WO2021018772A1

WO2021018772A1 - Captive closure having a stabilized opening angle

Info

Publication number: WO2021018772A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/070953
Authority: WO
Inventors: Günter Krautkrämer
Original assignee: Bericap Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2019-07-31
Filing date: 2020-07-24
Publication date: 2021-02-04

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closure, consisting of a screw cap having a tamper-proof strip, which screw cap has at least a cylindrical cap lateral portion having an internal screw thread and has a peripheral tamper-proof strip at the lower, open end of the cap lateral portion, which tamper-proof strip is connected to the lower edge of the cap lateral portion along easily tearable weakening lines. After the tearing along the weakening lines, the tamper-proof strip remains undetachably connected to the cap lateral portion by means of retaining strips (15). The aim of the invention is to design a captive screw cap having a tamper-proof strip in such a way that, after the screw cap has been unscrewed and removed from the bottleneck opening, the screw cap can be folded away or tilted into a position in which the screw cap does not interfere with the further use of the bottle or with the pouring out of or drinking from the bottle and the screw cap can remain in said position without additional measures. This aim is achieved, according to the invention, in that the retaining strips are formed by means of two weakening lines, which are each interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction, partially overlap in the circumferential direction and run at an axial distance from each other at least in the region of overlap, the separating webs (11) of each of the two weakening lines being bridged by the other weakening line preferably at an axial distance.

Description

Captive lock with stabilized opening angle

The present invention relates to a captive closure, consisting of a screw cap which has at least one cylindrical cap shell with internal thread and a circumferential tamper-evident band at the lower, open end of the cap shell, the tamper-evident band being connected to the lower edge of the cap shell via at least one easily tearable line of weakness , with the tamper-evident band remaining inextricably linked to the cap shell via retaining straps after tearing along the lines of weakness. The present invention also relates to a combination of a container neck with an external thread and a corresponding screw cap.

The present invention also relates to a special variant of a captive closure which enables particularly effective use of material.

Plastic products and corresponding plastic waste, especially in the form of so-called microplastics, which are formed from plastic waste through abrasion and disintegration, are increasingly the focus of public attention. The screw caps to which the present invention relates are also made of plastic, typically of polyethylene or polypropylene. The deposit system, which has also been introduced for non-returnable plastic bottles, reduces the number of plastic bottles in residual waste that are instead recycled; However, this does not prevent that in many cases the caps of the bottles are not screwed back on the bottle after emptying, but are disposed of or thrown away separately and thus get uncontrolled into the environment and, for example, on shores and beaches into the sea.

There have been and are therefore efforts to design closures on bottles, in particular on beverage bottles, in such a way that they remain connected to the bottle neck even after a bottle has been opened. Such a property is also referred to as “cannot be lost”.

Captive closures are known in principle. In the case of disposable bottles in particular, the so-called guarantee straps, which are connected to the lower edge of a cap jacket via weak points, remain hanging on the bottle neck below a so-called pilferproof ring and already form a captive part of the closure. In this respect, one only has to ensure that the screw cap remains connected to the guarantee band, which in turn is held on the bottle neck by the so-called pilferproof ring, even after the screw cap has been opened and loosened from the bottle neck thread via at least one strap section or the like, referred to here as a retaining strap . A pilferproof ring is typically an annular projection running below a bottle neck thread with an essentially flat or slightly conical underside, behind which protrusions or parts of a tamper-evident band protrude radially inwardly so that the tamper-evident band is held in place when a screw cap is unscrewed by the pilferproof ring, while the Tear the weak points between the guarantee tape and the cap shell.

It is then only necessary to ensure that the connection between the guarantee band and the cap shell remaining via the at least one retaining band is sufficiently long to be able to lift the screw cap completely from the bottle neck opening and move it sideways or tilt it away from the bottle neck opening.

However, these captive screw caps have often proven to be very annoying in use, as the caps move back in front of the opening of the bottle when pouring liquid from a corresponding bottle, or twist under the action of gravity on the bottle neck and when pouring into the liquid jet reach.

Especially when a user wants to drink directly from a bottle, appropriate screw caps still connected to the bottle neck are often in the way and annoying. Even when closing bottles in high-performance capping systems, conventional captive caps can cause problems.

Captive closures have therefore not yet established themselves to a desirable extent in practice. The present invention is therefore based on the object of designing a captive screw cap with a tamper-evident band in such a way that the screw cap folds away after unscrewing and loosening the neck of the bottle in a position that does not interfere with further use of the bottle and drinking or pouring out of the bottle or tilted and can remain there without additional measures. The screw cap is also referred to here as the “cap” for short. This object is achieved by a screw cap according to the present invention as defined in claim 1.

In the screw closure according to the invention, retaining straps are formed by two lines of weakness which are interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction and which run at an axial distance from one another and partially overlap in the circumferential direction, interrupting sections of both lines of weakness being bridged by the respective other line of weakness at an axial distance can also be produced by dividing lines with webs already formed in the injection molding tool.

The aforementioned interruption sections of the weakening lines are hereinafter referred to as “dividing webs”. The dividing web of the upper weakening line effectively forms an axial extension of the cylindrical cap jacket limited to a circumferential sector. The separating web of the lower line of weakness forms an axial extension of a lower tamper-evident band section held stationary on the bottle neck.

In conventional closures, in which the tamper-evident band and cap shell are connected to one another along a single, circumferential weakening line that tears when opened for the first time, a "tamper-evident band" is understood to mean all sections at the lower edge of a cap shell that are axially below or from the cap thread beyond the Levels of the line of weakness lie, which corresponds to the line referred to here as the upper line of weakness.

"Axially below" here also includes the inward and upward angled section of a so-called flex tape, which forms an axial extension of the outer guarantee tape section during manufacture of the closure cap, even if parts of this angled flex tape section are on the inside of the cap when folded up may extend above the level of the upper line of weakness.

To simplify the description, the above definition of the term "guarantee band" is retained, that is, both dividers are regarded as part of the guarantee band insofar as they are below the level of the upper weakening line, even if the separator of the upper weakening line is fixed to the lower edge of the cap shell remains connected and only separates along the lower line of weakness from the parts of the tamper-evident band that remain stationary on the bottle neck. This also applies analogously to the retaining straps, which are also below the level of the upper weakening line when the lock is closed, but do not remain in this position during and after opening, The tamper-evident band defined in this way consists of a part that remains stationary on the bottle neck, which - apart from a rotation - remains immovable relative to the bottle neck, and of moving parts, such as the retaining straps and the upper separating web, which can be moved relative to the stationary part and the bottle neck when opened but remain connected to the stationary part.

In this way, the closure as a whole remains inextricably connected to the bottle neck.

The separating webs have ends in the circumferential direction which are each connected to one of the ends of the retaining straps across their axial width. The dividers have at least the same inner radius as the cap shell. The axially downward-facing free end face of the upper separating web is referred to as the lower edge, while the axial end region of the upper separating web comprising the edge is referred to as the “edge”.

The sections of the weakening lines that overlap in the circumferential direction define the retaining straps as strip-shaped sections of the guarantee strip running in the circumferential direction between the weakening lines.

The cylindrical cap jacket with an internal thread defines an axis of the closure, and the bottle neck, onto which a corresponding screw cap is screwed, defines an axis of the bottle neck. When closed, these axes coincide.

A sufficient axial distance between the weakening lines of, for example, at least 2 mm in their overlap area leads to sufficiently strong retaining straps that do not tear up to a tensile force of 30 N and generally up to 40 N. For an average consumer, and especially for children, it is therefore not easily possible to tear off the screw cap by tearing the retaining straps from the part of the guarantee strap held under the pilferproof ring. This means that the cap, including the tamper-evident band, remains permanently attached to the bottle neck.

