Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PCT/EP 02/03124
Trie invention relates to a dispensir,g closure Tor
containers which cori tain free-flowing substances, in
particular for drinks coritair,ers.
Numerous designs of dispensirig closures of this type
are l:.nown from the prior art, and the closures are used
for drinks containers made from various materials, in
particular from glass and plastic.
In particular in recent years, increased demands have
been imposed on drinks containers of this type and
associated dispensing closures for various intended
uses and applications, in which context on the one hand
reliable sealing of the dispensing closure even under
high levels of loads, as occur for example when the
drinks containers are carried along duri.ng sporting
activity, causes problems, and on the other hand it is
desirable for the user of the containers to have as
pleasant an experience as possible during removal of
the substances, in particular when drinking, when the
user's mouth generally comes into direct contact with
the dispensing closure.
Therefore, it is an object of some embodiments of the present
invention to provide an improved dispensing closure for containers
which contain free-flowing substances, in particular
for the abovementioned drinks containers, which on the
one hand ensures an improved sealing of the dispensing
closure and on the othex hand allows a pleasant
sensation to be felt in the event of direct contact
with the dispensing closure.
This object is achieved in some embodiments by a dispensing
closure for containers which contain Tree-flowing substances, in
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particular for drinks containers, the dispensing closure
comprising: a closure body having a cover, from the outer
edge of which projects a casing which can be secured to the
container over an opening in the container, an outlet
opening in a top side of the closure body, which is in
communication with the opening in the container, and a
closure element for opening and closing the outlet opening
of the closure body, a dome-like elevation of the closure
body, which is arranged around the outlet opening in the
closure body, which is provided with a sleeve element which
at least partially covers an outer region of the dome-like
elevation, the material of the sleeve element being softer
than the material of the dome-like elevation and/or of the
cover and/or of the material of the closure body.
According to one aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a dispensing closure made from plastic for
containers which contain free-flowing substances, in
particular for drinks containers, the dispensing closure
comprising: a closure body having a cover, from an outer
edge of which projects a casing which can be secured to the
container over an opening in the container, a substantially
horizontal annular shoulder of the cover, from a radially
inner region, with respect to the longitudinal center axis,
of which a dome-like elevation extends outward, with an
outlet opening, which is in communication with the opening
in the container, at its outer end, a sleeve element, which
at least partially covers an outer region of the dome-like
elevation and the material of which is softer than the
material of the dome-like elevation, a closure element for
the outlet opening, wherein the dome-like elevation forms a
drinking stub, the outlet opening of which has a termination
edge which is bent off radially inward and in its top region
runs substantially horizontally, the sleeve element being made
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of thermoplastic polyester, dimensioris of the sleeve
element and of the drinking stub, and also of a
cylinctrical pinch member provided on an inner side of a
head plate of the closure element, being matched to one
another in such a way that, in the closed position of
the closure element, the pinch member engages over the
dririkinq stub with the sleeve elemerit arranged thereon
with substantially no noise.
This dispensing closure of embodiments of the invention has a
very positive influence on the contact sensation of the user
who, for example during drinking, comes into contact
substantially or exclusively with the sleeve element,
which consists of the softer material. Furthermore, the
sealing of the dispensing closure is improved by the
softer material used for the sleeve element, since the
closure element which closes off the outlet opening
preferably seals off the outlet opening by direct
contact with the sleeve element. Furthermore, the fact
that the softer material is highly compressible means
that it is possible to select the dimensions of the
components in such a way that while a reliable seal is
obtained, it is not necessary to impose excessively
high demands on the accuracy of the manufacturing
tolerances. If necessary, it is additionally possible
to provide a tamperproofing means in the form of a
closure for the outlet opening of the closure body. In
this way, in order to maintain the quality of the
contents of the pouch, any possibility of air or oxygen
reaching the interior of the container is ruled out
until the container is opened for the first time. This
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amper~roo=_r,g mear:s m.ay cons_sL of _ame
a.= L_r!e '! e _v e ! emenL ai,d / ri= Of Lh e ?iiar -_a.~ oi L:"!e
closure boCly. ! ri additlon to 1;1 thls UJay ac!'._av'-?1g a
high level cf quality Gssurance for the cont.ents o: the
contair,er, it is thereby possi}le to significantly
s i mpl i fy and reduce the costs of mass productior, of the
dispensing closure. Therefore, sorne embodimerits of the
present invention are based on the surprising discovery
that the provision of the sleeve element consisting of
softer material makes it possible to achieve or solve
both the abovementioned objects or problems.
