Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The invention relates to closure caps for
two-component packages.
Two-component packages are known wherein
a vessel containing a diluent carries a closure
cap containing a concentrate. By manipulating
the closure cap the user is able to open a reservoir
containing the concentrate so that the concentrate
and diluent are mixed together without the user
coming into contact with the concentrate.
From British Patent 10 83 335, an apparatus
for storin~ and mixing two components is known,
in which a screw cap which carries a reservoir
in which one compon~nt is enclosed is used as the
closure cap. This reservoir is constructed as
a small pot with a flat bottom and is placed on
a collar extending radially from the base of the
screw cap into the fill opening. When the cap
is screwed up, the pot serving as a reservoir is
held, by means of an upper annular flange, at a
specific height in the neck of the bottle, whilst
the lower edge of the collar tears off the base
of the pot along a weakened line and thus enables
the component stored in the bottle (referred to
as a diluent hereinafter) to be mixed with the
component stored in the reservoir (referred to
as a concentrate hereinafter).
Furthermore, from German Gebrauchsmuster
75 31 452, a similar type of apparatus is known
in which the part of the closure cap constructed
as a reservoir consists of a cylindrical wall element
projecting into the neck of the bottle and sealed
off at the top by a base of the closure cap and
at the bottom by a base plate which is removable.
The base plate is pressed towards the wall element
by means of a retaining member extending from the
base of the closure cap so as to form a chamber
which is outwardly sealed.
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These known closure caps have a number of
disadvantages which affect the usefulness of the
two-component package.
Thus the components which are stored side
by side in the reservoir and bottle are not reliably
separated frGm each other If, for example, liquids
such as plant pesticide concentrates and a diluent,
or other organic solvents or emulsifiers, are present
as one component of the two component system, there
are problems of leaktightness particularly at the
weakened breakage point at the junction between
the collar and the reservoir or at the junction
between the base plate and the wall element.
Moreover, some of the two component packages
known in the prior art can be opened by simply
unscrewing the closure cap, and the two components
thus separated from each other. However, the intention
with two component packages is usually that it
should only be possible to remove the finished
mixture o~ the two components. Separation into
the individual components is contrary to the safe
use which the two component package is intended
to ensure.
Also in the closure caps known according
to the prior art the reservoir may only be manufactured
from certain materials, depending on the type of
closure cap, the rigidity of the base plate, and/or
the leak~ightness of devices used as sealing elements
or of the weakened point, thus greatly restricting
the choice of materials with regard to mechanical
properties.
Viewed from one aspect the present invention
provides a closure cap adapted to be mounted rotatably
on the neck of a bottle or other container to form
a two-cornponent package, the closure cap containing
a reservoir intended to receive a concentrate,
~herein:
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a) the closure cap has a collar arranged to
extend into the bottle neck from the base
of the closure cap, and
S b) the said collar is formed with a collar thread
to receive an inner container containing
the concentrate, and either
cl) between the outer wall of the said inner
container and the inner wall of the bottle
neck rotation stop means is provided which
prevents free rotation of the inner container
in one or both directions of rotation, or
c2) the said collar is formed with an abutment
edge at its lower end which engages a divisible
inner container in such a way that when the
~ inner container, screwed onto the collar
: thread, is rotated further in the direction
of engagement with the collar thread, the
inner container is severed along a weakened
: line, whilst either
; C2 1 ) the free rotation of the inner container
is impeded in one or both directions by rotation
: stop means provided on the outer wall of
the inner container and on the inner wall
of the bottle neck, or
30 c2 2 ) the inner container has, on its upper portion,
an annular flange which extends radially
outwardly and abuts on the bottle neck, such
annular flange defining the depth of suspension
of the inner container and acting to block
the free rotation of the inner container.
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sy -the interaction of the componen-ts of the
inventi.on as specified~ above, i-t is posslble to
produce closure caps in which the inner container,
acting as a reservoir, is unscrewed by rotary move-
ment of the closure cap from the collar thread
(combination of elements a), b) and Cl) or in which
the inner container is severed by the lower part of
the collar, which is constructed as an abutment edge,
so that the reservoir opens towards the diluent
stored in the bottle (combination of elements a), b),
C2) and C2 1) or C2 2) Fur-ther advantageous effects
are achieved in addition to improvements over the
prior art men-tioned.
