WO1997033805A1

WO1997033805A1 - A security closure for bottles

Info

Publication number: WO1997033805A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/001250
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giacinto Torchio
Original assignee: Alplast S.P.A.
Priority date: 1996-03-14
Filing date: 1997-03-12
Publication date: 1997-09-18
Also published as: ITTO960200A0; ITTO960200A1; IT1285322B1; AU2026597A

Abstract

A security closure for bottles includes a pourer (15) having an intermediate annular flange (17) which bears on the end face of the neck (1) of the bottle with the interposition of an annular flange (22) carried by a tubular closure and clamping element (21). The upper end (16a) of the pourer (15) carrying an annular pouring lip (18) is force fitted between two annular ribs (13, 14) which project axially from the end wall (10a) of a hollow stopper (10) inserted and retained in a metal cap (4) screwed on to the neck (1) of the bottle and provided with a lower security band (7).

Description

A SECURITY CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES

The present invention relates to a security closure for

bottles having a neck including an upper threaded portion and a collar beneath the threaded portion.

The closure is of the type including:

a metal cap having an upper cylindrical part, an intermediate part which engages the threaded portion and a lower part constituting a security band, which has a

circumferential zone of weakness and an internal rib

beneath this zone which engages the lower face of the collar, a pourer of plastics material having an annular

outer part and an inner part in the form of an inverted cup, which is supported by the annular outer portion by means of a plurality of spaced-apart ribs; the annular

outer part of the pourer including an intermediate flange

which bears on the edge of the neck of the bottle, a pourer lip located above the flange and a tubular lower portion which extends into the neck of the bottle and has an upper annular zone of weakness,

a tubular sealing and clamping element force-fitted between the inner surface of the neck of the bottle and

the lower tubular portion of the pourer and having a lower seat for a ball obturator, and

a stopper of plastics material housed and retained

within the upper cylindrical part of the metal cap and

sealingly engaging the top of the annular outer part of

the pourer.

A closure of the type specified above is known from EP-A-

0670271.

In the closure known from this document, the intermediate

flange (13) of the outer annular portion of the pourer

(7) bears directly on the edge of the neck (3) of the

bottle.

This solution is acceptable if, as stated at column 2,

lines 26-30 of the description, the pourer (7) like the

tubular sealing and clamping body (8) , is made from a

resilient plastics material. This solution would,

however, give rise to problems if, as would be desirable

for aesthetic reasons and to facilitate the flow of dense

liquids with high sugar contents, the pourer were made from a rigid, transparent plastics material which is

relatively fragile, such as pure polystyrene, commonly

termed crystalline polystyrene.

Indeed, if the pourer of the closure known from EP-A-

0670271 were made from a rigid plastics material, the

direct bearing of the intermediate flange of the pourer

on the edge of the neck of the bottle would not ensure a

liquid-tight seal and liquid could leak between the neck

of the bottle and the tubular sealing and clamping body.

Moreover, the intermediate flange of the pourer could

break as a result of a sharp pressure exerted on the

closure during its application to a bottle by means of a

stoppering head.

In order to avoid these problems, the present invention

provides a closure of the type described above, the main

characteristic of which lies in the fact that the tubular

sealing and clamping element has an annular flange at its

upper end which projects outwardly and is interposed

between the annular inner portion of the end face of the

neck of the bottle and the intermediate flange of the annular outer part of the pourer, and in that the stopper

is in the form of an inverted cup with an end wall and a

cylindrical wall from the edge whereof an annular radial

flange projects outwardly so as to bear on the outer

annular portion of the end face of the neck of the

bottle.

As a result of this characteristic, the closure according

to the invention may, without problems, be provided with

a pourer of rigid plastics material, such as crystalline

polystyrene.

In fact its concentric annular flanges, both of soft

plastics material such as, for example, polyethylene,

bear on the edge of the neck of the bottle, thus ensuring

a secure seal .

Moreover the fact that the intermediate flange of the

pourer, which is of rigid plastics material, bears on the

neck of the bottle with the interposition of the soft

plastics flange of the tubular sealing and clamping

element, enables even high pressures to be used during the application of the closure to a bottle without risk of the intermediate flange breaking.

A bottle closure in which a tubular element of

resiliently deformable plastics material extends into the

neck of a bottle and has a flange which bears on the edge

of the neck of the bottle and on which bears the flange

of a pourer device is known from EP-A-0502379. However this closure is of a completely different type from that

forming the subject of the present invention and may be

applied solely to bottles having specially formed necks

whereas the closure of the invention can be applied to

bottles having a conventional type of screw neck.

The invention will now be described with reference to the

appended drawings, provided purely by way of non-

limitative example, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-section of a closure according

to the invention applied to a bottle and illustrated in

its closed condition,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating

the closure in its open condition, and

Figure 3 shows an enlarged detail of the part

indicated III in Figure 2. The neck of a bottle intended, for example, to contain a

liqueur is indicated 1 and includes a threaded portion 2

and a collar 3 located beneath the threaded portion 2.

A metal cap 4 is shown having an upper cylindrical part

5, an intermediate part 6 with threading made by rolling

which engages the threaded portion 2, and a lower part 7

constituting a security band. The part 7 has a

circumferential zone of weakness 8 and, beneath this

zone, an internal rib 9 which engages a lower face of the

collar 3 of the neck of the bottle.

A stopper 10 of soft plastics material, shaped as an

inverted cup, is housed in the upper cylindrical part 5

of the cap 4 and has an end wall 10a and a peripheral

wall 10b. An annular radial flange 11 projects from the

edge of the peripheral wall 10b and bears on the outer

part of the end face of the neck 1 of the bottle. The

outer edge of the flange 11 is engaged by an inner rib 12

of the cap 4.

