WO2007137721A1

WO2007137721A1 - Closing element for a container of the type comprising a supply mouth initially sealed hermetically by a tearable strip

Info

Publication number: WO2007137721A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/004492
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jordi Barniol Surinac; Josep Fort Prades
Original assignee: Grup Vemsa 1857 S.L.
Priority date: 2006-05-26
Filing date: 2007-05-21
Publication date: 2007-12-06
Also published as: ES2273607B1; ES2273607A1

Abstract

Closing element for a container having a supply mouth initially sealed hermetically by a tearable strip (1 ). The closing element comprises a main body (2) and a pivoting body (3) intended to be activated by a user to tear tearable strip (1 ). Pivoting body (3) is integral and has an upper face (4) with a pushing surface (5) and a tearing blade (6) that forms an angle with upper face (4). Pivoting body (3) can pivot from an initial raised position to a hinged position in which it abuts against abutment means, keeping its upper face (4) above tearable strip (1 ), and in which tearing blade (6) passes through tearable strip (1 ) forming an opening in it.

Description

CLOSING ELEMENT FOR A CONTAINER OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A SUPPLY MOUTH INITIALLY SEALED HERMETICALLY BY A TEARABLE STRIP

DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The field of the invention is that of closing elements for containers of packaged products that must be conserved hermetically until they are opened by the end consumer, such as for example food products that are sensitive to ambient humidity.

In particular, the invention relates to a closing element for a container having a supply mouth initially sealed hermetically by a tearable strip, said closing element comprising a main body that attaches to the mouth of the container and a pivoting body joined to said main body and intended to be activated by a user to tear said tearable strip.

State of the art

There are numerous closing elements for containers, such as bottles or the like, of the type that comprise a tearable strip that hermetically seals the mouth of the container, and incorporate solutions for making it easier to perform the operation of tearing said strip. The simplest solutions consist of a tab that is integral with the strip, which is intended to be pulled by the user. This type of closing element is not easy to use and the opening operation is not normally smooth. The closing elements of the type indicated at the beginning, which incorporate a pivoting body intended to be activated by a user to tear the strip, are a more sophisticated solution and make the opening operation more effective. Typically, they consist of an opening mechanism, normally made from plastics material, positioned next to the tearable strip and formed by a lever that pivots centrally around an axis. The user lifts the lever at one end, causing the other end to sink into the strip. These closing elements suffer from the drawback that the end of the lever remains raised, forming a projecting element that interferes with subsequent bottle handling. Another drawback of this type of closing element is that the opening mechanism is positioned next to the strip, which is a fragile element, and this complicates manufacturing. Another problem that is observed when using these mechanisms is that the user must apply quite a strong force to start tearing the strip, and afterwards the resistance decreases suddenly and the lever accelerates. This can compromise the support of the container provided by the user and can sometimes even cause the opening mechanism to break. Finally, since the opening mechanism is positioned next to the strip, the user's finger can be splashed with the product contained in the packaging, particularly when the packaging contains a liquid product.

Disclosure of the invention

The invention is aimed at providing a closing element that allows the strip to be torn with less effort and more smoothly than in the known closing elements, with a configuration that does not interfere with the use of the container and which does not significantly increase manufacturing costs.

This aim is achieved by means of a closing element of the type indicated at the beginning, characterised in that:

- the pivoting body is integral and has an upper face, on which a pushing surface is defined, and a tearing blade that forms an angle with said upper face;

- said pivoting body is joined to the main body by a hinge joint and it is arranged in an initially raised position, above said tearable strip;

- the main body has abutment means that interact with said pivoting body; so that said pivoting body can pivot from said initially raised position to a hinged position wherein it abuts said abutting means, leaving said upper face above the tearable strip, and wherein said tearing blade goes through said tearable strip forming an opening in it. The invention relates to the case where the closing element initially includes the tearable strip, which afterwards is applied hermetically to the supply mouth of the container during the method for assembling the closing element on to the container, and also the case where the tearable strip is mounted initially in the supply mouth of the container before the closing element is assembled. In both cases, the container supply mouth is initially sealed hermetically by the tearable strip, in the sense that it is sealed hermetically by the tearable strip before it is opened by the end consumer.

