CONTAINER COVER
DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY
The invention relates to a lid for containers, particularly suitable to be applied to a threaded end of a container. US 6543634 discloses a screw cap, comprising an internally capped body provided with a threaded region suitable for engaging in a manner configuredly coupled with a threaded neck of a bottle. In addition, the lid comprises a ring secured against manipulation connected to a lower edge of the body in a plurality of bridges. The tamper-proof ring comprises a cylindrical wall provided with an upper edge from which the bridges extend, and which has a relatively thin thickness. The cylindrical wall is connected at the bottom, in a connection zone, to a bead delimited by an external surface and an internal surface which are parallel to each other and both have a cylindrical shape. The heel has a thickness that is significantly greater than the cylindrical structure on top of it. From the connection area, a plurality of fins are arranged which are arranged in a position that is inclined with respect to the cylindrical wall and faces towards a lower wall of the cupped body.
When the lid described in US 6543634 is applied to a bottle, the tamper-resistant ring and the wings are deformed in a manner such that they allow the tamper-proof ring to be placed under a collar provided in the bottle. If the cap is subsequently unscrewed, the flaps are brought against a bottom surface of the collar which retains the tamper-proof ring in a position adjacent to the collar. The torque applied by the user during unscrewing thus allows the bridges to break and the cup body to be removed, leaving the ring secured against tampering associated with the bottle. A disadvantage of the lid described in US 6543634 is that its application to a bottle moving at a high speed along a bottling line is often inconvenient and may be incorrect. In fact, the inner diameter of the ring secured against manipulation is kept close to the external diameter of the collar and in such a configuration, the structure of the ring secured against manipulation is excessively rigid. In a first stage of bottling, the lid has to rest on the threaded neck of the bottle, and in a second phase, it has to be tightened on the threaded neck in order to isolate the contents of the bottle from the external environment. During these phases, it is necessary to exert a rather high torque on the cap so that the anti-tampering ring is deformed by expansion until it slides under the threaded collar and collar. However, in some cases it may not be possible to close the bottle, because the torque applied to the cap is not enough to push it over the neck of the bottle, or, if the torque is sufficient, but it is difficult apply the lid, the lid can be deformed, it can be applied incorrectly and under certain circumstances, it can be projected away from the bottle. JP 2001-114312 discloses a tamper-resistant lid having a main part and a ring part secured against tampering removably connected to the main part. Indicating position indicator marks, which are formed by laser beam irradiation, are provided respectively on the outer circumference of the main part and the ring part secured against tampering. EP 0801005 discloses a lid comprising a lid body composed of a top plate and a cylindrical portion suspended from a peripheral edge of the top plate. The cylindrical portion it comprises a main portion above a wearable detachable line and a ring portion secured against tampering below the wearable detachable line. The main portion is formed on its internal wall surface with a threaded portion and the ring portion secured against tampering is formed on its inner wall surface with engagement projections. US 5356019 discloses a tamper-indicating plastic closure comprising a closure cap in which, by means of portions of weakened tape, a tamper indicating band is fixed. The tamper indicating band is provided with a number of blocking elements, which are connected through the tamper indicating band by integral tabs. During screwing on the neck of the container, the locking elements can be pivoted upwards and radially outwards in a first closed position. In contrast to this, during the opening of the tamper indicating closure, the locking elements are pivoted downwardly and radially inwardly to a second opening position. With this, the effective internal diameter will be reduced, through which the locking elements will be held in engagement with the corresponding blocking surface on the neck of the container. An object of the invention is to improve caps for closing bottles, particularly equipped with a threaded neck. Another objective is to provide a lid that can be easily applied to a bottle. An additional objective is to limit the problems that may arise during bottling, particularly those that may cause interruptions to the production cycle and / or marketing of low quality packages. An