In another aspect of the invention there is
provided a -two-component package, comprising a
bottle, an inner container constituting a reservoir
intended to receive a concentrate, and a closure cap
which is rotatable on and is releasably connected to
a neck of the bottle by means of a bottle thread, the
closure cap having a collar extending axially into
the bottle neck from a closure cap base, said collar
being arranged, by means of a collar thread, to
receive said inner container characterized in that
the closure cap can only be released from the bottle
neck after the conten-ts of the reservoir have been
released from the inner container into the bottle, by
al) providing between an outer wall of the inner
container and an inner wall of the bottle neck, at
one or more points, a rotation block which prevents
free rotation of the inner container in one or both
directions of rotation, or a2) arranging that the
collar is angular or pointed in construction to form
an abutment edge at its lower end and that it rests
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on said base or on an annular s-tep extending about a
divisible inner container in such a way that when the
inner container screwed onto the collar thread is
rota-ted further in the direction of closure of the
collar thread, the inner container is severed along a
weakened line, whilst a2.1) the free rotation of the
inner container is impeded i.n one or both directions
by one or more rotation blocks mounted on the outer
wall of the inner container and on the inner wall of
the bo-ttle neck, or a2.2) the inner container com-
prises, on its upper portion, an annular bead which
is directed radially outwardly and abuts on the
bottle neck, said annular bead defining the depth of
suspension of the inner container and possibly
blocking the free rotation of the inner con-tainer by
means of knubs or notches.
With regard to the following description of
specific embodiments of closure caps according -to the
invention, it should be particularly emphasized that
the specific form of individual elements described by
way of example in the particular embodiments may
readily be transferred to other embodiments of
closure caps according to the invention by anyone
skilled in the art.
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Some embodiments of the invention will now
be described by way of example and with reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1, is an exploded view of the
components oE a first device according to the
invention, comprising a bottle neck, a screw cap with
an unscrewable inner container, and a rotation stop
acting in one direction of rotation;
Figure 2a is a cross-sectional view of the
device of Figure 1 in its assembled condition;
Figure 2b is a cross-section through a
rotation stop which blocks rotation in one direction;
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Figure 2c is a cross-section through a rotation stop which
blocks rotation in both clirections;
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the components of a second
device according to the invention comprising a clip-in base, a clip-in cap,
an unscrewable inner container, and a bottle neck;
Figure 4a shows the bottle neck and clip-in cap of Figure 3
when assembled;
Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view oE the bottle neck and
closure cap of Figure 3 in their state ready for use before the internal
container has been ~mscrewed;
Figure 4c is a cross-section through a rotation stop arranged
to block rotation in both directions;
Figure 4d is a cross-section through a rotation stop arranged
to block rotation in one direction;
Figure 5a shows another embodiment comprising a bottle neck
with a screw cap and a divisible inner container;
Figure 5b shows the device of Figure 5a with the reservoir
opened;
Figure 5c is a detail, to an enlarged scale of the part circled
in Figure 5b;
Figure 6 is an exploded view of the components of a further
embodiment incorporating a click-in base, a click-in cap, a divisible inner
container with either a flat base or deep base, and a bottle neck;
Figure 7a shows the bottle neck of Figure 6 with the click-in
cap screwed on;
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Figure 7b shows the bottle neck and closure
cap of Figure 6 in the position ready for use before
severing of the divisible internal container;
S Figure 7c is a cross-section through a rotation
stop effective in both directions of rotation;
and
Figure 7d is a cross-section through a rotation
stop effective in one direction of rotation.
Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a closure
cap according to the invention in which the cap
can be screwed onto a bott`le neck 2 by means of
a thread 17, hereinafter referred to as bottle
thread. An inner container S is held in the closure
cap by a thread 4 associated with a collar 3 and
hereinafter referred to as the collar thread 4.
