Drinking and pouring closure with a piercing cutter device for composite packagings or container and bottle spouts sealed with a film material
A drinking and pouring closure includes a spout with a radially downwardly-extending flange for welding into a composite packaging, or a spout with a lower threaded cap molded thereon for screwing onto a bottle thread. A mouth or pouring piece may be plugged onto the spout, which forms a piercing cutter on the inner side of the spout, fitting therein in the form of a nipple. As a result, at least one piercing tip is formed with the lower edge thereof and a cutting edge curving upwardly therefrom at an angle to the nipple rotation axis. The mouth or the pouring sleeve also forms a sleeve on the outer side of the spout, which surrounds the spout. Interlocking guides are molded between the outside of the spout and the inside of the sleeve, which, upon depressing the mouth or pouring piece on the spout, generate a rotation of the mouth or pouring piece on the spout, so that the piercing piece cuts a disc out of the composite or film material and then swings the same downwards.
This invention relates to a drink- and pour closure with pierce cutting facility (henceforth called “d p closure”) for opening a composite pack, fitted with it or for opening the neck of a container or bottle, which is closed with a thick foil and which is fitted with such a d p closure. For composite packs, packs made of foil-coated paper are used, in which milk, fruit juices, mineral water and all other kinds of drinks are packed. The paper for such composite packs is a laminate, usually a paper or a board, which is coated with plastic (polyethylene for example) and/or aluminum. Volumes of such packs usually range from 20 cl to 2 liters and more. Alternatively, the pour closure can also be mounted on containers or bottles, whose necks are closed with a thick foil of foil material, somewhat like on all kinds of bottles, made out of glass or PET plastic or similar containers.
Closures of such type and made out of plastic are known in different configuration. When these are intended to be used in a composite pack, they essentially form a pouring rim or a pouring collar with a shoulder projecting out radially from its bottom edge, the shoulder forming a terminating flange at this edge or collar. In the case of a pouring collar, it is mostly equipped with an external thread, on which a threaded cap can be screwed as closure. In the case of a bottle closure, the pouring collar can be placed or threaded over a bottle mouth. Other pouring closures have a shaped, folding cover, which hinges on an integral hinge. Such a pouring closure is flanged up on the composite pack in such a way that it is tightly welded on the composite pack with the bottom side of its projecting rim, that is, with the bottom side of its flange. The free passage at the bottom end of the rim or the collar of the closure is then closed tightly by the composite laminate of paper and thick foil of the composite pack.
The foil reinforced paper, passing below the welded collar or the pouring closure or the foil membrane, passing below the collar or the closure, must be cut open, tom open or pushed out for opening purpose, so that the passage becomes clear and the liquid from the container can be poured out or emptied through the collar/end connector or the pouring closure. A sleeve is arranged for this purpose at the inside of the end connector; when the cap is turned to unscrew it, this sleeve is taken up by it and is hence turned in the same direction. Threads running counter to the outer side of the end connector and the inner side of the cap at the inner side of the end connector and outer side of the sleeve, the sleeve moves when the threaded cap is screwed out, that is, continuously downward, when it (cap) is displaced upward opposite to the packing of the liquid. The bottom edge of the sleeve is equipped with one or more tearing or cutting teeth. Through its turning and continuous downward movement, the sleeve is able to push out or cut through a disc from the foil reinforced paper or the local foil membrane, which run below it.
Such conventional self-opening closures, however, do not always function to one's complete satisfaction. Discs often would not be cut off clean from the paper foil or the foil membrane but the sleeves would push out simply a piece of foil from these. The remaining edge is frayed and consequently shreds of paper or foil project out in the passage, which should really have been kept free. These shreds also often project downward into the container or they project directly in the path of the liquid, which flows out. For larger packs with stronger foil reinforced paper or board, the opening is carried out still less reliably and cleanly. The sleeve, which moves slowly downward, rotating at the same time, touches with its complete bottom edge virtually simultaneously the foil reinforced paper web to be cut, and pushes it totally downward and turns itself on it till a hole is made, more as if it is scraped through or broken through than it is cut. The problem as to why the cutting off does not take place cleanly lies therein, amongst others, that the foil to be cut off gets away downward from the pressure of the sleeve, which acts as a drill bit so to say, with the result that the sleeve no more works on a flat paper foil but on a foil, which is curved downward. On account of the design of the sleeves, which can be naturally described as breaker or penetrator, since they more accurately break a paper foil piece than cut off cleanly a perfectly circular disc, the current practices require a necessary force from the sides of the users. A large turning moment must thus be brought about since the teeth or the tearer at the bottom edge of the breaker or the sleeve first of all scratch the entire periphery and then have to overcome a large turning resistance. At the topmost layer of the thickness of the paper, they work like tearing teeth, which means that they scrape, press and tear rather than work as real cutting blades with sharp cutting edges.
For the conventional self opening type closures, the foil material or the joining substance are pre-weakened at the intended place of tear by means of laser or a punching tool to make the breaking off or tearing off easier. This pre-weakening, however, technically involves considerable expenditure. Costly equipment is required and treatment of the penetration area on the foils is time consuming. In spite of adopting such costly pre-weakening measures, the conventional self-opening closures do not cut cleanly but tear off the paper or plastic foil earlier than cut them cleanly, as is evidenced by the large amount of resistance to turning. On account of this large resistance to turning, the force transmitting device often breaks, which is supposed to transmit the turning moment of the threaded cap to the penetrating sleeve, or the provided follower cams, which engage with the grooves on the penetrating sleeve, jump out from these grooves. When this happens, the self-opening closure is no longer functional.