additional objective is to reduce the torque required to apply a lid to a bottle, without however damaging the hermetic seal of the bottle, so that during the opening phase of the bottle, a user can easily remove the lid from the neck of the bottle. In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a lid comprising an abutment body with which a ring secured against manipulation delimited by lateral wall means provided with a connection area with which the appropriate retention means are connected is connected to. coupling with a collar of a container, characterized in that said lateral wall means comprise a wall portion projecting towards the outside of said ring secured against manipulation, in order to allow said connection zone to expand radially while said lid is applied to said container. Due to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain a lid that can be easily applied to a container, for example, a bottle. In fact, when the lid is pushed over the container, the wall portion projecting outwards acts as a deformation promoter facilitating radial expansion of the connection zone. In this way, it is possible to reduce the torque required to apply the lid to the container.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a cover comprising a cupped body with which a first edge of a ring secured against tampering is associated, said ring secured against tampering comprises a connection area from which media are extended. fins suitable for coupling with a collar of a container and a second edge opposite said first edge, characterized in that said second edge is joined to said connection zone through a surface inclined towards the inside of said cupped body. Due to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain a lid that can be easily applied to a container, particularly a bottle. The inclined surface of the tamper-proof ring effectively forms an internal bevel which acts as a promoter portion when the lid rests on a neck of the container and is subsequently fitted thereon. In this way, the risks are limited to that the cap, due to excessive interference with the neck, can be applied incorrectly and deformed. In addition, the inclined surface delimits on the secured ring against manipulation a region, comprised between the second edge and the connection zone, having a substantially trapezoidal or triangular section. This allows the amount of material that is needed to manufacture the secured ring against handling to be reduced as compared to the amount of material needed to have a ring of the type shown in US 6543634.
The invention can be carried out and understood better with reference to the attached drawings, which show some exemplary and non-limiting modalities thereof, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a lid provided with a guaranteed ring against manipulation; Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of Figure 1 showing a section of the ring secured against tampering; Figure 3 is a schematic, enlarged and fragmented section showing an application phase of the lid in Figure 1, in which the lid is brought into contact with the neck of a bottle for the first time; Fig. 4 is a section similar to that of Fig. 3 showing the partially deformed tamper-evident ring so as to go beyond a collar obtained in the neck of the bottle; Figure 5 is a section similar to that of Figure 3, showing the guaranteed anti-tamper ring applied to the neck of the bottle; Figure 6 is a section similar to that of Figure 3, showing a phase of removal of the cap from the bottle; Figure 7 is a section similar to that of Figure 3, showing the moment in which the ring secured against tampering is separated from a body of the lid; Figure 8 is a section similar to that of Figure 3, showing the ring secured against tampering associated with the bottle after removal of the lid;
Figure 9 is a section similar to that of Figure 3, showing the ring secured against tampering away from the lid body after the lid has been removed and the body of the latter has been re-threaded into the neck; Figure 10 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing a ring secured against tampering according to a first alternative version; Figure 11 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing a ring secured against tampering according to a second alternative version; Figure 12 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing a ring secured against tampering according to a third alternative version; Figure 13 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing a ring secured against tampering according to a fourth alternative version; and Figure 14 is a perspective view of a lid provided with a tamper-resistant ring arranged to remain attached to the lid body after removal of the lid. Figure 1 shows a lid 1 suitable for being used to close an open end of a container, such as a bottle. The lid 1 for example can be obtained by compression molding or plastic injection.
