Closure device comprising a hinged cap moulded in the closed position

Abstract

The invention concerns a closure comprising a base portion and a cap forming portion including a top articulated to a ring through a hinge. The strap enables the cap forming portion to be moulded in closing position of the top, tamperproof means being provided between the ring and the top. When the cover is closed, the sensitive zones of the cap are either located in a sealed closed space, or capable of being in contact with a liquid (in solution or spray) and capable of being treated so as to eliminate said liquid, so as to sanitize the closure. Furthermore, the tamperproof means are deformed and ruptured when the top is first opened such that the resulting free ends are sufficiently spaced apart from each other, thus easily revealing to a user whether it has been tampered with.

1 . A closure of the type comprising on the one hand a base part comprising a top opening and a bottom opening at its axial ends and intended to be mounted on the neck of a receptacle, and on the other hand a part forming a cap itself comprising a ring connected to the base part and a cover associated with the ring by a joining and hinging device, the cover being able to be moved, with respect to the ring, between an open position and a closed position, the shape and geometry of said joining and hinging device being suitable for allowing moulding of the part forming a cap in the closed position of the cover, tamper-evident means being provided between the ring and the cover, said tamper-evident means comprising at least one element connected on the one hand to the ring and on the other hand to the cover, said element being arranged so as to be deformed and broken when the cover is first opened, the element then being separated into a first part having a first end attached to the ring and a free second end and a second part having a first end attached to the cover and a free second end, the function of the arrangement of said element and said plug being to move the two free ends away from one another so that, when the cover is once again in the closed position, it exists between said two free ends a sufficiently great distance to be easily detected by a user.  
   
   
       2 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the ring has, at a distance from the joining and hinging device, at least one recess formed from the top edge of the ring situated opposite the cover over a height less than the height of the said ring, said recess having a width less than one third of the length of the circumference of the ring, the tamper-evident element being intended to be housed in said recess whilst being connected on the one hand at its bottom part to the bottom of the recess and on the other hand at its top part to the cover.  
   
   
       3 . A closure according to  claim 1  further comprising complementary mechanical means intended to force the deformation of the tamper-evident element when the cover is first opened or when the cover is closed following on from the first opening, so as to move away the free ends of the two parts of the broken tamper-evident element.  
   
   
       4 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element is connected on the one hand at its bottom part to the bottom of the recess by a flexible connection, and on the other hand at its top part to the cover by at least one breakable bridge, before the first opening of the cove, said tamper-evident element being forced towards the outside of the closure before the cover is first opened.  
   
   
       5 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element comprises a protrusion on its internal face, said protrusion being in contact with the external face of the base part of the closure before the cover is first opened, and being designed so that said tamper-evident element is forced towards the outside of the closure, before the cover is first opened.  
   
   
       6 . A closure according to  claim 5  wherein the material constituting the base part of the closure and the material constituting the part forming a cap are sufficiently rigid so that neither the protrusion nor the base part of the closure situated opposite the protrusion are deformed significantly, and so that the contact between said protrusion and the external face of the base part of the closure generates a thrust force from the tamper-evident element towards the outside of the closure.  
   
   
       7 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the connection between the bottom part of the tamper-evident element and the bottom of the recess is sufficiently flexible to allow the pivoting of said tamper-evident element about the bottom of the recess.  
   
   
       8 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element has the general shape of a substantially planar half-disc delimited by a rectilinear top edge and by a bottom edge in the form of a semicircle.  
   
   
       9 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element has a thinning at its bottom part, said thinning being produced as from the external face of the tamper-evident element.  
   
   
       10 . A closure according to  claim 9  wherein after the first opening of the cover, the tamper-evident element is situated in a position such that its thinned bottom part is substantially in contact with the bottom of the recess.  
   
   
       11 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element is in the form of a rod the ends of which, fixed one to the ring and the other to the cover, are offset with respect to one another along the circumference of the closure, so that the general axis of the rod is inclined with respect to the axis of the closure, the rod having a smaller cross-section at its substantially middle part.  
   
