Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
TRANSLATION OF SWISS PATENT APPLICATION 00763/20, FILED JUNE 24, 2020
CANISTER WITH A CLOSURE SECURING MEMBER
The invention relates to a canister with a closure securing member according
to the features
of claim 1.
Different embodiments of canisters are known. They can, for example, be
produced from
metal and/or plastics material and comprise a container which delimits a
receiving space for a
filling material. In order to remove filling material from the receiving
space, the container
comprises a removal opening which can be closed again by a cover of the
canister.
It is known to provide in canisters a closure securing member which secures
the cover in
the closed position and which thereby prevents inadvertent or undesirable
opening, or at least
makes it more difficult, particularly by children. It is possible to open the
cover only when the
action of the closure securing member is placed out of operation at least
temporarily by a user
action. In order to open child-resistant covers, two different manipulations
generally have to be
carried out simultaneously or successively.
A canister, the cover of which comprises an annular insert having an inner
thread for fixing
to the container, is known from the patent U510232990B2. The exterior of the
canister may be
produced from metal or plastics material. The annular insert is rotatable
about the screw axis of
the inner thread on the cover base and is supported in a displaceable manner
in the direction of the
screw axis. The annular insert and an additional ring which is rigidly
connected to the cover base
comprise mutually opposite teeth. The tooth rings are decoupled from each
other by resilient force.
In order to open the cover, the tooth rings are connected or engaged with each
other by applying a
pressing force to the cover base in the direction of the screw axis. By
pulling at the same time, the
screw closure can be released and the cover can be separated from the
container.
In such canisters, the cover is retained in a closed position on the container
only by the
frictional engagement of the screw thread. In the case of inadequate retention
force, the screw
closure can, for example, become loose as a result of powerful shaking or
vibrations. Since the
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cover base or the outer shell of the cover and the thread insert are connected
to each other only
loosely or can be rotated and displaced relative to each other, the striking
of the cover base on the
thread insert can further promote loosening of the screw connection. In
addition, the components
of the cover which are loosely connected to each other can cause rattling
noises when the canister
is moved. Such loosely supported cover shells may convey the impression of
instability. Since the
outer shell of the cover in the closed position of the cover does not have any
clearly defined
position, portions of inscriptions or other printed matter on the container
and on the cover are also
not in a defined orientation relative to each other.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a canister with a
closure securing
member which effectively retains the canister cover in the closed position
counter to unintentional
opening.
This object is achieved by a canister according to the features of patent
claim 1.
The canister comprises a container having a removal opening and a cover for
closing the
removal opening. The container and the cover comprise connection means of a
closure which are
adapted to each other, for example, threaded ribs of a screw closure,
protruding and recessed
structures of a bayonet closure or edge portions which overlap each other in
the closed position
and which are thereby connected to each other in a non-positive-locking
manner. The container
and the cover each comprise a wall and an insert, on which the respective
connection means are
arranged.
In order to close the canister, the cover is moved into a closed position
relative to the
container in accordance with the respective connection means. The container
insert and the cover
insert comprise securing elements which are adapted to each other and with
which the cover can
be secured to the container in the closed position.
At least one of the securing elements is arranged on a resiliently deformable
portion of the
cover insert or the container insert. The securing elements comprise contact
faces which move into
abutment with each other when the cover is closed. At least one of these
contact faces is inclined
relative to the closure direction so that the securing element is urged out of
the rest position thereof
at the resiliently deformable portion when the cover is closed so that the
cover can be moved into
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the closed position. At the latest when the closed position is reached, the
securing elements lock
in a positive-locking manner with respect to the respective movement
direction. The resiliently
deformable portion(s) of the cover and/or container insert can also be
deformed by an external
force action. The respective securing elements are thereby urged out of the
rest position or blocking
position thereof into a release position and the closure can be opened.
Preferably, the container wall is at least partially produced from metal. The
container wall
can be produced, in particular integrally, from a deep-drawn and/or otherwise
shaped metal sheet.
In additional embodiments, the container wall or portions thereof can be
produced from one or
more materials, such as, for example, plastics materials, metals or wood
materials.
