FR3120354A1 - PLUG WITH A LOCKING FINGER - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cap (16) and a cap assembly (12) for a container (10), comprising:- a cap body (20) pivotally mounted between a closed position and at least one open position; - a tamper evident ring (26); and- two connecting arms (34, 36) which are each connected, on one side to the tamper evident ring (26) and on the other, by a hinge, to the cap body (20). The cap body (20) includes a locking finger (46) which is located between the two link arms (34, 36) and which extends axially towards the tamper evident ring (26) when the cap body ( 20) is in its closed position. The locking finger (46) includes a free end edge (48) and an outer axial surface (50). Figure for abstract: 2

Description

PLUG WITH A LOCKING FINGER

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a cap for a container.

The invention relates more particularly to a stopper which is inseparable from the container even when the stopper is open, in particular a stopper which can be used on a brick-shaped container, for example made of cardboard.

Technical background

It is known that a container such as a cardboard brick can be provided with a neck on which a cap is fixed by screwing. The neck can be attached to the cardboard brick, for example by gluing.

The term container refers here to all kinds of containers, without limitation of form or use. The stopper comprises for example a stopper body comprising a skirt of tubular shape and a plate connected at its periphery to the skirt and intended to come to cover the opening of the neck. The skirt has a net arranged inside, intended to come into engagement with a complementary shape of the collar.

The skirt is frequently extended by a tamper evident ring intended to come into engagement with a collar of the collar. The tamper evident ring is connected to the skirt by bridges between which extend through separations. When the cap is opened, the tamper evident ring remains attached to the collar and detaches from the skirt by breaking the bridges. This shows that the container has already been opened.

Recently, the new European directives have implemented a standard requiring that the basic caps as described above must now be connected to the neck of the container, in order to limit the impact on the environment by avoiding the dissemination of the caps.

Thus, so-called inseparable caps are now provided, which include the same elements as conventional caps except that the cap body is permanently linked to the tamper evident ring by means of link arms. These connecting arms are shaped by their length so as to allow the plug body to move away axially from the tamper evident ring, to detach from the neck and to be able to tilt towards an open position which allows the fluid to be poured contained in the container through the neck.

A disadvantage of the existing caps is that they are not suitable for all container configurations, in particular for containers of the brick type. The fact that the cap remains attached to the neck by the tamper-evident ring can interfere with use when you want to pour a liquid contained in the container and the cap is placed in the path of the liquid. It is then necessary to hold the container with one hand and to hold the cap with the other hand which is not practical.

The aim of the invention is to provide a plug and a plug assembly that is more practical, while respecting the regulations and minimizing manufacturing costs.

With these objectives in view, the invention proposes a cap for a container comprising:

- a cap body comprising a substantially tubular skirt centered on a main axis and means for its coming into engagement with a neck connected to the container, the cap body being pivotally mounted between a closed position and at least one open position ;

- a tamper evident ring; And

- two connecting arms which are each connected, on one side to the tamper evident ring and on the other, by a hinge, to the cap body;

characterized in that:

- the cap body includes a locking finger which is located between the two connecting arms and which extends axially towards the tamper evident ring when the cap body is in its closed position;

- the locking finger comprises a free end edge which is provided to bear against a first bearing zone of the neck so as to retain the stopper body in an intermediate open position, and an outer axial surface which is provided to bear against a second support zone of the neck so as to retain the cap body in a completely open position.

Thus, the flow of the liquid is no longer impeded by the plug body. The cap is therefore convenient to use. The user only has to unscrew the cap and then rotate the cap to the intermediate open position, or the fully open position, until the cap body is immobilized by means of the locking finger. Then he can freely pour the liquid contained in the container without the need to hold the cap body.

The invention also proposes a stopper assembly comprising a threaded neck intended to be mounted on a container and a stopper as described previously, characterized in that the upper section of the neck comprises an outer peripheral groove whose lower edge forms the first support zone and whose upper rim forms the second support zone for the free end edge of the locking finger.

