Patent Publication Number: US-2006006130-A1

Title: Sealing/pouring combination with security seal

Description:
The invention relates to a pour cap with a tamper indicator according to the introductory clause of claim  1 .  
      A pour cap with a tamper indicator is known. In general the wall of a closure cap is formed with a tamper-indicating ring to which it is connected by frangible webs and which is formed with an undercut that is fitted with the neck region of a container when the cap is mounted on the neck of the container. The tamper-indicating ring forms in some known closure caps an axial extension of the cap wall, as in DE 1,955,047. In other known arrangements the tamper-indicating ring extends beyond the radial outer surface of the cap. In both cases there is the danger that during manufacture, transport, or automated fitting of the tamper-indicating ring to a container, it is separated from its cap by the forces acting on it and thus loses its tamper-indicating function, resulting in a high number of rejects for packaging reasons. A further disadvantage of the known systems is that the provision of the tamper-indicating ring uses up quite a bit of material and that, once it is separated, it leaves a relatively large piece behind or on the container. Finally, tamper-indicating rings, especially when they project radially past the cap, are unattractive. In response to this it has been suggested (German utility model 20 111 584) to build the tamper-indicating into the wall of the cap in that a barb engages in the container neck when the cap is screwed on to latch them together and thus engage with an abutment connected via frangible webs with the rest of the cap wall.  
      It is an object of the invention, starting from the tamper-indicating cap of German 20 111 584 to provide a cap that is easy to install with automatic equipment on a container neck and that is of simple manufacture.  
      This object is attained by the features of claim  1 . As in above-cited DE 20 111 584 the tamper-indicating pour cap according to the invention does not have a tamper-indicating ring, since the tamper-indicating function is integrated into the wall of the cap, that is there is a limited cut-out wall part that can be separated by a predetermined force from the rest of the cap wall so as to eliminate a blocked condition between the wall part and the neck and allow the cap to be taken off the neck like a standard cap. The cut-out wall part is positioned, for esthetic reasons, in the plane of the cap wall edge and for this reason is not subjected to any particular forces during manufacture or transport of the cap that might separate the wall part from the rest of the cap wall. In order to improve this basic concept, the invention proposes that the neck have an annular retaining rim that is engageable with a flat projection of the cap in the latched position. Thus it is no longer necessary to orient the two interengaging formations axially and angularly with one another, since the projection can engage in any angular position to latch under the rim. This substantially simplifies mounting of the cap on the neck since there is no need to align the formations angularly with each other during assembly. Since the invention only requires that the container neck have a simple rim, not actual complex retaining formations, the manufacture of the bottle neck is simple and it can be made out of any material, for example even glass. In addition the appearance of the cap is improved in that the projection can be made so flat that it generally fills the cutout in the cap wall to the point of not being readily noticed and thus does not form an actual hole in the cap wall. The invention makes it possible to manufacture the cap and the container neck efficiently by injection molding with an appropriate plastic such as polyethylene, polystyrol, polypropylene, and the like and demolding the cap will not be complicated by the provision of a tamper-indicating ring. According to a further embodiment of the invention a two-part stabilizing system can be used in order to hold the cut-out wall part together in a predetermined position during assembly and to thus prevent damage to the webs during initial installation. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the claims. 
    
    
      The invention is more closely described in the following with reference to an embodiment. Therein:  
       FIG. 1  is an overall view of a tamper-indicating cap according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a longitudinal section through the cap of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a section taken along line III-III of  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a longitudinal section of the entire cap assembly according to the invention; and  
       FIG. 5  is a large-scale sectional view of a detail of the tamper-indicating cap according to the invention. 
    