By appropriately coordinating the circumferential extent of the separating webs and the distance between the weakening lines (measured in the axial direction), a screw cap can be brought into a sufficiently stable position after being unscrewed, lifted off and folded over at a sufficient distance from the container neck opening, in which it can be moved the opening and folding over and, regardless of the orientation of the associated container or bottle neck, does not get into a disruptive position in front of the bottle neck opening due to your own weight. The terms “container” and “bottle” are used synonymously in the context of the present invention, since the exact type of container does not matter with regard to the invention as long as it only has a neck with an external thread on which the closure or the screw cap of the Closure fits.

Each of the two lines of weakness expediently has exactly one separating web and the centers of the two separating webs are diametrically opposite one another. In any case, the lines of weakness are at an axial distance from one another in their overlapping areas. In one embodiment, with the unopened closure, the two lines of weakness remain in the same axial position along their entire circumferential extent, but different axial positions between the two lines of weakness. The axial position of the weakening lines can, however, also vary along their course in the circumferential direction, as long as this does not make the retaining straps too narrow and maintain a sufficient tear strength of at least 30N to preferably at least 40N.

In the separating webs of the weakening lines, such an axial distance does not matter and the other weakening line, which is not interrupted there, could possibly change to an axial position in this area that otherwise corresponds to the interrupted weakening line or has an even greater axial distance from it. For the present invention, however, it is expedient if the upper separating web has an axial length which corresponds to at least one third of the axial dimension of the guarantee strip between the upper weakening line and the lower edge. The lower edge of the guarantee band is the edge of the guarantee band which is axially furthest away from the cap shell.

Especially with a view to simpler manufacture, the lines of weakness should each remain at a different but constant axial level over their entire length and thus at an axial distance from one another. The upper separating web then has an axial height above the lower edge of the cap shell, which corresponds to the axial distance between the two lines of weakness.

The upper line of weakness defines a dividing line between the lower edge of the cap shell and the tamper-evident band. The lower weakening line separates the tamper-evident band along a circumferential section into a lower and an upper tamper-evident band section, the upper tamper-evident band section being firmly connected to the cap shell in the area of the interruption of the upper weakening line and otherwise defining a section of the dividing line between retaining straps and the lower tamper-evident band section. In one embodiment, the tamper-evident band is a so-called flex band, which has a first, outer tamper-evident band part running in the axial extension of the cylindrical cap shell and a second tamper-evident band part folded radially inward and upward from the lower end of the first tamper-evident band part, the free, upward-facing part of the tamper-evident band End having engagement elements for engagement with the underside of the Pilferproofringes.

The terms "above" and "below" are used throughout as they arise when the closure placed on the bottle neck of a vertically standing bottle is oriented, even if, after opening and folding over a screw cap, the tamper-evident band located at the lower end of the screw cap actually lies on top. Correspondingly, the terms “outside” and “inside” also relate to the closure when it is placed on a bottle neck.

The separation of the guarantee strip along the entire length of the weakening lines leads to the fact that, due to their axial spacing, strip-shaped sections of the guarantee strip are produced in the overlapping area of the weakening lines, which are referred to here as retaining strips. These retaining straps connect the respective dividing webs of the upper and lower weakening lines, these dividing webs in turn forming a connection to the cap shell or to the first guarantee band part, which is intended to remain stationary on a bottle neck. The separating web of the lower weakening line is a determining factor for the length of the retaining straps, but has no additional function with regard to the stability of the opened cap position. The separating web of the upper weakening line (upper separating web), however, depending on the design, contributes significantly to stabilizing a wide open state of the cap. In so far as the “separator” is mentioned in the following without further identification, this upper separator is always meant. This separating web forms an axial extension of the cap shell and is firmly connected to it.

The ends of this separating web in the circumferential direction are each connected to one of the ends of the retaining straps, the other end of the holding straps is each connected to the ends of the lower separating web in the circumferential direction

After unscrewing and then folding away or folding the screw cap, which remains connected to the neck of the bottle via the dividers and the retaining straps, the cap comes after a pivoting movement of about 90 ° into a position in which the pivoted with the cap The lower edge of the separating web is moved radially inward to the bottle neck and the upper edge of the separating web directly adjoining the cap shell is moved radially outward away from the bottle neck. The retaining straps between the two separating webs are thereby twisted and hold the cap, or the separating web axially extending the cap, in contact with the bottle neck. The lower edge of the separating web or its lower edge is in contact with the bottle neck and forms a pivot point on the bottle neck which, however, moves in the axial direction during the pivoting movement on the bottle neck

Apart from a slight restoring force of the twisted retaining straps, the tamper-evident band does not initially offer any noteworthy resistance during the folding movement of the screw cap and the pivoting of the lower edge of the separating web radially towards the bottle neck.

After unscrewing the cap shell and then tilting the cap shell into a wide open position, the lower edge of the (upper) separating web comes into contact with the container neck, especially in the area of the pilferproof ring, whereby the retaining straps come under tension and the outer ends of the Pull the separator in the direction of the bottle neck. This is due, among other things, to the fact that, on the one hand, the outer edges of the separating web (in the circumferential direction) move away from the bottle neck when the cap is pivoted due to the curved course of the same along the cap shell and, on the other hand, this effect is reinforced by the upper separating web pivoting radially inward that presses against the bottle neck acting as an abutment.

The lower edge or the lower edge of the separating web forms a contact point with the bottle neck or the pilferproof ring, around which the screw cap is pivoted. The pivoting position of the cap reaches a dead point when the separating web runs approximately perpendicular to the axis of the bottle neck. The latter is at the same time the axis of the stationary guarantee band remaining on the bottle neck. After the dead center has been exceeded, the tension in the straps and the contact between the separator and the bottle neck support the movement of the cap into an even wider open position. The cap is thus stabilized in a wide open position.

According to one embodiment, this stabilizing effect is reinforced by the fact that the separating web is radially thickened at its lower end, this thickening preferably and, because of easier removal from the mold, also being applied to the area of the guarantee strip axially below the upper separating web, i.e. extends under the lower weakening line, as well as over the entire circumference of the guarantee band. However, this increases the material consumption for the closure cap. One embodiment, however, makes it possible to create a closure with a screw cap which nevertheless ensures improved stability of the screw cap on a bottle neck in a wide-open state while using less material. Compared to the rest of the prior art, the task is generally to ensure a stable, wide-open position of the screw cap in the case of a captive closure

This object is achieved in that the upper separating web has, on its axially lower edge, a projection which protrudes radially outward in relation to all adjoining outer surfaces of the guarantee band.

The projection can have only a third or less of the axial height of the upper separating web and its radial projection over the adjoining outer surfaces of the tamper-evident band is, for example, in the range from 0.2 to 1.2 mm, preferably 0.5-1 mm. Below and in the circumferential direction outside of the upper separating web, the guarantee strip has an essentially constant wall thickness of 0.3 to 0.8 mm.

In one embodiment, the projection is also limited to a maximum of the circumferential angle of the upper separating web in the circumferential direction and preferably extends only over a part of this circumferential angle. If the circumferential angle over which the separating web extends, z. B. 50 degrees, the circumferential extension of the radial projection at the lower edge of the separating web z. B. to the central 30 ° of this circumferential angle. The projection can also have a maximum radial extent in the center of its circumferential angle and taper towards its ends or have a reduced radial extent.

The cross section of the radial projection is largely arbitrary. The maximum radial projection over the outer surface of the tamper-evident band and / or the cap shell can be slightly larger (z. B. 0.3 to 1.2 mm) than the thickness to be measured in the axial direction, which z. B. 0.2 to 0.8 mm.

When the screw cap is folded down, the radial projection is supported on the bottle neck or the outside of the pilferproof ring on the bottle neck from the closed position, but loosened from the thread, and stretches the retaining straps up to a dead point, which is approximately a fold angle (starting from from the parallel position of the axes of the guarantee band axis and the screw cap axis) from 90 ° -100 ° to a maximum amount that decreases again when the dead center is exceeded. This stabilizes the open position of the screw cap beyond the dead center. The lower edge or the lower edge of the upper separating web defined with respect to the other embodiments is formed in the embodiment described above by the radially outer edge of the radial projection, which extends in the radial direction from the lower edge of the upper separating web.

