WO2012160222A1

WO2012160222A1 - Beverage container with leaktight lid

Info

Publication number: WO2012160222A1
Application number: PCT/ES2012/070255
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xose Anxo IGLESIAS GÓMEZ
Original assignee: Iglesias Gomez Xose Anxo
Priority date: 2011-05-24
Filing date: 2012-04-18
Publication date: 2012-11-29
Also published as: ES2395301A1; ES2395301B1

Abstract

Container with leaktight lid designed for the dispensing of beverages, pulverulent or viscous fluid products, which comprises a base body, a neck and a lid that provides the container with a leaktight closure. The lid of the container allows opening and closing of the hole for pouring out the contents of the container at any time and as many times as required. The basic advantage of the present invention relates to the process for producing the container with leaktight lid described, enabling the container to be conveyed while suspended over the course of the assembly line and the lids always to fall into the same position for placing thereof on the container.

Description

DRINK PACK WITH SEALED COVER

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The main application of the present invention is in the industrial sector dedicated to the manufacture of plastic containers or other materials, such as for example aluminum, oriented to the distribution of beverages, powdery products or viscous fluids.

The present invention has as its main objective to introduce improvements in said packages that serve to optimize the industrial processes they go through during their manufacture and the packaging of their contents.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a sealed and user-friendly package.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present, beverage containers are not only constructed in the form of bottles, but also the typical metal and disposable cans provided at the top of a liquid outlet for consumption, configured as an area, are also on the market. weakened and frangible by different methods. The biggest drawback of these classic soda cans is that, in the event that the consumer does not deplete the contents of the boat at once, he does not have the possibility of recovering the safe closing of the boat to store the drink in order to continue drinking at another time or situation.

In order to solve the previous problem, it is worth mentioning the Utility Model ES 1039794 U of the same applicant as this document, where a boat or container constituted from a body of revolution is recommended, in whose upper part a determining neck is defined of a wide mouth, which is closed by a cap attachable to the neck and provided with a pouring hole of the content which, in turn, is assisted by a tilting placket with a sealing neck of said hole, by which the user makes the opening / closing of the drinking container every time you want. Other deficiencies presented by conventional aluminum cans, popularly known for the distribution of cola, juices or beer, are due, on the one hand, to its limitation to the use of metallic material in its manufacture and, on the other, to the dirt that It accumulates during storage and sale of the product that often makes the container unhygienic to drink directly from it.

Another known solution is that disclosed in US 4760934 in which a lid for a beverage container is described in which the opening of the orifice for the exit of the beverage is made by pulling a tongue so that two weakened lines are torn of the lid (which are the ones that form the liquid outlet hole). To facilitate the user to use the container, the tongue is fixed in the lid at about 180 ° from its initial position by means of projections that are in said lid between which it fits.

Another known solution is that of US 6158632 in which a lid for a beverage container is also disclosed in which there is a flange that is articulated by a hinge. This lid also guarantees a tight seal. In said patent, the user can access the contents of the container either through an opening in the lid, or by rotating it to separate it from the container.

Finally, in US patent 4629088 a beverage container is disclosed in which there is a tongue in the lid that must be pivoted to access the contents of the container through an opening in said lid. In the lid there is a recess in which the tongue fits when you want to have the opening open. The recess of the lid also includes projections between which the tongue fits when you want to have access to the contents of the container.

However, in these caps for beverage containers they either do not allow the container to be closed once opened, or they do not guarantee the tightness when the container is closed again or its manufacture and placement in the corresponding container is difficult to integrate into the processes Industrial DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention conceived here is an effective solution to the problem of the impossibility of recovering the closure in the classic boats and with which a tight seal is achieved.

The closest document of the prior art is WO

2007/085674 which discloses a container with a lid similar to that of the present invention but which has been found to entail many problems in the industrial processes of manufacturing and placing the lid on the corresponding container. The problem of said invention is that during the assembly process when the lid is dropped for placement in the container, each lid falls in a different way. Some of the lids fall face down, so they can be placed directly on the container, but others fall face up, so it is necessary to turn them over before placing them in the container. The biggest problem is that the caps fall face down or face up randomly.

With the present application a cover is proposed in which the center of mass has moved out of the lid itself so that all the caps always fall in the same position either face down, so that all the covers can place directly on the container, either face up because it interests the production process or for any other reason, so that all the caps have to be turned around.

This has been achieved by adding more material at the bottom of the lid, further modifying, if deemed convenient, the design of said lid so that its center of mass is moved to the position of interest.

Another important advantage of the present container with a sealed lid is that it incorporates at the top of the container, near the mouth of the container, some flanges that serve to hold the container when it is transported from one point to another in the factory. During this transport of the container it is closed by means of the corresponding lid. The important advantage of incorporating these flanges at the top to be able to transporting the container by taking it from them is that it is no longer necessary to transport the container on a belt but is carried in suspension.

