Closure Device and Item of Packaging Comprising such a Closure Device

Abstract

A closure device for attachment to a packaging container, by which the container can be closed in a child-resistant and reclosable manner. The closure device is made of a paper-based material and contains two tabs, including one slot formed in a first tab, and a second tab having one hook element with a locking lug. To close the closure device, the hook element is guided from a rear side of the first tab through the slot to a front side of the first tab. The locking lug is designed such that when the hook element contacts an edge-side boundary of the slot, a return of the hook element through the slot to open the closure device is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slot relative to the hook element. An item of packaging composed of the packaging container, includes a removal opening and the closure device.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a closure device for attachment to a packaging container, wherein the packaging container can be closed in a child-resistant and reclosable manner by means of the attached closure device, and to an item of packaging comprising such a closure device.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Legal requirements stipulate that the items of packaging of certain household chemicals must be equipped with child-resistant closures. This includes, for example, the outer packaging of washing and cleaning products, in particular when these are provided as portion packs in the form of what are known as pouches, pods, discs or caps.

[0003] Different types of child-resistant closures are already known for plastics packaging. Opening these closures often requires a combination of several movements, such as a simultaneous pressing and turning movement, or a sequence of several opening steps carried out one after the other. Children in the age groups that require special protection are generally unable to perform such complex movement patterns. At the same time, opening such a closure is usually possible for an adult without great difficulty.

[0004] Rising awareness of environmental protection and sustainability means that the proportion of plastics material in packaging is increasingly being reduced and replaced by biodegradable and / or more easily recyclable materials, such as paper-based materials. Consumers consider paper-based materials in particular to be more sustainable than plastics material, and therefore the highest possible proportion of this type of material is considered desirable. At the same time, packaging made from paper-based materials must also meet child safety requirements. Therefore, in the field of packaging, there are already various approaches to combining the aims of sustainability and child safety.

[0005] For example, DE 10 2019 132 879 A1 discloses an item of bag-shaped paper packaging having a child-resistant closure in the form of a zipper. Although the bag of this item of packaging is preferably made entirely of paper-based material, one disadvantage is that the closure consists entirely or at least largely of plastics material. This makes it difficult to dispose of the empty item of packaging separately and to recycle it. To do this, the closure would first have to be separated from the rest of the item of packaging. This appears to be in need of improvement.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore that of providing a sustainably designed closure device for an item of packaging, wherein the closure device meets the requirements for child safety and at the same time can be opened easily by an adult. A further problem addressed by the invention is that of providing an item of packaging equipped with such a closure device.

[0007] These problems are solved by a closure device having the features of claim 1 and by an item of packaging which comprises such a closure device and has the features of claim 10.

[0008] The dependent claims relate to specific embodiments and developments of the invention.

[0009] According to claim 1, the invention relates to a closure device for attachment to a packaging container, wherein the packaging container can be closed in a child-resistant and reclosable manner by means of the attached closure device. The closure device is characterized in that at least 70% thereof is made of paper-based material and comprises at least two tabs, wherein at least one slot is formed in a first tab and a second tab comprises at least one hook element having a locking lug, wherein, in order to close the closure device, the hook element can be guided from a rear side of the first tab through the slot onto a front side of the first tab, and wherein the locking lug is designed such that, when the hook element is guided through the slot on the front side of the first tab, it comes into contact with an edge-side boundary of the slot in such a way that a return of the hook element through the slot to open the closure device is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slot relative to the hook element.

[0010] In other words, according to the invention, for the child-resistant closure of a packaging container, a closure device, of which at least 70% is made of a paper-based material, can be attached to the packaging container. If the packaging container itself is also made of a paper-based material, the combination of packaging container and closure device can be easily sent to a paper recycling facility without the closure device having to be separated from the packaging container beforehand. The closure device according to the invention comprises at least two tabs in which at least one hook element and at least one corresponding slot are formed. In order to close the closure device, the hook element can be guided through the slot, wherein the hook element guided through the slot hooks securely onto an edge-side boundary of the slot, by means of a locking lug formed on the hook element, in such a way that a return of the hook element through the slot in order to open the closure device is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slot relative to the hook element.