Since the retaining straps are connected over their entire width to the ends of the separating web, the sections of the retaining straps that attach directly to the upper end of the separating web are stretched somewhat more than the sections attaching to the lower part of the separating web. The axial height of the separating web between the pivot point and the upper attachment of the straps thus forms a lever for the tensile force of the straps, which supports the further opening movement of the cap when a dead center of the swivel movement is exceeded at approx. 90 °. This gives the cap a stable opening angle of z. B. 140 ° compared to their starting position. In addition, the straps extend due to the upward movement of the screw cap with the upper separator over the Pilferproofring, which contributes to the elongation and tension in the straps. Also the fact that the divider extends over a certain circumferential angle of z. B. extends 20 - 60 °, leads when folding the cap because of the arcuate shape of the separator along the circumference and with the radius of the cap shell to an increase in the distance between the ends of the separator from the bottle neck and thus to a corresponding increase in the tensile force in the Retaining straps that hold the cap in the wide open position by pulling the folded divider on the bottle neck.

Basically, however, the retaining straps, i. H. the length of the overlap areas of the two lines of weakness, and also the axial height and circumferential length of the separating web are designed so that an elongation of the bands remains in the elastic range and does not reach the yield point.

This means that through the engagement between the lower edge of the separating web and the bottle neck by the retaining straps, a varying force is exerted on the separating web, which initially increases when the screw cap is tilted, then passes over a dead point and then decreases again when the The screw cap and with it the upper separating web are tilted by more than approximately 90 ° with respect to their closed position, the retaining straps extending between the two separating webs being twisted. Because of a comparatively small wall thickness of, for example, 0.3 to 0.6 or 0.8 mm and a moderate (measured in the axial direction) width of the retaining straps of, for example, 3 mm, the elastic restoring forces due to the torsion of these retaining straps are relatively low in comparison to the force that the retaining straps exert on the upper partition in the direction of the bottle neck. As a result, the folded position of the closure reached after overcoming a dead center remains essentially stable and the screw cap does not move in front of or too close to the bottle neck opening in a disruptive manner.

So that the screw cap does not interfere, especially when drinking from the bottle neck mouth, in one embodiment the axis of the closure cap, which coincides with the axis of the bottle neck when the closure is closed, should take a stable position after opening and flipping sideways it is pivoted by at least 120 degrees, preferably by at least 140 °, relative to the starting position or relative to the axis of the bottle neck.

In view of the functionality of the captive closure during and after the screw cap is flipped over, it becomes clear that the restoring and stabilizing forces actually produced depend on a whole series of interacting parameters, including a certain axial width and the circumferential extent of the fixed to the cap shell , upper separator, the difference between the outer radius of the bottle neck and the inner radius of the separator, which corresponds to the inner radius of the cap, as well as the circumferential extent of the weakening lines and the lower separator (and thus the length of the retaining straps). In addition, as a further parameter according to the present invention, the radial projection on the lower edge of the upper separating web, which is in contact with the outside of the bottle neck, especially in the area of the pilferproof ring, when the screw cap is opened, and additionally stabilizes the open position of the screw cap.

The aforementioned parameters can be coordinated in different combinations so that the flip-over movement of the screw cap takes place over a dead point, so that the screw cap has a bistable position overall, with the screw cap not interfering with access to the bottle neck opening in the completely open, stable position. Preferred and practically functional values for the above parameters are given below and in the dependent claims.

In principle, it is useful, although not absolutely necessary, for each line of weakness to have exactly one separating web and the centers of the separating webs are diametrically opposite one another. The separating web of the lower weakening line, which is firmly connected to the rest of the tamper-evident band, limits the overlap between the upper and lower weakening lines in one direction and the overlapping of the weakening lines determines the length of the retaining straps that connect the tamper-evident band remaining on the bottle neck with the screw cap connect. The separating web of the upper line of weakness expediently extends over a circumferential angle between 10 ° and 75 °, preferably in the range between 20 ° and 60 °. An angle in this area ensures that the divider is inherently stable and that it is folded over together with the cap shell and that not only the cap shell is bent over against the divider when it is opened, and on the other hand it also ensures that there is sufficient force acting on the folded over Holds closure in its fully open position, for which the separator must have a certain minimum length in the circumferential direction.

The separating web of the lower weakening line, which is diametrically opposite the separating web of the upper weakening line, can extend over a circumferential angle between, for example, 120 ° and 200 °, preferably between 170 ° and 190 °, the difference in the circumferential angle of the upper and lower separating webs being the length of the retaining straps that extend between the remaining portion of the tamper-evident band and the cap skirt.

The width of the separating web remaining on the cap shell should preferably be at least half the width of the entire, intact, i.e. H. The guarantee band that has not yet been separated along the weakening lines, so that the torsion of this relatively wide section compared to the rest of the guarantee band causes a corresponding difference in diameter and length between the radially inner, lower edge of the separating web and the upper edge of the separating web attached to the screw cap.

Expressed in numbers, the width (in the intact state) measured in the axial direction of the separating web remaining on the cap shell should be at least 1.5 mm, preferably at least 2 mm and in particular about 3 mm or more. The wall thickness of the tamper-evident band, on the other hand, is in a range between 0.3 and 0.8 mm, so that it is clear that the forces caused in the band by twisting the separating web compared to the rest of the band are due, among other things, to the different inner and outer radius of the twisted tamper-evident band sections (consisting of the retaining straps and the upper separator), which is larger, the wider the twisted section.

The minimum width of the retaining straps measured in the axial direction depends, among other things, on the specific plastic material used and also on the wall thickness of the retaining straps. The minimum distance between the lines of weakness, which defines the minimum width of the retaining straps, should accordingly be greater than 1 mm, preferably greater than 2 mm and in particular greater than 2.3 mm, in one embodiment. An upper limit is determined in each case by the width of the guarantee band. The retaining straps, which are effectively formed as the sections of the tamper-evident band running between the dividing lines, then have sufficient tear strength to allow the screw cap to be forcibly torn off the tamper-evident band - at least by children's hands prevent. The retaining straps are preferably tear-resistant up to a tensile force of at least 30 N, preferably at least 40 N.

The inventive combination of a bottle neck with an external thread and a closure, as it was described above, is characterized in that the outer diameter of the bottle neck above a pilfer proof ring, the inner diameter of the guarantee tape, as well as the width, the circumferential extension and any thickening of the upper separating web are matched to one another so that after loosening and then folding down the screw cap, the free lower edge of the separating web engages the bottle neck. The straps are twisted a little. If a tilt angle of approx. 90 ° is exceeded, the cap with the separator is moved over a dead point, so that the outside of the separator then faces the outside of the bottle neck and the screw cap is folded over by more than 90 ° due to a certain tension in the retaining straps Position is stabilized.

The tilting or folding angle is defined here as the angle between the axis of the bottle neck (which coincides with the closure axis when the bottle or container neck is closed by the closure) and the closure axis in the folded state.

The difference between the outside diameter of the bottle neck in an area above the pilferproof ring, in which the upper separating web of the guarantee tape is arranged on the bottle neck after the closure has been opened, should be at most 2.5 mm, preferably at most 1.5 mm smaller than that nominal inside diameter of the guarantee band. The “nominal inside diameter” is the inside diameter of the guarantee band without any flex band section, which in particular also corresponds to the inside diameter of the cap in the area of the upper separating web before the weakening lines are separated

In the variants discussed below, a small difference in diameter between the relevant section of the bottle neck or the pilferproof ring, on which the lower edge of the separating web slides, and the diameter of the guarantee band is ensured by adapting the bottle neck diameter or the pilferproof ring profile and thus also its diameter .

