WO2022167540A1

WO2022167540A1 - Container closure

Info

Publication number: WO2022167540A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/052613
Authority: WO
Inventors: Klemens Bösch
Original assignee: Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2021-02-03
Filing date: 2022-02-03
Publication date: 2022-08-11
Also published as: CN116848050A; EP4288348A1; MX2023008109A; US20240116680A1; CH718322A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a container closure (11) for closing a container opening (13) of a container (15) having a casing (17), a cover disc (19) which rests against the upper end of the casing (17), a dispensing opening (21) which is provided on the cover disc (19), a first sealing element which is formed on the inner side of the cover disc (19) and is provided to project sealingly into the container opening (13), and a cap (25) which closes or opens the dispensing opening (21). On the casing (17), at least one latch opening (31) is provided which can interact with a latch element (45) of the container (15).

Description

container closure

field of invention

The invention relates to a container closure for closing a container opening of a container according to the preamble of claim 1, a container according to the preamble of claim 12 and a closure system with a container closure and a container according to the preamble of claim 18.

State of the art

From the prior art in the field of plastic container closures with a hinged or screw cap, container closures are known which are captively held on a neck of the container and close its opening. For this purpose, the closure has a double jacket with an outer jacket and an inner jacket. The tops of the two jackets are connected by a cover disk, on which a removal opening for removing the filling material is provided. The inner jacket can lock with the container neck. For this purpose, first holding elements are formed on the inner casing, which, formed with second holding elements, can engage on the container neck. When the closure is pressed onto the container neck, it latches onto it.

Inside the inner shell, a first sealing element is formed on the cover disk, which projects into the opening of the container and seals it tightly against the contents when the closure is placed on the container.

The hinged cap can be connected to the outer shell in an articulated manner. The hinged cap can be pivoted between a closed position and an open position, with the hinged cap preferably locking in both positions and covering the removal opening and the cover disk in the closed position.

A collar with an external thread can also extend upwards on the cover disk, in which case the removal opening is provided on the collar. The removal opening can be closed by unscrewing the screw cap.

A lot of plastic material is required to produce the container closure, and such a container closure is correspondingly expensive. A plastic bottle, in particular a toilet bottle, is known from WO 2016/188588 A1, which comprises a blow molded container with a bottle neck and an angled attachment. This is pressed onto the bottle neck in a push-on direction. The bottle neck has a first snap-on connection element, which can latch on a second snap-on connection element of the attachment. The attachment therefore does not require an inner jacket, since the jacket of the attachment is held directly on the neck of the bottle. The attachment can be manufactured relatively inexpensively. However, the second snap-on connection element is expensive to produce in an injection molding tool, since it involves an undercut.

object of the invention

The disadvantages of the prior art described result in the task of creating a generic container closure which can be produced as cost-effectively as possible.

A further object is that when the closure is snapped onto the container neck, the upsetting pressure is as low as possible, as a result of which the container shoulder does not have to be as stable and can accordingly be produced in a manner that is gentle on the material.

description

The solution to the task is achieved with a container closure by the features listed in the characterizing section of patent claim 1 . Further developments and/or advantageous embodiment variants are the subject matter of the dependent patent claims.

The invention is preferably characterized in that at least one locking opening is provided on the jacket, which can interact with a locking element of the container. Since the latching with the container takes place on the shell, an inner shell, which latches with the container according to the prior art, can be dispensed with. This can significantly reduce the need for plastic material used in the injection molding of the container closure. The weight of the container closure can be reduced by up to 33 percent.

In addition, the locking opening makes it possible for the corresponding locking element to be positioned as low as possible on the container shoulder and not on the container must be trained. As a result, the jacket can have a reduced height, which enables additional material savings for the production of the container closure. The height of the closure can be reduced by up to 5 mm.

It has proven to be expedient if two latching openings are provided diametrically opposite one another on the casing. This allows the closure to be held symmetrically and stably on the container. The jacket can also be simply pressed on opposite surfaces that are not pierced by the latching openings in order to release the latching openings from the latching elements. It is also conceivable for the closure to be released by twisting. As a result, the closure can be easily pulled off the container if required. This is advantageous, for example, when the container is to be refilled via the container opening. It is also conceivable that the latching elements interact with the latching openings in such a way that their connection cannot be detached.

The jacket expediently has an elliptical cross section, with the two latching openings being provided on the main axis or the secondary axis of the ellipse. Since the container shoulder can also have an elliptical cross-section, it has proven to be easy to align the closure relative to the container: if the two main axes of the ellipses coincide, the locking elements and the locking openings are aligned in such a way that they can snap together.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching opening has a first latching edge which is oriented parallel to the open end of the casing and has the shortest distance from the open end of the casing in comparison to the other edges of the latching opening. As a result, the connection between the latching opening and the latching element is reliable and does not come loose even under increased loading, for example in the direction of the central axis.

