MXPA00000562A - Push-on closure - Google Patents

Abstract

A push-on closure (10) that can be pushed on to a container (12) and then screwed off. The container (12) has a neck (11) that is provided with a multi-start thread comprising alternating ridges (25) and grooves (26). The closure (10) includes a substantially circular top (13) and a depending skirt (14) with the skirt having a number of lugs (21) that are spaced apart circumferentially by distances corresponding to the spacing of the grooves (26) of the thread. When the closure (10) is attached to the neck (11) of the container (12), each of the lugs (21) engages with one of the recesses (27) formed in the neck (11). A ramp member (29) is also located adjacent each recess (27) so that upon relative rotation of the closure (10) at least some of the lugs (21) will bear against at least some of the ramp members (29) and be directed by the ramp members (29) into the grooves (26) in the thread to allow the closure (10) to be unscrewed from the neck (11) of the container (12).

Description

LID THAT IS PLACED AT PRESSURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a lid for containers such as bottles, which can be placed under pressure on the container and then unscrewed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known within the art to provide caps that can be applied over the mouth of a container by applying pressure, but which are unscrewed from the container, mainly so-called snap caps. The container and lid combinations are usually based on the use of very thin complementary threads, both in the lid and in the container. The lid is placed over the mouth of the container and pushed and pressed relatively down over the mouth. The two complementary screw threads slide one over the other as pressure is applied on the cover against the mouth of the container. When the lid is to be removed, the lid is rotated relative to the container, so that the complementary threads engage to allow the lid to be removed from the mouth of the container. These caps can be advantageous since they do not require a cap holder for the typical screw caps which, during the placement of the cap, has to rotate the cap in relation to the mouth P1034 / 00MX of the container sufficiently to ensure that sufficient torque is applied to the cap to seal the container. However, a difficulty associated with snap-on caps is that the thin threads of the container and the lid are inclined to be disassembled and slid over one another if some longitudinal resistance is encountered for removal of the lid. This resistance is likely to be encountered if the cover includes, for example, a band against violation. The present invention is directed to an alternative construction of a snap-on lid that allows to avoid the use of fine threads if desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect, the present invention refers to a lid and a container in combination, the container has a mouth that is provided, on its external surface, with a thread of multiple starts consisting of edges and grooves, each thread groove begins at an upper free end of the mouth or is adjacent thereto, and ends in a recess formed in the mouth, the lid includes a substantially circular upper portion and a hanging skirt, the skirt is provided on a surface radially internal with a plurality of fins, the fins are circumferentially separated by distances corresponding to the separation of the grooves of the thread and are P1034 / 00MX separated axially from the inner surface of the upper portion by a distance such that, when pushed relatively downwardly on the mouth of the container, each of the fins will engage with one of the recesses formed in the mouth according to the lid is sealingly engaged with 1 mouth of the container; a ramp member is located adjacent to each recess so that with the relative rotation of a lid that has been placed under pressure on the mouth of the container, at least some of the vanes will bear against at least some of the members of the ramp member. ramp and will be directed by the ramp members into a corresponding slot in the thread to allow the lid to be unscrewed from the mouth of the container. In additional aspects, the present invention relates to caps and containers for including them in combination in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a multi-start thread includes four (4) to eight (8) cutting edges and grooves, preferably six (6) cutting edges and grooves. Preferably, each slot begins just below a tapered flange at the free end of the container mouth. The tapered flange serves to facilitate deflection radially outwardly of the fins, as the cap is pressed against the mouth and on the thread cutting edges of the flange.

P1034 / 0OMX same. Each groove of the thread preferably terminates in the recesses consisting of an essentially annular recess formed in the mouth having the ramps extended therethrough at appropriate intervals. Preferably, the cap has on the inner surface of the skirt a number of fins equal to the number of grooves of the thread. However, it will be possible to have fewer fins than grooves in the thread, in which case some grooves of the thread will not be used. Alternatively, it is possible to have more fins than grooves, in which case, the additional fins will be deflected on the edges in the thread as the cover is unscrewed. In any of these cases, however, the fins that will be guided by the grooves of the threads as the cap is unscrewed should be radially spaced by equal distances to the circumferential spacing of the thread grooves. Also, preferably, the fins lie in a single horizontal plane on the inner surface of the skirt. Preferably, the thread is formed of a plurality of grooves, each of which has a square shape in cross section. Each of the interposed edges, preferably, has a curved upper edge in cross section. This curvature facilitates that the fins are pushed on the edges while the lid is applied to the container.

