WO2024246403A1 - Tamper-proof system for closure caps and closure cap - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a tamper-proof system for closure caps, particularly for caps having an upper lid and a lower ring. Said system comprises at least one pull section that extends from the lower edge of the upper lid, where said at least one pull section includes a breakable weakened extension that is thinner than the rest of the pull section, integrally joined to the upper edge of the lower ring.

Description

Tamper-evident system for sealing caps and sealing plugs

DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this application is to register a tamper-evident system for closure caps, as well as a closure cap incorporating said tamper-evident system.

More specifically, the invention proposes the development of a new alternative tamper-evident system for closure caps, in particular for caps provided with an upper cap and a lower ring which are joined through a hinged region.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the packaging sector, the use of tamper-evident systems, also known as security seals, is well known. These systems allow the user to determine whether a container, for example a bottle of beverage, has been previously tampered with. An example of a tamper-evident system that has been used for years is one made up of a plurality of breaking points consisting of small portions of material that join the lower unsealing ring to the upper lid.

In this embodiment of the tamper-evident system, during the first opening of the cap, whether by pressure or by screwing, a sound of breaking of the small portions of plastic joining between the lower ring in its retaining position under the unsealing ring present in a container neck and the upper cap is produced, so that the user can perceive the breakage with some clarity. However, after the sound produced during the first opening process of the closure with the sensation that the user perceives, the points of union (or breakage) once broken, due to their small size do not show with sufficient evidence that the breakage between the lower ring and the upper cover has occurred, so the user or consumer must remember whether or not the sound and the sensation of breakage of the points that act as a seal have occurred.

In caps that are provided with a top cap or stopper and a bottom ring that are not joined by a hinge system, lower rings of reduced height are used. When the seal is unsealed or the joining points are broken after the process of opening the closure cap, the ring descends, separating from the base of the cap, leaving the lower ring resting on the transport ring present in the neck of the container. In this way, when the user closes the top cap or stopper again, there is a free space between the two bodies that allows the user to visually appreciate in a more evident way that this closure has been opened previously.

However, in the case of integral closure caps, i.e. those in which the lower ring and the upper lid are hinged together, such as the closure cap described in document no. ES 1295485, where it is necessary to use all the available space in the neck of the container, between the transport ring and the unsealing ring, to house the lower rings, due to their height and because they have a hinged region that prevents the lower ring from descending, it is not possible to apply the previously described inviolability system. Therefore, there is a need to find a tamper-proof system applicable to this type of closure caps that is just as practical as the systems currently used.

Furthermore, the applicant is not currently aware of an invention having all of the features described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been developed in order to provide a tamper-proof system that is configured as a novelty within the field of application and solves the aforementioned drawbacks, also providing other additional advantages that will be evident from the description attached below.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident system for closure caps, in particular for caps provided with an upper cap and a lower ring, and is characterized in that it comprises at least one section of tie rod extending from the lower rim of the upper cap and a stepped recess present in the upper rim of the lower ring, such that in an unsealed condition, said at least section of tie rod is at least partially located in the space existing in the stepped recess, said at least section of tie rod including a weakening extension of lesser thickness than the rest of the section of tie rod, integrally connected to the lower ring through the stepped recess.

Additionally, a notch is provided at the start of the tie rod section. It should be noted that this notch is suitable to allow the bending, stretching and deformation of the breakable tie rod portions and thus ensure that they do not return to their initial position, so that the breakage of the same is more clearly visible and therefore evidence of the breakage and manipulation of the closing plug.

Thanks to these features, a tamper-evident seal is obtained that improves food safety and health, in order to guarantee the optimal condition of a product, such as a soft drink or similar, contained inside the container provided with the closure system.

Additional aspects and preferred embodiments of the tamper-evident system are described in the dependent claims. Another object of the invention is to provide a closure cap comprising an upper cover and a lower ring intended to be coupled to a container body, which includes a tamper-evident system as described above.

The inviolability system described represents, therefore, an innovative structure with structural and constitutive characteristics hitherto unknown for the purpose for which it is intended, reasons which, together with its practical utility, provide it with sufficient grounds to obtain the privilege of exclusivity that is requested.

