Tamper-evident ring for closure of container, and closure for closing mouth of container

Abstract

A tamper-evident ring (1) for a closure (10) for closing a container, the tamper-evident ring being configured to be mounted on a neck (30) of the container and comprising an upper ring (2) having a central axis (A), the upper ring being configured to engage with an annular seat (21) of a lid (20) of the closure (1), and a lower part (3) concentric with the upper ring (2). The lower part (3) comprises a retaining wall (4) configured to engage with the neck (30) to retain the tamper-evident ring (1) thereon, and a side wall (5) extending between a first end (5a) fixed to the upper ring (2) and a second end (5b) fixed to the retaining wall (4). The side wall (5) has an inner surface (6) and an opposite outer surface (7) facing outward from the neck (30). The outer surface (7) of the side wall (5) is at least partially inclined with respect to the central axis (A) and converges inward towards the inner surface (6). The closure (10) comprises a tamper-evident ring (1) and a lid (20) for closing the mouth of the container.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present utility model relates to a tamper-evident ring for a closure for closing the mouth of a container, in particular to a tamper-evident ring for a drawn metal cap of a bottle containing a liquid. BACKGROUND

[0002] Description of the prior art

[0003] Closures for containers having a tamper-evident ring are known in the prior art. In more detail, the known closures comprise a cap, for example a drawn metal cap, such as an aluminium cap, which engages with the thread of the neck of the container, for example a glass bottle, and comprise a polymer insert interposed between the mouth of the container and the cap to ensure the sealing of the container. The known closures also comprise a tamper-evident ring in order to provide the final consumer with the guarantee that the bottle has not been tampered with after bottling.

[0004] In particular, during the normal operation of the closure, the tamper-evident ring is engaged with the respective cap and, when the closure is opened for the first time, the tamper-evident ring is separated from the cap. The known tamper-evident rings have a first upper ring which is inserted in a seat formed in the cap and a lower part which holds the tamper-evident ring on the neck of the bottle. More specifically, when the cap is removed to allow access to the contents of the container, the rings remain in place on the neck of the container.

[0005] In order to provide evidence that the bottle has been opened for the first time, the lower part of the tamper-evident ring can be deformed towards the outside of the container, showing that the closure has been opened. The deformation of the ring also ensures that the ring cannot be put back into the cap to simulate an intact closure.

[0006] An example of a tamper-evident ring is disclosed in US 3812991 A, in which the tamper-evident ring is made of a metal material. Another example is shown in DE3833945 C1, in which the tamper-evident ring is made of a polymer material.

[0007] EP1950143 A1 shows an example of a tamper-evident ring having a different deformation configuration with respect to the above documents.

[0008] Problems of the prior art

[0009] In the known closures, it is often the case that, when the closure is opened, the lower part of the tamper-evident ring is little or not deformed due to the excessive stiffness of the lower part, resulting in the removal of the tamper-evident ring from the neck of the container together with the cap. In these cases, the tamper-evident function is clearly compromised and the closure can be put back on the container without signs of opening.

[0010] To overcome this problem, the thickness of the lower part of the known tamper-evident ring has been reduced. However, this leads to the opposite problem. In fact, when the known closure is applied to the container, the lower part of the tamper-evident ring is prone to deformation or separation from the upper ring, thus giving false evidence that the closure has been opened. SUMMARY

[0011] Therefore, the aim of the present application is to provide a tamper-evident ring which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art described above.

[0012] In particular, the aim of the present application is to provide a tamper-evident ring which allows a more effective tamper-evident function in a closure for a container.

[0013] This technical aim and object are substantially achieved by a tamper-evident ring comprising the technical characteristics disclosed in one or more of the appended claims.

[0014] Advantages

[0015] The tamper-evident ring of the present application ensures an optimal ratio between the rigidity and the elastically deformability between the lower part of the tamper-evident ring and the upper ring, so that when the closure is mounted on the neck of the container, the tamper-evident ring can be stretched in order to pass towards the neck and be effectively held therein, without undergoing plastic deformations which can lead to false evidence of the opening of the closure.

[0016] Advantageously, the tamper-evident ring of the present application therefore allows a more effective application of the closure to the container, while ensuring a sufficient deformation at the first opening of the closure to provide evidence of the opening of the closure.

