Sealing cap for a container closure and container closure comprising such a sealing cap

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing cap (23) made of an elastic plastic material, for a container closure (15), the container closure comprising: - a container connecting-piece base for the arranging of a container connecting piece, the container connecting-piece base being formed onto a container; and - a bung plug (22) disposed in a bung connecting piece (19) formed on the container connecting-piece base. The sealing cap (23) comprises: - a cover disk (24) with a fastening device (29), which fastening device is provided on an underside (28) of the cover disk (24) and has a detent device (38) for detent connection to the bung plug (22); and - an edge skirt (25), which is provided on the periphery of the cover disk (24) and is connected to the cover disk (24) by means of a predetermined breaking device (27). The cover disk has, radially inwardly adjacent to the predetermined breaking device (27) on the underside (28), a support device for supporting the cover disk (24) on the container connecting-piece base.

Description

[0001] Sealing cap for a container closure and container closure with such a sealing cap

[0002] The present invention relates to a sealing cap made of an elastic plastic material for a container closure, comprising a container neck base formed on a container for arranging a container neck with a bung plug arranged in a bung neck formed on the container neck base. The sealing cap has a cover disc with a fastening device arranged on the underside of the cover disc and designed for a snap-in connection with the bung plug, and an edge skirt arranged on the circumference of the cover disc and connected to the cover disc via a predetermined breaking device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a container closure provided with such a sealing cap.

[0003] A sealing cap of the type mentioned above is also known from WO 2008 / 139196 A1. The known sealing cap, made of a dimensionally elastic plastic, has a locking device arranged on the underside of the lid disc, with which the sealing cap is connected to a bung plug arranged in a bung socket of a container closure. The lid disc, on whose outer circumference an edge skirt is arranged, connected to the lid disc via a predetermined breaking device, projects beyond the opening edge of the bung socket with a lid edge, to which the edge skirt is connected via the predetermined breaking device. Destruction of the predetermined breaking device, with a corresponding edge skirt being detached at least partially from the lid disc, serves as an indication that an attempt has been made to remove the sealing cap from the container closure.

[0004] In the known sealing cap, the lid disc or the lid edge of the lid disc is arranged at a distance from the bung neck. This has the consequence that the predetermined breaking device is destroyed not only if an attempt is made to remove the sealing cap from the container closure by grasping under the edge, but also if pressure is exerted on the lid disc from above, leading to a deformation of the lid disc, which is transferred via the predetermined breaking device to the rim skirt, so that the rim skirt rests on the wall surface of the container surrounding the bung neck. This type of stress can occur in particular when containers equipped with container closures are stacked improperly and pressure is exerted on the lid disc of the sealing cap by the upper container arranged on the lower container.The consequence of damage to the predetermined breaking device caused by this is that the tamper protection intended by the sealing cap no longer exists and thus any subsequent tampering with the container closure can no longer be detected.

[0005] The present invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a sealing cap of the type mentioned at the outset which has improved functional reliability.

[0006] To achieve this object, the sealing cap according to the invention has the features of claim 1. According to the invention, the cover disc of the sealing cap has, radially inwardly adjacent to the predetermined breaking device on the underside, a support device for supporting the cover disc on the container neck base.

[0007] In the sealing cap designed according to the invention, the support device arranged on the cover disc radially inwardly adjacent to the predetermined breaking device results in a force connection being formed between the support device and the container neck base of the container neck after the sealing cap has been arranged on the container closure and the locking connection between the bung plug has been established, so that a deformation of the cover disc under external pressure in the direction of the neck base results in the external load being diverted into the container neck base via the support device and not being introduced into the edge skirt via the predetermined breaking device.

[0008] In contrast, with the known sealing cap, due to the distance between the lid rim of the lid disc and the bung spout, the lid rim, together with the predetermined breaking device arranged on the lid rim and the edge skirt connected to it, is deflected towards the container spout base. This can result in damage to the predetermined breaking device if the edge skirt comes into contact with or rests on the container spout base. The edge skirt can come into contact with or rests on the container spout base directly or via deposits arranged on the container spout base that allow a flow of forces between the edge skirt and the container spout base, as can easily occur during storage and transport of such containers. This is particularly true when the containers are IBCs, which are generally transported and stored repeatedly.

[0009] Preferably, the support device is designed as an edge web arranged concentrically to the edge apron on the underside of the lid disc, so that the supporting effect can take place continuously over the entire circumference of the sealing cap.