P1034 / 00MX Preferably, each fin has a longitudinal axis oriented in a circumferential direction. Preferably, one end of each fin is bevelled and may end at a point. The beveling results in the fins being able to cooperate more easily with the corresponding ramp member as the relative rotation of unscrewing of the thread from the mouth of the container begins. A ramp member is preferably adjacent to the end of each thread groove and is inclined so that a flap, which comes into contact with the upper side of the ramp member, rises upwardly at the lower end of the ramp member. associated slot of the thread. In a preferred embodiment, the upper side of each ramp lies in the same helical location as the upper side of the thread cutting edge (which is also the lower side of the upper adjacent slot) to which the ramp is connected. This arrangement ensures that the fin which comes into contact with the upper side of the ramp member rises smoothly upwards within the associated slot of the thread. It is highly desirable that some form of the supplemental sealing means be placed between the mouth of the container and the lid. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing means consists of a deformable sealing rib integrated with the lid as set forth in the specification of the P1034 / 00MX U.S. Patent No. 5,423,444, or variants thereof, which are described in Australian Patent Specification 637,706 and in Australian Patent Specification 74,544 / 94. The contents of the aforementioned Patent specifications are incorporated herein by reference. For example, the sealing means may consist of an annular sealing rib projecting down from the underside of the upper portion, the rib includes a first portion, contiguous with the upper portion and having an internal surface, whose surface it lies radially inward of the skirt portion and a second frustoconical portion, contiguous with the first portion and separated from the upper portion by the inner surface of the first portion, the second portion extends radially inward to end in a circular free edge , the first portion has an internal diameter in relation to the external diameter of the mouth of the container, so that during the coupling of the lid with the mouth, the second portion will be coupled by the free end of the mouth of the container and will bend towards back and, preferably, against the inner surface of the first portion of the rib to form a seal between the mouth of the container and the lid. In one modality, the first portion of the P1034 / 00HX sealing rib can be formed radially inward from the skirt portion with an annular space between them. The first portion in another embodiment may be continuous with the skirt portion. The first portion of the rib may consist of a thickness similar to that of the portion of the skirt adjacent to the upper portion. In another embodiment, the sealing rib may include a region of essentially annular brittleness that is formed around an inner surface of the sealing rib, approximately at the juncture between the first and second portions of the sealing rib. The first portion of the rib can also increase in thickness as it extends away from the upper portion of the lid. At the free circular end adjacent thereto, the upper surface of the second portion of the sealing rib may have a continuous or segmented annular edge. The underside of the upper portion of the lid may also be provided with a continuous or segmented annular cutting edge positioned inwardly and adjacent to the first portion of the sealing rib. The sealing rib may also include a third portion connected to the second portion at the circular edge or adjacent thereto and which generally extends in a direction away from the upper portion, the third portion being, in essence, thinner than the second portion. portion and has a length greater than its thickness.

