Synthetic-resin pouring cap with hinged cover

A pouring cap for mounting atop a neck of a container is unitarily formed of a synthetic resin with a body adapted to fit over the neck of the container and having an outer body edge centered on an axis, a central pour tube within the edge and forming an axially throughgoing outflow passage, and a cover sealingly engageable in a closed position with the body over the passage at the edge. A hinge is provided on the edge between the body and the cover and a hook projects axially from the cover in the closed position past the edge of the body at a location on the edge generally diametrically opposite the hinge. A retaining element defines with the body an opening adjacent the edge opposite the hinge location. The hook is engageable with elastic deformation through the opening to catch underneath the retaining element and once inserted through the opening is engaged such that the hook or the element must be permanently deformed to move the cover from the closed position. Thus the hook and element retain the cover in the closed position until the element is stripped from the body. Frangible connecting webs flanking the opening connect the retaining element to the body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a synthetic-resin pouring cap with a 
hinged cover. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
It is known to provide containers of foodstuff liquids or pharmaceutical 
liquids, in particular those that are thick, with pouring caps serving to 
provide a regular outflow of the product while avoiding that at the end of 
the operation drops of the product run down the container so as to make it 
unclean for handling. 
To this end the pouring caps of housekeeping products, in particular liquid 
detergents, have a recessed rim inside the neck of the container having a 
lower extremity that is attached by an annular collar to a central flow 
tube for the liquid. When the container is set on a horizontal support the 
annular collar is inclined with respect to the horizontal toward its low 
point which is opposite the side of flow of liquid in the tube, this low 
point forming a passageway communicating between the annular space between 
the rim and the flow tube on one side and the interior of the container on 
the other side. This annular space allows collected liquid to run from the 
outside of the tube toward the inside of the container. A longitudinal 
slot formed in the tube opposite the flow side for the liquid communicates 
with the orifice formed in the collar so as to favor entry of air into the 
container as liquid runs out so as to ensure regular outflow. Such pouring 
caps have screw-on or snap-on covers. 
There are also pouring caps having a body forming the pourer which is 
mounted permanently on the neck of the container, this body being equipped 
with a closing cover that is molded with it and to which it is attached by 
tabs some of which serve as hinges and others of which serve below a 
certain angle for the elastic return of the cover to the closed position. 
Such an arrangement has the advantage that it avoids any risk of losing 
the cover since same remains connected to the body of the cap and also 
allows the cap to be operated by the same hand that holds the container. 
This type of cap cannot have a tamper ring like caps with a screw-on cover. 
Tamper-proofing can thus only be effected by an element fixed in the cap 
and blocking the flow passage before its first use. This solution has the 
disadvantage that it does not allow the end user to determine immediately 
if the container has been opened or not since it is necessary to remove 
the cap to find out. 
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is aimed at avoiding these disadvantages by providing 
a synthetic-resin pouring cap having a cover hinged on the body of the cap 
and equipped with tamper-indicating means provided on the outside of the 
cap. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
To this end this pouring cap of the type having a body forming a pourer 
fixed on the neck of a container, attached by at least one tab forming a 
hinge to a cover, is characterized in that the outer edge of the body is 
provided in its region diametrically opposed to the region of its 
attachment with the cover with an element forming a grip having ends that 
are frangibly connected with the body and a central part defining an 
opening with the body, and in that the cover has in its region 
diametrically opposite its region of attachment with the body an element 
projecting toward the outside and from which projects a part formed as a 
hook of a length at most equal to that of the opening of the grip formed 
on the body whose opening is turned toward the top of the cover, the 
dimension of the hook and the width of the grip being such that in the 
closed position of the cover the free end of the hook fits underneath the 
grip element unitary with the body. 
When the cap is first closed the hook part of the cover flattens as it 
penetrates into the opening of the grip then expands once it passes 
through, the free end of the hook engaging over the grip element. In order 
to first open the cap it is necessary to rip or break the grip element 
which is made possible by frangible connecting webs. This operation frees 
the hook of the cover and frees action of same. 
In accordance with one embodiment the grip element is formed by a ring 
segment centered on a point offset from the center of the cap. 
According to another feature of the invention the grip element has as seen 
in transverse section two axially offset parts of which the lower part 
which is closer to the base of the cap is thinner than the upper part and 
forms with same a surface which is located at the opening of the grip and 
is perpendicular to the axis of the cap. 
It is this surface that forms an abutment for the free end of the hook of 
the cover when any attempt is made to raise the cover before removal of 
the grip. The lower part of this element forms a lateral guard for the 
hook that cannot therefore be incorrectly manipulated to slip it out from 
under the grip. 
Preferably the surface perpendicular to the axis of the cap and connecting 
the two parts of the grip element is located level with the plane of the 
joint of the cap. This allows the formation of large support surface for 
retaining the hook without complicating the structure of the mold. 
In accordance with an embodiment of the cap the axis of the hinge between 
the body and the cover is offset axially with respect to a support plane 
of the body of the neck of the container, the plane of the joint of the 
cap passing through the region of the body equipped with the grip and the 
region of the cover provided with the hook being inclined with respect to 
a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cap. The incline angle which can 
be about 5.degree. gives the assembly a particularly nice appearance by 
giving the cap a variable height. 