A number of flexible rotation stops 6 extending
outwardly in the manner of flaps or wings are associated
with the outer surface of the inner container 5
in such a way that the outer edge of each rotation
stop 6 projects beyond the outer surface 18 of
the inner container 5 and is slidable past angular
rotation stops 6 associated with the bottle neck
2 in one direction of rotationr in the manner of
a ratchet, but will not permit movement in the
opposite direction of rotation.
Preferably, as shown, the flexible rotation
stops 6 are associated with the inner container
5 and the angular rotation stops 6' are associated
with the bottle neck 2. This simplifies the manufacture
of the bottle. Furthermore, if the bottle is to
be used a number of times, the flexible rotation
stops 6, which wear out more quickly, are advantage-
ously associated with the inner container 5 which
is usually used only once. Moreover, with this
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arrangement, the clear space in the bottle neck
can be used to an opt~mum degree, i.e. the space
between the outer surface of the inner container
and the inner wall of the bottle neck 2 can be
S restricted to a narrow slot this is particularly
true if the lower portion of the inner container
is tapered as shown in Figure 1. In this way,
best possible use can be made of the volume available
for the concentrate 1 in the inner container in
relation to the useful inner space in the bo~tle
neck.
Figure 2b diagrammatically shows a cross
section through the bottle neck and inner container
level with the rotation stops 6 and 6'.
By combining the elements of bottle thread
17, collar thread 4 and rotation stop 6,6' effective
in one direction, it is possible to produce closure
caps for a variety of applications: the rotation
stop 6 acting in one direction, associated with
the inner container 5 in Figures 1 and 2, is arranged
so that it stops the direction of rotation which
results in the inner container 5 being unscrewed
from the collar 3. Moreover, collar thread 4 and
bottle thread 17 are dimensioned relative to each
other in such a way that the inner container 5
can be screwed up and unscrewed with fewer turns
than are necessary in order to screw up the closure
cap entirely by means of the bottle thread 17
Bearing these conditions in mind, the following
possible combinations arise:
Collar thread 4 and bottle thread 17 have
different directions of rotation, e.g. collar
thread 4 is left-handed and bottle thread 17 is
right-handed: when the closure cap containing
the inner container 5 and the concentrate 1 is
screwed up, the inner container 5 is thereby unscrewed
from the collar thread 4 and the concentrate 1
mixes with the diluent 14.
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In a second instance the collar thread 4
and bottle thread 17 have the same direction of
rotation, e.g. both are right-handed as shown in
Figure 1, and in this case the closure cap containing
the inner container 5 and the concentrate 1 can
be screwed up until a fixed abutment is obtained
(this state is shown in Figure 2a). Thus when
the closure cap is unscrewed, the inner container
5 is simultaneously unscrewed from the collar thread
4 and the concentrate 1 mixes with the diluent
14 before the bottle is opened.
The combination o~ individual features described
hereinbefore is particularly suitable for a safety
packaging system. Thus concentrate 1 and diluent
14 may be packaged by the manufacturer in the closure
cap and bottle, and the two parts are screwed together
and sold as a sealed unit. Since the concentrate
1 and diluent 14 are mixed together as the closure
is unscrewed, before the bottle has been opened
for removal of the contents, it is impossible to
remove the concentrate 1 in undiluted form. This
is of exceptional importance particularly when
packaging concentrated pesticides for plants.
The manufacturer can offer packages for sale in
which the pesticidal liquor ready for use, or a
semiconcentrate re~uiring further dilution, is
only formed at the momen~ of opening the package.
Since the ratio of concentrate 1 and diluent
1~ is determined by the manufacturer, any incorrect
dosages caused by the user are prevented. Another
important point is the fact that in packages of
this kind the concentrate 1 cannot be accidentally
taken out in undiluted form. The term "safety
closure cap" is used in the text of this specification
whenever the combination of elements according
to the invention results in a closure cap from
which the concentrate cannot be removed undiluted
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when the closure cap has previo~sly been placed
on the bottle neck and is then unscrewed from the
bottle neck by normal handling.
