Closure cap for liquid container

Abstract

A closure cap for liquid containers, in particular for medical bottles, comprises: - a cover section (2), - a screw collar (3) arranged thereon with an internal thread (5) for screwing onto an external thread (6) of the liquid container, - a functional insert (10), in particular a dropper or dosing insert, which can be detachably fixed in the closure cap (1) with a base section (14) for assembly purposes, and - a fixing device between the closure cap (1) and the functional insert (10), which has an inwardly projecting bead (16) that extends at least partially around the inner wall of the closure cap (1) and a radially resilient locking tab (15) arranged on the functional insert (10) that extends at least partially around the base section and engages behind the bead (16) in an intermediate assembly position.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a closure cap assembly for liquid containers and in particular for medicine bottles having the features specified in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such closure caps are known in many different designs from the prior art. Their main elements are a cover portion and a screw collar arranged thereon with an internal thread, with which the closure cap can be screwed onto an external thread of the liquid container.

[0003] The closure cap assembly also features a functional insert that can be removably secured in the closure cap using a base section for assembly purposes. Depending on the application, such functional inserts can be, for example, dropper or dosing inserts that allow liquid pharmaceuticals to be dispensed from the liquid container in a controlled manner.

[0004] From DE 10 2019 214 085 B4 a closure cap with a hinged lid is known in which a dropper insert is integrally formed onto the closure cap.

[0005] The basic concept of a closure cap with a cover section around a screw collar as well as a functional insert and a sealing disc between these and the closure cap is known from DE 198 60 147 C1 of the applicant.

[0006] Various anchoring measures for securing the sealing disc in a closure cap can be found, for example, in EP 3 470 349 A1 or DE 600 13 261 T2. These include either projections on the outer edge of the sealing disc for engagement with respective mating elements on the closure cap, such as an internal thread in EP 3 470 349 A1, or adhesive bonds, as in DE 600 13 261 T1.

[0007] DE 38 16 111 A1 discloses a container closure for a container with a top wall, a screw collar arranged thereon with an internal thread for screwing onto an external thread of the container and a drip insert which can be fixed in the container closure with a support edge, wherein fixing is effected via ribs of the functional insert.

[0008] Closure caps with an integrated seal are known from US 5 884 788 A, GB 804 936 A, and US 3 788 510 A. FR 2 737 193 A1 and DE 38 16 111 A1 show closure caps with an integrated dropper insert.

[0009] In production technology, it is now essential that the multi-part cap assemblies produced by the cap manufacturer can be pre-assembled at the cap manufacturer's plant, stored, and delivered to the filling line for the liquid containers. There, the cap is then automatically screwed onto the external thread of the liquid container after it has been filled, simultaneously securing the functional insert in the neck of the liquid container. When the cap is first unscrewed from the liquid container, the pre-assembled connection between the cap and the functional insert is released.

[0010] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a closure cap assembly which meets the above requirements of production technology, in particular which enables a temporary fixation of the functional insert in the closure cap in a structurally particularly simple manner.

[0011] The above problem of temporarily fixing the functional insert in the closure cap is solved in a structurally particularly simple, yet at the same time clever manner by the features specified in claim 1. Accordingly, a fixing device is provided between the closure cap and the functional insert, which has an inwardly projecting bead projection that runs at least partially around the inner wall of the closure cap and a locking web arranged on the functional insert, is resilient in the radial direction and runs at least partially around the base section, which engages behind the bead projection in the intermediate assembly position.

[0012] The separately manufactured parts of the closure cap assembly can usually be prefabricated by injection molding and then assembled by simply locking the functional insert with the closure cap, whereby both elements are held together captively and in a defined position.

[0013] When designing the locking force between the closure cap and the functional insert, it is important to ensure that it is lower than the adhesive force of the functional insert in its installed position in the neck of the liquid container. This ensures that the functional insert is anchored in the bottle neck when the closure cap is first screwed onto the liquid container and that it cannot be released again when the locking mechanism between the functional insert and the closure cap is released.

[0014] In the case of closure caps for liquid containers, the tightness of the closure cap when screwed onto the liquid container is also fundamentally important. This is particularly relevant for volatile container contents, which require additional measures, such as the insertion of a sealing disc between the cover section and the base section of the functional insert. Such closure caps with a sealing disc also face the problem of reliably and stably positioning this additional part next to the functional insert for pre-assembly of the closure cap by the manufacturer. Adhesive bonds are known for this purpose in the prior art, but this is generally avoided for hygiene reasons, for example, with liquid foods, dietary supplements, or pharmaceuticals.Furthermore, there is the problem that the adhesive of the bonding joint can interact with the bottle contents and, for example, the bottle contents can become contaminated by dissolved adhesive.

