Container, container closure and refill container

Abstract

The invention relates to a container closure (100) having a base body (20) for fastening to a container. A discharge opening (21) and a refill opening (22) are arranged in the base body (20). The refill opening (23) is closed by means of a plug (30).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a container closure, a container comprising a container closure, a refill container and a set comprising a container with a container closure and a refill container according to the preamble of the independent claims.

[0002] Various devices and methods for refilling bottles or containers are known in the prior art. This need arises, on the one hand, from the fact that elaborately designed containers are intended for multiple uses, while refill bottles or containers for single use, for example, need to be less robust. Furthermore, there is a need to design packaging materials in a way that conserves resources. This also results, for example, in containers that are manufactured to be sufficiently robust so that they can be reused repeatedly in daily use, and in refill containers made of relatively thin materials and intended for single use only. Refill containers can, for example, be in the form of pouches.

[0003] For example, a refill container with a special closure is known from GB 2 342 347 A. This closure has a breakable wall that is broken by screwing the refill container, together with the closure, onto the container to be refilled. This closure is complex to manufacture, consumes a lot of material, and can only be used once. If, for example, not all the liquid from the refill container can be dispensed into the container to be refilled, the refill container cannot be closed. Typically, such refill containers have a larger capacity than the container itself. The closure shown in GB 2 342 347 A connects the refill container to the container to be refilled. Due to the specific design of the closure, complete emptying of the refill container is not possible.From US 7 036 684 B1, a container closure according to the preamble of independent claim 1 is known.

[0004] Furthermore, connecting fittings are known from the prior art for connecting a refill container to the container being refilled. These are removed after the process so that the containers can be resealed. After use, these connecting fittings must either be disposed of or extensively cleaned so that they can be stored until the next use.

[0005] There are also containers, for example for products like shower gels or shampoos, that have a lid with only a small opening for dispensing. To create a sufficiently large opening for refilling, the lid must be removed, which is typically very difficult with these containers.

[0006] Furthermore, there is a need, especially from manufacturers, that only products equivalent to the original products are refilled.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to overcome at least one or more disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, a container closure is to be provided that makes it possible to refill a container equipped with it easily and safely. Specifically, a container closure is to be provided that simplifies refilling with an original product.

[0008] This problem is solved by the devices defined in the independent claims. Further embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0009] An inventive container closure comprises a base body for attachment to a container. The base body includes a discharge opening and a refill opening. The refill opening is closed with a plug. The plug has a drive contour.

[0010] This allows for the provision of a container closure with a relatively small dispensing opening for the metered release of a liquid, such as shampoo or shower gel. Simultaneously, the container has a correspondingly large refill opening through which it can be refilled. By providing a refill opening in the container closure, removing the closure from the container is unnecessary for refilling.

[0011] Closing the refill opening with a plug allows the container to be used regardless of its position, especially upside down, without the risk of the container's contents accidentally being dispensed through the refill opening. Preferably, the refill opening and the plug are detachably connected by corresponding fasteners, particularly a threaded or bayonet fitting. These fasteners enable a controlled connection between the refill opening and the plug. In particular, such fasteners allow the relative position of the plug to be repeatedly and precisely set. The relative position is therefore always reproducible. A uniformly tight seal between the refill opening and the plug is also facilitated.

[0012] A drive contour makes it possible to actuate, i.e., to loosen or tighten, the plug.

[0013] Preferably, this drive contour is designed as a product-specific contour. In particular, the drive contour is coded in a product-specific manner.

[0014] By designing the drive contour specifically for the product, it can be prevented, at least to a certain extent, that the plug is used with non-original, i.e., incompatible, accessories. This appropriate design of the drive contour can therefore encourage the use of original products.

[0015] The drive contour can, for example, have a polygonal cross-section and thus be triangular, quadrilateral, or simply an n-gon. It is also conceivable that there are recesses between the corners, giving the contour a star-shaped form.

[0016] Preferably, the plug and the refill opening are connected to each other via sealing surfaces.

[0017] It is possible to provide for a sealing surface on the plug. Additionally or alternatively, a sealing surface may be provided on the refill opening. It is also conceivable that, instead of a sealing surface, a gasket is provided on one of the two elements. This gasket could, for example, be an integral part of the refill opening or the plug. It is also conceivable to use a separate sealing element, such as a rubber gasket, which could, for example, be in the form of an O-ring.

[0018] The sealing surfaces and / or the corresponding seals ensure that the refill opening is tightly closed. By appropriately designing the sealing surface and / or the seals, a suitable preload can be created when connecting the plug to the refill opening, so that the plug is securely held in the refill opening.

[0019] Position markers indicating the closed state can be arranged on the plug and / or the base body. It is conceivable that several position markers are arranged on the base body, which, depending on the closed state of the plug, correspond to another position marker on the plug.

