WO2007063140A1

WO2007063140A1 - Lid for container, container and method for aseptically sealing said container

Info

Publication number: WO2007063140A1
Application number: PCT/ES2005/000652
Authority: WO
Inventors: Javier Bernal Ardanaz
Original assignee: Betapack, S.A.
Priority date: 2005-11-30
Filing date: 2005-11-30
Publication date: 2007-06-07

Abstract

The invention relates to a lid consisting of a body (1) having a base (11) and an inner peripheral flap (5) which is configured such that it can adopt: a first position in which the flap (5) enables a disk seal (3) to pass towards the base, a second position in which the flap (5) is bent in relation to the first position, such that part of the flap is in contact with a first surface of the disk seal (3), thereby establishing a seal; and a third position in which the flap (5) is bent even more than in the second position in relation to the first position such that it uncovers the first surface of the disk seal which can then be joined to the mouth (4) of the container.

Description

PLUG FOR PACKAGING, PACKAGING AND CLOSURE PROCEDURE

ASEPTIC PACKAGING

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a stopper for plastic containers or the like, for example, for containers intended to house food liquids, such as juices. The cap is of the type that includes a sealing disc that initially forms part of the cap and is applied on the mouth of the container, to which it is heat welded constituting a laminar seal that seals the container.

It is an object of the invention to provide the cap with means that prevent the appearance of residual disinfection liquid between the sealing disc and the base of the cap after subjecting the cap to a disinfection or aseptic process to eliminate possible contaminants.

The invention also relates to a container with the cap, and an aseptic closure procedure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The caps used in plastic containers, which contain juices, for example, usually undergo a disinfection or aseptic process that eliminates all types of contaminants. Once subjected to the chemical bath in which this disinfection takes place, the plugs are dried to remove any trace of the disinfection liquid that could come into contact with the user's lips, with the consequent risks, or, with the product contained in The container altering its flavor. The problem that is associated with this operation is related to the fact that there may be places in the body of the cap that are not easily accessible to perform a proper drying job.

Containers are known that have caps in which a sealing sheet or disc is initially integrated, more specifically on the inner base of the cap, which is subsequently detached from the cap by being fixed to the mouth of the container by welding and constituting the sealing means which guarantees the inviolability of the container.

For this type of caps, the circumstance occurs that during the disinfection operation and due to an improper adjustment of the disc on the internal base of the cap, disinfectant liquid can be introduced between the two, liquid that could be retained without being removed during the drying operation and that once the sealing disc was removed, it could come into contact with the user's lips or with the contents of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention refers to a container cap, of the type that is applied on a mouth of a container (for example, on a substantially cylindrical mouth of a plastic container or the like) and which may include a disc of sealing intended to be sealed (by heat sealing, for example, by ultrasound) on said mouth (for example, at the upper edge of the mouth), after having been subjected to an aseptic or disinfection process. The cap comprises a body with a base provided, on an internal face of the base, with a housing configuration intended to accommodate a sealing disc. The body can also have walls, for example, walls with internal thread and / or provided, at the ends opposite the base, with a safety ring attached to the wall by means of a weakening zone, etc., as is conventional in this type of caps.

According to the invention, the body also comprises an internal perimeter skirt, configured to be able to adopt:

a first position in which said skirt allows the passage of a sealing disk towards the base of the body, so that said sealing disk can be placed in said housing configuration;

- a second position, in which said skirt is folded with respect to the first position so that a part of the skirt is in contact with a first surface of the sealing disc, when said sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration ( In this position, a hermetic seal can be established between the skirt and the sealing disc, which prevents liquids or other fluids from entering the interior - that is, the area defined by the body, the skirt and the sealing disc - of the stopper during the aseptic process); Y

a third position, in which said skirt is more folded with respect to the first position than in said second position and in which said skirt exposes said first surface of the sealing disc when said sealing disc is placed in said configuration of housing, so that said first surface of the sealing disc can be brought into contact with the mouth of a container.