The lid 1 comprises a cupped body 2, delimited by an inner wall 3 having a substantially circular flat shape. The cup body 2 further comprises a skirt 4, which extends from the bottom wall 3 and can be substantially perpendicular to said wall. The skirt 4 is internally provided with threads 5, suitable for coupling with a threaded neck 31 (figure 3) of a bottle, and can be externally delimited by a knurled surface 6 so that the user can more easily hold the cupped body 2 for screw it onto the bottle or unscrew it from it. In the lower wall 3, a seat can be obtained to receive a seal 7 suitable for resting on one end of the neck of the bottle and preventing the substances contained therein from escaping into the external environment. The skirt 6 is delimited in a region thereof opposite the lower wall 3, by a edge 8 with which a ring secured against manipulation 9 is associated in a removable manner. The latter is delimited by a first edge 13 adjacent to the cupped body 2, and by a second edge 14, opposite the first edge 13. When the lid 1 is screwed onto a bottle, the first edge 13 delimits the ring secured against handling 9 in the upper part, while the second edge 14 delimits it in the lower part. The first edge 13 is connected to the edge 8 by means of a plurality of bridges or joining zones 10 separated by cuts 11 so as to define a fracture line 12 extending around the entire first edge 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the tamper-resistant ring 9 comprises side wall means 15 interposed between the first edge 13 and the second edge 14. The side wall means 15 are internally provided with a connection area 16 from which they extend retention means suitable for coupling with a collar obtained in the neck of the bottle. The retaining means may comprise a plurality of fins 17 or, alternatively, a continuous fin, inclined towards the lower wall 3, and separated from each other through sectors 18. Alternatively, as shown by a dotted line in Figure 2, the fins 17 can be substantially parallel to the bottom wall 3, or they can be inclined towards the second edge 14. The fins 17 can be arranged in such a way that they are angularly equidistant along the secured ring against manipulation 9. Alternatively, the fins 17 may be arranged such that they are not angularly equidistant. Even or odd numbers of flaps 17 can be provided. The connection zone 16 defines in the side wall means 15 a first region 19 interposed between the connection zone 16 and the first edge 13, and a second region 20, interposed between the connecting zone 16 and second edge 14. First region 19 comprises a portion of wall 21 projecting towards the outside of the secured ring against manipulation 9. The second region 20 defines an edge from portions of which the fins 17 they are far away In the example in figure 2, the portion 21 is provided with a frusto-conical geometry, with a smaller base of the truncated cone facing the first edge 13 and a larger base of the truncated cone facing the connection area 16. The conformation of the wall portion 21 is such that it allows an increase in the diameter of the secured ring against manipulation 9 running from the first edge 13 towards the connection area 16. In particular, the internal diameter of the first region 19 of the ring secured against handling 9 goes from a first value D1 near the first edge 13 to a value D2, greater than D1, near the connection zone 16. From the end of the wall portion 21 opposite the first edge 13, a portion substantially extends cylindrical 22, delimited by an outer surface 23 and by an internal surface 24. The transverse thickness of the substantially cylindrical portion 22 is substantially the same as that of the wall portion 21. The substantially cylindrical portion 22 is connected to the portion 21 at an edge 25. Each fin 17 is connected to the cylindrical portion 22 by means of circular sector elements 26 and is delimited by an upper surface 27 and by a lower surface 28 which are substantially parallel to each other. An end surface 29 which is substantially parallel to the outer surface 23 joins the upper surface 27 and the lower surface 28 of each fin 17. The end surfaces 29 of the fins 17 define a diameter D3 within the lid 1. The area 16 is connected to the lower edge 14 through an inclined surface 30 having a substantially frusto-conical shape, with the smaller base of the truncated cone facing the lower wall 3. The inclined surface 30 forms with the second edge 14 an angle aa way to act as a promoter portion when the lid 1 is applied to the neck of a bottle. In particular, the angle a can have a value of approximately 70 °. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 13, the connecting zone 16 can be attached to the lower edge 14 through a further surface 41 disposed substantially perpendicular to the second edge 14, such that the second region 20 has a thickness S that is substantially constant along the entire length. Figures 3 to 5 illustrate three phases of application of the lid 1 to the neck 31 of the bottle. The neck 31 is provided at the top with a thread 35, suitable for coupling with the threads 5 obtained inside the cupped body 2. Under the thread 35, a collar 32 delimited by a first side surface 33 and by a second one is provided. lower surface 34.
