WO2013139352A1

WO2013139352A1 - Container with a dispensing closure and dispensing closure for a container

Info

Publication number: WO2013139352A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/001293
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Graswald; Benjamin Josef DENK
Original assignee: Aptar Freyung Gmbh
Priority date: 2012-03-22
Filing date: 2012-03-22
Publication date: 2013-09-26
Also published as: EP2828176A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container with a dispensing closure (100) and a dispensing closure for such a container. The container comprises a container neck structure (200) onto which a dispensing closure can be installed. The dispensing closure comprises a base (110) and mounting means on said base for mounting said base to the container. The base comprises an outer side-wall (120). Furthermore, the dispensing closure comprises at least one first projection (122) extending from an inner side of said outer side-wall of said base for engagement with an engagement member (220) of said container neck structure such that a rotational movement of the dispensing closure relative to the container neck structure leads to at least partial breaking of said outer side- wall.

Description

Container with a dispensing closure and dispensing closure for a container

The present invention relates to a container with a dispensing closure, as well as to a dispensing closure for such a container. Such containers are arranged for storing a fluid or another flowable medium, which can be dispensed through an opening of the dispensing closure. Such containers comprise a container neck structure to which the dispensing closure can be installed.

Furthermore, dispensing closures with a tamper-evident element are known, which indicate when the dispensing closure has been partly or fully taken off the container, in order to indicate to the user that the container has been opened. Such tamper-evident elements are typically realized by a pull element or a pull-tap lid, such that the user can tear off such pull element or pull-tap lid or such that it is torn off automatically when removing the dispensing closure.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an enhanced container with a dispensing closure and an enhanced dispensing closure.

This object is solved by a container with a dispensing closure according to claim 1 and a dispensing closure for a container according to claim 7. Claims 2 to 6 relate to specifically advantageous realizations of the container with a dispensing closure according to claim 1, and claims 8 to 10 relate to a specifically advantageous realization of the dispensing closure according to claim 7.

According to the present invention, said dispensing closure comprises a base and mounting means on said base for mounting said base to the container, while said base also comprises an outer side-wall. The dispensing closure according to the present invention further comprises at least one first projection extending at least partially radially inwardly from an inner side of said outer side-wall of said base.

Said at least one first projection of said dispensing closure is at least partly connected with said outer wall, preferably by a predetermined breaking linkage. A container according to the present invention comprises a container neck structure which again comprises at least one engagement member for engagement with said at least one first projection of said closure.

Said at least one first projection and said at least one engagement member are arranged and positioned such that these elements engage with each other when said dispensing closure is mounted or installed on said container neck structure and such that a rotational movement of the dispensing closure relative to the container neck structure, at least by a predetermined angle, leads to a breaking of a predetermined breaking linkage and/or leads to an at least partial breaking of said outer side-wall.

The terms "inner" and "outer" have to be understood with respect to an opening of the container or an axial direction through the opening of the container, which can be also the dispensing direction for dispensing a flowable medium stored in the container.

In typical and preferred realizations the opening of a container or a container neck structure has an essentially circular cross section, in which case a central, vertical axis in the middle of the circular opening can be defined, as well as a radial direction, extending from this center axis in an essentially normal direction outwardly.

It has to be noted, however, that the opening of a container or a container neck structure can also deviate from a circular cross section, and it can e.g. also have an essentially oval cross section or other, typically curved cross sections.

A "radial direction" in those cases can be also understood as being a direction normal to a tangent to a peripheral wall defining an opening of a container or a container neck structure in a horizontal plane, therefore also essentially normal to a dispensing axis, as mentioned above, i.e. in a horizontal plane. Such a container and such a dispensing closure have the advantage that a very reliable tamper- evident element is realized, which clearly indicates in case a user has tampered with the dispensing closure and has tried to release the dispensing closure from the container by rotation or even has fully released the closure from the container, as the predetermined breaking linkage or even the outer side-wall of said base is at least partly broken.