With reference to Figures, a number of exemplary embodiments of the canister
according
to the invention are described in greater detail below. In the drawings:
Figure 1 shows a first canister with a closed cover,
Figure 2 shows the canister of Figure 1 with an open cover,
Figure 3 is a bottom view of the cover from Figure 2,
Figure 4 is an exploded illustration of a second canister,
Figure 5 is a bottom view of the cover of the canister from Figure 4,
Figure 6 shows elements of the lower portion from Figure 5, which
elements can be
connected to each other in a positive-locking manner,
Figure 7 shows a detail of the partially cut-away canister from
Figure 4 with a closed
cover,
Figure 8 shows two detailed cross-sections of the canister from
Figure 4 with locked
or unlocked securing elements,
Figure 9 shows an additional canister with an open cover,
Figure 10 is a bottom view of the cover of the canister from Figure 9,
Figure 11 shows two side views of the cover from Figure 9,
Figure 12 shows a container insert and a cover insert of the canister
from Figure 9,
Figure 13 shows an additional canister with a closed cover,
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Figure 14 shows the canister from Figure 13 with the cover open,
Figure 15 is a plan view of the container of the canister from Figure
13,
Figure 16 is a side view of the container from Figure 13,
Figure 17 is an exploded view of the canister from Figure 13.
Figure 1 shows a closed canister 1, wherein a cover 5 is connected to a
container 3 in a
closed position and a removal opening 30 of the container 3 is preferably
tightly closed in this
instance. Figure 2 shows the container 3 and the cover 5 with the canister 1
open as a perspective
view, wherein the inner side of the container 3 and the cover 5 can be seen.
In addition, Figure 3
shows a bottom view of the cover 5.
The container 3 comprises a container wall 31 which is preferably produced
from a deep-
drawn metal sheet and a container insert 33 which is connected to this
container wall 31. The
mutual freedom of movement of the container wall 31 and the container insert
33 can be limited,
for example, by projecting and/or recessed structures which undercut each
other with respect to
one or more movement directions and/or by the geometric shape of these
portions. In particular,
the freedom of movement can be limited to such an extent that the portions are
connected to each
other at least approximately non-movably with respect to translational
movements in the direction
of a container axis A and/or with respect to movements orthogonal to the
container axis A, such
as, for example, rotational movements about the container axis A.
Similarly, the freedom of movement of the cover insert 53 which is connected
to the cover
wall 51 is also limited relative to the cover wall 51.
In canisters 1, the container wall 31 and/or cover wall 51 of which are
produced from sheet
metal, for example, inwardly formed beaded rims 39, 59 can be used as stop
elements for structures
which project radially outwardly on the container insert 33 or on the cover
insert 53, such as, for
example, rib portions 41, 61 (Figure 4). Preferably, these rib portions 41, 61
have a wedge-like
cross-section. When the cover insert 53 is pressed in the direction of a cover
axis B into the cover
wall 51, the beaded rim 59 is resiliently deformed outward by the slightly
inclined faces of the rib
portions 61 with respect to the cover axis B and subsequently jumps back into
the rest position
thereof again as soon as the cover insert 53 and therefore also the rib
portions 61 reach the end
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position thereof behind the beaded rim 59. The cover insert 53 is thereby
connected to the cover
wall 51 in a positive-locking manner with respect to translational movements
in the direction of
the cover axis B. The retention force of this connection can be fixed by the
shape of the beaded
rim 59 and/or by the shape and the radial projection of the rib portions 61. A
high retention force
can be brought about, for example, in that the beaded rim 59 or at least a
portion of the beaded rim
59 is bent over only to such an extent that abutment faces of one or more rib
portions 61 directly
abut the edge of the bent-over cover wall 51 and/or in that the abutment faces
of the rib portions
61 are orientated at least approximately orthogonally relative to the cover
axis B.
In such arrangements, the retention force may be so large that a non-
destructive separation
of the portions is impossible. The necessary pulling force for separating the
portions is so large in
this case that the beaded rim 59 or the rib portions 61 are plastically
deformed. Cover walls 51, in
which the metal sheet is formed by, for example, 2700 or more, at the beaded
rim 59, can, however,
be separated from the cover insert 53 again comparatively easily by
resiliently deforming the
beaded rim 59 again.
In the embodiments of the canister 1 shown, the cover wall 51 and the cover
insert 53
comprise annular or generally frame-like edges 52, 54 which overlap and abut
each other in the
connected state. The freedom for relative movements of the two portions in one
plane orthogonal
to the cover axis B is thereby limited. In the specific case of circular edges
52, 54, only rotations
about the cover axis B are possible.
