The invention relates to a container having a mouth portion and a closure cap removably secured to the container, the closure cap having cooperating latching elements, the mouth portion having a circumferential projection and further having a ring circumferentially connected to the shell surface by a breakaway skin.
In the prior art, a large number of variants of con- tainers and closures are disclosed which have a tam-
per-evident closure and/or a child-resistant closure.
These can be implemented by various arrangements, e.g. with the aid of partially circumferential cams and with tear-off tapes.
It is often necessary for such a container to seal the contents from the environment in the original, not yet opened state.
Furthermore, it may be necessary for a desiccant to be incorporated inside the container to protect moisture-sensitive contents.
US 5,398,829 shows an arrangement consisting of an at- tachment placed on a container and a sealing cap atta- ched thereto.
Before the sealing part of the closure cap can be removed, a tear-off tape must be removed, which thus represents a tamper-evident mark.
Further-
more, the sealing cap must be placed in a certain po- sition relative to the attachment in order to be able to remove it.
This mechanism represents a child safety device.
Other child-resistant lids are known from US 5938054 A, DE 19712364 Al, DE 69202489 T2, EP 0217630 A2 and US 4573599 A.
Other containers with closure caps are shown in US 4
037 746 A, US 4 566 602 A, US 3 595 420 A, DE 10 2014106507 Al and GB 2 203136 A.
In particular, before the closure of a container is o- pened for the first time, it should be tight in order to allow a longer shelf life of the elements contained in the container, e.g. pharmaceutical tablets, or the like.
In this context, it is known to cover the ope- ning of the container with a sealing film.
A disadvan- tage here, however, is that the desiccant must be int- roduced into the container in a separate work step be- fore the sealing film is applied.
In this case, how-
ever, it is not possible to apply the desiccant to the inside of the closure cap of the container, as the se- aling film would prevent the desiccant from having its effect on the contents of the container.
Accordingly, the aim of the invention is in particular to provide a container which has a tamper-evident clo- sure and which, in the original closed state, is sub- stantially impermeable to liquid vapor, in particular water vapor.
According to the invention, this is achieved with a container of the type indicated at the beginning, in which the tear-off skin is in contact with the first projection, the container having a second preferably circumferential projection and the ring having a pro- jection on its inner side, the second projection of the container and the projection of the ring being formed as second latching elements and being in a lat- ching connection with one another.
Accordingly, the container has an opening and a mouth portion extending substantially cylindrically from the opening.
On the container, a closure cap is provided which closes the opening in a closed position and is removable from the opening and has a substantially cylindrical circum-
ferential surface which, in the closed position, at least partially encloses the mouth portion.
Prefe- rably, the shell surface completely encloses the mouth portion in the circumferential direction.
First cooperating latching elements are provided on an inner surface of the shell surface of the closure cap and on an outer surface of the mouth portion, so that in the closed position the closure cap and the container are reliably connected to each other, and the closure cap is held on the container, for example, when the clo- sure cap is rotated from the intended use position of the container, in which the opening is arranged at the top in the vertical direction, to an inverted posi-
tion, with the container opening at the bottom.
These first cooperating latching elements may, for example, constitute a child lock mechanism or part of a child lock mechanism of the closure cap of the container.
A first circumferential projection is provided in the mouth section of the container below the first inter- acting latching elements.
Furthermore, a ring is pro- vided, the upper edge of which is circumferentially connected to the outer surface via a tear-off skin.
The ring is designed in particular in such a way that the closure cap cannot be removed from the container without opening or breaking the ring; i.e. the ring is designed in particular as a tamper-evident closure.
According to the invention, the tear-off skin is in contact with the first projection in a closed posi- tion.
The tear-off skin is thus at the same time a se- aling skin which, in contact with the first projec- tion, provides a sealing effect against moisture ente- ring the container.
To fulfill this purpose particu-
larly well, the tear-off skin is preferably in circum- ferential contact with the first projection.
The first protrusion can thereby also serve, for example, as protection against manipulation of the closure cap of the container with a tool.
In particular, it can pre-
vent a pointed object from being driven under the ou- ter surface of the cap.
It is provided that the container has a second prefe- rably circumferential projection and the ring has a projection on its inner side, the two projections being designed as second latching elements and being in a latching connection with one another.
Since the ring is connected to the closure cap via the breakaway skin, these second latching elements can prevent remo- val and/or twisting of the closure cap as long as the breakaway skin is intact.
