NZ613309B2 - Improved container - Google Patents
Improved container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- NZ613309B2 NZ613309B2 NZ613309A NZ61330912A NZ613309B2 NZ 613309 B2 NZ613309 B2 NZ 613309B2 NZ 613309 A NZ613309 A NZ 613309A NZ 61330912 A NZ61330912 A NZ 61330912A NZ 613309 B2 NZ613309 B2 NZ 613309B2
- Authority
- NZ
- New Zealand
- Prior art keywords
- container
- retention members
- retention
- plane
- closure
- Prior art date
Links
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 147
- 230000000875 corresponding Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000003814 drug Substances 0.000 description 13
- 230000001154 acute Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229940097496 Nasal Spray Drugs 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007922 nasal spray Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002457 flexible plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003186 pharmaceutical solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
- B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
- B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
- B65D1/023—Neck construction
- B65D1/0246—Closure retaining means, e.g. beads, screw-threads
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D39/00—Closures arranged within necks or pouring openings or in discharge apertures, e.g. stoppers
- B65D39/08—Threaded or like closure members secured by rotation; Bushes therefor
- B65D39/10—Threaded or like closure members secured by rotation; Bushes therefor with bayonet cams
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
- B65D41/32—Caps or cap-like covers with lines of weakness, tearing-strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices, e.g. to facilitate formation of pouring openings
- B65D41/34—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt
- B65D41/3404—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt with ratchet-and-pawl mechanism between the container and the closure skirt or the tamper element
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D50/00—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures
- B65D50/02—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions
- B65D50/04—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of simultaneous actions, e.g. depressing and turning, lifting and turning, maintaining a part and turning another one
- B65D50/045—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of simultaneous actions, e.g. depressing and turning, lifting and turning, maintaining a part and turning another one where one action elastically deforms or deflects at least part of the closure, the container or an intermediate element, e.g. a ring
- B65D50/046—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of simultaneous actions, e.g. depressing and turning, lifting and turning, maintaining a part and turning another one where one action elastically deforms or deflects at least part of the closure, the container or an intermediate element, e.g. a ring and such deformation causes the disengagement of locking means, e.g. the release of a pawl-like element from a tooth or abutment, to allow removal of the closure by simultaneous rotation
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D55/00—Accessories for container closures not otherwise provided for
- B65D55/02—Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure
- B65D55/022—Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure with ratchet effect between relatively rotating parts
Abstract
container 100, comprising a thread 120 arranged around an opening of the container 100 for engaging a corresponding thread 120 of a closure 400, more than four retention members 140 arranged around the opening, each retention member having an end-face for abutting a member on an interior surface of the closure to impede unthreading of the closure. The retention members 140 are arranged such that a tangent to each end face of the retention members 140 intersects a plane 160 bisecting the container 100 at an obtuse angle 171. The retention members 140 are arranged into two first retention members 141 and two groups of retention members 142. The first retention members 141 each have an end-face substantially parallel to the plane 160 bisecting the container 100. A first one of the first retention members 141 and one of the groups 142 is arranged on one side of the plane 160 each in a respective quadrant of the container 100, and the other one of the first retention members 141 and the other one of the groups 142 is arranged on the other side of the plane 160 each in a respective quadrant of the container 100. The teeth of each of the groups 142 have a first inter-tooth spacing, and an inter-tooth spacing between an end-face of the first one of the first retention members 141 and a first retention member of the group 142 on one side of the plane 160 is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing. An inter-tooth spacing between the end-face of the first one of the first retention members 141 and a first retention member of the group 142 on the other side of the plane 160 is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing. f the closure to impede unthreading of the closure. The retention members 140 are arranged such that a tangent to each end face of the retention members 140 intersects a plane 160 bisecting the container 100 at an obtuse angle 171. The retention members 140 are arranged into two first retention members 141 and two groups of retention members 142. The first retention members 141 each have an end-face substantially parallel to the plane 160 bisecting the container 100. A first one of the first retention members 141 and one of the groups 142 is arranged on one side of the plane 160 each in a respective quadrant of the container 100, and the other one of the first retention members 141 and the other one of the groups 142 is arranged on the other side of the plane 160 each in a respective quadrant of the container 100. The teeth of each of the groups 142 have a first inter-tooth spacing, and an inter-tooth spacing between an end-face of the first one of the first retention members 141 and a first retention member of the group 142 on one side of the plane 160 is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing. An inter-tooth spacing between the end-face of the first one of the first retention members 141 and a first retention member of the group 142 on the other side of the plane 160 is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing.
