Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02547369 2006-05-18
The present invention relates to a plastic closure for a glass vessel,
comprising a ring-shaped
top with an outside surface and an inside surface, optionally with a plastic
base area which is
arranged perpendicularly to the ring shape and which has at least one opening;
optionally a
scattering disc that can be inserted into the ring-shaped top; and a lid.
Plastic closures of the generic kind are already known in the state of the
art. Spice containers,
for example, are known, which consist of a glass vessel which is sealed by a
plastic closure.
As a rule, a plastic closure of' this kind is constructed from a ring-shaped
top which makes it
possible to connect the closure to the glass vessel, by means of a thread for
example. It is
regularly the case in the state of the art that a scattering disc can be
inserted into a ring-shaped
top of this kind, i.e. a device by means of which, as desired, spices or the
like can be
dispensed in varying quantities because of differently sized openings in the
floor of the
scattering disc. Finally, a lid is provided which, likewise by means of a
thread for example,
can be screwed onto the ring-shaped top.
In the plastic closures of the generic kind, it has proven to be
disadvantageous that a stable
seal, especially an air-tight one, between the lid and the ring-shaped top is
often not possible,
because the lid is arranged not centrally, but slightly crookedly, on said
top, as a result of
which a slight leakage may result. Furthermore, it is often possible, with the
plastic closures
according to the state of the art that, when a scattering disc with a
plurality of compartments is
present, contents to be dispensed from the glass vessel, such as spices, can
enter the different
compartments as a consequence of the fact that partitioning walls to form the
compartments
are not sufficiently high and do not form a flush seal with the lid.
The present invention is based on the problem of improving the generic type of
plastic closure
in such a way that the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome. In
particular, it is intended
to provide a plastic closure that enables a secure closure to be achieved
between the lid and
the ring-shaped top and which, when a scattering disc is present, makes it
possible for the
contents of the vessel to be dispensed simply and reliably via the openings in
the floor of the
individual compartments of the scattering disc.
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The problem is solved in accordance with the invention in that the ring-shaped
top has a
peripheral projection on its lower outside surface and a peripheral centring
ridge is provided
on this projection, resting on. the upper outside surface, the optional
scattering disc has a
peripheral side wall and is subdivided into at least two compartments by at
least one
partitioning wall which is the same height as the side wall, it being possible
to provide
openings in the floors of the compartments, which openings may optionally be
of different
sizes and/or of the same size and in different numbers; and the lid has an
inner planar insert
which, when the lid is closed with the ring-shaped top, forms a flush seal
with the side and
partitioning walls of the scattering disc.
In this connection, it is preferred that radial transverse ribs spaced apart
from one another
should be arranged on the underside of the plastic base area.
It may also be provided that a thread is provided on the outside surface of
the ring-shaped top
above the centring ridge.
The lid may likewise have an internal thread.
In one embodiment, the plastic base area has a further, central opening.
It is also preferred that the scattering disc has snap-in pins extending from
its underside,
preferably to snap into the further central opening in the plastic base area.
It is particularly preferred that the scattering disc should have five
compartments, each of
which has no or varying numbers of differently sized openings in the floor.
Finally, the ring-shaped top, the scattering disc and the lid are preferably
manufactured from
an injection-moulded thermoplastic plastics material.
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It has surprisingly been found in accordance with the invention that the
plastic closure known
from the state of the art can be improved by three essential ineasures. First
of all, a centring
ridge is provided on the outside surface of the ring-shaped top, resting on
the region of the
peripheral projection and the upper outside surface. Thanks to this centring
ridge, it is
possible to arrange the lid on the ring-shaped top in such a way that the
opening in the vessel
can be provided with a secure, firm and substantially air-tight seal.
