Obturator

Abstract

To provide an obturator improved so that a seal member is reliably and stably positioned on a stopper of a vial.SOLUTION: An obturator for sealing a container comprises a stopper and a composite cap. The composite cap is configured to surround both the stopper and the neck of the container to seal the container, and includes a ring and a crown. The ring includes a plurality of locking tabs. The ring houses the stopper. The crown includes a skirt attached over the ring so as to be expandable / contractable. The skirt is configured to bend the plurality of locking tabs in the inner peripheral direction under an annular collar of the container when the crown is axially displaced toward the neck of the container. A method for sealing a container using the obturator is also provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10E

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 049,154, entitled "CLOSURE DEVICE," filed July 8, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] A closure for closing a container is proposed, which in one embodiment includes a pre-installed plug. Another embodiment relates to a container equipped with such a closure.

[0003] In the field of pharmaceutical containers, glass or polymer bottles are available for the storage of active ingredients in lyophilized, powdered or solution form. Such bottles must be closed to prevent leakage and to keep their contents in a satisfactory state until the day they are used. To seal the bottles, closures can be used that include elastomeric plugs. The elastomeric plugs function to seal the opening of the container and prevent the ingress or egress of gases, liquids and bacteria. Such closures may further include a means for keeping the container sealed, such as a crimped aluminum seal or a plastics cap. This means is designed to be held in place around the plug, isolating it from the outside and preventing its removal.

[0004] When such a closure is used, for example, with a lyophilized pharmaceutical substance, after each container is filled with the pharmaceutical substance to be lyophilized, a stopper is placed on or in the neck of the container and secured while maintaining communication between the outside environment and the interior of the container. The filled and stoppered containers are then loaded into batches onto the shelves of a freeze dryer, where water is removed from the pharmaceutical substance. To help ensure the removal of water from the pharmaceutical substance while the contents of the container are freeze-dried, low temperature drying is performed under vacuum to sublimate / evaporate the water.

[0005] Once removal of moisture from the pharmaceutical substance in the lyophilizer is complete, pressure is applied to all of the container closures to ensure that the containers are sealed with the closures hooked on or in the neck opening of each container. Such batch stoppering is typically performed without the use of sealing members, only elastomeric stoppers. Additional processing is performed after the containers are removed from the lyophilizer to place a seal in place on each container. However, it is desirable to avoid such additional processing. It is therefore contemplated that a corresponding sealing member will be attached to each of the stoppers that are provisionally attached to the containers prior to lyophilization. Thus, the sealing members may be attached substantially simultaneously as the stoppers are pressed into place in the lyophilizer.

[0006] When a seal member is placed around the neck of a corresponding container, friction creates resistance to its movement. The magnitude of this resistance varies, firstly, as a function of the manufacturing tolerances of the parts that make up the seal, and, secondly, as a function of the assumed position of those parts when attached to the neck of the container. Thus, when a seal is locked to a number of corresponding containers using a squeeze plate in a freeze dryer, some of the seals may not lock correctly when the manufacturing tolerances of the seal's components are taken into account and the operating clearances of the squeeze plate are taken into account. Also, dimensional variations in the containers themselves and in the stoppers used make it even more difficult to completely close a batch of containers.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for an improved closure that provides secure and stable positioning of the seal member on the vial closure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 8,714,384 Summary of the Invention

[0009] In one aspect of the invention, a closure for sealing a container having a neck including an opening and an annular collar is provided. The closure includes a stopper and a composite cap. The composite cap is configured to surround and seal both the stopper and the neck. The composite cap includes a ring and a crown. The ring is a portion that houses the stopper and includes a plurality of locking tabs. The crown includes a skirt that is stretchably mounted on the ring. The skirt is configured to bend the plurality of locking tabs inwardly under the collar when the crown is axially displaced toward the neck of the container. Of the plurality of locking tabs, a first locking tab has a first axial height and a second locking tab has a second axial height. The first height is less than the second height.