P1034 / 00MX Alternatively, the seal can be any of a variety of sealing arrangements. A sealing gasket of a compressible material, such as a synthetic plastic foam, as well as an inner tributary gasket may be used. In another embodiment, the seal may be a cylindrical cup or tube that projects axially from the underside of the upper portion of the cap and is adapted to be sealingly engaged with the radially inner surface of the container mouth. In yet another embodiment, the sealing means may comprise a cover with a rib formed on the inner surface of the upper portion within which a sealing membrane is formed by rotary molding or some other suitable technique. Also, more preferably, the lid is formed with a band against rape that will show the consumer whether or not the lid of the container has been removed. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the band against violations is made in accordance with the disclosure of the specification of Australian Patent 668,197 or the specification of United States Patent 5676269. The contents of the above-mentioned patent specifications are incorporated herein by reference. In one embodiment, the band may consist of a generally cylindrical body portion and a P1034 / 00MX segmented rib extending inward from the body portion and adapted to provide a flange with an internal free end for engaging under a retaining flange extending outwardly from the mouth of the container. The combined length of the segmented ribs is preferably equal to at least 50% of the internal circumference of the band. The inner surface of the band may have a plurality of radially internal projections extending from above the free edge of the band and not extending beyond the free inner edge of the rim. In one embodiment, the band may also have on its outer surface a plurality of longitudinally extending areas of a specific thickness separated from each other by non-thick areas. The thick areas increase the longitudinal stiffness of the body portion and still allow the body portion to move radially outwardly as it moves over the retaining flange in the container when coupling the lid with the container. In yet another embodiment, the rib segments of the inner surface of the web may have an upper surface generally facing the upper portion of the lid and a lower side oriented generally away from the upper portion, where the upper surface of each segment of rib consists of a first contiguous surface with P1034 / 00MX the portion of the body of the web, the surface of which slopes inwardly and downwardly away from the upper portion and a second surface extending radially inwardly from the innermost end of the first surface and has a slope angle essentially normal with respect to the skirt portion of the lid. Alternatively, other bands agaiviolation, already known, can be used. It is important to use any kind of band agaiviolations to ensure that the bridges that connect the band to the lower end of the skirt of the cover do not require a force to break them that exceeds the force that can be applied by the action of movement towards above the fins on the grooves of the thread. If this happens, the fins will be cut or alternatively the fins will slide over the edges of the threads as the lid rotates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided as an example of the invention and is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a cover According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lid is shown applied to the mouth of a container also in accordance with a P1034 / 00MX embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a detailed side elevation view of the thread in the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of the lid as illustrated in Figure 4; Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line IV-IV as illustrated in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of the lid shown in Figure 4.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The lid 10, in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in Figure 1 in the mouth 11 of a container 12, in accordance with the present invention. The lid 10 consists of a circular upper part 13 and a cylindrical skirt 14. A band 15 agaiviolation is connected by a plurality of bridges 16 breakable to the lower edge of the skirt 14. The inner surface of the lid 10 is provided with a sealing rib 17. This sealing rib is formed integrally with the upper part 13 of the lid 10 and has a substantially cylindrical portion 18 slightly spaced inwardly.