Other features and advantages of the tamper-evident system object of the present invention will be evident from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figures 1a-e.- Are elevation views of a first embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention, where different positions of the upper cover with respect to the lower ring can be seen;

Figure 1f.- It is a perspective view from the back of the first embodiment of the closing cap;

Figures 2a-c.- Are elevation views of a second embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention, where different positions of the upper cover with respect to the lower ring can be seen;

Figures 3a-c.- Are elevation views of a third embodiment of the inviolability system according to the Invention, where different positions of the upper cover with respect to the lower ring can be seen;

Figure 4 - This is a perspective view of a conventional container neck;

Figure 5.- It is a front elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention;

Figure 6.- It is a front elevation view of a fifth embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention; Figure 7, - It is a front elevation view of a sixth embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention prior to its manipulation;

Figure 8.- It is a front elevation view of a seventh embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention prior to its manipulation;

Figure 9.- It is a front elevation view of an eighth embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention prior to its manipulation; and

Figure 10.- It is a front elevation view of a ninth embodiment of the inviolability system according to the invention prior to its manipulation.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In view of the aforementioned figures and, in accordance with the numbering adopted, one can observe in them a preferred embodiment of the invention, which comprises the parts and elements that are indicated and described in detail below.

Furthermore, the terms "first, second, third" and the like in the description and claims are used to distinguish between similar items and not necessarily to describe a sequential or chronological order. The terms may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances and embodiments of the invention may operate in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.

Furthermore, the terms upper, lower, above, below and the like in the description and claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily to describe relative positions, in such case the terms employed are in the condition of a closure cap placed on a container in a vertical arrangement.

Figures 1a-f show a closure cap which essentially comprises an upper cover (1) and a lower ring (2) intended to be coupled to a neck of a packaging body, such as that shown in figure 4, which includes a pair of inviolability systems that will be described later.

Said cap is formed by a lower ring (2) configured to be coupled to the neck of the container and an upper cover (1) that has on its inner face a thread (11) configured to couple to the outer threaded portion (103) present in the neck of the container (100), the upper cover (1) and the lower ring (2) being joined together so that they can rotate in a mutually integral manner around the neck of the container. Advantageously, the closing cap described here is made of a single piece of plastic material that can be moulded by injection or compression moulding.

Now, referring again to the closing cap, the lower ring and the upper cover are articulated through a hinged region that joins them in a solid manner. This hinged region is formed from extensions (4) with a certain degree of flexibility that act as a hinge as each of them is joined at one end to the lower ring (2) while at their opposite end they are joined to the body of the upper cover (1). These extensions (4) are formed from slots (5) present in the lower ring (2) that extend in opposite directions to each other from a rear region of the lower ring (2).

As shown in Figure 1f, the lower ring (2) includes linear openings (16) that run parallel to the lower edge of the body of the lower ring (1), the linear openings (16) being arranged radially and spaced apart from each other.

As regards the neck (100), it includes an opening and a side wall in which an unsealing ring (101) and a transport ring (102) located below the unsealing ring (101) (in a vertical resting condition of a container) project diametrically outwards, being spaced apart from each other in height (see figure 4).

As can be seen more clearly in Figure 1f, the inner surface of the side wall that forms the upper cover (1) includes a helical thread. (11) intended to cooperate with a helical thread (103) present in the neck (100) and above the unsealing ring (101).

The tamper-evident system described is located diametrically opposite to the spatial positioning of the hinged portion, so that it facilitates the manufacturing process of the closure cap. In this way, a slide of the injection mold (not shown) generates the hinge portion and the slide of the injection mold located on the opposite side can generate the tamper-evident seal. That is, half of the piece in which the hinge is located is generated by one slide while the other half of the piece in which the tamper-evident seal is located is generated by the slide of the mold on the opposite side to the previous one.

On the other hand, the location of the tamper-evident system described below (also known in the sector as a guarantee seal), in the front area of the closing cap (i.e. the area where the user can place his lips to consume the product housed in the container) also allows a better visualization or appreciation by the user of the generated/deformed material of the seal once the upper cover (1) has been opened. This front position is the most recommended to allow/facilitate the re-threading of the upper cover (1), without the breakable sections of the seal's strap (6) once deformed being able to interfere by making the closing/threading process of the cap difficult.

Such a system comprises a section of tie rod (6) extending from the lower rim of the upper cover and a stepped recess (7) present in the upper rim of the lower ring (2), such that in an unsealed condition, said section of tie rod (6) is at least partially located in the space existing in the stepped recess, said section of tie rod (6) including a breakable weakening extension (60) that is thinner than the rest of the section of tie rod (6), integrally attached to the lower ring (2) through the stepped recess (7).

In figures 1b and 1c you can see the separation of the upper cover from the lower ring, so that the breaking of the previously mentioned inviolability seal can be seen. described. Figure 1e shows the arrangement of the strap section (6) once the cap is in a fixed position, that is, in a condition to supply the product from inside the container.

