Anti-refillling device for the neck of a container, typically a bottle, and a composite stopper cap including said device

Abstract

An anti-refilling device, designed to be fixed irreversibly to the neck of a container containing a liquid and to be closed by a stopper cap. The device has an axis coinciding with the axis of the neck when it is fixed on the neck, and has an axial dispensing duct for the liquid through which a transverse wall extends, fixed irreversibly to the anti-refilling device and provided with a plurality of traversing channels, each of the channels connecting an external opening, directed towards the outside of the container, to an internal opening, directed towards the inside of the container. The smallest dimension of the external opening is less than a critical dimension determined according to the critical surface tension of the material making up the transverse wall, typically about 0.7 mm, and the smallest dimension of the internal opening is greater than the critical dimension.

1 . An anti-refilling device, designed to be fixed irreversibly to the neck of a container containing a liquid and to be closed by a stopper cap, said device having an axis coinciding with the axis of said neck when it is fixed on the latter, characterized in that it presents an axial dispensing duct for said liquid through which a transverse wall extends, fixed irreversibly to said anti-refilling device and provided with a plurality of traversing channels, each one of said traversing channels connecting an external opening, directed towards the outside of the container, to an internal opening, directed towards the inside of the container, the smallest dimension of said external opening being lower than a critical dimension determined according to the critical surface tension of the material making up said transverse wall and in which the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than said critical dimension. 
   
   
       2 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which the smallest dimension of said external opening is less than 0.7 mm and the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than 0.7 mm. 
   
   
       3 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 2  in which the smallest dimension of said external opening is less than 0.6 mm and the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than 0.8 mm. 
   
   
       4 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which the central section of said transverse wall appears as a grid with a network of traversing channels with sections whose shape factor, defined by the ratio of the greatest dimension to the smallest dimension, is less than 2, and preferably close to 1. 
   
   
       5 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 4  in which said internal openings have a square or rectangular shape. 
   
   
       6 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1 , in which said transverse wall is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polystyrene (PS), in particular high-impact polystyrene (SB) or crystal polystyrene. 
   
   
       7 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said transverse wall has a thickness ranging between 0.5 and 2 mm. 
   
   
       8 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said traversing channels are directed substantially along a normal direction to said transverse wall. 
   
   
       9 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said transverse wall is plane and in which said traversing channels ( 63 ) are tilted by an angle α in relation to the axial direction ( 10 ) of the device ( 3 ), angle α typically ranging between 30 and 60°. 
   
   
       10 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said transverse wall is plane and in which said traversing channels are composed of two axial parts communicating with each other but offset from each other in relation to the axis. 
   
   
       11 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said transverse wall is convex and has its convexity towards the outside, having typically the shape of a hemispherical dome. 
   
   
       12 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 11  in which said traversing channels are tilted in relation to the normal direction to said transverse wall so that they remain substantially parallel to said axial direction. 
   
   
       13 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said transverse wall is made of a sufficiently rigid and fragile material for any fraudulent attempt to refill said container to be made visible by the destruction or the deterioration of all or part of said transverse wall. 
   
   
       14 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said axial dispensing duct and said transverse wall are connected via a plurality of N bridges, N being preferably less than 12, of unit section less than 2 mm 2 , and preferably less than 1 mm 2 . 
   
   
       15 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1  in which said transverse wall includes in its central section a grid provided with said plurality of traversing channel and around the edge a plurality of curvilinear slits, whose smallest dimension is less than said critical dimension, typically, for a plastic transverse wall, less than 0.7 mm, and preferably less than 0.6 mm. 
   
   
       16 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 15  in which said plurality of curvilinear slits is bounded by a crown attached to said axial duct by external bridges and to said grid by internal bridges. 
   
   
       17 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 16  in which said plurality of slits is bound by a crown attached to said side wall by a plurality of N external bridges and to said grid by a plurality of N internal bridges, each plurality of bridges being regularly distributed and being preferably offset angularly by π/N in relation to the other plurality of bridges, N being preferably less than 12, of unit section less than 2 mm 2 , and preferably less than 1 mm 2 . 
   
   
       18 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a cylindrical wall provided with at least one irreversible means of fixing to said neck. 
   
   
       19 - 23 . (canceled) 
   
   
       24 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1 , designed to be assembled to a composite stopper cap including at least one metal shell provided with a metal skirt having, characterized in that it includes a temporary or removable means of interdependence, typically a screw thread or a reversible clipping rib designed to work in conjunction with said composite stopper cap, said metal skirt being provided with a complementary temporary means of interdependence or being assembled onto an insert provided with said means of complementary temporary interdependence. 
   
   
       25 . (canceled) 
   
   
       26 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 1 , further including an upper part bearing said transverse wall and a lower part bounding a cavity, said lower part being able to provide a tight and typically irreversible fit for said device onto said neck, and an anti-return device forming a mobile part within said cavity and working in conjunction with said lower part to form a check valve. 
   
   
       27 - 29 . (canceled) 
   
   
       30 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 26 , in which said lower part also includes a transverse wall designed to form an axial stop when fitting said device to said neck, said transverse wall coming up against the mouth of said neck, so as to ensure automatic axial positioning of said device in relation to said neck during said fitting. 
   
   
       31 - 34 . (canceled) 
   
   
       35 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 26 , in which the periphery of said transverse wall is fixed onto the internal surface of a sleeve belonging to said upper part. 
   
   
       36 . An anti-refilling device according to  claim 26 , in which said lower part also includes means of protection prohibiting access to said anti-return device, positioned above the central section of said lower part. 
   
   
       37 . (canceled) 
   
   
       38 . A unit made up of a stopper cap and an anti-refilling device according to  claim 24 , said device being assembled temporarily or removably onto said stopper cap, so as to be able to assemble said anti-refilling device and said stopper cap to said neck, during capping of said container, and in a single stage. 
   
   
       39 . (canceled) 
   
   
       40 . A composite stopper cap according to  claim 24  in which said skirt includes at least one annular weakening line, and one typically annular crimping zone, said weakening line being located above said crimping zone, said weakening line being designed to facilitate initial opening of said cap or to provide an indication of initial opening of said cap, after said composite stopper cap has sealed said neck of said container during a capping phase of said container, said weakening line bounding an upper part of said shell located above said weakening line and a lower section of said shell located below said weakening line, said lower section being crimped to said lower part typically by spinning or metal crimping of said lower part in an annular groove on said external wall, or designed to be crimped to said neck, under its glass ring.