WO1993011064A1

WO1993011064A1 - Overcap closure and method of fitting same

Info

Publication number: WO1993011064A1
Application number: PCT/FR1992/001158
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frédéric FACCO
Original assignee: Etablissements Pierre Remy
Priority date: 1991-12-05
Filing date: 1992-12-07
Publication date: 1993-06-10
Also published as: FR2684657A1

Abstract

An overcap closure of the bonded type comprising a skirt (21) to surround the body (11) of the neck (10) of a bottle. At its top , the said neck (10) has a ring (12) of outside diameter D, the diameter (d3) of the portion (23) of the closure (20) skirt coming against the neck ring (12) when the closure is fitted, being less than D. The skirt (21) is made from a heat treated aluminium/polyethylene/aluminium complex.

Description

Overcoating capsule and method of placing such an overcoating capsule

The present invention relates to an overcap capsule of the so-called bonded type and to a method of placing such an overcap capsule of the so-called bonded type on bottles.

Overcapping capsules belong to two types: so-called glued capsules which are obtained from a film of material, and stamped capsules.

The invention belongs to the general type of glued capsules.

The overcapping capsules usually used until now have been lead-based capsules and in particular lead-tin capsules. For reasons related in particular to the ecological concerns of our time, these capsules are bound to disappear.

Several solutions are currently being considered to replace them. In particular, stamped capsules made of pure tin or aluminum have already been proposed. The first are of a high cost price and therefore reserved for prestige bottles.

As for the stamped aluminum capsules, they are currently of a cost substantially equivalent to that of lead-tin capsules.

Capsules made of a complex material with three layers of aluminum / - polyethylene / aluminum have also been proposed. These capsules are of a cost much lower than that of the stamped aluminum capsules, and are of appearance, before installation on the necks of the bottles, very close to the lead-tin capsules. However, after being placed on the necks of the bottles, the presentation of these capsules presents defects which can put off certain customers. Illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 a process used before the invention for the establishment of these traditional capsules of complex material. In Figures 1, 2 and 4 are shown, in axial section, a neck and a capsule according to three different stages of such a method of the prior art. Figure 3 is a sectional view III-III of Figure 2.

In a first step of such a process, a capsule 2 is distributed on the neck 1 of which it must provide an overcap (Figure 1). The capsule 2 is released above the neck 1 and is positioned there by descent by gravity. The capsules 2 have for this purpose an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the necks.

In a second step (Figures 3 and 4), a capsule 2 in place on a neck 1 undergoes an organized pre-filling. The surplus material is caught up in folds 3 each extending over substantially the entire height of the capsule 2, these folds 3 being produced regularly around the entire periphery of said capsule 2. In the example illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 , the excess material is caught up in four folds organized around the periphery of the capsule 2 in two orthogonal planes. The number can however be variable.

In a third step, the pre-pleated capsule 2 undergoes crimping carried out in a conventional manner using a roller machine. This crimping gives the capsule 2 a shape that perfectly matches that of the neck 1 (Figure 4). The placement of the capsule is then complete.

However, as indicated above, the appearance of the capsule is not satisfactory: the folds 3 organized in the second step are found on the capsule 2, even after the crimping step.

Note that pre-pleating is not always used. The excess material is then distributed in an uncontrolled manner. The appearance of the capsule thus used is however very far from the desired quality (close to lead-tin).

The present invention provides an overcap capsule which overcomes this drawback. The final presentation of this capsule made of complex aluminum / polyethylene / aluminum material on the bottles is greatly improved and becomes substantially equivalent to that of stamped aluminum capsules. The subject of the invention is therefore an overcap capsule, of the so-called glued type, intended to be placed on a bottle neck, said capsule comprising a skirt intended to surround the body of the neck and a head intended to be disposed at the level of the opening of said neck, said neck comprising at its upper part a ring of outside diameter D, the diameter (d ₃ ) of the part of the skirt of the capsule, coming opposite the ring of the neck during the 'depression of the capsule, being less than D, said skirt being frustoconical with a taper angle less than 3 ^* 30' and being made of an aluminum / polyethylene / aluminum complex, having undergone heat treatments in order to be able to undergo radial elongation without breaking the material. The capsule material, an aluminum / polyethylene / aluminum complex having undergone heat treatment, is used here, in addition to conventionally for its ductility to compression which allows it to perfectly match the shape of the neck. after crimping, for its elongation properties without breaking in stretching.