[0020] The user can thus visually check whether the container closure, especially the refill opening, is securely closed with the stopper.

[0021] The container closure can be designed as a flip-top closure.

[0022] The flip-top design allows for easy handling of the container closure and, in particular, enables a captive sealing plug to be permanently attached to the closure for sealing the dispensing opening. The flip-top design also allows the plug to be concealed, so that it is not visible on the product and therefore inaccessible when the product is closed.

[0023] Another aspect concerns a refill container for refilling a container with a container closure attached to it, in particular a container with a container closure as described here. The refill container has a filling spout and a closure cap. The filling spout is closed with the closure cap. A drive contour corresponding to the drive contour of the plug for releasing a plug is formed on the closure cap.

[0024] A refill container designed in this way, with a drive contour on the closure lid, makes it possible to open a plug that closes a refill opening on a container closure.

[0025] Preferably, this drive contour is designed as a product-specific contour. The drive contour corresponds to the drive contour on the plug. There is preferably exactly one pairing of drive contour and drive contour per product.

[0026] The drive contour can, for example, have a polygonal cross-section and thus be triangular, quadrilateral, or simply an n-gon. It is also conceivable that there are recesses between the corners, giving the contour a star-shaped form.

[0027] By designing the drive contour specifically for the product, it can be prevented, at least to a certain extent, that the plug can be opened with a non-original, i.e., foreign, cap. By designing the drive contour accordingly, corresponding to the drive contour, the use of original products can therefore be encouraged.

[0028] Preferably, the filling nozzle and a refilling opening of the container closure have corresponding fastening means, in particular a thread or a bayonet fitting, for detachable connection to each other.

[0029] The corresponding fastening elements allow for a secure connection between the refill container and the refill opening. In particular, these fastening elements enable the refill container to be permanently attached to the main container or to a container closure located on the main container. The vent opening of the container closure allows for air exchange even when the refill container is firmly attached to the closure. Excess air can escape. Connecting the filling nozzle to the refill opening prevents dripping or spillage of the liquid during the refilling process.

[0030] In particular, such fasteners allow the relative position of the filler neck to be repeatedly and precisely set to the same position relative to the refill opening. The relative position is therefore always reproducible. Furthermore, such fasteners can also create a preload in the connection, which at least partially prevents accidental opening of the connection.

[0031] The refill container can be designed as a bag.

[0032] Bags are relatively easy and inexpensive to produce and require relatively little material.

[0033] Alternatively, the refill container can be designed as an extrusion blow-molded container.

[0034] Extrusion blow-molded containers are also relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Since they are typically blown from a single-layer tube, their reuse, or rather the return of residual materials to the material stream, is facilitated.

[0035] Another aspect concerns a container comprising a container closure as described above. This enables the provision of a product in a container with an associated container closure that has a product-specific plug or a product-specific drive contour on the plug.

[0036] Another aspect concerns a set consisting of a container with a container closure, in particular with a container closure as described herein, and a refill container, in particular a refill container as described herein.

[0037] The refill container has a closure lid, and a plug is arranged on the container closure, which in particular closes a refill opening. The closure lid has a drive contour, and the plug has a drive contour. The drive contour and the drive contour are designed to correspond to each other.

[0038] Such a set makes it possible to provide a product-specific combination of a refillable container and an associated refill container.

[0039] Preferably, the container closure of the set has a refill opening that is sealed with a stopper. In this case, the refill container preferably has a filling nozzle that is sealed with the closure cap. By providing a filling nozzle and a refill opening, the corresponding container can be easily refilled.

[0040] It may be provided that corresponding fastening means are arranged at the refill opening and at the filling nozzle, in particular a thread or a bayonet fitting, for detachable connection to each other.

[0041] The corresponding fastening elements allow for a guided connection of the refill container to the refill opening. This ensures that only original products are used.

[0042] The invention is explained using figures. It shows: Figure 1: A perspective view of a container closure; Figure 2: A refill container; Figure 3: A closure lid; Figure 4: A plug; Figure 5: A container closure and a plug in engagement with each other; Figure 6: A container closure with the plug removed; Figure 7: A refill container in engagement with a refill opening on a container closure.

[0043] For the sake of clarity, the container on which the container closure is located is not shown in the figures.

[0044] The Figure 1 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container closure 100. The container closure 100 has a base body 20. A discharge opening 21 and a refill opening 22 are arranged in the base body 20. The refill opening 22 is closed with a plug 30. Two position markers 23 and 24 are arranged in the area of ​​the refill opening 22, which can be aligned with a corresponding position marker 32 of the plug 30.