The lid 1 initially rests on the thread 35, after which it is gradually screwed onto the latter. Due to the inclined surface 30, which defines in the second region 20 an internal bevel, the lid 1 can be pushed on the neck 31 in a relatively easy manner. The bevel in fact limits the risks of the cap 1 being incorrectly placed on the neck 31. Simultaneously, the bevel defined by the inclined surface 30 allows the amount of plastic required to form the secured ring against manipulation 9 to be reduced. In fact, the inclined surface 30 gives the second region 20 of the tamper-resistant ring 9 a substantially trapezoidal section, which has a reduced range compared to the case in which the second region is internally bounded by a surface parallel to the surface 23, as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 10. By continuing to screw the cap onto the thread, the tamper-proof ring begins to interact with the collar 32. The bevel defined by the inclined surface 30 in the second region 20 allows a more moderate and more gradual interaction between the guaranteed anti-tamper ring 9 and the collar 32. The fins 17, when coming into contact with the first lateral surface 33 of the collar 32, tend to rotate about the connecting zone 16 so as to approach the first region 19 of the side wall means 15. This rotation may involve a increase in angle a. Simultaneously, the connection zone 16 tends to deform, expanding radially so as to go beyond the collar 32. During this phase, the first region 19 of the side wall means 15 tends to be bent outwards, taking a warped configuration shown in FIG. Figure 4. The conformation of the first region 19 of the side wall means 15 is such as to facilitate radial expansion of the connection zone 16. In fact, the externally projecting portion 21 acts as a deformability promoter and allows that the first region 19 takes a warped configuration in an easier way than would occur if the first region 19 were cylindrical with a diameter corresponding to that of the first edge 13. The conformation of the portion 21 allows the bridges 10 to be maintained more close to the axis of the bottle and therefore - with the same torque applied to the cup body 2 to unscrew - that a force is obtained The larger part that discharges into the bridges 10. By continuing to screw the cover 1 against the bottle, the fins 17 go beyond the collar 32 and are placed below the second lower surface 34. In this position, the fins 17 no longer interact with the collar 32 and due to the elastic properties of the material from which they are made, they return to their non-deformed configuration, as does the first region 19. This situation is shown in figure 5. When a consumer wishes to remove the lid 1 from the bottle, holds the knurled surface 6 to unscrew the cupped body 2. In this way, the tamper-resistant ring 9 approaches the collar 32 and the wings 17 begin to interact with the second bottom surface 34. In particular, the top surface 27 of each fin 17 rests on the second lower surface 34 of the collar 32, which acts as a brake for the fins 17, preventing them from rising further along the neck 31 of the bottle the. The torque applied by the consumer unscrewing the cap rotates the vanes 17 around the connecting area 16, in order to decrease the range of the angle α, as shown in Figure 6. The wall portion 21 , which is subjected to a force directed towards the lower wall 3, tends to be aligned in the cylindrical wall 22, thereby reducing its inclination. If the consumer continues unscrewing the lid, the bridges 10 break, as shown in figure 7, and the cup body 2 is separated from the secured ring against handling 9, which remains associated with the neck 31 of the bottle. As previously described with reference to FIG. 2, the internal diameter D3 defined by the fins 17 is dimensioned so that the clearance G between the neck 31 and the end surface 29 of the fins 17 remains defined, as shown in FIG. Figure 8. Due to the free space G and the plastic deformation of the second region 20 and / or of the fins 17, after the cupped body 2 has been removed from the bottle, the ring secured against handling 9 descends by gravity along the neck 31, moving away from the collar 32. As shown in Figure 9, when the consumer, after partially consuming the contents of the bottle, again applies the cupped body 2 to the neck 31, the ring secured against tampering with the bottle. which rests on a ring projection 36 that moves away from the neck 31 below the collar 32, remains distanced from the edge 8 of the cupped body 2, indicating that the bottle has already been opened. In fact, the anti-tampering ring 9, even if it comes into contact with the cup body 2, again descends along the neck 31 by the force of gravity as soon as it