[0010] If the edge web has a lower edge that is set back from a lower edge of the edge skirt relative to the underside of the lid disc, access to the lower edge of the edge web for removing the sealing cap from the bung socket is prevented by the edge skirt being arranged to cover the lower edge of the edge web.

[0011] If the locking device of the fastening device is connected via a connecting device to a pull tab arranged on the circumference of the cover plate, wherein the connecting device has a cover strip formed in the cover plate, which is separated from adjacent areas of the edge skirt, the edge web and an inner part of the cover plate by lateral predetermined breaking devices and is connected to the locking device via a pull web, preferably after damage to the predetermined breaking device formed on the edge skirt, a complete removal of the sealing cap from the bung plug can take place without the edge web acting as a supporting device hindering this.

[0012] In a first alternative, the container closure according to the invention has the features of claim 5.

[0013] According to the invention, the container neck base is designed as a closure lid for a container opening formed in a container wall, with the bung neck arranged in a cover plate of the closure lid, which penetrates the cover plate in such a way that the support device formed on the underside of the cover plate of the sealing cap is supported on an upper side of the cover plate of the closure lid, and the edge skirt is arranged at a distance from the upper side of the cover plate of the closure lid. Preferably, the bung neck has an opening edge formed protruding on the upper side of the closure lid in such a way that the support device is supported on the opening edge of the bung neck.

[0014] A container closure designed in accordance with the invention in this way enables the sealing cap according to the invention to be used on an IBC.

[0015] According to a further alternative, the container closure according to the invention has the features of claim 7.

[0016] In the container closure designed according to the invention, the container neck base is designed as a wall section of a container with a bung neck formed in the wall section, such that the support device formed on the underside of the cover disc of the sealing cap is supported on a wall surface of the container and the edge skirt is arranged at a distance from the wall surface of the container.

[0017] A container closure designed in accordance with the invention in this way enables the sealing cap according to the invention to be used on any container, in particular a barrel.

[0018] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

[0019] They show:

[0020] Fig. 1 shows an IBC in isometric view with a container closure arranged on the top of an inner container of the IBC;

[0021] Fig. 2 shows the container closure shown in Fig. 1 in individual representation;

[0022] Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the container closure shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of the container closure arranged on a container opening of the IBC shown in Fig. 1, along section line IV-IV in Fig. 1;

[0023] Fig. 5 shows the sealing cap of the container closure shown in Fig. 2 in a view from below.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows a transport and storage container 10, also referred to as an IBC, which has an inner container 13 accommodated in a grid cage 12 on a transport pallet 11, which is provided on a front side with a container fitting 14 and on an upper side with a container opening 16 which can be closed by means of a container closure 15.

[0025] As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the container closure 15 has a closure lid 17, designed here as a screw cap, which is screwed to an opening edge of the container opening 16. A bung 19 is arranged in a cover disc 18 of the closure lid 17 and penetrates the cover disc 18 such that an opening edge 20 of the bung 19 protrudes on an upper side 21 of the cover disc 18.

[0026] As shown in particular in Fig. 4, a bung plug 22 is screwed into the bung socket 19, which closes the bung socket 19. On the bung plug 22 there is a sealing cap 23, which has a cover plate 24 and a sleeve-shaped edge apron 25 extending essentially perpendicular to the cover plate 11, which, as shown in particular in Fig. 2, is connected to the cover plate 24 via a predetermined breaking device 27 having predetermined breaking webs 26.

[0027] As shown in particular in Fig. 3, the cover disc 24 is provided on its underside 28 with a fastening device 29, designed here as a fastening ring, which engages in a plug recess 30 of the bung plug 19 in such a way that a locking device 38 formed at the lower end of the fastening device 29 engages behind a counter-locking device 32 formed in the plug recess 30. As Fig. 3 further shows, the cover disc 24 is provided on its underside 28 radially inwardly adjacent to the predetermined breaking device 27 with a support device designed as an edge web 33, wherein the edge web 33 rests with its lower edge 34 on the opening edge 20 of the bung socket 19 arranged on the upper side 21 of the closure cover 17.

[0028] As is particularly clearly evident from Fig. 4, in the case of the presently illustrated embodiment, the edge apron 25 is connected to the edge web 33 via the predetermined breaking device 27. The edge apron 25 covers the lower edge 34 of the edge web 33 resting on the opening edge 20, since the lower edge 34 is set back relative to a lower edge 35 of the edge apron 25.

