Patent ID: 12195249

As illustrated inFIGS.1to9, the invention relates to a cap1configured for closing a receptacle comprising a neck3. Said cap1is thus designed to be attached to said neck3to close said receptacle and form an assembly comprising the neck3and said cap1.

In the examples illustrated herein, the receptacle is a tube comprising a tube head provided with said neck3and a shoulder9.

In a general manner, said cap1comprises an upper wall13and a peripheral wall11extending transversely to said upper wall13. As illustrated inFIGS.2and4, the cap1extends along a longitudinal axis (A) passing through its centre. Said peripheral wall11here extends perpendicular to said upper wall13, for example slightly away from a periphery of said upper wall13.

According to the invention, the cap1, in particular the internal surface of its peripheral wall11is free of screw threads. On the other hand, said cap1comprises at least one projecting element15. Said projecting element or said projecting elements15are configured to cooperate with a guiding groove17located on the neck3so that the cap1moves from a first position, referred to as open position, to a second position, referred to as closed position.

Said cap1comprises at least one opening21located on the peripheral wall11of said cap1. As can be seen in particular inFIGS.3,4and5, the opening or the openings21are in line with the projecting elements15of said cap1.

The openings21correspond to the passage of a broach-shaped area of a portion of the mould used to obtain said projecting elements15, in particular an upper portion of said protrusion15. The presence of at least one opening21on the peripheral wall11of the cap1allows to facilitate a moulding/unmoulding compared with a cap having a screw thread and compared with a cap having openings on its upper wall, avoiding an unmoulding by unscrewing or a forceful unmoulding. In addition, this configuration allows a greater freedom of positioning of the sealing element and is in particular compatible with a flip top type cap.

Advantageously, the cap1comprises a sealing element23configured to provide a seal between the cap1and the neck3. When projected onto a plane orthogonal to the axis (A), said sealing element23is radially offset from said projecting element15.

Advantageously still, said sealing element23is located on an internal surface of the upper wall13of said cap1.

Preferably, the sealing element23is located radially away from the openings21of said cap1to ensure the sealing of said receptacle.

Said sealing element23may have different configurations depending on the neck with which the cap1according to the invention is associated. Advantageously, the sealing element23is a sealing snap ring formed by an excess thickness of material on the internal surface of the upper wall13of said cap1. Said snap ring may in particular comprise a deformable lip. Said sealing snap ring23is then configured to cooperate with a snap ring seat provided on an inner surface at the upper end of said neck3when said cap1is in its second position. Thus, when the cap is in its second position, said snap ring23is compressed on the snap ring seat.

Advantageously, the cap1comprises a punch27adapted to cut and/or pierce a lid closing an internal end of the neck3opening into an inner volume of the receptacle. Said punch27is in particular derived from matter of said cap1. Said punch27is configured to be inserted inside the neck3of the tube head7when the cap1is attached to said neck3.

Advantageously still, the punch27has a barrel shape, the upper end of which is open so as to be able to communicate with an external volume of the receptacle when said cap1is in its second position.

According to an embodiment not shown, the punch27has a barrel shape configured to cooperate with an internal wall of the neck3when the cap1is in its second position. The external wall of the barrel is then in contact with the internal wall of the neck3so as to ensure that the receptacle is sealed. In this embodiment, the cap1is thus devoid of sealing element23.

Advantageously, the number of projecting elements15of said cap1and the number of openings21of said cap1are identical. In the embodiments shown here, the cap1comprises two projecting elements15and two openings21, in particular diametrically opposed.

Advantageously still, the number of grooves17for guiding the neck3with which the cap1is associated and the number of projecting elements15of said cap are identical.

The projecting elements15of the cap1according to the invention may have different configurations. Preferably, said projecting element or said projecting elements15of the cap1are located on a lower portion of said cap1.

Advantageously, said projecting element or said projecting elements15of said cap1are evenly distributed on the peripheral wall11of said cap1. Advantageously still, said projecting element or said projecting elements15are located on an internal surface of the peripheral wall11of said cap1. Preferably, said opening or said openings21of said cap1are also evenly distributed on the peripheral wall11of said cap1. Said groove or said grooves17of the neck then extend over an external surface of said neck3.

Advantageously, in order to allow the cap1to move from an open position to a closed position and vice versa, said groove17has successive guiding portions. It may in particular be a first portion ensuring the engagement of the corresponding projecting element15in said groove17and/or the holding of said cap1in a standby position (FIG.8) and other successive portions allowing the passage from the standby position to the closed position (FIG.9) and vice versa.

