WO2004058589A1

WO2004058589A1 - Device for sealing the opening of a container and corresponding container

Info

Publication number: WO2004058589A1
Application number: PCT/EP2003/011127
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dieter Strack; José Luis GÓMEZ CAO
Original assignee: Action Uno, S.L.
Priority date: 2002-12-23
Filing date: 2003-10-08
Publication date: 2004-07-15
Also published as: AU2003278056A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for sealing the opening of a container (180). Said device comprises a sealing part (12) that can be engaged with the container and a grip part (14) that can be coupled to said sealing part (12). The sealing part (12) has a stopper section (32) that can be introduced into the opening of the container, a slotted skirt (16) that surrounds the opening of the container and in addition a thread (34) and the grip part (14) has a mating thread (68), said threads being used to couple the sealing part (12) to the grip part (14). The device is characterised in that once the sealing part (12) has been coupled to the grip part (14), the skirt (16) is prevented from radially expanding by said grip part (14) and that the grip part (14) surrounds the sealing part (12) in a cap-like manner.

Description

Device for closing an opening of a container and container

Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for closing an opening of a container with a sealing part which can be brought into engagement with the sealing part and a handling part which can be coupled to the sealing part, the sealing part having a plug section which can be inserted into the opening of the container and a slotted apron which surrounds the opening of the container , wherein further the sealing part has a thread formation and the handling part has a complementary thread formation, via which the sealing part and the handling part can be coupled to one another, and wherein after coupling of the sealing part and handling part the apron is prevented from radial expansion by the handling part.

Relevant state of the art

A large number of closure devices for containers, such as beverage bottles, are known from the prior art. So it has long been customary to close beverage bottles with so-called crown caps, which consist of a round piece of sheet metal and which are wrapped around the neck of the bottle with an all-round apron. Crown caps of this type represent an inexpensive and quickly attachable closure system, which, however, has the disadvantage that a tool is required to remove the crown cap from the bottle and, in addition, it is no longer possible to satisfactorily close the crown cap once it has been opened.

Likewise, lids with pressure closures, such as corks or capsules, are known which engage behind a circumferential bead on the bottle neck. After opening, many of these lids cannot be used again to close the bottle necks or can only be opened with relatively great effort. For this reason, pressure closures of this type are only used to a limited extent, in particular in the beverage industry, with the exception of cases in which the closure cannot be reused, for example when closing champagne bottles. Reusable closure devices are known from the Spanish utility models ES 1 043 985 U and ES 1 044 376, which have a sealing part which can be brought into engagement with a container, in particular a bottle, and an annular handling part which can be coupled to the sealing part. First, the sealing part is put over the bottle neck in a state released by the handling part to close the bottle opening. Then, to seal the bottle and secure the sealing part on the bottle neck, the handling part is slid over the sealing part by a linear movement in the direction of the bottle neck, so that the sealing part cannot be deformed significantly even with great effort and therefore cannot be removed from the bottle neck , such

Closure devices ensure reliable hold on the bottle neck, but have the disadvantage that they have two separate components, namely the sealing part and the handling part. As a result, there is a risk that one of the components is lost after opening the bottle, so that the closure can no longer be used. Incidentally, due to the ring-shaped design of the handling part, it is relatively susceptible to failure, in particular to breakage, so that the closure can no longer be used. In addition, the sealing part must be designed with high mechanical stability, since it not only has a sealing function, but also has to withstand mechanical influences from the outside. This makes the production of such container closures expensive and their use impractical.

Furthermore, a device for closing an opening of a container, in particular a bottle, is known from the generic prior art according to WO 02/072445. In this closure device, too, the handling part is designed in a ring shape. It can be screwed onto the sealing part via an internal thread formed thereon and a corresponding external thread formed on the sealing part, and can thus be coupled to the latter. When coupling, that is to say when the handling part is screwed onto the sealing part, the handling part increasingly engages around the slotted apron of the sealing part and prevents radial spreading of the individual apron parts. As a result, the apron is held in contact with the container area surrounding the container opening, for example the bottle neck, which means that the closure device can at most be removed from the container with an unusually high amount of force. By coupling the sealing part and handling part via a thread formation that interacts with a complementary thread formation, it can be prevented that the sealing part is forcibly removed from the handle. Training part must be separated to remove the closure device from the container. Rather, it is sufficient to unscrew the handling part from the sealing part to a certain degree, so as to reduce the degree of overlap of the handling part and apron. However, the closure device according to this prior art has the disadvantage that the handling device is again ring-shaped and only acts on the peripheral region of the sealing part. As a result, there is a risk that the handling part will break, particularly if it is used incorrectly, and the closure device can therefore no longer be used properly. In addition, this closure device also has the disadvantage that the sealing part must be designed in such a way that it can withstand the mechanical loads which also act on it from the outside. It should be noted in particular that the sealing part must be made of a relatively flexible and food-safe material to ensure the sealing function, so that relatively thick walls must be provided to achieve the required high mechanical strength. This makes the manufacture of the device according to this prior art complex and cost-intensive.

