Package sealing cap

Abstract

A cap (102) for applying the cap (102) onto a neck (200) of a package to seal the package, the cap (102) comprising an internal thread (218) disposed on an internal sidewall surface (216) of the cap (102) and an inner cylindrical body (300) extending from an internal top surface (207) of the cap (102), the inner cylindrical body (300) comprising a peripheral end portion (306) disposed to guide the inner cylindrical body (300) into the neck (200), an annular sealing protrusion (304) extending radially outward from the inner cylindrical body (300) toward the internal sidewall surface (216), and a concave-shaped transition portion (308) located between the annular sealing protrusion (304) and the peripheral end portion.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of food packaging, and more particularly to a cap for sealing a package, an arrangement including a cap and a neck of the package, the package, and a method of applying the cap to the package, the cap having an inner cylinder extending from an inner top surface of the cap, the peripheral edge of the cylinder being arranged to lead the inner cylinder into the neck of the package. [Background technology]

[0002] Many consumers today prefer packages with caps, partly because they allow the package to be conveniently and securely reclosed and the package with remaining food contents can be safely stored, for example in a refrigerator, even if the package is lying down, i.e. not upright. Another advantage of the cap is that it may be provided with a tamper band, also called a tamper ring. By providing a tamper band forming part of the cap, the consumer can easily detect whether the package has been opened. When the cap is removed from the package, the tamper band is separated from the rest of the cap.

[0003] Capped packages present a number of challenges from a manufacturing point of view. Firstly, to keep the environmental footprint and costs at a low level, the cap and the neck of the package that is made to interact with the cap should be made of materials that provide reliable functionality at a reasonable cost. Also, the amount of material used in the manufacture of the cap and neck should be as small as possible. To reduce the amount of material used in the manufacture of the cap, the cap should be cleverly shaped so that its functionality is not compromised.

[0004] The application of caps in food filling machines is done very quickly, and because failure to apply a cap would likely have undesirable secondary effects such as machine downtime and increased food waste, the cap must be shaped in a way that allows the filling machine (called the packaging machine) to reliably apply the cap to the package.

[0005] While currently available packaging and caps provide reliable opening and closing functionality for consumers and cap installation functionality for food manufacturers, there is a need to improve cap geometry to provide better functionality as well as reduce the amount of material required to manufacture the cap. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the limitations identified in the prior art above, in particular to provide a cap that provides a proper closure function for the consumer while also providing a reliable cap application in a filling machine.

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided a cap for sealing a package by applying the cap to the neck of the package. The cap comprises a top portion having an outer top surface and an inner top surface, a cylindrical sidewall portion having an outer sidewall surface and an inner sidewall surface, an internal thread disposed on the inner sidewall surface, the internal thread being disposed to interact with the external thread of the neck of the package, and an inner cylindrical body extending from the inner top surface. The inner cylindrical body comprises a peripheral end disposed to guide the inner cylindrical body into the neck of the package, the peripheral end for positioning the cap with the inner cylindrical body radially inward and the internal thread being radially outward of the neck, an annular sealing protrusion extending radially outward from the inner cylindrical body toward the inner sidewall surface, and a transition portion disposed between the annular sealing protrusion and the peripheral end, the transition portion being formed as a concave shape.

[0008] The advantage of having a concave or inwardly curved transition is that it provides space for the neck to position the barrel before the cap's threads engage the neck's threads. This allows for efficient alignment of the cap relative to the neck before it is rotated and screwed onto the neck. This allows for a more compact cap, which may be necessary, for example, when attaching a tether band to an existing cap.

[0009] The transition portion may include a first transition sub-portion having a first inclination angle and a second transition sub-portion having a second inclination angle, the first and second inclination angles being measured relative to an axial direction of the cap, the first transition sub-portion adjacent the peripheral edge and the second transition sub-portion adjacent the sealing projection, and the second inclination angle being greater than the first inclination angle.

[0010] The first tilt angle may be less than 45° and the second tilt angle may be greater than 45°. The first tilt angle may be in the range of 10 to 20°. The second tilt angle may be in the range of 55 to 60°.

[0011] The height of the transition portion may be within the range of 80 to 120% of the height of the annular seal projection when viewed in the axial direction of the cap.

[0012] The average width of the transition portion, as viewed radially of the cap, may be in the range of 30-70% of the maximum width of the annular seal projection.

[0013] The transition may be concave with an internal angle greater than 180°, or greater than 200°. The internal angle may be less than 270°.

