Patent Description:
Carton packages are often used for packaging pourable products, such as cooled dairy products. Due to the high volumes in which such packages are often produced, it is desirable that the carton packages be produced at low cost and with low environmental impact. At the same time, the carton packages should preferably be easy to use. <CIT> discloses a closure device configured to be attached to a carton package. Another closure is disclosed in <CIT>, which describes a lid which is hinged to a coupling ring extending about a spout of the carton package. Similar closures are described in e.g. <CIT> and <CIT>. There is however a need for a further improved carton package.

It is an object of the present invention to solve, or at least mitigate, parts or all of the above mentioned problems. To this end, there is provided a closure configured to be attached to a carton package for a pourable product, the closure comprising an attachment collar extending along an attachment plane and having an attachment face configured to be attached to an interior face of the carton package; a spout extending from the attachment collar along a spout axis, the spout having a circular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the spout axis; and a cap arrangement comprising a reclosable cap movable between a fully closed position, in which it closes a circular pouring outlet of the spout, and an open position, in which pourable product may be poured from the pouring outlet; an attachment ring permanently and rotatably attached to the spout; and a hinge permanently holding the cap to the attachment ring, wherein the cap is a flip cap configured to be moved from the fully closed position to the open position by pivoting the cap about the hinge, wherein the cap arrangement is rotatable about the spout axis with the cap in the fully closed position. This facilitates using a carton package production line adapted for screw caps also for tethered flip caps, which are inexpensive and easy to use, as well as generally prevent loss of the cap. A flip cap may also be configured to be held in an open position, for example by a bias in the hinge, which facilitates pouring. Closures with screw caps generally do not need to be positioned in a certain orientation about the spout axis prior to attachment to the carton package. Similarly, also with a closure having a flip cap as defined above, the closure need not be positioned in a certain orientation about the spout axis prior to attachment to the carton package. Instead, the end user of the carton package may, prior to opening the carton package, rotate the cap arrangement to a position in which the cap is easy to open, and/or in which the cap will not, once opened, be positioned in the flow path of the pourable product when pouring from the spout. The hinge may define a hinge axis transversal to the spout axis. According to embodiments, the hinge axis may be parallel to the attachment plane. Preferably, the fully closed position is a liquid-tight position, in which the cap seals against the spout in a liquid-tight manner, to prevent leakage of liquid content such as water, milk, juice or the like. Similarly, preferably, the cap is rotatable about the spout axis while remaining in the liquid-tight position, and/or without breaking any auxiliary liquid-tight barrier(s) and/or frangible bridge(s) associated with the closure. Preferably, the closure is configured to enable movement of the cap from the fully closed position to the open position without prior or subsequent turning about the spout axis; for example, the closure may be configured to enable movement of the cap from the fully closed position to the open position by solely pivoting the cap about the hinge. The cap may be free from any threads engaging with mating threads of the spout. Preferably, the cap is rotatable a full turn about the spout axis in the fully closed position; thereby, the flip cap can be moved to any orientation from any starting point prior to opening. The spout axis defines a cylindrical coordinate system, and thereby also defines a radial direction and a circumferential direction, which may be referred to hereinbelow.

According to embodiments, the cap arrangement may comprise a lift indication such as a lift tab, which may be shaped to facilitate gripping the cap with a finger to open the cap. The cap arrangement may thereby be turned about the spout axis to a position in which the lift indication is easy to reach for opening. This position may be different for different users, and each user may find what works the best for him/her.

According to embodiments, the hinge is configured as a living hinge. The living hinge may be shaped to tighten the engagement between the attachment ring and the spout when the cap is moved to the open position, for example by locally slightly deforming the attachment ring at the circumferential position of the living hinge. Thereby, the risk that the cap, during pouring, falls back towards the pouring outlet by the intrinsic weight of the cap, is reduced. Such a tightening shape of the living hinge may be obtained by e.g. configuring the living hinge as a butterfly hinge, and/or shaping the hinge to span an angular distance in the circumferential direction about the spout axis of more than <NUM>°.

According to embodiments, the cap may be rotatable about the spout axis, when in the fully closed position, at a fixed axial position along the spout axis. The fixed axial position may be defined by e.g. mating snap ridges on the cap and the spout.

According to embodiments, the cap arrangement may be configured to provide, when the cap is in the fully closed position, a friction engagement with the spout producing a rotation resistance torque, against rotation about the spout axis, of between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>. This range provides an attractive balance between fluid tightness and ease of turning the cap arrangement about the spout axis. The rotation resistance torque may be measured at room temperature, i.e. <NUM>. More preferably, the torque may be between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM>.