Problem underlying the invention

In contrast, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for closing an opening of a container which, with a simple and inexpensive construction, exhibits high mechanical stability and reliable operation.

Solution according to the invention

This object is achieved by a device for closing an opening of a container of the type described in the introduction, the handling part surrounding the sealing part like a hood after coupling of the sealing part and the handling part. In other words, the handling part is designed in such a way that in the state closing the opening of the container it surrounds a large part of the surface presented by the sealing part and thus shields it from external influences, in particular of a mechanical nature. This makes it possible to make the handling part stable, for example by suitable selection of a hard and resilient plastic material, whereas the sealing part has to be designed solely to fulfill the sealing properties and is made from customary flexible and life-like materials. medium-fast plastics can be produced. Ultimately, the sealing part can be produced with reduced wall thicknesses compared to the prior art and with the saving of flexible, food-safe plastic material. The handling part can be designed for the functions that come with it, such as stabilizing the sealing part and shielding the sealing part against external mechanical influences. This results in a stable, well-functioning closure device that can be produced inexpensively.

Developments of the invention

In order to be able to ensure a more reliable sealing effect by the closure device, it is provided in a further development of the invention that the sealing part, as the plug section, has a hollow cylinder body opening towards the handling part, on the inside of which the thread formation is provided. The hollow cylinder body can then cork-like with its outer surface on the container in the

Place the area of its opening, for example on the inside of a bottle neck near the opening, and thus seal the container opening tightly. The mutual contact of the container and the hollow cylinder body further stabilizes the hollow cylinder body, so that despite the use of a flexible material, the thread formation reliably holds the complementary thread formation on the handling part and thus the handling part can be reliably fixed to the sealing part.

A further development of the invention provides that the hollow cylinder body has a bottom membrane at its free end penetrating into the opening of the container. By using a bottom membrane that closes the hollow cylinder body at its free end, the hollow cylinder body can be further mechanically stabilized.

Furthermore, in a variant of the invention it is provided that a cylinder body is provided on the handling part, which penetrates into the hollow cylinder body of the sealing part during coupling and on the outside of which the complementary thread formation is provided. As a result, the entire arrangement can be further stabilized. Furthermore, the cylinder body can be used on the handling part to increase the sealing effect, as will be explained below.

In favor of a simpler production, a further development of the invention provides that the thread formation or / and the complementary thread formation in thread descending direction are interrupted. The interruption of the thread formation or the complementary thread formation in the thread pitch direction enables the sealing part and the handling part to be shaped more easily when they are produced in one mold, for example as an injection molded part.

For the same reason and for reasons of material savings, an embodiment variant of the invention provides that the cylinder body is hollow-cylindrical and is slotted at least in sections in its longitudinal direction. The slotted design of the cylinder body also enables the sealing part and the handling part to be assembled more easily, since the cylinder body of the handling part yields when coupled to the sealing part, even when the handling part is inexactly positioned, and can thus be inserted into the hollow cylinder body of the sealing part. This is particularly advantageous in the case of mass production of closure devices according to the invention.

The interaction of the cylinder body on the handling part and the hollow cylinder on the sealing part can be further improved in that a radial support ring stabilizing the free end of the cylinder body is provided on the bottom membrane. The radial support ring can engage in the coupling of the sealing part and the handling part into the open free end of the cylinder body and position and stabilize it in the cylinder body of the sealing part.