The rib portions 61 are arranged so as to be distributed along the edge 54 and
project
radially at this edge 54. The outer side of the edge 54 comprises at least at
one location, for example,
at four locations between two adjacent rib portions 61, a radial recess or
indentation 63. The edge
52 of the cover wall 51 comprises at the corresponding locations of the inner
side projections 64
which project radially inwardly. In the case of cover walls 51 comprising
sheet metal, these
projections 64 may be, for example, regions of the beaded rim 59 which project
radially inwardly
locally further than the adjoining regions. If the cover insert 53 is
connected to the cover wall 51,
the projections 64 are in engagement with the recesses 63. As a result of this
positive-locking
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connection of structures at the edges 52, 54, the cover insert 53 and the
cover wall 51 are connected
to each other in a rotationally secure manner.
The container insert 33 can be connected to the container wall 31 in a similar
manner to
the connection of the cover insert 53 to the cover wall 51. In this case, a
lower region of the edge
34 of the container insert 33 and the edge 32 of the container wall 31 overlap
each other. The rib
portions 41 which project in the lower region at the edge 34 of the container
insert 33 form together
with the inwardly projecting beaded rim 39 of the container wall 31 a positive-
locking connection
of these portions with respect to translational movements in the direction of
the container axis A.
The recesses 43 at the edge 34 of the container insert 33 and the projections
44 at the edge 32 or
at the beaded rim 39 of the container wall 31 bring about a positive-locking,
rotationally secure
connection of the container insert 33 to the container wall 31.
In order to connect the cover 5 to the container 3 in a manner which can be
released again,
the container insert 33 comprises a first connection means 35 and the cover
insert 53 comprises a
second connection means 55 which cooperates therewith. In the embodiments of
the canister 1
illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, the first connection means 35 is a threaded rib
of an outer thread which
is formed in the upper region at the outer side of the edge 34 and the second
connection means 55
is a threaded rib of an inner thread which is formed in the upper region at
the inner side of the edge
54. The closure accordingly comprises a screw thread. Alternatively, the
closure can also be
formed in any other manner. In canisters 1 according to Figures 9 to 17, the
cover 5 is connected
to the container 3, for example, by pressing in an axial direction. As a
result of overlapping regions
of the container insert 33 and the cover insert 53, the cover 5 can be
connected to the container 3
in a non-positive-locking manner.
All the embodiments of the canister 1 comprise a closure securing member
having at least
one primary securing element 37 on the container insert 33 and at least one
secondary securing
element 57 which cooperates with the primary securing element 37 on the cover
insert 53. When
the cover 5 is closed, these securing elements 37, 57 lock in a positive-
locking manner with each
other at the latest when the closed position is reached with respect to the
respective direction of
the closure movement. Preferably, each secondary securing element 57 is
resiliently deformable
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or is arranged on a resiliently deformable portion of the cover insert 53 and
constructed so that it
is urged out of the rest position thereof when the cover 5 is closed before
reaching the closed
position by abutting against the adjacent primary securing element 37. For
this purpose, the
primary securing element 37 and/or the secondary securing element 57
comprise(s) a contact face
35, 56 which is chamfered with respect to the direction of the closing
movement. As soon as the
obstacle has been overcome when moving into the closed position, the secondary
securing element
57 springs, as a result of the resilient restoring force thereof, into a
blocking position in which stop
faces 38, 58 of the securing elements 37, 57 which are preferably arranged
approximately
orthogonally to the direction of the closing movement are opposite each other
and secure the cover
3 in the closed position.
Additionally or alternatively, the primary securing elements 37 could also be
resiliently
deformable or be arranged on resiliently deformable portions of the container
insert 33.
In the embodiments of the canister I illustrated, the cover insert 53
comprises two
diametrically opposed secondary securing elements 57 which project at the
inner side of the edge
54 downward or in the direction of the cover axis B. Alternatively, cover
inserts 53 could also
comprise only one or more than two, for example three, secondary securing
elements 57. The cover
I with up to three secondary securing elements 57 can readily be operated with
one hand. The
secondary securing elements 57 are arranged at the edge 54 of the cover insert
53 so that they do
not impede the joining of the connection means 35, 55 at the edges 34, 54. In
the case of a screw
thread, the secondary securing elements 57 are accordingly arranged radially
outside the region
with the threaded ribs.
The edge 54 of the cover insert 53 optionally comprises an elongate recess 60
above,
preferably directly adjacent to each of the secondary securing elements 57.
The resilient
deformability of the edge 54 can thereby be facilitated in the regions with
the secondary securing
elements 57. Alternatively to recesses 60, the edge 54 may comprise, for
example, weak locations
or regions with a lower material strength. This allows a better sealing of the
receiving space inside
the canister I with respect to the environment.