[0010] In another aspect of the invention, a closure for sealing a container having a neck including an opening and an annular collar is provided. The closure includes a stopper having a flange and a composite cap. The composite cap is configured to encircle and seal both the stopper and the neck and includes a ring and a crown. The ring is a portion that houses the stopper and includes a plurality of locking tabs. The crown includes a skirt that is stretchably mounted over the ring. The skirt is configured to bend the plurality of locking tabs inwardly under the collar. The ring also includes a plurality of steps that rise inwardly from its inner periphery to a diameter equal to or less than the flange of the stopper.

[0011] These and other aspects of the various embodiments of the invention disclosed herein will become apparent from a consideration of the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] Various aspects and embodiments of the invention of this application will be described with reference to the following drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings depict one or more embodiments in accordance with the inventive concept by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. In the drawings, like reference numbers may refer to the same or similar elements. [Figure 1] 1A-1C are schematic axial cross-sectional views showing the steps of filling a pharmaceutical product into a container sealed with a closure according to the disclosed invention. [Diagram 2] 1A-1C are schematic axial cross-sectional views showing the steps of filling a pharmaceutical product into a container sealed with a closure according to the disclosed invention. [Diagram 3] 1A-1C are schematic axial cross-sectional views showing stages in drying a pharmaceutical product in a container sealed with a closure according to the disclosed invention. [Figure 4] 1A-1D are schematic axial cross-sectional views illustrating the steps of sealing a container sealed with a closure according to the disclosed invention. [Diagram 5] 1A-1D are schematic axial cross-sectional views illustrating the steps of sealing a container sealed with a closure according to the disclosed invention. [Figure 6A] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an obturator according to one of the embodiments disclosed herein. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is an exploded view of the obturator of FIG. 6A. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a removable lid included in the obturator disclosed herein. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a top view of the removable lid of FIG. 7A. [Figure 7C] FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the removable lid of FIG. 7A. [Figure 7D] FIG. 7B is a front view of the removable lid of FIG. 7A. [Figure 7E] FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the removable lid of FIG. 7A. [Figure 8A] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a crown included in the obturator disclosed herein. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a top view of the crown of FIG. 8A. [Figure 8C] FIG. 8B is a bottom view of the crown of FIG. 8A. [Figure 8D] FIG. 8B is a front view of the crown of FIG. 8A. [Figure 8E] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the crown of FIG. 8A. [Figure 9]1 is a cross-sectional view of a cap and crown combination of an obturator disclosed herein; [Figure 10A] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a ring included in the obturator disclosed herein. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a top view of the ring of FIG. 10A. [Figure 10C] FIG. 10B is a bottom view of the ring of FIG. 10A. [Figure 10D] FIG. 10B is a front view of the ring of FIG. 10A. [Figure 10E] FIG. 10B is a bottom perspective view of the ring of FIG. 10A. [Figure 10F] FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the ring of FIG. 10A taken perpendicular to the anterior-posterior direction. [Figure 10G] FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the ring of FIG. 10A taken perpendicular to the left-right direction. [Figure 10H] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of a ring according to another embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of the obturator of FIGS. 6A and 6B. [Figure 12A] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of detail VI of FIG. [Figure 12B] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of detail X of FIG. 4. [Figure 12C] FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 12B. [Figure 12D] 12C, at an intermediate stage between the configurations of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 12E] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of detail XIII of FIG. 5; [Figure 12F] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 12E. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not intended to limit the invention. The words "lower", "bottom", "upper" and "top" refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words "inward", "outward", "upward" and "downward" refer to directions toward and away from the geometric center of the liquid transfer device and its designated parts, respectively, in accordance with the disclosure of this specification. Unless specifically stated in this specification, the articles "a", "an" and "the" are not limited to a single element, but should instead be read to mean "at least one". The terminology includes the above words and their derivatives and synonyms.

[0014] It should also be understood that terms such as "about," "approximately," "generally," "substantially," and the like, used in this specification when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component of this disclosure, indicate that the described dimension / characteristic is not a precise boundary or parameter, but does not exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references involving numerical parameters include variations that do not change the lowest order using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement errors or other systematic errors, or manufacturing tolerances, etc.).

[0015] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments described herein without departing from the invention. Structural features of the systems and devices described herein may be replaced with functionally equivalent parts. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that features may be extracted and combined from multiple embodiments without departing from the disclosure of this specification.