[0011] Here, too, a combination of two movements is required to open the closure device, namely a movement to return the hook element and, at the same time, a movement to displace the slot relative to the hook element. It is therefore necessary to use both hands to open the closure device in this way. Smaller children usually cannot perform such a complex movement pattern, but it can be accomplished by an adult without great difficulty.

[0012] The at least two tabs can, in principle, be formed separately from one another and can be individually attached to the packaging container, for example they can be fastened to the packaging container by gluing and / or sealing and / or welding. At least one pair consisting of a slot and a corresponding hook element is used to close the closure device.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the closure device is formed by folding a continuous two-dimensional material blank, wherein the two-dimensional material blank has a central portion for fastening to the packaging container and comprises the at least two tabs extending out from the central portion. In this embodiment of the invention, the at least two tabs are therefore not designed as separate individual parts, but form portions of a continuous material blank. For this purpose, the material blank may have fold lines along which the material portion can be folded to form the central portion and the individual tabs. When the central portion is attached to a packaging container, the individual tabs can be overlapped by folding them along the fold lines in such a way that the hook elements for closing the closure device, and thus the packaging container, can be passed through the corresponding slots.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the two-dimensional material blank comprises three tabs extending out from the central portion. The central portion can be substantially rectangular, and a tab can extend out from each of three sides of the rectangular central portion. According to the invention, two slots are formed in one tab and a hook element is formed in each of the two other tabs. Alternatively, according to the invention, two hook elements are formed in one of the tabs and a slot is formed in each of the two other tabs. In both of the above-mentioned embodiments, two pairs each consisting of one slot and one hook element are therefore used.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the at least one slot and the at least one hook element are oriented such that they extend in a vertical direction when the closure device is attached to a packaging container. Displacement of the slot relative to the hook element in a vertical direction is therefore required in order to open the closure device designed in this way. According to an alternative embodiment, the at least one slot and the at least one hook element are oriented such that they extend in a horizontal direction when the closure device is attached to a packaging container. In such a configuration, displacement of the slot relative to the hook element in a horizontal direction is required in order to open the closure device.

[0016] According to the invention, the at least one slot is formed in a tab by punching out, and the at least one hook element is formed in a further tab by cutting in and subsequently folding out the cut-in region from a main plane of the tab. In other words, not only can the slot be formed directly in a tab by punching out, but the hook element can also be formed from the tab material by cutting into the corresponding tab, for example along an approximately semicircular cutting line, and the cut-in region being subsequently folded out of the plane of the tab as a hook element. The specific cutting line is chosen so that the locking lug is also formed on the hook element.

[0017] The invention can be designed such that at least 80%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably 100% of the closure device is made of a paper-based material. In other words, the closure device is made entirely, or at least to a very large extent, from a paper-based material.

[0018] According to claim 10, the invention also relates to an item of packaging comprising a packaging container having a removal opening, and to a closure device according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the closure device is attached to the packaging container in such a way that the removal opening can be closed in a child-resistant manner by closing the closure device.

[0019] Here, the closure device can be attached to the packaging container by gluing and / or sealing and / or welding.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the packaging container can be designed as a stand-up pouch and made of a paper-based material. Alternatively, the packaging container can also be designed, for example, as a cuboidal item of packaging made of a paper-based material. The packaging container can be used to hold goods that must be stored in a child-resistant manner, for example household chemicals such as washing and cleaning agents, in particular washing and cleaning agents presented in portion packs.

