BOTTLE CLOSURE WITH ONE-WAY VALVE

Abstract: A closure for containers of liquids, particularly bottles, the closure comprising an anti-tamper pourer member (7) having valve means (8,a 8b) which allow liquid to leave the container (2) but not to enter it, a cup (19) with a tubular sleeve (21) closing the pouring hole (15), as well as an outer security cap (25) and in which the pourer body (7) includes a first sleeve (8) fitted in the container neck, as well as a separate tubular body (14) defining the pouring hole (15). The separate tubular body (14) is fitted on the outer wall (4) of the container neck (1). Moreover, axial engagement means (5,17) and radial engagement means (6,18) are provided between the tubular body (14) and the outer wall (4) of the container neck (1), and threaded means (22,23) are provided between the outer wall (14a) of the tubular body (14) and the inner wall of the tubular sleeve (21).

Description: DESCRIPTION BOTTLE CLOSURE WITH ONE-WAY VALVE The present invention relates to a closure for containers of liquids, particularly bottles, having an opening situated at the end of a neck which extends axially from the container body, the closure comprising an anti-tamper pourer member fitted in the container neck, the pourer having a pouring hole as well as valve means which allow liquid to leave the container but not to enter it, a cap with a tubular sleeve extending axially along the container neck, for opening and closing the pouring hole, as well as an outer security cap disposed over the cap and also extending axially around a portion of the container neck, and in which the pourer body includes a first sleeve facing the inside of the container, with a portion force-fitted in the container neck, an annular flange integral with the first sleeve, projecting radially towards the outside of the neck and in frontal engagement with the free rim of the neck, a second sleeve integral with the flange and extending axially for a distance from the flange towards the pouring hole, as well as a separate tubular body defining the pouring hole in the region of its free end facing the cap and arranged concentrically relative to the first and second sleeves. Container closures of the above-mentioned type are known in the art and are used particularly on bottles for holding good-quality liquors or beverages. An example of this prior art is described in the publication WO 96/08421. According to the prior art described in this publication, it is pointed out that the separate tubular body defining the pouring hole at its free end is in radial engagement solely with the sleeve which extends towards the pouring hole from the flange bearing on the bottle neck, and in frontal engagement with the flange. The flange is pressed against the rim of the bottle neck, in order to achieve the necessary seal, by the above-mentioned sleeve which in turn is kept in axial position by the outer metal security cap, which is usually made of aluminium and engages the outer wall of the bottle neck. This means that, according to the prior art, the seal between the pourer body and the bottle neck depends on the presence of the outer metal cap, which is clinched onto the bottle neck, on the one hand, and onto the outer wall of the above-mentioned sleeve, on the other hand. This type of known structure therefore involves the disadvantage that it requires a series of peripheral rolling operations on the outer metal security cap in order to engage it on the bottle neck and on the sleeve of the pourer body, and these operations have to take place after the closure has been fitted on the container. The object of the present invention is to provide a closure which is ready to be fitted on the container neck as a single unit, including the outer cap with the security seal, by means of a single axial fitting operation. Another object of the invention is to render the structure of the pourer body, with the anti-tamper valve members, compact with a limited axial extent beyond the rim of the container neck, so that it can be used on bottles with tapered necks without exceeding the overall height dimension of a bottle of the same type but with a conventional closure, without an anti-tamper pourer. These and other objects which will become clearer from the following description are achieved by a closure formed in accordance with the appended claims . The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to some practical embodiments, given purely by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially-sectioned side view of a first embodiment of the closure according to the invention, with a metal outer security cap, Figure 2 is a partially-sectioned side view of a second embodiment of the closure according to the invention, with a metal outer security cap as in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a partially-sectioned side view of a third embodiment of the closure according to the invention, with a metal outer security cap as in Figure 1, and Figure 4 shows a closure such as that of the embodiment of Figure 1, with an outer security cap of plastics material. With reference to the above-mentioned drawings and in particular to Figure 1, the neck of a container is indicated 1 and the container body is indicated 2. The neck 1 has a free rim 3 and an outer wall 4 with an annular step 5, below which there is at least one set of axial knurling, distributed around the periphery of the outer wall and generally indicated 6. In particular, the container is a liquor bottle with a tapered or elongate neck of known type. The closure comprises a pourer body, generally indicated 7, constituted by a first sleeve 8 facing the inside of the neck 1, with a portion 9 force-fitted in the neck. The valve means, which are constituted by a ball 8a and by a hole 8b, are housed