According to embodiments, the cap and the spout may be made of polyethylene. This results in a low rotation friction in combination with a good liquid tightness at the interface between the cap and the spout. Moreover, friction of polyethylene may be further reduced at temperatures typical of refrigerators.

According to embodiments, the attachment collar may be circular and concentric with the spout axis. This reduces any dependency of the attachment process on the orientation of the closure.

According to embodiments, the attachment collar may be made of thermoplastic, and the attachment face of the attachment collar may be provided with a liquefaction initiation ridge extending about the spout axis. Such a closure is particularly well suited for friction welding, such as ultrasonic welding, to the interior face of the carton package. The liquefaction initiation ridge provides an initial localization of the pressure of the attachment face onto the interior face of the of the carton package during friction welding, and thereby defines a well-defined and localized liquefaction initiation interface of the thermoplastic. According to embodiments, the liquefaction initiation ridge may be circular. Thereby, no particular orientation of a welding tool about the spout axis is required. The liquefaction initiation ridge may be intermittent or continuous. The latter may be preferred in order to maximize liquid tightness of the ultrasonic weld joint. An exemplary suitable material for the entire closure is polyethylene.

According to embodiments, a total width of the cap arrangement in a direction perpendicular to the spout axis may be smaller than a loop width, such as a loop diameter, of the liquefaction initiation ridge in a direction perpendicular to the spout axis.

According to embodiments, the cap may be releasably attached to the spout attachment ring via a plurality of frangible bridges. The frangible bridges may be configured to break when opening the cap for the first time. Thereby, the frangible bridges may be used as tamper evidence. The cap, the attachment ring and the frangible bridges may be integrally formed, e.g. by injection moulding. According to embodiments, the attachment ring may be sufficiently loosely held to the spout to enable the attachment ring to follow a rotation of the cap about the spout axis without breaking the frangible bridges. Thereby, caps may be easily turned to a desired orientation about the spout axis in the fully closed position without breaking the tamper evidence.

According to embodiments, the cap may comprise an outer cap mantle at least partially circumferentially surrounding the radially outer perimeter of the pouring outlet of the spout. Preferably, the cap mantle extends, radially outside the spout, about the entire circumference of the spout. The cap mantle may be configured as a skirt extending axially from an axial end wall of the cap, towards the attachment collar.

According to embodiments, the cap mantle may have a radially outer face provided with friction ribs for turning the cap about the spout axis. Preferably, the friction ribs are parallel to the spout axis. Such an arrangement facilitates extraction from a moulding tool. Preferably, the friction ribs are distributed about the entire circumference of the cap mantle.

According to embodiments, the cap mantle may be substantially circular-cylindrical. According to further embodiments, the entire cap arrangement may be substantially circular-cylindrical.

According to embodiments, an outer face of the cap mantle may be provided with a lift tab extending radially away from the spout axis. This facilitates opening the cap. Preferably, the lift tab is positioned opposite to the hinge. Preferably, the lift tab is provided at a bottom edge of the cap mantle facing the attachment collar. According to embodiments, an upper edge of the attachment ring, facing away from the attachment collar, is provided with a cutaway in register with the lift tab.

According to embodiments, the lift tab extends radially less than <NUM> from a radially outer face of the cap mantle. This facilitates using the same production line for screw caps and tethered flip caps. According to further embodiments, the lift tab may extend radially less than <NUM>,<NUM> from the radially outer face of the cap mantle.

According to embodiments, the cap may comprise a circular bore seal extending into the spout and engaging with a radially inner face of the spout. According to further embodiments, the bore seal may have a thickness of between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM>. Such a bore seal thickness range improves liquid tightness.

According to embodiments, the bore seal may comprise a guide section configured to, when moving the cap from the open position to the fully closed position, guide the bore seal into the spout, wherein a radially outer face of the guide section tapers in a longitudinal direction along the spout axis towards the attachment plane. The guide section may be defined by a distal end section of the bore seal, i.e. the section of the bore seal which is the most remote from the bore seal's attachment to an axial end wall of the cap.

According to embodiments, the bore seal may comprise a bias section configured to resiliently bias the bore seal against the radially inner face of the spout, wherein a radially outer face of the bias section tapers in a longitudinal direction along the spout axis away from the attachment plane. The bias section may be defined by a proximal section of the bore seal, i.e. a section of the bore seal which is close to the bore seal's attachment to an axial end wall of the cap. When combined with a guide section as defined above, the bias section may be positioned between the guide section and the axial end wall of the cap.

According to embodiments, the bore seal may define, adjacent to the hinge, a cap support tongue configured to, when the cap is open, hold the cap at an opening angle of at least <NUM>°. This reduces the risk that the cap might obstruct the flow of pourable product when poured from the pouring outlet. Preferably, the opening angle is at least <NUM>°.

