CN111148699A

CN111148699A - Cap for a container with improved sealing

Info

Publication number: CN111148699A
Application number: CN201780095379.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 哈维尔·贝罗亚·加尔恰
Original assignee: ALMAR SpA; Betapack SA
Current assignee: ALMAR SpA; Betapack SA
Priority date: 2017-08-31
Filing date: 2017-08-31
Publication date: 2020-05-12
Also published as: CO2020002052A2; EP3677527A1; FR3070378B1; MX2020002186A; RU2742151C1; SA118390805B1; AR112927A1; BR112020004181A2; UY37833A; FR3070378A1; US20200180819A1; TN2020000036A1; CA3074345A1; EP3677527A4; WO2019043274A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cap for a container, comprising a cylindrical body comprising a cylindrical skirt (5) and a rib (7) on its inner face, wherein the cylindrical skirt and the rib are dimensioned to contact the inner face of a neck (2) of the container and create at least two sealing areas.

Description

Cap for a container with improved sealing

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of closure members for containers and, more particularly, to caps for water-tight closed containers. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cap for a container, which can ensure sealability of contents.

Another object of the present invention is also to provide a cap for a container which is capable of improving the airtightness with the neck of the container, so as to improve the resistance to pressure or breakage experienced during transportation.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a lid for a container that is capable of improving the stability against the risk of slipping and unsealing during stacking (palletization), storage or horizontal transport operations.

Background

In the field of caps for containers, these caps are known to have a contact surface arranged to engage with the neck of the container and to preserve the contents of the container.

This type of cap usually uses its irregular type of inner circumferential surface to contact the outside of the neck of the container, which allows a certain tightness to be obtained when the user connects the cap to the container.

However, this type of lid has a series of drawbacks. These drawbacks include, among others, the fact that: these caps often close the container by the outside of the neck of the container and the presence of small burrs leads to insufficient tightness. Likewise, even if initially leak-free, due to its construction, it is often times subject to serious seal distortion and even leakage from storage operations and transportation operations.

It is therefore desirable in the art to improve this type of closure to provide a closure for a container which ensures reliable and long-term sealing of the contents.

Disclosure of Invention

The cap for containers proposed by the present invention therefore represents an improvement over the caps known in the prior art, since it satisfactorily achieves the above-mentioned objects suitable for the field.

The present invention comprises a cap for a container comprising a cylindrical body comprising a cylindrical skirt and a rib on an inner face thereof, wherein the cylindrical skirt and rib are dimensioned to contact the inner face of a neck of the container and create at least two sealing areas. The present invention therefore advantageously provides a closure device for closing the opening of a neck for improving the tightness of a container.

In a preferred embodiment, the ribs have a cylindrical shape providing a peripherally continuous relief on the inner face of the upper base of the cylindrical body. In another preferred embodiment, the outer perimeter of the rib is greater than the outer perimeter of the cylindrical skirt. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the width of the cylindrical skirt is greater than the width of the rib, with reference to the axial axis of the lid.

In addition, in one embodiment, the cylindrical skirt is conceived to comprise a protrusion on its outer lower edge, said protrusion being intended to contact the neck of the container. Advantageously, therefore, the contact of the cylindrical skirt with the inner face of the neck of the container becomes easier, which ensures the tightness of the container.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner face of the upper base of the lid comprises a first attachment site and a second attachment site from which the cylindrical skirt and the rib protrude respectively. Advantageously, therefore, the sealing area is completely independent and offers better resistance to leaks caused by manufacturing imperfections and to impacts encountered during storage, warehousing or transportation.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the ribs are provided on the outside of the cylindrical skirt. Thus, a second contact point of the cylindrical skirt with the neck of the container is advantageously ensured, which ensures a second sealing area.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cylindrical body is formed by two superposed parts (lower part and upper part) hingedly connected. In this case, advantageously, the double seal of the invention described above is provided in the upper part of the lid, so that, in addition to the lid described above formed by a single rigid body, the invention is also applicable to the type of lid widely used (for example, in oil bottles or small water bottles) having two bodies. In addition, a particular embodiment envisages the lower portion being provided with gripping means for retaining the lower portion on the neck of the container, and the upper portion being provided with a cylindrical skirt and ribs. Advantageously, this configuration allows the lid (in particular the lower portion thereof) to remain connected to the neck of the container at all times, thus preventing loss of the lid, simply by moving the upper portion of the lid which fits into the neck by pivoting about the hinged hinge connection, i.e. removing the upper portion of the lid from the closed and sealed container.

In light of the foregoing, the present invention comprises a series of technical features having advantageous technical effects, which mainly consist of the improvement provided to the tightness, among other technical effects. Accordingly, the present invention prevents dust and/or foreign objects from entering the container, thereby preventing the dust and/or foreign objects from coming into contact with the contents of the container. Advantageously, the double sealing solution of the invention can be applied to all types of lids, such as for example lids with a single body, lids with two pieces connected to each other by a hinge or any other variant.