Particularly in the case of carbonated beverages, which are usually filled into the container under excess pressure, it is necessary to enable a degassing process when the container is opened, that is to say when the closure device is removed. In this context, a further development of the invention provides that the bottom membrane is perforated with a degassing opening and that a corresponding sealing pin is provided on the handling part, which seals the degassing opening when the sealing part and handling part are coupled. Escaping gas can thereby be prevented in the closed state. The bottom membrane and the sealing pin work together in the style of a check valve. This means that the bottom membrane is pressed against the sealing pin due to the pressure prevailing in the container, and thus degassing of the container interior is prevented even at high pressures prevailing in the container. When the sealing part and the handling part are uncoupled, that is to say when the handling part rotates relative to the sealing part to release the closure device from the container, the removal takes place Sealing pin from the degassing opening and finally releases it, so that degassing can take place through the degassing opening. It should be noted that there is sufficient clearance between the sealing part and the manufacturing part due to manufacturing tolerances, which allows the gas contained in the container interior to escape through the closure device according to the invention after the degassing opening has been released.

A further development of the invention provides in this context that the base membrane is convexly curved in the direction of the sealing pin and yields resiliently when the sealing part and the handling part are coupled while reducing the convexity. As a result, the sealing effect can be increased further, since when the sealing part and the handling part are coupled, there is contact between the sealing pin and the degassing opening at an early stage, and the sealing pin therefore closes the degassing opening at an early stage. Due to the possibility of deformation, the handling part can be screwed onto the sealing part without impairing the valve function of the sealing pin and the degassing opening.

To further improve the sealing effect, it is provided according to a further development of the invention that the stopper section has at least one sealing bead on its area that comes into contact with the container opening. The provision of at least one sealing bead ensures a defined contact of the stopper section with the container opening. In this context, taking into account the above, it can further be provided that when the sealing part and the handling part are coupled while deforming the stopper section, the at least one sealing bead presses against the container opening. In other words, the deformation occurring in the area of the base membrane when the sealing pin and base membrane interact when coupling the handling part and the seal part is used to reinforce the sealing effect, by reducing the convexity of the base membrane radially outwards and the at least one sealing bead on the inside of the Container, for example against the inside of a bottle neck.

With regard to the structural design of the sealing part, it can further be provided that it has an annular shoulder that connects the stopper section and the apron to one another. In this context it can be provided that the ring shoulder comes into sealing contact with the handling part when the sealing part and handling part are coupled. Through the mutual application of sealing Part and handling part in the area of the ring shoulder, the device is further mechanically stabilized and thus ensures a high degree of reliability when closing the container.

The mutual sealing of the sealing part and the handling part in the area of

According to the invention, the annular shoulder can be further improved in that a sealing lip is provided on the annular shoulder or on the region of the handling part facing it, which lip comes into sealing contact with the handling part when the sealing part and handling part are coupled. When the sealing part and the handling part are coupled, that is to say when the handling part is screwed onto the sealing part to close the container, the sealing lip lies against the handling part and is finally pressed tightly against the handling part when the two components are screwed further. For this purpose, the sealing part can be formed with an additional sealing groove into which the sealing lip can lie when the sealing part and handling part are completely coupled. This can impair the function or destroy the sealing lip even when the closure device is used several times. Of course, it is also possible according to the invention to form the sealing lip on the sealing part and to form the corresponding groove on the handling part, which ultimately leads to the same effect of a reliable sealing of sealing part and handling part to one another.

As already explained several times above, the sealing part and the handling part are screwed together to open and close the closure device and are decoupled from one another by reducing the degree of mutual screwing. In order to prevent undesired complete loosening of the two components sealing part and handling part, a further development of the invention provides that the apron has a plurality of tongues separated by the slots. This makes it possible, after the sealing part and the handling part have been put together for the first time, to put the closure device according to the invention in an assembly-like state, which, although it enables coupling and uncoupling of the sealing part and handling part by changing the degree of mutual screwing, does, however, result in a loss of the handling part prevents unintentional detachment of the same from the sealing part.

With regard to the structural design of the apron, it can be provided that the apron has a plurality of tongues separated by the slots. It is According to the invention, it should be noted that the individual tongues have a width such that on the one hand they are easily deformable, but on the other hand they are still sufficiently stable to lie against the area of the container surrounding the opening, in particular a bottle neck, and to provide a stable hold ensure this. In this context, a further development of the invention provides that the apron is hollow-cylindrical or at least sectionally frustoconical, the frustoconical region moving radially inward when the sealing part and the handling part interact with the handling part.

A further development of the invention provides that at least one locking bead is arranged on the inside of the apron. The locking bead interacts with a corresponding locking groove on the container and engages behind it when the closure device is coupled to the container. By the handling part, in particular by its radial expansion preventing the apron, in the fully coupled state, that is, when the handling part is screwed as far as possible onto the sealing part, it can reliably prevent the closure device from being detached from the container, since the locking bead is caused by the Handling part is held in the corresponding locking throat of the container.

