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
  • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
  • B65D47/04—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps
  • B65D47/06—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages
  • B65D47/08—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures
  • B65D47/0804—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages having articulated or hinged closures integrally formed with the base element provided with the spout or discharge passage
• • 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
  • B65D55/06—Deformable or tearable wires, strings, or strips; Use of seals, e.g. destructible locking pins
  • B65D55/08—Annular elements encircling container necks
  • B65D55/0818—Destructible or permanently removable bands, e.g. adhesive
• • 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
  • B65D2401/00—Tamper-indicating means
  • B65D2401/05—Tearable non-integral strips

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a plastic closure consisting of a lower part and a cover connected thereto via a hinge axis, as well as an integrity guarantee element.
• Integrity guarantee elements on plastic hinge locks have been known for many years. They are intended to offer a high level of security for the consumer by making the integrity of the closure and thus the contents in the container protected by the closure visible. A large number of different variants are known for this. Most closures, especially on plastic containers, are so-called bounced and can practically not be removed from the container without being destroyed. With such closures, however, it must also be ensured that the lid has not already been opened before first use and that part of the contents have thus been removed or third-party substances have been added. Such integrity elements were most often implemented in the form of guarantee bands. From US-A-4 '487' 324 (Ostrowsky) a plastic closure of the type mentioned at the outset with a guarantee of integrity element is known.
• a tamper-evident guarantee element here is a guarantee band which is attached in one piece to the lower part of the closure and extends over more than half the circumference and is connected to the lower part via predetermined breaking points.
• the cover which is movably arranged on the lower part by means of a swivel hinge, has various cam-like projections all around, which engage under the guarantee band between the predetermined breaking points.
• the main problem of such and similar guarantee elements is that the guarantee band is often destroyed when it is closed for the first time. The result was a high reject rate and fully automatic closing of such closures could only be achieved with very high cycle times. The economy was practically lost.
• plastic hinge locks For example, a trend can be identified that makes two-tone closures desirable. This calls for so-called two-component injection molding machines, which are extremely expensive and for which there are still relatively few possible uses. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a swivel hinge closure made of plastic according to the preamble of claim 1, which can be manufactured extremely inexpensively with simple shapes and can be injected accordingly in a short cycle without having to accept a high reject rate. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a plastic closure whose tamper-evident element can have a different color than the rest of the closure and thus has an increased individualization and an improved visual control for the consumer.
• FIG. 1 shows a vertical axial section through a hinge closure with a closed, circumferential tamper-evident element and Figure 2 shows the same closure in side view
• Figure 4 shows a detail of this plastic closure on a larger scale in section.
• Figure 5 shows a second variant of a plastic closure with tamper-evident element in turn as an axial vertical section and
• FIG. 7 shows the integrity guarantee element with holding part on its own.
• Figure 8 shows the same plastic closure after removal of the tamper-evident element.
• Figure 9 shows an enlarged detail of the tamper-evident element and the holding part
• Figure 10 shows a detail of the same closure on a larger scale.
• FIG. 11 schematically shows a further example of a plastic closure with a tamper-evident element, this being designed in the form of a clasp, here before assembly and
• FIG. 14 shows a further example of a plastic closure in the open state with a separate, clasp-like guarantee of integrity. element that can be placed inside the lock.
• Figure 15a shows the same closure in the assembled, intact condition as a partial section on a larger scale, during
• 15b-d show other cross-sectional variants of the integrity guarantee elements according to the same principle as that shown in FIG. 15a.
• FIG. 16 shows a side view of a plastic closure in which a completely circumferential, ring-shaped tamper-evident element is present.
• FIG. 17 shows a possible design of the predetermined separation points for the desired destruction of the tamper-evident element, during
• Figure 18 shows a variant thereof.
• FIG. 19a shows a partial section of a guarantee band, with a stretchable area, here in the unstretched, unassembled state and
• closure With regard to the closure shown here, no conclusion can be drawn about the invention. It is only essential that this is a closure with a pivot axis, and the tamper-evident element makes this pivoting movement impossible as long as the tamper-evident element has not been destroyed or removed.
• the closure itself can be part of a container, the lower part corresponding to the container part itself or, as usual, it can represent the screw-on or snap-on connecting part with a container. These are usually closures that are placed on containers, in particular containers made of plastic.