[0015] To prevent such an adhesive bond, the invention provides for the sealing disc to be secured at its outer edge by means of an additional internal thread on the screw collar in the closure cap. This ensures reliable, adhesive-free fixation of the sealing disc, particularly during the intermediate assembly steps for the closure cap assembly at the manufacturer.

[0016] Preferred developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. Accordingly, the beaded projection on the inside of the closure cap can extend continuously around its inner wall. This achieves a more uniform locking action between the closure cap and the functional insert.

[0017] Preferred dimensions for the radial projection are 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm radially inward. A projection with a dimension of approximately 0.5 mm is particularly preferred. This represents a good compromise between locking and releasability after final assembly of the closure cap on a liquid container.

[0018] As a measure analogous to the circumferential bead projection, according to a further preferred embodiment, the locking web also extends continuously around the base section of the functional insert. This allows the closure cap and functional insert to be secured to each other equally in any rotational position relative to each other.

[0019] Another preferred embodiment provides for an apron-shaped design of the locking bar. This particularly favors the spring behavior of the locking bar.

[0020] A preferred development of the subject matter of the invention further provides for a conical widening of the locking web in the direction of its peripheral edge engaging behind the bead projection. Due to this design of the locking web, its annular outer surface acts as a kind of ramp, along which the bead projection slides during the assembly process of the functional insert into the closure cap, leading to a gradual inward deflection of the locking web until its peripheral edge engages behind the bead projection. In this pre-assembly position, the functional insert can no longer easily fall out of the closure cap.

[0021] Particularly reliable fixation can be achieved with a multi-start design of the additional internal thread. If the pitches of the internal thread and the additional internal thread are the same, this simplifies production, as the closure cap can then be removed from the injection mold more easily.

[0022] A sealing disc that is particularly effective for liquid ingredients is made from an aluminum-foam composite disc.

[0023] In connection with closure caps in which a sealing disc is provided, it should be noted that the aforementioned embodiments in this regard can also be used in connection with functional inserts which do not have a fixing device consisting of a bead projection on the closure cap and a locking web on the functional insert.

[0024] Further features, details, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a closure cap, Fig. 2 a perspective, broken away view of the closure cap according to Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 an exploded view of a closure cap with associated threaded neck of a liquid container, cut in the axial plane, Fig. 4 an axial section of the closure cap in the assembled state placed on the threaded neck of a liquid container, and Fig. 5 a perspective, partially cut-away view of the closure cap with sealing disc and functional insert.

[0025] As can be seen from the drawings, a closure cap 1 is provided with a circular cover section 2 and a screw collar 3 formed directly thereon, which has on its inside at a height of approximately 2 / 3 from the lower edge 4 an internal thread 5 for screwing the closure cap 1 onto an external thread 6 of a Fig. 3 and 4 A tamper-evident ring 8 is integrally formed on the lower edge 4 of the closure cap 1 via thin break bars 9. The structure and function of this ring are described in detail in DE 10 2005 040 745 A1 of the applicant and therefore require no further explanation here.

[0026] As is particularly evident in Fig. 3 As can be seen, a functional insert 10 in the form of a so-called dropper is provided, which has a sleeve-shaped base body 11. The outer side of the jacket-shaped base body wall 12 is somewhat spherically shaped in order to stabilize the functional insert 10 in its position in the container neck 7, which has a slightly concave profile on the inside.

[0027] A conventional drip tube 13 is molded centrally into the base body 11. Its design ensures that the liquid stored in the container emerges in droplets. The design of this drip tube 13 is known and therefore requires no further explanation. Other inserts, such as dosing inserts with eccentrically arranged drip openings and venting tubes, which are also known from the prior art, can equally be used as functional inserts.

[0028] At the upper edge pointing in the direction of engagement E of the functional insert 10 into the closure cap 1, the base body 11 is provided with a thickened, ring-shaped base section 14, which, with its edge pointing opposite to the direction of engagement E, serves as a stop and sealing edge of the functional insert 10 against the container neck 7 - see Fig. 4 . On the other hand, the base section 14 serves to form a locking web 15 which runs circumferentially and is resilient in the radial direction and which, together with a bead projection 16 which is arranged above the internal thread 5 on the inside of the closure cap 1 and also runs in a ring-shaped manner and projects inwards, ensures reliable fixing of the functional insert 10 in the closure cap 1 in the pre-assembled assembly state according to Fig. 2 as will be explained in more detail later.