Such a container and such a dispensing closure also have the advantage that the tamper- evident element is not visible from the outside as long as being not broken, and it especially has the advantage that all elements of the tamper-evident element are realized at an inside of the closure, especially covered by other elements of the dispensing closure, e.g. by an outer side-wall, so that it is ensured that the tamper-evident element is not inadvertently destroyed without any intention or without releasing or removing the dispensing closure from the container, as it can easily happen with the usual tamper-evident elements being realized by e.g. a pull element or a pull-tap lid, which can be torn off or destroyed even without opening the container.

In addition, the manufacturing of such a dispensing closure is very cost effective, furthermore the mounting of such a dispensing closure onto a container is very easy and secure, especially in case the dispensing closure is a snap-on closure, which can be connected and fastened to a container or the container neck structure by simply pushing or pressing the dispensing closure vertically onto the container neck structure.

According to a preferred embodiment, said at least one first projection of said dispensing closure and said engagement member of said container neck structure have a formed surface such that at least one first projection of the dispensing closure and said engagement member of the container neck structure engage with each other in a form-locking member when said dispensing closure is mounted on said container neck structure.

Said formed surface can be arranged in various ways and can have one or more projections, especially in a radial direction, while the formed surface can expand both in a radial and a circumferential as well as in a vertical direction.

In a preferred embodiment the form-locking engagement is achieved at least with respect to a relative rotational movement between a container and a dispensing closure, however, also a form-locking engagement in a vertical direction is possible. In a preferred realization, the engagement is realized only with respect to a relative rotational movement between a container and a dispensing closure, which is especially advantageous in case of so-called snap-on closures, which are pushed or pressed onto the container in a vertical direction.

In this respect it also has to be noted that further preferred embodiments also do enclose additional tamper-evident elements, which are known from the prior art, if desired.

In a preferred realization the dispensing closure comprises one (first) projection, which extends from an inner side of said outer side- wall, while the container neck structure comprises two (second) projections, being positioned with a distance from each other in a circumferential direction, therefore forming a notch between said two (second) projections, so that said (first) projection of said dispensing closure engages with said (second) projections of the container neck structure when said dispensing closure is mounted on said container neck structure.

In a further preferred realization, the at least one first projection of said dispensing closure is not only connected with an inner side of said outer side-wall of said base, but is also connected to a further element or part of the dispensing closure, e.g. a further inwardly arranged structure. The projection can therefore also be realized as a bridge between two elements of the dispensing closure, one of the elements being the outer side-wall, while, in a preferred realization, said bridge or at least one bridge extends at least partly in a radial direction.

In another preferred realization, however, it is also possible that the dispensing closure comprises at least two (first) projections being arranged with a distance from each other, while the engagement element of the container or of the container neck structure comprises only one (second) projection or a similar engagement element.

Preferably, the dispensing closure comprises a breaking linkage, which could be a breaking point or a breaking line, between said outer side- wall and the (first) projection of the dispensing closure, while this predetermined breaking linkage is preferably realized by a predetermined line or area or point of said outer side-wall having a weakened wall thickness in comparison to directly adjacent areas of the outer side-wall. Such a realization of the breaking linkage has the advantage that the outer side-wall is broken at a predetermined point, line or area and very reliably in case the dispensing closure is rotated relative to the container or the neck structure of the container, indicating a tampering with the dispensing closure.

The invention relates both to a dispensing closure for a container as well as to a container for such a dispensing closure and also to a container with such a dispensing closure, while container and dispensing closure are adapted to realize the above described advantageous tamper- evident function.

The above described and further features and advantages of the container and the dispensing closure according to the present invention will be more readily apparent in view of the following drawings, showing preferred embodiments of a container and of a dispensing closure according to the present invention:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a container neck structure according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the container neck structure according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 shows various parts of an embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention and also shows some elements of an embodiment of the container neck structure according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged portion of the embodiment of the dispensing closure as shown in Fig. 3 around the protrusion 122; and

Fig. 5 shows a cross section of an embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a container neck structure 200 having a deck portion 210, from which peripheral walls 240 are extending, thereby defining an opening 241, which provides access to an interior of a container 300. The container neck structure 200 extends into a container 300, which is only schematically and partly shown in Fig. 1. It has to be noted that the container neck structure 200 and the container 300 can be a one-part element, however it is also possible that the container neck structure 200 is separate from a container 300 and connected to the container 300 by suitable means.