[0021] According to the invention, the entire item of packaging, comprising a packaging container and a closure device, can be made substantially entirely from a paper-based material and is thus particularly easily and efficiently recyclable.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by means of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the attached figures. In the drawings:

[0023] FIG. 1: shows an item of packaging with a closure device in the opened state;

[0024] FIG. 2: shows the item of packaging of FIG. 1, with the closure device being partially closed;

[0025] FIG. 3: shows the item of packaging from FIGS. 1 and 2, with the item of packaging being completely closed;

[0026] FIG. 4: shows a material blank for forming the closure device from FIG. 1 to 3;

[0027] FIG. 5: shows an alternative material blank for forming a closure device.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an item of packaging, denoted as a whole by 1, which can be used, for example, as outer packaging for portion packs of a washing or cleaning agent. The item of packaging 1 comprises a packaging container 2, which is designed as a stand-up pouch having a removal opening 3, and a closure device 4. Both the packaging container 2 and the closure device 4 are made of a paper-based material.

[0029] The closure device 4 is shown separately in FIG. 4 and is formed from a continuous two-dimensional material blank 5 made of cardboard. The closure device 4 comprises a central portion 4a and three tabs 4b, 4c, 4d extending from the central portion 4a. The central portion 4a is intended for fastening the closure device 4 to the packaging container 2. In the item of packaging according to FIG. 1, the closure device 4 is glued to the rear wall 6 of the packaging container 2 in the region of the central portion 4a. Folding lines 7 are formed between the tabs 4b, 4c, 4d and the central portion 4a of the closure device 4, along which lines the material blank 5 can be folded.

[0030] Two slots 8a, 8b are formed in the tab 4b by punching out. Hook elements 9a, 9b are formed in each of the two tabs 4c and 4d in such a way that the tabs 4c, 4d are cut in along an approximately semicircular cutting line 10a or 10b and the cut-in regions are subsequently folded out of the plane of the tab 4c, 4d in such a way that the hook elements 9a, 9b lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the tabs 4c, 4d. The dashed lines in FIG. 4 in the region of the hook elements 9a, 9b are in each case folding lines, along which the hook element 9a, 9b is folded out of the plane of the relevant tab 4c, 4d. A locking lug 11a, 11b is formed on each of the two hook elements 9a, 9b.

[0031] In order to close the item of packaging 1 from FIG. 1, in a first step, the two tabs 4c, 4d, which are already pre-folded along the fold lines 7, are folded over according to the arrows 12a, 12b so that they come to rest on the front wall 13 of the packaging container 2. The two tabs 4c, 4d can be connected, for example glued, to the front wall 13 of the packaging container 2. This state is shown in FIG. 2. The two hook elements 9a, 9b are, as described above, already folded out of the planes of the two tabs 4c, 4d. For the hook element 9a, the opening, created by folding out the hook element 9a within the tab 4c, is indicated in FIG. 2 by a dotted line.

[0032] In a subsequent step, the tab 4b is folded downwards and over the tabs 4c, 4d according to the arrow 14 in FIG. 2 so that the hook element 9a can be guided through the slot 8a and the hook element 9b through the slot 8b with little effort. In other words, the two hook elements 9a, 9b are guided from a rear side 15 of the tab 4b through the slots 8a, 8b to a front side 16 of the tab 4b. This state is shown in FIG. 3.

[0033] The locking lugs 11a, 11b formed on the hook elements 9a, 9b are designed in such a way that, when the hook elements 9a, 9b are guided through the slots 8a, 8b, they come into contact with an edge-side boundary of the slots 8a, 8b on the front side 16 of the tab 4b in such a way that a return of the hook elements 9a, 9b through the slots 8a, 8b in order to open the closure device 4 is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slots 8a, 8b relative to the hook elements 9a, 9b in the direction of the arrow 17 in FIG. 3.

[0034] In other words, in order to close the closure device 4, the hook elements 9a, 9b which have the locking lugs 11a, 11b formed thereon can be guided through the slots 8a, 8b from a rear side 15 to a front side 16 of the tab 4b with comparatively little effort, but the locking lugs 11a, 11b engage there in such a way that the hook elements 9a, 9b cannot be easily guided back through the slots 8a, 8b. Instead, an additional relative movement between the hook elements 9a, 9b and the slots 8a, 8b is required to release the hook elements 9a, 9b and to guide them back through the slots 8a, 8b in order to open the closure device 4. Simultaneously performing a return movement of the hook elements 9a, 9b and a sliding movement of the slots 8a, 8b is generally not achievable for smaller children, and therefore the removal opening 3 and thus the item of packaging 1 can be closed in a child-resistant manner by the closure device 4.