Description
Improved Container
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a container having a retainer for
securely retaining a closure on the container. In particular, although not exclusively,
embodiments of the present invention relate to a bottle, such as a bottle for storing
pharmaceutical solutions, having a retainer for securely retaining a closure, such as a
spray pump, on the bottle.
Background
Medicaments, such as those provided in solution form, are often stored in a container,
such as a bottle, having a closure configured to dispense a predetermined dose of the
medicament. The closure may be a spray pump an -anged to be actuated by a user to
deliver the predetermined dose of the medicament in spray form. The dose may be
nined by the design of the closure or may be selected by a user from amongst a
deten -
range of doses permitted by the closure. In either case, the closure is intended to
prevent unmetered dispensing of the medicament. However, removal of the closure
from the container allows uncontrolled access to the medicament held within the
container and is problematic.
It is an object of embodiments of the invention to at least mitigate one or more of the
problems of the prior art.
Summary of the Invention
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a container comprising a
thread arranged around an opening of the container for engaging a corresponding
thread of a closure, more than four retention members arranged around the opening,
each retention member having an end-face for abutting a member on an interior
surface of the closure to impede unthreading of the closure, wherein the retention
members are arranged such that a tangent to each end-face of the retention members
intersects a plane bisecting the container at an obtuse angle, and wherein the retention
members are arranged into two first retention members and two groups of retention
members, the first retention members each having an end-face substantially parallel to
the plane bisecting the container, and a first one of the first retention members and
one of the groups is arranged on one side of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of
the container, and the other one of the first retention members and the other one of the
groups is arranged on the other side of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of the
container, and wherein teeth of each of the groups have a first inter-tooth spacing, and
an inter-tooth spacing between an end-face of the first one of the first retention
members and a first retention member of the group on one side of the plane is larger
than the first inter-tooth spacing, and wherein an inter-tooth spacing between the end-
face of the first one of the first retention members and a first retention member of the
group on the other side of the plane is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing.
Embodiments of the invention may be bisected by the plane with which the tangent to
each abutment member's end-face forms an obtuse angle. Some embodiments of the
invention may be envisaged which are also bisectable by one or more planes with
which the tangents may form an acute angle. However, embodiments of the invention
are characterised by being bisectable by one or more planes with which the tangents
only form obtuse angles.
The plane bisecting the container may be a mould splitting plane.
Optionally the obtuse angle includes retention member having a tangent which
intersects the plane at substantially 0
° or 90 °. The retention members (140) may be
arranged to have a spacing between retention members (140) which varies around the
opening (110).
The retention members (140) may be arranged to have a spacing selected from
between two or more different spacings.
The retention members may be teeth having a portion extending gradually outward
from the container to the end-face.
The retention members may be arranged around the opening to have only a single
plane of rotational symmetry.
The retention members may be arranged around the opening to form two teeth-free
regions around the opening of generally between 35 ° and 80 .
The retention members may be arranged in first and second groups, the first group
comprising one retention member having an end-face substantially parallel to the
plane bisecting the container, and the second group comprising two or more retention
members, the first and second groups being arranged on one side of the plane, each in
a respective quadrants of the container.
The container may be a bottle for storing a pharmaceutical.
The container may comprise two first groups of retention members and two second
groups of retention members.
The container may comprise six or more retention members.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an assembly
comprising a container according to the aspect of the invention described above
engaged with a closure having a plurality of members on an interior surface thereof
arranged to abut the end-faces of at least some of the retention members.