In the embodiment shown inFIGS.7to9, the two grooves17each have a first portion vertical with respect to the axis (A). This first portion allows in particular the engagement of said cap1in the groove17but also its passage from the open position to the standby position, in particular when the cap1comprises the punch27. This first portion is followed by a second helical portion. This second portion allows the passage of said cap1from the standby position to the closed position and vice versa. Said groove17finally ends in a last portion that is horizontal with respect to the axis Z-Z. When the projecting elements15of said cap have reached this last portion, the cap1is in the closed position (FIG.9) and the receptacle is sealed.

In this embodiment, said neck3advantageously comprises a guiding ramp36as can be seen inFIGS.7to9. Said guiding ramp36is configured to cooperate with at least one projecting element15of said cap1to position one of said projecting elements15at the entrance of said groove17, the cap1being then in an open position. The guiding ramp36allows to guide one of the projecting elements15of the cap1into the first portion of the guide groove17. Said guiding ramp36is visible inFIGS.7to9.

Advantageously, said guiding ramp36has a guiding direction opposite to the guiding direction of said groove17for the passage of said cap1from the standby position to the closed position. Thus, in order to position one of said projecting elements15of said cap1in the entrance of said groove17, it is necessary to make a rotational movement in one direction. This rotational movement is usually carried out by a machine in an automated way. Then, once said cap1has been placed in a standby position, it is necessary to make a rotational movement in an opposite direction, generally in the conventional direction of rotation for closing a cap1which is most often clockwise, in order to take the cap1out of the standby position and to initiate the closing of said cap1and/or the cutting and/or the perforation of said lid by the punch27. This double direction of rotation allows to prevent the machine, when placing a cap1provided with a punch27in the standby position, from rotating too much and initiating a position of use in which the lid is cut and/or perforated and the punch27damages the lid before the receptacle is used.

Advantageously, said ramp36may also comprise a stop for forcing one of said projecting elements15of the cap1to stop at the level of the entrance of the groove17. Here, the stop is a portion37aof a sidewall37of the groove17.

As mentioned above, the cap1extends along a longitudinal axis (A). Advantageously, said opening or said openings21of the cap1extend along said longitudinal axis (A). In other words, said opening or said openings are substantially elongated along the longitudinal axis (A). This elongated shape can be seen inFIGS.1,2and4.

The projecting elements15of the cap1may have different shapes, in particular a pin shape. Advantageously, the projecting element or the projecting elements15of the cap1have a substantially square profile. In other words, the projecting element15has a substantially square cross-section with rounded or unrounded corners. The section considered here is the section in a plane orthogonal to the radius of the cap1. This aspect of the invention will be discussed in more detail later.

According to another embodiment not shown in the figures, the cap1comprises a hinged cover at the level of the upper wall13of said cap1. The cover is movable between an open and a closed position so as to allow and prevent access to the internal volume of the receptacle respectively.

Advantageously, the cap1is configured to be immobilized on the neck3while the punch27is held away from said lid, this in a position referred to as standby position. The cap1in the standby position on the neck3is shown inFIG.8.

According to a second aspect of the invention, said projecting element15has a peripheral face16comprising a first and a second side portions16a,16d, a lower portion16band an upper segment16c. At least one of said portions is substantially flat. The various faces and portions of the projecting element15are shown inFIG.6. Said first and second side portions connect said lower and upper portions.

The presence of a projecting element15having at least one portion of its flat peripheral face allows to generate a larger support area against the neck3with which the cap1is associated. This improves the guiding of the projecting element15in the groove of the neck3.

In practice, as already mentioned, said projecting element or pin15has a substantially square cross-section with rounded or unrounded corners.

Advantageously, when the cap1is mounted on the neck3, said cap1passes from a first position, referred to as the open position, represented inFIG.7to a standby position represented inFIG.8, then from said standby position to a second position, referred to as the closed position, represented inFIG.9. When the cap1moves from one position to the other, it performs a rotational movement and a translational movement along the longitudinal axis (A).

In the embodiment shown inFIGS.7to9, when the cap1is mounted on the neck3, said cap1is first rotated counter clockwise along the longitudinal axis (A) so that one of said projecting elements15is positioned at the entrance of said groove17. The cap1is now in the open position. When the cap1moves from the open position to the standby position, it undergoes a translation along the longitudinal axis (A) in the direction of the neck3.

When the cap1moves from the standby position to the second position, the cap performs, among other things, a rotational movement along the longitudinal axis (A) in a rotational direction referred to as the closing direction of the cap. When the cap1moves from the second position to the standby position, the cap performs, among other things, a rotational movement along the longitudinal axis (A) in a rotational direction referred to as the opening direction of the cap.

According to the embodiment shown inFIGS.7to9, the closing direction of the cap corresponds to a clockwise rotation and the opening direction of the cap corresponds to a counter clockwise rotation. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in these figures or to these directions of rotation.

