WO2004020301A1

WO2004020301A1 - Safety seal for cap

Info

Publication number: WO2004020301A1
Application number: PCT/ES2003/000437
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Torrent Garcia; José TORRENT GARCIA
Original assignee: Cia. De Tapones Irrellenables, S.A.
Priority date: 2002-08-29
Filing date: 2003-08-26
Publication date: 2004-03-11
Also published as: WO2004020301A8; BR0313984B1; AU2003262577A1; EP1550616B1; CN1678503A; AU2003262577B2; BR0313984A; ATE356041T1; ES2283859T3; DE60312356D1; CN100457565C; EP1550616A1; MXPA05002171A

Abstract

The invention relates to a safety seal for a cap, of the type intended for closures for bottles. The construction of the inventive seal is characterised in that it comprises breaking points along the edge as well as other breaking points which are used to separate the disk from the flap of the seal, such that a lower ring may or may not be left on the neck of the bottle. The invention is further characterised in that the fixing means thereof comprises projecting tabs that are equidistantly distributed along the length of the inner surface of the lower cylindrical body of the seal. Moreover, the design of said fixing means ensures that the seal can be easily introduced and firmly fixed.

Description

SECURITY SEAL FOR PLUG

DESCRIPTION

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a security seal for a stopper, among the different seals intended for these bottle closing necessities.

This invention characterizes a special construction of the seal, which incorporates breakpoints with respect to the edge and others that facilitate the separation of the disk from the skirt of the seal, leaving or not a lower ring in the neck.

It characterizes a fastening mode that makes use of highlighted and arranged nails distributed along the inside of the lower cylindrical body of the seal. These fingernails are shown in plan with the straight edge and have an oblique flat surface inside for the coinage that allows the proper insertion.

It also characterizes an extension according to a plane of the nail that configures an adequate resistance to pressure on the upper step once the seal is inserted into the body of the cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The safety seals of bottle caps have also extended their scope to the bottles, as an example of the large number of seals of these characteristics are those of the European patent with publication number EP0502379 and the Italian invention patent No. 22272/87, both of Guala SpA and, as practically all known, with means of breaking the bottom of the skirt that separate an inner ring from the rest of the seal.

Thus the seals are known that have a recess of their upper base, in the form of an inverted "S" and with the ends and the central area thereof prolonged with two grooves that reach the peripheral edge of the seal.

It is only through these cuts of the upper base through which the brand of the beverage manufacturer is observed with extraordinary difficulty, which is not recommended.

The construction of the two tabs resulting from the aforementioned inverted "S" and its extended grooves that, once released, are configured as a square in which an end edge wing starts from the area of rupture thereof with respect to a ring bottom of the skirt and the other wing originates at the base of the seal; and, its edge is rounded in coincidence with the curvature of the interior of the "S".

Well, an additional difficulty of this type of security seal, that of greater draft, is the derivative of the structure of the square that, when the user enters the nail under the curved edge of the wing, runs the risk of breaking by raising the wing prying with it.

Fixing the seal on the body of the Stopper is usually carried out using a perimeter projection. It is enough to cite the Spanish invention patent with publication number ES2153263 where a pouring plug is shown whose fixing means to the container consist of a step of triangular section, continuous, arranged perimeter and internal, and allowing the entry of the cap on the neck of the bottle but prevents the exit when supporting a flange of the container in the straight part of the triangular step.

The problem with this type of fixation is that at the time of insertion the truncated conical surface that facilitates the entry of the flange of the internal body establishes pressure throughout the perimeter. Each point of this step of triangular section has an opposite point, and the only possibility of admitting the entrance of the projection with its smaller diameter with respect to the flange of the internal body is by stretching in a tangential direction of the cylindrical body on which the projection is located of triangular section.

It is also noteworthy that the greatest tension occurs at the edge that defines the vertex of the triangle of its section where it has a lower resistance.