In this way, the skirt, in its first position, allows the sealing disc to pass towards the base. Then, pressing on the skirt, the skirt is folded (for example, by means of a bending of a second section of the skirt with respect to a first section) to the second position, in which the hermetic seal is established. This pressure can be exerted with a cylindrical tool that is inserted into the cap, or with other means. One time Once the hermetic seal is established, the fluids corresponding to the aseptic process can be applied to the cap, without crossing the established seal between the falcon and the sealing disc.

Then, once the aseptic procedure is finished, the skirt can be placed in the third position, for example, by folding or bending the second section of the skirt even more with respect to the first section. This can be achieved, for example, simply by applying the cap on the mouth of the container, whose mouth, upon receiving the cap, can be used to "press" the skirt, or a section of the skirt, until it reaches the third position.

In this way, the stopper allows reducing the risk that products related to the aseptic process remain in the stopper after the end of the aseptic process, even after the drying phase that this type of process usually includes.

The skirt can be extended at an angle from the body wall, for example, from the wall in an area close to the base. It can be extended from the wall in the opposite direction to the base of the body, that is, towards the opening of the body destined to receive the mouth of the container. The skirt can form, for example, at least in said first position, an angle less than 90 ° with the wall, for example, an angle less than 70 °.

The skirt may comprise a first section closer to the wall (that is, an outer section) of the body, and in a second section further away from said wall (an "inner section"). The skirt can be configured so that, when a pressure is exerted on said second section, said second section is lowered with respect to said first section. The skirt may be provided with a notch that weakens the skirt in the junction zone between said first section and said second section, and / or the first section may have a first thickness and said second section may have a second thickness, said second thickness being less than said first thickness, or vice versa. This makes it easier for one section to bend or bend with respect to the other.

The cap may be configured so that, in said second position, a free end of the skirt, for example, a free end of the second section, rests on the first surface of the sealing disc (when said sealing disc is placed in said configuration accommodation).

In said second position and with the sealing disc placed in said housing configuration, a tight seal is established between the skirt and the sealing disc, which prevents the entry of a washing fluid during an aseptic process of the cap.

The skirt can, in its first position, establish an opening delimited by a free end of the skirt, and the skirt can have at least one flexible section, so that it allows the passage, towards the base and through said opening, of a disk sealing with a diameter greater than the diameter of the opening, without the skirt passing to the second position.

The cap may be configured such that when the skirt is in said third position, the skirt rests against a peripheral edge of the sealing disc, when the sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration, and / or against a part of said hosting configuration.

The housing configuration may comprise an annular projection on the inner face of the body base, configured so that the sealing disc rests on said annular projection, when the sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration. The configuration of housing can also comprise another annular shoulder configured to abut an outer circumference of the sealing disc, when said sealing disk is placed in said housing configuration.

The plug may also comprise the sealing disc, housed in said housing configuration.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a package, which comprises a container body with a mouth (for example, with a cylindrical mouth, which can be externally threaded). In accordance with the invention, the package further comprises a cap according to what has been described above, coupled on said mouth and with the sealing disc attached or welded to said mouth.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of aseptic closure of a package, comprising the steps of: having a cap according to what has been described above; apply pressure on the skirt so that said skirt adopts the second position, so that the skirt comes into contact with the first surface of the sealing disc, establishing a tight seal between the skirt and the sealing disc; subject the cap, once said seal has been established, to an aseptic process; subsequently, place the cap on a mouth of a container so that the mouth moves the skirt to the third position; and subjecting the cap to a sealed treatment, so that the sealing disc is attached to the mouth (for example, to an upper edge of the mouth). The step of having a plug may include the step of inserting a sealing disk in the housing configuration of a plug according to the invention. For example, in the first position the skirt can be found fully extended, in its position (for example, inclined) of origin, position that allows the introduction, exceeding said skirt, of the sealing disc in the body of the cap until it is supported against an annular shoulder and / or other housing means provided in the base of the body of the plug. The skirt can have the flexibility necessary to allow the sealing disc to pass and recover its initial position.