inside the sleeve 8 in wholly conventional manner. The pourer body has a flange 10 integral with the first sleeve and bearing frontally against the rim 3 of the neck 1 by means of a rib 11 of the flange 10. The flange 10 also defines a surface 12 from which a second sleeve 13, integral with the flange, extends in the opposite direction to that in which the sleeve 8 extends . The sleeve 8 with the flange 10 and the sleeve 13 are made of soft plastics material such as, for example polyethylene . The closure further comprises a tubular body 14 which, although it is an element separate from the sleeves 8 and 13, constitutes a component part of the pourer body 7. The tubular body 14 defines the pouring hole 15 in the region of its free end and has an abutment 16 which is in frontal engagement with the surface 12 of the flange 10. The tubular body 14 is also in radial engagement with the s-econd sleeve 13 and in axial engagement with the neck 1 of the bottle by means of an ' annular rib 17 carried by a portion 14a and fitted under the step 5 of the outer wall 4 of the neck 1. Finally, the tubular body 14 is in engagement with the corresponding knurling 6 of the neck 1, by means of a plurality of axial ribs 18 also carried by the portion 14a, preventing any possibility of rotation about the neck 1. The tubular body 14, including the portion 14a, is made of rigid plastics material such as, for example, polystyrene . A cap, generally indicated 19, is positioned over the pourer body 7 and comprises a transverse wall 20 and a tubular sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 has a thread 22 facing the • portion 14a of the tubular body 14, for engaging a complementary thread 23 formed in the outer wall of the portion 14a of the tubular body 14. A collar 24 extends from the transverse wall 20 of the cap 19, towards the pouring hole 15. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the collar 24 is fitted axially, with slight forcing, in the .second sleeve 13 which extends from the flange 10 as far as the vicinity of the pouring hole 15, thus being fitted between the tubular body 14 and the collar 24. An outer security cap 25 is placed over the outside of the cap 19 and is extended axially along the outer wall of the neck 1 of the bottle by a tubular portion 26. The outer cap 25 with the tubular portion 26 has a conventional circumferential tear zone 27 for the initial opening of the closure device. The outer cap 25 is also anchored firmly, with regard to rotational movements relative to the underlying cap 19, by virtue of the engagement of axial knurling 28 which is carried by the tubular portion 26 and distributed around its circumference and which engages corresponding and underlying axial knurling 29 carried by the tubular sleeve 21 of the cap 19 and also distributed around its circumference. Finally, the outer sheet-metal cap 25 is anchored to the portion 14a of the tubular body 14 by means of an annular indentation 30 projecting towards the neck of the bottle and engaging under the rim 31 of the portion 14a. With reference to Figure 2, it can be seen that the closure is modified, in the sense that the second sleeve, indicated 13a in Figure 2, extends axially from the flange 10 for a short distance towards the pouring hole 15 and is in radial contact with an inner wall 14b of the tubular body 14 by means of an annular rib 13b so as to improve the sealing thereof. In this embodiment, the collar 24a of the cap 19 is also directly in contact with the wall 14b of the tubular body 14. With reference to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, it can be seen that, whereas the collar 24a of the cap 19 is in direct radial contact with the surface 14b of the tubular body 14 as in the embodiment of Figure -2, the second sleeve of the pourer body extends axially from the flange 10 for a very limited distance 13c and is not necessarily in radial contact with the surface 14b. In the embodiment of Figure 3, however, the flange 10 has an annular rib 10a which interferes radially with the inner wall of the portion 14a of the tubular body 14 in the portion thereof which faces the neck 1 of the bottle . With reference now to Figure 4, it can be seen that, whereas the structure of the closure shown corresponds entirely to that shown in Figure 1, the outer security cap 25a and its tubular portion 26a disposed over the neck of the bottle are made of plastics material instead of sheet metal. The connection between the outer cap 25a and the cap 19 is achieved by means of axial ribs 28a carried by the portion 26a of the outer cap and distributed around its circumference and corresponding axial ribs 29a carried by the tubular sleeve 21 of the cap 19 and also distributed around its circumference. The engagement between these ribs prevents any rotational movement between the outer cap 25a and the underlying cap 19. An axial engagement similar to that described with reference to the embodiment of Figure 1 is also achieved in the embodiment of Figure 4 by means of an annular rib 30a of the outer cap which engages under the free rim 31a of the portion 14a of the tubular body 14 of the pourer 7. It can be appreciated from the foregoing description that, according to the invention, in all of the embodiments shown, the pourer body 7, already provided with the cap and the outer security cap, is fixed to the neck 1 of the container by the engagement of the annular rib 17 under the step 5 of the container neck 1, and this is achieved by means of a single axial fitting operation on , the neck. This engagement presses the abutment 16 onto the surface 12 of the flange 10, ensuring the frontal engagement of the flange against the rim 3 of the container neck. In the closure according to the invention, the outer sheet-metal security cap 25 is not used in any way to