   
       12 . A closure according to  claim 11  wherein the general axis of the rod is inclined with respect to the axis of the closure by an angle of between 30° and 60°.  
   
   
       13 . A closure according to  claim 11  wherein the rod has a substantially polygonal cross-section.  
   
   
       14 . A closure according to  claim 11  further comprising two of the rods situated at a distance from one another and inclined symmetrically.  
   
   
       15 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element is in the form of a rod the ends of which, fixed one to the ring and the other to the cover, are offset with respect to one another along the circumference of the closure, so that the general axis of the rod is inclined with respect to the axis of the closure, the rod having a smaller cross-section close to its end connected to the cover, respectively to the ring, and in that the cover, respectively the ring, has an appendage extending towards the ring, respectively the cover, and arranged so that, after the cover is first opened and the rod is broken at its smallest cross-section, when the cover is closed, the appendage comes into contact with the broken rod and moves it in order to fold it towards the ring—respectively the cover.  
   
   
       16 . A closure according to  claim 15  wherein the appendage is directed aslant, substantially parallel to the general axis of the rod.  
   
   
       17 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the tamper-evident element further comprises two rods the ends of which, close to the smallest cross-section of the rod, are situated at a distance from one another, and the other ends of which are substantially adjacent, said rods being inclined substantially symmetrically, so as to form a V, and in that it also comprises two appendages situated outside said V.  
   
   
       18 . A closure according to  claim 2  wherein the height of the ring is such that, when the cover is in the closed position, the top edge of said ring is situated in the immediate vicinity of the free edge of the cover, the height of the tamper-evident element being substantially equal to the height of the recess.  
   
   
       19 . A closure according to  claim 2  wherein the lateral walls of the recess extend aslant from the external face of the ring to the internal face of said ring and to the tamper-evident element.  
   
   
       20 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the base part comprises an annular wall from which project, substantially perpendicularly and in opposite directions, on the one hand an external skirt provided with an internal thread intended to cooperate with a complementary external thread on a receptacle neck, and on the other hand a funnel intended to be covered by the cover.  
   
   
       21 . A closure according to  claim 20 , wherein the funnel comprises, towards its top end part, an external rim and in that the cover comprises, inside, an external skirt provided with an internal rim able to cooperate with the external rim on the funnel.  
   
   
       22 . A closure according to  claim 20  wherein the cover comprises a second internal skirt able to cooperate with the internal face of the funnel.  
   
   
       23 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the annular ring comprises attachment means able to cooperate with complementary attachment means on the base part and in that the cover comprises snapping-on means able to cooperate with reciprocal snapping-on means on the base part of the closure.  
   
   
       24 . A closure according to  claim 1  wherein the joining and hinging device is in the form of at least one strap, a first end of which is connected to the ring and a second end of which is connected to the cover, the arrangement of the strap, the base part and the part forming a cap being such that, when the base part and the part forming a cap are connected to one another, the cover being in the closed position, at least the sensitive zones of the closure are either situated in a sealed closed space or liable to be in contact with a liquid when the closure is immersed in said liquid or when said liquid is sprayed on the closure, and able then to be treated in order to remove said liquid, so as to allow the asepticisation of the closure.  
   
   
       25 . A closure apparatus comprising: 
 a base including a liquid passageway with an opening;    a ring attached to the base;    a cover being rotatable from an open position allowing user access to the passageway opening, to a closed position blocking user access to the passageway opening; and    a tamper-evident member attaching to the cover and ring when the cover is in its closed position;    the member having at least one portion severed from one of the cover and ring, and having another portion retained to one of the cover and ring when the cover is in its open position, the cover being attached to the ring in its open position; and    the member projecting a noticeable lateral distance from the attached one of the cover and ring after the cover has been opened.    
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the tamper-evident member is a frangible and diagonally elongated structure.  
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the tamper-evident member includes a first thinned end directly attached to the ring, a second thinned end directly attached to the cover, and a laterally enlarged middle.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the tamper-evident member is severed from one of the ring and cover by rotational opening of the cover about the hinge which substantially creates a predominantly linear severing force to the member, the member being retained at its non-severed portion attached to one of the ring and the cover.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the hinge includes at least one thinned segment.  
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the configuration of the base, cover, ring and hinge allow for complete asepticisation and rinsing of all sensitive areas of the cover and base which are not in a sealed closed space.  
   