The two sealing areas provided by the cap reduce the weight of the cap since they are located in the inner region and use the clean surface of the neck of the container for access. Furthermore, the risk of impact is lower in the inner region of the neck than in the outer region of the neck, which allows better resistance to any pressure or damage sustained during transport or stacking. On the other hand, the provision of two internal annular contacts ensures vertical stability of the cap when placed on the neck of the bottle and excellent stability against any risk of slippage and unsealing in warehousing operations or horizontal transport operations.

Drawings

To supplement the description which is being made and to assist a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention according to its preferred practical embodiment, the enclosed drawings form an integral part of said description, in which the following figures are provided, with illustrative and non-limiting characteristics:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a lid according to an embodiment of the invention in an open position, having two parts hinged and arranged on a neck of a container.

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the lid for a container of fig. 1 in a closed position according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 shows a rear view of the lid for a container in the previous figures in a closed position, seen from the bottom, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-section of a lid according to an embodiment of the invention in a closed position, the lid having two parts and being arranged on a neck of a container.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention having a single body and being disposed on a neck of a container.

Detailed Description

Each element defined in this detailed description is provided to assist in a complete understanding of the invention. Thus, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there may be variations, alterations, and adaptations to the embodiments described in the present specification without departing from the scope of the invention, and therefore, the specific designs and specific embodiments presented in this document are presented for purposes of illustration and understanding only and are not intended to limit the various aspects of the invention in any way.

The present invention discloses a double sealing solution for a lid of a container, based on the configuration of the inner face of the lid, comprising a cylindrical skirt 5 and a rib 7, wherein the cylindrical skirt and the rib are dimensioned to contact the inner face of the neck 2 of the container and thereby create two sealing areas.

This solution can be applied to any type of lid, but, as an example, a specific embodiment of a lid having two parts connected to each other by a hinge is described in detail in fig. 1-4, and the same double sealing solution is described in fig. 5, but applied to a lid having a single body.

Fig. 1 shows a cap 1 arranged on a neck 2 of a container in an open position.

The lid 1 is formed by two superposed parts (a lower part 3 and an upper part 4) hingedly connected. The lower part 3 comprises a clip for retaining the lower part 3 on the neck 2 of the container, whether the lid 1 is opened or closed.

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the lid 1 in the closed position. It can be seen that the cap 1 comprises a substantially cylindrical body formed by a lower portion 3 and an upper portion 4 which are hingedly connected.

Figure 3 shows the inner part of the lid seen from the rear. It can be seen that the upper part comprises a cylindrical skirt 5 projecting from the inner face of the upper part and a cylindrical rib provided continuously on the inner face of the upper part. The cylindrical skirt and the ribs are both dimensioned so that they are inserted into the neck 2 of the container so that they contact the inner face of the neck at least two contact points located at different heights. The contact points are substantially annular and concentric contact points providing continuous contact with the inside of the neck of the container along its entire circumference. A good vertical stability of the cap when it is connected to the neck of the container is thus ensured.

Preferably, the cylindrical skirt has a projection 6 provided continuously on its outer lower edge, the projection 6 being intended to contact the neck of the container.

At two different points of the inner face of the upper part (in particular, two points following two concentric circumferences of different diameters), the cylindrical skirt 5 and the cylindrical rib 7 each have a permanent connection to the upper part.

However, in an alternative embodiment to the preceding paragraph, it is contemplated for the cylindrical rib to be provided on the outside of the cylindrical skirt itself. In this case, there is only a single point of connection with the inner face of the upper part, i.e. the point of connection defined by the cylindrical skirt 5 itself and the inner face of the upper part. In this configuration, a cylindrical rib projects from the upper edge on the outside of the cylindrical skirt 5 to contact the neck of the container at a point close to the neck.

Fig. 4 shows a cross section of the cap 1. It can be seen that two sealing zones are defined by two

contact points

8 and 9, respectively between the cylindrical skirt 5 and the inner face of the neck of the container and between the cylindrical rib 7 and the inner face of the neck of the container. The sealing area thus advantageously uses a clean surface of the neck of the container, or at least a surface that is cleaner than the outer surface, which also reduces the risk of impact and reduces the weight of the cap with respect to the use of the configuration of the outside of the neck of the container.

The diameter of the outer perimeter of the protrusion 6 is smaller than the diameter of the outer perimeter of the cylindrical rib 7. On the other hand, the width of the skirt 7 is greater than the width of the cylindrical rib 7, measured with reference to the axial axis of the lid. Thus, the projection of the cylindrical skirt is dimensioned to introduce a certain distance into the container and to contact the first contact point 8, thereby ensuring a first sealing area, while the rib is dimensioned to contact a second contact point 9 inside the container, closer to the container end or to the container mouth than the first contact point, thereby ensuring a second sealing area.

