Abstract:
A closure device ( 1 ) having a spout part ( 2 ) comprising a flange ( 3 ), in which a piercing means ( 5 ) cuts open a container (B) by way of driving elements ( 9, 10 ), is usually always designed with a purely screw-type closure. According to the invention, the closure device now comprises a closure that is primarily a pivot hinge closure ( 20 ), but at the same time can also be used as a combined pivot hinge closure and screw-type closure.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a closure device of plastics material for attaching onto a closed container of film material, said closure device consisting of a pouring part with a spout and a flange for fastening on the container and a cap which can be placed onto the pouring part, as well as a cylindrical puncturing means which has an external thread, is open on both sides in the axial direction and extends into an internal thread in the spout of the pouring part, wherein at least one entrainment means is present in the cap, by means of which entrainment means, prior to the first-time opening of the cap, the puncturing means can be moved downward in a helical manner, and that the cylindrical puncturing means on the cylindrical wall thereof, on the end which in the mounted state is directed to the container wall, has formed thereon at least one cutting tooth ( 12 ). 
         [0002]    A large number of poly-tube bags are represented on the market today, the majority of which, however, are produced from multilayered films, in particular such films which have at least one layer paper, one layer plastics material and one layer aluminum. Said poly-tube bags are relatively compression-proof and are predominantly developed in a cube-shaped manner. 
         [0003]    However, poly-tube bags which consist only of plastics material have also been on the market for some time. Such poly-tube bags are usual, in particular, as refill bags for cosmetics. Poly-tube bags which are produced from just plastics material film usually have either absolutely no closure and for removal simply part of the poly-tube bag is cut away and the contents of the poly-tube bag are emptied into a container, or alternatively there are also poly-tube bags of plastics material which have a flange with a pouring spout and attached thereon just a screw-type closure. 
         [0004]    As, as already mentioned, said poly-tube bags have to be opened and closed only once or at any rate only a few times, in the majority of cases only screw-type closures are used. 
         [0005]    Plastics material closures, consisting of a bottom part with a spout and a cap which is connected on the bottom part by means of a hinge, are able to be obtained on the market in any amount of variants, however their attachment on poly-tube bags is just not possible. Poly-tube bags of plastics material are highly flexible and, correspondingly, during transport and handling they are acted upon by relatively large forces which result in deformation of the poly-tube bags and increase the internal pressure in a corresponding manner. Straight hinge closures are not usually capable of withstanding said forces. Consequently, for reasons of safety, in the majority of cases to date plastics material closures are only used as straight screw-type closures on poly-tube bags. 
         [0006]    This problem of the internal pressure which can act on the closure, does not occur during transport or handling if the container of film material is still completely closed and a closure device of the aforementioned type is attached to said closed container. Such closures, which are known, for example, from WO 2004/000667, WO 2004/083055, EP 1533240, EP 1795456 or CH 695019, have a cylindrical puncturing means which is open on both sides in the axial direction and which, by means of at least one entrainment means on the cap, moves downward axially in the opposite direction when the cap is being screwed off and at the same time cuts open the film of the bag inside the region of the spout. As soon as the film of the poly-tube bag has been cut open, the closure device acts as a simple screw-type closure. Said screw-type closures are now opened and closed multiple times during the use of the poly-tube bag. As soon as the actual opening of the poly-tube bag has been accomplished, it would consequently be desirable if the cap could act as a simple pivoting hinge closure from this moment on. However, this is not possible in the case of the closures known up to now. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An object of the present invention is now to modify the closure device such that, after activating the puncturing means and consequently opening the poly-tube bag, said closure device is able to act as a pivoting hinge or a pivoting snap-type hinge. 
         [0008]    A further object of the present invention is to create a closure device which, after the first-time opening and consequently the opening of the poly-tube bag, is able to be activated both as a pivoting hinge closure and is able to be moved into a secure position so as to be activatable as a screw-type closure for securement if the poly-tube bag has to be transported again once it has been opened for the first time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0009]    The single figure shows a diametrical vertical section through a preferred embodiment of the object of the invention which is explained by way of the description below. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    The closure device as claimed in the invention is designated overall by  1 . It is attached on a film of a closed, bag-shaped container B. The attachment is preferably carried out by means of ultrasound welding, but can also be effected by means of bonding. The closure device  1  consists of a pouring part  2 , a cylindrical puncturing means  5  and a pivoting hinge closure  20  as the third part. 
         [0011]    The pouring part  2  comprises a cylindrical spout  6 , on the bottom edge of which is integrally molded a flange  3  which is directed radially outward. The cylindrical part of the pouring part  2  is designated in this case as spout  6  and is connected in one piece to the mentioned flange  3 . The spout  6  has an internal thread  8 , in which the cylindrical puncturing means  5 , which is yet to be described, is guided so as to be movable. In the simplest development, the outer surface of the spout  6  is designed without thread. A circumferential retaining collar  13  is arranged in a manner directed outward purely in the bottom region, just above the flange  3  and extending in an approximately parallel manner to said flange  3 . The already mentioned internal thread  8  of the spout  6  has a rectangular, trapezium shape. The inclined edge of the trapezoid is formed so as to incline toward the top end of the spout  6  such that the puncturing means  5  cannot be screwed-in during assembly but rather can be pushed-in in a ratchet-like manner. 