   
       31 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the cover includes a user engagable overhang, located opposite the hinge.  
   
   
       32 . The apparatus of  claim 25  further comprising a container attached to the base.  
   
   
       33 . A closure apparatus comprising: 
 a cap;    a structure coupled to the cap, the cap being movable relative to the structure; and    a tamper-evident member connecting the cap to the structure when the cap is closed, and being severed from one of the cap and structure when the cap is open, the tamper-evident member including at least one thinned end and an enlarged middle.    
   
   
       34 . The apparatus of  claim 33  wherein the enlarged middle includes an inwardly facing protrusion.  
   
   
       35 . The apparatus of  claim 34  wherein the protrusion is rounded in a longitudinal direction from the cap to the structure.  
   
   
       36 . The apparatus of  claim 33  wherein the tamper-evident member includes a second thinned end.  
   
   
       37 . The apparatus of  claim 33  wherein the severed end of the tamper-evident member noticeably projects outwardly away from the cap.  
   
   
       38 . The apparatus of  claim 33  further comprising a funnel located inside the cap when the cap is closed, the funnel operably passing a beverage to a user when the cap is open, the middle of the tamper-evident member interfering against the funnel prior to severing of the end, the interference between the funnel and the middle operably causing a portion of the tamper-evident member to extend away from the cap after severing of the end.  
   
   
       39 . The apparatus of  claim 33  wherein the cap includes an external overhang and is rotatable when opening, along a plane substantially parallel to a centerline fluid-flowing direction through the structure.  
   
   
       40 . The apparatus of  claim 33  further comprising a polymeric hinge coupling the cap to the structure, wherein the tamper-evident member is opposite the hinge, and the structure is a circular ring.  
   
   
       41 . A closure comprising: 
 a member;    a cap movable from a closed position to an open position relative to the member;    a hinge coupling the cap to the member; and    a tamper-evident rod extending in a diagonally elongated direction between the cap and member prior to initial opening of the cap, a portion of the rod being severed upon opening of the cap, the rod being permanently deformed offset from the diagonal direction when severed.    
   
   
       42 . The closure of  claim 41  wherein a cross-sectional shape of the rod is substantially polygonal.  
   
   
       43 . The closure of  claim 41  wherein a cross-sectional shape of the rod is substantially circular.  
   
   
       44 . The closure of  claim 41  wherein a middle of the rod is thinner than both ends of the rod and the middle is severed upon cap opening.  
   
   
       45 . The closure of  claim 41  wherein the member is a circular ring and the cap has an external overhang.  
   
   
       47 . The closure of  claim 41  wherein the member, cap and hinge are all integrally molded as a single polymeric part.  
   
   
       48 . The closure of  claim 41  further comprising a polymeric base including a liquid pouring funnel, the cap enclosing the funnel when in its closed position.  
   
   
       49 . A closure comprising: 
 a member;    a cap movable from a closed position to an open position relative to the member;    a hinge coupling the cap to the member; and    a tamper-evident element having a substantially V shape coupling the cap to the member prior to initial opening of the cap.    
   
   
       50 . The closure of  claim 49  wherein the element includes two diagonally elongated rods each having a thinned portion operably severed when the cap is initially opened.  
   
   
       50 . The closure of  claim 49  further comprising a slanting appendage extending between the cap and ring substantially aligned with at least one diagonal segment of the element, the appendage contacting against and bending the severed element when the cap is moved to its closed position after initial opening.  
   
   
       51 . The closure of  claim 49  wherein the member is a circular ring and the cap has a user accessible external overhang to assist in opening of the cap.  
   
   
       52 . The closure of  claim 49  wherein the member, cap and hinge are all integrally molded as a single polymeric part.  
   
   
       53 . The closure of  claim 49  further comprising a polymeric base including a liquid pouring funnel, the cap enclosing the funnel when in its closed position.