KR100748285B1 - Locking helical closure system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spiral lock closure device (10) for a container consisting of three components. These three components are a sealing lid 13, a bottleneck end sleeve 11, and a liner to stopper 12 made of elastic material. The closure device includes a helical groove 15 of the bottleneck end sleeve and a mating protrusion 14 that engages the pocket to prevent the closure lid from loosening during the sterilization process.

Airtight device, sealed

Description

Spiral Lock Sealing Device {LOCKING HELICAL CLOSURE SYSTEM}

This application claims the advantages of US Provisional Application No. 60 / 133,910, filed May 13, 1999.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the improvement of container closure devices for use in products requiring autoclave sterilization processes. In such applications, it is important that the integrity of the sleeve is maintained. As disclosed in the prior art, in conventional devices thermal creep in the material loosened the seals and damaged the seals in some cases during the autoclave process due to temperature changes in the process. Maintaining a tight seal during the autoclave process is important to maintain product integrity. The present invention provides a hermetic device with novel construction and placement features that ensure a tight seal during the autoclave process.

1 is a side view showing a state in which the spiral lock closure device of the present invention is installed in a container in a partial cross section in which the closure lid is cut off.

1A is a plan view showing the closure cap and the bottleneck end sleeve in a partially cut off state;

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating in more detail a bottleneck end sleeve fitted to a bottleneck. FIG.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the closure lid showing the engaging projections and the force concentrating means.

3A is a bottom view of the lid of the closure device.

4 is a side view of a bottleneck end showing a helical slot, retention bumps, and pockets;

4A shows the bottleneck end sleeve.

5 is an exploded view of the lid and bottleneck end sleeve.

6 is an exploded view illustrating the engagement of the cap and the bottleneck end sleeve.

The present invention provides a closure device characterized by feature points that can be particularly useful in autoclave processes. For this purpose, the closure device has a sleeve insert having a helical structure that is press fit at the end of the bottleneck and extends to the locking portion, and a lid having protrusions engaging in the slot and holding the liner in place on the container in the closed state. It is configured to include.

Referring to the drawings, in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, the helical lock closure device 10 shown and installed on the vessel 30 in FIG. 1 is designed to prevent "turn open" during the autoclave sterilization process. Due to the thermal creep of the materials involved, the prior art seals have been loosened, causing the threaded lid to retract, which damages the seal and renders the contents of the container unusable.

Referring to Figure 1, the sealing device 10 of the present invention is composed of three components. The components are a bottleneck end sleeve 11 formed in a cylindrical shape, a liner disc or stopper 12 made of an elastic material for sealing the contents of the container, and a cup-shaped sealing lid 13 cut and shown in FIG. . The bottleneck end sleeve 11 and the closure lid 13, shown in the combined state in FIG. 1, cooperate cooperatively to prevent the closure device 10 from retreating during the sterilization process and the liner disc or stopper 12. Force downwards.

As shown in detail in the development of the insertion sleeve 11, three helical grooves 15 are formed in the outer surface of the insertion sleeve 11; Each such helical groove has an inlet 15a sized to receive the protrusion 14 and extends to a locking slot 16 located in the transverse plane PP perpendicular to the axis of the insertion sleeve. .

The parts of the locking device are assembled in the following way. First, the sleeve 11 is press-fitted to the neck of the container until the lower edge 11a of the sleeve 11 abuts the circumferentially extending ribs R which bottleneck the body of the container. Next, a liner seal 12 is placed on the outlet of the container in the position shown in FIG. The liner 12 has a smaller diameter than the sleeve 11 so that when the lid is positioned on the liner, the protrusions 14 can be fitted in alignment with the inlet of the helical slots 15. When the lid is turned clockwise, the lid is held in place so that the protrusions 14 pass through retention bumps 17 and engage the locking slot 16 to lock the lid.

In FIG. 2, the bottleneck end 11 is shown installed in the neck 31 of the container 30. The bottleneck end 11 is forcedly fitted to the neck 31 of the container 30 to prevent the bottleneck end 11 from rotating while closing the closure lid 13. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the protruding shape of the closure lid 13 is more clearly shown. The engaging projection 14 of the opening of the closure lid 13 and the force concentrating means 18 of the closure end cooperate with each other to secure the liner or stopper 12 to the container 30. The spiral slots 15 which rotate in a downward spiral, the pocket 16 which holds the engaging projection 14 when the closure lid 13 is completely fixed to the container 30, and the closure lid during the sterilization process The bottleneck end 11 is shown with a retention bump 17 to prevent the 13 from rotating in the opposite direction.

In order to preserve the contents of the container 30, the bottleneck end 11 is forcedly fitted to the neck 31 of the container 30. The liner or stopper 12 is located on top of the container 30, or optionally inside the closure lid 13, and then the closure lid is positioned above the bottleneck end 11 so that the engagement protrusions 14 are helically slotted. Aligned with (15). In order to secure the liner or stopper 12 to the container 30, the closure lid 13 is rotated and pulled down along the helical slots 15 while the liner to stopper 12 through the force concentrating means 18. Pressurize. In order to move the engagement protrusion 14 through the retention bump 17 into the pocket 16, the force for rotating the closure lid 13 must be slightly increased.

In order to remove the liner or stopper 12 and open the container 30, a force must be applied to the closure lid 13 in the opposite direction to allow the engagement protrusion 14 to overcome the retention bump 17. . After passing the retention bumps 17, the engaging projections 14 are released along the helical slots 15 so that the sealing lid 13 and the liner or stopper 12 are peeled off and the contents of the container 30 are available. Will be.

The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, and is not limited thereto, and one of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the appended claims.

Claims (2)

In a closed assembly for a container having a cylindrical bottleneck, A bottleneck end having a series of circumferentially spaced spiral grooves formed on an outer surface thereof, When the lid rotates with respect to the sleeve, the protrusions cross the helical groove and engage with the bottom of the locking slot to secure the lid to the sleeve; A cup-shaped lid comprising an upper surface, a skirt suspended therefrom, and a series of protrusions circumferentially spaced and directed toward the inside of the radiation; To seat the protrusion in the groove when the protrusion is engaged in the locking slot; On the inside of the lid adjacent to the skirt, an elastic seal axially aligned with the inward protrusion on the skirt that engages the liner and biases the lid upwards and is pressed against the axial end face of the end of the bottle by a circumferentially suspended rib. Including a liner, Each helical groove extends to an elongated locking slot extending laterally at the end of the container adjacent the bottom of the bottleneck end, the downwardly protruding protrusion forming a stop at the inlet of the slot; And the lid protrudes from the lower edge of the skirt and is spaced at circumferential equal intervals to align with the helical groove of the sleeve. The closure assembly of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the liner is somewhat less than the diameter of the circular trajectory of the circle passing through the inner edge of the spiral groove at the outer surface of the bottleneck end of the container.

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