According to other characteristics of the invention:

- the neck comprises at its upper end a sealing lip intended to be compressed against a sealing element of the cap body in the position of closure of the cap against the neck, and the outer radial end of the sealing lip forms the upper rim of the outer peripheral groove;

- the two hinges define a pivot axis of the cap body and a first radial distance from the pivot axis to the free end edge of the locking finger is slightly greater than a second radial distance from the pivot axis to the top of the lower rim of the outer peripheral groove, so that when passing from the closed position to the intermediate open position of the plug body, the passage of the locking finger on the lower rim causes a hard point in the pivoting of the stopper;

- the tamper-evident ring has tightening elements against the neck to slow down the rotation of the cap on the neck;

- in its intermediate open position, the cap body is pivoted through a first angle of between 90 and 100 degrees, preferably 95 degrees, relative to its closed position;

- in its fully open position, the cap body is pivoted through a second angle greater than or equal to 150 degrees, preferably substantially equal to 170 degrees, relative to its closed position;

- the two connecting arms delimit between them a substantially rectangular notch, and in that, in the closed position of the cap body, the locking pin is received in the notch;

- the two connecting arms are connected to the tamper evident ring by a substantially trapezoidal connecting portion, the top of which delimits the bottom of the notch.

The invention also proposes a container in the form of a brick, characterized in that it is equipped with a stopper assembly according to one of the preceding characteristics.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the reading of the detailed description which will follow for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view which schematically shows a container whose opening is equipped with a stopper assembly according to the invention;

– Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the cap assembly of the when the cap body occupies a closed position;

- there is an axial sectional view according to plane 3-3 which shows the cap assembly of the ;

– Figure 4 is a side view showing the cap assembly of the ;

– Figure 5 is an axial sectional view similar to that of the but which represents the cap assembly when the cap body occupies an intermediate open position;

– Figure 6 is a detailed view of a portion of the which represents the locking finger when the plug body occupies the intermediate open position;

- Figure 7 is an axial sectional view similar to that of the which represents the cap assembly when the cap body is in a fully open position.

Detailed description of the invention

On the there is shown a container 10 equipped with a stopper assembly 12 according to the invention. The container 10 here is of the cardboard brick type made by folding and gluing. The invention is also suitable for other types of containers.

According to the embodiment shown, the cap assembly 12 is attached to an upper wall 14 of the container 10 which has an opening 15.

The cap assembly 12 is shown in more detail in Figures 2 and following. It comprises here a threaded neck 14 and a cap 16 designed to be screwed onto the neck 14.

In the remainder of the description, an axial orientation along the main axis A1 of the cap assembly 12, that is to say along the axis of the neck 14, from bottom to top to considering Figures 2 and 3. The cap assembly 12 will first be described when it occupies its closed position on the neck 14, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

The neck 14 is here provided at its lower axial end with a radial flange 18, or base, which allows the attachment of the cap assembly 12 to the container 10 in a hermetic manner.

The cap 16 comprises a cap body 20 comprising a substantially tubular skirt 22, along the main axis A1. The skirt 22 is provided on its internal axial wall with threads 24 which allow it to come into engagement with the neck 14 of the container 10 by screwing.

Cap 16 also includes a tamper evident ring 26 which is axially retained on neck 14 by a retaining rib 28.

The cap body 20 and the tamper evident ring 26 are made in one piece by injection of plastic material into a mould.

In the closed position, and before the first opening of the cap 16, the tamper evident ring 26 is connected to the skirt 22 by breakable bridges of material 29. The unscrewing of the cap body 20 with respect to the neck 14 causes the breaking of the bridges of material 29 to allow the opening of the cap 16 and to give access to the neck 14.

The tamper evident ring 26 comprises tightening elements 31 against the neck 14 to slow down the rotation of the stopper 16 on the neck 14 and allow it to be retained in a determined angular position.

The tamper evident ring 26 here comprises, over a portion of its circumference, a connecting portion 30 of generally trapezoidal shape which extends upwards. This connecting portion 30 therefore has an axial dimension greater than the axial dimension of the tamper evident ring 26 on the rest of its circumference.

The connecting portion 30 is extended, on each side of its top 32, by two connecting arms 34, 36 which are each connected to the cap body 20 by a hinge 38, 39.