[0045] The container closure 100 is designed as a flip-top closure and has a flip-top lid 101 on which a sealing plug 102 is arranged. When the flip-top lid 101 is actuated, the sealing plug 102 closes the discharge opening 21. It also covers the plug 30.

[0046] The Figure 2Figure 3 shows a refill container 300. This container has a filling nozzle 40, which is closed with a closure 50. The refill container 300 is designed as a bag.

[0047] The Figure 3 Figure 1 shows a closure lid 50 in a perspective view. The closure lid 50 has an unspecified structure at its periphery to enable a secure grip. At one end, the closure lid 50 has a recess in which a drive contour 51 is arranged. The drive contour 51 rises from the bottom of the recess as a positive projection. In this case, the drive contour is formed with five radially extending projections and is thus star-shaped.

[0048] The Figure 4 Figure 1 shows a plug 30 in a perspective view. The plug 30 has an unspecified thread as a fastening element for attachment in the refill opening 22 (see Figure 2). Figure 1 or6 ). At one end, the plug has a recess forming the drive contour 31. The drive contour 31 is complementary to the drive contour 51 (see figure). Figure 3 ) formed. In this case, the drive contour is formed with five radially extending recesses. A position mark 32 is also arranged on the plug 30, which in this case is formed as a radially extending projection.

[0049] The Figure 5 Figure 1 shows a container closure 100 and a plug 30 engaged with each other. For this purpose, the drive contour 51 and the drive contour 31 are engaged with each other. It is evident that at this point, i.e., when the refill opening 22 is still closed, the position mark 32 and the position mark 23 are adjacent to each other. Typically, the closure 50 is unscrewed from the refill container 300 to access the contents of the container. Figure 5 to create the shown condition.

[0050] The Figure 6shows a container closure with the plug 30 removed. For this purpose, the closure 50 was removed together with the plug 30 ( Figure 5 ) turned counterclockwise until position mark 32 is adjacent to position mark 33. Then plug 30 can be removed. As can be seen, the refill opening 22 is now clear.

[0051] The Figure 7 Figure 3 shows a refill container engaged with a refill opening 22 on a container closure 100. A refill nozzle 40 is arranged on the refill container 300, which has fastening means that correspond to fastening means on the refill opening 22. These are interlocking threads. This enables a secure connection of the refill container to the container on which the container closure 100 is located.

[0052] During the refilling process, air can escape from the container through the discharge opening 21.

[0053] The thread on the filler neck is the same thread as that on plug 30 (see Figure 4 ). Accordingly, an internal thread is present on the closure 50 (see Figure 3 ) also designed in the same way as the thread of the refill opening.

Claims

1. A container closure (100) with a base body (20) for fastening to a container, wherein a discharge opening (21) and a refill opening (22) are arranged in the base body (20), wherein the refill opening (23) is closed with a plug (30), characterized in that the plug (30) has a driving contour (31).

2. The container closure (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the refill opening (22) and the plug (30) are detachably connected to corresponding fastening means, in particular to a thread or a bayonet closure.

3. The container closure (100) according to claim1 or 2, characterized in that the driving contour (31) is designed as a product-specific contour, in particular is coded in a product-specific manner.

4. The container closure (100) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the plug (30) and the refill opening (22) are operatively connected to one another via sealing surfaces.

5. The container closure (100) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that position marks (23, 32, 33) are arranged on the plug (30) and / or on the base body (20) to indicate a closure state.

6. The container closure (100) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the container closure (100) is designed as a flip-top closure.

7. A refill container (300) for refilling a container with a container closure (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6 arranged thereon, wherein the refill container (300) has a filler neck (40) and a closure lid (50), wherein the filler neck (40) is closed with the closure lid (50), characterized in that a drive contour (51) that corresponds to the driving contour on a plug for releasing the plug (30) is designed on the closure lid (50).

8. The refill container (300) according to claim 7, characterized in that the filler neck (40) and a refill opening (22) of the container closure (100) have fastening means corresponding to one another, in particular a thread or a bayonet closure, for detachable connecting to one another.

9. The refill container (300) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the refill container (300) is designed as a bag.

10. The refill container (300) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the refill container (300) is designed as an extrusion-blown container.

11. A container, comprising a container closure (100) according to any of claims 1 to 6.

12. A set, consisting of a container with a closure (100) according to any of claims 1 to 6, and a refill container (300), in particular according to any of claims 7 to 11, with a closure lid (50), characterized in that the closure lid (50) has a drive contour (51), wherein the drive contour (51) and the driving contour (31) are designed to correspond to one another.

13. The set according to claim 12, characterized in that the refill container (300) has a filler neck (40) which is closed by the closure lid (50).

14. The set according to claim 13, characterized in that corresponding fastening means are arranged on the refill opening (22) and on the filler neck (40), in particular a thread or a bayonet closure, for detachable connecting to one another.

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