The layers of said complex have undergone heat treatments in order to allow elongation without the desired rupture of the material.

Also preferably, the diameter dl of the head of the capsule and the diameter Dl of the neck of the neck to be overcapped are connected by the relation (1) Dl - 1.5 <dl <Dl - 0.2, where Dl and dl are expressed in millimeters.

The subject of the invention is also a method of placing an overcap capsule made of an aluminum / polyethylene / aluminum complex having undergone heat treatments in order to be able to undergo a radial elongation without breaking the material on bottles. . This process mainly comprises the following steps for each capsule:

- distribution of the capsule on the neck;

- depression of the capsule on the neck until the head of the capsule comes into contact with the upper edge of the neck;

- crimping of the capsule on the neck, the capsule marrying the neck without substantially forming folds. Thus, the capsule has, before crimping, a shape which corresponds substantially to that which it will take once in place: the portion of material to be caught up by crimping is insignificant.

The capsule being made of a material capable of undergoing radial elongation, during the insertion step the material of the capsule deforms radially without tearing.

The crimping step can be carried out by means of a roller type machine. The following description of an embodiment of the invention is purely illustrative and not limiting. It should be read with reference to the appended drawings in which: FIGS. 1 to 4, which have already been described previously, illustrate three steps of a method for placing overcap capsules in accordance with the prior art;

Figures 5 to 8 are views similar to Figures 1, 2 and 4 and illustrate different steps of the method according to the invention.

Referring more particularly to Figure 5. In this figure has been shown a neck detail 10 having a main body 11 and ending at its end furthest from the base of the bottle by a ring 12 and a neck 13 defining 1 opening of said neck 10.

Conventionally, the body 11 has a mainly frustoconical shape, which ends at its end furthest from the neck 13 and the ring 12, widening up to the walls, not shown, defining the body of the bottle. The ring 12 is an annular excess thickness projecting relative to the body 11. The neck 13 has an outside diameter slightly smaller than that of the body 11.

The capsule 20, which has been shown above this neck 10, is made of a complex material with three layers bonded or coextruded aluminum / polyethylene / aluminum. The thicknesses of these layers, the heat treatments to which they are subjected beforehand (metallurgical state of the aluminum films), and the choice of their material allow said complex to be stretchable. Such a capsule has a skirt portion 21 of mainly frustoconical shape terminated at its base end of smaller diameter by a head 22 connected to said skirt 21 by a slight annular recess. The absence of an offset does not affect the field of application of the capsule. Such a capsule 20 is produced in a conventional manner from the aforementioned complex material in the form of sheets using automated tools which make it possible to cut this material into sheets, to wind it on a forming cone, to make it cutting, then folding the excess material which is at the part of the smallest diameter of the frustoconical skirt 21 to heat seal the head 22 of the capsule.

It is proposed by the invention to give the capsule 20 dimensions of diameters smaller than those of the neck 10 of the bottle. Thus, when the capsule 20 is released on the neck 10, it descends thereon without being fully inserted therein, the head 22 not being in place on the neck 13 (see Figure 6).

Indeed, the ring 12 of the neck 10 has an outside diameter D, generally normalized, represented in FIG. 5. The capsule 20, on the other hand, has, in a part of its skirt 21 referenced at 23 and intended to come opposite screw of the ring 12 when the capsule 20 is pressed onto the neck 10 of the bottle, a diameter d ₃ less than the diameter D of the ring 12.