A small difference in diameter ensures that the lower edge of the separator, which is firmly connected to the lower edge of the cap shell and is located above the pilferproof ring after unscrewing the screw cap, even with a relatively low tilting angle. kel comes into engagement with the bottle neck and even after the dead center is exceeded, a force caused by this engagement acts between the bottle neck and the separating web, which holds and stabilizes the folded screw cap in the wide open position.

In a variant of the inventive combination of container neck with screw thread and closure, the pilferproof ring has a profile which is defined by a lower flank which extends in an axial section at at least 80 ° to the bottle neck axis, an area of maximum diameter and an upper flank, which extends at an angle of inclination <90 ° relative to the bottle neck axis and merges below the thread of the bottle neck into the outer bottle neck diameter. The upper flank or a section of the bottle neck extends above the upper flank of the profile of the pilferproof ring at least in one or up to an axial position that reaches from the lower edge (1 1 a) of the upper separating web when the screw cap is in a maximally folded position becomes. From this section has a larger outer diameter than the bottle neck (20) without a thread profile or in the thread root.

This means that when the screw cap is unscrewed and folded over, the upper separator is first raised above the area of the maximum diameter of the pilferproof ring and its lower edge slides onto its upper flank, the area that is swept over by the lower edge of the separator in this area. enlarged bottle neck diameter pushes the separating web further radially outwards than would be possible, please include with the bottle neck diameter, as it would otherwise be present between pilferproof ring and thread and also at the thread root. This causes a further torsion of the retaining straps and thus rotates the separating web and the screw cap into an even more tilted position.

The difference between the outer diameter of the upper flank or the overlying section and the bottle neck diameter without thread profile, i.e. H. at the thread root, should be at least 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm and up to 1 mm in the variant described above.

In particular, in the inventive combination of container neck with screw thread and closure, the pilferproof ring has a triangular profile or a trapezoidal profile, the lower flank of which extends at an angle of 80 ° or more, i.e. perpendicular or almost perpendicular to the axis of the container neck and its upper flank extends at an angle of about 30 ° or less to the axis of the container neck. When the container is opened by unscrewing the closure, the separating web slides over the ridge between the flanks of the pilferproof ring, after which the upper flank of the pilferproof ring first comes into engagement with the separating web. Due to the small angle of the upper flank, the flank has a large axial extent and the area defined by this flank has a diameter that is larger than the above-mentioned bottle neck diameter, can easily extend over the area swept over by the lower edge of the separating web when a screw cap is opened and folded over.

Furthermore, the cylindrical neck section of the container neck on which the cylindrical external thread is provided can generally have a diameter slightly (by approx. 0.3-0.8 mm) larger below the thread and above the pilferproof ring than above, which is why leads to an even tighter engagement between the lower edge of the upper separating web and the bottle neck and thus tends to further increase the tilt angle between the bottle neck axis and the axis of the closure

Some established bottle neck standards cannot be changed at short notice and otherwise only with effort and with the agreement of many participants, so that as a result the diameter of a bottle neck or pilferproof ring and its profile are initially to be regarded as unchangeable.For this purpose, another embodiment of a closure is presented that is suitable for the Use on standard bottle necks is provided, the thread depth of which is 1, 3 mm or more as standard. One example of this is the bottle neck according to the PCO Standard 1881.

With a deeper thread, the inner radius of the cap shell also has a greater difference to the outer radius of the bottle neck than with a less deep thread, since the inner radius of the cap shell corresponds at least to the radius of the thread base of the screw cap, which in turn is slightly larger than the outer radius of the bottle neck thread.

This applies accordingly to the lower edge area of the cap shell and the separating web attached to it.

For such deeper threads, another parameter of the closure can be taken into account in order to ensure a sufficiently large and stable folding angle of the closure in the open state, namely the radial thickness of the upper separating web at its lower edge.

The lower edge of the upper separating web runs in the intact state of the guarantee strip along the lower weakening line and is limited by this.

In one embodiment, which is primarily intended for closures and bottles that have a thread depth beyond 1, 2 or 1, 3 mm, it is provided that the separating web of the upper weakening line has a radial thickening at least on its free lower edge. In particular, this lower edge (in the closed state) is thickened radially outward. This thickening then rests on the bottle neck above the pilferproof ring after the screw cap has been opened and folded over. This thickening on the separating web compensates for at least part of the difference in radius between the bottle neck and the inner radius of the upper separating web, which, as explained above, is also enlarged because of the deeper thread.

The radial thickening is provided on the outside of the separating web and at least at one or two positions in the area of its lower edge. After the cap has been folded over by more than 90 °, the radial thickening rests on the neck of the bottle or on the upper flank of the pilferproof ring. The radial thickening on the separating web thus forces the area of the separating web located radially inside the thickening, especially at its lower edge with respect to the bottle neck, radially further outwards in relation to the cap, which effectively means that the part of the separating web imagined without the thickening assumes exactly the same position and angular position as with a smaller radius difference between the bottle neck and the inside of the separator.

In one variant, the wall thickness of the separating web is up to 1 mm due to a radial thickening of its lower edge, with “thickening” meaning the radial projection of this area beyond the otherwise cylindrical surface of the guarantee strip. With a wall thickness of the rest of the tamper-evident band of approximately 0.3 to 0.8 mm, this thickening is between 0.2 and 0.7 mm, in particular 0.2 to 0.4 mm. Without this thickening, the wall thickness of the tamper-evident band - apart from the weakening lines - is essentially constant and equal to the wall thickness of the cap jacket.

The thickening can also extend over the entire tamper-evident band section below the separating web, i.e. to the lower edge of the tamper-evident band and in particular also along the entire circumference of a lower tamper-evident band section below a line, and between the upper and lower weakening line and at a distance from it this lies. This simplifies the production in an injection mold and, in particular, also the production of the lower line of weakness compared to a variant which has a radial thickening that is restricted to only one area along the lower edge of the separating web.

The radial thickening of the upper separating web is particularly noticeable with larger thread depths on the bottle neck beyond 1.3 mm, such as with threads of the widespread standard type PC01881, the thickening has a stabilizing effect on the folded position of the open cap and holds the The axis of the screw cap in the open state is tilted by more than 120, preferably by more than 140 °, relative to the bottle neck axis. In the case of the present invention, the radial thickening is formed or replaced by a projection that is restricted to the lower edge area of the separating web and is attached to it and is directed radially outward.

Claims 1 1 - 14 define further details and dimensions of this radial projection such as, for example, a radial protrusion beyond the radial outer surface of the separating web in the range from 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm, preferably 0.3-1 mm and an axial thickness (Height) of the radial projection between 0.2 and 1 mm.

The radial projection expediently extends over a circumferential angle which corresponds at most to the circumferential angle of the upper separating web (1 1) and is preferably between 50 and 80%% of the circumferential angle of the upper separating web (1 1).

In one embodiment, the radial projection has a maximum radial projection in its central section, viewed in the circumferential direction, which decreases towards the ends of the projection.

In the axial direction, the projection is sensibly limited to the lower section, i.e. approximately the lower axial half of the upper separating web, because when the screw cap is folded down, this lower section of the separating web comes into contact with the container neck and interacts with the attachment point and the The tensile force of the straps stabilizes the open position.

The axial dimensions of all parts below the cap shell together, which conventionally form a guarantee band, are limited in practice to a total of about 5 to 6 mm. On the one hand, the demand for material savings and the requirements through appropriately adapted bottle necks limit this axial dimension upwards. At the bottom, this dimension is limited by sufficient functional stability. On the one hand, a guarantee tape must be secured to the bottle neck in such a way that it can practically not be removed from the bottle neck without damaging it. On the other hand, it must also withstand the forces when the closure is applied to a bottle neck thread, in particular while it is moved over the pilferproof ring. These conditions can no longer be met if essential parts of the guarantee strip are axially shorter than, for example, 2 mm (apart from easily breakable bridges, which can be distributed along a line of weakness).