According to a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
manufacturing a container, comprising bringing together a plurality of mould portions
to form a mould for a container there-between, the container having more than four
retention members arranged around an opening, each retention member having an
end-face for abutting a member on an interior surface of the closure to impede
unthreading of the closure, the retention members being arranged such that a tangent
to each end-face of the retention members intersects a plane bisecting the container at
an obtuse angle, wherein the retention members are arranged into first retention
members and two groups of retention members, the first retention members each
having an end-face substantially parallel to the plane bisecting the container„ and a
first one of the first retention members and one of the groups is arranged on one side
of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of the container, and the other one of the
first retention members and the other one of the groups is arranged on the other side
of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of the container, wherein teeth of each of
the groups have a first inter-tooth spacing, and an inter-tooth spacing provided
between an end-face of the first one of the first retention members and a first retention
member of the group on the one side of the plane, is larger than the first inter-tooth
spacing, and wherein an inter-tooth spacing between the end-face of the first one of
the first retention members and a first retention member of the group on the other side
of the plane is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing; injecting a fluid into mould;
and moving apart the mould portions to release the container from there-between.
The ten-
n "comprising" as used in this specification and claims means "consisting at
least in part of'. When interpreting statements in this specification and claims which
include the term "comprising", other features besides the features prefaced by this
term in each statement can also be present. Related terms such as "comprise" and
"comprised" are to be interpreted in a similar manner.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with
reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Figure 1 shows a side view of a container according to an embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 2 shows a horizontal cross section through a neck of the container according to
an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the neck of the container according to an
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4 shows a horizontal cross section through a neck of a container within a
manufacturing mould; and
Figure 5 is an illustration of a retention ring according to another embodiment of the
invention; and
Figure 5 is an illustration of a retention ring according to another embodiment of the
invention; and
Figure 6 is an illustration of a closure according to an embodiment of the invention.
Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention
Referring to Figures 1-3, a container 100 according to an embodiment of the invention
is shown. The container 100 may be used for storing a medicament and embodiments
of the invention will be explained with reference to storage and dispensing of the
medicament, although it will be realised that other substances may be stored in the
container 100.
The container 100 shown in Figure 1 is a bottle 100, although it will be appreciated
that embodiments of the invention may be envisaged as other forms of container.
Figure 1 shows a full-height view of the bottle 100 whilst Figure 3 shows an enlarged
view of an upper portion of the bottle 100. The bottle 100 has an opening 11 0
surrounded by a screw thread 120 formed on a neck 125 of the bottle 100 onto which
a closure (not shown in Figures 1 to 3) having a corresponding thread may be
engaged. The closure may be any closure which is suitable to contain the medicament
within the bottle 100. In some embodiments, the closure comprises a dosage
mechanism for delivering a predetermined dose of the medicament. The closure may
be a spray pump which, when actuated by a user, delivers a dose of the medicament in
spray form.
Following production of the bottle, which is explained below, the bottle 100 is filled
with a quantity of the medicament. The closure is then threaded onto the neck 125 of
the bottle 100 to close the opening 110 of the bottle 100 and to retain the medicament
therein. Embodiments of the invention aim to improve the retention of the closure on
the bottle 100. In particular, some embodiments of the invention aim to make it more
difficult to accidentally or intentionally remove the closure from the bottle 100,
thereby accessing the medicament in an uncontrolled or unmetered manner.
Embodiments of the invention comprise a retention ring 130 arranged around the neck
125 of the bottle 100. The retention ring 130 is provided for preventing, or at least
improving, retention of the closure on the bottle 100. In particular, the retention ring
130 is configured to increase an unscrewing torque required to remove the closure
from the bottle 100.