It proves to be advantageous if the distance between the first latching edge and the open end of the jacket is between 2 and 6 mm and preferably between 2 and 3 mm. As a result, the detent opening can be arranged as low as possible on the jacket, which leads to a container with the lowest possible height. It is preferable to make the distance as small as possible in order to save as much material as possible.

The snap-in opening is expediently in the form of a rectangle. This shape enables the formation of a long, stable latching edge, since one long side of the Rectangle can be the locking edge. Other geometric shapes such as a triangle or an arrow are also conceivable. This configuration option has the advantage that the locking opening and the locking element can serve as a design element. This effect can be intensified by the fact that the closure and the container or the latching element have different colors.

Conveniently the cap is a hinged cap which is hinged to the skirt. This type of closure of the removal opening is practical, known to the user and can be produced by injection molding.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the cap is a screw cap which has an internal thread and can be screwed onto a collar with an external thread which extends upwards on the cover disk. The screw cap can also be provided with a child safety device. This type of closure can be used for toxic liquids such as toilet cleaner, etc.

A second sealing element is expediently formed on the inside of the cap, which protrudes into the removal opening when the cap is placed on the cover disc. As a result, the removal opening is sealed so that the contents are sealed.

Due to the fact that the jacket advantageously has the shape of a truncated cone, the jacket surface is inclined, as a result of which the closure can be placed on the latching elements with less resistance. Furthermore, this design of the jacket is aesthetically pleasing.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the container closure is free of an inner jacket, which is formed between the jacket and the first sealing element. As already described above, the cost of materials for the container closure can be significantly reduced by up to 33% by weight.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a container, in particular a bias-molded plastic container, onto which a container closure according to the above description can be placed.

The invention is also preferably characterized in that at least one latching element is formed on the container shoulder or the container neck, which latching element can be latched in the latching opening of the container closure. The latching element is provided on the hanging shoulder, whereby the container neck can be made as short as possible, or on the neck, whereby the shoulder is straight and flat can be. This saves material on the container and on the container closure since the closure can have a low height.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the container is extrusion blow molded when the at least one latching element is formed on the container shoulder. The at least one latching element can easily be blow molded as an elevation on the hanging shoulder. This allows the container closure to cooperate with extrusion blow molded containers.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the container is stretch blow molded when the at least one latching element is formed on the container neck. The at least one latching element can be easily injection molded on the neck, as a result of which it is already formed during the manufacture of the preform. As a result, the container closure can also interact with stretch-blow molded containers.

A support ring is expediently formed on the container neck, from which the at least one latching element protrudes. As a result, the latching element can be injection molded and demolded with little effort, since a support ring is usually required anyway for stretch blow molded containers.

It is preferred if the shoulder has a planar shape lying in the horizontal or a hanging shape as a truncated cone. As a result, the shoulder can be produced both by extrusion blow molding (the slope of the shoulder facilitates demolding) and by stretch blow molding (the flat shoulder is easy to stretch blow mold). The closure system consisting of container closure and container is correspondingly flexible.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, a step is formed at the transition from the shoulder to the container body, on which the open end of the jacket can rest. As a result, the container closure sits on the container without wobbling and is automatically aligned in the correct position by the shape of the shoulder.

In addition, the container shoulder has improved stability with respect to a compression pressure, which occurs when the closure is pressed onto the container, due to the formed latching element. As a result, the wall thickness of the shoulder can be reduced since the design of the shoulder provides sufficient stability against compression. Two latching elements are expediently formed diametrically opposite one another on the container shoulder or the container neck. As a result, the latching elements are aligned in accordance with the latching openings described above and interact exactly with the latching openings.

It proves to be advantageous if the hanging shoulder has the shape of an ellipse in cross section. This allows the closure to be precisely aligned and centered on the shoulder.

Expediently, the flat horizontal shoulder has the shape of an ellipse. As a result, the shoulder also serves as an alignment aid for the container closure to be snapped open, even in the case of stretch blow-moulded containers.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment, the shoulder has the shape of an ellipse. Because the heel is formed as a negative impression of the open end of the skirt, the container closure will only snap onto the container in one aligned position.

The two latching elements are preferably formed on the major axis or the minor axis of the ellipse, as a result of which the container closure is held firmly and symmetrically on the container.

