US20240116680A1

US20240116680A1 - Container closure

Info

Publication number: US20240116680A1
Application number: US18/264,220
Authority: US
Inventors: Klemens Bösch
Original assignee: Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2021-02-03
Filing date: 2022-02-03
Publication date: 2024-04-11
Also published as: MX2023008109A; CN116848050A; EP4288348A1; CH718322A1; WO2022167540A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a container closure for closing a container opening of a container having a casing, a cover disc which abuts the upper end of the casing, a dispensing opening which is provided on the cover disc, a first sealing element which is formed on the inner side of the cover disc and is provided to project sealingly into the container opening, and a cap which closes or opens the dispensing opening. On the casing, at least one latch opening is provided which can interact with a latch element of the container.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase entry under 37 U.S.C § 371 of PCT/EP2022/052613 filed Feb. 3, 2022, which claims priority to Swiss Patent Application No. 00101/21 filed Feb. 3, 2021, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by this reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a container closure for closing a container opening of a container according to the preamble of claim 1, a container according to the preamble of claim 12, and a closure system with a container closure and a container according to the preamble of claim 18.

PRIOR ART

From the prior art in the field of plastic container closures with a hinged or screw cap, container closures are known which are captively held on a neck of the container and close its opening. For this purpose, the closure has a double casing with an outer casing and an inner casing. The upper sides of the two casings are connected by a cover disc in which a dispensing opening for removing filling material is provided. The inner casing can snap onto the container neck. To this end, first holding elements are formed on the inner casing which can latch with second holding elements formed on the container neck. When the closure is pushed onto the container neck, it snaps onto it.
Within the inner casing, a first sealing element is formed on the cover disc and projects into the opening of the container and seals this tight against filling material when the closure is placed on the container.
The hinged cap can be articulated to the outer casing. The hinged cap can be pivoted between a closed position and an open position, wherein the hinged cap locks in both positions and covers the dispensing opening and the cover disc in the closed position.
A collar with an external thread can also extend upward on the cover disc, wherein in this case the dispensing opening is provided in the collar. The dispensing opening can be closed by screwing on the screw cap.
To produce the container closure, a large amount of plastic material is required, and such a container closure is accordingly expensive.
WO 2016/188588 A1 discloses a plastic bottle, in particular a toilet bottle, which comprises a blow-molded container with a bottle neck and an angled attachment. This is pushed onto the bottle neck in a press-on direction. The bottle neck has a first push-on connection element, which can snap onto a second push-on connection element of the attachment. The attachment therefore does not require an inner casing since the casing of the attachment is held directly on the bottle neck. The attachment can be produced relatively inexpensively. However, the second push-on connection element is complex to manufacture in an injection mold since it is an undercut.