The retention ring 130 comprises more than four retention teeth 140 (not all of which
are indicated with reference numerals for clarity) arranged there-around. The
embodiment shown in Figures 1-3 comprises six retention teeth. A further
embodiment shown in Figure 5 comprises ten retention teeth 140. It will be realised
that embodiments of the invention may be envisaged having other numbers of
retention teeth greater than four. Some embodiments of the container comprise six or
more retention teeth. The retention teeth 140 are provided for engaging with features
arranged on an interior surface of the closure. The features of the closure may, in
some embodiments, also be teeth, although any feature arranged on the closure for
engaging the retention teeth 140 is envisaged.
In embodiments of the invention, the retention teeth 140 are arranged such that a
tangent 170 to an end-face of each retention tooth 140 intersects a plane 160 bisecting
the bottle 100 at an obtuse angle 171. The tangent 170 to one of the teeth 140 is
illustrated in Figure 2. The plane 160 vertically bisects the bottle through a centre of
the bottle 100. The plane 160 bisects the bottle into substantially equal sized portions.
It will be understood herein that the term "obtuse angle" includes those retention teeth
140 whose tangent intersects the plane 160 at substantially 0 ° i.e. is generally parallel
to the plane 160, and those teeth 140 whose tangent intersects the plane at
substantially 90 ° i.e. is generally at a
right angle to the plane 160, as will be explained.
In other words, the tangent to each end-face of the retention teeth 140 does not
intersect the plane 160 at an angle of between 1
° and 89 ° or in some embodiments
between 85 ° and 5 °. The angle is measured in a tightening direction i.e. extending
forward from the end-face of the retention tooth 140 to the plane 160.
Referring particularly to Figure 2, in embodiments of the invention, the retention teeth
140 are arranged in an unevenly-spaced pattern around the neck of the bottle 100.
That is, a spacing between consecutive teeth 140 is not equal between every tooth. In
particular, opposing regions 150 of the retention ring 130 are devoid of retention teeth
140.
Usually, although not exclusively, the thread around the neck 125 of the bottle 100 is
a right-hand or clockwise thread. The retention teeth 140 are arranged about the neck
125 of the bottle to face the same direction as the thread. That is, as the closure is
screwed onto the bottle, usually in the right-hand or clockwise direction of rotation,
the features on the closure gradually engage, firstly, with the outwardly extending
body of each retention tooth 140 until passing over the abruptly terminating generally
flat end-face of the tooth 140. However, when a force is applied to the closure in an
opposing direction, usually a left-hand or counter-clockwise direction, the features on
the closure abut against the generally flat end-face of the retention teeth 140 to resist
unscrewing of the closure from the bottle 100.
In embodiments of the invention, as best shown in Figures 2 and 5, the retention teeth
140 are arranged in groups around the circumference of the neck 125, wherein the
groups may comprise differing numbers of teeth. In the embodiment shown in
Figures 1-3 and 5, the teeth 140 foim a plurality of groups containing differing
numbers of teeth. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1-3 and 5, the teeth 140 form
two groups. A first group 141, 410 includes a single tooth whilst a second group 142,
420 includes two or more teeth. The groups 141, 410, 142, 420 are demarcated by a
large-inter-tooth spacing between the groups being larger than that between adjacent
teeth, such as those forming the second group 142, 420. In other words, the teeth 140
are arranged to have an inter-tooth spacing which varies around the retention ring 130.
The bottle 100 includes two first groups 141, 410 of teeth, each comprising a single
tooth, at opposed sides of the bottle 100, and two second groups 142, 420 of teeth,
each comprising two or four teeth, respectively, at opposed sides of the bottle 100.
However it will be realised that the second groups of teeth 142, 420 may comprise
other numbers of teeth and do not need to comprise equal numbers of teeth 140.
Similarly, it will be realised that embodiments may be envisaged only having the
second groups 142, 140 of teeth ie no teeth in the first groups 141, 140.
A first, relatively small inter-tooth spacing exists between the generally adjacent teeth
of the second group 142, 420 whereas a second, relatively larger spacing exists
between the tooth of the first group 141, 410 and an end tooth of the second group
142, 420 (either tooth can be considered as an end tooth in the second group 142 of
Figures 1-3 comprising two teeth). However in some embodiments the spacing
between the tooth of the first group 141, 410 and the end tooth of the second group is
considered forward of the first tooth from the end-face of the tooth of the first group
to the outwardly extending portion of the end tooth of the second group 142, 420.