Because the latching element advantageously has a second latching edge, which can interact with the first latching edge of the latching opening, the closure is held firmly on the container and cannot be removed from it by pulling upwards, since the first and second latching edges are pressed together .

In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching element represents a stepped elevation on the shoulder, with the front surface of the elevation being oriented obliquely in the direction of the container neck. A locking element shaped in this way can be formed in a blow mold without the blow mold having to be equipped with slides or other demoulding aids in a complicated manner. Due to the inclined position of the front surface, the closure can be snapped open with little force, since the jacket can slide over the elevation. The closure is nevertheless held firmly on the container in that the first latching edge engages under the second latching edge.

In a further aspect of the invention, a closure system comprising a container closure and container described above is shown. The invention is characterized in that the front surface of the locking element, which penetrates the locking opening, is flush with the outer surface of the casing. This feature causes that the locking opening is completely closed when the closure is placed on the container. The closure therefore has no starting points for dirt and also has an attractive design.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the closure system, the outer surface of the casing is flush with the outer surface of the container body. This is made possible by the special shape of the heel. The heel has no projections or the like that are susceptible to dirt or disturb in any other way. In addition, the closure system has an aesthetic appearance thanks to the no-projection transition between the closure and the container, and appears to be made from one piece.

Further advantages and features emerge from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the schematic illustrations. It shows in a representation that is not true to scale:

FIG. 1 shows a first perspective view of a container closure and a container onto which the closure can be placed, in a first embodiment;

FIG. 2: a second perspective view of the closure and the container from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3: a perspective bottom view of the container;

Figure 4: a perspective view of the closure placed on the

Container;

Figure 5 is a full perspective view of the container;

FIG. 6: a view from below of a section of a container closure according to the prior art with an inner jacket;

FIG. 7: a perspective view of the container in a second embodiment;

FIG. 8: the container from FIG. 7 with an attached container closure in a view obliquely from above;

FIG. 9: the container from FIG. 7 with the attached container closure in an oblique view from below and FIG. 10: a cross section through the container with the container closure in place and rusted along a vertical sectional plane.

A container closure is shown in FIGS. The closure 11 closes the container opening 13 of a container 15a according to a first embodiment (FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5) or of a container 15b according to a second embodiment (FIGS. 7 to 10). The container opening 13 serves to fill the container 15a, 15b with filling material before the container 15a, 15b is closed by the closure 11.

The container closure 11 has a jacket 17 which preferably has the shape of a truncated cone. At the upper end of the casing 17 is a cover plate 19 which covers the casing on the upper side. A removal opening 21 is provided in the cover disc 19, through which filling material present in the container 15a, 15b can be removed.

A sealing element 23 rises on the inside of the cover disc 19. The sealing element 23 protrudes into the container opening 13 in a sealing manner when the closure 11 is placed on the container 15a, 15b. It is preferred if the seal is a so-called "cone sealer", i.e. the sealing element 23 widens continuously in the direction of the cover disk 19 in the manner of a truncated cone. As a result, the container opening 13 is sealed by the sealing element 23 so that it is impervious to the contents.

A cap 25 is connected in an articulated manner to the casing 17 via a hinge 27, preferably a film hinge. In this case, the cap is a hinged cap 25 which can be folded from a closed position into an open position. In the closed position, a second sealing element 29 protrudes into the removal opening 21 so as to be sealed against the contents.

A first and second locking opening 31a, 31b or a first and second window are formed on the casing 17. The container closure 11 preferably has the shape of an ellipse in cross section with a major axis 33a and a minor axis 33b. As the figures show, the locking openings 31a, 31b can be provided diametrically opposite one another on the main axis 33a. The hinge 27 may be formed on the minor axis 33b of the shell 17.

The closure is injection molded and the snap-in openings can be created by brushing or forced demoulding in the injection molding tool. For the reliable locking function of the locking elements 31a, 31b, it is essential that they have a first locking edge 35a, 35b. The first locking edge 35 is lower than all other edges of the locking opening 31, i.e. the first locking edge 35 has the shortest distance to the open end 37 of the casing 17. The first locking edge 35 is preferably parallel to the open end 37 of the casing, whereby the first locking edge 35 is oriented perpendicular to the direction of withdrawal of the closure 11 and is thereby held firmly on the container. The snap-in opening 31 can preferably have the shape of a rectangle, with the first snap-in edge 35 being a longitudinal side of the rectangle.

The provision of the locking opening 31 on the jacket 17 makes it possible to dispense with a further inner jacket 53 (FIG. 6), which, according to the prior art, protrudes from the cover disk 19 between the first sealing element 23 and the jacket 17 . As a result, the closure can be realized with little material and accordingly cost-effectively. The closure 11 according to the invention requires 33% less plastic material than a closure of the prior art.