• A solution that allows sufficient deformation so that the outer body, in this case the seal, between exceeding the smaller diameter that defines the edge of the triangular step consists in reducing the dimensions of the step.

This solution allows easier entry of the seal; However, reducing the dimensions of this projection also means reducing the support surface once inserted, facilitating its removal when This is a security element that must guarantee the inviolability of the closure.

The present invention establishes a special design of the seal based on the simplicity and quality of finish, which also includes fixing tabs that allow easy entry as well as a support of sufficient strength to prevent the removal and improper handling of the covering cap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a security seal for a stopper, from among the different safety seals of the bottle caps, usually of liquors.

This invention characterizes a special construction of the seal, which incorporates in its upper base a wide disk of totally free surface, which allows to incorporate with great ease the brand of the manufacturer of the beverage.

This disc has a semicircular radial extension, in shape and use as a tongue that is accessible through an antagonistic perforation that covers the peripheral edge of that area of the seal as well as part of the wing immediately below it.

The tongue incorporates break points, well away from the tongue area, to facilitate the lifting thereof without affecting the user's nail and joining it with respect to the edge of the base. It also has other unions, in the form of breakable bridges that define a line of weakening, at least two arranged at the edge, which facilitate the rapid separation of the disk from the rest of the skirt of the seal.

These breakable bridges can multiply and prolong the line of weakening until reaching almost the lower area of the skirt leaving a lower ring on the neck or reaching the edge of it.

With respect to the means for fixing the seal, in the background section of the invention the inconvenience of the use of perimeter continuous projections has been detailed since they force at high pressures for the introduction of the seal on the cap, giving rise to tangential tensions. high and supports that are not always sufficient to ensure inviolability.

This inconvenience is overcome by incorporating specific, equidistributed supports, whose inward projection establishes adequate support on the straight surface.

These punctual supports are composed of tabs as internal projections in the lower cylindrical body of the security seal.

Each of these fingernails is configured according to a plant whose edge is projected inwards in a straight section, according to a secant, thus eliminating the presence of corners that establish possible potential support points usable to remove the seal from the plug. The depth of the nail depends on its width and the radius of the seal since the planar projection is defined by a secant.

The nail shows a flat and oblique lower surface, which establishes the wedge that facilitates the entrance of the seal during its insertion.

Instead of finishing the flat and oblique surface directly on the step, the shoulder extends along a second flat and vertical surface, increasing the height and eliminating the presence of pointed edges of less resistance.

On this flat section is where the straight step is shown where the support of the flange of the cap body where the seal is fixed is established.

Therefore, each of the fingernails is configured by three planes, the oblique wedge-like bottom, the vertical center that extends the height in height, and the horizontal top that defines the support.

Since the supports are punctual, one for each nail, during the insertion there is some deformation of the cylindrical body of the seal where they are arranged.

This deformation is such that the projections tend to press radially outward, and the sections between projections reduce their curvature by tension to allow the insertion of the seal.

In this way the deformed of the cylindrical body is somehow close to a polygonal where the fingernails would be arranged at the vertices of such a polygonal.

During this same insertion, after overcoming the nails the flange where they support, they enter the recess that houses them.

The configuration of the cylindrical body returns to its original situation, before deformation, thus establishing adequate support for the nails on the flange of the cap preventing its exit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present specification is complemented, with a set of drawings, illustrative of the preferred example and never limiting of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the upper base and elevation of the security seal of the preferred example, seen from the front of the tongue.

Figure 2 shows a section of the seal already incorporated in the cap, highlighting the seal in thicker line.

Figure 3 shows the upper and lower plan and two profiles of an embodiment of the seal according to the invention showing the fixing means by means of the tabs.

Figure 4 shows a detail of the raised planar and profile fingernails, where the cylindrical section of the seal on which it is located appears partially represented by way of reference.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforementioned, the present invention relates to a security seal for a stopper, from among the different safety seals of stoppers, essentially characterized by incorporating in its upper base (1) a large disc (2), with tongue (3) antagonist of a perforation (4) that extends according to a corrugated section covering the peripheral edge (5) of the upper base (1) and part of the skirt (6).