[0035] The engagement of the hook elements 9a, 9b is not only visually but also acoustically perceptible, and so a user can be sure that the item of packaging 1 is properly closed.

[0036] FIG. 5 shows an alternative material blank 5 which is likewise suitable for forming a closure device 4 and is designed substantially similarly to the material blank according to FIG. 4. In this case, the closure device 4 also comprises a central portion 4a for fastening to a packaging container 2, and comprises three tabs 4b, 4c, 4d extending from the central portion 4a. The closure device 4 of FIG. 5 differs from the closure device 4 of FIG. 4 in that the two hook elements 9a, 9b are formed in the tab 4b, whereas a slot 8a, 8b is formed in each of the tabs 4c, 4d.

[0037] To close a closure device 4 attached to a packaging container 2 according to FIG. 5, first the tab 4b is folded down onto a front wall 13 of the packaging container 2 and then the two tabs 4c, 4d are folded over so that they come to rest on the tab 4b, wherein the hook elements 9a, 9b which have the locking lugs 11a, 11b formed thereon pass from a rear side 15 of the tabs 4c, 4d onto a front side 16 of the tabs 4c, 4d through the slots 8a, 8b and lock there in the manner described above. To open the closure device 4, in addition to the return movement of the hook elements 9a, 9b, a displacement movement of the slots 8a, 8b relative to the hook elements 9a, 9b is required in order for the engaged hook elements 9a, 9b to be released again.

[0038] Although the displacement movement in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 to 4, in which the hook elements 9a, 9b and the slots 8a, 8b extend in a vertical direction, must take place in a vertical direction, it must take place in a horizontal direction in a closure device 4 according to FIG. 5, in which the hook elements 9a, 9b and the slots 8a, 8b extend in a horizontal direction.

[0039] In the two embodiments described here, the closure device 4 is in each case made from a continuous material blank 5. In principle, the tabs 4b, 4c, 4d having the slots 8a, 8b and the hook elements 9a, 9b can also be designed separately from one another and can be individually fastened to a packaging container 2.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0028]FIG. 1 shows an item of packaging, denoted as a whole by 1, which can be used, for example, as outer packaging for portion packs of a washing or cleaning agent. The item of packaging 1 comprises a packaging container 2, which is designed as a stand-up pouch having a removal opening 3, and a closure device 4. Both the packaging container 2 and the closure device 4 are made of a paper-based material.

[0029]The closure device 4 is shown separately in FIG. 4 and is formed from a continuous two-dimensional material blank 5 made of cardboard. The closure device 4 comprises a central portion 4a and three tabs 4b, 4c, 4d extending from the central portion 4a. The central portion 4a is intended for fastening the closure device 4 to the packaging container 2. In the item of packaging according to FIG. 1, the closure device 4 is glued to the rear wall 6 of the packaging container 2 in the region of the central portion 4a. Folding lines 7 are formed between the tabs 4b, 4c, 4d and the cent...

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a closure device for attachment to a packaging container, wherein the packaging container can be closed in a child-resistant and reclosable manner by means of the attached closure device, and to an item of packaging comprising such a closure device.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Legal requirements stipulate that the items of packaging of certain household chemicals must be equipped with child-resistant closures. This includes, for example, the outer packaging of washing and cleaning products, in particular when these are provided as portion packs in the form of what are known as pouches, pods, discs or caps.

[0003] Different types of child-resistant closures are already known for plastics packaging. Opening these closures often requires a combination of several movements, such as a simultaneous pressing and turning movement, or a sequence of several opening steps carried out one after the other. Children in the age groups that require special protection are generally unable to perform such complex movement patterns. At the same time, opening such a closure is usually possible for an adult without great difficulty.