This closing element according to the invention has the particular characteristic that the pivoting body is arranged above the tearable strip and it is activated by pushing the pushing surface with a finger, so that the movement of the pivoting body begins before the tearing blade comes into contact with the tearable strip and ends in a hinged position which is predetermined by the abutment means and wherein the upper face of the pivoting body is maintained above the tearable strip. The movement of the tearing blade therefore starts a certain distance from the tearable strip, whereby said tearing blade reaches the tearable strip fairly quickly and transmits the inertia from the finger that pushes said pivoting body. Thanks to this arrangement, the point tension required to start tearing the tearable strip is reached quickly, and afterwards the movement of the tearing blade continues as far as the end position defined by the abutment means. Moreover, thanks to the fact that in the end position defined by the abutment means the upper face of the pivoting body is maintained above the tearable strip , the user's finger remains at a distance from the tearable strip . Also, the closing element according to the invention is more comfortable to handle, since it operates like a button and can be designed without leaving any parts that project after opening.

Preferably, the pivoting body has retention means that cooperate with corresponding retention means provided on the main body, when the pivoting body is in the hinged position, so that the pivoting body remains irreversibly locked in said hinged position. This ensures that the supply mouth remains open and definitively forms the opening shape envisaged in the design. - A -

Preferably, in the initially raised position, the pivoting body is locked by breakable links that join said pivoting body to said main body. This prevents the pivoting body from moving before the user has performed the opening operation, and prevents the tearable strip from being torn prematurely if the container is knocked. Moreover, in order to start the movement of the pivoting body, the user must use his finger to apply a greater force than the threshold force needed to break said links. The movement of the pivoting body therefore starts suddenly, after the links have been broken, and consequently the tearing blade reaches the tearable strip with greater inertia and the tearing operation begins without difficulty.

Preferably, the main body has a partition wall that extends above said tearable strip, said partition wall having a window that said pivoting body passes through when it pivots between the initial raised position and the hinged position. In an advantageous embodiment, the pivoting body fits into said window covering it at least partially, and in the hinged position of said pivoting body the tearing blade remains inserted in said window and defines, together with said window, a passage area over the opening formed in the tearable strip. This way a well-defined outlet channel is formed that is predetermined in the design of the closing element, while the user's finger remains protected above the partition wall.

Preferably, the hinge joint is arranged on one edge of said window, and in the hinged position of the pivoting body its upper face is aligned with said partition wall, so that at the level of the pivoting body a final configuration is obtained which has a continuous surface.

In an advantageous embodiment, the retention means provided on the pivoting body are formed by flanges that project sideways from lowered areas on the side edges of the pivoting body, and said corresponding retention means arranged on the main body consist of projections that emerge from the side edges of said window.

Preferably, the tearing blade of the pivoting body has at the end thereof, where it tears the tearable strip, a serrated shape. The tearing blade comes into contact with the tearable strip at the ends of its teeth, making the start of the tearing operation even easier.

In a preferred embodiment, the pivoting body has the shape of a dihedral made up of the upper face and the tearing blade, and has parallel walls that extend internally and in a perpendicular direction with respect to said dihedral. Thanks to this arrangement, the tearing blade is light and robust. Moreover, if the main body has a partition wall with a window in which the hinged body is inserted, the parallel walls close the space above the window from the sides.

Preferably, the abutment means arranged on the main body are seating wedges where the lower edges of said parallel walls of the pivoting body come to rest. This way a particularly robust seating position of the pivoting body is achieved.

Preferably, the main body and the pivoting body are moulded integrally in thermoplastic material. The two bodies are joined by the hinge joint, which in this case is made up of a bridge that is not very thick, and also, optionally, by the breakable links.

Brief description of the drawings

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be appreciated from the following description which, in a non-limiting way, describes a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the attached drawings. The figures show:

Fig. 1 , a top perspective view of a closing element according to the invention mounted on the neck of a bottle, with the pivoting body in the initial raised position; Fig. 2, a view equivalent to that in Fig. 1 , but with the pivoting body in the hinged position, in other words after it has been hinged by the end consumer to perform the opening operation;

Figs. 3 and 4, sectioned perspective views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 (pivoting body in the initially raised position and in the hinged position, respectively); Figs. 5 and 6, sectioned side views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 (pivoting body in the initially raised position and in the hinged position, respectively);

Figs. 7 and 8, top views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 (pivoting body in the initially raised position and in the hinged position, respectively); Figs. 9 and 10, bottom views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 (pivoting body in the initially raised position and in the hinged position, respectively);

Fig. 11 , a perspective view corresponding to Fig. 1 , wherein the pivoting body has be fictitiously separated to show the area underneath;

Fig. 12, a top view corresponding to Fig. 11; Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16, side, top, bottom perspective and top perspective views, respectively, of the pivoting body fictitiously separated from the closing element;

Figs. 17 and 18, detailed views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively.