The container neck structure 200 shown in Fig. 1 also comprises an engagement member 220, which comprises two (second) protrusions 222 and 224, which extend from the deck portion 210. The two (second) protrusions 222 and 224 of the engagement member 220 are positioned with a distance from each other in a circumferential direction, thereby forming a gap or a notch 228 between them.

The engagement member 220 with its protrusion 222, 224, forming the gap or notch 228 between them, can engage with a corresponding element of the dispensing closure according to the present invention, and the interrelationship between these elements will be explained especially in connection with Fig. 3 hereinafter.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section through an embodiment of a container neck structure 200. Also in Fig. 2 the peripheral walls 240 defining the opening 241, which opens an access to an interior of the container 300 can be well seen.

Furthermore, the extension of the engagement member 220 above the deck portion 210 is well visible in Fig. 2. As can be seen in Fig. 2, this specific embodiment has also a second engagement member 220, essentially on the opposite side of the peripheral walls 240, while the two engagement members 220 have the same form.

It is possible to have only one engagement member 220 at one circumferential position, and it is also possible to have 2 or more engagement members 220 arranged at various positions around the peripheral wall 240.

This specific embodiment as shown in Fig. 2 has the advantage that a corresponding dispensing closure, as e.g. shown in Fig. 3, having only one protrusion 122 at one circumferential position, can be attached to or fastened to the container neck structure in 2 different positions, e.g. by a rotation of 180 °, while in both cases the protrusion 122 (see Fig. 3) comes into an engagement with one of the engagement members 220.

Furthermore, Fig. 2 shows a latch element or a locking element 280, which is realized as a protrusion on the outer side of the peripheral wall 240. This latch or locking element 280 can engage with a hook element of a corresponding dispensing closure, see e.g. hook member 142 in Fig. 4, showing an embodiment of a dispensing closure according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows some elements of a dispensing closure according to the present invention, Fig. 4 shows an enlarged part of the dispensing closure 100 around the element 122, and Fig. 5 shows a cross section through a dispensing closure according to the present invention.

As can be well seen in Figs. 3 to 5, a dispensing closure according to the present invention comprises a base 110, to which a cover 180 is attached, which can be opened and closed and which is shown in Fig. 5 in its closed position.

The dispensing closure 100 also comprises a slit valve 150, which is attached to the base 110 of the dispensing closure 100.

The dispensing closure as shown in Figs. 3 to 5 is a so called snap-on dispensing closure, which is axially or vertically pushed or pressed onto a container neck structure, as e.g. shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

In order to provide a secure installing of the dispensing closure 100 onto the container neck structure 200, the dispensing closure 100 contains a tube-like element 140, being at least partly provided with a hook member 142. This tube-like member 140 surrounds the peripheral walls 240 of the container neck structure when mounted on the container neck structure, while the hook member 142 engages with the latch or locking element 280 or a similar protrusion, so that the dispensing closure 100 is secured in its position with respect to its vertical direction.

Furthermore, the base 110 comprises an outer side- wall 120, which comprises a protrusion 122, extending from an inner side of said outer side-wall 120. The protrusion 122 extends essentially in a normal or radial direction from the inner side of said outer side- wall 120 of said base 110 such that it engages with the gap or notch 228 (see Fig. 1) of said container neck structure.

The first projection 122 fits exactly into the gap 228 (see Fig. 1) and between the two protrusions 222 and 224 (see Fig. 1) of said engagement member 220 of said container neck structure 200, thereby securing the position of the dispensing closure relative to said container neck structure in a relative rotational direction.

Therefore the dispensing closure can not be rotated relative to said container neck structure. Should the user use force to nevertheless rotate the dispensing closure relative to said neck structure, the outer side-wall 220 would be at least partly destroyed or would at least partly break.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the dispensing closure provides a predetermined breaking linkage 124, 126. This breaking linkage 124, 126 is realized by a thinned portion of the outer side- wall 120 in an area directly adjacent to the protrusion 122. The breaking linkage 124, 126 therefore has essentially two breaking lines 124, 126, in Fig. 4 on the left side (breaking line 124) and the right side (breaking line 126) of the protrusion 122.

