TW200302193A - Container closures - Google Patents

Abstract

A closure for a container comprises a spout(22) containing a plastics coated foil (40) that is welded via one face to an inside flange (30) of the spout (22) and by means of a depending portion (42) on its opposite face to a side wall (10) of the container so that forces on the weld between foil portion (42) and the container when the closure is opened are in sheer rather than in tension. The closure can be used with a PET bottle or with other types of plastics or plastics coated containers.

Description

200302193 V. Description of the invention (1) [Technical field to which the invention belongs] The present invention relates to a closure for a plastic or plastic-coated container, which is implemented in a plastic bottle, an iron container with a plastic coating, or A container made of a composite material with a sandwich structure has a plastic surface and is located between the plastic surfaces and is fixed to each other by paper, vinyl alcohol copolymer (EV 0H) or aluminum. [Previous technology] The present invention is particularly implemented in products containing carbon dioxide (Carb ο nated) and non-fossilized non-carbonated (Non carbonated), pasteurised, aseptic or hot-fill. It is especially suitable for procedures that combine nozzles into such containers. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is mainly used as a plastic material for gas-tight and heat-resist plastic bottles. 'PET bottles cannot be sterilized by distillation (Retoring) or high-pressure steam sterilization (Aut occ aving) like metal containers, glass bottles and some high temperature resistant plastics, such as Polyethylene. pe τ cannot withstand prolonged exposure to high temperatures of 120 ° C. However, aseptic packaging of such plastic bottles can be achieved by sterilization procedures or hot filling. Before the product is filled, it must go through a high temperature sterilization process (U 丨 t r a H e a t T r e a t e d, U Η). The product must be treated with high temperature (1 40 t :) for a short time (4 seconds), and then cooled to ambient temperature to 4 ° C. 〇Temperature between 〇. Once the product has cooled, it must be kept sterile and not exposed

200302193 V. Description of the invention (2) To ambient air or bacteria. The bottle and cap also need to be cleaned and sterilized. It is conventional to use Hydrogen Peroxide and Peracetic Acid to evaporate these ingredients. These bottles are then filled and sealed in a sterile environment, and the package must be tightly sealed to prevent reinfection. Although this treatment method can effectively provide long-term storage life of the product and use of PET bottles, the cost of the filling factory is very large. PET bottles are also used for hot-fill processing. In this PET bottle, when the product is added to the PET bottle, the product is at a temperature exceeding 8 5 ° C. In this process, the PET bottle must be cleaned but not sterilized, as any bacteria will be destroyed by the high temperature of the product. Hot-fill processing is economical, but implementation is limited due to the heat resistance of PET bottles. PET bottles deform when they exceed 75 ° C. Greater heat resistance can be achieved by forming crystals at the neck of the bottleneck, but the relative increase in packaging costs. When PET bottles are used for hot filling, they will encounter further technical problems. When the products are cooled, after the PET bottles are sealed, some of the vacuum is generated by the inside of the bottles, which will cause the PET bottles to develop a structure that can prevent collapse. . For example, the structures described in the related patents of Graham Packing Company L P, WOl 1 3 407 and WOl 1 2 5 31. Before a hollow forming mold is placed inside the PET bottle, it is usually sealed by a combination of an injection molding cap and a stamping mold on the neck of the preform. If the neck retains the original mold, it will have a good seal; if it deforms during hot filling, it will fail. Since the tight seal is mainly to prevent re-infection of bacteria, the use of PET bottles is limited during the economical hot filling process. Although the problem can be caused by the neck containing more substances or crystals