Two annular ribs 13 and 14 project axially inwardly from

the end wall 10a of the stopper. The end wall 10a of the stopper 10 also has a central recessed portion 10c.

A pourer of rigid, transparent plastics material, such as

crystalline polystyrene, is indicated 15 and includes a

tubular outer part 16 with an annular intermediate flange

17 projecting outwardly. The flange 17 divides the

tubular outer part 16 into a larger-diameter upper

portion 16a and a smaller-diameter lower portion 16b. An

annular lip 18 projects radially outwardly from the end

of the upper portion 16a to prevent drips.

In the closed condition of the closure illustrated in

Figure 1, the upper end of the outer annular part 16 of

the pourer 15 which carries the annular lip 18 is force

fitted between the annular ribs 13 , 14 of the stopper 10

to form a secure frictional connection between the

stopper and the pourer when the closure is assembled

before its application to a bottle.

An internal inverted-cup-shaped element of the pourer 15,

indicated 19, is supported by mutually-spaced ribs 20

which project radially from the inner surface of the lower portion 16b of the tubular part 16. In the closed condition of the closure, the central

recessed portion 10c of the end wall 10a of the stopper

10 bears against the end face of the internal element 19

of the pourer.

A tubular sealing and clamping element 21 of soft

plastics material is force fitted between the inner

surface of the neck 1 of the bottle and the lower portion

16b of the outer tubular part 16 of the pourer 15.

The tubular element 21 has an annular flange 22 which

projects outwardly from its upper edge. The flange 22 is

interposed between the annular intermediate flange 17 of

the pourer 15 and the annular inner portion of the end

face of the neck 1 of the bottle.

Thus two concentric annular flanges 11, 17, both of soft

plastics material, bear on the end face of the neck 1 of

the bottle so as to ensure the liquid-tight sealing of

the bottle.

The tubular element 21 also has an annular flange 23 at

its lower, downwardly-tapered end which projects inwardly and constitutes a seat for a ball obturator S which is

movable within the tubular element 21 between the

position shown in full outline in Figure 2, in which it

prevents the introduction of liquid into the bottle, and

the position illustrated in broken outline in which it

allows liquid to be poured from the bottle.

Immediately beneath the intermediate flange 17, the lower

portion 16b of the outer tubular part 16 of the pourer 15

has, in known manner, an annular zone 24 in which the

thickness of the wall is reduced so as to form a weakened

zone whereby any attempt to remove the pourer 15 from the

bottle causes the pourer itself to break.

The zone of weakness 24 has, as illustrated in Figure 3,

a thickness X of the order, for example, of 0.3 mm.

The lower portion 16b of the outer tubular part 16 of the

pourer 15 has a plurality of annular grooves 25 in its

outer surface and the inner surface of the tubular

sealing and clamping element 21 has corresponding annular

ribs 26 which engage the said grooves 25 to connect the

tubular element 21 to the pourer 15 when the closure is assembled.

The zone of weakness 24 is made, as illustrated in Figure 3, by the formation of a supplementary groove 25a in the

lower portion 16b of the outer tubular part 16

immediately beneath the intermediate flange 17.

The outer surface of the sealing and clamping element 21

has annular fins 27 for engaging the inner surface of the

neck of the bottle. The fins 27 have a substantially triangular profile with a bevelled vertex in section and include a flat upper face 28 and a lower face 29 inclined at about 30 degrees to the horizontal.

Claims

1. A security closure for bottles having a neck (1)

including an upper threaded portion (2) and a collar (3)

beneath the threaded portion (2) , the closure including:

a metal cap (4) having an upper cylindrical part

(5) , an intermediate part (6) which engages the threaded

portion (2) and a lower part (7) constituting a security

band, which has a circumferential zone of weakness (8)

and an internal rib (9) beneath this zone which engages

the lower face of the collar (3) ,

a pourer (15) of plastics material having an annular

outer part (16) and an inner part (19) in the form of an

inverted cup, which is supported by the annular outer

part (16) by means of a plurality of spaced-apart ribs

(20) ; the annular outer part (16) of the pourer (15)

including an intermediate flange (17) which bears on the

end face of the neck (1) of the bottle, a pourer lip (18)

located above the flange (17) and a tubular lower portion

(16b) which extends into the neck (1) of the bottle and has an upper annular zone of weakness (24) ,

a tubular sealing and clamping element (21) force-

fitted between the inner surface of the neck (1) of the bottle and the lower tubular portion (16b) of the pourer

(15) and having a lower seat (23) for a ball obturator

(S) , and

a stopper (10) of plastics material housed and

retained within the upper cylindrical part of the metal

cap (4) and sealingly engaging the top of the annular outer part (16) of the pourer (15) ,

characterised in that the tubular sealing and clamping

element (21) has an annular flange (22) at its upper end

which projects outwardly and is interposed between the

annular inner portion of the end face of the neck (1) of

the bottle and the intermediate flange (17) of the

annular outer part (16) of the pourer (15) and in that

the stopper (10) is in the form of an inverted cup with

an end wall (10a) and a cylindrical wall (10b) from the

edge whereof a radial annular flange (11) projects

outwardly and bears on the outer annular portion of the

end face of the neck (1) of the bottle.

2. A closure according to Claim 1, characterised in

that the stopper (10) has two annular ribs (13, 14) which

project axially from its end wall (10a) and in that the

upper end of the outer annular part (16) of the pourer (15) which carries the pourer lip (18) is force fitted between the two annular ribs (13, 14) .