CAP FOR CLOSING THE OPENING OF A CONTAINER SUCH AS A CAN

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stopper for closing the opening of a container, such as a can, in which the stopper comprises an assembly including a sealing element made of flexible material and a support element made of rigid material, in which the sealing element is adapted to fill said opening of the container, the sealing element having a sealing wall with an outer surface intended to bear against the inner wall of the opening of the container and an inner surface, and in which the support element has a support wall having an outer surface adapted to bear against the inner surface of the sealing wall, the flexible material of the sealing wall being adapted to be deformed by the application of a clamping force exerted on said sealing wall, on the one hand, by the inner wall of the opening of the container and, on the other hand, by the outer surface of the support wall of the support element.Figure from the summary: 1.

Description

Title of the invention: CAP FOR CLOSING THE OPENING OF A CONTAINER SUCH AS A CAN Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a stopper for closing the opening of a container, such as a can, in which the stopper comprises an assembly including a sealing element made of flexible material and a support element made of rigid material.

[0002] The invention relates in particular to a stopper for closing the opening of a metal container, such as an aluminum container. State of the art

[0003] A stopper according to the introduction is known in the prior art. Such a stopper is made from a single piece and comprises, for example, a synthetic rubber such as chlorobutylene.

[0004] The stopper according to the prior art is particularly suitable for closing containers used in particular in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and having a relatively large opening.

[0005] During use, the stopper is pushed with a certain force into the opening of a container. During this step, the stopper material deforms elastically. Thanks to this elastic deformation, the stopper can properly seal the opening of the container by using the elastic energy stored within it. This elastic energy is used to push the outer wall of the stopper against the inner wall of the container opening.

[0006] The elastic energy stored in the stopper is applied against the inner wall of the container opening in order to ensure a good seal of the container.

[0007] In light of the foregoing, according to the prior art, the stopper performs several functions simultaneously. To ensure a good seal of the relatively large opening of a container, the stopper has a relatively large volume. Despite this large volume, the stopper must, on the one hand, be sufficiently flexible to deform elastically when placed in the container and, on the other hand, sufficiently rigid to guarantee the clamping force of the stopper against the inner wall of the container opening. For the same reason, relatively high requirements are also imposed during the manufacture of the stopper with regard to the accuracy of its dimensions.

[0008] According to the prior art, the stopper is obtained using well-known techniques, such as compression molding. In practice, the combination of requirements The aforementioned issues with corks make the cork manufacturing process relatively complex and expensive.

[0009] Furthermore, manufacturing a bottle cap requires a relatively large volume of plastic material. In practice, the aforementioned bottle caps are often used as disposable items. This means that using bottle caps according to the prior art creates a relatively large volume of waste.

[0010] In view of the aforementioned disadvantages of stoppers according to the prior art, it appears that there is a need to provide a stopper which can be used to close the opening of a can, and which can be manufactured more easily and at a lower cost, while reducing the volume of waste produced.

[0011] In view of the foregoing, the invention aims to provide a stopper which can at least reduce the aforementioned disadvantages of known stoppers. Object of the invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is a stopper for closing the opening of a container, such as a can, in which the stopper comprises an assembly including a sealing element made of flexible material and a support element made of rigid material, in which the sealing element is adapted to close said opening of the container, the sealing element having a sealing wall with an outer surface intended to bear against the inner wall of the opening of the container and an inner surface, and in which the support element has a support wall having an outer surface adapted to bear against the inner surface of the sealing wall, the flexible material of the sealing wall being adapted to be deformed by the application of a clamping force exerted on said sealing wall, on the one hand, by the inner wall of the opening of the container and, on the other hand,through the outer surface of the support wall of the support element.

[0013] According to one embodiment the sealing wall has an essentially cylindrical shape.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the sealing wall is provided at its upper end with a body extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the sealing wall, the body being provided with a contact surface adapted to engage against the upper surface of the opening of the container.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the sealing wall is provided, at its lower end, with a lower wall enabling the formation of a bowl-shaped sealing element.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the support element is essentially in the form of a bowl with a cylindrical support wall comprising, at its lower end, a lower wall.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the lower wall of the support element is concave in shape.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the support element is connected to a locking element, adapted to fix the cap on the outside of the container.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the locking element is connected to the support element in a frangible way to allow separation of the support element and the locking element.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the sealing element comprises a material composed of elastomers.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the support element comprises a metal or a rigid composite. Brief description of the drawings

[0022] The aims, object and features of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description made with reference to the figures in which:

[0023] [Fig. 1] shows an embodiment of a stopper according to the invention for closing the opening of a container, comprising separately a sealing element and a support element;

[0024] [Fig.2] represents a cross-sectional view of a part of the plug according to [Fig.1], the sealing element and the support element being in an assembled state;

[0025] [Fig.3] schematically shows the insertion of a stopper into the opening of a can, according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0026] [Fig.4] shows a cap fixed on a can, according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0027] [Fig.5] represents a cross-sectional view of part of the cap and part of the can according to [Fig.4];

[0028] [Fig.6] shows the cap according to the invention, once the locking element 50 has been removed;

[0029] [Fig.7] schematically shows the separation of the sealing element and the support element of the can to allow the recycling of said elements. Detailed description of the invention

[0030] The detailed description below is intended to set out the invention in a sufficiently clear and complete manner, in particular by means of examples, but shall in no case be regarded as limiting the scope of protection to the particular embodiments and examples presented below.