The hinges 38, 39 are here arranged close to the bottom wall 40 of the cap body 20. The skirt 22 therefore comprises a notch 41 which generally follows the shape of the connecting portion 30. The notch 41 notably comprises two edges inclined 43, 44, on either side of the connecting portion 30.

This makes it possible in particular to produce the hinges 38, 39 in the form of a thin veil of material to allow the pivoting of the cap body 20 with respect to the tamper evident ring 26, around a transverse pivot axis T1. The pivot axis T1 is here globally tangent to the cylinder formed by the skirt 22.

The two connecting arms 34, 36 delimit between them a notch 42 whose bottom 45 corresponds to the top 32 of the connecting portion 30.

Advantageously, the cap body 20 includes a locking finger 46 which is arranged between the two connecting arms 34, 36 and which extends axially towards the tamper evident ring 26, here downwards.

The locking finger 46 comprises a free end edge 48 which here is substantially parallel to the pivot axis T1 and which extends near the top 42, at the bottom of the notch 42, when the plug body 20 is in its closed position. The transverse dimension of the locking finger 46 is here slightly smaller than the transverse dimension of the notch 42.

In the closed position, the locking finger 46 extends axially in the extension of the connecting portion 30, that is to say that the outer axial surface 50 of the locking finger 46 is flush with the connecting portion 30 and with the rest of the skirt 22.

The upper section of the neck 14 comprises an outer peripheral groove 52 which is delimited downwards by a lower flange 54 and upwards by an upper flange 56 intended to cooperate with the locking pin 46 in the opening positions of the cap 16 , as will be described later.

Advantageously, the neck 14 comprises at its upper axial end a sealing lip 58 which is provided to be compressed against a sealing element of the cap 16, here an inner axial skirt 60, in the closed position of the cap 16 against the neck 14. The sealing lip 58 extends in a generally radial plane, but slightly inclined towards the inside of the neck 14. The sealing lip 58 projects slightly towards the outside of the neck 14 thus forming the upper rim 56 of the outer peripheral groove 52.

From the closed position, which is shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the cap body 20 can be unscrewed by a user. As the cap body 20 remains linked to the tamper evident ring by the hinges 38, 39, at the end of unscrewing the cap body 20 is pivoted around the pivot axis T1 to a position of intermediate opening O1, which is illustrated by figures 5 and 6.

The intermediate open position O1 here corresponds to a pivoting of the cap body 20 through a first angle a1 of between 90 and 100 degrees, preferably 95 degrees, relative to its closed position.

The cap body 20 is retained in the intermediate opening position O1 by the locking pin 46 which pivots with the cap body 20 and which comes to bear by its free end edge 48 against a first bearing zone on the neck 14. The first support zone is constituted here by the lower edge 54 of the outer peripheral groove 52.

From the intermediate open position O1, the cap body 20 is pivoted around the pivot axis T1 to a fully open position O2, which is illustrated by the .

The fully open position O2 here corresponds to a pivoting of the cap body 20 through a second angle a2 greater than or equal to 150 degrees, preferably substantially equal to 170 degrees, relative to the closed position.

The cap body 20 is retained in the fully open position O2 by the locking pin 46 which comes to bear via the outer axial surface 50 against a second bearing zone on the neck 14. The second bearing zone is constituted here by the upper rim 56 of the outer peripheral groove 52. Advantageously, it is an end portion of the outer axial surface 50, located in the vicinity of the free end edge 48, which bears against the upper rim 56.

In each of the opening positions O1, O2, the stopper body 20 is disengaged from the neck 14 to allow the pouring of a fluid through the opening 15 of the container 10.

Advantageously, a first radial distance d1, from the pivot axis T1 to the free end edge 48 of the locking finger 46, is slightly greater than a second radial distance d2 to the lower edge 54 of the groove outer peripheral 52. Thus, when passing from the closed position to the intermediate open position O1, the locking finger 46 comes to rub against the top of the lower rim 54 which causes a hard point in the pivoting of the cap body 20 and allows the stopper body 20 to be indexed in its intermediate open position O1. This hard point allows the user to feel a "click" which indicates the passage of the hard point and the arrival in the intermediate opening position O1.

Of course, the cap body 20 is able to pivot in the opposite direction, from each of its open positions O1, O2 to the closed position.