The container shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 in a first embodiment has a container body 39 . A container shoulder 41 which merges into a cylindrical container neck 43 adjoins the body 39 . The container neck 43 surrounds the container opening 13. At the transition from the container shoulder 41 to the container body 39, an oval or elliptical shoulder 44 is formed. The shell 17 can rest with its open end 37 on this shoulder 44 . The outer contour of shoulder 44 is a negative impression of the open end 37 or the open edge of the jacket 17. This makes it possible for the outer surface of the jacket 17 to be flush with the outer surface of the container body 39 and for the container closure 11 to be centered on the container body 39 becomes. The transition therefore has no projections, which means that it does not form any approaches for dirt and has a pleasing appearance. Because the shoulder and open end 37 are in the shape of an ellipse, the container closure 11 is automatically aligned on the container 15a. Positioning and alignment elements that ensure correct alignment are therefore superfluous.

A first and second latching element 45a, 45b are formed on the container shoulder 41 and latch with the latching openings 35a, 35b when the closure 1 is placed on the container 15a. The container shoulder 41 also has the cross-section of an ellipse with another major and minor axis 47a, 47b to correlate with the closure 11. The locking elements 45a, 45b are diametrically opposed to the main axis 47a arranged or formed from the shoulder 41. The latching element 45 is preferably a stepped elevation or a cam, the lowest edge of which is a second latching edge 49 . The first latching edge 35 engages under the second latching edge 49, as a result of which the casing 17 is held on the shoulder 41. The front surface 51 of the locking element 45 penetrates the locking opening 31 and is therefore flush with the lateral surface.

In the first embodiment, the shoulder 41 is preferably designed to be hanging. That is, the shoulder 41 has the shape of a truncated cone and is not horizontal. The first embodiment of the container 15a is extrusion blow molded. The latching elements 45a, 45b described above with the second latching edges 49a, 49b, which are formed on the shoulder 41, can only be produced by extrusion blow molding. The location of the locking edges on the major axis 47a of the shoulder and their drooping configuration facilitates removal of the container from the blow mold.

Since in the first embodiment the latching elements 45a, 45b can be formed through the latching openings provided on the (outer) casing 17 on the shoulder 41 and not on the neck 43, the neck can be 5mm less than in the prior art have height. The closure 11 can also be correspondingly lower.

The second embodiment according to FIGS. 7 to 10 is a stretch blow molded container 15b. Accordingly, a preform is injection molded on which the container neck 43 has already been formed. The shoulder 41 is only formed by radial stretching during stretch blow molding. It is also conceivable that the horizontal shoulder 41 is formed during the injection molding of the preform. As shown in particular in FIGS. 8 and 10, the latching elements 45a, 45b are formed on the neck 43. A support ring 55 is injection molded on the neck 43, on which the locking elements 45a, 45b protrude. In the second embodiment, the locking elements have the shape of projections of the support ring 55 and can only be formed by injection molding because of this shape. The second locking edges 49a, 49b are formed by the undersides of the projections.

In the second embodiment, the shoulder 41 has a flat, horizontal shape, preferably in the form of an ellipse. The latching elements 45a, 45b lie diametrically opposite one another on the minor axis 47b of the shoulder 41. The second embodiment of the container is also gentle on the material, since the container neck 43 is higher than in the first embodiment, but the container shoulder 41 is not as high. The container closure 11 can be latched both on an extrusion blow molded container 15a according to the first embodiment and on a stretch blow molded container 15b according to the second embodiment. In both cases, the elliptical open end 37 of the jacket 17 can be placed on the shoulder 44. As a result, the jacket 17 can only be placed on the shoulder 44 in a single position and is correctly aligned or positioned on the container 15a, 15b without a positioning aid. If the cross-section of the container 15a, 15b is oval or elliptical at all points, then the closure system, consisting of the container 15a, 15b and the attached container closure 11, has a uniform appearance as if made from one piece. In addition, there are no protrusions on the closure system to which dirt can adhere more easily or which pose a risk of injury. These advantages are due to the flush transition between the jacket 17 and the container body 39.

Legend:

11 container closure

13 container opening

15a, 15b containers

17 coat

19 cover disk

21 removal opening

23 First sealing element

25 cap, flip cap

27 hinge

29 Second sealing element

31a, 31b First and second latch openings

33a, 33b major and minor axes of the shutter

35a, 35b First locking edge

37 Open end of the sheath

39 container body

41 container shoulder

43 container neck

44 paragraph

45a, 45b First and second locking element, elevation

47a, 47b major and minor axes of the shoulder

49a, 49b Second locking edge

51 front face

53 inner jacket

55 support ring

Claims

patent claims

Having a container closure (11) for closing a container opening (13) of a container (15a, 15b).