A further advantage of the dispensing closure having
the sleeve element consisting of soft material is the
noise insulation, since there is no disruptive noise
produced when a lid, in particular a hinged lid, is
opened and closed. This is advantageous in particular
if, for example, a corresponding container is to be
opened as unobtrusively as possible in a quiet
atmosphere, for example in a library or during a
lecture.
In some embodiments suitable materials for the sleeve element are
in particular thermoplastic polymers, in particular
thermoplastic polyester (TPE), high-pressure polymers
(low-density polyethylene, LDPE), but also other soft
plastics, rubber and/or silicone. These materials can
be set to the desired softness of the sleeve element
but are also stable enough to ensure a long service
life of the sleeve element and therefore of the
dispensing closure.
Of course, it is possible for the sleeve element to be
made from a combination of two or rnore of the
abovementioned materials without departing from the
subject matter of the present invention.
It is in some embodiments possible for the closure body to be
formed integrally with a dome-like elevation which projects
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-ihe 7:op ~_de or edge o= _losure bDzly and can
~:,e u: ed. as a dr_ni:i ng s--_ub -or the user. Fu= the_mc_e,
it is in some embodiments possible for the diameter of the dom=-l=ike
e,levati on --.o be stepped over its hei ght, the dom_- ~_ke
elevation pr-ferably having a smaller diameter toward
its outer region and having the opening at its outer
erid .
In some embodiments, the sleeve element is
designed in such a way that the dome-like elevation, in
its outer region, is covered by the sleeve elemerit
substantially completely, i.e. if appropriate including
the opening and/or its tamperproof closure made from
the material of the closure body. This ensures that the
entire area which can come into contact with the mouth
of a person who is drinking is covered by the sleeve
element, so that the pleasant contact sensation is
fully retained. Furthermore, this allows the
configuration of the closure element to be made more
variable, because a mating element, provided for
sealing purposes, of the closure element can engage at
various locations of the sleeve element and thereby
ensure a seal. For example, if the tamperproof element
is designed as a tear-off tab which seals the opening,
the user, for example a cyclist, can tear off the
tear-off tab using his teeth, without having to use one
of his hands, while cycling in order to open the
container.
However, the sleeve element may extend only over
certain partial regions of the dome-like elevation, in
particular over an upper region of the dome-like
elevation. This configuration., in particular the size
of the dome-like elevation, can be appropriately
adapted to the desired use by a person skilled in the
art.
By contrast, the sleeve element may extend not only
over the dome-like elevation and, if desired, over _ts
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_=g=ons of --he closu'-e body.
In some embodiments, the closure element is a
~ r!;,;gesi lid which is articulatedly mounted in tegrally on
the closure body by mearis of a hinge. Therefore, the
closure element and the closure body form a single unit
which is injection-molded integrally from plastics
material and in which the closure element is not lost
i0 afte.r it has been fitted to the container.
Of course, it is also possible for separate closure
elements to be provided instead of a closure element
which is connected to the hinged lid. Furthermore,
15 without departing from the scope of the invention, it
is conceivable to use all possible closure options,
e.g. a closure element which is secured to the closure
body by a snap.-action mechanism or a screw thread.
20 The invention is described in more detail below with
reference to a diagrammatic drawing of exemplary
embodiments of a dispensing closure. In the drawing:
fig. 1 shows an opened dispensing closure in the form
25 of a center longitudinal section;
fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a dispensing
closure in the form of a center longitudinal
section as in fig. 1;
fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of a dispensing
closure in the same form of illustration as in
figs. 1 and 2;
fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a dispensing
closure in the same form of i l 1 ustration as i n
figs. 1 - 3; and
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fig. 5 shows a three-dimensional illustration of the
dispensing closure from fig. 4.
Fig. 1 shows a dispensing closure 10 for containers
which contain free-flowing substances, having a closure
body 100 and a closure element 200 designed as a lid.
The closure body 100 and the closure element 200 are
connected to one another on one side by means of a
hinge 290, which is designed as an integral hinge, so
that the closure element 200 can be pivoted through
180 , about an axis formed by the integral hinge 290,
from the position in which it opens up the closure body
as shown in fig. 1 into the position in which it closes
the closure body.
On its top side, the closure body 100 has a cover 120,
from the radially outer edge of which a casing 110
extends laterally. The casing 110 is of substantially
cylindrical design and has an internal screw thread
112, by means of which it can be screwed onto a
container (not shown) having a corresponding mating
screw thread and can thereby be secured in place.
As an alternative to the screw connection, it is also
possible to provide other ways of securing the closure
body on a container, e.g. snap-action connections. It
is also possible for the dispensing closure to be
formed directly integrally with a corresponding
container.