Secondly, the fact that the
peripheral side wall is the same height as the partitioning wall or
partitioning walls results in
the situation that, in use, the contents to be dispensed from the glass vessel
are merely
dispensed via one compartment and their distribution over a number of
compartments is
avoided. Finally, in accordance with the invention, the lid of the plastic
closure has an inner
planar insert, which terminates flush with the faces of the side and
partitioning walls, which
likewise ensures that contents of the vessel to be dispensed are distributed
over the scattering
disc or the plastic closure as a whole.
A further preferred embodiment of the plastic closure of the invention results
from the fact
that radial transverse ribs spaced apart from one another are arranged on the
underside of the
base area, which considerably improve the stability of the ring-shaped top.
Further benefits and features of the invention will become apparent from the
following
detailed description of preferred embodiments, in combination with the
attached drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a glass vessel with a plastic closure in
accordance with
the invention;
Figure 2 shows an exploded view, similar to Figure 1, of a glass vessel and a
plastic closure in
accordance with the inventiori, though with an integrated scattering disc;
Figure 3 shows a ring-shaped top in an enlarged view;
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4
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a top side of a scattering disc for the
plastic closure of
the invention; and
Figure 5 shows a perspective view of an underside of the scattering disc shown
in Figure 4.
Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a glass vessel 1 and a plastic closure in
accordance with
the invention, which consists of a ring-shaped top 2 and a lid 3. The ring-
shaped top 2 can be
connected to the glass vessel 1 by any means desired, preferably via a snap-in
or threaded
connection. As can be seen in greater detail in Figure 3, the ring-shaped top
2 has a peripheral
projection 4 in the lower portion on the outer surface. A centring ridge 5 is
provided resting
on this projection 4 and on the upper outside surface. Finally the upper part
of the outside
surface has a thread 6. The lid has a corresponding thread on its internal
side wall (not
shown), so that the lid can be screwed onto the ring-shaped top 2. When the
lid 3 is screwed
onto the ring-shaped top 2, the centring ridge 5 aligns the lid 3 in such a
way that it can be
screwed on in a centred manner, as a result of which leakages, jamming, etc.
can be avoided.
The construction shown in Figure 2 is similar to the one in Figure 1, the same
reference
numerals being used for the same components. The ring-shaped top 2 in Figure 2
now
additionally has a plastic base area 7, which is provided with a central round
opening 8 and an
outer angular opening 9. Snap-in pins 10 of a scattering disc 11 can snap into
the central
opening 8, as is apparent from Figure 5. The snap-in pins 10 shown there have
projections 12
extending outwards in their lower part, which can snap in behind the central
opening 8 of the
ring-shaped top 2 when the scattering disc 11 is pressed in, for example in
the central opening
8. The scattering disc 11 shown in Figure 2 has a peripheral side wall 16 and
a total of five
compartments 13, which are each separated from one another by partitioning
walls 14. Two
compartments 13 do not have any openings in the floor, while three
compartments 13 have
openings in the floor 15 of different dimensions and numbers, so that
different quantities of
the contents of the vessel can be dispensed. In the process, the scattering
disc 11 can be turned
in such a way that any compartment 13 desired lies one on top of the other
with the angular
CA 02547369 2006-05-18
opening 9. It is consequently preferred that the angular opening 9 should have
similar
dimensions to each of the compartments 13.
The lid 3 of Figure 2 is again provided with a thread, so that it can be
screwed onto the ring-
shaped top 2, using the centring ridge 5. In addition, the lid 3 of Figure 2
(like the lid of
Figure 1) has an inner planar insert (not shown) which, when the lid 3 is
closed, forms a flush
seal with the ring-shaped top 2 and/or with the faces of the side and
partitioning walls 14, so
that, in that case, there can be no passageway between the underside of the
lid and the face of
the side and partitioning walls 14. The advantage of this is that, for
example, when a glass
vessel with the closure according to the invention is being transported,
contents of the vessel
are prevented from being distributed over several compartments 13 of the
scattering disc 11 or
over the plastic closure in general.
The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the
claims and in the
drawings can be essential to implementing the invention in its various
embodiments both indi-
vidually and in any combination.
