GB1602090A

GB1602090A - Flanged cap closure

Info

Publication number: GB1602090A
Application number: GB22782/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: POHL METALL KUNSTSTOFF
Current assignee: POHL METALL KUNSTSTOFF
Priority date: 1977-06-21
Filing date: 1978-05-25
Publication date: 1981-11-04
Also published as: FR2395198B1; DE2727737A1; SE437503B; ES244277Y; JPS5410084A; ES244277U; SE7806973L; DE2727737C2; FR2395198A1

Description

(54) FLANGED CAP CLOSURE (71) We, FRANZ POHL, METALL UND KUNSTSTOFFWARENFABRIK GMBH & CO. KG. a German company of Hertzstrasse 12, 7500 Karlsruhe, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a flanged cap closure for a bottle for a pharmaceutical substance. Typically such a closure is a metal flanged cap having a disc-shaped or plugshaped elastic sealing element for sealing off the rim of the neck of the bottle. The cap is connected to the neck of the bottle in an annular zone disposed below the end of the neck of the bottle, and has a tear-out portion which is incorporated in the closure cap and can be removed by means of a pull-off tab.

Flanged cap sealing closures for bottles containing liquid or pulverulent pharmaceutical substances and particularly for infusion and transfusion bottles, are known in a number of forms. Thus, German Patent Specification AS 2 040 937, for example, discloses an aluminium flanged cap which comprises, in a central recess, a plastics insert, which is sealed off over two faces and can be removed with the aid of an annular pull-off tab. In this way the surface of a sealing element which closes off the neck of the bottle in a resilient manner is uncovered, and this sealing element may have a cannula passed through it so that the contents of the bottle become accessible.

The prior art also includes metallic onepiece imperforate flanged caps having a pulloff tab which is attached to the side of the flange, so that the flanged cap can be completely removed. The first mentioned arrangement wherein use is made of a removable insert of plastics material fitted in the central recess in the aluminium flanged cap, does not provide the safety factor as regards sealing action that is present in an imperforate one-piece metal flanged cap. Although the second form of cap can be produced in one piece and without perforations, the space across the top surface is poorly utilized.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved flanged cap closure for a bottle for a pharmaceutical substance.

A flanged cap closure according to the invention comprises a metal flanged cap including a top and a flange extending therefrom, the flange being connected to the neck of the bottle below the end of the neck in use, a resilient sealing element received in the metal cap to form a first sealing zone across the end of the neck of the bottle, a separate second sealing element arranged at the flange of the cap or the edge of the top of the cap to prevent contamination from entering between the flange and the neck of the bottle and/or reaching the top surface of the resilient sealing element; the top of the cap having therein an imperforate tear line substantially in the shape of a circle with a continuous contour, the tear line defining a removable disc-shaped tear-out portion integrally formed of the metal of the cap, and a pull-off tab connected to the tear-out portion by a rivet integrally formed of the metal of the tear-out portion Thus a one-piece, completely germ-proof, metal flanged cap closure is created which can be produced in a simple and inexpensive manner. The preformed imperforate tear line can be formed in the known manner by reducing the thickness of the material or by indentation. The resilient sealing elements may be plug- disc- or ring-shaped. Preferabiy the periphery of the pull-off tab and the periphery of the tear-out portion are approximately equal.Thus good utilization of space is accompanied by a sufficiently large gripping aperture in the annular pull-off tab. Such an arrangement with the pull-off tab positioned near the edge has proved particularly advantageous as regards the mechanics of production and in the capping operation.

Furthermore, such a flanged cap closure can be opened particularly easily. Various shapes can be used for the pull-off tab. An annular form of the pull-off tab in conjunction with the disc-shaped tear-out portion appears to be advantageous, though rounded triangular configurations of the tab may be expedient.

The pull-off tab may be advantageously formed of a shaped wire part. A further ad vantageous form consists of a tongue-like pull-off tab in the form of a strip, the marginal portions of which are reinforced by corrugations. In particular cases other shapes, e.g. elliptical, are also possible.