According to embodiments, a radially inner face of the cap mantle may be provided with a set of pouring outlet alignment tabs distributed circumferentially about the spout axis and protruding radially towards the spout axis, the pouring outlet alignment tabs being configured to engage with a radially outer face of the pouring outlet. Thereby, the pouring outlet may be squeezed between the bore seal and the pouring outlet alignment tabs, which provides for a good liquid tightness.

According to embodiments, the cap may seal, when in the fully closed position, against the spout along a sealing line extending in a closed line about the spout axis, wherein the sealing line is positioned at an axial distance from the attachment collar of at least <NUM>. This reduces the risk that the process of attaching the attachment collar to the packaging board of the carton package affect the tightness of the seal. Preferably, the sealing line is positioned at an axial distance from the attachment collar of less than <NUM>, and more preferably, of less than <NUM>. Preferably, the sealing line is liquid-tight, and the closure is free from any other liquid-tight seals between the interior and the exterior of the package. Thereby, cost and complexity of the closure may be kept low. If the closure is provided with tamper evidence such as frangible bridges, the sealing line may be in fluid communication with the interior of the package when the tamper evidence is unbroken, i.e. when the closure has never been opened.

According to embodiments, the spout may be defined by a circumferential wall having a radial thickness, adjacent to the pouring outlet, of between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM>. Such a spout wall thickness range enables the shape of the spout to adapt to the shape of the cap, which improves liquid tightness.

According to embodiments, the closure, excluding the attachment collar, may have a height/width ratio of between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM>. Such a height/width ratio is well suited for untethered screw caps, and thereby facilitates use in a production line for untethered screw caps. Moreover, the height/width ratio provides a good balance between the ease of operating the cap and the transport and shop shelf volume required by the carton package. For example, when applied to the top of a carton package, the closure height may affect the stacking height of a stack of carton packages.

According to embodiments, the cap may have an outer diameter of between <NUM> and <NUM>.

According to embodiments, the attachment collar may be circular, and may have an outer diameter of between <NUM> and <NUM>. More preferably, the attachment collar may have an outer diameter of between <NUM> and <NUM>. Any circular liquefaction ridge, as the case may be, may have a diameter of between <NUM> and <NUM>.

According to embodiments, the hinge may comprise a bending indication having a thickness of between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM>.

According to embodiments, the closure may further comprise, within the spout, a tear ring for tearing an impervious membrane closing the spout. Alternatively, the closure may be free from any additional barriers closing the spout except for the cap.

According to a second aspect, parts or all of the above mentioned problems are solved, or at least mitigated, by a carton package comprising a closure as defined hereinabove. The carton package may be, for example, a cooled food product package, such as a cooled dairy product package. According to embodiments, the carton package encloses a volume of <NUM> litres or less, and according to further embodiments, the carton package encloses a volume of <NUM> litres or less.

According to embodiments, the carton package may be a gable-top package.

According to embodiments, the closure may be configured to break a tamper evidence of the carton package when opened for the first time, wherein an inner face of the cap is in fluid communication with the interior of the carton package already when the tamper evidence is unbroken. According to embodiments, the tamper evidence may be configured as a set of frangible bridges bridging a gap between the cap and the attachment ring.

According to a third aspect, parts or all of the above mentioned problems are solved, or at least mitigated, by a method of producing the closure as defined hereinabove, the method comprising injection moulding the closure in a multiple-cavity tool comprising a first moulding cavity for the spout and a second moulding cavity for the cap arrangement; and applying the cap arrangement to the spout. Thereby, the spout and the cap arrangement will be made of the same material, and exposed to the same moulding process parameter, such that they will crimp to the same extent during solidification. This facilitates obtaining an attractive and precise balance between rotatability and liquid tightness of the cap arrangement on the spout. Moreover, the orientation of the spout and cap arrangement are predetermined when removing them from the tool, which facilitates applying the cap arrangement on the spout before orientation is lost.

According to embodiments, the spout and the cap arrangement may be moulded in the same moulding shot.

According to a fourth aspect, parts or all of the above mentioned problems are solved, or at least mitigated, by a method of producing a carton package, the method comprising: providing a blank of packaging board having a first face which is to become an interior face of the carton package, and comprising a closure aperture; providing a closure comprising an attachment collar, a spout extending along a spout axis, and a cap arrangement comprising a flip cap, wherein the flip cap is tethered to the spout via a hinge and rotatable on the spout about the spout axis; inserting the spout and the cap arrangement, at an arbitrary rotation angle about the spout axis, through the closure aperture to bring an attachment face of the attachment collar in abutment with said first face; and attaching the attachment collar to said first face. The attachment collar may be attached to said first face by applying or generating heat at the interface between the attachment face of the attachment collar and said first face of the packaging board blank. The method may be used for attaching a closure as defined in any of the embodiments according to the first aspect hereinabove.

