EP2111363A1 - Cap with no attached seal - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a cap with no attached seal to seal the opening at the mouth of a container. This cap comprises a closure disc around which there is a peripheral skirt sized to fit around the mouth of the container. It also comprises a first circular lip which projects under the closure disc near the mouth opening and which is folded against the mouth of the container towards the opening thereof when the cap is in place, thus preventing any surf effect when the container is moved around. The cap also comprises a circular second lip external to the first and positioned also to be folded against the mouth of the container in the opposite direction to that of the first lip when the cap is in place. This second lip, which projects under the closure disc around the first lip, is provided with a number of protrusions positioned such as to form a number of points of contact with the mouth of the container when the second lip is in the folded position and thus form a number of sealing barriers with a staircase effect. The protrusions, by hugging the shape of the mouth of the container, absorb any surface defects or scratches due to imperfections in the manufacture or accidents in handling.

Description

 CAP WITHOUT JOINT REPORTS

The present invention relates to a plug without added seal used to close and seal the opening of the neck of a container, such as a bottle of liquid.

By "plug without added seal" is meant a plug which makes it possible to seal the opening of the neck of a container, in particular of liquid, without necessarily needing a seal usually consisting of a disc of foam placed under the lid of the cap, or alternatively an injected or molded bead acting as an O-ring. To receive this type of seal, the existing plugs may be provided with a groove disposed below the seal where the seal is housed. The pressure exerted by the tension ring or the attachment system during the mounting of the cap compresses the seal on the upper surface of the opening of the neck and thus ensures the desired seal.

As previously mentioned, the present invention relates to a cap which provides excellent sealing without having such a reported seal.

There are already caps without reported seal. As non-limiting examples or can refer to the following US patents: US 3,325,033 (WEATON) 1967;

US 3,815,771 (MARKS) of 1974;

US 4,106,653 (MARTINELLI) of 1978;

US 4,416,383 (FRAHM et al.), 1983;

US 4,560,077 (DUTT) 1985; US 4,884,707 (CRISCI) 1989;

US 4,645,088 (MENICHETTI) 1987; and

US 4,905,852 (ZUMBUHL) of 1990. The patents in question disclose plugs which do not require an inserts seal provided they are provided with circular lips, teeth and / or protuberances which are located under the cover axially at the neck of the plug or on the peripheral skirt of the plug. it in order to come to bear on the neck and thus get the desired seal. The plugs in question are of course intended to hang on even withdrawals specifically provided for this purpose in the outer portion of the neck.

If all the plugs without reported joint known to the Applicant seem a priori work, it remains nonetheless that there is a problem when the container that is trying to close is big, as is the case of the bottles 3, 4 and 5 gallon water such as those used in the inverted position in dispensing fountains. With this kind of bottles, it is indeed difficult to obtain a good seal, especially during transport. It is also difficult to obtain a good effect of impermeability, sealing and hermeticity to maintain the initial purity of the contents. The good imperviousness effect is important to maintain the original purity of the contents. The use of plugs made of a single material, Wz. seamless, is also important to achieve this effect. It can be understood here that handling storage or delivery causes a movement of water or any other liquid stored in the cylinder, which can create a real effect surf. Moreover, the bottle once placed on the fountain usually in the inverted position, creates a pressure exerted on the cap because the liquid that flows is replaced by air whose pressure ensures a transfer by gravity . The action of the atmosphere also exerts a variable external pressure according to the meteorological conditions (temperature, pressure). It is the difficult balancing between internal pressure and external pressure that must subtract the cap from the risk of leakage. The present invention relates to a plug without attached insert that meets all the needs mentioned above in terms of impermeability, sealing and hermetic effect.

The sealless plug according to the invention for closing a neck opening of a container comprises, as basic elements:

- a closing cap;

- A peripheral skirt sized to fit around the neck, this skirt having an inner surface provided with fastening means capable of engaging the same neck and thus be able to ensure the attachment of the plug to the same neck;

a first circular lip which is projecting under the closing cap near the opening of the neck, this first lip being folded against the neck towards the opening thereof when the stopper is fixed and thus allowing avoid any surfing effect when the container is moved; and

- A second outer circular lip to the first and positioned to be also folded against the neck in a direction opposite to that of the first lip when the cap is fixed.