[0017] The Applicant has surprisingly found that the tamper-evident ring described in the present application generally has a lower failure rate during the application and opening of the closure compared to the tamper-evident rings known in the prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The characteristics and advantages of the present application will become easily understandable from the following detailed description of a possible practical embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 a partial cross-sectional side view of a closure comprising a cap and a tamper-evident ring according to the present application is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 a partial cross-sectional side view of a closure comprising a cap and a tamper-evident ring according to the present application is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 a close-up view of a detail of the tamper-evident ring of the present application is shown;

[0022] Figure 4 A top view of the tamper-evident ring of the utility model is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] With particular reference to the drawings, Figure 1 The tamper-evident ring 1 of the utility model is configured to be mounted on the neck 30 of the container together with the cap 20 of the closure 10.

[0024] The tamper-evident ring 1 of the utility model is configured to be mounted on the neck 30 of the container together with the cap 20 of the closure 10.

[0025] The tamper-evident ring 1 comprises an upper ring 2 configured to engage with an annular seat 21 formed in the cap 20, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown and described in greater detail hereinafter. The upper ring 2 has a central axis A extending along a longitudinal direction X-X.

[0026] The tamper-evident ring 1 further comprises a lower part 3 concentric with the upper ring 2. In other words, the central axis of the lower part 3 corresponds to the central axis A of the upper ring 2.

[0027] According to one aspect, the lower part 3 extends along a lower ring concentric with the upper ring 2 and spaced apart from the upper ring 2 along the longitudinal direction X-X.

[0028] The lower part 3 comprises a retaining wall 4 configured to engage with the outer surface 30a of the neck 30, thereby retaining the tamper-evident ring 1 on the neck 30 of the container.

[0029] Preferably, the retaining wall 4 has a contact wall 4a configured to engage with the seal ring 32 of the neck 30 of the container, thereby retaining the tamper-evident ring 1 on the neck 30 upon first opening of the closure 10. In greater detail, the contact wall 4a is configured to abut against the bottom of the seal ring 32 to prevent the tamper-evident ring 1 from being removed from the neck 30, then the cap 20 is removed from the container to allow access to the liquid.

[0030] The lower part 3 further comprises a side wall 5 extending between a first end 5a fixed to the upper ring 2 and a second end 5b fixed to the retaining wall 4.

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment, the side wall 5 and the retaining wall 4 are made in one piece.

[0032] According to the same embodiment, the lower part 3 is made in one piece with the upper ring 2. In this way, the lower part 33 is configured to remain attached to the upper ring 2 when the closure 10 is opened for the first time. During the normal operation of the tamper-evident ring 1, the side wall 5 of the lower part 3 is used to remain attached to the upper ring 2.

[0033] The side wall 5 of the lower part 3 has an inner surface 6 configured to face the outer surface 30a of the neck 30 of the container when the tamper-evident ring 1 is mounted on the neck 30 of the container.

[0034] The side wall 5 also has an outer surface 7 opposite the inner surface 6 and configured to face outwardly from the neck 30 of the container when the tamper-evident ring 1 is mounted on the neck 30 of the container.

[0035] The outer surface 7 is at least partially inclined with respect to the central axis A by an inclination angle and converges inwardly towards the inner surface 6.

[0036] According to a preferred aspect, the inner surface 6 extends substantially parallel to the central axis A. Thus, the outer surface 7 is at least partially inclined with respect to the inner surface 6 by the above-mentioned inclination angle.

[0037] The inclination angle of the outer surface 7 is preferably comprised between 1° and 3°.

[0038] According to a first embodiment, the inclination angle of the outer surface 7 with respect to the central axis A is substantially constant along the longitudinal direction X-X. In other words, the outer surface 7 has a constant slope along the longitudinal direction X-X over its entire length.

[0039] According to a second embodiment, alternative to the first embodiment and illustrated in Figure 3 , the outer surface 7 comprises a first portion 7a and a second portion 7b. The first portion 7a is substantially parallel to the central axis A and preferably parallel to the inner surface 6, while the second portion 7b is inclined with respect to the central axis A by the above-mentioned inclination angle. In other words, the outer surface 7 has different slopes along the longitudinal direction X-X.

[0040] Preferably, the first portion 7a is closer to the upper ring 2 than the second portion 7b. Also preferably, the first portion 7a corresponds to the first end 5a of the side wall 5. More preferably, the second portion 7b extends from the first end 5a to one end of the second end 5b of the side wall 5, in particular to the free end of the side wall 5.

[0041] According to an aspect, as illustrated in Figure 3 , the side wall 5 has a first thickness s1 at the first end 5a and a second thickness s2 at the second end 5b, wherein the first thickness s1 and the second thickness s2 are defined between the inner surface 6 and the outer surface 7.