Thus the inter-tooth spacing of teeth 140 around the retention ring 130 varies. In
particular, in some embodiments, the inter-tooth spacing is selected from amongst two
different distances. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3, the inter-tooth spacing
alternates. The inter-tooth spacing, or the space existing between the first and second
groups of teeth 141, 410, 142, 420 provides opposed regions 150 around the retention
ring 130 which do not include teeth 140. The teeth 140 are arranged around the
retention ring to form two teeth-free regions 150, each may generally be of between
and 80 °
in angle. Advantageously, the regions 150 not having teeth allow easier
manufacture of embodiments of the invention, as will be explained. Furthermore, in
some embodiments, the inter-tooth spacing of the teeth of the second group being
substantially around one tooth length causes an entrapment of closure projections
which engage with the teeth between teeth of the second group 142 when the closure
is forcibly unscrewed.
In some embodiments, each tooth 140 is generally identical other than for the variance
in inter-tooth spacing. However, in other embodiments, the teeth 140 forming each
group 141, 410, 142, 420 may be different. Each tooth 140 may have the same
length, (length may include the inter-tooth spacing i.e. the ten -n length may indicate
the angle between adjacent teeth) which may, in some embodiments, be an angular
portion of around 20 ° of the bottle 100, such as 18
°, although this is merely
exemplary. The tooth 140 forming the first group 141, 420 may have an abrupt end
face which is substantially parallel to a plane 160 intersecting the centre of the bottle
100 when viewed in horizontal cross section, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, whereas
the teeth of the second group 142, 420 may include an angular offset from a vertical
plane which intersects a base of the end-face, such as an offset causing the end-face of
each tooth to decline 143 (or to be laid back from the plane) by around 7
°, although
other declinations are also envisaged. In particular, this avoids the tangent of the end-
face to the tooth intersecting the plane 160 bisecting the container at an acute angle.
As will be explained, this improves the manufacturability of the bottle 100.
It will also be appreciated from Figures 1-3 and 5 the retention ring 130 according to
embodiments of the invention has only a single plane of rotational symmetry. Only a
single plane through the centre of the retention ring 130 exists about which the
retention ring 130 may be symmetrically rotated. The retention ring 130 may be
symmetrically rotated by 180 °. In contrast, in prior art arrangements, a plurality of
planes may exist around which rotational symmetry is present.
As discussed above, in embodiments of the invention, a plane 160 exists which
bisects a centre of container 100. The tangent to the end-face of each retention tooth
140 then intersects the plane 160 at an obtuse angle (0 ° and 90° inclusive) i.e. without
having an acute angle which hinders the manufacture of the bottle 100. If a bottle is
manufactured having teeth 140 whose tangent always forms an acute angle, i.e.
between 1 ° and 89 °, to a plane bisecting the bottle 100 then damage to some of the
teeth 140 is likely to occur during a manufacturing process of the bottle 100.
Bottles 100 are frequently made in a mould or tool, denoted generally as 300 in Figure
4, formed by first 310 and second 320 halves which are bought together to form the
bottle 100 to be manufactured there-between. It will be realised that the number of
mould portions is not limiting. Material in a liquid state, such as plastic or glass, is
then inserted into a cavity folined between the mould halves 310, 320 which solidifies
to form the bottle 100. The mould halves 310, 320 are then moved apart in the
direction of the arrows shown in Figure 3, such that the bottle 100 is released from
between the mould halves 310, 320.
However, as shown in Figure 4, teeth 340 forming an acute angle 341 with a mould or
tool splitting plane 350 may be damaged by the moving apart of the mould portions.
