Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CLOSURE FOR CONTAINER OPENINGS
The invention relates to a closure for container openings,
having a closure section consisting of a base part and a pouring
spout, which is connected in one piece with the base part by means
of a flexible bellows and which can be brought by means of the
bellows from an initial position, where the pouring spout is
retracted, into a pouring position, where the pouring spout is
extended, where a bow plate with a screw stud and bows formed on
it can be screwed on the pouring spout and where the bows are
maintained in the plane of the bow plate by means of predetermined
breaking points.
A closure of this type is known from European Patent
Disclosure ~P-A 0 306 670. With this known closure the bows can
be bent upwards out of the plane of the bow plate after separation
at the predetermined breaking points. They are then used to
remove the bow plate, embodied in the manner of a screw cap, from
the pouring spout. The pouring spout is clos~ed off by means of a
sealing plate with an extraction element formed on it. The
pouring spout of the closure can be pulled out of its initial
position of the locked closure into the pouring position by means
of this extraction element. The bellows between the base part and
the pouring spout is flexible enough so that it permits placement
into these two positions of the closure section. After removing
the sealing plate from the pouring spout, the contents can be
removed from the container, i.e. poured out.
In the initial position the pouring spout extends out of
the base part of the closure section, so that the bows of this
known closure can be grasped and bent upwards. The bows are
exposed on the bow plate in the direction toward the base part of
the closure section, so that they can be grasped on both ends.
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This is necessary for the facile upward bending of the bows.
Because of this, the structural height of the closure is increased
above the base part of the closure section which is connected with
the container. If in the initial position the pouring spout is
flush with the base part of the closure, the bows rest snugly on
the base part so that grasping and upward bending of the bows is
made considerably more difficult.
~ It is the object of the invention to provide a closure of
the previously mentioned type where the pouring spout can be flush
with the base part of the closure section, while it is still
possible to bring the bows in a simple manner into a position for
removal of the bow plate, in which they can be comfortably
grasped.
This object is attained in accordance with the invention in
that the bellows has an extension section, so that when pressure
is applied to the bow plate, the pouring spout can be brought past
the initial position into a lifted position, that in the course of
this the bows can be separated from the bow plate by striking
against the base part of the closure section in the area of the
predetermined breaking points and can be turned out of the plane
of the bow plate, and that when the pressure is released, the
extended bellows returns the pouring spout with the bow plate into
the initial position, while the oows maintain their extended
position.
By pressure on the bow plate along the extension section the
bellows permits further, limited inward pushing on the pouring
spout in the direction of the container opening. When pressure is
exerted on the bow plate, the bows are automatically separated
from the bow plate at the predetermined breaking points and pushed
upwards out of the plane of the bow plate. In this case the base
part of the closure section is used as a rest and stop for the bows.
If the bow plate is released again, the pouring spout is returned
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into the initial position by the restoring force of the extension
section. Now the bows extend away from the bow plate, can be
simply grasped and used for pulling the bellows out and for
turning the bow plate, which is embodied in the manner of a screw
cap. A small lift on the bellows is sufficient, which can be
attained simply by means of the embodiment of the extension
section. If the pressure needed for attaining the lift is
sufficiently large a child-proof closure has been attained.
In accordance with a particularly simple embodiment the
extension section is embodied in the shape of a loop. It is
provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment that the loop
of the bellows is disposed at the point of transition between the
pouring spout and the bellows and is open in the direction towards
the bow plate.
The embodiment of the sealing plate and the grasping
element remain unaffected by this embodiment of the bellows. It
is still possible to provide that the pouring spout is closed off
by means of a sealing plate in the area of transition between the
pouring spout and the bellows, which plate transitions via an
annular tear seam into the pouring spout and is provided on the
side facing the bow plate with a grasping element and that a pull
ring or pull loop is formed on the sealing plate to provide a
grasping element.
In accordance with one embodiment, the connection between
the bows and the bow plat~e is attained in that the ends of two
bows are hinged on diametrical places of the bow plate and extend
at a distance from the periphery of the bow plate, and that each
one of the bows is connected between their hinge places with the
bow plate by means of at least one predetermined breaking point.
So that the base part of the closure section always provides a
stop for the bows when the pouring spout is lifted over the base
plate, regardless of the angular position of the screwed on base
.
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plate, the embodiment is such that the base part of the closure
section has an inner sleeve and an outer ring forming the
receptacle for a connector incorporating the container opening,
and that the inner sleeve and the outer ring are connected with
each other via a seating ring used as a seat and a stop for the
bows of the bow plate.