When the cap is provided with a central tube for directing the outflow of 
liquid, the body of the cap has projecting upward from its part resting 
against the neck of the container a rim against which a complementary rim 
unitary with the cover can engage in a tight seal, the body of the cap 
having on the side of the grip element a lip directed upward and provided 
with means for latching constituted as hooks or recesses complementary to 
means for latching formed on the cover. 
When the grip element forming a tamperproof tongue has been removed the 
hook can advantageously be used due to its closeness to the latching means 
to open the cover. 
The grip element can also be attached at each of its ends to the body of 
the cap by a tearable web of material or by grooved connectors, this 
element can be extended by a tear tongue that can be pulled back to tear 
the connecting zones by tipping back.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION 
The cap shown in the drawing has a body 2 destined to be fixed on the neck 
of a container and a cover 3 attached to the body 2 by two tabs 4 forming 
hinges and provided to opposite side of a central tab 5 serving for 
elastic return. 
The body 2 of the cap has two concentric rims 6 and 7 intended to rest on 
the outside and on the inside, respectively, of the neck of a container 
and connected to each other by an annular web 8 sitting on the edge of the 
neck of the container. 
The inside rim 7 is connected at its lower end by an annular collar 9 to a 
central tube 10 serving for outflow of the liquid. This central tube 10 
has level with its front edge a small spout 12 facilitating pouring of the 
liquid. The part of the tube 10 opposite the spout 12 has along its entire 
length a slot 13 which allows the center of the tube to communicate with 
an orifice 14 formed in the base of the annular collar 9 at the lowest 
point of same. 
At its lower end, the tube 10 is provided with several crosspieces 15 
supporting a central finger 16 that improves the regularity of flow of the 
liquid. 
As a result with this structure, during outflow of liquid, air is taken in 
through the orifice 14 which ensures after use return to the inside of the 
container of any liquid eventually caught in the annular space whose base 
is formed by the collar 9. 
A cylindrical rim 17 projects upward from the annular web 8, which rim 17 
forms a tight seal with a complementary rim 18 that projects from a base 
19 of the cover 3. 
As seen in FIG. 4 the hinge 4 between the cover 3 and the body 2 is offset 
axially relative to the region where the body of the cap rests on the neck 
of the container so that it is advantageous to form this cap by means of a 
mold having a joint plane 20 inclined by several degrees, for example 
5.degree., to a plane perpendicular to the axis A of the cap. 
The closing means of the cap are formed by a lip 22 that projects upward 
and that is formed on the body 2 in the region of same opposite the hinge 
4, this lip 22 having projections 23 that can cooperate with complementary 
recesses 24 formed in an outer rim 25 of the cover 3. 
In accordance with an essential feature of the invention the outer edge of 
the body 2 is formed in its region diametrically opposite the region where 
it is connected with the lid with an element 26 forming a grip whose ends 
are frangibly connected with the body 2 and whose central part forms with 
same an opening 27. 
This element 26 is formed as an annular segment and has an upper part 28 
thicker than its lower part 29, the two parts 28 and 29 being 
interconnected at a surface 30 that is perpendicular to the axis A of the 
cap, located on the plane 20 of the joint of same, and directed toward the 
body of the cap. 
The cover 3 has for its part in its region diametrically opposite the hinge 
4 an element 32 that projects outward and from which projects a part 33 
formed like a hook, of a length at most equal to that of the opening 27 of 
the grip 26 formed on the body 1, and open toward the top of the cover. 
The dimensions of the slot 27 and of the hook 33 are such that the hook 33 
must deform when it is pushed into the opening 27, the free end of the 
hook 33 being able, after fitting into the opening and under the action of 
the elasticity of the material, which is for example polypropylene, to 
catch underneath the surface 30 of the element 26. 
As seen in FIG. 3 once the cap is closed the latching means of same ensures 
that the end of the hook 33 is maintained underneath the surface 30. 
In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the element 26 is extended by a 
tear tongue 34. 
When the container equipped with this cap is closed the presence of the 
element 26 allows one to see instantly that there has been no tampering 
with the container. In order to open the container the user need merely 
pull on the tongue 34 to tear off the tamper-indicating element 26. The 
cover is then left in the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. 
The user can then pull up on the hook 33 to tip the cover 3 into the open 
position. After use of the container the cover 3 can be returned simply 
and rapidly to its closed position in part due to the force exerted by the 
elastic return tongue 5. 
As seen above the invention is a substantial improvement to the current 
state of the art in supplying a pouring cap of simple design that is 
particularly well adapted for use with bottles of oil because it provides 
for an excellent outflow of the product without risk of dirtying the 
outside of the container while ensuring an excellent tamperproofing of 
same prior to first use. 
It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the sole 
embodiment of the cap described above by way of example; instead it 
encompasses all variants. 
Thus for example the internal structure of the cap can be simpler and can 
not have a central outflow tube without leaving the scope of the invention 
.