[0014] The transition portion may be a concave shape having a depth that is within a range of 5-50% of the distance from the peripheral edge to the widest portion of the annular seal projection, the widest portion being the radially widest portion of the cap.

[0015] The annular sealing projection may be asymmetric when viewed radially or in a plane parallel to the cap.

[0016] The cap may include a rim-projecting anvil having a rim-projecting anvil surface disposed on an inner top surface of the cap and arranged to abut an outer top surface of the neck when the cap is applied over the neck of the package. The difference between the inclination angle of the outer top surface and the inclination angle of the rim-projecting anvil surface may be between 5 and 20 degrees.

[0017] The advantage of this is that ambient air is prevented from entering the interior of the package in two stages, through both the interaction between the rim projection anvil and the neck, and the interaction between the annular seal projection and the neck, thereby reducing the risk of unwanted microorganisms entering the interior of the package.

[0018] According to a second aspect, there is provided an arrangement for sealing a package comprising a cap according to the first aspect and a neck having an external thread arranged to interact with an internal thread of the cap, wherein when the cap is applied to the neck, a sealing projection abuts an internal neck surface of the neck.

[0019] The cap may further include a tamper and / or a tether band, and the ratio of the height of the cap without the tamper and / or tether band to the height of the neck may be less than 70%.

[0020] The second bevel angle of the second transition sub-section of the inner cylinder of the cap may be arranged to substantially match the bevel angle of the upper surface of the neck, where substantially matching means that the bevel angles do not deviate from each other by more than 5°.

[0021] According to a third aspect, there is provided a package for holding a food product, the package comprising a sealing arrangement according to the second aspect and a body portion of a carton base to which the sealing arrangement is connected.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of applying a cap according to the first aspect to a neck having an external thread arranged to interact with the internal thread of the cap. The method comprises guiding the internal cylinder of the cap to the neck using a peripheral edge of the internal cylinder, gripping the cap to the neck using the internal thread of the cap and the external thread of the neck, and rotating the cap relative to the neck such that the sealing projection of the internal cylinder is pressed against the surface of the neck, thereby sealing the package. This fourth aspect has the same advantages as the first aspect.

[0023] The directing step may further include the sub-step of sliding a second transition sub-portion of the transition portion of the inner cylinder of the cap along an upper surface of the rim protrusion of the neck.

[0024] The sealing step may further include the sub-step of preventing surrounding air from passing therethrough by pressing a rim protrusion side surface of the neck against a rim protrusion anvil surface of a rim protrusion anvil disposed on the inner upper surface of the cap.

[0025] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a method of manufacturing a food filled package, the method comprising: forming a carton base body having an open top end and an open bottom end at a sleeve forming station of a filling machine, forming a shoulder and a neck of the package at a forming station such that the shoulder is connected to the open top end of the carton base body and the open top end is closed, capping the neck according to the fourth aspect, filling the package with food through the open bottom of the carton base body at a filling station of the filling machine, and closing the open bottom at a bottom forming station of the filling machine.

[0026] Further objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 shows a cap and shoulder of the package of FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 shows a cap and shoulder of the package of FIG. 1. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap and neck before sealing. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap and neck in a sealed state. [Figure 4A] FIG. 3B illustrates a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3A in greater detail. [Figure 4B] FIG. 3B illustrates a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3A in greater detail. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for attaching a cap to a package. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a package. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a filling machine for producing packages. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a package 100, in particular a so-called carton bottle package.

[0030] The package 100 comprises a cap 102. The cap 102 may be made of polypropylene (PP), although other materials are possible. The cap 102 may be connected to a neck 200, which may be connected to a shoulder 104, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B. When the package 100 is manufactured, the neck and the shoulder 104 may be molded at the same time and constitute one and the same element. Alternatively, the neck may be pre-made and only the shoulder 104 may be molded in the filling machine. When the neck and shoulder 104 are molded, or when the neck is pre-made or when only the shoulder is molded, the shoulder may be connected to a carton-based body 106. The body 106 may be formed from a sheet of packaging material that is folded and sealed longitudinally. The interior 108 of the package 100 may hold a food product 110.

[0031] Figures 2A and 2B show the cap 102 and shoulder 104 in more detail, separated from one another, with Figure 2A being a perspective view from above and Figure 2B being a perspective view from below.