It is noted that embodiments of the invention may be embodied by all possible combinations of features recited in the claims. Further, it will be appreciated that the various embodiments described for the closure according to the first aspect are all combinable with carton package according to the second aspect, as well as with the methods as defined in accordance with the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, and vice versa.

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and nonlimiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein:.

All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the embodiments, whereas other parts may be omitted.

<FIG> illustrates a carton package <NUM> of gable-top type, wherein the carton package type is well known per se, for holding a pourable product such as a liquid foodstuff. The carton package <NUM> comprises four flat, rectangular side walls 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d defining a rectangular cuboid, a flat bottom wall <NUM>, and two flat top walls 14a, 14c extending from a pair of opposite side walls 10a, 10c and meeting each other at a top ridge <NUM>. The respective planes of the top walls 14a, 14c are typically inclined in relation to the bottom wall by an inclination angle in the interval <NUM>-<NUM>°. Inclined gable walls 14b, 14d extend from respective side walls, below the top walls 14a, 14c, towards the top ridge.

The walls 10a-d, <NUM>, 14a-d are folded from a laminated packaging board comprising a structural support laminate layer of e.g. paperboard, which provides the carton package with structural integrity, and one or several barrier layers which may provide liquid tightness and/or protect the pourable product against migration of e.g. flavour degrading substances through the packaging board. For example, the packaging board may comprise an innermost barrier laminate layer which makes the interior faces of the walls 10a-d, <NUM>, 14a-d liquid-tight and protects the structural support laminate layer against being wetted by liquid content of the carton package <NUM>. The barrier laminate layer may be made of a thermoplastic, such as polyethylene, which may also, depending on how the carton package has been folded and joined, serve as a heat-seal layer in joints where faces of the laminated packaging board meet. The packaging board may also comprise an outermost barrier laminate layer which may likewise be made of thermoplastic such as polyethylene. The outer barrier laminate layer may protect the structural support laminate layer from wetting from the outside, but may also, depending on how the carton package has been folded, serve as a heat-seal layer in joints. The laminated packaging board may also comprise one or several other barrier layers, such as an aluminium foil layer and/or an ethyl vinyl alcohol (EVOH) layer, to make the packaging board material gas-tight and suitable for aseptic packaging of long-storage products such as UHT milk.

One of the top walls 14a is provided with a closure <NUM>, which is attached to an interior face of the respective top wall 14a in a manner which will be explained further below.

<FIG> illustrates the closure <NUM> prior to being attached to the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>), wherein <FIG> illustrates the closure <NUM> in a fully closed position, whereas <FIG> illustrates the closure <NUM> in an open position. The closure <NUM> comprises a circular attachment collar <NUM> having an attachment face 20a configured to be attached to an interior face of the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>). The attachment collar <NUM> is integrally formed with a spout <NUM> (<FIG>) extending from the attachment collar along a spout axis A. The spout axis defines a cylindrical coordinate system, with an axial or longitudinal direction along the spout axis A, a radial direction along a polar axis perpendicularly away from the spout axis, and a circumferential direction perpendicular to the radial direction, along an angular axis of the cylindrical coordinate system. The spout <NUM> is substantially circular-cylindrical, with its axis of symmetry coinciding with the spout axis A, and has a circular pouring outlet <NUM> defined by a distal rim 22a of the spout <NUM>, which distal rim 22a faces away from the attachment collar <NUM>. The spout <NUM> is also concentric with the attachment collar <NUM>. A cap arrangement <NUM> comprises a cap <NUM> of flip-cap type, and an attachment ring <NUM>. The attachment ring <NUM> is permanently attached to the spout <NUM>, and the cap <NUM> is permanently attached to the attachment ring <NUM> via a hinge <NUM>. The hinge <NUM> is integrally formed with the cap <NUM> and the attachment ring <NUM>, and is thereby of the type generally referred to as a living hinge.

The cap <NUM> is reclosable, i.e. it is repeatedly movable between the fully closed position of <FIG>, in which it closes the pouring outlet <NUM> (<FIG>), and the open position of <FIG>, in which pourable product may be poured from the pouring outlet <NUM>, by pivoting the cap <NUM> about the hinge <NUM>. Prior to opening for the first time, the cap <NUM> is attached to the attachment ring <NUM> via a plurality of frangible bridges <NUM> distributed along the cap's <NUM> interface towards the attachment ring <NUM>. Cap <NUM>, attachment ring <NUM>, and frangible bridges <NUM> may be integrally formed, e.g. by moulding in a single piece. The frangible bridges <NUM> are broken the first time the cap <NUM> is opened, and serve as a tamper evidence. A suitable material for the cap arrangement <NUM>, as well as the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM>, is low-density polyethylene.