II Page 6 200302193 V. Description of the Invention (3) Use to overcome ’But these solutions will increase the cost on the packaging. The present invention aims to solve conventional technical problems by using alternative closure technology. An injection-molded outflow slot with a lid has been disclosed in the patent application (Spresckelsen McGeough Ltd), the form of the closure technology has been implemented in a hollow injection molding bottle, The bottle body, the outflow trough and the rice dumpling can be composed of the same substance, usually high density polyethylene (HDPE). This substance has a melting point of 14Q π. In this seal technology, the bottle and the outflow slot are sealed together by welding a plastic-covered septum interposed between the two doors on their surfaces. The outflow and hydrant fittings are applied to the bottle after filling, and will not be affected by the passage of the hot-filled product during hot-filling. If such a device is not used for PET bottles, technical problems are encountered. The first technical problem is the injection part of the outflow tank. When the temperature of the injection part is sufficient to weld the plastic foil to PET, the injection part will melt at 2 2 0 t, and it will occur at a lower temperature. Deformation. PET is not suitable for use as an outflow slot, as the substance used in injection molding is too easily damaged. [Bub] The second technical problem is that if a lower temperature is used for the welding and exchange of plastic sheets and PET bottles, the welding strength will become lower. This method can cause stresses where the welding strength is not sufficient to store the carbon dioxide product. If the welding connection between the outflow tank and the bottle body is too fragile, it will make the outflow tank at this connection 'possibly by applying a control lever below the edge of the outflow tank and using the bottle's transport ring as a stern shaft support To remove. Use of the plastic foil

200302193 V. Description of invention (4) Proof of damage can be provided. The prior art is described by G B-A-2 1 0 8 4 6 4 and Container Corporation of the United States, which proposes welding a plastic sheet to the top surface of the container. However, the use of PET containers will cause a third technical problem due to the aforementioned weak welding strength. [Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides a procedure for combining a plastic outflow groove to a neck. The neck is defined by a straight line whose side wall is perpendicular to the neck and the opening of the outflow groove. It is composed or covered, wherein the outflow slot includes a plastic foil, the plastic foil closes an opening in the outflow slot, the foil has an exposed surface, and the exposed face is covered by a second plastic substance. The two plastics are compatible with the first plastic material. The steps of the procedure include: setting an outflow groove on the neck and welding a part of the exposed surface of the foil to the first plastic material on the side wall. By welding to the side wall, such as a standard cylindrical neck, which is usually in a vertical orientation, when the transport ring is tightened to the foil, a vertical force (sheerf 〇rce) is generated at the weld, along the vertical axis of the neck Directional force is used to tear the foil. The above forces are compared with the tension generated between the foil and the horizontal plane on the top of the neck, and are disclosed in the earlier hollow mold bottles, such as the technology proposed by the container container company in the United States. The procedure of the present invention does not exclude the design above the side wall, that is, the welding between the contact surface of the foil and the horizontal plane of the neck. Any attempt to disengage the control lever from the outflow slot will create a vertical force on the vertical weld, so the existence of a vertical weld is important. So when

200302193 V. Description of the invention (5) When the outflow groove is removed and the outflow groove and neck are obviously damaged, the disclosure technology can provide additional protection. This method is particularly helpful for the present invention. When the first plastic substance is PET, the relative strength of PET welding is provided in the vertical direction. Preferably, the neck is an integral part of the container. In metal containers, however, the neck can be formed as part of the end of the metal container. After the metal container is filled, the end of the metal container with an outflow groove is sealed to the metal container.

Conventional PET containers are made from injection molded preforms, and are generally molded into the desired shape by extending the hollow. Since the PET bottle is usually accompanied by a screw cap, the neck of the preform has a complete thread to fit the bottle cap. Neck formation requires a complex module and a large amount of material. When designing a complex neck structure to fit the threads of the lid, the cost and weight of the PET bottle need to be considered. The foil seal outflow groove disclosed by the W09 9/6 1 3 3 7 patent application does not require any special structure in the neck of the bottle body, and uses this structure instead of the conventional screw cap. Advantages of a simpler preform that completely smoothes the neck. This method can eliminate the need for side cracks above the injection mold when casting thread is required. Smooth bottlenecks are easier to keep sterile and clear. Simple preforms can also be produced reliably.