If, as in the present case, the part of the screw cap underneath the cap shell is additionally divided into the elements of the stationary part, retaining straps and separating webs, there is little left There is scope for varying the axial width (or height) of the retaining straps and the axial height of the separators. In practice, both dimensions are in the range of 2 - 3 mm. In the circumferential area of the retaining straps and the upper separating web, an axial width of approximately 2-3 mm also remains for the stationary outer tamper-evident band section. Any axial variation in the course of the weakening lines along their circumferential extent would therefore also be limited, for practical reasons, to an axial area of at most 1 mm in width. This would not change the basic function of a closure according to the invention and is therefore not discussed in detail here.

Incidentally, in one embodiment of the invention, the stationary part forms a flexible band with the outer stationary section already described and a part which is folded inwards and upwards and which engages with the pilferproof ring of a bottle neck.

In a further variant, the closure is designed for use on an opening nozzle of a cardboard packaging.

Such a screw cap for cardboard packaging has a lower closure part with a circumferential flange on which it can be connected in a sealed manner to the surface of a cardboard packaging, as well as a cylindrical pouring spout adjoining the flange, which has an upper outer and a lower inner opening, a screw cap with an internal thread, that on an external thread of the pouring spout can be screwed, a cutting ring arranged in the pouring spout, which has at its lower edge at least one axially inwardly protruding cutting edge, and an axial lifting and driving device on the cutting ring and the screw cap, one on the inside of the Screw cap attached driver and an axial lifting device, which when turning the screw cap in the opening direction moves the cutting ring axially in the direction of the lower opening and in the circumferential direction and thereby an at least partially circular circumferential cut in the container surface e brings in.

The object on which the invention is based is also achieved for such a closure in that the screw cap has a circumferential tamper-evident band on the lower edge of its cap shell, which with an inner projection engages behind a pilferproof ring on the outside of the pouring spout below the pouring thread, the tamper-evident band by two Separate, partially circumferential and circumferentially partially overlapping and non-intersecting cuts is partially divided and partially separated from the jacket of the screw cap, so that in the circumferentially overlapping areas of the cuts from parts of the guarantee strip, a retaining strap is formed in each case, which is used by the External thread loosened screw cap on the lower part of the tamper-evident band that remains divided on the closure. This variant can also have all the features of the dependent claims 2 to 12, whereby with regard to the combination of bottle neck and closure in claims 13 to 17, the respective bottle neck would have to be replaced by the lower part of the closure attached to a beverage carton

In such a closure, the cutting ring has on its outside a second external thread which is opposite to the external thread of the pouring spout and which engages with a matching second internal thread on the inside of the pouring spout,

In this variant, the second internal thread and the second external thread can have a larger pitch than the internal thread of the screw cap and the external thread of the pouring spout, the factor between the different pitches preferably being at least 1.5

Furthermore, the driver of the screw cap can be designed as a lifting cam with a surface or edge inclined to the closure axis and one element of the cutting ring as a cam follower, and radially overlapping guide elements can be provided on the outside of the cutting ring and on the inside of the pouring spout, the guide elements at the beginning of an opening rotation of the screw cap, allow only one axial movement of the cutting ring and only allow the cutting ring to be carried along in the circumferential direction and limit further axial movement after the cutting ring has reached a predeterminable axial position,

Further advantages, features and possible applications of the present invention will become clear on the basis of the following description of a preferred embodiment and the associated figures. Show it:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the closure according to the present invention

FIG. 2 shows the closure according to FIG. 1 in a side view,

FIG. 3 shows a 360 ° development of the guarantee band of the closure from FIG. 2,

Figures 4 A-C the closure according to Figure 1 in different stages of an opening process,

Figure 5 shows a folded closure, in which the separating web with the upper

The flank of a pilferproof ring is engaged,

FIG. 6A shows a detailed view from FIG. 5,

FIG. 6B shows an axial section through a bottle neck with a pilferproof ring according to FIG

Invention, FIG. 7 A detail analogous to FIG. 5 with a different profile shape of a pilferproof ring,

FIGS. 8A, 8B variants of the design of a bottle neck in the area above a pilferproof ring,

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a further embodiment of a closure, partly in section, in particular for greater thread depths, in the closed state. FIG. 9A shows an enlarged sectional view of the detail area B in FIG

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the embodiment according to FIG. 9 in the open state, partially in section,

FIG. 10A shows an enlarged sectional view of detail A from FIG

FIG. 11 shows an axial section through a closure according to the invention for beverage cartons,

FIG. 12 shows the closure according to FIG. 11 in a view from the outside in the closed state,

13 shows the closed closure according to FIG. 11 in a view from above,

FIG. 14 shows the closure according to FIG. 11 in a partially open state,

FIG. 15 shows a completely opened closure according to FIG. 11 with one folded over

Screw cap,

FIG. 16 shows a partially sectioned side view of a further embodiment with a radial projection of the upper separating web in its lower area,

FIG. 17 shows an enlarged sectional view of the screw cap from FIG. 16 in the area of the upper separating web and

FIG. 18 shows an enlarged sectional view of the screw cap from FIGS. 16 and 17 in the folded-over state.

According to the perspective view in FIG. 1, the closure according to the invention consists of a screw cap 10 with a guarantee strip, the screw cap 10 essentially consisting of a cap shell 2 and a head plate 1 which closes the cylindrical cap shell 2 at the top. At the lower end of the cap shell 2, a tamper-evident band 3 is attached, which cannot be completely separated from the screw cap 10 in the case of the closure according to the invention.

Usual screw caps with a tamper-evident band have only a single weakening line which, unlike the weakening line 13 shown here, runs without interruption along the entire circumference of the screw cap 10 and represents the dividing line between the screw cap 10 and the tamper-evident band 3. A line of weakness can generally be a circumferential, uniform material weakening, which can be produced, for example, by an incision that does not completely penetrate the material of the guarantee strip 3 or the transition to the cap shell 2, or it is a cut that completely extends through the wall thickness of the guarantee strip 3 Incision, which is interrupted at individual points by easily breakable bridges.

The present invention differs from this usual form of screw caps with a tamper-evident band in that it has two weakening lines 13, 14, which on the one hand are spaced apart in the axial direction and on the other hand do not extend over the entire circumference of the tamper-evident band, but in an upper one Separating web 1 1 of the upper weakening line 13 and in a lower separating web 12 of the lower weakening line 14 are interrupted.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the closure from FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows a development of the guarantee strip 3 over 360 °, ie. H. the ends of the guarantee strip shown on the right and left at 0 ° and 360 °, respectively, meet and hang together, so that the guarantee strip has an overall ring shape. The separation in this development view divides the separating web 12 into two parts, although it is actually a single, contiguous separating web.

The interruption lines 13, 14 are of different lengths, but are arranged such that they overlap the separating web 11 or 12 of the other line of weakness in each case. It is useful here if the center points of the separating webs 1 1, 12 are diametrically opposite one another, as in the present case at 0 ° and 180 ° in FIG.

If, after opening or unscrewing the screw cap from a bottle neck, the weak connection that initially still exists along the weakening lines 13, 14 is completely severed, the retaining straps 15, 16 formed in the overlap area of the weakening line form a substantially tear-resistant connection between the interruption areas 11, 12. The interruption area 11 is connected to the lower edge of the screw cap and the interruption area 12 is connected to the part of the guarantee strip 3 that remains in its original position and is located below the weakening line 14.