[0004] Rising awareness of environmental protection and sustainability means that the proportion of plastics material in packaging is increasingly being reduced and replaced by biodegradable and / or more easily recyclable materials, such as paper-based materials. Consumers consider paper-based materials in particular to be more sustainable than plastics material, and therefore the highest possible proportion of this type of material is considered desirable. At the same time, packaging made from paper-based materials must also meet child safety requirements. Therefore, in the field of packaging, there are already various approaches to combining the aims of sustainability and child safety.

[0005] For example, DE 10 2019 132 879 A1 discloses an item of bag-shaped paper packaging having a child-resistant closure in the form of a zipper. Although the bag of this item of packaging is preferably made entirely of paper-based material, one disadvantage is that the closure consists entirely or at least largely of plastics material. This makes it difficult to dispose of the empty item of packaging separately and to recycle it. To do this, the closure would first have to be separated from the rest of the item of packaging. This appears to be in need of improvement.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore that of providing a sustainably designed closure device for an item of packaging, wherein the closure device meets the requirements for child safety and at the same time can be opened easily by an adult. A further problem addressed by the invention is that of providing an item of packaging equipped with such a closure device.

[0007] These problems are solved by a closure device having the features of claim 1 and by an item of packaging which comprises such a closure device and has the features of claim 10.

[0008] The dependent claims relate to specific embodiments and developments of the invention.

[0009] According to claim 1, the invention relates to a closure device for attachment to a packaging container, wherein the packaging container can be closed in a child-resistant and reclosable manner by means of the attached closure device. The closure device is characterized in that at least 70% thereof is made of paper-based material and comprises at least two tabs, wherein at least one slot is formed in a first tab and a second tab comprises at least one hook element having a locking lug, wherein, in order to close the closure device, the hook element can be guided from a rear side of the first tab through the slot onto a front side of the first tab, and wherein the locking lug is designed such that, when the hook element is guided through the slot on the front side of the first tab, it comes into contact with an edge-side boundary of the slot in such a way that a return of the hook element through the slot to open the closure device is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slot relative to the hook element.

[0010] In other words, according to the invention, for the child-resistant closure of a packaging container, a closure device, of which at least 70% is made of a paper-based material, can be attached to the packaging container. If the packaging container itself is also made of a paper-based material, the combination of packaging container and closure device can be easily sent to a paper recycling facility without the closure device having to be separated from the packaging container beforehand. The closure device according to the invention comprises at least two tabs in which at least one hook element and at least one corresponding slot are formed. In order to close the closure device, the hook element can be guided through the slot, wherein the hook element guided through the slot hooks securely onto an edge-side boundary of the slot, by means of a locking lug formed on the hook element, in such a way that a return of the hook element through the slot in order to open the closure device is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slot relative to the hook element.

[0011] Here, too, a combination of two movements is required to open the closure device, namely a movement to return the hook element and, at the same time, a movement to displace the slot relative to the hook element. It is therefore necessary to use both hands to open the closure device in this way. Smaller children usually cannot perform such a complex movement pattern, but it can be accomplished by an adult without great difficulty.

[0012] The at least two tabs can, in principle, be formed separately from one another and can be individually attached to the packaging container, for example they can be fastened to the packaging container by gluing and / or sealing and / or welding. At least one pair consisting of a slot and a corresponding hook element is used to close the closure device.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the closure device is formed by folding a continuous two-dimensional material blank, wherein the two-dimensional material blank has a central portion for fastening to the packaging container and comprises the at least two tabs extending out from the central portion. In this embodiment of the invention, the at least two tabs are therefore not designed as separate individual parts, but form portions of a continuous material blank. For this purpose, the material blank may have fold lines along which the material portion can be folded to form the central portion and the individual tabs. When the central portion is attached to a packaging container, the individual tabs can be overlapped by folding them along the fold lines in such a way that the hook elements for closing the closure device, and thus the packaging container, can be passed through the corresponding slots.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the two-dimensional material blank comprises three tabs extending out from the central portion. The central portion can be substantially rectangular, and a tab can extend out from each of three sides of the rectangular central portion. According to the invention, two slots are formed in one tab and a hook element is formed in each of the two other tabs. Alternatively, according to the invention, two hook elements are formed in one of the tabs and a slot is formed in each of the two other tabs. In both of the above-mentioned embodiments, two pairs each consisting of one slot and one hook element are therefore used.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the at least one slot and the at least one hook element are oriented such that they extend in a vertical direction when the closure device is attached to a packaging container. Displacement of the slot relative to the hook element in a vertical direction is therefore required in order to open the closure device designed in this way. According to an alternative embodiment, the at least one slot and the at least one hook element are oriented such that they extend in a horizontal direction when the closure device is attached to a packaging container. In such a configuration, displacement of the slot relative to the hook element in a horizontal direction is required in order to open the closure device.