As can be appreciated from Figure 4, the teeth 340 having an end-face which forms an
° and 1 °, to a plane 350 along
angle 341 of less than 90 °, in particular between 89
which the mould 300 splits, denoted with "tool split" in Figure 4, may be broken by
an opening force exerted on the mould 300 to remove the bottle 100.
Advantageously, the arrangement of teeth shown in Figures 1-3 and 5 avoids the
location of teeth 140 in such areas of the retention ring 130 that would cause a
breakage of teeth upon splitting of the mould 300. That is, embodiments of the
invention do not include teeth having an abrupt end which forms an angle of less than
90 °
to a mould or tool splitting plane. It will be noted that the teeth 140 in the first
group 141, 410 have an abrupt end which is parallel to the mould splitting plane. In
other words, the abrupt end of those teeth lies along the mould splitting plane 350.
However, the teeth of the second group 142, 420 are located in areas of the retention
ring 130 which do not create an angular intersection between the abrupt end of each
tooth and the mould splitting plane being less than 90 °
. Furthermore, the teeth of the
second group 142, 420 may, although not always, also include an additional
declination, such as of around 7
°, to cause the tooth-end and mould splitting angular
intersection to be substantially greater than 90 °
, thereby further aiding removal of the
bottle 100 from the mould 300.
Figure 5 illustrates a horizontal cross section through the retention ring 130 as shown
in Figures 1 and 2 which comprises four teeth 140 in the second group 142. Whilst an
explanation of the present invention has been provided with reference to Figures 1-3
which show an embodiment comprising a retention ring 130 having a second group
142 comprising two teeth 140, it will be realised that the present invention is not so
restricted. Embodiments may be provided which include other numbers of teeth in
the second group 142. Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the invention which
includes two opposed first groups 410 comprising one tooth having an abrupt tooth-
end lying along a mould splitting plane 160 and two opposed second groups 420
comprising four teeth. Other numbers of teeth in the second group 420 are also
envisaged. Furthermore, each of the second groups may comprise different numbers
of teeth. It can be appreciated that the embodiment shown in Figure 5 comprises two
opposed teeth free-regions 150, as in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3. In some
embodiments, the teeth free regions 150 have an angular extent of approximately 70
although this is merely exemplary and other extents may be envisaged.
Figure 6 illustrates a cross section through a closure 400 for use with embodiments of
the invention. The term closure is understood to mean any device which closes the
opening 110 of the bottle 100 by engagement with the thread 120. The closure may
be a cap. However, in other embodiments the closure 400 includes a means for
dispensing the contents of the bottle in doses of a controlled volume. The closure
may include a spray pump mechanism ananged to draw liquid from an interior of the
bottle 100 and to emit, in response to actuation by a user, a spray of liquid droplets.
The closure 400 includes a thread (not shown) which is adapted to cooperate with the
thread 120 of the bottle 100 such that the closure becomes securely engaged with the
bottle 100 in response to rotation of the closure 400 or bottle 100, as will be
understood by the skilled person. An interior surface of the closure 400 includes a
plurality of projections 510 which are arranged to engage with the teeth 140 of the
retention ring 130 to impede subsequent removal of the closure 400 from the bottle
100. The projections 510 shown in Figure 6 are flexible. However it will be realised
that embodiments of the present invention may be used with projections 510 which
are substantially rigid i.e. are not flexible.