Closure caps with an unscrewable inner container
S 5 may also be fitted with rotation blocks which
prevent rotation in both directions. Features
of this type of closure cap according to the invention
will now be explained with reference to Figure ~`
s3 and 4.
Figure 3 shows an inner container 5, the
outer surface of which is formed with a plurality
of radially outwardly pointing webs forming a rotation
stop 6. Matching webs are provided as rotation
stops 6' in the bottle neck 2. The closure cap
associated with the bottle neck 2 consists of two
parts as shown in Figure 3. ~ne part 15, hereinafter
referred to as the click-in cap, is associated
with the bottle neck 2 and has in the base of the
cap an opening arranged to receive a base element
16 carrying the collar 3, this base element being
hereinafter referred to as the click in base. The
opening in the base of the click-in cap 15 is dimen-
sioned so that the inner container S, when screwed to
the click-in base, can be pushed through until
the click-in base 16 abuts firmly in the click-
in cap lS. Divided closure caps of this kind are
particularly suitable as safety closure caps.
I'he filling and sealing and the proper use
of a system of this construction will no~ be explained
in more detail with reference to Figure 4.
The manufacturer first screws the click-in
cap lS onto the bottle filled with the diluent
14. In a separate operation, the inner container
5 filled with the concentrate 1 is screwed tightly
to the click-in base ]6 and is then inserted through
the upper opening in the click-in cap 15, which
is already resting on the bottle neck, with the
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rotation stops ~ and 6' offset relative to each
other. The parts of the click-in closure which
interconnect the click-in cap and the click-in
base 16, namely the matching edge portions 20 and
19, are arranged so that after the base 16 has
clicked into the cap 15 they are fixedly connected
to one another and ~annot be separated from the
outside.
By suitable arrangement of the collar and
bottle threads 4 and 17 the following effects can
be achieved.
When the collar thread 4 and bottle thread
17 run in the same direction, when the closure
cap is unscrewed, the inner container 5 is simultan-
eously unscrewed from the collar thread 4 and theconcentrate 1 mixes with the diluent 14 before
the bottle is open.
It is however particularly advantageous to
combine threads of different directions of rotation,
e.g. the collar thread 4 left-handed and the
bottle thread 17 right-handed. The bottle thread
may then be constructed so that in its bottom or
fulll closed position it can be further rotated
idly in the direction of closure. Threads of this
kind are part of the prior art. Thus, as illustrated,
the bottle neck 2 may have a complete thread, whilst
the closure cap has a ring of radially arranged
lens-shaped thread webs 21 at a certain height
only in the lower region of the closure cap, these
thread webs 21 travelling idly when the cap is
rotated in the direction of closure below the lowest
thread turn of the bottle thread, but being guided
in the thread webs 22 of the bottle neck 2 when
the closure cap is unscrewed.
However, as a result of the rotation stops
6 and 6', rotary movement of the closure cap in
the opening direction causes a "rotary movement
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in the dlrection of closure" to be transmitted
to the collar thread 4. As a result, if the inner
container 5 is already tight on the collar 3, the
closure cap cannot be unscrewed Instead, the
S closure cap must be deliberately turned further
in the direction of closure until the inner ~ontainer
5 is unscrewed from the collar 3. Only then is
it possible to open the bottle, i.e. unscrew the
closure cap.
A safety closure cap operating on the principle
just described need not necessarily be produced
in the divided form of the illustrated embodiment,
i.e. with a click-in cap 15 and click-in base 16.
With modern packaging technology it is also possible
to press a closure cap, in which the inner container
5 containing the concentrate 1 is provided with
rigid rotation stops 6, 6l and is already fixedly
screwed ~o the collar thread 4 of the closure cap,
onto the bottle neck vertically or with gentle
rotation so as to achieve a sealed leaktight closure,
without the rotation stops 6, 6' preventing the
closure cap from being pressed on.