[0042] The second thickness s2 is smaller than the first thickness s1. In other words, the side wall 5 is thinner at the second end 5b than at the first end 5a.

[0043] Preferably, the second thickness s2 is at least 50% less than the first thickness s1.

[0044] Advantageously, the difference in thickness between the first and second ends 5a, 5b, in particular the inclination of the outer surface 7, guarantees an optimal rigidity between the lower portion 3 and the upper ring 2, thus guaranteeing that the tamper-evident ring 1 does not undergo plastic deformations during the application of the closure 10 to the neck 30 of the container, while at the same time providing the tamper-evident function during the first opening, as will be better explained hereinafter.

[0045] In fact, a high rigidity along the entire lateral wall of the tamper-evident ring 1 would cause the lower portion not to deform upon opening of the closure, thus impairing the tamper-evident function. Conversely, a low rigidity along the entire lateral wall 5 would cause the lower portion to deform when the closure is applied to the container, thus giving false evidence of the opening of the closure.

[0046] It has been surprisingly found that the inclination of the outer surface 7 of the lateral wall 5 provides an optimized combination of rigidity and flexibility of the tamper-evident ring 1, which increases the success rate of the closure.

[0047] According to one preferred aspect, the lateral wall 5 has the shape of a cylindrical section.

[0048] According to the same aspect, the retaining wall 4 projects inwardly from the second end 5b of the lateral wall 5 towards the first end 5a. In more detail, the retaining wall 4 is transversal to the lateral wall 5.

[0049] Preferably, the retaining wall 4 has a shape of an upwardly converging frustoconical shape, which terminates in a contact wall 4a.

[0050] According to one aspect, the upper ring 2 comprises an inner surface 2a, which is preferably cylindrical, and an opposite outer surface 2b, which is preferably slightly conical, having a diameter greater than that of the inner surface.

[0051] According to Figure 4 The preferred embodiment shown, the lower portion 3 comprises two or more segments 3a shaped as cylindrical segments. Each segment 3a is spaced apart from the other segments 3a along the circumferential direction.

[0052] Preferably, each segment 3a comprises a respective retaining wall 4 and a respective lateral wall 5, and the outer surface 7 of the lateral wall of each segment 3a is inclined with respect to the central axis A.

[0053] It should be noted that all the technical features described in general terms for the lateral wall 5 and the retaining wall 4 of the lower portion 3 are also considered to be included in the lateral wall and the retaining wall of each segment 3a.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the side wall 5 of each segment 3a comprises a weakening line configured to fix the side wall 5 to the upper ring 2. The weakening line is configured to bend outwards and / or to plastically deform when the closure is opened for the first time, so that the respective segment 3a is preferably bent upwards towards the outside of the neck 30.

[0055] In this way, the tamper-evident ring 1 provides evidence of the first opening. Moreover, the bending or plastic deformation of the lower part ensures that the tamper-evident ring 1 cannot be put back in its original position to perform a tampering operation.

[0056] According to one alternative embodiment, the side wall 5 of each segment 3a is fixed to the upper ring 2 by a permanent connection member configured to ensure that the segment 3a is not separated from the upper ring when the closure 10 is opened for the first time. The side wall 5 further comprises a temporary connection member configured to break when the closure is opened for the first time. In this way, only a portion of each segment 3a remains connected to the upper ring 2, while the other portion is separated from the upper ring 2, giving evidence of the opening of the container. In this example, the segments 3a are bent laterally in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction.

[0057] Examples of temporary connections include weakening lines, score lines, discontinuous lines forming bridges, and bridges with low mechanical strength.

[0058] The above embodiments are only some examples of tamper-evident functions. It should be noted that the person skilled in the art will be able to find alternative equivalents to these embodiments.

[0059] According to a preferred aspect, the tamper-evident ring 1 is made of a plastic material, for example of a polymeric material such as polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, or a mixture of high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene.

[0060] Another object of the present utility model is a closure 10 for a container. The closure 10 comprises a tamper-evident ring 1 according to the present description.

[0061] The closure 10 further comprises a cap 20 configured to close the mouth 31 of the container. Preferably, the cap 20 is made of drawn metal, more preferably of aluminum.

[0062] It is also preferable that the cap 20 has a top wall 20a and a side wall 20b.