A further development of the invention provides that a sealing ring, which has a locking bead, is locked on the handling part. In this context, it can further be provided that the locking of the sealing ring on the handling part has a plurality of irreversibly releasable locking ribs. This can ensure that when the closure device is attached to the container for the first time, the sealing ring with its locking bead engages behind a corresponding counter-locking bead on the container and latches with it. When the container is opened for the first time, the locking ribs break open, so that a user can easily recognize that the container has already been opened or that the closure device has already been manipulated.

The invention further relates to a container which can be closed with a device of the type described above, in particular a bottle which can be closed with a device of the type described above, comprising a container neck leading to a container opening, the container neck having on the outside at least one locking groove with which the locking bead can be brought into engagement and has at least one counter-locking bead with which the locking bead of the sealing ring can be brought into engagement.

A further development of the container according to the invention provides that the container neck extends from a plateau region that runs essentially orthogonally to the longitudinal extent of the container. It can be provided that the plateau region has essentially plateau reinforcement ribs running in a star shape towards the container neck, the plateau reinforcement ribs being formed by regions of local material accumulation or / and by locally deformed regions.

Reinforcing ribs thus stabilize the plateau area against undesired deformations and ensure the shape of the container according to the invention. According to a further development of the container according to the invention, a container base arranged at a distance from the container opening is provided with a recess, the annular base surface of the container base surrounding the recess resting at least in sections on the plateau region of the further container. This makes it possible to stack a plurality of containers according to the invention on top of one another by inserting a container closed with a closure device according to the invention into the depression, the standing surface of one container resting on the plateau region of the other container. The depression can preferably be designed with a slight taper, which facilitates its production, in particular the shaping.

In order to further increase the dimensional stability in the area of the container base, a further development of the invention provides that the container base, at least in the area of the ring-shaped base, has base reinforcement ribs that run in a star shape, whereby the base reinforcement ribs are formed by areas of local material accumulation or / and by locally deformed areas are. In order to avoid breaking points and to simplify the manufacture, in particular the shaping, of containers according to the invention after a blow molding step, a development of the invention provides that the plateau reinforcement ribs and / or bottom reinforcement ribs are incorporated into the container without kinks.

PET can be selected as the material for producing containers according to the invention. Brief description of the figures

The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures. They represent:

Fig.l is a sectional view through a first embodiment of a closure device according to the invention in a decoupled state;

2 shows the closure device from FIG. 1 in a coupled state;

3 shows a sealing part of the closure device in a perspective top view;

4 the sealing part from FIG. 1 in a perspective bottom view;

5 shows the handling part of the closure device according to the first

Exemplary embodiment in perspective top view;

6 shows the handling part from FIG. 5 in a perspective bottom view;

7 shows an exploded view of a second exemplary embodiment of the closure device according to the invention;

8 shows a sectional view of the closure device from FIG

Bottleneck assembled condition;

9 shows a sectional view through a third exemplary embodiment of a closure device according to the invention in the closed position;

10 shows the closure device from FIG. 9 in the open position;

11 shows a perspective bottom view of the sealing part from the closure device according to FIGS. 9 and 10;

12 shows a perspective top view of the sealing part according to FIG. 11;

13 is a perspective side view of the handling part of FIG

Closure device according to Figures 9 and 10; 14 shows a perspective bottom view of the handling part from FIG. 13;

15 shows an exploded view of a bottle according to the invention with a closure device according to the invention;

16 shows a bottom view of the bottle according to the invention from FIG. 15;

17 shows a perspective bottom view of the bottle according to the invention from FIGS. 15 and 16 and

Fig. 18 is a schematic representation of two bottles according to the invention in a stacked state.

Detailed description of embodiments according to the invention

In Fig.l, a closure device according to the invention is generally designated 10. This comprises a sealing part 12 and a manual part 14 coupled to the sealing part 12. The sealing part 12 comprises a multiple slotted apron 16, as can also be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. The apron 16 consists of individual tongues 18 which are separated by slots 20. The slots 20 extend over approximately two thirds of the height of the sealing part 12 along the longitudinal axis X. A radial stop ring 22, likewise interrupted by the slots 20, is provided at the free end of the apron 16 in the figures. On the inside of the apron 16, this is provided with a locking bead 24 which extends in a harmonious transition radially inwards.