The stopper 16 and the stopper assembly 12 according to the invention make it possible to have two indexed opening positions. This allows the cap assembly 12 according to the invention to be able to be implemented in many different container configurations, in particular for brick-shaped containers as on the where it is important to be able to maintain the open position when pouring a liquid using the container.

LEGEND

10: container
12: plug assembly
14: collar
15: opening
16: cap
18: radial collar
20: plug body
22: skirt
24: nets
26: tamper evident ring
28: retaining rib
30: connecting portion
31: clamping elements
32: vertex
34, 36: connecting arm
38, 39: hinge
40: bottom wall
41: notch
42: notch
43, 44: angled edge
45: background
46: locking finger
48: free end edge
50: outer axial surface
52: outer peripheral groove
54: bottom edge
56: top edge
58: sealing lip
60: inner axial skirt
A1: main axis

a1: first angle
a2: second angle
O1: intermediate opening position
O2: fully open position
T1: swivel axis

Claims (10)

Cap (16) for container (10), comprising:
- a cap body (20) comprising a substantially tubular skirt (22) centered on a main axis (A1) and means for its engagement with a neck (14) connected to the container (10), the cap body ( 20) being pivotally mounted between a closed position and at least one open position;
- a tamper evident ring (26); And
- two connecting arms (34, 36) which are each connected, on one side to the tamper evident ring (26) and on the other, by a hinge, to the cap body (20);
characterized in that:
- the cap body (20) comprises a locking finger (46) which is located between the two connecting arms (34, 36) and which extends axially towards the tamper evident ring (26) when the cap body (20) is in its closed position;
- the locking finger (46) comprises a free end edge (48) which is provided to bear against a first support zone of the neck (14) so as to retain the cap body (20) in a intermediate opening position (O1), and an outer axial surface (50) which is provided to bear against a second support zone of the neck (14) so as to retain the cap body (20) in a position fully open (O2). Stopper assembly (12) comprising a threaded neck (14) intended to be mounted on a container (10) and a stopper (16) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the upper section of the neck (14) comprises a peripheral groove (52) whose lower rim (54) forms the first bearing zone and whose upper rim (56) forms the second bearing zone for the free end edge (48) of the locking finger (46) . Plug assembly (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the neck (14) has at its upper end a sealing lip (58) intended to be compressed against a sealing element of the plug body (20) in the closed position of the stopper (16) against the neck (14), and in that the outer radial end of the sealing lip (58) forms the upper rim (56) of the outer peripheral groove (52) . Plug assembly (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the two hinges (38, 39) define a pivot axis (T1) of the plug body (20) and in that a first radial distance (d1) from the pivot axis (T1) to the free end edge (48) of the locking finger (46) is slightly greater than a second radial distance (d2) from the pivot axis (T1 ) to the top of the lower edge (54) of the outer peripheral groove (52), so that when passing from the closed position to the intermediate open position (O1) of the plug body (20), the passage of the locking finger (46) on the lower edge (54) causes a hard point in the pivoting of the stopper (16). Cap assembly (12) according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the tamper-evident ring (26) comprises clamping elements (31) against the neck (14) to brake the rotation of the cap ( 16) on the collar (14). Plug assembly (12) according to any one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, in its intermediate open position (O1), the plug body (20) is pivoted through a first angle (a1) between 90 and 100 degrees, preferably 95 degrees, relative to its closed position. Plug assembly (12) according to any one of Claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, in its fully open position (O2), the plug body (20) is pivoted by a second angle (a2) greater than or equal to 150 degrees, preferably substantially equal to 170 degrees, relative to its closed position. Plug assembly (12) according to any one of Claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the two connecting arms (34, 36) delimit between them a substantially rectangular notch (42), and in that, in the position closure of the cap body (20), the locking finger (46) is received in the notch (42). Cap assembly (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the two connecting arms (34, 36) are connected to the tamper-evident ring (26) by a substantially trapezoidal connecting portion (30) whose apex ( 32) delimits the bottom of the notch (42). Container (10) in the form of a brick, characterized in that it is equipped with a stopper assembly (12) according to any one of claims 2 to 9.