[0032] The neck 200 is connected to the shoulder 104 via a connecting rim 202 as shown. If the neck 200 and the shoulder 104 are integrally molded, as shown in the neck and shoulder 104 of Figures 2A and 2B, the connecting rim 202 may be a thickened portion that ensures rigidity when screwing the cap 102 on and off the neck 200. Furthermore, the cap 102 may include a tamper band 204 and / or a tether band 204, i.e., a ring, located at the bottom of the cap 102, which remains with the neck 200 when the cap is initially screwed on. In the example shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the cap 102 is applied to the package 100, i.e., is initially screwed onto the package 100, and thus the tamper and / or tether band 204 are attached to the cap 102.

[0033] The illustrated cap 102, as an example, includes a top portion 205 having an outer top surface 206 that faces outward when the cap 102 is applied, and an inner top surface 207 that faces inward when the cap 102 is applied. The cap 102 has a cylindrical sidewall portion 209 having an outer sidewall surface 208 and an inner sidewall surface 216. The outer sidewall surface 208 may be fluted, as shown, to improve grip by the consumer.

[0034] The neck 200 has a cylindrical sidewall 217 that connects to the shoulder 104 and has an outer neck surface 210 and an inner neck surface 212 .

[0035] To enable the cap 102 and the neck 200 to interact with each other, the neck 200 is provided with an external thread 214 facing outward in the radial direction R, and the inner sidewall surface 216 of the cap 102 is provided with an internal thread 218 facing inward in the radial direction R.

[0036] Figures 3A and 3B show cross-sectional views of the cap 102, neck 200 and shoulder 104 in an unsealed and sealed state, respectively. Figure 3A shows the cap 102 placed over the neck 200 but not fully seated, i.e., not threaded onto the neck 200, and Figure 3B shows the cap 102 fully seated onto the neck 200.

[0037] 3A and 3B, as well as 2B, the cap 102 includes an inner cylinder 300 extending from the inner top surface 207 of the cap 102. A peripheral edge 306 of the inner cylinder 300 is used to properly guide or orient the cap 102 relative to the neck 200 during capping in a filling machine. As described in more detail below, the peripheral edge 306 may be tapered to provide reliable guidance during capping.

[0038] An annular seal projection 304 may be provided to provide a proper seal for the package 100 when the cap 102 is applied to the neck 200 during the capping process in the filling machine or when reapplied by the consumer. As shown, the annular seal projection 304 may extend radially outwardly from the inner cylinder 300 in the direction R. A transition 308 is provided between the peripheral edge 306 and the annular seal projection 304. The cap 102 may be integrally molded, and the transition 308 may provide a continuous transition from the peripheral edge 306 to the annular seal projection 304. Having such a continuous transition, i.e., no sharp edges, is advantageous in reducing the risk of food debris being deposited, thus improving food safety.

[0039] The tamper and / or tether band 204, i.e., a ring to ensure that the package has not been tampered with and / or a ring to tether the ring to the package 100, may comprise a spring element 312 that provides that the cap 102 with the tamper and / or tether band 204 can be attached to the neck 200, but that the tamper and / or tether band 204 remains with the neck 200 when the package 100 is first opened by the consumer, due to an interaction between the spring element 312 and a protrusion on the neck 200. The cap 102 may be provided with perforations to allow the tamper and / or tether band 204 to be fully or partially detached from the cap 102.

[0040] Having the annular seal protrusion 304 is advantageous in that it reduces the risk of ambient air entering the interior 108 of the package 100. Reducing the inflow of ambient air is advantageous because ambient air may contain microorganisms, such as spores or bacteria, that may spoil the food product 110. It also prevents leakage from the package. As shown in FIG. 3A, having the annular seal protrusion 304 reduces such inflow even when the cap 102 is not fully applied. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the cap 102 is fully applied, the annular seal protrusion 304 abuts the inner neck surface 212 in combination with the neck 200 abutting the inner top surface 207 of the cap 102, and two closures are achieved. In general, having a cap and neck that provide two closures provides a more reliable seal of the package 100 compared to a cap and neck that provides only one closure.

[0041] As shown, the height H of the neck 200 NECK is the height H of the cap 102 CAP Furthermore, the height H of the cap 102 with the tamper and / or tether band 204 removed may be greater than 0. CAP is the height H of the cap 102 having the tamper and / or tether band 204 CAP Less than.

[0042] 4A and 4B show in more detail the state before sealing shown in FIG. 3A. As shown, the transition section 308 may be divided into a first transition subsection 400 located adjacent to the peripheral end 306 and a second transition subsection 402 located adjacent to the annular seal protrusion 304. The first transition subsection 400 may be inclined at a first inclination angle a less than 45°, more particularly in the range of 10° to 20°, measured relative to the axial direction A of the cap 102. The second transition subsection 402 may be inclined at a second inclination angle b greater than 45°, more particularly in the range of 55° to 60°, also measured relative to the axial direction A. By making the first inclination angle a larger than the second inclination angle b, it is advantageous in that the lowest part of the inner cylinder 300 can be more easily fitted onto the neck 200 during capping in a filling machine, while still having the possibility of efficiently blocking the surrounding air by the annular seal protrusion 304.

