the diameter of the bottom ring, being diametrically opposite each other, each extending and protruding above and laterally/diametrically from the bottom ring such that they are arranged above the bottom ring and spaced laterally from the plug at a closed position of the closure plug, and converging the upper end of each of the extensions in an area of the upper plug, in such a way that in an open position of the closure plug, the upper end of the extensions acts as a hinge region of in such a way that the upper plug is capable of turning.

Thanks to the arrangement of the lateral extensions, which are diametrically spaced, the cap has great freedom of movement and can easily move up the threaded portion of the neck during unscrewing, without suffering resistance in the opposite direction. In the same way, in an open position of the closing cap, the lateral extensions remain far from the external thread of the neck of the container, providing great freedom of movement to the cap, without any type of tension, facilitating the positioning action by the user. and correct centering of the cap on the mouth of the container, essential for the proper screwing of the cap during the closing action.

Due to this new configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of material necessary for the manufacture of the lower ring of the closure cap, being able to have a lower height than the rings of the caps developed to remain attached to the container once unscrewed, known in the art. current, which implies a reduction in costs.

On the other hand, the manufacturing process is also facilitated by using injection molds where slide and ejection systems of a certain complexity are not required since the hinge area that other caps of the prior art present are suppressed. It should be noted that the fact of using simpler manufacturing means helps to reduce the injection cycle.

Another no less advantageous aspect is the fact that the lower ring of the stopper product of the invention can have a lower height than those known in the current art, thus requiring a lower height in the space intended for its accommodation in the neck of the container. This aspect makes it possible to reduce the height of the container necks, so that it allows reducing the weight of the preforms used in the manufacture of plastic bottles and consequently reduce the material used and manufacturing costs.

Preferably, each of the extensions has a cross section that progressively decreases from the lower end to the upper end.

Advantageously, the closing plug includes stop means intended to keep the upper plug fixedly in an inverted position with respect to the position adopted by the upper plug during the closed position. Thus it is ensured that the top cap can be fixedly held in the open and inverted condition in a very simple manner.

Preferably, the abutment means comprise a projection that projects from the lower ring, which is aligned in height with a tab that protrudes laterally from the lower rim of the upper cap, in such a way that, in an open condition, the tab abuts a surface bottom of the highlight. In this way, a system for blocking the cap in the completely open position is obtained without necessarily depending on recesses made in the ring of the neck of the bottle, which are essential in other caps of the prior art. Thus, the user will be able to lock the upper cap without having to rotate the upper cap and lower ring looking for the corresponding housing in the bottle.

Advantageously, the closure plug body is made of a single piece of plastic material that can be molded by injection or compression molding.

Additionally, the closing plug of the invention includes an inviolability seal between the upper plug and the lower ring.

Preferably, the tamper-evident seal is made up of a plurality of breaking points located in grooves made around the stop means.

The closing cap described represents, therefore, an innovative structure with structural and constituent characteristics unknown up to now for the purpose for which it is intended, reasons that, together with its practical utility, provide it with sufficient grounds to obtain the privilege of exclusivity that is requested. .

Other characteristics and advantages of the closure plug object of the present invention will become evident from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1.- Is a perspective view of an embodiment of the closing cap according to the present invention;

Figure 2.- Is an elevation view of the closing cap of the invention;

Figure 3.- Is an elevation view of the closing cap of the invention;

Figure 4.- Is a perspective view of the closure cap mounted on a container neck in a position in which the upper cap is raised;

Figure 5.- Is a perspective view of the upper plug in a position prior to the fully open position;

Figure 6.- Is a perspective view of the closing plug in a completely open position; and

Figure 7.- Is a plan view of the closure cap according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In view of the aforementioned figures and, in accordance with the numbering adopted, a preferred embodiment of the invention can be seen in them, which comprises the parts and elements indicated and described in detail below.

As can be seen in the figures, the closure cap for containers, particularly intended for containers that have an opening in a neck (100) provided with a threaded outer portion, comprises a lower ring (1) configured to be coupleable to the neck. of the container and an upper cap (2) that has a thread on its inner face (21) configured to be coupleable to the outer threaded portion (101) that has a container neck (100), with the upper cap (2) and the lower ring (1) joined together in such a way that they are able to rotate integrally with each other around the neck of the container. This closure plug is made of a single piece of plastic material that can be injection molded or compression molded. Mention that the container neck can have a lower height through the use of the closure cap that is described below.

An outer surface of the lateral face defined by the body of the upper plug (2) presents a non-smooth surface (22), in particular, a knurled surface formed by a plurality of ribs in a radial distribution that extend from the upper part to the lower part of the upper plug body (2). In the interior area of the body of the stopper, it also includes an annular projection (23) that extends concentrically with the side wall of the upper stopper (2).

