Dispensing cap for a device for packaging and dispensing a product

Abstract

The invention relates to a dispensing cap of a device for packaging and dispensing a product, in particular a pharma, dental or cosmetic product. The device can be a flexible tube. The dispensing cap comprises a base (1) and a lid (2) attached to the base (1). The lid (2) can be flipped over an angle. The dispensing cap comprises a first-opening guarantee consisting of a first part (3) to be destroyed and a second part (4) for destroying the first part (3). The first part (3) is arranged at the lid (2), and the second part (4) is arranged at the base (1).

Description

[0001] Dispensing cap for a device for packaging and dispensing a product

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a dispensing cap for attaching to a device . The device is made for packaging and dispensing a product , in particular a pharma, dental or cosmetic product , in particular the device is a flexible tube . The dispensing cap comprises a base and a lid attached to the base . The lid can be flipped over an angle . The Dispensing cap comprises a first-opening guarantee consisting of a first part to be destroyed and a second part for destroying the first part .

[0004] Furthermore , the invention relates to a device with said dispensing cap and to a method of manufacturing said dispensing cap .

[0005] Background Art

[0006] Flexible tubes are known as packaging devices for packaging and dispensing products in fluid form, in particular in the form of a lotion, gel , cream, paste or liquid . Tubes as primary packaging in the pharmaceutical , cosmetics , and dental industries must satis fy the most stringent of requirements in terms of hygiene and safety as well as aesthetics plus ease of use .

[0007] Such tubes comprise a sleeve with a first end and a second end . The first end of the sleeve is usually equipped with a shoulder and a dispensing cap and the second end of the sleeve is closed by welding or heat sealing . The sleeve is a specially made laminate tube or Polyfoil tube or coextruded or monoextruded tube sleeve , which reliably protects products against light , air and water vapor di f fusion and substance migration . It keeps its shape and can be printed on all around . The dispensing cap stabili zes the sleeve .

[0008] A large variety of shoulders and dispensing caps exist . The range of dispensing caps varies from single-dose tubes with twist locks , flip-top hinge caps and screw caps , which can be embossed, metalli zed or decorated with a metal shell . Usually, the caps are screwed or snaped on the shoulder .

[0009] Disclosure of the Invention

[0010] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a dispensing cap which is easy to manufacture .

[0011] This problem is solved by the dispensing cap according to claim 1 . According to this , the dispensing cap is adapted to be attached to a device for packaging and dispensing a product . In particular, the product is a pharma, dental or cosmetic product . The device can be a flexible tube . The dispensing cap comprises

[0012] - a base , in particular wherein the base comprises attachment means for attaching the dispensing cap to a device . In particular the base has a circular shape .

[0013] - a lid attached to the base , wherein the lid can be flipped over an angle . In particular, the lid can be flipped around a rotation axis and the rotation axis can be arranged along the diameter of the dispensing cap . In particular the lid has a flat shape .

[0014] - a first-opening guarantee consisting of a first part to be destroyed and a second part for destroying the first part . The first-opening guarantee ensures that a person can see i f the dispensing cap has already been opened . When opening the dispensing cap the first time , the first part is destroyed by the second part . This can be heard and can be seen from the person opening the dispensing cap . The first part of the first-opening guarantee is arranged at the lid, and the second part of the first- opening guarantee is arranged at the base . This arrangement simpli fies the manufacturing of the dispensing cap by inj ection moulding or compression moulding . The dispensing cap can be manufactured with an open lid such that the first part of the first-opening guarantee can be aligned in the main demoulding direction . No slider is required for demoulding the first part of the first-opening guarantee .

[0015] Alternatively, the first part of the first- opening guarantee is arranged at the base , and the second part is arranged at the lid .

[0016] In particular, the first part comprises a hole , in particular a through hole , and the second part comprises a protrusion . The protrusion protrudes into said hole , in case the lid is closed and the first-opening guarantee has not yet been destroyed . The first part surrounds the protrusion until the lid is opened the first time . When opening the lid the first time , the protrusion tears open the first part such that the first part of the first-opening guarantee is destroyed .

[0017] Advantageously, the dispensing cap is defined by the following three axes : a rotation axis , an axis normal to the lid and a lid axis . These three axes form a cartesian coordinate system and the axes are mutually perpendicular axes . The rotation axis defines the rotation of the lid with respect to the base . The axis normal to the lid is arranged perpendicular to the main surface of the lid . The lid axis is the third axis of the cartesian coordinate system which is arranged perpendicular to the two other axes . The axis normal to the lid and the lid axis are understood to rotate together with a rotation of the lid around the rotation axis . With other words , the cartesian coordinate system is fixated at the lid and rotates together with the lid . In particular, the dispensing cap is made by inj ection moulding or by compression moulding and the first part , and in particular the second part , of the first-opening guarantee is adapted to have a demoulding direction equal to the lid axis .