In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, in the upper region
of the casing 110 of the closure body 100, in the
vicinity of the outer edge of the cover 120 of the
closure body 100, there is a sealing lip 114 which is
designed in the form of a ring which slopes downward
slightly with respect to the horizontal, so that this
sealing lip 114, when the closure element 100 is being
screwed onto the container, presses onto and seals a
top side of the container opening.
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In the embodiment shown here, the sealing lip 114 is
formed integrally with the closure body but consists of
a soft material, in this case silicone, unlike the hard
plastic from which the closure body 100 and also the
closure element 200 of the dispensing closure 10 are
made. However, at this point it should be noted that in
another embodiment the sealing lip 114 may be made from
the same material as the closure body 100, which
simplifies the production process.
The cover of the closure body 100 has a substantially
horizontal annular shoulder 122, from which a radially
inner region, with respect to the longitudinal center
axis, extends outward beyond the annular shoulder in
the style of a dome and in stepped form, the diameter
of the dome-like elevation 124 being stepped over its
height, and the dome-like elevation 124 having an
outlet opening 126 at its outer end.
The dome-like elevation substantially comprises a first
(or upper) step 128, which, with respect to the cover
120, lies above a second (or lower) step 134. Each of
the steps 128, 134 is substantially cylindrical in
form, with the two steps 128, 134 having similar
heights, but the first step 128 having a smaller
diameter. The transitions between the first step 128
and the second step 134 and between the second step 134
and the annular shoulder 122 on the outer side are
rounded, so that there are no sharp edges. Above the
first step 128 there is a termination rim 136 of the
outlet opening 126 which is bent off radially inward
and in its top region runs virtually horizontally.
The inner region of the dome-like elevation 124 of the
cover 120 is also stepped: beneath the smallest
internal diameter of the outlet opening 126 within the
dome-like elevation, the internal diameter of the dome-
like elevation widens out in the downward or inward
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direction. After a first widening of the internal
diameter directly beneath the termination rim 136, the
inner region extends substantially cylindrically over
the entire axial extent (in the direction of the
height) of the first step and widens out further
approximately at the height of the transition region
between the first step 128 and the second step 134.
The lower end of the first step 128 of the flexible
tube holder 180, in the inner region, forms an annular
stop face 130, which at the same time delimits an
annular groove 132 in the upper region within the
second step 134. The inner region of the second step
134 below the annular groove 132 has a frustoconical
profile and widens out downward, merging at its bottom
end into the lower side of the horizontally positioned
annular shoulder 122 of the cover 120.
The closure element 200 is substantially designed in
the form of a lid and comprises a head plate 210 and a
side region 220 which extends from the head plate, the
side region 220 substantially being designed in such a
way that, in a closed position of the closure element
200, it is substantially flush with the casing 110 of
the closure body 100.
Furthermore, on its opposite side from the hinge 290,
the closure element 200 has a groove 260 for receiving
a quality assurance element 160, the groove 260 (in the
lower region in the position of the closure element 200
shown in Figure 1, and therefore in the upper region in
the closed position) being recessed inward, so that the
quality assurance element 160 can be pressed into this
recessed region in order to break the seal. The groove
260 for the quality assurance element 160 is delimited
by a lug 262 and a protuberance 264 in its upper and
lower regions.
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The embodiment shown in fig. 1 has a sleeve element 150
which consists of thermoplastic polyester (TPE),
extends substantially over the entire outer region of
the dome-like elevation 124 of the cover 120 and
follows the contour of the dome-like elevation 124.
The dimensions of the sleeve element 150 made from
thermoplastic polyester and of the dome-like elevation
124 and a pinch member 280, which is provided on the
inner side of the head plate 210 of the closure element
200 and is substantially circular in design, are
matched to one another in such a way that, when the
closure element 200 is closed virtually without any
noise, the pinch member 280 engages over the first step
128 of the dome-like elevation 124 with the sleeve
element 150 arranged thereon, and in this way closes
off the outlet opening 126 in a sealed manner with
respect to the outside.
In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the external
diameter of the sleeve element 150, at the height of
the first step 128, in its uncompressed state is
slightly larger than the internal diameter of the
circular pinch member 280 of the closure element 200,
so that as a result of the closure element 200, which
is designed as a hinged lid, being closed, with the
sleeve element 150 being slightly compressed at the
same time, a press fit is produced between the pinch
member 280 and sleeve element 150, which leads to
reliable sealing at this location, even if minor
manufacturing tolerances in the geometry and/or
dimensions of the individual elements are present,
which is inevitable at least to a small extent, in
particular in the case of mass production or else
relatively expensive production processes will be
required in order to comply with more accurate
tolerance requirements.