The union between the upper plug and the lower ring is carried out by means of two extensions (3) identical to each other, with a general shape substantially in "L" with a certain degree of flexibility, being diametrically opposed to each other, each one of them extending and protruding above and from the bottom ring in such a way that they are arranged above the bottom ring (1) in a closed position of the closure plug The extensions (3) have a larger diameter than the diameter of the bottom ring (1 ), that is, they protrude laterally with respect to the lower ring (1), so that it does not require oversizing the height of the lower ring (1), as can be clearly seen in figure 7.

On the other hand, the upper end of each of the extensions (3) converges in an area of the upper cap (2), in such a way that, in an open position of the closing cap, the upper end of the extensions (3) it acts as a hinge region such that the top cap is rotatable.

As can be seen, each of the extensions (3) has a cross section that progressively decreases from the lower end (30) to the upper end (31), the upper end including a flat widened portion that provides a greater degree of rigidity to the end. upper, which corresponds to the area where more stress occurs due to bending.

Additionally, the closure cap includes stop means (described below) that are intended to hold or lock the top cap in an inverted position during the open position, as represented in Figure 6, so that the cap closure does not turn undesired during the pouring of the liquid or drink by the user.

Said stop means comprise a protrusion (4) that protrudes laterally outward from the lower ring (1), which is aligned in height with a tab (5) that protrudes laterally from the lower edge of the upper plug (2), in such a way that in an open condition (see Figure 6), the flange (5) abuts a lower surface of the projection (4).

To assure the user that the container that includes the closure cap has not been tampered with, the closure cap includes an tamper-evident seal located between the upper cap (2) and the lower ring (1). This seal is made up of a plurality of breaking points (6) spaced apart, which are located in a slit made around the previously described stop means, as can be seen more clearly in figure 3. These breaking points breakage (6) will break when the user begins to unscrew the top cap (2). In addition, the tamper-evident seal also includes a plurality of breaking points (6) distributed in the gap between the lower edge of the upper stopper (2) and the upper edge of the lower ring (1).

The closure cap described thus allows a reduction in weight and an improvement in the manufacturing process to obtain the shortest injection cycle possible, also achieving that the injected closure cap does not require any subsequent processing or cutting of the seal. nor folding of retaining elements (such as a plurality of tabs), as occurs in stoppers of the known technique.

The details, shapes, dimensions and other accessory elements used in the manufacture of the closing cap of the invention may be conveniently replaced by others that do not depart from the scope defined by the claims that follow.

Claims (7)

1. Closing cap for containers, in particular intended for containers that have an opening in a neck provided with a threaded outer portion, comprising a lower ring configured to be coupleable to the neck of the container and an upper cap (2) that presents in its inner face a thread configured to be coupleable to the outer threaded portion of a container neck, with the upper plug (2) and the lower ring (1) joined together in such a way that they are capable of rotating integrally with each other, carrying out the union between the upper cap (2) and the lower ring (1) by means of two extensions (3) with a certain degree of flexibility, which have a diameter greater than the diameter of the lower ring (1), being diametrically opposite with each other, in such a way that they are arranged above the lower ring (1) in a closed position of the closing cap, and the upper end (31) of each of the extensions (3) converging in an area of the upper cap, in such a way that in an open position of the closure cap, the upper end of the extensions (3) acts as a hinge region in such a way that the upper cap (2) is capable of rotating, characterized in that each one of the extensions (3) has a cross section that progressively decreases from the lower end (30) to the upper end (31) thereof and in which the upper end of the extension (3) includes a flat widened portion. 2. Closing cap for containers according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it includes stop means intended to keep the upper cap (2) in a fixed manner in an inverted position with respect to the arrangement adopted by the upper cap ( 2) during the closed position. 3. Closing cap for containers according to claim 2, characterized in that the stop means comprise a projection (4) that protrudes from the lower ring (1), which is aligned in height with a tab (5) that protrudes laterally of the lower rim of the upper plug (2), such that, in an open condition, the tab abuts a lower surface of the projection (4). Closing cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of a single piece of plastic material that can be molded by injection or compression molding. 5. Closing cap for containers according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it includes an tamper-evident seal between the upper cap (2) and the lower ring (1). 6. Closing cap for containers according to claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the tamper-evident seal is made up of a plurality of breaking points (6) located in slits made around the stop means. 7. Closing cap for containers according to claim 5, characterized in that the tamper-evident seal is made up of a plurality of breaking points (6) distributed in a gap between the lower rim of the upper cap (2) and the upper lip of the lower ring (1).