Advantages of the Invention

The disadvantages of the prior art described above give rise to a generic container closure that can be manufactured as inexpensively as possible.
Another advantage is that the compression pressure will be as low as possible when the closure is pressed onto the container neck, which means that the container shoulder has to be less stable and can therefore be produced with less material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The container closure of the invention is achieved by the features stated in the independent claims. Developments and/or advantageous alternative embodiments form the subject-matter of the dependent claims.
The invention comprises at least one latch opening, which can interact with a latch element of the container, is provided in the casing. Since the latching with the container takes place on the casing, an inner casing can be dispensed with which is latched to the container according to the prior art. As a result, the need for plastic material can be significantly reduced which is used during injection molding of the container closure. The weight of the container closure can therefore be reduced by up to 33 percent.
In addition, the latch opening makes it possible that the corresponding latch element can be positioned as deeply as possible on the container shoulder and does not have to be formed on the container neck. As a result, the casing can have a reduced height, which enables additional material to be saved in the production of the container closure. The height of the closure can be reduced by up to 5 mm.
It has proven expedient if two latch openings are provided diametrically opposite each other in the casing. This makes it possible to realize a symmetrical and stable retention of the closure on the container. The casing can also be easily pressed on opposing surfaces which are not penetrated by the latch openings to release the latch openings from the latch elements. A release of the closure by twisting is also conceivable. This allows the closure to be easily removed from the container if needed. This is advantageous, for example, when the container is to be refilled via the container opening. It is also conceivable for the latch elements to interact with the latch openings in such a way that their connection is non-detachable.
Advantageously, the casing has an elliptical cross section, wherein the two latch openings are provided on the main axis or the secondary axis of the ellipse. Since the container shoulder can also have an elliptical cross-section, it proves easy to align the closure with respect to the container: When the two main axes of the ellipses coincide, the latch elements and the latch openings are oriented such that they can snap together.
In another embodiment of the invention, the latch opening has a first latching edge which is oriented parallel to the open end of the casing and has the shortest distance from the open end of the casing compared to the other edges of the latch opening. As a result, the connection between the latch opening and the latch element is reliable and does not become undone even under an increased load, for example in the direction of the central axis.
It proves advantageous if the distance between the first latching edge and the open end of the casing is between 2 and 6 mm or between 2 and 3 mm. As a result, the latch opening can be arranged as low as possible on the casing, which results in a container with the lowest possible height. It is desirable to make the distance as small as possible in order to achieve the greatest possible savings in material.
The latch opening usefully has a shape of a rectangle. This shape enables the formation of a long, stable latching edge, since a longitudinal side of the rectangle can be the latching edge. Other geometric shapes such as a triangle or an arrow are also conceivable. This embodiment option has the advantage that the latch opening and the latch element can serve as a design element. This effect can be reinforced in that the closure and the container or the latch element have a different color.
The cap is usefully a hinged cap which is articulated to the casing. This type of closure of the dispensing opening is practical, familiar to the user, and can be produced in an injection molding method.
In another embodiment of the invention, the cap is a screw cap which has an internal thread and can be screwed onto a collar with an external thread extending upwards on the cover disc. The screw cap can additionally be provided with a child lock. This type of closure can be used for toxic fluids such as toilet cleaners, etc.
A second sealing element, which projects into the dispensing opening when the cap is placed on the cover disc, is usefully formed on the inside of the cap. As a result, the dispensing opening is sealed tightly against filling material.
Due to the fact that the casing advantageously has the shape of a truncated cone, the lateral surface is positioned obliquely, whereby the closure can be placed on the latch elements with less resistance. Furthermore, this embodiment of the casing is aesthetically pleasing.
In another embodiment of the invention, the container closure is free of an inner casing which is formed between the casing and the first sealing element. As already described above, the material outlay for the container closure can thereby be reduced significantly by up to 33% by weight.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a container, in particular a blow-molded plastic container, onto which a container closure according to the above description can be placed.