In a following step, illustrated in FIG. 7, the capsule 20 undergoes a depression or preforming which causes it to descend until the head 22 comes into contact with the neck 13 of the neck 10. It is advantageous to use the operation of preforming an alternative type device (cylinder or any system leading to the same kinematics) or continuous (cam or cam profile, ramp, driving belt). The choice of this device will be largely determined by the desired bottling rate. Under certain conditions, the insertion can be done directly on the seamer.

In a last step, illustrated in FIG. 8, the capsule undergoes crimping on said neck 10. This crimping is carried out in a conventional manner using roller devices, the rollers of which are resiliently biased against the necks 10 carrying capsules 20, on which they roll.

We call dl and d2 the diameters of the head 22 and the base of the largest diameter of the skirt 21 (skirt base) of the capsule 22 and Dl and D2 the diameter of the neck 13 and of the body of the neck 10; the diameters dl and Dl advantageously verify the relation: (1) Dl - 1.5 <d 1 <Dl - 0.2.

The angle of conicity of the capsule is called; this angle a is advantageously chosen between 1 ^* and 2 "20 '; and must be less than 3'30'. This conicity allows on the one hand, a first insertion of the capsules

20 on the necks 10 during the first step of the process according to the invention, and, on the other hand, an interlocking of the capsules one inside the other for their presentation before installation on the necks.

As an indicative example, in the case of a standard neck for the American market of basic D2 equal to 29.5 mm and therefore of periphery to the base D2 equal to 92.7 mm, a capsule 20 conforming to l The invention will have a height of 55 mm, a head diameter dl of 27.5 mm, a base skirt diameter d2 of 29.7 mm, and a taper of 1 ^* 10 ', ie a periphery at the base of 93 , 31 mm. The excess material is therefore

93.3 - 92.7 = 0.6 mm. For the same application, it would have been necessary with the methods of art illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, to use a capsule with a head diameter dl of 28 mm and skirt base diameter d2 of 30.2 mm, which corresponds to a skirt base periphery of 94.9 mm to a pleating of the capsule at the neck of a surplus of material corresponding to a periphery portion of 2.2 mm. The excess material is reduced, with the process according to the invention, by 1.6 mm, or 73%. The capsule obtained is of a fold-free presentation comparable to the capsule of the lead-tin type.

The reference signs inserted after the technical characteristics mentioned in the claims, have the sole purpose of facilitating the understanding of the latter, and in no way limit their scope.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Overcapping capsule, of the so-called glued type, intended to be placed on a bottle neck (10), said capsule comprising a skirt (21) intended to surround the body (11) of the neck (10) and a head (22) intended to be disposed at the opening of the neck (10), said neck (10) comprising at its upper part a ring (12) of outside diameter D, the diameter (d _β ) of the part ( 23) of the skirt of the capsule (20), facing the ring (12) of the neck when the capsule is inserted, being less than D, said skirt (21) being frustoconical with an angle of taper less than 3 ^* 30 'and being made of an aluminum / polyethylene / aluminum complex, having undergone heat treatments in order to be able to undergo a radial elongation without breaking the material.

2. Overcap according to claim 1, characterized in that its skirt (21) has a taper angle between l "and 2" 30 '.

3. Overcapping capsule according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the diameter (dl) of the head (22) of the capsule (20) and the diameter (Dl) of the neck of the neck (10) to overflow are linked by the relation:

Dl - 1.5 <dl <Dl - 0.2, where Dl and dl are expressed in millimeters.

4. Method for installing an overcap capsule according to any one of claims

1 to 3, including the steps of

- distribution of the capsule (20) on the neck (10) of a bottle; - depression of the capsule (20) on the neck (10) until the head (22) of the capsule (20) comes into contact with the upper edge of the neck (10);

- Crimping of the cap (20) on the neck (10) of a bottle; the capsule (20 conforming to the neck (10) without substantially forming folds.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the crimping step is carried out by means of a machine of the roller type.