Divisible closure caps, on the other hand,
have numerous advantages. Thus, little contact
pressure is required to press in the click-in base
16. Furthermore, in the case of closure caps with
collar and bottle threads arranged in opposite
senses or with bottle and collar threads having
different thread pitches, expensive divisible tools
have to be used to produce integral closure caps
by injection moulding. Owing to the different
pitches of the bottle and collar threads 17, 4,
it is not easy to unscrew the workpiece from the
mould. On the other hand it is easy to produce
the parts of the closure cap which carry the collar
thread 4 and the bottle thread 17 in separate operations
and then join the two parts together, possibly
by a click-in closure.
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The join l9, 20 of the click-in closure may,
if desired, be sealed with hydrophobic adjuvants
such as silicones or welded by heat treatment
To improve the seal, one or more sealing
lips 23 (Figure 4b) may be provided in the upper
part of the closure cap above the bottle thread.
The invention also includes closure caps
for two-component systems having an inner container
ll which is capable of being severed by the rotary
movements; specific embodiments of this type are
shown in Figures 5 to 7.
Referring back first l:o the closure cap known
from British Patent 10 83 33S, here the separable
inner container is fitted onto the smooth cylindrical
outer surface of the collar. Even when sealing
lips in the form of clip stages are used, the concen-
trate enclosed in the inner container cannot be
stored with absolute certainty. Concentrates such
as concentrated plant pesticides generally contain
a large proportion of emulsifier and/or a solvent
with good solvating properties. Partly as a result
of capillary action, also, the concentrate rises
up through the sealing surface between the inner
container and the collar. This leakage point cannot
be remedied either by using sealing lips in this
region or by applying sealing rings. ~oreover,
the concentrate is in constant contact with the
weakened breaking point of the inner container.
The plastics material swells and the weakened points
changes in its mechanical properties. Furthermore,
even a short-lived rise in the storage temperature,
caused by volatile components of the solvent in
the concentrate, can lead to the build-up of such
a high internal pressure in the reservoir that
the fitting of the inner container on the collar
is loosened.
This problem is not solved with the features
known from German Gebrauchsmuster 75 31 452. The
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sealing problems are particularly noticeable here
because the joint produced by clip stages between
the base plate and the wall element must not lock
too tightly since otherwise the base plate would
not drop away when the seal was broken.
Whereas in the closure caps so far described,
fitted with an unscrewable inner container, the
reservoir is opened when the inner container 5
is unscrewed from the collar thread 4, in a further
embodiment of the present invention having a separable
inner container, the inner container 11 has to
be screwed further onto the collar thread ~ so
that the lower part of the collar 3 acting as an
abutment edge 7 severs the inner container 11,
the separation preferably occurring along a thinner
part 10 of the wall of the inner container, referred
to as a weakened point. A particularly important
feature here as compared with the prior art i5
the fact that the collar thread 4 also acts as
a sealing element.
The collar thread 4, the bottle thread ]7
and rotation stops 6, 6' may in turn be combined
in different ways and used for closure caps with
a separable inner container.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the
collar thread 4 and bottle thread 17 have the same
direction of rotation and the same pitc~. The
rotation stop is formed by an annular flange 12
extending radially outwards from the upper end
of the inner container, the flange being of such
dimensions that it abuts on the upper edge of the
bottle neck 2. In the preliminary closure position
(Figure 5a) the closure cap contalning the concentrate
is screwed up until the annular flange 12 rests
on the bottle neck. By further turning the closure
cap in the direction of closure, the inner container
11 is screwed more firmly onto the collar thread
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4, so that the lower part of the collar 3 constructed
as an abutment edge 7 severs the inner container
11 along the weakened point 10 and thus opens up
the reservoir into the diluent 14 (Figure 5b).
S The annular flange 12, which simultaneously
acts as a seal and a rotation stop during both
the preliminary and the definitive closing of the
bottle (Figure 5a, Figure 5b), may, on the one
hand, block the rotation of the inner container
11 solely by the contact pressure acting on its
abutment surface. It is also possible to provide
the abutment surface between the annular flange
12 and the top edge of the bottle neck 2 with knobs,
notches or serrations 13 so that the free rotation
of the inner container 11 is blocked even if there
is little or no contact pressure.