In preferred embodiments, the securing element may be a river formed integrally with material of the tear-out portion. This rivet, which is preferably hollow, enables the pull-off tab to be secured without the need for perforating the top surface when fitting the rivet.

Further it is preferred that the preformed, imperforate tear line is continuous and lies within the top surface of the flanged cap.

With this arrangement, it appears expedient for the preformed tear line to be substantially circular. This shape results in a substantially disc-shaped removable tear-out portion and, furthermore, the elastic sealing element is retained on the neck of the bottle by the remaining marginal portion of the flanged cap.

To facilitate initiation of the tearing action, the preformed tear line can form a tongue, having for example a pointed end, in the zone where tearing is started. Initiation of the tearing action, particularly in the case of greater thickness of material, can be additionally facilitated if the pull-off tab has a piercing tip and is so applied to the securing element, integral with the flanged cap, that this piercing tip lies at a shorter lever arm to the pull-off tab axis of rotation during initial tearing than the lever arm of a finger gripping point of the pull-off tab to the said axis of rotation. By means of such doublearm lever arrangement, which however may also be a single-arm arrangement, the force required for piercing and initiation of the tearing of the tear-out portion can be easily applied by a lever action.

It is to seal off the flanged cap against germs penetrating from the lower edge zone that the second sealing element is provided. Advantageously, the second sealing element may be an inserted O-ring. A further advantageous arrangement can be achieved by injecting a sealing composition, for example an elastomeric compound, to form the second sealing element. It appears particularly advantageous to provide such an elastic sealing element in an internal channel adjacent the upper end of the flange of the cap. This establishes a seal at the upper outer end of the neck of the bottle, which seal can be prestressed by the pressure applied when the flanged cap is fitted on the bottle.

In accordance with a further advantageous feature, an elastic sealing element is fitted on the surface of the inner wall near the lower edge of the flange. This prevents the penetration of germs at that edge. These two possible sealing means, i.e. the fitting of the elastic sealing element in the internal channel and near the lower edge of the flange of the cap, may be advantageously used in conjunction with each other.

In a further advantageous arrangement, the flanged cap may have an outwardly directed lower flange portion which bears against a complementary outwardly directed edge portion on the neck of the bottle to be sealed, particularly a bottle made of plastics material that has been previously mechanically sealed, and the two outwardly directed portions are straddled by a U-section ring which holds them tightly together. The Usection ring is advantageously a sealing element of plastics material formed by injectionmoulding in situ.

Finally, yet another advantage can be achieved if the pull-off tab is loosely fitted on to its securing element. This facilitates assembly and packing. One pull-off tab may be used repeatedly for several bottles.

The tearing operation can be favourably influenced by dividing the tear-out portion.

For this purpose the tear-out portion may have an outer substantially circular tear line in combination with a spiral tear line formed within the middle portion, so that the latter portion can be removed at least partially in the form of a spiral strip.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, various specific embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a flanged cap closure in accordance with the invention, having a completely removable central tear-out portion, Figure 2 is a plan view of the flanged cap shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a flanged cap for another closure in accordance with the invention, Figure 4 is a cross-section of a third flanged cap closure in accordance with the invention and having an outwardly extending portion at the lower end of its flange.

Figure 5 is a cross-section through a flanged cap for yet another closure in accordance with the invention and having a tearout portion divided into the form of a strip.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the Figure 5 cap, Figure 7 is a plan view of a pull-off tab of rounded triangular shape, and Figure 8 is a plan view of a flanged cap having a tongue-like pull-off tab in the form of a strip.

The closure illustrated in Figure 1 consists of an aluminium flanged cap 1 which has an imperforate tear-out portion 2 and bears by its flange 3 against a suitably shaped radially proiecting portion 4 of the neck 5 of a bottle. The upper end of the neck 5 of the bottle is closed off by means of an elas tic sealing disc 6 which, when the flanged cap 1 is pressed on, is firmly pressed against the end of the neck 5 of the bottle.