The tongue (3) has breakpoints (7) away from the tongue (3) and at least two external weakening lines (9), separating the disc (2) from the rest of the skirt (6) of the seal.

The disc (2) is completely free surface, for incorporation of brands of manufacturers.

The weakening lines (9) reach almost the lower part of the skirt (6), leaving a lower ring (10) or reach the edge of it.

An embodiment of the seal is shown in Figure 3, in a configuration shorter than that shown in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, where the tabs (8) or projections object of this improvement are shown intended to establish support in a external perimeter closure of the cap.

Likewise, a detail of one of the fingernails (8) is presented in elevation and profile. The nail (8) is limited by three planes:

• the oblique lower plane (8.1) that facilitates the entry of the plug during insertion by establishing the sufficient degree of wedging to the shoulder;

• the central vertical plane (8.2) that extends the height and resistance of the nail (8); • the horizontal upper plane (8.3) of support against the inner surface of the perimetric housing of the cap to prevent the seal from coming out.

Since the vertical plane configures a secant in the plan view, it is possible to relate the width {a) of the nail (8) with the depth (e) of the latter being the relationship of the shape

r being the internal radius of the cylindrical body where the nail (8) is located.

In this way, for a given radius, a greater depth of the step is achieved by increasing its width.

This greater width in turn reduces the distance between nails (8) and therefore increases the stiffness that prevents deformation of the. lower part of the cylindrical body of the seal at the time of insertion.

In the particular case of this embodiment Preferred of the invention has been made use of eight equistributed fingernails (8).

In the profile of the nail (8) shown in Figure 4, the vertical extension (8.2) is checked under the edge established with the upper surface (8.3) where the support is produced with the upper face of the perimeter pocket of the plug ( this pocket is not represented in this figure and adopts an antagonistic profile to that of the profile represented, that is, the profile corresponding to the middle section according to a vertical plane passing through the axis of the seal).

This vertical extension (8.2) is what makes it possible to respond to the upper support by means of a compression effort and not a compression combined with flexion, as occurs in the projections contemplated in the background section of triangular section.

This support offers a higher resistance while avoiding showing support points (even if they are individual elements and not perimeter projections) from the bottom that facilitate the removal of the seal that allows the tampering of the cap.

Variations in materials, shape, size and arrangement of the component elements, described in a non-limiting manner, do not alter the essentiality of this invention, being sufficient to proceed to its reproduction by an expert.

Claims

I ^a .- Safety seal for plug, between the different safety seals of caps, characterized by incorporating in its upper base (1) a large disk (2), with tongue (3), antagonist of a perforation (4) which extends along a grooved section that covers the peripheral edge (5) of the upper base (1) and part of the skirt (6), while the tongue (3) has rupture points (7) away from the tongue (3) and at least two external weakening lines (9), separating the disc (2) from the rest of the skirt (6) of the seal; also having a fixing system between the cap and the seal by means of the presence of a plurality of tabs (8) distributed along the inside of the lower cylindrical body of the seal intended to enter and support in a continuous perimetral cage of the cap, where each of the fingernails (8) is configured on the basis of three planes, an oblique lower plane (8.1) to establish the wedging that allows the insertion, an intermediate vertical plane (8.2) that extends the nail height (8) in height for its greater resistance, and a third horizontal upper plane (8.3) of support against the projection that defines the continuous perimetral recess of antagonistic section to the middle section of the nail (8).

2 .- seal cap safety according to claim characterized in that the weakening lines (7) reach almost the bottom of the skirt (6), leaving a ring (10) below.

3 .- seal cap safety according to claim characterized in that the lines of weakening (7) reach the lower part of the skirt (6) reaching the edge of it.