is released. In this way, the possibility of manipulating the contents of the bottle without the knowledge of the user is avoided. This behavior is not found in the best tapas available. In such covers, in fact, the fins are flexible and elastic, that is, they are easily deformable. In this way, they are brought into contact with the neck after the first opening, so as to keep the ring secured against manipulation raised with respect to the ring projection. Fig. 10 illustrates a tamper-resistant ring 109 according to an alternative version, which differs from the tamper-resistant ring 9 shown in Figs. 1 to 9 because it does not have the substantially cylindrical portion 22. The wall portion 121 which projecting the secured ring against manipulation 109, is provided with a substantially frusto-conical shape, and is delimited at the top by the first edge 13 and at the bottom by the connection zone 16. The smallest base of the truncated cone defined the wall portion 121 is oriented towards the lower wall 3, so that the internal diameter of the anti-tampering ring 109 progressively increases from the first edge 13 to the connection area 16. The tamper-resistant ring 109 comprises a second region. 120 which is externally delimited by a frustoconical wall 39 inclined by an angle ß ß with respect to the knurled surface 6, in such a way that the external diameter of the second region 120 increases from the connection zone 16 to the second edge 14. Figure 12 shows a ring guaranteed against manipulation
309 provided with a wall portion 321 substantially similar to the wall portion 121 of the tamper-resistant ring 209 shown in Figure 10. The tamper-resistant ring 309 differs from the tamper-resistant ring 209 in that it comprises a second region. 320 which is externally delimited by an additional frusto-conical wall 40 inclined at an angle and with respect to the knurled surface 6, in such a way that the external diameter of the second region 320 decreases passing from the connecting zone 16 to the second edge 14. Figure 11 shows a ring guaranteed against tampering
209 according to another alternative version, in which the wall portion 221 projecting outwards is provided with a warped configuration and is delimited at the top by the first edge 13 and at the bottom by the connection zone 16. The portions 121, 221 and 321 shown in Figures 10 to 12 make it easier to radially expand the secured ring against tampering so that it can be placed under the collar. In fact, the sidewall portions projecting outwardly from the lid act as deformation initiators, allowing the first region 19 of the tamper-resistant ring to more easily take up a warped configuration, and thus facilitating the expansion of the area of connection 16. Furthermore, the second regions 20, 120, 320, which have a reduced thickness due to the inclined surface 30, can be more easily deformed while being pushed under the collar 31, which allows the torque of the torsion required to apply the cover 1. Despite this, the flaps 17 ensure that the tamper-resistant ring can not be removed from the neck 31. In Figure 14, a 409 tamper-resistant ring of the proper type to be broken is shown when the cupped body 2 is removed from the bottle and remains fixed to the cupped body 2 by means of a bridge 37. In a non-moving version Instead of a single bridge, a plurality of bridges can be provided. The rings secured against handling of this type are provided with a weakened zone 38 which crosses the side wall means 15 parallel to the neck of the bottle, along which the secured ring against tampering 9 breaks when the consumer removes the lid. . Due to the great deformability of the side wall means, the weakened area can be very deep and therefore easily breakable during the removal of the lid without breaking during the application of the latter. On the other hand, in the rigid areas secured against manipulation of the prior art, the weakened area has to be shallow. As a result, if the weakened area crosses the fin, removal is much easier than in the case where the weakened zone occupies the sectors interposed between the fins. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the weakened zone in a sector that separates two adjacent fins. In this way, the machines of the state of the art require adjusting devices that allow the weakened line to be obtained in a predetermined position. On the contrary, in a cover according to the invention, the weakened line can be obtained in any position, indistinctly through the fins or through the sectors. Because the weakened area can be very deep, breaking during the removal phase of the lid will be easy. This allows the prior art caps producing machines to be simplified, making it unnecessary to use complicated adjustment devices.