A hollow rivet 7, which secures a pulloff tab 8, is formed integrally with, i.e. from the material of, the tear-out portion which, in the present case is made of aluminium sheet having a thickness of approximately 0.3 mm. An elastic O-ring 9 is fitted to seal the lower edge 3 of the flanged cap 1 on to the neck of the bottle. This ring may be re placed by an injected sealing composition.

Further details of the flanged cap closure can be seen from the plan view provided in Figure 2. Therein, the contour of the tear-out portion 2 can be seen to be defined by a preformed tear line 10, substantially in the form of a closed circle, but which has a pointed starting tongue 11 where tearing is initiated. The pull-off tab 8 has a piercing tip 12, and the distance or lever arm, between this piercing tip and the pull-off tab axis of rotation 13 during initial tearing is shorter than the distance of the lever arm between the finger gripping point 14 at the edge of the pull-off tab 8, and axis of rotation 13.

This arrangement results in a leverage which greatly facilitates penetration by the piercing tip 12.

The pull-off tab 8 has a slot 16 affording access to an opening 17, matching the peri phery of the hollow rivet 7, which slot ex tends into a central recess 15. The pull-off tab 8 can therefore be fitted on the hollow rivet 7 and removed therefrom.

The embodiment shown in Figure 3 relates to a flanged cap of substantially the same construction as that of the Figures 1 and 2 embodiment. For sealing this cap an elastic O-ring 23 is provided in an internal channel 22. A further elastic O-ring 24 of smaller cross-section is fitted in a suitably shaped portion 25 near the lower edge of the flange of the cap 1.

A reinforcing rim 31, which is provided at the edge of the top of the cap and which provides the channel 22, is of at least the same height, as measured from the top of the cap, as the hollow rivet 7 and as the pull off tab 8. Thus, the hollow rivet 7 and the pull-off tab 8 lie in a dished recess, and the closure cap is particularly suitable for trouble free handlnig in filling machines, since sub stantially planar guiding on the rim and para llel to the top becomes possible.

The remaining parts incorporated in this embodiment correspond to those used in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 shows part of a further alternative form of the flanged cap 1, wherein an elastic sealing composition 26, forming an edge seal, is injected into the internal space 22.

The lower edge of the flange of the cap 1 is formed as a radially projecting edge por tion 27, which bears against a matching radially extending edge portion 28 of a plastics bottle 29 that has been previously sealed by means of a seam formed by causing the material of the bottle to flow. The two radially extending edge portions 27 and 28 are interconnected in a germ-proof manner by means of a plastics sealing element 30, which takes the form of a U-section ring and is produced by injection-moulding to straddle the two edge portions 27 and 28. In this embodiment, the elastic disc-shaped sealing element 6 lies on top of the mechanically closed neck of the bottle.

The flanged cap 1 illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 consists of a flanged cap 1 which has a reinforcing rim 31 at the upper edge of its flange, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 3. The pull-off tab 8 takes the form of a one-piece bowed wire. The circular surface of the tear-out portion 2 has a tearable portion 32, partly in the form of a spiral strip and bounded by an inner tear line of spiral shape. The remaining parts, not described in detail here, correspond to those of the previously described embodiments. A resilient O-ring, corresponding to the O-ring 23 shown in Figure 3, is likewise provided in the reinforcing rim 31.

Figure 7 illustrates an annular pull-off tab 8 of rounded triangular shape. This is a onepiece flanged ring with an integral securing tongue 33 which extends into the unoccupied interior and is connected to the hollow rivet 7.

Finally, Figure 8 shows a flanged cap 1 having a reinforcing rim 31 near its edge, in which cap the pull-off tab 8 is a tonguelike strip of sheet metal, the marginal portions of which are reinforced by indentation 34. The tear-out portion 2 has a circular preformed tear line 35.