The part of the tamper-evident band 3 remaining below the weakening line 14 together with the interruption region 12 still forms a completely encircling fastening band between the screw cap and the neck of the container that is in engagement with the bottle neck. The interruption areas 12 and 11 are each connected to one another by remaining retaining straps 15, 16, which are generated by the overlapping sections of the two weakening lines 13, 14, so that effectively the screw cap 10 via the retaining straps 15, 16 with the The lower section of the tamper-evident band and thus remains connected to the bottle neck and is therefore captive.

In FIG. 4A, a closure arranged on a bottle neck can be seen in a partially unscrewed state. The connection between the screw cap 10 and the guarantee strip 3 is separated along the two weakening lines 13, 14. However, since both lines of weakness are interrupted and axially offset from one another at least in their overlapping area, a movable connection between screw cap 10 and guarantee band 3 remains via the retaining straps 15, 16 generated between the overlapping lines of weakness. It is therefore understood that when the closure or the screw cap 10 is loosened by a rotary movement in the opening direction with the cap shell 2, the guarantee strip 3 also rotates about the closure axis 50, which is carried along by the retaining straps 15, 16 in the circumferential direction.

Due to the thread pitch, the cap shell moves axially upwards, while the guarantee band is held on a so-called pilferproof ring 21, which is only indicated in the figures. In Figure 4A, however, the separating webs 11 and 12 and one of the retaining straps 15 extending between them can be seen, while the weakening lines 13, 14 are moreover widened to a large axial distance.

As soon as the screw cap according to FIG. 4A has been unscrewed sufficiently far from the thread of the bottle neck, the screw cap can be removed or tilted away to the side, as shown in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4C shows a state in which the screw cap 10 has already been tilted or folded over by more than 90 ° with respect to the starting position in FIG. 4A. The tilt angle is defined as the angle between the axis 50 of the container neck and the axis 50 'of the cylindrical internal thread of the cap shell 2, which coincide in the closed state of the closure on the bottle neck, while in the case of the open closure according to FIG. 4C, the axes 50, 50 ', starting from the closed position, have been tilted by approx. 150 ° relative to one another.

The interruption area 11 is of particular importance here, which simply represents a relatively stable, axial extension of the cap jacket 2 due to the connection to the cap jacket. By tilting the screw cap according to FIG. 4C, this separating web 1 is also tilted in the form of a tab-like extension together with the stable closure jacket and has already slightly exceeded a horizontal position (perpendicular to the axis 50) in FIG. 4C, with the retaining straps 15, 16 being correspondingly twisted . The lower edge 1 1 a of the separating web 1 1 engages with the outside of the bottle neck 20 because the edge 1 1 a due to the tilting of the screw cap and also because of its axial displacement beyond the pilferproof ring 21 and because of the twisting of the retaining straps 15 , 16 is forced to a smaller radius than in the state according to FIG. 4A. An upper flank of the pilferproof ring 21 inclined by approx. 30 ° or even slightly less relative to the closure axis 50 supports the folding movement of the separating web 11 when it slides onto the upper flank of the pilferproof ring 21

The upper edge of the separating web 11, which is firmly connected to the lower edge of the cap shell 2, moves accordingly to a larger radius than in the initial state according to FIG. 4A. The two retaining straps 15,16 are twisted and the axial displacement of the upper separating web 1 1 of the guarantee strip also leads to an effective reduction in the diameter of the guarantee strip including the separating web 1 1, especially in the area of the lower edge 1 1 a.

This lower edge 1 1 a of the separating web 1 1 therefore comes into contact with the outside of the bottle neck 20 and frictionally engaging, the force occurring between the bottle neck 20 and the separating web 1 1 or the edge 1 1 a being maximal when the separating web 1 1 roughly horizontal, i.e. H. is oriented perpendicular to the bottle neck axis 50. The retaining straps 15, 16 are then under tension.

If the screw cap and the separating web 11 are tilted further, the tension in the retaining straps, which have a certain elasticity, is again somewhat reduced, so that the horizontal position of the separating web 11 defines a dead point. As soon as this dead center is exceeded, the engagement between the separating web 11 and the bottle neck 20 effectively causes a force that tends to move the screw cap against elastic restoring forces in the retaining straps 15, 16 into the further folded position. The cap shell 2 and thus the screw cap 10 as a whole thus assume a sufficiently stable position beyond the dead center. The screw cap thus remains in a widely opened state even if the bottle neck is rotated or inclined in any direction.

In this position, the cap shell is sufficiently far away from the bottle neck opening so that liquid can be poured out of the bottle or drunk directly from the bottle without the screw cap still attached to the bottle neck having a disruptive effect. The screw cap 10 is preferably tilted in such a way that it is in a sufficiently stable position and the cap shell 2 is as far away as possible from the bottle neck opening. In order to make this possible, the pilferproof ring 21 on the bottle neck 20, among other things, can also be formed in the sense of the present invention in such a way that the screw cap 10 is pressed radially outward when it is folded down, thereby resulting in stronger torsion of the retaining straps 15, 16 and consequently an increase in the tilt angle comes.

In FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B, 7, 8A and 8B, embodiments with pilferproof rings 21 designed in this way are shown.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a closure which is in a folded position. The area in which the separating web 11 is in engagement with the bottle neck 20, more precisely with the pilferproof ring 21, is shown in a cross-sectional view and is shown enlarged in FIG. 6A.

According to FIG. 6A, the profile of the pilferproof ring 21 is essentially triangular. The profile can also be described as nose-shaped in this case. A lower flank 22 of the pilferproof ring extends almost perpendicular to the axis of the container neck 50. In accordance with the triangular profile, this lower flank 22 converges with an upper flank 24 in a region of maximum diameter. The area of the maximum diameter is designed here as a rounded edge, which is also referred to here as a ridge 23 running between the lower flank 22 and the upper flank 24. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A, the upper flank 24 is set much flatter than the bottle neck 20 than the lower flank. In this case, the upper flank extends at an angle of approximately 30 ° to the axis of the container neck 50.

When screwing on the screw cap 10, the upper separating web 11 is now lifted over the ridge 23 in which the pilferproof ring 21 has its maximum diameter. During the subsequent tilting, the retaining straps 15 and 16 are twisted, and the lower edge 1 1 A of the separating web 1 1 slides onto the upper flank 24 of the pilferproof ring 21. The separating web 11 is held further radially outwards by the diameter D of the upper flank 24, which is larger than the outer bottle neck diameter d, in the area covered by the lower edge 11 A of the separating web 11 than would be possible with the bottle neck diameter d otherwise it is present between pilferproof ring 21 and thread 25 and also at the thread root. As a result of this effect, the retaining straps 15, 16 shown in FIG. 5 experience greater torsion and the screw cap 10 or its axis 50 'is tilted at a greater tilt angle with respect to the bottle neck axis 50 than would be the case without the profile shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A Pilferproofringes 21 would be possible. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the tilt angle is approximately 150 °.

Another profile of a pilferproof ring 21 is shown in FIG. 6B. In comparison to the profile shown in FIG. 6A, the upper flank 24 in this case is even flatter than the bottle neck 20. The upper flank forms an angle of approximately 10 ° with the axis 50 of the container neck. In addition, the upper flank 24 extends over a larger axial section of the bottle neck 20.

With such a profile of the pilferproof ring 21, as shown in Figures 6A or 6B, it can be structurally determined that the separating web 11 or its lower edge 11a remains on the upper flank 24 and thus on a larger radius lies than without the axially elongated flank 24 (due to the smaller angle to the axis 50). The larger the radius on which the edge 1 1 a is held after folding, the more the retaining straps 15, 16 are twisted and the larger it is the tilt angle of the screw cap 10 in a sufficiently stable end position of the screw cap 10.