P1034 / 00MX of the skirt 14. While shown to be slightly inward toward the skirt 14, it can easily be seen that the cylindrical portion 18 may be butted or integrated with the skirt 14 of the lid 10. The lower end of the portion 18 Cylindrical is connected to a frusto-conical portion 19. As illustrated in Figure 4, a sharp edge 20 is provided between the first cylindrical portion 18 and the second frusto-conical portion 19. With the application of the lid 10 in a container 12, a free end 23 of the mouth 11 will engage the frusto-conical portion 19 and will fold back and preferably will come into contact with the radially internal surface of the portion 18. cylindrical The sharp edge 20, although not essential, defines a fold line between the two portions 18, 19 and serves to facilitate the uniform, backward folding of the fxustoconical portion 19 relative to the cylindrical portion 18 when the lid engages to the container. Once coupled to the container 12, the frusto-conical portion 19 bent backward forms a fluid-tight seal with the radially outer surface of the mouth 11. Again, although not illustrated, it can easily be seen that the upper surface of the portion 19 frustoconical may have adjacent to its free end, an annular cutting edge is adapted to mate with the underside of the upper part 13 when the frusto-conical portion 19 is bent backward P1034 / 00MX to the 18 cylindrical portion. A complementary annular cutting edge located on the underside of the upper part 13 and radially inwardly of the cylindrical portion 18 can also be easily observed. Six fins 21 are arranged in an angularly equidistant manner around the radially internal surface of the skirt 14. The fins 21 are positioned to be in a single horizontal plane through the skirt 14 over the breakable bridges 16 and under the sealing rib 17. Each fin 21 has a longitudinal axis lying in the plane. At the end of each fin 21 which will be the guide end when the cap 10 is unscrewed from the mouth 11 (ie, the end of the left side of the fins 21 illustrated in the cover of Figure 4), the fin is tapered at a point 22. The mouth 11 of the container 12 has on its external surface and immediately adjacent its free end 23 an outwardly tapered section 24. Below the section 24 on the external surface of the mouth 11, there are six alternating edges 25 with helical grooves 26. The cutting edges 25 and the grooves 26 comprise a screw thread of multiple starts. An annular recess 27 is located below the thread on the external surface of the mouth 11. The annular recess 27 lies in a horizontal plane surrounding the mouth 11 and has a depth equal to that of the grooves 26. In this way, it hangs on its upper side P1034 / 00MX through the lower ends of the edges 25. On the underside of the annular recess 27 is joined by an external retaining flange 28 for the ring 15 against violation of the cover 10. There are also six (6) ramps 29 located in the ring 27 recess. Each ramp 29 is connected at its lower end with the retaining flange 28 and at its upper end with the lower end of one of the edges 25 of the thread. The upper surface of the ramp 29 lies in the same helical location as the upper surface of the thread 25 of the thread (which is also the lower surface of the adjacent upper slot 26) to which the ramp 29 is connected. During use, a cover 10 will normally be placed on the mouth 11 of the container 12 in a cover fastener. The lid 10 is pushed vertically downward by the fastener. The fins 21 can then slide over the tapered section 24 out of the mouth 11 and then over the edges 25 of the thread until the fins are at a level just below the upper edge of the annular recess 27. Then, the lid 10 is rotated slightly in the clockwise direction (as seen in Figure 1) about its longitudinal axis relative to the container 12 by the fastener. This rotational movement serves to locate the fins 21 in the recess 27, free of the ramps 29 and jammed below the lower ends of the corresponding ones of the P1034 / 00HX 25 cutting edges. As the lid 10 is pushed over the mouth 11, the sealing rib 17 will come into contact with the free end 23 of the mouth 11. The frusto-conical portion 19 will bend back and preferably against the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 18. of the sealing rib 17 through the mouth 11. In this way, the sealing rib 17 will form its seal between the lid and the container 12, specifically against the tapered section 24 towards the outside and the free end 23 of the mouth 11. Another effect of the application of the lid 10 with the mouth 11 is that the rib 30 directed inwardly on the inner surface of the band 15 against violations, which provides an inwardly directed edge, is pulled beyond the retaining flange 28 and it engages under the retaining flange 28 once the lid 10 is completely closed over the mouth 11. The lid 10 can then only be removed from the container 12 by breaking the breakable bridges 16 The ring 15 against violations in the mouth of the container 12. The rib 30 is made of a series of rib segments 31 separated by small fractures 32 and in the illustrated embodiment constitute approximately 85% of the circumference of the band 15. The small fractures 32 provide circumferential flexibility to the band 15 and allow P1034 / 00MX that the rib 30 pass over the retaining flange 28 without creating sufficient strength to break the breakable bridges 16. Each rib segment 31 has an upper side directed towards the upper part 13 and a lower side directed away from it. The upper side includes a radially external frusto-conical surface 33 and an annular surface radially internally. The annular surface 34 lies in a normal plane for the longitudinal axis of the lid 10 while the frusto-conical surface 33 is inclined inwardly and downwardly away from the upper part 13. The presence of the frustoconical upper surface 33 aids in the molding of the lid 10 since it avoids or at least substantially reduces the production of lids with deformed ribs. When the container is to be opened, the user rotates the lid in a counter-clockwise manner (as can be seen in Figure 1). The fins 21 come into contact with the respective ones of the ramps 29 and are guided towards the lower ends of the grooves 26 of the thread. The resulting movement of the fins 21, and therefore the lid 10, upwards with respect to the mouth 11, puts the rib segments 31 in contact with the underside of the retaining flange 28. If there is more rotational movement of the lid 10, the lid 10 will rise beyond the mouth 11 and eventually P1034 / 00 X will cause rupture of the breakable bridges 16. The rotation may continue until the lid 10 is removed free of the mouth 11. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and / or modifications can be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention widely described. Therefore, the present modalities should be considered in all their aspects as illustrative and not limiting.