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The regions with the secondary securing elements 57 can be resiliently
deformed by a
pressing force which acts radially on these regions of the edge 54 and which
is depicted by arrows
Pl. The secondary securing elements 57 are thereby urged out of the blocking
position thereof
radially inwardly into a release position so that the closure can be opened.
The edge 54 can
comprise a projection 65 with a slightly larger external diameter in a lower
portion. At least
partially, the external diameter of the projection 65 may be approximately as
large as the external
diameter D1 of the cover wall 51. Preferably, the external diameter of the
base wall 31 also
corresponds to that of the cover wall 51.
The projection 65 can be constructed annularly with an L-shaped cross-section,
wherein
the external leg is arranged in the region of gripping zones 67 with radial
spacing from the
secondary securing elements 57. When the canister 1 is closed, a primary
securing element 37 of
the housing insert 31 is arranged in the intermediate space between each
gripping zone 67 and the
associated secondary securing element 57. The radial width D3 of the
intermediate space and the
freedom of movement relative to the resilient deformation of the projection 65
in the region of
each gripping zone 67 are at least so large that each secondary securing
element 57 can be moved
out of the respective blocking position into a release position by a radially
inwardly directed
pressing force P1 so that the closure can be opened. The secondary securing
elements 57 may, for
example, be constructed as studs which project at an inner portion of the
projection 65 in the
direction of the cover axis B, preferably not beyond the level of the lower
edge of the projection
65. The cover 5 with studs which are arranged in such a protected state can be
placed on level
substrates in a stable manner if they are not connected to the container 3.
This is advantageous
both during production of the canisters and during use thereof. In the
embodiments according to
Figures 1 to 8, the cross-section of such studs is in the form of a
rectangular trapezium.
In the region of the gripping zones 67, the external diameter of the
projection 65 is
preferably slightly greater than in the portions adjacent thereto. The
gripping zones 67 can be
structured, for example, in a fluted manner or in some other manner. This
means that the gripping
zones 67 can be optically easily identified and can be haptically felt and it
makes it easier to
transmit force when opening and closing the cover 5, in particular in the case
of rotary closures.
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The radial projection D2 of the gripping zones 67 relative to the edge 52 of
the cover wall
51 is preferably in the same order of magnitude as the displacement path of
the secondary securing
elements 57 or studs between the blocking position and the release position.
In the case of covers
which can easily be operated with one hand, the external diameter D1 of the
cover wall 51 is
generally smaller than or equal to 10 cm, for example, from approximately 3 cm
to approximately
9 cm. The projection D2 of the gripping zones 67 is preferably in the order of
magnitude of from
approximately 1 mm to approximately 3 mm in such covers 5.
The edge 34 of the container insert 33 comprises between the upper region with
the first
connection means 35 and the lower region a flange 45, the external diameter of
which preferably
corresponds to the external diameter of the container wall 31. The flange 45
is located on the
beaded rim 39 if the container insert 33 is connected to the container wall
31. The primary securing
elements 37 are arranged in the region of the flange 45 so that the secondary
securing elements 57
are locked in the blocking position when the canister 1 is closed with the
primary securing elements
37 relative to the relative movement of the cover 5 and the container 3 when
the closed position is
reached. In canisters 1 with a screw closure, the primary securing element 37
can be arranged at
the upper side of the flange 45, as illustrated in Figures 2, 4 and 6 to 8,
and may comprise a first
leg 46 which delimits, together with an adjacent portion of the edge 34, a
receiving space for the
secondary securing element 57 in the closed position. At an inner side
thereof, the first leg 46
comprises a recess which defines the stop face 38 and which is used to receive
the secondary
securing element 57 in the blocking position thereof. In addition, a second
leg 47 which is arranged
substantially orthogonally to the first leg 46 can delimit the rear end of the
receiving space in the
closing direction. The second leg 47 acts as an additional stop for the
secondary securing element
57 and prevents, when the cover 1 is closed, further rotation beyond the
closed position.
Figure 8 shows a detail of the closure securing member of a canister 1 with a
screw closure
1, on the left with locked securing elements 37, 57 and on the right after the
securing elements 37,
57 have been unlocked by pressing on the gripping zone 67 in the direction of
the arrow P1,
wherein the screwing is released by rotating the cover 5 in the direction of
the arrow P2.
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In the canister 1 illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the cover insert 53 comprises
a covering face
62.