[0031] The term "bowl-shaped" is used in this description. In the context of the description, the term "bowl-shaped" refers to a shape comprising a first essentially cylindrical body with an upper end and a a lower end and a second, essentially circular body used to close the lower end of the cylinder. This results in a geometric shape with a cylindrical outer wall and a cylindrical inner wall, the cylinder being open at one end and closed at the other end by means of said circular body.

[0032] [Fig. 1] shows an embodiment of a stopper 30 for closing the opening of a container, such as a can. [Fig. 1] does not show such a container, but an example of such a can is shown in Figures 3-5. [Fig. 1] shows the sealing element 10 and the support element 20 separately, before the support element 20 is assembled into the sealing element 10.

[0033] The plug 30 comprises an assembly of a sealing element 10 made of a flexible material and a support element 20 made of a rigid material such as a metal or a rigid composite. [Fig. 1] shows the sealing element 10 and the support element 20 separately, before the support element 20 is assembled into the sealing element 10.

[0034] The cap 30 according to the invention is particularly suitable, but not limited, to sealing a metal can, the can being suitable for industrial use for the storage and transport of liquids, such as liquids from the chemical industry.

[0035] The can 40 shown in Figures 3-5 is made of a suitable material, such as aluminum. Aluminum is ideally suited for storing and transporting liquids in the chemical industry because it is lightweight and resistant to a wide range of chemical liquids. Furthermore, aluminum has the advantage of being easily recyclable.

[0036] As shown in [Fig. 3], the container 40 has a relatively wide opening 41 with a large diameter. This large diameter facilitates filling and emptying the container 40.

[0037] The large diameter of the opening 41 has the disadvantage of requiring a relatively large cap to fill such an opening 4L

[0038] According to the prior art, caps made of a suitable plastic material are used to close the opening 41 of the can 40. In the prior art, it is known to use an artificially manufactured rubber, such as chlorobutyl or chlorobutylene, for said caps.

[0039] Chlorobutyl rubber is an isobutylene-isoprene copolymer derived from the reaction of butyl rubber with chlorine in a continuous process. Compared to ordinary butyl rubber, chlorobutyl rubber offers better compression set and improved resistance to heat, ozone, and flexural fatigue. Furthermore, chlorobutyl has low permeability to air, gases, and moisture. This material also allows for Vibration damping. For these reasons, chlorobutyl is particularly suitable for forming plugs.

[0040] In general, materials composed of elastomers can also be suitable for forming the stoppers.

[0041] However, chlorobutylene caps according to the prior art are generally used as disposable items. This means that using a large cap requires a large amount of plastic material that must be discarded after use. Clearly, disposing of a large volume of chlorobutylene is not ideal from an environmental standpoint.

[0042] Furthermore, manufacturing a relatively large chlorobutylene stopper is not an easy task. Manufacturing a large stopper requires a good understanding of the stopper manufacturing process, since the stopper must fit snugly inside the opening 41. Therefore, dimensional accuracy during stopper manufacturing is very important.

[0043] To avoid the problems associated with stoppers according to the prior art, the stopper 30 according to the invention comprises, as shown in [Fig. 1], two parts. First, the stopper 30 includes a sealing element 10 made of a flexible material, such as, for example, chlorobutylene. The sealing element 10 is, as explained in more detail with reference to [Fig. 2], essentially bowl-shaped. This means that inside this bowl, a space is formed to receive the support element 20.

[0044] Fig. 2 shows a section of the plug 30, with the sealing element 10 and the support element 20 in their assembled state.

[0045] Figure 2 shows that the sealing element 10 comprises a sealing wall 11, the outer surface 110 of which is designed to adhere to the inner wall of the opening 41 of the support 40. Furthermore, the outer surface 110 of the sealing wall 11 is provided with one or more grooves 112, 113. These grooves 112, 113 can easily deform under pressure due to their limited volume. Consequently, when using the cap 30, the grooves 112, 113 ensure a very good seal between the inner surface of the opening 41 of the container 40 and the sealing element 10. The inner surface 111 of the sealing wall 11 is adapted to cooperate with a support element 20, as described below.