If therefore the user rotates the dispensing closure relative to said neck structure by using force, as mentioned above, these predetermined breaking linkage 124, 126 would be destroyed, so that the outer side-wall 120 will be visibly destroyed.

In a preferred embodiment the thickness of the outer side-wall is in the area of about 1,6 mm, and it can be typically in the area of about 1 and 2 mm. The thickness of the predetermined breaking linkage is typically thinner by about 20% to 90% in comparison to the directly adjacent areas of the outer side-wall and/or the thickness of the side-wall in other areas, preferably thinner by about 60% to 80%.

It is clear to the expert that various amendments can be made to the embodiment, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the attached claims, and any features disclosed in connection with the embodiments or the general description can be important for realizing the invention, either alone or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. Container with a dispensing closure (100), said container comprising a container neck structure (200) onto which the dispensing closure (100) can be installed, said dispensing closure (100) comprising a base (1 10) and mounting means on said base (110) for mounting said base (110) to the container (300), said base (110) also comprising an outer side- wall (120), characterised in that said dispensing closure (100) comprises at least one first projection (122) extending at least partly radially inwardly from an inner side of said outer side-wall (120) of said base (110), wherein said at least one first projection (122) is at least partly connected with said outer side- wall (120), and in that said container neck structure (200) comprises at least one engagement member (220) for engaging with at least one first projection (122) of said dispensing closure (100), wherein said at least one first projection (122) and said at least one engagement member (220) are arranged and positioned such that they engage with each other when said dispensing closure (100) is mounted on said container neck structure (200), such that a rotational movement of the dispensing closure (100) relative to the container neck structure (200) leads to a breaking of a predetermined breaking linkage (124, 126) provided between at least one of said first projections (122) and said outer side-wall (120) and/or leads to an at least partial breaking of said outer side- wall (120) of said base (1 10).

2. A container with a dispensing closure according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first projection (122) of said dispensing closure (100) and said engagement member (220) of said container neck structure (200) have a formed surface such that at least one first projection (122) of said dispensing closure (100) and said engagement member (220) engage with each other in a form-locking manner when said dispensing closure (100) is mounted on said container neck structure (200).

3. Container with a dispensing closure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said dispensing closure (100) comprises one first projection (122) and said engagement member (220) of said container neck structure (200) comprises two second projections (222, 224), being positioned with a distance from each other in a circumferential direction, thereby forming a notch (228) between said two second projections (222, 224), into which said first projection (122) engages when said dispensing closure (100) is mounted on said container neck structure (200).

4. Container with a dispensing closure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said engagement member (220) of said container neck structure (200) comprises one second projection and said dispensing closure comprises two first projections, being positioned with a distance from each other in a circumferential direction, thereby forming a notch between said two first projections, into which said second projection of said container neck structure engages when said dispensing closure (100) is mounted on said container neck structure (200).

5. Container with a dispensing closure according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a predetermined breaking linkage is realized by a predetermined line or area of said outer side- wall having a weakened wall thickness in comparison to directly adjacent areas of the outer side- wall.

6. Container with a dispensing closure according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said dispensing closure is a snap-on closure.

7. A dispensing closure for a container, said dispensing closure (100) comprising a base (110) and mounting means on said base (110) for mounting said base (110) to the container (300), said base (1 10) also comprising an outer side- wall (120), characterised in that said dispensing closure (100) comprises at least one first projection (122) extending at least partly radially inwardly from an inner side of side outer side- wall (120) of said base (1 10) and being arranged such that it engages with an engagement member of a neck structure of a container when being mounted on such a container.

8. A dispensing closure according to claim 7, which comprises two first projections, being positioned with a distance from each other in a circumferential direction, thereby forming a notch between said two first projections.

9. Dispensing closure according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a predetermined breaking linkage is realized by a predetermined line or area of said outer side-wall having a weakened wall thickness in comparison to directly adjacent areas of the outer side- wall.

10. Dispensing closure according to one of the claims 7 to 9, wherein said dispensing closure is a snap-on closure.