[0029] When the lid disc 24 is subjected to a compressive load, as indicated by the force arrows shown in Fig. 4, a corresponding load is introduced into the closure lid 17 via the edge web 33, which rests on the upper side 21 of the lid disc 18 of the closure lid 17, namely here on the opening edge 20 of the bung socket 19, in a force-fitting manner, without the edge skirt 25 being stressed and without reaction forces occurring when the edge skirt 25 is stressed being able to act on the predetermined breaking device 27. The tamper protection formed here by the edge skirt 25 connected to the lid disc 18 via the predetermined breaking device 27 is therefore not impaired by external loads acting on the lid disc 24 of the sealing cap 23.

[0030] On the other hand, the sealing cap 23 is designed such that removal of the sealing cap 23, in particular after destruction of the predetermined breaking device 27, is possible as a coherent unit from the container closure 15, without the support device designed here as an edge web 33 hindering this. As is shown in particular in Fig. 5, a pull tab 36 formed on the edge skirt 25 is connected via a connecting device 37 to the locking device 38 formed on the fastening device 29, wherein the connecting device 37 has a lid strip 39 which extends from the pull tab 36 over the edge skirt 25 and the edge web 33 into a central inner part 40 of the lid disc 24 and is separated from adjacent regions of the edge skirt 25, the edge web 33 and the inner part 40 of the lid disc 24 by lateral predetermined breaking devices 41, 42.The lid strip 39 is connected via a tension web 43 to the locking device 38 of the fastening device 29 in such a way that when the pull tab 36 is moved obliquely upwards and towards the center of the lid disc, the lid strip 39 is detached along the predetermined breaking devices 41, 42 and the locking device 38 formed on the fastening ring 29 is deformed radially inwards via the tension web 43 connected to the inner part 40 of the lid disc 24, so that the sealing cap 23 can be removed from the closure lid 17 as a coherent unit.

Claims

9 Claims: Sealing cap (23) made of an elastic plastic material for a container closure (15) comprising a container nozzle base formed on a container for arranging a container nozzle with a bung plug (22) arranged in a bung socket (19) formed on the container nozzle base, wherein the sealing cap (23) has a cover disc (24) with a fastening device (29) arranged on an underside (28) of the cover disc (24) and designed for snap-fit ​​connection with the bung plug (22) with a snap-fit ​​device (38) and an edge skirt (25) arranged on the circumference of the cover disc (24) and connected to the cover disc (24) via a predetermined breaking device (27), characterized in that the cover disc (24) has a support device on the underside (28) radially inside adjacent to the predetermined breaking device (27) for supporting the cover disc (24) on the container nozzle base. Sealing cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the support device is arranged as a rim web (33) concentrically to the edge skirt (25) on the underside (28) of the cover disc (24) is formed. Sealing cap according to claim 2, characterized in that the rim (33) with respect to the underside (28) of the cover disc (24) forms a lower edge (35) opposite a lower edge of the rim apron. (25) has a recessed lower edge (34). Sealing cap according to claim 3, characterized in that the locking device (28) of the fastening device (29) is connected via a connecting device (37) to a pull tab (36) arranged on the circumference of the cover disc (24), wherein the connecting device (37) has a cover strip (39) formed in the cover disc (24), which is separated from adjacent areas of the edge skirt (25), the edge web (33) and an inner part (40) of the cover disc 24 by lateral predetermined breaking devices (41, 42) and is connected to the locking device (38) via a pull web (43).Container closure with a sealing cap according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the container nozzle base is designed as a closure cover (17) for a container opening (16) formed in a container wall, with the bung nozzle (19) arranged in a cover disc (18) of the closure cover (17), which penetrates the cover disc (18) in such a way that the opening on the underside (28) of the cover disc is formed. 11 (24) the sealing cap (23) supports a support device formed on a top side (21) of the cover disc (18) of the closure cover (17) and the edge skirt (25) is arranged at a distance from the top side (21) of the cover disc (18) of the closure cover (17).

6. Container closure according to claim 5, characterized in that the bung (19) has an opening edge (20) projecting onto the top (21) of the closure lid (17) such that the support device is supported on the opening edge (20) of the bung (19).

7. Container closure with a sealing cap according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the container nozzle base is designed as a wall section of a container, with a bung formed in the wall section, such that the support device formed on the underside of the lid disc of the sealing cap is supported on a wall surface of the container and the edge skirt is arranged at a distance from the wall surface of the container.

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