The inner container 11 screwed onto the collar
3 engages, by means of the collar thread 4, so
tightly on the collar 3 that sealing rings 24 can
be inserted to seal the inner container. The concen-
trate 1 cannot affect the weakened point 10 during
storage and cause it to swell up, nor can any volatile
components in the concentrate loosen the fit of
the inner container 11 on the collar 3 by producing
a high internal pressure.
Figures 6 and 7 show embodiments of closure
caps according to the invention with separable
inner containers 11, in which the rotation stops
6 and 6', as already explained in detail hereinbefore,
are arranged on the outer surface of the inner
container 11 and on the inner surface of the bottle
neck 2 as blocking elements acting in one direction
(Figure 7d) or in both directions of rotation (Figure
7c).
In contrast to the embodiment shown in Figure
5 in which the depth of suspension of the inner
container is defined by the annular flange 12 abutting
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on the bottle neck 2, the inner container in the
embodiments of Figures 6 and 7 i5 freely movable
in the vertical direction inside the bottle neck
2 in accordance with the pitch of the collar thread
S 4. Thus, closure caps with separable inner containers
11 can be made available, in which the collar thread
4 and bottle thread 17 have different pitches.
The interaction of the individual elements will
be explained more fully by way of e~ample with
reference to a two-part closure cap with a separable
inner container 11.
Figure 6 shows, spatially separated, the
individual elements: click-in cap lS with a click-
in base 16 which can be pressed into it, the collar
lS 3 being constructed as an abutment edge 7 at its
lower edge and bearing the collar thread 4 arranged
to receive the inner container 11, and two embodiments
of a separable inner container 11 one with a flat
base 8 and the other with a tub-shaped base 25
extending from an annular step 9, the bottle neck
2 being arranged to receive the closure cap by
means of a bottle thread 17. The rotation stops
associated with the inner container 11 and the
bottle neck 2 are shown as rigid rotation stops
6 and 6'.
First of all, the manufacturer fills the
bottle with the diluent 14 and screws the click-
in cap lS onto the fill opening 2 as shown in Figure
7a. In a second operation the click-in base 16,
which is screwed to the inner container 11 containing
the concentrate 1l is inserted through the upwardly
open base of the click-in cap lS so that the edge
members 19 and 20, formed as a closure, interengage.
If desired, the click-in closure may be protected
from unauthorised opening by adhesive bonding or
sealing at 19, 20.
Figure 7b shows the closure cap resting on
the bottle neck 2 in the position ready for use.
\
The closure cap need not necessarily consist of
the two elements of click-in base 16 and click-
in cap 15; it may also be made in one piece and
the bottle then sealed by pressing until the cap
engages firmly on the bottle thread. Such methods
are well established in packaging technology ancl
need not be explained in detail When the closure
cap is pressed on directly in the vertical direction
a lens-shaped partial thread 21 formed on the
closure cap, as shown in Figure 3, is preferred.
The closure cap shown in its position ready
for use in Figure 7b may if desired be additionally
sealed to prevent the contents of the bottle from
running out by means of sealing lips on the click-
in cap 15, bottle neck 2, collar 3 or inner container11 .
If the bottle thread 17 and collar thread
4 have opposite directions of rotation, then when
the closure cap is unscrewed the inner container
11 is screwed more tightly to the collar 3, and
the abutment edge 7 resting on the bàse 8 or on
the annular step 9 of the inner container 11 severs
the inner container 11 along the weakened line
10 and the concentrate 1 and diluent 14 are mixed
together before the closure cap has been ully
unscrewed.
The combination of collar and bottle threads
4, 17 extending in the same direction is also feasible:
then, from the closed position (Figure 7b), the
cap must be screwed up further in the direction
of closure in order to sever the inner container
11 Such severance will be apparent to the user
by the sudclen reduction in the force necessary
to turn the cap; this effect occurs with all screw
caps with a separable inner container ll and can
be regardecl as a reliable indication that the concen-
trate 1 ancl diluent 14 have been mixed.
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When in the case of collar and bottle threads
4, 17 extending in the same direction, the inner
container can be unscrewed from the collar 3 with
fewer turns than are necessary to open the bottle
completely, the inner contalner 11 falls away even
before the closure cap is fully unscrewed and the
concentrate 1 and diluent 14 are at once mixed
together; therefore the concentrate 1 cannot be
removed in undiluted ~orm.