The invention is also distinguished in that at least one latch element is formed on the container shoulder or the container neck and can be latched in the latch opening of the container closure. The latch element is provided on the hanging shoulder, as a result of which the container neck can be formed as short as possible or formed on the neck, whereby the shoulder can be formed straight and flat. This saves material for the container and the container closure since the closure can have a low height.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the container is extrusion-blow-molded when the at least one latch element is formed on the container shoulder. The at least one latch element can be easily blow-molded on the hanging shoulder as an elevation. As a result, the container closure can interact with extrusion blow molded containers.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the container is stretch-blow-molded when the at least one latch element is formed on the container neck. The at least one latch element can be easily molded on the neck, which means that it is already formed during the production of the preform. As a result, the container closure can also interact with stretch blow-molded containers.
A support ring is usefully formed on the container neck, on which support ring the at least one latch element projects. As a result, the latch element can be injection-molded and demolded with little effort since a support ring is usually required anyway for stretch-blown containers.
The shoulder may have a flat shape lying in the horizontal or a hanging shape as a truncated cone. As a result, the shoulder can be produced both by extrusion blow molding (the inclination of the shoulder facilitates demolding) and also by stretch blow molding (the flat shoulder can be easily stretched blow-molded). Accordingly, the closure system consisting of the container closure and the container is flexible.
In another embodiment, a ledge on which the open end of the casing can rest is formed at the transition from the shoulder to the container body. As a result, the container closure sits on the container without wobbling and is automatically aligned to the correct position by the shape of the ledge.
In addition, given the formed latch element, the container shoulder has an improved stability with respect to a compression pressure, which occurs when the closure is pressed onto the container. As a result, the wall thickness of the shoulder can be reduced, since the formation of the shoulder provides sufficient stability against compression.
Two latch elements are usefully formed diametrically opposite on the container shoulder or the container neck. As a result, the latch elements are aligned according to the latch openings described above and interact exactly with the latch openings.
It proves advantageous if the hanging shoulder has the shape of an ellipse in cross section. As a result, the closure can be aligned and centered exactly on the shoulder.
Usefully, the flat shoulder lying in the horizontal has the shape of an ellipse. As a result, the shoulder also serves as an alignment aid for the container closure to be pressed on in stretch-blown containers.
In another embodiment, the shoulder has the shape of an ellipse. Since the shoulder is formed as a negative impression of the open end of the casing, the container closure can be pressed onto the container only in an aligned position.
The two latch elements may be formed on the main axis or the secondary axis of the ellipse, which means that the container closure is held fixedly and symmetrically on the container.
Since the latch element advantageously has a second latching edge which can interact with the first latching edge of the latch opening, the closure is held firmly on the container and cannot be removed therefrom by being pulled upward since the first and second latching edges are pressed against one another.
In another embodiment of the invention, the latch element is a step-shaped elevation on the shoulder, wherein the front surface of the elevation is oriented obliquely in the direction of the container neck. A latch element formed in this way can be formed in a blow mold without the blow mold having to be equipped with complicated slides or other demolding aids. As a result of the oblique position of the front surface, the closure can be pressed on with little force since the casing can slide over the elevation. The closure is nevertheless held firmly on the container by the first latching edge engaging under the second latching edge.
In another aspect of the invention, a closure system having an above-described container closure and container is shown. The invention is characterized in that the front surface of the latch element, which penetrates the latch opening, is flush with the outer surface of the casing. This feature has the effect that the latch opening is completely closed when the closure is placed on the container. Accordingly, the closure has no starting points for soiling and additionally an attractive design.
In another embodiment of the closure system, the outer surface of the casing is flush with the outer surface of the container body. This is made possible by the special shaping of the ledge. The ledge has no projections or the like which are susceptible to soiling or interfere in some other way. In addition, the closure system has an aesthetic appearance due to the projection-free transition between the closure and the container and appears to be made from “one piece.”