Thus, the force necessary to place the lid on the container is not transmitted to the base or the walls of the container, but is supported only by the perimeter ring of its upper part whose thickness is precisely sized according to the resistance which must present to said mechanical effort. This allows the container to be manufactured with thinner walls, which leads to material savings, reducing production costs. In addition, there is a lighter container, which facilitates its subsequent transport and its use by the user, thus reducing the ecological impact and reducing the recycling fee.

The package of the present invention comprises a neck that determines a mouth and a cap attachable to the neck that covers said mouth. The lid is placed by pressure in its corresponding position coupled to the neck of the container.

The neck comprises a first perimeter flange and a second perimeter flange with the first perimeter flange being located on the upper surface of the container and the second perimeter flange below the first perimeter flange. Between the two perimeter flanges there is a space for coupling the lid in position.

The lid comprises a pouring hole of the contents of said container at the will of the consumer, said hole being in the vicinity of the periphery of the lid.

The lid includes a tilting flap that fits over the hole in the closed situation of the container and that tilts until it is placed coplanarly with the lid in the opposite position to the pouring hole in the opening situation of the container.

In addition, the cover includes a diametral recess comprising a first half and a second half that fit in shape and dimensions to the placket. In the closing position of the pouring hole the placket is fitted in the first half of the diametral recess while in the opening position from the pouring hole, the placket can be fitted in the second half of the diametral recess.

To allow the opening and closing operations of the pouring hole by means of tilting the placket, at least one nail is provided at the end of the placket that is opposite the tilting axis. This facilitates the user to handle the placket.

The placket has tilting means, which may consist, either of a pivot whose ends are housed in the center of the side walls of the recess, or of a laminar element that constitutes a lower extension of the same placket attached to the lid itself of closing. The tilting means of the placket are placed in the central area established between the two side walls of the diametral recess of the lid. This second possibility allows to have the lid and the placket in one piece.

In the second half of the perimeter recess there is one or more tabs intended to fit into respective grooves defined in the tilting flap when the flap is in the opening position of the pouring hole and its position is to be fixed by fitting it into the second half of the recess perimeter. Said grooves are located at the end of the placket opposite its tilting axis, or preferably on its sides. These slits are made in the placket in correspondence of shapes, size and position with the tabs of the recess of the lid.

The lid further comprises a peripheral skirt having an inner groove in which there is a first nerve and a second nerve. The second nerve is on the lower surface of the lid and the first nerve is above it. Between both nerves there is a space for the coupling of the lid in position in the container. The nerves are configured as strangulation of the side walls of the groove.

The most important feature of the present invention is the shape of the perimeter recesses and nerves. This feature has served to improve the sealing system of the container with the lid and also to move the center of mass of the lid so that during the industrial process, when the caps are thrown to place them in the containers, they always fall in the same direction (either face down, face up).

Another fundamental characteristic of the present application is the inclination of the penmetral skirt of the lid and the inclination of the lower surface of said lid. These characteristics are what allows more material in the lower part of the lid thus displacing the center of mass of the lid out of itself.

The second penmetral flange has a characteristic shape, having the upper face and the lower face beveled.

The first nerve also has a characteristic shape comprising a bevelled lower face with an inclination complementary to the inclination of the upper face of the second penmetral flange.

The second nerve has its bevelled upper face with an inclination complementary to the inclination of the lower face of the second penmetral flange.

When the lid is placed by pressure in its corresponding position in the container, the first penmetral flange is above the first nerve and the second penmetral flange is between the first nerve and the second nerve.

In addition, the peripheral skirt is bevelled so that the lower part of the cover has a diameter greater than the upper part of the cover. This chamfering on the skirt of the lid gives it an inclination that facilitates the removal of the lid from the mold in which it is manufactured, which improves the industrial production process.

The peripheral skirt has its lower surface inclined inwardly so that the center of mass of the lid is outside it.

The walls of the lid are inclined so that the top of the lid has a smaller diameter than the bottom of the lid. This facilitates the operation of removing the lid from the mold in which it is manufactured.

This makes it more efficient and simplifies the process of extracting each cover made of the mold, which facilitates the production of the covers in series.

The lid, the placket and the container can be made of aluminum. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lid, the placket and the container are made of plastic.

As the lid is snapped to the neck of the container and the tilting cover covers the pouring hole tightly, a container with lid is achieved that allows the opening and closing of the pouring hole as many times as desired and that offers a Totally tight closure.

The present package allows stacking with similar packages thanks to the fact that the placket being both in its closed position and in its opening position, determines a coplanar seat with the outer surface of the lid. When stacking a container on another, the continuous surface offered by the placket next to the lid, favors the stability of the vertical stacking.