The apron 12 merges into a shoulder area 28 via an unslit area 26, a row of radially arranged depressions 30 being provided at the transition between the unslit area 26 and shoulder 28, which are approximately aligned with the slots 20 in the direction of the longitudinal axis X. Starting from the essentially radially extending shoulder region 28, a hollow cylinder body 32 extends in the axial direction X, on the inside of which a thread formation 34 is formed. A plurality of sealing beads 36 and 38 are provided on the outside of the hollow cylinder body 32 and extend continuously around the outer surface of the hollow cylinder body 32 in the circumferential direction. The areas of sealing beads 36 and 38 are flexibly connected to one another via an area 40 with reduced material thickness.

At the free end of the hollow cylinder body 38, this is provided with a bottom membrane 42, which has a degassing opening 44 in its center. The bottom membrane 42 is convex in the upward direction.

It should also be noted with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 that a radial projection 46 is provided in the transition area between the unslotted area 26 and the shoulder area 28, which protrudes into the shoulder area 28 with a plurality of chamfers 48, 50.

If one turns to the handling part 14 according to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, it can be seen that it is cup-shaped and has a circumferential apron 52 which is provided on its radial peripheral surface with slightly protruding ribs 54 to improve the feel , The apron 52 has an inward-facing latching bead 56 on its inner surface.

The apron 52 merges into a horizontal cap area 60 via a rounded area 58. The cap area 60 is continuously closed, so that the handling part 14 assumes a hood-like shape. On the inside of the cap region 60, a sealing pin 62 with a substantially cylindrical shape extends downward in the central region thereof in the direction of the X axis. A sealing nipple 64 is formed on the free end of the sealing pin 62. The sealing nipple 64 has a frustoconical or spherical shape and is dimensioned in its geometric dimensions such that it can be sealingly engaged with the degassing opening 44. A hollow cylinder body 66 is formed concentrically around the sealing pin 62, which is connected to the sealing pin by means of star-shaped ribs 63 to stabilize the sealing pin and has on its outside a complementary thread formation 68 corresponding to the thread formation 34 of the sealing part 12. The hollow cylinder body 66 is slightly shorter than the sealing pin 62, but dimensioned such that it can be screwed completely into the hollow cylinder body 32, that is to say into its thread formation 34, with its complementary thread formation 68.

At the lower end of the handling part 14, a sealing ring 70 is arranged, which is irreversible via locking ribs 72 with the free end of the apron 54 is detachably connected. The sealing ring 70 has a locking bead 74 which extends radially inwards.

The interaction of the sealing part and the handling part is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the handling part 14 has been placed on the sealing part 12 and has been coupled to the sealing part 12 by a force acting in the direction of the longitudinal axis X in such a way that the radial projection 46 of the sealing part 12 frees the latching bead 56 Reaches behind the end of the apron 54 of the handling part 14. In this state, the top end flank of the thread formation 34 lies against the bottom end flank of the thread formation 68.

If the handling part 14 is then rotated about the longitudinal axis X relative to the sealing part 12, the handling part 14 is screwed to the sealing part 12 via the complementary thread formation 68 and the thread formation 34, the hollow cylinder body 66 penetrating into the hollow cylinder body 32. The sealing pin 62 is moved towards the degassing opening 44 until finally the sealing nipple 64 engages in the degassing opening 44. With further rotation, the convexity of the bottom membrane 42 is reduced, the sealing pin 62 with its sealing nipple 64 with greater force against the degassing opening 44. Due to the reduction in the convexity of the bottom membrane 42, the bottom membrane 42 is pressed radially outward, the sealing bead 36 being around the flexible one Area 40 of reduced material thickness is moved like a hinge and also moves radially outward.

At the same time, while the sealing part 12 and the handling part 14 are screwed together, the apron 54 moves downward in the axial direction and presses radially onto the outer surface of the tongues 18 of the apron 16 with the latching bead 56. This results in a radial expansion of the apron 16, due to a spreading of the Tongue 16 at least limited.

Finally, the closure device 10 reaches the state shown in FIG. 2. In this state, the latching bead 56 rests on the lower peripheral region of the apron 16, that is to say just above the radial stop ring 22. Imagine that the upper end of a bottle neck is arranged in the region provided for the bottle neck F, for example after the closure device - device 10 in the state shown in Fig.l was placed on a bottle, so in the state shown in Fig.2, the locking bead 24 engages in a corresponding not shown locking groove on the outside of the bottle and the two sealing beads 36 and 38 press on Inside of the bottle neck and seal the interior. Furthermore, the sealing nipple 64 seals the degassing opening 44.