In accordance with a further embodiment, the closure can be
improved in that a closure ring in the shape of a hollow cylinder
is formed on the bow plate in the area of the hinge points of the
bows, which is embodied as a screw ring with an inner thread or as
a locking ring with locking elements so that it can be
additionally secured on the connector forming the container
opening.
The invention will be described in more detail by means of
an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a closure in accordance with
the invention with the pouring spout pushed in,
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the lifted closure of Fig. 1,
and
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the closure after being
returned into the pushed-in position.
The closure in accordance with the invention has a closure
section 10 consisting of a base part 11 and a pouring spout 17.
The pouring spout 17 is connected in one piece with the base part
11 via a flexible bellows 15. This closure section 10 is
preferably made of an appropriately flexible plastic material by
means of a plastic injection molding process. The wall thickness
of the bellows 15 affects its flexibility.
The base part 11 is of increased wall thickness and
comprises an inner sleeve 12 and an outer ring 13 connected with
each other via a seating ring 14. The base part 11 forms a
receptacle for the connector of the container incorporating the
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container opening. The inner sleeve is inserted into the
container opening. The pouring spout 17 has an outer thread, on
which a bow plate 30 with a formed-on screw connection 3~ provided
with an inner thread is screwed. The pouring spout 17 is closed
by means of a sealing plate 18 in the transition area towards the
bellows 15. A grasping element 19, which can be embodied as a
pull ring or a pulling loop, is formed on the sealing plate 18 on
the side facing the bow plate 30. The transition from the sealing
plate 18 to the pouring spout 17 is embodied as an annular tear
seam 20, so that it is possible to remove the sealing plate 18
easily after the pouring spout 17 has been pulled out into the
pouring position.
As shown in Fig. 2, first pressure is exerted on the bow
plate 30, by means of which lifting in the direction of the
container opening is performed, starting at the initial position
of the pouring spout 17. Two bows 33 are hinged on the bow plate
30 at hinge points located diametrically in respect to each other,
which extend at a distance from the periphery of the bow plate 30
and are maintained in the plane of the latter. Each bow 33 is
connected with the bow plate 30 between the hinge points of the
bows 33 on the bow plate 30 via at least one predetermined
breaking point 34 and is maintained in the plane of the bow plate.
The bows 33 are located above the seating ring 14 of the base part
11, which is used as a stop when lifting. Because the bows 33
cannot follow when the bow plate 30 is lifted, the predetermined
breaking points 34 are automatically sheared off in the course of
this and the bows 33 are upwardly bent out of the plane of the bow
plate 30.
To make this lifting possible, the bellows 15 has an
extension section 16 which allows the extension of the bellows 15
in an axial direction. In the exemplary embodiment this extension-
section 16 is embodied as a loop which is fastened directly in the
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transition of the pouring spout 17 into the bellows 15 and which
is open in the direction towards the bow plate 30. In the course
of lifting in accordance with Fig. 2, this loop is shortened as
indicated by the reference numeral 16', because now the distance
of the inner end of the pouring spout 17 to the base part 11 has
been increased.
If the bow plate 30 is released, i.e. pressure is no longer
exerted on it, the bellows 15 is returned into the initial
position in accordance with Fig. 1 because of the inherent tension
which was built up in the extension section 16'. Now the bows 33
extend away from the bow plate 30 and can be easily grasped. As
indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3, the bows 33 are folded against
each other and are then used as a handle for lifting and removing
the bow plate 30 from the pouring spout 17. To this end the bow
plate 30 with the screw connection 32 is unscrewed from the
pouring spout 17. Inside the screw connection 32 the bow plate 30
has a further sleeve-like connection 31, which is inserted into
the free end of the pouring spout 17 and closes and seals it.
The extension section 16 of the bellows 15 can also be
disposed on another location of the bellows 15 and can be embodied
differently. It is only required that, starting in the initial
position of the pouring spout 17, it permits a limited lifting
motion, by means of which the predetermined breaking points are
sheared between the bows 33 and the bow plate 30 and in the course
of which the bows 33 are moved out of the plane of the bow plate
30 by striking the base part 11 of the closure section 10.
It is possible to form a closure ring 35 in the shape of a
hollow cylinder in the area where the bows 33 are hinged on the
bow plate 30, which covers the closure section 10 and allows
additional fixing of the closure on the connector of the
container. In the exemplary embodiment the closure ring 35 is
embodied as a screw ring with an inner thread. However, the
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closure ring 35 can-also be eI~odied as a locking ring with lock
: elements.
- Additional bows can be formed on the bow plate 30, which
are at a distance towards the base part 11. These additional bows
can be directly grasped and bent upwards without it being
necessary that the pouring spout 17 is lifted. In this way the
bow plate 30 can be disengaged from the pouring spout in two ways.