[0016] Generally, the closures according to the various embodiments disclosed herein include a stopper and a sealing member. The sealing member is in the form of a composite cap. The stopper is packaged within the composite cap. The closure is adapted to be fitted to the opening of a container, such as a vial, and to capture an annular collar that surrounds the neck of the container to maintain the stopper in a sealed state.

[0017] The closures according to the various embodiments disclosed herein can be used in typical filling and freeze-drying processes, such as those described in US Pat. No. 5,399,363, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. For example, with reference to Figs. 1-5, different stages of packaging a product P in a glass bottle constituting a container are shown. Besides glass, the bottle 1 may be made of ceramics or polymers, such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene terephthalate copolymer (PETG), high density polyethylene (PEHD).

[0018] In FIG. 1, a bottle 1 is undergoing a filling process with a product P, for example a medicine. A pipette 2 is introduced into the bottle 1 through a mouth 11 formed by a neck 12 with an outer collar 13. X1 indicates the axis of symmetry of the bottle 1. Once a predetermined amount of product P has been introduced into the bottle 1, the pipette 2 is withdrawn and an obturator 50 is placed on the neck 12, as shown in FIG. 2. The obturator 50 comprises an elastomeric plug 51, which is arranged so that it is partially introduced into the mouth 11 but remains on the side 131 of the collar 13 opposite the bottom 14 of the bottle 1. A filling line may include multiple pipettes and simultaneously fill multiple containers with products. Similarly, an automated filling line may be capable of filling multiple containers with products and then simultaneously attaching multiple stoppers and composite caps to the containers.

[0019] The closure 50 also includes a cap 52, which covers the stopper 51 and the neck 12 to keep them closed. Preferably, the stopper 51 is pre-packed in the cap 52 and held in axial position before the cap is attached to the neck 12 of the bottle 1. This will be described in more detail below. After the filling process, the closure 50 is attached to the neck 12 of each container 1 such that the stopper 51 does not completely block the mouth 11. The stopper 51 preferably has a vent hole 512 for allowing air outside the container 1 to pass through. After the filling process, the containers 1 with the stopper 50 may then be grouped into lots and placed in a freeze-dryer 300, as shown in Figures 3 to 5. Although three bottles are shown in Figures 3 to 5, one lot may represent hundreds or even millions of bottles used in the freeze-dryer 300. Furthermore, the bottles may be placed on several shelves stacked together when loaded into the freeze-dryer. After the containers 1 are loaded into the freeze-dryer, the temperature and pressure within the freeze-dryer are reduced, causing the moisture present in each bottle 1 to evaporate and exit the container through the vent 512 in the stopper 51 and the gap between the cap 52 and the collar 13, as represented by the arrow F1 in FIG.

[0020] After a predetermined amount of moisture is expelled and the product P is sufficiently dried, the press 301 may apply a force E2 to all of the closures 50 in the freeze-dryer, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The force E2 is applied uniformly to the closures 50 along the longitudinal axis X1 of the bottle 1 and the neck 12. This axial force E2 applied by the press 301 in the freeze-dryer may be controlled, for example, by an air pressure or a mechanical jack 302. The force E2 applied by the press 301 displaces the closures 50 axially toward each container 1, so that first the elastomeric plugs 51 are inserted to a predetermined depth into the openings 11 of each container 1. This isolates the contents P of the container 1 from the outside of the container 1, since the vent 512 is no longer exposed. Next, when the closures 50 are further pressed down by the press 301, the caps 52 capture the necks 12 of each container 1. This causes the plug 51 to be pressed against the upper surface 131 of the neck 12 of the container 1 , sealing the container 1 .

[0021] 6A-11, an obturator 50 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. As previously described, the obturator includes an elastomeric plug 51, a ring 53, a crown 54, and a lid 56. The lid 56 is attached to the crown 54 and is preferably configured to be easily removed by a user, for example, with one hand. The obturator 50, and in particular each component of the obturator 50 as described in detail herein, is preferably made from a plastic material, more preferably a thermoplastic material such as, but not limited to, PE, PET, PETG, PEHD, polypropylene (PP), or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). More preferably, the obturator 50 is made from a pharmaceutical grade polypropylene material, and in particular a pharmaceutical grade polypropylene material that is free of contaminants or hazardous materials (e.g., bisphenol A or formaldehyde).