A further problem is that the disc of foil, which has been tom off or cut off to some extent by the penetrating sleeve, turns a little downwards or it does not remain turned downwards all the time during the time of use of the closure, since the penetrating sleeve is not securely fixed in its end position. For a proper drink-closure, all these problems should be adequately fixed.
The configurations, which are known already, are, furthermore, of relatively large built up height. In the case of an end connector, it must take up a penetrating sleeve, which has to be moved down by a few millimeters to open the composite laminate, irrespective of whether the sleeve is then rotated or not. The force transmitting device for pushing it down or setting it in rotation, require much space and a corresponding built up height, which is, however, at a disadvantage for the stackability of the composite packs, which are fitted with the same. Besides, the individual components are complicated in their construction. They are produced separately—as end connector, as cover, which can be unscrewed and also as penetrating sleeve, which can be inserted in the end connector. After getting injection molded, these three parts must be assembled together, which becomes expensive and, for large number of parts, as is the case here, require specially designed and expensive assembly equipment.
Therefore in order to address this problems and a d p closure for composite packs or for containers, which are closed with foil material, is created, which makes it possible to cut out reliably a disc from a laminate or foil with an internal closure-passage, where clean cutting edges are generated and protruding scraps in the passage are avoided. For a number of foil materials and joining substances, even the intended pre-weakening of the cutting area through laser treatment or punching can be done away with. This drink- and pour closure should be made up of maximum two parts and assembled easily.
This objective is met by a d p closure for composite packs or for necks of containers- and bottles, which are closed with a foil material, comprising an end connector/collar with a radially projecting flange below, which is meant for welding on a composite pack or depositing in a composite pack, or comprising an end connector/collar with a formed threaded cap below for screwing on a collar thread and which is characterized by the feature that a mouth or pouring piece is put on the collar, the said piece forming a piercing cutter, suitably passing as nipple on the inner side of the collar, the cutter forming with its bottom rim at least one piercing point and from which at least one cutting edge, rising at an angle to the turning axis of the nipple and swung, is formed and that the mouth- or pouring piece on the outer side of the collar forms a sleeve, which surrounds the collar and is movable at the collar.
Two advantageous embodiments of this d p closure are illustrated in the Figures in different views. With the help of these Figures, the d p closure and its pierce-cutting facility are subsequently described in detail and the function of the closure and specially the function of its pierce-cutting facility are clarified and explained.
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The d p closure with open cover cap is shown in perspective view in
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Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil, comprising:
- an end connector having a radial flange projecting from a bottom thereof or a threaded cap at the bottom thereof for screwing a collar thread thereon, said end connector further including a mouth, or pouring piece, and a pierce-cutter formed on an inner side of said end connector for forming a nipple fitted inside said end connector, said pierce-cutter forming at least one pierce point with a bottom edge of said pierce-cutter forming at least one swung cutting edge, rising at an angle of a nipple rotation axis with said mouth, or said pouring piece, forming on an outer side of said end connector, a sleeve surrounding said end connector and that is movable on said end connector.
12. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, further comprising a plurality of guiding devices between the outer side of said end connector and an inner side of said sleeve, said plurality of guiding devices engaging with one another, so that when said mouth, or said pouring piece, is pressed downwardly or rotated on said end connector, a helical turning of said mouth, or said pouring piece, is caused relative to said end connector.
13. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of guiding devices on the outer side of said end connector include at least one steep, helical groove carried on the outer side of said end connector and, on an accompanying said mouth, or said pouring device, at least two cams at inner side of said sleeve, said at least two cams fitting into said helical groove.
14. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, further comprising a turning and cover cap in said mouth, or said pouring piece, connected through an integral hinge, said turning and cover cap having a toothing on an inner side for engaging with a complementary toothing rim provided around a periphery of said mouth, or said pouring piece,
15. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 14, wherein said mouth, or said pouring piece, has a dome-shaped head having diametric incisions joined centrally at a pouring-opening.
16. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, further comprising a projection projecting inwardly at an upper end of said end connector, said pierce-cutter, having at a lower region at its outer side, a continuous running step projecting outwardly and engaging said projection at an end of said end connector from a back portion when said mouth, or said pouring piece, is being placed on, thereby sealing said mouth, or said pouring piece, in a drip-proof manner on said end connector.
17. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, further comprising a locking device, wherein said mouth, or said pouring piece, on said end connector is movable in an axial direction, at least, over the height of said pierce-cutter with said locking device operating between said pierce-cutter and said end connector for locking said pierce-cutter in a pressed-down position.
18. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, wherein said pierce-cutter includes an outwardly projecting step, said end connector includes an inwardly projecting projection and said mouth, or pouring piece, includes an outer rim being round in cross-section and projecting radially beyond said sleeve, so that when said mouth, or said pouring piece is pulled upwardly, said outwardly projecting step on said pierce-cutter encounters a stop at said inwardly projecting projection on said end connector with said at least one pierce point of said pierce-cutter being positioned above the bottom of said end connector.
19. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, further comprising a strip having a plurality of material bridges, placed as breaking points and able to be torn off, located at a bottom edge of said sleeve, said strip forming at one end a tongue projecting outwardly with said strip preventing a pressing-down movement of said mouth, or said pouring piece, on said end connector for indicating an initial opening of a container or bottle having said drink and pour closure.
20. The drink and pour closure having a pierce-cutting feature for composite packs or necks of containers or bottles closed via an aluminum foil according to claim 11, further comprising a cap, acting as a sealing and dust cap, is formed via an elastically flexible strip that is capable of being placed on said mouth, or said pouring piece, wherein at a bottom side of said cap, there is a collar having a sealing lip that fits said pierce-cutter.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 14, 2004
Publication Date: May 17, 2007
Inventor: Mario Weist (Stuhlingen)
Application Number: 10/565,705
International Classification: B65D 55/02 (20060101);