Easy-Open Valve Closure

Abstract

Valve closure for bottles, comprising a valve portion to be fitted on a bottle neck and having a valve stopper and devices for sealed fixing on the bottle neck, an axially movable outer valve portion comprising a head plate, a valve opening for engagement with the valve stopper and a female thread screw cap connected to the head plate, the thread having a nominal radius r in engagement with a male screw thread of a connecting portion connected to the valve stopper. To permit easy opening of the closure with one hand, the screw cap is fixedly connected to an actuating lever extending radially outwardly from the screw cap so that the lever radius R defined by the radially outer end of the actuating lever has a spacing relative to the axis of the screw cap, which is more than 120% than the nominal radius r of the female screw thread.

1 . An easy-open valve closure ( 10 ) for bottles, comprising a stationary inner valve portion ( 1 ) which can be fitted on to a bottle neck and which has a valve stopper ( 2 ) and devices ( 22 ,  23 ) for sealed fixing on the bottle neck, and an axially movable outer valve portion ( 11 ) which has a head plate ( 14 ) with a valve opening ( 12 ) for engagement with the valve stopper ( 2 ) and a screw cap ( 13 ) which is connected to the head plate ( 14 ) and which has a female screwthread ( 18 ) of a nominal radius r and is in engagement with the male screwthread ( 8 ) of a threaded connecting portion ( 4 ) fixedly connected to the valve stopper ( 2 ), characterised in that the screw cap ( 13 ) is fixedly connected to an actuating lever ( 16 ,  15 ;  16 ′) which extends radially outwardly from the screw cap ( 13 ) so that the lever radius R defined by the radially outer end ( 15 ,  16   b ) of the actuating lever ( 16 ,  15 ;  16 ′) is at a spacing relative to the axis of the screw cap, which is greater by at least 20% than the nominal radius r of the female screwthread ( 14 ). 
     
     
         2 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 1  characterised in that the lever is guided rotatably about the screw cap axis ( 20 ) on an annular disk ( 6 ) of the inner valve portion ( 1 ), that extends around in relation to the threaded connecting portion ( 5 ) and extends radially and in the peripheral direction. 
     
     
         3 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that a plurality of levers ( 16 ′) are arranged distributed at preferably uniform angular spacings around the periphery of the screw cap. 
     
     
         4 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that the radially outer end ( 16   b ) of the lever ( 16 ′) or the levers extends parallel and at a small spacing relative to an axially extending, radially outer end portion of the inner valve portion. 
     
     
         5 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that the radially outer end of the lever ( 16   b ) or the levers is in the form of an actuating ring ( 15 ) extending at a spacing around the screw cap. 
     
     
         6 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 1  characterised in that the actuating ring ( 15 ), the screw cap ( 13 ) and the threaded connecting portion ( 4 ) have the same common axis ( 20 ). 
     
     
         7 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that the lever radius R is larger by at least 20%, preferably by at least 50%, than the radius r of the thread of the screw cap ( 13 ) and the threaded connecting portion ( 4 ). 
     
     
         8 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that the lever radius R is at least approximately twice as large as the radius r of the thread of the screw cap and the threaded connecting portion. 
     
     
         9 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that the lever radius R is at most ten times the radius r of the thread of the screw cap and the threaded connecting portion. 
     
     
         10 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 1  characterised in that the devices ( 22 ,  23 ) for sealed fixing on the bottle neck have a closure foot ( 7 ) of U-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         11 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 2  characterised in that the outer end of the lever ( 16 ′) or the levers ( 16 ′), in particular in the form of the actuating ring ( 15 ), sits on the outer shoulder of a closure foot ( 7 ) which embraces the upper bottle neck edge in a U-shape in cross-section. 
     
     
         12 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 5  characterised in that the actuating ring ( 15 ) has a knurling ( 17 ) on its radially outer side. 
     
     
         13 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 5  characterised in that the actuating ring ( 15 ) is connected to the screw cap ( 13 ) by way of a plurality of levers forming spokes ( 16 ). 
     
     
         14 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 1  characterised in that the valve opening ( 12 ) is provided centrally in a head plate ( 14 ) of the screw cap ( 13 ) and like the valve stopper ( 2 ) concentrically relative to the axis ( 20 ). 
     
     
         15 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 1  characterised in that the threaded connecting portion ( 5 ) and the screw cap ( 13 ) have axial abutment elements ( 9 ,  19 ) which limit the axial motion play of the screw cap ( 13 ) relative to the threaded connecting portion ( 5 ). 
     
     
         16 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 15  characterised in that the abutment elements ( 9 ,  19 ) are respectively provided at an upper portion of the threaded connecting portion and the screw cap, which is of a reduced diameter in relation to the nominal diameter (2r) of the thread. 
     
     
         17 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 5  characterised in that arranged on the actuating ring is a tamper-evident seal which is of a visibly altered condition after first actuation of the actuating ring. 
     
     
         18 . A valve closure as set forth in  claim 17  characterised in that the tamper-evident seal comprises a tear-off strip connected to the lower edge of the actuating ring by way of one or more easily tearable elements which tear upon rotation of the actuating ring so that the tear-off strip is visibly released from the actuating ring.