P1034 / 00MX

Claims (23)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following CLAIMS is claimed as property; 1. A lid and container in combination, the container has a mouth provided on an external surface with a multi-start thread, consisting of alternating edges and grooves, each thread groove begins at the upper free end of the mouth or is adjacent to it and ending in a recess formed in the mouth, the lid includes an essentially circular upper portion and a hanging skirt, the skirt is provided on its radially internal surface with a plurality of fins, the fins are circumferentially separated by distances corresponding to the separation of the grooves of the thread and are axially separated from the inner surface of the upper portion by a distance such that when being pushed relatively downwards on the mouth of the container, each of the fins will be coupled with one of the recesses formed in the mouth, while the lid engages sealingly with the mouth of the container; a ramp member is located adjacent to each recess so that with the relative rotation of a cap that has been pressurized over the mouth of the container, at least some fins will bear against at least some ramp members and will be P1034 / 00MX directed by the ramp members towards a corresponding slot in the thread, to allow the cover to be unscrewed from the mouth of the container. The lid and the container in combination according to claim 1, wherein the thread of multiple starts includes four (4) to eight (8) cutting edges and slots. 3. The lid and the container in combination according to claim 2, wherein the multi-start thread has six (6) cutting edges and grooves. The lid and the container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each groove begins just below a tapered edge at the free end of the mouth of the container. The lid and the container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lid has, on the inner surface of the skirt, a number of fins equal to the number of grooves in the thread. The lid and the container in combination according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the number of fins of the lid is different from the number of grooves in the thread. The lid and the container in combination according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the fins which will be guided upwards by the grooves of the thread as it is unscrewed, are radially separated by distances equal to the separation P1034 / 00MX circumferential of the thread grooves. The cover and the container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fins lie in a single horizontal plane on the inner surface of the skirt. The cover and the container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each thread groove has a square shape in cross section. The cover and container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the interposed edges of the thread has a curved upper edge in cross section. The lid and the container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each fin has a longitudinal axis oriented in a circumferential direction. 12. The lid and the container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the fins is beveled. 13. The cap and container in combination according to claim 12, wherein the end terminates at a point. The cap and container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each ramp member has an upper side that lies in the same helical location as the lower side of the thread groove into which the ramp member is directed. P1034 / 00MX fin. The lid and container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lid has an additional sealing means for sealing the container between the mouth of the container and the lid. The lid and the container in combination according to claim 15, wherein the sealing means comprises a deformable sealing rib integral with the underside of the upper portion of the lid and projecting downward therefrom. The cap and container in combination according to claim 16, wherein the rib includes a first portion that is contiguous with the upper portion and has an inner surface, the inner surface of which lies radially inward of the skirt and a second adjacent frusto-conical portion. with the first portion and separated from the upper portion by the inner surface of the first portion, the second portion extends radially inward to end in a free circular edge, the first portion having a relative internal diameter with the outer diameter of the mouth of the container, so that during the coupling of the lid with the mouth, the second portion will engage by the free end of the mouth of the container and will bend backward from the inner surface of the first portion of the rib to form a seal between P1034 / 00MX mouth of the container and the lid. 18. The lid and the container in combination according to claim 17, wherein the second portion can be folded back against the first portion of the sealing rib. The lid and container in combination according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lid has a band against violations that will show the consumer whether or not the lid of the container has been removed. The cap and container in combination according to claim 19, wherein the band comprises a generally cylindrical body portion and a segmented rib extending inward from the body portion and adapting to provide a flange with an edge inner free to engage under a retaining flange that extends outwardly from the mouth of the container, the combined length of the segmented ribs equals at least 50% of the internal circumference of the band and the inner surface of the The band has a plurality of radially inward projections that extend from above the free edge of the band and do not extend beyond the free inner end of the edge. 21. The lid and the container in combination according to any of claims 19 or 20, wherein the rib segments on the surface Internal P1034 / 00MX of the band have a top surface generally facing the top portion of the top and a bottom side generally oriented away from the top portion; the upper surface of each rib segment consists of a first surface contiguous with the portion of the body of the band, the surface slopes inwardly and downwardly away from the upper portion and a second surface extending radially inwardly from the terminus. internal of the first surface and has an angle of slope essentially normal with respect to the skirt of the cover. 22. A container for use in combination as defined in any of the preceding claims. 23. A lid for use in combination as defined in any of the preceding claims. P1034 / 00MX