Detailed description of some embodiments of the invention

The closing element shown in Figs. 1 through 18 as a non-limiting example is mounted on a plastic bottle for food products. The closing element comprises a main body 2, which in this example threads onto the neck 17 of the bottle, and a pivoting body 3. The two bodies 2 and 3 are formed integrally from thermoplastic material and they are joined by a joining line that is not very thick and forms a hinge joint 7. The separation of the two bodies 2 and 3 shown in Fig. 11 , as well as the views in Fig. 12 and Figs 13 through 16 where pivoting body 3 has been extracted, are fictitious; they have been prepared solely to facilitate the description of the two bodies.

The bottle on which the closing element is mounted has a neck 17 that is circular and defines a supply mouth hermetically sealed by a tearable strip 1. The closing element, in its initial condition prior to being mounted on the bottle (not shown), includes tearable strip 1 in the lower part of main body 2 that is intended to be applied against neck 17. Tearable strip 1 is made from a complex material made up of paper or plastic and aluminium, and it is attached to the upper edge 18 of neck 17, when the closing element in mounted on the bottle during the manufacturing of the packaged product, using an induction heat-sealing method. Of course, tearable strip 1 can be made from another material and can be mounted on the mouth of the container by means of any other method, without thereby departing from the context of this invention.

Main body 2 has a tubular section 21 the lower edge of which sits on upper edge 18 of neck 17 trapping a peripheral area of tearable strip 1 , as can be seen in the sectioned view in Fig. 3. Tearable strip 1 is therefore arranged in the plane of the lower edge of tubular section 21. A certain distance above said plane, main body 2 has a partition wall 12 that closes said tubular section 21 and a rectangular window 13, as can be seen in the fictitious views in Figs. 11 and 12. A series of projections 10 emerge from the opposite side edges of window 13. Pivoting body 3 has flanges 9 that cooperate with said projections 10 and form means for locking the pivoting body into its hinged position. As can be seen in greater details in Figs. 17 and 18, in the hinged position of pivoting body 3 (Fig. 18) flanges 9 have moved forcibly underneath projections 10, following a small elastic deformation of bodies 2 and 3, whereby pivoting body 3 cannot be raised again.

Pivoting body 3, shown in detail in Figs 13 through 16 is shaped like a dihedral formed by an upper face 4 and a tearing blade 6, and it has parallel walls 15 that extend internally and in a perpendicular direction with respect to the dihedral. Tearing blade 6 has at the end thereof a serrated shape that help to start to tear tearable strip 1. Upper face 4 defines a pushing surface 5 intended to receive a user's finger. The side edges of pivoting body 3 have lowered areas 14 where said flanges 9 are arranged.

Pivoting body 3 is initially in the raised position, joined to main body 2 by hinge joint 7, which joins the rear edge of upper face 4 to the rear edge of window 13, and by breakable links 11 that join the sides of tearing blade 6 to the side edges of window 13. In the initial raised position, pivoting body 3 covers nearly the whole surface of window 13, with the exception of a side play where flanges 9 are located, as can be seen in the top view in Fig. 7. Main body 2 has seating wedges 8 (Figs. 9 and 10) that project from tubular section 21 and where the rear edges of side walls 15 of the pivoting body abut when the latter reaches its hinged position. In said hinged position, upper face 4 of the pivoting body is coplanar with partition wall 12 of the main body, as can be seen in Figs. 2 through 6.

