Locking cap for a vessel having a neck

The invention relates to a locking cap (1) made of a molded plastic material for a vessel (2) having a neck, intended for blocking a stopper (4) in said neck (3), including a wire-cap (6) adapted for surrounding the stopper (4) and the neck in the mounted configuration of the cap (1). The wire-cap includes first and second flexible tabs capable of being respectively blocked on the neck and on the stopper (4), said first tabs (8) being offset relative to said second tabs (9) in an axial direction relative to said neck (3). The cap (1) also includes a ring (7) surrounding the wire-cap (6) for preventing access to said tabs from outside the ring (7). The ring (7) and the wire-cap (6) are designed so as to be fitted and locked together. The tabs (8, 9) of the wire-cap are respectively arranged at an angle in first and second openings (13, 14) which are formed by the mesh of the wire-cap (6), and in which the tabs (8, 9) can disappear when mounting the cap (1) on the neck (3).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a U.S. National Phase Patent Application based on International Application Serial No. PCT/EP2010/061982 filed Aug. 17, 2010, the disclosure of which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a locking cover made of a molded plastic material for a vessel having a neck.

2. Description of the Related Art

Patent document FR-2893922 discloses a locking cover as described above, in which the cage has a peripheral ring (503A) connected by its bottom edge alternatively to locking tongues of the neck (503G) and to arms (503D) provided with locking tongues for locking onto the stopper. Between the ring and the locking tongues there is a peripheral seat in which is inserted a locking element that pushes the tongues back onto the neck and thus fastens the cover on the neck. This, therefore, constitutes a two-stage locking process for locking the cover on the vessel. A disadvantage of this locking cover is that its production by molding entails a large amount of material and a complex mold.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a locking cover made of a molded plastic material for a vessel having a neck, intended to fix a stopper in the neck of the vessel, comprising a cage adapted to surround the stopper and the neck in the mounted configuration of the cover, said cage having first flexible tongues adapted to fix themselves to the neck of the vessel and second flexible tongues adapted to fix themselves to the stopper, said first tongues being offset from said second tongues in a given axial direction relative to the neck of the vessel, said cover further comprising a ring that surrounds the cage in such a way as to prevent access to said first and second tongues from outside the ring.

The invention applies more particularly to a locking cover for a necked vessel used particularly in the medical field, in which an elastomeric or rubber stopper is inserted in the neck of the vessel to close the latter in a leaktight manner and, if need be, to keep its contents sterile. Access to the contents of the vessel is obtained by inserting a needle in the stopper through the center of the cover without removing the stopper, thus eliminating any risk of contamination of the contents. The cover thus serves as a safety link between the stopper and the neck of the vessel.

The object of the invention is to offer another locking cover for a vessel having a neck, which can be mounted on the neck quickly and easily, while at the same time being simple and inexpensive to produce.

To this end, the invention is directed to a locking cover made of a molded plastic material for a vessel having a neck, intended to fix a stopper in the neck of the vessel, comprising a cage adapted to surround the stopper and the neck in the mounted configuration of the cover, said cage having first flexible tongues adapted to fix themselves to the neck of the vessel and second flexible tongues adapted to fix themselves to the stopper, said first tongues being offset from said second tongues in a given axial direction of the cover, said cover further comprising a ring that surrounds the cage in such a way as to prevent access to said first and second tongues from outside the ring, characterized in that the ring and the cage are designed to nest one inside the other and to interlock, the ring coming to surround the cage, and in that said first and second tongues of the cage are disposed slantingly respectively in the first and the second openings which are formed by the mesh openings of the cage and into which said tongues can deflect as the cover is being mounted on the neck of the vessel.

With an arrangement of this kind, the locking cover is easy to mount on the neck of the vessel: once the cage has been introduced into and locked inside the ring and the stopper has then been inserted in the cage and locked in place by means of the second tongues, the cover, with the stopper, is then simply inserted onto the neck by the application of axial pressure until the first tongues lock onto the neck. The result, therefore, is a locking cover that is easy to mount on the neck of the vessel and permits quick, easy access to the contents of the vessel by way of the stopper.

In addition, the locking cover can be produced very easily and economically by molding the cage and the ring in respective double-cavity, single-core molds.

A locking cover according to the invention can advantageously have the following particularities:it is provided with breakaway regions for breaking away the cage, disposed on one and the other side of each first tongue;the ring has a continuous cylindrical surface with internal guide bosses disposed to insert in the openings of the cage;the interlock device of the cage and the ring is a catch and notch arrangement;the ring has a central aperture intended to be closed by a removable cap adapted to snap onto the ring.