Further advantages and features will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the schematic drawings. In the drawings, not true to scale:

FIG. 1 : shows a first perspective view of a container closure and a container onto which the closure can be placed in a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 : shows a second perspective view of the closure and the container of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 : shows a perspective bottom view of the container;

FIG. 4 : shows a perspective view of the closure placed on the container;

FIG. 5 : shows a perspective full view of the container;

FIG. 6 : shows a bottom view of a detail of a container closure according to the prior art with an inner casing;

FIG. 7 : shows a perspective view of the container in a second embodiment;

FIG. 8 : shows the container from FIG. 7 with a mounted container closure in a view obliquely from above;

FIG. 9 : shows the container from FIG. 7 with the mounted container closure in a view obliquely from below, and

FIG. 10 : shows a cross-section through the container with the mounted and latched container closure along a vertical sectional plane.

FIGS. 1 to 4 and 8 to 10 show a container closure which is denoted as a whole with the reference sign 11. The closure 11 closes the container opening 13 of a container 15 a according to a first embodiment (FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 ) or a container 15 b according to a second embodiment (FIGS. 7 to 10 ). The container opening 13 serves for filling the container 15 a, 15 b with filling material before the container 15 a, 15 b is closed by the closure 11.
The container closure 11 has a casing 17 which has the shape of a truncated cone. A cover disc 19 adjoins the upper end of the casing 17 and covers the top of the casing. In the cover disc 19, a dispensing opening 21 is provided through which filling material in the container 15 a, 15 b can be removed.
A sealing element 23 rises from the inner side of the cover disc 19. The sealing element 23 projects sealingly into the container opening 13 when the closure 11 is placed on the container 15 a, 15 b. In this case, the seal is a so-called “cone sealer,” i.e., the sealing element 23 widens continuously in the direction of the cover disc 19 in the manner of a truncated cone. As a result, the container opening 13 is sealed by the sealing element 23.
A cap 25 is articulated to the casing 17 via a hinge 27, in the form of a film hinge. In this case, the cap is a hinged cap 25 which can be folded from a closed position into an open position. In the closed position, a second sealing element 29 projects into the dispensing opening 21 sealed tight against filling material.
A first and second latch opening 31 a, 31 b or a first and second window are removed from the casing 17. The container closure 11 has a cross-sectional shape of an ellipse with a main axis 33 a and a secondary axis 33 b. As the figures show, the latch openings 31 a, 31 b can be provided diametrically opposite on the main axis 33 a. The hinge 27 can be formed on the secondary axis 33 b of the casing 17.
The closure is injection-molded, and the latch openings can be realized by scraping or forced demolding in the injection mold.
For the reliable latching function of the latch elements 31 a, 31 b, it is essential that they have a first latching edge 35 a, 35 b. The first latching edge 35 lies deeper than all other edges of the latch opening 31, i.e., the first latching edge 35 has the shortest distance from the open end 37 of the casing 17. The first latching edge 35 is parallel to the open end 37 of the casing, as a result of which the first latching edge 35 is oriented perpendicular to the pull-off direction of the closure 11 and is therefore fixedly held on the container. The latch opening 31 can have the shape of a rectangle, wherein the first latching edge 35 is a longitudinal side of the rectangle.
By providing the latch opening 31 on the casing 17, another inner casing 53 (FIG. 6 ) can be dispensed with, which according to the prior art projects from the cover disc 19 between the first sealing element 23 and the casing 17. As a result, the closure can be realized with little material and accordingly at low cost. The closure 11 according to the invention requires 33% less plastic material than a closure of the prior art.
The container shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 in a first embodiment has a container body 39. A container shoulder 41, which merges into a cylindrical container neck 43, adjoins the body 39. The container neck 43 surrounds the container opening 13. An oval or elliptical ledge 44 is formed at the transition from the container shoulder 41 to the container body 39. The casing 17 can rest on this ledge 44 by its open end 37. The outer contour of the ledge 44 is a negative impression of the open end 37 or of the open edge of the casing 17. It is thereby possible for the outer surface of the casing 17 to be flush with the outer surface of the container body 39 and to center the container closure 11 on the container body 39. Therefore, the transition does not have any protrusions, which prevents it from becoming dirty and gives it a pleasing exterior. Since the shoulder and the open end 37 have the shape of an ellipse, the container closure 11 is automatically aligned on the container 15 a. Positioning and alignment elements which ensure the correct orientation are therefore superfluous.
A first and a second latch element 45 a, 45 b are formed on the container shoulder 41 and latch with the latch openings 35 a, 35 b when the closure 11 is placed on the container 15 a. The container shoulder 41 also has the cross section of an ellipse with another main and secondary axis 47 a, 47 b in order to correlate with the closure 11. The latch elements 45 a, 45 b are arranged diametrically on the main axis 47 a or are formed from the shoulder 41. The latch element 45 is a step-shaped elevation or a knob whose lowest edge is a second latching edge 49. The first latching edge 35 engages under the second latching edge 49, as a result of which the casing 17 is held on the shoulder 41. The front surface 51 of the latch element 45 penetrates the latch opening 31 and is accordingly flush with the casing surface.
In the first embodiment, the shoulder 41 is designed hanging. That is, the shoulder 41 has the shape of a truncated cone and does not lie in the horizontal. The first embodiment of the container 15 a is extrusion blow-molded. The above-described latch elements 45 a, 45 b with the second latching edges 49 a, 49 b, which are formed on the shoulder 41, can only be produced by extrusion blow-molding. The arrangement of the latching edges on the main axis 47 a of the shoulder and the hanging shape thereof facilitate the demolding of the container from the blow mold.
Since, in the first embodiment, the latch elements 45 a, 45 b can be formed on the shoulder 41 through the latch openings provided in the (outer) casing 17 and not in the neck 43, the neck can have a 5 mm lower height compared to the prior art. The closure 11 can also be accordingly lower.
The second embodiment according to FIGS. 7 to 10 is a stretch-blow-molded container 15 b. Accordingly, a preform is injection-molded on which the container neck 43 is already formed. The shoulder 41 is formed only during stretch blow molding by a radial stretching. It is also conceivable that the horizontal shoulder 41 is formed during injection molding of the preform. As is shown in particular in FIGS. 8 and 10 , the latch elements 45 a, 45 b are formed on the neck 43. A support ring 55 is injection-molded on the neck 43, from which support ring 55 the latch elements 45 a, 45 b protrude. In the second embodiment, the latch elements have the shape of projections of the support ring 55 and can only be formed by injection molding because of this shape. The second latching edges 49 a, 49 b are formed by the lower sides of the projections.
In the second embodiment, the shoulder 41 has a flat horizontal shape, in the form of an ellipse. The latch elements 45 a, 45 b lie diametrically opposite each other on the secondary axis 47 b of the shoulder 41. The second embodiment of the container also saves material, since the container neck 43 is higher than in the first embodiment, but the container shoulder 41 has no height.
The container closure 11 can be latched both on an extrusion blow-molded container 15 a according to the first embodiment and on a stretch-blow-molded container 15 b according to the second embodiment. In both cases, the elliptical open end 37 of the casing 17 can be placed on the ledge 44. As a result, the casing 17 can only be placed on the ledge 44 in a single position and is correctly aligned or positioned on the container 15 a, 15 b without a positioning aid. If the cross section of the container 15 a, 15 b is oval or elliptical at all points, the closure system, consisting of the container 15 a, 15 b and the attached container closure 11, has a uniform appearance as if made from “one piece.” In addition, there are no projections on the closure system on which dirt more easily adheres or which pose a risk of injury. These advantages are due to the flush transition between the casing 17 and the container body 39.