The sealing area thus defined inside the container withstands any pressure or possible damage to which it is subjected during transport better than the solution made using the outside of the container. As such, it provides excellent stability against the risk of slippage and ensures that no unsealing occurs during stacking operations, storage operations or horizontal transportation operations.

In addition, the inner portion of the container is less likely to have burrs (which would affect the connection as described above), however, the outer portion is more likely to have some form of burrs resulting from its manufacture. These burrs can cause the seal to be compromised when the lid is closed from the outside with the outer lip. However, contacting the cylindrical skirt and the cylindrical rib as described above by the inner region of the container ensures that both sealing regions are protected from these burrs.

A double sealing of the product is achieved each time the lid is closed, i.e. when the upper part 3 is introduced into the mouth of the container using a hinged connection connecting the upper part 3 and the lower part 2. The hinged connection comprises two pairs of vertical notches 10, the two pairs of vertical notches 10 being arranged parallel to the axial axis of the lid 1, defining two strips 11 for the connection between the lower part and the upper part. The strip 11 forms a hinge of the lower part and the upper part.

In the closed position, the configuration provides improved sealability because it has at least two sealed regions that remain in the interior of the container. In addition, by using the cylindrical skirt 5 and the cylindrical rib 7 provided to contact the inner portion of the container in combination with similar members provided to contact the outer portion of the container, the sealability can be improved. Thus, one or more peripheral reliefs 12 may be included on the inner face of the lower portion 3, which reliefs 12 reduce the internal area of the lid 1 and help prevent dust from entering the container. In addition, the upper portion 4 may also comprise one or more burrs on the lower edge of its peripheral wall 13, so that the burrs face the cylindrical lateral edge and are able to contact the outside of the neck 2 of the container, thus limiting the entry of dust and/or foreign bodies into the area of contact with the mouth of the consumer.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of a lid 20 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. It can be seen that the internal construction is the same as that of the lid with two parts hinged as described above. The difference is that the lid of this embodiment depicted in fig. 5 is formed from a single rigid body.

Thus, the lid 20 has a cylindrical skirt 5 projecting from the inner face of the lid (specifically, from the upper base of the lid) and a cylindrical rib 7 continuously provided on the inner face. The cylindrical skirt and the ribs are both dimensioned so as to be inserted into the neck 2 of the container so that they contact the inner face of the neck at least two

contact points

8 and 9 located at different heights. The contact points are substantially annular and concentric contact points each providing continuous contact with the inside of the neck of the container along its entire circumference. A good vertical stability of the cap when it is connected to the neck of the container is thus ensured. The two

contact points

8 and 9, respectively between the cylindrical skirt 5 and the inner face of the neck of the container and between the cylindrical rib 7 and the inner face of the neck of the container, define two sealing zones.

In an alternative embodiment, the cylindrical rib can be conceived to be arranged on the outside of the cylindrical skirt itself. In this case, there is only a single point of connection with the inner face of the upper part, i.e. the point of connection defined by the cylindrical skirt 5 itself and said inner face. In this configuration, a cylindrical rib projects from the upper edge on the outside of the cylindrical skirt 5 to contact the neck of the container at a point close to the mouth of the container.

In addition, the lid 20 may include one or more peripheral embossments 12 and/or one or more burrs on the inner face of its peripheral wall 21, which embossments 12 and/or burrs reduce the interior area of the lid 20 and help prevent dust from entering the container.

Finally, with respect to the present description and the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention has been described in terms of its several preferred embodiments, however, many variations may be introduced into the preferred embodiments without departing from the objectives of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. A cap for a container comprising a cylindrical body, characterized in that it comprises a cylindrical skirt (5) and a rib (7) on its inner face, wherein said cylindrical skirt and said rib are dimensioned to contact said inner face of a neck (2) of the container and create at least two sealing areas.

2. A lid for a container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rib has a cylindrical shape providing a relief continuous over the periphery.

3. The lid for a container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outer circumference of the rib is larger than the outer circumference of the cylindrical skirt.

4. A lid for a container as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cylindrical skirt has a width greater than the width of said rib, with reference to the axial axis of said lid.

5. Lid for a container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cylindrical skirt comprises a protrusion (6) on its outer lower edge, the protrusion (6) being intended to contact the neck (2) of the container.

6. Lid for a container according to any of the preceding claims, comprising an upper base, wherein the inner face of the upper base comprises a first and a second connection site, from which the cylindrical skirt and the rib protrude, respectively.

7. A lid for a container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said rib is provided on the outside of said cylindrical skirt.

8. Lid for containers according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cylindrical body is formed by two superposed portions, hingedly connected, a lower portion (3) and an upper portion (4).

9. Lid for a container according to claim 8, characterised in that the lower part (3) is provided with a clip for retaining the lower part (3) on the neck (2) of the container and the upper part is provided with the cylindrical skirt (5) and the rib (7).