[0043] The outer neck surface 210 may be provided with a rim projection 404. The projection has a rim projection upper surface 406 that is inclined radially inward and a rim projection side surface 408 that is inclined radially outward. More specifically, the rim projection upper surface 406 may be inclined by a third inclination angle c in the range of 55° to 60° with respect to the axial direction A. It is beneficial that the second and third inclination angles b, c are approximately the same, i.e., the surface of the second transition sub-section 402 is parallel to the rim projection upper surface 406, in that the cap 102 is more easily attached to the neck 200. The rim projection side surface 408 may be inclined by a fourth inclination angle d in the range of 140° to 150° with respect to the axial direction A.

[0044] The cap 102 is provided on its inner top surface 207 with a rim protruding anvil 410. The anvil 410 may be inclined with respect to the axial direction A by a fifth inclination angle e in the range of 130° to 140°. The difference de between the fourth and fifth inclination angles may be 5° to 20°. When the cap 102 is screwed onto the neck 200, a tight fit between the anvil 410 and the rim protruding side surface 408 is achieved.

[0045] As shown, the height h1 of transition portion 308 may be 100-150% of the height h2 of annular seal projection 304 as viewed in axial direction A. Additionally, the average width w1 of transition portion 308 may be 30%-60% of the average width w2 of annular seal projection 304.

[0046] The transition portion 308 may be concave, or in other words may be concave. Making the transition portion 308 concave results in a depth d2. The depth d2 may be in the range of 5-50% of the distance l from the peripheral edge 306 to the widest portion of the annular seal projection 304. The transition portion 308 may be concave with an interior angle e greater than 180° or greater than 200°.

[0047] An advantage of having a concave transition portion 308 is that it allows for a more compact height of the cap 112. This can be advantageous in providing more space for the tamper and / or tether band 204. For example, this can provide that the neck 200 would be the same even if the cap 102 were redesigned to include not only a tamper band but also a combined tamper and tether ring, which would require more space in the height direction. Another advantage associated with a more compact cap height is that it reduces the amount of material required to manufacture the cap 102, which is both cost and environmentally beneficial.

[0048] 5 is a flow chart showing steps of a method 500 for attaching the cap 102 to the package 100. In a first step 502, the inner cylinder 300 is guided into the neck 200 using the peripheral end 306 of the inner cylinder 300. In a second step 504, the cap 102 is gripped to the neck 200 using the internal threads 218 of the cap 102 and the external threads 214 of the neck 200. In a third step 506, the package 100 is sealed by threading the cap onto the neck, thereby forcing the sealing projection 304 of the inner cylinder 300 towards the neck 200. Optionally, in a fourth step 508, the second transition sub-section 402 of the transition section 308 of the inner cylinder 300 of the cap 102 is slid along the rim projection top surface 406 of the neck 200. Optionally, in a sixth step 510, the rim protrusion side 408 of the neck 200 is pressed against a rim protrusion anvil surface 412 of a rim protrusion anvil 410 disposed on the inner upper surface 207 of the cap 102 to prevent surrounding air from passing through.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps of a method 600 for manufacturing a package 100 filled with a food product 110. In a first step 602, still referring to FIG. 7, a carton base body 106 with an open top end and an open bottom end is formed in a filling machine 700 in a sleeve forming station 702. In a second step 604, the shoulder 104 and the neck 200 of the package 100 are formed in a forming station 704 such that the shoulder 104 is connected to the open top end of the carton base body 106 and the open top end is closed. In a third step 606, the cap 102 is attached to the neck 200 according to the method shown in FIG. 5. In a fourth step 608, the package 100 is filled with the food product 110 through the open bottom of the carton base body 106 in a filling station 706 of the filling machine 700. In a fifth step 610, the open bottom is closed in a bottom forming station 708 of the filling machine 700.

[0050] FIG. 7 shows a schematic of the filling machine 700 described above. As shown, a sleeve forming station 702 may be provided for forming the carton base body 106. A molding station 704 may be a plastic injection molding station and may be used to form the neck 200 and shoulder 104 and may include a cap applicator for applying the cap 102 onto the shoulder 104. At the filling station 706, the food product 110 may be filled into the package 100. Finally, at a bottom forming station 708, the open bottom of the carton base body 106 may be closed. The filling machine may be any suitable conventional filling machine. The cap itself may be pre-manufactured before being applied to the neck. The manufacture of the cap may itself be accomplished by using conventional techniques of plastic molding and / or injection molding.