The cap <NUM> comprises a flat, circular axial end wall <NUM>, and an outer cap mantle <NUM> configured as a circular-cylindrical skirt extending from the axial end wall <NUM>, radially outside the spout <NUM>, in an axial direction towards the attachment collar <NUM>, when the cap <NUM> is in the closed position of <FIG>. For the sake of simplicity, unless otherwise stated, any references to axial, radial or circumferential directions in relation to the cap <NUM> are with reference to the cylindrical coordinate axes defined by the spout axis A when the cap <NUM> is in the fully closed position of <FIG>.

In order to facilitate opening the cap <NUM>, a radially outer face <NUM> of the cap mantle <NUM> is provided with a lift tab <NUM> extending radially away from the spout axis A. The lift tab <NUM> is positioned at the edge of the cap mantle <NUM> which faces the attachment collar <NUM>, and circumferentially opposite to the hinge <NUM>. The edge of the attachment ring <NUM> which faces away from the attachment collar <NUM> is provided with a cutaway <NUM> in register with the lift tab <NUM>.

The cap arrangement <NUM> is rotatable about the spout axis both when in the fully closed position of <FIG> and when in the open position of <FIG>. Thereby, the user of the carton package <NUM> can rotate the cap arrangement <NUM> to any desired position about the spout axis A suitable for conveniently accessing the lift tab <NUM>, to open the cap <NUM>. The user can also rotate the cap arrangement <NUM> to any desired position about the spout axis A suitable for pouring once the cap <NUM> has been opened. When in the fully closed position, the cap arrangement <NUM> is configured to provide a rotation resistance torque, against rotation about the spout axis, of about <NUM>. In order to facilitate turning the cap <NUM> about the spout axis A when in the closed position, the radially outer face <NUM> of the cap mantle <NUM> is provided with axially extending friction ribs <NUM>, which are distributed about the circumference of the cap <NUM>.

Prior to its application in a package <NUM> (<FIG>), the closure <NUM> is assembled by pressing the cap arrangement <NUM> into engagement with the spout <NUM> along the spout axis A. <FIG> illustrates the cap arrangement <NUM> in isolation, and <FIG> illustrates in isolation the integrally formed member comprising the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM>, prior to assembly with the cap arrangement <NUM>. The radially outer face of the spout <NUM> has a circumferential ring retainment groove <NUM> for holding the attachment ring <NUM> in an axially interlocking manner, while enabling rotation about the spout axis A. The ring retainment groove <NUM> is axially delimited by the attachment collar <NUM> and a ring retainment ridge <NUM> extending circumferentially about the radially outer face of the spout <NUM>. The ring retainment ridge <NUM> may be continuous, as illustrated, or intermittent.

<FIG> illustrates the cap arrangement <NUM> in section, the section plane comprising the spout axis A and cutting through the circumferential centre of the lift tab <NUM> as well as the hinge <NUM>. An upper magnified view 5A illustrates a portion of the cap <NUM>, and a lower magnified view 5B illustrates the attachment ring <NUM> and the hinge <NUM>. Each of the attachment ring <NUM> and the cap mantle <NUM> has a radial thickness t<NUM> of about <NUM>,<NUM>, whereas the hinge <NUM> is defined by a bending indication having about half that thickness, i.e. about <NUM>,<NUM>. The bending indication extends in the circumferential direction, and may typically have a width in the circumferential direction of between <NUM> and <NUM>, such as about <NUM>. A spout retainment ridge <NUM> extends circumferentially about the radially inner face of the attachment ring <NUM>, and is configured to, when assembled with the spout <NUM> (<FIG>), be positioned in the ring retainment groove <NUM> (<FIG>). The spout retainment ridge <NUM> may be intermittent, as illustrated, or continuous. An assembly flank <NUM> of the spout retainment ridge <NUM> is moderately sloped in relation to the axial direction and thereby facilitates pressing, during assembly, the spout retainment ridge <NUM> along the spout axis A, over the ring retainment ridge <NUM> (<FIG>) and into the ring retainment groove <NUM> (<FIG>), whereas a retainment flank <NUM> of the spout retainment ridge <NUM> slopes more sharply in relation to the axial direction, and thereby prevents removal of the attachment ring <NUM> from the ring retainment groove <NUM>.

As illustrated in the magnified view 5A, the lift tab <NUM> extends from a radially outer face 36a of the cap mantle <NUM> by a radial distance d of about <NUM>. The cap <NUM> has an outer diameter D1 of about <NUM>.