Preferably, one or are both of the protrusions are circumferential and are in a snap-fit connection with each other such that axial movement relative to the substantially cylindrical mouth portion is prevented.
This latching connection may also perform a sealing action and/or an additional seal may be provided between the second latching ele- ments.
Furthermore, it may preferably be provided that the ring itself protrudes below the second protrusion of the container in the closed state.
Preferably, in the closed position of the closure cap, the second latching elements are in contact under a tensile force acting substantially in the longitudinal direction of the container.
In this way, the tear-off skin is under tension so that the tear-off skin is pressed against the first projection, thereby impro- ving the seal between the tear-off skin and the pro- jection.
In a preferred embodiment, the ring has a predeter-
mined breaking point.
Thus the ring can serve in par- ticular as a tamper-evident closure which can be torn open at the predetermined breaking point and subse- quently separated from the closure cap by tearing of the tear-off skin.
The predetermined breaking point is preferably designed as a material thinner.
Thus, the ring can also serve as a seal, since it is circum- ferentially tight.
Furthermore, the ring preferably has a grip element.
This is shaped in such a way that traction on it breaks the ring at the predetermined breaking point and tears the tear-off skin, so that the ring is separated from the closure cap. Prefe- rably, the grip element is located in the vicinity of 5 the predetermined breaking point. It also preferably has a label and/or a symbol, for example an arrow, in- dicating the direction in which pulling is to be per- formed in order to separate the ring from the closure cap. In another preferred embodiment, the first cooperating detent elements are formed as an outwardly projecting snap bead at the mouth portion and as an inwardly pro- jecting snap bead at the shell surface. For a reliable snap-in connection between the snap-in elements, in an advantageous embodiment it is provided that the snap-on bead in the mouth section substanti- ally surrounds the container apart from an opening section. It is further advantageous if the snap-on bead on the shell surface is divided into at least a retaining bead and an opening bead, and the snap-on bead is in- terrupted between these two beads, the opening bead being smaller than the opening section. In this way, when the opening bead is aligned with the opening por- tion by rotating the closure cap, the opening bead can be moved through the opening portion when pulled in the direction of the opening of the container. The child-resistant features of the closure cap are thus achieved in that, before it is possible to remove it from the container by pulling in the direction of the opening, it further requires a further step of action, namely aligning the opening bead with the opening por- tion.
In a preferred embodiment, the retaining bead extends over substantially one-half or a fraction less of one- half of the circumference of the shell surface.
Further preferably, this half is located approximately opposite the opening bead.
Preferably, the retaining bead has one or more interruptions, the one interrup- tion being located, for example, in the center of the retaining bead.
Such an arrangement facilitates remo- val of the ring when it has been rotated to the ap-
propriate position, since pulling of the opening bead through the opening portion is not impeded by the retaining bead, and subsequently elastic deformation of the closure cap allows the retaining bead to be pulled over the outwardly projecting snap-on bead of the mouth portion.
Advantageously, the container has an indicator which shows the position of the mouth section-side opening section.
There are a number of possible embodiments of this indicator, for example it can be in the form of an engraving, as a bulge, as sectional knurling and/or as lettering.
The extension of the indicator can cor- respond approximately to that of the opening section and/or be aligned with it in the radial direction.
Further advantageously, the closure cap has an opening tab on an outer surface which is substantially aligned with the opening bead in the radial direction.
A com- bination of the features of the indicator and the ope- ning tab, which can, however, also be designed inde-
pendently of one another, facilitates alignment of the opening bead with the opening section.
The opening flap can, for example, be designed as a ramp, the extent of which in the radial direction can,
for example, correspond approximately to the extent of the opening bead.
The side of the ramp with the lower height is preferably that which is closer to the lower edge of the closure cap.
Particularly preferably, the opening ramp is located directly above the lower edge of the closure cap.
All of these embodiments also fa- cilitate removal of the closure cap because, by pul- ling/pressing on the opening tab when the opening bead is aligned with the opening portion, the opening bead can be pulled through the opening portion and/or the closure cap is elastically deformed such that the retaining bead can be pulled over the outwardly pro- jecting snap-on bead of the mouth portion.
It is also advantageous if the closure cap has a hol- der on the side facing the container in the closed po- sition, which can be used to hold a desiccant, for example.
In this way, the desiccant can already be at-
tached to or in the closure cap before the closure cap is placed on the container.