[0046] The sealing wall 11 forms an essentially cylindrical body suitable for cooperating with the cylindrical inner surface of the opening 41 of a can 40.

[0047] The sealing element 10 is further provided, on the lower side of the sealing wall 11, with a lower wall 12. This lower wall 12 forms the bottom of the bowl-shaped sealing element 10 and is intended to close the lower side of the sealing wall 11.

[0048] Around the upper face of the sealing wall 11, the sealing element 10 is provided with a body 13 located essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sealing wall 11. The body 13 is provided with a contact surface 130 intended to engage against the upper face of the opening 41 of the support 40.

[0049] This means that the body 13 acts as a stop and that the cap 30 can be inserted into the opening 41 of the can until the contact surface 130 of the body 13 is in contact with the upper side of the opening 41 of the can 40.

[0050] The contact surface 130 is provided with one or more grooves 131, 132 whose function, during use, is to improve, by their deformation, the contact between the contact surface 130 and the upper face of the opening 4L

[0051] Fig. 2 also shows that the plug 30 is provided with a support element 20 having a support wall 21 having an outer surface 210 adapted to bear against the inner surface 111 of the sealing wall 11 of the sealing element 10 and to provide support to said inner surface 111 of the sealing wall 11.

[0052] The technical effect of the cap 30 according to the invention is that, during its use, the flexible material of the sealing wall 11 can be deformed by the clamping force exerted on said sealing wall 11 on the one hand, by the inner wall of the opening 41 of the can 40 and, on the other hand, by the outer surface 210 of the support wall 21 of the support element 20.

[0053] The presence of the support element 20 allows for the use of a relatively small volume of flexible material for the cap 30. Furthermore, despite this relatively small volume of flexible material, the sealing function of the cap 30 is ensured by the combination of the flexibility of the sealing element 10 and the rigidity of the support element 20. The use of the support element 20 allows the flexible material of the sealing element 10 to be sandwiched or intercalated between the support element 20 and the inner wall of the opening 41 of the container 40.

[0054] Fig. 2 shows that the support wall 21 is provided with a slot 211 intended to receive a groove 115 of the sealing element 10 in order to facilitate the assembly of the sealing element 10 and the support element 20 and to ensure that the sealing element 10 is held in the support element 20 after assembly.

[0055] Fig. 2 further shows that the support element 20, at the lower end of the support wall 21, is provided with a lower wall 22 intended to cooperate with the lower wall 12 of the sealing element 10. The shape and function of said lower wall 22 will be explained in more detail with reference to Fig. 5.

[0056] The support wall 21 is provided at its upper end with a body 23 extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the wall. support 21. The body 23 is provided with a contact surface 230 intended to engage against the upper face of the body 13 of the sealing element 10. The function of the body 23 of the support element 20 is to allow the body 13 to be sandwiched or sandwiched between the upper face of an opening 41 and the body 23 so as to deform the body 13 and press it against the upper face of the opening 41 in order to ensure the sealing of the opening 4L

[0057] The body 13 is connected to a locking element 50. The function of the locking element 50 is to hold the cap 30 in position in the opening 41 allowing its airtight closure.

[0058] The locking element 50 is used during the insertion of the cap 30 into the opening 41 of the container 40 to lock the cap 30 in said opening 4L. In the example of Figures 2-5, the locking element 50 is provided with two eyelets 51, 52, which can be engaged by a user to allow the locking element 50 to be removed. Once removed, the cap 30 can be taken out of the container 40, thus allowing the container 40 to be emptied.

[0059] To allow the removal of the locking element 50, the locking element 50 is, according to the example in Figures 2-5, made as an integral part of the support element 20. In addition, a frangible notch or pre-cut 25 is provided (see [Fig.5]) to serve as a tear line to facilitate the removal of the locking element 50 and the separation of the locking element 50 from the support element 20.

[0060] Fig. 3 schematically shows the insertion of the stopper 30 into the opening 41 of a can 40. The stopper 30 is introduced into the opening 41 using an instrument 60, specially designed for this purpose, which has the shape of a clamp, with two rotating arms 61, 62.

[0061] In the example of [Fig. 3], when the cap 30 is placed in the opening 41, the locking element 50 is simultaneously fixed onto the container 40. The function of the locking element 50 is to hold the cap 30 in position within the opening 41, thus ensuring a tight seal. This guarantees a tight seal and proper compression of the cap 30 onto the container 40.

[0062] Figure 4 shows a can 40 closed with cap 30, in which the element The locking element 50 secures the cap 30 onto the bottle 40. The locking element 50 comprises, for example, a metal such as aluminum. This ensures a tight seal and proper compression of the assembly onto the bottle.