An inner face of the cap <NUM> comprises a bore seal <NUM>, which is also illustrated in <FIG>. When the closure is in the closed position of <FIG>, the bore seal <NUM> extends axially into the spout <NUM> and sealingly engages with a radially inner face 22b of the spout <NUM>. As illustrated in the cross-section of the magnified view 5A, the bore seal <NUM> comprises a radially outermost sealing ridge <NUM>, which liquid-tightly seals against the radially inner face 22b (<FIG>) of the spout <NUM> (<FIG>). The bore seal <NUM> further comprises a bias section <NUM>, which resiliently biases the sealing ridge against the radially inner face 22b of the spout <NUM>. The bias section <NUM> is positioned between the bore seal's <NUM> attachment to the axial end wall <NUM> of the cap <NUM>, and has a radially outer face 60a which tapers in a longitudinal direction along the spout axis A away from the attachment plane defined by the attachment face 20a of the attachment collar <NUM> (<FIG>). The bore seal <NUM> further comprises a guide section <NUM> configured to, when moving the cap <NUM> from the open position (<FIG>) to the fully closed position (<FIG>), guide the bore seal <NUM> into the spout <NUM> (<FIG>). For the purpose, a radially outer face 62a of the guide section <NUM> tapers in a longitudinal direction along the spout axis A towards the attachment plane defined by the attachment face 20a of the attachment collar <NUM> (<FIG>). The guide section <NUM> is defined by a section of the bore seal <NUM> which is axially closer than the sealing ridge <NUM> to the attachment plane of the attachment collar <NUM> (<FIG>). The bore seal <NUM> has a thickness t<NUM> of about <NUM>,<NUM>, which allows the bore seal <NUM> to flexibly adapt to the shape and position of the spout <NUM> when the cap <NUM> is closed. Adjacent to the hinge <NUM>, the bore seal <NUM> is extended in the axial direction A towards the attachment plane defined by the attachment face 20a of the attachment collar <NUM> (<FIG>), to define a cap support tongue 56a configured to, when the cap <NUM> is open, engage with the distal rim 22a (<FIG>) of the spout <NUM> to support the cap <NUM> in the open position. Alternatively or additionally, the hinge <NUM> may be shaped to provide a bias towards an open position. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge <NUM> is a so-called butterfly hinge configured to generate said bias. The cap support tongue and/or hinge bias, as the case may be, is/are configured to hold the cap at an opening angle β, which is illustrated in <FIG>, wherein the angle β is defined as the angle obtained between the spout axis A and a cap axis B which follows the cap <NUM>, and which coincides with the spout axis A when the cap is in the fully closed position (<FIG>). It may be preferred that the opening angle β exceed <NUM>°.

The section plane of <FIG> also extends through a pouring outlet alignment tab <NUM>, a couple of which are also visible in the view of <FIG>. The pouring alignment tabs <NUM> protrude radially inwards from a radially inner face 36b of the cap mantle <NUM>, and are distributed circumferentially about the spout axis A. The pouring outlet alignment tabs <NUM> have respective engagement faces 64a which are inclined in relation to the spout axis, which engagement faces are configured to engage with a radially outer face 22c (<FIG>) of the distal rim 22a defining the pouring outlet <NUM>, to squeeze the radially inner face 22b (<FIG>) of the distal rim 22a defining the pouring outlet <NUM> against the bore seal <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the attachment collar <NUM> and spout <NUM> in section, wherein the section plane is the same as that of <FIG>. An upper magnified view 6A illustrates a distal, with regard to the attachment collar <NUM>, portion of the spout <NUM>, and a lower magnified view 6B illustrates the attachment collar <NUM>. The magnified view 6A illustrates, in particular, the spout's <NUM> distal rim 22a, which defines the pouring outlet <NUM>. The circumferential wall of the spout <NUM> has a radial thickness t<NUM>, adjacent to the pouring outlet, of about <NUM>,<NUM>. The radially inner face 22b of the spout <NUM> comprises a snap ridge <NUM> extending radially towards the spout axis A. The snap ridge <NUM> is configured to, when the cap <NUM> is moved from the open position (<FIG>) to the fully closed position (<FIG>), resiliently cam over the sealing ridge <NUM> of the bore seal <NUM> (<FIG>), and snap into a rest position against the radially outer face 60a of the bias section <NUM>, axially between the sealing ridge <NUM> and the axial end wall <NUM> (<FIG>). In its rest position against the radially outer face of the bore seal <NUM> (<FIG>), the snap ridge <NUM> may also operate as a seal. During the last part of the cap's <NUM> axial motion towards the fully closed position, the engagement between the radially outer face 22c of the spout <NUM> and the inclined faces 64a of the pouring outlet alignment tabs <NUM> gradually increases, to firmly press the radially inner face 22b of the distal rim 22a of the spout <NUM> against the sealing ridge <NUM> (<FIG>) of the cap <NUM>.