Although a method of covering the conductive foil has been proposed, this method only covers the lower side with plastic and surrounds the side wall of the bottle. An example of this method is to form a weld on the horizontal upper surface of the foil and the bottleneck. It is easily obtained from heated iron. During the assembly process, before setting up the bottle,

Page 9 200302193 V. Description of the invention (6) The conductive foil box is installed on the side wall to provide the stability of the foil structure. The second cover is usually used to cover the conductive foil. When the foil is removed, the technology of the seal does not have good resealing capabilities. The seal technology disclosed in the W 0 9 9/6 1 3 3 7 patent application (Sprekelsen Mcgeough Ltd) provides good sealing capabilities. This sealing technology is also not suitable for sealing to containers and outflow tanks using double-sided conductive foils. For example, hot iron cannot be applied to the surface of plastic-coated foils. Preferably, the outflow groove is provided with a supporting structure for supporting the exposed surface portion of the plastic foil, which is welded to the side wall at an appropriate position, and the method is easy to use this sealing technology to seal the container, such as the outflow groove The cap assembly can be placed on the neck before the formation of the side wall structure. The invention also provides a container with a side wall, which is composed or covered by a first plastic material, and the foil is welded to the inside or the outside of the side wall by a plastic material coating element compatible with the first plastic material On the surface, the foil extends and traverses the opening defined by the neck and is sealed to the seal for the container. [Embodiment] Please refer to the PET bottles shown in the first to fourth figures. However, the present invention is not limited to the material used to make the bottle, but when it is difficult to form a strong weld with the bottle, such as using p ET and polyvinyl chloride (P ο 1 yviny 1 Chloride, P VC) bottle, Special additional advantages. The fifth figure illustrates another embodiment of a container using the closure technology of the present invention. The embodiments of Figures 6 and 7 show implementation methods applied to metal containers. Preforms 2 for PET bottles are injection-molded from PET in a conventional manner

200302193 V. Invention description (7). The preform 2 can be composed of a modified or mixed PET plastic material, which can improve the obstacle of gas penetration. For example, PET can be mixed with Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN). The preform 2 can also be composed of PET granules. The PET granules are mixed with a crack-resistant rubber heat material (Masterbatch) before melting, so ordinary PET can be mixed with a barrier-type rubber heat material. . The preform 2 can be multi-layered by injecting two kinds of substances. The preform 2 has a main body portion 4 which contains a substance for forming the bottle body 4 and the neck 6 in a hollow manner. The neck 6 and the bottle body 4 are separated by a transport ring 8. The conveying ring 8 is designed at the joint of the two model parts to form a preform. The neck 6 has a shorter height than the conventional preform with a thread, because the neck 6 only needs a sufficient height to support the skirt 20 of the outflow groove 22. The neck 6 is preferably a simple cylindrical side wall 10, which has the characteristics of the most economical and the least weight, as shown in the first A and the first B figures. However, the ribs 12 may form or abut the openings 14 of the neck 6, as shown in the first figure D, which may help to locate the outflow groove 22 or facilitate the movement of the hollow PET bottle from the injection mold. The outflow groove 2 2 with the same structure is manufactured by referring to the content disclosed in the W 0 9 9/6 1 3 3 7 patent application (Sprekelsen Mcgeough Ltd). In this specification, the outflow groove 2 2 and the cover 2 4 are so-called Neck and lid assembly. The outflow groove 22 has a skirt portion 20 and an injector 26, and the cover 24 is fastened to the injector 26. The cover 24 may have threads. This skirt 20 merges with the injector 26 at the horizontal flange 30. The foil 4 is welded through the opening of the outflow groove 2 2 and fixed to the projection

200302193 V. Description of the invention (8) The bottom side of margin 30. A pull ring structure 32 is provided inside the outflow groove 22 to cause the foil 40 to move. In the conventional technology, the component for extruding the coating film of the foil 40 is completely flat, but according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a part of the foil 42 of the foil 40 is along the skirt. The inside of the portion 20 is tightly attached downward, so that the portion of the foil 42 can be welded to the outer surface of the side wall 10. Compared to relying on welding on the open surface and the horizontal flange 30, it is better to form a welding between the side wall 10 of the neck 6 and the attached foil 42 of the foil 40. When the ring structure 32 is used to open the seal When moving the component from the bottle or anything, a vertical force will be applied to the weld.