A separate step for inser- ting the desiccant into the container is thus not ne- cessary.
After application of the closure cap with the tear-off skin of the (tamper-evident) ring, which cre-
ates a seal to the container that is essentially im- pervious to liquid vapor, a sealed container that is essentially impervious and at the same time contains a desiccant can thus be created in a particularly simple manner.
Particularly preferably, the holder is designed as a holder for a desiccant tablet.
Particularly prefe- rably, the desiccant tablet has a silica gel or a molecular sieve-based desiccant.
With the aid of the desiccant, among other things, the shelf life of the contents of the container can be extended.
It is advantageous if the holder for holding a desic- cant tablet is cylindrical in shape and has a prefe-
rably circumferential holding element into which the desiccant tablet can be received.
This facilitates the production process, since the desiccant tablet can simply be pushed into the holder after the closure cap has been manufactured and the desiccant tablet is held by the preferably circumferential holding element, which is in the form of a hook-shaped latching ele- ment.
To simplify handling, in particular twisting, of the closure cap, it is advantageous if the outer surface of the outer surface of the closure cap has knurling.
The knurling can comprise a part of the outer surface of the closure cap or run around it, on a part of the height of the closure cap or on the entire height of the closure cap.
In lieu of knurling, a variety of other design variations may be provided to facilitate handling of the closure cap.
In particular, the knur-
ling may be in the form of a grooved or serrated pro- file, advantageously with the grooves/serrations run- ning parallel to an axial direction of the shell surface.
Advantageously, to improve sealing of the contents of the container from the environment and/or also to pro- vide a seal after the ring has been torn off, the in- ner surface of the shell surface of the closure cap may have a substantially circumferential sealing cam and the mouth portion may have a sealing surface, the sealing cam and the sealing surface being in contact.
In order to allow the appropriate rigidity and/or fle- xibility, it is advantageous if the cap and the ring are injection molded from one part and thus have the same material and/or the cap and/or the ring have a softer plastic, in particular a plastic with a lower Shore hardness, for example a lower Shore A hardness or Shore D hardness, than the container.
Preferably,
the cap and/or the ring are made of polyethylene and/or an aromatic and/or aliphatic copolyester, for example ECOFlex& or ECOVia& from BASF SE.
Also prefe- rably, the container is made of polyethylene (PE),
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene furanoate (PEF)and/or polyactide (PLA), particularly preferably polypropylene (PP) and/or high density po- lyethylene (HDPE). Furthermore, it is advantageous if the tear-off skin is thinner than 0.8 mm, particularly preferably between 0.1 and 0.5 mm thick. Advantageously, the closure cap and the ring are adap- ted to be pushed onto the container in a single pro- duction step and a preload is thereby created between the container and the closure cap, the ring and the tear-off skin. This can be achieved, for example, by making some or all of the projections, parts or all of the first latching elements, the snap-on beads of the mouth portion and/or the skirt surface and/or the se- aling cam ramp-shaped in the push-on direction. The preload serves in particular to establish or reinforce the sealing effect. The invention described herein is particularly sui- table for the storage of medicaments, but is not in- tended to be limited to this field of application. The invention will be further explained below with re- ference to preferred examples of embodiments shown in the drawings, to which, however, it is by no means in- tended to be limited. In detail, the drawings show:
Fig. 1 a container with a closure cap and ring atta- ched thereto from a frontal view;
Fig. 2 the container with the cap and the ring atta- ched to it, as seen from an oblique top view;
Fig. 3 the container from a frontal view;
Fig. 4 the container from a frontal view from the rear;
Fig. 5 the container as seen from above at an angle;
Fig. 6: Frontal view of the closure cap and the ring;
Fig. 7: Frontal view of the cap and the ring;
Fig. 8 the cap and the ring from diagonally below and diagonally in front;
Fig. 9 the cap and the ring from diagonally below and diagonally behind;
Fig. 10 the cap and the ring in section through plane B;
Fig. 11 the closure cap from diagonally below and dia- gonally behind;
Fig. 12 the cap from below;
Fig. 13 the container and the closure cap in a posi- tion in which the closure cap cannot be removed;
Fig. 14 the container and the closure cap in a posi- tion in which the closure cap can be removed;
Fig. 15 the mouth section of the container, the clo- sure cap and the ring in section through plane A. Figs. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the container 1 with a closure cap 3 attached thereto and a ring 5 connected to the closure cap. The container 1 is de- signed here as a cylinder. The closure cap 3 and the ring 5 are seated on its mouth section 10, which is at least partially concealed here, cf. e.g. Fig. 3. The closure cap 3 has a circumferential surface 30. The upper edge 50 of the ring 5 is circumferentially connected to the lateral surface 30 via a tear-off skin 4. The lateral surface 30 has a knurling 31 and an opening tab 32. The ring 5 has a predetermined breaking point 52 and, in proximity thereto, a grip element 51 which also has a marking in the form of an arrow indicating the preferred direction of pull.