         [0012]    The cylindrical puncturing means, which essentially has the form known from the prior art, has an external thread  7 , which fits together with the external thread  8  of the spout  6 . The puncturing means  5  can consequently be moved downward in a helical manner in the spout  6  of the pouring part  2 . The puncturing means  6  with its cylindrical wall  11  has a bottom edge which is developed overall as a cutting edge, and has at least one cutting tooth  12  which is located, prior to the first-time activation of the closure device  1 , directly above the film of the container B. An entrainment means  10  is integrally molded on the inner surface of the cylindrical wall  11  of the puncturing means  5 . Said entrainment means  10  consists of an elongate element which is directed inward. 
         [0013]    A pivoting hinge closure  20  is placed on the spout  6  or onto the pouring part  2 . Said pivoting hinge closure  20  is in one piece but has a bottom part  21  and a cap  24  which are connected together via a pivoting connection  22 , in a preferred manner, however, connected together by means of a tightening wall strap  23 , so as to be pivotally movable. 
         [0014]    The cap  24  has a top surface  26 , an entrainment means  9  being integrally molded on the bottom surface thereof which is directed inward. Said entrainment means  9  bears against a corresponding entrainment means  10  of the puncturing means  5  practically over its entire length, directed from top to bottom. The pivoting hinge closure  20  can be rotated in relation to the pouring part  2 . In this case, there is no change in the axial, relative height, at least of the bottom part  21 , in relation to the spout  6 . The bottom part  21  has positive locking means  25 , which interact with corresponding positive locking means  13  on the spout  6 . In the embodiment shown here, the positive locking means on the spout  6  is the already mentioned retaining collar  13 . A circumferential holding bead  25  on the bottom edge of the casing wall of the bottom part  21  engages under said retaining collar  13 . In the embodiment shown here, said holding bead is formed in cross section as a nose. As a result, the pivoting hinge closure  20  can simply be placed onto the spout  6  in the assembly machine and pressed straight down, the holding bead  25  engaging under the retaining collar  13  in the end position. The pivoting hinge closure  20  can consequently be rotated in relation to the spout  6  without there being any change at the same time overall in the height of the pivoting hinge closure  20  in relation to the spout  6 . During said rotational movement, if it is effected in the corresponding direction, the puncturing means  5  is put into a corresponding rotational movement by the two entrainment means  9  and  10  which are in engagement with each other. In this case, the puncturing means  5  is screwed downward and the cutting tooth  12  punctures the film of the container B which is closed per se and then opens the poly-tube bag for the first time. The puncturing means  5  is then screwed so far downward until it is engaged by means of corresponding latching means which are not shown here, the two entrainment means  9  and  10  no longer being engaged with each other in this position. The puncturing means consequently remains in its latched end position when rotated in the reverse direction after the first-time opening. 
         [0015]    The actual cap  24  of the pivoting hinge closure  20  and the bottom part  21  of the pivoting hinge closure are, on the one hand, already secured against a relative rotation of said two parts by means of the pivot connection  22  and/or the tightening strap  23 . As the torque between the cap  24  and the bottom part  21  can be relatively large if the user just introduces the rotational movement only via the cap  24 , it can be sensible to mold downwardly directed lugs  14 , which engage in corresponding recesses  27  in the casing wall of the bottom part  21 , in an integral manner on the bottom edge of the casing wall of the cap  24 . Said lugs  14  can at the same time form a guarantee element which can be torn off after the corresponding rotational movement. Instead of one lug, obviously also several such lugs  14  are conceivable which can engage in corresponding recesses  27 . The lugs  14  can also be arranged in a contiguous manner on a guarantee strap. 
         [0016]    In an embodiment preferred in this case in particular, the spout  6  can have an external thread  30  on its outer surface, said external thread being present purely in the region of the cap  24 . The cap  24 , in its turn, has an internal thread  28  which interacts with the external thread  30  on the spout  6 . 
         [0017]    If, during the first-time activation, the pivoting hinge closure  20 , in its turn, is rotated, there is no change to the relative height between the bottom part  21  and the spout  6 , whilst at the same time, however, the cap  24  carries out a relatively small upward movement. This changes the relative height between the cap  24  and the bottom part  21  and, at the same time, in this case tightens the tightening strap  23 . The tightening strap  23  now changes the straight pivoting hinge closure  20  into a snap-type hinge closure. As in this position, after the first-time opening, the puncturing means  5  is in a low position, the open width of the closure device corresponding to the open width of the spout  6  is enlarged around the wall of the puncturing means  5  present beforehand in this region. As a result, and thanks to the relative displacement of the cap  24  upward, the cap  24  is now also activatable as a straight snap-type hinge cap without the entrainment means  9 , which is integrally molded in a fixed manner on the top surface  26  of the cap  24 , preventing the pivoting movement at the same time. In contrast to traditional closure devices of this type, the entire closure device can also be designed to be smaller. This is in particular because the cap no longer has to be completely screwed on and off unavoidably each time. 
         [0018]    After the first-time opening, the cap  24  is then simply activated in a pivoting movement. However, it is possible, should it be necessary to reseal the container in the broken-open state, and for example to take it along in a rucksack, it is thus possible to screw on the actual pivoting cap  24  again by means of a corresponding rotational movement. The cap  24  now operates again in practice as a simple screw-type cap. If a drink is required from the container, the screwing movement has to be carried out again first of all in order to displace the cap  24  in relation to the bottom part  21 , once again the tightening strap  23  being tightened and the cap  24  once again acting as a pivoting cap of a snap-type hinge closure. 
         [0019]    Obviously, the solution with a film hinge as pivoting connection  22  is not combinable with a solution where the bottom part  21  and the cap  24  are to be displaced in relation to each other by means of the aforementioned threads  28  and  30 .