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Purely for the sake of completeness, it should be noted
that the embodiment of the dispensing closure shown in
fig. 1 is designed in such a way that it is
additionally also possible for a flexible dispensing
tube to be inserted into the inner region of the
closure body 200, which flexible dispensing tube is
fixed securely in the inner region of the dome-like
elevation 124, with its outer end projecting out of the
outlet opening 126, in order if necessary to make it
even easier for the free-flowing substances to be
removed.
Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of a dispensing
closure, which is substantially identical to the
embodiment shown in fig. 1.
Unlike in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, however, the
sleeve element 150 is designed in such a way that it
covers only an upper region of the dome-like elevation
124, namely the first step 128 and the transition
between the first step 128 and the second step 134 of
the dome-like elevation 124. Furthermore, in this
embodiment the sleeve element 150 is made from a
low-density polyethylene (LDPE).
In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, a dispensing closure
is designed substantially in the same way as in the
embodiment shown in fig. 1. However, the outlet opening
126 in the top side of the closure body 100 is provided
with a tamperproof closure 300. This tamperproof
closure 300 forms an integral part of the dispensing
closure 10 and for this purpose is made from the
relatively soft material of the sleeve element 150. A
weakened line 302, which follows the edge of the outlet
opening 126 in the dome-like elevation 124, connects
the tamperproof closure 300 which seals off the outlet
opening 126 to the sleeve element 150. It is
advantageous for a tear-off tab 304 to be connected to
the tamperproof closure 300 and preferably to be formed
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integrally therewith. The tear-off tab 304 makes it
easy to open the container by tearing off the tear-off
tab 304 even if this cannot be done by hand, as is the
case, for example, in cycling races or the like.
The tamperproof element 300 therefore ensures that air
or oxygen cannot adversely affect the quality of the
contents of the container until the container or bottle
is opened for the first time. In this case too, the
sleeve element 150 together with the tamperproof
closure 300 may consist of thermoplastic polyester
(TPE) and/or of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or of
rubber, silicone and/or a soft plastic or a combination
of these materials.
The embodiment of a dispensing closure 10 shown in
fig. 4 differs from that shown in fig. 3 only through
the fact that a tamperproof closure 400 is made from
the material of the closure body 100 and is produced
together with the latter as an integral workpiece using
the plastics injection-molding process. This
tamperproof closure 400 is exposed at the top or
outside and is connected or produced integrally with
the closure body 100 by a weakened line 402 which
follows the annular edge of the outlet opening 126. A
tear-off tab 404, which as in fig. 3 projects obliquely
from the top side of the tamperproof closure 400,
consists of the same material as the closure body 100
and is intended to facilitate opening of the container
provided with the dispensing closure 10 but to ensure
that the quality of the contents of the container is
preserved until it is opened by hermetically sealing
the outlet opening 126 of the container. The closure
body 100 is produced integrally with the tear-off tab
404, preferably from polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene
(PE) using the injection-molding process.
Of course, if necessary it is also possible for the
tamperproofing means 400, which consists of the
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material of the closure body 100, and its tear-off tab
404 additionally to be covered with the soft material
of the sleeve element 150, in particular if a container
equipped therewith is to be used for a purpose in which
the container cannot be opened by hand or can only be
opened by hand with difficulty, as is the case in
certain forms of sport, such as for example cycling
etc.
Fig. 5 gives a general impression of the described
dispensing closure from figs. 3 and 4, with the
dispensing closures shown in figs. 1 and 2 also being
comparable to the illustration of the dispensing
closure provided in fig. 5 if one imagines that the
tamperproof closure 400 and the tear-off tab 404 are
absent, and instead there is an open outlet opening 126
of the closure body 100.
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S102-06 PCT
List of reference numerals
Dispensing closure
100 Closure body
110 Casing
112 Screw thread
114 Sealing lip
120 Cover
122 Annular shoulder
124 Dome-like elevation
126 Outlet opening
128 First step
130 Annular stop face
132 Annular groove
134 Second step
136 Termination rim
150 Sleeve element
160 Tamperproof element
200 Closure element
210 Head plate
220 Side region
260 Groove
262 Lug
264 Protuberance
280 Pinch member
290 Hinge
300 Tamperproof closure
302 Weakened line
304 Tear-off tab
400 Tamperproof closure
402 Weakened line
404 Tear-off tab