The combination of these basic elements in a plug without reported seal is already known per se, as confirmed by way of non-limiting, the contents of US Patents US 4,416,383; 4,645,088 and US 4,905,852, mentioned above.

The plug according to the present invention is however distinguished from existing plugs in that its second lip is also projecting under the closure cap around the first lip, and is further provided with several teeth or protuberances positioned to form several points contact with the neck when the second lip is in the folded position and thus form several sealing barriers with a staircase effect. The teeth or protuberances thus marry the shape of the neck and absorbs the defects and surface scratches due to manufacturing imperfections or handling accidents.

It should be mentioned that the use of small teeth or protuberances in a stopper is already known per se, as attested by way of non-limiting examples, US Pat. No. 3,325,033; US 4,106,653 and

US 4,884,707, above mentioned. However, in these existing patents, the teeth or protuberances are not positioned in a collapsible lip but directly on the inner surface of the cap, which does not give the same effect at all. They act indeed as complementary joints.

It will be understood here that the fact of having teeth or protuberances on a lip allows by the spring effect (or see flexibility) of the set of lips plus teeth and / or protuberances, to obtain a different contact on the neck of the bottles or containers.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the first and second lips are joined by a thicker zone to reinforce their rigidity and thus make them less flexible, which causes them to bend with more pressure on the neck and ensure an effect. suction cup.

According to another preferred feature of the invention, the cap has a lower surface provided with a circular depression forming a groove adjacent to the first lip. This groove also gives a space for folding in the first lip, which thus ensures easier backflow in case of surf and therefore better efficiency and sealing.

More preferably, the peripheral skirt has an inner upper portion provided with a groove forming, by its position, a third outer lip to the other two, this third lip applies a pressure on the cap when it is attached to the neck and thus ensures a better tightening of the tension ring of the stopper against the bead of the neck, with furthermore maximum compression of the first and second lips in the folded position and an additional point of contact with the neck.

As is customary, the skirt of the cap according to the invention is advantageously provided with a pull tab associated with a thin tear to facilitate its removal. The cap is also advantageously injected in one piece of plastic material.

The various advantages of the present invention as well as its operation are better understood on reading the nonlimiting description which follows of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from below of a plug without reported seal according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a partial sectional view of the cap shown in Figure 1 when it is placed for installation on the neck of a container;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the plug when the latter is partially depressed; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figures 2 and 3, showing the cap when it is fully installed on the neck of the container.

The plug 1 without attached, the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is intended to close the opening of the neck 2 of a container such as for example, a water bottle usable in reverse position in a fountain of distribution. As is customary, the stopper 1 comprises a closure cap 3 around which a skirt 5 sized to fit around the neck 3 projects. The skirt 5 has an internal surface provided with attachment means to the illustrated neck, which in the embodiment consists of a tension ring 7 positioned to be able to engage under a bead 9 formed in the same neck so as to ensure the fixing of the cap on the neck. The manner in which the tension ring 7 is placed under the bead 9 of the neck so as to hold the cap in the closed position is illustrated more precisely in FIG. 4.

It will be understood here that instead of a tension ring 7, it is possible to use other types of attachment means, such as a screwing system.

The stopper 1 also comprises a first circular lip 11 which is projecting under the closing cap 3 near the opening of the neck. This first lip is in practice folded against the neck towards the opening thereof when the cap is fixed, as is illustrated here again in FIG. 4. In this folded position, the first lip 11 makes it possible to avoid any surfing effect when the container is moved.

The cap also includes a second circular lip 13 which is external to the first and positioned to be also folded against the neck in a direction opposite to that of the first lip when the cap is attached. The folded position of the second lip, once the cap is installed, is again clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.

This basic structure of the plug 1 is already known per se, as already mentioned in the preamble of the description.

In fact, the present invention is mainly characterized in that the second lip 13 is itself projecting directly under the closing cap 3 around the first lip and is further provided with a plurality of teeth or protuberances 15 positioned to form several points of contact with the surface of the neck 9 when the second lip 13 is in the folded position. This makes it possible to form several sealing barriers with a staircase effect. In addition, the teeth or protuberances conforming to the shape of the neck absorb defects and / or surface scratches due to manufacturing imperfections or handling accidents.