[0016] According to the invention, the at least one slot is formed in a tab by punching out, and the at least one hook element is formed in a further tab by cutting in and subsequently folding out the cut-in region from a main plane of the tab. In other words, not only can the slot be formed directly in a tab by punching out, but the hook element can also be formed from the tab material by cutting into the corresponding tab, for example along an approximately semicircular cutting line, and the cut-in region being subsequently folded out of the plane of the tab as a hook element. The specific cutting line is chosen so that the locking lug is also formed on the hook element.

[0017] The invention can be designed such that at least 80%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably 100% of the closure device is made of a paper-based material. In other words, the closure device is made entirely, or at least to a very large extent, from a paper-based material.

[0018] According to claim 10, the invention also relates to an item of packaging comprising a packaging container having a removal opening, and to a closure device according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the closure device is attached to the packaging container in such a way that the removal opening can be closed in a child-resistant manner by closing the closure device.

[0019] Here, the closure device can be attached to the packaging container by gluing and / or sealing and / or welding.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the packaging container can be designed as a stand-up pouch and made of a paper-based material. Alternatively, the packaging container can also be designed, for example, as a cuboidal item of packaging made of a paper-based material. The packaging container can be used to hold goods that must be stored in a child-resistant manner, for example household chemicals such as washing and cleaning agents, in particular washing and cleaning agents presented in portion packs.

[0021] According to the invention, the entire item of packaging, comprising a packaging container and a closure device, can be made substantially entirely from a paper-based material and is thus particularly easily and efficiently recyclable.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by means of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the attached figures. In the drawings:

[0023] FIG. 1: shows an item of packaging with a closure device in the opened state;

[0024] FIG. 2: shows the item of packaging of FIG. 1, with the closure device being partially closed;

[0025] FIG. 3: shows the item of packaging from FIGS. 1 and 2, with the item of packaging being completely closed;

[0026] FIG. 4: shows a material blank for forming the closure device from FIG. 1 to 3;

[0027] FIG. 5: shows an alternative material blank for forming a closure device.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an item of packaging, denoted as a whole by 1, which can be used, for example, as outer packaging for portion packs of a washing or cleaning agent. The item of packaging 1 comprises a packaging container 2, which is designed as a stand-up pouch having a removal opening 3, and a closure device 4. Both the packaging container 2 and the closure device 4 are made of a paper-based material.

[0029] The closure device 4 is shown separately in FIG. 4 and is formed from a continuous two-dimensional material blank 5 made of cardboard. The closure device 4 comprises a central portion 4a and three tabs 4b, 4c, 4d extending from the central portion 4a. The central portion 4a is intended for fastening the closure device 4 to the packaging container 2. In the item of packaging according to FIG. 1, the closure device 4 is glued to the rear wall 6 of the packaging container 2 in the region of the central portion 4a. Folding lines 7 are formed between the tabs 4b, 4c, 4d and the central portion 4a of the closure device 4, along which lines the material blank 5 can be folded.