In one form thereof, the present invention provides a locking cover made of a molded plastic material for a vessel having a neck, intended to fix a stopper in the neck of the vessel, including a cage adapted to surround the stopper and the neck in the mounted configuration of the cover, the cage having first flexible tongues adapted to fix themselves to the neck of the vessel and second flexible tongues adapted to fix themselves to the stopper, the first tongues being offset from the second tongues in a given axial direction of the cover, the cover further including a ring that surrounds the cage in such a way as to prevent access to the first and second tongues from outside the ring, characterized in that the ring and the cage are designed to nest one inside the other and to interlock, the ring coming to surround the cage, and in that the first and second tongues of the cage are disposed slantingly respectively in the first and the second openings which are formed by the mesh openings of the cage and into which the tongues can deflect as the cover is being mounted on the neck of the vessel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Represented inFIG. 1is a locking cover1for a vessel2having a neck3according to the invention, intended to fix a stopper4in the neck3of the vessel2, said cover1being shown here in a mounted position in which it is merely placed on the neck3without being locked.

The neck3, which here has a circular opening, has at its end a peripheral outer lip5to which the locking cover1fixes itself when the cover1is locked on the neck3of the vessel2. The stopper4here has a conventional, generally cylindrical, “T” shape, with a head4A and a foot4B, the head being slightly larger in diameter than the foot4B, such that when the foot4B of the stopper4is inserted in the neck3, the head4A abuts against the lip5of the neck3.

As can be seen inFIG. 1, the locking cover1comprises a cage6adapted to surround the stopper4and the neck3, in the locked configuration of the cover1on the vessel2, and a ring7adapted to nest over the cage6, surrounding it. The cage6serves to fix the stopper4in the neck3by means of flexible tongues8,9disposed on the periphery of the cage6. In the mounted configuration of the cover1, the ring7laterally overlaps the cage6completely, thereby preventing any access to the cage6and the tongues8,9from outside the ring7. In addition, the cover1is provided with a removable safety cap23adapted to snap onto the ring7to prevent access to the stopper4.

As can be seen inFIG. 2, the cage6comprises two circlets10,11connected to each other by a plurality of substantially identical arms12extending in an axial direction A and forming between them first and second openings13,14corresponding to the mesh openings of the cage6.

Depicted here are a first, lower circlet10that is to be inserted first into the neck3of the vessel2, and a second, upper circlet11, which is preferably smaller in diameter than the first circlet10and is intended to rest on an upper portion4C of the head4A of the stopper4when the cover1is mounted on the stopper4. Circlet11defines, at the center of the cage6, an aperture11A—here circular—that is coaxial with the neck3of the vessel2when the cover1is placed on the neck3, to permit access to the stopper4and the vessel2.

It will be understood that circlet11and the arms12are sufficiently rigid so that they do not collapse as the cage6is inserted in the ring7.

Shown here are six arms12evenly distributed over the periphery of the circlets10,11, but their number can vary without departing from the framework of the invention.

As visible inFIG. 2, first flexible tongues8adapted to fix themselves to the neck3of the vessel2and second flexible tongues9adapted to fix themselves to the stopper4—here, three of each—are disposed, preferably in alternation, on the periphery of circlet10between two consecutive arms12.

The first and second tongues8,9are disposed slantingly in, respectively, the first and the second openings13,14formed by the mesh openings of the cage6, and are supported by circlet10and extend toward the inside of the cage6and in the direction of second circlet11. In this way, when the cage6is inserted onto the neck3or the stopper4, the first and second tongues8,9can, in a first stage, deflect elastically into the first and the second openings13,14, respectively, assuming a position substantially parallel to the arms12, and then, in a second stage, resume their slanted position to lock the cage6respectively on the neck3or on the stopper4.

As visible inFIG. 2, the first tongues8are offset in axial direction A with respect to the second tongues9. More precisely, the second tongues9are raised in the direction of the second circlet11, such that the distance between the end of a second tongue9and circlet11substantially corresponds to the height of the head4A of the stopper4, so as to lock the head4A of the stopper4between second tongues9and circlet11. Likewise, the distance between the end of a first tongue8and circlet11is adapted to lock the first tongues8against the lip5of the neck3of the vessel2when the cover1is locked on the neck3.