The attachment collar <NUM> is made of thermoplastic, and is adapted to be ultrasonically welded to the interior face of the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>). The attachment collar <NUM> has an outer diameter D2 of about <NUM>. As best seen in the magnified view 6B, the attachment face 22a, which extends along an attachment plane P, comprises a thermoplastic liquefaction initiation ridge <NUM> protruding in the axial direction from the attachment face 20a to a height H1 of about <NUM>,<NUM> above the attachment face 20a. The liquefaction initiation ridge <NUM> is also made of thermoplastic, and serves for localizing the friction against the interior face of the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>) during ultrasonic welding, in order to initiate local melting of the thermoplastic of the attachment collar <NUM>. The liquefaction initiation ridge <NUM> is configured as a circular loop with a loop width or loop diameter D3 of about <NUM>, and is concentric with the spout axis A. The ridge <NUM> as such preferably has a ridge width W2 of between <NUM>,<NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM>, for example about <NUM>,<NUM>. The magnified view 6B also illustrates the ring retainment ridge <NUM> in section. An assembly flank <NUM> of the ring retainment ridge <NUM> is moderately sloped in relation to the axial direction A and thereby facilitates pressing, during assembly, the spout retainment ridge <NUM> (<FIG>) along the spout axis A, over the ring retainment ridge <NUM> and into the ring retainment groove <NUM>, whereas a retainment flank <NUM> of the ring retainment ridge <NUM> slopes more sharply in relation to the axial direction A, and thereby prevents removal of the attachment ring <NUM> once it has reached its final position in the ring retainment groove <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a process of attaching the cap arrangement <NUM> to the spout <NUM>. The cap arrangement <NUM> and the spout <NUM> are pressed together along the direction of the spout axis A until the spout retainment ring <NUM> of the attachment ring <NUM> snaps into engagement with the ring retainment groove <NUM> of the spout <NUM>. The closure <NUM> thus obtained is illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates a section of the entire closure <NUM> in the closed position, prior to opening for the first time. The total width W1 of the cap arrangement <NUM> in a direction perpendicular to the spout axis about <NUM>, i.e. it is smaller than the corresponding width D3 of the liquefaction initiation ridge <NUM> (<FIG>). The total height H2 of the closure <NUM> above the attachment plane P, i.e. excluding the attachment collar <NUM>, is about <NUM>, and the portion of the closure <NUM> protruding from the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>), when attached, thereby has a height/width ratio of about <NUM>,<NUM>. The cap <NUM> is rotatable about the spout axis A, with maintained liquid tightness, at a fixed axial position determined by the engagement of the respective mating ridges <NUM>, <NUM> on the cap <NUM> and the spout <NUM>, and the attachment ring <NUM> is rotatable in the retainment groove <NUM> (<FIG>). The cap <NUM> seals against the spout <NUM> primarily along a sealing line defined by the sealing ridge <NUM>, which extends in a closed, circular line around the spout axis A. The sealing line defined by the sealing ridge <NUM> is positioned at an axial distance H3 of about <NUM> from the attachment collar <NUM>. The liquid-tight seal defined by the engagement between the bore seal <NUM> and the inner face 22b of the spout <NUM> is the sole liquid-tight seal of the closure <NUM>, such that the interior face 34a of the axial end wall <NUM> of the cap <NUM> is in fluid communication with the interior of the carton package (<FIG>) already before the tamper evidence is broken. According to an alternative configuration, however, the closure <NUM> may be provided with an auxiliary liquid-tight seal (not illustrated), such as an impervious membrane closing the spout, and a tear ring for tearing the membrane.

<FIG> also illustrates a process of attaching the closure <NUM> to a blank of packaging board <NUM>. The blank of packaging board <NUM> may be a flat blank yet to be folded into a carton package <NUM>, or an already folded carton package blank which has not yet been provided with a closure. In either case, the blank of packaging board has a first face 74a which is to become an interior face of the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>), and comprises a closure aperture <NUM> configured to receive the closure <NUM>. The packaging board may comprise a structural support layer 78a, an inner thermoplastic barrier layer 78b, and an outer thermoplastic barrier layer 78c. The spout <NUM> and the cap arrangement <NUM> are inserted through the closure aperture <NUM> to bring the attachment face 20a of the attachment collar <NUM> in abutment with said first face 74a. Heat is applied to the interface between the attachment face 20a of the attachment collar <NUM> and said first face 74a of the packaging board blank <NUM>, for example by moving the attachment collar <NUM> in relation to the packaging board blank <NUM> to generate friction heat at the interface between them, to fuse the attachment face <NUM> with the thermoplastic barrier layer 78b.