The closure device 10 according to the invention can thus be simply plugged onto a bottle, namely in the state shown in FIG. 1, and then brought into the state shown in FIG. 2 by relative rotation of the handling part 14 and sealing part 12, in which the closure device is inadvertently removed 10 is prevented by the bottle and the interior of the bottle is airtightly shielded from the environment.

When the closure device 10 according to the invention is opened again, the handling part 14 is rotated, starting from the state shown in FIG. 2, relative to the sealing part 12, so that the sealing pin 62 moves away from the base membrane 42 and finally the sealing nipple 64 releases the degassing opening 44. This allows gas to escape from the bottle and any excess pressure that may be present in the bottle to dissipate through the vent opening 64. It should be pointed out here that due to the manufacturing tolerances between the thread formation 34 and the complementary thread formation 68 there is a sufficiently large play which enables gas to escape. The same applies to the interior. Outer surfaces of the sealing part and the handling part in the area of the radial projection 46.

It should also be pointed out that, in the state shown in FIG. 2, the free end 76 of the hollow cylinder body 66 lies at a distance from the base membrane 42, so that a reliable sealing function between the sealing nipple 64, the sealing pin 62, the degassing opening 44 and the base membrane 42 is ensured.

7 and 8 show a second exemplary embodiment of a closure device 110 according to the invention. In order to avoid repetitions, the following description of this second exemplary embodiment uses the same reference numerals for identical or equivalent components as in the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6, but with the number “1 "prefixed. 7 and 8 show, in addition to the sealing part 112 and the handling part 114, also a bottle neck 180 of a bottle with a locking groove 182.

The second exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8 differs significantly from the first exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6 in the following points:

The bottom membrane 142 has no degassing opening. Rather, a radial support ring 184 is provided on the bottom membrane 142, which grips the free end 176 of the handling part 114 when the handling part 114 is screwed into the sealing part 112 and stabilizes it against undesired deformation.

Furthermore, the hollow cylinder body 132 is formed with a larger axial longitudinal extent than the hollow cylinder body 32 from the first exemplary embodiment. It therefore extends further into the bottle neck 180 and gives the closure device 110 a better hold on the bottle neck 180.

Another difference is that the hollow cylinder body 166 is provided with axial grooves 186. These axial grooves interrupt the complementary thread formation 168 and facilitate the shaping of the handling part 114 when it is manufactured by injection molding or the like. The thread formation 134 is also interrupted.

Another difference is that the handling part 114 is designed without a sealing pin and without a sealing nipple. Rather, the second embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8 has no degassing valve, as provided for in the embodiment according to FIGS.

The apron 116 has tongues 118 separated from one another via individual slots 120. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the tongues 118 are still relaxed. However, if the handling part 114 is screwed onto the sealing part 112, the apron 154 comes into engagement with the apron 116 and presses the tongues 118 radially inward. These then penetrate into the locking groove 182 of the bottle neck 80 and are held in this locking groove 182 by the apron 154 of the handling part 114. As a result, the closure device 110 can be securely attached to the bottle neck 180. In the case of a modification of this second embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8, not shown, the apron 116 cannot extend downwards vertically from the unslit region 26, as in the first exemplary embodiment, but rather, in its relaxed state shown in FIG run out, that is, expand towards the bottom. As a result, the sealing part 112 can be placed even more easily on the bottle neck, since the tongues 118 lightly touch the bead forming the locking groove. When screwed on, the tongues 118 would then also be pressed radially inward into engagement with the locking groove 182 via the apron 154.

9 to 14 show a third embodiment of the closure device according to the invention. Again, the same reference numerals are to be used for components of the same or equivalent function as previously with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, but preceded by the number "2". Only the differences from the previously described exemplary embodiments are explained in order to avoid repetitions.

The third exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 9 to 14 is similar to the second exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8, but differs from this essentially in the following points.