Thus, both closure caps with the collar and
bottle threads 4, 17 running in opposite directions,
and also closure caps in which the threads are
in the same direction, satisfy the requirements
which are imposed on safet^y closure caps.
Moreover, closure caps with a separable inner
container 11 and rotation stops 6, 6' acting in
only one direction (Figure 7d) are also within
the scope of the invention. Such rotation stops
6, 6' effective in one direction, which may be
provided on the outer surface of the inner container
11 (Figure 7d) and on the inner surface of the
bottle neck 2 respectively, are arranged to block
screwing up operation of the collar thread 4 but
not unscrewing. Although rotation stops effective
in one direction may thus be used in two-part closure
caps, the use of such rotation stops is preferred
in one-part closure caps. Where the thread of
the collar and bottle are in the same direction,
the rotation stops 5, 6' act to block the screwing
up of the closure cap.
The inner container 11 is screwed onto the
collar 3 and severed along the weakened line 10
by means of the abutment edge 7. Closure caps
of this kind satisfy the requirements foe a two-
component system in which the closure cap containingthe concentrate is sold separately from the bottle
and the bottle and closure cap are only combined
by the final user.
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In another embodiment the collar and bottle
threads 4,17 extend in opposite directions, This
embodiment satisfies the requirements imposed on
a safety closure cap system: the manufacture~
screws the closure cap containing the concentrate
1 to a bottle into which the diluent 14 has already
been poured. The rotation stops 6, 6' efective
in one direction ~Figure 7d) do not block this
operation since in the case of threads formed in
different directions the "close" direction of rotation
for the bottle thread 17 corresponds to a non-blocking
sliding of the flexible stop 6 over the other rotation
stop 6. Only when the sealed bottle is opened
by the user do the rotation stops 6, 6' act, whereby
lS the inner container 11 is screwed onto the collar
3 and the abutment edge 7 severs the reservoir
along the weakened line (10).
A major advantage of closure caps with a
separable inner container 11 with no restriction
to the depth of suspension by an annular flange
such as 12, is the fact that the pitch of the bottle
thread 17 and collar thread 4 can be chosen indepen-
dently of each other. In the two-component system
known from British Patent 1 083 335, the abutment
edge of the collar is screwed into the bottle neck
by an amount corresponding to the pitch of the
bottle thread. Since at the same time the depth
of suspension of the cup is limited by an annular
flange abutting on the bottle opening, only limited
pressure can be exerted on the weakened point,
which means that this weakened point must be sufficiently
thin. In practice, however, problems of leaktightness
particularly occur with excessively thin weakened
points. If, as just mentioned, the pitch of the
collar and bottle threads 4, 17 can be selected
independently of each other, by using a collar
thread 4 with a small pitch it is possible to exert
~ 3 ~
20 -
substantially greater force on the weakened point
10 by means of the abutment edge 7. Therefore
weakened points may be produced from thicker layers
of material, resulting in a significant improvement
in the leaktightness.
A general advantage of closure caps with
a separable inner container 11 is the fact that,
after the base 8 or the base tub 25 has been severed,
the concentrate 1 enclosed in the reservoir flows
out unimpeded, i.e. the concentrate 1 and diluent
1~ are automatically mixed without any need to
shake the bottle.
Everything that has been said makes it clear
that apparatus according to the invention, at least
in its preferred forms, provides two-component
packaging systems with good leaktightness, safety
of use, and good operability.
The question of the choice of material for
the reservoir and the entire closure cap can be
resolved in terms of the requirements applying
to the concentrate and diluent. The (one-part)
inner container may be made of g~ass, ceramics,
plastics, metals, cardboard or other materials,
but in the case of inner containers with a weakened
point the weakened point may restrict the choice
of material. Owing to the fact that the collar
thread also acts as a sealing element, by choosing
specific forms of thread and inserting seals or
gaskets it is possible to achieve good leaktightness.
.
... . .