[0018] In a preferred embodiment , the base comprises a dispensing ori fice and the lid comprises a pin for closing the dispensing ori fice , wherein the pin is adapted to have a demoulding direction equal to the axis normal to the lid .

[0019] In particular, the pin and the first part are adapted to have di f ferent demoulding directions . Such a design allows that either the first part or the pin can be demoulded in the main opening direction of the mould . The other part has to be demoulded by a slider . A slider is a mould component which slides perpendicular to or at a certain angle to the main opening direction of the mould during the opening action . The slider is used to demould undercuts . Undercuts are recesses or proj ections on the surface of an molded part that prevent the part ' s direct removal from the mould cavity .

[0020] Preferably, the first part of the opening guarantee is demoulded in the main demoulding direction and the pin is demoulded with a slider .

[0021] In particular, the lid can be flipped by a maximum of 180 ° .

[0022] Advantageously, the si ze ratio between a maximal diameter of the dispensing cap and the height of the dispensing cap is at least 3 to 1 , in particular at least 4 to 1 , in particular at least 5 to 1 . A si ze ratio of at least 3 to 1 means that the diameter is substantially larger than the height of the dispensing cap, or with other words , the dispensing cap has a small thickness compared to its height . These ratios represent an ultralow profile of the dispensing cap .

[0023] Advantageously, the si ze ratio between a maximal diameter of the lid and the height of the lid is at least 3 to 1 , in particular at least 4 to 1 , in particular at least 5 to 1 .

[0024] In particular, the dispensing cap comprises two first-opening guarantees . In particular, the first part of the opening guarantee is arranged at the underside of the lid .

[0025] Advantageously, the dispensing cap is based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE ) or polypropylene .

[0026] Another problem of the invention is to provide a device for packaging and dispensing a product with a dispensing cap which is easy to manufacture .

[0027] This problem is solved by a device which is suitable for packaging and dispensing a product . In particular, the product can be a pharma, dental or cosmetic product . In particular, the device can be a flexible tube . The device comprises :

[0028] - a sleeve for holding the product , in particular a flexible sleeve . The sleeve comprises a first end and a second end . In particular, the sleeve is made of Polyfoil , PE or PP extrusion, PE-COEX or PP-COEX extrusion . Polyfoil is a laminated tube with extrusion coating after longitudinal sealing the laminate for creating the tube sleeve . The sleeve might have a thickness of 0 . 2 - 0 . 5 mm and might be decorated on its outside . The whole device can have capacities from 10 to 300 ml . In particular, the second end of the sleeve is welded together forming the bottom of the device for packaging and dispensing a product .

[0029] - a shoulder, which is attached to the sleeve at the first end . In particular, the shoulder is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE ) or polypropylene , which is a thermoplastic polymer with a high strength-to-den- sity ratio . The shoulder is used to hold and maintain the sleeve in its shape before a dispensing cap is attached to the device .

[0030] - a dispensing cap as described above which is attached to the shoulder . In particular, the dispensing cap is welded on the shoulder, or directly in the sleeve .

[0031] Another problem of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a dispensing cap in an easy way . This problem is solved by a method of manufacturing a dispensing cap as described above . The dispensing cap is manufactured by inj ection moulding or compression moulding, wherein method comprises the following steps :

[0032] - closing the mould,

[0033] - inj ecting liquid material into the mould or extruding molten material into the mould and compressing it while closing the mould,

[0034] - opening the mould in opening direction .

[0035] Advantageously, the first part of the first- opening guarantee is demoulded only in opening direction . No slider is required for demoulding the first part of the opening guarantee . This simpli fies the manufacturing process .

[0036] In particular, the lid of the dispensing cap is in an open state while the liquid material is inj ected into the mould . In particular the lid is open with an angle of 90 ° . The open lid allows to demould the first part of the first-opening guarantee in the opening direction .

[0037] Advantageously, the pin for closing the dispensing ori fice is demoulded in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the mould . A slider is required to demould the pin .

[0038] Other advantageous embodiments are listed in the dependent claims as well as in the description below .