According to another important characteristic of the invention, the first and second lips 11 and 13 are joined by a thicker zone, which makes it possible to reinforce their rigidity and thus make them less flexible. This causes them to bend with more pressure, retain a spring effect on the neck and ensure a suction cutting effect.

As shown in the drawings, the cover preferably has a lower surface provided with a circular depression 19 forming a groove adjacent to the first lip 11. This groove in practice gives a fold space to the first lip and thus ensures easier backflow in case of surf and therefore a better seal. The particular position and the advantage that can have the presence of this circular depression 19 in use are here even more clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the peripheral skirt 5 has an internal upper portion provided with a groove 21 forming, by its position, a third lip 23 external to the other two, which creates a radial tension and applies a pressure on the cap when it is attached to the neck and which therefore ensures a better tightening of the tension ring 7 against the bead 9 of the neck 3, with further compression of the first and second lips 11 and 13 in position folded. The third lip 23 also provides an additional point of contact with the neck.

Of course, as is common practice, the skirt may advantageously be provided with a pull tab 25 associated with a thin tear 27 to facilitate removal of the plug from the neck. The plug according to the invention is preferably injected in one piece of plastic material.

Because of its structure, it has several advantages. First, it ensures perfect impermeability of the neck. It also ensures a good seal while being a barrier to exchanges between the contents of the bottle and the outside. This obviously is essential to protect from any contamination of the liquid intended for human consumption. The plug according to the invention therefore has the advantage of being perfectly hermetic.

Due to its structure and the position of its lips, the movement of water and any other liquid contained in the bottle immediately after it is filled, is blocked. When handling storage and delivery, there is no longer a potential problem of leakage.

In this regard, it will be noted again that the first lip 11 has the advantage of containing the water hammer surf caused by the movement of the liquid in the neck. Because of the profile of the throat, it allows the liquid to reflux. The third lip 23 also has the advantage of possibly correcting the difference specific to each model of bottle and thus ensure a perfect tension of the ring 7. The third lip 23 by positioning forces more closely the tension exerted on the operculum and therefore, plate even better the first and second lips 11 and 13 on the top of the neck.

It goes without saying that various modifications could be made to the embodiment which has just been illustrated without departing from the scope of the present invention as claimed hereinafter.

Claims

1. - A plug without attached seal for closing a neck opening of a container, the plug being of the type comprising: - a closing cap; - A peripheral skirt sized to fit around said neck, said skirt having an inner surface provided with fastening means capable of engaging the same neck and thus to ensure the hooking of the plug to said same neck; a first circular lip which protrudes under the closing cap near the opening of the neck, said first lip being folded against the neck towards the opening thereof when the stopper is fixed and thus allowing avoid any surfing effect when the container is moved; and a second circular lip external to the first and positioned to be also folded against the neck in a direction opposite to that of the first lip when the cap is fixed; said stopper being characterized in that said second lip is also protruding under the closing cap around the first lip, and is further provided with a plurality of teeth or protuberances positioned to form a plurality of contact points with the neck when the second lip is in the folded position and thus form several sealing barriers with a staircase effect, said teeth or protuberances thus marrying the shape of the neck and absorbing defects and scratches surfaces due to manufacturing imperfections or handling accidents. 2. - The cap of claim 1, characterized in that the first and second lips are joined by a thicker zone to strengthen their rigidity and thus make them less flexible, which causes them to bend with more pressure, to maintain a spring effect on the neck and ensure a suction cutting effect. 3. - The stopper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover has a lower surface provided with a circular depression forming a groove adjacent to the first lip, this groove giving a space for folding to said first lip and thus ensuring easier backflow in case of surf and thus a better efficiency and sealing. 4. - The stopper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the peripheral skirt has an inner upper portion provided with a groove forming, by its position, a third lip external to the other two, which creates a radial tension, applies a pressure on the plug when it is attached to the neck and thus ensures a better tightening of the tension ring of said plug against a peripheral bead external to the neck, with further compression of the first and second lips in the folded position and an additional point of contact with the neck, 5. - The stopper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the skirt is provided with a pull tab associated with a thin tear to facilitate removal of the neck cap. 6. - The stopper according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is injected in a single piece of plastic. 7. - The stopper according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the container is a bottle of liquid.