A predetermined breaking point 52 is designed as a mate- rial taper 53.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show an embodiment of the container 1 with the mouth section 10 and an opening 9. In the mouth section 10 there are the mouth section side part of first latching elements 17, which here are designed as a snap-on bead 11, which has an opening section 12,
a first circumferential projection 13, above the snap- on bead 11 a sealing surface 14 and a second circum- ferential projection 15. Furthermore, an indicator 16 shows the position of the opening section 12.
Figs. 6 and 7 show the closure cap 3 and the ring 5 from a frontal view, the outer surface 30 of the clo- sure cap 3 being connected to the upper edge 50 of the ring 5 via a tear-off skin 7. Also visible are the o- pening tab 32, the grip element 51, the predetermined breaking point 52, which is formed as a material taper 53, and the knurling 31.
The closure cap 3 and the ring 5 are shown in Figs. 8 and 9 from diagonally below and in Fig. 10 in section through plane B (cf.
Fig. 6). Compared to the figures already described, it can be further seen here that the closure cap's shell-surface-side first latching elements are formed as an inwardly projecting snap-on bead 34, which is subdivided into an opening bead 35 and a retaining bead 36. It is apparent that the retaining bead 36 is larger than the opening bead 35 and extends over approximately one half of the circum- ference of the lateral surface 30 opposite the opening bead 35, cf. also Fig. 12, the retaining bead 36 ha- ving an interruption 37. Furthermore, it can be seen that the closure cap 3 has a holder 38, for example for a desiccant tablet, on its side 4 facing the con- tainer 1 in the closed position. Furthermore, the clo- sure cap 3 has a sealing cam 39 which is formed above the first latching elements 33. Furthermore, the ring has a projection 54 on its inner side, which is in latching connection with the second preferably circum- ferential projection 15 of the container in the closed state before the ring 5 is torn off. Figs. 11 and 12 show the closure cap 3 with the ring 5, not shown, torn off. In particular, the first lat- ching elements 33 on the shell side can be seen, which are formed as an inwardly projecting snap bead 34 con- sisting of an opening bead 35 and a retaining bead 36. The retaining bead 36 is larger than the opening bead 35 and extends over approximately one half of the cir- cumference of the shell surface 30, which is opposite the opening bead 35. The retaining bead 36 has an in- terruption 37. Figs. 13 and 14 again show an embodiment of the con- tainer 1 and the closure cap 3 attached to the contai- ner 1, from which the ring 5 has already been deta- ched. The closure cap 3 has the opening tab 32 and the container 1 has the indicator 16. In Fig. 13, the clo- sure cap 3 is in a position relative to the container 1 in which the closure cap 3 cannot be removed from the container 1. In Fig. 14, however, the closure cap 3 is in a position relative to the container 1 in which the opening tab 32 is aligned with the indicator 16 and the closure cap 3 can thus be removed from the container 1.
Fig. 15 shows an embodiment of the container 1 with closure cap 3 and ring 5 in a section along the plane
A (cf.
Fig. 1). The container has the snap-on bead 11 with the interruption 37, the first projection 13, the second projection 15, the indicator 16, the sealing surface 14 and a retainer 38. In this embodiment, the substantially cylindrical retainer 38 includes a retaining element 40 in the form of a circumferential hook-shaped detent element.
Thus, a desiccant in tab- let form can be easily inserted into the holder 38, in which it is then reliably secured via the retaining element 40. The closure cap 3 has an outer surface 30 with a seal- ing cam 39 which rests on the sealing surface 14. Pre- ferably, there is a bias from which the sealing cam 39 is pulled onto the sealing surface 14, the projection 54 on the inside of the ring 5 against the second pro- jection 15 of the container and/or the tear-off skin 7, which is designed as a sealing skin, onto the first projection 13.
The examples of embodiments shown in the figures and explained in connection therewith serve to explain the invention and are not limiting thereto.