• FIGS. 1-4 A first embodiment variant is shown in FIGS. 1-4.
• This is an absolute conventional plastic closure with a hinge. Whether this is a snap hinge or not is irrelevant to the embodiment.
• the closure which is designated in its entirety by 1, comprises, as usual, a lower part 2 and a cover 3 connected in one piece to it, which is connected to the lower part 2 via a pivot hinge 4.
• the lower part 2 has a cylindrical outer surface and has means on the inner surface for releasable or conditionally releasable connection to a container.
• an internal thread 6 is provided.
• the lower part 2 is closed by a cover surface 8.
• the top surface 8 is penetrated by a pouring opening 5, for example in the form of a spout.
• the pouring opening 5 is closed by an annular pin on the inner surface of the lid 3.
• This pouring gasket 7 can seal against the pouring opening both inside and outside.
• a tamper-evident element 10 is shown here as a separately manufactured part, which has the shape of a closed ring or tire.
• the integrity guarantee element 10 can consequently be made of a different plastic than the closure 1 itself and, of course, in order to produce an increased signal effect, it can have a different color than the color from which the closure 1 itself is made.
• the tamper-evident element 10 was im Cross section shown in black.
• the structural design of the tamper-evident element 10 can be seen in more detail in FIG. It consists of an actual band 11 which has an upper contact surface 12 projecting perpendicularly from the band and a circumferential, lower flexible retaining edge 13.
• the flexible retaining edge 13 can be manufactured in such a way that it is integrally formed so that it projects downwards by the same angle which it now projects upwards to the belt surface 11. Between the band 11 and the flexible retaining edge 13 there is then a thin point which allows the retaining edge 13 to be turned inside out.
• Such an integrity guarantee element can be placed over the closure from above, the flexible retaining edge 13 being deflected upward during the overturning.
• the tamper-evident element 10 the presence of outwardly projecting parts on the cover and lower part is mandatory. As shown here, these can be completely or partially encircling decorative beads, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 4.
• the band 11 is held both positively around the two decorative beads and by the flexible retaining edge 13 as non-positively on the closure.
• the second embodiment is again an embodiment that allows many variants.
• the actual closure 1 corresponds in its outer design completely to the closure according to FIGS. 1-4.
• the plastic closure which in turn is made in one piece, also has the lower part 2 and a cover 3 connected to it via a hinge 4.
• the cover surface 8 is in turn penetrated by a spout-shaped pouring opening 5.
• the lower part 2 is also provided with an internal thread 6 for attachment.
• the cover surface 8 is provided with a peripheral peripheral recess 15 and has at least one, but advantageously three or more, through openings 16. These penetrations 16 pass through the top surface 8.
• the actual integrity element 10 is essentially a clasp-shaped clasp, which practically forms an arbitrary wrap angle around the closure 1. The area of the hinge 4 only has to be left free.
• the clasp-shaped band 11 of the tamper-evident element 10 is connected to a holding element 18 via predetermined breaking points 17.
• the diameter of the annular holding part 18 corresponds exactly to the outer diameter of the cylindrical closure 1.
• the predetermined breaking points 17 are formed in the recesses 19 on the holding part 18.
• clasp-shaped band 11 can enter into a positive connection with the cap in various ways.
• a peripherally outwardly directed cam 30 on the cover 3 passes through the band 11.
• the band in the area of the pusher is correspondingly narrower.
• many other design forms are possible here too, for example to achieve a positive connection between the tamper-evident element and the cover.
• the connection of the holding part 18 to the lower part 2 of the closure can also be done in many different ways. If, for example, the pouring spout 5 is relatively large, the annular holding part 18 can also hold onto this pouring spout 5 in a form-fitting and / or non-positive manner.
• the tamper-evident element can be designed completely independently of the closure, but also that the holding part 18 remains as a clearly recognizable color ring even after the strip 11 has been removed.
• This color ring can only be used Serve decoration, but can also be used as a color code.
• a typical example would be hair shampoo, where the color code can indicate whether it is an anti-dandruff shampoo, a shampoo for oily hair or a shampoo for normal hair.
• the color code can provide information about the fat content of a mayonnaise.