On the one hand, the sealing part 212 is not provided with a bottom membrane at the free end 276 of the sealing part, but rather is open at this free end 276. In order to nevertheless be able to seal the bottle 280, the handling part 214 has a sealing lip 288 which extends downwards in the direction of the longitudinal axis X in FIGS. 9 and 10 and tapers conically. The sealing lip 288 is designed with a material thickness that decreases towards its free end and is therefore increasingly flexible. On the opposite shoulder region 228 of the sealing part 212 there is an annular groove 290 which is aligned with the sealing lip 288 and into which the sealing lip 288 lies when the sealing part 212 and the handling part 214 are screwed together. As a result, it seals off the interior of the bottle 280 from the surroundings.

In the area of the apron 216, the sealing part 212 is configured similarly to that according to the first exemplary embodiment from FIGS. 1 to 6. Specifically, this means that - in contrast to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 8 - the apron 216 extends essentially vertically downward and the locking means on the inside thereof. bulge 224. The apron 216 again has slots 220 which separate the individual tongues 218 from one another. When placed on the bottle neck 280, the individual tongues 218 are initially spread apart, but then deform back elastically and engage in the locking throat 282 of the bottle neck 280. The apron 254 of the handling part 214 prevents the individual tongues 218 from being accidentally deformed. In other words, the apron 254 prevents the apron 216 from expanding radially.

A further special feature of the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 9 to 14 lies in the design of the free end of the hollow cylinder body 232. This has a latching bead 256 on its radial outer circumference, which prevents the handling part 214 and the sealing part 212 from being inadvertently uncoupled.

Fig. 15 shows a container according to the invention, designed as a bottle. This has a bottle neck 180, which is formed at its free end with a locking bead 181, to which the locking groove 182 connects. Starting from the locking groove 182, a counter-locking bead 183 extends, as well as a locking ring 185, between which the sealing ring 170 of the closure device 110 can be received.

A plateau region 187, which has plateau reinforcing ribs 189, extends from the bottle neck 180. The plateau region 187 merges into a cylindrical bottle body 191 to which the bottle bottom 192 is connected. As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 16 and 17, a central depression 193, which is surrounded by a standing area 198, is worked into the bottle bottom 192. Various reinforcing ribs 194 are worked into the base area 198 in the form of depressions which, when viewed from the outside, are concave and lie between support sections 195. As shown at 196, the reinforcing ribs 194 extend into the central recess 193 in a tongue-like manner.

The bottom area 192 of the bottle 191 is stabilized by the shape and the rounded transitions of reinforcing ribs 194, foot sections 195 and recess 193.

As shown in FIG. 18, the recess 193 is dimensioned such that a bottle 191 ₁ can accommodate another bottle 19 1 _{2 in} such a way that the support sections 195 of the bottle 19 1 1 lie on the plateau region 187 of the bottle 19 1 ₂ come and the closure device 110 of the bottle 19 is received in the recess 193. As a result, a large number of bottles according to the invention can be stacked horizontally.

It should be pointed out that the recess 193 widens slightly in the direction of the longitudinal axis X towards the bottle bottom 192, which on the one hand facilitates their manufacture, in particular when molding, and on the other hand enables an easier insertion of a bottle 19 into the recess of a bottle 191ι.

Claims

claims

A device (10; 110; 210) for closing an opening of a container (180), comprising: - a sealing part (12; 112; 212) which can be brought into engagement with the container (180) and a sealing part (12; 112) ; 212) couplable handling part (14; 114; 214), the sealing part (12; 112; 212) a plug section (32; 132; 232) which can be inserted into the opening of the container (180) and an opening of the container (180) encompassing slotted apron (16; 116; 216), the sealing part (12; 112; 212) also having a thread formation (34; 134; 234) and the handling part (14; 114; 214) having a complementary thread formation (68; 168 ; 268), via which the sealing part (12; 112; 212) and the handling part (14; 114; 214) can be coupled to each other, and after coupling the sealing part (12; 112; 212) and handling part (14; 114; 214) the apron (16; 116; 216) is prevented from expanding radially by the handling part (14; 114; 214), characterized in that: ass after coupling the sealing part (12; 112; 212) and handling part (14; 114; 214) the handling part surrounds the sealing part (12; 112; 212) like a hood.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing part (12; 112; 212) has a hollow cylinder body (32; 132; 232) opening to the handling part (14; 114; 214) as the plug section, on the inside of which the thread formation ( 34; 134; 234) is provided.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the hollow cylinder body (32; 132) at its free end penetrating into the opening of the container (180) has a bottom membrane (42; 142).