In a second position the skirt can be glued to a weakening zone, in the direction of the sealing disc, until

The free end of a second section of the skirt falls against said sealed disk, holding it and establishing a tight seal that prevents the washing liquid from entering between the skirt and the sealing disk during the aseptic closure. The folding of the skirt can be achieved with the help of a manipulator that pushes on the skirt by folding it at the height of the weakening zone. In this position the two sections of the skirt can adopt an angular position of the order of, for example, 90 °.

The third position can be obtained by tapping the cap on the container. The pressure of the opening of the container on the skirt, for example, on the second section of the skirt, causes an additional and definitive folding thereof, which allows the release of the sealing disc, and continues its folding until the edge of the disc and / or an annular stop defined in the base of the body of the cap, said second section being fitted between the wall of the body and said annular stop or sealing disc. In this situation, the sealing disc, with its internal surface already free, can be welded by induction, by ultrasound, or the like, on the mouth of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical implementation thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description. where, for the purposes of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a sectional side view of the plug in which the body of the plug is observed in the phase of introduction of the sealing disc.

Figure 2.- Shows a sectioned side view in which the sealing disc has exceeded the perimeter skirt and is supported against an annular shoulder defined in the base of the body of the plug.

Figure 3.- It shows a sectioned side view corresponding to a later phase in which the second section of the skirt is folded until its free end is struck against the sealing disc establishing a tight seal, this situation being shown in an enlarged detail.

Figure 4.- Shows a sectioned side view corresponding to the situation of mounting the cap on the container, with an enlarged detail in which it is observed that the skirt has been folded until it is embedded in an annular shoulder of the body of the cap releasing the disc of sealed, which can then be welded on the mouth of the container.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the figures, a preferred embodiment of the sealed plastic container cap for aseptic process that is the object of this invention is described below. The cap is of the type with a body (1) provided with an annular shoulder (2) at its inner base (11) (see especially Figures 3 and 4, in which the lateral stop can be observed with more detail) and a sealing disc (3) that is coupled to the body (1) of the cap, as seen in Figure 1, and in the subsequent phase is fixed to the mouth (4) of the container by welding becoming the means that guarantees the inviolability of the container (10).

The plug has an internal perimeter skirt (5), which inclines from the inner wall (12) of the body (1) of the plug (at an angle of the order of between 50 ° and 70 ° with respect to the wall) in the vicinity of the base (11) of the body (1), and which has an intermediate notch (6) that divides the skirt (5) into a first section (7) (closer to the wall) and a second section (8 ) (farther from the wall).

The internal perimeter skirt (5) is flexible to facilitate the insertion of the sealing disc (3) in the base of the body (1) against the annular shoulder (2), this position being appreciated in Figure 2.

On the other hand, the intermediate notch (6) constitutes a point of articulation that allows the second section (8) of the perimeter skirt (5) to be depressed towards the base of the body (1) of the cap, until it hits the sealing disc. (3), establishing a hermetic seal that prevents the washing liquid from entering between the skirt (5) and the sealing disc (3) during the aseptic or sterilizing procedure of the cap, a situation that is represented in Figure 3.

Likewise, the body (1) of the cap incorporates in its base an annular stop (9) of greater diameter than the annular shoulder (2) in which the outer section (8) of the perimeter skirt (5) fits in a subsequent folding caused by the thrust of the cylindrical mouth (4) of the container (10), when the The cap is screwed on said mouth. This position of the skirt (illustrated in Figure 4) allows the release of the sealing disc (3), for later attachment to the mouth (4) of the container (10).

In this text, the word "comprises" and its variants (such as

"understanding", etc.) should not be interpreted in an exclusive manner, that is, they do not exclude the possibility that what has been described includes other elements, steps, etc.

On the other hand, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments that have been described but also covers, for example, the variants that can be made by the average expert in the field (for example, in terms of the choice of materials, dimensions , components, configuration, etc.), within what follows from the claims.