[0039] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0040] The invention will be better understood and obj ects other than those set forth above will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof . Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings , wherein :

[0041] Fig . la shows a first dispensing cap according to the invention with a closed lid and an intact first-opening guarantee ;

[0042] Fig . lb shows the first dispensing cap with an open lid, wherein the first-opening guarantee is destroyed;

[0043] Fig . 1c shows the first dispensing cap with a closed lid and a destroyed first-opening guarantee ;

[0044] Fig . Id shows a flexible tube with the first dispensing cap ;

[0045] Fig . 2a shows a side view of the dispensing cap with arrows indicating the demould directions ;

[0046] Fig . 2b shows a top view of the dispensing cap with arrows indicating the demould directions ;

[0047] Fig . 3a and 3b show a second dispensing cap according to the invention with a small cap ;

[0048] Fig . 4a and 4b show a third dispensing cap according to the invention with a lengthy cap ;

[0049] Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0050] Fig . la, lb and 1c show a first dispensing cap according to the invention . The dispensing cap comprises a base 1 and a lid 2 . The lid 2 is attached to the base 1 . The lid 2 is shaped as a semicircle and can be flipped over a maximal angle of 180 ° . The maximal opening position of the lid 2 is shown in Fig . lb . The lid 2 is flipped around a rotation axis RA. The other two axes of the cartesian coordinate system are the axis normal to the lid NA and the lid axis LA. The axis normal to the lid NA is arranged normal to the main surface of the flat lid 2 . The lid axis LA is arranged perpendicular to the two other axes RA and NA. The coordinate system is fixated to the lid 2 . I f the lid 2 rotates around the rotation axis RA, the coordinate system, i . e . , the axis normal to the lid NA and the lid axis LA rotate in the same way . The rotation of the coordinate system is visuali zed in Fig . la and lb .

[0051] The dispensing cap is designed with an ultralow profile . The si ze ratio between the maximal diameter Dmax-cap of the dispensing cap and the height Hcapof the dispensing cap is 4 . 3 to 1 . The si ze ratio between the maximal diameter Dmax-ndof the lid 2 and the height Hndof the lid 2 is 10 . 5 to 1 . The maximal diameter Dmax-capand the height Hcapof the dispensing cap are shown in Fig . 2a . The maximal diameter Dmax-ndof the lid 2 is shown in Fig . 2b and the height Hndof the lid 2 is shown in Fig . 2a .

[0052] The dispensing cap comprises a first-opening guarantee . The first-opening guarantee is intact as long as the lid 2 has not yet been opened . After the first opening of the lid 2 , the first-opening guarantee is destroyed .

[0053] The first-opening guarantee consists of a first part 3 and a second part 4 . The first part 3 is arranged at the underside of the lid 2 and the second part 4 is arranged at the base 1 . The dispensing cap shown in Fig . la until 1c comprises in total two first-opening guarantees .

[0054] The first part 3 comprises a hole 5 and the second part 4 comprises a protrusion 6 wherein the first- opening guarantee is adapted such that the protrusion 6 protrudes into the hole 5 as long as the lid 2 is closed and the first-opening guarantee is intact .

[0055] Fig . la shows the dispensing cap with a closed lid 1 . The first-opening guarantee is intact , i . e . , the first part 3 hat not yet been destroyed and the protrusion 6 of the second part 4 protrudes into the hole 4 of the first part 3 .

[0056] Fig . lb shows the dispensing cap with an open lid 2 . The first-opening guarantee was destroyed during the first opening action . The protrusion 4 teared open the first part 3 of the first-opening guarantee. The lower part 7 of the first part 3 hangs freely and is only fixed to the lid 2 at one of its ends.

[0057] Fig. 1c shows the dispensing cap, wherein the lid 2 is closed. The lid 2 was closed after a first opening of the lid 2. The first-opening guarantee is destroyed. This is visible by the lower part 7 hanging freely .

[0058] The lid 2 comprises a pin 8 and the base 1 comprises a dispensing orifice 9. If the lid 2 is closed, the pin 8 protrudes into the orifice 9 and closes the orifice 9. The pin 8 and the orifice 9 are visualized in Fig. lb.

[0059] Fig. Id shows a device for packaging and dispensing a product. The device is a flexible tube holding a dental, cosmetic or pharma product. The flexible tube comprises a sleeve 10 for holding the product, a shoulder 11 attached to the sleeve 10 at a first end. The dispensing cap is attached to the shoulder 11 and shows an open lid 2. The dispensing cap is welded on the shoulder 11.

[0060] The dispensing cap is manufactured by injection moulding or compression moulding. The dispensing cap is made of polyethylene or polypropylene. The method of moulding is visualized in Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b. Fig. 2a shows a side view of the dispensing cap and Fig. 2b shows a top view of the dispensing cap. The dispensing cap is manufactured with an open lid 2. The open lid 2 is open with the angle of 90°, i.e., the flat lid 2 is open and aligned with the main opening direction of the mould.