[0029] A sealing disc 17 made of an aluminum-foam composite material is also inserted between the base section 14 of the functional insert 10 and the cover section 2 of the closure cap 1. Such sealing discs are offered commercially, for example, under the brand name "AL-KOzell r<" by Meyer Seals Alfelder Kunststoffwerke Herm. Meyer GmbH, 31061 Alfeld, Germany. This type of sealing disc 17 represents an additional, extremely effective barrier for any, particularly volatile, contents in the liquid container. The sealing disc 17 is secured directly below the cover section 2 of the closure cap 1 by an additional internal thread 18 integrally formed on the inside of the screw collar 3. This additional internal thread is designed with multiple starts (four starts in the example shown) and has the same pitch as the internal thread 5 on the closure cap 1.The outer diameter of the sealing disc 17 is designed so that the peripheral edge 19 digs into the threads of the additional internal thread 18, which not only achieves good mechanical anchoring but also an improved sealing effect.

[0030] After the individual components have been manufactured by the closure cap manufacturer, the components closure cap 1, sealing disc 17 and functional insert 10 are joined together by anchoring the sealing disc 17 in the additional internal thread 18 one after the other or simultaneously and by inserting the functional insert 10 from below into the closure cap 1. The apron-shaped locking web 15, which widens conically against the engagement direction E in the direction of its edge 20 engaging behind the bead projection 16, runs onto the bead projection 16 so that the locking web 15 is increasingly pressed inwards until it finally engages with its edge 20 behind the bead projection 16 and is anchored there. At the same time, in this assembled state, the base section 14 of the functional insert 10 additionally presses the sealing disc 17 against the cover section 2, which further improves the sealing effect.

[0031] A closure cap 1 pre-assembled in this way with a sealing disc 17 and functional insert 10 can be stored without problems and can be handled for transport and assembly of the closure cap 1 onto a container neck 7, for example by automatic assembly machines, since there is no risk of the individual components becoming separated.

[0032] During this assembly process, the prefabricated closure cap 1 is screwed with its internal thread 10 onto the external thread 6 on the container neck 7. The base body 11 of the functional insert 10 penetrates the container neck 7 until the base section 14 abuts the edge of the container neck. The functional insert 10 is thus captively mounted on the container neck 7. When the closure cap 1 is unscrewed from the container neck 7 for the first time, not only is the tamper-evident ring 8 severed in a known manner, but the locking connection between the closure cap 1 and the functional insert 10 is also released. Due to the fixation of the functional insert 10 in the container neck, the bead projection 16 is retracted upwards over the edge 20 of the locking web 15, thus releasing the connection between these two components. In this state, the additional internal thread 18 reliably prevents the sealing disc 17 from falling out.

Claims

1. A closure cap assembly for liquid containers, in particular for medicine bottles, comprising - a closure cap, comprising - a cover section (2) and - a screw collar (3) arranged thereon with an internal thread (5) for screwing onto an external thread (6) of the liquid container, - a functional insert (10), in particular a dropper or dosing insert, which can be detachably fixed in the closure cap (1) by means of a base section (14) for assembly purposes, and - a fixing device between the closure cap (1) and the functional insert (10), which fixing device has an inwardly projecting bulge projection (16) which runs at least in sections around an inner wall of the closure cap (1) and a latching web (15) which is arranged on the functional insert (10), is resilient in the radial direction, runs at least in sections around the base section and engages behind the bulge projection (16) in an intermediate assembly position, characterized in that a sealing washer (17) inserted between the cover section (2) and the base section (14) of the functional insert (10), wherein the sealing washer (17) is held free of adhesive at its peripheral edge (19) by means of an additional internal thread (18) on the screw collar (3) in the closure cap (1) and at the same time is additionally secured by the latched functional insert (10).

2. A closure cap assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the bulge projection (16) extends continuously around the inner wall of the closure cap (1).

3. A closure cap assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bulge projection (16) projects radially inwards by a dimension of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, preferably about 0.5 mm.

4. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching web (15) extends continuously around the base section (14) of the functional insert (10).

5. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching web (15) is integrally formed on the base section (14) of the functional insert (10).

6. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching web (15) is configured in the shape of an apron.

7. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching web (15) widens conically in the direction of its marginal edge (20) engaging behind the bulge projection (16).

8. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the additional internal thread (18) is designed with multiple starts.

9. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pitches of the internal thread (5) and the additional internal thread (18) are equal.

10. A closure cap assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing washer (17) is an aluminium foam composite washer.

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