4. Device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that on the handling part (14; 114; 214) a cylinder body (66; 166; 266) is provided which, when coupled into the hollow cylinder body (32; 132; 232) of the sealing part (12; 112; 212) penetrates and on the outside the complementary thread formation (68; 168; 268) is provided.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thread formation (134) and / or the complementary thread formation (164) are interrupted in the thread pitch direction (X).

s 6. Device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the cylinder body (66; 166; 266) is hollow cylindrical and is slotted at least in sections in its longitudinal direction (X).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims and claim 3, characterized in that a radial support ring (184) which stabilizes the free end of the cylinder body (166) is provided on the base membrane (142).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims and claims 3, 5, characterized in that the bottom membrane (42) with a degassing opening (44) is broken through and that on the handling part (14) a corresponding sealing pin (62) is provided, which during coupling sealing part (12) and handling part (14) seals the degassing opening (44).

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the bottom membrane (42) is convexly curved in the direction of the sealing pin (62) and resiliently yields when the sealing part (12) and handling part (14) are coupled while reducing the convexity.

5 10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stopper section (32; 132; 232) has at least one sealing bead (36, 38) on its area in contact with the container opening.

11. The device according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that when the sealing part (12; 112; 212) and the handling part (14; 114; 214) are coupled while deforming the plug section (32; 132; 232), the at least one sealing bead (36, 38) pressurized against the container opening. 5

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing part (12; 112; 212) has an annular shoulder (28; 128; 228) which the plug portion (66; 166; 266) and the apron (54; 154 ; 254) connects with each other.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the annular shoulder (28; 128; 228) when coupling the sealing part (12; 112; 212) and handling part (14; 114; 214) in sealing contact with the handling part (14; 114 ; 214) arrives.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that a sealing lip (288) is provided on the annular shoulder (228) or on the region of the handling part (214) facing this, which in coupling the sealing part (212) and handling part (214) in sealing system with the handling part (214).

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the sealing part (12; 212) a locking device (46) and on the handling part (14; 214) a complementary locking device (56; 256) are provided, which when coupling the sealing part Lock the (12; 212) and handling part (14; 214) together and prevent the sealing part (12; 112) and handling part (14; 214) from being uncoupled.

16. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the apron (16; 116; 216) has a plurality of tongues (18; 118; 218) separated by the slots (20; 120; 220).

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that the apron (16; 116; 216) is hollow-cylindrical or at least partially frustoconical, the frustoconical region (116) when coupling the sealing part (112) and handling part (114) interacting with the handling part (114) moved radially inward.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 or 17, characterized in that at least one locking bead (24; 124; 224) is arranged on the inside of the apron (16; 116; 216).

19. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the handling part (14; 114; 214) a sealing ring (70; 170; 270) is locked, which has a locking bead (74; 174; 274).

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the locking of the sealing ring (70; 170; 270) on the handling part (14; 114; 214) has a plurality of irreversibly releasable locking ribs (72).

21. A device (10; 110; 210) according to one of the preceding claims, closable container, in particular bottle, comprising a container neck (180) leading to a container opening, the container neck (180) having at least one locking groove (182) on its outside , with which the locking bead (24; 124; 224) can be brought into engagement and has at least one counter-locking bead (183) with which the locking bead (74) of the sealing ring (70) can be brought into engagement.

22. A container according to claim 21, characterized in that the container neck (180) extends from a plateau region (187) which is essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal extent of the container.

23. A container according to claim 22, characterized in that the plateau region (187) has plateau reinforcement ribs (189) which run essentially in a star shape towards the container neck, the plateau reinforcement ribs (189) being formed by regions of local material accumulation or / and by locally deformed regions.

24. A container according to any one of claims 21 to 23, characterized by a bottle bottom (192) which is arranged at a distance from the container opening and in which a recess (193) is provided, the recess (193) being dimensioned such that it has a device (10; 110; 210) according to one of claims 1 to 20 provided container neck (180) of another container according to one of claims 21 to 23, so that the recess (193) surrounding the annular base of the container base (192) at least in sections rests on the plateau area (187) of the further container.

25. A container according to claim 24, characterized in that the container base (192) has, at least in the region of the ring-shaped base, star-shaped reinforcing ribs (194) which run in the form of a recess, the reinforcing ribs (194) being formed by regions of local material accumulation or / and by locally deformed regions are.

26. A container according to claim 23 or 25, characterized in that the plateau reinforcing ribs (189) and / or bottom reinforcing ribs (194) are worked into the container without kinks.