[0061] Separation line 12 visualizes the plane where the two mould halves touch each other if the mould is closed. If the mould is opened, the two main mould halves are moved in vertical direction, i.e. the upper main mould half is moved in the vertical direction visualized by arrows 13. The vertical direction is equal to the lid axis LA. The base 1 with the orifice 9 are demoulded by the opening movement of the upper main mould half. The first part 3 of the first-opening guarantee , which is arranged at the lid 2 , and the opening 5 of the first part 3 are demoulded in the direction of the upper main mould hal f . No slider is required for demoulding the first part 3 of the first-opening guarantee .

[0062] The pin 8 is demoulded in a direction which is perpendicular to the main demould direction . The demould direction of the pin 8 is visuali zed by arrow 14 which corresponds to the axis normal to the lid NA. A slider is required for demoulding the pin 8 . The pin 8 and the first part 3 of the first opening guarantee are demoulded in di f ferent directions .

[0063] Fig . 3a and 3b show a dispensing cap with an alternative design . The lid 2 is smaller compared to the lid shown in Fig . la until Fig . 1c . The dispensing cap comprises only one single first-opening guarantee arranged at the front of the lid 2 .

[0064] Fig . 4a and 4b show a third exemplary embodiment of a dispensing cap . The lid 2 has a lengthy shape with one single first-opening guarantee at the front of the lid 2 .

Claims

Claims1. A dispensing cap for attaching to a device for packaging and dispensing a product, in particular a pharma, dental or cosmetic product, in particular a flexible tube, wherein the dispensing cap comprises- a base ( 1 ) ,- a lid (2) attached to the base (1) , wherein the lid (2) can be flipped over an angle,- a first-opening guarantee consisting of a first part (3) to be destroyed and a second part (4) for destroying the first part (3) , characterized in that- the first part (3) is arranged at the lid (2) , and the second part (4) is arranged at the base (1) , or- the first part (3) is arranged at the base (1) , and the second part (4) is arranged at the lid (2) .

2. The dispensing cap according to claim 1, wherein the first part (3) comprises a hole (5) , in particular a through hole, and the second part (4) comprises a protrusion (6) protruding into said hole (5) in case the lid (2) is closed and the first-opening guarantee is not destroyed.

3. The dispensing cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dispensing cap is defined by a rotation axis (RA) , an axis normal to the lid (NA) and a lid axis (LA) , wherein the dispensing cap is made by injection moulding or compression moulding and the first part (3) , and in particular the second part (4) , is adapted to have a demoulding direction equal to the lid axis (LA) .

4. The dispensing cap according to claim 3, wherein the base (1) comprises a dispensing orifice (9)and the lid (2) comprises a pin (8) for closing the dispensing orifice (9) , wherein the pin (8) is adapted to have a demoulding direction equal to the axis normal to the lid (NA) .

5. The dispensing cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base (1) comprises a dispensing orifice (9) and the lid (2) comprises a pin (8) for closing the dispensing orifice (9) , wherein the pin (8) and the first part (3) of the first-opening guarantee are adapted to have different demoulding directions, in particular wherein the two different demould directions are perpendicular to each other.

6. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid (2) can be flipped by a maximum of 180°.

7. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a size ratio between a maximal diameter (Dmax-cap) of the dispensing cap and the height (Hcap) of the dispensing cap is at least 2 to 1, in particular 3 to 1, in particular at least 4 to 1, in particular at least 5 to 1.

8. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a size ratio between a maximal diameter (Dmax-nd) of the lid (2) and the height (Hud) of the lid (2) is at least 3 to 1, in particular at least 4 to 1, in particular at least 5 to 1, in particular 7 to 1.

9. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising two of the first-opening guarantee .

10. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part (3) is arranged at the underside of the lid (2) .

11. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid (2)- has the shape of a semicircle, and / or- extends only over approximately the half diameter of the dispensing cap.

12. The dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing cap is made of polyethylene or polypropylene.

13. A device for packaging and dispensing a product, in particular a pharma, dental or cosmetic product, in particular a flexible tube, comprising- a sleeve (10) for holding the product,- in particular a shoulder (11) attached to the sleeve (10) at the first end,- a dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims attached to the shoulder (11) .

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the dispensing cap is welded directly in the sleeve (10) or on the shoulder (11) .

15. A method of manufacturing a dispensing cap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing cap is manufactured by injection moulding or compression moulding, comprising the following steps- closing the mould,- injecting liquid material into the mould or extruding molten material into the mould and compressing it while closing the mould,- opening the mould in opening direction.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first part (3) of the first-opening guarantee is demoulded only in the main opening direction.

17. The method according to any one of the claims 15 to 16, wherein the lid (2) is in an open state while injecting the liquid material, in particular in an open state with an angle of 90°.

18. The method according to any one of the claims 15 to 17 for manufacturing a dispensing cap according to claim 5, wherein the pin (8) is demoulded in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the mould .

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