Preferably, the container insert 33 similarly comprises a base face 42. In
such canisters 1,
the receiving space for the filling material is limited only by the container
insert 33 and the cover
insert 53. Accordingly, the filling material only comes into contact with the
material at the inner
sides of these inserts 33, 53. This material is generally a plastics material
which can be selected
according to the filling material to be received and can where applicable
additionally be coated
with at least one functional layer comprising another material. The properties
of such canisters 1
can be adapted to the requirements of the respective filling material
particularly well. In particular,
in such canisters 1 the receiving space for the filling material can be
readily sealed with respect to
the environment when the cover 5 is closed. For this purpose, for example, a
sealing lip 63 can be
constructed at the inner side of the covering face 62. Alternatively or
additionally, for example,
the inner side of the covering face 62 or the upper rim of the edge 34 of the
container insert 33
may have a sealing ring comprising resilient material, such as, for example,
rubber or silicone (not
illustrated). Such sealing rings are preferably injection-molded directly
during the injection-
molding method when the respective insert 33, 53 is produced. The materials
and forms of the
container wall 31 and the cover wall 51 can be selected in such canisters 1
independently of the
filling material to be received. In particular, materials with recesses, such
as, for example, grids or
perforated sheets, can also be used to produce these components.
The embodiment of the canister 1 illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 differs from
the
embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 substantially in that the cover
insert 53 and the base insert
33 are constructed annularly without any covering face 62 or base face 42.
Optionally, there may
be arranged on the upper rim and/or the lower rim of the edges 54, 34 of the
cover insert 53 and/or
the base insert 33 sealing rings which allow a tight connection to the
adjacent portion (not
illustrated).
Figure 6 schematically shows how the annular container insert 33 of the
canister 1
illustrated in Figure 4 is connected in a positive-locking manner to a
container wall 31. Since the
container wall 33 can be seen from the lower side, it can be identified that
the ribs 41 are arranged
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on a carrier ring 48 which projects at the lower side of the flange 45. The
recesses 43 are regions
with a slightly smaller external diameter of this carrier ring 48. Preferably,
the carrier ring 48 is
connected to the radially internal portion of the edge 34 in the region of the
recesses 43 by
reinforcement ribs 49.
Figure 7 shows a detail of the cut-away canister 1 from Figure 1, wherein the
secondary
securing element 57 is locked to the primary securing element 37.
Figures 9 to 12 show portions of an additional canister 1. In place of a screw
closure, in
this canister 1 the upper region of the edge 34 of the container insert 33 and
the upper region of
the edge 54 of the cover insert 53 act as connection means 35, 55. Preferably,
they comprise
slightly conical contact faces in order to produce a non-positive-locking
connection of the portions.
In order to open and close, the cover 5 and the container 3 are drawn apart or
pushed together in
an axial direction A. In principle, therefore, it is simply necessary to
construct the positive-locking
connection between the cover wall 51 and the cover insert 53 and the positive-
locking connection
between the container wall 31 and the container insert 33 only in an axial
direction. Optionally,
the portions can also be connected to each other in a rotationally secure
manner in addition.
The secondary securing elements 57 are tabs which protrude at the lower side
of the
projection 65 and which have radially external chamfered contact faces 56 and
stop faces 58. The
primary securing elements 37 comprise rectangular recesses in the flange 45,
wherein the lower
side of the flange 45 is a stop face 38 for the secondary securing elements
57.
Figures 13 to 17 show a modified embodiment of the canister 1 from Figure 9 or
portions
thereof, wherein the gripping zones 67 are covered with a covering strip 69 as
a tamper-proof seal
or initial use protection. Each covering strip 69 is connected at least at one
weak location or desired
breaking location 70 to the container insert 33. Before the initial opening of
the canister 1, the
covering strip 69 must be separated from or torn off the container insert 33.
The integral
construction of a separable or divisible initial use protection on the
container insert 33 has the
advantage that, after the canister 1 has been filled, no additional working
steps are necessary to fit
a tamper-proof seal. In canisters 1 with a rotary closure, in a similar manner
a tear-off element
which projects, for example, into the region behind the gripping zone 67 and
which prevents a
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rotational movement of the cover 5 by means of positive-locking connection
could be constructed
on the container insert 33 (not illustrated).
The forms of the container wall 31, the cover wall 51, the container insert 33
and the cover
insert 53 can be predetermined freely in alternative embodiments of the
canister 1 and can
consequently differ from the circular form. In the case of screw connections,
however, the
container insert 33 and the cover insert 53 have edge portions which are
adapted to each other and
which have corresponding threaded ribs.
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