In FIGS. 7, 8A and 8B, further examples are shown in which the pilferproof ring 21 has such a profile according to the invention or the bottle neck above the pilferproof ring has corresponding additional elements. In FIG. 7, the profile is designed similar to a trapezoid, the lower flank 22 extending almost perpendicular to the axis of the container neck 50 and the upper flank 24 at an angle of approximately 45 ° to the axis of the container neck 50. The area of maximum diameter 23 extends axially upward so far that the separating web 1 1 remains largely below the upper flank 24 and is thus pressed radially outward and, in relation to a contact with the smaller (outer) diameter d of the bottle neck 20, again the tilt angle the screw cap 10 is enlarged

FIG. 8A shows a profile of a pilferproof ring 21 which, in the lower area, is similar to the profile from FIGS. 5 and 6A. The upper flank 24 in the embodiment shown in Figure 8A merges into a short, cylindrical upper end portion 24B, which defines a larger diameter D compared to the smaller diameter d of the bottle neck on which the separating web 11 or its lower edge in the folded-over state Screw cap 10 is applied. This ensures in particular that the screw cap 10 subsequently has a larger tilt angle in a sufficiently stable end position.

Another alternative is shown in Figure 8B. In addition to the pilferproof ring 21, the bottle neck here has an annular projection 26 which extends above the upper flank 24 of the Pilferproof ring 21 is arranged circumferentially on the bottle neck. The axial position of the projection 26 is matched to the closure or the screw cap with the separating web 1 1 that this or its lower edge 1 1 a strikes the projection 26 from below and thus holds the screw cap below in the immediate vicinity of the pilferproof ring becomes. Without a projection 29, the straps 15 could pull the upper separating web and thus the entire screw cap slightly upwards until the edge of the separating web abuts the thread. There is little space between the lower end of the neck thread and the pilferproof ring and the ability of the separator to move upwards is very small. Since the thread runs helically upwards, this axial freedom of movement becomes greater and greater until it is rotated 360 ° to the lower thread start at z. B. 2.7mm slope also reached almost 2.7 mm. Since it is undesirable to allow the screw cap to come closer to the cheek of the person drinking directly from the bottle in order to allow this freedom of movement, the circumferential projection 26 prevents or hinders this upward movement.

FIG. 9 shows a further screw cap according to the present invention, shown partially in section. The screw cap 10 has the tamper-evident band 3 at its lower edge and a detail A of the lower region of the screw cap including the part of an associated bottle neck 20, shown in section, is shown separately as an enlarged detail in FIG. 9A.

The screw cap 10 in Figures 9, 9A and 10, 10A is already very similar to the screw cap shown in Figures 5 and 6A, with the exception of the fact that at least the separating web 1 1 has a radial thickening 1 1 b on its lower edge, which In the present case, however, it also extends axially below and at the level of the thickening of the separating web 11 over the entire circumference of the guarantee strip 3. In this section, the guarantee strip has a greater wall thickness than in the case of FIGS. 5 and 6, below an imaginary line which lies between the upper and lower weakening lines and at a distance from them.

The thickening 1 1 b, at the lower edge of the separating web 1 1, has the purpose of keeping the opened screw cap wide open even when using a thread with a thread depth of more than 1.3 mm, as shown for example in FIG .

The upper weakening line 13 is not present in the area of the separating web 11 because of the sectional plane in FIG. 9. The separating web 11 is thus continuously connected to the cap shell 2. The axial position of the upper line of weakness would be approximately at the level of the maximum diameter of the pilferproof ring 21. The fastening part of the guarantee tape is formed by a flex tape. This consists of a radially inner, upwardly folded part 3a and a radially outer flexband section 3b, which remains stationary on the bottle neck even after the closure has been opened.

As can be seen in Figure 10A, which likes an enlarged detail of the latch in the unfolded position. Figure 10 shows, causes the radial thickening 1 1 b, which rests here in the area of the transition between the upper flank of the pilferproof ring 21 and the bottle neck section above, that the imaginary radially inner part 1 1 c of the separating web 1 1 (which has a separating web without Thickening corresponds), and in particular the lower edge of the bottle neck 20 is pressed more radially outward than if the thickening 1 1 b were not present. As a result, the screw cap 10 remains in a stable, wide, for example by 140 °, folded position despite the deeper thread profile.

Figures 1 1-15 each show the same embodiment of a closure for cardboard packaging, in particular beverage cartons, and are therefore described in connection with one another. One recognizes FIG. 1 in section and in FIG. 4 in an external view a lower closure part which is designated as a whole by 40 and consists of a flange 31 with a pouring spout 32 attached to it. The pouring spout has an upper opening and a lower opening, not visible here, which, when the closure is on a cardboard packaging, is initially closed by the surface of the cardboard material in order to prevent any contamination of the container contents.

The flange 1 is glued or welded onto a cardboard 45, the welding assuming that the cardboard material 45 is provided with a suitable surface coating (e.g. polyethylene).

The lower part 40 of the closure has an external thread 42, onto which the internal thread 41 of a screw cap 10 can be screwed.

The pouring spout 40 also has a further internal thread 31, in which a matching external thread of a cutting ring 35 engages, which also has cutting elements 33 projecting axially and, in the closed state according to FIG. 1, lying directly above the surface of the carton 45. A driver 34 engages a matching counterpart 36 on the cutting ring 35 when the screw cap is rotated in the opening direction. A fixing web 7 can also be seen on the flange, which is connected to the lower end of the guarantee strip 30 via two easily breakable bridges 6. As can best be seen in FIG. 2, the guarantee strip has two cutting lines 18, 19, which either go through weakened material of the tamper-evident band 30 or, as in the present case, are defined by continuous incisions that are only interrupted by further easily breakable bridges 36 which tear open when the screw cap is opened. The lower cutting line 18 and the upper cutting line 19 overlap one another, in the present case along a circumferential angle of approximately 120 °, and each have a lower interruption section 12 and an upper interruption section 11. When unscrewing the screw cap 40, the easily breakable bridges 6 tear first and very quickly, which indicates that the closure has been rotated at least once through a small angle in the opening direction, which is possibly sufficient for the cutting elements to pierce the cardboard material 45.

If the screw cap 40 is turned further in the opening direction, the easily breakable bridges of the cutting lines also tear, but this does not lead to a complete separation of the screw cap from the guarantee band, since the upper interruption section 11 over the retaining straps 15, 16 (in the figures only in each case one visible) remains connected to the lower interruption section 12, which in turn remains connected to the circumferential, stationary lower part of the guarantee strip 30, which in turn is held on the pilferproof ring 35 on the closure lower part 10.

The length of the straps 15, 16, i.e. H. the length of the overlap areas of the cutting lines is set according to Figure 4 so that the lower edge of the upper interruption section 1 1 in the open and folded by about 150 ° state of the screw cap 20 engages with the outside of the pouring spout 40 and the retaining straps 15, 16 below Tension stand, so that this position of the screw cap is held by the tension of the straps and the contact of the lower edge of the interruption section 11 of the screw cap 40, even if the pouring spout is tilted together with the corresponding container in any direction.

Figures 16 to 18 show a further closure variant with a radial projection in the lower area on the outside of the separating web 11. Figure 16 is a partially broken away side view of a closure cap (in the broken away part in axial section) and Figure 17 is an enlarged detail of the sectional view from Figure 16.

FIG. 18 shows the screw cap in a wide-open, folded-over state.

This embodiment is very similar to the embodiment of Figures 9 and 10, in contrast to the embodiment of Figures 9 and 10, the thickened section 1 1 b in the lower area of the separating web 1 1 is formed by a radial projection 1 1 e, while the Guarantee strip below the separator 1 1 and also in the circumferential direction outside of the separator 11 is not thickened in contrast to the illustration in Figures 9 and 10, but has the same constant thickness as in Figures 9 and 10 above the radial thickening 1 1 b.