Advantageously, the first side portion16aprovided in an opening direction of the cap1, of the peripheral face16of the projecting element15, is flat. As illustrated inFIG.7, when the cap is in the first position, the first side portion16acomes into contact of a first portion37aof the sidewall37of the groove17of the neck3. The fact that the first side portion16ais flat allows for a better support against said sidewall37of said groove17. Said cap1is in this first position when the cap1is placed on the neck3. This placing, also referred to as capping, is particularly carried out on production lines. A good support of the projecting element against the sidewall37of the groove allows to limit the production incidents.

As illustrated inFIG.8, when the cap1is in the standby position on the neck3, the punch27is held away from the lid. Said cap1is in this standby position at the end of a movement for placing the cap1on the neck3. It is in this position that the assembly100is sold before filling the receptacle. It is also in this standby position that the assembly100is sold to the consumer, after filling the receptacle.

Advantageously, the lower portion16bof the peripheral face16of the projecting element15is also flat. As illustrated inFIG.8, when the cap1is in the standby position, the lower portion16bcomes into contact with a second portion37bof the sidewall37of the groove17of the neck3. The fact that the lower portion16bis flat allows a better support against the sidewall37of said groove17and a better locking in standby position.

As illustrated inFIG.9, when the cap1is in the closed position, said punch27has pierced said lid. The cap1then hermetically seals the receptacle on which an assembly100is adapted. The closed position may also be referred to as the position of use in that the cutting of the lid determines the starting point of use of the receptacle100on which the closure assembly100according to the invention is mounted. The cap1may be intended to be returned to its first position so that it can be removed from the neck. The cap1may also be intended to remain in the closed position. This is in particular the case, according to the embodiment already mentioned, when the punch27has the shape of a hollow barrel and has an opening at the level of the upper face of the cap1. Thus, once the cap1is in the closed position on the neck3, the access to the internal volume of the receptacle on which the assembly100is adapted is possible through said opening.

Advantageously, the upper portion16cof the peripheral face16of the projecting element15is also flat. As illustrated inFIG.9, when the cap1is in the closed position, the upper portion16ccomes into contact with a third portion37cof the sidewall37of the groove17of the neck3. The fact that the upper portion16cis flat allows a better support against the sidewall37of said groove17and a better locking in the closed position.

Advantageously, the second side portion16dprovided in the closing direction of the cap1, of the peripheral face16of the projecting element15, is also flat. As illustrated inFIG.9, when the cap1is in the closed position, the second side portion16dcomes into contact with a terminal portion37dof the sidewall37of the groove17of the neck3. The fact that the second side portion16dis flat allows a better support against the sidewall37of said groove17and a better locking in the closed position.

According to an embodiment shown inFIGS.7to9, said groove or said grooves17of the neck3comprise at least one protrusion35configured to cooperate with at least one of the projecting elements15of said cap1to hold said cap1in a standby position and/or in a closed position. Preferably, the neck comprises a first and a second protrusion35a,35ballowing the cap to be held in standby position and at least a third protrusion35callowing the cap to be held in a closed position.

Advantageously, the lower portion16band the first side portion16aof the peripheral face16define between them a first rounding16e. Advantageously still, the lower portion16band the second side portion16dof the peripheral face16define between them a second rounding16f. The presence of a first and/or a second rounding allows to guide the projecting element15along the groove17, against the lower sidewall37of said groove17, in particular when passing the first protrusion35a. In particular, the presence of a rounding allows to reduce the constraints applied by the projecting element15against the groove17.

Advantageously, as shown inFIG.6, the upper portion16cand the second side portion16dof the peripheral face16define between them a first edge16g. The presence of this first edge16gallows to generate a clear stop when the cap is in the standby position, this between the projecting element15and the protrusion35b. Such a contact allows to securely hold the cap in the standby position.

Advantageously still, the upper portion16cand the first side portion16aof the peripheral face16define between them a second edge16h. The presence of this second edge16hallows to generate a clear stop when the cap is in the closed position, this between the projecting element15and the protrusion35c. Such a contact allows to securely hold the cap in the closed position.

Preferably, the projecting element15comprises a distal face18that is slightly concave so as to conform to the external surface of the neck3. This concave shape allows to reduce the overall dimension and improves the support of the pin15against the neck3. Said distal face18is bordered by said flat portions16a,16b,16cand16d.

Advantageously, the first side portion16aof the peripheral face16and the distal face18of the projecting element15define between them a third edge18a. Advantageously still, the lower portion16bof the peripheral face16and the distal face18of the projecting element15define a fourth edge18bbetween them. Preferably, the upper portion16cof the peripheral face16and the distal face18of the projecting element15define a fifth edge18cbetween them. Even more preferably, the second side portion16dof the peripheral face16and the distal face18of the projecting element15define a sixth edge18dbetween them.

The presence of edges on the pin15allows to generate constraints and to secure the different positions of the cap1on the neck3.

As illustrated inFIGS.7to9, the present invention also relates to an assembly100comprising a neck3and a cap1as described above.