Claims

1. A container closure for closing a container opening of a container, comprising:

a casing,

a cover disc which abuts the upper end of the casing,

a dispensing opening which that is provided in the cover disc,

a first sealing element which that is formed on the inner side of the cover disc and is provided to project sealingly into the container opening, and

a cap that closes or opens the dispensing opening,

the casing defining at least one latch opening configured to interact with a latch element of the container.

2. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one latch opening comprises two latch openings diametrically opposite to one another in the casing.

3. The container closure according to claim 2, wherein the casing has an elliptical cross section, wherein the two latch openings are provided on a main axis or a secondary axis of the elliptical cross section.

4. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one latch opening has a first latching edge that is oriented parallel to an open end of the casing and has a shortest distance from the open end of the casing compared to other edges of the latch opening.

5. The container closure according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the first latching edge and the open end of the casing is between 2 and 6 mm or between 2 and 3 mm.

6. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one latch opening has a rectangular shape.

7. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the cap is a hinged cap which is articulated to the casing.

8. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the cap is a screw cap that has an internal thread and is configured to be screwed onto a collar with an external thread upwardly extending on the cover disc.

9. The container closure according to claim 1, further comprising a second sealing element formed on an inside of the cap and that projects into the dispensing opening when the cap is placed on the cover disc.

10. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the closure has a truncated cone shape.

11. The container closure according to claim 1, wherein the container closure is free of an inner casing that is formed between the casing and the first sealing element.

12. A container, in particular a blow-molded plastic container, configured to receive a container closure, the container closure comprising:

a casing,

a cover disc which abuts the upper end of the casing,

a dispensing opening that is provided in the cover disc,

a first sealing element that is formed on the inner side of the cover disc and is provided to project sealingly into the container opening, and

a cap that closes or opens the dispensing opening,

the casing defining at least one latch opening configured to interact with a latch element of the container, and

the container comprising:

a container opening,

a container body,

a container neck that surrounds and thereby defines the container opening, and

a container shoulder that connects the neck to the container body, and

at least one latch element on the container shoulder or the container neck configured to be latched in the latch opening of the container closure.

13. The container according to claim 12, wherein the container is extrusion-blow-molded when the at least one latch element is formed on the container shoulder.

14. The container according to claim 12, wherein the container is stretch-blow-molded when the at least one latch element is formed on the container neck.

15. The container according to claim 14, further comprising a support ring on the container neck, on which support ring the at least one latch element projects.

16. The container according to claim 12, wherein the container shoulder has a flat shape lying in a horizontal direction or a hanging shape as a truncated cone.

17. The container according to claim 12, further comprising a ledge, on which the open end of the casing can rest, is formed at a transition from the container shoulder to the container body.

18. The container according to claim 12, further comprising two latch elements formed diametrically opposite one another on the container shoulder or the container neck.

19. The container according to claim 18, wherein the container shoulder has the shape of an ellipse in cross-section.

20. The container according to claim 19, wherein the shoulder having a flat shape lying in the horizontal direction has an elliptical shape.

21. The container according to claim 17, wherein the ledge has an elliptical shape.

22. The container according to claim 19, wherein the two latch elements are formed on a main axis or a secondary axis of the ellipse.

23. The container according to any of claim 12, wherein the latch element has a second latching edge configured to interact with a first latching edge of the latch opening.

24. The container according to claim 12, wherein the latch element is a step-shaped elevation-on the container shoulder, wherein a front surface of the elevation is oriented obliquely in a direction of the container neck.

25. A closure system comprising:

a container closure, comprising:

a casing,

a cover disc which abuts the upper end of the casing,

a dispensing opening that is provided in the cover disc,

a cap that closes or opens the dispensing opening,

a container comprising:

a container opening,

a container body,

a container neck that surrounds and thereby defines the container opening, and

a container shoulder that connects the neck to the container body, and

at least one latch element on the container shoulder or the container neck configured to be latched in the latch opening of the container closure,

wherein the container closure latches with the container while being pressed thereon, and

wherein a front surface of the at least one latch element, which penetrates the latch opening, is flush with an outer face of the casing.

26. The closure system according to claim 25, wherein an outer surface of the casing is flush with an outer surface of the container body.