The projections 510 shown in Figure 6 are a plurality of fingers which inwardly
extend from the interior surface of the closure 400. The fingers 510 are arranged
within the closure 400 below the thread (not shown) which engages with the thread
120 of the bottle 100. The fingers 510 extend at an angle into the interior of the
closure 400. The fingers may inwardly extend at an angle of, for example, between
from an interior surface of the closure, although other angular projections
and 80 °
are envisaged. In some embodiments, an angle of intersection of the fingers 510 and
the interior surface of the closure 400 may be substantially equal to an angle at which
the teeth 140 outwardly project from the retention ring 130. However, any angle of
95 projection of the fingers 510 may be envisaged which allows the fingers 510 to pass
over the teeth 140 when the closure 510 is rotated in a tightening, normally clockwise,
direction and causes the fingers 510 to abut the substantially vertical end-face of the
teeth 140 when rotated in an opening, nomially anti-clockwise, direction. In
particular, due to the resilient flexibility of the fingers 510, when the closure 400 or
bottle 100 is being rotated to cause a tightening of the closure 400 onto the bottle 100,
the fingers 510 engage the teeth 140 and are bent inward by the outwardly extending
surface of each tooth 140. Once the fingers 510 pass the abrupt end-face of the teeth
140, they return to their normal position such that the end of the finger 510 is
generally adjacent the substantially vertical surface at the end of the tooth
(substantially vertical includes any layback of the tooth as discussed above) or end-
face. In this way, closing rotation of the closure 400 and/or bottle 100 is easily
permitted. However, when the closure 400 or bottle 100 is rotated in an opposed
opening direction, the abutment of the fingers 510 against the end-face of the teeth
140 impedes or hinders further rotation. Should an unscrewing rotational force
applied to the closure 400 exceed a longitudinal rigidity of the fingers 510, the fingers
510 may, in some embodiments, be caused to buckle or collapse. The collapsed
fingers 510 may further impede rotation of the closure 400 with respect to the bottle
100 by becoming trapped between the interior surface of the closure 400 and the teeth
140. In this way, easy removal of the closure 400 from the bottle 100 is prevented.
An experiment was conducted to compare the torque (Newton metres, Nm) required
to unscrew a closure 400 in the form of a nasal spray pump from glass bottles 100
having two neck designs. The neck design on one bottle comprised a screw thread
below which were four evenly spaced glass lugs or teeth, spaced at approximately 90°
to each other. The other bottle was an embodiment of the invention wherein the neck
design was a screw thread below which were six glass teeth 140, comprising two
oppositely-positioned pairs and two oppositely-positioned single teeth, i.e. comprising
a retention ring 130 as shown in Figure 2.
To each of six bottles of each type was attached the closure 400 in the form of a nasal
spray pump which had a screw thread to match that of the bottle 100. Positioned
below the screw thread of the closure 400 was a ring of flexible plastic teeth or fingers
510 which occupied the entire inner circumference of the pump and which were
designed to engage with the glass teeth 140 on the bottles. To attach the pump to the
bottle, the bottle was positioned within a torque meter (Mecmesin, Slinfold, UK) and
screwed on by hand until a torque value of 1.2 Nm was displayed. With the
assembled pump and bottle remaining within the torque meter, the force required to
unscrew the pump from the bottle was measured; a lever was attached to the pump
and slowly turned in an anti-clockwise direction until the pump started to move
relative to the bottle and there was no further increase in the instrument torque
reading.
Mean unscrewing torque values of 3.3 Nm and 4.6 Nm were measured for the four-
lug and six-lug bottle designs, respectively. These values represented a 39% increase
in unscrewing torque by use the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2, a
difference which was statistically significant (p<0.01).
Advantageously, embodiments of the invention which comprise six teeth as shown in
Figure 2, or ten teeth i.e. the second group comprises between two and four, or
between two and six substantially contiguous teeth increases the required unscrewing
torque significantly. Moreover an excessive increase in torque required to screw the
closure onto the container, which may be problematic for a manufacturing process, is
not required.
It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention provide a container and
method of making a container, such as a bottle, which is engageable with a closure,
such as a cap or spray pump by means of a screw thread. Engagement of the
container with the closure causes members of the closure to engage with retention
members of the container. However, removal of the closure is impeded by the
interaction of the closure and retention members. Furthermore, manufacturing of the
container is improved by an arrangement of the retention members about the
container.
All of the features disclosed in this specification including any accompanying claims,
abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed,
may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of
such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.
Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,
abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same,
equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless
expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic
series of equivalent or similar features.
The invention is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The
invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features
disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and
drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method
or process so disclosed. The claims should not be construed to cover merely the
foregoing embodiments, but also any embodiments which fall within the scope of the
claims.