• the tamper-evident element 10 was shown once as a closed annular band and on the other hand as an open clasp-shaped band.
• the band was held in the desired end position by a holding part.
• the integrity guarantee element 10 is realized as a spring-elastic clip 110 or 114.
• the clip can be kept in a spread position in the first closed state, as shown by the embodiment according to FIGS. 11-13, or the clip can be kept in a compressed position in the first closed state, as is the variant according to FIGS. 14 and 15 shows.
• an integrity guarantee element is shown in the form of a clip, which is held in a spread position in a spring-elastic manner in the first closed state.
• a closure 1 can be seen in the top view in the closed state in FIG. 11 above.
• the separate tamper-evident element 10 is shown below in the unassembled state.
• the unloaded clasp-shaped integrity guarantee element 110 has a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the closure 1. To assemble the clasp-shaped band, this can be pressed onto the closure from the front, the clasp-shaped band 110 having to be spread at the same time.
• the clasp-shaped band 110 has, for example, inwardly directed positive-locking parts 111 which are connected to the clasp-shaped band 110 via predetermined breaking points 112.
• the closure 1 needs correspondingly arranged engagement options 113, in which the form-fitting parts 111 engage in the first closed state or intact state.
• This form fit is designed in such a way that the form fit parts 111 cannot be disengaged. Before the First opening must therefore be cut through the predetermined breaking points 112. Because the clasp-shaped band 110 encompasses the closure 1 by less than half the circumference, it cannot simply be placed non-positively on the closure.
• the tamper-evident element is irreversibly separated from the closure.
• the tamper-evident element which extends beyond the parting plane of the closure, is clearly recognizable as an tamper-evident element. Since it, in turn, is manufactured completely separately from the closure, the tamper-evident element can also be injection molded in a different plastic and held in a different color without any problems.
• the clasp-shaped guarantee band 114 is arranged inside the closure. 14 shows a hinge closure 1 in the open state and underneath it the separately manufactured, non-assembled tamper-evident element as a clasp-shaped band 114.
• This band has a radius of curvature which is greater than the radius of curvature of the jacket walls of the closure 1.
• the clip 114 must therefore be pressed together and remains in this compressed position in the first closed state.
• this can also be realized in various forms.
• the band 114 is provided with an outwardly projecting retaining collar 115.
• the holding collar 115 is connected to the band 114 via a predetermined breaking point 116.
• the predetermined breaking point 116 is implemented here, for example, as a predetermined breaking seam.
• the holding collar 115 is dimensioned such that it is held in a form-fitting manner over a jacket wall of the lower part 2 which protrudes from the cover surface 8 of the closure.
• form-locking means 117 in the form of nose-shaped projections or recesses are provided which fit together with correspondingly opposite parts 118 on the band 114.
• Such an integrity guarantee element can simply be placed in the open state on the jacket wall of the lower part 2 or the cover 3, depending on the configuration, after which the closure 1 can be closed and the form-locking means 117, 118 come into engagement. If the holding collar 115 projecting outwards is then torn off by pulling on the tab 14, the band 114 is no longer held and relaxes within the closure and jumps from the position 114 'to the position 114 ", as shown in FIG. 14 In the relieved state, the form-locking means 117, 118 are no longer in engagement with one another and the closure can be opened.
• FIGS. 14 and 15a shows an integrity guarantee element with a cross-sectional shape of an inverted, upright "h”
• FIG. 15b shows an embodiment in which the cross-sectional shape of the integrity guarantee element shows an "h” upside down.
• This solution should be particularly preferred, since it is known that the closure of closures in which the tamper-evident element is arranged on the cover 3 leads particularly little to deformations which lead to rejects.
• a further variable in the design of the integrity guarantee element according to the explanations according to FIGS. 15a-d lies in the local arrangement of the predetermined separation point 116, which is only indicated by an arrow here.
• the predetermined separation point which in turn can be formed by a plurality of bridges or by a tearable predetermined separation line, can, as in the variant according to FIG. 15b, lie outside the closure or, as in the other variants, within the closure.
• the arrangement of the separation points shown here is the preferred location for this, but other positions are also possible.