As shown in the third embodiment, the flat foil 40 is equipped inside the entire outflow groove 22, so when the outflow groove 22 is applied to the bottle body, the foil 40 is downward Push and abut the inside of the side wall 10, this can be done by applying the proper force of the injector 26 to the bottom 6 when the material of the flange 30 is deformed during the heating cycle Reached. The protrusions 46 are formed inwardly along the inside of the side wall 10 to provide a position for the flange 30 covering the foil to be fully inserted, as shown in the third figure. The lower surfaces of the foils 40, 44 will seal the horizontal surface 48 above the projections 46. Before the ring portion 4 4 of the foil 40 extends upward from the center of the foil and is welded to the internal deformation of the side wall 10, it will cover the lowermost surface of the flange 30 first. In this final position, the flat foil 40 will form a cup shape or abut a horizontal plane above the neck 6. As in the previously described embodiment, when the foil 40 is opened by the pull ring structure 32 or any lever is used to pry open the assembly by setting a control lever under the skirt 30, it is abutted against the side wall 10 It is also preferable to set the welding to the vertical direction. In order to replace the structural deformation described in the third figure, the outflow groove can be molded into a shape

Page 12 200302193 V. Description of the invention (9) The shape can be designed to be inserted into the neck. In this embodiment, the foil portion 44 extends upward along the outer side of the outflow groove. During hot filling or the heat used to generate the welding, the welding of the side wall 10 is less affected by the deformation of the neck, which will cause significant deformation of the top surface of the preform. When the welding of the side wall of the preform is less effective This deformation will prevent the weld from abutting the surface. The fourth figure shows the large-sized foil 40 welded to the neck to abut the outer surface of the side wall 10. This embodiment is particularly suitable for hot filling. Among them, when the welding is formed to partially alleviate the vacuum generated inside the bottle body, the foil 40 expands inside the outflow tank during installation and shrinks toward the inside when cooling (as shown in the figure). This method allows the sealant technology to be used in the bottle body with fewer reinforced pressure plates to resist the vacuum generated after hot filling. This form of seal technology allows hot filling to be performed above 75 ° C without the need to crystallize at the neck of the neck, as the degree of deformation of some necks can be adjusted by sidewall welding. In this embodiment, the outflow groove 22 of the bottle cap 24 having a snap button is shown. If the bottle is used with a carbon dioxide product, the injector 26 will have a screw thread that can mesh with the screw cap (S c e r w-ο n C a ρ) to achieve the purpose of resealing. Wherein, the bottle body is covered with an external or internal barrier, the barrier is coated inside or outside the bottle body, and the welding of the side wall 10 can be with the uncoated plastic material or with the coating as a weldable substance The coated surface is formed. In addition, the coating may be shorter than the top of the sidewall 10. The same part of the container shown in the fifth figure is determined by the same reference number

200302193 V. Description of invention (ίο) Meaning, distinguished by original symbols. The container shows that the outflow groove 22 is used for a combination container 80, which is a cylinder of laminated cardboard with a base. In the scope of this specification and the patent application, the side wall 8 2 of the container and the side wall of the neck 6 are the same proper terms. The rigid paper laminate (including other layers, such as aluminum foil or vinyl alcohol copolymer) has an outer and / or inner coating 84 of a plastic coating, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or PET. The coating is welded to the same coating of a portion of the foil 42 and abuts against the side wall 6 and runs along a horizontal plane 86 above the side wall 8 2. Therefore, it can be seen that the same design of the fifth figure can be used for a plastic-clad ferrous metal container. Both synthetic and metal containers can be formed of plastic, plastic-coated top or end plates, which can define an independent neck, and the outflow groove 22 can be provided on the independent neck in any of the foregoing ways. In the hot-filling step, the end plate can be combined with the outflow groove and combined with the metal body to form a complete unit. The sixth figure shows an end plate suitable for this purpose. The plastic-clad end plate 90 has an outer edge 9 2 and is designed to seal or join a metal container and a central opening 94, which is defined by a side wall 96. The edge 9 8 of the side wall 9 6 is outward and extends along the opening 94, so as to fit with the skirt 20 of the outflow groove 22. Among them, only the lower surface of the end plate 90 is covered with plastic, and this setting makes the plastic coating 100 contact the foil 40. The installation of the outflow groove 22 to the end plate 90 is then completed as described above. Since the joining of the end plate 90 to the metal container can be completed quickly, it is better to install the outflow groove 22 to the end plate 90 before the edge 92 is joined to the side wall 102 of the metal container. After explaining the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail, familiarize with the technology

200302193 V. Description of the invention (11) Persons can clearly understand that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the patent application described below, and the invention is not limited to the implementation of the embodiments listed in the description.