As was the case in WO 2007/085674, the placket provides a clear hygienic improvement compared to typical soda cans, since in this case the surface for contact with the consumer's lips is not exposed to dust or other contaminants, as that the pouring hole is hidden under the closed lid. Thus, the user can drink directly from the container with total safety in a clean way.

Another advantage of the present application is that the beverage containers with a sealed lid of the invention can be stacked for storage and / or transport. This is achieved because the outer diameter of the lid is less than the internal diameter of a hole in the base of the container to allow stacking of the containers. Said hollow in the lower part of the container allows said container to gain consistency.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, According to a preferred example of practical realization thereof, a set of drawings is attached where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 .- Shows a perspective view of the closure lid of the container object of the invention with the tilting flap, according to a preferred embodiment. The peripheral skirt of the lid is clearly visible.

Figure 2.- Shows an elevational view of the neck of the container, intended to be coupled with the closure cap illustrated in the previous figure.

Figure 3.- Shows an exploded view of the elements represented in the previous figures, which together integrate a perspective and partially sectioned view of the disassembled container.

Figure 4.- Shows a view of two stacked containers by introducing the upper part of the container lid located in the lower part of the stack, in the recess of the lower part of the container located in the upper part of the stack.

References:

1: neck

2: cover

3: pour hole

4: diametral recess

4A: first half of the diametral recess

4B: second half of the diametral recess

5: placket

6: tilting element

7: slit

8: tab

9: peripheral skirt

10: slot

1 1: first perimeter flange

1 1 ': second perimeter flange

12: first nerve 12 ': second nerve

13: bottom surface

14: nail

15: neck

16: container

17: retention nail

18: original center of mass position

19: position of the center of mass with the new design of the lid

20: container base hole

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In order to reach a better understanding of the object and functionality of this patent, and without being understood as restrictive solutions, a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention based on the figures indicated above is given below.

A container with a sealed lid is proposed whose main body is a body of revolution that in a preferred embodiment of the invention is plastic. The shape and size of the package is similar to that of conventional beverage cans.

The present package is specially designed to contain liquid or powder products and especially food products.

The package comprises a neck (1) that determines a mouth and a cover (2) attachable to the neck (1) that covers said mouth. The neck (1) of the package comprises a first penmetral flange (1 1) and a second penmetral flange (1 1 '). This can be seen in Figure 2. The lid (2) of the package comprises a pouring hole (3), a tilting placket (5) with respect to the lid (2), a diametral recess (4) comprising a first half of the penmetral recess (4A) and a second half of the penmetral recess (4B) that fit in shape and dimensions to the placket (5), at least one flange (8) in the second half of the penmetral recess (4B), at least one slit (7) on the placket (5) located in correspondence with the tab (8), a peripheral skirt (9) having a groove (10) with a first rib (12) and a second rib (12 '). The cover is shown in figure 1.

In the closing position of the pouring hole (3), the placket (5) fits into the first half (4A) of the perimeter recess and the opening position of the pouring hole (3), the placket can be fitted into the second half (4B) of the perimeter recess, the groove (7) engaging the flange (8).

The sealed lid container of the present invention differs from the containers with a lid known in the state of the art because the second perimeter flange (1 1 ') has the upper face and the lower face beveled, the first rib (12) has its bevelled lower face with an inclination complementary to that of the upper face of the second perimeter flange (1 1 ') and the second rib (12') has its beveled upper face with an inclination complementary to that of the lower face of the second perimeter flange ( eleven ').

The coupling between the cover (2) and the neck (1) is achieved by placing the cover (2) by pressure so that the first perimeter flange (1 1) is above the first rib (12) and the second perimeter flange ( 1 1 ') is between the first nerve (12) and the second nerve (12').

Another feature that differentiates the present invention from those known in the state of the art is that the peripheral skirt (9) is beveled so that the lower part of the cover (2) has a diameter greater than the upper part of the cover (2 ) and said peripheral skirt (9) has its lower surface (13) inclined inwards. The peripheral skirt is well seen in Figure 1.

The first perimeter flange (1 1) is located on the upper surface of the container and the second perimeter flange (1 1 ') is located below the first perimeter flange. The first perimeter flange (1 1) is narrower than the second perimeter flange (1 1 ') and its profiles are different as previously described. Between the two perimeter flanges there is a space for coupling the lid in position.

The lid is placed in its corresponding position in the container by pressure so that the first rib (12) exceeds the first flange (1 1) and the second nerve (12 ') exceeds the second perimeter flange (1 1'), by elastic deformation. This achieves a stable and tight seal. An exploded view of the package of the invention in which the lid and neck of the container are shown to show the described elements is shown in Figure 3.