[0051] From the foregoing description, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not limited thereto and may be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A cap (102) for sealing a package (100) by application to a neck (200) of said package (100), said cap (102) comprising: a top portion (205) having an outer upper surface (206) and an inner upper surface (207); a cylindrical sidewall portion (209) having an outer sidewall surface (208) and an inner sidewall surface (216); an internal thread (218) disposed on the inner sidewall surface (216) and disposed to interact with the external thread (214) of the neck (200) of the package (100); an inner cylindrical body (300) extending from the inner upper surface (207); Equipped with The inner cylindrical body (300) is a peripheral edge (306) arranged to guide the inner cylindrical body (300) into the neck (200) of the package (100) and to position the cap (102) with the inner cylindrical body (300) radially inward of the neck (200) and the inner threads (218) radially outward of the neck (200); an annular sealing projection (304) extending radially outward from the inner cylindrical body (300) toward the inner sidewall surface (216); a transition portion (308) located between the annular seal projection (304) and the peripheral end portion (306), the transition portion (308) being formed in a concave shape; Equipped with Cap (102).

2. the transition portion (308) comprises a first transition sub-portion (400) having a first inclination angle (a) and a second transition sub-portion (402) having a second inclination angle (b), the first inclination angle (a) and the second inclination angle (b) being measured with respect to an axial direction (A) of the cap (102), the first transition sub-portion (400) being adjacent the peripheral edge (306) and the second transition sub-portion (402) being adjacent the sealing projection (304), and the second inclination angle (b) being greater than the first inclination angle (a); The cap (102) of claim 1.

3. The first tilt angle (a) is less than 45° and the second tilt angle (b) is greater than 45°; The cap (102) of claim 2.

4. The first inclination angle (a) is in the range of 10 to 20 degrees; A cap (102) according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The second inclination angle (b) is within the range of 55 to 65 degrees. A cap (102) according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. a height (h1) of the transition portion (308) is within a range of 80 to 120% of a height (h2) of the annular seal projection (304) as viewed in the axial direction (A) of the cap (102); A cap (102) according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. the average width (w1) of the transition portion (308) is within a range of 30 to 70% of the maximum width (w2) of the annular seal projection (304) as viewed in the radial direction (R) of the cap (102); A cap (102) according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. the transition portion (308) is concave with an interior angle (e) of greater than 180° or greater than 200°; A cap (102) according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. the transition portion (308) is concave and has a depth (d2), the depth (d2) being within a range of 5 to 50% of a distance (l) from the peripheral end (306) to the widest portion of the annular seal projection (304); A cap (102) according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. the cap (100) comprising a rim-projecting anvil (410) having a rim-projecting anvil surface (412) located on and substantially tangentially disposed on the inner upper surface (207) of the cap (102); the difference (d-e) between the inclination angle (d) of the outer upper surface (408) and the inclination angle (e) of the rim-projecting anvil surface (412) is 5 to 20 degrees; A cap (102) according to any one of the preceding claims.

11. A structure for sealing a package (100), comprising: A cap (102) according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a neck (200) having an external thread (214) arranged to interact with an internal thread (218) of said cap (100), such that when said cap (102) is applied to said neck (200), a sealing projection (304) abuts an internal neck surface (212) of said neck (200); composition.

12. a second inclination angle (b) of a second transition sub-portion (402) of the inner cylindrical body (300) of the cap (100) is disposed to substantially match an inclination angle (c) of an upper surface (406) of the neck (200); The arrangement according to claim 11.

13. A package (100) for holding a food product (110), said package comprising: A sealing arrangement according to claim 11 or 12, The sealing arrangement is connected to a body (106) of the carton base. Package (100).

14. A method (500) for mounting a cap (102) according to any one of claims 1 to 10 onto a neck (200) having external threads (214) arranged to interact with internal threads (218) of the cap (102), the method comprising: A step (502) of guiding an inner cylindrical body (300) of the cap (102) into the neck (200) by means of a peripheral edge (306) of the inner cylindrical body (300); gripping (504) the cap (102) to the neck (200) using the internal threads (218) of the cap (102) and the external threads (214) of the neck (200); sealing (506) the package (100) by rotating the cap (102) relative to the neck (200) such that the sealing projections (304) of the inner cylindrical body (300) are pressed against a surface (212) of the neck (200); The method (500).

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