Claims

1.- Container cap, the cap comprising a body (1) with a base (11) provided, on an internal face of the base, with a housing configuration (2, 9) to accommodate a sealing disc (3) , characterized in that the body (1) comprises an internal perimeter skirt (5), configured to be able to adopt: a first position in which said skirt (5) allows the passage of a sealing disc (3) towards the base (11) of the body, so that said sealing disc can be placed in said housing configuration (2, 9); a second position, in which said skirt (5) is folded with respect to the first position so that a part of the skirt is in contact with a first surface of the sealing disc (3), when said sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration (2, 9); - a third position, in which said skirt (5) is more folded with respect to the first position than in said second position and in which said skirt exposes said first surface of the sealing disc (3), when said disc sealing is placed in said housing configuration (2, 9), so that said first surface of the sealing disc (3) can be contacted with the mouth (4) of a container.

2. Cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirt (5) extends at an angle from a wall (12) of the body (1).

3. - Cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirt (5) extends at an angle from a wall (12) of the body (1), in the opposite direction to the base (11) of the body, towards an opening of the body, forming, at least in said first position, an angle less than 90 ° with the wall.

4. Cap according to claim 3, characterized in that said angle is less than 70 °.

5. Cap according to any of claims 2-4, characterized in that the skirt (5) comprises a first section (7) closer to the wall (12) of the body (1), and in a second section (8) more away from said wall, the skirt being configured so that, when a pressure is exerted on said second section (8), said second section (8) is lowered with respect to said first section (7).

6. Cap according to claim 5, characterized in that the skirt is provided with a notch (6) that weakens the skirt in the area of union between said first section (7) and said second section (8).

7. Cap according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the first section (7) has a first thickness and said second section (8) has a second thickness, said second thickness being less than said first thickness.

8. Cap according to any of claims 5-7, characterized in that the cap is configured so that, in said second position, a free end of said second section (8) rests on the first surface of the sealing disc (3) , when said sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration (2, 9).

9. Cap according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the cap is configured so that, in said second position, a free end of the skirt (5) rests on the first surface of the sealing disc (3), when said sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration (2, 9).

10. Cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in said second position and with the sealing disc placed in said housing configuration, a tight seal is established between the skirt

(5) and the sealing disc (3), which prevents the entry of a washing fluid during a plug aseptic process.

11. Cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the skirt (5), in its first position, establishes an opening delimited by a free end of the skirt (5), the skirt having at least one flexible section, so that allows the passage, towards the base (11) and through said opening, of a sealing disc (3) with a diameter greater than the diameter of the opening, without the skirt passing to the second position.

12. Cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that when the skirt (5) is in said third position, the skirt rests against a peripheral edge of the sealing disc (3), when the sealing disc is placed in said configuration of accommodation (2, 9).

13. Cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that when the skirt (5) is in said third position, the skirt rests against a part of said housing configuration (2, 9).

14. Cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said housing configuration comprises an annular shoulder (2) in

The internal face of the base (11) of the body, configured so that the sealing disc (3) rests on said annular shoulder, when the sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration (2, 9).

15, - Cap according to claim 14, characterized in that said housing configuration further comprises another annular shoulder (9) configured to abut against an outer circumference of the sealing disc, when said sealing disc is placed in said housing configuration (2 , 9).

16.- Cap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized because it also comprises the sealing disc (3), housed in said housing configuration (2, 9).

17.- Container, comprising a container body (10) with a mouth (4), characterized in that it also comprises a cap according to claim

16, coupled on said mouth and with the sealing disc (3) welded to said mouth (4).

18. Procedure of aseptic closure of a package, comprising the steps of: having a cap according to claim 16; apply pressure on the skirt (5) so that said skirt adopts the second position, so that the skirt (5) comes into contact with the first surface of the sealing disc (3), establishing a tight seal between the skirt (5) and the sealing disc (3); subject the cap, once said seal has been established, to an aseptic process; subsequently, place the cap on a mouth of a container so that the mouth moves the skirt to the third position; and subject the cap to a sealing treatment, so that the sealing disc (3) is attached to the mouth (4).

19. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that the step of having a plug includes the step of inserting a sealing disc (3) into

The housing configuration (2, 9) of a cap according to any of claims 1-15.