[0063] According to a preferred aspect, the side wall 20a of the cap 20 comprises engagement members for engaging the cap 20 to the neck 30 of the container. More preferably, the cap 20 comprises threads corresponding to the threads of the neck 30 of the container.

[0064] Optionally, the cap 20 comprises an insert at the top wall 20a configured to seal the mouth of the container when the closure 10 is mounted thereon.

[0065] The cap 20 comprises an annular seat 21 configured to house and engage with the upper ring 2 of the tamper-evident ring 1. Preferably, the annular seat 21 is a hollow seat formed at the inner surface of the side wall 20b of the cap 20. Also preferably, the annular seat 21 is formed at the bottom free edge portion of the side wall 20b of the cap 20.

[0066] The engagement between the upper ring 2 of the tamper-evident ring 1 and the annular seat 21 of the cap 20 is known in the prior art and is therefore not further described.

[0067] When the closure 10 is opened for the first time, the tamper-evident ring 1 is configured to be separated from the cap 20 and to remain mounted on the neck 30 of the container when the cap 20 is removed from the container to allow access to the liquid therein.

[0068] It should be noted that this is possible thanks to the advantageous shape and structure of the tamper-evident ring 1, as described above.

Claims

1. A tamper-evident ring (1) for a closure (10), the closure (10) comprising a cap (20) for closing the mouth of a container having a neck (30) and a mouth (31), the tamper-evident ring (1) being configured to be mounted on the neck (30) and comprising: Upper ring (2), the upper ring being configured to engage with an annular seat (21) formed in the cover (20) and having a central axis (A); The lower part (3), which is concentric with the upper ring (2) and includes: A retaining wall (4) is configured to engage with the outer surface (30a) of the neck (30) of the container, thereby retaining the tamper-evident ring (1) in the neck (30); Sidewall (5) extending between a first end (5a) fixed to the upper ring (2) and a second end (5b) fixed to the retaining wall (4), the sidewall (5) having an inner surface (6) configured to face the outer surface (30a) of the neck (30) and an opposing outer surface (7) configured to face outward from the neck (30); The characteristic feature is that the outer surface (7) of the sidewall (5) is at least partially inclined relative to the central axis (A) and converges inward toward the inner surface (6).

2. The anti-theft unlocking ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The inner surface (6) of the sidewall (5) extends substantially parallel to the central axis (A), and the outer surface (7) is at least partially inclined relative to the inner surface (6).

3. The anti-theft ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The outer surface (7) is tilted at a substantially constant angle relative to the central axis (A).

4. The anti-theft unlocking ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The outer surface (7) includes a first portion (7a) substantially parallel to the central axis (A) and a second portion (7b) inclined at an angle relative to the central axis (A), the first portion (7a) being closer to the upper ring (2) than the second portion (7b).

5. The anti-theft ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The sidewall (5) has a first thickness (s1) at the first end (5a) between the inner surface (6) and the outer surface (7), and a second thickness (s2) at the second end (5b) between the inner surface (6) and the outer surface (7), the second thickness (s2) being less than the first thickness (s1).

6. The anti-theft ring (1) according to claim 5, wherein, The second thickness (s2) is at least 50% smaller than the first thickness (s1).

7. The anti-theft unlocking ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The lower part (3) extends along a lower ring concentric with the upper ring (2) and is spaced apart from the upper ring (2) along a longitudinal direction (XX) parallel to the central axis (A). The lower part (3) includes two or more segments (3a) shaped as cylindrical segments, each segment (3a) including a corresponding retaining wall and a sidewall. The outer surface (7) of the sidewall of each segment (3a) is inclined relative to the central axis (A).

8. The anti-theft ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The lower part (3) is integral with the upper ring (2) and is configured to remain attached to the upper ring (2) when the closure (10) is first opened.

9. The anti-theft unlocking ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The retaining wall (4) has an upwardly converging truncated cone shape and a contact wall (4a) configured to engage with a sealing ring (32) of the neck (30) of the container to retain the tamper-evident ring (1) in the neck (30) when the closure (10) is first opened.

10. A closure (10) for closing the spout (31) of a container, the closure comprising: A lid (20) configured to close the mouth (31) of the container, the lid (20) having an annular seat (21); According to claim 1, the tamper-evident ring (1) is configured to be installed on the neck (30) of the container, and the annular seat (21) is configured to receive and engage the upper ring (2) of the tamper-evident ring (1); in, The anti-theft ring (1) is configured to separate from the cover (20) when the closure (10) is first opened.

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