Initially, as already mentioned, pivoting body 3 is in the raised position shown in Figs. 1 , 3, 5, 7, 9 and 17. When the end consumer wants to break the sealing of the closing element, he pushes against pushing surface 5 of pivoting body 3 with his finger, applying sufficient force to break breakable links 11 and therefore start the movement of pivoting body 3. Tearing blade 6 reaches tearable strip 1 via its toothed end, tearing it and passing through it to form an opening 20, until pivoting body 3 reaches the final hinged position (Figs. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 18) where it abuts against wedges 8. Tearing blade 6 in inserted into window 13 and defines, together with said window 13, a passage area above opening 20 formed in tearable strip 1. Flanges 9 have been locked underneath projections 10, so that pivoting body 3 is locked in said hinged position.

A person skilled in the art will understand that the described embodiment of the invention above is merely a non-limiting example that is susceptible to numerous variations, without thereby departing from the context of this invention. So, in the embodiment described the closing element comprises a hinged lid 19 that in its hinged position (not shown) covers the closing element as a whole; however, the invention also relates to the closing elements that have another kind of lid, such as for example a screwed lid, and even the closing elements that do not have a lid.

Also, a closing element according to the invention can be provided in which the shape of window 13, the shape of pivoting body 3 or the shape of the supply mouth of the container has been altered. This invention also includes a solution in which main body 2 and pivoting body 3 are different parts joined mechanically by a hinge joint.

Claims

1.- Closing element having a supply mouth initially sealed hermetically by a tearable strip (1 ), said closing element comprising a main body (2) that is joined to the mouth of the container and a pivoting body (3) joined to said main body (2) and intended to be activated by a user to tear said tearable strip (1 ), characterised in that said pivoting body (3) is integral and has an upper face (4), on which a pushing surface is described (5), and a tearing blade (6) that forms an angle with said upper face (4), with said pivoting body (3) being joined to said main body (2) by a hinge joint (7) and being arranged, in an initial raised position, above said tearable strip (1 ), said main body (2) having abutment means (8) that interact with said pivoting body (3), so that said pivoting body (3) can pivot from said initial raised position to a hinged position in which it abuts against said abutment means (8), with said upper face (4) remaining above tearable strip (1 ), and in which said tearing blade (6) passes through said tearable strip (1 ) forming an opening (20) in it.

2.- Closing element according to claim 1 , characterised in that pivoting body (3) has retention means (9) that lock with corresponding retention means (10) provided on main body (2), when pivoting body (3) is in the hinged position.

3.- Closing element according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in that, in the initial raised position, said pivoting body (3) is locked by breakable links (11 ) that join said pivoting body (3) to said main body (2).

4.- Closing element according to any of the claims 1 through 3, characterised in that said main body (2) has a partition wall (12) that extends above said tearable strip (1), said partition wall (12) having a window (13) that said pivoting body (3) passes through when it pivots between the initial raised position and the hinged position.

5.- Closing element according to claim 4, characterised in that said pivoting body (3) fits into said window (13) covering it at least partially, and in the hinged position of said pivoting body (3) said tearing blade (6) remains inserted in said window (13) and defines together with said window (13) a passage area above opening (20) formed in said tearable strip (1 ).

6.- Closing element according to claims 4 or 5, characterised in that said hinge joint (7) is arranged on an edge of said window (13), and in that in the hinged position of said pivoting body (3) said upper face (4) of pivoting body (3) is aligned with said partition wall (12)

7.- Closing element according to claims 2 and 6, characterised in that said retention means provided on the pivoting body are formed by flanges (9) that project sideways from lowered areas (14) of the side edges of pivoting body (3), and said corresponding retention means provided on main body (2) consist of projections (10) that emerge from the side edges of said window (13).

8.- Closing element according to any of the claims 1 through 7, characterised in that said tearing blade (6) of pivoting body (3) has at the end thereof, where it scrapes said tearable strip (1), a serrated shape.

9.- Closing element according to any of the claims 1 through 8, characterised in that said pivoting body (3) is shaped like a dihedral made up of said upper face (4) and said tearing blade (6), and has parallel walls (15) that extend internally and in a perpendicular direction to said dihedral.

10.- Closing element according to claim 9, characterised in that said abutment means provided on main body (2) are seating wedges (8) on which lower faces (16) of said parallel walls (15) of pivoting body (3) come to rest.

11.- Closing element according to any of the claims 1 through 10, characterised in that said main body (2) and said pivoting body (3) are moulded integrally from a thermoplastic material.