Page 15 200302193 Brief Description of Drawings [Simple Description of Drawings] Figure A is a sectional view of the first PET preform of the present invention. The first B diagram is a detailed illustration of the top of the first A preform. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a second PET preform according to the present invention. The first D diagram is a detailed illustration of the top of the first C preform. The second figure is a detailed cross-sectional view of the shape of the neck made by fixing the neck and lid assembly of the first figure A and the first figure B to the preform. The third image is the same as the second image, and shows the welding position inside the side wall of the bottleneck when the cover is removed. The fourth figure is a cross-sectional view of the neck and the lid of the extra-large foil used in the sealing technology of the present invention during the hot filling process. The fifth figure is a cross-sectional view of the outflow groove installed to the combined container. The sixth figure It is a sectional view of the end plate for a metal container. The seventh figure is a sectional view of the combination of the end plate and the outflow groove and the metal container of the sixth figure. [Comparison of the main component symbols] 2——preform 4—— Main body 6-neck 8-transport ring 10-side 璧 (12-rib 14-opening 20-skirt

Page 16 200302193 Brief description of the drawing 2 2 --- Outflow groove 24 --- Cover 2 6 --- Injector 3 0 --- Flange 3 2-Pull ring structure 4 0--Foil 42- --Part of the foil 44-ring-shaped part 46-projection 48-upper water level 80-combined container 8 2-side 8 8-external and / or internal coating 86-on Horizontal plane 90 --- end plate 9 2 --- outer edge 9 4 --- center opening 9 6 --- side 璧 9 8 --- edge 10 0 --- plastic film 1 02-side 璧

Page 17

Claims (1)

200302193 6. Scope of patent application 1. A procedure for combining a plastic outflow groove to a neck, the neck is defined by a straight line whose side wall is perpendicular to the neck and the opening of the outflow groove, and the side wall is defined by the first plastic The outflow groove contains a plastic foil, the plastic foil closes the opening in the outflow groove, the foil has an exposed surface, and the exposed surface is covered by a second plastic substance, the second plastic and The first plastic substance is compatible, and the steps of the procedure include: setting an outflow groove to the neck and welding the exposed part of the foil to the first plastic substance of the side wall. 2. The procedure according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned foil portion is welded to the inner side wall of the neck. 3. The procedure as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned foil portion is welded to the upper surface of an inwardly facing projection on the inner wall of the neck. 4. The procedure according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned foil portion is welded to the outer wall of the neck. 5. The procedure described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned foil portion is also welded to the top surface of the side wall covering the opening. 6. The procedure as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned first plastic material is polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene gas (PVC). 7. The procedure according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned neck portion is provided at an end portion, and the outflow groove is assembled at the end portion, and then the end portion is sealed and assembled in a filled container. 8. A plastic outflow tank, which can be used in the method described in any one of items 1 to 7 of the aforementioned patent application scope. 200302193 VI. Scope of patent application 9. The plastic outflow groove as described in item 8 of the scope of patent application, is provided with a large-sized foil on the opening of the outflow groove. 10. A container having a side wall, the side wall being composed or covered by a first plastic substance, and the foil sheet being welded to the inner or outer surface of the side wall by a plastic substance covering element compatible with the first plastic substance, the The foil extends across the opening defined by the side wall and is sealed to a seal for the container. It is a barrier layer coated with any of the transport rings in which the aforementioned side wall is shaped 1 1. As described in the scope of patent application No. 10 barrier coating 〇 1 2. As described in the scope of patent application No. 10 The side walls above the container are smooth. 13 The container according to item 10 of the scope of patent application is formed on the end plate sealed to the container body Page 19