• connection options of the respective integrity guarantee element with the lower part or with the cover were not shown. Practically all known solution principles, including those that are not shown here, come into question. However, preference will always be given to solutions that do not require gluing or welding.
• FIGS 16-19 to be described below show details of tamper-evident elements. In principle, these detailed solutions can be implemented in various embodiments of the integrity guarantee element. However, the examples shown here are shown and can be used in particular for implementation in combination with closed, annular bands.
• Figure 16 shows a closure with tamper-evident element 10 approximately according to an embodiment as shown in Figures 1-3.
• the band 11 is fitted snugly over the closure and has a window 160 through which, for example, pusher parts on the lower part and cover 2, 3 pass.
• a separating strip 161 runs all around in the longitudinal direction, which is delimited on both sides by predetermined separating points or predetermined separating seams. This can be clearly seen in the vertical section according to FIG. 17.
• a tab 14 is formed on at least one side of this separating strip 161. By pulling this tab 14, the separating strip 161 can be torn out and the band 11 irreversibly disintegrates into two sub-bands.
• Such a band 11 can be subjected to a relatively high tensile load without the predetermined breaking points 162 thereby being affected. Accordingly, the band 11 can perceive not only a form-fitting but also a force-fitting component in the integrity guarantee position.
• these predetermined separation points or lines can also run perpendicular or inclined to the longitudinal direction of the band 11. This possibility is shown purely for example in FIG. 18.
• the predetermined separation points 17 are inclined to the longitudinal direction of the band 11.
• closed tamper-evident elements With closed, ring-shaped tamper-evident elements, the problem with various plastics is that the tensile elasticity is relatively low. This applies in particular to most polypropylenes, which are very common in closure technology.
• closed tamper-evident elements such as bands 11 designed in the form of a ring, which, in particular, can also hold non-positively on a closure, the band 11 must have at least one stretchable region.
• stretchable or stretchable areas can be achieved by meandering partial areas or by stretching with a large number of openings, so that these openings can spread under tension.
• Such a band section which is designated as a whole by 190, is shown in FIG. 19a.
• a plurality of expandable openings 191 are present within this stretchable band area. These expandable openings 191 open under tension, as can be seen in FIG. 19b.
• the stretchable or stretchable Band area 190 is delimited by predetermined breaking lines 17.
• a tab 14 is attached to the lateral ends of the stretchable band section via bendable, bow-shaped webs 192. By pulling the tab 14, the predetermined breaking points 17 perpendicular to the direction of the band 11 can be separated without any problems. Because there are small webs in the band direction in the area of the predetermined breaking points, with a very small cross-section, the molecular chains are aligned in this area and accordingly these webs withstand relatively high tensile forces in the direction of the webs or the molecular chains. By pulling on the tab 14, however, a force is exerted perpendicularly to this direction, which causes a notch effect on the molecular chains and accordingly the predetermined breaking points can be easily separated.
• the variant of an integrity guarantee element with a stretchable or stretchable area can also be combined with clasp-shaped elements which are held under prestress on the lower part and cap.
• closures can no longer be brought into the first closed position in one operation, but require a separate assembly machine for this purpose; because, on the other hand, the injection molds are considerably cheaper, they do not have to have any complicated closing mechanisms and because the thin points for the predetermined breaking points on the closure itself are eliminated, the cycle time per injection process can be reduced considerably.
• the assembly machines themselves normally allow such high productivity that a single assembly machine is sufficient to process the production of several injection molding machines.
• the integrity guarantee elements according to the invention can also be made particularly large. This gives them an increased signal effect. This signal effect can be extremely emphasized by the fact that the security guarantee element can easily be made in a different color or from a different material than the closure. Without the expensive purchase of a two-component injection molding machine, a two-tone plastic closure can be achieved that can meet the highest aesthetic requirements.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Package Frames And Binding Bands (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=4178407

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (7)

• 2000
  • 2000-01-04 DE DE50000151T patent/DE50000151D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-01-04 WO PCT/CH2000/000006 patent/WO2000041943A1/de active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-01-04 AT AT00900014T patent/ATE216677T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-01-04 EP EP00900014A patent/EP1140646B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-01-04 AU AU17664/00A patent/AU1766400A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-01-14 AR ARP000100168A patent/AR022289A1/es unknown

Patent Citations (9)

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