As represented inFIG. 2, disposed on one and the other side of each first tongue8are regions10A of first circlet10that are relatively thin compared to the thickness of the mesh openings, thus forming cut-downs on each side of the tongue8and making these regions into breakaway regions that yield if an attempt is made to remove the cage6from the vessel2. It will be understood that regions10A represent the smallest wall section of the cage6. Thus, as the cover1is locked onto the neck3by the application of an axial or other force to the cage6, the first tongues8are retained by the lip5, thereby producing a torsion torque in regions10A. One or more of these regions10A can then break under the effect of the torsion and indicate that the vessel2has been opened. It will be noted that tongues8here are shaped in such a way that their height allows them to pass under the lip5of the neck3of the vessel2, and a pull exerted on the cage6causes them to rotate under the lip5, thus further increasing the torsion effect in regions10A.

It will be noted that first tongues8and the corresponding openings13here are wider than second tongues9and the corresponding openings14, thus making it possible for the cage6to be fixed more firmly to the neck3than to the stopper4.

As can be seen inFIG. 2, each arm12of the cage6is further provided with an outer positive catch15that extends outward toward the first circlet10and is intended to fasten the ring7on the cage6, the inclination of the catches15serving to facilitate the insertion of the cage6in the ring7.

It can also be seen inFIG. 2that each arm12of the cage6is reinforced, at the level of its upper portion adjoining second circlet11, by an inner bulge12A intended to wedge the stopper4in place in the mounted position of the cover1.

In addition, formed on circlet10of the cage6, opposite every second tongue9, are respective notches16(here, three in number) intended to assist in orienting the cage6with respect to an automatic assembly machine during the assembly of the cage6and the ring7to form the cover1.

FIG. 3represents the ring7in the form of a sleeve having a continuous, substantially cylindrical surface, which in the mounted configuration of the cover1surrounds the cage6to prevent access to the tongues8,9. The ring7has an open bottom end7A that is to be inserted first onto the cage6and a top end7B that is partially closed, with the result that when the ring7is nested on the cage6, the top end7B of the ring7overlaps the cage6while at the same time leaving at the center of the ring7an aperture17, circular in this case, that is coaxial with the aperture11A of the cage6, and, when the cover is mounted on the neck3, coaxial with the neck3, to permit access to the stopper4and the vessel2.

Ring7is provided on an inner wall18with notches19designed to cooperate with the catches15of the cage6to form an interlock device that locks the ring7on the cage6. The notches19are preferably blind, that is, they do not pass all the way through the wall18of the ring7, to make for a compact cover1and to keep impurities from getting inside the cover1.

The ring7is further provided on its inner wall18with internal guides20,21intended to interpose themselves between the arms12of the cage6to guide the positioning of the cage6relative to the ring7as the cage6is inserted in the ring7. It will be understood that the guides20,21preferably have dimensions respectively adapted to openings13,14, with a height in the axial direction A that is less than the height of openings13,14, to enable the tongues8,9to deflect into the openings13,14when the cover1is inserted on the neck3. Represented here for each guide20,21is a pair of respective bosses that position themselves laterally in a mesh opening of the cage6respectively against adjacent arms12of the cage6when the ring7and the cage6are nested one inside the other. These bosses here have a beveled shape on the side abutting an arm12, to further facilitate the guiding of the cage6into the ring7.

As represented inFIG. 4, the top end7B of the ring7is provided with a shoulder22, circular in this case, which borders aperture17and is truncated to form two substantially parallel sides22A, thus providing a means of orienting the ring7relative to the automatic assembly machine.

FIG. 5shows the cap23seen from its external side23A (that is, the external side of cap23when it is snapped onto cover1). Cap23here has the shape of a disk with raised wings24(three wings in this case), equipped on external side23A with gripping elements25, here in the form of reinforcing studs, to make the cap23easier to take hold of when it is to removed from the cover1. The gripping elements could also be in the form of circular-arc-shaped beads or any element in relief facilitating the grasping of the cap23.

FIG. 6shows the cap23from the internal side23A (that is, the side of the cap23that is in contact with the cover1when snapped onto the cover1). An annular bead26is formed here at the center of the internal side23A of the cap23and is intended to be inserted in the aperture17of the ring7. When the cap23is snapped onto the cover1, the bead26is preferably bent back toward the outside, assuming an L-shaped profile, to hold the cap23on the cover1as described below.