[0022] As best seen in FIGS. 7A-7E, the lid 56 may optionally include a number of notches 561 around the periphery of the upper surface of the top portion. The notches 561 may be convenient for centering and application of force by an automated manufacturing line that attaches the lid 56 to the crown 54. A lid skirt 562 may extend downwardly from the top of the lid 56. The skirt 562 may be provided with a number of axially extending cuts 563 to make it easier for the lid 56 to deform and separate from the crown 54 when a user attempts to access the bung 51. The lid 56 may further include a number of deformable tabs 564. The tabs 564 extend axially from the underside of the top portion of the lid 56 for attaching the lid 56 to the crown 54.

[0023] As best seen in FIGS. 8A-8E, crown 54 includes a hole 541 centrally located at its top and a skirt 542 extending downwardly from the top. Skirt 542 is intended to provide a membrane around the periphery of closure 50. The peripheral wall of skirt 542 includes a number of ledges 543 that are arcuate and project inwardly to provide a gripping surface for ring 53 when the closure is sealed to the container, as will be described in more detail below. Above each ledge 543 is an opening 544. The ledges 543 and openings 544 are preferably equally spaced around the circumference of the common skirt 542. FIG. 9 shows the lid 56 and crown 54 assembled together. A number of tabs 564 are inserted into the holes 541 in crown 54 and deformed to form a lip 565 on each tab 564 that grips the underside of the top of crown 54.

[0024] 10A-10F, the ring 53, like the crown 54, includes a hole 530 centrally located at its top and a skirt 532 extending downwardly from its top. The circular interior of the ring 53 has an inside diameter sufficient to encircle the collar 13 of the vial 1. The top of the ring 53 further includes a collar 531 configured to capture the shelf 543 of the crown 54 when the closure 50 is in a container sealing position, as will be described in more detail below. The bottom 533 of the ring 53, located at the end of the ring 53 opposite the top of the ring 53, includes a plurality of locking tabs 534. The locking tabs 534 are flexible and extend axially. The distal ends of the locking tabs 534 (i.e., the ends of the locking tabs 534 closest to the bottom 533) are preferably hinged to the bottom 533. Each of the locking tabs 534 is located in a window 535 in the peripheral wall of the ring skirt 532. As best seen in Figures 10F and 10G, the ring 53 preferably includes two pairs of locking tabs 534a and 534b. The first pair of locking tabs 534a are positioned opposite each other on the circumference of the skirt 532, and the second pair of locking tabs 534b are positioned opposite each other on the circumference of the skirt 532. The axial height X of the first locking tab 534a is less than the axial height Y of the second locking tab 534b, and the circumferential width A of the first locking tab 534a is less than the circumferential width B of the second locking tab 534b.

[0025] The peripheral wall of the ring skirt 532 is provided with a number of ribs 520 and a number of holes 536. The ribs 520 extend in the circumferential direction. The holes 536 are located axially at a height halfway between the collar 531 and the locking tabs 534. A retaining arm 537 is attached to the lower edge of each hole 536 and extends inwardly.

[0026] As best seen in Figures 10C and 10E, the ring 53 may further include a circular protrusion 538 on the bottom surface of its upper portion. The protrusion 538 surrounds a hole 530 located in the center of the upper portion of the ring 53. The protrusion 538 ensures an even distribution of the force applied to the upper surface of the plug 51 when the closure is in a sealing state on the container. As shown in Figure 10E, the protrusion 538 describes one continuous circle. In other embodiments, such as the ring shown in Figure 10H, the circular protrusion may be divided into multiple segments 538a, 538b, 538c, 538d, 538e. Preferably, the segments are of equal size and spaced apart. This ensures an even distribution of the aforementioned forces when the closure is in a sealing state on the container. The greater the spacing of the segments, the less force is required to compress the closure and cause it to achieve a sealing state on the container.