    
     SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION  
      In the following the terms “upper” and “lower” refer to the orientation of the tamper-indicating cap as shown in the drawing.  
      The tamper-indicating cap shown in the drawing is identified generally at.  1  and the container neck at  2 . The neck  2  can be the mouth of a container, a separate welded-on part, or a wholly separate part.  
      The neck  2  has a generally tubular shape with a through going passage  3  that forms an inlet opening allowing access to the interior of a container. The neck  2  is provided with an external screwthread  4  that fits with a complementary internal screwthread  5  in a wall  6  of the cap  1  so that the cap  2  can be screwed onto the neck  2 , which action seals the passage  3 . The screwthread  5  can be continuous or have, as shown, discontinuous flights.  
      A rim  7  projects outwardly from the neck  2  level with a cutout  8  in the wall  6  of the cap  1 , so that when the cap  1  is screwed all the way onto the neck  2  a portion of the rim  7  is exposed at the cutout  8  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The rim  7  has a radially or nearly radially extending lower engagement face  9  that can engage with a projection  10  carried on a part  11  cut out of the wall  6  of the cap  1  in order to prevent rotation of the cap  1  in the unscrewing direction.  
      The wall part  11  is formed unitarily with, relative to a screwing-on direction, leading and trailing webs  12  and  13  by means of which the wall part  11  is connected with adjacent regions of the cap wall  6 . In addition the wall part  11  has a lower edge  14  that is level with a lower edge  15  of the cap wall  6 . Alternatively the lower edge  14  can be recessed in the wall  6 .  
      One of the webs  12  or  13 , namely the web  12  that leads in the screwing-on direction, is so constructed that when stressed beyond a predetermined limit it breaks so that the wall part  11  in this location loses it connection with the cap wall  6  and no longer locks the rim  7  on the neck  2  to the projection  10 . If desired, several such webs  12  can be provided.  
      The other web  13  that trails the wall part  11  can be constructed so that the stresses encountered in normal use are not sufficient to break it and the wall part  11  remains connected at its trailing end with the cap wall  6 . Instead, the wall part  11  can bend outward about the web  13  in order to completely free the projection  10  from the rim  7  when the web  12  is broken through. The wall part  11  partially freed from the cap wall  6  remains on the cap  1  without presenting an environmental problem. It is however also possible to make the web  13  frangible. In this case the wall part  11  is completely broken off the cap wall  6 .  
      The wall part  11  has as shown in  FIG. 1  preferably a generally rectangular shape. It is delimited at its lower axial end by the lower edge  14  and on its upper axial end by an upper edge  16  that, like the lower edge  14 , extends angularly. The upper edge  16  is connected with the projection  10  via a reduced-thickness connecting web  17  that makes it possible for the projection  10  to be deformed elastically outward when it is upwardly engaged by the rim  7  so that the projection  10  can pass the rim  7  when the cap  7  is screwed on without tearing the web  12 . Nonetheless the connecting web  17  is sufficiently strong that the projection  10  will push upward against the lower face  9  of the rim  7  without, folding over when an axially opposite force is exerted on it.  
      The projection  10  is elongated somewhat angularly parallel to the upper edge  16  of the wall part  11  or, if desired, can be shorter than it. An upper edge of the projection  10  has a face  18  that is flat and that extends parallel to the lower face  9  of the rim  7  so as to flatly engage same. On the other hand a lower face  19  of the projection  10  forms an angled slide face so that the projection  10  can slide over the rim  7  when the cap  1  is screwed onto the neck  1 , the lower face  19  extending in the normal rest position of the projection  10  upwardly and inwardly at an angle.  
      The wall part  11  is formed near its upper edge with an angularly extending and outwardly projecting reinforcing rib  20  that can fit with a complementary elongated groove or jaw of a holding tool of an automatic (unillustrated) screwing-on device in order to support the wall part  11  radially when screwing it on so that it is not pushed radially outward too much and the web  12  is not prematurely broken. Other similar stabilizing means can also be provided.  
      Although the invention is described above with respect to only a single wall part  11  in a cap wall  6  with a projection  10 , two or more such wall parts with projections can be provided, angularly equispaced.  FIG. 3  shows a pair of wall parts  11  with projections  10  diametrally opposite each other. In addition to the nonfrangible trailing web, a further web can be provided parallel to it near the upper edge as shown at  21  in  FIG. 1 . The web  21  also serves to stabilize the wall part  11 .  
      The wall part  11  that is unitary with the wall  6  of the cap  1  forms a tamper indicator that shows the end user clearly that there has been no manipulation of the cap  1  so long as the connection between the wall part  11  and the cap wall  6  is intact.  
      Although the screw mount provided in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is used on a pourer, the invention is not restricted to such a mount. It can also be used on a push-on or force fit. The projection and/or the wall part carrying it can be, if desired, so flat that when seen from the side the recess in the cap wall is almost filled in order to improve the appearance of the cap.