The closure described in detail hereinabove is well suited for use in a carton package production line adapted for screw caps. In particular, no specific orientation of the closures <NUM> about their respective spout axes A is required when the closures <NUM> are attached to the respective packaging board blanks <NUM>, because the caps <NUM> can be rotated to a convenient position by the user of the carton package prior to opening. A method of producing a carton package, such as the carton package <NUM> of <FIG>, is illustrated in the flow chart of <FIG> with reference to the elements illustrated in <FIG>.

In step <NUM>, a blank of packaging board <NUM> is provided. The packaging board blank <NUM> has a first face 74a which is to become the interior face of the carton package <NUM> (<FIG>), and comprises a closure aperture <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, a closure <NUM> is provided, the closure <NUM> comprising an attachment collar <NUM>, a spout <NUM> extending along a spout axis A, and a cap arrangement <NUM> comprising a flip cap <NUM>, wherein the flip cap <NUM> is tethered to the spout <NUM> via a hinge <NUM> and rotatable on the spout <NUM> about the spout axis A.

In step <NUM>, the spout <NUM> and the cap arrangement <NUM> are inserted at an arbitrary rotation angle about the spout axis A through the closure aperture <NUM> to bring an attachment face 20a of the attachment collar <NUM> in abutment with said first face 74a. The arbitrary rotation angle may be different for different consecutive carton packages produced, and in particular, may be substantially random, due to e.g. feeding closures <NUM> in bulk to a carton package producing machine.

In step <NUM>, heat is applied to attach the attachment collar <NUM> to said first face 74a.

The packaging board <NUM> may be folded to e.g. a gable-top package <NUM> (<FIG>) prior to, during, or after attaching the closure to the packaging board <NUM>. Different folding processes for folding and sealing of packaging board to form a carton package are well known per se to those skilled in the art, and are not described in detail herein.

<FIG> illustrates a method of producing the closure <NUM> described above.

In step <NUM>, the cap arrangement <NUM> and the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM> are injection moulded in a single shot in a multiple-cavity tool comprising a first moulding cavity for the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM>, and a second moulding cavity for the cap arrangement <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, the cap arrangement <NUM> is applied to the spout <NUM>.

<FIG>, <FIG> illustrate the method of <FIG> in somewhat greater detail. With reference to <FIG>, a resin injector <NUM> is configured to inject polyethylene resin <NUM> into a multiple-cavity tool <NUM>, and more precisely a stack-mould tool, which tool defines a first moulding cavity 86a for the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM> (<FIG>), and a second moulding cavity for the cap arrangement <NUM> (<FIG>). It is pointed out that the illustration is highly schematic, and does not provide any details on e.g. extraction directions, heating, cooling, detailed positions of parting lines, ejector pins, or the use of retractable cores.

<FIG> illustrates the injection of polyethylene resin <NUM> simultaneously into the first and second mould cavities 86a, 86b (<FIG>) to mould the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM>, as well as the cap arrangement <NUM>, in a single shot. After solidification, the dies of the tool <NUM> are separated and the cap arrangement <NUM> and the spout <NUM> and attachment collar <NUM> are removed. with maintained control of their mutual geometric relationship, and pressed together as illustrated by the arrows of <FIG>, and as illustrated in greater detail in <FIG>, prior to losing their mutual geometric relationship. Even though not illustrated, it will be appreciated that each of the tool cavities 86a, 86b (<FIG>) may be shaped to enable moulding multiple instances of the respective elements in parallel.

Claim 1:
A closure (<NUM>) configured to be attached to a carton package (<NUM>) for a pourable product, the closure (<NUM>) comprising
an attachment collar (<NUM>) extending along an attachment plane (P) and having an attachment face (20a) configured to be attached to an interior face (74a) of the carton package (<NUM>);
a spout (<NUM>) extending from the attachment collar (<NUM>) along a spout axis (A), the spout (<NUM>) having a circular cross-section in a plane (P) perpendicular to the spout axis (A); and
a cap arrangement (<NUM>) comprising
a reclosable cap (<NUM>) movable between a fully closed position, in which it closes a circular pouring outlet (<NUM>) of the spout (<NUM>), and an open position, in which pourable product may be poured from the pouring outlet (<NUM>);
an attachment ring (<NUM>) permanently and rotatably attached to the spout (<NUM>); and
a hinge (<NUM>) permanently holding the cap (<NUM>) to the attachment ring (<NUM>), wherein the cap (<NUM>) is a flip cap configured to be moved from the fully closed position to the open position by pivoting the cap (<NUM>) about the hinge (<NUM>), wherein the cap arrangement (<NUM>) is rotatable about the spout axis (A) with the cap (<NUM>) in the fully closed position.