The radial projection 11e in Figures 16 to 18 is arranged on or near the lower edge of the separating web 11 and serves essentially the same purpose as the radial thickening 11b in Figures 9 and 10. The axial extent of the The separating web is defined by the axial distance between the weakening lines 13 and 14, with the upper weakening line 13 interrupted in the area of the separating web 11 in FIGS. 9, 10 and 16-18 by a horizontal line at the transition between a conical section of the inner wall of the cap shell 2 and the cylindrical inner wall of the separating web 1 1 is indicated. At least the lower, radially outer edge of the projection 1 1 e, preferably the projection 1 1 e as a whole, is located in the lower half of the axial extent of the separating web 1 1,

In other words, the radial projection 11e is designed and dimensioned so that when the screw cap is opened and folded down, as shown in FIG. 18, it intervenes on the upper outer flank 24 of the pilferproof ring 21 and / or the outer side of the bottle neck 20 Pilferproof ring 21 and thread 25 is supported in the radial direction and thus effectively pushes the screw cap further outwards, so that the retaining straps 15, 16, which attach to the peripheral ends of the separating web 1 1 or of the section 1 1 c of the separating web 1 1, the screw cap in stabilize the folded position shown by way of example in FIG.

When you fold the screw cap loosened from the bottle neck thread, the lower, inner edge of the separating web 1 1 comes into contact with the bottle neck 20 or its pilferproof ring 21, and after exceeding a 90 ° Umklappwinkel (starting from the closed position) occurs Finally, the radially furthest down and outermost edge and / or the radially outer edge of the projection 11e engages the bottle neck 20 or the flank 24 of the pilferproof ring 21 in order to stabilize the folded position in the manner already described above .

The radial projection 11e limited to the circumferential angle of the separating web 1 or to a part of this circumferential angle, which, on the other hand, compared to the thickening in FIGS. 9 and 10, has a slightly larger radial protrusion over the outside of the separating web and the rest of the cap shell has, in terms of the stabilizing effect, is somewhat more effective than the radial thickening 1 1 b and also saves the material otherwise required for the radial thickening 1 1 b and the adjacent stationary part 3 b of the guarantee strip 3. List of reference symbols

1 head plate

2 cap coat

3 guarantee tape

3a Inner flex band section

3b outer flex tape section

10 screw cap

1 1 a lower edge

1 1, 12 dividers

1 1 b radial thickening

1 1 e radial projection

13.14 lines of weakness

15.16 straps

20 bottle neck

21 Pilfer proof ring

22 lower flank

23 Area of maximum diameter

24 upper flank

24A lower section of the upper flank

24B upper end portion of the upper flank

25 threads

26 advantage

50 axis of the container neck

50 'axis of the lock

d Bottle diameter without thread profile

D Outside diameter of the upper flank or the section above it

Claims

Patent claims

1. Closure, consisting of a screw cap (10) with a guarantee band (3), which has at least one cylindrical cap shell (2) with an internal thread and a circumferential guarantee band (3) at the lower, open end of the cap shell (2), which is easily tearable along Weakening lines (13, 14) is connected to the lower edge of the cap shell, the guarantee band (3) remaining inextricably connected to the cap shell (2) via retaining straps (15, 16) after tearing along the weakening lines, characterized in that the retaining straps (15, 16) are formed by two lines of weakness (13, 14) which are interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction, partially overlap in the circumferential direction and at least in the overlapping area run at an axial distance from one another and, the separating webs (1 1, 12) of both lines of weakness ( 13, 14) are bridged by the other line of weakness (14, 13), preferably at an axial distance.

2. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that each weakening line has exactly one separating web and the centers of the separating webs (1 1, 12) are diametrically opposite one another.

3. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separating web (1 1) of the upper weakening line (13) extends over a circumferential angle between 10 ° and 75 °, preferably between 20 ° and 60 °

4. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separating web (12) of the lower line of weakness (14) extends over a circumferential angle between 120 ° and 200 °, preferably between 170 ° and 190 °

5. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the width measured in the axial direction of the upper separating web (1 1) remaining on the cap shell (2) is at least half the width of the intact guarantee strip (3).

6. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the width measured in the axial direction of the upper separating web (1 1) remaining on the cap shell (2) is at least 1.5 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, in particular at least 2.5 and is less than 5 mm,

7. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separating web (1 1) of the upper weakening line has a radial thickening at least at its free lower edge.

8. Screw cap according to claim 7, characterized in that the radial thickening is limited to the outside of the guarantee band and that the radial excess of the United thickening compared to the wall thickness of the guarantee band outside the thickening up to 0.6 mm, preferably between 0.2 and 0.4 mm.

9. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the radial thickening extends over the entire circumference and / or to the lower edge of the guarantee strip.

10. A screw cap according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the radial Verdi is formed by a radial projection which is limited to the lower portion of the upper separating web (1 1).

1 1. Screw cap according to claim 10, characterized in that the radial projection forms a radial protrusion beyond the radial outer surface of the separating web in the range from 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm, preferably 0.3 to 1 mm.

12. Screw cap according to claim 10 or 1 1, characterized in that the radial jump before an axial thickness (height) between 0.2 and 1 mm.

13. Screw cap according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the radial projection extends over a circumferential angle which corresponds to a maximum of the circumferential angle of the upper separating web (1 1) and preferably between 50 and 80%% of the circumferential angle of the upper separating web (1 1) is.

14. Screw cap according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the radial projection has a maximum radial projection in its central portion seen in the circumferential direction, which decreases towards the ends of the projection.

15. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall thickness of the tamper-evident band (3) outside any radial thickening is between 0.5 and 0.8 mm

16. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guarantee strip (3) is designed as a flex strip with a radially outer part and a folded-over radially inner part.

17. Screw cap according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the minimum distance between the lines of weakness (13, 14) is greater than 1.5 mm, preferably greater than 2 mm and in particular greater than 2.5 mm.

18. Combination of a bottle neck (20) with an external thread and a closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer diameter of the bottle neck (20) above a pilferproof ring (21), the inner diameter of the tamper-evident band (3), and the width and the circumferential extent of the upper separating web (1 1) are coordinated so that after an opening rotation of the screw cap and the subsequent tilting of the screw cap (10) with torsion of the retaining straps (15, 16) together with the separating web (1 1) the free lower edge of the separating web (1 1 a) comes into engagement with the bottle neck (20) and is moved beyond a dead point when a tilt angle of more than 90 ° is exceeded, so that afterwards the outside of the separating web (1 1) with the outside of the bottle neck ( 20) comes into contact and the screw cap (10) is stabilized in this position tilted by more than 90 °.

19. Combination according to claim 18, characterized in that the outer diameter of the bottle neck (20) in an area above a pilferproof ring (21) in which the tamper-evident band (3) of the closure is arranged by at most 2.5 mm, preferably at most 1.5 mm smaller than the nominal inside diameter of the guarantee band (3).

20. Combination according to one of claims 18 or 19, characterized in that the pilferproof ring (21) has a profile that is formed by a lower flank (22) which extends in an axial section at at least 80 ° to the bottle neck axis (50) extends, a region of maximum diameter (23) and an upper flank (24) is defined, which extends at an angle of inclination <90 ° relative to the bottle neck axis (50) and below the thread (25) of the bottle neck (20) in the outer bottle neck diameter merges, the upper flank (24) or a section of the bottle neck above the upper flank (24) of the profile of the pilferproof ring (21) at least in or up to an axial position which, when the screw cap is in a maximally folded position, is from the lower edge ( 1 1 a) of the upper separating web is achieved, has a larger outer diameter than the bottle neck (20) without a thread profile.

21. Combination according to claim 120, characterized in that the difference between the outer diameter (D) of the upper flank or the section above it and the bottle neck diameter (d) without a thread profile is at least 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm.

22. Combination according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that the pilferproof ring (21) has a triangular or trapezoidal profile, the base of which is defined by an axially parallel line on the cylindrical outer surface of the container neck and whose lower flank has an angle> 80 ° with the Axis (50) of the container neck (20) includes, the upper Flank of the profile forms an angle <40 °, in particular <30 °, with the axis (50) of the container neck (20).