fix the pourer body to the container neck and it is not therefore necessary for any rolling operations to be performed after the closure has been fitted on the container, as was necessary with the closures of the prior art . This structure therefore also permits the use of an outer security cap of plastics material such as that indicated 25a and 26a in Figure 4. The closure according to the invention can thus be produced with all of its component parts already assembled, including the outer security cap, and can be supplied to the bottler who simply has to fit it on the container by an axial fitting operation along the longitudinal axis of the container neck. Moreover, the structure according to the invention provides a closure with a pourer having an anti-tamper valve of small axial dimensions such that a security closure of this type can be fitted even on containers with tapered necks, without altering the overall height of the container from that which it would have if it were equipped with a conventional closure provided purely with a cap-like stopper.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A closure for containers of liquids, particularly bottles, having an opening situated at the end of a neck (1) which extends axially from the container body (2) , the closure comprising an anti-tamper pourer member (7) fitted in the container neck, the pourer (7) having a pouring hole (15) as well as valve means (8a, 8b) which allow liquid to leave the container (2) but not to enter it, a cap (19) with a tubular sleeve (21) extending axially along the container neck (1), for opening and closing the pouring hole (15), as well as an outer security cap (25) disposed over the cap (19) and extending axially around at least a portion of the tubular sleeve (21) of the cap (19) of the container (2) , and in which the pourer body (7) includes a first sleeve (8) facing the inside of the container (2) with a portion (9) force-fitted in the container neck, an annular flange (10) integral with the first sleeve (8), projecting radially towards the outside of the neck (1) and in frontal engagement with the free rim (3) of the neck, a second sleeve (13) integral with the flange (10) and extending axially for a distance from the flange (10) towards the pouring hole (15) , as well as a separate tubular body (14) defining the pouring hole (15) in the region of its free end facing the cap (19) and arranged concentrically relative to the first and second sleeves (8, 13), characterized in that the separate tubular body (14) is fitted, by a portion (14a) thereof, on the outer wall (4) of the container neck (1), and is in radial engagement with the second sleeve (13) of the pourer (7) and in axial engagement, by means of an abutment (16), with the annular flange (10) of the pourer body, axial engagement means (5, 17) and radial engagement means (6, 18) being provided between the portion (14a) of the tubular body (14) and the outer wall (4) of the container neck (1), and threaded means (22, 23) being provided between the outer wall of the portion (14a) of ' the tubular body (14) and the inner wall of the tubular sleeve (21) integral with the cap (19) . 2. A closure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cap (19) has a collar (24a) projecting axially towards the inside of the neck (1) of the container (2), the collar (24a) being in radial engagement with an inner wall (14b) of the tubular body (14) in the vicinity of the hole (15) of the pourer body (7) . 3. A closure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the second sleeve (13) of the pourer body (7) extends axially substantially as far as the vicinity of the pouring hole (15) . 4. A closure according to Claims 1 and 3, characterized in that the cap (19) has a collar (24) projecting axially towards the inside of the neck (1) of the container (2), the collar (24) being in radial engagement with the second sleeve (13) of the pourer body (7) . 5. A closure according to Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer security cap (25) is made of sheet metal and has, in its tubular portion (26), axial knurling (28) distributed around its circumference, in engagement with underlying axial knurling (29) carried by the tubular sleeve (21) of the cap (19) and distributed thereon, around the circumference, so as to oppose and prevent rotational movements. 6. A closure according to Claim 5, characterized in that the outer security cap (25) also has an annular indentation (30) formed in its tubular portion (26), the annular indentation (30) being in engagement, with its convex portion facing towards the neck of the container, with the free rim (30) of the portion (14a) of the tubular body (14) of the pourer (7) so as to oppose and prevent axial movements. 7. A closure according to Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer security cap (25a) is made of plastics material and has, in its tubular portion (26a) , a plurality of axial ribs (28a) distributed around the circumference and facing towards the neck of the container, the axial ribs being in engagement with underlying axial ribs (29a) carried by the tubular sleeve (21) of the cap (19), so as to oppose and prevent rotational movements. 8. A closure according to Claim 7, characterized in that the outer security cap (25a) of plastics material has an annular rib (30a) formed in the tubular wall (26a) , the rib (30a) facing the neck of the container and being in engagement with the free rim (31a) of the portion (14a) of the tubular body (14) of the pourer (7) , so as to oppose and prevent axial movements.

Inventors: BATTEGAZZORE PIERO, BATTEGAZZORE, PIERO
Applicants: BATTEGAZZORE PIERO, GUALA CLOSURES SPA, BATTEGAZZORE, PIERO, GUALA CLOSURES S.P.A.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B65D49
IPC codes: B65D49, B65D51