- a coat (17),

- a cover disk (19) which connects to the upper end of the casing (17),

- a removal opening (21), which is provided on the cover disc (19),

- A first sealing element (23), which is formed on the inside of the cover disc (19) and is intended to project sealingly into the container opening (13) and

- a cap (25) which closes or opens the removal opening (21), characterized in that at least one latching opening (31) is provided on the jacket (17) which is connected to a latching element (45) of the container (15a, 15b) can interact.

2. Container closure according to claim 1, characterized in that on the jacket (17) has two locking openings (31a, 31b) are provided diametrically opposite one another.

3. Container closure according to claim 2, characterized in that the jacket (17) has an elliptical cross-section, the two latching openings (31a, 31b) being provided on the main axis (33a) or the secondary axis (33b) of the ellipse.

4. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching opening (31) has a first latching edge (35) which is oriented parallel to the open end of the casing (17) and compared to the other edges of the latching opening (31 ) has the shortest distance to the open end (37) of the jacket (17).

5. Container closure according to claim 4, characterized in that the distance between the first locking edge (35) and the open end (37) of the jacket (17) is between 2 and 6 mm and preferably between 2 and 3 mm.

6. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking opening (31) has the shape of a rectangle. A container closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the cap is a hinged cap (25) hingedly attached to the skirt (17). Container closure according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cap (25) is a screw cap which has an internal thread and can be screwed onto a collar with an external thread which extends upwards on the cover disk. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second sealing element (29) is formed on the inside of the cap (25), which projects into the removal opening (21) when the cap (25) is placed on the cover disc (19). is. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the jacket (17) has the shape of a truncated cone. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container closure (11) is free of an inner jacket (53) which is formed between the jacket (17) and the first sealing element (23). Having a container (15a, 15b), in particular a bias-molded plastic container, onto which a container closure (11) according to one of the preceding claims can be placed

- a container opening (13),

- a container body (39),

- a container neck (43) surrounding and defining the container opening (13), and

- a container shoulder (41) which connects the neck (43) to the container body (39), characterized in that at least one latching element (45) is formed on the container shoulder (41) or the container neck (43) and is positioned in the latching opening (31) of the container closure (11) can be latched. 15

13. Container according to claim 12, characterized in that the container (15a) is extrusion blow molded when the at least one latching element (45) is formed on the container shoulder (41).

14. Container according to claim 12, characterized in that the container (15b) is stretch blow molded when the at least one latching element (45) is formed on the container neck (43).

15. Container according to claim 14, characterized in that a support ring (55) is formed on the container neck (43), on which the at least one latching element (45) protrudes.

16. Container according to one of claims 12 or 14 to 15, characterized in that the shoulder (41) has a planar shape lying in the horizontal or a hanging shape as a truncated cone.

17. Container according to one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that a shoulder (44) is formed at the transition from the shoulder (41) to the container body (39), on which the open end (37) of the jacket (17) can rest.

18. Container according to one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that two latching elements (45a, 45b) are formed diametrically opposite one another on the container shoulder (41) or the container neck (43).

19. A container according to any one of claims 12, 13, 17 or 18, characterized in that the depending shoulder (41) has the shape of an ellipse in cross-section.

20. A container according to claim 19, characterized in that the flat horizontal shoulder (41) has the shape of an ellipse.

21. A container according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that the shoulder (44) has the shape of an ellipse.

22. Container according to one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the two latching elements (45a, 45b) are formed on the main axis (47a) or the secondary axis (47b) of the ellipse. 16 Container according to one of claims 12 to 22, characterized in that the latching element (45) has a second latching edge (49) which can interact with the first latching edge (35) of the latching opening (31). Container according to one of Claims 12, 13 or 17 to 23, characterized in that the locking element represents a stepped elevation (45) on the shoulder (41), the front face (51) of the elevation being inclined in the direction of the container neck ( 43) is oriented. Closure system with a container closure (11) and a container (15a, 15b) according to the preceding claims, wherein the container closure (11) latches with the container (15a, 15b) when it is pressed onto the latter, characterized in that the front surface (51 ) of the latching element (45), which penetrates the latching opening (31), is flush with the outer surface of the jacket (17). Closure system according to Claim 25, characterized in that the outer surface of the jacket (17) is flush with the outer surface of the container body

(39) is.