[0030] Two slots 8a, 8b are formed in the tab 4b by punching out. Hook elements 9a, 9b are formed in each of the two tabs 4c and 4d in such a way that the tabs 4c, 4d are cut in along an approximately semicircular cutting line 10a or 10b and the cut-in regions are subsequently folded out of the plane of the tab 4c, 4d in such a way that the hook elements 9a, 9b lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the tabs 4c, 4d. The dashed lines in FIG. 4 in the region of the hook elements 9a, 9b are in each case folding lines, along which the hook element 9a, 9b is folded out of the plane of the relevant tab 4c, 4d. A locking lug 11a, 11b is formed on each of the two hook elements 9a, 9b.

[0031] In order to close the item of packaging 1 from FIG. 1, in a first step, the two tabs 4c, 4d, which are already pre-folded along the fold lines 7, are folded over according to the arrows 12a, 12b so that they come to rest on the front wall 13 of the packaging container 2. The two tabs 4c, 4d can be connected, for example glued, to the front wall 13 of the packaging container 2. This state is shown in FIG. 2. The two hook elements 9a, 9b are, as described above, already folded out of the planes of the two tabs 4c, 4d. For the hook element 9a, the opening, created by folding out the hook element 9a within the tab 4c, is indicated in FIG. 2 by a dotted line.

[0032] In a subsequent step, the tab 4b is folded downwards and over the tabs 4c, 4d according to the arrow 14 in FIG. 2 so that the hook element 9a can be guided through the slot 8a and the hook element 9b through the slot 8b with little effort. In other words, the two hook elements 9a, 9b are guided from a rear side 15 of the tab 4b through the slots 8a, 8b to a front side 16 of the tab 4b. This state is shown in FIG. 3.

[0033] The locking lugs 11a, 11b formed on the hook elements 9a, 9b are designed in such a way that, when the hook elements 9a, 9b are guided through the slots 8a, 8b, they come into contact with an edge-side boundary of the slots 8a, 8b on the front side 16 of the tab 4b in such a way that a return of the hook elements 9a, 9b through the slots 8a, 8b in order to open the closure device 4 is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slots 8a, 8b relative to the hook elements 9a, 9b in the direction of the arrow 17 in FIG. 3.

[0034] In other words, in order to close the closure device 4, the hook elements 9a, 9b which have the locking lugs 11a, 11b formed thereon can be guided through the slots 8a, 8b from a rear side 15 to a front side 16 of the tab 4b with comparatively little effort, but the locking lugs 11a, 11b engage there in such a way that the hook elements 9a, 9b cannot be easily guided back through the slots 8a, 8b. Instead, an additional relative movement between the hook elements 9a, 9b and the slots 8a, 8b is required to release the hook elements 9a, 9b and to guide them back through the slots 8a, 8b in order to open the closure device 4. Simultaneously performing a return movement of the hook elements 9a, 9b and a sliding movement of the slots 8a, 8b is generally not achievable for smaller children, and therefore the removal opening 3 and thus the item of packaging 1 can be closed in a child-resistant manner by the closure device 4.

[0035] The engagement of the hook elements 9a, 9b is not only visually but also acoustically perceptible, and so a user can be sure that the item of packaging 1 is properly closed.

[0036] FIG. 5 shows an alternative material blank 5 which is likewise suitable for forming a closure device 4 and is designed substantially similarly to the material blank according to FIG. 4. In this case, the closure device 4 also comprises a central portion 4a for fastening to a packaging container 2, and comprises three tabs 4b, 4c, 4d extending from the central portion 4a. The closure device 4 of FIG. 5 differs from the closure device 4 of FIG. 4 in that the two hook elements 9a, 9b are formed in the tab 4b, whereas a slot 8a, 8b is formed in each of the tabs 4c, 4d.

[0037] To close a closure device 4 attached to a packaging container 2 according to FIG. 5, first the tab 4b is folded down onto a front wall 13 of the packaging container 2 and then the two tabs 4c, 4d are folded over so that they come to rest on the tab 4b, wherein the hook elements 9a, 9b which have the locking lugs 11a, 11b formed thereon pass from a rear side 15 of the tabs 4c, 4d onto a front side 16 of the tabs 4c, 4d through the slots 8a, 8b and lock there in the manner described above. To open the closure device 4, in addition to the return movement of the hook elements 9a, 9b, a displacement movement of the slots 8a, 8b relative to the hook elements 9a, 9b is required in order for the engaged hook elements 9a, 9b to be released again.