The cap23can be mounted initially on the ring7by snap fastening or welding, or by any other irreversible method of attachment known to those skilled in the art. For example, to mount the cap by snap fastening, the cap23is first inserted on the ring7by inserting the bead26into the aperture17of the ring7, and the assembly is then heated to deform the bead26in order to bend it around the upper portion7B of the ring7and give it its L-shaped profile, thus making it possible to jam the cap23onto the ring7, as is visible inFIG. 1.

It will be understood that the overall cylindrical shape of the cage6and the ring7makes it possible for the cover1to adapt to all types of vessels2having a lipped circular neck3, and does not require orienting either the cover1or the stopper4on the neck3.

The cage6, the ring7and the cap23of the cover1are preferably made by molding a plastic material, adapted to withstand a lyophilization process if need be. In particular, the plastic material of the cage6is hard, so that the torsion described earlier above causes the breakaway regions10A to break rather than just elastically deform.

The respective shapes of the cage6, the ring7and the cap23are relatively simple, thus permitting the use of double-cavity molds with a single core and axial stripping, and, consequently, easy and inexpensive production. In addition, the simplified shapes of these elements advantageously make it possible to reduce the amount of material necessary for the production of the cover1.

The assembly of the cover1and the stopper4will now be described with reference toFIG. 7. The first step is to insert the cap23onto the ring7and to secure it as described above, such that the cap23closes the aperture17of the ring7. The cage6is then inserted in direction A into the ring7provided with the cap23, the openings13,14of the cage6being lined up with the respective guides20,21of the ring7, until the catches15of the cage6seat in the notches19of the ring7. The aperture11A of the cage6is then closed by means of the cap23.

The stopper4is then placed in the cover1easily and without effort, merely by applying axial pressure in direction A. The head4A of the stopper4is inserted in the cage6until the upper portion4C of the stopper4comes into contact with the upper circlet11of the cage6. As the stopper4is inserted, the second tongues9deform elastically to let the stopper past and then go back to their initial shape once the stopper4is in place, positively engaging behind the head4A of the stopper4, so as to lock the stopper4in the position indicated inFIG. 4. The stopper4is then fixed over its periphery in the cage6by the bulges12A, in the position indicated inFIG. 7.

The assembly formed by the locking cover1and the stopper4can then be mounted on a vessel2by inserting the foot4B of the stopper4into the neck3of the vessel2simply by applying axial pressure to the cover23in direction A, thereby forcing the first tongues8to deform elastically in order to get past the lip5of the neck3, and then to resume their initial shape and thus positively engage behind the neck3and lock the cover1on the neck3. At the same time, the second tongues9partially deflect against the neck3of the vessel2.

The result is a closure for the vessel2that is leaktight due to the stopper4and tamper-proof by virtue of the locking cover1, since the cage6serves to lock the stopper4in the neck3and the ring7prevents any access to the cage6, and in particular to the tongues8,9. It will be appreciated that the cage6therefore serves as a link that fastens together the vessel2, the stopper4and the second ring7provided with the cap23, and that the second ring7serves as a safeguard.

For some medical applications, it may be necessary to lyophilize the contents of the vessel2. In that case, after contents for lyophilization have been introduced into the sterile vessel2, the foot4B of the stopper4locked in the cover1is placed in the neck3without pushing it all the way in and without engaging the first tongues8on the neck3, in the position shown inFIG. 1. An opening4D in the foot4B of the stopper4(more visible inFIG. 7) then makes it possible to proceed with the desired lyophilization. Once the lyophilization has been performed, the stopper4with the cover1can be pushed the rest of the way into the neck3, as indicated above, to hermetically seal the vessel2.

When it is desired to access the contents of the vessel2, the cap23need only be removed to expose the respective apertures11A,17of the cage6and of the ring7, and thus the upper portion4C of the stopper4, into which a needle can be inserted to penetrate into the vessel2. The contents of the vessel2can then be used and, if need be, rehydrated.

It will be understood that once the cap23has been removed it cannot be reattached to the locking cover1, so single use of the vessel2is assured. Furthermore, the locking cover1cannot be removed from the vessel2without damaging the breakaway regions10A of the cage6, which is readily visible and eliminates any risk of reuse of the vessel2.

It will also be noted that since the stopper4is inserted in the cover1after the assembly of the cage6, the ring7and the cap23to form the cover1, the cover1and the stopper4can advantageously be stored separately before use.