Claims (17)
1. A container, comprising: a thread arranged around an opening of the container for engaging a corresponding thread of a closure; more than four retention members arranged around the opening, each retention member having an end-face for abutting a member on an interior surface of the closure to impede unthreading of the closure; wherein the retention members are arranged such that a tangent to each end- face of the retention members intersects a plane bisecting the container at an obtuse angle; and wherein the retention members are arranged into two first retention members and two groups of retention members, the first retention members each having an end-face substantially parallel to the plane bisecting the container„ and a first one of the first retention members and one of the groups is arranged on one side of the plane, 20 each in a respective quadrant of the container, and the other one of the first retention members and the other one of the groups is arranged on the other side of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of the container, and wherein teeth of each of the groups have a first inter-tooth spacing, and an 25 inter-tooth spacing between an end-face of the first one of the first retention members and a first retention member of the group on one side of the plane is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing, and wherein an inter-tooth spacing between the end-face of the first one of the first retention members and a first retention member of the group on the other side of the plane is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing.
2. The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the teeth of each said group are substantially contiguous.
The container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second inter-tooth spacing is forward of the end-face of the first retention member.
The container of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the obtuse angle includes retention 5 members having a tangent which intersects the plane at substantially 0 ° or 90 ° .
The container of any preceding claim, wherein the group comprises between two and six teeth. 10 6.
The container of any preceding claim, wherein the retention members are arranged around the opening to have only a single plane of rotational symmetry.
The container of any preceding claim, wherein the retention members are arranged around the opening to form two teeth-free regions around the opening of 15 generally between 35 ° and 80
8. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the container is a bottle for storing a pharmaceutical. 20 9.
An assembly, comprising: a container according to any preceding claim engaged with a closure having a plurality of members on an interior surface thereof arranged to abut the end-faces of at least some of the retention members.
The assembly of claim 9, wherein the members are resiliently flexible.
11. The assembly of claim 9 or 10, wherein the members are fingers inwardly extending at an angle of between 10 and 80° from an interior surface of the closure.
The assembly of claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein the closure comprises a spray pump for emitting a spray of droplets.
13. A method of manufacturing a container, comprising: bringing together a plurality of mould portions to form a mould for a container there-between, the container having more than four retention members arranged around an opening, each retention member having an end-face for abutting a member on an interior surface of the closure to impede unthreading of the closure, the retention members being arranged such that a tangent to each end-face of the retention members intersects a plane bisecting the container at an obtuse angle, wherein the 5 retention members are arranged into first retention members and two groups of retention members, the first retention members each having an end-face substantially parallel to the plane bisecting the container„ and a first one of the first retention members and one of the groups is arranged on one side of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of the container, and the other one of the first retention members 10 and the other one of the groups is arranged on the other side of the plane, each in a respective quadrant of the container, wherein teeth of each of the groups have a first inter-tooth spacing, and an inter-tooth spacing provided between an end-face of the first one of the first retention members and a first retention member of the group on the one side of the plane, is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing, and wherein an 15 inter-tooth spacing between the end-face of the first one of the first retention members and a first retention member of the group on the other side of the plane is larger than the first inter-tooth spacing; injecting a fluid into mould; and moving apart the mould portions to release the container from there-between.
14. The container of claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to any embodiment disclosed.
15. A container substantially as herein described with reference to any embodiment shown in the accompanying figures.
16. The assembly of claim 9, substantially as herein described with reference to 30 any embodiment disclosed.
17. The method of claim 13, substantially as herein described with reference to any embodiment disclosed.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP11153387 | 2011-02-04 | ||
EP11153387.3 | 2011-02-04 | ||
PCT/GB2012/050163 WO2012104607A1 (en) | 2011-02-04 | 2012-01-26 | Improved container |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
NZ613309A NZ613309A (en) | 2015-02-27 |
NZ613309B2 true NZ613309B2 (en) | 2015-05-28 |
Family
ID=
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