[0027] The plug 51 is pre-packed in the ring 53 before the closure 50 is attached to the container. To securely hold the plug 51 in the ring 53, the aforementioned retaining arms 537 extend inwardly to a diameter smaller than the diameter of the flange 510 of the plug 51. This holds the plug 51 in the upper part of the cavity in the ring 53. To further securely hold the plug 51 in the upper part of the cavity in the ring 53, the inner circumferential surface of the skirt 532 adjacent the upper part of the ring 53 is raised with a number of steps 539. The steps 539 extend inwardly to a diameter smaller than the diameter of the flange 510 of the plug 51. This provides an interference fit between the plug 51 and the cavity in the ring 53. However, it is preferred that the steps 539 are provided along only a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the upper part of the cavity adjacent the upper part of the ring 53. This is because the force of the steps 539 compressing the flange 510 required to lock the closure 50 in a sealed state is minimized. The proportion of the step 539 relative to the inner circumference of the ring skirt 532 is approximately 50% or less, 45% or less, 40% or less, 35% or less, 30% or less, 25% or less, 20% or less, 15% or less, 10% or less, or 5% or less, with the later ranges being more preferred.

[0028] After the cap 56 is attached to the crown 54 and the plug 51 is packed into the ring 53, the crown 54 is telescopically fitted over the ring 53. A plurality of circumferentially extending ribs 520 of the ring 53 fit into grooves 545 in the inner peripheral surface of the crown 54. The obturator 50 is then in an assembled state, as best seen in FIG.

[0029] In practice, the shapes of ring 53, crown 54, and lid 56 are selected so that the maximum outer diameter of crown 54 is less than 13.5 mm, more preferably 12.8 mm to 13.2 mm, and most preferably 12.8 mm or less. Under these conditions, when the diameter of body 16 of vial 1 used is equal to 13 mm, the outer diameter of closure 50 attached to vial 1 does not exceed or slightly exceeds the diameter of vial 1. This reduces the possibility that the vial will lose balance and fall over due to minor causes when closure 50 is attached or during freeze-drying.

[0030] A method of sealing a vial using a closure according to another embodiment disclosed herein will be described with reference to Figures 12A-12F. In the configurations shown in Figures 12A and 12B, crown 54 holds ring 53. In this state, outer rib 535 of ring 53 remains inserted into groove 5461 on the inner circumferential surface of crown 54, and crown 54 does not interfere with locking tab 537 of ring 53.

[0031] When force E2 is applied, crown 54 moves towards bottom 14 of each vial 1, as shown by the transition from the state in Figures 3 and 12A to the state in Figures 4 and 12B. The force E2 is transferred from crown 54 to ring 53 by the interference fit between groove 5461 and rib 535, i.e., rib 535 and groove 5461 constitute a means for transmitting force E2 from crown 54 to ring 53. The force E2 applied to each closure 50 causes tab 534 of ring 53 to slide along the outer surface of collar 13 of the vial, until it reaches below collar 13. Retaining arms 537 also strike the outer surface of vial 13 and slide along it, which causes retaining arms 537 to bend circumferentially into respective holes 536. As a result, the stopper can be inserted into the opening of the vial 1 since the retaining arm 537 no longer contacts or interferes with the bottom surface of the stopper flange 510 .

[0032] The top of the ring 53 contacts the top surface 511 of the plug 51, so that the progression of the ring 53 towards the base 14 is stopped. As the force E2 continues to be applied to the crown 54 of each obturator 50, the elastic deformation of the skirt 533 causes the outer rib 535 of the ring to move out of the groove 5461. This allows the crown 54 to successfully reach the position shown in Figures 12E and 12F. Thus, as shown in Figures 12C and 12D, the edge 541 of the crown 54 contacts the surface 5372 of the different locking tab 537. As this movement continues, the surface 5372 slides against the edge 541. This causes the tab 537 to flex radially towards the axis X1, as the free end side 5371 of the tab 537 moves against the underside 132 of the outer circumferential surface of the collar 13, as shown in Figure 12F. Thus, lip 541 allows locking tab 537 to function to secure cap 52 to neck 12 .