The pouring hole (3) is in the lid (2) in the first half of the perimeter recess (4A). Thus, to close the pouring hole, the flap (5) is positioned in the first half of the perimeter recess (4A). Said placket (5) consists of a sealing neck (15) that fits with the pouring hole (3) so that said pouring hole (3) is sealed tightly.

The placket (5) can be an element hingedly attached to the lid (2) or be part of it so that they are manufactured as a single piece such that there is a sheet that acts as a tilting element of the placket (5 ).

One of the most important features of the present application is the shape of the ribs (12, 12 ') inside the groove (10) of the peripheral skirt of the lid (2) and of the perimeter flanges (1 1, 1 1 ') of the neck (1).

The placket (5) incorporates a nail (14) at its free end with which to facilitate the user to handle the placket (5).

The at least one slit (7) of the placket (5) is located in correspondence with the at least one flange (8) of the second half of the perimeter recess (4B) so that when you want to maintain the opening position of the container , the placket (5) is hooked by its at least one flange (8) to the at least one groove (7) of the placket (5). The placket (5) is thus fixed coplanar to the lid (2).

In one embodiment of the invention, the first half of the perimeter recess (4A) also has at least one flange that serves to keep the position of the placket (5) fixed when it is in the position where the pouring hole (3) is closed. Half (4B) of the diametral recess (4) additionally has at the edge opposite the axis or tilting end of the placket (5) a nail (17) retaining said placket (5) in its total withdrawal position with respect to of the pouring hole (3), in full opening situation.

In one embodiment of the invention, the placket (5) is attached to the lid

(2) by a hinged element that allows its tilting. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the placket (5) and the cover (2) are manufactured as a single piece and are linked by a laminar tilting element (6).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the lid, the flap and the container are made of plastic.

As can be seen from Figure 3, the center of mass according to the present invention is displaced thanks to the addition of material on the underside of the lid and thanks to the new design thereof. Originally, in the invention described in WO 2007/085674, the center of mass of the lid was located at the central point (18) of the lower face of the lid, while with the present invention said center of mass is located at a point (19) in proximity to the original but moved towards the center of the circumference that encloses the lower surface (13) of the peripheral skirt (9). Although Figure 3 shows a perspective and partially sectioned view of the lid object of the invention, the lid being open, the positions of the centers of mass (18, 19) mentioned correspond to said lid in the closed position, that is to say , with the placket (5) closed.

Figure 4 shows the way in which the packages (16) object of the invention are stacked. This shows a container located in the lower part of the stack on which a second container has been placed so that the lid (9) of the container of the lower part is partially inserted into the recess (20) of the lower part of the second container.

Claims

one . Container with a tight lid comprising a neck (1) that determines a mouth and a lid (2) attachable to the neck (1) that covers said mouth where the neck (1) comprises:

-a first perimeter flange (1 1),

-a second perimeter flange (1 1 '),

and where the cover (2) comprises:

- a pouring hole (3),

-a swivel placket (5) with respect to the lid (2),

-a diametral recess (4) comprising a first half of the perimeter recess (4A) and a second half of the perimeter recess (4B) that fit in shape and dimensions to the placket (5),

-at least one tab (8) in the second half of the perimeter recess

(4B),

-at least one slit (7) in the placket (5) located in correspondence with the tab (8),

- a peripheral skirt (9) having a groove (10) with a first rib (12) and a second rib (12 '),

and where in the closed position of the pouring hole (3) the placket (5) fits into the first half (4A) of the perimeter recess and in the open position of the pouring hole (3) the placket can be fitted in the second half (4B) of the perimeter recess fitting the slit (7) in the tab (8),

characterized in that:

the second perimeter flange (1 1 ') has the upper face and the lower face beveled, the first rib (12) has its lower face beveled with a complementary inclination to that of the upper face of the second perimeter flange (1 1') and The second rib (12 ') has its bevelled upper face with an inclination complementary to that of the lower face of the second perimeter flange (1 1') so that the coupling between the cover (2) and the neck (1) It is achieved by placing the cover (2) by pressure so that the first perimeter flange (1 1) is above the first rib (12) and the second perimeter flange (1 1 ') is between the first rib (12) and the second rib (12 '), in addition the peripheral skirt (9) is beveled so that the lower part of the cover (2) has a diameter greater than the upper part of the cover (2) and said peripheral skirt (9) has its lower surface (13) inclined inwards.

2. Container according to claim 1 characterized in that the flap (5) is linked to the lid (2) by a laminar tilting element (6).

3. Package according to claim 1 characterized in that at least the lid (2) and the flap (5) are made of plastic.

4. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer diameter of the lid is less than the internal diameter of a hole in the base of the container to allow stacking of the containers.