[0038] Although the displacement movement in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 to 4, in which the hook elements 9a, 9b and the slots 8a, 8b extend in a vertical direction, must take place in a vertical direction, it must take place in a horizontal direction in a closure device 4 according to FIG. 5, in which the hook elements 9a, 9b and the slots 8a, 8b extend in a horizontal direction.

[0039] In the two embodiments described here, the closure device 4 is in each case made from a continuous material blank 5. In principle, the tabs 4b, 4c, 4d having the slots 8a, 8b and the hook elements 9a, 9b can also be designed separately from one another and can be individually fastened to a packaging container 2.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0028]FIG. 1 shows an item of packaging, denoted as a whole by 1, which can be used, for example, as outer packaging for portion packs of a washing or cleaning agent. The item of packaging 1 comprises a packaging container 2, which is designed as a stand-up pouch having a removal opening 3, and a closure device 4. Both the packaging container 2 and the closure device 4 are made of a paper-based material.

[0029]The closure device 4 is shown separately in FIG. 4 and is formed from a continuous two-dimensional material blank 5 made of cardboard. The closure device 4 comprises a central portion 4a and three tabs 4b, 4c, 4d extending from the central portion 4a. The central portion 4a is intended for fastening the closure device 4 to the packaging container 2. In the item of packaging according to FIG. 1, the closure device 4 is glued to the rear wall 6 of the packaging container 2 in the region of the central portion 4a. Folding lines 7 are formed between the tabs 4b, 4c, 4d and the cent...

Claims

1. A closure device for attachment to a packaging container, by which the packaging container can be closed in a child-resistant and reclosable manner, wherein the closure device is made of at least 70% of a paper-based material and comprises at least two tabs, at least one slot being formed in a first tab, and a second tab comprising at least one hook element having a locking lug, wherein to close the closure device, the hook element is guided from a rear side of the first tab through the slot to a front side of the first tab, and the locking lug being designed such that, when the hook element is guided through the slot on the front side of the first tab, it comes into contact with an edge-side boundary of the slot in such a way that a return of the hook element through the slot to open the closure device is possible only by a simultaneous displacement of the slot relative to the hook element.

2. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein the closure device is formed by folding from a continuous two-dimensional material blank, the two-dimensional material blank comprising a central portion for fastening to the packaging container, and at least two tabs which extend from the central portion.

3. The closure device according to claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional material blank comprises three tabs extending from the central portion.

4. The closure device according to claim 3, wherein two slots are formed in one tab and a hook element is formed in each of the two further tabs.

5. The closure device according to claim 3, wherein two hook elements are formed in one tab and a slot is formed in each of the two further tabs.

6. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot and the at least one hook element are oriented such that they extend in a vertical direction when the closure device is attached to a packaging container.

7. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot and the at least one hook element are oriented such that they extend in a horizontal direction when the closure device is attached to a packaging container.

8. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot is formed in a tab by punching out and in, and the at least one hook element is formed in a further tab by cutting in and subsequently folding out the cut-in region from a main plane of the tab.

9. The closure device according to claim 1, wherein at least 80% of the closure device is made of paper-based material.

10. An item of packaging comprising a packaging container having a removal opening and a closure device according to claim 1, wherein the closure device is attached to the packaging container in such a way that the removal opening can be closed in a child-resistant manner by closing the closure device.

11. The item of packaging according to claim 10, wherein the closure device is attached to the packaging container by at least one method of gluing, sealing, or welding.

12. The item of packaging according to claim 10, wherein the packaging container is designed as a stand-up pouch and is made of a paper-based material.

13. The item of packaging according to claim 10, wherein the item of packaging is made of a paper-based material.

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