[0033] This movement also causes the lower shelf 5431 of the opening 543 of the crown 54 to catch the lower surface 5313 of the collar 5311 of the ring 53. D541 denotes the maximum diameter of the collar 5311. D543 denotes the minimum diameter shared by the innermost points of each shelf 5431 in the radial direction toward the axis X52. During the transition of the obturator 50 from the state of FIG. 12D to the state of FIGS. 12E and 12F, the arcuate lower region 5443 of the shelf 5431 slides against the surface 5314 of the collar 5311, and thus elastically deforms. After the shelf 5431 reaches below the collar 5311, the lower region 5443 returns to its original shape due to its elasticity. As a result, the collar 5311 provides a catch or catch that prevents the crown 54 and the ring 53 from separating due to the axial longitudinal displacement of the crown 54 relative to the ring 53. Therefore, when forces E3, E4 are applied to pull crown 54 against the obturator as shown in FIG. 12F, both shelves 5431 are prevented from moving by collar 5311, and locking tab 537 is prevented from moving by collar 5313.

[0034] 12E and 12F, crown 54 is particularly effectively locked around ring 53. Once closure 50 is attached to neck 12 of vial 1, the only way to access stopper 51, and thereby the contents of vial 1, is to separate cap 56 from crown 54 and remove cap 56.

[0035] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes could be made in the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but is intended to accommodate modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0036] The obturator according to the invention may also be characterized as follows. 1. A closure for sealing a container having a neck including an opening and an annular collar, comprising: a plug having a flange; a composite cap configured to enclose and seal both the plug and the neck; It is equipped with: The composite cap comprises: a ring including a plurality of locking tabs for receiving said plug; a crown including a skirt stretchably mounted on the ring; has. The ring is A plurality of steps extending inwardly from the inner peripheral surface of the ring to a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the flange. Includes. The skirt is configured to support the collar by bending the locking tabs inwardly under the collar as the crown is displaced axially toward the neck of the container, and to push the ring down to fit the flange of the stopper tightly against the inner side of the steps.

[0037] The range in which the plurality of steps exist may be less than 50% of the inner circumference of the ring. The ring is A plurality of retention arms configured to extend circumferentially inwardly and contact a surface of the flange when the container is in an unsealed state. The ring may further include: a plurality of holes, each adjacent to each of the plurality of retention arms; wherein as the ring is displaced axially toward the neck, the collar bends each of the plurality of retention arms into an adjacent hole such that, when the container is sealed, the plug is inserted into the opening.

[0038] A method of using a closure according to the present invention comprises using the closure described above to seal a container having a neck including an annular collar, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a neck of the container into the ring; applying an axial force until the plug is inserted into the container neck opening and the locking tabs are bent radially under the collar; It is equipped with:

Claims

1. 1. A closure for sealing a container having a neck including an opening and an annular collar, comprising: a plug having a flange; a composite cap configured to enclose and seal both the plug and the neck; Equipped with The composite cap comprises: a ring including a plurality of locking tabs for receiving said plug; a crown including a skirt stretchably mounted on the ring; having The ring is A plurality of steps extending from the inner peripheral surface of the ring in an inward direction to a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the flange. Including, The skirt is adapted to move axially as the crown is displaced axially toward the neck of the container. supporting the collar by bending the locking tabs inwardly under the collar; and Pressing down on the ring to fit the flange of the plug tightly against the inner circumference of the steps. It is structured as follows: An obturator characterized by:

2. 2. The obturator of claim 1, wherein said steps extend over less than 50% of an inner circumference of said ring.

3. The ring is a plurality of retention arms configured to extend circumferentially inwardly and contact a surface of the flange when the container is in an unsealed state; The obturator of claim 1 further comprising:

4. The ring is a plurality of holes, one adjacent each of the plurality of retention arms; Further comprising: As the ring is displaced axially toward the neck, the collar bends each of the plurality of retention arms into an adjacent hole such that the plug is inserted into the opening when the container is sealed.

4. The obturator of claim 3.

5. 13. A method of sealing a container having a neck including an annular collar with a closure according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: inserting a neck of the container into the ring; applying an axial force until the plug is inserted into the container neck opening and the locking tabs are bent radially under the collar; A method for providing the same.

Images