Additionally, the closing cap includes stop means intended to keep the upper cover (1) fixed in an inverted position with respect to the position adopted by the upper cover (1) during the closed position, as can be seen in figure 1e.

In particular, these stop means comprise a projection (8) protruding from the lower ring (2), which is aligned in height with a tab (9) protruding laterally from the lower rim of the upper cover (1), such that, in an open condition (figure 1e), the tab abuts a lower surface of the projection (8), wherein the tab (9) may have a surface with a curved path adaptable to the radius of curvature of the lower ring (2).

On the other hand, the closing cap may include a conventional secondary inviolability system that is essentially formed from a plurality of breaking points (10) between the lower edge of the upper cover (1) and the lower ring (2).

The stepped recess on the bottom ring has rounded corners, so it is less bothersome when the user rests their lip on it to drink directly from a container.

A second embodiment of the tamper-evident system incorporated in a closure cap is shown in Figures 2a to 2c, the parts of which are common to the previous example and have the same numerical references. In this case, the tamper-evident system comprises a pair of tie rod sections (6) extending in opposite directions from a central thickening (12). These two tie rod sections are symmetrical to each other with respect to a central axis of the central thickening (12), and each also has a breakable weakening extension (60) which is thinner than the rest of the tie rod section. (6) In addition, each section of tie rod (6) has at its start of formation (i.e. the end opposite the free end) a rounded notch (15) that generates an area of smaller cross section that favors the deformation of the tie rod without breaking.

Figures 3a to 3c show a third embodiment of the tamper-evident system incorporated in a closure cap, the parts of which are common to the previous example and have the same numerical references. In this case, the tamper-evident system comprises a pair of sections of tie rod (6) that extend in opposite directions to each other, including in a central manner in the stepped recess

(7) a tab (13) of a trapezoidal contour, which extends superiorly upwards and which, in an unsealed condition, is located between the two sections of tie rod (6), a breakable weakening extension (130) extending superiorly from the tab (13).

In the embodiments shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the parts of which are common to the examples detailed above and have the same numerical references. In these embodiments, the lower ring (2) is devoid of the stepped recess (7), so that the tamper-proof system is located above the lower ring (2).

Furthermore, in the embodiments shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, whose parts common to the previously detailed examples have the same numerical references. In these embodiments, the tamper-proofing system is located between the upper cover (1) and the lower ring (2), a housing having been provided defined by a step on the lower edge of the upper cover (1) and on the upper edge of the lower ring (2).

The details, shapes, dimensions and other accessory elements used in the manufacture of the inviolability system of the invention may be conveniently replaced by others that do not deviate from the scope defined by the claims included below.

Claims

1. Tamper-proof system for closure caps, in particular for caps provided with an upper cover and a lower ring, characterized in that it comprises at least one section of tie rod extending from the lower rim of the upper cover, said at least section of tie rod including a breakable weakening extension and which is of lesser thickness than the rest of the section of tie rod, integrally attached to the upper rim of the lower ring. 2. Inviolability system according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a stepped recess present in the upper edge of the lower ring, such that in an unsealed condition, said at least one section of tie rod is at least partially located in the space existing in the stepped recess, the breakable weakening extension being integrally connected to the lower ring through the stepped recess. 3. Inviolability system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a pair of sections of tie rod that extend in opposite directions from each other from a central thickening, and parallel to the upper edge of the lower ring in an unsealed condition. 4. Inviolability system according to claim 3, characterized in that the two sections of tie rod are symmetrical to each other with respect to a central axis of the thickening. 5. Inviolability system according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises a pair of sections of strap that extend in opposite directions to each other, and parallel to the upper edge of the lower ring in an unsealed condition, the stepped recess including a tab which, in an unsealed condition, is located between the two sections of strap, a weakening extension extending from the tab. 6. Inviolability system according to claims 4 or 5, characterized in that each section of strap (6) has a notch (15) at the beginning of its formation. 7. Inviolability system according to claim 2, characterized in that the stepped recess has rounded corners. 8. Closing cap comprising an upper cover and a lower ring intended to be coupled to a container body, characterized in that it includes an inviolability system according to any of claims 1 to 7. 9. Closing cap according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes a secondary inviolability system formed from a plurality of breaking points between the lower edge of the upper cover and the lower ring. 10. Closing cap according to any of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that the lower ring and the upper cover are articulated through a hinged portion that joins them in a solidary manner, the inviolability system being located diametrically opposite to the slow spatial positioning of the hinged portion. 11. Closing cap according to any of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the lower ring (2) includes linear openings (16) that run parallel to the lower edge of the body of the lower ring (1), the linear openings (16) being arranged radially and spaced apart from each other.