The metal flanged caps described above can be completely sterilized and, in contrast to completely sterilizable plastics caps, can be easily ton open. If the extent of the periphery of the tear-out portion and that of the pull-off tab are approximately the same, i.e. in the case of circle-symmetry of the diameter, and in the event of these peripheries corresponding as fas as possible to the periphery of the flanged cap, a very advantageous structure, which results in considerable saving in space, is obtained. In such construction, the pull-off tab may advantageously cover at least a part of the tear line delimiting the tear-out portion.

It will be apparent that the above described flanged cap closure means are easy to use and produce and all of the portions of which provide a sealing effect comparable with that of a solid flanged cap. The flanged cap closures can be produced using little material and simple shaping tools on an automatic mass-production basis, and they can be secured to the neck of the bottle and have a high safety factor as regards the penetration of pathogenic germs.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A flanged cap closure for a bottle for a pharmaceutical substance comprising a metal flanged cap including a top and a flange extending therefrom, the flange being connected to the neck of the bottle below the end of the neck in use, a resilient sealing element received in the metal cap to form a first sealing zone across the end of the neck of the bottle, a separate second sealing element arranged at the flange of the cap or the edge of the top of the cap to prevent contamination from entering between the flange and the neck of the bottle and/or reaching the top surface of the resilient sealing element; the top of the cap having therein an imperforate tear line substantially in the shape of a circle with a continuous contour, the tear line defining a removable disc-shaped tear-out portion integrally formed of the metal of the cap, and a pull-off tab connected to the tear-out portion by a rivet integrally formed of the metal of the tearsut portion.

2. A flanged cap closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imperforate tear line has a pointed starting tongue.

3. A flanged cap closure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second sealing element comprises at least one elastic sealing element on the inner wall of the cap.

4. A flanged cap closure according to claim 3, wherein the or each elastic sealing element is a O-ring inserted in the cap.

5. A flanged cap closure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the or each elastic sealing element is formed by injecting a sealing composition.

6. A flanged cap closure as claimed in claim 3, claim 4 or claim 5 wherein one said elastic sealing element is fitted in an internal channel of the cap.

7. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein one said elastic sealing element bears against the surface of the inner wall of the flanged cap near the lower end of the flange.

8. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flanged cap has a radially outwardly directed lower edge portion, which is adapted to bear against a matching outwardly projecting edge portion on the neck of the bottle to be sealed, and to be straddled together with the matching portion by a U-section ring, which holds them together.

9. A flanged cap closure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the U-section ring is a plastic sealing element formed by injectionmoulding to straddle the two edge portions.

10. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a reinforcing rim is formed at the edge of the top of the flange, the height of the rim as measured from the top of the cap being at least equal to the height of the highest part of the rivet and the pull-off tab.

11. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pull-off tab is a shaped length of a wire.

12. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pull-off tab is formed in the shape of a tongue.

13. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pull-off tat is of rounded triangular shape.

14. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tear-out portion has an outer substantially circular tear line combined with a spiral tear line disposed within a central portion, so that the central portion can be removed at least partially in the form of a spiral strip.

15. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pull-off tab is loosely fitted on the securing element.

16. A flanged cap closure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the periphery of the pull-off tab corresponds approximately to the periphery of the disc-shaped tear-out portion.

17. A flanged cap closure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 or Figure 4 or Figures 5 and 6 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. high safety factor as regards the penetration of pathogenic germs. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A flanged cap closure for a bottle for a pharmaceutical substance comprising a metal flanged cap including a top and a flange extending therefrom, the flange being connected to the neck of the bottle below the end of the neck in use, a resilient sealing element received in the metal cap to form a first sealing zone across the end of the neck of the bottle, a separate second sealing element arranged at the flange of the cap or the edge of the top of the cap to prevent contamination from entering between the flange and the neck of the bottle and/or reaching the top surface of the resilient sealing element; the top of the cap having therein an imperforate tear line substantially in the shape of a circle with a continuous contour, the tear line defining a removable disc-shaped tear-out portion integrally formed of the metal of the cap, and a pull-off tab connected to the tear-out portion by a rivet integrally formed of the metal of the tearsut portion.