[0063] Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the cap 30 according to the invention with its sealing element 10 and its support element 20 fixed to the container 40 by means of the locking element 50. Figure 5 shows that the lower wall 22 of the element The support wall 20 has a concave shape. In other words, the lower wall 22 is curved inwards towards the cylinder formed by the support wall 21.

[0064] The stopper 30 can be placed in a container 40 which will be at least partially filled with a fluid, such as a liquid. A certain volume of gas, such as air, will also be present in the container 40. When the stopper 30 is inserted into the opening 41 of the container 40, this gas will be compressed. This compression increases the pressure of the gas inside the container 40. This compression causes deformation of the lower wall 12 of the sealing element 10.

[0065] With reference to [Fig.5], it is clear that the deformation of the lower wall 12 is possible because before inserting the plug 30 into the opening 41, there is a certain distance between the lower wall 12 and the concave lower wall 22 of the support element 20 of the plug 30.

[0066] The possibility for the lower wall 12 to deform during the insertion of the cap 30 into the opening 41 of the can 40 facilitates said insertion of the cap 20 into said opening 4L

[0067] Figure 6 shows the cap 30 according to the invention, once the locking element 50 has been removed. The cap 30 comprises a rigid part, formed by the support element 20, and a flexible part, formed by the sealing element 10. The cap 30 according to Figure 6 can be positioned, removed, and repositioned in the opening 41 of the container 40 as desired by the user. The user may, if desired, clean and / or sterilize the cap 30 between uses.

[0068] After use, the cap 30 according to the invention allows for easy recycling. The two parts, respectively rigid 20 and flexible 10, of the cap 30 can be disassembled and separately transported to a suitable recycling facility. This disassembly step is schematically shown in [Fig. 7].

[0069] It should be noted that, according to one embodiment of the invention, before assembly, the support element 20 and the sealing element are individually sterilized.

[0070] The stopper 30 according to the invention can have any size, but is particularly suitable for neck openings with a diameter of 101 mm to 135 mm.

[0071] The cap 30 as described above is an environmentally friendly cap considering the significant reduction in its total mass compared to the total mass of a cap according to the prior art. This mass reduction can be on the order of 70%. In particular, the reduction in mass of flexible material, such as chlorobutyl, should be emphasized. This reduction is on the order of 80% compared to a cap according to the prior art.

[0072] The percentage (mass) of aluminium is approximately 30%.

[0073] This significant reduction in terms of weight and volume, as well as the introduction of recyclable aluminum material, makes it possible, in this technical field, to move in the direction of the trend of regulations not yet fixed to date.

[0074] Thanks to the fact that the flexible material part of the stopper 30 has a reduced thickness compared to stoppers according to the prior art, the manufacture of said flexible material part by compression is simpler to control and for this reason less expensive.

[0075] The embodiments described above are given as examples only.

Claims

1. Demands A cap (30) for closing the opening (41) of a container (40), such as a can, wherein the cap (30) comprises an assembly including a sealing element (10) made of flexible material and a support element (20) made of rigid material, wherein the sealing element (10) is adapted to close said opening (41) of the container (40), the sealing element (10) having a sealing wall (11) with an outer surface (110) designed to bear against the inner wall of the opening (41) of the container (40) and an inner surface (111), and wherein the support element (20) has a support wall (21) having an outer surface (210) adapted to bear against the inner surface (111) of the sealing wall (11), the flexible material of the sealing wall (11) being adapted to be deformed by the application of a clamping force exerted on said wall sealing (11), on the one hand, by the inner wall of the opening (41) of the container (40) and,on the other hand, by the outer surface (210) of the support wall (21) of the support element (20), in which the support element (20) is essentially in the form of a bowl with a cylindrical support wall (21) comprising, at its lower end, a lower wall (22); in which the lower wall (22) of the support element (20) is concave in shape.

2. Plug (30) according to claim 1, in which the sealing wall (11) has an essentially cylindrical shape.

3. Cap (30) according to claim 2, in which the sealing wall (11) is provided at its upper end with a body (13) extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the sealing wall (11), the body (13) being provided with a contact surface (130) adapted to engage against the upper surface of the opening (41) of the container (40).

4. Plug (30) according to claim 2 or 3, in which the sealing wall (11) is provided, at its lower end, with a lower wall (12) enabling the formation of a bowl-shaped sealing element (10).

5. Plug (30) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support element (20) is connected to an element of locking (50), suitable for fixing the cap (30) on the outside of the container (40).

6. Plug (30) according to claim 5, wherein the locking element (50) is connected to the support element (20) in a frangible manner to allow separation of the support element (20) and the locking element (50).

7. Cap (30) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing element (10) comprises a material composed of elastomers.

8. Plug (30) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support element (20) comprises a metal or a rigid composite.

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